Of Heartbreak And Sorrow

We've only been on the farm for three short months, but we've already experienced our share of heartaches and sorrow. First, there was little Jude. He was a runt. Kicked aside by his mother, and had gotten too cold right after his birth. He was born during a bitter cold spell. The farmer didn't want to deal with such a nuisance, and so, we took him in. We hadn't even moved to the farm yet, but here was this little goat. I got up every few hours to feed him during the night. When it was time to close on the house, along came Jude. Our real estate agent laughed- he said it was definitely the first time he'd seen a goat at closing! Such a sweet, sweet goat he was. He did eat, but it was always only little bits at a time, no matter how hard we tried. He was a happy goat, but he never did gain weight quickly. But it seemed he was making slow progress. But, it was just too much to overcome. We lost little Jude. And, he took a piece of my heart with him.

We had also bought two little LaMancha bucklings. Little known to us, they carried a bacteria that reared it's ugly head around day 7. Both seemed perfectly healthy, and then suddenly went limp. Just like that, they were gone.

Then we had a really close call. Daddy and Bear had gone out to check on the animals before bed, and Bear noticed smoke. Sure enough, a heat lamp had fallen into the hay and started a fire. Both piglets were trapped behind the fire. We all jumped into action, and managed to get it out quickly. We didn't lose the barn, and we didn't lose any animals. But it sure gave us a scare! The funny part was that the barn smelled like a smokehouse for a few days, which somehow amused us with the pigs...

Then there were the lambs. First, I took in Samson. He was a scrawny newborn that had been kicked aside by his mother. He didn't receive any colostrum (that's bad!), and the farmer really just didn't want to fool with it. So, I took him in. I figured out his pallet wasn't well formed, and that's why he struggled to nurse. So, I worked with him. I taught him to eat. And he gained weight like a champion. The scrawny newborn turned into a vivacious baby. He loved Rufus, a newborn Nubian we bought around the same time. Rufus became his big brother, and taught him fun tricks. We decided to take the two of them out for some playtime in the barnyard. We'd be right with them, and thought it would be enjoyable for all. In a few short seconds, tragedy struck. It appears that Paul, one of our miniature donkeys, was trying to heard Samson and Samson didn't oblige. So, he picked him up and ran with him. When he picked him up, the strength of his bite broke Samson's spinal chord. I felt so helpless as I took him into my arms. He was already slipping away. But, that little lamb looked right into my eyes, and I know he told me "thank you". He seemed to wait until I had him before he left. I sat and held him and had a good long cry. That little lamb that I had taught to eat was gone.

A few days later, I got a call asking if I'd take in another kicked aside newborn. I, of course, said yes. He was a BIG newborn. The mother struggled with his birth and the farmer had to pull him. But, despite his size, he just didn't eat right. We never could get him to eat. He didn't seem to have the internal drive to even try. He was gone by the next morning.

After facing several losses, you might wonder if I"m done taking in kicked aside newborns. I can't think of a better way to say this than the Facebook status I wrote the day we lost Daniel: "Lost little baby Daniel, the newborn lamb. I knew he was a "gamble". It is heartbreaking to go through, but I will always keep my heart and doors open to babies like him. If I can provide a happy home, for even just a short time, I will. His time may have been brief, but it was pleasant."

Joshua said that I just can't turn away a baby without a mother. He's right. I can't. I know that means many more losses to come, but I am prepared for that.

Love in Christ,

 

Simple Goat Cheese

We've been using the Prairie Primer for school this Spring and Summer. We thought it'd be a nice break from our regular routine during this very busy season of life. Anyway, one of the really cool things about the Primer and starting a new homestead, is that the lessons are really relatable to real life.

We are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods, and we just read the chapter where Ma made cheese. Well, it just so happened that our family just got milk goats, and we've been learning to milk. Since we had our own fresh milk, we of course had to make cheese!

Since, like I've mentioned, this is a really busy season for us, we decided to make a simple goat's milk cheese. This recipe makes a cheese similar to ricotta cheese.

This recipe is super simple. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients
1 qt fresh goat's milk
juice of 2 lemons (or, if you realize you forgot to buy lemons, OOPS!, you can use 6 Tbsp of lemon juice)
coarse salt

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat milk to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let stand till set. This only takes 15-20 seconds. 

Line a colander with a few sheets of cheesecloth. Place the colander over a bigger bowl or a pot. Ladle the milk into the colander. Then tie the four corners of the cheesecloth together over the handle of a large spoon. Set the spoon across the big bowl so the whey can drain into the bowl. Let drain until it is the consistency of a dry cottage cheese, usually 1 to 2 hours. Place the cheese in a bowl and stir in the salt to desired taste. You can also choose to add in herbs if you'd like. 

And there you have it. A delicious yet simple goat cheese.

Love in Christ,

Oh! Hello There!

Oopsie! So....I started this blog. And then we started house hunting. My Father-in-law passed away and we made an impromptu trip all the way to Georgia. Then we came back, found the PERFECT house and went into overdrive. Packed two, yes two, 4,000 sq ft houses, got our house cleaned up and prepped for showing, and before I could blink, Honeybird Farms was a reality.

Three months have FLOWN by, and we are settled into the homesteading routine. Notice I mentioned the homestead part, but glossed over the home part. Ah! This is a beautiful house, but I'm nowhere near having us unpacked and settled. That is highly unusual for me. But, there's two really good reasons (ok, maybe there's more than two. I do have the whole homeschooling five boys excuse. Or the I'm not quite a spring chicken excuse...) First, we've been really focused on getting our farm established. It's Spring, and, as you know, Spring is a really important time for farm "stuff". There's the garden to get going, and animals are born. So, outside work has taken priority. We loved this house and the property, but unfortunately it was not set up with fencing and barns. We had a LOT of work to do. We've built a pig pen, and a rabbit yard, lamb yard, fortified fencing in the goat yard, built a stall inside the little barn, plowed up a large garden spot, fenced the garden, moved a raised bed, started planting, plowed a berry patch, planted strawberries, built a turkey coop and run, had a barn and chicken coop delivered, and now we've started work on the large pasture that'll run the length of the east side of the property. We've hatched chicks and ducks. We have goats we are milking. The farm is moving right along. I've unpacked and prettied up the main living area. But the rest is a mess!

The second reason that I haven't finished the house is that it's a LOT of house to unpack. We'd asked God for the right house with room to spread out. He delivered! 12,500 sq ft of home sweet home. That's not a misprint. It's really 12,500 sq ft. I've almost avoided that subject, because I'd received some rather unkind comments about our home and it's size. But if you know me at all, you know I'm not one to flaunt wealth or be stuck up. So, I was a little hush-hush about the size. Oh, and the indoor salt water pool. But, there's no point in trying to make it seem less than it is. God has allowed us to have this home, and I'm so thankful for every inch of it. But, I'm a little overwhelmed at unpacking it. It'll get done...eventually.

Back to the goats- Have I mentioned how much I LOVE goats? I had no idea they were such incredible creatures. But, they are! Such personalities! Such empathy for others! They are like giant puppy dogs that give you milk- delicious sweet creamy milk. We now have 14 goats at Honeybird Farms. I'm seriously the crazy goat lady. What can I say? I love my goats.




We also have 6 sheep, 15 bunnies (it was 10, but then we had a litter of 5!), 4 pigs, 4 turkeys, 4 Pekin ducks, a gazillion chickens (ok, I've lost count. I have no idea...), 2 mini donkeys, and 1 very special donkey (more on that later). Oh, and we had three barn cats. Then mama cat had kittens. Now, we have 9 cats. And three dogs. And then there's the duck eggs in the incubator...

In other news, we've been SO blessed with a new homeschool group. I just love the ladies there, and it is so refreshing to be around other women who are doing so many of the same things that we are. We've been very involved in a PE co-op, too. I even coached scooter boards this last two seasons. Next year I am teaching chorus, which is obviously much more my style, lol. What a great group of kids! It's been a blast, and I'm really looking forward to next season.

I just signed the boys up to start violin lesson in June. I think we are also going to do clogging again.

Life is busy, but so blessed. I'm so thankful for the blessings that have just poured down on us lately. Now, I think I've caught up on the basics...so, no excuses, right? Time to start blogging again...

Pax Christi (the Peace of Christ),

Canning Tomato Sauce

This year I really wanted to try my hand at some new canning experiences. First on my list: tomatoes. Our little container garden didn't yield much, so I turned to an alternate source: Craig's List. Sounds weird (or, at least it did to me) but there were quite a few farmers advertising their produce! 100 pounds of tomatoes later...I was ready to do some canning!

I'm by no means an expert, but I'll share what I did.

 First,  I put my jars in the dishwasher to clean and sanitize them. I decided quart jars would be the best size for this project. And, don't forget to boil the lids and rings! I always forget and then have to rush to get them going, lol.

After washing the tomatoes, I used a paring knife to make an "x" in the skin at the bottom (or is it the top?) of each tomato, to make removing the skins a little easier.

 I put the tomatoes in boiling water for about 45 seconds and then immediately placed in ice water to halt the cooking process. At this stage, we are just removing the skins, not doing the actual cooking. :)

Look how easily the skin just peels right off!

After peeling, I put the tomatoes in a large stock pot to cook. I opted not to add any seasonings because I wanted a very basic sauce that I could use for a variety of recipes. Bring the tomatoes to a boil over medium high heat. I used a stick blender to puree the tomatoes. Not my favorite gadget, but it worked. Then, press the pureed tomatoes through a sieve to get out all the "junk".

Return the tomatoes to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Turn the heat down to medium high and let cook until reduced by about half. 

Put 2 tbsp of lemon juice in each quart jar before filling with sauce. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims with a damp cloth and adjust the lids and rings as usual...

Process quarts for 40 minutes in the water bath canner. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing jars to cool.

One batch of sauce cooking and one in the canner!

The 100 lbs yielded 31 quarts of sauce. Not bad at all! It was a messy job, but really not difficult. Canning is definitely hard work, though, It really makes me admire the efforts women used to HAVE to put in to have food for their family all throughout the year. I just can't even imagine! But, the satisfaction of knowing I've filled my pantry with good food for the people I love is wonderful!


Happy Homemaking!,

Cheddar Ranch Potatoes

Several of you have asked for my Cheddar Ranch Potatoes recipe, so I'm finally getting around to sharing it. This was a huge hit- even with Joe who is just certain he does not like potatoes!

Ingredients:
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 c. ranch dressing 1/2 (or so) c. cheddar cheese
1/2 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

extra cheese to top

Directions:
Toss potatoes in ranch dressing. Mix in cheese and bacon. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

Remove foil and cover the top with cheese. Bake until cheese is nice and melted.


Love in Christ,

Hello Again!

 It's been a little over a year since I took a hiatus from the blogging world. After much prompting and prayerful consideration, I've decided to return.This will be a work in progress as I decide what to move over from previous blogs, and strive to follow the path that our Heavenly Father has laid out for me.

Finding grace in imperfection...

Rest assured, I will fail. I will fall short. I will disappoint you. I am imperfect, flawed, and utterly human. I make mistakes every day. I make choices that many people do not agree with. I will never be able to please everyone.

I will, however, love wholeheartedly. I will be genuine. I will be authentic.

This last year has taken me on an interesting journey of discovering grace. Coming from a very legalistic background has made accepting God's grace an almost insurmountable challenge. I had to come to a point of accepting that I can never do enough or be good enough to deserve His mercy. But yet, He loves me anyway. Even more than that, I had to accept that He created me. This seems obvious, of course. Even little children know that. But, He really did create ME. An imperfect, flawed, silly girl with a heart that breaks too easily. He created me with my weakness for being stubborn and hard headed, an impatience for things not being the way I'd like, and a black and white mind in a world full of grey. He knew I'd love glitter and pink. He knew I'd be giddy for cute little dogs. He knew that a new pen would make me light up like a Christmas tree. He created ME. And He loved me, just the way He made me. That doesn't mean that He wants me to stay in a state of imperfection, or use my weaknesses as excuses. But, He already loves me. He's promised to never leave me. God has given me grace to live a truly Christian life. He's provided what I need so that I can live to honor Him. He loves me, His precious imperfect daughter.

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,  whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins;  it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus." -Romans 3:21-26

Why a Catholic blog?

My reason for writing a Catholic blog is two fold. Firstly, we are Catholic. Our faith shapes our daily lives...how we think, feel, and act. It would be impossible to separate faith and the day to day happenings in our world.

My second reason is to provide a source of information. We have a lot of friends, good friends, that are not Catholic. They have little exposure, or perhaps even negative exposure to what being Catholic means. I wanted to provide a window into what we believe and why. I get a LOT of questions about our faith and why we do the things we do.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    be acceptable in thy sight,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." -Psalm 19:!4

Family Update

Life seems to have entered a new phase in our household. We've transitioned from a house full of little ones, to having three school aged children, a preschooler and a toddler! We've been in our new home for a year and a half now, and it's really beginning to feel like home. God has blessed us with a good circle of homeschooling friends. And, I think we've finally found a parish that's just right for our family. This past year has been an interesting journey, to say the least. Many things have changed, and many more have stayed the same.

I think I shall close for now. I look forward to this adventure!

Pax Christi,

The Feast of the Assumption

Our family loves celebrating the feast days. Joseph especially loves feasts that celebrate our Blessed Mother. He seems to have a special love for Her.


This year was our second year to make a grotto for Mary. The boys LOVE this project!

Daddy helped us cut out the structure using a diaper box. Then we cut a strip and used tape to form the arched roof.

 After wrapping in aluminum foil, we used sharpies to create a heavenly glow behind our statue. The boys decorated around the outside with rose stickers.




We surrounded our grotto with a "cloud" made of batting.

Our finished grotto:

This year we also made a Heavenly Clouds mobile. We made clouds using white felt that we cut into a cloud shape and then filled with batting. My felt glue didn't work so well, so I ended up just stitching around the edges. We cut out a picture of the Blessed Mother and then used string to attach all of the pieces to a wooden embroidery hoop.

For our feast day supper we made  Porcupine Meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, Assumpta Salad, and Heavenly Parfaits.

Our family attended Mass together this evening before enjoy our parfaits. What a fantastic feast day for Our Lady!

In Christo Rege et Maria Regina,