What's up at Patchwork Acres?

Well, we've had quite a lot of rain last week, actually a lot for the month of October.  It caused several accidents last week, one of which included my husband and his motorcycle.  Thank God, he's okay!  He didn't get a scratch, but his bike is out of commission for the time being.  He's waiting to get a repair estimate from the shop so he can turn it in  to the insurance and then decide what he's going to do.  Either repair the bike himself, which is most likely what he'll do, or buy another used bike or buy a new bike.  Because of his accident, I was unable to do the spinning demonstration at an area elementary school last week.  We only have one other vehicle and hubby needed that to get to work.  

The new baby goats are doing well.  Since it's stopped raining, the goats are going outside to the fields or the woods.  They don't particularly like getting wet; so if it's raining, they're hanging out in the barn.  

One of my younger daughter's friends has taken some of the barn kitties to his house.  That will help out on the cat food bill.  I like cats, but we had too many.  Now I only have 2 more females to get spayed before this next spring.  

I washed and hung a load of clothes outside on the "solar dryer" this morning.  I had to use the electric dryer last week because of the rain.  I prefer to hang the laundry outside as often as I can because I'd don't like using the electric dryer.  I keep seeing the dollars adding up on the utility bill.   I even hang the laundry out when it gets cold, as long as it's not below freezing or raining or snowing outside.  I have to hang it out first thing in the morning to give it plenty of time to dry before dark.  

All of the regular farmers' markets are over now until next spring.  The winter market we joined that's located  St. Louis will open next week, but I won't be able to go because I'm already committed to craft show that weekend.   And I'm still busy making soaps for the craft shows that are coming up.  This morning I made a batch of Green Irish Tweed Goat Milk Soap.  MMMmmm, smells good in my house!

Some really exciting news about my younger daughter.  She received an invitation to apply for admission at the Missouri Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science.  If she's accepted (of which I have no doubt she will be since she's an almost straight A student), she'll be attending the last 2 years of high school there.  She'll receive a high school diploma and a 2-year Associate's degree and have a head start on her regular college career.  We are already familiar with this program since my older daughter graduated from this school several years ago.

I've been busy knitting baby socks from leftover sock yarn.  I'll have them for sale along with my soaps at the craft shows.  I've almost finished a 2nd pair this week.  I'm using a wonderful bamboo, wool, and nylon yarn.  It's very soft and comfy on the feet!  I'm still working on the lacy, red cotton cardigan for my younger daughter.  I had hoped to have it finished already, but now my goal is to finish it by this spring.  I have too many irons in the fire right now.

I really need/want to finish sewing a skirt that I started quite a while ago because my daughter is ready to learn to sew.  She's been checking out patterns for dresses that she wants to make.  I think she'll first sew a few aprons for her older sister and for me.  Then she can tackle a dress.

My dulcimer lessons are going well, when I can find the time to practice.  I can play the melody fine, just have to work on moving my fingers faster on the chords on the faster songs.  I'm sure that will come with lots of practice and time.

Well, it's time for Y&R, so I'll go watch that and finish that pair of baby socks.

What's Happening at Patchwork Acres?

Our last pregnant goat finally gave birth yesterday to twins!  Seems like the poor thing was pregnant forever.  Mama and babies are doing well and we'll start bottle-feeding in a couple more days.  

It's been so rainy, cold and chilly this last week!  Last Saturday my family and I left the Saturday morning farmers' market early because of the cold.  There were only 5 vendors and about that many customers.  Three more weeks to go and the markets will be over until we start going to the once-a-month winter market in St. Louis, which we are looking forward to.

I do have Christmas shows that will be starting soon, so I have lots of goat milk soaps to make and wrap.  In fact, next week I'm attending a planning meeting for one of my Christmas shows.  I have a new scent, Magnolia Magnifique, to add to my list.  If you like florals, you'll probably like this one.  I have shaving soap in the molds that I will take out once I finish blogging and checking email. 

Speaking of blogging, I attended an Agritourism Celebration this week and one of the speakers talked about using social media for advertising.  She said that blogs are supposed to be updated 2 or 3 times a week.  I guess that means I'm a bad blogger because I don't update my blog that often.    Anyway, about 95%  of the meal was locally grown foods and the chef did a wonderful job preparing them!  Delicious!!!!  Go local foods!

I have a new passion!  I bought a mountain dulcimer yesterday from a local man.  His price is so reasonable.  Better than buying on the internet and again it was from someone local, who I'd rather support any day.  It was the last one he had in stock.  So now he'll have to make more for the next customer(s) who want one or two.  Oh, it is so gorgeous! It's made of sycamore wood, which is a light, multi-colored wood.   I could hardly wait until after supper so I could sit down to start learning how to play.  It is so easy and so much fun!!!!  I used an electronic tuner to make sure it was in tune.  Let me tell you, that was so easy to do.  Traditionally, mountain dulcimers, or lap dulcimers, are played with a quill.  Since my son has a stash of feathers from one of our farmers' market vendors, I asked him for one.   It works as well as a plastic guitar pick, which my daughter is loaning me until I get back to the music store to buy some picks for myself.  I'm eyeing several (5 or 6) dulcimer music books on internet, so once I buy them, I should be set on PLENTY of music to play.  The only thing else I could really use is a music stand so my music can be directly in front of my at about the same height as my dulcimer on my lap.  This will make it easy to look back and forth between the music and the dulcimer.   Hhmmm, will have to add that on the list next to the guitar picks.  

My daughter and I have also joined the local Cat Ranch Art guild.  I know some of the members and 2 in particular have been trying for while to get us to join.  We attended their Cat Ranch Round-up two weekends ago, where we sold soaps and I demonstrated spinning on my Babe production spinning wheel.  People were amazed that I was spinning wool on a wheel made of PVC pipes and a wheel chair wheel.  So since my daughter and I are both artist, creative types, and we "caved"  haha! and joined the guild last week.  The folks we have met so far are really nice and very encouraging of everyone's talents.  And the Guild is already planning on next year's Cat Ranch Round-Up.  It's going to be bigger than ever, with lots of activities and music, and most important, the members artistic creations will be on display and for sale.  Stayed tuned for more info!

I have to go now and wash dishes and then I'm going to make mozzerella cheese because I have lots of goat milk now.  I made mild feta cheese for my husband and yesterday it was ready to eat.  However, he likes marinated feta, so I put in several jars with Italian dressing.  Once it sets for several more days, it will be ready to eat.  As long as it stays covered with the oil, it will keep indefinitely.  As least that's what my recipe book says.  Marinated feta never lasts long enough around here to know for sure how long it will keep!  

Until next time.

Goat babies, pepper jelly, soap, knitting

My son's goat gave birth 3 weeks ago to beautiful twins!  Another buck and doe set of goat babies.  They were born sometime in the early morning hours as they were already clean and dry by the time we made it to the barn for morning chores.  

I picked a gallon of jalapeno peppers yesterday morning and I made a double batch of Jalapeno Jelly.  I made another double batch this morning making a total of 23 half-pint jars.  Mmmm, it tastes delicious on cream cheese and crackers!  Most of the recipes I looked at called for a combination of red and green sweet peppers with a few hot peppers.  I wanted to use all jalapenos.  So in order to do that, I had to use liquid pectin, which I've never used before.  It's a bit more costly than the powered pectin and my canning books said the two were not interchangeable.  Anyway, the recipe was really simple:  jalapenos, sugar, cider vinegar, and liquid pectin.  And if my pepper plants keep doing so well, I'll be making a lot more pepper jelly and selling it at my farmers' markets.

Several weeks ago, my hubby, son and I put together a portable garage for our new hay shed.   It seems to be much better than the cheap blue tarp we used last year to cover the hay.  Hubby decided to put metal screws in at all the joins to make absolutely sure it stays together.  Now it's time to fill it up with hay.

I made a batch of Green Irish Tweed (type) goat milk soap today.  It's one of the scents to fill a customer order.  I have 3 more batches to go and this order will be filled.  One batch of soap for the B&B is ready and the other will be ready tomorrow.

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to knit.  I took the time this weekend to start a red cotton lace cardigan for my younger daughter.  It's going to be beautiful when finished, hopefully in time for school this fall when the weather starts cooling down.  I'm also knitting her a pair of socks made from a wool, bamboo, & nylon yarn.  The Scottish lace shawl that I knitted for most of a year for my older daughter is finished except for sewing a small border seam together, washing, and blocking it.  Hopefully I will complete it before she leaves for AZ.

Hmmm, guess I'd better bake a dessert and get supper started because Hubby will be home before too long.

  

Lots Going on at Patchwork Acres

Gee, I'm not blogging very often, am I?  What's happened since I last wrote.....well, our big news is that we have twin baby goats, a buck and a doe, born the day before we left for Chicago.  I thought they might wait to arrive while we were gone.  They are beautiful and look very much like their sire...black and white with a little brown.  My son's goat is due next.  The poor thing grunts and groans as she moves around and even while laying down.  Anyway, it's great to again have goat milk to drink and to save for my soap making.  In fact, after I finish blogging, I will make yogurt and buttermilk.  Have to have buttermilk to make cheese and my family and I love fresh yogurt with fruit and granola cereal.  

Hubby and I drove to Chicago for our oldest daughter's college graduation.  That is the most memorable graduation I have ever attended.  It was cold and it rained and the graduation ceremony was held outdoors, rain or shine.  I didn't bring a jacket, though we had Hubby's umbrella with us.  University staff handed out emergency rain ponchos for the graduates and their guests.  I bought a colorful, Mexican blanket at a gas station on our way into Chicago that I used as a shawl.   The rain eventually stopped before the end of the ceremony; but we were sitting under a tree and it dripped on us for a while.  We were surprised by how many people were standing up during the graduation ceremony, thus blocking our view.  I was thinking that we drove all that way to see our daughter graduate, then I'd better be able to see her walk across the stage.  Hubby finally asked one woman who was standing up if she'd mind moving because we couldn't see.  She did move, but I don't think she was too happy.  We could hear a few people behind us talking..."yeah, that guy asked her to move.   We can see now."  Hubby and I aren't fond of  big cities and we were glad to see Chicago in our rear view mirror.  We're happy to be back home in rural MO.  And a big thanks to my in-laws, who stayed with the kids while Hubby and I were in Chicago.  The kids don't get to see this set of grandparents as often as they'd like and they all enjoyed spending time together.  The kids will get to spend a week with Grandma and Gramps later in the summer before school starts again.

Last week was very uncomfortable with high temperatures and high humidity.  Heat advisories were out for much of the area for several days.  (I'm not looking forward to seeing our electric bill.)  The first hour of the last Tuesday's farmers' market was miserable until the sun started setting and a few clouds came in.  The breeze would blow a little and that helped a lot.  

Yesterday was nice, though warm, with low humidity.  Hubby, son, and I worked on cleaning up the spot for our new portable garage which will serve as our new hay shed.  It's nice again today.  My son worked down at the barn.  He was supposed to finish cleaning so we can start putting up the new hay shed.  I spent some much needed time this morning out in my garden weeding tomatoes until it was too hot.   I have jalapeno peppers ready, so it's time to get out the pepper jelly recipe!  Yum, yum!

Younger daughter isn't home this week.  She's on a servant event trip with the youth group from our church.  They went to North Carolina this year.  When she called she said the area/mountains were beautiful!

And of course, I'm still making soaps to fill my customer order.  The soaps for the B&B will be ready by next week.   I think I will next make goat milk soap with Dead Sea clay in it.  That is one of my favorite soaps and it's one needed for my customer order.  Plus, my supply for the markets is low. 

My son loves fruit pies and I made a delicious strawberry pie this week.  He and I finished it for dessert after lunch today.  Hmmm, what to make next.....maybe a blackberry, blueberry, and strawberry pie?  Sounds good to me!

So with that said, I should go for now!

Soap Making Today

It's been several days since I last posted.  It's been raining every day, so the garden is soggy and the only thing I've done in it is to pick some asparagus and pull a feed weeds from the asparagus bed.  More rain is to come today and tomorrow.  When the rain stops and the garden dries out, it will be time to plant EVERYTHING I haven't planted yet.

Wednesday morning was the opening day for my second farmers' market and what a nice morning!  The sun was shining and the rain held off until later in the day.  We had 2 new vendors and some prospective vendors chatted with our market manager.  I strongly encourage everyone to shop at their local farmers' markets.  Doing so helps your local economy and helps the local farmers/vendors.  Plus you have the opportunity to visit with the vendors to learn about their gardening practices and you know where the food came from.

I made the Bug Off Blend soap a few days ago and it is now curing.  I had a lot of requests for this one over the last weekend.  I just finished making a batch of Madagascar Vanilla and after lunch will make another batch of soap.  Not decided yet on what scent it will be.

I have to share a goat story.  Our goats don't like being out in the rain.  So if it's raining, they can be found inside the barn.  Last night after supper I heard the goats bleating.  I thought that was odd and looked outside.  Fawn, our newest doe, was standing outside the barn in the rain just a hollering.  So I grabbed my windbreaker and a hat, slipped on my rubber boots and ran down to the barn with #2 daughter.  The barn door was shut and poor Fawn couldn't get in.  Apparently another of the does, Marshmellow, had closed the barn door.  She is known for doing that, as well as rubbing, pushing on the stable doors and closing them as well.  We let Fawn back in the barn and she ran in and promptly shook herself.  I told her that now she was beautiful after having a rain shower.  Ha, ha!   Marshmellow's grandmother, Happy, was famous for turning the barn lights off and on.