Why I love my 2 year old

Today, Jack (my 2 year old) was in the bedroom with me when I hopped on the scale. I stepped off a moment later, feeling triumphant after the Thanksgiving weekend. Jack wondered about the number on the scale and, being his thoughtful self, asks 'Was is $4, Mom?' Classic. I love my toddler. :)

~jill

Random thankfulness

The kids slept in their own beds last night. It was a rare and celebratory occassion. My husband has a few days off surrounding Thanksgiving. Not only can he take time off, he still has a job to take time off from. (i realize i am using poor grammar) In the state with the highest unemployment, I am very thankful to be so fortunate.

My children are happy, healthy, and fed and loved. (1 in 5 American children go hungry, 1 in 3 in some Midwest states.) They are growing in kindness, generosity, imagination, knowledge and faith.

I hauled in a load of wood in our lawn cart (one of my favorite pieces of yard equipment we've borrowed from my in-laws). I stacked it on the porch so it'll stay when the rain and snow hit later this week. Our home is safe and warm. Heated with wood from a large, dying oak tree cut down by a friend.

I'm drying apples I bought at the farmer's market with money I made from selling homemade soaps. The peels will be make news jars of vinegar. The home preserved food and fresh made vinegar is beginning to outnumber the store-bought items in our pantry. This one of the neatest things.

I gave the chickens fresh straw and collected their eggs, sure to thank them for their contribution to the household. They like the straw and seem to think it a fair trade. The eggs are boiling on the stove. The shells will be baked and crushed for the chickens to suppliment their calcium intake. Cyclical, always cyclical. :)

My homemade soap business is doing well and continues to increase in sales. Much to my amazement. I am thankful and humbled by the response to my soaps and salves.

Our amazing family, church family, and savior Jesus the Son of God.

The big 3-0

Yep. That's right. I turned 30 yesterday. It was a great time. The virtual facebook birthday wishes began Saturday night and continued on into Monday. Wonderful cards from my husband and kids, the coolest travel tea cup I've ever seen (plus the promise to order some bulk herbal tea), a painted chair from my mom for my soap/work room with the kids' handprints on it (I was in tears), a super fuzzy and warm blanket of my own from my in-laws and more. We had a dinner at church and then a bonfire with family in the evening. It was a little strange to have a party just for me. My sister-in-law Amanda's birthday is the day after mine so we usually celebrate them together. We love that we get to share birthdays! This year we both have big birthdays (30 for me and 16 for her) so we each get a day to ourselves. My really awesome little brother baked my cake and Carlie frosted it. It was nice to spend time with family and just chat and hang out and not have to work or build or clean or do anything. I think my 30s are off to a nice start. :)




Sitting in my new chair enjoying some birthday cake...

~jill (who is still stuffed from overeating yesterday)

The Chicken Condo

It's been finished for a week now and the girls love it. We're getting 1-2 eggs a day and are so thankful. I'm amazed each time I go out and find another one...

The pictures I promised:

~jill

Veterans Day

This year, I hope people realize it's Veterans Day before they notice flags lining the street or the fact that the post office is closed today. Take the time to honor a veteran, thank him or her for his or her service to our country. Without the courage, strength and self-sacrifice of generations of patriots - the United States of America would not even exist. Shake hands, give hugs, send a card or an email. Say 'Thank you' and really mean it.

Thomas Jefferson said, "Patriotism is not a short frenzied burst of emotion, but the long and steady dedication of a lifetime."

Or, "Once a Marine, always a Marine." :)

Semper Fi, Ooh Rah, Thank you and God Bless.

~jill

Finally!!!

Our first egg! As you can tell, we're pretty excited. We've had the girls since May (they were itty bitty fluff balls back then) and we've been patiently waiting. Okay, well, mostly patient. I gave them a stern talking to about earning their keep and laying some eggs a few weeks back. At least someone took it to heart. :)

Pictures of the new coop coming soon!

Apples

We were blessed with a bushel basket full of apples from some church friends. Bruce, the kids and I had the chance to go to their house one Sunday evening and get some old wood to use for our new chicken coop. Our wonderful friends gave us a tour of the house and property, showed up their garden and trees. I was thrilled when I saw the apples hanging from the trees and covering the ground. Her father had planted the trees years ago, she doesn't even know what kind they are. We ended up with wood, apples, a few grapes, a wagon and a few more gifts. Such kind people!

The apples were very tart and not the best for eating fresh. I dried about half the apples in the dehydrator. The rest were used to make apple sauce. I canned some and we ate some right away. I gave a bunch to Mary since she was generous enough to share her apple crop with us. The kids and I eat the dried fruit for snacks and I use it when I make granola. I gave my mom some of the apple sauce.

We have some of the apple peels and cores to the chickens. The girls love anything fresh and I prefer not ot give them chicken feed if I can. I used the rest of the apple peels to make vinegar. It was a lot easier than I thought. Put the peels and cores in a jar. Fill it water. Cover with a cloth. (I used a canning band and a wash cloth.) Don't use a canning lid. The microorganisms need the oxygen to work their magic. Otherwise, you'll end up with a foul smelling mess. That's what I made on my first try. :) Let it sit for 2 weeks and voila! Vinegar. I use the vinegar as a rinse for my hair. It takes out any residue from soap or styling products. I don't use shampoo, I use my homemade bar soap on my hair. We have hard well water and sometimes it doesn't rinse really clean. Commercial apple cider vinegars were a little harsh on my hair and left it feeling yucky. My homemade version is much more mild (and fruity smelling) and seems to work better for me.

We're thankful for what we have and are given and try not to waste an ounce.

~jill

Branching Out

In honor of my new blog layout, living life to the fullest, recognizing the Lord's wisdom and life lessons inherent in the natural world He created, and the value of a sense of humor - I present to you a song. (not that I needed any reasons, I like this song regardless) :)

Branching Out - by John Gorka

When I grow up I want to be a tree
Want to make my home with the birds and the bees
And the squirrels, they can count on me
When I grow up to be a tree

I'll let my joints get stiff, put my feet in the ground
Take the winters off and settle down
Keep my clothes till they turn brown
When I grow up, I'm gonna settle down

CHORUS:
I'm gonna reach, I'm gonna reach
I'm gonna reach, reach for the sky
I'm gonna reach, I'm gonna reach
I'm gonna reach, till I know why

When the spring comes by I'm gonna get real green
If the dogs come by I'm gonna get real mean
On windy days, I'll bend and lean
When I grow up I'm gonna get real green

(BRIDGE)
If I should fall in storm or slumber
Please don't turn me into lumber
I'd rather be a Louisville slugger
Swinging for the seats...

ETSY SALE!

From today (Wednesday the 23rd) til Sunday I'm offering free shipping on all the soaps, salves, babysets, and such in my ETSY store. You can view and order products here: www.hilltopsoaps.etsy.com

Happy shopping and thanks for looking!
~Jill

Winding Down

Many apologies. We've had a such a busy summer I haven't been keeping up with the blog. (okay okay okay, I don't keep it up well anyway...)

I've had an amazing time selling my soap at local farmer's markets and other events through out the summer. The interest and the feedback has been really fantastic. We added nice crochet washcloths, handtowels, and babysets. I'm looking to do a big online push for winter and the holidays thru my website (http://www.hilltopsoaps.com/) and my ETSY page (http://www.hilltopsoaps.etsy.com//). If you are interested in free (free!) all natural soap and would like to write a review on your blog and say something nice about me - please comment or send me an email. I would really like that.

We had a slightly scary encounter with a bat and the entire family has had to endure the series of rabies shots. We awoke to a bat in the bedrooms. Since we were sleeping when the encounter occurred we are to assume we had some kind of contact with the bat and need the shots. If we were smart, we would have caught the bat and had it sent out for testing. Unfortunately we just shoo-ed him out the front door and went back to bed. We get our final vaccination on Carlie's first day of kindergarten. Awesome.

Our garden has been pretty fantastic despite some really crappy weather this summer. It's been pretty cold and wet in this part of Michigan and it has taken far too long for things to ripen. We've already pulled the onions and are waiting on the potatoes, carrots and pie pumpkins. I planted the carrots late for a fall crop and we just put in some more lettuce a few days ago. The popcorn and oats we planted are drying nicely. Our freezer is full of shredded zucchini and we still have some waiting on the counters. We have tons of tomatoes now that they're turning. I've been canning a few times a week as things come in. I'm hoping we'll have enough crushes tomatoes to get us through the winter. It'll be close. I canned some jam this year too. It was my first attempt. It was a lot easier than I expected and everyone loves it. I'm hoping we don't eat it all before the snow flies! :)

Tonight is my brother's first football game (marching band!), school begins next week, the farmer's market winds up a week from today. The weather is cool and fall is in the air. I've been knitting fingerless mittens for the past few weeks. Bruce has been chopping the last of the wood and fixing the wood stove. Everything points to a change in the seasons. A time to unwind, slow down, cuddle up, and take it all in.

~jill

Independence Days week 2

1. Plant something: tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, more popcorn, chick peas, great nothern beans, pole beans, more onions.
2. Harvest something: Lilacs and spinach.
3. Preserve something: Dehydrated mangoes.
4. Reduced Waste: Feeding scraps to chickens. Carlie's teacher is giving us her old straw bales for bedding. She didn't know how to get rid of it and I gladly accepted her generous offer. I don't have to buy any soon. We both win. :)
5. Preparation and storage: Husband Bruce finished up the chicken coop, the girls are enjoying their new home. Thoroughly cleaned the kitchen and made room for the dehydrator on the counter. Rearranged my soap room so it's more efficient for storing supplies and drying soap.
6. Build community food systems – worked in my mom's garden
7. Eat the food: Um, hmm. We've going through the fruit and veggies like crazy. Not a lot for us to harvest yet. Spinach salad tonight.

That must be it! I have a few more things to plant this week (oats that are going in late, herbs and flowers) and lots of weeding. The veggies we planted earliest have all sprouted and are looking good. I'm looking forward to all the rain we're expecting this week!

The Great Escape

We have 6wk old hens livng in a giant bin on our kitchen table. The 5 girls are just about ready to make the move to their outdoor abode. After the last few days, I'm more than ready!

A few chicken stories :
Okay, one of the hens got out of the cage yesterday. Good thing I was standing in the kitchen and saw it. I was able to grab her while she was still on the rim of the blue box and before she flew... whew. I'm not sure who was more surprise by the whole thing - me or her! I think they're ready to sleep outside!!!

Today Jack let one of the hens out. He just lifted the top so it could fly out. Truman (our labradoodle) was right there and didn't even care. We're so blessed to have such a mild-mannered dog!

Jack informed me he is the 'birdie papa', Carlie is the mama, and I am the big mama. I'm glad he really likes the chickens, but this does nothing for my sefl-esteem.

We'll make the final adjustments to the coop in the coming days and our 5 beautiful girls will move outside.

Independence Days

1. Plant something: broccoli, pumpkins, popcorn, zucchini, cukes, onions, plum tree, cherry tree, 2 pecan trees.
2. Harvest something: Lilacs for the jars on the table.
3. Preserve something: Nope.
4. Reduced Waste: I've been doing better about saving leftovers and turning them into something else the following night. Putting more in the compost and soon will be giving scraps to the chickens.
5. Preparation and storage: Received some summer clothes and pants for Carlie from my cousin. Stored the items that are too large and sorted out her drawers so we know what doesn't fit.
6. Build community food systems – worked on church garden with youth - planted and discussed how we'll be sharing the food.
7. Eat the food: We've bought some local asparagus and rhubarb. Made rhubarb sauce (my very first attempt) to go with some angel food cake. Very yummy.

Where I'll be

Hilltop Soaps will be sold at a number of local events and markets over the coming months.

Memorial Day - Genesee Family Fun Festival from 11am-6pm

June 5th, 19th - Clio Farmer's Market 10am-5pm

July 3rd, 17th - Clio Farmer's Market 10am-5pm

August 7th, 21st - Clio Farmer's Market 10am-5pm

August 15th, 16th - Flint Bowman's Club Annual Fall Shoot (tentative)

Please visit the website for further news, details, and product information. www.hilltopsoaps.com

Hilltop Soaps

I've been making all-natural homemade soap for sometime now and have decided to sell it online (or in person if you are close by). The website is http://www.hilltopsoaps.com/

Here's an excerpt from my brochure: "All our soaps have the same basic ingredients: olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, castor oil, distilled water, and lye. We add the essential oils, herbs, spices and such to that base. Any coloring or fragrance comes from these all natural ingredients. This is in stark contrast to commercial cleansers (which aren't soaps at all) that are full of detergents, chemicals, dyes, and perfumes." This means the all-natural soap is gentle and nourishing for you skin and great for those of you with allergies or sensitive skin. It's also better for the environment. It contains no parabens (cancer-causing preservatives), no petroleum by-products, and no phosphates (which create problems with our water supply).

All bars come wrapped in brown paper and is labeled with name and ingredients. The brown paper wrapping is biodegradable and can be added to your compost pile. The commitment to being eco-friendly and all natural should come as no surprise to most you! Please, pass it on to friends and neighbors you think may be interested.

25 random things about me

1. Have 1 husband, 2 children, and no pets.
2. We're getting chickens in the spring.
3. I like to garden and grow our own food.
4. Last year we grew things like corn, carrots, and tomatillos.
5. This year I want to grow popcorn, potatoes, and maybe a grain (like oats)
6. I have a degree in biology but I'm a stay at home mom.
7. I'm a soapmaker.
8. Occassionally I teach after-school classes about archaeology and we run a mock 'dig' site for the kids.
9. I cannot ride a bike.
10. Or whistle.
11. My name is Jill and my son's name is Jack.
12. That was not my idea - his sister named him.
13. I met my husband at a bible study.
14. My husband, Bruce, and I teach the teens at our church.
15. I read a lot. Usually more than 1 book a week.
16. My goal last year was to learn to make bread from scratch.
17. We no longer buy store-bought bread.
18. I have a younger brother. I'm 15 years older, but he's 4 inches taller (so far)
19. My sister-in-law taught me how to knit.
20. I like to makes lists. My family and my youth kids tease me about it.
21. I like to walk my daughter to and from school.
22. When I was young I wanted to be Indiana Jones.
23. I don't like to drive.
24. My daughter claims my favorite color is green.
25. I like green, but I like red better.

Wood stove Wisdom

1. When you think you have enough wood chopped and stacked for winter - double it (at least!)

2. A 4 year old can carry and stack wood and will choose it over playing on the swing set every time.

3. A woman can chop wood too! (although her husband is much better)

4. A house temp of 62 degrees F isn't chilly. 55 degrees is another story.

5. The living room is the warmest place in the house. The bathroom is substantially colder.

6. It's smart to shower at night. (see #4 and #5 for reasons)

7. A cool house + shared blankets = an excuse to cozy up with your spouse.

8. Upstairs bedroom temperatures are best equated to those experienced by Arctic researchers.

9. But that's okay. Kids like to sleep in the living room. It's a lot like camping.

10. People are now compelled to wear the scarves, hats, and handwarmers I knit for them.

11. Kids know the stove is hot and do not touch it. Adults, however, must see for themselves.

12. When you heat with wood people either think you're crazy or they're jealous.

13. Bean soup will simmer all day and be perfect in time for dinner.

14. Humidifiers are necessary so everyone doesn't get sick.

15. On the upside of this - homemade soap cures in half the time.

16. My drying rack is my best friend. 2 loads a day will dry by the fire saving us both money and energy.

17. Long hair and an open flame are not a good combination. Ponytails are good when adding wood.

18. Burnt carpet stinks.

19. Saying, "The chimney is smoking." is not adequate.

20. One must add 'in the living room' to illicit the correct response from one's spouse.

Sew much more...

I finally started the dress I wanted to make for Carlie for Christmas. (about time, I know) All that's left is to attach the binding on the collar and sleeves and maybe a few decorative buttons on the front. Sewing from a pattern was pretty painless this time around. If I keep working at it I'll have the shirt for Jack and the pants for both kids finished in time! (keep your fingers crossed for me) I've been wanting to make a skirt for myself, but it'll have to wait until after the holidays. (it's a really great pattern I found on burdastyle) Sooner or later I'll get around to posting some pictures of the clothes. I haven't been knitting much, but I did manage to sew a fleece hat and mitten set for Jack. I've been working hard on improving my skills. I"m just focusing on one skill set at a time.

In regards to the other challenge: the house has been between 62 and 66 degrees in the day and somewhere around 60 at night. Not too bad.

We're trying hard to use less energy. We invested in a set of heavy drapes for the bedroom and I might make some for the living room. Bruce noticed that a lot of cold air is coming up from the basement through the heater ducts. Right now we're just covering them with pillows or blankets until we come up with a better solution.

It's been cold and windy here in Michigan. We're trying hard to stay warm (but not too warm). Grab an extra sweater, make a cup of tea, and curl up under a blanket with a good book.

Fall Photos

The Family - Happy Autumn!!

How my son sees me. He must think I'm crazy...

Celebrating Halloween with Snow White and a Pirate.

New Challenges

Okay, I must be crazy. I've signed up for 2 challenges offered by other bloggers, 'Freeze yer Buns Off' (lowering your thermostat to 65 in the day and below 60 at night) by Crunchy Chicken and 'The Competence Project' (learning new skills) by Sharon. Will I be able to knit the fingerless mittens before I get cold enough to need them? Can I learn new skills or perfect old ones while I'm bundled in and a hat and mittens indoors??? I'll let you know in the months to come!!

Controlling the temperature in the house might prove to be a bit difficult. We're heating our home with wood and I'm not very good at keeping the fire even and the temp consistent. However, one of the commitments I made in Sharon's challenge was to learn how to better manage the woodstove.

The other commitments were:

• Knitting mittens (I tried to make mittens for Jack. The first one I made was way too narrow but now my ipod has a nice cozy wool holder for when we go out...)
• Sewing some clothes for the kids (I made a shirt for my mom's birthday but I'm not very confident in my skills)
• Learning enough about chickens so ours will survive upon their arrival in the spring
• Improving upon my knowledge about what's in season, growing, and using it accordingly
• Learning Herbal remedies and actually using them.

In the past year I learned how to make bread from scratch, grow a garden, chop wood and make soap. I've had numerous opportunites to practice patience and being a better mom and wife.

So what new skills have you learned? something you're working on? been putting off? Take time this winter to learn and grow. I'll let you know how I'm doing...

Nov 10th: day - avg 62 degrees (although it did get up to 67 for awhile before bed)

night - low of 57 degrees

right on course so far.