My daughter, Kyla, loves to cook.  As a member of 4-H, she enters food at the county fair annually.  This last year she won 4th place in the Junior Division for her homemade whole wheat bread.  Kyla's entry made it into the Premium Sale, which was a first for our family. Needless to... »

Our fingertips are stained purple and scratches are all over our hands.  Can you guess what we did Sunday afternoon?  That's right, we picked dewberries.  I could not believe that some of the wild dewberries were ripe so early in the year.  Only the ones growing along fence lines are ripe.  The ones... »

The other day I was weeding my herb garden and putting more old hay mulch in areas that needed it.  The herbs are doing well.  I have oregano, thyme, parsley, mint, rosemary, cilantro, garlic chives, and basil growing.  As I sat on my knees bent over the plants, I could... »

David and Allyson Sweeney have been running a podcast for quite awhile now from their home in Texas.  It is called The Catholic Family Podcast.  Regardless of your religion, you will enjoy listening to them.  It is a very professional broadcast covering a variety of topics from parenting, homeschooling, current events, and their church life.  They make you feel as... »

My mom came for a visit from Hawaii so I talked her into helping me in my first attempt to make soap.  I had many different recipes.  Unfortunately, I could not find one that I really liked so I had to be a little creative.  My recipe is a combination of several different recipes.  The scariest part was the chemical... »

I have removed the article, "More Cleaning Recipes."  It was an article talking about cleaning with hydrogen peroxide and vinegar based on the cleaning advice in another article by Dr. Judy Stouffer, "Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants." Since yesterday's post, it has come to my attention that combining these two ingredients causes a chemical reaction called peracetic acid, which can... »

Growing up I never enjoyed math.  It was one of the few subjects I actually had to work at to make a good grade.  So when I began homeschooling, I wanted to give my children a solid understanding of math.  I did not want them to just memorize facts and formulas as... »

We had the pleasure of having two of my nieces come stay with us Friday evening.  Usually there are many fun things to do on our place for kids not accustomed to farm life.  They like collecting eggs, taking hikes in the woods, and/or playing on the hay bales.  Unfortunately for my nieces it rained the whole time they were... »

The following interview is the second and final part of an interview I conducted with Gary Turner, an experienced worm composter.  If you missed part one,  I highly recommend beginning with it.  This is the continuation of our conversation.  We were just getting into the environmental aspects of vermicomposting. In addition to being more environmentally-responsible,... »

Interview with Gary Turner Gary Turner and his wife, Kathy, live in Anderson, Texas.  They manage their many responsibilities including taking care of their place.  The Turners raise rabbits, ducks, and big, beautiful vegetables in an organic garden.   I cannot say enough good things about this family.  They work tirelessly to spread God’s word in Vacation... »

Many years ago my dear friend called me on the telephone.  She was so excited because her husband had installed a clothesline in her backyard.  My initial reaction was, “Wow, she is easy to please!”  When she encouraged me to also use a clothesline, I could not possibly fathom taking the time to hang out my... »

After days of a soaking rain, I was anxious to see how my garden was doing.  Throughout the three days of endless rain, I occasionally noticed one of my Production Red chickens in my garden plot.  I did not give it much thought at the time. The saturated ground gave a little to each of my steps.  My shoes were soaked... »

One of the advantages of homeschooling is having more time to pursue one’s interests.  The hours of “school” are much more flexible and less time is spent on table work compared to the 8 a.m.-4 p.m. schedule of the local public school student.  And home-schooled children do not have homework to complete in... »

In an ideal world, I would prefer not to eat any processed food.  I know that it is not always easy or possible to make everything from scratch.  So, I am sharing my favorite wheat-free products that you can find relatively easily in most grocery stores.  At least I can find... »

A good friend dropped off a cooler of red wiggler worms in almost completely composted dirt.  Our friend, Gary Turner, is who I consider an expert in the field of vermicomposting.  I had called him to ask for some more worms.  We are going to start a compost bin outdoors.  Unfortunately the one we... »