oops

sorry i haven't posted anything recently, but my camera broke, UGH!! we have been butchering chickens, and gardening and herb gathering and wildcrafting. as soon as the camera is fixed i will start posting pictures again :)

liberty loving michiganders

in my journey looking for like minded folks in my area i have found these 2 groups. if you live in michigan and LOVE liberty you should check these groups out! Michigan Freedom Coalition Grassroots in Michigan Michigan stands for sovereignty it's time to get organized locally !!

busy spring

spring time at the homestead means we are VERY busy. there is the garden to plant, the fryer to tend, the turkeys running wild. i have been doing a lot of moving of plants to give the place a little better look. dear husband has been working like a mad man lately (thankfully) so i have been getting a tad bit behind in the chores around here. i also am without a car, ugh!! so i am unable to run errands and things of that nature. my washing machine also broke, UGH AGAIN!! but i did hand wash some diapers (those just can't wait) in the home made washer. it was NOT fun, but here is a small video i made.....

the part to fix my under 2 year old washer (HE front loading piece of POO) was over $100! well i didn't like my front loader and told hubby to find me an old school top loading washer on craiglist. he did. it was $50 and it works like a charm :)

fox in the hen house

ok it wasn't in the hen house but yesterday a scraggly old fox ran through the yard. he raised quite the hub bub with the girls!! luckily i caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye and i went to investigate. there he/she was between me and the coop. i yelled for josh (apparently he didn't hear me because he never came) then i start yelling at the fox along with all the hens that happened to be right there. darn thing ran off into the woods, but it makes me nervous to think it's around. i check on the girls alot more often! makes me wonder if the chicken tractors are safe ?!?

update on the chicken tractor

well it seems it may be a slight challenge to get the chickens in the tractor. one went in and found she couldn't get out. she made quite the fuss and although the others would stand around the tractor watching her, they would not go in. i know that i could grab them up at night while they roost, but that mean old boogie woogie (the rooster) kinda scares me.......

my thought for the day

In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up. ~Martin Niemoller

chicken tractor

here is the chicken tractor hubby finally had to make. our layers and the rooster will be in this from now on. boogie woogie the rooster attacked baby ian again! well we can't have that! hubby stopped working on the waggy (in the background) to whip up one of these. we got the idea from one of my newest heroes, Joel Salatin of polyface farms. the tractor well be moved everyday to give the chickens fresh ground and grass to scratch at. there is a roost and 2 nesting boxes under the roof. a door in the roof above the nesting boxes will provide easy access to the eggs. i'm sure the chickens will be very unhappy at first, but oh well. it has to be done. although i think the rooster will find himself in the stew pot soon.

cheep cheep peep peep

our chicks have arrived, TWICE!! seems the hatchery has double hipped our order and now we have about 60 baby chicks. we are having a hard time accommodating them all. every tote in the house is being emptied and use for chick brooders! there is always peeping and cheeping going on!

these little cuties are called polish or chooks. they get big feather hair dos! ike wanted to show these as his 4h project. i think they may turn out to be a little more work than he bargain for. we'll see how he handles it. he can be very helpful in feeding and watering, but he does have his moments. :)

this is a turkey chick. apparently the accommodations for these do not have high enough sides!!

poor chick, to tired to even leave the food dish. they are so cute when they're little.

bad luck on cars

well, once again the car bad luck has shown it's face here. apparently the wagoneer has a bad engine, yikes! we ended up buying a "new" one that is 11 years older than the current one. hubby and step daddy were able to hear it run and say it sounds awesome. i only hope it is reliable! that's all i ask for in a car.

creating community

jan at the mothers institute wrote an awesome blog on community.

Creating "Community"Merriam-Webster recognizes the individual in its definition of community, showing such fellowship and organization as a reflection and manifestation of individuals’ needs, desires and interests. Accordingly, communities or groups should be created, sustained and thought of as an adjunct to the individual, rather than an entity maintained for its own purpose.

please check it out !!

MfL at the frederick meijer gardens

we had an excellent time at the gardens today. the butterflies were in and they were flying all over the place. they came in a number of colors and sizes. they had a case at the exhibit that showed the chrysalises. we even had the opportunity to see newly emerged butterflies. did you know their wings are curled ans soft and they have to wait for them to straighten and harden. very interesting.

there was a room just for insectivorous plants and we were able to see many different types of pitcher plants along with sun dews and venus fly traps.

the day was just beautiful for a march day. the sky was blue and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. we were able to walk to trails of the garden and play in the kids area. everyone really enjoyed themselves.

frederick meijer gardens is a fun place to take the family, it has something for all ages to enjoy. whether you are a resident of grand rapids or just visiting, this should definitely be at the top of your list of places to visit.

recap of this morning's MfL coffee & conversation

well we had our meeting today and one new member came. we had an excellent time! the weather wasn't very cooperative though, we had a snow storm!! we did discuss the camp-out. we discussed a fee for the camp out and we thought that $20 per family would be a good price. we came to this amount because of some of the crafts (we are going to get the supplies) and taking care of any other things we need to get (porta potty if a good amount of people come, trips into town, we were even talking about some time at one of the local lakes, big breakfast sunday morning.) we would also like to have some MfL/MI merchandise for sale here, i have emailed jan and am waiting for her reply. we are very excited about the camp-out and we have some really good ideas for games, crafts and fun for both kids and adults. we also discussed going to our local botanical gardens for the "gardening with your kids project" for march. i am also going to post the seed project and something about growing sprouts. the membership drive in may, the conference in april (it doesn't look like anyone from the group will be able to attend this event), speakers for the teleconferences and writers/artists for the magazine. if i missed anything please feel free to add it :)

Mothers for Liberty meetup group

We are not only looking for moms who would like to join our group, BUT we are also looking for moms who have talents and interests they would like to share with our group ... possibly as a guest speaker at one of our meetings.

Some of the topics that would be of interest to our members include homeschooling/unschooling, gardening/canning, alternative energies/green living, writing/publishing, running for local office, etc ...If any of these topics appeal to you and/or you have experience in any of these areas and would like to share your knowledge with other moms, please contact me via this thread, pm me at CafeMom http://www.cafemom.com/home/Leslillli or contact me thru the Meetup Group at: http://moms.meetup.com/3675/message/?recipientId=6034274

Consitution Class

Want to learn more about the Constitution? check out this class and website. if there are 20 people who say they want the class in your home city, Michael Badnarik (the author of the book Good to be King) will begin making arrangements to come.

Class: Introduction To The Constitution

Instructor: Michael Badnarik

This is the highly acclaimed 8hr class taught by author and Constitutional scholar, Michael Badnarik.In 8 hours, Michael covers far more than you learned in years of high school or college, in a way you'll never forget.

kombucha

kombucha is a yummy tangy refreshing drink. it uses a "mushroom" or "mother" (scoby or symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) placed in a sugar and tea mixture, this will make a fizzy acidic good for you drink. there have been may attributes given to kombucha but it is said to aid the body's natural cleansing process & it helps boost the immune system. here is how i make 'bucha.

(finished kombucha tea and scoby's)

the first thing i do is make the tea. i use both organic black and green tea. so i get a quart of hot water add 4 tea bags to it. i let this sit until it is room temperature. take the tea bags out and mix with 3 more quarts of water and add 1 cup of cane sugar. i take about a cup of this mixture and set aside, the rest is placed in a container that can hold a gallon, mine are made of glass. metal should not be used! the container should also be wider than it is tall, but i do also use a gallon pickle jar.

(a daughter in a glass container waiting for a new tea and sugar mixture)

your mother and kombucha tea should already be separated, with about one cup of the kombucha tea set aside. this cup of kombucha tea is mixed with the tea and sugar mixture and then the mother placed in. when your mother is done brewing it will have made another scoby. these can be separated from each other. i put the new scoby in a quart jar with about a cup of tea/sugar mixture and k tea. these can go in the fridge and eventually given to a friend!

(mother in a new mixture of tea and sugar, waiting to be covered and placed in a dark spot)

(these are 2 of my kombucha brewers covered and on the top shelf of my pantry)

in 7 to 10 days i will check on them and taste them to see if they are ready. if they are i start the whole process again.

but what about the finish tea?, you ask. well here's what i do:

the tea is transferred to 1/2 gallon jars. they are left on the counter for a couple days for their second brewing. this will give the tea it's fizziness. i will also add fresh or frozen fruit during this brewing.

(green tea kombucha with raspberries on the counter during second brewing)

(blueberry kombucha tea. i don't let them set in this window, but i thought the color was really cool.)

i use the canning jar lids because once i can no longer push down their button, i call the tea done. i strain out the fruit, if there is any and i place the k-tea in the frig. it's ready to drink! my family likes it cold, i don't mind it room temperature.

(finished k-teas. green tea, black tea and blueberry in the front)

bail out tea party

Tea Bag Party 2009!-

Are you tired of bombing those who have caused you no offense?

-Trillion Dollar Bailouts that help the wealthy while saddling future generations with debt?

-Deficit spending and inflationary tactics that silently steal your savings?

-The American Army being stationed upon our own soil in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act?

-"Spread the wealth" schemes that amount to theft?

This February 1st, show your disapproval by mailing a single teabag to the new President and your Congressional representatives.

Remind them that as this country was founded by the people, so shall it remain a nation of, by, and for the People!

You can mail a teabag to the President at:

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Use this link discover the addresses of your Congressional representatives:http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

Join up and invite your friends!

Mark your calendars!!

Join us for our Mothers for Liberty National Online Afternoon Tea Party: Wed. Jan. 28th @ 2pm Central We'll have interesting, educational and entertaining posts -- fun quizzes -- live keyboard chats -- contests -- prizes -- and more! Participation is easy ... simply join our Mothers for Liberty National Group online via CafeMom. Go to: http://www.cafemom.com/ -- Type in the words "Mothers for Liberty National" in the search bar -- This will take you to the group's homepage where a link is provided to register at CafeMom so you may join the group. Note: If you are already a member of CafeMom, simply click on the following link: http://www.cafemom.com/group/54702/

the mothers institute's new advisory board members

The Mothers Institute has 2 new advisory board members!! yours truly is one of them and so is Sharon Brewer. Check out the updated advisory board member page!!

Mothers for Liberty coloring contest

The national Mothers for Libery group is holding a coloring contest!! Color our Mothers for Liberty Logo The Mothers Institute is sponsoring a Coloring Contest for children ages 3-12. The Coloring Page is the Mothers for Liberty logo, a unique image created especially for The Mothers Institute and our Mothers for Liberty Magazine. Children are eligible to participate in this contest if their mothers (or grandmothers) are members of one or more of the following organizations/groups: 1) The Mothers Institute 2) Mothers for Liberty Meetup Group 3) Mothers for Liberty Yahoo Group 4) Mothers for Liberty National at CafeMom. The contest runs from January 5 through January 31st. Completed Coloring Pages must be received by February 5th to be considered for judging and should be sent to: The Mothers Institute 515 W. MainGreenville, IL 62246 Judging will be done in three categories: ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Winners (and prizes) will be announced on Monday, February 9th via our MI Weekly Update posted here on our website. down load the color page here.

100 foot diet challenge.

we just signed up for the 100 foot diet challenge. you should too.