Yard Sale

I'm going through my clothes and fabric and I've decided to sell what I no longer need. All prices include shipping. Please email me direct at yankeeingenuity1860@yahoo.com Also, I have several pairs of men's/boy's pants, Past Patterns Summer Trowser, waist 28"-32" that I want to move on to a new home, prices very reasonable. :-) Some prices negotiable, I really need these gone!

Ladies wrapper, will fit a woman approximately 5ft 6 and under, waist is very adjustable. Lining is unfinished. $50 ppd

Double pink fleur de lis fabric, 4yds + 15 inches, 46" wide, $18 ppd

Green Originals By Kay dress, this dress is *very* used, mended multiple times and needs mended again at waistline. Will fit a size 8-10 lady. $45 ppd

10 yards sheer aqua/white check fabric, 50+ inches wide $46 ppd

Original 1850s infant hood. Shot silk, quilted, bought from Fiddybee, $38 ppd

period correct Swiss Dot fabric, 4 yds + 11", 48" wide, $20 ppd

Peach 1850s style dress, waist 29.5", length 46", $45 ppd

Semi sheer fabric, 5 yds 10", 45" wide, $22 ppd

Spring at home

My two oldest, Aleks and Katie, went to Tennessee this past week. They stayed with Meggie, a friend of Katie's and had a wonderful time! They got to see mountains and historical sites, as well as meet interesting characters like Joe. That's Katie proposing to Joe as Aleks and Clive (Meggie's Dad) look on. They have had so many interesting stories to tell about what they saw and did. For Aleks it was a working vacation of sorts, Clive owns an antique grist mill that he grinds corn in to sell to a distillery and he also does historical restoration. They were moving a log barn into Gatlinburg last week. Aleks loved the work and really enjoyed himself. Katie got the opportunity to spend time with a very Godly young lady who is like an older sister to her. It was a nice break for both of them, they work hard here and deserved a vacation, but oh, am I glad they're home!

Aleks' tomato plants grew an amazing amount while they were gone, he has about 100 left after thinning them out. They're all heirlooms, what we don't use will be sold at the Farmer's Market. He also has oodles of peppers and tobacco started too. I want to get my culinary herbs going, but haven't yet. We won't plant anything outdoors until May but I'm excited to think about canning again. Last year, in the thick of it, I was plenty tired of doing it but it kept us eating and eating well, this winter! Most of my canned food is gone, I have some tomatoes, some meat and 4 jars of beets/parsnips/carrots/squash and that's it! It's a good feeling to have jars upon jars lining the shelves.

We were in Kidron today so we stopped by Lehman's, they had a flood there and some merchandise is marked down 70%. I bought this cutesy little 1 gallon keg for $15 and 2 real bayberry hand dipped candles made in Zoar for $3.

Though I pointed out to Aleks and Katie that the Forsythia is in bloom and there are daffodils galore, they sniffed disdainfully at this cold Northern weather after their foray into the South. We still need a fire many mornings, though by noon it's warm enough for the cow to go on her picket and the calf to go in her portable pen so she can still see Mom while she grazes. It's much more pleasant to hang laundry out now that Spring has arrived!

Two and a Half Day Grits

Do you like grits? I don't, at least not the pre-packaged instant variety that we found and bought once from the Bent-N-Dent. I decided to experiment with real grits made the old fashioned way and this is how it's done. On day 1 you place 1 inch of pickling lime in the bottom of a 2 quart jar and fill with water. Allow to set for at least 12 hours and then pour off the water into a clean container leaving the lime in the bottom. You can find pickling lime in the canning section of your grocery store.


On Day 2 after you have poured off the lime water into a separate canning jar you can prepare your corn by shelling 3 cups of kernels. This is Micah and I shelling our dried open pollinated corn from last year.

Grind the corn coarsely, this is important because it needs to be ground much more coarsely than you want wheat flour to be. Measure out 3 cups corn meal into a bowl.

Pour 3 cups of lime water into your 3 cups corn meal. Mix it up well, it might look a little greenish and that's fine. Let set overnight.

Why do I need to soak my corn? Our ancestors knew that corn needed to be soaked in lime water to release the Vitamin B3 which otherwise remains bound in the grain and unavailable to you. Soaking also improves the amino acid quality of proteins in the germ. Pellagra was a once common disease in the rural South when farmers were encouraged to leave off the old ways for the "Modern Age", it is due to vitamin b3 deficiency. Sometimes the old fashioned way really does work and has logic behind it; that's certainly the case here.

The next morning bring 3 cups of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon real salt. When water boils add your soaked corn, liquid and all. Reduce flame and stir constantly to avoid sticking. Cook until thickened and serve with butter, maple syrup, sorghum etc. For leftover grits mix 1.5 cups grits with 1 egg and form into patties, fry in butter and serve with a pork product. Mmm!

These grits were light years different than the instant stuff. They tasted like real food.

In other news, we're still in the throes of syrup making. I should actually be in the kitchen finishing some off instead of blogging. :-) It has been a good season so far. I'm always glad to see it start and I'm always glad to see it end!

Collage

Goings on

It's Sunday morning, almost noon and we're done with church so I thought I'd write a bit. We've been going through Hebrews, I enjoy hearing Mr. G expound on it, but it's deep stuff so we take it only a chapter per week. Katie opened a can of pork and mixed with BBQ sauce for pulled pork sandwiches for lunch. We've had that quite a lot this winter. Our seed orders are ready and we've been discussing buying 2 bummer lambs to raise for meat. I like lamb and another source of grassfed meat would be welcome. The men have been cutting wood every day or sometimes every other day, Levi and Micah haul it home and then Mr. G and Aleks split it. Lately it's been yummy, fragrant cherry.

We watched a hawk swoop down the other morning and kill one of Micah's banties. :-( There are mice, voles and rabbits galore, but the hawk prefers "chicken welfare". Tansy is due to calve in another month or so, I'm ready for it! We're eagerly checking the weather in anticipation of syrup season. I just ordered another 20 gallon cast iron cauldron. In some areas of the country you can pick them up for very little money, here however, they go for way too much money! The Amish still use them and demand drives up the price. Anyway, I bought both of ours from the same folks in SC. They're honest, decent people and I enjoy doing business with them. Syrup boiling should go twice as fast now. Aleks and the boys use the roaring fire to melt lead to cast their bullets. It helps break the monotony of sitting up in the sugar camp for hours, plus it's a useful skill.

In the background there is our deceased vehicle. So, currently we have no working transportation! :-) Woo Hoo! Mr. G is working some things out, so by hook or by crook we should have something figured out in a day or two. That's pretty well the sum of happenings in our neck of the woods!

What Does Not Irritate You To Death.....

What does not irritate you to death makes you stronger. My motto for the past weekend. :D A little background, we live in a drafty, old, uninsulated farmhouse. Possibly romantic in the abstract, but frustrating in the concrete. For the second time this winter the pipes froze in the barn leaving us waterless in the house, it still isn't back on. Cooking is well nigh impossible with no water, bathing doesn't happen and 10 people using a toilet that can't flush....well, just imagine the possibilities! We melted snow to wash hands and used that water to flush the toilet when it became a matter of public safety. Mr. G bought a couple of jugs of water to brush teeth with and we ate Domino's for lunch and soup and sandwiches for supper since we could do that without water. Still, all in all, it could be a lot worse. We had a big pile of beautiful, fragrant cherry firewood to burn, food and relatively warm beds to cuddle into. All of the important things. Mr. G hopes the water will be working soon (he's been messing with it all day) because he really needs a shower before he heads to work. :-) We spent the evening last night listening to Mr. G read The Hobbit to us, FYI Asa shares Bilbo and Frodo's birthday so how cool is that?

Then the Men cleaned their guns and oiled their boots, Asa is obsessed with Aleks and wanted to "help" with the gun cleaning. He rubbed that cloth up and down the barrel for ever!

We are counting down until the official arrival of Spring which could be in as little as 3 weeks! It begins for us when the sap commences to rise in the trees and sugaring begins.

All better!

After a tense day yesterday Asa woke up this morning feeling more like himself. It's amazing how his pain effected the whole house, his singing voice today brought the smiles out again! He was very feverish all day yesterday and very feverish all night long, though I gave him Tylenol it seemed to offer no relief at all. And I worried, oh how I worried about him. I don't currently have a thermometer, but I'm sure that I only would have worried more if I could have known what his body was really doing. I had to remind myself over and over that if he doesn't seem overly sick, then he isn't sick. I got some homeopathic stuff today so we'll see what that does, but he's had a good day so far. I have such a tendency toward self doubt, I long for a community of others to bolster my confidence in myself and our body's ability to heal itself. You guys are the closest thing I have. Thanks a lot to all of you for your suggestions and prayers. Mr. G and I both prayed for him last night and I think out of everything we tried, that offered the most help.

Poor, poor baby

My poor baby is teething hard! He has always been a hard teether, but I saw marked improvement when he began to wear his amber teething necklace. Today, however, it just isn't doing the trick. He's cutting 2 eye teeth plus a molar or two and he's feverish, drooly, and unhappy. Katie made him an allspice necklace this afternoon, he's chewed on a frozen carrot and had herbal tea. All with little effect. Does anybody have any other suggestions? I'm out of clove oil, have no rum in the house or real vanilla......

Pictures of haircuts

This picture was taken of Katie last week, she doesn't wear make-up every day but is here. I think she looks so beautiful (I'm admittedly prejudiced though) I can hardly believe that I'm old enough to have a daughter this old. Gulp!

I finally got Mr. G to agree that I could cut Asa's hair. It was down to his shoulders and he looked so girly, a lady asked what her name was in the store. Ugh. He looks so boyish now, I love it!

I got my hair trimmed up and offered to any of the girls that they could get their hair trimmed as well. Out of the 5 only Elisabethe and Abigail took me up on the offer. Here is Abigail, 5 years old.

And Elisabethe, 7 years old. Their hair is still below the shoulder, layered, with bangs. They can brush it themselves and it wears so much nicer now. I love long hair on girls but not when it's a ratty mess; I never seemed to manage to get it put up a lot of the time. A Mom has to know her limitations and when to concede that they can't do *everything*.

Elisabethe and Abigail got matching Middleton babies for their birthdays. A blond baby to match blond Elisabethe and a brunette baby to match brunette Abigail. Matching haircuts now too! :-) They practice their "mommy" skills daily, it's endearing to see.

Week In Feminine Dress, Day 5

"Nine and Co." skirt, "International Concepts" grey wool turtleneck, and a borrowed from Katie denim jacket. I *love* this skirt but it needs tall black boots before I can wear it out, so for right now I just wear it at home. In the first picture I'm wearing a tanktop under the jacket, but I think it looks better with the turtleneck.
5

Week In Feminine Dress, Day 4

"Jones New York Sportswear" brown corduroy skirt, black "Cherokee" turtleneck, tan plaid "Streetwear" jacket, black leather boots. All thrifted. :-)

Week In Feminine Dress, Day 3

Brown linen "Newport News" skirt, pink striped "Arizona Jean Company" shirt and brown tank top. Skirt was eBay but shirts were purchased at MCC (local thrift store).

Week In Feminine Dress, Day 2

Green "Faded Glory" sweater from Goodwill, "Angels Jeanwear" skirt from eBay. I like the skirt but I can't get used to wearing skirts slung around my hips, I like them better to be at my waist.

Week In Feminine Dress, Day 1

I have wanted to do a "week in feminine dress" forever but never got around to it. This week I'm determined to post an outfit a day! I really enjoy when other ladies/girls post their clothes, I get so many cute ideas. I could also tag this as "week in thrift store clothes" because that's where almost everything that I own came from.

"SO" Steampunk army green jacket (I have to think of Lauren when I wear this :D ), black "Cherokee" turtleneck, "Jeanology" denim skirt, black leather boots. All thrift store buys except the skirt was an eBay find.