Homestead Happenings

Recently our family met a wonderful couple at the Farmers Market. They were nice enough to invite us out to their homestead so the children could visit with their sheep and goats. We had a great time. It's so nice to find like-minded individuals that live so close! They're interested in organizing a group of locals that desire to live self-sufficiently and sustainably. It would be so, SO nice to have that resource available locally.









Also, we recently discovered that we have Passion Fruit (sometimes called Maypops) growing on our property. Shawn found this unripe fruit when he was out mowing trails. I love finding wild edibles on our property! Of course the fruit is edible, but I've also read that the leaves and vine make a great tea.



Finally, we've been **cough** fortunate to have acquired another kitten. Apparently someone dumped the little thing off at our gate. Also, we're not certain if it can walk or not since Sarah has decided it must be carried around everywhere she goes. So, this now brings our kitten-count up to seven. Anybody want a kitten..or two?

Oops, I Almost Forgot!

(Blogger's not acting right and won't let me edit the previous post, so I have to add this in on a post by itself.)

Shawn butchered two of our roosters all by himself. Even though he's helped others with butchering, this is the first time that he butchered any of our own flock. I was able to use the feet to make super-nutritious gelatin-filled chicken stock. The kids got a kick out of eating "Rooster Soup" for several days after the butchering.


Now scroll on down and read the rest of what we've been up to the past two months!

So, It's Been Almost TWO Months!!

I bet you thought we'd gone into the Witness Protection Program or something, huh? Actually, I've just been really overwhelmed lately. Who'd have thought that homesteading would be difficult with a 6 year old, 4 year old, 2 year old, and newborn?

I'll just give a synopsis of what's been going on around the homestead.

We have a new baby chick!


The pears are being harvested. (This is just what could be reached on ONE tree. We still have to pick the top of that tree and another tree.) Looks like I'll be canning and dehydrating a lot next week.

Shortly after David was born I dehydrated 2 quarts of cherries from our cherry trees. We're also starting to get apples from our trees. I harvested the peaches, but we dealt with brown rot again this year, so I was only able to harvest about 25 peaches. I've got to figure out how to eliminate brown rot.

We have rabbits that need to be butchered starting next week.


Shawn has set up the first of our water collection barrels.


And he just recently got our outhouse completed.


We also managed to obtain a nice collection of old farm tools.


On the not-so-great end of things...Shawn now has his first experience with poison ivy. He says that he used to be able to roll in the stuff and not get a rash, but this week he developed his first rash. Apparently he got into some while clearing out the weeds near the barn while he put in the water collection barrel. Also, we recently purchased a 55" LCD flat-screen TV....but not for us. While visiting my parents, Shawn was attempting to show Sam how to work their Wii game. Since neither Shawn nor Sam have any experience with the gaming system, they managed to actually hit Mom and Dad's TV with the controller. After doing research online we now know more than we ever wanted to about the TV's very fragile liquid crystals and that Wii's wriststraps are there as a safety feature. We've also learned that our family is just not cut out for fancy gaming systems or electronics.

So, next week we'll be busy butchering rabbits, preserving pears, and putting in the Fall garden. We'll also be starting to homeschool the kids starting tomorrow. Always something to do...

I'll end the post with pictures of some cute kids!

David's Homebirth Story

I want to say up front that I absolutely love birth stories. The process that God designed for a baby to enter this world just enthralls me. So needless to say, when it's MY CHILD'S birth story, I go a little over the top. So here's your warning...if you can't handle the nitty-gritty details of the birth process, stop reading now. I'm going to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of the amazing birth of David Jacob.

On Tuesday evening (May 31st) I was getting ready for bed. It was around 10pm and I went potty one last time before crawling into bed. However, this time was a bit different because on the toilet paper I noticed a little bit of light pink coloring. I've heard of "bloody show" before, but never experienced it with any of the other three children. I knew that this might mean something, but didn't want to get my hopes up. My official due date was still several days off (June 4th) and I tend to go over. So, the thought of me actually delivering early wasn't taken too seriously.

However, the next morning I went to the bathroom again and noticed even more distinct redness on the toilet paper. I went about our usual morning routine. I got the kids up and dressed and started making breakfast. I was having some contractions, but that wasn't unusual. I'd been having daily sporadic contractions for quite some time. I did, however, start to write down the frequency of the contractions at 8:17am. They were averaging about 15 minutes apart. I called the midwife to let her know what was happening and she said that these contractions could taper off just like all the others had, but to keep her informed since I'd had the little bit of bloody show.

By 10am the contractions were still coming on and they had changed to being every 10 minutes apart. I'd never had regular contractions continue for several hours, so Shawn and I started to really think today might be the day. I sent him into town to get a few last minute groceries that would be needed just in case baby did decide to come. At noon the contractions were coming every 7-9 minutes. They still weren't very strong contractions. They certainly didn't keep me from doing things around the house and taking care of the kids. They were noticable, but that's about it.

We put the kids down for a nap at 1:00 and I phoned the midwife again. She urged me to take a nap while I had the chance and call her to check back in after naptime. So, around 1:30 I laid down for my nap. I did try to doze off, but the contractions would come around just about the time that I would start to fall asleep. So, I laid there having non-painful contractions every 7-9 minutes. I was having another of these contractions at 2:10pm when suddenly my water broke. I vaulted out of the bed, grabbed the phone, and raced to the bathroom. As I sat on the toilet I called the midwife and exclaimed, "I think my water just broke!" She told me to stay calm and she would be heading our way shortly. She advised me to lay back down on my left side and wait for her to arrive. Of course Shawn was outside dealing with the animals so I made my way to the garage and proceeded to yell at him until he came running back to the house. He helped me change out the sheets on the bed then I crawled back in and began to wait on the midwife.

This was an entirely new experience for me. With the other three children, I had always had my water artificially ruptured in the hospital after being induced. As I laid there in bed I kept waiting for the first serious contractions to occur. I was concerned that the baby would be born before the midwife could make the hour long drive to our farm. My heart was racing, so I called my friend Amanda to tell her the news. She offered to come get the children and, after discussing it with Shawn, we decided that we would really appreciate that. Fortunately, I only had 2-3 extremely mild contractions before the midwife arrived at 3:30pm.

Once the midwife arrived and Amanda left with the children, my contractions picked back up to what they had been prior to my water breaking. I really believe that my body stopped the labor process until the midwife arrived and the children were gone. Once everyone was where they were supposed to be, I was ok with proceeding with the birth. The midwife confirmed that the amniotic fluid was clear, so we didn't have any worries about the baby passing meconium. She also checked the baby's heart rate and declared that everything looked and sounded great.

At 4:14pm I started timing contractions again at 7-9 minutes apart. The midwife urged me to keep myself busy with normal activities. So, I started a load of laundry, cleaned the living room and dining room, and went about preparing supper. Contractions slowly came more closely together so that by 6:00pm they were 4-5 minutes apart and starting to demand my attention. Whenever a contraction came I would have to stop my activity and breathe my way through it. At 6:30pm I had supper ready. We started to eat but I couldn't stand to sit down so I stood at the kitchen table and ate baked chicken, boiled carrots, and steamed broccoli for supper. During supper the contractions were coming 3-4 minutes apart.

Throughout the afternoon I had been writing down each contraction in my household binder where I keep my weekly to-do list. The dining room table is on one end of the room and the counter with my binder was on the other end of the room. At 6:45pm I had another strong contraction and finally said, "You know, I just don't feel like walking to the counter to write that one down." The midwife chuckled a little bit and said, "Janice I think we've established that you're really in labor. You don't have to write each one down anymore unless it helps you somehow." She urged me to try to empty my bladder and then we could check the baby's heart rate again. (It still amazes me that I was holding a new baby a mere 13 minutes after this conversation.)

I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door. As soon as I sat down on the toilet there was an immediate change in pain level. Apparently I started making noises that caused Shawn to rush into the bathroom. I had involuntarily started pushing. When Shawn and the midwife came into the bathroom I was paralyzed on the toilet. I was having an extremely strong contraction and couldn't force my body to stand up. All I could do was PUSH. I'm pretty sure I was hollering something like, "God help me!" and "I can't do this!"

After that contractions passed, Shawn and the midwife helped me walk into the bedroom. My mind was still not functioning (which is normal for me during transition) so I was more-or-less brain numb at this point. They got me to the edge of the bed and Shawn sat on the bed to physically support me from behind. The midwife had me reach down and feel the inch or two of baby head that was protruding out of me. This really reassured me because even my pain-numbed brain was able to process that the baby would be coming out soon and the pain would be ending soon. The midwife turned to grab a tablecloth for the floor at the same time that I screamed, "It's head is out!" This is the first delivery where I was actually able to see the baby's head emerge. The on-the-back position at the hospital didn't make it easy for me to see a baby being born, but this semi-standing position definitely gave me a better perspective. The midwife spread the tablecloth on the floor and caught David's body within moments of one another. All of this happened less than five minutes after I walked into the bathroom. I was immediately able to lay back and relax on the bed while holding my newborn son. The placenta emerged a short nine minutes after David arrived. David was latched on and nursing 17 minutes after his arrival.

I had very little blood loss and only a slight little tear that didn't require stitches. The recovery from this delivery isn't even comparable to the other deliveries. I flat out feel good!

David is now five days old and still doing very well. He does have his days and nights mixed up, so we're not getting a lot of sleep. The kids are being so sweet and gentle with him..even Andrew, who I was worried might be jealous.

So, that's David's birth story. I'm definitely a homebirth convert for sure now!

It's A Boy!!

I'm finally getting around to announcing the arrival of David Jacob. David arrived on Wednesday, June 1st at 6:58pm. He weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 21-1/4 inches long. He is perfect and wonderfully healthy. I'm bouncing back rather quickly too.

I do hope to get his homebirth story posted soon. It was an absolutely amazing experience that I can't wait to share.

My Interview On Blog Talk Radio

Today I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Starlene Stewart. Starlene has an online radio program about the GAPS diet. Several weeks ago she asked me to be a guest on her show and today was the big interview day. I was so nervous at first, but Starlene is very easy to talk to, so my anxiety disappeared pretty quickly.

Here's the link to the interview. It's right at an hour long.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gapsjourney/2011/05/14/janice--son-with-autism-healing-with-gaps-diet-1

Starlene is also doing GAPS. Her blog documenting her journey can be found at:
http://gapsdietjourney.com/

Got Raw Milk?...Then Prepare to be Raided!

The government has always targeted people who value independence. Gun owners, homeschoolers, midwives, certain religions and similar groups represent people who reject the notion that the government should dictate every decision of our lives. In the past few years, a new target of their hatred of independence has emerged…..the organic dairy farmer. The term “milk raid” is now part of the American lexicon. Both farmers and consumers of unpasteurized milk (the milk EVERYONE drank until a few decades ago) now must live in constant fear of harassment, searches, seizure of property and arrest.

While it is impossible to know how many people fall victim to these raids each year, here is a list of some publicized dairy raids:

Spring 2004 – Organic Pastures Dairy Company – FDA raid seized customer records

March 2006 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Ohio Dept of Agriculture raids a parking lot where participants in a cow share program were raided, leading one member to be hospitalized for post-traumatic stress disorder

October 2006 – Michigan – 453 gallons of milk, $7000 worth of kefir and butter, personal cell phone and wallet of Richard Hebron was seized on Interstate 94 by Michigan Dept of Agriculture agents

August 2007 – Pennsylvania – Mennonite dairy farm raided seizing $25,000 worth of dairy products and equipment

2007 – California – customers of Organic Pastures Dairy recruited by FDA to wear wire taps to catch Mark McAfee selling unpasteurized dairy pet food

April 2008 – Pennsylvania – Second raid of Mennonite dairy farmer Mark Nolt

December 2008 – New York – Meadowsweet Dairy raided

December 2008 – Ohio – Stowers family farm raided by SWAT team, wife and small children held at gunpoint for several hours, the father was serving in Iraq at the time

April 2009 – Missouri – Sting operation by Greene County Health Department against Bechard family for selling raw milk

October 2009 – Georgia – 110 gallons of milk seized by Georgia Department of Agriculture while being delivered to customers

March 2010 – Wisconsin – Max Kane ordered by Justice Department to surrender customer and financial records concerning cow share program

April 2010 – Pennsylvania – FDA raid at 5 a.m. of dairy farm for having “too many cows” to provide milk for his own family

May 2010 – Minnesota – Minnesota Department of Agriculture raids Hartmann family of Gibbon for selling raw milk

May-June 2010 – Wisconsin – Vernon Hershberger’s dairy farm raided 3 times by agents of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, confiscating his computer and business records

June 2010 – California - Heavily armed raid of a private organic food buying club (caught on surveillance tape and available on YouTube)

June 2010 – Minnesota – Rae Lynn Sandvig’s home was raided by 7 Minnesota Department of Agriculture agents on suspicion of “distributing milk” - her neighbors were threatened by agents

June 2010 – California – Sharon Palmer raided for the third time

August 2010 – Missouri – Morningland Dairy of Mountain View raided resulting in the loss of 68,957 pounds of cheese

March 2011 – Minnesota – Alvin Schlanger arrested by St. Paul police and vehicle seized for dropping off dairy to customers

April 2011 –Pennsylvania - After a year-long sting operation, an Amish farm is raided for selling raw milk

Notice that these dairy raids are becoming more frequent and increasingly involve the use of SWAT teams. It is only a matter of time until someone is killed in these needless raids. The FDA reminds me of the ATF under Clinton, who raided and killed gun owners to promote a political agenda. Organic dairy is the latest enemy of the bureaucrats. A soon to be released documentary deals with this issue: http://farmageddonmovie.com/

The government controls virtually every aspect of our lives. They are now attempting to control what we choose to eat, even grow on our own property. The government even controls our churches who have agreed not to mention political issues from the pulpit in exchange for a tax free status. Jesus and the Apostles were imprisoned and/or killed for refusing to be silenced. Where is such courage today by our churches?

The government controls how we raise and educate our children, our religious sermons, the weapons we own, our health care choices, how much income we are allowed to keep, what we possess during public travel and now what food we are allowed to consume. If something doesn’t change dramatically and quickly, any hope for freedom for our children and grand-children will be lost forever.