To my readers I have to explain in some part what is going on. I wont sugar coat what has been happening. I had a mini nervous breakdown due in part to my husbands surgery (he is perfectly all right and healing great). I was then put on some meds that not only didn't help, but made things much worse. I am now going off all meds, am having horrible insomnia, but am getting better. One thing that God has used this crisis is to show me how much I love my husband, how good he is, and how I have been not trusting God in my life. I have been worrying over things that I cannot control and things that are not my responsibility to the effect of hurting my health. So for the past two weeks I have been on a total media blackout including Internet.
My name is Chloris and I am addicted to doom and gloom Internet!
Any prayers from my great readers I would more than appreciate. God has been so faithful through this whole thing, but I still struggle with fear of the insomnia.
Whenever I'm afraid, I will trust in You.
Psalm 56:3
I would still like to continue my blog, but it will have a very different focus.
And thank you too all my readers who have messaged me. Your concern has really touched my heart!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Pics From The Garden
Our spring flowers are all in bloom.
Pansies
Viking Boy looking at a honey bee on a bachelor button
One of our lovely roses
Bachelor Buttons
some bulbs I cant identify
Solutions for Big Families and Small Kitchens - Food Prep Stations
Having a big family (by today's standards) and a small kitchen I find having enough space for food storage and food preparation to be one of my biggest challenges. My kitchen is very very small and I have only one good counter of about 4 feet long for food prep. There are limited cupboards and drawers so much of my food is stored down in the basement or in the enclosed back porch. I try to keep food items we use on a daily basis in the kitchen though, because no one wants to be running up and down from the basement all day.
Looking at my kitchen I realized I needed to remodel it, but that is years away before we can afford it. So I started looking for ways to use my space better and make meals and snacks and cooking more organized.
I came across a great post on a blog I read regularly called Live at Providence Lodge http://providencelodge.blogspot.com/2010/10/home-organization.html (here's the link to the kitchen I'm dreaming to create) on home organization for big families. Really this wonderful Christian lady is such an inspiration for me as a mother striving to be a Titus 2 Proverbs 31 wife and mommy.
Her idea is to have food prep areas. Such as a baking cupboard, a breakfast cupboard, and a beverage cupboard. Her dishes are displayed and handy on an open china hutch next to the dinner table so even the small children can easily reach and help with setting it.
This makes life with many children so much more streamlined because instead of searching for this or that food item everything you need is together. But for us going to the local Home Depot and spending thousands of dollars on a new kitchen is out of the question. However finding kitchen hutches at amazing prices on craigslist (less than $100.00) is much more doable and looks cozy. They have shelves, drawers, and cupboards that will help me free up more space for food storage in the kitchen.
The other day my kind mother brought me a surprise gift. Its an antique cupbord and I instantly saw it would make a perfect "Snack and Baked Goods Cupboard".
After cleaning and fitting new shelves in it I began filling it with all the items I use for snack time for the children. Crackers, dried fruits, nuts, mini marshmallows and little plates and coffee filters (coffee filters make a great disposable snack "plates" for small children because they are cheap and hold shape so the kids spill less food out of them). Then on the tall cabinet side with shelves I put all our breads, baked items, and cookies. When I do a baking day (for those that don't know my baking day is when I bake all the rolls, cookies, coffee cakes, pies, and bread we will use in a week) I always struggled with where to store all the things I baked. But this is working out so great! In grandma's day they had old fashioned Pie Shelves that were enclosed cupboards with punched tin faces. The punched tin allowed for air flow while keeping bugs and mice out of the baked goods.
As we can afford it I'm going to eventually have a center island made from a country table with shelves and cupboards built underneath to hold all my baking supplies, spices, and mixing bowls. A beverage cupboard with coffee maker, mugs, teapots, tea, and sweeteners. An open china hutch for all our dishes to be displayed for easy setup, and a buffet to hold extra serving dishes.
Having these stations make food prep go faster and also enables even my younger children to be able to help more.
Looking at my kitchen I realized I needed to remodel it, but that is years away before we can afford it. So I started looking for ways to use my space better and make meals and snacks and cooking more organized.
I came across a great post on a blog I read regularly called Live at Providence Lodge http://providencelodge.blogspot.com/2010/10/home-organization.html (here's the link to the kitchen I'm dreaming to create) on home organization for big families. Really this wonderful Christian lady is such an inspiration for me as a mother striving to be a Titus 2 Proverbs 31 wife and mommy.
Her idea is to have food prep areas. Such as a baking cupboard, a breakfast cupboard, and a beverage cupboard. Her dishes are displayed and handy on an open china hutch next to the dinner table so even the small children can easily reach and help with setting it.
This makes life with many children so much more streamlined because instead of searching for this or that food item everything you need is together. But for us going to the local Home Depot and spending thousands of dollars on a new kitchen is out of the question. However finding kitchen hutches at amazing prices on craigslist (less than $100.00) is much more doable and looks cozy. They have shelves, drawers, and cupboards that will help me free up more space for food storage in the kitchen.
The other day my kind mother brought me a surprise gift. Its an antique cupbord and I instantly saw it would make a perfect "Snack and Baked Goods Cupboard".
All these containers are labeled with whats in them
After cleaning and fitting new shelves in it I began filling it with all the items I use for snack time for the children. Crackers, dried fruits, nuts, mini marshmallows and little plates and coffee filters (coffee filters make a great disposable snack "plates" for small children because they are cheap and hold shape so the kids spill less food out of them). Then on the tall cabinet side with shelves I put all our breads, baked items, and cookies. When I do a baking day (for those that don't know my baking day is when I bake all the rolls, cookies, coffee cakes, pies, and bread we will use in a week) I always struggled with where to store all the things I baked. But this is working out so great! In grandma's day they had old fashioned Pie Shelves that were enclosed cupboards with punched tin faces. The punched tin allowed for air flow while keeping bugs and mice out of the baked goods.
As we can afford it I'm going to eventually have a center island made from a country table with shelves and cupboards built underneath to hold all my baking supplies, spices, and mixing bowls. A beverage cupboard with coffee maker, mugs, teapots, tea, and sweeteners. An open china hutch for all our dishes to be displayed for easy setup, and a buffet to hold extra serving dishes.
Having these stations make food prep go faster and also enables even my younger children to be able to help more.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Rural Revolution: The push to be self-sufficient
This is another great peice by Patrice over at Rural Revolution.
Rural Revolution: The push to be self-sufficient: "Now that summer has, we hoped, arrived (one never knows in north Idaho), I'm rushing to get the garden in. I've finished our strawberry bed..."
Rural Revolution: The push to be self-sufficient: "Now that summer has, we hoped, arrived (one never knows in north Idaho), I'm rushing to get the garden in. I've finished our strawberry bed..."
Sunday, June 5, 2011
A Fancy Tea Time Cake
But today something was in the air and I gave in to the fiddly cooking urge. It all started with the buttermilk I had left over from making butter this morning from our jersey milk cow Buttercup's cream. This isn't like the buttermilk you get in the store at all. This is more like a very thin milk that is the liquid leftovers after the fat solids have been removed (IE butter). I just hate to throw good food out so I decided to make a lovely cake I got off the net here http://localfoods.about.com/od/cakes/r/buttermilkcake.htm called Buttermilk Cake.
It's very simple, makes one layer cake so is perfect for a busy weekday treat. You can frost it, leave it plain, or top with fruit and have a slice with coffee or tea. It turns out light with a moist crumb and looks just like in the picture on the recipe page. I made a double batch so I could layer it this time.
I iced it with a simple vanilla butter frosting and then topped it with sweet berries. This turned out so pretty and the kids are all impressed. I had some blackberries and strawberries that looked yummy in the store, and then picked some mint from the garden for a garnish.
Sometimes you just need to produce something that is special!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Good Book : The Hobbit
I know almost everyone in America has read or watched The Lord of The Rings, but the predecessor book to that trilogy (The Hobbit) is a great read for young kids. Either reading it themselves or you reading it to them this book is much more lighthearted and adventure filled than the Rings books.
It also is much funnier and more appropriate to young readers. I am reading it again (we have gone through three copies now) and am going to read it to the kids this summer. A great book for boys or girls.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Saving a Baby
The day of my birthday Eldest Daughter brought home a little quail chick she found on the pavement. A family of about 10 other day old babies and the momma and daddy scattered but this little one laid on the pavement struggling to move. It couldn't walk properly and could only sort of roll and scuttle. Quail babies are born running even though they are so very small. Both Husband and I thought the little ones chances of living were slim. Most times if something like this is wrong then the chick has no chance. But sometimes a chick will not walk right because the egg was too small the its little legs were very cramped. It just needs time to gain strength and then it will be able to walk like normal. Nature, however, is a cruel mother. A chick that cannot keep up will be left behind as the quail family forages for food. That chick probably wouldn't have lasted a night.
We put the little mite under a chick brooder lamp and gave it a chick waterer filled with pebbles because quail chicks are so small that they can easily drown in a normal chick waterer. We put some fine cornmeal in the box too just in case. The next morning I checked on our little adoptee and surprise! He was still alive! He now is walking and hopping just fine and eating and drinking. But we wont be able to put him back with his family, they are long gone by now. So for the present we have a chick to raise. We went and bought a bag of chick starter which comes in 50 lb sacks. So now we have more food than a dozen little quail can eat. Is this perhaps an excuse for mommy to order the chicks she wants? I think it is!
We have still not decided on a name so any suggestions would be gratefully received. Hubby wants to name this little girl/boy after me since it arrived on my birthday and my name can be used for a girl or a boy. Now the chick even sits in our hands and enjoys being petted.
We put the little mite under a chick brooder lamp and gave it a chick waterer filled with pebbles because quail chicks are so small that they can easily drown in a normal chick waterer. We put some fine cornmeal in the box too just in case. The next morning I checked on our little adoptee and surprise! He was still alive! He now is walking and hopping just fine and eating and drinking. But we wont be able to put him back with his family, they are long gone by now. So for the present we have a chick to raise. We went and bought a bag of chick starter which comes in 50 lb sacks. So now we have more food than a dozen little quail can eat. Is this perhaps an excuse for mommy to order the chicks she wants? I think it is!
We have still not decided on a name so any suggestions would be gratefully received. Hubby wants to name this little girl/boy after me since it arrived on my birthday and my name can be used for a girl or a boy. Now the chick even sits in our hands and enjoys being petted.
The powder is chick feed
Awww!
Look how tiny he/she is! No bigger than a quarter!
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