Critters at the new house



Ugh!  We had to fight off an infestation of racoons that were not willing to give up there long-standing habitat when we first started on the house and now have come across carpenter ants (bad, bad, bad) and then a cute little bat.  First for the ants... 

Not Good- the front west corner of the porch has a major carpenter ant infestation.  How to get rid of them so they won't find a new home in our house? ...



You burn them out!  Thats Gideon taking the honour :-)

Here is the new foundation of that corner of the house- no more termites!

It's looking good

Then as Aaron was working up somewhere near the roof, he found this guy taking a nap.  Of course, it was daylight and the little guy couldn't quite wake up, so whenever Aaron took a picture of touched him, he spread his wings and opened his mouth in a hostile way- but this was done very sleepily. :-)

Demolition and Rebuilding

Old framing coming out

more old framing out

You remember that old fireplace? And the old porch?  Well fireplace gone, beyond that porch gone, and you are looking outside at the work trailer parked in front of the house and the back doors open

Old huge beam coming out

New and even larger beam going in

New stairwell going in

Construction

You can see the house is now open

Down comes the old fireplace

More of the firecplace gone- this thing is a MONSTER

supports while structural changes occur

What muscles!

Amazing strength!

Add caption

It is FREEZING outside (and has been for a month)

New Home

 

 

We have purchased a piece of property with a house that was started 30 years ago and after the initial foundation, framing, siding, windows, and roof went on the construction ceased and the house has been abandoned and vacant since.  What is there needs fixing (new framing, new roof, stress supports, etc) and the rest of the construction completed before we can move there.  It's a race to complete it in time as we have a 4 month construction loan with a 2 month extension option.  We will keep picts posted so you can see the progress!

Back of house

in living room looking south out of windows

front porch/entry of house- this will be enclosed & incorporated into floor plan of house

In living room looking west out of windows

The New American Tradition

      author unknown:

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high
gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This
year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine
concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift
giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes
there is!
It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in
a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates
from your local American hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some
health improvement.
Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned
detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a
book of gift certificates.
Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down
the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift
receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or
driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.
There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift
certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about
a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this
isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town
Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.
How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or
motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?
Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a
local cleaning lady for a day.
My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is
struggling to get his repair business up and running.
OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin
their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery
and beautiful wooden boxes.
Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave
your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at
your hometown theatre.
Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese
lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about
fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to
burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.
You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that
China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about
US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow
their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our
communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Do you go bump in the night?

Did you have a fun Halloween?  The kids had a great time collecting and sorting their candy last night and although it did become fairly cold last night, we only had to brave it for about an hour before we got to go home.
I wrote this today to a friend and thought I would share my darker side with you...
We did the trunk or treat and I am now dealing with the annual love/hate feelings this holiday brings out in me. The sticky candy and empty wrappers found all over the house (often found by the bottom of my feet) and crazy sugar filled kids on the negative side of the spectrum... and my own sugar addicted consumption of the sweets on the other hand. My kids are so clever too. They know I don't like to see them eat a lot of it- so they start coming to me with handfuls of the stuff and picking my favorite ones out of their stashes to 'gift' to me to keep me softened up. Right now as I am writing this they are waving at me from the treehouse outside the window and yelling "I love you Mom!" "Want another one Mom?" "Here's a butterfinger Mom! Want me to bring it to you?". LOL They have brought their candy horde out there, safe from my observing eyes, to eat at will. But their bribes are working and I let them be... with my own sweet pile at my side to satiate my sugar cravings. They are safe for the time being.  Muhahahaha (evil laugh)
So why the title 'Do you go bump in the night'?  Because of a card the kids got from Grandma a couple years ago... the outside read,  "What is that sound going bump in the night?"  and the inside... "It's the sound of your parents sneaking into your candy!"
It was after that card and my children's outraged reactions (that we might do such a thing) that I sat them down and made a deal with them... we will take them trick or treating if they are willing to share without reserve their candy.  This is a partnership, a win-win situation we are extending here, we are not their escort or transportation slaves.  We are not going to pretend to not have an interest in sugar coated chocolate goodness... nor are we going to do them the disfavor of letting them think they have some entitlement to our time and energy with the results being a greedy and selfish attitude toward the rewards.  We really are such good parents, huh?  Having their best interests at heart at helping them develop sharing traits.   ...Well, it's working isn't it? :)

Come full circle

I started this blog back in 2007 and one of my first subjects was getting my new Nikon camera. It started having problems earlier this year and after much procrastinating, I finally sent it in to be fixed. I recieved a call the other day that they cannot fix it- because it is a 'gray market' item. What?! I purchased it on Ebay- from a seller apparently selling European marketed items to the U.S. market, and that means they won't service it. At the time of purchase I had checked out the sellers feedback thoroughly and was excited to get a good deal on a great product. No idea that my product was not going to be recognized by Nikon. So, not such a great money saver in the long run, huh? Time to start camera shopping again. Lovely. So excited. are you catching the sarcasm? We did really like Nikon- but although he camera took great picts, it was a bit large to take everywhere. Then again, it never was missplaced!
Any recommendations??

Wow! Who knew? Not me. Amazing bread, amazingly easy

Ever wanted to have fresh artisan style bread right out of the oven?  The kind with an amazing crumb texture, thick developed crust, and an amazing rustic flavor?  With no timely prep work?  NO kneading?   And even when dinner is on in an hour?  Yeah, me too!  But if I had thought or dreamed of the possibility before yesterday I would have thought it was a pipe dream.  Not that I even know what one of those are LOL.
But I am happy, excited, estatic to report you can do this!!  I came across a very interesting blogsite the other day (about homesteading off of the power grid- SO me, I know) and while browsing through the posts, I came across a recipe for bread with a droolicious picture that made me pause and take another look.  The recipe sounded simple, too simple honestly, and I wanted to see if this magic worked.  Mixed up the couple ingredients- water, yeast, and flour (never been successful with just those before), covered the bowl and threw it in the fridge overnight.  Pulled it out this morning, let it sit out for about 1/2 hour, divided it into three balls that I placed on a flour-dusted baking sheet, and threw it in the oven with a dash of water into a preheated pan on a lower rack to induce steam, quickly shut the door and then was intensely curious to see if this would work.  I wasn't even sure the yeast was still alive because little or no rising had taken place prior to going in the oven.  Everything I know of baking bread was thrown out the window and the one experience I have had with a no-knead bread recipe in the past was very different and very involved.
When smoke started to come out of the oven exhaust I *muttered* and pulled out what I thought would be a monstrosity.  I had one of those quick blink, happy shock moments when I saw the round loaves that came out.  It was a little overbaked, but the smoke had come from the loose flour on the baking sheet burning.  Still, it was fantastic!  I wondered at the lack of salt when I first saw the recipe, but decided at the time to stick with what she had wrote- and I would now def. add salt.  The flavor was very developed, but too muted for my taste.
So then I found a link to another website describing almost the same process of baking artisan bread, with just a couple variations (like including salt and upping the yeast) but the water to flour ratio was the same.  It also recommeded letting the dough rise for about two hours prior to putting it in the fridge.  I liked that they suggested making a large batch that will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, and when you want some bread you just cut some out of the bowl with a serated knife, shape it into a ball, let it sit on the counter for about 20 min and then pop it in the oven.  The longer it sits in the fridge the more flavor it develops.
So what is the magical property that makes this possible?  Apparently how wet the dough is.  It is a very wet and sticky dough and I frankly would not have thought a dough this wet could hold it's form but my free form loaves came out of the oven looking like balls.  It was a sweet moment looking back on all my fallen disasters over the years.  I don't have a picture of mine- but it looks significantly like the picture posted on Jane's Hardwork Homestead blog which is above.
Here is how wet the dough is (again a picture from her blog):

When I read her recipe I assumed she meant to let the dough rise overnight in the fridge, so that is what I did- but she clarified in a response to my questions that she lets it rise overnight covered on the counter.  I have had dough rise too long before and it fermented in a very unpleasant way- but she notes that because of the small amount of yeast the counter works best.  So I may giver that recipe a go again in the future- but right now I have dough in my fridge from the Mother Earth News recipe that will go in the oven in the morning. :)

Here is the link to Jane's recipe: http://hardworkhomestead.blogspot.com/2010/09/nooks-and-crannies.html?showComment=1319780980557#c3462264498039527161

and the link to the mother earth news recipe:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

*UPDATE: a link to a great youtube video:

Enjoy!

It is better to be prudent than to be right.

Thanks Mary. ;)

Natural Ear Infection cure

Common cause of ear infections in babies/ young children:

The eustachian ("you-STAY-shee-un") tubes connect the middle ears to the back of the throat. The tubes help the ears drain fluid. They also keep air pressure in the ears at the right level.

Swelling from a cold, allergies, or a sinus infection can keep the eustachian tubes from opening. This leads to pressure changes. Fluid may collect in the middle ear. The pressure and fluid can cause pain. You also can have ear pain from changes in pressure while you are flying in an airplane, driving up or down mountains, or scuba diving. Fluid in the ear can lead to an infection (acute otitis media). Young children have a high risk of ear infections, because their eustachian tubes are shorter and more easily blocked than the tubes in older children and adults.

Often, parents (and doctors) resort to the only treatment they are familiar with- antibiotics.  However, using antibiotics when unnecessary has a negative impact on the long term health of a child as it leads to antibiotic resistance.  According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, "If you think antibiotic resistance isn't a problem or doesn't affect you, think again. A prominent example of the dangers of antibiotic resistance is the spread of MRSA — or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA was once a concern only for people in the hospital, but a newer form of MRSA is causing infections in healthy people in the community.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when antibiotics no longer work against disease-causing bacteria. These infections are difficult to treat and can mean longer lasting illnesses, more doctor visits or extended hospital stays, and the need for more expensive and toxic medications. Some resistant infections can even cause death."
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/antibiotics/FL00075

So what are other options?

• I have used Mullein Garlic oil drops in the ears of my children for years with 100% effectiveness.  When they start to pull at their ears, complain of pain, or I notice a reddened ear that is too warm to the touch, I tilt their head sideways, gently pull their earlobe down and out, drop in some of the mullein garlic, then gently 'pump' the tragus (the anterior pointed flap on the external ear that covers the ear hole) by pushing it down and closing the ear hole a couple times.  This last part is not comfortable for the child with the ear discomfort, but it helps move the oil down into the ear canal.
• Another option recommended by my awesome pediatrician that I haven't used yet, but am going to try next time is to dilute 1/2 tsp of salt in a cup on warm water and flush the nose.  This can be done for a little child by placing some drops up their nose for them to sniffle up into their sinus which flushes thick mucous plugging the pathway and allows for excess liquid drainage and a normal exchange of air so that the pressure in the middle ear is moderated.  You can also purchase saline drops from the pharmacy.
• To be used with both the above options and as a stand alone, is massaging around the ear & the use of a moist warm compress to increase blood flow and lymph flow.  A good moist warm compress is rice in a bag heated in the microwave.  If you do not have a rice bag, you can dump rice in a sock, tie it off and plop in the microwave.  *make sure not to overheat the rice or it can burn.