Sorry for being gone for so long! School is taking a lot of time so far this semester. This is week
number two of our first field placement. I'm in a 3rd grade classroom from 7:45 til 2:30. Then it's home
to do a little work on one of 5 lesson plans we have to teach sometime during this placement, and work
on supper, clean a little house, maybe do a little laundry....you get the picture. There just isn't enough
time in the day to get everything done!
But just keep watching....I'll be back!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Canadian Fishing Vacation
Every so often, after working hard for an extended time, we like to reward ourselves with a vacation.
We're not beach people, so don't look for us there. It's been extremely hot for an extended period of
time here where we live and we love to fish, so, where else, but Canada for us! About 5 years ago, we
found a resort in Sioux Lookout, Ontario that we fell in love with. We looked and searched around and
couldn't find anything any better again this time, so we made reservations once again at Fireside Lodge.
Alan and Audrey have such a wonderful place and are such wonderful hosts! Audrey is a wonderful
cook and we ate way too much good food and Alan has all the info for the lakes so we caught a lot of
fish. Another plus was it was cooler than at home. Now don't think that it was coat weather, but at least
it was a good 25 degrees cooler than at home. We wouldn't even be able to go out and fish at home, but
were able to stay out all day there on Vermillion lake. We were hoping to be able to see a moose this
time, but they just didn't show themselves. We were still though rewarded with the awesome beauty
of that area. If you ever get the chance, be sure to travel there!
This is a picture of our last evening we got to fish. We had fished all day, then gone in for dinner.
We're not beach people, so don't look for us there. It's been extremely hot for an extended period of
time here where we live and we love to fish, so, where else, but Canada for us! About 5 years ago, we
found a resort in Sioux Lookout, Ontario that we fell in love with. We looked and searched around and
couldn't find anything any better again this time, so we made reservations once again at Fireside Lodge.
Alan and Audrey have such a wonderful place and are such wonderful hosts! Audrey is a wonderful
cook and we ate way too much good food and Alan has all the info for the lakes so we caught a lot of
it was a good 25 degrees cooler than at home. We wouldn't even be able to go out and fish at home, but
This is a picture of our last evening we got to fish. We had fished all day, then gone in for dinner.
There is enough daylight to get about 3 hours of fishing in before dark, so we like to take advantage of
it. After all, we did travel quite a ways!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Story Goes On....Finding the Perfect Farm
Have you read the post 5 Pine Knoll: Continuation of story. That would be a good place to start so that
today's post will make a little more sense. Now I want to tell you how we finally found the
"retirement farm". After purchasing the 80 acres at Almartha, which is for sale now, we began the
search again for the retirement farm.
We were always checking the internet, picking up the local real estate papers and reading the
newspaper, looking for that perfect piece of property. We found one that fit our requirements in the
size as it was 160 acres. It was listed with a realty company and we made an appointment to go look
at it. The real estate agent took us to the property and gave us the tour. It was totally fenced and was
mostly pasture, which was good. The bad was that it was on a highway, so you get the noise from the
traffic....not something we wanted to listen to the rest of our lives. So the hunt was on again. We
went down the highway to another real estate office and told the agent that greeted us what we were
looking for. Low and behold, in his hand he had an refused offer on a piece he thought would be just
what we were looking for. When we originally began the hunt again, and we had realized how far
away from the lake the other piece is, we added that as one of our necessities. This time, I didn't even
ask how close this piece was to the lake, as it was getting pretty hard to find what we were looking
for. As we drove up to the place, we could already see that it was pretty overgrown, but we can see
past that....that's a problem that can be fixed. The agent walked some of the property with us and tried
to point out the corners. We were already pretty impressed....it was large enough...it was gently
rolling.....it was a mixture of woods and pasture, although very overgrown....it bordered the lake......it's
lookin' pretty good. We thanked him and told him we'd be in touch. We planned to come back the
next day and hike the property so we could get an up close and personal look at it. We came back the
next day, hiked it and found most of the corners. It's not a straight edged piece of property as it
borders Bull Shoals Lake and the government take like or Corp property follows an elevation mark so
we have several zig zags and lots of corners. We made an offer and it was accepted....yeah! Closing
happened about a month later and we were then the proud owners of 180 acres! Now the work could
begin!
today's post will make a little more sense. Now I want to tell you how we finally found the
"retirement farm". After purchasing the 80 acres at Almartha, which is for sale now, we began the
search again for the retirement farm.
We were always checking the internet, picking up the local real estate papers and reading the
newspaper, looking for that perfect piece of property. We found one that fit our requirements in the
size as it was 160 acres. It was listed with a realty company and we made an appointment to go look
at it. The real estate agent took us to the property and gave us the tour. It was totally fenced and was
mostly pasture, which was good. The bad was that it was on a highway, so you get the noise from the
traffic....not something we wanted to listen to the rest of our lives. So the hunt was on again. We
went down the highway to another real estate office and told the agent that greeted us what we were
looking for. Low and behold, in his hand he had an refused offer on a piece he thought would be just
what we were looking for. When we originally began the hunt again, and we had realized how far
away from the lake the other piece is, we added that as one of our necessities. This time, I didn't even
ask how close this piece was to the lake, as it was getting pretty hard to find what we were looking
for. As we drove up to the place, we could already see that it was pretty overgrown, but we can see
past that....that's a problem that can be fixed. The agent walked some of the property with us and tried
to point out the corners. We were already pretty impressed....it was large enough...it was gently
rolling.....it was a mixture of woods and pasture, although very overgrown....it bordered the lake......it's
lookin' pretty good. We thanked him and told him we'd be in touch. We planned to come back the
next day and hike the property so we could get an up close and personal look at it. We came back the
next day, hiked it and found most of the corners. It's not a straight edged piece of property as it
borders Bull Shoals Lake and the government take like or Corp property follows an elevation mark so
we have several zig zags and lots of corners. We made an offer and it was accepted....yeah! Closing
happened about a month later and we were then the proud owners of 180 acres! Now the work could
begin!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Homemade Yogurt
I'm making yogurt again this morning. I've been making my own off and on for the last couple of months and it is so easy....I don't know why you wouldn't make your own. You can control what is in it rather than eat something that you wouldn't ordinairly put in your body! A lot of purchased yogurts have extra ingredients that I just don't want to eat, so....
You will need a 2 quart saucepan, 2 quart jars and some way to keep your yogurt warm for about 4 - 6 hours and 2 tbsp. of live culture yogurt...check on the container....it will say live culture yogure.. After you make your own, you'll not have to purchase it again....you'll have your own live culture.
Warm 2 quarts of milk (I use 2%) to 180 degrees.
Then set if off the burner and allow to cool to 115 degrees. At this point, stir in 2 tbsp. of live culture yogurt. Maintain your yogurt now at 110 degrees for the next 4 - 6 hours.
This can be done several ways: in your oven, on the very lowest setting, in a bath of warm water (to help the heat from varying too much)-and some people report being able to achieve 110°F with just the warm bath and the oven light on-or in a very well-insulated cooler.
Another method I tried this time was to use my slow cooker. I put the jars in, added warm water to about half way up on the jars, and chose the “Keep Warm” setting. After I had stirred in the starter yogurt, I poured the mixture in to two quart jars. I monitored the temp for the next 4 hours and would sometimes have to turn the cooker off so as not to get too hot.
Pour hot water (115°F) into a cooler, put your jars of almost-yogurt in there, and shut the lid, checking every now and then that the internal temperature is still 110°F or so, and replace the warm water as necessary. No matter which method you choose, take care to keep the temperature as close to 110°F as possible.
Your yogurt is done when it's firmed up (though it'll come together a bit more as it cools). Once done, refrigerate your new yogurt and enjoy, ad nauseum. Stir in granola or oats and allow to sit a spell. Add fresh fruit just before you eat it or, for maximum freshness, and rejoice that you'll never have to buy yogurt at the store again.
You will need a 2 quart saucepan, 2 quart jars and some way to keep your yogurt warm for about 4 - 6 hours and 2 tbsp. of live culture yogurt...check on the container....it will say live culture yogure.. After you make your own, you'll not have to purchase it again....you'll have your own live culture.
Warm 2 quarts of milk (I use 2%) to 180 degrees.
Then set if off the burner and allow to cool to 115 degrees. At this point, stir in 2 tbsp. of live culture yogurt. Maintain your yogurt now at 110 degrees for the next 4 - 6 hours.
This can be done several ways: in your oven, on the very lowest setting, in a bath of warm water (to help the heat from varying too much)-and some people report being able to achieve 110°F with just the warm bath and the oven light on-or in a very well-insulated cooler.
Another method I tried this time was to use my slow cooker. I put the jars in, added warm water to about half way up on the jars, and chose the “Keep Warm” setting. After I had stirred in the starter yogurt, I poured the mixture in to two quart jars. I monitored the temp for the next 4 hours and would sometimes have to turn the cooker off so as not to get too hot.
Pour hot water (115°F) into a cooler, put your jars of almost-yogurt in there, and shut the lid, checking every now and then that the internal temperature is still 110°F or so, and replace the warm water as necessary. No matter which method you choose, take care to keep the temperature as close to 110°F as possible.
Your yogurt is done when it's firmed up (though it'll come together a bit more as it cools). Once done, refrigerate your new yogurt and enjoy, ad nauseum. Stir in granola or oats and allow to sit a spell. Add fresh fruit just before you eat it or, for maximum freshness, and rejoice that you'll never have to buy yogurt at the store again.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Coffee Give away!
You need to go visit dtr-in-love's blog at http://www.mrs-adventure.com/2011/05/me-coffee-love-giveaway-awesome.html
She's giving away some fabulous fair trade coffee...good for you, good for them.....good for the world!
This has been a terrible week for bad weather. We have seen so much destruction in such a short amount of
time. Your whole world can be blown away in seconds! With all of these tornados happening, please take
the time to think about where you would find shelter if the need arose! When the tornado siren is going off is
not the time to be deciding where to take shelter, you should evaluate your dwelling when you have time to
rationally think about where the safest area of your dwelling or work place would be.
She's giving away some fabulous fair trade coffee...good for you, good for them.....good for the world!
This has been a terrible week for bad weather. We have seen so much destruction in such a short amount of
time. Your whole world can be blown away in seconds! With all of these tornados happening, please take
the time to think about where you would find shelter if the need arose! When the tornado siren is going off is
not the time to be deciding where to take shelter, you should evaluate your dwelling when you have time to
rationally think about where the safest area of your dwelling or work place would be.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ozark 80 Acre Farm for sale
As I was looking through old posts, I found this one. It definitely needs to be brought up to date as THE FARM FINALLY SOLD!!
This farm took 5 years to sell, but we and the real estate company finally did it!!
So, if you are trying to sell a piece of property don't be disheartened...it can happen!
Update!! The farm is still for sale.....but the price has been lowered to $110,000.00!!
In the previous post, I told you I would be giving you more information about being able to acquire
your own little piece of heaven here in the Ozarks. Now don't think that this is the retirement farm
that we're talking about selling, because that farm is definitly not for sale! This is the 80 acres that we
bought before we found THE FARM!
We had begun the search for THE FARM and ran across this 80 acres. It had everything that we
wanted. It had a nice mixture of grass and woods, 2 ponds, fenced and several beautiful views. There
are deer signs and is peaceful and quiet. And there are some beautiful views!
The only thing it was missing is a close access to the lake. We love to fish, so off we went in search
of a farm closer to the lake. We found it....it's the one where we spend all of our spare time working!
So now, we really need to sell this other farm. It really needs someone to take care of it and appreciate
it! There is lots of good grass on it and is currently leased to the neighbors so they can graze it. The
taxes are low....$23. That's right, you read it right.....$23....you can't get much better than that!!
All this can be yours for the low price of $120,000!
Contact me if you'd be interested :))
This farm took 5 years to sell, but we and the real estate company finally did it!!
So, if you are trying to sell a piece of property don't be disheartened...it can happen!
Update!! The farm is still for sale.....but the price has been lowered to $110,000.00!!
In the previous post, I told you I would be giving you more information about being able to acquire
your own little piece of heaven here in the Ozarks. Now don't think that this is the retirement farm
that we're talking about selling, because that farm is definitly not for sale! This is the 80 acres that we
bought before we found THE FARM!
We had begun the search for THE FARM and ran across this 80 acres. It had everything that we
wanted. It had a nice mixture of grass and woods, 2 ponds, fenced and several beautiful views. There
are deer signs and is peaceful and quiet. And there are some beautiful views!
The only thing it was missing is a close access to the lake. We love to fish, so off we went in search
of a farm closer to the lake. We found it....it's the one where we spend all of our spare time working!
So now, we really need to sell this other farm. It really needs someone to take care of it and appreciate
it! There is lots of good grass on it and is currently leased to the neighbors so they can graze it. The
taxes are low....$23. That's right, you read it right.....$23....you can't get much better than that!!
All this can be yours for the low price of $120,000!
Contact me if you'd be interested :))
Friday, May 6, 2011
New Tires
Yesterday, I got to go to town. The ton truck needed 2 new tires. It's a great truck that we found back
at the first of the year. We had been looking for a flat bed truck with a dump bed on it for the farm.
We knew we would need to be hauling gravel and other things for the farm, so we began the hunt.
Hubby searched high and low, far and near and we finally found this in Springfield.
at the first of the year. We had been looking for a flat bed truck with a dump bed on it for the farm.
We knew we would need to be hauling gravel and other things for the farm, so we began the hunt.
Hubby searched high and low, far and near and we finally found this in Springfield.
It is just what we were looking for! We knew we didn't want a
new truck....they only get scratched and dinged! So we found this used one :)
When you purchase from this business, they go through the
vehicle and fix what needs fixing and then give it all a new coat of paint!
So we found this used one :) They only problem
was that
a couple of the rear tires were slick and one had developed a flat....so off to town and $300 dollars
later we have a new pair!
So far it's been useful. As we construct the water lines for the cattle waterers, we had to purchase 10'
long pipes which we hauled with the truck. Then when we purchased the waterers themselves, wwe
hauled them also with the truck. It's been great! Another great feature of this truck is that both of the
side panels drop down for easy access to what ever you're hauling! A girl's gotta love it!
As we put this farm together and purchase the needed equipment, we're always trying to be as
economical as possible. We still don't have a house yet and still will need to build that, so all money
that we can save in other places will be used for that! And we can't get started soon enough! One
thing that could get that process started sooner though is for us to sell another piece of property. It is
an 80 acre piece of property that we bought before we found this farm. It is a beautiful piece with a
beautiful view. On the next post, I'll give you the information. It may be just the place you're looking
for! You too could have your own little piece of the beautiful, peaceful Ozarks!!
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