Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 10

Morel Motherload

Posing in front of a sea of Virginia bluebells.
Ever since we were lucky enough to find a handful of morels last spring, Jack has been looking forward to more morels this year. It came as no surprise that the second the weather was above freezing, he was packing up our supplies and getting the kids ready to go hike to the spot we knew we'd found the tasty little mushrooms before. The first trip of the year is always met with excitement (well...mostly). It's been several months since we've been out...

Luxury Chicken Suite

In the middle of winter, when we were getting the itch to get outside and plant a garden, but obviously couldn't, we decided to get a literal tankful of adorable baby chicks that would revitalize our aging flock. I figured by the time the weather was starting to warm up, the younger chicks would be ready to lay eggs. While that will be true in a few short weeks, I also failed to underestimate how much I wouldn't like having chicks inside.

It seemed to take all of two seconds before the chicks sta...

All Because of Our Savior

Easter came and went all too fast, but we'd been living with the excitement of the buildup for weeks as the kids got ready for it. They were cutting out and coloring eggs, wondering what was going to be in their Easter baskets, asking what the weather was going to be like on Easter Sunday. I made sure to remind them the real meaning of the holiday and the kids always shake their heads, confirming they know all about Jesus and His Atonement and Resurrection. Obviously. I shouldn't have been surpri...

No Ox in the Mire

It was a beautiful, tepid, sunny Sunday and we were pulling into our driveway after church when I happened to notice the cows had escaped and let themselves into the back pasture. It wouldn't have been a big deal, except late last fall, we had a couple ash trees come down and obliterate part of the fence, which would have given them the opportunity to escape. So, it was a quick change of clothes and twenty minutes spend convincing them to go back in where they're supposed to be biding their time...

Three Flocks

In the middle of winter, I start seriously looking forward to spring. I want to have my hands in the dirt, planting our garden. I want to be mowing the lawn. I want to go outside without my coat on. Since I can't do any of those things when the temperatures are below freezing, we have to compromise. This year, that meant getting baby chicks and raising them inside so that when the weather is nice, we can have all sorts of hens wandering the yard and laying us copious amounts of eggs.
One of the t...

Day of Perfection

Sometimes, I think people get the wrong impression about living on a hobby farm, like it's all green grass and baby animals and flowing honey. There are instances when that is absolutely true, but there are equally many instances when it is anything but joyful. Farm life is messy and it's muddy. We have patches of manicured lawn and landscaping, but even those are often invaded by chickens who want to scratch around in the woodchips for food or dust baths, or are driven over by tractors and truck...

Mushroom Empire

In the middle of winter, most people probably aren't thinking about foragable wild mushrooms. They're not exactly a lot of prolific varieties and if there's snow, they're most likely hidden altogether. Of course, little things like seasons and weather doesn't seem to stop Jack. He's gotten a taste for edible and medicinal mushrooms and where there's a will, there's a way.
He always tells me not to get him anything for Christmas (he's probably tired of all the socks and long underwear I seem to bu...

My Valentines

I'm going to go ahead and say it--I don't like February. It's cold and dreary and it feels like there's so much more work to do (trampling through the snow to feed the animals? That's exercise for the day!). I try to look for the silver linings, though. One is Valentine's Day. I know it gets a bad rap for being overly commercialized (what holiday isn't?!), but I happen to love it. Obviously, it shouldn't be the only day people show love to those who are important to them, but also, what's the ha...

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies

The girls have been getting into the tradition of baking a treat for Sunday evening. Fine by me! This week, they decided to try something new--chocolate chip cheesecake cookies. They're soft and have a slight tanginess like a cheesecake...obviously, they're delicious.
Ingredients:1 1/4 cup flour1/4 cup cornstarch1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 cup butter, room temperature4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature1 egg1 Tablespoon milk1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/4 cup powdered sugar1/4 cup chocolat...

Gliding Over the Ice

Usually, when the kids ask which is my least favorite season, I don't hesitate to answer that it's winter. It's cold, icy, wet, muddy, and it's so much harder to pull your baby brother in the wagon across the yard. Sure, there are some fun things about the colder weather, like hot chocolate, the warm fire in the wood burning stove, building snowmen... ...but then there's also a lot of stuff like when the cows rub their rear ends on the switch that controls the deicer in their automatic waterer, th...