Lots of Helpers

Our family's life in New Zealand

Today’s Family Fun!

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Our family fun activity today was electric- and halter-breaking our two calves!  It was quite the rodeo, with one calf collapsing and rolling over into the mud, then deciding he would never willingly stand up again.  The other was scared nearly out of his skin.  We did accomplish our purpose (we hope), at least as far as electric-breaking, and got both calves out in the big paddock with the cows.

Charley decides he will not be moving anywhere, ever.

Meatball doesn’t want to move, either.

Daddy’s home! Reinforcements for our side. Poor Charley had no options left.

Meanwhile, the little boys were playing by themselves.

Calves are stuck in tiny enclosures of electric wire to learn what to respect.

Mom is excitedly waiting for her son to arrive!

Investigating each other!

Now they have lots of room to roam.

Sourkraut

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I had a request for my sourkraut recipe, so here goes.

I weigh out 5 pounds of cabbage, then shred them.  If the head is decently tight, this gadget works great–otherwise, chop finely with a knife.  Then, mix in 2 1/2 ounces of non-iodized salt.  Pack this all into 5 pint jars–yes, it will fit!  Fill the jars, then pack it down with your fingers and fill the jars again, then pack it down again, and fill again–the cabbage keeps wilting down and you can pack an incredible amount in.  You want to end up with the cabbage/juice mixture all the way to the top of the jar.  I cover with a piece of plastic wrap, or a plastic bag cut open, then put the lid on.  Warning–don’t use a good ring for it if you use Mason jars–it will rust!  Put in a darkish, coolish but not cold, place for six weeks.  Be sure to have something under the jars to absorb the juices that ooze out, because they will for the first week or so.  After six weeks (mark your calendar), open a jar and taste–should be good!  As long as you don’t open the jars, they will keep on the shelf, but as soon as you open a jar it must be kept in the fridge.  The children and I like to eat this for our salads in the winter at lunchtime.  Gayle doesn’t like it, so we eat it when he isn’t home.  It’s also delicious cooked with porkchops, of course, and Gayle likes it that way with mashed potatoes.  I like to eat it raw because of all the good-for-you enzymes and bacteria.

I should mention–I end up using odd-sized jars for my kraut here, so I just measure out five pints of water and pour it into jars till I have the right combination.

Mom says, “School Holiday Today!”

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I was getting behind on my work, so I declared today to be a school holiday.  Would you believe, no one objected!  I was able to get a lot of things off my list:  The beans Esther picked Monday got snapped (while I read to the boys, so we did do some school). The cabbage the boys picked for me Monday got turned into sourkraut. We had a freezer go out this week, so I cooked up a pile of bags of plums from last year.  One big pot turned into jam (didn’t follow the recipe, so I’m not sure yet if it set or not–it will be syrup if not!). Another big pot has had the pits picked out and has been pureed, but I’m bringing it to a boil tonight so it will be safe to leave till morning.  The last big pot (yes, I have a lot of big pots–love them!) is also coming to a boil and I’ll decide tomorrow what to do with it.

And, we got in a field trip of sorts this afternoon and evening.  Our landlord started combining wheat around 4:30, and the children have been watching intently!  He’s running his own combine and having someone else run their Klaas combine to get the job done quicker.  The combines are harvesting faster than the trucks and tractors can haul it away! They are getting about 180 bushels to the acre.  One truck that’s being used must be from the ’50s or early ’60s, and frequently backfires–“Mom, what makes a truck backfire?”  “I don’t know, ask your dad.  I just know that’s what that noise is!”

Our landlord’s combine.

 

Answered Prayer–and then some!

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We had a party today to celebrate and thank God for being granted residency here.  Around 35-40 of our friends came to rejoice with us, and we grilled sausages.  The people who came brought salads, bread, and desserts, and we had a great time of visiting.

A few weeks ago, Esther prayed that if God wanted her to have Photoshop He would give it to her–she didn’t have the money for it.  I had been thinking that it would sure be nice to have another computer, since we use this one so much for school.  Out of the blue, one of the people who came today gave Esther a laptop!  And, it has Photoshop loaded in it!  What a surprise–a gift straight from God.

What a geek–working on two computers at once!

End of the School Day

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The boys were all finished with their “hard” subjects by lunch time, and two of them got busy playing a game of New Zealand geography that a friend gave us yesterday. The youngest was being himself,while the oldest was working on her high school. She’s using the Far Above Rubies curriculum, and loving it.  She’s been putting everything she does with it on a blog.

Bookshelves

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I don’t know about you, but I have never had enough bookshelves in my life.  The ones I have had have always been overflowing, with books laid on top of other books.  We bought this set of shelves the day after we arrived in New Zealand, and it’s been overstuffed the whole time we’ve had it!  I like the ends my hubby and  boys just made for the top a week or two ago–it gives us an entire shelf there!  We had stacks of books at either end to hold other books up, but that always looked messy.  So much  better now! We bought this set from one of our friends when they moved back to the States; the young man built it himself.  It’s probably the prettiest piece of furniture we have. The rest of our books were stored in the linen closet in the hallway and lined up along both sides of a short hallway we don’t use much–it just leads outside and is one of seven doors to outside so not really needed.  You can imagine how I felt when I found another large, sturdy set of bookshelves at a thrift shop last week for $5!  The only problem–it was 40 miles from home and there was no way to haul it with our van.  It wasn’t worth taking the truck there to pick up.  I called a friend to ask if they would, by any chance, be going that way with their truck–no.  I went to the counter to pay for my other purchases, and on a whim asked the clerk if she happened to know of anyone who would be going to Cheviot and could deliver the shelves.  I was astounded when she said, “Go talk to that man over there.”  I went over and talked to him, and he was able to deliver the shelves to Cheviot several days later when they picked up the recyclable rubbish, for $5!  So, for $10, we have a lovely, sturdy set of shelves–and, as you can see, extra shelf space! I love having the school books out of the closet and visible now, and being able to organize everything the way I want it.  Thank you, Lord!

Henry, Part 2

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Little Henry is thriving in the house.  He loves attention; if he feels neglected he starts fussing till someone picks him up.  The last couple of days, he’s been able to jump out of his box occasionally; this may mean banishment from the house.  I don’t relish the idea of a duck on the loose in the house, not even a cute little one.  He still makes messes.  He would get stepped on, too.  He loves to sit on shoulders and nibble on clothing, cheeks, necks, and ears.

 

He’s Growing Up!

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My baby is growing up fast (good thing we’ll soon have a littler  one!).  He spent 1 1/2-2 hours this evening playing by himself with these toys. Esther and I were working in the kitchen, and could hear him making up stories and carrying on conversations as he played.  So special!

Pancakes!

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This is Saturday morning.  We usually have pancakes on Saturday morning, because it’s the most relaxed morning of the week.  Three weeks out of four, Gayle is able to be at home for breakfast.  All week, he has to leave for work at 5:15 or earlier, so obviously we don’t eat breakfast together, and one Saturday a month he has to work a few hours in the morning.  We all like pancakes, but I don’t have time for them most of the time.

The jar of sourdough starter. When I use some, I fill the jar with warm water, stir it, pour it off till only about an inch is left, then add a cup or so of flour and let it sit out 12 hours.

I started the pancake batter last night, by mixing sourdough starter, water, and flour, then letting it set till morning.  This morning, I beat in a few eggs and some salt and soda, and fried the pancakes.

Fluffy, bubbly pancake batter.

I love cooking with cast iron!

We had a variety of toppings–some people like applesauce, some like jam, and some like honey.  Most of the time, we don’t have jam on them, but I felt generous this morning.  For some reason, the pancakes turned out light and fluffy this time–I have no idea what is different. They were good!

These two enjoyed jam on their pancakes.

He ate three pancakes! I only had four.

And now, the rest of the morning is underway–house cleaning, bread raising, and I’m hoping to go to the garden for awhile.  The plants are growing beautifully–but so are the weeds!