Stockpiling

I began stockpiling food and household items when I got married. I think initially it was a reaction against a poor childhood and a fear of running out of food. Nowadays I am a little older and wiser and I have learnt to trust God more, but stockpiling still makes good sense.

Stockpile in an old cellar

  To have a good amount of food stored away a good storage system is needed. This could be in the garage or, if you have a good sized pantry as I do, in the pantry. I have read of people who keep their stockpiled foodstuffs under their beds in storage boxes, or in the linen closet.  Where ever it is kept it does need to be vermin proof! There is nothing worse than getting out rice or oats only to find that the mice have gotten to it and it is all ruined.

 When I first started collecting extra food, I think Andrew thought it was a little weird. But during the course of our marriage so far, through many pregnancies, sicknesses, times of financial constraint, that extra food has come in so handy. For whatever reason I can't get out to the shops, I know I can always rustle up a pantry meal, and that can be so reassuring!

  I began my stockpile very simply. On grocery shopping days I would buy a couple of extra tins. Maybe tinned tomatoes or tinned tuna, whatever we usually eat. These tins would go to the back of my pantry to be stored. These days my tinned goods stockpile is quite full, so I have started on frozen goods. These don't keep as long naturally but it is still reassuring to know that there is extra chicken or fish in the freezer.

Home canning

  Eventually I hope to start canning more of my own goods and to stockpile these also. I also want to have some cleaning products and bathroom products in reserve. This will all take time and money, and I am a great believer in taking baby steps! But it is a good goal to have I think.


Jenny

overwhelmed

We moved to our current home about 5 years ago. It was a sudden move, our previous rental was being sold and we were told that we had 60 days to go. We chose Toowoomba because my dad was here and we could not think of anywhere else to go. So, pregnant with my 6th child and with 4 other children  under 5 we packed up our house and moved our family 1000kms north. Looking back I can see Gods hand in all our plans, He has blessed us abundantly here with friends and family. At the time though, I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed! and it has only been recently that I feel my "mojo" or my zest for life coming back.

Jake as a baby

   It has been a hard few years, Jacob my 6th child was a very hungry baby, feeding every two hours for 8 months. When he was 2 years old, Benjamin joined us. I feel that the last few years have passed me by, that I have been just surviving. Family life has been so busy and so constant that there has been no time for extra's.  But this is not enough anymore, I need something extra. I want to start living intentionally.

Benji as a baby

  As I have been reading different books and blogs ( I love reading) I have noticed that a new catch phrase seems to be making the rounds- intentional living.  I love those words. To me it means not letting life just happen, but having ideas and dreams and making them happen. Of course there are seasons in life, and different levels of energy during those seasons. Little children need lots of work, and that is my season at the moment.

  But that doesn't mean that I can't work toward dreams, I may just need to do things that are possible now. For me this is definitely losing weight,  continuing the Family Herbalist course that I am trying to complete,  gaining skills that help in living a more simple life, like cheese making, candle dipping, improving my soap and making different breads. I can also work on being more organized so that the garden gets planted when it should, and I sew clothes for the next season instead of trying to sew winter clothes in winter.... it just doesn't work.

Amish Raisin filled Bisuits

 So that is my goal. I want to live an intentional life. A life that firstly glorifies God, but a life that also enables me to dream and plan, and not feel so overwhelmed all the time.


Jenny

Autumn canning

  Autumn is the busiest of seasons in the kitchen. Canning and preserving are in full swing with apples to dry for my homemade muesli  and to can for apple pies and crumbles

 come winter. Tomatoes are made into Passata, tomato sauce and BBQ sauce.   Capsicums and chilli's become Capsicum relish. This spicy relish comes from a friend of mine who has been making it for years. It has become a firm family favourite.

                                                       Capsicum Relish.

  Cut up: 1 lb capsicum
               2 cooking apples
               3 or 4 hot chillies
             
Add:      2 cups sugar
              1 tsp salt
              1 cup apple cider vinegar ( any vinegar could be used)
              1/2 cup water.

Boil till tender and bottle.


I love going to my pantry and seeing all my hard work put up in jars, and knowing that I am a little closer to living a more self-sufficient life. The dream is to one day grow most of our food, and supply most of our needs for ourselves. This will probably be a long time coming, so for now I am taking baby steps. Preserving what I can, from produce either grown by me or locally.

                                                      Tomato Sauce

                                                             
                                                              BBQ Sauce

                                                            Flowers from Andrew

Every day life

God has placed me in very green pastures and  life is very good. One of my favourite verses in the bible comes from Isaiah.

            He tends his flock like a
              shepherd
            He gathers the lambs in His
              arms
            and carries them close to his
              heart
            He gently leads those that have young.

                                   Isaiah 40:11


 With as many little ones as I have, life can get very chaotic at times and I love knowing that God watches over me, I have a place in His heart.  No matter what happens God is completely trustworthy, and whether it is needing a place to live, my husband needing a job, or all the children coming down with Gastro within  days of each other, He is in control. That is not to say that I wont be exhausted or sad at times, or that tough stuff wont happen. But when it does God is there.

This morning, the kids and I walked to the park to get rid of some of the energy that seems to abound in young children.

 

     They had fun.

We then did some school work

      and they are still having fun!

And after so much work and play, of course it is time for lunch. I make a very simple bread for our daily loaf. I have tried Sour dough but I am having trouble finding a recipe that we all like. I think it is an acquired taste. 

This bread is super easy! All I do is place some water and milk in my mixer, add yeast, a little honey and a little salt. Then comes some bread flour, enough to make a sticky dough. I let the mixer knead it for me for about 5 minutes and then leave the dough to rise. After about 2 hours I split the dough in half,  pop it into tins and let it rise for another 45 minutes. Then into the oven to cook and we have lovely fresh bread for lunch. 

Apple Rings

My dehydrator is getting a work out at the moment. I have been drying orange  rounds purely for decoration, and apple rings for eating.

My children love eating  apple rings by themselves or on cereal in the mornings for breakfast. I love them in my muesli. With the season of Gala apples so short, it is also a great way to preserve them for the rest of the year ( if they last that long!) . My next job is to get my Granny Smiths into jars as apple sauce, and maybe as a chutney or relish.

 I am trying to replace our store bought sauces, like tomato, BBQ, and Steak, with homemade relishes and preserves, so I need to find recipes while it is apple season, because apples seem to be a staple ingredient in many homemade sauces. When I was growing up we didn't use many condiments at all, so making them is all very new to me. So  my challenge for this autumn is to try out new recipes.

  God Bless,

 Jenny

Our Days

Today. Our lives are full of Todays. Days that are full of ordinary happenings... getting up, making up beds (or washing sheets because your 5 year old wet the bed!), getting meals for hungry tummies, both old and young, sweeping the floor for the 3rd time because you served rice and we all know how that spills all over the floor :)

But Today is also full of cuddles and kisses from both young and old,  questions and wonderings, and bunches of flowers from fat little hands.

  I have been reading the book of Ecclesiastes of late, and it has reminded me that our lives are a gift from God, and we are to enjoy our days, especially the ordinary ones, because gifts are meant to be enjoyed.

  Have a lovely day,

  Jenny

Seasons

All seasons in life present their own challenges.  As I sit here typing I  am looking out the window, rain is falling and the mist is closing in. It is really quiet beautiful. Inside on the other hand, I have house full of house bound toddlers, and an 18 year old with the chicken pox! The prospect of six more cases of chicken pox all under the age of 8 is entirely underwhelming, and I am tempted to just go back to bed! But of course I can not do that ( mores the pity), so I will bake a batch of choc chip cookies  in an attempt to appease the masses,  ( it usually works) and then as Elizabeth Elliot says, I will do the next thing.

  God Bless,
  Jenny