War Against Mosquitoes

Not only are mosquitoes one of the peskiest creatures alive, they can also be harmful as they carry potential diseases through the blood they are always borrowing (and without permission I might add)! Stagnant water is their breeding grounds which means that those of us with ponds and water troughs must be proactive.  I actually went a bit crazy the first year we farmed here because I was completely unaccustomed to these little monsters. After doing much research, I incorporated anything I could to remove the presence of these bothersome critters! Here are some ways to rid your home and land of these insects.

"The days were warm. Mosquitoes came out of the Big Slough at sundown and sang their high, keen song all night as they swarmed around Ellen, biting her and sucking the blood until she ran around and around on her picket rope. They went into the stable and bit the horses until they pulled at their halters and stamped. They came into the claim shanty and bit everyone there until great blotches raised on faces and hands.

Their singing and the sting of their bites made night a torment."

~ By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura Ingalls Wilder

Outdoor Ideas:

The thing which I felt was most beneficial was the use of mosquito dunks and bits. I have a once a month email reminder to apply these to our pond and water troughs because these are their breeding grounds. The troughs I do more often as the water is used more often. What these do is kill the larva of the mosquito using a bacteria called BTI which is only toxic to mosquito larvae. It is therefore safe for any other animal life to drink (also labeled for organic gardening by the usepa though not safe for human consumption). The dunks are more suitable for larger ponds and last for 30 days. Each dunk is effective for 100 square feet of water. Just drop them in! The bits are for smaller areas such as water troughs, puddles or any other small area of stagnant water. (If anyone has heard of any reason why these shouldn't be used, I would love to hear from you.)

Mosquitoes also dislike lavender which makes me love it more! I planted lavender bushes around the entrance of my front and back doors and near our patio area. They are so easy to grow and very low maintenance. They also attract lovely butterflies.

"This will never do," Pa said. "We must have mosquito bar on the windows and door."

"Besides, all the prairie grass is full of mosquitoes too. I'll go to town today and get some mosquito bar."

~ By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura Ingalls Wilder

Ideas for the Home:

In the home, keep fans going all night. The moving air is a deterrent. You can also continue with the lavender theme indoors by burning lavender scented candles.

Mosquito nets (like canopies) can be draped around the bed at night when you are really in dire straits.

Bath and Body:

*We use lavender castile soap and tea tree oil castile soap as a body wash to further discourage their attraction (I don't know how much it helps but when you are desperate you try different things). We also dab a few drops of lavender oil around our temples before bed which aids in sleep and repelling the mosquitoes (though for a short time as the scent does wear off).

Natural Bug Spray Recipe:

You can also make a natural bug spray and or/insect repelling oil with this recipe here.

"There!" he said, "I guess that fixes the mosquitoes."

~ By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura Ingalls Wilder

Historical Note:

This battle of the bugs have been around forever, ever since the fall...

Dr. Livingstone's Mosquito Curtain

"Camp sweet and clean, but it, too, has mosquitoes, from which a curtain protects me completely—a great luxury, but unknown to the Arabs, to whom I have spoken about it. Abed was overjoyed by one I made for him; others are used to their bites, as was the man who said that he would get used to a nail through the heel of his shoe. "

~ Journal Entry of Dr. David Livingstone, Missionary Doctor in Africa, 1873

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.

Enriching Family Travels and Trips

Something our family began doing and have really reaped benefits from is enriching our family travels with information and preparation. I love to glean knowledge from wherever we go and be organized when we finally go to do it! We like to travel on "creation vacations" which we call the places that exhibit God's greatness and also "historical" areas which bring all our homeschool learning to life. We strive for wholesome and educational experiences rather than seeking high-paced amusement. Life is fast enough and we prefer to slow down when spending time together.

Here are some ideas that we utilize when planning out lengthy trips:

Mapping Out Your Travels: Something that you can enlist your young men (or maidens) in is mapping out the route that you will be taking. Have them research and print out directions and highlight potential routes on photocopies of the atlas or maps. This aids in teaching your sons the necessary geography skills every young man should have (girls too!). Older children can also investigate opportunities for any local areas of interest around the main destination you will be visiting. This is good to do in advance because a few times we realized we were really close to some neat places but only found that out after the fact. That is always a hard pill to swallow. Auto Maintenance: Sons can also engage themselves in checking to make sure the fluids in your vehicle are at the right levels, check tire pressure and make sure there is enough windshield wiper fluid. These measures are important for young men to learn and they will be an invaluable helper to your husband so that he can focus on other things prior to the trip.

Packing & Food Preparation:

Another suggestion is to put an older daughter in charge of food for your road trip. Have them write out a menu and prepare it a day ahead of time to allow you extra peace for packing. This also serves to give your daughter a practical lesson in home economics. This is a great opportunity to teach them about packing appropriate foods for the road which are full of protein and packaged for easy handling.

If you will be camping out and providing food for a longer trip, it helps to create a master meal list in advance.

I also have saved in the computer, a list of items to take with me on all family trips of lengthy time. This helps me so that I don't have that nagging fear of forgetting something each time we leave home. Once the "master list" is made up, I can just print it out for each trip which makes it so much easier and stress free!

Rest Stops:

I would encourage you to use rest stops to let the little ones out of their straight jackets and have them toddle around. Have your children do a few quick sprints around the restroom facilities to encourage them to get out any "wiggles" that they may have been storing up.

Education on Vacation:

Something we like to do is bring media (books, audio books, etc.) which pertain to our destination with us on our travels. The purpose of this is to enhance the experience of our trip by giving ourselves more information about the place we are going to visit. Sometimes it is a chapter book, another time a picture book and it is many times a non-fiction source. I also write a dedication inside the books I bring which includes the date of our trip, ages of everyone at the time of departure and a message relating to the subject matter of our vacation. This makes a nice keepsake since we do not spend money on souvenirs but rather invest in these types of educational mementos. Every time your child takes these books from the shelf once home, they will be reminded of the time you spent together.

For example, if we are going to the zoo, I would bring Jonathan Park Goes to the Zoo: A Creationist Audio Guide to 100 of the Most Popular Animals at Your Local Zoo! [Audio CD]. This adds a wonderful learning element and brings to life what we are about to embark on. If we were going to visit some historical areas, then I would bring along books and audiobooks that take place in those time periods. 

As I have mentioned before, audio books have been a blessing when travelling distances. We bring ones that offer Biblical and character development. Once we have heard the story, we have family conversations which elaborate on "what would you have done in that situation" and so forth. We can discuss the important issues of that particular book and how it applies to our lives today. Hence, you have a beautiful Scripture lesson on the road and before you know it, you are finally "there yet"!

I would also bring some "new" type of toys and rotate them if you have any toddlers. ("New" can also mean a favorite toy you removed from their use for a few weeks to make it special again.) It is also fun to find a picture book to engage their minds in which pertain to your trip. If you are visiting an aquarium, then bring along a sea animal board book. When they see the creatures in real life it will be that much more exciting because they can relate to what they have seen in the pages.

I hope these ideas will provide you with an enriching time together which will create beautiful bonds of fellowship. I will be sharing some of our family trips and what we did together in future posts in order to present more ideas. I hope to see you there… It is refreshing to the mind, body and soul when we reflect together on the "good things" and take a break from this "million miles a minute madness" that many of us live in.

"And he said unto them,

Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:

for there were many coming and going,

and they had no leisure so much as to eat."

~ Mark 6:31

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

How to Freeze Squash

Too much squash... already? It is an easy process to freeze it for the future. Since chilly weather is only a few months away (I know that is hard to imagine but tis true), some home grown produce stored in a bag would be a blessing. Think additions to savory stews and pasta sauces… 

First, wash your squash with cool water. The fresher produce, the better. Remove the ends and cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Now it is time to blanch these beauties! Simply dump into a large pot of boiling water (making sure there is ample room for squash and plenty of water). 

Cover with a lid and begin timing for three minutes. Keep an eye on the water level. If you are doing many batches, you may have to replenish your supply.

Once the three minutes are up, remove squash using a large slotted spoon (or a colander with a handle) and quickly submerge it into an ice water bath. This is meant to stop the cooking of your food. Let it sit about five minutes or until completely cooled. You will have to keep on adding ice as you prepare more batches.

Then, place squash into a colander to remove excess water. You may also want to throw them in the salad spinner for this very reason. After a few minutes, they are ready to freeze.

The reason for the blanching (aka, the quick submerging into boiling water followed by a treatment of quick chilling) is because it helps to prevent the active enzymes in your produce from causing a loss of flavor, color and texture. It also aids in retaining the vitamins in your frozen foods.

Place desired amount into plastic bag and suck out any extra air with a straw. Seal contents and freeze immediately. I like to even out my squash in the bag to make it as flat as possible so that it is stackable in my freezer.

Notes:

• If you want to store shredded squash for recipes, do the procedures above but replace the blanching technique with a steaming treatment. Prepare small batches and steam for two minutes instead. When I am overwhelmed at harvest time, I often will skip the blanching process for shredded veggies (see this post here).

• Each vegetable has its own requirement of blanching time. You can find out that information here.

• The general rule of blanching is one gallon of water to one pound of veggies. I just eyeball it to make sure there is ¾ more water than produce.

• When squash is thawed, there will be some water in the bag. Remove it prior to cooking. 

This squash is obviously not going to be as crispy as it was in its peak but it does make a good stir fry companion. We like to saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender, add in thawed squash, cook until golden in areas and then simmer it with some italian flavored tomato sauce. Serve it on a bed of rice in the winter. Frugal and good! You can also season them and toss them in to your pan of roasting meat in the oven (or slow cooker) during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking.

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Summer Inspired Activities

Summer is a sultry time;

Then the glare of light oppresses;

Lilacs fall, and gay laburnum,

Parts with all her golden tresses.

Summer's a delightful season;

Then we view the gorgeous flowers,

Fragrant scents are wafted to us

While we sit in shady bowers.

~ Excerpt from "Seasons" by Sara Coleridge

The warmth of the summer season beckons us to the outdoors. Here are some wholesome and educational activities to do with your family during these sun filled months...

Children and Seaweed by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Breakfast on the beach (I suggest going to the secluded areas in the morning before all the scanty wardrobes make their appearance). Lay out an older quilt and bring a basket full of warm muffins, thermos of hot tea/coffee, container of freshly cut fruit and hard boiled eggs. What a pleasant way to start a summer day!

• Walk along the sandy shores, gather some sea samples and/or take pictures of them. When home, make a seascape collage, add into a nature journal, or create a shadow box with your findings. Label the date the specimens were found and at what location.

• Create an ocean memory jar to display in your home. Layer jar with samples of sand, then a layer of shells, another sample of sand and top with the prettiest seashore find of the day. Place a lid on the jar, tie twine around the rim and hang a tag which labels where and when you found the contents in the jar. (Make sure it is lawful to take samples from the area you are visiting since it is not always allowed. If not, take pictures and drop the nicest photo strategically on top of the sand for a unique look.) This would be fun to do for all your outings as you would have a lovely display of nature jars showcasing your travels on a fireplace mantel.

Calling the Bees by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Pick and press some flowers. Create cards with them to send to your loved ones.
• Tour local historical and botanical gardens.
• Go to a pick your own strawberry patch, gather some fresh goodies together and make freezer jam, strawberry pies or chocolate dipped strawberries.
• Listen to some character building audio dramas while you are traveling together. Wonderful lessons can be learned while driving. Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince is our family favorite.

Summer Days by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Read summer inspired picture books:

Summertime in the Big Woods (My First Little House Picture Book)

Ice Cream ~ The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons

Bluebird Summer by Deborah Hopkinson

Saving Strawberry Farm by Deborah Hopkinson

Happy as the Day is Long by Edward Killingworth Johnson

• Read some summer inspired poetry:

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night

And dress by yellow candle-light.

In summer quite the other way,

I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see

The birds still hopping on the tree,

Or hear the grown-up people's feet

Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,

When all the sky is clear and blue,

And I should like so much to play,

To have to go to bed by day?

By ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Sunbeams by Edward Killingworth Johnson

Biblical Poetry

"Thou hast set all the borders of the earth:

thou hast made summer and winter."

~ Psalm 74:17

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Shabbilicious Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).