We love you, Miss Chelsea. May God continue to bless your days.
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Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
11/17/11
Happy Birthday, Chelsea
My oldest turns 19 today. I have no idea where the time went, how she grew up so quickly, or how she became quite so beautiful. Every moment with you is precious and every day away from you seems like a lifetime.
We love you, Miss Chelsea. May God continue to bless your days.
We love you, Miss Chelsea. May God continue to bless your days.
10/30/11
Reunion Time: Chelsea is Here
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| Isn't she beautiful? |
We rode a ferry on the east coast
Had a super special crab dinner at yummy Joe's Crab Shack, where they made her be part of the entertainment
Explored Colonial Williamsburg - with a very tired girl
Rode a trolley with one of our friends from Seattle who lives in VA now
Had a family movie night - in the camper
Went to the Atlantic Ocean
And got to have some much needed Chelsea time. We love and miss you already. Thank you for visiting your crazy family.
10/22/11
Kannapolis Intimidators Game
The boys even got to be part of the entertainment by playing a game on the field between innings.
We don't know how their season ended but they were headed for minor league play offs.
10/19/11
Grandpa Paul and Arlington National Cemetery
It was with great honor that we were able to visit Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. It is there that my grandfather, Paul MacDonald Skinner and his beloved wife, my grandmother, Ruth Evangeline Hamlin Skinner have their ashes at rest. Grandpa Paul was a Lieutenant Colonial in the United States Air Force. He served our country for 26 years, fought in WWII where he flew the very first daylight raid on Berlin and was blessed to survive. He was a base commander, deputy base commander (England) and served in various squadrons as commander (800+ men in one of them).
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| This photo of me and my grandma hangs in our camper today |
But Paul was so much more than that to me. He taught me how to cook. Not just the simple stuff either, but he taught me Thanksgiving dinner! He taught me how to drive on the highways ... when I was 14. He was a farmer at heart ... he raised a few beef cattle the old fashioned way: on grass. He grew enough food to put up for winter and have a harvest for his church come fall. He taught me the joy of camping - he built his own camper from the chassis up. I went on my first camping trip with my parents and grandparents when I was about 6 months old. It was through him I learned the value of a "captive audience" - car rides with the kids.
He taught me that it was OK for girls to be handy and gave us kids little tools as gifts (grandma always had grandma treats too). He built his house with his hands and help from a few neighbors. He was quite the investor and taught us both how to save for the future and how to give generously.
He was hard of hearing from all those flights, but he didn't let that stop him. He taught me - and many others - that you are never too old to learn new things. In his 80's he learned how to use a computer and email with his family and others as well.
Grandpa Paul was truly a renaissance man and is missed. It was with great joy that we had the fortune to visit his ashes final resting spot. We know that is not where he is and that we will see him again someday, but it was still a nice remembrance.
Grandpa Paul was famous for saying, "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once." I try to remember that as challenges come my way. Back down or dive in and attack. It's a choice.
I am sure that one of the first things he heard on his passing was, "Well done good and faithful servant." We couldn't agree more.
10/5/11
It's Bread Time!
Last week I told you about how I had started back again making our own bread, but don't think I told you why.
Bread is one of those staples of life. No matter how old the book, you will find references to it. It can be life giving. It can also give us comfort and familiarity. On the other side, it can cost a small fortune for the good stuff and taste like chemicals on the cheap side. And that is what happened to me. Although, I will say, it wasn't cheap, but gosh, it tasted absolutely terrible! I could taste the chemical they use in the production. YUK! That was the last loaf of bread I bought.
So, in researching for my bread recipe, I did find a couple website and recipes who claimed "easy", "fast" and "no-knead" for a bread recipe. I ended up with a variation of my own that has been working so well, I seem be going through making a batch a day.
Before you go saying something like, "well, she's got plenty of time to do that", well, yes I have time, but no, I don't need it and if you remember my post from a while back, my "kitchen" is tiny. I'll post the recipe first and then go into directions. So, here goes:
* 1 1/4 cup warm water (think bath tub warm)
* 1 teaspoon reg salt OR 3/4 Tablespoon Kosher salt (latter is my preference)
* 1 Tablespoon oil. I've been using coconut oil, but you can use anything. Healthy that is.
* 1 Tablespoon heaping of honey (go local - it's better for you)
* 1/4 teaspoon yeast. Yep, you read that right! 1/4 of a teaspoon. That means each yeast packet that has 2 1/4 teaspoons actually makes me (and now you) 9 - NINE - loaves of bread instead of just one.
* 3 cups of flour - I used a mix of white and wheat. Sometimes more white, others more wheat, but I try to stick with a minimum of half wheat these days. More on the wheat at the end ...
That, my dear friend, is it!
Warm that water up and pour it in a bowl. Add in the oil (first and the honey will slide on out), honey, salt and 1 cup of flour and give a QUICK stir. Then add in your 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and the rest of the flour. This is what it will look like now -
Here's a better close up
Yes, that is a wooden spoon you see in there. How else did you think it was going to get mixed up? Oh that's right, I used to talk about my stand mixer a lot. Well, it was far too big for my little kitchen, so it is packed and, I'm sure, anxiously awaiting my use again. Anyway, mix it up. Yep, just that simple. This is what it will look like:
No, it is not at all what you were thinking it would be, huh? I've made the traditional bread before and that looks all smooth and soft. This looks like a big blob. Yes, this really is how I leave it. If it is too dry, you can add a couple tablespoons of water at a time. I had to with this batch. It's OK, a little extra water will make it moist. Too dry and it's going to be too tough.
Oops, I forgot - give it a blanket before you put it to bed. I put the plastic wrap on and then a towel (if I remember):
Now is the hard part: Leave it alone for at least 10 hours, or overnight is preferred. This is not, I repeat not going to double in size. It is much too conservative and self away to have to puff itself up like the other stuff. When it's time, a sprinkle out a little flour on the cutting board and turn the dough out onto it. Like this:
Then I'll wet my hands - I know, you're thinking, "WHAT? WATER?" - but it does just fine in helping to keep the bread from going too dry from the extra flour and from sticking to my hands while I'm turning it around a bit. I will grab at the edge of the dough, and bring them in towards the center. I am NOT kneading, but rather just trying to give it some shape. Let's face it, would you want to eat something that looked like that blob above? In all, I am going to spend about 2 minutes "shaping" this loaf, that's it. Then I will put a few teaspoons of olive oil in the bottom of my bread pan and plop in the dough. If I'm feeling creative, I'll give the bread some cuts so it will expand where I want it to expand.
I'll cover it again with the plastic wrap and let it sit for about an hour or so. I've been putting mine directly into the oven with the pilot light on. It will rise in there nicely in that hour. IF you have a gas oven, make sure you take the loaf out of the oven between the pilot light stage and turning it all the way on to 400. Bake at 400 for about 15 - 20 minutes. A little more if your bread has been on the counter at room temperature. You will have this absolutely wonderful bread that you and your family will enjoy.
If, and that is a big IF, there are leftovers, we ended up cutting them up, pouring a little butter over them and then sprinkling with parsley, garlic powder and celery salt. Forget the salad - this is a treat all in itself.
OK, I said "more on wheat at the end". Here's my thought on wheat vs white. We've been programmed to think white is softer, fluffier, tastier. On the contrary my friend! Not only does it taste better and have a better texture, it's good for you. But, I do have kids and understand the whole white/wheat controversy there, so ... with 3 cups of flour, I started with 2 3/4 cups of white and 1/4 wheat. We're up to 1 1/2 of each and sometimes I'll even just do 1 cup of white. Guess what? Yes, they do notice! They notice that their bread with a little butter and maybe a little extra honey or the amazing maple cream (that I talked about in a prior post) tastes even better with more wheat flour. They don't know it's the wheat, but they know something is different - better.
Lastly, if you think they won't eat it if they know you made it, tell it that you got it at the specialty bakery down the road. You did buy the ingredients at a store down the road with a bakery in it, right?
You will love that you are feeding your family so much better food.
And this is just the beginning ... :-)
Now, go bake and then come back and let me know what you thought.
Bread is one of those staples of life. No matter how old the book, you will find references to it. It can be life giving. It can also give us comfort and familiarity. On the other side, it can cost a small fortune for the good stuff and taste like chemicals on the cheap side. And that is what happened to me. Although, I will say, it wasn't cheap, but gosh, it tasted absolutely terrible! I could taste the chemical they use in the production. YUK! That was the last loaf of bread I bought.
So, in researching for my bread recipe, I did find a couple website and recipes who claimed "easy", "fast" and "no-knead" for a bread recipe. I ended up with a variation of my own that has been working so well, I seem be going through making a batch a day.
Before you go saying something like, "well, she's got plenty of time to do that", well, yes I have time, but no, I don't need it and if you remember my post from a while back, my "kitchen" is tiny. I'll post the recipe first and then go into directions. So, here goes:
* 1 1/4 cup warm water (think bath tub warm)
* 1 teaspoon reg salt OR 3/4 Tablespoon Kosher salt (latter is my preference)
* 1 Tablespoon oil. I've been using coconut oil, but you can use anything. Healthy that is.
* 1 Tablespoon heaping of honey (go local - it's better for you)
* 1/4 teaspoon yeast. Yep, you read that right! 1/4 of a teaspoon. That means each yeast packet that has 2 1/4 teaspoons actually makes me (and now you) 9 - NINE - loaves of bread instead of just one.
* 3 cups of flour - I used a mix of white and wheat. Sometimes more white, others more wheat, but I try to stick with a minimum of half wheat these days. More on the wheat at the end ...
That, my dear friend, is it!
Warm that water up and pour it in a bowl. Add in the oil (first and the honey will slide on out), honey, salt and 1 cup of flour and give a QUICK stir. Then add in your 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and the rest of the flour. This is what it will look like now -
No, it is not at all what you were thinking it would be, huh? I've made the traditional bread before and that looks all smooth and soft. This looks like a big blob. Yes, this really is how I leave it. If it is too dry, you can add a couple tablespoons of water at a time. I had to with this batch. It's OK, a little extra water will make it moist. Too dry and it's going to be too tough.
Oops, I forgot - give it a blanket before you put it to bed. I put the plastic wrap on and then a towel (if I remember):
Now is the hard part: Leave it alone for at least 10 hours, or overnight is preferred. This is not, I repeat not going to double in size. It is much too conservative and self away to have to puff itself up like the other stuff. When it's time, a sprinkle out a little flour on the cutting board and turn the dough out onto it. Like this:
Then I'll wet my hands - I know, you're thinking, "WHAT? WATER?" - but it does just fine in helping to keep the bread from going too dry from the extra flour and from sticking to my hands while I'm turning it around a bit. I will grab at the edge of the dough, and bring them in towards the center. I am NOT kneading, but rather just trying to give it some shape. Let's face it, would you want to eat something that looked like that blob above? In all, I am going to spend about 2 minutes "shaping" this loaf, that's it. Then I will put a few teaspoons of olive oil in the bottom of my bread pan and plop in the dough. If I'm feeling creative, I'll give the bread some cuts so it will expand where I want it to expand.
I'll cover it again with the plastic wrap and let it sit for about an hour or so. I've been putting mine directly into the oven with the pilot light on. It will rise in there nicely in that hour. IF you have a gas oven, make sure you take the loaf out of the oven between the pilot light stage and turning it all the way on to 400. Bake at 400 for about 15 - 20 minutes. A little more if your bread has been on the counter at room temperature. You will have this absolutely wonderful bread that you and your family will enjoy.
 |
| It does rise a bit more and this is out of the oven |
If, and that is a big IF, there are leftovers, we ended up cutting them up, pouring a little butter over them and then sprinkling with parsley, garlic powder and celery salt. Forget the salad - this is a treat all in itself.
 |
| Admit it, you want to try it now |
OK, I said "more on wheat at the end". Here's my thought on wheat vs white. We've been programmed to think white is softer, fluffier, tastier. On the contrary my friend! Not only does it taste better and have a better texture, it's good for you. But, I do have kids and understand the whole white/wheat controversy there, so ... with 3 cups of flour, I started with 2 3/4 cups of white and 1/4 wheat. We're up to 1 1/2 of each and sometimes I'll even just do 1 cup of white. Guess what? Yes, they do notice! They notice that their bread with a little butter and maybe a little extra honey or the amazing maple cream (that I talked about in a prior post) tastes even better with more wheat flour. They don't know it's the wheat, but they know something is different - better.
 |
| Whole wheat bread with whipped butter and honey. Oh my! |
Lastly, if you think they won't eat it if they know you made it, tell it that you got it at the specialty bakery down the road. You did buy the ingredients at a store down the road with a bakery in it, right?
You will love that you are feeding your family so much better food.
And this is just the beginning ... :-)
Now, go bake and then come back and let me know what you thought.
6/10/11
OTR: Florence, Oregon
Florence, Oregon. OK, I'm not sure why it seems so strange to me, but we stopped at the Fred Meyer in Florence and it is right next to the sand dunes. Not down the road, but RIGHT there, next to the dunes. See:
Why that seems strange to me, I have no idea. We ended up parking here for a little bit and the boys played and played and we relaxed for a while with some homemade BBQ chicken burgers and chips. Camping with a trailer. Gotta love it.
I ended up following the boys up the mountain of sand. Well, that was a workout. Especially when you wear the wrong shoes. I had to laugh - it must have been hilarious; the sight of me taking a step and pretty much sliding back down, trying again, over and over. Eventually, I made it up to the top. Here's a picture of my walkin shoes - nice, huh?
Oops, actually, you can't even see that they DON'T have heels! They are just my little, slip on shoes. I bet you are laughing now.
While my camera was looking down, I found my shadow and decided to take a picture. When I got back down the hill, I was showing Farmer Scott the pictures of the boys and he said, "wow, that's cool. It looks like a penguin."
Hmph! "Really? That is ME!"
He started to backtrack, something about how cute penguins are, but I lost interest in that conversation pretty quickly.
Really though, I think maybe my shadow - and therefore me - may look just a little like a ... well, never mind.
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| The boys on top of the dunes, the top of Fred Meyer in the background. |
Why that seems strange to me, I have no idea. We ended up parking here for a little bit and the boys played and played and we relaxed for a while with some homemade BBQ chicken burgers and chips. Camping with a trailer. Gotta love it.
I ended up following the boys up the mountain of sand. Well, that was a workout. Especially when you wear the wrong shoes. I had to laugh - it must have been hilarious; the sight of me taking a step and pretty much sliding back down, trying again, over and over. Eventually, I made it up to the top. Here's a picture of my walkin shoes - nice, huh?
Hmph! "Really? That is ME!"
He started to backtrack, something about how cute penguins are, but I lost interest in that conversation pretty quickly.
Really though, I think maybe my shadow - and therefore me - may look just a little like a ... well, never mind.
4/7/11
Happy Birthday Evan
Happy birthday little man.
3/28/11
Closing the Farm
Well, we're almost there ... the farm is closing up by mid April. Desmond went to live on a great farm in Fall City, WA. Mina and Neesa are heading down to Oregon, Elsie Rose will be heading over to continue work as a therapy horse and Ole ... well, we're not quite sure where Ole will end up yet. We're still trying to finalize his plans.
We're getting ready for the next adventure in our lives...for the family and for our farm. We welcome you to join with us for the next part of the journey as we travel across America, learning about our rich history with our boys (I have to say, this will probably be our biggest home school project ever) and blogging about our adventures. We plan to stop at many farms along the way - we, along with most farm owners - enjoying finding out what makes things "click" in different areas. How they "do" farming can be completely different than how we "do" farming. Finding the perfect place to re-establish Willows Edge Farm is on our list of travel projects.
We will continue to post where we are in each stage of the way and have another post coming in the next few days as to our short term plans. You WON'T want to miss that one!
We're getting ready for the next adventure in our lives...for the family and for our farm. We welcome you to join with us for the next part of the journey as we travel across America, learning about our rich history with our boys (I have to say, this will probably be our biggest home school project ever) and blogging about our adventures. We plan to stop at many farms along the way - we, along with most farm owners - enjoying finding out what makes things "click" in different areas. How they "do" farming can be completely different than how we "do" farming. Finding the perfect place to re-establish Willows Edge Farm is on our list of travel projects.
We will continue to post where we are in each stage of the way and have another post coming in the next few days as to our short term plans. You WON'T want to miss that one!
12/30/10
Scott and Farming
When I met Scott a little over 14 years ago now, one of the things that he told me about that really woo'd me was that he grew up on a farm in the rural parts of Indiana. He even told me how he worked on a turkey farm there. WOW, I thought to myself ... a country boy. And he drove a truck. Bonus.
You can imagine my surprise to find out later on, that his parents rented a house that was on a farm, but they didn't do anything other than look out the windows while the farmers worked the fields and waved at them as they drove past and that it was just a short time before they moved back to city living. Hmph.
It was only a few years ago did Scott reveal part of the truth of the turkey farm when we were looking after a batch of baby chicks. So cute and so fragile, they are fun to watch. Truth was, he didn't do much there at that ol' turkey farm. Eh, OK, he's here now working with - and enjoying the farm life. Scott came totally clean with his turkey farm experience this last year though. On one of our chicken processing days, we were discussing raising the chickens and butchering. We wandered down the conversation path to turkeys and low and behold it came out. The full truth. Yes, he did work on a turkey farm. For a day. Actually not even a full day. Just a few hours. "Seriously?", I asked wondering to myself. Turns out he spent a couple hours cleaning up after the critters. That's it. No chasing them down, feeding, or butchering.
Ask him now what he thinks. Some days he will groan about not being able to sleep in (um, you're an early riser honey), some days he will complain that he does all the work (wait, you always wanted that "alone" time to yourself), but most days, he can't imagine doing anything else. Working on the farm, building things, being creative on a budget are all very rewarding themselves - and he will be the first to tell you so.
He can set fence posts like nobody's business and fencing, well, not only is it pretty, but it's functional and straight. That is until I run into them with the tractor.
Chase down an unruly pig? You bet. And with ease.
Funny, all this time, I was thinking to myself that I picked up a country boy. Turns out, I just helped to created one.
Happy New Year all!
You can imagine my surprise to find out later on, that his parents rented a house that was on a farm, but they didn't do anything other than look out the windows while the farmers worked the fields and waved at them as they drove past and that it was just a short time before they moved back to city living. Hmph.
It was only a few years ago did Scott reveal part of the truth of the turkey farm when we were looking after a batch of baby chicks. So cute and so fragile, they are fun to watch. Truth was, he didn't do much there at that ol' turkey farm. Eh, OK, he's here now working with - and enjoying the farm life. Scott came totally clean with his turkey farm experience this last year though. On one of our chicken processing days, we were discussing raising the chickens and butchering. We wandered down the conversation path to turkeys and low and behold it came out. The full truth. Yes, he did work on a turkey farm. For a day. Actually not even a full day. Just a few hours. "Seriously?", I asked wondering to myself. Turns out he spent a couple hours cleaning up after the critters. That's it. No chasing them down, feeding, or butchering.
 |
| Scott and the boys building a barn |
Ask him now what he thinks. Some days he will groan about not being able to sleep in (um, you're an early riser honey), some days he will complain that he does all the work (wait, you always wanted that "alone" time to yourself), but most days, he can't imagine doing anything else. Working on the farm, building things, being creative on a budget are all very rewarding themselves - and he will be the first to tell you so.
He can set fence posts like nobody's business and fencing, well, not only is it pretty, but it's functional and straight. That is until I run into them with the tractor.
Chase down an unruly pig? You bet. And with ease.
Funny, all this time, I was thinking to myself that I picked up a country boy. Turns out, I just helped to created one.
Happy New Year all!
9/29/10
Time ... where does it go?
I have days I wonder where the times goes. Last week in particular, when I was looking at the calender for a night that the Mr and I could go out for a date night. I found one - 3 weeks into the future. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE what we do, but there are days we just kind of look at each other and say, "Oh hi! It's you!" to each other.
We have been so blessed this year by all the wonderful folks who have made the farm their second home, even if only a day a week, but they have taken the farm to heart and loved it. We are in those final weeks of full on, farm life - it all ends October 30 for us and we can put the farm to bed, so to speak, for the winter. Yes, some of the riding lessons will continue, but even my student schedule is being put on a break from mid-November until the end of February. Yep. You heard it. Tammy will still be teaching, but I am taking a much needed break/vacation, to spend some time with the kids. Chelsea graduates this year. Actually, she was told she only has one math session to do and then she's done. Where in the world did 18 years go. Time. It has it's own little way of getting past us when we weren't looking.
We have been so blessed this year by all the wonderful folks who have made the farm their second home, even if only a day a week, but they have taken the farm to heart and loved it. We are in those final weeks of full on, farm life - it all ends October 30 for us and we can put the farm to bed, so to speak, for the winter. Yes, some of the riding lessons will continue, but even my student schedule is being put on a break from mid-November until the end of February. Yep. You heard it. Tammy will still be teaching, but I am taking a much needed break/vacation, to spend some time with the kids. Chelsea graduates this year. Actually, she was told she only has one math session to do and then she's done. Where in the world did 18 years go. Time. It has it's own little way of getting past us when we weren't looking.
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