It’s a boy, and a girl! Twins!!!

Goat doe number three had twins yesterday evening, 1 buck, and 1 doe. Both are very light-colored. Mama, and babies all seem to be doing well. Millie delivered them with no problems. Our girls this year are pretty tricky, no matter how often we are checking on them we have missed all three deliveries. I went out several times yesterday checking on her because she was so big, and seemed so uncomfortable. Her udder continued to fill throughout the day, but no kids. Then I sent Katie to check one last time for the night, and there they were, still wet, but cleaned off, a little wobbly yet but both up and nursing. They look big next to their half brothers, and sister. The lightest colored ones so far this year. One looks like it might be completely white. Very cute, but then I’ve never seen a goat baby that wasn’t. So now we should be done with goat babies until July, then we think we will have 2 more does kid. Our little herd is not looking so little anymore. 5 does, 5 kids, and 1 buck.

Homeschooling thoughts

It’s that time of year when us homeschooling parents start planning for next year. I don’t know about anyone else but it makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes. I usually mix and match our curriculum but this year I am feeling the need for something I won’t have to do a lot of planning for. I am actually think something that has it completely spelled out for me, lol. I thought I had it under control and new just what I wanted to go with but then I talked with a rep from the company and it turns out that it will not be a good fit for my oldest son so it’s back to the drawing board, and I feel like I don’t even know where to start. Sonlight is what I was looking at, and I think I will go with it for the two younger boys. I don’t know what to look into for the older though. We will stick with the math-u-see, but beyond that I’m just at a loss. The biggies are Language arts, including spelling, and handwriting, and I think I would like to do a formal Science curriculum with him this year too. We have always kinda just done our own thing with Science and Social studies, and he’s learned a lot, I just feel I can’t handle the planning this year. At least not for the Science. What to do???

Baby Goats

We are having a nice Spring with 3 new goat kids. A pair of twins from Miss Pygmy 1 boy, and 1 girl, and a single buck kid from Marybelle. You just don’t get much cuter than goat kids. I love looking out the window to see them playing. We leave the kids with the mamas as God intended. They are all doing well and growing quickly. So far I am very impressed with the kids this little buck we bought last year is throwing.

Sometimes life just seems to get away from us, and things get put on hold. That’s what has happened with me the last few months. It seems there are so many things competing for our attention that some things get over looked. I’m tired. i just want everything to slow down. It seems the months fly by so fast we don’t know what happened to them. I just want to rest, and slow down. Some days I feel like I don’t even have time to breath.

My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.

Psalm 23 is my theme Psalm. Some have theme songs, me I have a theme Psalm. At the beginning of this year I decided this would be ‘my’ scripture verse for the year. I don’t have alot of scripture memorized like some people do but this Psalm just seems to connect for me. So I have memorized it. Atleast mostly. And it is so comforting in times of great stress to say it. Have you ever been in so much pain, or termoil that you really can’t think right to pray right. This happens to me in times of alot of pain, or when I’m overwhelmed, or when I am very depressed. Now that I have my Psalm when I’m feeling this way I can just say it, outloud or in my head, and it brings me comfort. Sometimes I just say it over, and over again, until I am past the termoil that is going, wether it is in my body, in my head, or all around me.

I haven’t hardly been on-line. I’ve been having some health issues.  I’m trying to still get some stuff done though. With my children’s help I’m hanging in there.  We went and weeded some of the garden at the other property last week, and brought home a bunch of buckets of the soil. The soil there is so much better than it is here. I had enough to make a new raised bed that is 6′ x 6 1/2′, and to finish filling the other raised bed, and even had enough left to add a bit to the potato tires. I planted some horseradish that Kathy gave me in the one bed. Today I started to plant a fall garden in the 6′ bed. I’m trying a square foot bed. Since I had an extra 1/2 foot I planted half as much sugar peas in those six squares. Then added one square each of kale, radishes, iceburg lettuce, mesculin, and baby red lettuce. Praying it produces well.  Contacted someone to AI our Jersey, so now I am counting days. I have debated back and forth about selling her, but have decided I will not unless it is absolutly necessary. I’m really hoping it won’t be. The AI is far less than I thought it would be. We’re working on fire wood for this winter. I think it’s going pretty well so far. We have a pretty good amount. But we do have a long way to go. The broccoli and cabbage is doing great, and I think I’ll be able to start harvesting the broccoli in another week or so. I can’t wait.

Standing in His amazing love tonight (Proverbs 3:5)

Sometimes it seems our children have the ability to rip our hearts right out of our chest doesn’t it? I’m sad to say that this is something that has happened to me recently. I have struggled with depression since I was about 12 sometimes very severe, so things like this while they are distressing to anyone can throw me into a full blown can’t function depression. And if you have never had to struggle with it depression is a dark evil thing. I don’t say that meaning the person suffering from it is evil just that saitin will use it to pry you away from the Savior. I am not going to go into details of what is going on because it’s a family matter, and the Internet is not the place to air it, and the Father is who I am taking it to. So anyway I cried even sobbed on and off for two days. I could feel myself plunging down into that deep black pit of depression. But this afternoon I thought I can not let this happen, I can’t go to that dark place again. I have a husband and four other children who need me. So I decided I would not let my mind dwell on this, that I would fill it with the Lord. He is working on me. I decided this on my way to run errands. On my trip I decided to run to the Christian book store. I love that store, it’s so peaceful, and relaxing. I spent better than an hour in there. Icame across ed a book that I’m sure the Father put in my path after my decision on the way there ‘Every thought Captive’ By Jerusha Clark. I have really wanted for awhile to just have something physical to carry with me for times of weakness as a physical reminder I’ve looked before but today I found it, a ring it says ‘Saved by grace through faith’. Then tonight  as I read Proverbs 3 verse 5 really jumped out at me. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. So many times God puts it right there for us in his word just what we need to hear from him. This happens for me over and over again, what I need to hear is right in what I’m reading from his word right then. He is amazing isn’t He?  When I am at my weakest, and lowest he pulls me out of the dark pit and lifts me up again. Amen.

P.S. For those suffering from depression please don’t misunderstand I’m not suddenly ecstatically happy. But I am past the sobbing uncontrollably. I am focusing hard on taking control of every thought, and praying fervently for God to release me from the anger, and anguish I have been feeling, and I really am already starting to feel it leaving. This is something that will be an issue with my daughter I will have to deal with long term, and I will have to keep taking those thoughts captive. But by the grace of God, and the blood of Jesus Christ I can do anything thru him who strengthens me, as long as I don’t let go of that promise.

Frugal Meals Part 3 The Bread of Life

John 6:35 

³⁵And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Scripture tells us that Jesus is the bread of life.  Why does scripture compare Jesus to bread?  I think because bread is so increadably important in a diet, and nurishing. Our bodies could survive with only bread and water. This post is about frugal cooking beleive it or not, because I have been thinking on what is the least you could do with. Actually what is the least for grocery shopping I could get by with. This thought was stretched for me by my oldest daughter who no longer is living at home, and is struggling a bit in the finance department. She doesn’t have the basics like I have, such as flour, sugar, baking powder, ect… So I got to thinking what are the absolute most versatile bare essentials that you could make the most with. Think bread, not just loaves all that bread has to offer. Now mind you alot of bread made with only white flour is not going to sustain you, but if you use whole wheat, and other flours, or a combination it is very healthy for you. 

So if your shopping list was this: Flour, eggs, oil, shortning, yeast, baking powder, baking soda, and milk.   Optionals would be sugar, honey, and salt (technically milk is optional too.) Now what can we make from this?    1) yeast bread, loaves, or rolls.   2) biscuits   3) pancakes   4) waffles   5) fry bread   6) tortillas   7) banik   8) donuts   9) bagels   10)english muffins   11) crackers (yes you can make them homemade google it)  12) Pasta   13)dumplings 14)bread sticks

With a little cinnamon you could expand into coffee cake, cinnamon rolls, and cinnamon bread.  If corn flour is one of your flour choices, you can make corn tortillas, and corn bread.   Ok we don’t want to add to many more things to our shopping list so I’ll just say some cheese would be a good thing to add to this grocery list.

Now here are some ways to eat this stuff without just eating plain old bread all the time.

Of course the bread and rolls can be made into sandwiches, you already have eggs so egg sandwiches are a go. If you added the optional honey you could have bread and honey, and bread and butter, if you added the optional cinnamon, and sugar there is cinnamon toast. If you have garlic powder or salt garlic bread.

Biscutes can be used the same as the above bread, or add an egg, and cheese for a quick, and easy breakfast sandwich.

Pancakes are a quick and easy way for a meal, without breaking the budget too.  You can smother them in butter, or if you have a little extra money buy syrup or jelly for them.

Waffles are the same as above, don’t forget if you have a few berries or other fruit you can add them to the batter, or the top of waffles, or pancakes too.

fry bread is quick, and very easy, you can just pull it apart and eat as is, cook an egg and dunk the bread into it, add jelly, butter, syrup, honey, well you get the idea.

Tortillas. Even if you are not on a tight budget I would recomend homemmade tortillas, mmmmm. I never liked flour tortillas until we made them ourselves. With them and a little cheese, and scrambled eggs you have breakfast burritos, just cheese melted on top and you have quesadillas, of course if you have the stuff for it burritos, and tacos. Cut them like a pie, and make fried or baked tortilla chips, or just have them plain, or with butter or jelly. Another treat is fried for a couple seconds on each side in a little butter, then add cinnamon, and sugar. 

Banik is alot like fry bread, but closer to a biscute  texture. This is another one e. It’s what the frontiersmen would have made over their campfires at night. It can be used like fry bread.

Donuts, well do they really need any comment??? OK, I’ll comment anyway, cinnamon, and sugar, if you have an apple chop it up and add it to the batter, powdered sugar. Don’t forget elephant ears in this catagory.

Bagels, and English muffins, just add butter, or jelly, or honey, or cream cheese, also great for breakfast sandwiches with egg, and cheese.

Crackers, while they are not a meal they are great as a snack, or with a meal.  Add spices to liven it up.

Pasta, you can’t get more versatile than pasta, you can be used alone, or as a go along with just about anything. Add butter, spices, chees, sauce, put them in soup, or casseroles, the list goes on. Like flour tortillas I never liked pasta until I made it homemade.

Dumplings added to soups or stews take it from OK to great.

Bread sticks, add butter, and garlic powder, or parmesian cheese. Now bread sticks by themselves, or salad by itself is not a meal but combine them, and it’s great.

Now don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t want to live on breads alone, but you could atleast for awhile. Most of us though has a few other things laying around, or can add a few more things to the grocery list. Cans of soup are very inexpensive, and bread can make it a much more appealing meal. Better yet if you’re feeding a crowd make homemade soups. Any time you don’t have enough of the main course to feed the number of people you have add bread. bread has endless possabilities, so use it, be creative, and enjoy.

1 Corinthians 14:33

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Psalm 32:11
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.