Winter in the Heartland and meet the new goats!

Winter came to us late this year but there is no doubt that it is here.  Although we have not had an abundance of snow, the temperature has been cold.  But it is winter in the Midwest and so far we have only lost power once--not too bad.  Just to let everyone know that our December storm made headlines on the Weather Channel and Fox News. Wow!  People in a small nearby town spent the night on snowmobiles rescuing people stuck on the highway.  I was told that those stranded were housed in local churches and in the fire department. This is a good place to live.  The people here are good.

We have been here for about 13 years and are still considered "the new folks."

This Christmas I received two wonderful new goat bucks.  One is a registered Nubian. He has been raised by the kindest people and is a real cutie--very friendly and personable.  His barn name is Augie and he is so sweet and gentle; everyone just loves him! 

 Meet Augie!

I looked around for a good Nubian Buck because the Nubian milk is often compared to the milk from Jersey Dairy cows.  If you have ever had the good fortune to drink fresh Jersey milk you will know why this was my goal. One of my does is a Nubian/Sanaan cross,one is Toggenburg and one is a Toggenburg/Nubian cross.
The goal is to have sufficient volume and quality. 

Meet Indy!

 

Indy is our new registered Boer Buck.  So sweet, and yes our grown kids love him.  He, too, has a wonderful personality. He will be with us for many years.

Shower Centerpieces from thrift store treasures!

We had a wonderful wedding this year in our family.

As mother of the groom, I joyfully volunteered to 

provide centerpieces for the Bridal Shower.

This was a fun opportunity for use pieces found in local

resale and consignment shops, 

up-cycle them in the colors and theme of the shower.

They were then used as gifts for the guests.

I wish these pictures were better

 but they were taken the day of the shower.

Things were pretty busy and I was happy to get pics at all.

The finished centerpiece started out as a lowly worn brown pedestal vase.

I painted a base coast of a light celery green, let dry and top coated with a wicker white.  

In order to add age to the piece, I sanded it with fine sad paper at points where

it would receive normal wear and tear.. 

Then a half globe of floral styro-foam.

Green moss was glued to that as a base for the lovely flowers that were 

arranged in an eye appealing way.

Here are some more of the arrangements that I made for that happy day.  All were made from resale shop

items to which new flowers etc  were added.

.

All of these base items were purchase for pennies, although the topiary was $5.00.

The cost did add up a bit for the flowers but it was a wedding and we still did it on a shoe string.

Plus they were a big hit and the winners of the games were happy to take them home.

More centerpieces next week!

Too many tomatoes? Definitely not!

End of the season canning.......

But there are still tomatoes galore.  It helps that we covered them on the nights that we have had a frost.  They are mostly small and because of that, I decided to can them as tomato sauce.

 As you can see they are beautiful. It is so helpful to have a Food Strainer for this project.    I purchased mine several years ago and it has been a valuable tool in my kitchen.  You can purchase optional screens for pumpkins, berries and even one for salsa.  Yes, I now have those also.

Following canning directions.  Tomatoes are a high acid food (you must add lemon juice) and one of the easier foods to can.  The fruits are vulnerable only to heat sensitive  organisms.  They can be processed in a water bath canner.  

I recommend that beginning canners buy a good basic instructions book.  The Ball Book of Home Preserving.  It is often available in the canning sections of hardware stores, grocery stores and super stores.  It is also available on Amazon.com 

So far from these left over odds and ends we have added 24 pints of tomato sauce to our food pantry.

Welcome!

This is a blog dedicated to sharing this empty nester's journey

 to a more frugal and sustainable lifestyle.  

With the four children grown, homeschooling finished, 

it is a time to relax and pursue many interests that there was not enough time for.

Room by room,

acre by acre,

recipe by recipe,

join me on this adventure to finish our home

to create a warm and welcoming home

on a budget 

where people will feel love and warmth. 

Hugs

Barb