Obama & McCain are Outta Here!

John & our neighbor did the deed. It was time for them to GO! As time went by they became more and more aggressive. So much that the kids were no longer allowed ANY WHERE'S near their pen. The last few feedings I had to pour some food on the ground away from the trough in order to prevent getting bit. We feed them 3 times daily & increased the size of there pen. Nothing helped, just in their blood I'd say. They came from the same litter.

We have 2 remaining pigs....Ham & Pumpkin. They are both mild mannered. Pumpkin is very timid and sweet. I will have a little more empathy when it comes time for her to meet her maker. We are considering breeding them but we need to do a little more research before we jump into something like that. It is amazing how much less food those 2 consume. This chore will no longer be dreaded.
Doesn't he look mean? Don't mind the crumbs. I was disturbing his dinner trying to get a few goodbye photos.

Check out those hams.

Thankfully, I was working when it all went down. I was told it was a quite a learning experience. John had read a butchering book and researched on-line but as he said "there is no substitute for experience." He skinned the first pig which turned out to be much more difficult than a deer which he is accustomed to butchering. It was a challenge to cut the thin hide from the warm loose and greasy fat. He scraped the second one which was no joy either. However, this method ensured the retention of the fatty tissue which makes up a large part of the bacon and adds moisture to the hams. Then down to the butcher shop they went to get the rest of it made into hams, chops, sausage, and bacon.

Quite an undertaking I'd say. That is one of the things I love most about MM. He is willing to tackle just about ANY task!.

"The only man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything"
~Theodore Roosevelt

Sunday Stills Challenge

Holiday lights are the theme for this weeks challenge hosted by Ed & Linda here.
Challenge it was! We usually do not put up outside lights so last minute Lizzy took a short ride to do a photo shoot as soon as the darkness set in. I felt like the paparazzi. I drove off from one house because they kept peeping out the window at me.
I took approximately 25 pictures and these are the best, scary. No worries I will not give up my nursing career to begin a photographer. I used my night mode and tripod to take these but there was still a to the photos. Any suggestions Ed?
Next week the challenge is is food.....I hope that will be a little easier.

Wreath Making

Gather your supplies. Wire, wire cutters, brush cutters, and bases for the wreath. I have a bunch that I bought years ago that I reuse year after year. Much easier than making it on a metal clothes hanger. When we go tipping we cut the tips off the tree at about 6 inches.
Stack 4-5 and start wrapping with wire.
Then move down a bit, overlapping and wrap your next. Note that pink braclet I'm wearing, story behind it to follow in a future post.
Easy! Done in just a few minutes. Decorate to you liking. I keep it simple with just a bow but this year I added a few battery powered lights we had in our decoration box.
Looks better with the lights off but I had to use my night mode so you could see.
I have made wreaths for over 10 years. Every Christmas it was a tradition that I made my grandparents one along with a few other friends and relatives. They were always so grateful! After they died (still a tender topic for me even though it's been a few years) I only make a couple up. I guess I just lost my enthusiasm about them. I made one other wreath for the "horse people" as MM calls them in trade for several loads of manure John loaded onto the tractor a few weeks back.

I finally broke down and bought some vodka and made some vanilla extract. I wanted to start by making a small batch. I used 1/3 of a fifth of vodka, 2 vanilla beans (cut an half with seed scraped out and placed in jar in addition to beans). In 2 months it will be ready....another first.

Come On Maine Man

I did not plan on posting tonight, trying to catch up on others but I had to write this.

We are sitting up in bed, our nightly ritual.

Kids are sound asleep, house is QUIET.

MM is reading a book or a magazine.

I (CG) am on my lap top, writing out Christmas cards, organizing my to do list and calendar (always multitasking)

Some how ice cream gets mentioned. Yum....I start brainstorming.

CG: Well, we do have some vanilla ice cream out in the shed's freezer.

MM: Yeah.

CG: Why don't you go make us some sundaes?

MM: eye roll

CG: C'mon, it'll be good, I'm starving. Put some hot fudge (heat it), cool whip, lots, and some walnuts or almonds.

MM: okay

10 minutes later

my mouth drooling as I await our hot fudge sundaes

MM: Here you go!

CG: (disturbed look on my face) Are you kidding me? What happended to the hot fudge, cool whip??

MM: It's hot fudge, the ice cream is cold and the sauce is warmer.

CG: This is butterscotch (COLD) with bananas and cherries (ewww, I never did like banana splits) and walnuts, no cream

MM: Belly aching after eating two banana splits.

WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? Next time he asks for a coffee with cream and sugar he's getting tea with honey.

....Whining over!

Sunday Still Challenge ~Week 1

This morning over at Nita's blog, Throwback at Trapper Creek I read about a photo challenge she is doing so I decided to tag along. It is hosted by Linda at Just Another Day On The Prairie

and she has made a special blog for this here. This Sunday's theme is pets. Since it is nearly impossible to keep Callie still for any amount I've time I choose to take a few shots of the two rascally kittens, Gretta & Cookie. This is exciting because I am always looking at ways to improve my photography. I have never taken a class because they always seem to be in the evenings and that just doesn't work for me. I've read through many books at the library and I just keep practicing but there is still lots of room for improvement. To date this year I have taken 1750 pictures. Practice makes perfect, right? Hee, hee or is that my mania kicking in again?

Next week's challenge is Christmas lights.

I will catch up on comments later this week. I am calling it a night!

Waking up your Senses

Maine Man has been asking me for some time to learn how to make shampoo. After a bit of googling I finally made it happen. I have made 2 batches so far and the kids and MM like it.

~I heated 16 oz. of distilled water (I would think tap water would suffice)

~Added 2 tea bags (cranberry pomegrate)

~Let it seep for 30 minutes and then removed tea bags

~Added 8 tablespoons of castile pepermint soap

(In the second batch I added a dash of olive oil)

The consistency is watery but the smell and the cool clean feel of the pepermint make up for it.

Here is one of the sites I referenced.

Total costs approximately .75/16 oz bottle.

While researching I found many great sites about the multiple uses of castille soap.

Here is one I'd like to share. This site interests me most because of the recipe for the laundry detergent at the very bottom. It is similar to the one I use but instead of Fels Naptha it calls for castile soap and it has baking soda in it. What I've missed most of store bought detergent is the scent. I love yummy smelling stuff but it costs too much to add essential oils to a few gallons of detergent. Fortunately, castile soap comes in many scents and may be the answer I've been looking for. I will definetly experiment with this and report which I like best.

Here is another informative site from Green Living Tips.

I also made soap for the VERY FIRST time and I am SO EXCITED!

I followed the recipe that I saw at From My Homestead here is the link. What I liked MOST: It was SO EASY! I used lemon eucalyptus essential oil and it smells HEAVENLY!

ALL YOU NEED IS:

5 simple ingredients: water, olive oil, oatmeal, lye, and essentail oils me

If you to are a beginner soap maker THIS is great soap recipe to follow. I used a mixer to combine the ingredients because I did not have a blender. I have read that immersion blenders work great for mixing too.

I guess the scariest part for me was working with the lye. I took precautions, wearing gloves, protective eyewear, and I made it in the shed (away from the kiddos and with room to run in case of an explosion.)

Despite all my worries I pulled it off without incident.

Anyone have any soap recipes they'd like to share?

Winter Wonderland

Today was the first official snow fall in my little town in Maine. We have had a few flurries but nothing that stuck to the ground. I enjoy all the seasons but winter like many can be tough at times. To keep those winter blues away I vow to make the best of it and get out. We will ice skate on the pond once it is safe. We will get out onto freshly packed powder with our cross country skis and my hiking boots & I will hit the trail on a regular basis! Fortunately, the main snowmobile trail goes right through our property so I have access to acres and acres of packed trails. No excuse not to get out unless it is below 0! There is no sense in whining because it is here to stay.





This winter I will also make lots of goodies in the kitchen. I have been making broth with any chicken or turkey bones I have remaining. I use it up mostly in soups but I plan to try it in rice. Until a few months back I had NEVER made it. To me broth came from a can at the store. When I first started making it I always cooked it on the stove top but now I cook it overnight in my crock pot. That idea came from Erica's 3 part series about "Making the Most of a Chicken". She is over at One Busy Momma and she is just that with lots of clever ideas.




I am trying to make more and more foods from scratch and I must admit (except for the dishes) I am having a good time doing it and I am learning lots along the way.



We have had a few batches of squash and pumpkin seeds. I mix them up with sea salt and olive oil and cook them up on a cookie sheet.



I have cooked up several pumpkins and squash since reading about how to cook it up over at Angie's blog . Here is the post if you want to check it out. I have made up a couple of batches of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and for Thanksgiving I made a yummy squash pie. I might attempt to make up a squash soup unless any of you have any suggestions for something better.
I am also in search for some bean recipes. I recently had a three bean casserole that was to die for. If any of you have some good bean recipes on your blogs please direct me.

~Sweat Dreams ~ Kim