Day After Down Time

 I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. Ours was nice and quiet with just the 3 of us. My son baked a pumpkin pie using sweetened condensed milk. I honestly had never heard of such a thing, so I was excited to try it. The pie has a more condensed texture, but is really good IMHO. Will I go out of my way to make another one? No, but only because it's more expensive to make. While going down the rabbit hole of looking up the sweetened condensed milk recipe, I found that some people use cream and milk in their pies. Very interesting. I'll have to try that. 

I went out to my local farmer to pick up our turkey. He called and said they were in the process of butchering it. I went to his farm to find that we were the lucky recipient of a 37 pound turkey!!! Yes, you read that correctly - thirty-seven pounds!!! Never in my life did I ever expect such a big bird! Well, I lugged it home and cooked it yesterday. That was a trip in itself. I had nothing large enough to bake it in. All my roasting pans were way too small, so I lugged out the roaster only to find that was also too small.

I ended up taking out the liner and using it as a baking pan and covered with foil. What an adventure! I got up at 3:30am to remove any lingering feathers, cleaned it and had it in the oven by 5:15am. The bird was falling apart done by 1pm. We had a huge feast and a TON of leftover turkey. I put it in the fridge to chill and will be repacking it today for MANY dinners to come. The bones, drippings, skin, giblets, etc. are now in that same roaster with some veggies and spices. Tomorrow I'll have a delicious broth to chill to get off the unwanted fat and then Monday or Tuesday, I'll can it for the winter season. We'll have some of the best bone broth to cook with! I can't wait to see how much I'll have from this bird! 

I think I'll take some time today today to see what items are on Black Friday Specials. Most that I've seen so far have been MEH, but every once in a while I find a goodie. I did order a couple of cookbooks that should be in soon. I'm looking forward to them! I'm also looking forward to getting a little crafting time in. Today is not so pressing with tons of leftovers to eat. 

I hope you had a lovely holiday with friends and/or family and you are enjoying all the leftovers as well!

Prepping Before The Holiday

 Today is a day of preparing anything I can do ahead of tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal. My son seems to be very excited about dinner and has a big interest in what we will be having tomorrow. We've discussed pies and the menu - something that he really hasn't cared about in years. He's had a lot of changes this past year with the new house, being rear-ended and having his car totalled as well as a new-to-him car. 

His dream home isn't so dreamy at the moment. Every time he turns around, there's something else for him to do. Major things that were missed during the inspection. Yes, I know that it is part of home ownership, but it has opened his eyes of the woes of owning his own place. Currently, he has a pipe somewhere in the home that is leaking sewer gas. That's his next challenge. His dad was supposed to help, but he's been down sick for more than a week. Sick enough to go to the Dr. Hubby's currently on meds and ear drops - yup, this illness came complete with a serious ear infection. So, as soon as Dad feels better, they will be tackling the pipe together. 

I'll be trying a non-corn syrup version of the pecan pie. I stumbled across it on YouTube. It's not a new version, but instead an old one of pecan pie before the invention of corn syrup. The video tells not only the recipe but the history behind pecan pie in general. The channel is called Tasting History and is created by Max Miller who has a LOT of great and fascinating information on his channel.

 

 

With the preps, there won't be much (if any) crafting today or tomorrow. I did get some done on the baby blanket I'm working on. I have a few rows left to go before I do the edging. This will be another addition to the donation box. This is called the Honey Bee Mine Blanket and was the April 2023 Crochet Kit of the Month from Mary Maxim. As far as I can tell, this pattern is not available. This has been in my rotation since April 2023.

Behind On Updating

I am behind on updating because of a little ball of fur that entered our lives. I walked out on my back porch after hearing some small meows, and found 3 little kittens that scurried away and hid. I had assumed they were brought here by their momma, since I had been feeding a stray that looked pregnant, then she didn't, and then she disappeared. Unfortunately, these little ones did not seem to belong to anyone and they were so small. We tried catching them with no luck. That night, one was killed by something, the next night the other just disappeared, and then only one was left. It took us a couple of days to finally catch her, but we got her, took her to the vet and had her tested to make sure we could bring her into our 2 cat home safely.

The vet tech said she looked like she was about 4 weeks old! She tested negative for everything so inside she came. We gave her kitten formula and then a two days later, she got to see our vet. The vet figured 4-5 weeks, gave her a probiotic since there was some blood showing up when she made a bowel movement and gave her a clean bill of health. No worms, no parasites, no mites, nothing! The conclusion was she was not a stray but a cast-off. It seems that she and her littermates were dumped off and left to fend for themselves. Sadly, only this one made it. How can people be so cruel? This little one was not even old enough to be weaned!

Well, she adapted well, has gotten fat and sassy and is due for her shots on Thursday. She has grown like a weed and is no longer the skinny baby we finally caught. She was on a 2 hour feeding schedule at first and then it spread out a little longer. Unfortunately with this schedule it changed our family plans. My daughter flew in from the other side of the country to spend a week and celebrate her father's birthday with him and we had small trips scheduled, reservations made, etc., that had to be modified. We did local trips and my son stayed home to feed the kitten while we traveled into the city. My daughter had purchased tickets that couldn't be refunded so he insisted I go while he babysat. 

Hubby has always said was never a cat person, but our vet said it was because he never had his own cat and this one will change him. He was right. Hubby fell in love with this little girl and tells everyone she was his birthday present. She has brought lots of joy into our lives and certainly keeps us on our toes!

Life Got In the Way!

Look! All my ducks are in a row!

Wow! It's been forever since I sat down to write. This year has been crazy busy and full of unforeseen events. If you had told me what had been in store for us, I would have laughed at you and said you were nuts! 

January brought a serious back problem for my husband. He was hospitalized for 10 days, home health care and therapy for a few weeks then physical therapy for a few months. In fact, he just wrapped up his physical therapy a couple of weeks ago. He was off work for a couple of months, started working part-time from home, then just got the OK to go back to work at the University when the Covid-19 shutdown happened. He has not been physically to work since

January 17th! He's been telecommuting every since and he loves it! 

I've had a bunch of adjusting to do. Not only is hubby working from home, but so is our son. Our son was looking for an apartment when this all hit. That came to a halt when the shutdown happened and now, with working from home with his job from the University, he's putting more time in than he'd be doing physically at work, which seriously limits his time to look for any housing - besides the issues with social distancing and the instability of the future. 

My daughter lives on the other coast and was supposed to fly out and stay out here for 2 weeks. I was hearing rumors of a shutdown and quarantine for those that travel, so gave her a heads up. We were watching things closely, and just before she was scheduled to leave, shutdown happened. She had to cancel so many things that was planned for here, including her wedding. She was coming out here to finishing arranging things for the wedding that was to take place this year, when everything went haywire. She and her fiance decided it was best to cancel and wait this mess all out and then do a wedding out there, close to home. 

Another heartbreaking thing happened was my best friend, Val, died. She was one of the most amazing people I had ever encountered in life. She always made me laugh and was there for me when I needed someone. She would drag me around to places that I would have never have know about. She introduced me to so many things and added so much to my life. She was not only my friend, but a friend of the family and was like another family member - especially to my son. Val didn't have children, so she "adopted" him. She died during lockdown, so there was no public funeral for her. I never got to say goodbye. Goodbye, Val. I miss you so much...

It's been a huge adjustment for all of us. With a wedding cancelled and a best friend gone, lockdown with freedom taken away and having to get used to having two very independent males underfoot all the time, it has been an emotional challenge. Mostly emotional because there was no one to grieve with. There were a few days I just shut down, but I guess I needed to.

However, even after all that,  I can honestly say I'm enjoying the forced proximal closeness of family. I hear all the negatives about the shutdown/lockdown and not really any positives. For me, there are a few negatives, but overall I'm enjoying home life.  I'm shopping more because most is being done online. I have large, heavy things like kitty litter delivered now, but I started that in January when hubby had his back issue. It is so nice not having to put a 35 pound bucket of litter in my cart, take it out and put it in the car, then take it out of the car and lug it in. Now, I just have to lug it in, and that's really wonderful for an older woman like me! LOL Yes, I still have to get fresh, frozen and refrigerated items at a physical store, but that's about it. I have some physical issues with wearing a mask, so I limit my time out in one.

I've also found our family has grown closer. There aren't really any arguments - maybe an occasional tiff, but even they aren't really happening. In fact, I can't tell you when the last time was that we had a disagreement of any sort. Hmmmm....  And out house is small - only a tiny bit over 1000 square feet, so it's not like we can really run away from each other! 

We've all been looking into hobbies - my son has started concentrating on woodworking more. Hubby putters around more but is still physically limited and not able to do what he used to. He's had to refocus and give up some things. His has been more of a mental challenge - having to give up things he loves to do and finding new things.

Me - well, I'm always learning and trying new things. This year, I've been wanting to make my own things. I've been focusing on handmade items to see how many things I can make or repurpose and not have to depend on trying to find the "right" fit of clothes, style, etc. I've taken a few online classes, made my first cardigan, designed my first crocheted top, dehydrating new foods, experimenting with growning unusual (to me) plants, solar cooking and making my own jewelry. I'm sure there's more that I'm not mentioning.

So that's 2020 up to July in a nutshell for me. Life is different - and I'm enjoying it. I'll be sad to see the guys go back to work when this is all over. I'll miss them.

2020: New Year - New Decade

The new year arrived quietly under a bed of white for us. Our son's plans changed, and instead of chancing the weather, he spent the evening with us. I treasure the time we can spend with our children, because they will soon have families of their own and lives of their own.

I am looking forward to this year. Our daughter will be getting married in the fall and our son has started a new job that is much more suited to him compared to his last job. Hubby and I are planning on planting a larger garden which will be nice. We have many ideas we are tossing around between us. It will soon be time to start planting seeds and seeing the miracle of those tiny embryos turn into plants and food for our family.

I have a few personal goals set:

1. Lose 10% of my body weight
2. Read through Paul's books of the Bible 12x
3. Complete at least one online course
4. Remove processed foods and most sugars from my diet
5. Try making cheese
6. Read 33 books including:

• 10 classics
• 10 of the 1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die

7. Complete a few knit and crochet projects off my list
8. Turn the basement into a nice usable area
9. Make a craft area in the basement
10. Weed out unused/unnecessary things

I'm sure the list will grow longer as time goes on. I have so many things I want to complete or try.

That's my year's plan in a nutshell.

Black Friday - Just Staying Home and Enjoying Family

Black Friday is a day I normally don't venture out in. I never really saw the draw, and after working in retail, I certainly don't get it! People start shopping on Thanksgiving now, and will go all the way through into Black Friday. I've talked to some shoppers that don't even have Thanksgiving until the weekend, so that they can shop! Sorry - I was brought up that Thanksgiving family time started on Wednesday evening and went through to Sunday - when everyone had to return home. I long for those days when spending time with  family was more important than rushing out to stand in line for sales of items one really doesn't need anyhow. But that's just me.

I've been pouring over online seed catalogs, trying to decide what we will be planting next year. I am a Sustaining member of Seed Saver's Exchange and an heirloom gardener. I prefer seeds with stories that are open pollinated and love collecting seeds from the plants I grow. It is so much more satisfying for me to do that than to have to buy packets of seeds every year. Don't get me wrong - I still buy and trade seeds, because there's always something different I want to try.

I came across some asparagus seeds at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I've been wanting to plant some asparagus, but the plants can get a bit expensive. I chose the Precoce D'Argenteuil as they can be harvested in their second year instead of the normal three! The packet holds 75 seeds and has a lot of good ratings stating they are easy to grow and delicious, so I have a decent chance of succeeding with them! With them being an heirloom, I'll be able to collect seed and make a really nice bed of asparagus for $3!

I also like MIgardener. Luke offers some amazing seeds at an unheard of price of 99 cents. He has over 500 varieties to choose from and everything I have purchased from his has always performed well for me. He also has a fantastic YouTube channel that has so many wonderful and informative videos. I have followed his channel from almost the beginning. I've learned so much and it's been great watching him grow.

The other place I get open pollinated/non-GMO seeds is from Fedco Seeds. Their prices are good and you get a nice amount of seed for the price. I've also had great success with their seeds in the past. They are out of Maine and have a lot more than seeds. They have trees, plants, tubers, berries, bulbs, etc. The most exciting thing for me is they offer root stock and scionwood for grafting as well as supplies. After I get out gardens established, I'm going to put my grafting classes to good use. Definitely worth a look at their catalogs!

Long Week & a Finish

It has been a very long week here. My husband was in a tremendous amount of back pain but didn't know what triggered it. He was unable to walk, sit or stand and could only lay in one position for some relief. After a trip to the Dr. and then a referral to a physical therapist that wouldn't treat him but sent him to the ER - we found out that he has a couple of herniated disks. That then took us to the orthopedic clinic where he found that his disk is pushing on a nerve. Right now, he is trying the least invasive treatment, but it doesn't seem to be working. Next up will be steroid shots and then disk surgery if that doesn't work. It amazes me that he went from being happy and normal to now using a walker and unable to stand for more than a minute or two.

Not much has been done here at home - just the minute trivialities of homemaking. I did take a little time last night while my husband was sleeping to make a dishcloth. This photo was taken right after it came off the needles and is not washed or pressed. It was an easy pattern and can be found on the Knitting Knonsense website along with other letters and numbers.

I have another cloth on the needles that should be finished soon. There's something about knitting that seems to calm and soothe me. Guess it's cheap (and well needed) therapy :)

Making the Bucket List Smaller

Every year I write a list of things I want to try or do and every year most of those items seem to gravitate to the next year's list. I was going back through my notebook of all my lists, notes on gardening, etc. when I stumbled upon a list for 2006 that had "Want to learn to make soap" at the top. I'm not sure if that's the first year I decided I wanted to try or not, but it is the first year I've found it recorded and it's moved from list to list each year.

I was going through emails and found a local class teaching soap making tomorrow. I called and found it still had an opening, so I've signed up! Tomorrow I will be able to cross off another item off my Bucket List! YAY!!!

More Snow in the Forecast for Today

The new frames at left center.

Snow... I love the stuff fresh, but when it starts melting and it starts looking dirty, I'm no longer so fond of it. Nothing can match the beauty of a new snowfall - especially when it's heavy and sticks to everything. As much as I love snow, I'm getting more and more sensitive to the cold and sometimes wish we had moved further south. Funny I should say that, as we were looking at property in Maine. Ah, but we were younger then.

The forecast calls for 3-5 inches today. I'm betting that's going to end up covering my new frames (see photo). Our yard is not as large as the photo. It ends at the last maple tree on the right. I wish I could plant all the way to the line, but the water line comes down through the yard and if anything were to ever happen to it, whatever was planted on top would be dug up. I have to find out from the water co. how close I can get to it without fear of things being disturbed.

Town life is frustrating in certain aspects, but in other ways, it's really nice. We are on the outskirts of town, so our neighbors aren't very close and across the road are farms, giving us a feeling of living in the country. We are close to the hospital, doctors, dentists, etc., as well as many activities. I've never been able to attend a gardening group until now. They have been too far away from us before. 

I'm now involved with the community: I'm on the Election Board, a member of a women's group, a jewelry making group, 3 gardening clubs in which I'm now a leader of a one of them (hubby says I'm nuts! LOL) There's also a local Grange I've been thinking about joining, but I need to see how much time the groups will be taking before I take on any more. And then there's the Master Gardener's program that will be offered here soon. That's a must in  my book!

If you would have told me ten years ago that this would have been where I'd end up, I wouldn't have believed you for a second. It wasn't what we wanted. Looking back at everything, I know that God knows better about what we need and when we need it. All the places we put offers on that were rejected, all the areas we looked at that we thought would be great, all the money we scrimped and saved for years thinking we'd be able to buy a farm... Instead it all ended up for us to move here. We even had the exact amount for the down payment and closing costs. I came come to believe there are no coincidences. Now I need to make the most of the gift we were given!

Great Day to Sort and Toss

Today has been one of those days you just want to stay in and stay warm. It's raining, sleeting and snowing and everything is ice covered. The birds were hitting the feeders hard today and to say I felt bad for them is a complete understatement.

Since it's miserable outside, it was the perfect day to stay in, stay warm and work on those miserable tasks I've put off - like sorting and tossing. When we moved down here, we had to downsize but we found out that we didn't downsize near enough, so the basement has been sitting unused except for storage. Today was a day to start working on that mess.

I did surprise myself and those boxes I went through, I either put in a recycle, donate or toss pile. I did over 12 boxes and kept enough things to fill one.  Now,  if I can keep up the momentum, we will have a useful basement by spring. It's amazing how easy it is to put things away  - especially when they're boxed - and ignore them.

I'm looking forward to getting things cleaned out so I can start on a crafting/sewing area and a recreation area in the basement. Having that kind of a space down there would make life much easier. I just have to keep telling myself that now...

Goodbye 2014

So all my thoughts and hopes to blog more in 2014 ended up being just that - thoughts and hopes. I didn't blog about all the wonderful things we did or all the sad things that happened during the year. So I'm not going to dredge all the things that happened but one significant thing that did go on.

In the beginning of the year, we took our beloved 14 year old lab mix to the vet for his annual check-up and shots. He left with a clean bill of health.  It was not to much later that he was back because his legs gave out on him one day and he was stumbling. We came home with the sad diagnosis of lymphatic cancer. We opted to do the most for him to keep him happy and comfortable and not make his small amount of time here on earth miserable. With the vet in agreement we did all we could and kept him quite happy and lasting longer than they thought.

On July 14 we said goodbye to a loving and faithful friend. He was a remarkable dog that will never be replaced. Our home has been empty without him. I never realized how much he was part of our family until he was gone.

This is the post that still hurts to write and should have been a long time ago, but....

January 3, 2000 - July 14, 2014

A Vintage Surprise

As we approach our first anniversary here in our new home, I figured it was time to start going through the boxes of things that came out of our attic - things from our past as well as from my mother and my mother-in-law when they both died. Many boxes were just stuffed and delivered to the attic at the old house without ever going through them. Our intention was to sort the things after the pain of loss had lessened. Well, it was easy to ignore them in the attic... out of sight, out of mind! That was until we had to move them all here.

With the cold months quickly approaching and the garden has grown quiet, it is now the  perfect time to start sorting and seeing what treasures and memories those boxes have in store for us. One thing I came across that I had completely forgotten about was a cross-stitch quilt top that needs to be put together, embroidered and then the whole thing quilted. It is a very pretty piece and has all the threads and fabric included. I wish I knew what time period it was from. I'm guessing the 50's but so far, I can't find any information on the web about it. 

This top appears to have been offered in "Bride and Home" magazine and I've found some issues on the web dating back to the 50's and 60's. I've combed through everything in the bag but nothing gives a clue on the age of this lovely top.

The piece is in panels that need to be sewn together before embroidering it. I'm not sure how I'm going to like seams running through the piece but they may disappear in the background after it is finished and quilted. The strips are yellowed - some more than others and there lines where it was folded. I can't wash it before working on it, because it's possible the printed design will wash out. I guess that will just be the charm of the piece when it is finished. Now I just need to live long enough to complete it! 

Do you have any interesting vintage things that you love or have to make? I'd love to hear about them!!!

A New Home - Different Dreams

If you go back through my old postings here, you will see that I had always dreamed of a homestead - acreage and a farmhouse way out in the middle of nowhere. That didn't happen, and for the longest time, I couldn't understand why. I believed with everything I had that God was leading us in that direction, but it appears after all these years, I was mistaken. Maybe it was my own focus that I was listening to and not God's.

You see, back in December of 2011, hubby lost his job and we were excited because now we had no excuses to not look for that dream homestead. He applied to more jobs that one could imagine, but with no luck. Just as his unemployment was to run out, a contract job was offered to him - and to a place he never ever thought he'd ever have a chance of working at - his old Alma Matter! He took the contract and was hired permanently!! That was so exciting until we started looking for that dream place that we found out would never be a reality.

I was heartbroken for a while - goodbye dreams... But God kept nudging me and letting me know there was something he had planned, and I started to listen. When you truly listen, God does give you something that will make you happy, but you need to hear with an open heart. That was difficult in the beginning when house hunting. We went to an area that was much higher in housing costs than we were used to, so I wanted as much from the house as we could afford, and got caught up in the glitz of gorgeous homes.

After a while, the houses started to all look the same. Many were, as they were the cookie-cutter type in a development all on no more than 1/3rd of an acre. I wasn't satisfied with those either. Our realtor had shown us a very small house in a small town just a few miles away from hubby's job, but I stuck my nose up at it. It wasn't anything like I wanted. We went on looking for quite awhile. Funny thing is, guess which house is the one we bought :)

Every day I find hidden treasures - things I didn't notice before... and every day I am coming to love this home more and more.

Happy Columbus Day!

Here it is, almost the middle of October already. This is my last school year with my son home, and it's going by so quickly. Friday, he went to visit one of the universities he's interested in attending. He came home excited and so full of chatter. He has a couple more universities he wants to look at before he makes his final decision, but right now he's really leaning towards this one because of both the course of study they offer and the small college atmosphere. DH went to Penn State, and said he wished he would have more of the atmosphere they found at this university. I guess that means that DH approves of our son's choice :)

We buy our milk at a local dairy that uses no growth hormones and raises their cows as naturally as possible. When we go to the dairy, we pass by a few farm stands and a local produce stand, and up the road from the dairy is a nice Mennonite food and dried goods pantry where I buy such wonderful items as farina in bulk. This week, my husband and son went on the milk run, and on the way back, they stopped at the produce stand to get some apple cider. The carry the unpasteurized apple cider and will refill your jug for $1 less than shelf price. Then they stopped at one of the farms that I get pumpkins from. I asked them to pick up two, and told them they should run close to $1.50 for a nice sized pumpkin. Two is a decent amount for us, especially since I also put away squash for using like pumpkin. Well, they came home with 2 plus 3 additional ones since they were only $1 each! I guess they are hinting they want me to put up a little more this year :)

I have put the new pressure cooker/canner to work. I tried corned beef and cabbage in it. I liked the taste, but the meat texture was different than doing it the conventional way. The vegetables, on the other hand, had a nice flavor. I also canned some broccoli soup this weekend. Since the pressure cooker is only 10 quarts, I can only put in 4 jars. It's nice when I have just enough to do a batch, or to test a recipe to see if I really want to stock the shelves with a large canner full. Since broccoli is on sale this week, I'll be trying the soup tonight to see if the family likes it. It will work in nicely, as my daughter has her annual dr. check today, so we won't be home until almost dinner time. It will just be a quick heat and we'll have ham & swiss on homemade bread along with it.

I dug out the old sourdough pancake recipe that my mother had received with her first Herman. The people that gave Mom the starter introduced us to the world of sourdough when I was little. Sadly, there was no internet or any real sources for finding recipes that worked with Herman, so Mom got bored with the couple of recipes that we had, and found that Herman was not worth the work of keeping him going. I'm so much more fortunate, as I have the world's cookbook at our fingertips!

Mom's Sour Dough Pancakes

1 cup flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup sour dough starter
1/2 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together. Cook on greased or buttered skillet.

Another sour dough recipe Mom made a lot was for cookies. I should pick up some peanuts and make these with the kids sometime.

Sour Dough Chocolate Chip Peanut Mounds

1 cup sour dough starter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup soft butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups salted peanuts
6 ounce package chocolate chips

Cream together sugar, shortening and butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Comine with sour dough. Mix well. Sift together salt, baking soda, and flour. Add to sour dough mixture. Fold in peanuts and chocolate chips. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten dough with bottom of glass that has been greased and dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

One of Those Weekends

Did you ever have one of those days that everything goes wrong, or at least seems to? That was my weekend. It started Friday and so far hasn't changed for the better.

Friday started out nicely - I got my blogging done, kid's morning lessons, and thought all was going well. Then the mail arrived and a book that I was looking forward to receiving arrived with a broken spine. It was apparent that it was damaged in the mail - even though it was well wrapped and even bubble wrapped. They must have caught the corner of the spine on something and snapped it right off! I bet that book has an amazing story to tell about its travels to here! The really sad thing is, the book was in new condition and every thing else is pristine, except for the ripped off top of the spine.

Then my 12 piece Fagor 10 quart pressure canner/cooker with canning supplies was to be delivered. I waiting all day for it and when Mr. UPS came, I was doing the happy dance. I ran out and got the box only to note it was too small and too light. In the box was only the home canning kit, and nothing else - no cooker, no note stating that the item would be shipped separately, nothing except a bill stating that the canning kit was the cost of what I paid for all of it.

I got online and checked with the Amazon website to find out what to do next. It said to contact Macy's through their email and not the store. I did that and have yet to receive a response. My next step was to find their phone number and call. The customer service rep said that I did indeed only order the home canning set and that was all, and I said sorry, I'm looking at the receipt and it states as 12 piece set. I received a 7 piece set and also their confirmation from the said they were sending a 12 piece set out and when it was sent with a tracking number. The line went silent for a bit, and he said he'd need to call the warehouse. About 5 minutes later he came back and said they were expediting a canner/cooker out and I should have it in 5-7 business days. I sure hope so. I know many of the people on my canning list are having the same problem. I hope they get it straight soon. I could really use the canner now.

Saturday rained all day and things just didn't seem to get done. Everything seemed to take twice as long or just not get finished. I think it was just the weather - or at least I'm blaming it. LOL

Yesterday was just plain interesting. Hubby awoke to what he thought was a gun shot. He said he laid listening and dozed back off. When we got up, we had no internet connection, and up the road from us was what appeared to be an accident. They were redirecting traffic past our house and it looked like an electric pole was sheered off. The poor guys from the electric company spent almost the whole day in the pouring rain setting another pole and fixing the lines. Not a job I would like!

When I finally got to get online last night, I had 3 books requested from me at Paperback Swap, but when I went to print out my postpaid labels, I found that the printer ink was out. Grumble!!! So, I have to wait until tomorrow to send them out.

Yes, I'm glad Monday is here

Harvest Time

Time is just flying right by. I can't believe it's already September. The summer was here and gone, and somehow I think I've missed it! The garden is doing OK - actually not bad for getting in late. We're harvesting tomatoes - yummmmm. I don't think there is anything as delicious as a tomato fresh from the vine, sun warmed and eaten right out there in the garden. Too soon, those delicious tomatoes won't be available until next year. Sigh....

Last week, we were blessed with a couple of feedbags full of corn. Not only did we have a lot to eat, but we also froze 29 fat quarts. What is a fat quart? Well, it's one of those Ziploc quart freezer bags that is stuffed so full that you can barely close it. With that in mind, we actually have more than 29 quarts, but that's the amount I need to feed the family for a meal.

DD's birthday has come and gone, and I made her a cross stitch picture of Captain Jack Sparrow in sepia tones. The pattern came out of the UK magazine The CrossStitcher. It is stitched on 28 ct. Monaco. She just loved it!



We spent our last weekend of the summer enjoying the wonders of PA. We went to the PA Grand Canyon and hiked the trails and just enjoyed the beauty and peacefulness of the park. It amazed me how quiet it was, even with all the people there. There is no way to describe the beauty of it - just wondrous!!!



Today started our 13th year of homeschooling. I still can't believe it was 13 years ago that we decided not to put our first child on the school bus. Now we are looking at his last year. How did he grow up so fast? I was blessed to have all the children home and watch them grow. I can't imagine how much I would have missed with them getting on a bus and going to school. I feel I missed so much as it is!! Now he is looking at colleges and planning on taking the next big step in his life and leaving. He's excited and looking forward to working towards his chosen career path. Seeing how comfortable he is with the thought of college, we know we've done our job of preparing him to leave.

Standing At the Crossroads

For a long time, we've prayed about leaving this home for a new one. We've been searching for more than 10 years for the "right" home that has never come along. We have made offers, but for one reason or another, they fell through. I guess that it wasn't the right time, and looking back now, I see that it all leads up to we weren't meant to stay here in this area.

With the cost of living going up, we really can't think of sustaining ourselves on this small piece of property. We can raise chickens and a garden, but can't supply the chickens with food or raise enough for for ourselves. Being in a northern climate, we can't supply ourselves with heat. We still need to purchase so many things. We are at the mercy of Corporate America, no matter how hard we try. This place has been a good place to learn from and make mistakes, but it is now time to move on.

We are hunting for some wooded land with an existing home. We don't want to be part of the break-up of land and building a new home. If we did that, it would be easier, as we could find the land quite quickly. Now, just to match a job, an affordable place and what we need up all in one area.

Restful Weekend

Memorial weekend was very restful for all of us. The kids went with DH camping, and I stayed home to take care of the animals and catch up on work. I got a ton of things done, and actually even had time to cross stitch!! The nicest thing about the family all gone was that I didn't have to stop what I was doing and make dinner, or take care of other things. I could go as long as I liked, and boy, was it productive!!! The kids said they had a great time, and DH enjoyed himself with the kids. He doesn't get much alone time with them, so it was extra special for all of them. It was also a great excuse to have a fire, and DH and the kids love to cook and sit by an open fire.

While the crew was away, I got all caught up on laundry, and with the nice weekend, I could hang it all out. Oh, there's nothing like bed linens dried on the line. The sheets smelled so good when I crawled into bed. I not sure if it was the great smell or just being tuckered out, but I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I also got the end of our winter squash out of storage and put up. I can't believe how well they all stored! All of it is now in the freezer, except for the 3 cups I put aside to make pumpkin muffins and pumpkin dinner rolls with. I was finishing up at 11:30pm, put the squash aside to put in the fridge to use up the next morning, and don't know how it happened, but I never put those 3 cups of squash away. SIGH.... It all had to be tossed. The chickens didn't mind one bit, though. They cleaned it all up. Between those birds, the dog, the cats and the compost pile, we don't waste a thing! It was still such a disappointment not being able to bake those pumpkin muffins, though!

I did have some R&R, even with all the work I got done. I had pulled out a XS pattern that I had kitted up a couple of years ago. I've been wanting to start it, but like everything else, something kept coming up. Finally, I decided it was just time to sit down and do something for me :)



This is "Full Winter Moon" by Katherine Moser of Brown House Studio. Stitched on an unknown 32-ct. linen using the recommended DMC and Stranded by the Sea colors.

Wheat Storage

I have been looking at different places on the net to find information on wheat storage. One of the best finds I had was on youtube.com. This man did a 3 part series on food storage, and has answered a bunch of questions for me. He also did a 2 part follow-up that also needs to be viewed. I had no idea that grains could be stored so long!



The forecast for this week calls for rain showers every day. I put my laundry in last night hoping I could miss the rain and hung out my first load a little after 6:30 am. I got quite lucky, and had things out until noon, when we got hit with rain. Things are mostly dry, so I have the damp items hanging around. I can't tell you how much I had missed the smell of things hung out to dry. Now, I can't wait to see the difference in our electric bill!

We are already on our last loaf of bread, so I took the rest of the morning to make some Honey Oatmeal bread. I used the recipe that I used for my bread maker in a previous post. I doubled the recipe and baked it in 2 large bread pans at 375 degrees F for around 35 minutes. They came out nice. I read that if you cut 2 small x's in the top of the bread, you won't get air bubbles and you'll end up with a nice rounded top. I tried it, and you can see the result for the rounded bread. HA! One went up - one went out. Now, we'll see if I ended up with any hollow spaces.



Now that our "official" school year is over, DD took the day to get out all her summer clothing and sort through them all. She pulled out what no longer fits, and some that were out of style, she decided to keep and revamp them - giving them a new look. She's been at the sewing machine all day, and has done some creative things to them. Other things, she altered to fit her better. She's my fashion diva!

It has been a really nice, productive day at the homestead. :)

My Family Is a Blessing

There are days that I sometimes wonder what life would have been like had I decided to go back to work and be the career person that all my old friends encouraged me to be. They thought I was wasting my time "sitting at home and playing house". They thought I should get back to having a "real job" like they did. I think about those "helpful suggestions" and look at my family, and know that I did the right thing, and stayed home to have my "real job" just as the Lord had intended. It was difficult watching my friendships dissolve, because our beliefs and points of view were so different.

I am truly blessed with such a wonderful family, and I know every time I look at them, I've done the right thing staying home and home schooling. Seriously, I don't think I gave a thing up to be home, but instead I've gotten so much more than I ever did from working outside the home.

This past week is just one example that I'm truly blessed. Thursday was my birthday. My husband took off work, and he and the kids let me sleep in, while they made breakfast. I was treated to sausage and gravy over biscuits, scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice and coffee. The whole day I was not allowed to do anything, but just relax and enjoy the day. While I was relaxing, they made me a chocolate cake (from scratch) with peanut butter icing. Then they made a tomato, garlic, and onion pizza for supper. YUMM!!! After the yummy cake, was present time. DD gave me a set of earphones for my MP3 player. I accidently cut the wire on my other ones last year while I was gardening. My DS gave me a certificate for the movies and it had to be a movie of my choice - not one the whole family would like. If I couldn't find anything at the movies, the certificate stated that I could buy 2 DVD's of my choice instead. :) DH gave me a box that contained a repair kit for my new headphones just in case I decided to cut the wires again. (HAHAHAHA!!!) In the bottom of the box was shipping info for my gift that hadn't arrived yet, with no clue what it was, except that it was in transit. For the evening treat, we played Mario Kart and watched and Indiana Jones movie. I had a fantastic birthday - one that made me realize how much Iwas appreciated and loved!

Friday, my birthday present arrived, but the kids scooted it in the house before I could see it. DH wanted me to wait until he got home to open it. When it came, it was very obvious what the package held, and they didn't want me to have any hint of what it was. It was a long wait until DH got home, as I am so childlike when it comes to surprises - I love them, but hate to wait to get them :) Oh, but the wait was sooooo worth it! I was absolutely stunned! DH bought me the mixer of my dreams...



A Kitchen Aid Professional 600 series (6 qt.). It has a 575 watt motor and mixes like a dream! The first thing I made was Cheddar Cheese Crackers from the Kitchen Aid book that came with the mixer. They were so easy and tasted so good!! To make it even sweeter, all has not arrived. There is still an ice cream maker that will be sent to me when the rebate form is sent in!!



You would think that things couldn't be any better, but Mother's Day came, and again, I got treated to a great breakfast. We had pancakes, sausage, orange juice, and coffee. For my Mother's Day gift, everyone went out and put up a lovely clothes line for me.



YAY!!! Now, I will once again have freshly dried clothes. I have missed this luxary for the last few years. How could my week get any better? By having dinner made for me. We had some of the best home grilled burgers!! The kids did a wonderful job cooking - with just a bit of help from DH. We were all so full that we didn't even eat dessert, but instead had Bible study, then played Mario Kart. I'm sure if anyone went past our house while we were playing, they probably thought we were nuts - all the squeals that came from all of us while we played. Mario Kart has got to be one of our family's favorite games. It was sad that the weekend had to end. I haven't had so much fun in a long time

Today I was hoping to be able to wash and hang clothes out on my new clothes line, but I woke up to a nice rainy day. Instead, I spent the day going through some boxes from the attic. Out of everything I've brought down, I've decided to weed out about 2/3's of the stuff. So far, I've been successful. I've listed a bunch of books on Paperback Swap, and have a box full of stuff to give away on FreeCycle. I decided that I was going to go through things as if we were moving away. If it's not worth taking to a new home, why am I keeping it?