Down on the Homestead - Oct. 31 - Nov 6th

**homesteadmamma** · 10-31-2004, 10:25 AM

Good morning everyone. I hope you all remembered to turn your clocks back, check your batteries in your fire alarms and flipped over your mattresses.

Today is another day of relaxing and quilting. I'm working steadily on one grandson's quilt for Christmas. I also want to cut out some pj's so that when I have a few minutes I can work at getting them sewn up.

Tonight I need to clean the post office.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

**guest2** · 10-31-2004, 10:47 AM

Goodmorning!!!

DH and the twins left early this morning to go hunting. I have no idea when they will be back. Jaysn and his friends are making breakfast and then they are heading down to church here in town.

I'm going to bake 4 loaves of whole wheat bread today, do some reading and a bit of cleaning. Tonight we'll all watch a good movie and eat lots of popcorn!

Have a blessed day!!!

**homesteadmamma** · 10-31-2004, 10:48 AM

Heh Debbie, don't you just love popcorn? Its just so nice to have while watching a movie.

**guest2** · 10-31-2004, 11:06 AM

We go through lots of popcorn here CJ! It's also a great afternoon snack or I use it like croutons in soup.

**Michele Annette** · 10-31-2004, 11:53 AM

Good Morning CJ, Debbie and to All others!!

Well, What a busy weekend, but today I get to relax for most of it. Yesterday we took a ride to Rochester to look at another piece of property. It has a terrible modular home on it, but the land is really nice. 2.8 acres and it backs up to the side of a mountain. It is right on the Rochester town line and we believe it would have cable internet hookup. We don't know if we want to bid on it yet, but we want it for the land. We are thinking of the beginning stages of building our own home. We have always wanted to do this and so we have been doing lots of research on many, many options. I'm hoping something good comes out of all of that frustration and disappointmant from last week!!

I need to get cat food today and our grocery store has a few loss leaders for 25 cents each. Pasta, fresh carrots and a few other things. There is a limit of four though, so I had alreay bought some things on Friday and want to pick up more for the Winter stockpile. I'm also cleaning and doing laundry. I'm waiting for Mom to call me back too. so I better get going. I hope you are all having a really good day!

**forestdale** · 10-31-2004, 02:23 PM

It's a fine Monday morning here. Hello everyone.

I'm at the store again today. It was busy all day yesterday as people are starting to do their Christmas shopping. I was also part of a TV commercial they filmed up there to promote the town. I had to pretend to sell a glass paperweight teapot to a girl. Please line up for autographs.

DH brought in our onion crop yesterday. There is about 30 kgs of red, brown and white onions which should do us for a few months. I'd love to be fully self sufficient with our vegetables but I can't seem to manage the continuous planting. I'll have to read some more about it. Our chickens have slowed their laying now. We used to get an egg a day from the little red hens, now they're laying one every other day and the big momma of the flock, the light sussex, well, she lays when it suits her - about 2 a week. I'll get two more red hens soon so I can barter for milk and cream with the eggs again.

I hope you're all having a lovely relaxing weekend.

**guest2** · 10-31-2004, 02:34 PM

Cool, our Bethany is famous now!!!!! And we can all say we knew her when.....

**QuilterMom** · 10-31-2004, 03:12 PM

WooHoo Bethany!

Ds and I went to church this morning and dh spent most of the morning at Lowe's and Home Depot. They are both still a zoo because of all the massive repairs everyone is having to do. The pieces for the living room windows weren't in at Lowe's even though they were supposed to have been. Dh got the windows we needed for the garage at Home Depot, but yet again the one door that we still need that we already paid for in full back in May came in wrong yet again for the five millionth time. Ugh!

After lunch I started mowing and the mower ran out of gas. Dh got it filled up for me and I started again and the mower died and now won't crank at all.

Dh is prepping the maple wood that was given to him (he's wanting to build a nightstand for ds for Christmas with some of it) and I planted some seeds in the garden. I have started prepping an area to relocate the herb boxes that flooded and need to go out and finish that in a bit. It's really hot here today so it's nice to be inside in the a/c.

Tonight we have a dvd to watch.

Have a great day everyone!

**blueknitter** · 10-31-2004, 10:12 PM

Evening, everyone.

Today was the second of DS's bday parties, which went well. As much as I wish I didn't have to do double all holidays and bdays due to divorced parents, the kids sure enjoy having their days stretched out. I made two carrot cakes, and they both went over well with both sides of my family. I left all the leftover cakes at their respective houses so I wouldn't be tempted at all.

Fall Festival at my Mom's church was tonight. DD helped at a booth and DS did his activities and collected his prizes. We all had a bite to eat, then listened to dbil and his quartet sing for entertainment. That was all nice, but I was so glad to get home early. I hate spending all DH's down time running all over the countryside, it makes for a lot of stress.

DS's bday was yesterday, so he got to stand up in church and be sung to today. He really liked that.

Smom sent us home a huge bag of clothes to go through, yesterday, and I haven't so much as looked at that. I'll do that tomorrow when I'm decluttering the living room to move the furniture in preparation for lighting the stove.

The car is still packed since it was dark and the kids and I were pooped when we got home. Everything is in the trunk, and we'll unload it when he gets home from work in the morning.

I was so very, very good this weekend and didn't have any cake or ice cream. I did have the dairy free sorbet that I can have, but that was it. It was hard, as it looked and smelled really nummy, but I behaved myself. I've got to get my allergies under control, so have to be more diligent about taking care of myself that way.

We were promised a deer if my friend's husband gets a nice bigger one. He's going to try for a nice smallish young one for summer sausage, but if he gets a big one that is too tough for his sausage, he'll give us a call and we'll go over there and he'll teach me how to process it. My friend has been after him to teach me since they found out that when we found the deer that some poachers left on our place, I gave the neighbors some and then cut up the rest of it in the bathtub on a sheet of plastic with a paring knife. He's bound and determined to teach me the right way to do it with a bone saw. LOL

Now that DS's bday is finished, I'll be able to concentrate more on Christmas. I've got to get busy, as I've got a number of face cloths to get done, a couple of scarves, and two hoodies. The sweaters are smallish kid sizes, though, so it won't be too bad.

Hope y'all have a good night and good Monday.

**DaisyLady** · 11-01-2004, 07:05 AM

Bethany ~ how 'bout an 8x10 glossy photo autographed

Lisalynn ~ Hope you get your deer!

Good Monday morning all,

We had a bit of a rough weekend here. Saturday was a dark and early start at 5:30 to drive William to his bus. He went to a music clinic with cadets. Came home, changed and drove into the wool store for 9 am. A very busy place! and Bethany I got to deal with every single difficult customer. One lady was in the store with her mom and daughter for 2 hours. They spent over $400 on yarn etc.

My job was to help any customers who had knitting or crochet problems. In between I stocked shelves and helped people pick yarn, patterns, etc. There was a Needlework show on two building down and since the store had a booth there I got to go to the show for free

Got home from work about 3:30. Baked bread, brownies and started supper then went back into town to pick up William.

Meanwhile DH was having major problems changing the brakes on the car. Poor man, his ego really took a beating. After two full days he finally got the job done only to discover a leak and so now has to replace a caliper.

My back was very sore yesterday. I couldn't move at all. I ended up staying home from church. With the help of some major painkilllers I was able to get quite a bit of knitting done though.

Today is back to routine I hope. DH and I need to go into town to pick up library books, some groceries and possibly the parts he needs for the car. Plan to bake some bread and cookies today and do some more knitting.

Have a wonderful day on your homesteads everyone.

**homesteadmamma** · 11-01-2004, 10:35 AM

Good morning everyone. Its a very dull day here with cool tems. I'm wondering if we are soon going to get snow. It seems to be all around us, but none here yet. I don't mind, but I do like the sun.

We didn't do much on the weekend. I did get lots of quilting done and now have only 20 blocks to do on dgs's quilt. I took out a quilting book I had gotten from the library and I think I'm going to make a quilted wall hanging from it and take a break from the Log cabin one I'm doing right now.

I need to make a trip into the city in a bit, so I won't be around until later this afternoon. Once we get home, will do our schoolwork.

Tonight its cleaning the post office and working on quilting. Somewhere in there I have to fold clothes too.

Have a great Monday everyone.

**dmvezina** · 11-01-2004, 10:52 AM

Good morning!! The morning started out beautiful, the sun was nice & bright and it was pretty mild. Now, the wind is picking up and the sun went away. lol

I didn't even turn my computer on yesterday! It was kind of nice because when the computer is on I feel compelled to continually check my email. lol

I have so much to do today!!
do 2 loads of laundry
clean out/take inventory of pantry closet
clean out/take inventory of chest freezer
mail coupons
reorganize kitchen counters
separate & freeze turkey
change sheets
empty trashcans
vacuum
wash floors
clean tv screens & mirrors
dust
clean coffeemaker
roast pumpkin seeds
find freezer recipes for potatoes

Breakfast was oatmeal, doughnuts and fruit
Dinner will be steak, baked potatoes, beef gravy, broccoli and fruit salad.

I hope everyone has a great day!!

**Ellise** · 11-01-2004, 01:34 PM

Good Mid-Day to everyone
yesterday was a fantastic day for us. We took a mini vacation!

We went for a drive to Mount Mitchell. On the way up a lady had driven off the mountain! DS said the newsreport last night said she was recovering at a local hospital. Thank Goodness!

Anyway our trip began at 8 am and we returned home around 4:30 pm. Our entire trip cost us less than $20.00 (used the co. truck so gas was free). We ate lunch for $12.00, I had a hot dog, DS had Chili Cheese Fries and DH had a Hamburger steak sandwich. then we got peanuts and hot cappachino. We had a blast! I took lots of pictures and will post them shortly.

Ok today I have done NOTHING! I'm a bit sore from all the riding yesterday. So I'll just do what I can today, like maybe fold some laundry.

**QuilterMom** · 11-01-2004, 01:51 PM

Ds and I had to start the day off with a few errands and then do his homeschool lesson. I just finished my lunch and need to get busy and finish the inventory of our freezers and pantry! I'm almost there!

I've got some stress going on today and am as tense as can be. I won't vent about it here on the boards, but I hope I am able to just let it go.

Dh called this morning and his co-worker needs him to trade with him and work this Saturday. That'll be 2 Sat.'s in a row without him, but then we'll get him for 2 in a row. Of course I already had my Saturday all mapped out (Christmas shopping) so now we'll have to squeeze it in 1 or 2 nights this week after dh is home from work. I want to take advantage of some sales and can't go during the day with ds with me.

Have a great day everyone!

**guest2** · 11-01-2004, 02:26 PM

Goodmorning!

Well, we finally got some snow yesterday but it did not stick. In a way I'm kind of glad because DH is framing a house all by himself this morning and the snow just makes everything slick. The boys went to a bonfire at a friend's house last night and they roasted marshmellows, cooked apples on sticks over the fire and had a great time playing games. I talked to my friends that had the bonfire for the kids this morning and Mark (the hubby who is a big kid at heart) is a bit sore from tendonistis after trying to keep up with all the teens.

I told him to come on over and get my arnica ointment to rub on those sore spots.

This morning the kids and I went for a walk and mailed off my MIL's birthday card. It was 26 degrees so we all bundled up well. It was a nice way to start the morning though. After we got home we got busy on school and I got some yogurt started in the yogurt maker. I still need to make some whole wheat tortillas before I head to work this afternoon. I'm praying the snow/rain holds off so the stuff hanging on the line can dry and so that Chris can get started weed eating up at the cemetary. He was supposed to do some of it yesterday but forgot. The town is paying him to do it.

You all have a great and blessed day!!!