When temperments clash..the strong willed

I was frustrated...seemed anything could irritate me. Waking up to another mess the dog had made during the night didn't add a constructive undertone to my morning. Nor did the spat at 7am over waffles and syrup. Trying to breathe some peace into my day I made my mornings coffee and invited each of the boys to sit with me to discuss their progress in their studies. 

Carter was up first. He's very pleasant to talk to. Quirky but agreeable. Our meeting concluded that he has jumped leaps and bounds since August. A for amazing. 

Next up was Cylas. We began by going over his completed units in Math and English. His arrogant tone and lack of participation nerved me, but I went on to point out his successes, which brought him a smile. He likes positive attention. The tides turned thought when we moved onto our goals..as I pointed out his weakness in math, tension rose. He can be utterly difficult. His mind was on one thing, He wants to finish his book that I tore him from, and he doesn't want to put any more effort into math...and when is lunch...and can you take me to the store? My invitation for him to discuss his progress annoyed him. And his response aggravated me. He is very contrary to ideas that are not his own...really a leader in nature, but I couldn't ignore his attitude. So off I went, informing him that if he wanted to succeed in life, he would first off need to learn how to get along with people better, to be more agreeable. To think of others and think positively, optimistic. A team player. Uhh. 

As I am saying these words to my growing son who is trying to find himself I am vaguely reminded of my own attitude on life as a child. Looking at him I saw myself..through and through. If anyone were to understand what was going on inside this boy, it ought to be me. He and I clash...we are each stubborn to the extent that compromise is hard for us. I understand that. He doesn't. I need remind myself of this often. He is finding his way in life, and who better to teach him the skills to use his personality to advance his potential character. He needs affirmations..big ones. Daily I need remind myself that being critical of him only drives him farther into his tendency to rebel. As a mother, this is a learning curve for me too. As much as I think my parents never affirmed my presence, I need to boldly establish my son as a very important and contributing member of the family in the most empowering way. This is the key for him. Carter is different. His needs are unique too, but in such a way that he is much easier to please. My 2 year old is developing into a similar version of the strong willed child. Hopefully by the time he faces the same trials that Cylas does, I'll have a more experienced grasp on things. Poor Cylas, he's really a living experiment. My first child. I make mistakes. We learn. We get better. I know we will be okay. 

As much as this journey is terrifying, emotional, and lifelong I catch glimpses every day of the treasure I have in my children. To see their personalities blossom as they make their way. Seeing how they care for each other. Those moments when I look at them and know that they are the greatest gift God has ever entrusted me with. I am so Thankful. For every moment. The peaceful ones. The challenging. The rewarding. It's all good, we are moving forward.

TV...from lazy to learning

TV you say? ...what's that about kids learning to be lazy? Huh. 

We have gone through many fads when in comes to TV. Once upon a time, we saw tv as a good educational tool..you know, for abc's and the like. After all, Baby Einsteins is pretty thought provoking..isn't it? From Pooh Bear, to Astro Boy...and Star wars to Spongebob...we've seen it all. And please don't forget the greed teaching commercials that brainwash children and adults alike to spend hard earned dollars on meaningless gadgets that end up in the next garage sale. 

 Without limits and direction, TV quickly became a nightmare. Everything from kids running to their father frantic to show him a toy that they just *had* to have, to peer disputes that are ironically similar to the last episode of Jimmy neutron. Sigh. The kids seem to know nothing other than how to grab the best seat in front of the tube..and what time iCarly comes on.

Thankfully, I grabbed a grip on myself and realized that fresh air, and some structure was desperately needed. When we decided to Homeschool, I made that radical move towards.. *gasp* ..TV TURNAROUND. My first step was to limit..yes limit screen time (this includes the computer). 1 hour..per child..per day. Period. Add stuck to it. 

Next up was to banish the world of commercials..which is amazingly easy with the use of Netflix..so we turned off the satellite and turned on Netflix. It took the boys awhile to get used to their limit of one hour. A lot was said about being bored, and having nothing to do and the so on...but they lived. 

What was the real shocker was when I expected them to pay for tv time..yes. I said that correctly. They earn "merits" for doing well in school, passing tests, household chores and the like. 1 hour of tv? 3 merits please :) 

I started my anti TV conspiracy back in the summer months....it is now Early December and my boys have well adapted to their new norm. Instead of watching random infomercials and wasting afternoons on cartoons, the boys (ages 9 & 10) have moved towards a fad in Youtube (we have since disconnected even the netflix) They often watch short clips of LEGO movies...sometimes amature, others are brilliant. They also find interesting games to play, or dust off the xbox for a good old hunting game. I don't mind these things. They at least are a product of what interests my boys have...rather than a tv listing of peer influences that I don't so much agree with. There is something about having to type in a search word of your own, from scratch, that gets ones brain into "individuality mode". Requiring them to actually think of something that they want to watch..rather than picking from a parade of choices.

Now that the boys are happy with their screen experience, I have gone into the next phase: Student led learning aka un-schooling...better known as: a life of learning..or better yet, "teach yourself" screen hour. Before this, the boys had 6 days of tv time where they could watch..well, anything..with some discretion. On Sundays, they had a free day where they had no time limit and did not have to pay. Now, Both Saturday and Sunday are free days (most the time we are not home), but as a toss up, the week day screen time can now be used *only* for learning. Additionally, rather than each boy having an hour, they now have one hour total...they are to learn together.

Talking about and enjoying in common interests has shown to be a dynamic learning tool. Children will retain information more readily as a group than if they are alone. I have shown them how to use Google to search for items of interest. Carters first choice was to find out more about Dinosaurs. So they chose a short film about the history of the beastly animals. You see, there is compelling research that if children are given access to information, and have the drive to learn, that they can and will succeed at teaching themselves whatever it is that they want to learn about. TV is not all bad..it's just the garbage that is offered as eye candy that turns such a great tool into rubbish. 

As we turn this new leaf, I see two enthusiastic kids...ready to learn, who love the technology of screens. I can not deny that screen time is becoming increasingly popular among teens and adults alike. Nor the fact that my kids are drawn to it like magnets. From social media, to texting. Video games and ipods, e-readers ect ect..My children are growing up in a world where they will need the skills to use these tools in a productive and responsible way. To cross off the use of technology entirely is to introduce a disadvantage to my kids. We embrace. We learn, from lazy to learning.

How to make Jerky

How we make our jerky

Every year, about this time, we end up with a little surplus of ground meat. A favourite at our house is the salty, protein filled, teriyaki jerky. My first dehydrator was a cheap...a useless machine. It had no temperature gauge, and ran very hot...which I suppose may be okay for jerky..but not so nice for my fruits. A few years ago, I scored a better dehydrator at a second hand shop for only $14. It's perfect. 

First off, when making jerky, be sure to have good quality, fresh ground meat. 

A local butcher is a great place to look. 

We don't measure so much when we make ours...here we have aprox 5 lbs meat, and have sprinkled close to 2tbs of Kosher salt on top. You cna adjust the salt content to suit your tastes. Sometimes, I don't use any at all...but it will store longer when you use salt. Mix in well. I let this sit for a few hours to soak in well. Some suggest letting it sit for longer, but 2-3 hrs will do.

Next we work in a seasoning. The sky is the limit here...choose whatever you like. You could purchase specially made seasonings just for jerky, or make your own. We use a 475 ml bottle of our favourite Teriyki sauce. I'd love to make my own sauce...but have not come across a good recipe that we all love. If you have one you cherish, please share :)

Once the seasoning has been worked in well, we use our Nesco Jerkey Pump to squeeze out strips of raw meat onto our dehydrator trays.

 Once the Dehydrator is full (we have 9 trays), I set the temperature to 155f and leave it to do it's work. I usually check back in an hour or so to flip the strips. This can be a sticky mess if the meat has not dried enough. So if it is still pretty wet, I wait longer.

 While we are waiting, here is where I found my 2 year old. He learned from his older bothers how to do this...you see, they climb up and over the banister to avoid the baby gate....and Griffen's legs are just a little short of freedom..so he just hangs out here.

When I turned on the dehydrator it was early afternoon..so at bedtime the jerky was nearly done...but not completely. So, I set the heat on low and left it to finish over night. In the morning Cylas exclaimed, "It's as hard as bark but tastes awesome...can I have another piece?" I haven't quite figured out the art of having dry, yet tender jerky...mine is always dry dry...but equally yummy. Have you tips on making your jerky tender? Care to share?

I managed to bottle 4 quarts before they had devoured it.

A Hop Down Cherry Lane

 Since starting our rabbitry, we have been the landing spot for bunnies that our family or friends no longer want as pets. This, I suppose is borderline weird. My husband is not soo eager to cull the cute furry animals to start with. But add on that, the idea that this, once, was a child's cherished pet, and voila..you have a dilemma. Yes, there have been a few tragic stories in the past...but yesterday brought anew the tearing of the heart.

This is Oreo. He is a dwarf. My husband was the first to meet him. I had heard he was small...but when Dan proclaimed that we could just not throw him in the freezer, my first thought was "get a back bone"...but then I saw how absolutely tiny he was, and how domesticated he had apparently been raised. The story was that he was given to a friend, who gave him to a friend. He was homeless. Poor thing, he just needs an everlasting home...not the cooker.

Immediately, as if in unison, our Family adopted Oreo as our own. He is now in the home as a pet. I'm not sure what this may do for our future culling experience...but for now it reassures us that amidst our journey of making a sustainable life for ourselves, that we can draw a line between things given for need, and things given for us to care for.

May I resolve that we welcome large breed rabbits. 

The small ones need a family home..and we already have one :)

Have a furry Christmas

What is Christmas really about? 

Jesus.

Jesus gave the most precious gift of all time. 

It's easy to want gifts, and food, and holiday music to make our celebrations special. But I know two boys who want something more.

You see, there are homeless animals. They don't have a home. They have no family to love them...unconditionally. 

For Christmas, my boys really wanted to do something for the pets at our local animal shelter. I do too.

We've decided that as a family, we would start a sponsorship program. 

Every time someone donates either $10 or drops off one item on the list of needed supplies, they in turn, sponsor one half hour of cuddle and cleaning time at our shelter. Cylas says he will even scoop poop.

I'd like to invite you all to consider giving this gift for Christmas..please find the tab at the heading of our bog...this will take you to our facebook event where you can learn more about what we are doing. You can also find that link here.

Even if you cannot send your support to our cause....please consider dropping by your local shelter and just visit with the furry friends. Love and compassion, when there is none, is the most precious gift. And just maybe, you will fall in love...and adopt :) 

Merry Christmas!

Homeschooled Shrooms

 Homeschooled Shrooms

We learn, where ever, when ever, always.

A few weeks ago, our class of 5 were out hunting, and doing some foraging. We found some Oyster Mushrooms. I wrote about that and our discoveries here. Today was day 10 of our mycelium growth and it seemed to be ready for planting. So, we did just that. Here is our progress.

Carter is stirring the soil/compost mixture that we heated in the microwave...it was frozen from storage in our garage, so it both needed to be thawed and heated thoroughly to 140deg F. This ensures any seeds, micro's or fungi is not already living in the soil.

Cylas has noted that worm poop smells distinctly gross..and exclaimed that he will puke. In math, they have been learning about temperature, and so reading the thermometer was a breeze :) 

 Here, we are sterilizing the bin that will host our growing mushrooms...Carter noted the sauna effect...and so both stressed boys relaxed in the steam. No, mama did not give them facials.

 After my class mates took off out of pure boredom from waiting on the kettle to heat, I was left solo to sterilize our growing medium...aka..food for our shrooms. We chose a mix of shredded paper and wood shavings.

 After soaking in boiling water, we squeezed out the excess, and allowed them to cool outside on the cold porch.

This is the point in our project where Cylas started to take an interest...I don't blame him. Who can resist white fuzz that smells awkwardly musty?

The boys take the mycelium covered strips of corregated cardboard and "plant" them on top of our soil/compst...

Here is a closeup of our fuzz.

My shroom boys posing with their batches :) I had taken a video of the boys covering their mycelium with the paper/wood mix..but it has failed to upload.
 I will try that again a little later

Here is our shroom garden...we named and dated the boxes, and added a humidity tent. Our storage room stays quite cool and dark, which these shrooms should appreciate. Stay tuned (follow my blog) for updates on our Oyster Mushroom Project

Because babies don't keep

We will cuddle while we can little V. I remember a time when my babies were still blissfully unaware, dependently needy, their slumbering bodies needing mine. I could set you down to wash the dishes, or bake...but for today I will cradle you...soaking up the precious moments while they last.

Everyone told me how to mother best.

If someone had asked me "What kind of parent do you think you will be?" ....I probably would have come up with some type of stereotypical version of the perfect soccer mom type. Well, that was then. More than a decade ago...wow, time has escaped me. After much dilemma, debate, trial and error, I find myself nestled into a role of "Mom". This role is ever changing. I face each challenge as it comes. Sure, I have ideals...but I have thrown out the "mommie does best" and "Best mom in town" books, advice and opinions. None of that matters. My children will grow, we will be happy....no matter what the newest parenting fad decides I should be doing. The truth is, there will always be someone who knows better than you do, gives a glare when your kids are unruly, suggests a better nap time routine, or seems to be flawless and effortless in their technique. They, are not you or me. However picturesque a fantasy family may seem...it's not real, and following an image of perfectness, constantly striving for excellence and perfect children is unrealistic and only results in defeated tears. I have found that a perfect parent has one, namely one quality. That is, they love their children. I know that in my heart, whatever I choose to do as a parent, is exactly what works for us...at that time. Sometimes we are inconsistent, sometimes we conquer our fears, times we cry over spilled milk, and others where we fly with our wings..or by the seat of our pants. I'd have to say though, to anyone looking for advice on how to potty train, or wean, or just get sleep....the most important advice...is....TRUST YOUR INSTINCT. 

More on parenting to come.

Good Day.

This is full blown separation... bad, bad! ;-)

I have been making soap now for little over a year...perhaps 5-7 batches under my belt thus far. Last week I had a friend join me in creating some suds. She was taking notes as I guided her through what I knew. As a novice, I have been really blessed with soap success....at least up until this point! My soap was over due to come out of their molds. I had noticed, when I poured the soap that there were little blobs of, what seemed to be, oily patches near the end of the pouring. Weird aeh? I thought, well...we will see. Come to find out, while I was cutting my soap today, those patches turned into one large pocket of water. Humm...I poured off the water into the sink. A little baffled, I thought I'd search for an answer on line. I came across this page at Miller Soap. My problem, as per the chart, is as follows:

Soap has layer of water (lye solution) underneath

This is full blown separation... bad, bad! ;-)

Remelting is necessary! Double check your recipe for lye to fat ratio before proceeding, just in case. Be sure to save ALL liquids from your original recipe for the remelt.

Not exactly what I wanted to hear...I had dumped my liquids down my drain! Back to the drawing board, and to the trash my botched batch goes!

Fungi, storage, and our winter garden.

Fall has settled, bringing the end to the summers harvest and marking the turn towards colder days. We have taken rest after much work in storing and prepping for the coming winter, but all has not ended. Fall is a special season filled with a renewed flavor. Hunting has become a family affair, and a time to spend quietness in the forest and enjoy the abundance that God has given in nature. Here are a few of his blessings, and some of our fall projects. 

Above is our newly discovered Oyster Mushroom. I have long aspired to learn and forage for this special treat, and this year I was glad to have an experienced guide show me how to find, identify and harvest this delicate and tasteful food. There is much fear surrounding wild mushrooms, understandably, but Gods great gifts are everywhere, and plenty. Once learning and searching for knowledge on this food, I have found it is not such a mystery, as many may believe. These mushrooms are one of the easiest to identify, and in North America there are no highly toxic look-a-likes, which renders them quite safe for the amateur forager. In addition, I have discovered that this particular shroom is very simple to grow yourself at home...and we are attempting precisely that. Below shows my 2nd eldest checking on our mycelium growth, which has taken hold very well, and will soon be ready for planting.

In the above Photo is another form of fungi that has been an elusive treasure for our family. I learned about Chaga a good year ago, and ever since researching and learning all I could, I still could not find any growth. This fall, during our hunting treks, we hit gold. This fungi grows primarily on yellow birch and is full of antioxidants. Made into a tea, it's medicinal properties and benefits and plenty.

Below is out Carrot storage. Packed in moist shredded paper, out carrots are cool, firm, and still growing. I am well pleased to see that this new method (for us) to store these carrots has shown to be a great success. With little maintenance, they should stay fresh and crisp for the winter months.

Above is a photo of our onion harvest from the late summer. Many have dried out nicely and can be trimmed and stored on shelves...but to my amazement, many are still sporting fresh greens, and still growing! This is nice as they will remain ultra fresh for longer.

Below I have added a photo of the "web" in our laundry area. I am super cheap, and using a dryer for the winter months just seems like a waste when we have a warm area near our furnace that is well able to dry our clothing. I don't see the point in paying for all that heat and air circulation, just to have it blown out of the house. Drying our clothing this way takes 12-18 hrs to dry medium weight fabrics, so it's a little more time consuming, but works well for us. 

Lastly we have started a winter garden area in our available windows. Our ginger has taken off incredibly well, and our little sprout-lings look promising. We are taking a little gamble with the beans and peas, but with Gods good hand, we may have fresh pods and beans in mid winter. Below shows a close up of a tomato plant I have started using compost...I am a little baffled. There are a few different things growing in this pot...none of which I can identify as the Tomato that I planted....any ideas?? 

Rabbitry

In June we brought home our rabbits. First the juvenile, then the alpha male...and finally our lady. After scheduling tirelessly the homely duties, the garden, the harvest, and well, just living, we finally have our hutch winter ready...and have only 3 rabbits housed as supposed to the 6 we kept over summer.

Our hutch, however homely, has gone through: building, housing, escaping bunnies, patching, and finally completion! Here, our alpha male (for now) is checking out his new winter box...this, once marked, will be his warm nest for the cold winter months.

Here is my lovely lady. She....needs to get to work! Throughout the summer we have tirelessly tried to impregnate her without success...I have my hopes for the 19th, but we will see...my worst fear, she is infertile. We are pressing on with the hope that she can bear us one more litter, and in that litter be more females!

Ah yes, "Sam" (the only named rabbit), has found his home and is settling in. Sir, if you are sterile, may your days be numbered. 

This is our future, our Alpha males successor. He shows much promise as a rabbitry king. So friendly, we have raised him from near infancy. He handles well, and is of nice temperament with our lady (I once caught them "cuddling"? through the wire cages) 

All in all, however unsuccessful we have been with litters, our Rabbits are treasured, part of our daily lives, and hold our hopes for bringing us much urban security.

Feeling a little fruity?

We went the garden and....Lady Ash Pickles!

 We have a garden in our back yard, but the bounty of our harvest comes mainly from the plot that we share with my folks. There is a good 2 acres that we plant yearly. We have brought home many good foods from our labours. 

My oldest two boys helped me gather onions, a cabbage, an overripe red pepper, and the last of our broccoli.

 And of course, our main produce for the week, cucumbers. We have big plans for these cukes! It is Lady Ash Pickles (or otherwise known as Mustard Pickles). The only difference between the two pickles are that the Lady Ash has the peel left on and with the mustard pickles, the peel is cut off. We also brought home some baby cukes to make a small batch of garlic dills. This will be my first attempt at dills. Any tips? Good recipe? A friend suggested I use the recipe here. I think I will try it out. Seems easy enough.

 So here we are, nearly half way through cutting, coring and dicing the cucumbers. I cut up enough for a 2 1/2X the recipe listed below, so 10 quarts of cukes. The trick is to get out all the seeds and dice them nice and fine. I will post the full recipe at the bottom of this post. Once I have all my cukes cut, then I pour the salt over top...I mix mine in just a little. Then you let it sit overnight.

 In the morning, I drain the water off the pickles, and then add the onions, vinegar, turmeric, celery & mustard seed, and the sugar. I heat to a simmer and let it cook for 45 minutes on med heat (without boiling). Make sure to stir. The smell is devine. At 45 minute, I turn up the heat and add in my bowl of sifted flour & ground mustard.

 Once the flour mixture has been blended, I keep the pickles on heat for an additional 15 minutes or so. Then I bottle them. Today I canned 20 baby food jars that I plan to use for gifts at Christmas time. (I pickle the old school way...which means sealer jars are not really needed)

I still have plenty of cucumbers left. Most my eldest will eat I am sure (He ate 4 just this morning). If by Monday morning, there are still lots, I may do another batch of Lady Ash. If there is not, we will visit the garden once again. I have not yet made my baby dills, but that will be another post I am sure..

Here is my family recipe that my mother, grandmother, and sister all use. 

Mustard Pickles:

4 quarts cukes (cut into chunks..do not peel, but remove seeds)

Add one cup salt (coarse sea salt) and let sit overnight.

In the morning Drain off water

add:1 quart diced onions,

1 pint vinegar,

1tbsp tumeric, 

1tsp celery seed,

1tsp mustard seed, 

3 cups white sugar. 

Cook on med heat 45 minutes (do not boil)

turn up heat to near boil, then add sifted: 1tbsp ground mustard & 4 heaping tbsp flour

cook and additional 15 min. 

Bottle & cover with hot jars & lids, being sure to wipe rims of any debris.

It is not necessary (as per this recipe) to use sealer jars or to hot water bath.

*it is recommended that you follow safe practices for canning.

 

Learning Just A Little & An Update On My Cream

We are in full swing now for our Home School as our 4th week nears it's end (we are taking tomorrow off to make Lady Ash Pickles). Cylas is studying a unit on shapes, and Carter is learning time. 

For Social Studies we are reading a book from the Discovering Canada Series called "Native Peoples". I called the local 1st Nations Reserve in our area and enquired about activities that the boys could partake in as part of their studies. I was happy to hear that they are currently working on a birch bark canoe (which we have read about) and will be having a ceremonial boat launch upon completion. We are invited!! The lady I spoke to also offered the contact to a man in the community who is actively involved in some major culture practices. He has a sweat hut in his yard (maybe we can learn about this practice?). We also learned that the Lord Beaver Brook Museum has a exhibit which displays the Maliseet culture. We are excited! Carter suggested we built our own canoe!

This morning I confirmed registration to a Composting & Kitchen Gardening workshop for us all to attend in the coming weeks. This will serve as an agriculture study for us. The centre that is hosting the workshops will be sending me a full list of workshops available to groups, so we can look over and if we see some things we like, we can gather some people and request a workshop for our group!

The photo below is an update on my cream I wrote about here.

I let is sit at room temperature over night then put it in my churn in the morning. 5 minutes of labour gave me fresh made butter! I poured off the buttermilk and then cleaned the butter. Once the butter has been washed and lightly salted, I put it in mini loaf pans to mold, then place the pan in the fridge to harden. In 20 min, I take it out and I have 1/2 lb blocks of butter. I keep one out for fresh use, and freeze the rest.

Morning Worship

We are home schooling our two oldest boys, ages 8 & 10. This is our first year. I have been contemplating teaching their bible studies with curriculum, verses devotionals, & daily readings. So far we have been reading passages starting in Matthew, followed by a discussion and prayer. I want our days to start with God. I have decided that I want to teach the boys worship songs and reinforce that rejoicing is not just for Sunday morning service! We can praise him all day long! 

I found my favourite song here. It is a song that brings my spirit to a place of utter joy, and I want to share this with my children. I plan to play it through my netbook, onto the large flat screen in our living room. Perhaps we can sing, dance and even learn to play some of the chords along with the music!

As far as following a particular study, I feel that is too rigid. I want to instill in these children a love for fellowship with God. Someday, when the workbooks are gone, will they still wake up and ask him for guidance each day? 

By leading them in a simple, yet honest and humble journey as him as their leader, and learning good habits such as repentance, reading of scripture, prayer and worship, I hope to teach them life long habits....later we can focus on dissecting his word for meaning and application.

Do you have worship songs that you sing with your kids? What are they?

Raw Milk? Well...maybe some cream for today

We journeyed out to our friends place to see about some milk. The lady of the house had just made cheese from yesterdays milk and so I was out of luck for getting some milk for today. I did however score this dandy jug of fresh cream, which I will be making butter & then cheese out of! We agreed I would come once a week for 3 Gallons of whole milk. While we were there the boys got to see the ducks, chickens, goats, dogs, and horses. Cy (my eldest of three boys) managed to sneak past the barking dogs to see the kittens inside the house, leaving Carter & Vinny to suffer tears in retreat of the intimidating dogs. Cater said the dogs were going to bite his leg off...

I'll post more about processing the butter later. Subscribe for the update.

The low down on Raw Milk

I was reading an article about Raw Milk and thought it was important to share with you. We have been using raw milk in our home for a while now as my father has a cow. However, recently there has not been enough milk to pass along to us. This evening we go to visit our friends who have an abundance of milk, and are willing to share! 

Raw milk is no doubt absolutely superior to pasteurized . Our family loves it! We make yogurt, cheese, & butter from our milk. I am excited to have made a new connection for us to be able to bring home some good milk, as the grocery store milk does not compare. Perhaps I will post a little more later detailing out trip.

This is our story

We are a Family of 5. Plus one dog and some rabbits. We love God. We garden. We homeschool. We enjoy the little things. We hunt & gather, enjoy Church fellowship, and try to find peace all along the way. This is our story.