Dirt and Ducks

Jules and Emily, you have inspired me to make my blog a reflection of what is happening in life, not just tidbits of information. Thanks for sharing so intimately the happenings of your life!

What have we been up to? Well, allot :-)
Dirt, trees, ducks, life, life, life!

Soggy back yard.

Some new developments on the Powers estate (hehe). Two dump truck loads of dirt that are raising our soggy back yard. Seth has been working tirelessly to bring the dirt to our back yard from the front yard. Our very generous neighbor has let us use his tractor to do so(wow, what a blessing) We have trees coming this week and we have to have our dirt project mostly done... We feel so blessed to have been able to take this step to heal our land and get it done so early this Spring.

This is where 3 of our pear trees will go.

We have 3 new ducks. They are Muscovy ducks. They are going to be good mothers and raise their own ducklings. We plan to have a nice flock of ducks to use for meat and eggs this year. Muscovy ducks are wonderfully large meat birds and they are wonderful at foraging for their food. Our other ducks are Khaki Campbell ducks and they are good foragers too, but they are mostly for egg production as they are much smaller than the Muscovy. We were thankful to find a good deal on Craigslist, and they were not too far away either. Praise God for another provision this Spring!

Muscovy ducks.

Ducks enjoying the water.

Are your ducks in a row?

Poor ducks, they thought it was dinner time because I went to the pen :-)

Those are just a few of the busy things going on these days. God has been showing us so much from His word. I don't even know where to start, but He continually woos us to Himself and is showing us the delights of trusting in Him and allowing Him to change us from the inside out. I have been continually struck by the Pharisees in the gospels. (I am reading a chronological Bible, and I highly recommend trying one)They think they have it all together, that they are even doing things the best and right way, yet their hearts were so far from God. It has been my hearts cry to keep from being like that, to love God so much that He pours out and effects all of my life, not because of a bunch of rules, but because of love.

Raising children continues to be one of the hardest endeavours of my life. There is never a dull moment. If only there would be one once in a while ;-) Somebody is crying, or fussing, or needs something. Sacrifice and growth are the name of the game as God stretches me and teaches me about relationships mattering more than the externals and every day responsibilities of cooking and cleaning. My task oriented nature says, torture, but it is so rewarding to have a sweet smile or a hug from one of my children because I spent time with them. They love it, and what good have I done if I loose their souls and gain the world. I have been so blessed by these two little people, I couldn't imagine life without them. Their personalities already shine so brightly. God has good things for them, and I hope to be a part of that!

Speaking of kids.. I guess they need some dinner :-) A woman's work it never done they say. Humn, I think it's true :-)

DIY canvas print

I had a lot of fun making this simple distressed canvas print for my living room.

Here's how:
8x10 artists canvas or larger if you have the printing capability
http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ This website to find your print
Figure out your printing options and size it properly to your regular 8x10 printing paper
I then water colored my prints. You could skip this step and get a different look.
Then make a paste of flour and water(not too thick or too thin)
Use a medium size paint brush and coat the canvas, then lay your dried print onto the sticky surface. There might be some creasing(I thought it added character)
Then do a coat of the flour/water mixture on the top and edges till it seems really well adhered.
The flour will mute your picture and give it more texture, if you were looking for a cleaner look, modge podge could be used.
When it is damp rip the edges off to create a greater distressed look.
While drying take some plain black tea bags and put a little warm/hot water on them.
Dab/rub/paint on your canvas, this will give it that lovely old look.
Completely dry and then hang on the wall!
I seriously did 6 of these in an evening. The possibilities are endless!

Back to eden film

What a neat video to watch about gardening. 
http://backtoedenfilm.com/
I love this man's enthusiasm for God.
There is nothing like working outside and being close to the Lord.

How to make cream cheese

How to make cream cheese

I recently made my own cream cheese! You will not believe how easy this is.

Take a medium size bowl

A flour sack type cloth or cheese cloth(a couple layers thick)

Lay the cloth over the bowl and then pour at least a pint of yogurt in it.

Collect the edges and tie a rubber band around it several times to keep it closed.

Here comes the fun part :-) Now hang your little bundle by the rubber band on one of your cabinet hinges or knobs over the bowl. The whey will start to drip out.

Let your yogurt continue to drip until it drips no longer(usually a couple of hours).

Then take down your bundle and open it up. You have cream cheese! If you want, add a little finely ground sea salt and put in a sealed container in the fridge. Super creamy and delicious!

Save your whey- it is so nutritious for you, and you could try your hand at some lacto-fermented veggies :-)

Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health by William Davis

This is a great book. This will awaken your brain to the nitty gritty details about our food(primarily wheat). Unfortunately in this day and age we have to investigate everything. Science is revealing shocking results about how our food is effecting us. It is time to rethink the American diet and embrace food that nourishes and protects our bodies.

New bread recipe

I love this new bread recipe for several reasons. It has simple ingredients, is no knead,and only takes one rise!

There are several variations to this recipe- both result with good bread for slicing.

If you are using pre- ground flour heat oven to 250 degrees
When oven is heated put your 5 cups of flour* in to warm for 20 mins
I have found when grinding my own grain this step is not necessary,
for the flour comes out warm from the grinder.

Now preheat oven to 400 degrees

Seperately mix 4tsp yeast w/ 2/3 cup of warm water and 2 tsp of honey

After flour is warmed and yeast is proofed,
mix the 2/3 cup of water/yeast mixture with 1 1/3 cup of warm milk
(I have had good results just using water)
add 3 T molasses(sweet)
2 tsp of salt
1/3 cup of ground flax seed
1 cup of oats(optional)

Greese 9x5 loaf pan and one mini loaf or use a larger pan than stated.
I don't fill my dishes anymore than 3/4 full.
I successfully made rolls in muffin tins and used the same ratio of filling the tins.

Smooth top of dough with a spoon and let rise till close to the top.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 35-40 mins.
The orginal recipe does call for 25-30 mins,so I would check it then.


Our bread does not quite last a week, it will either go moldy if it was slightly undercooked, or get very dry if slightly overcooked.


*Recipe calls for 5 cups whole wheat flour
One variation that I have found that works is to:
grind 1 cup of millet 1 cup of rice(long grain brown rice) 2 cups of wheat
That yeilds enough flour to make the bread.

natural souces of calcium

Green leafy vegetables
Beans- navy, white, and garbanzo
Oatmeal
Sesame seeds with hull on
Sardines/mackerel
Yogurt
Blackstrap molasses
Goats/cows milk unpasteurized or homogenized
Chia seeds
Red raspberry leaves(taken by capsule or tea)
Rich bone broths from healthy animals
Egg shells dissolved in apple cider vinegar
Kelp
Healthy raised eggs
Nuts(excluding peanuts)
Dandelion(greens eaten, or tea)
Herbs in general

The beauty of getting your calcium naturally is that

your body is getting the supporting minerals and vitamins it needs

to assimilate calcium.

Recent studies are showing supplements are more harmful than helpful. Bone
loss and bone spurs are becoming more common despite the suggested use

of supplements and increased dairy intake.

Another avenue to consider is foods that strip calcium from the bones,

which would be highly processed foods, sugar, and the like.