Weekend Links & Updates

As seen on our homestead.
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In which I share my favorite posts from this blog's Facebook page.

* Fall is hitting us hard, and it's a good time to reflect on our first months on this new homestead. I think we've accomplished an awful lot: Put in a new well (with hired help, and the work of the Mr., the kids, and me); dealt with a variety of plumbing issues; began unpacking; harvested and preserved from most of the orchard (some apple trees are still producing); started a modest winter garden; acquired a rabbit and a puppy; acquired chicks and built a brand new run for them; hauled some of the garbage that was left by the previous owners to the dump; cut brush back from some of the trails in the forest; painted one room - all since moving here in June. Now the Mr. is busy gathering wood for the winter; there's lots of dead wood in the forest, so at least it will be seasoned. We also think our little house is so well insulated, we won't need nearly as much firewood as we did on our suburban homestead. That's a blessing! (Unless Hubby starts a fire in the stove in early fall; then it feels like a curse because the house is to hot!)

* A Day in the Life of a Homesteader: Wake up to the puppy whimpering to get out of his crate (which protects him from cougars). Bleary eyed, walk puppy down our private road and let him maul me with love. Stagger back up the private road to grab a cup of tea before the kids get up. Wipe the mud off puppy, then walk inside to discover kids already up. Time for breakfast! But first, let the chickens out of their house. Let the puppy out to go potty again. Clean the mud off him. Breakfast, devotions, let puppy out and clean mud off him twice. Our read aloud (currently The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, which I strongly recommend), which is interrupted seemingly endless times by me telling the puppy "no!" Tell kids to get ready for school. Run a load of laundry out to the out building while the rain takes a break. Check to make sure puppy isn't trying to kill chickens. Run into the greenhouse to check plants. Water. Prune tomatoes. De-muddify puppy. Do homeschool with lots of me saying "no!" to the puppy. Clean house, with puppy chasing vacuum and mop. Declutter just-unpacked items, since there will be a party at the house this weekend. Let puppy out for the billionth time and clean the mud off him. Harvest veggies. Puppy. Do more laundry inbetween rain showers. Puppy. Blog. Puppy (!). Organize recently preserved foods. Puppy. Sit down (finally!) for a cup of tea. Puppy interrupts endlessly. Make dinner. Puppy. Serve and eat dinner while puppy interrupts as often as he can. Do dishes. Puppy! Vegetate with a book while saying "no!" to puppy. Make hubby's lunch. Puppy!! Get kids to brush and change. Puppy!!! Put puppy to bed (hurrah!). Put kids to bed. Put self to bed, exhausted. The end.
The chicks are getting big!




* So far this year, my family's birthday gifts have been free because I've earned gift cards through Swagbucks. I'm working toward making Christmas free, too! If you don't already belong to Swagbucks, but like the idea of free gifts, now is a great time to join. If you click this link, join Swagbucks, and complete one "gold survey" by Oct. 31st, Swagbucks will give you 400 points to get you off to a fantastic start! To learn more about Swagbucks, click here.

* Why Discipline Often Backfires with Kids. Interesting stuff!

* Your Birth Control Might Raise Your Depression Risk. It's full of risks, actually; this is just the latest "discovery."

* Natural Help for Gassy Tummies.

* Harvesting and Using Horseradish. 
The tomatoes in the greenhouse and really producing now, and the greens in my fall garden and starting to give us salads!
I never get tired of this view.


Christmas Countdown


See part one of the Christmas Countdown. Click here for part two.


Christmas Countdown Gift #12: Food in a Jar. Homemade gifts show you put time and energy and thought into the gift; plus, they are a good way to give more with less $. Check out my gifts in a jar ideas here.

Christmas Countdown Gift #13: Food. It's hard to miss the mark when you give away delicious food. Some ideas include cookies, cinnamon rolls, delish but easy bread, amazing cranberry bread, or even homemade sauerkraut!

Christmas Countdown Gift #14: A chicken. Or, if you prefer, a goat or a pig. My kids BEG to give this gift. Because it makes such a difference in the lives of the truly needy. Check out World Vision to see what I'm taking about. 

Christmas Countdown Gift #15: Books! Most books are excellent gifts, but today I'll stump for The Jesus Storybook Bible. This children's Bible is such a blessing on the whole family! It's entire focus on Jesus, and even the adults in the house may find themselves learning something. I recommend buying the book and the CDs.

 

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