Today's doings/pics

I got up early milked the goats and cow. I mixed up two batches of dough one rye/wheat and one all rye. Then I quickly ate some lentils and a glass of fresh warm milk. I hopped into the waiting truck and me and mama and Rebecca were off to her house. Hannah stayed home to take care of the household duties and do the pats and folds on the bread dough. Daddy got the clay oven going for me. I took care of my nephews while my sister Rebecca went to the dentist.

I had a lot of fun with them. Izzy is one year old now and he is trying to do everything that his older brother does. But then it's kinda funny because then Buddy sees the babyish things that Izzy does and tries to imitate them so I then will give attention to him. For example: Izzy tries to push a cushion of the couch (They were trying to make a house) and he does not have quite enough man power to do it, so he whimpers for me to help him, so I help him. Then Buddy does the same thing and imitates all the little baby antics that his younger brother does. So then I help him in the same way. Then he gives me a big smile. It is funny! The younger one trying to be big and the older trying to be little! They are the most adorable little children that I know! I love them so much. I made tortillas with Buddy. He really enjoyed rolling them out. We had them with scrambled eggs for lunch. He calls eggs "eet-eets" that is his name for chickens, you know the sound that chickens make? He does not call animals by their name. He calls them by their sound that they make. It is so cute. Cow is "moo", Pig is a sound that I do not know even how to write, he makes this sound deep in his throat and it sounds just like a pig grunting maybe like this "Roughuufgh". Horse is "eeEEEeee", cat is "Eeeeeeeew!" Dog is "wuhwa! wuhwa!" and the funny thing is the only animal that he will say the name is rabbit he says it like this "ravit". Rebecca brought me and mama home and she stayed for awhile and visited with us all. When we got home Hannah had the bread ready to be shaped and put into the baskets. I did that and looked at the fire in the oven to see when it would be ready. Then I helped the Enoch &Nathanael wash eggs for the market tomorrow we washed 15 dozen. David left early this morning to go to a class in T.C. I am sure he will be posting about that in the near future on his blog. You can get to his blog on my side bar. It was a class about holistic farming. He is going to go tomorrow on a farm tour and a cookout on one of the farms while we all are at the market selling stuff. After we got the eggs washed and my sister left with her family, I baked the bread. Then just as I was getting the bread out of the oven David came home. He had hitched a ride for there and back with one of our friends who works in T.C. so that turned out real well for him. After baking the bread, Oh and one of the reasons why I baked bread today is because last week on saturday someone at the village market asked me to baked them two loaves. And when I bake, I a bake for my family too, so I baked 9 loaves today. Ok, so after baking I heated up some soup that I made the other day and we had that with fresh bread and a salad from the garden. After that I went out and milked the goats. They were in the barn because it was raining today so Hannah brought them in there. Goats don't really like the rain, Sheep don't really mind it. We like to bring our goats into the barn when it is raining a cold and wind driven rain. After milking I strained the milk of course then I put the chevre in a cheese cloth.

I started some chevre last night, I can't have bread with no cheese if there is fresh milk around. Then I clear, rinsed, and stacked the dinner dishes. Came into the living room and read a few chapters in a Mr Tucket book to Nathanael. Loaded some pics onto blogger. Then prayed with my family. And now writing this post. and now publishing it and now Good night!

For tomorrow is another early rising day. I like market day! I look forward to it ever day of the week. I am going to bring the spinning wheel and ply the yarn that I have been working on.

Buddy

Izzy

washing "eet-eets"

rye/wheat

rye

close up of the rye

this one is going to be so yum with cheese!

I had hannah take these bread pics with the chalk board for the background because the numbers on there are my morning figures for the mix of the dough.

Good night Folks!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

killdeer babies and spring days

David holding killdeer chicks

This afternoon David came in from the field and told us to come out and see something that he found. So we all ran out there to see these little fuzzy killdeer chicks. They are so cute. I held one of them. That was the first time I had ever held one of these tiny baby birds. Killdeer chicks are different than other baby birds. Most birds hatch without any fuzz and stay in the nest. Killdeer hatch with fuzz like a baby chicken and are ready to run around right after they hatch. It is so fun to watch them run after their parents. This has been the most wonderfullest of springs! I have been enjoying everyday of it. The past few days are starting to feel like summer.

very warm in the day and thunder storms at night.

On sunday we planted our field of corn.

This whole field is now planted in all corn. It is the corn that we use for baking and cook with. And feed for the chickens and pigs.

It was so much fun to all be out there planting seeds.

David made a place to plant the corn

Then Enoch and Nathanael put four seeds in place.

Daddy, Hannah and I covered them up.

Now there is about one thousand mounds out there that have four corn seeds in them waiting in the ground, getting ready to grow into corn plants. I think seeds are so amazing. Just think of everything that is in one seed. It is just amazing! Our God is amazing! I am so glad He made all these things for us to enjoy.

We worked out there all day. It was a little cloudy in the morning. By afternoon the sun was really shining. Now I have red arms and neck.

The new fencing came, so now the all animals are out on the grass.

Autumn is getting used to getting milked off the stand.

Shwanli and...

Hopli

are used to being milked out in the pasture.

It has been really nice having fresh goat's milk again.

A very busy day!

Today was a very fun day! I baked three kinds of bread, that made 9 loaves. I made 2 pumpkin, 1 blackberry,and 1 apple pies. Nathanael made a batch of double chocolate cookies,and Enoch made a angel food cake.(we have lots of eggs right now!) Hannah made biscuits we had them under goose gravy for dinner. Yes It was it was very enjoyable! But I think the nicest and most enjoyable thing that I did today was calling my friend and singing Happy birthday to her with my sister Hannah. That was so much fun Cora! I am so glad we did that!

The dough, Rye and white, wheat and white, and rye-wheat

The rye -wheat turn out really good It is the first time I was able to have a whole grain bread(no white flour) turn out so well. The Family already ate a loaf!

I worked on this table all day!

Here you can see the kind of baskets I use for rising the dough in.

this is the apple pie

rolling out the crust

three were made with white flour and one i did barley that is something new for me I will have to see how it taste.

putting the blackberries in

A pumpkin pie hot out of the oven. This one is the barley crust

I like this picture!

as I was writing this I just remembered... I forget to take those little pumpkin pudding filled crocks ( the ones in the middle) out of the oven! I better go do that!! they are not,should not, be burning because the oven is quite cooled down.

Here is Enoch with his angel food cake

the bread ready to come out

the door is shut

everything is out.... well not really... those little custard cups!!:)

Now I am going to go snuggle up in a warm place

and go to sleep!

good -night!

Today's doings/pics

It was so sunshiny all around! We are tapping! David is working for the neighbor taping their trees and boiling down their sap this year as well as our own. We will boil our sap in their evaporator. That is going to be very nice. My older sister and her boys came so Buddy can learn about taping the maple trees. It was so much fun to watch him put the spiles in after his Uncle David drilled the hole. And then Buddy would "pown-pownd" the spile. Izzy who was watching wanted to do it so buddy gave him a turn. I would have posted some pictures of them doing it but my older sister took the pictures with her camera. After that Mama, Hannah, my older sister and her boys all went out to town. My sister only has five seats in her car so me and hannah had to choose which one of us was going to go with mama and our sister. I went the last time so hannah went this time. R said that that was fair because then they could find birthday gifts for me! My birthday is on the twelfth. So that worked out well. Me and my two younger brothers cleaned the house. It is allways nice to clean when every one is away! David went down to the neighbor's to help them put their taps in. And Daddy had to go to one of the nearby towns. So me and my brothers had the whole house to ourselves. We were scrambling around and getting every thing in it's place. Our House gets really cluttered in the winter. Does yours? Now it looks like a white tornado went though and picked everything up and put it far away. I hope everything never comes back!

After all our work was done. We made some maple candy.Like the little House in the big woods kind. Where you heat it up to the right temp and put it on snow and then eat it. Enoch wanted to make it in celebration of the sap running. I hung some laundry up. David came home. R, mama,Hannah and the little boys came back from town. R. (my older sister) gave me a early birthday gift. A dark brown spring shawl, a comb and hair lotion, She knows what I like! Oh and some 5 gum.

I am sure that hannah got a gift. She said "Grace don't look in my shelf upstairs!" I have a really hard time waiting for my birthday to come! On my twelfth birthday I knew all my gifts. It is fun to keep it a secret when I know what I am getting! Me, Hannah, Enoch and Nathanael went skiing this evening. We went to this hill that is steep and icy. First Enoch went down, then Nathanael,then I went and crashed in the middle. While there, Hannah came down after me, She was coming so fast that I could not move. We collided. And the resulting injuries are my ski pole is broken and Hannah's thumb is sprained. I am going to fix my pole will duct-tape. Do you thing Hannah could fix hers with duct-tape? We came home after skiing and daddy was home. David was making potato fries for dinner. We had them with home made asian pork and duck sausage, poached eggs, and bread.

While dinner was being made I finnish a skien of yarn that I started yesterday evening, I am thinking of making a pair of mittens for my friend.

I never know what to title it!

Here are some pictures of my doings today. Yes, they are kitchen pictures! Just for you Cora!

I seared and baked a chicken,

Made more bread,

~just put in the oven~

I am having so much fun making this bread. I finally got it down pat. All the credits go to my teacher, my dear mother. She is the top baker around here and it is because of her that I have been able to learn how to make and manage this art.

~now out of the oven to cool~

baked squash & potatoes,

did some kniting on a...

Knitting that I started yesterday

Baby cap! There is a baby shower on the 6th and I am making this gift for our friend who is going to have their third girl.

I am almost done with it and I am going to make some booties to go with.

David making pepperoni

My older brother has been working on butchering a hog for our sister and brother-in-law.

Well that is all the pictures that I took today to share with you,

I also did a little tidying of my room, I hardly ever get it totally tidy!

I worked on a really hard puzzle that my friend had on her blog if you would like to do it click HERE it is really fun!

I made a mattress this week for my self out of straw and a big sheet of strong muslin. So I guess. you could call it a straw-tick like They had in the days of Auld Lang Syne

It feels really comfy! I had been sleeping on a sleeping bag for four years. I liked it alot but I just wanted a change for a while. I like to have things as simple as possible. So don't feel bad for me at all for not having an American style bed.

Well good night

I am off to hit the hay, well in my case It would be straw!

good night my friends!

what I have been up to!

I thought you all might be wondering what I have been up to!

I have been practicing improving on my bread making skills:

Reading "Little Lord Fauntleroy" to my younger brothers:

Making popcorn balls with my younger brothers:

Making fresh chunky apple sauce :

Enjoying the snow

hanging up laundry in the guests house, cabin, and kitchen.

Reading a book called " Under the Lilacs"

Trying to Keep my room tidy!

Singing

Keeping my heart open to hear the word of the Lord.

And now I am off to my sister's----

Bye-Bye!

a song that I was blessed by yesterday:

Praise You In This Storm

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth