Independence Day

I really should work on posting more than once a year. OK, I'll try not to make this post miles long, but I have so much to update you with! 

Last I posted we were leaning towards Northern California. We were house and job hunting in the Redding area. I really loved it there. But then, somehow we were house and job hunting in Oregon. Around Baker City. There was a for sale by owner online that we fell in love with. It was perfect. Everything we were looking for. House, outbuildings, fruit and nut trees, about 50 acres, water, huge garden...perfect.

In February Darran got an interview for a mechanic position in Baker City. His parents were headed to California on a sort of meandering vacation, so they agreed to take him to his interview and then back to Boise to fly home. We were full of hope. I had already started to fall in love with the idea of Oregon.

On the way to the interview they stopped by the homestead we'd been looking at online. It's quite amazing what people can do with pictures. Quite amazing. It was NOTHING like we'd hoped. He said it was in fact, quite a dump. Le sigh.

Next, he went to the job interview. He had been talking to these people for a couple months before he took the leap to go all the way out there for an interview. The interview went OK, but he didn't feel like things were quite right. He got a job offer, but didn't want to take it.

Before he'd left our son had said, "Please get this job so we can finally move Dad." I think that was tugging at his heart. Pretty sure come hell or high water Darran was not coming home without a job. He just couldn't shake the feeling that the Baker City job wasn't right though.

He and his parents explored Baker City a little. Looked at a couple other places for sale. Looked at some rentals. Things still didn't feel right to him.

They headed towards Boise a little early because Darran was over Baker City. On the way they stopped at an ag equipment dealer near the Oregon/Idaho border. Darran went in and asked if they were hiring. He talked to the guy there for a while and he sent Darran's info to the main boss (who was in the Boise area). 

Off they went towards the airport, not expecting to hear back. It had been pretty random. Darran was to fly out the next morning, so they thought they'd explore Boise a bit. Then, before they even got to Boise, Darran got a call. They wanted an interview ASAP. Before Darran flew out!

The interview went amazingly well. Darran felt like THIS was the right company for him. The main boss told him that he would let him know in a couple days. He asked Darran if he had a preference which store he worked out of (they have stores all over Idaho and even in Oregon and Washington), Darran said he didn't. It may sound crazy, but if he got the job we prepared to go wherever they sent us.

Darran flew home.

Long story long, I suppose, Darran got the job and was placed in the Idaho Falls store.

Whoa. FINALLY! We were moving. To Idaho Falls? Here, I should let you know that I'd never even been to Idaho at this point.

I love the falls. One of our favorite things to do is walk the river.

We madly began packing. We browsed houses online and pondered what to do about our current house. Darran and I took a trip out to Idaho Falls to look at houses and let me at least SEE where we'd be moving. Though I was already all in. He loved it, I would to. Things just felt right to both of us.

Then, we got word that they wanted Darran in Idaho sooner than was first discussed. He wound up throwing his tools in our truck and leaving me to finish things with the Colorado house.

THAT was more than I bargained for. I had gone through most of OUR stuff, but that wasn't even the tip of the iceberg. You see, we were living in a house that his great grandfather built. Then it was his grandfathers, then his fathers, then his. NO one ever cleaned all their crap out of that place. Every attic, basement, shed, crook, and cranny was filled with 5 generations of Olkjer stuff. 

Pretty much this. The whole time. 

My family really stepped up and helped me go through everything. It was pretty nuts. Oh the treasures we found (I can't find the pics I took. I'll post them if I find them.). Oh the trash we found. It was kind of fun, but more so a lot of work.

The plan was I'd stay until the house sold. But...I couldn't stand being away from Darran. I made it 3 weeks (including spending Easter and Darran's birthday apart) and then I loaded the kids up and bolted.

I left the house before even getting it listed. Yep, it's not even on the market as I'm writing this. You see, with all the family history of that place, we had always hoped someone in Darran's family would buy it. Well, I found out that Darran's parents really wanted to. I won't go into all the details, but we decided to give them some time to work things out.

The trip for the kids and I out to Idaho was horrible. Let's just say Wyoming is no longer my friend. There was a horrible storm, accidents, scariest drive of my life. Then, we got to Idaho. It all melted away and we were home!

Crazy as it sounds it is home. Already.

My new kitchen the first day we moved in. Our rental house is small, but really nice.

People have asked me how we could leave beautiful Colorado, leave our families, leave that cute little small town, leave our amazing home, leave our history... But what most don't see is what it was like for us. What it was like to live somewhere that not only did everyone know your life history, but the life history of all your people. I can't speak for Darran, but no one ever knew me there. They knew what they thought I was. They pre-judged me. I was never me. I was my past, my family, my husband, my husband's family. It hasn't felt like home to me since childhood and after everything that had happened the last year I was more than done.

I cannot express to you how amazing things are since the move. Yes, we wound up in a little rental waiting for the house situation to resolve, but I'm me. I'm home. It feels as if the entire slate of my life has been wiped clean and I can write on it whatever I want.

Happy Independence Day. I've been celebrating for weeks. :)

Anywhere in the World

A huge thank you to everyone for your supportive comments on my last blog post (and over on my facebook)! It was rough for a bit, but we have dusted ourselves off and are hopeful for an even brighter future.

Homestead Hunting

Once we got our feet back under us we started discussing where we'd like to go from here. We joked that we should just blindfold ourselves and throw 3 darts at the map on the wall and start there. 

At first it was a bit overwhelming that we could go anywhere, but now it's an amazing thought. We can really go anywhere! That's pretty awesome.

We've poured over Zillow and Trulia. We first started looking in Montana and Idaho. Then, and I'm not exactly sure how it happened, we started looking in California and Oregon.

In fact, the end of August, we took a trip out to California and looked at houses. Darran interviewed for a couple of jobs out there. I pretty much fell in love with Northern California.

As September is quickly coming to a close we still don't know exactly where we're going, but we're excited to find out. I'm really looking forward to the move, the change, the adventure!

The second our house sells we're off. 

Grow Your Own Update

Oh yes, and even though we had a frost June 14th and didn't plant anything in the ground until June 15th, had major hail, and had a frost September 11th...

Cauliflower

Rutabaga

Green Cauliflower

Tomatoes (in all the craziness of the summer and shuffling around of plants we have no idea what any of the varieties are.)

Peppers

Cabbage

We have still managed to get some things to grow! 

Aside from what is pictured we've also got several varieties of squash, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, and (fingers crossed) sweet potatoes.

I'm even more excited for next spring and being settled somewhere. Though they've been tough, we have learned so much the last couple of years. I'm excited to put that knowledge to use and see just how much of our own food we can grow!

Our dreams are still firmly intact. We have each other. We have hope. Life is good.

When Life Knocks You On Your Ass...

Please forgive the frankness of this post. I've dreaded writing it, but feel I must. I'm telling our story here and this is part of it.

Since my last update Darran and I had been working out little tails off. We hauled the wind tower and other necessities up to the house spot. We plowed, disked (disced? how does one even spell that?), hauled manure, and built a fence like Fort Knox around the garden. I did my best keeping all the bazillion plants alive in the greenhouse while they awaited planting. We worked on plans for the house and began pricing things like permits and concrete for the basement. All the while working to keep an income flow to finance this adventure.

And then... Darran's family pulled the plug. 

You see, we had been given permission to build on a remote portion of Darran's family ranch. I am not sure if I'd shared that here previously. Anyway, after six months of working our butts off they decided that perhaps we would bother the hunters that pay to hunt at the ranch every year.

So, we're out. Just like that.

This was a few weeks ago. I've gone from feeling bone-crushing sadness, to feeling numb and lost, to eating my feelings (old habits die hard), to being extremely angry and wanting to do childish things like plant "Fuck You" in dandelion seeds at the spot our garden was to be... 

My heart is broken, but my spirit, my determination, my drive, my hope, my dreams... they are miraculously intact.

Life has very much so knocked us on our asses. We are still working on brushing ourselves off and standing back up. I realize this is all pretty personal stuff and I'm trying not to totally over-share here, but I don't want to abandon this blog (or the dreams it's drenched in) and so I'm keeping it real.

Where now? 

Well, we planted most of the plants from the greenhouse here (much later than we should have). We are thankful that we did not sell this house as we had been very close to doing and we are thankful that we hadn't spent more money on things out there (we were so close to digging the basement and pouring concrete). 

We're also house hunting in Idaho and Montana. We are thinking it may be time for our little family to branch out on our own.

Dreams do come true. I still believe that and I'm sort of clinging to it right now.

Gluten-Free, Paleo-Friendly Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Darran's birthday was last week. Being the ever-organized, ever-together wife that I am I had a beautiful all-Paleo birthday dinner of steak, collard greens, and sweet potatoes followed by scrumptiously decadent Paleo cupcakes planned weeks in advance...

OK, I'm lying. I freaked out because I had forgotten it was his birthday and whipped up the delicious dinner and dessert in a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, what-the-heck-do-I-have-in-the-pantry sort of way.

However, the cupcakes turned out AMAZING and I thought I'd share!

A quick note on Paleo treats: I feel like the Paleo treat recipes have gotten insane lately on the internets. I just want to point out that while we do indulge in things like this on occasion, it is just on occasion. A recipe like this we will have maybe twice a year. Especially me personally while I'm trying to lose the baby weight. If you have blood sugar issues, or are trying to lose weight, Paleo treat recipes aren't exactly your friend. 

OK, on to the delightfully delicious cupcakes ;)...

Paleo Black & White Cupcakes
7 eggs (organic, pastured are best)
1 cup organic canned coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen)
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
1/3 cup organic virgin coconut oil gently melted (I like NOW Foods)
1 tsp organic vanilla
3/4 cup organic cocoa powder (I like NOW Foods for this as well)
1/2 cup organic coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Beat eggs with an electric mixer (I've seriously got to invest in a stand mixer soon). Add in coconut milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Add in remaining dry ingredients until combined. Add paper liners to a muffin tin and fill a little more than half-way with batter. 

Bake at 350 degrees 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. This recipe will make 16 to 18 cupcakes.

We do occasional dairy, especially in treat recipes like this. I frost these cupcakes with this:

 Real-Food Whipped Cream
1 cup organic, grass-fed whipping cream
1 Tablespoon grade B maple syrup

Whip the cream with a mixer until fluffy then add the maple syrup and mix until just combined. I chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer prior to using them to mix this, I think it helps the whipped cream set-up better.

Now, let's all just agree to never figure the calorie count on one of these...

Feel free to share links to my posts or to pin them, but do not re-post my full recipes on your blog, Pinterest, Tumblr, recipe sharing sites, or any other website (or publication). Please understand that blogging is my livelihood.

Our "Grow Your Own" Experiment

Over the next two years (2014 and 2015) we are setting out to find out just how much of our own food we can produce.

We began working towards this 3 years ago:  

In the beginning of 2011, Darran and I sat down and took a hard look at our lives. Instead of just letting life bump us along we decided we wanted to live more deliberately. On purpose. 

Darran had been working very long hours at a job that would not provide any long-term financial security for us. While he was away at said job our children were growing up. He deeply wanted to be more present, more involved. We missed him. 

What we decided was that we wanted to live our lives differently. We truly wanted our family to be the center of our priorities. 

Around the same time we began devouring Joel Salatin's books. We watched Food Inc together and I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. These things called to us, brought back memories of childhood, and stirred something deep inside. We began having a strong urge to make different food choices. Choices so different that they would change our lifestyle, not just our grocery shopping. 

We both grew up in rural areas. In farming and ranching communities. Our long term plan had always been to have land and return to that lifestyle with our children. But why not start? Right then, where we were, with what we had? Why not live our lives the way we wanted?

We decided to LIVE our priorities.

You can read about some of our misadventures and learning experiences over on my old blog 4 Acres Farm. Over those 3 years on our little 4 Acres we learned a lot and now that we will finally have more room we are ready to go all in!

Just how much of our own food can we grow/raise? We're ready to find out.

Currently, our plans include:

1. A huge garden. Focusing on heirloom varieties. Brimming with everything from squash, to tomatoes, to greens, to root vegetables...
2. Berries. We're going to attempt strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Possibly more.
3. Wild foods like berries, herbs, and whatever else we can forage. Wild foods are very nutritious and I plan to tap into that.
4. Pastured laying chickens (which we already have, but will be adding more) and expanding into meat birds and possibly turkeys.
5. Grass-fed cattle (which we have) and a milk cow.
6. Indoor mini citrus in containers.
7. Herbs.
8. Grass-fed buffalo.
9. Bees.

Currently my table is covered in plants.
Starting them inside early is key to beating our uber short growing season.

At just above 7,000 feet in elevation there are obviously things we will not attempt (some just won't grow here and some, like nuts, we may try eventually) and will be excluding from the experiment. These include:

1. Coffee and tea.
2. Chocolate.
3. Nuts.
4. Coconut products.
5. Oils.
6. Certain spices and herbs.
7. Fish.

Everything else we hope to be producing for ourselves within the next 2 years! We realize this is a huge commitment, but we are excited for this adventure. It's a labor of love and we are truly all in.

I've added a menu tab labelled "Grow Your Own" so this series of posts will be together in one spot for anyone interested.

Every. Single. Sprout is like a little miracle. I hope this never gets old.

Just how much of our own food can we produce? Can we feed ourselves? We're about to find out. 

Wish us luck!

Super Easy Recipe: Slow Cooker Applesauce

Growing up we called it a Crock Pot. My mom always had a Crock Pot, as an adult I had a Crock Pot, it was a Crock Pot. It was actually not until I was in my 30's that I heard the term "slow cooker". OH, so that's what it is...

But around here, you'll still hear us call it a Crock Pot. We also call tissues Kleenexes. I can't be the only one?!

Anyways, I decided this time around to make all of my own baby food. It's honestly more convenient for me. Good organic, no sugar, no grains, baby food is scarce unless I drive an hour. I prefer to just prepare things we eat. It works for us.

This recipe is delicious and not just for babies! The whole family will love it. Promise.

Slow-Cooker Applesauce
3 lbs organic apples - any variety that isn't too tart. I used Gala here. I like to play around and try different type of apples, even combining several. This can also be a great way to use apples that have been on the counter almost too long.

Wash, peel, core, and rough chop the apples. My goats and chickens don't mind if I'm not too precise here since they get the scraps!

Add apples to your slow cooker and set to low.

 Cook for 3 to 4 hours. Slow cookers will vary so you may want to try this recipe for the first time when you can be home to watch it. The time may need adjusted or you may even need to add some water. My Crock Pot is perfect with just the apples cooked on low for just over 3 hours.

Once the apples are done (easily mashed with a fork) I blend well with my immersion blender.

You can add a sprinkle of cinnamon here if you'd like. I haven't tried that with Baby O. yet, so right now I just make it plain.

Yep, that's really it! One ingredient. Perfection.

This recipe makes about 24 ounces. It's just right for our family for a week. There's 8 ounces for Baby O. and 16 ounces for the boys (if your family is big on applesauce you may want to double this). We store this in the refrigerator and it's generally gone within the week. You could also freeze portions in an ice cube tray if you're making this strictly for your baby.

What's your favorite super easy Crock Pot recipe??

The First 6 Weeks

It's been 6 weeks since my last what's-going-on-around-here update?! Appropriately so my last life update was titled Calm Before the Storm. My intuition was right on there!

If we're Facebook friends you've heard bits and pieces of what's been going on, but I'll elaborate here. Darran got a job hauling off scrap iron and junk for an estate. We expected it to be a 3 week job, but it turned into a 6 week job. Unfortunately this means he didn't make as much money on it as we'd hoped, BUT he did come home with many a treasure that we are going to need (and paid the bills and we should have enough leftover to buy sawmill blades and maybe a bit more, so woohoo!).

He's brought home everything from a wind turbine, to sawmill parts, to windows, to a back-up generator. It's been amazing! One man's trash...

However, he's been working long days, 6 or 7 days a week. This has left him pretty exhausted and left most everything around here to me. On top of my usual homeschooling, house-cleaning, 4 kid-wrangling, laundry-doing, blogging, cooking, and general mom-ing I had a lot to get started on for our spring and summer plans to go off without a hitch. It's been a tough 6 weeks, but I know it's only for a season and we've kept focused on the gorgeous light at the end of this tunnel.

When the seed and poultry catalogs show up I start pining for spring!

The first task at hand for me was garden planning. (I'll try to get a more elaborate post on that up soon. It's quite the different affair planning to try to entirely feed your family.) I ordered seeds. Ok, and ordered seeds, and ordered seeds. I have a bit of a seed-buying problem.

I also ordered sweet potato plants. They won't ship until May, and it seems people say it's impossible to grow them here. I guess I just don't know any better so I'll just grow them. I was super excited to find purple ones!

We had a cold snap the first week of February and were having lows of 15 to 20 below (and highs of 5?!). Keeping everyone with non-frozen water during that time was quite a trick. Ellie and Fiona as well as the chickens stayed in their houses most of that time. I don't blame them, I did the same.

Once the weather warmed up all the animals were feeling feisty. 

Ellie and Fiona decided while Darran was away was the perfect timing to be little twerps.

As Darran was often gone past dark it was sometimes my job to do evening chores. A few nights my sweet little angels decided they in fact did not want to go in their house. They proceeded to run off through the thick brush juuust far enough ahead that I couldn't get their collars. 

Ellie and Fiona weren't the only ones that decided to take this opportunity to run-a-muck. Goldie (ever the one that wants to be in the yard no matter the weather) chose to take every opportunity to sneak out while the boys fed the chickens. She'd immediately bolt to the yard and hide in the lilac bush or cedar tree where we couldn't get to her.

Much cardio was accomplished on wild goat/chicken chases.

Though it still looks like this outside, my mind is already on planting time.

We fully understand that we're up against a short growing season here and I've been researching like crazy and asking for advice from my garden guru Facebook friends. Aside from just getting as much out of what we do plant we also plan to grow many things that most people don't even try in this area, so I'm seeking out all the gardening hacks I can find. I've also found it a challenge to figure out how much to grow to feed our family.

I was ridiculously excited at the first sprout of the year! It feels like the new beginning that it is.

As part of that season-extending I started planting seeds in February. So far I've planted several varieties of tomatoes (144 plants, but who's counting?), peppers, and a few eggplant. I also planted some marigolds because they're great to plant around the garden to discourage pests. 

Next I'll be planting cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Followed by melons (Everyone I have asked says I'm nuts, I'm OK with that. Just wait for pics of watermelons and cantaloupes next fall. I know they'll be here!), tons of squash varieties, cucumbers, and pumpkins. 

Hopefully everything else can fare well enough planted directly in the ground. Pretty sure my house will be jam-packed with plants by May as it is.

Valentine's Day came and went. Darran brought me presents. He gets me.

I've also been working on drawing out the house plans. It is much tougher to design a small house than a large one I've decided. We want a smaller house for many reasons, I'll keep working at it!

Darran took a beef down to slaughter (in his spare time, ha!) and we now have 620 lbs of our own home-grown, grass-fed beef in the freezer. Depending on how our other efforts go, that will hopefully last us a year+.

The chickens have also decided it's spring and are laying around 9 eggs a day. At least I know we'll have beef and eggs!

Red is thoroughly done with winter and enjoying the sunny days playing in the mud. I hate to tell her we're likely to get snow through May.

Normally we're big on gradual sun exposure. However, as Baby O. is very fair and all of our sun exposure is about to go up exponentially with all the outdoor work we have coming up, so I ordered ingredients to make my own sunscreen. I'll post the recipe as soon as I get it figured out.

I also ordered new running shoes and put a race on my May calendar. Because, why not? OK, it seems like a lot, but running is my stress relief.

I posted this on my Facebook after only the first week: 

People have asked me a lot lately how I do everything I do. My answer: my husband. Lol, he's amazing and we make a good team. And this week? With him gone so much? This mama needs a NAP! 

It's been a long 6 weeks. We're tired, but we're smiling.

Darran is off working on the sawmill right now and I'm sipping coffee, writing, planning for the week ahead, and listening to the baby monitor and the boys drawing at the table. Life is amazing. We are grateful.