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11.30.07 | Parm Cheese
Tonight marked a milestone with Mom's cheese-making progress. She made Parmesan cheese for the first time this spring, from our goat milk. It takes at least six months to age, and tonight we tried it with dinner. It had a very interesting texture: it looked like snowflakes that melted instantly on the hot food. But it tasted very good!
Nathan using our home-made cheese.
The Parmesan cheese, before it melted
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11.25.07 | Farm News
This morning Nathan and I played some hymns together--Nathan on his violin, and me on the harp. It is so exciting to see Nathan's reading and playing skills develop--he can now read out of a hymnal and play hymns the first go-round!
We had church together: we listened to a Vision Forum CD by Col. John Eidsmoe about Ancient Government Structures.
This afternoon, Mr. Anderson delivered two Murray Grey heifers we bought from him last February. We are planning to start a herd of Murray Greys, and they both should calve next spring. Murray Grey cows are especially good for grass-fed beef. They are a light grey or tan color and are shorter to the ground than most other cows.
Our new Murray Grey heifers are in the pen, and our black steer is checking them out.
Later in the afternoon, we took a walk to the pond and Mom and Dad checked on the bee hives. They are trying to figure out how to prepare them for winter. While they were reading the book figuring this puzzle out, I started taking pictures of them. Then, I realized that all my younger siblings clothes matched, so I took some pictures of them together. A wonderful setting with the autumn leaves, their blue clothes and cute smiling faces!
My younger siblings:
Mom and Dad discussing beehives:
~Sarah, for the
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11.22.07 | Thanksgiving to God
Today was a blessing to have our Thanksgiving meal and envision the generations to come, and "grandma" in the kitchen cooking for her hundreds of descendants! It is a blessing to have such promises in Isaiah 62:10 of the generations of God's people and His blessing on them.
We had an all-home grown and homemade Thanksgiving meal. It included:
- Freshly butchered homegrown grass-finished 21-lb. Turkey
- Dressing made with freshly ground, homegrown corn meal
- Cornbread Casserole
- Cranberry Sauce (we did not grow the cranberries)
- Homegrown Pumpkin Pie
- Homegrown green beans
We are preparing lunch-everyone loves to help!
After our big lunch, we all brought out our blankets and books then laid around the fire in the living room. Some of us dozed, others giggled, others read, and still others wrestled.
Samuel had all his cowboy things around him as he settled down for a nap!
I finished a great biography of Theodore Roosevelt entitled Carry A Big Stick by George Grant (avaliable from Vision Forum); I am amazed by him. He is one of my greatest heros of American History. He was so strong that he could accomplish anything he set his mind to do. He fought for truth, no matter what it cost him politically, although, we do not agree with everything he did politically.
 The book about Teddy Roosevelt primarily discussed his character. His children grew up adoring him and he was their hero, just as Roosevelt's own father was his hero.
His interests were greatly diverse and he wrote over fifty books, ranging from the topics of deer families to Oliver Cromwell (by the way, I'm reading it, also). He read many books, at a minimum of five a week, even on an extremely busy week!
His whole life awes me:
- His family life
- His love for outdoors
- His desire to learn
- His commonness
- His humiity
- His humor
- His courage
- His friendships
- His heros
- His faith
- His Bible and firm belief thereof
- His church attendance
One of my favorite quotes in the book is:
"In 1902...several key military advisors were summoned to the White House. When they entered Roosevelt's office they found him furiously pouring over a well-worn Bible and an exhaustive concordance. After a long and uncomfortable silence during which the president never acknowledged their presence, one of the generals cleared his throat and addressed the great man, 'You asked for us, sir?' Without looking up from the volumes before him the President responded, 'Well, don't just stand there, men. I need help. I can't remember why I hold to the Monroe Dontrine. I know that it's got to be here somewhere.' Still not quite comprehending what he wanted them to do, the men moved toward his desk, whereupon the President handed each of them a Bible to pursue. 'Get to work, men,' he told them. 'I can't act without warrant. I can't pronounce policy without precedence or precept.'"
 If only every leader today did this! What problems it would solve; what stress it would relieve. I need to go to the Bible in every aspect of my life, also.
I've talked about Roosevelt so much since reading this book that Ive gotton most of my family interested him, too! Nathan is now reading the book, Dad has read some of it, and I've read portions of the biography to the little ones! Also, Mom read several books about him from the local library.
~Sarah, for the
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11.17.07 | All to ourselves!
Today Mom and Dad went to the land, leaving us here to fend for ourselves with a long list of chores to do.
They've not left us alone for a whole day before, and thankfully, everything went well.
At the land, they met our neighbor, to discuss a house site. The dam work estimate had come back surprisingly reasonable, and that made the location/house site possible. They ended up deciding on the place behind the pond over the hill! I was so thankful and excited. Now that the site has been decided, we will start on the dam work. An answer to prayer, after watiting 8 months and talking to four different companies, the dam work will finally start!
As for us children, we ate breakfast, did our chores, played outside, ate lunch, did more chores, played outside, and rested. When Mom and Dad arrived home at 4:00 pm they found us all running like wild Indians around the yard, playing tag with our friend, Joshua. Our game of tag didn't really turn out well, but we received a good workout chasing Joshua. I'm sure it was quite a sight to drive up to a bunch of disshoveled, puffing children! I laughed harder that I ran, that's for sure!
~Sarah, for the
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11.17.07 | Butchering Turkeys
Today we butchered our nine turkeys at Sheperd's Valley Farm in Americus KS, which is about two hours from us. It was quite an event for us, since it was our first time raising grass finished turkeys.
We received the turkeys four months ago and have been raising them on healthy feed and moved them daily to fresh grass.
Jonathan took care of all the turkey chores, watering, feeding, moving them and generally keeping them safe. On butcher day, He helped load the turkeys into the crates in the truck.
Turkey death-row! All nine turkeys are in the crates.
It was difficult to lift the live turkeys--they were pretty heavy! This big guy (not my dad, the turkey!) is minutes from being headless.
Nathan and Jonathan watch "the turkey killer"--Ben, who is farm help at Shepherd's Valley.
You definitely can see that Mom and I are not enthralled with gutting the turkeys. Actually, I don't mind it that much; the worst part was the wind blowing horribly! In the middle is Alice, Sheperd's Valley's other farm helper. Alice helped temendously with the butchering!
We finished the butchering at about 2:00 pm. We loaded the soaking turkeys into our ice chests filled with salt water, since they needed to finish soaking. When we got home and weighed them, the smallest was 13lbs and the largest 21lbs. We were pleased with the weights, for our first year of turkey raising. We did not raise them to sell this year, but Lord willing in the future, we will raise them to sell, once we get the plucker and scalder.
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11.09.07 | Friends and Fellowship
We are at the Small Farm Trade Show in Missouri. This is our fourth year of attending, and every year have met new friends. It is so good to have lunch and visit with all of the friends we've made over these past few years. We had lunch with a total of five families today. It was a blessing to have the Godly fellowship and so encouraging to see how the Lord has added new friends each year we attend.
Sarah with friends, enjoying lunch at the Farm Trade Show
Rachael (2nd from left), with her new friends
Enjoying fellowship...
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