An En"Tire" Day

Saturday was a tire day.  We built a tire bike rack and got a good start on Ellie's birthday present.  It felt good to get some items off the "to-do" list. 

We also got a post in the ground for the pig pen.  Well, Bryan got the post in the ground.  I handed him the shovel and bar and post hole diggers.  But the other side of the area still had large ice crystals, so that project has been delayed another week. 

The Bike Rack

I had planned on digging a hole for each tire individuality.  Bryan looked at the picture of what I wanted, and decided that digging a big trench was the easiest solution. Good thing we have a lot of shovels--the kids were eager to help.

Digging the hole with Daddy's supervision and direction

Once the hole was dug, Bryan checked for levelness. (Another step I would have missed).  Then we needed to select tires.

A trip to the junk pile yielded enough tires of around the same size (15 in). 

We worked together to set the tires in place.  Then we had to put the dirt back.  It took some time to really pound it all together.

But it was worth the work!

Ellie's birthday present is also turning out nicely.  We were able to use scrap lumber for one of them, so we'll only need to buy a board for the other.  We decided to just make two, since two children can use them at the same time. 

It needs a coat of spray paint, but is otherwise complete.  I think she'll love it! 

Next on my tire list is another planter.  I'm hoping to get flowers in in a few weeks. I've never planted flowers before.  Any tips for a newbie?  Easy to grow flowers?  I know I want perennials so I don't have to plant them each year. 

My Tire Planter!

Today I felt like being crafty during quiet time.  I had my eyes on these tire planters for a while, and decided to finally try making one. 

The tutorial I linked to above gave the best directions on how to actually flip the tire inside out.  More on that step in a bit...

First I had to pick a tire.  If you remember, we have 100s of tires sitting in our junk pile out back, and I really wanted to start putting them to good use. I wanted a tire on a rim, because I think the planters on a pedestal looked amazingly cool!

Thankfully one of the first tires I came to (read, closer to the barn where I was going to be working) was fairly soft, and on a rim.  I declared it a winner, and rolled it over to the barn.

Next began my trial and error process of cutting the tire.  Cordless saw thing?  Nope--just got smoke.  Hand saw?  Nope--couldn't fit in the space between the treads and the rim like I needed.  Razor blade?  Nope--too short to penetrate all of the rubber.  Boning knife? Yup--that did the trick.  Good thing I had an extra!

I probably should have used chalk and drawn a pattern.  But I didn't.  I just did some freehand stabbing and cutting.  There's always next time!

Once I had the tire all cut, it was time to try flipping it.  Yeah...that was a problem.  I picked a tire that was too big.  I couldn't get my knee up in it like the tutorial suggested. I was too short and the tire too tall.

I tried standing on a bale of hay (not recommended!), on a pallet, and squatting over the tire.  Nothing worked.

So I rolled it over the porch and waited until my dad came by after work.  He got it started for me.  And then I could fit my knee in and we eventually got it flipped.

It was hard work.  We were both sweating and wondering if we'd ever actually get it done.  But then little by little, one bit at a time, it started to flip.  We were so excited! 

The results?  I love it!  I still need to pressure wash it to clean it up, and then I'll paint it.  Once it's painted, I'll add some dirt and some flowers. 

I want to make more.

But I will be using smaller tires next time.  I think it'd be much easier to flip without the rim as well.  But I like the base. 

What do you think?

The "petals" definitely aren't symmetrical.  I'll draw a pattern next time!

I have been working on a bike rack out of tires as well, and Ellie's birthday present--seesaws from tire halves.  I'll share those when I finish. 

Homemade Lotion Bars

About a month ago, I tried making my own deodorant.  I'd never really made any personal care products before that.  But the deoderant I was using (a spray on that someone gave me) was making my family gag when I applied.  I knew that wasn't good.  So I started looking into homemade options. 

I've now been a bit obsessed with what I learned.  I can't believe how much junk is in the things I use everyday.  Like toothpaste.  And lotion.   Yikes! 

But, I also learned how incredibly simple it is to make these products at home using natural ingredients.  I've slowly been replacing what we use. 

A few weeks ago, I made my first lotion bars.  I'd heard that they were good for cracked hands and feet.  And I sure have those!

After doing some research, I found an easy looking recipe here.  I ordered Shea butter and beeswax from Amazon, and waited.  When the ingredients arrived at my doorstep, excitement reigned in our house. 

I gathered my helpers, and we started measuring.  We dumped the coconut oil, Shea butter and beeswax into a quart jar.  This jar was placed in a pan of water on the stove.  We waited.

It was neat to watch everything melt.  The coconut oil was the first to turn into liquid.  Followed fairly quickly by the Shea butter.  The beeswax was stubborn and stayed solid for a while. 

But eventually everything was liquid.  I took it off the stove and had Ellie add a few drops of lavender essential oil.  A quick stir was needed to mix everything one final time.  And then we poured it into some silicone molds. 

I was amazed at how quickly they hardened.  During this process, the mixture went from clear and translucent to white. 

When they were completely cooled, we popped them out of the molds. I made 12 bars out of the recipe.  And REALLY like using this lotion.

It truly has healed up the cracks on my fingers and feet.  I'm so happy! And I'm really excited not to have to rely on the chemicals in traditional lotion any more.  These work better and are natural!  After all, our skin soaks in what we put on it.  I'm trying to learn all that I can. 

I've now made toothpaste, deodorant, chap-stick and lotion bars.  I think it's amazing that the ingredients are really similar from one item to the next.  It really helps to save money in the long run!

Soap is my next goal.  I'm waiting on my lye to get here...We'll see how it goes!  What's really neat is that we're getting piglets soon.  When we butcher this fall, I can render the fat into lard and use that in soap. I like knowing where my ingredients come from!

Have you made any personal care products before?  Any recipes you'd recommend?

5 Favorite Outside Activities

With spring here, the kids and I have once again been enjoying the great outdoors.  We love to play together as a family, and here are five super easy games that we enjoy.  You don't need any fancy equipment for these.  And they are appropriate for kids with a wide age span.

1.  Red Light/Green Light

I use this game with all of my little ones to teach stop and go.  One person (It) goes to one side of the yard.  The others line up along the other end.  When It says, "Green Light", everyone else moves forward quickly.  When It says, "Red Light" everyone freezes.  Continue until someone touches It.  Rotate who is It. 

2. Building a Fort 

We've used hay and boards, tree branches and pine needles, and even brought out blankets to drape over the clothesline.  Complicated and simple possibilities abound.

 No matter how we build it, the kids all love it.  They'd stay in there all day if I let them.  Eating a snack or a picnic lunch in the fort makes it even more special.

Here's the latest fort.  Jayme and I built this one during our special time a week or so ago.  It is still standing strong despite winds and rain.  We just used a tree branch that was dangling low the ground and started adding pine needles.  Some raking work cleaned out underneath and added some depth to the fort. 

3.  Hide & Seek Tag

A fun twist on both games that seems to level the playing field for multi-age participation.  One person is It.  It goes in the house (or to another designated area) and closes his or her eyes while counting to 20.  Everyone else runs and hides.

The goal is to make it to the flagpole (or another space) without being touched by It.  Hide as long as you want, and then start running for the base.

You can change it up a bit by requiring jumping or crawling to base and as It.

4.  Scavenger Hunt

Ellie is helping Sydney look for a green leaf.  Great way to practice colors and counting!

Who can find a red flower, three pine cones and a chicken feather first?  No matter what environment you have outside, you can adapt a scavenger hunt for your location.  You can get fancy and create a printable for your kids, or just scribble it out on paper.  An audible cue works too.

Get hunting!

5. Inventor

One of our favorites!  Everyone goes out and gathers four pieces of the same object.  Hay rope, twigs, firewood.  Whatever they can think of.  They just need enough for everyone who will be playing (for us four).

We pile everything in the middle of an outside table.  Everyone then takes one of each object.  Now you might have a rock, a twig and a piece of rope.

Your goal?  To invent the coolest thing in the time limit.  We've had twigs turned apple launchers; bows and arrows, teeter totters and a toy cat swing set.

It's amazing to see what creativity comes out.


You can decide what "extras" can be used.  We've allowed everyone to select three of their own special items.  We've set out extra rope, tape and containers before.  And we've stuck with the only use these items rule.

After the time limit runs out, have a show and tell session.  Everyone gets to share their work.  This is my favorite part.  The kids get to explain what they made and how it works.  

Make it work for your family.  Just decide on the rules at the beginning of each round.  Then get to work.  See what you can create!

The start of a broom?  Or a fan? Maybe a fancy helmet decoration?  Let your imagination be your guide. 

What outdoor games does your family enjoy?

Keeping the Chickens In...And Safe!

I don't like waking up to the sound of a dying chicken.  Don't know anyone who would actually.  Definitely a gruesome sound.  Coyotes are terrible.  And they can get into spaces they don't look like they should be able to. 

And so we had to do something. 

Now when we lock our chickens in, we take one leg of their ladder and shove it in front of the door.  We also wanted an early warning system, so we could get woken up by something besides a bird yelping.  And we wanted something that would hopefully convince predators to leave.  Without a bird.

Those systems are expensive though.  But we noticed in our research that noise played a big part in scaring predators away.  So we got creative.  An old cow bell.  And a chunk of bailing twine.  Hello early warning noisy system. 

Touch the door trying to get in, ring the bell.  Get scared away. 

Cheap.  Simple.  And we haven't lost a chicken since!

My First Girl Haircut

I've been cutting all of the male hair in this house for what seems like forever.  Just using clippers and keeping Bryan, Owen, and Jeffrey all trimmed up.  Simon will get his turn someday too.  As soon as he gets too much hair.

But girl hair.  Nope--that scares me to touch!  I was so scared of messing up.  Until today.  One of the blogs linked up to Raising Arrows this morning caught my eye.  And I clicked over.  And found...

A great tutorial on cutting girl hair.  My little Ellie has the length recommened on the tutorial, so I asked her if she wanted a haircut.  Split ends abound on her little head, and it was definitely time for a change.

Ellie said yes.  She was so excited.  I sat her on the chair in the bathroom and wrapped a towel around her. 

Spritzing provided the damp hair that was needed.  I brushed it out and put it into pigtails by the ears. 

Now for the hard part...cutting.  The tutorial instructed to cut straight across at the bottom of each pigtail.  Straight lines and I don't exactly see eye to eye.  I have a really hard time just guesstimating straightness.  But I gave it a try.  Snip, snip.

Both pigtails appeared even, so I let them loose.  Ellie approves of her haircut.  And I approve of saving about $12!

One of the reasons I love blog link parties--you never know what you'll find, but you usually find something useful! I'm so thankful for this.  What a blessing to have so many resources just a click away.

My little girly girl loved the spa like treatment.  And on a Wednesday--her day! How perfect. 

Uses for Old Tires

One interesting thing about living at Grouse Creek is its junk pile.  My Grandpa never liked to throw anything away.  He had the, "I might need it someday" attitude that many people who survived the Great Depression shared.

And so our property has a nice area of...junk!  Old fridges, old cars, an old bathtub, oodles and oodles of miscellaneous screws, nuts and bolts, and more are nestled in a wooded area or stored in an old storage building. Though I'm very thankful it's not visible from the house, this junk pile has come in handy on more than one occasion.  We were able to grab some chicken feeders that just needed some hammering to straighten up;  and some random odds and ends that were the perfect fit for various low cost building projects.

When the kids and I were bored one day and in need of adventure a few years back, we decided to venture to the junk pile and count the tires.  We reached 100 in just a couple minutes and kept going.  The final number has since been forgotten, but it was in the range of 150.  That's a lot of tires!

I've been pondering on those tires lately, and really wanting to put them to use.  The rubber is in decent condition, and I knew there had to be a way to reuse them.  After turning to Google, I was rewarded with some great possibilities.  As soon as the ground thaws enough for me to pull them out, I have a couple of projects in mind.

I'm hoping the kids and I can work together on some of these ideas.  It'll be a great way to teach some new skills!

Planters:

I don't want to grow any edible food in tires, just because of the chemical leach concern.  I've read both sides of the argument, and decided that since I have plenty of other ground to grow in, I don't need to use the tires.  But...they look really cute as planters.  So I think I'll give flowers a try for the first time ever.

I plan to follow this tutorial, and paint them in vibrant colors.  We need some beauty in our yard!  Any recommendations for easy flowers to grow?  I don't exactly have a green thumb, but I'd love to give it a try! I think annuals will be the way to go...

Play Equipment

Memories of jumping over tires that'd been half planted in the ground fill my thoughts of elementary school recess.  I also remember some tire swings.  I know that tires can be very useful in play.  Here are some of my favorite ideas.  I'm hoping to give one or two a try.

This article has some great details about building all kinds of play equipment.  I really like the sound of the tire log.  You basically attach a bunch of tires, and someone can climb inside and get rolled around.  I'm thinking this might be a great way to meet some of Owen's sensory needs! 

On this site, you can see pictures of an entire playground filled with tires.  I love the jungle gym type structure, and really think our backyard needs one.  Well, once we relocate our chicken flock...

Finally, I will attempt to make a couple of these rockers.  We have most of the materials on hand, so I'm excited! I'm hoping to make three of them, though since I'll have to cut two tires, I might just make four.  I'll have to check the scrap lumber pile and see how much wood there is!

 Other Ideas

A bike rack...

An ottoman...thinking of using some of the new spools of natural colored bailing twine we have...

I really want to try making some seating for around the fire pit Bryan installed last year.  I've seen some great pictures online, but no tutorials.  Any ideas?

What would you do with a bunch of tires?

Linked up to: Raising Arrows

Fun, Nameless Game

The kids were antsy last night, and needed to burn off some energy.  Since it was dark out, I knew it had to be an inside game.  It was time for creativity!

We scooted the coffee table out of the way to make room. I took two pieces of printer paper and had Jayme cut one in half.  We took one half and folded it in half. I taped it shut.

On the whole piece we wrote a 10.  On the half we wrote 25.  On the quarter we wrote 50.  Then we taped the pieces to the floor.

The numbers don't really show, but 10 is on the top, then 25, and then the tiny 50.

I had the kids round up four plastic plates for our toy kitchen, and one ring from the toddle ring stacking toy.  It served as a shooter. 

The kids sat on the rug, closest to the 10 paper. You can just barely see the edge of the rug in the picture above.  I had Jayme go first to demonstrate.

She took a plate and set it on the edge of the rug.  Then she grabbed the shooter and used it to propel the plate forward.  In this picture, you can see that one of her plates is landed across from the 25 paper.  One is still in motion just past the 10. 

We kept the scoring simple.  If you landed a plate on a paper, you got double the score of that paper.  If you landed between the rug and the 10, you got 0 points.  Between 10 and 25 was worth 10.  Between 25 and 50 was 25.  Between 50 and the dining room chairs was 50.  Past the chairs was 0. 

Here, Jeff just took a shot.  He landed across from the 25 paper, and earned 25 points.  We did three rounds.  Each round consisted of all three kids shooting all four plates.  At the end of every round, I'd add up the score and announce the game.

After three rounds, Jayme was the winner with 355 points.  Everyone had fun.  Everyone burned off some energy.  It was neat! 

Ellie taking her turn.  She earned 10 points for this one! 

Our cheering section.  Owen and Sydney! We will definitely be playing this again.

The only problem?  We don't have a name for our game.  Any ideas?

Kicking Kraft to the Curb!

Finally!  I finally found a macaroni and cheese recipe that my family happily eats.  With all of the processed foods we've ditched, we were still hanging tight to that highly recognizable blue boxed mac & cheese.  It was kind of sad really.  We make homemade cottage cheese, homemade yogurt, homemade bread, homemade cream of something soup, etc....but every month we still faithfully bought Kraft macaroni.  Not anymore!

Thanks to the Heavenly Homemaker, I found a simple recipe that is tasty.  Only a few ingredients--milk, whole wheat elbow noodles, diced up cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper (to taste).  Couldn't be simpler!

The secret?  Cook the noodles in milk.  I added a bit more milk to the original recipe after reading through the comments.  With Maggie and Epie giving us lots, this isn't a problem.  I used about 5 1/2 cups of milk for 4 cups of noodles.

The starch from the noodles mixes with the milk as it cooks and creates a wonderfully creamy sauce.  It took about 15 minutes for the noodles to get tender enough.  Make sure you stir really frequently, as it will burn easily.

Then you pull it off the heat and melt the cheese into it and season to taste. Wow!  Everyone loved it.  And it was much more filling than the Kraft version.  Real food being more filling?  Who'd have thunk?  :)

To keep with our family favorite, I pan fried some all-beef hot dogs as well.  Mac and cheese with hot dogs...a simple supper that was really good!

Forgot to take a picture while it was cooking, but here are leftovers ready for Bryan's lunchbox. Yummy!

Dried Plums Oops...and Fix!

When you plan on having a crying kid be your alarm, things might not work out quite right.  I left my plums dehydrating last night.  They needed to shut off about 1:30 or so.  Owen usually wakes up and beats on his gate about that time, and gets his second sleep med.  I figured everything would work out perfectly. 

Simon woke up first, so I stumbled around and looked at the clock.  It was 4 am.  That was the most sleep I had gotten in a couple months. For that I am thankful!  But, my plums didn't turn out so well.  They were definitely dried out. 

Hard, crisp and not much fun to eat.  Thankfully, there was a quick fix.  I put a handful in a sandwich bag just to test my theory.  I added a few drops of water, and sealed it up for about 10 minutes.  When I opened it up, the plums were rehydrated just a bit. 

This time they were softer, and much better to chew on.  The kids all approved.  So it was a win-win morning.  I got lots more sleep than normal.  And I saved the plums! 

Do you ever use your kids as alarm clocks?

Tethering the Milk Cows

I first heard about tethering cows while reading a book by Joel Salatin on sustainable farming. Honestly, it kind of shocked me.  I couldn't imagine tying a cow out.  They were just so big.  But, I kept thinking about it. 

I looked at all the grass that was going to waste around the barn, the outbuildings and next to the road.  Why in the world was I throwing so much hay to the cows when there was still green grass in all those places?  Oh, I know!  It was because our field had been grazed and grazed and was dead. 

We decided to try tethering out, and it really worked!  I used an old washtub that we found in the basement for water.  I pounded a simple T-post into the ground, used a long rope with a slip knot on one end and a solid knot on the other.  I slipped the slip knot around  my cow's neck, and the solid knot over the post. 

The cow can typically graze all of the area that she can reach on the rope in a full day.  Then, I just bring the cow back to the barn at the end of the day.  I move the post and water, and start the next day with more fresh grass for munching. 

I try to keep shade in mind as well.  If I have the post in an area with full sun, I cut the tethering session short and do it in early morning and evening hours only.  This keeps my cows from overheating.

I also only tether the cows out if I am home.  If I have to leave, I put the cows away, or make sure my parents (who live across the street) are home and can keep an eye on my girls. I've never had a tangling problem, but have read enough about them online that it makes me cautious. 

While this isn't the best picture of my cow's face, you can see the tethering process clearly.  The white rope is slipped over Epie's neck on one end and the T-post on the other.  She is able to munch grass that is still growing up around the barn. 

The thought of getting the cows to the post and back gave me some concern at first.  It still does honestly.  Hence the reason I only tether my polled Dexter milk cows and not our huge Holstein steers (our meat cows) with horns.

Have you ever tried tethering a cow or other farm animal? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

My Milk Parlor: Adaptations for a Smaller Cow

Not too many homesteaders who dream of having a family cow will be blessed with a beautiful milk parlor.  Back in the late 70s and early 80s, my parents ran a commercial dairy.  Then they found out that my dad was allergic to cow dander and hay, and shut it down.  The parlor has been sitting empty all these years, just yearning for another cow to grace its presence.

Then I decided that the farm needed some milk cows again!  Definitely didn't want to go the commercial dairy route.  I wanted raw milk for home consumption.  Thankfully the parlor works great for that--even after 20 years of no use or care.

Now when I go out to milk in the morning, I have a wonderful concrete stanchion (actually three of them!) for the cows.  I am able to sit at a stool and have the girls at a comfortable height.  This has been really important with Epie, our short-legged Dexter.

Here is a picture of the parlor after I milked this morning:

A hose, good water pressure and a few minutes later, I have it all cleaned up again.

You may be wondering why in the world I have a tire tied up to the stanchion.  Did you notice it?  Well, these stanchions were built for Holstein milk cows.  I have Dexters, which are quite a bit smaller.  The tire forces the cow over towards my side, and keeps me from having to reach way in to reach.  My Grandpa Bill came up with that idea, and I'm really grateful for it!

The 2X4 tied under the metal is also to help with size.  I was worried that Epie might be able to escape.  I didn't want her to fall off the raised platform.  So we tied up a board.  It also makes a good place to rest my tired head while I'm doing the morning milking.

A resized stanchion with a tire, bailing twine and an old board.  I love it!  We're all for inexpensive fixes around here.  Especially if they reuse something.  

What are some creative, inexpensive solutions you've rigged up?