Making dog food.... OUR: Springer Spaniel lab meet Nyla

Making Dog Food
1/3rds is what I am doing

1/3  of Qunioa or rice
1/3 lbs of ground blended Vegtable frozen green beans, carrots, NO ONIONS
1/3 pound ground turkey or eggs for a cheaper protein.

http://www.survivalblog.com/2011/12/how_to_make_homemade_dog_food.html
is where I took my portions.

I have made it for years and always used different portions.  I put a small amount of flax in ours and some cheap olive oil for her coat.

If we do not blend the vegetables our dog gets sick..

not a pretty site.
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Gifts given
our animals
snow
warm blankets

God is good all the time................
    all the time God is good.

Peace makes the final decision...Even if I don't understand why...
Follow Peace.......
Let God have His way in your life............my prayer ...

A real YOOPER Blizzard.............snow snow and more snow

LJ plowing snow just said we got about 18-20 inches

but this is the UP so it is expected.  He is in his highth of glory

Me I would love Alabama or Texas about now....  :)

PHOTO BY: US National Weather Service Marquette Michigan

Incredible snowfall rates of 2"+ per hour at the NWS office. 4.0" measured over the past 2 hours and still coming down hard. Over a foot of snow since 8am. This picture was taken around 9:15pm EST.

Well Lady winter has come back....will post pictures of our yard soon.........if we can find it..

Finnish Yogurt, Viili or Filia From Finland

Our neighbor Aunnie Juntinen and her family is from Finland. She is 100% Fin.  She is a wonderful neighbor.  

  She has always had Filia which is a like a yogurt brought from Finland by her friends and relative.   it is also called viili. 

 She gets a fresh start when they come here almost every year. She drinks it everyday and she is an amazing older women who is as sharp as a tack.  Talking with her is like taking a travel back in time.  

OK here is the very hard recipe. (Aunnie told me yesterday In a bowl it is called Filia and if it is in a jar they call it pina )

1 filia start  (1 cup of filia from finland)

When you get down to about a cup left.  Put it in a clean canning jar. Fill it with WHOLE milk. Than put the lid on and shake it up....

 Why this has not caught on in America is beyond me.  It is the easiest thing in the world to make.......and no Yogurt maker needed.

I like this in a smoothie,  LJ likes it in a bowl with fruit.So much better and cheaper than buying yogurt from the store.  









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God is good all the time



Though out our years living in the UP we have  ask her for a start to make this which she so generously shares with us. We got a fresh start last week... This time I am not going to let it spoil.  Or at least try not too.



Filia:It has a very thick velvety texture.  The best thing about this is you just put it in a quart jar and let it set overnight on the counter or the warmest part of your kitchen and in the morning you have fresh Filia.  


put it in clean quart jar...........I use a canning jar
add to the top of jar whole milk.(.Aunnie says it has to be red cap milk..which is whole milk up here.)
Put lid on shake it up and let set warm spot overnight.

They like to fill the older jar with the milk first shake it up and than transfer it to the clean new jar.one cup of start leftNow that was hard right?  :)   
Always keep the last cup. This is your start for the new batch.  


The texture is hard for me to eat..but it is great to drink makes a wonderful smoothie and this is sooooooooooooooooo good for you.

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The finished product.

Thankful for the gift of 
Cows
Milk
Canning Jars...

All the time God is good..............  

Mush for breakfast. Very Frugal Breakfast.

My dad was from a family of seven kids.  I always thought that was a lot........till we moved up here.  Lots of familys up here come from 10-12 brothers and sisters.
Now thats alot...... but big familys are wonderful.  My dad said they were raised on cornmeal for breakfast.  My grandma fixed it for the kids and what was left they put in pan and let it set up for fried mush the next morning.
My Uncle Stanley loved this with ketchup........ We love it with Maple Syrup...

We also broil ours and do not fry it..(It seems a tad healther this way....but it is better tasting fried in butter.  YUM YUM

Corn meal mush.
3 cups water
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tesp salt

Very frugal breakfast
In a medium saucepan, heat water to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; stir in salt and cornmeal. Cook, stirring regularly, until mixture is thick.2.Spoon cornmeal mixture into a lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.3.In the morning, melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Slice cornmeal mush into 1/2 inch to 1 inch wide slices. Cook in melted butter until brown.  I like mine crisp.

This is my breakfast this morning.

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Three Gifts

Maple syrup

corn 

Bacon

thankful

God is good all the time

All the time God is good

Outside my window today.

Letter to God thankful for my blessing of a Godly husband

So thankful that today that I work up and on my heart was the joy of a Godly husband

Prayers for my husband,

 last night when he went to the men's bible study
he was told that the Lord has chosen him to serve as Elder at our Church.


So thankful
 that God has blessed me to live 41 years with such a godly man.  One who loves the Lord with all his heart and soul.
He is a wonderful funny guy.  He makes people laugh.  People love to be around him





A man who treats me like a queen.  Still after all these years together he opens the car door for me.



 I want to thank the Lord for my Godly husband.





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Gift of Peace
Gift of Sevice
Gift of teachers..

Re: The Green Thing

The Green Thing In the line at the store a young cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. To think Green... The woman apologized to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today.  YOUR generation did not care enough to save our environment." No But back in our day  we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building.  We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind.   We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.   Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young girl is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room.  And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.   We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right, we didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then,  people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.   And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? This was sent by my friend Jackie in email...

Prayer Shawls Group.....Blessing others

We started a local Prayer Shawl group.

It started in 2007 if I remember right.  It started with three and now has grown and meets in our church on Tue mornings.

We have made hundreds of prayer shawls and made them praying for who ever God lays on their heart.  Those who are sick or need prayers for healing.

There where times when there was not enough money for knitting needles.

LJ made me Great knitting needles  out of wood dowels.  This would make a great gift to your knitting friends......... Big ones which make the perfect prayer shawl.
I love them and the sound of the wood clicking against each other. In fact they are my favorite knitting needles.  He put a wood knob on the end so the stitches would not fall off.

Cold cold and more Cold....brrr -9 and did I say Cold?

Today is our good friend Rogers birthday..........Happy Birthday Roger.

And boy is it cold outside we have -9

But on the bright side it is only 56 days till spring....time goes so fast it will be here before we know it.
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Blessings: So thankful for..........
The great thing is the sun usually shines when it is this cold........
Warm down quilt to keep us toasty warm
Wool....so thankful for the sheep who provide us with wool..

An inexpensive Humidifier......Crock Pot

This is my crock Pot

What is it doing????  

It is very cold here................BELOW ZERO.....brrrrrrrrrrrrr

Do I have a humidifier for my house?  mmmmmmm nope

Do I have the money to go and by one? mmmmmmmmmmmm nope

Do I have a crock pot? MMMMMMMMMMM  YES

Does it work for my humidifier?      YES

Did I save a lot of money?   Yes

But I do have to  fill it once a day...  it has to be very inexpensive to run...

It puts some of the much needed moist air in the house when it is so dry.

But it is not as dry with gas heat as it was when we had the wood cookstove.

But than again that one was easy....  just kept a pot of water on top of the stove

all the time.....

Boy do I miss the wood heat.  We took our wood stove out of the kitchen a few years ago....  sure do miss it.....

Nothing in the world heats the body like wood.  

So thankful

for heat

for crock pots

for water....

God is good all the time......................all the time God is good....

This is a Cheesey story......Making justo. Finnish squeaky Cheese

Corrected directions below.:

 Grandson Craig and Andrea came over to make Finnish Juusto yesterday
 squeaky cheese we also call it.

We had "Whey" to much fun...
Our history of Juusto.....
Now about this Cheese thirty some years ago we made it all the time.

Pouring curds in strainer

Finnish Cheese

When we  moved to the farm in the 70's we wanted a cow for milk. Lj wanted a Guernsey but we could not find one.
So we bought this Holstein cow. Have you ever heard of a Holstein for a family cow????  NOT
We were getting somewhere between 6-7 gallons or more of milk a day......Now that is a lot of milk for a family of five.

We made butter, made Yogurt....made ice cream, cottage chesse, and Juusto...
We moved into Finnish land  We had wonderful Finnish people all around us who were eager to share their Heritage

So since we have not had the cow for years.....(many years)  we have not made this for a long long long time.   Well really I did not think you could make it with store milk.

Talking with our neighbor next door.  Aunie shared with me that she made it all the time with her son for years with RED cap milk from the store.
RED CAP meaning whole milk.

I had a recipe yet we made on the farm but she told me how she made it and it was some what different.  So we made it her version.

Now on to Cheese.....

Fri night after a trip to town LJ and I thought we would do a run of it.  Now LJ loves loves loves this cheese.  He was beaming at the thought of making it.

It turned out great but it seems after making it once on Fri and twice on Sat it just keeps getting better.   We are getting this right.
Ok now on to the the Cheese

After it set for 45 min.  (my neighbor just keeps stirring hers at this point)

We put two gallons of milk in a stainless steel pan and let it get warm. Just lukewarm.  We are thinking 90 degrees was the best temp.  Put it on a plate warmer when you warm it on stove.    You must keep stirring.  You can not scorch the milk
 well you can.......
                       but then it is not any good for cheese.  Or anything else...

The last batch we put the cheese into a clean old white pillowcase...It worked "whey" better than the other two times . We squeezed it which was wrong.....   Once with strainer and once with Cheese cloth.   we did end up and put it from the pillowcase into cheesecloth.  It had lots and lots of "whey" over a gallon and 1/2.

Craig and Andrea scooping curds into strainer

Craig gently squeezing pillow case with cheese over a strainer and bowl which

caught the whey.  This is the step we did wrong  do not squeeze......... 

mmmmmmmmmmmm good...  Craig cutting some Cheese....  :)

OK now recipe we used

2 gal milk lukewarm...

In bowl put

4 Tabspoons salt

1 Tabspoon sugar

1 Tablespoon corn starch

 add 1 cup of Milk and stir in bowl till mixed very well. slowly add

to big pan of lukewarm milk. Stir very well

than take rennet tablet and crush it and add a little less than 1 tablespoon of water

In 45 min take a large knife and cut cheese curds in pan.

Like tic tac toe but many more.

Let sit a hour more.

Pour cheese in strainer, or cheesecloth and let the whey drain out. We put strainer in a big stainless steel bowl...take by handful and put in 10 inch pie pan...

We used a 10 inch cast iron pan  We used turkey basters, ladles to take out more whey.

We than put it in oven on broil  top shelf and watch it like a hawk. 

 Put broiler pan below cause the whey may run over into pan below.

Than we flipped it over buttered and salted the top and popped it back into the oven and browned it.......... it came out wonderful. You can sit down and eat a whey............:)

We love eating this hot......Our neighbor Arvo Hakkola used to put it in his coffee.

LJ likes it warmed up in Micro wave......Yummy

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Three gifts:

family

cheese

milk 

Seeds at Menards for 1.00

Today's Bargain:                 20 packs of seeds for a dollar.......  :)

OK every year I buy these seeds...

Never have I seen them 20 packs for a dollar.

Now how could one go wrong.......when LJ just bought a tomato small

for 3.29 cents.....???????  

do they grow?  Yes

If I get one tomato these will pay for themselves.

wow what a deal......

Am I a seed fanatic?  well maybe...but seeds do last

and the amazing thing is these are heirlooms.

Get your seeds today and watch for them.

It is  a good thing as Martha would say ...  :)

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Thankful today

For seeds

for Menards

for a car to get to town...

God is good all the time

All the time God is good.  

Making You own Laundry Soap

Today is Soap making day........

This soap is amazing and is very frugal to use and make

It really does clean the clothes.

Homemade Laundry Soap

1 bar Fels Naptha

1 cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder

You will also need a 5 gallon bucket

Grate the soap (can use grater or I used a potato peeler) and add slowly to 6 cups of boiling water in a sauce pan. heat it until the soap melts. add 1 cup of the washing soda(not baking soda) and 1/2 cup of borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add three gallons of very hot water to mixture and stir. Let sit 24 hours. I am going to bottle mine up in empty gallon jugs. Write on the jug Laundry soap so no one tries to drink it... Keep in laundry room.

This is the Fels Naptha boiling in the pot................

God is good ..................................all the time...

An angel born

Our newest great grand baby born Jan. 11 Morgan StAmour

Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy

Love love love Sundays.... A day to reflect, to praise and be thankful... A day like no other Prayers today for a very special mom who I don't even know her name.   She is carrying a baby that has her brain on the outside of her body.... Praying for a miracle..  Praying for God's will for her baby who if she cannot be saved to walk on this earth may be an organ donor for many other baby's fighting to live.  Praying for peace for this couple.  Praying for a miracle.  God you love this baby more than an anyone.  She is your child.  Mom and dad also know this.  But such a journey each kick in mom.....who has decided to carry her full term if possible.  Praise God for mom's like this....  So thankful for our pastor....who is so humble and so caring. Praise for our gathering place. Thankful for the gift of water.....the water of baptizing, the water of drinking and the water of bathing.  The water of swimming.  The rain falling down the water of new birth Of seeds bursting forth....bringing up the promise of green. Thankful for sowing.............and also for reaping.....      Amen God is good all the time......       All the time God is good..

graphic from Incredimail

Lord, help me to remember the things I ought not to forget, and to forget the things I ought not to remember.      Amen......... God is good all the time......       All the time God is good..

Jan and seeing the sun... :)

The sun has shown its beautiful face for four days in a row...............

Who does not love love love seeing Mr.  Sun...???

What a great day...but true one of the four days it was only out for a few hours.  But we will take it..

Everyone seems happier.......chipper....and smiling....

So thankful for the sunny days... Nov and Dec can be rather dark in the North
thankful for our craft group
thankful for good news...
thankful for Joyce Meyers who has spoke to my heart so many times.

This is the day that the Lord hath made let us rejoice and be glad in it.......... :)

Three more gifts given.........Beautiful Lady Superior is a big one...

Three gifts given: A Big one Lady of the Lakes
Miss Lady Superior who is so beautiful

Our dog:  who unplugged our electric blanket last night....:)

Dirty dishes:  They do have a story to tell

My Baker Boy who is one fine baker...

We they say we are in the heart of winter..

Spring is just around the corner which is a few blocks or maybe miles away...but it is there..............So thankful

Today singing:  This is the day that the Lord hath made let us rejoice and be glad in it.............
OH NO...............Singing is not my gift for sure....but a joyful noise....

God's Blessings on the day.....

Happy New Year..............SPRING????

Happy New Year..........a great year awaits.................  

It is 4 degrees outside...

Yes you are right we are not in Alabama.....but guess what I did find the spring widget and put it right on my blog over .................>
see it
it is right to the right........................................................................................> here

It was a beautiful sunny day but oh so cold out there.  We did go in tubbie and it is so cool to be outside in the snow...in the water.

11 min more day light added on to the evening...........YIPPPPPEEEEEE

Boy oh boy we sure must get bored in the winter.

We did see the new year come in...........it had a big smile on its face.  Lucky 13...

It is going to be a good year...............

Three gifts:  The gift of Grace
The gift of a new Year
The gift of sunshine....