Little Red Hen

365

2012-02-01T20:38:00.002-05:00

One of my goals this year is Project 365. Take a photo every day for an entire year. We’ll see how I do. So far I made it through January!

January 1st~ Happy New Year!

January 2nd~ Spending the day with a good book, or two.

January 3rd~ Putting away some of the Christmas lights. It took forever!

January 4th~ New Lego organization that hasn’t made it to the proper spot. That never stops anyone from playing!

January 5th~ Sourdough dough bread that turned out perfect.

January 6th!~ My most wonderful Christmas gift from my Aunt. A hand carved nativity from Uganda.

January 7th~ The new Lego mini-figures came out. The boys had it written on the calendar so we took a trip to the Lego store to purchase some.

January 8th~ Taking down the school room tree.

January 9th~ For Epiphany we celebrated with a kings cake and presents.

January 10th~ Time for winter decorations. Christmas is gone.

January 11th~ My girls pouring over the Hanna Anderson catalog.

January 12th~ My new ~~enemy~~ friend Bessie. We have a date every day for 30 minutes.

January 13th~ Wind so strong it knocked down the decorations inside the house!

January 14th~ Trying to keep the dreaded strep throat from visiting everyone. Sterilizing the toothbrushes!

January 15th~ The boys and their amazing Lego creations.

January 16th~ The start of another project. Something must be done with this mess!

January 17th~ Organizing the DVD’s into manageable storage. Still working on this project, but it’s all ready so much nicer than before!

January 18th~ The girls wanted me to take their picture, turns out it was the only one I took that day.

January 19th~ More organizing! I get bit by the bug every January. Hello happy closet.

January 20th~ Gweneth dancing

January 21~ My first born. Looking so grown up lately.

January 22~ My new favorite kitchen utensil. A bread box big enough to hold all the bread and other things I’ve been baking. No more bags of bread strewn all over the counter.

January 23~ More rearranging. Since the arrival of the piano the room has felt over crowed. I removed the sofa and the room works so much better. Someday some tall bookcases on either side of the window on the left will finish it off.

January 24~ A new improved, completely organized and labeled school room!

January 25~ Homemade soft pretzels for lunch.

January 26~ Art class.

January 27~ A cold and dreary day. We lit a fire and did our lessons by candlelight.

January 28~ Time to start planning the garden and ordering seeds.

January 29~ My Owen during school.

January 30~ More Legos. We spend a lot of time playing with them in the winter.

January 31~ Gwen helping me wash up after baking together.

There you have our month in review. I have to say I love looking back like this its so much fun and never to late to start.

How to spend a chilly afternoon

2012-01-27T21:40:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week I was downstairs doing some cleaning when I realized it had gotten really quiet upstairs. While my children may be older that the age of creating major messes, they still can get into mischief.

When I came upstairs to check this is what I found and the reason for the quiet. They ended up spending almost two hours reading stories together. Such a pleasant afternoon.

Teeth!

2012-01-26T17:03:00.002-05:00

Fiona is finally getting her front teeth! We are so excited!

Over two years ago her little sister hit her in the mouth with a small hammer causing her front tooth to turn black. Ever since then she has smiled without opening her mouth.

May 2010

April 2011

Well, I found one or two photos with a big smile in the past two years. I don’t think it ever crossed my mind that it bothered her until I started looking back and really noticed.

June 2011

The dentist eventually pulled the dead tooth and the one next to it quickly followed. She stayed toothless for over a year. In October we noticed them starting to come in. Although still no big smiles…

October 2011

Until yesterday! It’s been a long time coming and I just love to see her smile!

Christmas Pajamas

2012-01-25T16:50:00.001-05:00

I realize that Christmas was exactly one month ago, but I thought I would share the jammies I made for the children. I ended up not being able to finish the tops for the boys and purchased t-shirts that coordinated. It worked out fine, but I wish I could have gotten them done.

The children picked out the fabric they wanted, choosing green because they had never worn green before for Christmas. I just loved listening to them work it all out between themselves in the fabric store.

I finished them two days before Christmas, just in time for them to wear them for all of the festivities! Don’t they all look so excited? This is what they think of pictures before opening presents. Then I remind them that the more they smile the faster we can be finished.

Pajamas are very easy to make, especially the boys pants. They only took me about two hours to put together. The gowns require a bit more work but are also very simple and I enjoyed working with the flannel. Much easier to work with than some other fabrics. Despite the fact that I was working like crazy to get them done I can’t wait to make some more and have all ready purchased fabric for next year!

School Room Updates

2012-01-24T12:52:00.004-05:00

Hello there remember me? I am rejoining the blog world after a nice long break. Even if it was unintentional. Between traveling to my brothers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Epiphany, sickness, and life in general time just disappeared.

I thought I would show you one of the biggest things I have been working on the past couple of weeks. Our School Room and office! This room is rather small for 5 people to be in all day so having a place for everything is so important. I have been sorting, purging, and organizing and I am finally finished! It is so nice to be completely done! (Well unless we don’t move and then I will make more permanent changes)

Much is still the same. The buffet stores extra school games, science supplies, and the kindergarten stuff. On top of that is the children’s workbox. It holds their work books, Awana books, and other things they want to keep there. Hence the curtain it’s never neat and I can’t stand the mess!

On the top is office supplies, rulers, pencils, paint brushes, etc.

This is the other side of the room. It has seen the most change. I added the expedit shelf from IKEA to gain more storage and the file holders from Ballard designs.

My brother and his wife gave us the map for Christmas. It just happens to be the perfect size to fit above the shelf, and perfect for our state studies. We had to switch to a dry erase board from the chalk due to allergies. I do miss my old board! The boxes on the bottom hold taxes, files, office supplies, and play dough. The basket is one that my husband made and the handle was broken. It now works perfectly for all of our flashcards.

My binders fit perfectly on the shelf. We use most of these daily.

I still love the jars of markers, crayons, and paint out of reach. I do keep some on the table within reach now that my youngest is 5, but I love having them up high as it keeps the messes controlled!

We store our science and history notebooks in these files where they are easy to access everyday.

This is my little corner or the Teacher’s desk and office.

Even the inside of the closet got organized! We keep our office supplies in here along with the printer and shredder. I like that my printer does not get as dusty sitting in the closet. My laminator sits on the top shelf along with more CD storage and school projects. The puzzles and games are on the next shelf. The middle shelf holds our paper and printer. The bottom shelf holds our state notebooks, computer supply storage and our file box of prepped lessons. Now when my husband comes in the room he doesn’t have to ask me where anything is, its all easy to locate!

So there you have the new and improved school room office. I don’t mind spending our days in here now that it is organized!

Thank You

2011-11-11T15:07:00.001-05:00

To all those who have served or are serving. We say thank-you for your sacrifice!

All photos are from my son’s 10th Army birthday Party. Soldiers are his greatest hero's!

These Four

2011-11-10T16:09:00.001-05:00

Can’t imagine life without them! What blessings they are to us!

Yes or No?

2011-11-09T15:40:00.002-05:00

It has come to my attention over the last year or so that we do not have enough dishes in our home for our everyday use. Well it’s finally time to buy some more. I have always had Fiesta Ware and I love it! The problem is I can’t make up my mind on the color! There are so many to choose from. I currently have scarlet and sunflower. I love the bright colors and the way the food looks on them.

Now here is the dilemma. Should I add in another color or stick with what I have?

This is the Shamrock added.

So what do you prefer? Since I am having such a hard time making a decision I though I would ask what other people thought. I hope to have open shelving and white walls so you would see the color all the time. What do you think? Please let me know in the comments. I just happen to have a 30 percent off coupon to Kohl's this month.

Legos, Legos, Legos!

2011-11-08T23:30:00.002-05:00

About 9 months ago when we were getting our house ready for the market there was one project that I knew needed to happen to have any concept of clean in the boys room. Yes, all those Lego bricks needed a decent storage system that worked! Our original system was to small and therefore not working. There were always Legos on the floor because there was no place to put them.

This is the system we started with.

The other problem we have is one son wants all the pieces separated by color and size, while the other one wants to keep all of his sets together. I began searching for ideas online and came across this one. Perfect! The only problem is we were getting ready to put our house on the market and move. I didn’t want to go buy anything new so I worked with what we had on hand.

Enter storage solution number two. All of the Legos were moved to the basement and organized by color. We kept some of the sets together and combined some into what we call the “everything” Legos. Those would be all the random pieces I have been collecting for my children since before they were born. This is a photo after we moved some of the Legos back into their room. Sadly I don’t think I took any photos of it while in the basement.

You can see that we had labels but they had all ready outgrown their homes and needed extra drawers.

This is what the basement currently has. It is the Power Miners, Atlantis, and Ninjago sets. I plan to do some rearranging on these shelves but that will come in time.

Now 9 months later we are not moving as our house didn’t sell. It’s coming on to winter and our basement has no heat, and the make-do system was not always easy to work with according to my Lego builders. At the same time Jen from I heart organizing! posts about her organizing system. The same one I had been eyeing. That was all it took! Last weekend while the boys were at a camp out the girls and I took a little trip to IKEA! Out went the Expedit shelf and Sterlite storage containers and in came the new!

We are not finished as nothing is labeled but the system is amazing! The units are the Trofast system from IKEA. The only problem we have is that by having to keep it upstairs there is not room for all of the Legos we own. Some of them still reside in the basement. I hope to get those into Trofast drawers the next time I make a trip the the store.

Each color has it’s own bin and there is one for wheels, clear pieces, and mini-figures.

We also have two bins for castle and city pieces. I plan to get the bigger bins for the sets when I get more. The smaller ones are overflowing.

As you can see we still have some work to do. The books all need a nice box to go into. I used to store them in binders but some of the newer sets come with booklets that were to big for a page protector and the smaller ones tend to fall out. I think a box will solve all of those problems.

I like the fact that there is some display space on top of the storage units. Not enough for my boys but it works for now. Perhaps I might do something with the space between the top shelf and storage. This is what it looks like most of the time as my boys play with their Legos every day.

Now I just need to find the time to label them. In the meantime we are loving out new storage!

Linking up to

It’s done.

2011-11-07T21:22:00.001-05:00

(The last roses from the garden)

Well it’s official, we took our house off the market. We still haven’t moved anywhere. It’s to the point where we laugh about it as no one believes us anymore. We have been attempting to move somewhere for TWO years. Two very long years. Transition is not a fun place to be. It has so many limitations and questions and waiting. But that apparently is a lesson we are learning, that waiting can sometimes take a different turn than expected. Last month our cat died and we can’t get a new one until after we move, more waiting. Our fish died, sorry no more fish either. Decorating? Forget about it, who wants to put more holes in the walls that I’ll just have to fill. Well, I’m tired of it , not so much for me, but for the children who don’t really remember any other life before the one here. They have done well and have taken our dreams and made them theirs. They know that there is a little farm out there somewhere for us, when the time is right. Patience is sometimes a hard pill to swallow.

So enough of the depressing and lugging dirty dishes around when there is a house showing. What? You haven’t done that before? Well, if your ever in a time crunch it is the perfect solution. Laundry baskets aren’t just meant for dirty laundry. I should also mention that stuffing dirty laundry in the washer AND dryer also works really well. Instant clean.

Since we are here for another good 6 months I thought I would move on and tackle some of those projects I had to put off. I have sewing spread out all over the dining room table. Pumpkins on the kitchen table, laundry on the floor, and toys in the hallway. For now it’s fun to leave it messy while in the middle of a project. I know me though, soon it will all be tidied up because really I don’t like messy.

I hope(and I say hope because I haven’t been very consistent with blogging) to blog more and share all the the goings on around here again. Then in the spring when the snow is melted we will put the house back on the market and pray that we are one step closer in this waiting process.

Who says school has to start in September?

2011-09-12T23:01:00.001-04:00

That’s a good question I have as my title up there. Who says school has to start in September? The government? Our neighbors? The public schools? Or is is because that’s what we did growing up? Last year when I was so sick I realized that there was no reason to be stressing my self out over trying to do it all. Because if there is one thing I learned well from being ill; I CAN”T DO IT ALL. So I stopped the one thing that I could and that was school in September. Just because that’s what everyone else does does not mean it’s a good thing for our family.

Now don’t think that means we just do one month less than everyone else. No, I still have 180 days a year that I must comply with. It just means we school on a different time frame. I call it the agrarian calendar. It’s the same one our ancestors followed and it follows the harvest. Before the Industrial Revolution when life in America was more rural children were needed on the farm to work. That meant that they went to school in the summer and winter and not in the spring and fall. There would have been to many chores with planting, harvesting, calving and the like. School back then usually started in November.

For our family we start in October, or after the apples are harvested and turned in to sauce and cider. We do not live on a farm so the garden is our only work and we also do not have any animals, save for our indoor cat. This is our first year following this type of school year fully. Last year was a an attempt to see how it would work. It turns out it’s one of the best decisions we made about our school schedule.

I can tell you that it is so nice not to have to worry about book learning or seat work during the harvest. I can focus all of my attention on the tasks for the day and the children are all pitching in where they can to help. I LOVE that fact that we get to enjoy the best parts of summer as our off times. September is the best summer has to offer, cooler temperatures and sunny days. I can also tell you that I am probably the only one in my area following this plan. So when I run out for an errand at 10:00 in the morning I get even more stares and questions than usual. But best of all we are still learning and working together as a family without the added stress of one more thing.

What to do when it rains

2011-09-08T19:52:00.001-04:00

Today it rained, and yesterday it rained, and yep it rained the day before that one too. The forecast for tomorrow? More rain. Now normally I love rain, it makes me want to curl up with a book, bake cookies , and generally lounge around the house all day. Especially if it’s a chilly rain. But this? This is during the harvest and I am busy. I don’t have time to do all those things the weather making me want to do. I must dice up those tomatoes that are sitting in boxes, string the beans, freeze the broccoli and some how try to keep the house clean in case someone wants to look at it.

The children are very helpful but there is still only so much I will let them do when working with boiling water and pressure canners. So after asking me about a million times to play in the rain, I finally said yes. After all there was no lightening or thunder and it was warm. They played outside for 3 hours, building dams, moats, and filing the boat with water.

They were quite resourceful in their playing and wore themselves out!

The girls? Well they didn’t want to get wet so they played inside under umbrellas.

Sometimes saying yes is worth all the extra work.

Cinnamon Pear Jam

2011-09-07T17:22:00.002-04:00

This is one of the new recipes I tried this year and it turned out so good! I made two batches out of a peck of pears which came out to 8 cups diced pears. You will need 4 cups diced for a single batch.

The first thing I do is make sue to get all of my ingredients measured out, jars washed and sterilized, canner started to boiling, and pears diced. This way I can work quickly when it matters.

This is the first year I have used Pomona Pectin and I will never go back to Surgel or other brands again. It allows you to use less sugar(as little as 2/4 cup), honey or other sweeteners. It is a bit different to work with but very easy once you have used it once.

For this batch I used one cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3 teaspoons pectin powder.

Important!! Make sure you thoroughly mix all dry ingredients together or you will get lumps in your jam. I learned this the hard way.

Begin peeling, coring, and dicing your pears. I usually dice about one or two pears and then add the lemon juice to keep them from browning.

You will need 1/4 cup of lemon juice.

Mash pears. this is personal preference, mash until you have as little or as many chunks as you want.

Next mix up your calcium water. The instructions for this are in the box of Pomona Pectin.

Add 2 teaspoons of calcium water to your pears.

Bring your pears to a boil.

Add sugar mixture and bring to another boil. I stirred mine at a rolling boil for about a minute.

Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars.

Process Pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. Remove and let cool.

Recipe

4 cups peeled,cored, and diced pears

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

sugar and pectin according to directions included in the box of pectin you choose

Summer Strong~Tuesday Ten

2011-09-06T15:13:00.002-04:00

Around these parts summer is still going strong. In fact it doesn’t end until the 23rd of September. So while most people are starting school and gearing up for fall we are enjoying summer. We won’t start school until the apples are harvested and sauce is made. For us that will mark the change of seasons and fall and winter will come quickly on its heels.

I want to savor every moment and even grill in the rain.

Enjoy fresh salads straight from the garden.

Snap beans on the porch while the children play and snatch fresh beans to snack on.

Enjoy popsicles in the afternoon sun.

Enjoy new garden boots while there is still work to be done.

Let little girls wear their nightgowns “just because” she won’t be little forever.

Leave dining room tables full of canning supplies and food that has been put up because there is no more room on the shelves.

Take cat naps in the sun.

And even enjoy the fruit flies that infest my house during harvest due to all the food lying around.

Oh and don’t forget reading. Lots and lots of reading!

Enjoy your last days of summer!

Canning Favorites-Tuesday Ten

2011-08-30T22:23:00.002-04:00

I thought since I am so busy with the harvest I would share some of my favorite tools or must haves to make any canning session successful. I am always on the look out for new products that make things go faster, smoother, or easier. I apologize in advance that it is more than ten. I just couldn't limit it anymore.

1.A large stock pot(or two). Everything I do is in large quantities so small pots are a waste of time and money. I currently have a 22 quart stock pot and an 12 quart stock pot and am purchasing another in-between size since two is not enough for me as I often have many things going at once.

2. A strainer. This is one of my most important tools as it makes it so easy to make sauces, juice, and salsa. I couldn’t live without it. If fact I just replaced it this year as my old one stopped working I use it so much!

3. Canning pots. I love my pots, this is Eeny, Meeny, and Miny. Yes they have names as they are used often. The biggest can hold 9 quarts at a time, although I mostly use it to wash beans in as it takes up a lot of room on the stove. Meeny holds seven quarts, and Miny holds 7 pints. I especially like using the little one for pints since it doesn’t take so long for the water to boil.

4. Jar lifter and funnel. These items make it easy to lift hot jars out of the canner and pour food into jars. My jar lifter is from the goodwill as I like it better than the one I bought new.

5. If your going to can you must have jars! I love the look of narrow mouth jars so that is all I use. I have all sizes, many were left in our old home for us, and the others are from the goodwill yard sales, and I have purchased some. I think I have somewhere between 500 and 800 jars not counting my blue ones.

6. These tattler lids are my new favorites, they are BPA free and reusable. I am planning on switching over to these now that I have given them a try. Love them!

7. Another find! This is better for you than surjell and you can use no sugar or other sweeteners with it. No more relying on white sugar! I ordered it off of Amazon.

8. This is one of my pressure canners. I have a smaller one also. You will need one of these if you want to can low acid foods such as beans or chicken broth.

9. I love baskets and I especially love them when they are so useful! The large one are bushel baskets, then half bushel, and then peck. They come in handy when canning recipes call for those measurements. Or when picking things out of your garden, you can get very accurate measurements by using them. All of mine are from the antique store but they were the same price as purchasing new. I paid 8.00 for the bushel basket and less for the others.

10.One can never have enough bowls! All that food has to go somewhere when working with it! These bowls were a Christmas gift from my mother and are hands sown my favorite. They are stainless steel and have quart measurements that you can read from the inside or outside. The largest bowl holds 8 quarts!

11. I love these books, the recipes are simple, easy to use and good! My Ball blue books is so worn all the pages are falling out. I just noticed that Target now carries it for about 8.00.

The only thing missing from that list is an outdoor kitchen! It would be so nice to not have my floors sticky all summer or heat up the house. Now I must get back to my kitchen as I have grape juice processing.

Sharing with

Where Did August Go And A Vacation Story

2011-08-29T22:01:00.002-04:00

I’m telling you the older I get the faster I loose track of time. I can’t believe August is almost over and I only made it to my poor neglected blog once. Are you ready for a long winded picture heavy post?

This month we went on vacation, and then the harvest was upon us. There is nothing like bushels and pounds of fresh produce to make one feel overwhelmed quick. I have been busy in the kitchen ever since. Even without a garden I have managed to put up more fruits and veggies than I had thought possible. I am so thankful for this as I love to have a full pantry and avoid the grocery store when I can.

As for our vacation, well that one has some stories that I am sure my children will never forget! We decided way back in January to meet up with some of our dear friends who live in Illinois. Ohio marks the halfway point for driving so we chose a state park on Lake Erie. Not wanting to drive the distance all in one day we made a stop in Western Pennsylvania as a state park there as well.

Our first stop was Fort Necessity where George Washington fought and the French and Indian War started. It is always amazing to visit these places in person so you can really get an idea of the size. This place was small for there to be 250 soldiers here. We had a great time learning more about the war.

We stayed the night at Ohiopyle state park and in the next morning explored the area. It is so beautiful in the Laurel Highlands!

We saw some interesting mushrooms on our hike along the river. I think I took about 50 photos of all the varieties.

Then later that day I went on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water. That has been on my list of things to see ever since I studied about his designs in college. It was beautiful and fun to see it in person, amazing! I am not allowed to share photos online that I took but I can share this one of the exterior.

The next day we drove into Ohio and stopped to visit a blog friend. We had so much fun and had such a hard time leaving!

Finally we made it to Lake Erie!

On the first day we went to the lake to swim. The weather was perfect!

That night it rained. We were well prepared and stayed dry. We woke up made breakfast, cleaned up and then sat down to discuss what were were going to do for the day when it started to rain again. Not 5 minutes later the tornado sirens went off. We ran to the bath house as fast as one can with 9 children in tow. We ended up spending the day at Wal-Mart and the bookstore to pass the time as it poured and caused flash flooding. When we finally got back to our campsite it looked like this!

This mixing bowl was in the dining tent and it was dry when we left.

We ended up moving campsites to one on higher ground and not underwater.

The next day we took the hike were were planning. The Lake is very pretty and the lily pads are everywhere.

This photo is one of those that I will treasure forever. First off we asked a woman from another campsite to come over and take a picture. She only took one. In one shot she managed to capture EVERY child cooperating and looking at the camera, and smiling. That never happens!

We had such a good time! It was a wonderful and much needed vacation. Our friends are some of the first people we met when we moved to Illinois. Our oldest boys are 4 months apart. Owen is three days older than Elita, and Fiona and Campbell are 6 weeks apart. We used to spend hours together when the children were little often gathering for dinner and evening chats. It was amazing to see that even after 4 years there was no hesitation among the children, they just jumped right in as if they see each other all the time. We sure miss them!

We then drove home 8 hours and real life began again. The End.

Dancing in the rain

2011-08-03T15:49:00.001-04:00

Some days you just need to dance in the rain.

Tuesday Ten

2011-07-26T20:20:00.001-04:00

I almost didn't make it with a post this week. I have been suite busy cleaning and planning school!

1. Piles and piles of recycling and trash being removed from my scrapbook room!2. Brother and sister working together on a project. 3. Little girls who love to dress up!4. Hot enough to fry an egg? We tried but despite temperatures over 100 the asphalt was still not hot enough. 5. Eating Rita's while we had house showings on Sunday. 6. Little girls who are starting Kindergarten! 7. More piles of things being organized. I am determined to finish the entire project despite having to clean it up for house showings and then getting it all out again! It sure makes the process take a lot longer! 8. Sneak peek at my new organization system. Love this and how functional it is! I hope to be done with the space later this week. 9. New school books!10. School planning, with erasable pens! I love these things, they make scheduling so easy and I can color code with them!

The Living Room

2011-07-22T13:59:00.002-04:00

Kitty says welcome to the living room from her favorite spot. Right where she can keep an eye on everyone while napping in the sun streaming through the window. See, I'm here, someone pet me please. :)The gallery wall. I decided not to remove the family photos from the shelves as I couldn't come up with something quick and cheap to replace them with. Since they are not seen until you have walked through most of the first floor, I don't think they are a distraction and no one has said anything.This is our game cabinet, and the time-out chair. Although most of my children are getting to big to fit in it. :) I used an old ironing board behind the sofa to pull it off the wall, and to keep little fingers from pulling things off the shelves. Old suitcases form a side table. This table is another one of my unfinished projects. It is useful incomplete so it gets to stay. The two bibles were my grandparents. This little corner will remain unfinished. I had visions of a large stuffed chair, but I never found the perfect one. I also took down all the window treatments in preparation of replacing them and that's when we decided to sell.Looking back toward the kitchen and the door to the laundry room and garage.

The Kitchen

2011-07-21T14:14:00.001-04:00

This is the view looking out of the dining room into the hall. I thought this shot gave a good idea of how the kitchen is tucked behind the corner. This is one of my favorite aspects of this house. you can not see the kitchen from the front door! All the mess is in the more private spaces. :)

Looking into the Kitchen from the dining room.

The breakfast nook.

Another view looking back towards the hall way.

This apple crate shelf unit holds my i-pod, cookbooks and some enamel ware.

A broom is not just functional it can be beautiful too!

The working area of the kitchen.

The cooking area. I am left handed so this works great for me.

Looking into the kitchen from the living room.

Pony Party!

2011-07-20T15:34:00.001-04:00

My Fiona turned seven on Saturday. Seven! Sometimes I have a hard time believing that! This year she wanted a horse party as she is interested in all things related to horses. So I found this cake pan from Wilton and we picked out the colors she would like. For the centerpiece I just used my boots and some flowers. Simple and easy since we had two house showings the day before the party.Thank-you Omi for my Rescue set! Getting ready to blow out the candles. A new doll with hair that she promptly named Elizabeth.Happy Birthday Ladybug!

Tuesday Ten

2011-07-19T21:13:00.001-04:00

1. A special dinner to celebrate my husband's birthday. lamb chops, roasted potatoes, green beans, and carrot cake.

2. Starting on the last organizing project in the house. Hello scrapbook room, it is finally your turn. 3. Cleaning out the truck, as we seem to live in it when we have lots of house showings. 4. Pumpkin muffins for breakfast to make the house smell good for a prospective buyer. 5. Closing the bridge into town, not a big deal unless you commute to work, like my husband. He now adds 10 to 20 minutes to his hour and a half of driving each way. 6. A pony party for my favorite 7 year old! 7. Water gun fights to cool off.8. Evening runs through the sprinkler to cool off. 9. Lego stories to pass hot afternoons. Are you noticing a trend? It's been hot here and getting hotter as the week goes by. 10. Just when you think you got rid of everything you could... There is always more!

The Dining room

2011-07-14T10:59:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the dining room.I love the old dough bowl filled with Japanese fishing lures and other decorative balls.

Don't you love the vacuum in the background? I was getting ready for a showing when I took these photos. I didn't even notice the vacuum until I started writing this post. I added the botanical prints at the beginning of the year. I decided that having them hung up and finished would be easier to move that stored away in various places in the basement. I love the finished look they give to the space. Remember this? I bought it back in January of 2010. It now looks like this. I finished painting and distressing in back in July last year. I am still waiting to find something to line the back with before I call it complete. I love all the storage it created!My goal is to find a lovely farm table that I wouldn't have to keep covered all the time. This table is a very large cherry gate leg table. The top is damaged and the legs make it difficult to sit around, but it works and until I find the perfect table it stays.

My mother made the tablecloth for me years ago. The table is so long and so wide that no one makes a covering to fit. To give you an idea the dough bowl in the middle of the table is 28 inches long and 16 inches wide. So we always have room for company!

Tuesday Ten

2011-07-12T22:11:00.002-04:00

Here is my list of top ten things for the week. I am enjoying participating in this as is is making me use my camera more and capturing the little things in life again.

1. My favorite cleaning tool. One that I use multiple times a day. Can't stand crumbs on my bare feet!

2. Little girls who love to play with dolls, and pose for their momma for "just one more shot."

3. Homemade pretzels for Friday lunches with Poppa.

4. These four who were so excited to go swimming with their Poppa while I worked on some school planning.

5. Cardboard Boxes. Need I say more? :)

6. Puzzles on hot summer afternoons.

7. Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies that did not bake flat as pancakes.

8. A creek under the shade of trees on a hot day.

9. Children who love to play in creeks and crayfish hunt for hours.

10. Perfect photo opportunities that I will treasure forever. Thanks to Melissa over at 320 Sycamore for the inspiration!

6 weeks

2011-07-09T13:13:00.002-04:00

That's how long our house has been on the market, give or take a few days. Is some ways is seems like such a long time and in others it has flown by. We have had 12 showings and one offer that we could not accept. I have kept my house clean, changed plans at a moments notice, and swept and mopped my floor more times that I probably do in 6 months.

It will all be worth it in the end.

There are many benefits to keeping the house up and I am so glad I took the time to organize everything before the sign went in the yard. I can find anything in my house, and so can everyone else. When we do move it will be easy to set up house again. The house doesn't really get that messy because we got rid of everything we didn't need. Even today I was going through the school room and found 3 more trash bags of things to donate. Our house looks bigger than it really is because there is lots of open space and empty shelves. I have a floor in my laundry room for the first time in 5 years, and I get to enjoy all the work I did for a while longer.

The feed back we receive is all very positive for the house itself. The yard and location are the main reasons people don't look a second time. Since I can't do anything about that we just keep praying for the right person to come along and I'll keep cleaning the house.

Country Candy

2011-07-07T17:38:00.001-04:00

This is my husbands favorite snack, a fresh onion dipped in salt.

He calls it "Country Candy".

Even my son has grown to love them. The best benefit of eating lots of raw onion over the summer? No mosquito bites. The smell of onion off the skin deters them. Anyone else eat them this way?

Sunday Best

2011-07-06T11:05:00.003-04:00

I finally finished these dresses for the girls that I started back in March. With the house cleaning and showings I had a hard time finding the time. Fiona chose the fabric for this dress also. I love how the orange looks on them. It's also not something you would see in the stores, so that makes is special.

I used this pattern from Simplicity. The number is 2683. At first glance it looks like a simple A-line style. I thought it would be a quick sew.

It turns out that is had small gathers along the empire waist, waistband, ties, and gathered sleeves. All these are simple to do but add extra time to the construction. Of course they also make the dress stand out.

I just love the detail on the sleeve!

Here is a detail photo of the waistband from the side. You can see the little gathered area and where the waist band and ties meet. I had even purchased coordinating shirts for the boys. It was so nice to finally see it all together!

I love this pattern and would use it again, as square necklines are one of my favorite styles.

Tuesday Ten

2011-07-05T20:35:00.004-04:00

When Stephanie of Under The Table And Dreaming posted her Tuesday Ten I just couldn't help but participating! It's a great way to recap the week. So here are mine.

1. Pickling beets for the first time. I always tell my husband if he grows it I'll preserve it. There are only so many beets you can eat before the harvest becomes overwhelming, this was my solution. Hopefully they will taste as good as they look. 2. Little girls who still fit in bathroom sinks.

3. Friends who go yard sale-ing and find me over fifty blue mason jars for a dollar each.

4. A little girl who likes to dress up and sing make-up songs while dancing to their own tunes.

5. Boys who like to help bring in the harvest.6. Finally finishing two Sunday best dresses for my girls, and the little girls who didn't want to take them off.

7. Children who would rather go to Valley Forge and study history than go to a parade. 8. Making cake pops for the first time, and the excitement on the children's faces when they saw them.

9. Learning to ride a bike for the first time. .10. Old American flags, or any flag for that matter, I just love looking at them!

4th Of July

2011-07-05T15:45:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating our freedom! We spent the morning at Valley Forge for a picnic and festival, listened to the Declaration of Independence being read, and then headed home for an evening with friends. I spent some time decorating the house using what I had on hand. It's so easy to put up some flags and call it done. This 48 star flag is my most recent find. I couldn't wait to hand it up! I made cake pops for the occasion. Lots of yummy food!We ate outside in the front yard as our back yard gets the setting sun. I put the drinks on the entry table in the front foyer to keep them chilled. Lots of cold water and homemade lemonade!We finished off the evening with sparklers and watching fireworks from the front yard. In writing to Abigail, John Adams predicted the celebration would take place on the 2nd. "The second day of July, 1776, will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illumination, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

The music room

2011-06-28T21:05:00.001-04:00

Or the very first room you see when opening the front door. The room I always keep clean, so it makes me feel like the rest of the house is not imploding in from chaos. It get's the morning sun, is the smallest room on the first floor, and the most popular for hanging out it.

When we first moved in this room was empty. We had come from a small house to one twice the size. Almost everything in this room is from a yard sale, a family heirloom, or handmade. I found the rug at Pottery Barn outlet for 350.00, it is an 8x10 and I still remember the first day we laid it down. I was so excited to cut down on the echo noise an empty room creates!

The clock is from my grandparent's home. It graced their mantel and chimed on the hour. The painting on the wall was done by my husband's grandmother. My grandfather made this lamp and when he passed away my mother brought it to me.This little sewing machine tucked inside the cabinet still works and someday my girls will use it. I have plans to refinish the cabinet and bench. I did the cross stitch when I was in high school . This table is also from my grandparents. The little chair from my husband's Aunt. I love using things in my home that bring back memories or have a story behind them.

Strawberries!

2011-06-17T10:40:00.002-04:00

Last week we had strawberries from our own yard. So many that we made a batch of jam, a batch of syrup, and a batch of strawberry lemonade concentrate. I figured we picked about 20 quarts and that doesn't count the large amounts that disappeared into our stomachs. The children ate so many that they were getting tummy aches from all the fresh fruit.

I was so excited because I really thought we wouldn't have any since I hadn't taken care of them in the fall. With all the rain they were plump and juicy. Although they were hard to pick because there were no rows. I have since learned the value rows for ease of picking. This is the first time I have made syrup. It was very easy to do and I processed 14 half-pints. I plan to use it to flavor our teas and slushies over the coming months. I suppose it would be good over pancakes also, I just prefer maple syrup. I also plan to make up a batch of strawberry lemonade concentrate, but we had a house showing last night so I had to clean up instead of making a bigger mess. Hopefully I'll get to that today.

Canning Fail

2011-06-14T14:10:00.001-04:00

Anyone ever had a canning fail? Well, I have had many, from breaking jars, to jam not setting in the decades I have been canning. So many things can go wrong. But this one tops them all. I made my pickles to spicy. Yes, all 24 pints of dill pickles. I was so excited that my pickles were actually crispy. This is something I have been working on for a while. Then I bit into one. Ouch! I finally had my Mom through them out when she visited. I just couldn't do it. After all I worked hard to make them last season, despite the fact that they burn your throat going down. Even my husband couldn't take them, vinegar and spice do not mix! This is my great Grandmother's pickle recipe and apparently I misread the directions, even though I have made them before.Lesson learned. So sad.

But I will have crispy tasty dill pickles one year.

Breakfast at the park

2011-06-13T10:23:00.001-04:00

The other day were had a scheduled showing at 10:00 in the morning. This happens to be right smack in the middle of our school day. As I was thinking of what to do I decided upon a breakfast at the park. I whipped a batch of Cinnamon Ripple Muffins to make the house smell good, grabbed some water and some yogurt and off we went.

It was a great time to go to the park, it was still cool, and no one else was there. We played for about an hour and then headed to the library to do our lessons. It turned out to be such a nice change of pace from our normal routine we might just have to do it more often.

The Foyer

2011-06-12T22:47:00.004-04:00

Welcome to our home! I finally dug through my photo ~~chaos~~ archives to find a picture of when we first moved in. You can see the boring builder beige on the walls and our mess. :) This is what it looks like now. We painted the foyer last year and I have slowly added pieces of furniture that fit our needs. During my great house purge this space needed little work. I just touched up the walls and changed some of the accessories. This is standing at the front door looking in. The black dresser holds all of our hats, scarves, mittens, summer hats, swim goggles, and grocery bags. I love that I don't have to change out for the season. Everything has it's place. Even the cat has a drawer for her brush and leash.

Can a foyer be a favorite room? This is what sold me on this house layout, I love the open foyer and all the light it lets in. The children play in this space as much as anywhere else in the house. It's the perfect airplane launch, or hot wheels race way. Here you can see the big window above the door. I have some old shutters I was going to hang up there, but they are now coming with me.
I LOVE the chandelier, it has been so easy to clean since it doesn't have any glass. If I could take it with me I could.
This is standing in the corner behind the door. You can see me in the mirror. :) The white cabinet is empty, except for two drawers. One holds flashlights and the other my husbands keys. Again, standing at the front door looking up. The pink cabinet is one of my projects. Someday I will get it painted! Right now the bottom holds water jugs and water bottles, for those times we need them. The top holds some of our old books and hymnals. I have nothing on the walls going up the stairs. That was to be this years project. I took these photos as we were leaving right before a showing. That should explain why it is so clean. I had just mopped the floors, so they really shine. Now four days later and they need to be cleaned again. sigh. I took a little break from keeping it clean to spend the day with my parents yesterday. They stopped by on their way to Vermont. It was nice to visit with them and I can't wait until they return for a couple of days on their way home next week. In the meantime I need to get some projects done before my Mom does them for me!

Elegant Chicken Rolls

2011-06-09T09:20:00.002-04:00

It's been way to long since I have posted any recipes. We had these chicken rolls the other night and I realized I have never shared them here.

I served fresh beets and beet leaves, which all of my children like to nibble on. They don't particularly like to eat the beets but they like the leaves, and it makes for a pretty presentation. These rolls are one of the more time consuming things I make, which makes the a great choice for freezing!

6 chicken breasts

4 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

1 Tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 Tablespoon roasted red peppers, chopped

12-18 large spinach leaves

6 ounces thinly sliced deli ham

1 cup seasoned croutons (crumbs)

1 egg

1 Tablespoon milk

FREEZER STEP:

Pound chicken breast to 1/4 inch thick. In a small bowl combine cream cheese, feta cheese, basil, and pepper, blend well.

For each chicken breast cover with spinach leaves, top with a scoop of cheese mixture, sprinkle with red pepper, and cover with two slices of the ham.

Roll up, jelly roll fashion, tucking in the ends when possible. Freeze

TO PREPARE:

Thaw rolls in fridge overnight. Combine milk and egg in one bowl, and bread crumbs in another. Dip each roll in the egg mixture and then coat with crumbs. Place seam side down and bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees of until chicken is no longer pink.

Happy Birthday Gwen

2011-06-08T00:06:00.002-04:00

Today was the day for Gwen's party. I had to time it just right, so although her actually birthday is May 22nd, today was the day we celebrated. I kept having images of cake crumb floors and piles of wrapping paper everywhere and someone would want to come look at the house. Sure enough we have another showing tomorrow morning so I have spent the evening cleaning and putting things back to order. She wanted a tea party this year as her theme.

I made cupcakes with purple flowers on top for her cake, very simple and easy.We used the fine china, even though the menu was pizza and fruit to make is special. :)

The dress was made a couple of years ago when I made one similar for Fiona. Thank-goodness I didn't have to make one this year, I'm not sure I could have pulled that one off! One of her gifts was a porcelain tea set. She was so excited to have her own, just like Fiona's! We are all ready planning a little party for tomorrow afternoon for snack time. Her other gift was a new doll with hair that could be brushed. She named her Emily and is sleeping with her tonight. Gwen told me it was that "bestest birthday ever". I am so glad she enjoyed it!Happy Birthday to my Gwen!

It's Official!

2011-06-06T12:00:00.002-04:00

Our house went on the market 2 weeks ago! We have had three showings so far, in this market things are slow, but we are hopeful. In order to sell our house we did a few things here and there to spruce it up. I worked for 6 weeks non-stop painting, cleaning, and de-cluttering. At that point I was averaging 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. So for the past two weeks I have been resting and cooking. It is so much easier keeping a house clean than it is getting it ready to sell!

I thought it would be fun to share each part of my house and what I or in some cases my husband did to get the house ready. I can honestly say it has never looked so good. :)

Let's start with the front yard. Everyone knows curb appeal is important and first impressions are vital. We hired a landscaping company to finish up the stone wall, mulch, and add some bushes to the front and side yard. This is so much better than the weed patch we were cultivating before. Our original plans were to terrace the side with cold frames.

I repainted the front door a nice bright red, washed the siding and the glass in the fixtures. My husband finished up the front walk and we added the house number on the right. I bought those numbers 5 years ago when we first moved in. We do get around to finishing projects eventually. :) I also added the planters on either side of the door and a new welcome mat. The planter between the garage doors is a peach tree we grew from a seed in our compost pile. I wanted to make sure we could take it with us so we moved it before the sign went in the yard.

One of the things I have wanted to do this move is make it as smooth a transition as possible. We have moved many times before and I have learned something new each time. I went through everything in our house and got rid of thousands of things that do need and don't need to take with us. I redid the filing system to make it easier to find important papers. I cooked 4 months worth of meals so we don't have to eat out when things are hectic. I plan to share this as I take you on my little house tour. So stay tuned for the next stop as I welcome you into our home.

Ice cream on a warm day

2011-05-13T17:08:00.001-04:00

In the middle of all of our chaos we took a little break to get some ice cream at the dairy store. So yummy, especially after a hard days work.

Soon I will be able to share pictures of what I have been working on the past few months. In tackling the entire house cleaning and organizing at once, I am not completely finishing anything, especially with the yard sale on tomorrow. I am praying that it all comes together at the end. Only a few more days, and then perhaps I might get to sleep again. I'm not counting on it though.

A Daisy Day

2011-05-10T20:47:00.002-04:00

"Mommy we're going to pick you some flowers!"

So thankful for little girls who bring sunshine in a bowl to their Momma!

A Welcome Wreath

2011-05-09T22:19:00.002-04:00

One of the projects I wanted to finish up was a new wreath for the front door. I have never really had anything up for the spring and summer that I have liked or finished. Last year the wreath hung unadorned waiting for me to do something! I finally got around to it this year. Perhaps it was lack of inspiration or motivation, but this year I got it done! I think it looks quite welcoming for a potential buyer. I only spent about 5.00 on the greenery and rolled the flower rosettes out of leftover fabric. So simple!

Next up on the list is painting the front door. The first thing people will see is this door and the paint is peeling off! Here is a photo of when we first moved in. And one of when the door was painted red. The color has faded so much!

What color would you paint it?

A New table for the kitchen

2011-05-04T19:09:00.004-04:00

I often look at the Craigslist listings where my parents live to see if there might be anything interesting, after all it's a college town and well, just different than where we are at. I came across this table one evening and asked my Mom to see if it was still available. It was if she could come that day, otherwise it would go to someone else. Off she went to pick it up for 50.00! Of course it needed to be refinished. It is a lovely pine table made by Pennsylvania house that came with two leaves. I don't have a before of it all put together, but you can get the idea of the orange finish it used to have.

I I had been in search of a round table for a while, as the one we had before was a little to big for the space. This one is perfect and makes the kitchen look much bigger. That will be nice when we put the house on the market. Originally I was going to paint the chairs, but have decided to wait to see what our new house will look like and what color will look good for the chairs.

I painted the pedestal and apron "Swiss Coffee" by Bher and used English chestnut for the glaze. The distressing and glaze really brought out all the beautiful details this table has. I just love it's feet!

So pretty!

I decided to stain the top with Ebony, which is a black finish. It really toned down the orange pine can have and gave it a warm brown finish while keeping the some red undertones. I wouldn't recommend this for every piece of pine, but it was perfect for this one. I then put two coats of polyurethane to take it home. I am currently adding 3 more coats to the top for durability.

We love our "new" table! This is the view from the living room into the kitchen. The little hutch was the first piece of furniture I ever refinished way back when I was in college. I paid 25.00 for it and it matched the old table.

This is the view into the kitchen and living room from the hallway. Yes, we still use baby gates, they keep our cat in the house because we don't have a screen, and she eats the flies that come in. It works perfectly. :)

And one more shot because I liked it!

Sharing with this party!

Rest

2011-05-02T22:44:00.001-04:00

This past week I have been resting at my parents house, away from all the work needing to be done. It was glorious! Spring was in full color and nowhere on earth does spring smell the way it does in the South. I knew I was home when I smelled the sweet scent while driving up the mountain.

I had the chance to meet up with one of my friends from elementary school while she was in town with her family. We hadn't seen each other in years! We met up at the park we played at as children, and watched our children play while we chatted. It was so nice to catch up face to face!Over the weekend my brothers came into town for to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. It was such a fun time to all be together!

I think we wore him out! :) Happy Birthday Dad!

During the week I had a chance to work on a little project my Mother picked up for me off of Craig's list. I'll share that with you as soon as I can get pictures tomorrow!

Now it is back to work, our house goes on the market in 12 days!

Change of Plans

2011-04-15T14:44:00.001-04:00

Well it's time I shared with you what we have been up to and my silence here on the blog. My husband is done with his three hour round trip commute and so we are going to be moving. It has taken to much of a toll on our family. So we trying to move again, the housing prices have dropped where we are looking and are at least stable where we are selling, hopefully that will be to our advantage.

I have been getting the house ready for our list date of May 15th, with painting, purging, organizing, cleaning, and also daily life. That just doesn't leave much time for anything else.

I hope to share more as things progress.

A new dress for Fiona

2011-04-06T16:24:00.002-04:00

I finished up one of the dresses I started for the girls. Fiona has a party at Church tonight and wanted to wear it. Thankfully I used an easy pattern for this one and was able to get it done on time.

This is Pattern # M5966. I used view B with the ruffle from A to make the dress longer. It is also a bit big on her as she is in between sizes.

Fiona chose the material for this one. I wanted her to have some input so she would be more likely to wear it. With sensory issues one never knows if she'll like something. I plan to add a bit of detail to the V neck line. I have found that V-necks are usually quite low in patterns, but was pleasantly surprised by this one, it's much higher than it looks and a bit of lace will finish it off nicely.

She loves her new dress and has worn it all day. I knew it was a hit when she said it was like wearing pajamas. She would wear pajamas all day long if I let her.

Boys Room Progress

2011-04-05T15:02:00.001-04:00

Last week I decided to paint the boys room and the bathroom to a more neutral color. The boys are changing the theme of their room to outdoors and there will no longer be any blue in the room. So while I am working the boys are sleeping in the school room and I have not been able to access my computer much. I will be so glad when it is all done!

This is what the room looked like before. The baskets under the bed held toys. In our massive clean out they are now all empty! We will use them for clothing instead of a dresser.

I haven't begun the process of switching to summer clothes yet as it has been so cold! I will do that as soon as the room is put back together. Right now the baskets are stacked up in the school room, but I think that they will work well for clothing and are easily accessible.In the old room they each had their own dresser with the top drawer being for collections and special items. Mostly it became a junk drawer as it was so big and they could stuff whatever they wanted in there. You never know what you might find. We went through each and every box and got rid of most of it. The rest was put into a special treasure box that now sits in the closet. It's so much neater! They were so good about getting rid of things that it made the process go quickly. This is what the inside of the closet now looks like. We purchased an expedit shelf from IKEA to hold all of their things. They need a place to put the Lego's when they are all built and they are playing with them. Before they sat on the floor getting in the way and I was so tired of constantly stepping on those little pieces. They hurt!The baskets on the bottom shelf hold their costume accessories, and spy gear. Anything else made it's way to the consignment sale of the basement toys shelf. I still need to add labels.

I can't wait to share finished pictures. It will be a while before I get to some of the art that I have planned, but the new bedding arrived today. As soon as we steam clean the carpets I can get the room back together. That is a another story in itself. I hope to share more on that as soon as I am able.

Even as exciting as it is to re-do a room and decorate a new space. I will miss the sailboat theme they had "when they were little". My mother made those quilts for them when they were toddlers and they loved them!

Crazy, Hectic, Busy Week(s)

2011-03-29T23:35:00.002-04:00

Well that about sums up the last two weeks. The first weekend we were out of town to visit with my parents and my husband's father. We went to Greenland Gap for the first time in the spring, usually we go in the fall. It was a great weekend with warm weather. I wouldn't really know that though because I only ventured out one day. The other? I slept while everyone else went hiking and fishing. It was glorious and such a rare occurrence, I can't remember the last someone let me sleep all day. Thanks Mom and Dad for keeping an eye out for everyone. This lodge was build by my husbands Great Grandfather in 1938. It is absolutely beautiful and in the middle of nowhere. Someday I'll have to take more photos inside, but the lighting is poor.

Our traditional picture on the stone walls outside the lodge.

The one day I did go out we drove down to the falls to hang out by the water.

As soon as we got home it was back to real life. Funny how that works. :)

I spent the week getting ready for a consignment sale that was held last weekend and a brunch for my bible study group. I have been on a mission lately to get rid of stuff. I have been contemplating it for a while, the attachment to things and how that can become unhealthy. Just watch an episode of Hoarders and you understand. So I started going through things, trying to pare down to half. It sounded like a good place to be. If I am always dealing with stuff and not really living then there is to much. I though the consignment sale would be a good place to tackle the children's things. With their help I went through all of their things and got rid of half or almost half. I was quite proud of how well they did, the only thing they had trouble parting with was the stuffed animals. What is is about stuffed animals?!! We filled the back of the truck and took it to the sale. It was raining so I snapped a quick photo not wanting to get my camera wet. Things sold well and I came home with only one box. Next up is the yard sale in May to get rid of the rest. Every day the pile grows bigger as I come across something else we don't need. The more I get rid of the easier it becomes. The children's rooms are purged and they can easily keep them clean. Most of the toys we kept are in the basement and organized into shelving I all ready had. The house feels lighter and I am lighter, I can't wait to tackle every nook and cranny so that everything that is left has a purpose and a place. Things can hold us back form the lives we are meant to live in Christ.

I have been contemplating this verse in Matthew 6:19-21

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of the brunch I hosted. We had such a wonderful time and I so enjoyed putting together some spring decorations. It may not feel like spring outside but it sure is inside!

Riding Lessons

2011-03-14T16:50:00.001-04:00

Fiona has been interested in horses and riding for a few years now. We finally told here that if she stopped sucking her thumb she could ride. That happened around Thanksgiving, it didn't take her very long to quit with such a great incentive. :) Then came cold weather, ice, and snow. So finally she got to start lessons a few weeks ago. She loves it and talks about "her" pony all week. Hopefully I'll take her to her lesson and get pictures of her riding. But for now these are from when we purchased all of her tack of which you might find her wearing any time of day while she pretends to ride.

I'll bet you can guess her next question now that he has her lessons. :)

"Poppa, when can we get a pony?"

Book Page Wreath

2011-03-11T14:33:00.005-05:00

When I first saw this wreath Stephanie made over at Under The Table and Dreaming, I knew I wanted, no needed one for my own house. What I didn't realize it that it would take at least 275 rosettes to complete one wreath. After what felt like hours, days, and weeks, of cutting spirals and rolling flowers at every spare moment I finally finished it. I can tell you it was worth all the burned fingers, blisters, and time it took to make. I just love walking past it every day! I hung it in the foyer over my crate thingy. :) I bought it at a yard sale last year and am still trying to figure out what its original purpose was. I don't think I ever shared this piece on here before. Here is the view from the front door. I won't share how I made it as I followed exactly what Stephanie did in her tutorial. So if you want to make one for yourself you can read how to do it here- Under The Table and Dreaming.It was really fun to put together after all the flowers had been rolled.

Linking up to:

Birthday Present

2011-03-10T23:30:00.002-05:00

Today was my birthday. It true fashion it poured rain ALL DAY LONG! I don't remember many good weather birthdays, all my birthday memories involve, rain, snow, sleet, hail, you know typical March weather. I think I might miss the nasty weather it was ever nice for the day!

I did have a great day despite the rain. We declared a no school day, I mean who wants to do school on their birthday, or teach it in my case? :) The children and I went out to lunch at Chili's with friends, then played Lego's all afternoon. I did not have to cook and we went to McDonald's for smoothies for desert. It was a perfect day.

I did want to share my new birthday present with you. I have been talking about buying one for many years. It is a huge investment and I have to make sure I'm going to like it for a long time. Any guesses yet? I finally made up my mind and took a drive last week to the Pottery Barn Outlet on a whim to see if I might find one cheaper. Not only did they have one, it was 400.00 cheaper that the real store. I was quite excited to have been able to make such a purchase that I also bought a pillow I had been eying, after all I saved quite a but of money. :)

Here is my NEW RUG!!!

Isn't it lovely?!!!!!

I can't wait to finish making over this room. Part of the reason it took me so long to decide(besides the cost) on a rug is that I really wanted to make sure it reflected my style, and what really is my style, and will it work in this house? Will the rest of my family like it? As I continue to rework this room I hope to answer all those questions and see us reflected in the space. I did pick out fabric for new curtains. I have the sample taped to the wall. I was at Joann's getting dress material when I spied this. The lady was kind enough to cut me a sample and I couldn't wait to unroll the rug to see them together! My little something extra. Thanks for all of the wonderful comments left on my last post, they made my day!

On why I decide to blog again...

2011-03-09T10:51:00.002-05:00

If you have checked in at all you might have noticed that I haven't posted anything for over a month and even then not much before that. At first, blogging just became to much like something I had to do and not something I wanted to do. So I stepped back and did nothing. But then I found myself thinking about all the things I could post, all the things I want to share, all the friends I have made along the way. I am not sure at this point what direction my blog will be going, but I will continue to share what is happening in our little corner of the world. I just miss it to much to quit. :)

So here are a few glimpses into the last month at our house.

Fiona lost her front teeth after falling out of the bathtub. So thankful they were her baby teeth!

We celebrated the Chinese New Year.

and Valentine's day.

I cut out dresses for my girls.

The children played in the mud... a lot.

Prepared for the gardening season. The dining room windows are filled with seedlings, just waiting for warm weather. We(my husband) tilled in the garden and added some more nutrients. Soon. Soon we can plant.

Watching spring come.

...and of course I worked on a couple of projects. Can't wait for it to be warm enough to paint outside again! My husband is tired of the house smelling like a factory. :) Here is a sneak peak at a project I worked on. I'll share the rest later!

Pretty Girls

2011-02-06T20:19:00.002-05:00

Dressing for tea.

Winter Warmth

2011-02-02T15:12:00.004-05:00

In my kitchen I have two old windows hung on the wall. For Christmas last year I hung gumdrop wreaths and had plans to change them out for each season. Well last year that never happened. Those gumdrop wreaths stayed up for 10 months. Even my son was asking if were were going to take down the Christmas wreaths. They did come down for a few short weeks in the fall and then went right back up for Christmas. At least they stored well there. :)

Determined not to keep those wreaths up all year again, I needed to come up with something! I kept seeing images of yarn ball wreaths and thought I could do something similar. It felt cozy and warm to look at those wreaths. But I wanted something a bit different. So I made a bundle of balls instead. Each ball is a different type of white yarn wrapped around a Styrofoam ball. I simply used a bit of hot glue to tack down the string so it could be hung without unraveling.

Cabin Fever

2011-01-28T14:14:00.003-05:00

Need a little distraction from the monotony of winter?

Play with your food.

A mantel for the season

2011-01-25T22:47:00.003-05:00

I just finished up decorating my mantel for winter when I saw that Beth over at Stories of A to Z was hosting a Valentine's Mantel party. Never one to miss a party I decided I would be able to add in some love for the occasion, even if I am a bit late. I just couldn't think up what to do until I woke up this morning. Then it came to me suddenly and I had to put it together. I made the children wait for breakfast while I gussied up the mantel. Don't worry they didn't mind one bit, they love the decorating as much as I do and were quite helpful with the design. Although helpful could be used rather loosely with children under the age of nine. :)

I left the mantel in it's winter mode and just added the birds, hearts and hanging letters.

The birds remind me of my grandma, cardinals were her favorite. I was quite excited to use these as I have tried to before and found my cat attempting to eat one. They should be safe up in the branches.

These letters were from Wal-Mart many years ago. I bought them half off as they were considered a Christmas decoration. I strung them up with some pink ribbon, and called it a day. Our art project later this week is a garland, once it is finished it will replace the glittered snowflakes.

One Month

2011-01-24T11:47:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize that's how long it's been since my last post. It feels like only days. Much has happened since Christmas. The biggest change is our new piano! My husband bought one for us for Christmas and I had to make room for it. We had been talking about purchasing one for years so where to put it was not a problem. Pianos are rather touchy and so there was only one choice for our house. Welcome to our music room.

There used to be a book shelf and an old Victrola on this wall. This meant removing the books and getting rid of half of our collection.

It took us an entire week to go through them all, touch up walls, rearrange the furniture, and make the trip to the goodwill. On the day it arrived everyone had to play and try it out.

What do you think? I have some plans for more art above the piano and new wall color. We also need a lamp to be able to read the music clearly so the decor will be changing. I am on the lookout for a better sofa(no more red), chairs and perhaps white washing the tool chest/coffee table. The curtain rods also need to be replaced as they are not sturdy enough and are pulling out of the wall. This is now the room where everyone wants to be and its one of the smallest rooms in our home. Of course that could have something to do with the fact that is one of the warmest.

Deck the Halls

2010-12-22T16:39:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share a bit of our Christmas decor. I decorated before Thanksgiving this year as we were not here. It was such a good idea! I loved coming home from Thanksgiving and having Christmas ready. So welcome to our home. This is the display on the hall table when you first come in the door. I don't know if I'll be on much in the next couple of days. My parents are coming tomorrow for a couple of days. I hope you all have a merry Christmas!!

the gift of bread

2010-12-21T16:56:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things is the arrival of my Aunt's gift at Christmas. It consists of a lovely white box with the name Boudin on the side in brown letters. Once you open it up the smell of sourdough fills the room. I admire the six soup bowl loaves she sends to us each year and then quickly wrap them all up for the freezer. I will have one for my birthday in March and save the others for other special occasions through out the year. Then I will pull the last loaf from last years package and warm it up for dinner savoring each bite of its wonderful flavor. Nothing beats a loaf or real San Francisco Sourdough Bread. Thanks Aunt Beth, every time we eat a loaf we are reminded of your generosity of such a wonderful gift.

Zuppa Toscana

2010-12-15T11:40:00.001-05:00

Ever wish you could have some of those restaurant dishes at home so you don't have to go out and spend the money? Or wish you could create a healthier version with better ingredients? Look no further! This recipe tastes just like it does at the popular restaurant. I was so excited to try it. It was so yummy! My son summed it up well. "Mom, this one's a keeper for sure"! While it's not necessarily a freezer meal, I did cook the sausage before hand. Everything else was done the day we ate it, it was very easy to throw together.

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1½ tsp crushed red peppers

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces

2 tsp garlic puree

10 cups water

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced Russet potatoes( I used red potatoes that I had)

¼ of a bunch of kale

TO PREPARE: Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, set aside. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add the heavy cream and just cook until heated. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve.
Recipe from Tuscanrecipies.com

Return

2010-12-14T23:42:00.003-05:00

Are you as sick of looking at that last post as I am every time I open up the ol' blog? It doesn't even have a photo to help it! I have been quite busy this past month, but that is not really why I dropped off posting entirely. You see I have been sick all year, I just didn't know it until my hair started falling out. Then I finally decided to go to the Doctor, nothing like waiting until the extreme begins to happen. I am a great procrastinator. :) I mentioned all of the things bothering me, cold all the time(even in the middle of summer when it was 100 degrees), dizzy, so tired I couldn't get out of bed, pale skin, etc. Believe me when I say there was a loooooong list of things. He sent me off for some blood work and after many vials of blood and a couple of days wait, it was determined that my Iron and Vitamin D levels were extremely low. I began taking supplements, and about 5 weeks later around the beginning of November I could feel myself getting better. I had so much more energy, wasn't dizzy, and could get out of bed without a struggle. After my 6 week check up for another round of tests, I felt like I was bouncing off the walls some days I felt so good. With that came the urge to clean my house. I began to notice all those things I was to tired to do before, like wash windows, and cabinets, and the walls. I went on a cleaning spree and scrubbed the first floor from top to bottom, nothing was left untouched. I didn't want to sit down and blog I wanted to do something! I feel so much better but my hair is still falling out, not as much as before and I can see new growth coming in, but I believe I lost about half of what I had. My mother really noticed it when we were visiting for Thanksgiving, thankfully I have a LOT of hair on my head to start with or I would have bald patches. I am ready to be back to normal and be able to keep up with the daily tasks and still be able to do all the extras that need to be done.

We have been spending a lot of time just being together, having fun, making messes, and living.

I am so thankful to be feeling better, and am trying to not look to all the regrets of what could have been if I had gone to the Doctor sooner. God is good and he carried me through so many days when all I wanted to do was hide under the covers and sleep. I plan to pick up my camera again and capture all the things I have been missing, and focus on being thankful for every day good or bad.

Another cook done

2010-11-10T15:50:00.001-05:00

Well I finally finished cooking last night. I had one meal left on my list so I decided to make it for dinner and then freeze the extras. Here are some of the things that went on this weekend, along with some reminders to myself. I think bullets will make it easier to write it all down. It was a crazy weekend for sure and there are many reasons it took me so long. Such is life, it's never perfect, but always worth living.

Next time I cook remind me to follow my own advice. It really makes sense!
For example: Only choose one new recipe to try. It takes time to learn a new set of directions.
Preparation the night before is necessary to saving time on cooking day. Wish I had remembered that. Sigh.
Its ok if it takes longer that 3 days to finish. Its still DONE!
Our dishwasher broke, this really wasn't an issue with cooking as I reuse so many of the pots anyway, but there are still dishes from the meals. Remember that it makes a nice drying rack or storage space when out of room on the counters.
My husband was not feeling well(and still isn't) I needed to take time to take care of him and the children. Instead of him watching them for me.
Don't forget important dates in your life. It was our anniversary, I forgot and then remembered so we took Saturday evening to go out to dinner and then have cake for desert.
We had fun! Some of the children are really able to help out now that they are older.
Children discussing who gets to grate the cheese? Music to my ears as I did not have to do it! They also helped peel the garlic, measure out spices, and stir the pots.
Plan to incorporate the children helping the next time I cook. Yes, it must be planned or they constantly ask me what they can do next. This is actually a good problem. :)
I made 65 meals, more than I expected, and there are 4 more in the freezer left over.
Do the math right when adding up pounds of meat. Its no fun to have to go back to the store because I forgot something. Twice.
I thought of a good method for freezing in small spaces. I will share that soon.
Now I must go clean the kitchen, the floor is a bit sticky.

That about sums it up. ALL DONE! I do have lots of new to you recipes to share. This is my winter rotation menu, and I added a couple of new ones in this time.

Where did my baby go?

2010-11-08T23:17:00.001-05:00

Do you see it or is it just me but the baby face is disappearing at an alarming rate. I don't think I'm ready for that yet!! Sometimes I wish we could freeze time but then I guess in a way we do, with the photographs.

Eleven years

2010-11-06T20:47:00.002-04:00

Today we celebrated eleven years of marriage.

How time flies! Picture take by our son. At least there is one of us together this year, even if we are a bit fuzzy. :)

Portraits

2010-11-05T21:20:00.003-04:00

One of the things on my rather long list of things to do is take more pictures to learn my camera better. I find so many times i don't take the time to practice. So when we went away I took all of my books and manuals with me. Not that it helped, but I did take a lot of pictures to practice with the different settings. I'm not brave enough for manual yet, especially since I can't see clearly enough to focus properly. Yes, getting my eyes checked is also on that list. :) Anyway I did learn some things, but I have so much more to learn. Here are my meager attempts at portraits on a chilly morning in the mountains.

I set out all prepared to take a family shot until I couldn't find my tri-pod attachment. So my father-in-law took this one for us. He only took one shot, thankfully we are all looking in the same direction. One must not forget the hundreds of outtakes to get that perfect shot. :)And one more because it's so hard to pick and choose.

Mini Cheddar Meat Loaves

2010-11-04T16:33:00.002-04:00

I will be cooking again this weekend since the last time I cooked was in May. I am busy gathering my recipes and preparing shopping lists. I thought I would share one of my boys favorite meals. Meatloaf! Not just any meatloaf but individual serving sized meatloaf. It is so yummy and stays moist because they are small. They also take less time to cook which is always nice. This one will be on the menu this winter. I am only cooking to get through until January at this time. Then I will cook again for the rest of the winter. I find I need the meals to get through all of the holidays but don't have much time to prepare a full three months worth.

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound ground beef

2/3 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar or sucanat

1 1/2 teaspoon mustard

FREEZER STEP: In a bowl beat egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion, and salt. Add ground beef and mix well. Shape into 8 mini loaves. Place into greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Spoon over mini loaves. Freeze.
TO PREPARE: Thaw and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees.
TIPS: You can cook this from frozen if you forget to pull it out beforehand. I use my homemade ketchup and 1/8 cup sugar to make it a bit healthier and less sweet. You can also make six larger loaves, or tailor it to the size of your family.

Doctors and Vacation

2010-11-03T21:26:00.002-04:00

I spent last week sanitizing my house and still didn't finish. It wasn't on my list to become a germ freak. Then I took my girls to the Doctor for a strange rash on their arms and legs. Diagnosis? Impetigo. Never heard of it? Me either. Apparently its a form of a staph infection common in children. I just love it when the experts say common. Sigh. It's also highly contagious, which explains the crazy amounts of cleaning I did last week, all before we were to leave on vacation for the weekend. Why do these things always happen right before your supposed to do something big? So on top of cleaning I was packing for a weekend in the mountains of West Virginia, hence the silence here. There was just way to much to do! Thankfully they are getting better and their bodies are accepting the antibiotics. It could have been so much worse. We had a wonderful time away and the weather was perfect. It's such a beautiful spot to visit and the children look forward to it all year. This year we took a little side trip and visited Blackwater Falls State Park. It was beautiful!

I'm not sure what prompted the salutes but they all did it at the same time.

We played and fish in the creek that runs through the family property. Some a little more than others. :) We hiked, enjoyed the views and relaxed! It was a great weekend! We are all ready looking forward to next year!

Carrots!

2010-10-26T01:01:00.001-04:00

On a whim we decided to try carrots. We don't have good soil here, it's like planting in rocks. So my husband was convinced they would get stuck and not grow. We also planted them late in the season when it was HOT, and them some. But as you can see they grew! Some are short and stubby, some are big and rather long, all are sweet and tasty. We will make sure to plant more next year, this experiment was a success and my children have all ready eaten them all.

Drive By

2010-10-24T17:27:00.004-04:00

On the way home from Church today I spotted these on the side of the road. Oh the possibilities! There are a total of 5 shutters and the door. It wasn't until I got home and looked them over a bit more that I realized that one pair was arched and they also have most of their hardware. I have no idea what I am going to do with them yet but I'll think of something! Such potential.

Linking to

My front porch

2010-10-22T21:52:00.001-04:00

I have always wanted to make my porch pretty for fall. This year I finally took the time to do it. My husband is all ready asking when it's all coming down. He has his eyes on the hay bales for the garden. I still want to make a new wreath or at least beef up the one that is there. I am beginning to think that might be a project for next year. We shall see. I always love an excuse to use the enamelware I have collected. Pumpkins come in so many shapes, colors, and sizes. So much creativity form our Creator. I just love this time of year!

Canning season may be over...

2010-10-21T07:08:00.001-04:00

...but there is still housework!

Look what happens when when you don't do laundry for two weeks. I spent two hours last night folding and I'm still not finished. I am afraid this is what I let go when things get busy. I wash it, dry it, and dump it. It's not really a very good system and one of the things I am working of for next canning season. Housework went out the window. Now it's time to catch up, clean up, and put the laundry away.

A Winner!

2010-10-20T10:49:00.007-04:00

I wrote everyone's name out on a piece of scrap paper so I could draw one out of the box.

CONGRATULATIONS MOSEY!!!

Please send me your address so I can get it shipped out to you. While it's a bit late for this season, I am sure it will come in handy for next years harvest!

A Giveaway!

2010-10-15T10:40:00.013-04:00

This is one of my favorite things during canning season. I use it to puree berries, make salsa, applesauce, jam, tomato sauce, etc. You put the food in the hopper, crank the handle and the good stuff comes down the white chute and the yuck comes out the end. No removing skins or seed it does it all for you. It is so easy to work that my children fight over who is going to turn the crank! So I thought it celebration of the fact I have been blogging for two years I would give one away!

One reader will win a strainer for your own use. It comes with one screen for apples/tomatoes. It will save you so much time in the kitchen, especially if you can in large quantities or want to get started.

To win:

Leave a comment on this blog post for one entry. Please include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!
Share this giveaway on your blog for two entries, and be sure to let come back and let me know!
This giveaway is open to all US residents and will end Tuesday night at 8:00.

Baked Burritos

2010-10-14T22:37:00.002-04:00

I pulled these out when my Mom was visiting. My parents don't usually eat ground beef in their cooking, but my Mom loved these burritos. She even asked for the recipe. So here it is. :)

1 pound ground beef

30 ounces refried beans(or 2-15 ounce cans)

1 Tablespoon taco seasoning(or one envelope)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup(you can find the homemade version here).

1 cup sour cream

1 cup yogurt

10 medium whole wheat tortillas

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

FREEZER STEP: brown meat, stir in beans and taco seasoning. Set aside. Mix together soup, yogurt, and sour cream, pour half of mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish, save the other half for later. Spread a portion of meat mixture on each tortilla and roll up. Place filled tortillas in baking dish seam side down. Cover with the remaining sauce, carefully so the tortillas don't dry out. Grate cheddar cheese and freeze in a separate bag attached to dish.
TO PREPARE: Thaw and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 15 minutes more.
TIPS: I make my own refried beans as they are so easy to do and keep some on hand in the freezer. Instead of typing out how I do that you can go here. I usually divide the recipe into 2 8x8 dishes and freeze in smaller portions that are perfect for the size of my family. I have cooked this from frozen before. I just cover the dish with foil and bake until it is warm in the center. Then remove the foil, sprinkle with cheese, and bake for about 15 more minutes, It usually takes about an hour this way.

Fall Mantle

2010-10-13T15:22:00.002-04:00

I finished some of the decorating I wanted to do for the season. Well, at least the mantle is done. I still have a wreath I want to do and some things for the front porch. Hopefully I'll get those done later this week to share with you all. I went simple this year and used natural elements. It took me about 15 minutes to put it all together if you don't count the hours it took me to lug everything up from the basement and drive out to the farm stand to purchase everything. :) The little people on the hearth belong to the Fisher Price Mayflower. I pull them out every year and even my 9 year old still plays with them. It's special since they only see it for a short time. I think they will still insist it comes out even when they are 20 for traditions sake. I left the picket fence, star and candlesticks from summer. I only added the two large milk glass vases with the bundles of wheat. I found the vases at two different thrift shops over the summer for 3.00 each. The wheat bundles were from an farm stand out in Amish country. I love the texture they add.Then I put up some pumpkins the children helped me pick out. They love that I used theirs in such a prominent place. So simple and ready for fall, now if only the temperatures would cooperate!

Sharing with Beth at the Stories of A to Z!

Shopping List Printable

2010-10-11T22:19:00.001-04:00

Finally here is a printable for you! If you are cooking, or planning to cook this will help you in the planning of your shopping and how much you need to buy.

First pick out the recipes you are using and number them. To use this shopping list write down the ingredients, then how much you need of each item under the corresponding recipe number. Once you have it all filled out you can count up you totals and know what you need to purchase.Then you can transfer it to a list divided by sections of the grocery store.

Shopping List

I have never linked a printable before so I am not sure that this will work. If it doesn't let me know and I'll work on fixing it. You should be able to right click on the underlined words above and open the file to print it. You will probably need 3 to 4 sheets for 20 recipes. It all depends on what you are cooking. As always if you have any questions just leave them in the comments or e-mail me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Crazy

2010-10-11T20:59:00.001-04:00

Well it seems like the summer finally caught up with me. I am am tired! Unfortunately there is no rest for the weary when the weather still thinks its summer and the tomatoes won't stop growin'. Seriously I am DONE with tomatoes, but I can't bring myself to give them away or even ignore them glowing on the vine out my kitchen window. The sad fact is I still don't have enough put up for winter. So I continue to plug away at them and pray for a killing frost. The 80 degree temperatures are not helping! I also did three more bushels of apples last week, all of my children had a 24 hour virus, my husband was out of town for a few days, and my parents came up this weekend for my brother's wedding reception. It's no wonder I couldn't find time to update this little blog of mine! I do have SO much I want to share. Lots of yummy recipes', my fall decorating I am trying to finish up, and a little give away at the end of the week. So stay tuned for that. I promise it will be good. I want to celebrate the fact I have been blogging for two years and thank all of you for coming along on this journey with me. It seems like I just started time goes so fast.

And because I don't like posts without pictures, here are a few pictures from the reception. We had lots of fun and my children loved staying in a hotel for the night. It was nice to get away and celebrate with my family. Me, my brother, my children, parents.

Diced Tomatoes

2010-10-01T20:33:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday I took my brood out to Lancaster for the day. We needed to get some things from the grocery out there and of course take a scenic drive through some Amish country. We stopped at a couple of farm stands and picked up some fall decor. I was also on the hunt for some cheap tomatoes. Everything I have canned so far with tomatoes has been from my own garden. The season is winding down and I know we don't have enough for everything we needed this year. I spotted a bushel of seconds at a stand for 8 dollars. Score! They were in pretty good shape, just covered in stink bug bites and really ripe!So first thing Wednesday morning I started turning them into diced tomatoes for our winter soups and stews. Here's how to do it.

First remove the skins by blanching for 60 seconds. The skins should start to split.Take them out and place them in ice water to cool them quickly. I keep old peanut butter containers and freeze big ice blocks that take longer to melt than small pieces of ice. Core and peel the skins. I also had to cut out a few worm spots, I was working with seconds so I expected that.Dice them up. Now you are ready to can them. Wash and sterilize the jars so they are hot. I keep mine in the oven at about 170 degrees, I have broken so many jars while canning over the years from not having hot jars. I do have a lot of old jars and jars from yard sales but I find that it's the new ones that break the most. They just don't make them like they used too! Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart, and fill with the tomatoes. Wipe off rims, and tighten lids and rings.Place in water bath canner, making sure jars are covered with one to two inches of water. If not add more. Bring up to a boil and time for 45 minutes.Remove from canner and place on a cookie sheet, towel, or cutting board. This way if they leak a bit it won't be a huge mess. Then listen for the pop of the jar sealing. It has to be one of the best sounds of summer. If it doesn't seal you can store those jars in the fridge. If you are careful it won't happen very often. After they have set about 24 hours remove rings, rinse off jars, and store in a cool dark, place. From one bushel of tomatoes I got 16 quarts of diced tomatoes. I think that should last most of the winter. Still trying to figure out my totals on some things.

A New Dresser

2010-09-30T16:47:00.003-04:00

One of the things on my list for the Master bedroom was a new dresser for me. We originally had two chest of drawers and the look was never right to me. I though a more feminine piece would balance out some of the other pieces in the room. I looked and looked all spring and summer for something that would work. Then when my Mom was here visiting at the beginning of the month I came across this piece at the local thrift store. It was 10.00 and of course is a buffet for a dining room. I felt it was perfect for what I wanted in the bedroom. A little different, a little unexpected, and very feminine. It was rather dated with it's yellowed finish so I painted and glazed it to coordinate with the chest of drawers that was staying in the space. I love how it turned out! It sits at the end of the bed and is one of the first things you see when you enter the space. I have plans for the display on the dresser and a mirror to go above it. I just wanted to share that I got something completely done to the point it can be used. It doesn't always happen. :) I love the curvy details of the top.I decided to keep the original hardware as it also coordinates well with the other pieces in the room, and finding hardware with a 3 1/2 inch center for a reasonable price can take forever!Everything fits so nicely inside and I have room for more. I did wonder a bit at first if I would like shelves verses all drawers as is standard in a bedroom piece. It turns out I love the shelves, its so easy to find what I need and keep it all organized. It also makes less noise to open the door and therefore I don't wake my husband when I come to bed.Now to get the mirror finished.

Sharing with

Happy Birthday Miles

2010-09-28T16:38:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to my first born son! Time goes so fast I can hardly believe you are 9 years old today. You are so special to me and I am so thankful God allowed me to be your Momma!

Harvest

2010-09-27T16:35:00.001-04:00

3 quarts green beans

3 pounds broccoli

12 quarts spaghetti sauce

1 pint dried jalapeño peppers

2 pounds yellow squash

And I thought I would not have any work to do yesterday! The season is winding down but there is still lots coming in and the shelves are filling up. I am looking forward to the end of the season and some rest.

Apples, Apples, Everywhere

2010-09-26T23:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we canned applesauce. I purchased 5 bushels of apples and made 88 quarts of sauce. It took us 10 hours from start to finish and we realized, It. Is. Not. Enough. Sigh. So back to the orchard I go for two more bushels sometime this week or next. We use applesauce for sweetener around here. My children love it in their oatmeal, on their pumpkin muffins, for a snack, and I use it in cooking in place of oil in some recipes. We go through a LOT of sauce and they will not eat store bought sauce, even the organic no sugar added. Food snobs they have become. :) Thankfully they love making applesauce, it is one of the things they look forward to doing all year. It ranks right up there with Christmas and birthdays! I'm still trying to figure that one out, I mean making sauce involves a lot of work and a lot of sticky mess! First we wash and cut the apples into pieces. This was Fiona's first year to cut. She was quite excited to be able to share this job with the boys. We then cook the apples until they are soft in large stock pots. Then we put them through the food strainer. Yummy applesauce comes out one side and the skins and seeds come out the other. We run the skins through a couple of times to make sure to get out all of the sauce. This is by far one of the best tools for sauce, without it the process would take forever to make this much at once! Many hands make the work go faster and more enjoyable. You can wee we pulled in the kitchen table to be close to the stove. It also helps to contain the stickiness to a smaller area. Here are all the jars waiting to be washed and put on the shelf for winter. Such a wonderful sight! I love looking at all that work lined up waiting to be eaten.

What is wrong with this picture?

2010-09-20T15:14:00.001-04:00

My cat loves to eat flies. Its like they are her dessert, and she prefers to catch them herself, alive. I believe that is why she jumped into the open cabinet and made herself at home. There are plenty of flies in the kitchen despite our attempts to control them. It's a side effect of living in the country and not having a good screen door. From now on I'll make sure the cabinets stay closed, at least most of the dishes were dirty at the time. Who know I would be thankful for dirty dishes one day?!

An organized basement

2010-09-17T14:49:00.002-04:00

One of the big projects my Mom and I accomplished in the last two weeks was the basement. While it was partially organized it had piles of things in the walkways that I had gotten lazy about and not put away. It also had furniture waiting to me moved around to be used effectively for sewing and crafting storage. Crafting storage is a new addition to the basement, I needed a place for fabrics, sewing machines, a cutting table, and all those craft supplies and unfinished projects! Warning! Lots of photos.

Earlier this week I finished painting the playroom side of the basement. The bright cheerful color makes it feel so much brighter and warmer down there. Our little library keeps growing and I am going to add another shelf when I make it to IKEA again. We also have the most read and used books upstairs in the school room. The toys are stored in the crated along the bottom. I think they are from the Container Store, we have had them for at least 8 years.I added a couple of maps to the wall and moved the movie storage next to the TV. We don't have cable and only watch movies every now and then, but it makes sense to keep them where they are used. This is the storage side for Holiday Decorations, and clothing, I am planning on curtaining it off soon. That's another project. :) My husband's desk is also here, he does work from home every now and then so it is nice to have a place where it is quiet. We stay upstairs on those days. This is the area of the biggest change. We continued the flooring all the way through this area also. It is so much warmer and comfortable on your feet! I purchased the old farm table at a sale for 30.00. I lift up the other leaf when I need the space for cutting out dress patterns or other large and messy projects.This is across from the sewing area. It is the "new", craft cabinet and decorative storage. Both of these pieces of furniture were originally somewhere else and no longer needed. This shelf helps me see everything easily and actually use it for decorating.I plan to use the bulletin board to pin up decor and sewing ideas, it was just sitting in a corner before. The picture frames on the right are for a projects and the ones on the left are waiting for concrete screws so I can hang them up in the basement.My little sewing nook has everything I need all in one spot. It will be so nice to work here and watch the children play.This part of the shelving unit, which is from IKEA holds a few more decorating things, cake decorating, painting, gift wrap, candles, and some seasonal items. I cleaned out everything we don't use and ended up with an extra shelf for the food stuffs.This is the canning and appliance storage side. It holds much of our food for the winter. The empty jars are all waiting for applesauce which I will be doing in a week or so. This is where I store the appliances and canning pots, although they are still upstairs being used! I have crock pots, an ice cream maker, pressure cooker and canner, roasting pan, food strainer, smoker, cider press, dehydrator, and other things I only use occasionally or seasonally. Our kitchen just isn't big enough to hold all of these big items.This is where I keep my fabrics in the dresser, and more frames that go in the children's rooms. Hopefully soon my husband will add another outlet so I can have the stereo to use and the fridge will not have to have an extension cord running across the floor. Now that I painted the children's side, I really want to paint this section also. I think it will brighten it up too, anything to make it look less like a unfinished basement. I just love coming downstairs and seeing it all organized! As I finish up the last few things I want to do, I'll share those also.I hope I didn't bore you will all the photos!

The last days of summer

2010-09-16T16:54:00.001-04:00

A little bit of swimming, A little bit of bike riding,A little bit of watching the cars drive by, and a sweet treat to end the season. Good by summer, it has been another season full of great memories!

Cream of Mushroom soup

2010-09-15T23:27:00.003-04:00

I know it's been forever since I have posted a recipe. Time just seems to fly faster every day! Here is a homemade version of what is still considered a pantry staple for so many. We choose to make everything from scratch to avoid BPA, additives, and excessive amounts of salt. This is so easy to make, tastes so much better,and you can even make up batches ahead of time and freeze it if you want the convenience that you would have from a can. It will separate a bit when you thaw it but if you are adding it to a casserole or crock pot meal it won't matter.

You will need:

1 Tablespoon butter

3 Tablespoons flour

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

4 ounces sliced mushrooms

pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan, whisk in flour until smooth, remove from heat. Add broth and milk, whisking to keep smooth. Add mushrooms.

Return to heat and bring sauce to boil, whisk until sauce thickens, add pepper to taste.

Opa's are the best!

2010-09-15T12:21:00.001-04:00

Lest you think all we did was work when my parents visited here is proof we had fun too! My Dad was only able to stay a few days, he is a veterinary pathologist at Virginia Tech and was running out of vacation time. The children love having him here, they rode bikes that he fixed up for them, pulled them around in the wagon, read stories, made them breakfast, played games, and listened to all their ramblings and silly stories. What more could you want form an Opa? He is the best!Can't wait to see you again at Thanksgiving!