North Carolina

[HenThymes]

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Where in MI, besides being from FL I am also from MI. Most of my fathers side of the family is still there in a little town called Cassopolis (sw corner).

 

[AllyRodrigues]

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Sounds like you are well on your way!! Have you pitched to feed stores, country stores? Farmers market? My Mom and I were just talking about learning how to make jam for Christmas gifts...Is there a Meetup Group for what you do??

Do you enter anything in the fair? Even if not, could you do flyers or a demonstration?


Does your husband work in construction now or is that what he does on the side? You can PM me if you want..

 

[sjmarshall87]

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Wow...what a loaded question. I guess the best way to answer that was I grew up a Military "Brat" and spent my first 8 years living in Scotland (aside from being born in CA...but I was only there 2 days, so that doesn't count...lol) then came to the US and bounced around about every 6-12months depending on where my daddy was stationed. Finally my senior year of HS, my daddy retired from the military (GO NAVY SEALS!!) and we moved to Ohio to be with my granddaddy who was succumbing to Parkinson's Disease. Finished HS, College, Taught in College & HS, went on to finish Grad School in Ohio (GO BUCKEYES...hehe) and then got married (ut oh...to the youngest!!), went on a honeymoon and came back to Ohio to start house hunting only to find out we're being transferred....moved down here for DH's job transfer and found out I was pregnant (yay honeymoon?!?)...all in the span of oh...a month of living in NC!! LOL There MUST be something in the air!!

I'd love to go to the fair, but DH HATES crowds and says the fair will be too crowded (I think he's just too nervous for DD...it's cute). Aside from that we will be out by the fair as I am taking my sewing machine in for updates and service (since I abuse it so much). I will be with you all at the fair in spirit!!

On a side note: NEVER EVER EVER teach your child to sign "egg"!!

DD wakes up this morning and I ask her how she is doing...rather than telling me anything she signs "eat, egg, please" and proceeds to run to her chair and sign please....I think I've created a MONSTER!!

ETA: GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

your DD sounds adorable! Does she sign because of a disability or just because of age.. I was attempting to teach my son some sign language but not knowing it myself we were both learning at the same time and wasnt working well

 

[sjmarshall87]

one of my very dear friends is in the VA hospital in Fayetteville. Found out the other day. I guess he is doing better but still in tremendous pain. They seem to think that one of the tests they ran links all his pain to Crones Disease but still no positive answers. I, being the one that LOVES cooking, offered to make him something hot.. Of course the VA doesn't allow the outside food to the ward he is in

. He is on a very restrictive diet. Apparently Broth and Jello for now.. Trying to clear out his body of everything and slowly reintroduce everything to see if it is food related. He is also borderline alcoholic so I am thinking some of the pain may not even be disease related... I think SOME of it could be the withdrawals. It a bummer to see people I care about hurting

On another note.. my DH finally came home last night!

BUT without our car.

I had woken up at about 5 am and went into panic. The last time I had spoke to him was 1130 when he said he was only about 1 hr out. Well turns out his car is parked on the side of 95 somewhere

Right this moment.. neither myself NOR my husband have a car. when it rains it pours.. Luckily, we have more darling friends that will allow us to borrow their truck while they are away in Ashville on business and another friend loaning us their trailer to make the pickup. My husbands new job is to spend the next 4 days working on BOTH of our vehicles! Things happen for a reason. I guess this is to show my hubby that we cannot function with one car!

My DS is hitting the terrible 2's and my patients level is worn very thin!

Why is it that 2 yr olds have to push the limits?

I still havent heard about my mothers sewing machine. I like to pride myself on being a very patient person but now I am getting impatient!

I know, I know! When someone is giving you something you cant behave the way I am BUT I just want my machine! I can go and purchase one brand new for $189!!! Of course it isn't going to be anything fancy or special but it will be mine

I think I will call her later today

She had mentioned a package for her grandson too and have to find out where she is sending it

my house or our po box..?? Maybe she already sent the machine and I don't even know it yet!

Lastly my girls gave me 6 eggs yesterday! Getting closer and closer to that 27 count!

 

[vfem]

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Aww... can't go Saturday as hubby and I have to work.

However, we are going on Monday morning. They're having the apple recipe contest I signed up for. So I'll be at the fair Monday starting at 9:30 am to drop off my entry, and the judging is at 11am. I'm sure the DD and I will stay for food and fun until at least 1 or 2 pm.

Anyone going Monday let me know!

 

[vfem]

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Sounds like you are well on your way!! Have you pitched to feed stores, country stores? Farmers market? My Mom and I were just talking about learning how to make jam for Christmas gifts...Is there a Meetup Group for what you do??

Do you enter anything in the fair? Even if not, could you do flyers or a demonstration?


Does your husband work in construction now or is that what he does on the side? You can PM me if you want..

I actually teach a private jam class, we come to you and for $150 we teach your group of 5 ($30 per person) right at your location. We bring all the supplies so no up front investment from anyone taking the class in case they decide not to pursue it. Around here most classes are $50 per person with a list of required item you have to prebuy and bring. We also set it up and make the class a theme if its a special occasion, like an up coming wedding... ect.

I have flyers up for the classes and what we have available in Fuquay, and some in Holly Springs right now. I'm too busy to sit at the farmers market these days. I did have one of the farms I worked with take them for me, but this year hasn't been good for them and Dave, the owner, is having physical problems so he has been wholesaling to others to take his stuff to the market for him. I was incredibly sick this summer (everyone here was so awesome to deal with that hard time with me) and wasn't able to create enough product to wholesale or discount to them like I usually do. So we had to skip stocking them this year. We'll try again next spring when they open again.

I did have a suggestion to open an actual storefront, however it will cost me $85k-100k easy to get a location, remodel, stock, ect ect. I of course could still wholesale. But getting the kitchen built for wholesale only on my own property would only cost $35-40k to get me going. And my husband does want to work for me doing orders, delivery and invoicing. He knows this whole state like the back of hand... he's worked for 2 companies doing nothing but driving from location to location!

Anyways, hubby worked construction for YEARS... he's doing landscape stuff now. But I've been applying to jobs for him in construction again. I recently saw one for the work he used to do quoting and repairing metal roofs... but they wants him to know ALL roofing materials and siding, ect. He knows about 90% of what the job calls for... he's hoping that's enough to get his foot in the door.

sadly, everything I've applied to for his has not written back, or wrote back to say they wanted 'more' experience or would state its contract only/insurance required. I canceled his insurance and I'm done with this up front cost work!

 

[NewHomesteader2010]

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She is learning to sign for several reasons, one is because her grandmother (my MIL) is partially deaf (can only hear out of one ear) and communicating with her can be a challenge at times. Let's just say when she visits...there is no such thing as a QUIET moment!!

The other reason we're teaching her to sign is because I had a course in college (Child Development - or some crazy course like that) that stated learning sign language can not only help cognitive development but also motor skills, coordination and most importantly (to me at least) lessen the frustration children experience in the gap between knowing what they want/need and the ability to articulate it with words. I don't know a lot of words/sentences in SL, but one site that I found to be extremely helpful was: http://www.signingsavvy.com/ - they have a person showing you a video of a certain sign - MUCH easier to learn than trying to decipher what an image in a book is saying (IMHO). We're one of those WEIRD people who plan to teach our children a whole bunch of stuff, like Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew and possibly even Arabic, as well as homesteading, weaving, carpentry (for the boys...girls if they're interested), basic life skills, sewing (boys MUST know how to at least sew on a button and do a patch/mend job!!) on top of the usual schooling and art/music. LoL...seems like a lot, but when you think about how much we do on a daily basis that fits into these categories, it's not so bad!! Again, I warned you that we were WERID....perhaps I should have said CRAZY!!

VFem - I may be going sometime during the week next week...I'll have to let you know!!

Still trying to get DH to go with me though!!

 

[AllyRodrigues]

NewHomesteader, I think it's fabulous to teach your children all that! I think most of us will agree that the younger generations are not at all self-sufficient, except for that rare case. Our son is 4 and already helps my husband out when he does handyman jobs and knows quite a bit about it! He also is learning Portuguese (my husband's first language) and is starting to cook and garden with me..You are doing your children a great service!

 

[Jloeffler]

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x2! I get free podcasts all the time for my kids to listen to in the car. They've learned some Spanish, Mandarine Chinese and Gaelic (my choice on that one

) it is so much easier for them to learn the foundations at a young age and I totally agree with all the life skills. I say teach the girls the woodworking skills too! Several times there were things I wanted to do with the chicken coops but I have NO idea how to use power tools. Since I have a serious attachment to my appendages I was forced to wait until DH came home and ask for help. When he gets time... That would be just shy of never at the rate we're going!

SJM: I am sorry to hear about your friend! I hope he is okay. My MIL and SIL both have Crones and have learned to live with it so I hope that he can too.

HT: I was born and raised in Saginaw, MI. Looking at the back of your left hand (you know how Michiganders give directions

) its just beneath where the thumb and first finger come together. I have family in Wolverine (near Mackinac Island - which is where I got married, during lilac season too! It was awesome!) , St. Charles (small farming), Dearborn, and other places. I'm not familiar with your hometown, but I'm from the other side. You had a bunch of really nice lakes over where you're from. I knew people who vacationed over there. I don't miss the snow one bit!

 

[NewHomesteader2010]

Wow... JL I know where Saginaw is!! My family is in a small rural town just outside of Toledo (which I must say I giggled at your "Holy Toledo" reference...at least now I know why). How cool is that? We're neighbors x2!! As for loving your appendages, I completely understand & agree!! Although DH did teach to me to use a miter saw, so I did all the angles to our barn (except when the angles weren't within the normal range). He offered to teach me to use the table saw...but I was too scared!!

Now you must explain why Gaelic (my DH is Scottish so that is near/dear to us)...I didn't know they had "lessons" for that...see now you all are just enabling me just as bad with languages as chickens!!

I think DH is going to see that chickens are going to be cheaper!!

Ally - How cool!! I wanted to learn Portuguese (my Spanish instructor was "half & half" - as she called herself. Her mother was Portuguese & her father was from Madrid!!) but it wasn't offered. I may have to add that to my list!!

You all are too kind and sweet!!

g DD already helps me in the kitchen and even "pushes" a broom (one of those dusters) around when I am sweeping the floors. We also have floor mopping "parties" where she helps me (I use the term help lightly...she plays in the water more-so than anything) mop the floors...the old fashioned way - on my hands & knees....although in another 3 months, I may forgo that and take up the steamer again...

I never thought about her helping me cook...so thank you!!

You all are full of great ideas!!

SMJ - our thoughts and prayers go out to your friend who is suffering... Pooh on the hospital for not allowing a good home cooked meal (although I do understand their rationale)!! You were so thoughtful and kind to offer that...perhaps when he moves out of what sounds like ICU he will be allowed some good cooking (everyone know hospital food is nearly as toxic as being IN the hospital!!)

Okay...so either I am having a HUGE hormonal flux with being pregnant (a possibility) or someone turned up the heat!! LOL Our house (no heat/ac on) is reading almost 80 degrees .... it is October!! I guess us Yankees aren't use to this kind of weather...it's "winter" already in Ohio!! LOL and my poor dear dear husband is from Wisconsin....so to him NC's winters are just WI's springs!!

On top of it all...only 2 BEAUTIFULLY DARK Maran eggs this morning...which are HUGE compared to the others. Needless to say, the chickens have been released from captivity and are LOVING it!!

I am loving the lack of spiders crawling across my shoes as I walk around our yard!!

Spiders...nasty creatures!!