The Bay Window, An Easement Road and Some Kid Notes

If that title doesn't scream excitement I don't know what does.
This past week we brought in a couple contractors to look at and quote rebuilding/replacing our bay window.  We were told (and the draftiness in the winter tells us too) that the bay window is sagging and has gaps which I guess happens over time.  I believe you can tighten the rods within the window's structural assembly to help this problem but we are in need of new windows anyway (for most of the house).  We feel like with all the warmth that is escaping we are just throwing money 'out the window'.  The sooner we replace the windows, the sooner we get our money back on them (well, some through savings from efficiency).
This is what it looks like now (don't be jealous of those vinyl or something curtains)-

You can see the proof of the sagging along the bottom of the window here (pay no attention to the strange face reflecting in the window)-

From the outside, again look at the gap along the bottom of the window frame (there's that strange face again)-

The window is a 45 degree bay window and we plan to get the same layout as shown below.  Picture window in the middle with double hung windows with grills and screens on each side.  The windows will be Andersen windows.

We haven't signed any paperwork but will most likely be going with the independent contractor (huge price difference between the independent guy and the one through the local home warehouse store).  I will keep you updated on any progress.

In backyard news, the power company has decided they need access to one of the towers thats on the easement behind our property.  The easiest way to access this tower is driving down our driveway and around and behind our pasture.   They will be building a road to the tower from the corner of our property to the tower.  Thankfully they will not be building a road on our property but just in the easement.  Apparently they will only need to use the easement road (and the access route down our driveway) only if something goes wrong back there.  Wondering if this is spurred on from all the trouble they got into from the service delay after last year's fall storm.
The tree company came Tuesday to do some clearing-

We were hoping they would clear it all so we could extend our pasture all the way back across the easement (as others have done near us).  The response we've gotten on this question is that its probably ok as long as we have gates wide enough for their trucks to get through.  Sweet!  This would maybe give us enough land to get a steer for beef.

Moving onto some kiddo news (for the grandparents), little man Milo has been peeing in the potty regularly!!!!  Woohoo <insert me doing a dance>.   There has been some emotionally trying days for me over the past weeks but this has brought me some encouragement.  He even woke me up at 3am because he needed to pee in the potty instead of going in his diaper.  I will (somewhat) happily get up for something like that.  Other times I have endured having a hair clip yanked out of my head by Millie but not budging on my grip of Milo on the potty so he wouldn't spray all over our bathroom walls.  Oh, the things you are proud of when this is your occupation.
In the end.... less diaper pail emptying and less changing!
Millie has been in cloth diapers since July-

So we are purchasing VERY FEW diapers these days! <insert once again me doing a dance>
Millie's eating has gotten better as of last night, either her teeth stopped hurting (my theory of the reason) or she was starving and finally got hungry.  She is also walking a little more.  Sorry no video, just a picture of her standing with her block kitchen.

Her and brother are constantly learning how to play together.  There was an extended period of lots of bickering and fighting between them (both contribute) over the past few weeks, but sometimes they work together for mischievous too-

Fun times.

Farewell Pigs :( .... For Now....

Our piggies were transported to a slaughter and processing facility last week.  The farmer (Rick) we bought the pigs from transported them along with his own animals.  He was really impressed with how well the pigs did and commented on it several times.  The pigs were on pasture and some food scraps but had pellet feed offered to them daily.  Pigs are not ruminants but rather are omnivores.  Pigs are limited in their ability to break down grass so they need more in their diet.  When they were young we gave our pigs feed with 16-18% protein mixed in, but when they reach about 100lbs we decreased that to 12-14%.  We bought pre-mixed feed at the local feed store but prices were up this year some due to the drought in the mid-west.  It is possible to reduce the amount of feed needed by planting crops (such as legumes) in your pasture for them to eat.  Whey (a bi-product of the cheese making process) is also a good protein source to give pigs.  Soooo, if we had milk goats...... :)
With all said, their nutrition is important.  Between the two of them they ate about 50lbs (1 bag) of feed every 3 days during their last month of life (along with pasture and foraging).  I attached photos just to show again how fast these boogers grow.
8 weeks old-

20 weeks later or 28 weeks old-

The goal weight was at least 225 lbs which is typical market weight but they exceeded that at 'final weigh in'.  Jonathan had been measuring their girth and length which gives you a decent estimate..... but we were anxious to hear how close our measurements were.  Rick called the next day after he dropped them off and told me their actual weight.  The male weighed in at a massive 283 lbs and the female 252 lbs.  Our measurements and projections were not far off estimating the male was at 288 lbs and the female at 276 lbs.  This is our progress chart we kept-

The meat will be ready to pick up in about 3-4 weeks, the long lead time is due to a back up at the smoke house since the holidays are close.
Were we sad to see them go?  We did not name them which was a huge help, that way we didn't humanize them.  Jonathan said he wasn't sad.  I was for just a bit but was comforted to know they had a good happy life here and the processing facility is known for humane handling procedures.  The facility is part of an organic family farm and is a few hours away in Canaan, NY.  So it seems to be a good place if Rick thinks it's worth the trip.  I didn't know what little man M would say, he did watch them get loaded up-

Once they drove off he said he wanted them to come back.... but I explained they were going bye bye and he wasn't upset and hasn't asked about them since.
Was it hard to raise the pigs?  No, not really.  I think the chickens and the pigs are easier than having an indoor dog.  You don't have to walk them or let them out to do their potty thing.  Only nuisance was ensuring they were being checked on when we were traveling.  Are we going to do it again next year?  Yes, and maybe going to get more than two.  We are keeping one pig's meat for ourselves but the other we offered to friends for sale and most all of the meat was asked for.
So we hope to be all set for the winter for our pork needs.  Now we just have to up our game in the garden to have enough vegetables that will keep into the winter also.
(Our sweet potato crop was a little better this year, but apparently the retrieval process was somewhat more involved)-

On A Roll, New Trim Is Up!

Jonathan was whipping out the trim on his 'day off' this past Monday.  I was happy as a lark watching  him do his thing.  We picked out and bought our trim at a Builders Surplus store which is cheaper than other major chain suppliers.  Both of us are really happy with how it is all turning out.
For quick review, here is the updated dining room list that we are trying to fully complete (it will be the first room in the house to be completed)-

Fill and sand holes in trim

Paint window trim white

Paint window frames black-

Put up baseboard trim

Fill, sand and paint baseboard trim

Sand off stain on walkthrough boards (or are we replacing?)

Put up trim around walkthrough

Fill, sand and paint walkthrough trim

Make and install stair banister

Paint and install heater end plate

Make blinds or curtains - possibly have fabric choice!

Most of what is left is filling holes, sanding and painting the trim.  Trim is primed white so it looks pretty close to the white we are going to paint it.  Moving onto pictures!  Sorry they are all dark and dreary, matches the weather outside.

Dining room before trim-

After-

Walk through before trim-

After-

Other side of walk through (Grrrr, that stinkin' hall paint color looks green in some light, we dont like that, supposed to be tan (Harvest Brown)).  Also, should note we will be replacing the front door (doesn't go with our style) and the door with a cat door shown below.  We'll also be painting or staining all the interior doors (they are all solid pine).

Finally can use the doorway jumper (she has been walking more this week by the way)-

Hallway and into the living room, before trim-

After-

Break for a math lesson-

Some details that should be noticed.

This freshly painted and installed heater end cap was my contribution to the project-

Jonathan will NOT skimp on any details, all his corners are aligned (though the shadows in the pic do not do it justice).  Since it seems no two trim boards are alike you can only cut and join pieces from the same board.  Also, he cut angled end pieces so you don't see the cross section of the board (not sure what you call this detail?).

On a more feminine note, I purchased a couple samples of fabric to start brainstorming curtains.   This is the one I like right now, only down side is its silk.  It has a linen texture and I would line them.  It has blue and natural fibers.  Probably could not wash but maybe get them dry cleaned if really had to?

Also got these two fabrics for $2 each.... ridiculous amounts of fabric for cheap.... worth sharing I thought.

We are still brainstorming on the banister.  Since we are not for sure on the banister plan yet he could not finish this wall.  We have some ideas though-

Probably something similar to this-

Pigs are going bye-bye today, then off to the meat processing house tomorrow.  I will post about that sometime later.

Experiment 2: Cooking With Pumpkins and Apples....

Please read:  This is my second experiment I've shared.  Its not what I typically use this blog for as I don't want people to think this is a brag blog.  Let me just say this..... Most days I do NOT have it together in terms of housekeeping, parenting, cooking, etc.  Here is the scene at my feet in the kitchen most afternoons-

But as with any job I continue to try and get better at it.  My goal is to save money when I can and these experiments are tailored around that goal.  I enjoy learning from other people so I want to share what I have learned too.
My first experiment was making homemade yogurt in a crock pot which turned out to be a big success, cost efficient and pretty easy.  I am still making yogurt almost every other week.... and believe me, if it wasn't worth it I wouldn't mess with it.

Adding to my experiments (hear me out on this one why its discussion worthy).....  cooking your own PUMPKIN, is it worth it?  The analysis proved yes- if you are using it for meals.  It's easily roasted (don't mess with the peeling thing, instructions linked here), which keeps the sweetness and nutrition.  Which brings me to my first reason WHY, they are  crazy nutritious.   This a huge reason why they're worth it and why I think its worth talking about.  They deserve to make more appearances than just in desserts and hot drinks.  Second, you get a good amount of food from just one.  And don't forget the seeds which are surprisingly super nutritious too.  Jonathan looooves seeds roasted.

Use a good cooking pumpkin (like pie or sugar pie pumpkin) though instead of a jack-o-lantern pumpkins.  You can use any though depending on what it's going into.  Some meal ideas (imagine the list if dessert items were added)-

• mashed pumpkin as a side dish with a little butter and cinnamon
• pumpkin soup
• pumpkin chili
• pumpkin bread
• pumpkin rice pudding
• pumpkin risotto (might have to peal it instead on this one)
• pumpkin pancakes
• pumpkin muffins
• hello!! amazing pumpkin baby food puree

Don't be a hater until you try one of these.... and why wouldn't you if you're ok with pureeing this lovely squash into a pie.

I would love for anyone to share other pumpkin meal ideas and recipes, please do.

Just to quickly note other squash that I have learned to love and stay in season into the winter- Butternut and Acorn (I know there are so many amazing squash hybrids but these two work well for us).  They are cheap and I've been making lots of meals from them lately..... I've also noticed I have lost weight and I believe these meals are the reason... seriously..... tasty meals with little to no fat and are filling.  Just last week I tossed acorn squash slices in a paprika spice blend and roasted them-

 Put them with couscous and Jonathan and I added a parsley yogurt sauce (sounds weird but we liked it when we tried it).  Acorn squash is great with curry spices too because it has a sweetness.  Butternut, if roasted, is tasty enough by itself.

No complaints even from the sometimes picky toddler-

Don't neglect those SQUASHES people!!! :)

Gotta end with apples (good way to get a picking picture in here).

Making your own apple sauce.... is it worth it?  I would say, it depends?  Let me be clear why.... First, homemade applesauce is WAAAAYYYY more delicious.  Honestly, after eating homemade you might not want to eat the watered down store bought stuff again.  Oh my stars is it tasty.  I would assume homemade is healthier too because its less processed keeping those lovely apple nutritious qualities.  The con, homemade is more expensive.... but not too expensive to keep from doing it.   Plus, I would suggest owning a corer and peeler (though I do not and still completed the full task in less than 2 hours, processing time included) and definitely a food mill.

Bottom line, I will continue to make applesauce every year because its a fun thing to do to celebrate apple season... but I will continue to buy store applesauce in the off season because its cheap.
I would give about the exact analysis for making your own crock pot apple butter.  It as well is amazingly tasty..... Smuckers ain't got nothin'.  So again, fun to do to celebrate the season, way tasty but not cost effective.

If anyone found this interesting I am glad.  If not, sorry.  At least I have fun doing the experiments and eating the food.  :)  Feel free to share your apple and squash and/or other seasonal worth it and not worth its please!!!  Thanks!

Oh, and don't worry I will have dining room progress to share eventually.