Homemade Pizza Pockets

It was still too windy and cool outside to use our pizza box solar oven that we made yesterday.  So, we decided to make some pizza pockets for dinner tonight.

Baxter helped measure the ingredients into the mixer.  He really enjoyed watching the mixer go round and round.

Once it came together as a soft dough we took it out and I showed Baxter how to kneed it so it was a smooth stretchy dough.  We then let it rest for 15 minutes to proof (expand).  We rolled it out really thin...

and then McKayla came to help cut 3 inch circles out.  We needed 24 circles, 12 for the bottoms and 12 for the tops.

We added pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese to the 12 bottom rounds.

Finally, McKayla brushed an egg wash along the edges and put the top circles on.  The edges were crimped with a fork and I put them in the oven for 20 minutes.

Baxter wanted to try one right away but I made him wait until they were cool so he wouldn't burn his mouth.

Pizza Box Solar Oven

This afternoon we made a Pizza Box Solar Oven.  The kid's had seen a segment yesterday about these solar ovens at the end of a Curious George episode and wanted to make one.  We found the instructions here.  This oven can reach 275F and can cook things like mini pizzas, hot dogs, cookies or s'mores.

Here Baxter poses with the materials we needed to make our pizza oven; pizza box, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, glue, tape and box cutter.  The packing tape I used to attach the plastic wrap is missing from this shot.

First I cut a flap in the lid one inch from the sides.  Then we covered the flap with aluminum foil.  The inside of the box also got lined with foil.

Here Baxter demonstrates how I covered the hole with plastic wrap from the inside.  The oven is now done.  Unfortunately, it was too chilly and overcast for us to try it out this afternoon.  Hopefully tomorrow will be warmer.

After dinner McKayla wanted to play Memory.  Baxter thought that sounded like a great idea until he found out it was a princess version!  So girly!  But, in the end he played too.

Baxter and McKayla working together to play.  They ended up winning this round.

Gymnastics Class

Baxter came along with us to McKayla's gymnastics class.  But first we ran a few errands in town.

We had to stop at the post office to mail a package as well as some postcards we are trading with others around the world.  Baxter and McKayla mailed the postcards while I waited to mail the package at the window.

Our next stop was to the recycling center.  Our county (Person County) recently acquired a new recycling system.  We are now able to take more types of materials to be recycled and it does not need to be sorted ahead of time!  We recycle as much as we can here and the recycling center is a stop I make once or twice a week.

Finally, it was time for gymnastics.

McKayla, at 5 years old, is in a girls level 1 class and loves it.  The play equipment you see in front is for a toddler class.  McKayla's class uses the equipment to the rear of the gym like the balance beams, uneven bars, trampoline, dance mats, etc.

After gymnastics we all went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  We ordered what we always do; a family order of cheese breadsticks and a cheese lovers with half pepperoni on a hand tossed crust.  Yumm!

When we got home we discovered this postcard in the mailbox from Baxter's family.  It is the capitol building of New Jersey which is where Baxter is from.

Sunday on the farm.

This morning started as we begin every Sunday morning... homemade buttermilk biscuits with sausage and gravy and scrambled eggs. Not the healthiest of breakfasts but we indulge this one day of the week. Leftover warm biscuits are often eaten with jam or honey.

Warm biscuits right from the oven are so tempting!

After breakfast it is time for chores. Here Baxter is seen with our goat Mary Jane. Mary Jane is eating her breakfast on the milking stanchion so I can milk her. I am currently milking two goats; Mary Jane and her mother Peppermint.

Eggs needed to be collected. This is a Welsummer hen, one of my favorites.

After finishing up feeding the rest of the animals (photos to come over the next few days) we headed back to the house to strain the goat's milk. I got over a liter today but used some to bottle feed the last goat kid (baby) that we haven't sold yet. Once the milk is strained I put in the freezer for 30 minutes to rapidly cool and then it goes into the refrigerator.

Next thing that needed to get done was wash the eggs we collected this morning. Here is a picture of one of our eggs cracked open. The yolks from chickens that free range and eat good things like bugs and fresh grasses are very orange instead of the lighter yellow of commercial raised eggs you get at the grocery store.

The rest of our day was spent doing odds and ends around the farm. This evening we did some reading and relaxed together while watching TV.

Dinner at the grandparents

Poor Baxter had to hang out in the house most of the day while farm chores were done, water hoses repaired, goats were sold and just the general weekend farm things that need to get done.

But, on Saturday evenings we usually go over to the kid's grandparents (the Bensens) house in Virgina.  Even though they are in another state it is only a 25 minute drive from our farm.  We usually take turns with them making dinner for the whole family and tonight I offered to make beef stoganoff to bring over.  The beef we used was beef we raised right here on our farm.

After dinner Baxter, Evan and McKayla went out on the deck to read stories with their grandmother.  They are currently reading a Star Wars book together.

We always enjoy our visits with the Bensen granparents but it is nice to come home again.

Typical Friday

Fridays here at our house are pretty laid back.  We usually don't go anywhere as it is my day to catch up from the week and get ready for the weekend.  I clean the house, do lots of laundry, and plan the meals for the weekend.

Baxter just hung around in the kitchen and kept me company.  So, when I started to make some homemade yogurt Baxter asked to help too.

Making yogurt is really simple.  First you heat 1 litter of milk to a low boil then let it cool to about 110F.  While it is heating you can add 1/3 cup powdered milk (helps make the yogurt nice and thick) and 1/2 cup sugar if you are making a sweet flavored yogurt.  Once the milk is at 110F you add the cultered yogurt starter (I use either a powdered starter or several tablespoons from my last batch of yogurt).  The last thing I add is any flavoring I want.  Today I made vanilla yogurt so I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  The milk mixture is then poured through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps. 

Finally it is poured into individual jars and placed into our yogurt maker to set for 8 hours.  So, later tonight I will put them in the fridge to cool and they will be ready to eat in the morning.

Baxter also helped me out with one of my daily chores... washing our farm fresh eggs and putting them in cartons for sale.  Our chickens lay many different colored eggs, including beige, light brown, dark brown, speckled, green and blue eggs.  We sell them for $2 a dozen when people stop by the farm.

Earth Day

Baxter had a full day today! First, Baxter got to go the barn and meet the animals and help with chores. Then, since it was Earth Day today, we did several projects to celebrate that. Then we went to a local park to ride bikes and play.  Here are some photos of our day with Baxter:

This is one of three rabbit litters we currently have.  These are American Chinchilla rabbits.  They are ranked number 6 on the rare breed rabbit list in the US.

Baxter liked the chicken chicks that are just a week old as they weren't much bigger then him.  We currently have 16 chicks of several different breeds.  This one is an Americana.  If is grows up to be a female chicken it will lay green/blue eggs.

These are two of our 12 alpacas.  This is my favorite color - dark brown.  Alpacas come in 22 natural colors - from white to fawn to brown to black and grey and the shades in between.

Here are our goat does (females).  They are Nigerian Dwarf goats and we milk them daily.  We use the milk for homemade cheese and soap.

Baxter even got a kiss from our goat Belle.

Once chores were done Baxter helped the kids build and paint birdhouses.  He had lots of fun but needed to wash his pajamas afterward.

Here are the birdhouses Baxter helped with.  Evan's is on the left and McKayla's is on the right.

Next we made some birdfeeders for our wildbirds at home.  Baxter tried to help stir up the concoction....

but ended up falling in by mistake and Evan had to help him out.

In the end he helped make four bird feeder pinecones that Evan hung in the trees around the playground at home.

This is the small park that we went to this afternoon.  It is not too far from our house so we go freqently.  It has two baseball fields, a walking/bike path and a small playground.

Evan and McKayla with Baxter getting set to ride their bikes.

Baxter and McKayla clinbing trees.

Then Baxter helped Evan search for four leafed clovers.  They didn't find any though.

Baxter Arrives!

Baxter arrived today safe and sound! We discovered him in the mailbox after returning home from an afternoon in town running errands. He hung out with McKayla while I unpacked the groceries and did some final chores down at the barn.


Once the craziness of chore day settled down we all had a quiet evening playing a version of Crazy Eights with the Thomas the Tank card deck.


Baxter was quick to learn and seemed to enjoy it.


It wasn't too long before we tucked him in bed for the night. We will introduce him to the barn tomorrow.