I know it has been years since I last updated. A lot of things have changed in my life. First change in my life was almost 2 years ago, I got divorced from my husband Wayne. We just grew apart and he wasn't happy and asked me for a divorce. At the time I didn't think I was unhappy but now I see that I really was. I'm so so much happier now! He was very good to me and was very fair in the divorce. So when I got divorced I also lost My Lilac Cottage Homestead. I miss my chickens and garden, but mostly I'm fine with it. I needed some time to recharge and get closer to my God!! I have found that I LOVE hiking!!!! Megan and Levi with only their one child moved to Virginia. In the Blue Ridge Mountains between Charlottesville Va, and Lynchburg Va. Their house in nestled in between two Mountains, De Priest on one side and Three Ridges on the other. Within short walking distance of the Appalachian Tail. It is SO SO BEAUTIFUL there!!! I will post a few pictures sometime, maybe today. I don't know. :o) While Levi and Megan have been living in Virginia they have had another baby. He is 8 months now. So now there is Matthias 2, and Isaac 8 months. I'm so so truly Blessed!!!!!! I am living in Ohio still. I live with my parents for now. My Mom had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, second stage. She has had the surgery called the Whipple. The name sounds nicer than the surgery itself. It is a VERY difficult surgery to recover from. But the Dr and nurse have all told her that she has done better than most 40yr olds. She is very strong minded. So I live here for now taking care of her, and the house. But all and all God has been very good to me over the last couple of years. The Lord Giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.
This is a video of Spy Rock, so you can get a idea of where I was.
In the winter I like to read books and look through the internet to learn new things to help my homesteading, So a couple of months ago I found a interesting way of cooking that saves energy and work. I would've said a new way of cooking, but it's not new it is revived. It has been around for a very very long time. When I tried to look up how old, I found talk of it going clear back to medieval times, and who knows it could even be older. It came back into use during the late 1800's and then again during the wars of WWI, WWII, and clear up to the 1950's or so. It was so popular that there was several cookbooks written on it (between 1880's-1950's). They also made insulated boxes, and sold them in stores. So what is retained heat cooking or fireless cooking as it is sometimes called. Well it is when you use some kind of heat source to heat a pot of food of some kind very hot for a short time. Food is usually boiled. Then the pot is put into a box surrounded by hay, straw, dry leaves, news papers, blankets, rags, pillows or any kind of insulation. It could even be put in the ground and covered by the insulation. Then the pot is set aside for a long period of time to cook slowly from the retained heat of the pot of food. The idea is very simple. The great things about retained cooking is that you use less fuel because you aren't cooking it for hours, you use less water because it's not being boiled away, it uses less spices because the steam isn't wafting it a way. The food rarely ever over cooks and it never burns. It doesn't heat up the house in the summer to cook this way. A long time ago they would heat it and tuck in the box. Then go out for the day and work in the garden or what ever and when it was time for supper all they would have to do is unwrap it and serve it up. It would be great for when you go on trips. Just prepare it and put it in its box and wrap it up. Then when you are hungry to eat something hot on the road all you do is unwrap it and eat. There are so many possibilities. It is a lot like a slow cooker but without using any electricity. I have only used it once so far, but it worked wonderfully. I boiled a chicken in a pot on the stove for about a 1/2 hour and then put it in my clothes basket in the middle of about 5 layer of blankets and towels. I left it in the basket for about 4 hours. Then later when I took it out it was still really hot and fully done. The thing is that the chicken that I cooked was one of my older layers that are usually tough if not cooked for a really long time (about 4 hours on the stove). While it was in the basket I was making noodle to go in the broth that the boiled chicken would make.
This is the inside of the basket I used to make my retained heat box. I had put a cast iron trivit on the last blanket that I used in the cloths basket, I put it there to keep the bottom of the hot pot off the blankets and plastic basket. The pot is really really hot when you put it in there.
Here is the pot snuggled in the basket of blankets all around it.
As soon as the pot is in the basket, cover it up quickly. So most of the pots heat is retained to use to cook the food.
You can google this book and actually find it on line some where. It's the whole book. I can't remember where I found it, but I know it's out there.
Here is another interesting cookbook with recipes in it for retained cooking or fireless cooking like a lot of books call it.
Here is a picture that I found of a lady cooking with a fireless cooker box. This picture is probly from the turn of the century. 1900
This is a hay box. It is kind of self explaining. You put your pot in and cover with hay. Works like my basket with blankets.
Here is something like what I did. But with a smaller basket.
Retained heat cooking is used over in third world countrys because it doesn't use a much fuel to cook something. Here are some ladys in Africa.
Another basket but this time filled with news papers. It still works. There are so many way to do it. Pick one that works best for you.
here is Megan and Levi at a cemetery down in Martins Ferry Ohio. This cemetery is call Walnut Grove. My 6Th Great Grandfather and mother are buried her. Their names were Ebenezer and Elisabeth Zane. Ebenezer is the founder of Wheeling WV. He came to Wheeling in the year 1770. We wanted to show him alittle about our history.
Here is just a picture of the old stones in the cemetery. I don't know why I love old cemeterys. I think that they are very peaceful, and the headstones are interesting to read too.
Here is a Marker that tell all about the history of the area and the cemetery.
And here is the other side of the marker.
This is my 6Th Great Grandma. She died in 1814. I love what they wrote on her stone. Elizabeth Zane who died in January 1814 in the 66Th year of her age. Her life was spent in the constant exercise of domestic and christian virtue. I love that.
Here is a picture of the inside of one of the antique shops. I found and bought a really old cast iron pot in this store. I only payed $12 for it. It's from the 1860's or maybe even alittle earlier. I was a happy camper that day.
Here is Megs and Levi in the gardens at Oglebay park in Wheeling. It is so beautiful there. 
Here is Megan in front of the fountain up at Oglebay by the mansion.
As you can see it was a beautiful spring day. The sun was shining and the red buds and other trees were blooming. They raise lamas, goats and chickens on the little homestead.
This is their chicken chalet (chicken coop). It is made out of all straw bale construction, and designed to collect all the water that the chickens may need. See the rain barrels on the side of the building. 
This is the front of the earthship. Inside those doors was where we had our cheese making class. All the doors except for the two front darker colored doors where put in as windows, and they were recycled from houses that were being remodeled. It is made of a straw bale and tire earthen wall construction. The small holes and one large hole above the door was actually made of colored glass bottles. And from the inside it made a beautiful stain glass kind of thing. You will see what I'm talking about a little bit later, because I have put up a picture a little bit lower in the post taken from the inside of that room. I'm almost sure that everything that they used in building this house was recycled or given to them.
This is also in the front of the house. See how the window are angled to catch the winter's sunlight, and angled in such away to keep out most of the summer's sunlight. At the very end of the building is a solar water heater.
Here is Annie again. She is showing how to put the cheese curds in a press. Before we had our cheese classes we were invited to partake of some English tea and cookies, and to try some goats cheeses the she had made ahead of time.
This picture was taken a little farther into their house. The main part of their house was very open. the kitchen and the main living room are connected together. See how the sun comes in and lights up the whole room. See how the ceiling is slanted in a V shape. That is so the rain water will collect at the bottom of the V and run into their cistern. That wall behind the ladies talking was made out of old tires pack full with clay soil, then stuccoed over.