tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15262796089283461832024-03-13T13:14:08.855-07:00Happy Jack FarmsHappy Jack Farms; Where the past meets the present.
We are a back-to-basics family. We raise chickens, goats, cats, and dogs. Someday a few cows and sheep. We are working towards being a self-sustaining family using God-given resources the way He intended.
Follow us and find out what's new at Happy Jack Farms!!happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-52934700440383577012013-07-06T12:52:00.002-07:002013-07-06T12:53:29.806-07:00Trash to Treasure<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I love Bohemian-style clothing. Recently I've been buying vintage lace and linens to make my own. While out shopping with my mom yesterday, I found a great new store in our local college town of Carbondale. Oh My Goodness. I hit the mother load. I got some great vintage clothing for 1.00. I'll tear these into long strips to make layers for my skirts. I'll post picture as they come together. I've already got a pair of jeans that I've take the inseams our of and sewed the back closed. I'll fill the front slit with awesome linens and lace and vintage clothes strips. Pix to follow.</span>happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-27925988242209109482013-06-20T14:43:00.002-07:002013-06-20T14:43:23.131-07:00Blogging Between Loads of LaundryI love doing laundry. I love looking out my window and seeing the clothes hanging on the line. I love the way the clothes and sheets smell. Tonight will be clean sheet night. One of my favorite nights of the week. I usually do the sheets and blankets on Friday, but I won't be home tomorrow. I'm spending the day with my grandbabies and my mom.<br />
<br />
The one thing I don't like about doing laundry is putting the stuff away. I love how it all looks when it's put away. I just don't like the tediousness of putting it there. It's piece work and I'm not so good at that. I lack the patience to do it. However, this is one way I can work on building my patience and I love the end product. AND it doesn't really hurt all that much.<br />
<br />
So, as the buzzer on my washing machine goes off, yet again, I rest my fingers from typing and head out the door to fill my clothesline with fresh, clean clothes; washed in my home made laundry detergent and smell the sweet fragrance in the air. I enjoy being a girl.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Df879m5oyLw/UcN27P240AI/AAAAAAAAADs/JHbSETR4Cyk/s1600/everything+175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Df879m5oyLw/UcN27P240AI/AAAAAAAAADs/JHbSETR4Cyk/s320/everything+175.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Laundry on the line<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4XNRPjeGEI/UcN3WPCkGVI/AAAAAAAAAD0/wxB3cg_Ow4o/s1600/everything+174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4XNRPjeGEI/UcN3WPCkGVI/AAAAAAAAAD0/wxB3cg_Ow4o/s320/everything+174.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
Cute little clothespin bag I made.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-59279141028554262262013-01-14T09:37:00.002-08:002013-01-14T09:37:48.880-08:00Home Made Dog TreatsOne of the things I do to generate some extra income for our family is doing craft shows. My best sellers are always my dog treats. Our dog treats are healthy and nutritious for your dogs. They are made with all-natural ingredients that you would find in your own food. Although I've never tried them myself, they must be good because our dogs love them. I can get them to do anything I want if Happy Jack Farms Dog Treats are the reward--and they know the word 'treat'. All of the treats have been named after dogs the family has or has had. Today, I thought I would share the recipe of my best seller. I guess folks just like the ingredients in this dog treat, but I always seem to run out of them. Please do not eat these yourself. Ha!<br />
<br />
Ubu Bites<br />
<br />
2 cups flour<br />
3 tablespoons vegetable oil<br />
1 cup wheat germ or cornmeal if allergic to wheat<br />
1 egg, beaten<br />
1/2 cup chicken broth<br />
2 teaspoon parsley<br />
1/2 teaspoon garlic<br />
1 cup cooked and chopped chicken livers<br />
<br />
Combine flour and wheat germ. In a separate bowl, beat egg with oil, then add broth, parsley, and garlic. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to bowl a little at a time. Fold in chicken livers and mix well. Dough will be firm. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until all ingredients are well incorporated. Roll out to 1/2" thick and cut into desired shapes. Place on parchment paper on cookie sheet about 1" apart. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Store in refrigerator or freeze.<br />
<br />
Let me know what your dogs think of these treats.happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-91610232596099923862013-01-14T08:52:00.000-08:002013-01-14T09:00:15.932-08:00Daily DevotionsI admit it. I'm usually late. This makes me a little crazy because I hate knowing people are waiting on me. It's disrespectful because it sends them the message that I don't value their time. I don't usually do New Year Resolutions, but if I were going to make one, I would resolve to be on time. It seems I always find one more thing to do around the house. Can you relate? There is always something that can be done. For people like me, who can't sit for long periods of time for fear of feeling unproductive, there is always something else to do. I leave the house with the thought that--I'll get to that when I get home. By this time, I'm already 5-10 minutes behind. I know 5-10 minutes may not seem like much, but if someone is waiting on you, it's 5-10 minutes too long. If you fit into this group too, resolve, like me, to be 5-10 minutes early from now on. If you are one of those who are up to 20-30 minutes late, resolve to begin with 5-10 minutes. Eventually, you will catch up and be on time. Take baby-steps. In fact, whether you fit into this group or not, find one thing to change about yourself this year and take baby-steps to get you there. Concentrate on that one thing. By the end of the year, even if you aren't completely where you wanted to be, at least you are not where you were. Don't get discouraged when you slip and things don't go the way you want them to. Just start from where you are. Each day is a new day to try again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="VRSONEdd" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22.671875px; margin-left: 51px; margin-right: 17px; text-indent: -49px;">
but t<a href="http://m.bible.cc/isaiah/40-31.htm" style="color: #001320; text-decoration: initial;">hose who hope in (wait on) the <span class="nivsmallcaps">Lord</span></a></div>
<div class="TXTTWO" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22.671875px; margin-left: 51px; margin-right: 10px; text-indent: -17px;">
<a href="http://m.bible.cc/isaiah/40-31.htm" style="color: #001320; text-decoration: initial;">will renew their strength.</a></div>
<div class="TXTONE" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22.671875px; margin-left: 51px; margin-right: 10px; text-indent: -34px;">
<a href="http://m.bible.cc/isaiah/40-31.htm" style="color: #001320; text-decoration: initial;">They will soar on wings like eagles;</a></div>
<div class="TXTTWO" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22.671875px; margin-left: 51px; margin-right: 10px; text-indent: -17px;">
<a href="http://m.bible.cc/isaiah/40-31.htm" style="color: #001320; text-decoration: initial;">they will run and not grow weary,</a></div>
<div class="TXTTWO" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 22.671875px; margin-left: 51px; margin-right: 10px; text-indent: -17px;">
<a href="http://m.bible.cc/isaiah/40-31.htm" style="color: #001320; text-decoration: initial;">they will walk and not be faint.</a> <i>Isaiah 40:31</i></div>
happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-63937158619893480802013-01-01T18:27:00.002-08:002013-01-01T18:27:56.715-08:00Happy New Year<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Praying blessings over all of you in 2013. Concentrate on one thing and do it/change it/make it. </span>happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-8495663472195369342012-11-01T21:21:00.001-07:002012-11-01T21:24:32.943-07:00Best Homemade Banana BreadI'm getting started early on some holiday baking. I usually like to have something already done, but with craft shows, conferences, retreats, and everything I've been planning, I don't have anything done. I was pretty lazy early today. Still trying to recover from this past weekend's conference. But, the do-something bug bit me when I was loading the dishwasher. I decided to use up those bananas that were drawing gnats on my counter and make the world's best banana bread. At least it's the best in my opinion. I made 17 loaves of banana bread of different sizes. They all look great except...my son came home from work, walked into the kitchen, and said, "You left the oven on, Mom."...and he turned it off. I told him I still had something in the oven and to turn it back on. I forgot, though, that when he turned it off, it also cancelled my timer. Yep, it's a lil on the too-done side. Oh well! Nothing can be done about it now and my son is more important than a loaf of banana bread; even if it is the best in the world. Here is my recipe:<br />
<br />
2 cups flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 cup mashed banana<br />
1/3 cup milk<br />
1 Tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice<br />
<br />
In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In mixing bowl, cream butter. Add sugar and combine. Add eggs and banana and mix. Add flour, alternating with milk that has been mixed with vinegar or lemon juice. Pour into bottom-only greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes and release from pan. Makes 1 loaf.<br />
<br />
TIP: instead of using milk that has been 'soured' with lemon juice or vinegar, I use actual soured milk or, even better soured buttermilk. I don't throw away my milk after it sours. I put it in the freezer before it separates. It's perfect for baking. In my opinion, it gives a more moist bread/cake. Many Amish recipes are made with sour milk. We all love their cooking. :-)happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-56673458908085425182012-11-01T21:02:00.001-07:002012-11-01T21:02:55.131-07:00Find Us On FacebookYou can LIKE our page on Facebook. I am always posting neat stuff there.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Jack-Farms/124114300976850?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Jack-Farms/124114300976850?fref=ts</a>happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-45945614531167642722012-06-05T12:59:00.002-07:002012-06-05T13:03:26.451-07:00Home Made Laundry Detergent....As Seen On TVRecently, I was asked by our local TV station to speak on making home made laundry detergent. I was happy to do so. Here is the link if you would like to see it yourself.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wsiltv.com/news/local/Price-Check-Wednesday-Homemade-Laundry-Detergent-153376835.html">Home Made Laundry Detergent</a>happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-15507099677910483042012-03-26T21:46:00.002-07:002012-03-26T21:46:25.446-07:00It's been a day!!! Mondays are usually when Mr. Wonderful goes back to work for the week. He works evenings so he sleeps all morning. Poor guy! I woke him up at 7:00 this morning, after only being asleep for a couple hours, to the bad news that our carpet in the master bath, master closet, and living room were soaking wet. Yep! The water heater had died. He had to take one of his remaining vaca days....which he was going to enjoy in two weeks....to shop for and replace the old water heater. Bless his heart! He's had about 4 hours sleep and is still trying to get everything fixed and cleaned up. I've helped where I can. Thank God, that it happened on Monday while he was still home and not another day during the week. We also got a great deal on the new water heater.<br />
<br />
I'd recommended calling Sears.....the main 800 number...and ask to talk to the water heater department. Because I called to ask them a question, we ended up getting a bigger water heater than we were looking at and a $50.00 discount. It ended up costing us less and they had one in stock in our local store. It's also a self-cleaning one. The original one we were looking at wasn't. Sears comes through again!! It stinks that our water heater went out, but God was definitely on our side. It needed to be replaced and we didn't know it. No other damage was done. It happened on a Monday, when my hubby was home. We got an upgrade for a cheaper price than expected. I couldn't ask for more.happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-78197256145727393442012-03-13T10:28:00.000-07:002012-03-13T10:28:25.551-07:00Day to DayI am exhausted already and it isn't even noon.<br />
<br />
I got my chicken broth put up. I only had enough room in my freezer to set two 12-count muffin tins, so I had to put the rest in plastic bags and freeze them flat. I probably have about 30 cups or more of chicken broth stocked up in my freezer. I still have 2 more bags of scraps to make into broth. I think I'll have to save that for another day. :-)<br />
<br />
I have spent the morning organizing and straightening things that normally get missed. My favorite was my cedar chest. Blankets had kind of been taken out and thrown back in during the winter months. I decided I'd go through them and look at some of my old quilts I knew I had in there. I found some beautiful table cloths I had forgotten about. My favorite is one with chickens and farm stuff on it and it's trimmed in red. I'll have to iron it and take a picture and share. It's home made and it's my favorite one. I set it on top to be sure I found a place to put it. I'll probably just set it in the center of my kitchen table....once I'd done sewing and put my machine away.<br />
<br />
It's such a beautiful day here. I have my wash hanging on the line. Of course, this means that I will have to iron some things later. I actually love to iron. It's so relaxing to me. Kinda like therapy. I hum and meditate while I'm thinking of the person who's clothes I'm ironing. I take the opportunity to pray over them while I do it. Kinda like a point of contact. I think if we look at our day-to-day chores in that way, they seem less like chores and more like expressions of love to those around us. I love my family!<br />
<br />
<br />happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-76861692158835409392012-03-12T19:19:00.000-07:002012-03-12T19:20:39.324-07:00...A Penny SavedMy friend, Tracy Lake, and I decided to do a frugal living conference. It was held March 3, 2012. We had such a great response with the suggestion that we do another one or two. So.....we have decided to do more conferences in the future.<br />
<br />
Tracy takes care of the 'Coupon' part of the conference and I do the 'frugal living' part of the conference. Because we did this first one at our church, we provided a frugal lunch of a baked potato bar and salad. We had cookies for dessert.<br />
<br />
We had a ton of information to pass out to everyone. Tracy used a folder with binder clips and I used a 1" binder. I really didn't want the extra expense of having to go to Wal-Mart and buy binders. So I said a prayer and went Good Will hunting...to borrow a phrase from my frugal friend, Sherri Murphy. Wouldn't you know, I found and bought fifteen 1" three ring binders for .50 each. Isn't that just like God. That was perfect confirmation that I was in His Will. Thanks!!<br />
<br />
The day was perfect. No wrenches thrown into that day. Again, Thank you, God!!!!<br />
<br />
We are planning to do more conferences in the Carbondale, IL area soon. We are securing SIU-C for our next conference. Yep! It was that successful. All glory goes to God! I didn't know what I was doing. I just took the first step and let Him lead.<br />
<br />
If you would like more information on upcoming conferences or would like us to come to your area, please let me know in the comment section below. You can also email me at renee.furlow@yahoo.com.<br />
<br />happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-73013921900798926302012-03-12T19:03:00.005-07:002012-03-12T19:03:45.649-07:00Home Made SimpleI'm on the church BBQ team. Some months ago, I brought home the scraps from the chicken we were fixing. I put the scraps in the freezer until I could get the time to make some home made broth. Making broth is so simple and can save you money, especially if you use a lot of it.<br />
This is a pic of the meat scraps I brought home from church. It's quite a stash. It includes chicken and beef scraps.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLIHSm7vU1Q/T16qIw4hgHI/AAAAAAAAACw/rIy32ZFCw-U/s1600/misc+and+blog+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLIHSm7vU1Q/T16qIw4hgHI/AAAAAAAAACw/rIy32ZFCw-U/s320/misc+and+blog+030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here are some different ideas about chicken you can use:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>save the carcass from a deli chicken</li>
<li>save the neck and back pieces if you cut up your own chicken</li>
<li>save the carcass if you roast or boil a chicken</li>
</ul>
I'm sure there are more, but those are off the top of my head.<br />
<br />
To make home made broth:<br />
Put your chicken carcass in a large pan. Add 2 onions, quartered; a few stalks of celery; a couple carrots; salt (optional) and pepper. Cover with water but, leave enough room in the pot for the chicken to make its own broth. Otherwise it will boil over and you will have a mess. Cover; bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and let simmer for 2-3 hours or longer. Let cool and put into muffin tins. Pop them in the freezer and once frozen, put as many as will fit into a freezer bag. You can also just pour the cooled broth into a freezer bag. Freeze flat to save room.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_F1L7kjkXY/T16qt-XzaTI/AAAAAAAAAC4/QReBlRS2KKc/s1600/misc+and+blog+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_F1L7kjkXY/T16qt-XzaTI/AAAAAAAAAC4/QReBlRS2KKc/s320/misc+and+blog+033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The white specks on the broth muffins are ice crystals. I left them in the freezer too long. Oops! My bad. If you put your into freezer bags right away, they won't look like that.<br />
<br />
See how easy that was?!<br />
<br />
I took pics of the process, but forgot to put my memory card back in my camera. I don't know where my cord is....or if I even have one.....so they are stuck on my camera for now. :-) I'll take pics the next time I make broth and post those. Have a Happy Jack day!!!happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-59801354227526196192012-03-12T13:26:00.007-07:002012-03-12T21:04:18.353-07:00In the pantryIt's Monday!!! My only problem with Mondays is that my hubby has to go back to work. :-( Other than that, I find myself constantly looking for different places to start over; whether it be organizing a room or beginning to blog again. Such was the case today. I opened up this blog early this morning, but it's now 3:28 and I'm just now posting. It's been that busy. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have 2 upright freezers. One is a frost-free and the other is a manual frost. I love them both for different reasons. My favorite is my frost-free because, well, it's frost-free. The only thing I have to do is keep it clean and organized. One thing you should know about frost-free freezers is....the same thing that keeps them frost-free also dries out your food faster. When I heard this I though, 'hm, makes sense!' I love my manual frost freezer because it was a good find. I got it at an auction for next to nothing. And hey! Now I have 2 upright freezers. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, today I find myself defrosting my 'good find'. I haven't defrosted anything since I still lived with my mother and we had a frig with the freezer on top and it was manual defrost. Defrosting it became my job when I was old enough. I kinda enjoyed it, to tell the truth. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's what I do: Unplug and empty the freezer. Put everything in a different freezer or coolers. Then, I fill 2 stainless bowls with very hot water. I set each bowl on a different shelf in the freezer. I put a large bath towel in the bottom of the freezer to soak up the water as the ice melts. It's about a 2-3 hour job. I keep emptying and refilling the bowls with hot water to keep the ice melting. I sometimes, carefully, use a knife to pry the somewhat melted ice off the shelves.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I didn't start out today thinking....Hooray!! I'm gonna defrost the freezer. I chose to do the defrosting today because I decided to take some meat scraps out of the freezer to make some home made broth. I call this the 'but first' syndrome. This is when you start to do something and your eye catches something else that needs to be done. You do the second thing 'first' which leads you to something else. You do that thing next which leads you to something else. By the end of the day, the original thing you started to do still isn't done. Do you have this problem too? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can find out about how I make my home made chicken broth/stock in my Home Made Simple post. Needless to say, I haven't even started my stock yet. </div>happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-65688180931141044412011-01-11T15:12:00.001-08:002011-01-11T15:18:03.312-08:00Follow us on Facebook<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Jack-Farms/124114300976850">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Jack-Farms/124114300976850</a><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Jack-Farms/124114300976850"></a>happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1526279608928346183.post-55653991016495240882011-01-11T14:20:00.000-08:002012-03-12T18:02:37.933-07:00One of my favorite sites<a href="http://tipnut.com/">http://tipnut.com/</a><a href="http://tipnut.com/"></a>happyjackfarmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16787148979275469358noreply@blogger.com0