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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on May 14, 2015 17:02:17 GMT
NW IL Homesteading Weekend
June 26-28, 2015
Muller’s Lane Farm 9767 Hickory Hills Rd Rock Falls, IL This year will be like last year. We are encouraging folks to come Friday afternoon/evening to set up camp and socialize around the fire.
Activities will begin Saturday morning and continue all day.
Sunday will be a day of rest. Breakfast will be served and folks will depart.
This will be an informal get together for like-minded people who would like to share with/learn from others.
Possible events/classes:
- Blacksmithing (Blacksmith shop will be open all day)
- Spinning
- Prepping fiber for spinning
- Fiber Dyeing
- Knitting/Crocheting/other Fiber Arts
- Animal Care
- Soapmaking (approximately 9 AM Saturday)
- Canning (approximately 10 AM Saturday)
- Gardening
- Composting
- Cooking on open fire with cast iron
- Book Barter
- Animal Barter
- Churning Ice Cream
If you have a talent you would like to share with others, bring what you need.
There will be no set time for classes/demonstrations. In keeping with our adage, "We don't have a plan and we're sticking to it!"
Potluck both days, bring what you need and we'll share with all. It doesn't even have to be a prepared dish ... we can cook it here! We provide plates, cups, flatware & drinks (lemonade & teas)
We are always grateful when folks bring ice. It is our biggest expense of the weekend.
There is no charge for the weekend, however, we do appreciate donations to offset the costs
Primitive camping available (i.e. no water or electrical hook-ups). Central cook fire available. Hand pump water available. Indoor & primitive bathroom available. Small camper trailers are okay. Hotels available within 5 miles.
If you are camping and would like to come set up on Friday evening, please let us know in advance!
Please! No alcohol or pets.
Feel free to bring musical instruments!
For more information, call Paul & Cyndi at 815-625-2607 or email at mullerslanefarm@gmail.com
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on May 15, 2015 16:04:46 GMT
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Post by jd4020 on May 18, 2015 23:34:17 GMT
Hi Cyndi, I am hoping I can come on Saturday. I can't camp overnight, too many things to take care of at home (and I love to camp) It always looks like everyone who attends has a great time (based on your shared pictures of past get togethers) Thanks for posting.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on May 19, 2015 5:23:38 GMT
I can't wait to see you again ... it's been years!!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 21, 2015 22:13:01 GMT
Wish I was close enough to come!
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 22:00:41 GMT
I really like your style on this. Hope you will report back with hard won advice for PNW (WA & OR) folks for our get- together.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on May 28, 2015 1:37:21 GMT
@home2stay ... the best laid plans will always go awry for functions like this ... which is why we stick to, "We don't have a plan & sticking to it." We never know who will be coming and what they might be interested in learning or what skills they have to teach. Just so my day goes more smoothly, I teach a soapmaking and then pressure canning class on Saturday morning, after that, all bets are off as to what I'll be doing. We have a large sign on our porch with the 'rules'. Since we are a working homestead and do have large livestock, we want parents that bring their children to know what places are off limits to their children (no one goes into any of the fenced pastures), children can only go into buildings if accompanied by a parent, no chasing the poultry, no hanging from the fruit trees. Pretty common sense stuff, but a lot of folks that come have never set foot on a working homestead before. One thing we instituted a few years ago was a few whiteboards that let folks know where they could find different activities, such as fiber arts in the living room (carding wool, drop spindling, wheel spinning, knitting, crocheting), the blacksmith shop (we have a country neighbor that Paul taught how to smith come over & supervise), the gardens, bee hives, composting, the camp fire. Another white board was used for folks that wanted to learn a specific task and another for folks to list what they could teach so folks could connect with each other. The Thursday before the weekend, I get 4-5 gallons of Jersey milk. On Friday, I lift the cream so we can make butter on Saturday, prepare a custard for churning ice cream & sometimes rennet & culture mozzarella cheese so we can stretch it the next day. We provide drinks, usually lemonade, sweet tea & iced herbal tea (red clover, lavender & stevia), plates, cups napkins & flatware & ice. There is a shallow trough filled with icy water to set any watermelons that arrive & in case folks bring soda. It usually gets used to fill water guns for the children. Speaking of which, having back yard games available for the children is life saver. I usually go to the dollar store and get bubbles, insect nets, balls, etc .. just various cheap toys. We don't charge for the event or any of the activities. I wouldn't know how to even begin keeping track of who paid and who didn't. We do set out donation jars with the hope of offsetting costs .... one year, someone actually donated!!! Hope your event in the PNW is a success! You'll know more about how to organize it once it is over!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on May 28, 2015 2:49:29 GMT
Good tips, Cyndi! Thanks for the input and ideas. I think we may be looking at having it at a park the first time, so lots of games for active kids sounds good.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 3:12:12 GMT
Thanks. I really like the low key attitude. Wish I was coming to yours!
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Post by bearcreekfarm on May 29, 2015 21:21:12 GMT
My daughter and I would love to come, but it is a long drive for just the two of us.
However, if anyone from Minnesota is going and would like to travel together and split expenses, the 4yo and I would jump at the chance. Or, anyone who might be traveling through MN that we could hook up with.
Or? Open to suggestions.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on May 30, 2015 3:39:30 GMT
Check with Wind in her hair & Cabin Fever. They've been threatening to come for a number of years
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2015 16:10:32 GMT
It's my weekend to work.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Jun 2, 2015 16:45:18 GMT
Bummer, @dawndra. So happy we got to spend some time together last week!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2015 4:09:28 GMT
I know. Hopefully I can come Friday before work. I may have company that day. We will just have to see how it plays out.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2015 14:07:52 GMT
Don't even have a car to drive there, but you know that we can't get away now either. So grateful that you came down to ours!
God bless your homesteading weekend with good connections, good sharing, good learning, and His love!
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Jun 6, 2015 15:40:38 GMT
It was a blessing to be able to be at your place, @pony. I know I can always "decompose" there!
I wonder if Tim will be able to make it this year??
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Post by Rustaholic on Jun 7, 2015 21:09:55 GMT
How many years have you folks been doing this event. If very long I sure wish I had known about it. Mom is done traveling much at all now but she used to go home with her youngest sister to mid Missouri after our reunions second week of June. I would always go pick her up on the perfect weekend to stop by this event. I like a place to stop off when making those trips. Many times I would spend a couple hours at a little antique engine show at Sandwich, IL. That was nice but this even would have been more fun for me. I do not believe I can talk my 90 year old mother into heading home with Aunt Dot this next weekend. It would be so great to drive there on the Friday and then head for MO Saturday evening. I have 13 engines like the picture I use here but I also am a master rope maker. I make sisal ropes to use and ropes from yarn for kids jump ropes.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Jun 8, 2015 3:29:43 GMT
Well, this is our 11th annual Our first one was 2005. It has always been the weekend after Father's Day except for the first one & one other weemend. Love the hit&miss engines! Paul has made a rope maker in the blacksmith shop that we like to bring out for the weekend. It's nice to have someone else here that knows how to make rope.
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Post by Rustaholic on Jun 8, 2015 16:23:40 GMT
Well, this is our 11th annual Our first one was 2005. It has always been the weekend after Father's Day except for the first one & one other weemend. Love the hit&miss engines! Paul has made a rope maker in the blacksmith shop that we like to bring out for the weekend. It's nice to have someone else here that knows how to make rope. Is there a picture of his rope machine on your web page? I would love to see it.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Jun 8, 2015 16:29:39 GMT
Probably not on the web page ... maybe somewhere on the compute though. I'll try to remember to search tonight. Right now I'm about ready to turn 24 cups of strawberries into strawberry jam!! Yumm-O!!
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Post by dw on Jun 9, 2015 21:18:35 GMT
Oh, yes, we need pictures. I did this rope thing at a Laura Ingalls place in SD...fun!
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Post by Rustaholic on Jun 10, 2015 13:13:33 GMT
Probably not on the web page ... maybe somewhere on the compute though. I'll try to remember to search tonight. Right now I'm about ready to turn 24 cups of strawberries into strawberry jam!! Yumm-O!! I don't make the jam. I just freeze them in small baggies and use one a day on ice cream. Yes, If there is any canning to do here I am the one to do it. My sweet wife didn't grow up like I did. She will wash jars and assist but I must lead. We had a bumper crop one year and I had my treat for just over a year every day. Plus that year I had canned 100 pints of jam.
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Post by countrymom22 on Jun 22, 2015 21:53:20 GMT
Wish I was closer! What a great opportunity. Please post an up date after the fact with lots of pictures! Enjoy everyone! Sue
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Post by horseyrider on Jun 23, 2015 14:39:32 GMT
I'm hoping to come for a while on Saturday afternoon. It's really sort of funny, Cyndi; I live about an hour from you. I have a couple of friends in your area, people you probably know. (One owns a feed store in Walnut that until about a year ago was on the east side of Rock Falls, and the other's DH runs an implement place in Walnut.) So if the weather's good, it'd be fun to visit! And even though I've been doing this for almost 40 years, I've found that there's always something new we can learn by watching someone else. Fresh ideas often spring from other peoples' farms. I have to work around the weather and my DH, though. He has cancer and it's hard to plan very far ahead. The surprises in this journey have a way of derailing plans.... I hope to see you Saturday!
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Jun 27, 2015 2:17:53 GMT
Sweet! I've been absent most of this month ... just plain busy with stuff around here ... then granddaughter came for a visit 2 weeks ago and well, not much time for anything else with her around!! Tomorrow is the day. Got a text from MyHeaven yesterday saying her troop are supposed to make it ... they found a farm sitter at the last minute. I expected them tonight, but seems like their farm sitter didn't show Hopefully tomorrow. We do have some overnight guests tonight. Most of my prep work is done. I'm ready to kick back & relax (I've been hard at it the past 14 hours non-stop) to start fresh tomorrow!! Pictures will show up on our FB group www.facebook.com/groups/MullersLaneFarm/ first. I don't know if I'll have much time to take pictures, but a good friend of mine is a professional photographer and she'll be here with her cameras. She's a member of our FB group and will post photos there.
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Post by Rustaholic on Jun 27, 2015 13:20:17 GMT
Sweet! I've been absent most of this month ... just plain busy with stuff around here ... then granddaughter came for a visit 2 weeks ago and well, not much time for anything else with her around!! Tomorrow is the day. Got a text from MyHeaven yesterday saying her troop are supposed to make it ... they found a farm sitter at the last minute. I expected them tonight, but seems like their farm sitter didn't show Hopefully tomorrow. We do have some overnight guests tonight. Most of my prep work is done. I'm ready to kick back & relax (I've been hard at it the past 14 hours non-stop) to start fresh tomorrow!! Pictures will show up on our FB group www.facebook.com/groups/MullersLaneFarm/ first. I don't know if I'll have much time to take pictures, but a good friend of mine is a professional photographer and she'll be here with her cameras. She's a member of our FB group and will post photos there. I still would love to see a picture of your husband's rope machine.
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Post by countrymom22 on Jun 27, 2015 18:01:36 GMT
Well, Homesteading weekend is going on right now and boy do I wish I was there! Have fun everyone!
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Post by jd4020 on Jun 28, 2015 22:13:27 GMT
What a fun day. I was there yesterday. Can't say enough good things about the day. Met some nice folks. Thank you to Katherine and Susan for helping me with the knitted sock. I knew it would be easy if I could see how it's done. I also learned a bit more about making soap & using a lard press. Watching the children was fun; they were excited to show what they had made working with the black smiths' tools. The food was...well...just....mmmmm. Home grown pork in slow cooker with carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, celery and seasonings, chicken cooked over the fire on a spit, home made ice cream, salmon and other dishes. Thank you to Paul & Cyndi for generously opening their home and hosting this.
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Post by Rustaholic on Jun 28, 2015 22:31:28 GMT
What a fun day. I was there yesterday. Can't say enough good things about the day. Met some nice folks. Thank you to Katherine and Susan for helping me with the knitted sock. I knew it would be easy if I could see how it's done. I also learned a bit more about making soap & using a lard press. Watching the children was fun; they were excited to show what they had made working with the black smiths' tools. The food was...well...just....mmmmm. Home grown pork in slow cooker with carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, celery and seasonings, chicken cooked over the fire on a spit, home made ice cream, salmon and other dishes. Thank you to Paul & Cyndi for generously opening their home and hosting this. Now you got me. Somehow I just gotta do this next year if it happens. Was that home made ice cream made in a hand crank machine? What size is it? I have a two gallon one.
I still want to see a picture of that rope machine. Please?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2015 22:37:15 GMT
I would have loved to have been there, but I just found out about it and it is already over. Story of my life, "A day late and a dollar short". Sigh!!!
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