Second Winter Wonderland in the Bayou

Hello Friends. Welcome to today's post. Just to let you know, this post is actually a few weeks late. Somehow it got lost in the shuffle and I never hit the publish button so please forgive me for my goof. Here it is now for you to enjoy. 

We are halfway into January and work has called us out again. 

We left home with snow on the ground and I'll be dog gone we got some more snow where we are. I guess God wanted to show us more of his beauty in this Winter Wonderland in the Bayou. 

This happened at few days after we arrived. Good thing we were all snuggled in our little cottage. 

We love to stay here when we come to LA.  We rent a little cottage and I make it as homey as possible. 

When we arrived I was looking for my little friend I made here 3 yrs ago and he did not disappoint.  He came right to me as he always did since I always fed him out of my hand. I named him Petey but his name is Pretty Boy. 

When you get the chance, Google Hemingbough in St. Francisville, LA.   We are staying on the grounds in one of the cottages. However, it is under new management and so many great changes and renovations are coming. 

There is not a lot to do in this area. Baton Rouge is just 30 to 40 minutes down the road. I brought plenty of things for me to do to keep me busy. This is one of my sewing places. That means I bring my sewing machines and some projects with me that I want to do or that need to be done. I need to make some more pj bottoms for the oldest granddaughter because she is getting so tall just like her Daddy. I have a few projects I want to sew for myself and one or two for dear hubby. Yep, I am no stranger to sewing men's button-up dress shirts. That is on my projects list. 

I brought some more things with me as well. 

Welcome to the family. A new hydroponics system. Yep, I brought it with me so I can have some greenery and a garden vibe in the winter by starting some fresh herbs to cook with. 🪴 🌱 🌿

This one is a 12 pod so I can grow more in one system. If you are interested, it is in our Amazon Store (linked below), and it is on my Gardening Essentials List.  There are many different brands, styles,  sizes, and colors to choose from. We also use these Hydroponics systems to start seeds for things like tomato and pepper plants to transplant in our garden outside. We bought my mother one a few years ago for Christmas and she loves it. You can use these all year round and grow things for porch or container Gardening as well. Perfect for older ones who still want to garden but can't do it outside. This might make a nice Christmas gift or any-time gift for someone this year. 

I love being able to still make homemade bread and rolls no matter where I go. I have learned how to make bread and this cottage has a full-size oven and stove so that means bread 🍞 bread 🍞 bread 🍞 for us. 

We had rolls with our supper the first night. 

Dear hubby made some ribs and tenderloin at the same time in the instant pot and I paired it with mashed potatoes,  coleslaw, and baked beans. 

The next night, we used some rolls to make sliders out if and made BBQ sliders with the leftover sides. 

The next night, I sliced the bread loaf and made some cheesy, garlic toast to go with spaghetti that he made. 

This morning I used some slices and made us some grilled cheese and served it with some sausage. 

We make a great team wouldn't you say?

After breakfast, I started simmering a poppourri mix that was given to us by one of our daughters in law mother for Christmas.  

The cottage is smelling so good. 

I have been teaching my momma how to make bread as well. She was a tom boy growing up and would rather be outside with my PaPa than be inside learning how to cook and such. That's OK. I am so proud of her. This was her loaf she sent me a pic of this morning. I am so proud of her. My baby is growing up. ❤️

Dear hubby is already missing the cows and working on the farm 🚜.  He will be OK. Our boys are battening down the hatches back home. We can still see them with all the cameras we have on our property. 

It want be long and we will have new calves on the ground. 🐮🐄 

Well, I am going to have my second cup of coffee ☕️ for the day or maybe a cup of warm Golden Rod tea. 🤔 

In the meantime, I hope you will check out our newest videos on our YouTube channel. There are plenty more new things coming this year. 

Here are a few:

If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading. 

If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our kitchen, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category. 

Visit our 4D Farms Storefront here 

4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists. 

Thank you for your support. 

If you like video versions of our content here on our blog, you can visit our YouTube Channel here 

We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them. 

We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten. 

You can visit our store here 

Have a Blessed Day

Tracy 

Keeper of the Home 

Deep Cleaning After the Holidays

 

Hello friends and welcome to today's post. I hope it finds you well. 

Well,  I did it. It took me all last week but it's done. My whole house is deep cleaned. Including appliances, crown molding, base boards, light fixtures, blinds, windows, window seals, ceiling fans and all in between. Why do I do this? Fist of all, it's how I was raised. My momma kept a clean house and believe me, she passed it down to us. Literally, a vacuum, mop, broom.....she taught us well.

Number 2, it is our calling in the Bible to be the Keepers of our Homes. 

Number 3, dear hubby works hard to provide and I promised I would take care of it and manage it. 

Now, I am a stickler and picky about my home. I run a tight ship. My family can testify to that fact. I wanted and still want things done a certain way. I take care of the things I have because once again, dear hubby buys me nice things. His money doesn't go to waste. 

Dear hubby also knows by the look on my face to make careful decisions to whether or not he should step on my wet floors or come through with dirty shoes right after they dry. He values his life more than that. 

I like to do this when times of being stuck in the house. I don't like to do it in the spring because that is when I can get out and it starts a busy season for us. 

I take pride in my home and I expect others to do the same. This is why I'm so passionate about what I do and I take it seriously. 

There is nothing like a clean-smelling good home.

I honestly can not wait until we get this hung this spring. We have got to build a backboard and set poles at the end of our driveway for this big baby I had made for Dear Hubby for Christmas.  We are going to wait until spring so it doesn't have to withstand snow this first season. I love how it turned out. 

I also designed this for him and got it for him for Christmas.  If you want one just like it for your man for a gift, I will link our novelty store down below. So many things to choose from. We have hoodies, short sleeve t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, kids t-shirts, aprons, drinkware and tumblers, and assortment of bags, and some stationery.  Check our store out and see if you find something you like for you, family or friends. 

Now it's time to get those cows some hay, so I will see y'all in the next post.

If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading. 

If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our kitchen, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category. 

Visit our 4D Farms Storefront here 

4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists. 

Thank you for your support. 

If you like video versions of our content here on our blog, you can visit our YouTube Channel here 

We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them. 

We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten. 

You can visit our store here 

Have a Blessed Day

Tracy 

Keeper of the Home 

Using Natures Pharmacy/Learning About Essential Oils

 

Welcome Friend to today's post. 

Do you remember a few posts back where we talked about natural remedies for some ailments and sicknesses? I also told you that eating healthy and exercising was essential too. Here are a few more examples of the power of Nature's Pharmacy. 

I know all these plants are good for us, but have you ever thought about the oils of some of them? They are called Essential Oils and can be used in Aromatherapy. You can also use them topically and only a few are ingestible. The New Testament and Old Testament mention them also. Frankincense is one. It was so good that it was one of the gifts the Wise Men brought as a gift to Jesus. 

I have been using essential oils for years and really love them. It took me time to research a lot of them and what they are used for. I share some of these in a video that I made and you can watch it here Benefits of Essential Oils 

I use essential oils for a lot of different things. I diffuse some in a diffuser, and I make some of my homemade cleaners, sanitizers, disinfectants, and bug spray with them. Some can even be used very gently on babies and children. They are not just for smelling up your home. I even use a blend of some oils with a carrier oil in a roller bottle for pain. I carry the roller bottle in my purse. As soon as you learn what they are used for, you can start making your own just like I do. I have books and essentials in our Amazon Store. The books will be on my Books and DVD's list and the diffusers and some essential oil kits that I use are on my Health and Wellness list. Be sure to check them out. I will have my store link down below. 

Studies have shown that candles can have toxic chemicals in them. When you are breathing these into your lungs, they are not good for you. This is one reason why I switched to essential oils. I started noticing that candles were giving me headaches all the time. Now I can combine my own favorite scents and have a non-toxic environment.

 I love to diffuse eucalyptus and peppermint oil when we are feeling like congestion or stuffy noses coming on. They really open you up and you can breathe better. These are just some examples of how I use essential oils. 

Please feel free to research more and learn just how much better they are for you. 

If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading. 

If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our kitchen, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category. 

Visit our 4D Farms Storefront here 

4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists. 

Thank you for your support. 

If you like video versions of our content here on our blog, you can visit our YouTube Channel here 

We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them. 

We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten. 

You can visit our store here 

Have a Blessed Day

Tracy 

Keeper of the Home 

Natural Remedies For This Sickness Season

 

Hello Friends, welcome to today's post. 

Boy, I sure hope this post finds everyone ok and well. There is so much sickness going on isn't there? Virus' galore, upper respiratory junk, flu a-z, more covid, fevers ransacking our kids, and many more. 

I know a lot of these sicknesses are due to viruses and honestly, there is nothing you can do for them except let them run their course and hope and pray it doesn't last long. But in the meantime, you can suffer and not feel well at all. It's especially harder on kids. I hate it when kids are sick, they are so pitiful and helpless. I also know people don't like running to the doctor every time either because like I said, half the time it's a virus and nothing you can do, but you still need confirmation and rule out other things that it is not. But those doctor visits add up. More and more people are researching herbal home remedies now and I don't blame them. I have trust issues with a lot of medications and especially the side effects. 

I believe with all my heart what the Bible says in Genesis 1:12:

12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 

I believe that everything God made was for our benefit and essential to our very beings. If God said it was good then that's good enough for me. 

Now, before you just go out here picking things and popping it into your mouth, please do research. Disclaimer: I am no doctor and I do not have a degree in anything. Please do your homework and research on things before you want to try something. Find a trustworthy source such as a book from a well known certified herbalist. There are plenty on Amazon. I will leave our Amazon Storefront link down below so you can go and find some. I have done a lot of research myself and found tons of information. I have researched what herb is good for a particular ailment and what does not pair well together. I have been able to take supplements successfully along with my Arthritis medication. My doctor has also approved. He knows how I am. Also, be sure to talk to your doctor before you try something. If he absolutely turns his nose at natural remedies for minor things, then I might be questioning that. I am by no means putting doctors down, it's just that some are not open-minded to holistic and natural remedies because there is no money in that. I mean, you can't medicate healthy people, right? Well, someone had to say it. 

All I can say is, if your convictions are leading you to want to know more and you want to research, please do. It is between you, God, and your doctors. My doctors know I will not run to them every time I have an issue. They know I do my homework and I will run it across them and they have no problem with my convictions. However, there are times when I do know medicine is what I need. You have to use common sense and know your body. Also, be mindful that exercise and a nutritious diet come into play too. God also said our bodies are our temples. Aren't we supposed to take care of our bodies? You betcha. 

I have ordered a few books that I love and am reading more into. One is The Lost Book Of Herbal Remedies by Nicole Apelian, Ph.D and Claude Davis. I have several more that I am interested in getting and they are in my Amazon Store on my Book's and DVD's List. I will have the link to our store below. 

If you are interested in some of the things I already use in my home Apothecary, and want to learn how to make some of your own simple herbal remedies for starters, you can watch my videos on my Natural Remedies and Apothecary Playlist

Make sure to have a pen and paper with you. The one on Goldenrod is very enlightening and informative.

Here are a few examples of simple ingredients that help relieve symptoms or get rid of them altogether: 

My granddaughters love to have tea parties. So I take advantage of this when they are sick. If they come to me saying they have a sore throat or if they are running a fever or maybe congested, I will whip up some warm medicinal tea and we have a tea party. There are some dried teas I keep on hand and I find them at a local health food store in our hometown. They are, Echinacea, Chamomile, Yarrow, and now Goldenrod. I even have some Stinging Nettle for me with my hormones. Simple research can answer a lot of questions. I also buy dried elderberries so I can whip up a cough concoction and have it on hand for the winter. We always add a little honey for sweetness but we make sure it is raw and unfiltered honey so it has all the extra beneficial properties in it. They seem to perk right up after having a warm cup of tea. Of course, its Nature's Pharmacy. To be honest, I do too. I am researching more into making tinctures and my own supplements too. It is a progress but I'm getting there. Eventually, I want to get into salves too. In my Goldenrod Part 2 video, I do make a tincture and a medicinal ointment in the video.  Be sure to check it out. It is on the playlist linked above as well. 

I really hope you consider natural remedies in your home for you and your family. You really can't go wrong. Also, make sure to know the guidelines for any child under 2 years of age. Some things you just can't give babies and some you can. Please use caution. 

If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading. 

If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our kitchen, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category. 

Visit our 4D Farms Storefront here 

4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists. 

Thank you for your support. 

If you like video versions of our content here on our blog, you can visit our YouTube Channel here 

We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them. 

We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten. 

You can visit our store here 

Have a Blessed Day

Tracy 

Keeper of the Home 

How To Make Homemade Soups For Winter

 

 Hello friends, welcome to today's post. Boy, that scene looks cold, doesn't it? Well, it may be cold outside but you can always cook up some kind of warm soup to warm your soul and bellies. 

Making homemade soups is not hard at all. I have taken leftover vegetables before and added a soup base, some kind of broth, and maybe some cream and made a soup. You can add meat to it too, like leftover pork, chicken, beef, etc. 

You can make anything with a can of cream of something soup. You can also make your own cream of something soup by first sautéeing a meat like chicken, or any vegetable like mushrooms, or celery. Sautee enough to soften. You want them finely diced too. After they have softened to your consistency, then you make a rue of butter and flour. Just a few tbsp of each. Then add milk, broth, water or a liquid of your choice. Water will need to be seasoned heavily or used to thin down another liquid. Add the liquid to the rue, until you get the consistency you desire. Remember the flour is a thickener, so as it boils it will thicken. You can adjust the amount of liquid. I would start out in small increments. 

After making your own cream of something soup, you can also learn to make bigger batches and then can it for longer shelf life to have on hand and stock your pantry. 

You can find wonderful recipes online or some good trusted cookbooks, but sometimes I just like using my imagination and coming up with my own recipes and varieties. In this video, I explain it all to you and how you can make all these wonderful soups right off the top of your head. Click below, but make sure to have pen and paper ready. 

You can also watch a few of my videos on my a few playlists of mine on our YouTube channel you can catch them here for Hey G-Maw What's For Supper? or here on my Hotel Cooking Playlist 

I can make soup anywhere I'm at, whether I am at home or on a work trip. 

If you like recipes online or in recipe books, here are a few you can start out with to get a basic idea of the ingredients used. Then you can mix and match or come up with your own once you get the hang of it. So, there you have it, making homemade soups is not hard at all. So go warm those bellies and souls up now because Baby It's Cold Outside. 

If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading. 

If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our kitchen, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category. 

Visit our 4D Farms Storefront here 

4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists. 

Thank you for your support. 

If you like video versions of our content here on our blog, you can visit our YouTube Channel here 

We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them. 

We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten. 

You can visit our store here 

Have a Blessed Day

Tracy 

Keeper of the Home