Knitting Humor

This was shared on Facebook not too long ago by a friend. Love this comic!!!! Thank you so much Real Life Comics.

Chores and FUN!

Chores are never-ending on a farm. There are animals to feed, poo to scoop and a long list of things that should be done, but never quite seem to be finished. Fall just heaps another big one on that list when it starts raining leaves. Seriously, yesterday our big maple out back was full. Today....completely empty. How did that happen?? Needless to say, I'm going to be raking leaves until spring.

I did manage to convince the kids that a little time doing chores with mommy could be fun. With the promise of a big pile of leaves to jump in and pizza for dinner they were ready for anything.

We started by making large piles of leaves. Yuck, they were wet from all the rain we've had, but we kept going. Lizzie was using the wheelbarrow to take them to the garden (good compost!). Nick, Kayla and I raked and raked and raked and raked. We hardly made a dent. We'll be doing this again, but I did promise them the fun. So I raked up one big pile and this is what they did...After all of that, they were still congenial enough to help mom with the alpaca chores. Wow, that pizza promise worked good!

Of course along with alpacas, Charley (the cow) needs to be fed. But my favorite image of the day has to be this....enjoy it while I go eat my pizza ;)

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

I get such weird looks when I talk about making my own laundry detergent. I guess most people just don't understand, but it's easy, cheap, always on hand, and cleans well. It really doesn't take much work either. Just a few ingredients, a pot and a bucket. The best part is that it's practically impossible to screw up. It's not like baking, you don't have to be perfect.

It helps to have a few empty detergent bottles to fill with your new homemade detergent. Other plastic containers can work too, but I've found that the old detergent bottles hold up best to repeated use. If you don't have some, check with family or your local freecycle (that's where I got mine). You will need 3-4 bottles.

Laundry Detergent

1/2 of a bar of Fels Naptha Soap, grated
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
Water

That's it and it will make about 3 gallons.

The Borax is pretty easy to find. Wal-mart, Meijer or just about any place that sells laundry items usually has it. At my local Wal-mart it sells for $2.98. The washing soda can be harder to find. I buy mine at my local Meijer. I found it on the very top shelf as far away from the commercial detergents as you could get in the laundry aisle. It was next to the Bluing if that helps. I think I paid $2.99.
The Fels Naptha can be the hardest to find. I have found it in most local grocery stores, but not with the laundry products. Most times it is with the bath bar soaps. It's normally priced around $1.40. If you are still having a tough time finding it, here is a site I have bought from. Quick shipping and reasonably priced, Soaps Gone Buy.


Now the instructions....

Start by grating your bar of soap. I will warn you, not the easiest job. This stuff is hard. I have an old food processor I use. Works great. You can use a cheese grater, but be prepared to use some elbow grease. Grate the entire bar at once and then divide it in half. I put one half in a ziploc baggy and save it for next time.

Now, get a large pot (8-quart is good) and a wooden spoon. This will need to be a pot and spoon you can use exclusively for soap. You are NOT going to want to use them to cook with after this. I found an old enameled pot at goodwill for less than a dollar and the spoon I got from my grandma.

Place the pot on the stove and add 4 quarts of water. Heat over medium heat until water starts to simmer. Add the Fels Naptha, Borax and washing soda. Continue heating over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the soap has dissolved.

There is no need for perfection here. If you have a few stray pieces of soap floating around don't worry about it. Take the pot off the heat and set aside to cool; about 1 hour.

Now, you'll need a 5 gallon pail or other similar container. I have a HUGE pot (I think it was for water bath canning originally) that I got from my father-in-law. Too big for anything I do, so it's my soap pot now.

Fill the bucket with 2 to 2 1/2 gallons of HOT water. It has to be hot. If you have a big pot like me, you can heat it on the stove and save yourself transporting it to the bucket. Add the cooled soap mixture to the hot water. Stir well to mix it all together. You now have your detergent!

You'll want to let it cool a bit before filling your bottles.

I found a large funnel in the automotive section (for transmission fluid?). It works great for transferring the soap to the bottle. It's the perfect size for fitting into the top. You will want to do this either outside or in your bathtub. It's messy.

Carefully pour your soap into each bottle. Dry them off with a towel and set aside to finish cooling. When cool replace lid. You are now ready to use your laundry detergent. I use about 1/2 cup per load.

I'm not sure what the price per load is, but I do know that I spent about $10 on my initial ingredients. 1 box Borax, 1 box washing soda, and 3 bars fels naptha. They lasted me almost exactly a year to the day. No matter how you do the math, that is a significant savings. Each batch lasts about 2 months with our family of 5.

Micaela's excema had also nearly disappeared. I don't know if that is a coincidence or not, but I'll keep using my homemade laundry detergent.

Oh, and this can be used in HE washers.

Recipe of the week -- Basic Bread 101

There is something soul satisfying about making bread from scratch. I know so many of you shy away from it because you think it's too hard or takes too long, but honestly it's neither and so much more fun than using a bread machine. I think the bread tastes better as well. So here's a basic white bread recipe, from scratch, with detailed instructions and pics. Oh, and it's best if you get all the ingredients together before you start.

Basic White Bread

2 cups warm water (approx. 100*F)
2 tbls. honey
1 tbls. active dry yeast
2 tbls. vegetable oil
2 tsp. salt
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

The most critical part of bread baking actually comes in the beginning. Check the temperature of your water! If you have a thermometer, use it. If not, run the water over your wrist; if it feels definitely warm but not uncomfortably warm, it's okay.
Put the 2 cups of warm water in a large mixing bowl (the bowl from your mixer is perfect because you'll be using the mixer soon). Add the honey and dry yeast; stir together. Set the bowl aside for a few minutes. It can take anywhere from 3 minutes to 15 minutes depending on the temperature of your water, but as the grains of yeast activate they will begin to foam. Cool!
When the yeast is bubbly, add the oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Using your electric mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes or longer. This stimulates early development of gluten. What's gluten? It's the magic ingredient in the flour that gives your bread lightness and a fine texture. When you have finished mixing, the surface of the dough may have a glossy look - a good sign.

Add the dry milk and mix it in. Then add 2 to 3 cups more of the flour, a little at a time, mixing on low speed until the dough is stiff and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (Stop putting flour in at this point even if you have some left)
If you have a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook you can use it to knead, but personally I like to do it by hand. I have a large island in my kitchen that works really well for this, but a tabletop or other large surface will work too. Just make sure it's not too high or your arms will tire quickly.

Sprinkle the kneading surface with flour. Dip your hands in the flour and lightly coat them. Dump the dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface. Turn the dough around and over to coat the outside with flour, patting into a cohesive mass (big ball). Begin to knead.

There is no perfect way to knead, but whatever you do, be decisive. This is not a time to be gentle. Take all your frustration out on the dough. It'll be better for it and so will you. If you still want some direction here is a basic kneading pattern.

Take the far side of the dough and fold it toward you, stretching it and then folding it. With the heels of your floury hands, push the folded portion down and away from you. Give the whole piece of dough a quarter turn, fold and push. Repeat. Each time you will be folding and pushing a different segment of dough. Do it over and over. Ten minutes is a nice ball park figure. The dough will be rough and sticky at first. You may have to keep dipping your hands in the flour and sprinkling flour onto the kneading surface. Add only as much flour as you need to keep the dough from sticking; too much flour makes a dry loaf. You should end up with a dough that is soft and pliable. When you push it, it springs back. Eventually, it will become smooth and satiny.

Rub a large bowl with soft butter or brush it with melted butter. Don't use oil. The dough will absorb the oil and then become sticky which is exactly what you're trying to avoid.

Place the dough in the bowl and turn until all sides are coated with a thin layer of butter. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. You have time to do something else now, just check on your dough once in awhile. You can test it by poking a finger into the top of the dough, about an inch down. If the hole you have made stays, it has risen enough. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours.

Give the dough a good punch with you fist. This is called punching down the dough. Take the dough over to your lightly floured work surface and dump or pull it out of the bowl. Knead it a few times to press out gas bubbles, then take a sharp knife and cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Cover them with a towel and do something else for 15 minutes while the dough rests.

Now to shape the dough. Take one piece of dough, pat it with your hands into a rough ball, and flatten it to a size about twice as wide as your loaf pan and slightly longer. No need to be exact, your not being graded. Just get close. Fold the 2 long ends under so they meet in the middle of the bottom. Tuck the 2 short ends under. Place the dough in a greased (butter again) loaf pan. It should fill the pan no more than half full. Repeat the process with the other piece of dough.

Cover the pans with the towel and put in a draft-free place to rise again until they double in size. This is usually 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375*F.

When doubled in size, place the pans in the oven and bake about 25 to 30 minutes. Check the bread after the minimum amount of time. If the loaves are well browned and the sides have shrunk slightly from the sides, remove from oven. If not, give the bread a few more minutes.

When done, turn out the loaves onto a wire rack to cool. Bread doesn't slice well when hot so you might want to resist the urge to eat it right away.
The original recipe came from a book entitled 500 Treasured Country Recipes although I have modified it to suit our family.

To Knit or Not to Knit

What do you do with an awful, rainy, windy, down right nasty day? That was my question. I spent the morning out in what could only be called "The Worst Fall Day EVER!". By the time I got home I was ready for my jammies and a nap. Something about the cold just makes me sleepy.

Unfortunately there were chores to be done and lunch to be made so the nap was not meant to be. After lunch though I was left with not much ambition and too much time. I could look around at all the things that needed to be done, but honestly, I was ready for a day off. Why not curl up on the couch with a knitting project and watch a movie with the kids.

Picking the movie was easy. We quickly agreed on Journey to the Center of the Earth (Brendon Fraser version). It's a family favorite that has a little something for everyone, dinosaur for Nick, Brendon for mommy ;)

Now the hard part was deciding on a knitting project to work on. Actually I thought picking would be easy as I already had a project in mind, but as it turned out my knitting was hiding in a dark corner laughing at me.

See, I don't knit much in the summer. Mostly it's because I don't sit still long enough with everything going on here. So those winter projects that aren't quite done sit in my office waiting for me to pick them up again in the fall.

I went in my office to find the shawl I was thinking of, but before I found it I found a pair of socks, a scarf, a blanket, a different shawl, a table runner and a pair of gloves. Boy, I'm naughty. No wonder my husband gives me that look every time I set my knitting down. Apparently I have a problem finishing projects.

I did finally find the shawl I was looking for and even with all my other choices I still chose it. Thank goodness I was at least bright enough to mark where I had left off because it was a pretty complicated lace pattern (complicated for me anyway). I sat down and knit the next row and what do you know, it worked! Everything lined up so I guess I was on the right row.

What a cool picture emerging!

Now how long do you think it'll take me to finish it? Thanksgiving, Christmas, next summer? I hope not, but I've given myself a very reasonable deadline of Easter since it's kind of Spring-ish. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime I need to do something with all those other unfinished projects so they'll stop taunting me every time I walk by my office.

R.I.P. Television

The TV actually isn't dead, but it doesn't play much these days. About 2 months ago we canceled our satellite service. It was partly out of a need to be frugal, but mostly it was because we simply did not watch most of what was on. And if I knew then what I know now, I would have canceled it a whole lot sooner.

Now our TV does not receive even a single channel and that includes local channels. With the switch to digital our old antenna no longer picks up anything and I refuse to buy a new one. I am under the opinion that I shouldn't have to pay anything for my TV viewing. So far, that opinion hasn't steered me wrong it just requires some patience.

How do you watch the weather or news you may ask. The answer....the internet. I go to my local television stations website and what do you know, everything I ever wanted to know is right there. I could even watch an entire newscast online if I wanted at any time I choose.

How do you watch your favorite shows? The answer....the internet. Do you notice a theme here? A high speed connection is an absolute must. I use it for business, email, school, research and, you guessed it, streaming video.

My favorite site ever has to be Hulu. It has most any show you can think of (not all, but most). They play with very limited commercial interruptions (a HUGE plus), very good quality video and the best part of all is you can subscribe to your favorite shows. That means that I don't have to remember when my favorite show will air. Hulu does the work and everytime a new episode is added they automatically add it to my queue. How awesome is that!!

A lot of shows can also be played right from the networks' sites (CBS, NBC, FOX, etc.). A lot of these play with no commercials at all. Yeah!

Now if all else fails there are DVDs. These are commercial free, don't require the internet and have the best picture quality option. They do require some patience. You have to wait for an entire season to end and then there is a time lapse before it is released. The best part of DVDs though is you can finish an entire season of a show in a weekend if desired. (I have done this)

DVDs cost money of course so how do you get around that. Check the library. They carry many TV series. If they don't have exactly what you are looking for, ask. Those librarians don't bite.

The best part of giving up the TV has got to be the fact the kids are reading more. Go kids!!

Recipe of the week -- Three Beans and Sausage

This is by far one of my favorites recipes. It's simple, relatively cheap and it tastes really, really good. It's also the meal that finally got my kids to like beans. Now they will eat beans in anything. Well, except the youngest. He still will only eat black beans because they are "taco beans". I put them in a tortilla once and now they are forever more "taco beans".

Three Beans and Sausage

1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into slices
1 can (16 oz.)kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.)black beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.)pinto beans, drained
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken broth
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. pepper
Hot cooked rice
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf over med-high heat until tender; add sausage. Cook for another minute or two or until sausage is lightly browned. Add broth, tomato sauce, beans and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Server over rice and top with cheese.

See, super easy. Now I have used different sausages, including sausages that are not precooked like brats, links and such. Just make sure the sausage is completely cooked through before adding the beans and sauce. In fact it is best to cook the sausage first then saute the onions and such.

I have substituted the tomato sauce with my own homemade pizza sauce at times. You can also add a little italian seasonings to your tomato sauce to punch up the flavor.

If you want to put this is a crockpot to save time later in the day, you can cook it on low for 4 to 5 hours.

I love recipes that can be played with so you can find your own personal favorite way to fix it, plus if you are missing one thing there is normally an easy substitute.

I adore my rice cooker. I use it sooooo much. If you don't have a rice cooker that's fine, just cook a cup or so of rice on the stove like you normally would. Left over rice can be used too if desired.

Shoot, now I'm hungry.

How does your garden grow?

Well, I don't know about yours, but ours grows big, tall and yummy with...drum roll please......paca-poo!!

That's right, paca-poo is an amazing substance, commonly called "black gold" and it's locally grown, too. I've got 32 alpacas in my backyard making all of it I could ever want. Alpacas have a marvelously efficient digestive system. Alpaca manure is lower in organic matter content than the manure from most other livestock such as cows, horses, goats and sheep, but it still has enough to improve soil texture and water holding capacity. Paca poo does not have to be "aged or cured", it doesn't "burn" the plants it comes in contact with, and can be applied rather carelessly without fussing. That means NO composting necessary. You could mulch Alpaca manure to your garden area anytime between fall and shortly before planting to have great soil. You could even just put it on top of the soil and flower beds and the rain will break down the manure and it will naturally mix into the soil. The nitrogen and potassium content is comparatively high (which indicates good fertilizer value). Phosphorus is relatively low (as are most livestock manure). The calcium and Magnesium content is about average. Alpaca manure is said to be one of the richest organic fertilizers available and (can't say it enough) it doesn't have to be composted before putting on your plants.

Man, do I sound too much like a commercial?? Sorry, I just love my paca-poo.

Now, the one problem with paca-poo is it is a continuously renewing resource. Alpacas make about 1 gallon or 4 lbs. of beans (poo) a day. Times that by 34 (32 pacas and 2 llamas). That's 136 lbs. a day if my math is right. It doesn't look like that all spread out, but my back feels every pound.

OUCH!!! That's my dear hubby kicking me (figuratively) because he's reminding me that he actually does most of the scooping. :) Love you!

Well, we've gotten a little behind here at Tomorrow Farm in the scooping department. We've had a lot of rain the last couple weeks and no one wants to rake and scoop in wet, cold, muddy pastures so......

Here comes the tractor!

The tractor is good for scooping and moving and today we're giving it a workout. I'm going to solve 2 problems though at the same time. The paca-poo gets cleaned up and the garden gets a new layer of poo to compost in for spring.

So back and forth I go on the tractor. First to the pastures for Jim to fill the bucket and then off to the garden to spread it around. This takes a couple hours, but by the end the pastures are poo free and the barn has a new layer of manure-less sand.

At least until Tomorrow.

Crazy for Food

Do you love food as much as me? Honestly, I'd be happy to never leave the kitchen, but life won't let me stay there. Normally it's a get in, get out quick scenario. Take lunch for instance, we had mac & cheese and chicken nuggets. Not bad, but not exactly good. It was quick though and let me get back to other things. Those things included school lessons for the kids and pj sewing for me. (Yes, I'm still working on those darn pj's).

Now for some reason I got the "bug" at about 2pm. What's the "bug" you ask? The bug can be about anything, but it means you can't help yourself from going crazy doing and/or making that thing. For me today it was baking/cooking.

I started off with the bread maker. Simple enough. I have an oatmeal bread recipe that everyone really enjoys so I thought we could have fresh bread with dinner.

Well, I could smell that bread and decided I needed something to eat NOW, not later, so......

Here comes a new recipe I've been holding on to for awhile. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins. Do I see an oatmeal theme? Lovin' the oats in my baked goods.

My philosophy is usually to make something the way it's written the first time and go from there, but this time I changed it from the start. Good thing because they turned out sooooo yummy. Had one right out of the oven and the chocolate chips were warm and gooey. Since they came out so fantastic I'll share them with you.

Oh, did I tell you about dinner? To go with that nice fresh bread that is now out of the machine, I am making my version of minestrone. Lots of beans and pasta in a tomato base. Smells great, too.

So, if you get the "bug" too, just go with it. I'm sure you'll end up with something fabulous.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400*

In a medium size bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the milk, oil, and egg. Stir until just blended. Add the chocolate chips; stir. Divide the mixture evenly into 18 greased (or use muffin papers) muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Recipe of the Week -- Lazy Lasagna

This week's recipe is an old family favorite although I've changed it a bit from the original. Probably not as healthy as it could be, but very, very yummy!

Lazy Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce, any flavor
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 lb. pasta, preferably penne or rotini
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
dried basil

Preheat oven to 350*

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet (oven safe is great, will save you a dish), brown beef. Add spaghetti sauce and mushroom soup; blend well. This will make a nice creamy sauce. Add dried basil to taste (normally just a tsp. or two). Add cooked pasta and mix well. If not using an oven safe skillet, transfer pasta mixture to an oven safe casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese over top. Place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

This is an easy recipe to play with too. I have changed out the ground beef for ham, sausage and even pepperoni for a more "pizza" tasting casserole. I also use our own homemade spaghetti sauce frequently. Green peppers or mushrooms can also be added. If you want a less creamy sauce, cottage cheese can be substituted for the cream soup. I wouldn't change to a different cream soup though. Cream of mushroom is very mild and doesn't change the overall flavor. Other soups have a much stronger flavor and will alter the final result.

Have fun with this recipe and let me know how it goes.

PJ beginnings

Did you ever have a season just sneak up on you without you ever realizing?

Summer was strangely cool so when fall appeared on the horizon I wasn't paying any attention. The leaves had started to turn, the garden had given up the ghost and the most obvious sign, the furnace was on. Now, don't you think a girl would notice these things and think....oh, I should get all that sewing done so we can stay warm this winter. Nope. So this is what I am now stuck with.
A large pile of fabric just waiting to be turned into winter pj's for the kids. Where to start?

Well, I started in the most obvious place. :) Pick a pattern and fabric, and just dive in. First up was a really cute penguin flannel I got from my mom. Not quite enough so we are adding a red flannel to go with it. Ok, next step.
Lay the fabric out and pin all the pattern pieces to it. Get the scissors. Cut out all pieces, avoiding pins and fingers. Those little pattern lines are sometimes tricky. Why do they have to put so many sizes on top of eachother? I know it's to save space, but still.

Now I've got all my fabric pieces cut, on to the sewing. After reading the instructions twice, I get started, making sure I have my pieces with right sides together. It's like cutting wood, "measure twice, cut once". I double check everything before I make that first stitch.

I have the front sewn together and the back sewn together, now to put the front and the back together. Should be simple enough. It's only a straight line after all. Well, apparently not that simple. Seems I caught something I shouldn't have in the seam. Seam ripper, where are you?

There seems to be a lot of drama going on with this nightgown. :(

Sleeves are coming next. Gather them up and then sew the elastic in the cuffs. Not too bad if I do say so.

How many of you enjoy hemming things? Not me. It's my least favorite part, but it always happens to be last. Makes it really hard to finish things sometimes. I'm a good girl today though. I finish the hemming without much complaining although I did stick myself a few times.

All that work and I now have a completed nightgown! Yeah!! (Thanks to Kayla for holding it up) Now I just have 5 more nightgowns and 3 pairs of pants to go. Remind me to make them in summer next time. :D

Pioneer School Days

Oh what a way to start the day....

Actually the clock may have said the day had started, but I had only been asleep for a couple hours when dear old hubby woke me enough to tell me that our power was off (not surprised with the wind). The catch was only OUR power was off. The neighbors all still had their lights on. Hmm...what to do? SLEEP. Nothing I could do at 1am, so sleep I did.

Well, just as I started to return to the waking world this morning I hear loud screaming from the kids room and Kayla came bursting through our bedroom door with the words no one wants to hear before they've had a chance to use the bathroom and put their contacts in. "The alpacas are out!"

Shoot, guess that means I have to get up. Did I mention it's kind of cold? And where are my glasses that I never wear? So, glasses found and boots on, I run out with Jim to find 16 alpacas casually roaming the backyard, munching on an apparent feast of green grass. Thank goodness they didn't wander.

Seems that horrendous, previously mentioned wind had snapped their gate latch. The gate swung open and presto....a green smorgasbord. It took some doing but we finally convinced them that home is where the fence is and fixed the latch. Now they are out there glaring at the house. Oh well....

Now by this time I realize I still haven't found a chance to call the electric company. Phone number...where is that phone number? One phone book had the wrong number, nice. Finally found a bill and called them. Was stuck on hold for nearly 10 minutes because I wanted to talk to a human instead of the computer. Nice lady though was I finally got her.

Okay...now what. Breakfast. Cold cereal was the best I could do under the circumstances and then on to school. But mom, how can we do school with no electricity? Think....think.... We are going to have school like the pioneer children. I dug out my oil lamp and what do you know...that was enough to impress them. So we spent the morning doing school work by lamplight (very cloudy out so not much natural light).

Now for the most impressive part. Consumers Energy was here almost exactly 1 1/2 hours after I called. I couldn't believe it. Have you ever had service from any utility company that fast? And it only took them 10 minutes to fix the blown fuse on our pole!

Now by this time the energy workers had noticed the alpacas so I put my coat on and gave them a super quick tour and let them feed them a little grass (always a hit with my girls). Off they went and I went back in to enjoy the electricity being on.

Mom, can we turn the lights off and have more pioneer school days? {{sigh}}......