More Painting

We have still been working on the inside of the house while we have been having hot weather. I painted the two guest rooms and installed new blinds. The new colors turned out pretty good. The hard thing about painting and decorating in our house is you always have to take into consideration the cedar logs and make sure the color goes with the logs. The house is definitely starting to look better but we still have a lot to do to the inside of the house. Hopefully it will start cooling down again so I can get back to working outside. Feel free to come stay in our newly painted guest rooms anytime. Here are some pics of the new colors.

Before


This room is now a light/dull blue



This room is now a light/dull green.

Throwback Thursday

I saw this on Brandy's blog. I guess you are just supposed to put up old pictures and talk about the good old days. I am not sure if I will do Throwback Thursdays on every Thursday or not but I thought I would at least try it out. Here are pics of Margo and I when we were really little.

Here is Margo I am guessing sometime around Halloween

Here is the cutest kid you will ever see.

Different Generation

I saw this video a while back and was reminded of it the other day. It is a very impactful video and I think everyone should watch it to get an idea of the type of world we live in. I think it is especially important for the older generation to see this so they know what kind of world my generation and the younger generation have to deal with and how different it is. Be sure and turn up the sound, it has good background music.

Come use the bathroom

If any of you don't know, it is hot outside, extremely hot. It is supposed to be 105 degrees today with the heat index. Since it has been so hot outside lately, we have been doing work on the inside of the house. We are going room to room redecorating, painting, etc. We haven't really changed anything inside the house up until this point. Our first room we started with was the downstairs bathroom. We painted the walls a light yellow, painted the vanity a blue/gray, got new hardware, new light fixture, new toilet seat, new mirror, and new shower curtain and towels. It is much better now. Here are some before and after pictures.






I always like to find new or different ways of doing things. We were looking at knobs to replace on the vanity, we wanted silver ones instead of gold. Well, new cabinet knobs cost between $2-$4 each. I think this is highway robbery for little plain knobs to cost so much. I got to looking around and found some eye hooks with a bolt end that I thought would look good as knobs. Margo was not so sure and it took some convincing to get her to let me try them. They actually turned out looking really good, even Margo likes them. And get this, they cost 50 cents each. So instead of paying around $18 for knobs, I paid $3. I was pretty proud of my idea that worked out.

Least Favorite Job

I have done a lot of hard chores on the farm and a had a lot of different and hard jobs so far in my life. I have cleared brush, hauled rocks, dug post holes by hand, split wood; I worked gathering eggs at a chicken house, worked for a painter, did steel building construction, and had some terrible experiences as a nurse. All of those things are not fun and hard work but I hate no job worse than hauling hay. It was always my very least favorite thing to do growing up. It is so hot and you get hay all over you and it is so itchy. I absolutely hate it. But, since we have a farm now with animals I have to have hay to feed them in the winter. And since I don't have a tractor to move big round bales of hay, I have to use square bales. So, last night we went and got 100 bales, which is not that much but it still sucks. It was so stinking hot last night. My father-in-law was a big help, we used his truck and trailer, and he helped me unload it all. Hopefully, that will get me through the winter.

Here is the hay on the trailer.


Here is the hay in the barn, the first hay the new barn has had in it.

Land of the Grayhair

This past weekend we went to the Vegas of the bible belt: Branson. Personally, I'll take Vegas anytime. We went with some friends of ours, John and Allison, and their two kids, Emma and Brooklyn. John's parents have a condo there and we stayed there (for free). Our main purpose for going was to go to Silver Dollar City (also free because we had free passes) because I had never been there and apparently everyone thought it was my kind of place. We rode some rides which were pretty fun. The best part was seeing all the craftsman making their crafts and shopping at all the stores with old-timey stuff. As a lot of you know, I like old-timey stuff. We saw a glass blower, wood carver, blacksmith, basket maker, broom maker, candy maker, baker, and candlestick maker. I got to talk to the basket maker and broom maker for a long time and learned a lot. I really enjoyed it, I would love to be one of those guys one day. We bought a few things from the craftsman made there: a oldschool broom, a dumpling cutter rolling pin , a pot cleaner, and my personal favorite a tomahawk. My plan is to learn how to throw it like Native Americans. We also went to Celebration City which was pretty fun, it is kind of like a carnival. All in all, it was a good weekend and it was really nice just to get away and hang out with friends. I want to give a big shout out to the Nelsons (old and young) for helping us have a great weekend.

Here is a pic of us a Silver Dollar City.


While on one of the roller coasters, I took a disposable camera and tried to hold it facing us and take pictures while we were riding. They kind of turned out so I thought I would post a couple. Let me explain that roller coasters and I have a love/hate relationship. I hate them while riding them but after riding, deep down I really love the thrill of riding them. I was not trying to make a face in this picture, this is really what I look like when I am riding, just ask Margo.

Simple Savings

I have made a couple simple changes in the house to save energy and money and I thought I would share with you. First, I have been installing energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. These use a lot less energy to put out the same amount of light and they put out less heat. They save an average of $35 over their lifetime which is 5 years. So far I am using 14 in our house. They do cost a little more than conventional bulbs. By my calculations of savings minus the extra cost over the life of the bulb I am saving approximately $500 over the life of the bulbs I'm using now and I have only switched about half of the bulbs in our house. These also use 60% less energy which cuts emissions and helps with the whole global warming thing (for those of you who believe in global warming and for those of you who don't, you are wrong, just kidding).



The other recent change I made was to install a digital programmable thermostat to replace the manual one. With these you know the exact temperature and don't have to guess based on where the little metal piece is on the temperature gauge. They are programmable so you can set the temp to change at certain times of the day. For instance, currently we have ours set to get warmer during the day when we are not home and then start cooling off around 4pm so when we get home it is cooler. You can even make it control the weekends differently because you are home and there is an override button so you can change it at any time if you want it cooler or warmer. They are pretty amazing. Anyway, they save on average $100-$150 a year which also means you are cutting your energy usage.



Whether you think global warming is real or not, these two simple things save you money and cut energy use which means I am using less electricity which is made using fossil fuels which pollutes. Just imagine if everyone made these simple changes. Here is a good website to help you reduce energy usage and save money. http://www.energystar.gov

Live and Learn

For those of you who keep up with us and our blog, we bought a used Toyota Corolla a while back to use as a back and forth to work car. The plan was to sell my truck and use that money to pay for the car and buy a bigger, older truck to use as a farm truck. Well, it's been a month and a half and I have not sold my truck which sucks. I really thought it would sell. I used all of our savings plus some to buy the car until we sold the truck. But, since my truck is not going to sell and I can't keep both, I have decided to sell the Corolla. I should have sold my truck first and then bought a car, that would have been the wise thing to do but you live and learn. So, if any of you know someone that needs a good car send them my way. It is a 2000 Toyota Corolla. 50,000 miles, automatic, power windows, power locks, cruise control, 35-38mpg. It is in perfect condition.

Veggies

We are now getting corn from our garden. It is so sweet, it is like eating candy. Maybe I should call it candy corn.



We are also continuing to get lots of tomatoes. Yesterday, I picked my most impressive tomato I have ever grown before. It is ginormous. It is an orange colored heirloom tomato and it weighed in at just under 1.5 pounds. It is a sight to behold. We may have to eat like a watermelon.

Here it is next to my driver's license for reference.

Saucy

Tonight we canned spaghetti sauce and salsa. We finally had got enough tomatoes from our garden (and we got a few from Margo's parents) to make a batch. The onions, peppers, and some of the herbs came from our garden. We had to buy garlic at the farmers market because I didn't get any planted in my garden this year. I thought I would share the canning process and recipe with you for the spaghetti sauce we make.

10 pounds tomatoes
3 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon each of basil, oregano, and italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
bottled lemon juice

Prepare pint canning jars and lids according to manufacturer recommendation

Wash tomatoes. Boil whole for 1 minute and immediately place in ice water. Remove peel, core and seeds. Blend in food processor to desired consistency (chunky or not). Place in large pot. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in skillet, add to blended tomatoes. Add rest of seasonings to pot. Simmer uncovered until desired thickness (approx 30 or so minutes)(you can also add a tablespoon of cornstarch to help thicken) stirring often. Place 1 tablespoon bottle lemon juice into each pint jar. Ladle hot sauce into jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Place lid on jar and screw on lid ring until tight. Process 35 minutes in a boiling-water canner.
Makes about 4 pints.

The tomatoes in ice after boiling, this process makes the skins come off easy


Tomatoes after peeling, coring, and seeds removed, before blending


Blended tomatoes and spices simmering


Jars of sauce boiling in water canner


Finished product

Cabrito

I finally did it. I killed one of our goats and butchered it. I did one of the little ones (the brown one) that were born a couple months ago. I have had goat several times before but I have never butchered one myself or done a young one. It is supposed to be the best if you eat them when they are young because the meat is more tender and tastes better. I am planning on barbecuing some of it as early as this weekend. I had to have my neighbor Mark come over and help me skin and butcher it. I have not skinned enough stuff to know what I am doing. He was really good at it and very helpful. I shot it in the head and it died instantly and never saw it coming so it wasn't a cruel death for all of you that have a concerned look on your face right now. Let me know if any of you want to come try it out when I cook it up. Here is a link to the pictures of us butchering it for any of you who want to see it. Just be warned, they are very graphic. Click here to see pictures. Please don't share with any people involved with PETA. I found a place online that sells cabrito and they charge $291 for a whole kid goat butchered. By the way, goat meat is the most eaten meat in the world so all of you should come try it so you can experience what the rest of the world eats.

Pickled Pickles

The garden has still been producing good so far, we have been getting lots of rain which has helped a lot. We have started getting tomatoes and okra this past week which is exciting. I am getting a plethora of cucumbers. We get about a wal-mart bag full every other day. I decided to make pickles with some of them. I have never made them before so I hope they turn out good. I have made 18 jars so far. Probably this week I will start canning spaghetti sauce and salsa.

5 Years

Holy Crap. We have been married for 5 years today. It seems like a long time looking back at all we have done and been through in the past five years. God has blessed us so much over the years. I wouldn't trade all our time together for anything and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us (children?). Thanks to all of you who have been a part of our lives and helped us along the way.
Below is a picture slideshow of us over the past five years starting with when we were dating to this year (I put them in order the best I could remember). Just click the play button on the picture below or double click it to view them bigger and in it's own window.

I LOVE MARGO.

Harvest Time

Not a lot of excitement at the Hale Farm. I have mostly been clearing brush, which doesn't make for exciting blog posts. However, the garden has been producing pretty well for it's first year, so I thought I would post pictures of some of the veggies we have been getting. We finally got our first tomatoes (roma) a couple of days ago and the corn should be ready before to long.

Sugar Snap Peas


Green Beans



Squash and Zucchini


Cucumbers


Tomatoes

Top 10 Movies

Last night on tv, in case any of you missed it, the American Film Institute did their top 100 movies of all time. They ask tons of critics, producers, actors, and executives and compile a list of the top 100 American movies. This was their 10th anniversary addition so the list changed a little from when they did it 10 years ago. It was very interesting. There were a bunch of movies I had not seen, so I now plan on trying to watch them sometime. Anyway, I can't say that I completely agreed with their list, but unfortunately they did not ask the all-knowing Farmer Hale. In honor of the show last night I decided to post my top 10 favorite movies, this is not what I think are the top 10 movies overall but just my top 10 favorite. Feel free to add a comment with your top 10 listed. I would be interested to know all of my friends top movies, you can learn a lot about someone from knowing their favorite movies. By the way, it is very hard to narrow down to just your top 10.

10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

9. Forrest Gump

8. Last of the Mohicans

7. Dumb and Dumber

6. Star Wars Trilogy

5. O Brother Where Art Though

4. Braveheart

3. Good Will Hunting

2. Shawshank Redemption

1. Lord of the Rings trilogy

A few of the movies that just barely missed the list but need to be mentioned: The Graduate, Love Actually, Signs, Rocky, Babe, Billy Elliot, Big Fish, Dances with Wolves...there are so many.

Garden Update

Just so Brandy will stop bugging me I thought I would put up some updated pictures of the garden. As discussed in an earlier post, I am trying a new kind of gardening - no-till raised beds. I wasn't planning on planting much this year because I really needed to work on improving the soil but I thought what the heck and planted some stuff. I only used about half of the beds. I was a little worried at first because it did not seem like things were growing well but it has finally started to shape up. I can't wait until next year when I have the whole garden planted and the soil in good shape. As of right now, I think I am definitely going to stick with the new type of gardening.

Cucumbers- I am growing them on a piece of wire fencing


Tomatoes-They aren't doing so well, lots of plant but not much fruit.


Squash and Zucchini-we ate our first squash tonight


Sugar Snap Peas-also ate our first peas tonight


Green Beans


Corn


The whole garden

Rocky Top

I finished another big project. The past few weeks I have been building a rock wall in front of the house. It is one of the major parts of my landscaping plan. The wall isn't very tall but it is pretty long, it goes across in front of the house. I also built some steps leading up from the shop to the house. All of the rocks came from our property, Margo and I hauled them all out in the truck. It turned out pretty good, I just hope it doesn't fall down anytime soon. Now I need to get plants and mulch to put in the big flower bed area between the wall and the house because I took out all the other crappy landscaping that was there.

Here's before the rock wall and before taking out the old landscaping


After taking out the old landscaping and before rock wall


Finished




The steps


*side note- the video of the day on the right is really good, I highly recommend checking it out. If you double click it, it will make it bigger

New Addition

As discussed in the previous post, we are trading around cars and selling my truck to get a new (used) car and a farm truck. Well, yesterday we went ahead and bought a car. Our goal was to buy a small used car that gets good gas mileage to drive around and put miles on. I found a doozy yesterday in Bella Vista, this one would even make Steve Schulte proud (for those of you who know him). It is a 2000 Toyota Corolla. It was an old lady's whose husband died and she is selling some of their stuff. It was as clean as a whistle, gets 38mpg, had all the service records in the glove box, and it even had carpet squares on the floor mats so she didn't get the floor mats dirty. But here's the kicker, it only has 47,000 miles. I think we got a good deal and hopefully it will last us a long time. Now we just need to sell my truck.

For Sale

That's right, you could own your very own piece of memorabilia from the Farm of Hale. I am selling my truck. My plan is to sell it and use the money to buy a small used car (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla) that gets good gas mileage to drive to and from work and take on trips, and to buy a older larger truck to use as a farm truck that will be able to do more. So, if any of you know someone looking to buy a truck like mine send them my way or if you know someone trying to sell one of those cars let me know. My truck is a really good truck and is in great shape.
Here is a description of my truck:
2002 Nissan Frontier XE, V6, 4x4, extended cab, 83,000 miles, auto, tow package, bed liner, running boards/bars, cruise control, CD, sun visors on hood and door windows, new tires put on last year with 30,000 mile warranty left on tires, belts changed in February of this year,
all for only $12,000

Interesting Quote

Here is a quote by John Piper that was on a friend's blog that I found very thought inducing.

"The critical question for our generation—and for every generation-is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?"

Biggest Surprise Ever

We had a huge surprise this morning. We were leaving for work and Spot (the cat) was laying against the screen door and wouldn't move out of the way. When we finally made it out the door laying there with spot was a newborn kitten. We had no idea she was even pregnant. She has always been a little plump in the belly area but she didn't look or feel any different that past few weeks. Here is the crazy thing... she only had one kitten. Have any of you ever heard of a cat only having one kitten? We were so shocked. The kitten is really cute (in a ugly rat-like way), it is a calico like it's mother.





On a side note, for those of you who haven't noticed, I have added some features to my side bar. There is a current animal count, video of the day, recently watched movies and my rating of them out of 5 stars, and a picture slideshow.

We are official citizens of Redneckville

Not much going on this past week. We did have a lot of fun this past Thursday. Our church went to locomotion for a family fun night and we had unlimited passes for 2 hours. As many of you know, I love to race so I rode go carts most of that 2 hours. It was a blast but I was very sore the next day. The other thing a lot of us did, that Margo and I had never done before, was ride a mechanical bull. I never thought I'd see the day but it was actually really fun to see everyone get thrown off. All I need now is a cowboy hat and boots to start wearing around. If you ever do see me start wearing those, please beat me up.






Here is our group that went.