Update

Pin It Good Morning Everyone. First I wish to thank each of you for your well wishes, prayers, thoughts and hugs. It means so much to us.



Lucas has completed all tests and the results are back. He suffers from IBS although the doctor is still extremely concerned about his weight loss. Nothing else showed up on the ultrasound, ct scan, colonoscopy, gastronomy and blood work.



It has been a long, worrisome process and now we deal with trying to find foods that will not only agree with his stomach but that will help him to gain weight. Since my last report he plummeted to 185 pounds but is now up to 188 pounds.



I will be back and forth but not regular for a while.

Thanks again all my friends. I will visit your blogs when I get a chance. I miss reading them so much!

Remember to give your loved ones a hug!

Good Morning Friends

Pin It Good Morning friends. First I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy Easter and I hope you had a great time with your family and friends.

Our Easter was spent on the road heading to the emergency room. My son Luke has been having some stomach problems which explains some of my absence.

Six months ago he weighed 296 pounds. Today he weighs in at 191.4 pounds. He has constant stomach pain and can barely eat.

We have been seeing doctors and now are waiting for more tests. The doctors are thinking that it might be Crohn's disease.

Old pants - size 44 New pants - size 36

Luke is very tall - 6 feet 7 inches and 191 pounds barely covers his skin. All of us are extremely concerned but he remains in good spirits.

I apologize I do not have the time to visit all of your blogs. Know that I am thinking of you wishing you the best.

I will return after he has been diagnosed and things are back to normal. We would appreciate prayers and well wishes my friends. Please keep us in your thoughts.

Enjoy the weather and please remember to give your loved ones a hug! =)

Watch our for these Easter Imposters!

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I have still been so busy and have had not much to report but thought this was so cute so I had to share. Take care my friends!

Spring Cleanup

Pin It The nice weather has prevented me from posting and I apologize to those who wondered where I have been.

The nice weather has melted all our snow, dried up the mud and we are now into spring cleanup.

Luke spent day chopping wood for our outdoor firepit. There are alot of evenings we sit in front of the fire enjoying the evening under the stars.

The weather has been perfect for cleaning up my flowerbeds, preparing the garden and cleaning up the yard. Each spring we still have scrap that makes it's way to the surface each year.

A few days ago, our scrapper Mike showed up and cleaned up quite a bit for us. He makes a dollar and we enjoy seeing the scrap leave the yard.

While Mike was picking the scrap, we discovered an old watering trough which I saved and plan on planting flowers in it. Luke also found an old steel milk can which I will paint and add a nice splash of color to the front yard with flowing petunias in it.

The days are becoming longer which gives us much opportunity to work outside. I love these days. Actually, the other day when Luke and Bob were on the four wheeler, they came across a deer having a baby. When I went back to take pictures for you, she was already gone.... I was so disappointed! I was hoping to share the miracle of birth with you.

I hope that each of you have a great day and remember to give your loved ones a hug! =)

Just to Make You Smile

Pin It It's the weekend...here a few pictures that my Mom sent me...just to make you smile.

More Practical Sewing

Pin It I have been trying to improve my sewing skills lately. Not only to make things for myself and my family but also for Christmas gifts. Yesterday I successfully finished making a pair of flannel sleeping pants.




I used the fabric that Bev sent me a while back....cute little snowmen. I love snowmen!

They fit perfectly and were so easy to make.



Now I can get busy making many more for family and friends for Christmas. I have been really enjoying trying new things and seeing a piece of fabric being transformed into something that can be used and that is practical.

It has been raining all day...and the snow is beginning to disappear however we are left with a TON of mud! So since I cannot work outside just yet, it is another great day to pull out the machine and try something new.

Have a great day everyone and remember to give your loved ones a hug. =)

Apron Is Done!

Pin It I found a pattern that reminded me of my Grandma. She always wore aprons that I can remember.



Many times she would collect eggs from the chickens, bake the bread, and give us kids hugs and while she did all this, she wore the apron.

This apron reminds me of my Grandma. I wanted to make one for myself to wear in her memory. I never followed a tissue paper pattern before and I think I was quite successful. I will wear this in memory of her always. I will collect the garden produce and bake the bread... I will never be as good as my Grandma...but I am now trying. I was only seven when she passed, but I still remember her and her smell. I will always love her with all my heart.

Remember to give your loved ones a hug...we never know how long they will be in our presence.

Have a great day!

Mudville U.S.A.

Pin It With the warm weather we are experiencing lately...in the high 30's and low 40's our property turns into Mudville U.S.A. I took the long walk up to the mailbox today and could not resist showing you what we have to deal with every spring when the snow begins to melt...and it has just started!






Coming up to the old farmhouse we have on the property.




We have had to begin wiping all the animals feet when they come in from outside.

Not fun!




The grass is beginning to show in some places....looks promising!

There is still much snow to melt so this will be a looooong process.

But when I begin to see grass, I get excited. I dream of flowers and gardening.

The only damage from this winter that I can see so far is this old shed that is located across the highway from us....apparently the roof didn't make it. No one lives on that land anymore but I think they do store some things in there.

We will evaluate all the buildings as the days go by and see what damage will have to be repaired before the next winter hits but I don't even want to think about more snow right now! I want to enjoy the changing of the seasons...which we really experience here and love so much.

No robins have been seen yet...but hopefully they will return soon and then we will know that Spring has officially arrived!

Have a great weekend everyone and remember to give your loved ones a hug! =)

I'm Trying!

Pin It One of the skills I wanted to learn this year was to knit my own socks. How cool would it be to make all your own socks so you never had to buy any every again?!



Learning to knit with double pointed needles has been a challenge for me but I finally got the hang of it and am progressing quite nicely with the pattern I chose. Although it takes me about 15 minutes to make one round, I am learning!

What new skills have you been working on lately? I love learning from other people.

Homemade Butter!

Pin It One of my homesteading skills I wanted to learn this year was to make homemade butter. Well it was successful!


I used organic heavy whipping cream for this project.



I used about a quart of cream and poured it into my mixing bowl and began to mix.

The cream transformed into fluffy cream "pillows" and then stiff peaks These then broke down into soft cottage-cheese-like curds as blobs of butterfat separated from the milk.

The butter began to stiffen and lump together and the watery milk pooled in the bottom of the bowl. It took about 10 minutes for this to happen.

I then stopped the mixer and carefully poured off as much milk as I could. I refrigerated it and will use it for baking.

I then used a rubber spatula to press the butter against the sides of the bowl. I then added 1/2 cup of ice water to the butter and used the spatula to press the butter and water against the side of the bowl. This step is called washing, it keeps the butter from spoiling.

I then kept pouring the ice water and repeating the step until the ice water was clear.

I continued to knead the butter against the side of the bowl until all the liquid was pressed out.

I lightly salted the butter.



Here is the finished product. It tastes delicious! The difference is unbelievable! Luke said I need to now make homemade bread to go with it. =)

Give it a try. It is so easy and you will not believe the taste.

Fact or Folklore?

Pin It Last week, I received a copy of this magazine in the mail on a trial basis.

It is a lovely magazine that captures the true heart of a farm girl. It has so many wonderful sections such as crafting, cooking, gardening and general work that is done around a farm. It also has a lovely website that can be found here.... http://maryjanesfarm.org

There was an article in the February/March issue that I received which I found very interesting.

Here is an excerpt from it...

...When the 1918 flu pandemic killed 50-100 million people between 1918-1920, there was said to be a doctor who visited many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. The doctor came upon one household where everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the family was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed a dish of unpeeled onions in each room of the home. The doctor asked if he could have one of the onions to observe under a microscope. When he did, he found traces of the flu virus in the onion. It had absorbed the infection, keeping the family healthy.....

The article continues on to explain that many small businesses are doing the same. They are placing onions around the workplace and have very few to no employees with any illnesses.

At the time when I read this article, I had been suffering with a very bad toothache. Nothing seemed to help the pain subside. After reading this article I thought 'why not try it?'.

That evening I cut off both ends of the onion as described in the article, placed it in a bowl next to my bed on my beside table. I could faintly smell the odor of the onion but nothing that was too unpleasant.

To my surprise by morning, the onion was black. My toothache was gone and has not returned since that night! Now, I don't know if it was the onion or a coincidence but I will definitely be trying it again when needed!

The article also states that it will work on individuals that are suffering with such things as pneumonia and colds.

Amazing! Fact or folklore? I don't know but I believe it!

An Award! Thank you Grannys Garden!

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I received an award today. Thank you Grannys Garden! Granny and Pa are fantastic people and I love reading her blog so much. You can see it here..

http://grannyandpa.blogspot.com

I wish to pass it on so here are the rules.

1. Post award

2. Pass it on to 12 bloggers that brighten your day.

3. Link to nominees.

4. Link back to givers.

Here are my twelve.

1. http://amysreallife.wordpress.com/

2. http://blushingrosetoo.blogspot.com/

3. http://ninnysnotesblog.blogspot.com/

4. http://countrydream1.blogspot.com/

5. http://katididscreations.blogspot.com/

6. http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/

7. http://ranettesdailystitch.blogspot.com/

8. http://bertthebadchicken.blogspot.com/

9. http://outbacktania.blogspot.com/

10. http://toddlertalesdaz.blogspot.com/

11. http://foodfortheflowerstogrow.blogspot.com/

12. http://mylittlemogo.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Granny for the award and these blogs are such a joy to read.

My Sewing Has Gone to the Dogs

Pin It A friend of mine Bev came up with this brilliant idea. Doggy (and kittie) mats for their food and water bowls.

What a great idea! They can be easily washed so they aren't all grungy and I can make one for every season or holiday!



Here is the detail on the ears. She did hers a little different so I want her to see up close how I made mine. It was Luke's idea! LOL



Here is the finished project. I used an oval platter to cute out the face and used a smaller oval box I had to make the ears.

Now Sammy can eat in style. =)

Have a great day everyone!

Did It!

Pin It One of my goals this year was to make a quilt. Well I am done! Woo hoo!



I am really excited as it turned out so nice and talk about warm! I cannot believe how warm it is. No wonder our ancestors used them.

I am now thinking of trying a denim rag quilt...so I will have to get busy cutting the squares.

More snow hit us last night and the day will be busy shovelling and clearing the driveway and stairs. Our driveway is about 1/4 mile long so it is no small feat.

I keep dreaming of spring with warm sun and green grass.

Have a great day everyone! =)

Happy Valentine's Day!

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

REMEMBER TO GIVE YOUR LOVED ONES A HUG!

Working on Projects

Pin It It has been snowing once again, so for the guys, it means time to have some outdoor fun! Luke and Bob have been taking advantage of our friend's snow machine. Dave (our friend) left it here for them to use whenever they like. He lives in town and doesn't have much opportunity to just jump on it and take a ride when he would like to. He decided to leave it here and will come up to visit when he wishes to go riding...in the meantime he told the guys to use it....so they have!

While they are out cheating death....they go waaaay too fast in my opinion...I have been busy sewing in the warmth of the house.

Here is a table runner top that I just finished yesterday. It will be given to my Auntie for Christmas.

Just the backing and the binding needs to be added.

I will be making her two nine-patch square runners to match for her end tables.

This table runner top will be a gift for my Mom's neighbor.

My Mom asked me to make some for her close friends and she will be giving them as gifts for Christmas.

So my days have been busy sewing and baking. I want to try and make butter soon. I have the ingredients and now just need to find the time to whip it up. I wish to do it on a day when hot homemade bread will be coming out of the oven. Sooo yummy. :)

The weatherman is calling for more snow today and the clouds are so heavy and black that I am sure they will open up and dump a load on top of us.

Have a great day everyone, keep warm or cool where ever you may be. Remember to give your loved ones a hug!