Vinegar, Solution to Stains

Laundry stains are an unending challenge. Especially in a house full of boys - or do girls get dirty too?

I read somewhere that vinegar is a great laundry stain remover … I had just the challenge to try it on.
Two favorite white t-shirts and two favorite orange t-shirts were all stained with fresh cherry juice since last summer AND they’ve gone through numerous washings. I had relegated these favorites to home use having tried time and again with various solutions and never able to remove the stains.


So, I mixed up a vinegar solution 1/1 in a spray bottle. I have now successfully removed the stains out of the two white t-shirts and one of the orange. Repeated spritzing seems to be working on the second orange "T" until the stains are gone. The orange t’s are not loosing color either, PTL!


Our 3 yr. twins just love our cherries and, of course, they get some stains. Last summer, whenever we couldn’t find the two of them we just had to look in the orchard. The funny thing is that these cherries don’t stain everything – sometimes I can just wash it out of the fabric, other times not. Kitchen clean up after the cherries is a breeze too. It’s uncanny!


… but getting back to the laundry stain removal. I am excited about that!!!!!!!! I had planned to make the two orange "T’s" into pillows for the twins when they grow out of them giving them the long-term benefit of the Scripture message, “Behold God is … mighty in strength of understanding.” Job 36:5

A Love Like No Other

Farm List of Income Streams

Here is a peek into the inner workings of our farm. I thought I'd just jot down a list of our current farm income streams in case some of you are interested:

- organic eggs - producing, cleaning, grading & marketing of eggs from our flock of 299 layer hens plus cleaning, grading & marketing of the eggs from two other 299 layer flocks that we have under contract producing for our markets.



- pasture-raised organic poultry - we're planning to increase from 550 to 1000 birds this summer.



- organic SK. Carmine Jewel sour cherries - 1400 lbs. last year, our first year of production. This year there will likely be more, barring inclement weather. This new product is gaining a great local following quickly, though there is also the reality of a glut on the market in the forseeable future because so many orchards have been planted in recent years that will soon be in full production.

We pitted the cherries last summer using a commercial pitter, got that done in 1.5 hours and then we spent the rest of that morning packaging the pitted cherries. We took them home and froze them, so we've been selling them frozen throughout the winter. The last 250 lbs. were just spoken for by a local resturanteur yesterday.

- farmer's market - we started with the local Community Farmer's market late last summer. My loveable Farmer & a couple of our sons really enjoyed this venue selling extra organic eggs, fresh & frozen cherries plus baked goods using the cherries and my organic whole wheat bread.


... and some possibilities for the future:

- market garden produce

- pastured beef

- pastured lamb

- pastured turkeys

- bees 'n' honey

We may add more, as God leads us along this agrarian entrepreneurial journey.

What kind of income streams do you have? I invite you to share ideas with everyone reading this by leaving a comment? Thanks.

And may God add His blessings to you as well.

Behold the Art

There is beauty even in the cold.



Snow crystals hanging from the entrance to the snow cave our boys have dug this winter.

Our Creator is at work doing something He loves - creating - beauty for all the world to enjoy.



We see it in the art work on the window pane - art that is only possible due to the bitterly cold temperatures outside this winter. Do you see the horizon filled with spruce trees? (click on the picture ot enlarge it)

We see the beauty in the sunrises ...



And we see God's hand in the sunsets.

Re-cycled Money

This may be so basic you have figured it out long ago, but just in case ...

Way back when I first began teaching money concepts to my oldest when he was little I counted the cost of purchasing a set of play money with which he could learn to count money - I realized then already that I could just change that amount of money (I think it was around $10.00 back then)into small coins and keep it in a special money jar.




Periodically now, our littles get out the money jar and learn sorting skills first, then coin values and eventually they're learning to "give change".

One frugal benefit is that when we're done with needing coins for counting we can just use them - without taking a loss. In fact, it even keeps up with inflation (that's a concept for us adults, of course).

Vision Forum Coupon Offer

The folks at Vision Forum have an offer for you and everyone you know this week. The offer is good through Saturday, February 9th.



Take advantage of this yourself (even more than once if you like) and share this link with everyone you know so they can benefit too.

To God be the glory,
Darlene
...who loves to share a great offer.

Note to Farmers: This is the place where we have purchased our selection of books and the DVD by Joel Salatin featuring his own farm, PolyFace Farm.

It Was THE Perfect Day to Start Farming

Seven, in Scripture, is the number of perfect completion.

In six days, God created the universe, the world, and all that is in it, Genesis 1.

On the seventh day, God rested from His work, Genesis 2:2.

Ever after, sevens are deemed the perfect number.


Last July, was also deemed to be perfect because it's numbers were a complete series of sevens: 7-07-2007. The seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year in the 21st century.

As I was pondering that thought, recalling a babe I know that was born on that special day and reflecting on the numerous events planned specifically for that special day ... it suddenly dawned on me that inadvertently our first day into full-time farming was exactly that special day - you guessed it, 7-07-07!

All Praise and glory to God who has us in His perfect plan!

Farmer Freebie

For everyone with a hankerin' to be a farmer, the Western Producer has an offer out for one month of subscriber level access, absolutely FREE!


Explore the Western Producer website while you can ... use Coupon code 653FFB3B79.

Free Creation Videos @ AiG

Answers in Genesis has posted many of their most popular creation videos for your viewing pleasure on their site at no cost to you.

Of course, the same videos are also available for purchase.

These videos could be useful for:

* Homeschool studies
* Personal studies
* Group studies
* Instilling a Biblical Worldview

Check it out and pass it on ...

Daytipper Pays for Your Thoughts

Daytipper adds real meaning to the phrase "a penny for your thoughts."

They want you to submit helpful hints and handy tips. They'll even pay you 300 pennies for your thoughts - at least for every one they publish.

Any topic qualifies. Jennifer from iMommies said it best "...from saving money to spending money, from raising kids to raising goats (pun intended), from cleaning house to throwing parties…and everything above, below, and in between." Thanks for the heads-up on this one iMommies.

Each tip needs to be 500 characters or less (note: that is characters not words).
That's not long at all - in fact it shouldn't be long. So for a little bit of writing you can get paid to share your thoughts.

The stats indicate that one out of ten tips submitted are published.