tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7169867710265127692024-02-18T21:06:44.174-08:00Hopeful Blessings in a RichlandMonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-85067313010864149202017-04-10T13:45:00.000-07:002017-04-10T13:45:18.173-07:00Today's What's happening<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">I have decided instead of doing Sunday Snapshot, I am going to do Today's What's happening. I am so busy on Sundays usually that I find I have a hard time posting this post every week. So we are changing the format, and hopefully I will be able to get these done more often. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What is outside my window - So today is a beautiful sunny day outside. As you can see in this picture the church we work at sits right across the street from the parsonage where we live. This morning started off a bit cloudy, but as you can see it cleared up and became beautiful. I was going to stay inside and work on inside projects but this obviously changes that plan. I have a small amount of work to do in the spring garden. I have the potatoes planted in the new raised bed. And that bed and the main garden space need a deep layer of straw mulch. So that will be what I get to today. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What I see in the mirror - I have no makeup on and my hair is in a braid down my back. This is the look I wear most often. LOL Good thing my dear husband does not care. I have on a black skirt, black t-shirt, my trusty apron, and my tennis shoes. All ready to work!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MvFNmSgouVFxeJgAFyEP2UTcNANcUxdYfzFphf423tTIEdTR1gn-H0hwWXZ4VFWzJ2USshnFqdrxYm5YxdKpR9N4LCpzHKqix4VunyRNODf-jxqGRUrJMmeCe5r620ua1oEQ-y9mNFr-/s1600/20170410_111439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MvFNmSgouVFxeJgAFyEP2UTcNANcUxdYfzFphf423tTIEdTR1gn-H0hwWXZ4VFWzJ2USshnFqdrxYm5YxdKpR9N4LCpzHKqix4VunyRNODf-jxqGRUrJMmeCe5r620ua1oEQ-y9mNFr-/s320/20170410_111439.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What is on my needles and hooks - On my knitting needles I am FINALLY after years of teaching myself to knit making my first pair of socks. I only started knitting so I could learn to make socks! So after countless scarves, headbands, and hats I have deemed myself ready to try. This is what the yarn and book I am using look like...</span><br />
<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">And on my crochet hook I am making these darling granny squares in an African violet pattern out of a bunch of different colors for a bag I want to design and make...(Oh speaking of bags, check out the cute chicken bag my best friend made me!)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What's in the sewing basket - I have six gathering aprons cut out and ready to start sewing together. I love all the calico quilting fabric and muslin I am using for them. I am planning on listing them on my Etsy store for sale in the future. I am hoping to get a few more items on there for sale other than just signs and soap. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">What I am reading - I am reading this book written by Shaye Elliot of the Elliot Homestead. It is called "Welcome to the Farm" and is a general how to homestead book. It has a lot of useful information in it and is available <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Farm-How-Elliott-Homestead/dp/1493026011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488396919&sr=8-1&keywords=welcome+to+the+farm" target="_blank">here</a> on Amazon right now. You can find out such information as how to start plants for your garden, how to raise chickens, and also some of her wonderful recipes. I just love her blog, and her writing style.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;">And that completes this addition of What's happening. I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great week!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-70852924022792856462017-04-03T18:26:00.000-07:002017-04-03T18:26:07.595-07:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well this weekend was eventful and happy. I had my parents over for Sunday dinner and it was so good! I marinaded the steak all day, then I made a potato salad and baked beans to go with it. We had a fresh strawberry pie and home made whipped cream. It was wonderful to get to visit with my parents, and after dinner we watched a movie. It is called "At the Fork", and I purchased it at the Whole Foods store. It is a very informative interesting look at the food industry today and what animal welfare looks like in both the big agribusiness way of doing things and the more humane ways that are emerging. I am happy I purchased it. Here is what our menu will look like this week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tacos</b> - We are doing beef tonight, and all the trimmings. My 14 year old, Lil'bit will be cooking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Knoephla Soup</b> (think Chicken Dumpling)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I found this recipe in a magazine at the doctor's office years ago. I will most likely do a salad, and Sis has an artisan herb bread recipe she does that she would like to make for us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Pepper Steak</b> - Served with rice and fruit</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dutch Meatballs</b> - They have a delicious gravy that comes with the cooking of them. Served with potatoes, onion and carrots cooked and mashed together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We will be gone late on Wednesday as we are taking my dad to the VA hospital for an appointment. It is a 3 1/2 hour drive from where we live one way. It will be a very long day, and we will most likely eat out that day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have a great week!</span></div>
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Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-44094006745779751952017-03-28T10:10:00.001-07:002017-03-28T10:10:59.126-07:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">This week I have a few thing I need to make out of necessity. First of all I made a cake this weekend that took 8 egg whites. Yes, 8! That leaves a lot of egg yolks to be used. I am not into throwing things like perfectly good farm raised chicken eggs down the drain so here is how I plan to use them up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Home made Noodles and Chicken - </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a German dish my grandmother always made for us on our birthdays. It was everyone favorite dinner to choose. It consists of noodles handmade and cut. A chicken is boiled to produce a lovely broth, the chicken is picked clean and added back into the broth, with the noodles. The noodles themselves have flour on them which in turn thickens the sauce. We then eat them on mashed potatoes. I know, carb overload. But it is ooohhh so good! And it takes 4 egg yolks to make them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Burnt Cream - </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Next to use up the last 4 egg yolks I will make what we call burnt cream or in fancy terms, creme brule. This is not a meal, but it definitely, deserves an honorable mention as it is a favorite dessert of mine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Chili Verde -</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is a dish made with pork and green salsa I canned last year from my homegrown tomatillos. It is served on homemade flour tortillas along side oven fried potatoes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hot Pockets -</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">These individual sized pockets are made using my pizza dough recipe, and filled with ham and cheese. I will serve this with salad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BBQ Steak</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The dear husband has had a hankering for a good ol' steak! So that is what he gets, with baked beans and a new lemon herb potato salad I am going to try. I got the recipe <a href="http://cosmopolitancornbread.com/lemon-potato-salad/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's about it for the week. We will eat leftovers to catch up a couple of times so we don't waste anything. Have a great week!</span><br />
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<br />Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-60236336776169034892017-03-27T11:29:00.002-07:002017-03-27T11:29:44.911-07:00Homestead update<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I have not really posted much lately, but it is not because I have had nothing to post about. I have actually been really busy with lots of spring tasks here on the homestead. Some of the reasons I go to the trouble of these tasks are to save money, to supply myself with resources to use in other homesteading tasks, to spare the environment in some small way, or because I just like whatever the resulting product is better than what you can purchase at the store. So I thought I would give an update with some of what we are doing around here...</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every night when I first get into bed, sometimes I read, sometimes I knit or crochet, sometimes I go to sleep when my head hits the pillow. But first I always start a list of what I need to do the next day. Of course I always forget somethings and have to add to my list through out the day, but it always gives me somewhere to start. To me there are few things as satisfying</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> as marking a big black line through a task on a list, showing you got something done! T</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">his is the day that I was canning turkey stock, making butter, and making ice cream all at the same time. Haha! I had to snap a picture because this is how things usually go around here. My husband LOVES homemade ice cream and I was finally able to find a recipe that uses whole milk instead of whipping cream or half and half. Both of which cost to much money to make ice cream every couple of days. With this recipe I can make it using our raw whole milk and eggs we buy locally. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another us for those eggs and milk, this from scratch baked white pudding cake with apricot filling and Apricot buttercream frosting. It was very good. Yes, that is extra filling dribbling down the side, don't judge me...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also was fortunate enough to have a break in the rainy weather last Thursday, and I got my whole spring garden planted. It was a long day, but it was also very satisfying. I just need to get some straw to mulch, get my greenhouse up at the other end, and then just wait for the salads to come rolling in! Here are some pictures, and a list of what all I planted...</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj78oeWQHt9Fa22mvw-FaGTfjXB2sVpurPKXJeQz9eblTR867x1mrVoA9z8qcZaqSRFEC0No23W14ky6MShaUqFDu1gICdWpWhYHLhfUfkayN8otswnX4DqGJjvpw8G-ZzZunsqLnwpFRa/s1600/20170323_142444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj78oeWQHt9Fa22mvw-FaGTfjXB2sVpurPKXJeQz9eblTR867x1mrVoA9z8qcZaqSRFEC0No23W14ky6MShaUqFDu1gICdWpWhYHLhfUfkayN8otswnX4DqGJjvpw8G-ZzZunsqLnwpFRa/s400/20170323_142444.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shelling peas </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWDJw18PaZ-FmQEXdMcqrVa-V8Uyw5JOXcXLE41Of3shjQKA5SyLMpsN_mCOibg3ro-JY1EPPbQBZ1j8UBsRpoQqP0LGj5VPx3hhFZ1ECjNm5WV362v5A15N_YwRjE08kKboCDQ3gDfUT/s1600/20170325_122524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWDJw18PaZ-FmQEXdMcqrVa-V8Uyw5JOXcXLE41Of3shjQKA5SyLMpsN_mCOibg3ro-JY1EPPbQBZ1j8UBsRpoQqP0LGj5VPx3hhFZ1ECjNm5WV362v5A15N_YwRjE08kKboCDQ3gDfUT/s400/20170325_122524.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Broccoli</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Red acre cabbage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Green Acre cabbage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">China rose radishes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Easter Egger II radishes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Green bunching onions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Parsnips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Dwarf blue kale</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Beets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Rutabaga</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Kohlrabi</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-RNw-T0QHjBjbIKNZMnNGlOhpE1M9Gq-vn38Xog9QIUjfWPFXxRtrteMV68FUIMqnmghHUTjZAg7piyiyROfT5BwYIPQvDYL5YMLc6VF5v7QW23I97wQvPvq_rCTXkLwtjgQBNpLJqd_/s1600/20170325_122559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-RNw-T0QHjBjbIKNZMnNGlOhpE1M9Gq-vn38Xog9QIUjfWPFXxRtrteMV68FUIMqnmghHUTjZAg7piyiyROfT5BwYIPQvDYL5YMLc6VF5v7QW23I97wQvPvq_rCTXkLwtjgQBNpLJqd_/s320/20170325_122559.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Radicchio</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Romaine lettuce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Criphead lettuce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Iceberg lettuce </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Red Iceberg lettuce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Victoria Butter-head lettuce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Spinach</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Snow peas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Potatoes, 4 varieties</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I am so excited to see what happens in the spring garden this year. Last year I grew tons of shelling peas to freeze, and a few green onions and radishes. This years garden is much more aggressive. I really wanted to be able to grow salad stuff without having to buy it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBJD7Mi7ka0vvnslsmd0NfgSyLF9tKKFmtLZ1hN89C5RqDF65fbx4SSnMijlGHslhlrAfcyCDhEjbo-R2mWbL7fflwoTBZeuMWwc5KD9fRiSzt-REmBGCHjlDNDjO1_wCD0_GEXyJ8B2j/s1600/20170314_163839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBJD7Mi7ka0vvnslsmd0NfgSyLF9tKKFmtLZ1hN89C5RqDF65fbx4SSnMijlGHslhlrAfcyCDhEjbo-R2mWbL7fflwoTBZeuMWwc5KD9fRiSzt-REmBGCHjlDNDjO1_wCD0_GEXyJ8B2j/s320/20170314_163839.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LFQjDnDPtw6TiWEGwWhi870J0fGE7rSSkEsYPhW-ZClOKtQ9GqeReKuPlK4WjcCjJqt4WSYtfdpjrQxBIWmnooFu1iw844gDcXfumJ1f_3YHMzjqn0UBh9giEZiTGrAtRn0KYAmr14AP/s1600/20170314_155018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LFQjDnDPtw6TiWEGwWhi870J0fGE7rSSkEsYPhW-ZClOKtQ9GqeReKuPlK4WjcCjJqt4WSYtfdpjrQxBIWmnooFu1iw844gDcXfumJ1f_3YHMzjqn0UBh9giEZiTGrAtRn0KYAmr14AP/s400/20170314_155018.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">One of the things I like to do to stretch my food dollars is to take advantage of sales, and use the same cut of meat for several meals. For instance when I bake a ham, it will become ham dinner, scalloped potatoes and ham, potato and ham soup or Chinese noodles. But usually at least 4 meals come out of one ham. In this case back in November at Thanksgiving I was able to pick up an extra turkey at a buy one get one free sale. So this month I got it out, roasted it for dinner one night with mashed potatoes and gravy. I picked all of the meat off that we didn't eat that night, cut it in cubes, and froze it in 2 cup portions. With the leftover carcass, skin, and little bits of meat, I put it into my Instant Pot, with some carrot, onion, celery and spices, and turned it into bone broth. I then used my pressure canner to can it for future use without using any additional freezer space. From these I can make turkey noodle or rice soup with the meat and broth. I can also use both to make gravy to eat on biscuits. Or I can use the meat to make turkey salad sandwiches or eat it on Chef salad. Regardless, it will make for some easier meals on days where cooking is not my focus but I still want to feed my family from the homestead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Well that is it for now, keep watching for other posts on what has been happening on the homestead. I am planning a post for when I rendered tallow from our grass fed beef we had butchered in January. I am planning on using the tallow for soaps and other natural beauty products. I will also be posting about picking cottonwood buds I will use to make into suave to use for burns, cuts, scrapes, diaper rash etc. So stay turned there is more to come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-89106445708136863432017-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:002017-03-18T11:29:10.536-07:00Baking Days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq4uZTz-uhEeqgGUKWprwt74qRPZvgGOBr8loO4cu4V_OiYxFwFMVK37cV2czrNE07D0kUGRRoAK3QdFj8NT4GSeXz5eiWFMOB2u-d_z5U1wUWcLA8xq4XRVW7s0IfpWMbasNfxrf_B08/s1600/20170312_154022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhq4uZTz-uhEeqgGUKWprwt74qRPZvgGOBr8loO4cu4V_OiYxFwFMVK37cV2czrNE07D0kUGRRoAK3QdFj8NT4GSeXz5eiWFMOB2u-d_z5U1wUWcLA8xq4XRVW7s0IfpWMbasNfxrf_B08/s320/20170312_154022.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">So usually on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I bake. But since it is raining today, Saturday, and I can't get out into the garden to plant, I am going to bake. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All kinds of things, bread, cookies, brownies, pie take shape in the warm kitchen on baking day. I also will bake other days if the need arises. We are trying to help out our budget by not buying candy at the store. Now to some this may seem easy, but in our house, my Dear Husband, LOVES candy. We even have a "candy drawer" in the kitchen that used to get filled every month with tons of candy. Chocolate, gummies, licorice, caramel, any and all candy was allowed we held no partial feelings to any one kind. But one thing I noticed was that we were spending way too much on candy. So I agreed to make treats and keep them available for my husband instead. I can make all kinds of things myself, and he is happy with the trade. I made <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/butter-pecan-fudge-47187">THIS</a> fudge for him the other day, and he loved it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are pictures of a few other things I have baked lately...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Our go to bread recipe. I never buy bread at the store, this is what we eat for sandwiches. It is a mix of whole wheat and white flour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Pretzels - we love to dip these in our home canned pasta sauce or I make a cheese sauce.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And these pretty cupcakes. We made them purple for my momma who loves purple.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We love to create and bake on our homestead. If you have questions about these or other recipes just ask in the comments section. </span><br />
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Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-38595489834288224512017-03-06T09:00:00.000-08:002017-03-06T09:00:12.990-08:00Menu Monday <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5dXi6DQBLZo76OvuTqUKeXXzshsxbj6klL__C8XGAG04ftu474lX5yeDy25IvaJ05ZKrmOMngFmvwShOW5ygLD0PHcZQtDAvou_TxWixDgtm5sMKOxU-rLDcRHSXaV3DsBYirg8FV4K7/s400/Menu+Monday+2.jpg" /><br />
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Well my life got crazy again, and I went dark for a couple weeks. I will try to get back at it now. We plan on starting work on the chicken coop today. So dinner will be simple tonight. Here is the menu I plan for the following week:<br />
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BBQ Chicken in the oven<br />
I will serve pasta salad, and baked beans with this meal.<br />
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Pork Roast with Plum sauce<br />
In the summer when plums are on my tree I make and can our plum sauce. It is delicious with all kinds of meat. I will cook the roast with red potatoes and carrots.<br />
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Tater-tot Casserole<br />
While this is not a favorite of mine, the kids requested it to be on this months menu so here it is. I will be served with peas and cheesy garlic biscuits.<br />
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Turkey<br />
Yes I am cooking a turkey in March. ":) I got a buy on get one free deal in November so since I needed the freezer space last week when I packaged 120 pounds of chicken breast from Zaycon I took it out to cook. We will have it with mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. I will not do stuffing as that is a bit of overkill for a normal meal. (Did I really just say that??)<br />
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Steak<br />
This will be served with baked potato, and broccoli<br />
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Tacos with all the trimmings<br />
Mexican rice in the Instant pot, and refried beans.<br />
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Oven fried Chicken<br />
Served with baked squash, Salad and bread.<br />
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That rounds out my meal plan for the week. While it may seem like a lot of food, and we do have leftovers from most meals, leftovers is what we mainly eat for lunches. So I cook breakfast most days, and dinner most nights, than we heat up leftovers for lunch. This saves money and time for me. Have a great week!<br />
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<br />Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-5562628821821484052017-02-16T10:13:00.000-08:002017-02-16T10:13:15.678-08:00Buttermilk PancakesI love a good pancake. You know the ones that puff up, and are fluffy without sucking up all the syrup and falling apart? Well this is an awesome buttermilk pancake recipe I got from my big sister. She has anywhere from 4 to 13 kids at a time. I know that is a bit confusing, but for the last oh I don't know 20 or 25 years she had done foster care. She has however committed to raising 12 children permanently. She had four biological children who have all grown up, and moved away to have families of their own. But while she was raising those four she adopted eight more. No she is not crazy, well not really, she just has a heart to love on and help children. Needless to say she is a busy mom who has to cook everything in huge amounts in VERY large pans. You should see her idea of a potato masher. Anyway, like I was saying this is a very good buttermilk pancake recipe and you won't be sorry at all if you try it. No really I am serious....go do it now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNKkr_zupfORPsjtTnCea72y4MV3QfFXxMe2ItEmhujBsqnkHZGyIWt3SsUcytgvFR7tIRuciW8Ok9qMA6Z9N7XHtuy4CKrhL2kYHhHavs9MCUqdBx1SN0JNE_ir42Dw1E43m6Ob8xZps/s1600/20170216_084428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNKkr_zupfORPsjtTnCea72y4MV3QfFXxMe2ItEmhujBsqnkHZGyIWt3SsUcytgvFR7tIRuciW8Ok9qMA6Z9N7XHtuy4CKrhL2kYHhHavs9MCUqdBx1SN0JNE_ir42Dw1E43m6Ob8xZps/s320/20170216_084428.jpg" width="180" /></a>Buttermilk Pancakes<br />
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2 eggs<br />
2 1/2 cups of buttermilk (I use my own cultured buttermilk)<br />
1/4 cup oil<br />
1 teaspoon soda<br />
2 teaspoons sugar (I use turbinado)<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon sea salt<br />
2 1/2 cups of flour<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEemLHeqrAYgL25ePf8Z730ibV4Yioo6x-wJ_GOHmDpGuH13T3RZm82FI3OvJo8L8QciLMZfk6__uCDVi4qkjaTOjWgxOWQjqA3EqbHCw6f3vOfPrF90E-iIiEXL0jlI9D44ut_kia86Bo/s1600/20170216_085507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEemLHeqrAYgL25ePf8Z730ibV4Yioo6x-wJ_GOHmDpGuH13T3RZm82FI3OvJo8L8QciLMZfk6__uCDVi4qkjaTOjWgxOWQjqA3EqbHCw6f3vOfPrF90E-iIiEXL0jlI9D44ut_kia86Bo/s320/20170216_085507.jpg" width="180" /></a>Stir all liquid ingredient together until well incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients, except flour, and stir well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVblhjqn8ZvKEBFf3db3IA6AZY8zKdZxJMRpu32Hu_eTXNWaAc075xwbqSLOMmupKNkcrnZ699BbMHKujRx9SU9VHQIULsUcYoXs8ahlx3bof7Ceyu0UCKOnETwucLtb0OsNVpAowd_r-E/s1600/20170216_090359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVblhjqn8ZvKEBFf3db3IA6AZY8zKdZxJMRpu32Hu_eTXNWaAc075xwbqSLOMmupKNkcrnZ699BbMHKujRx9SU9VHQIULsUcYoXs8ahlx3bof7Ceyu0UCKOnETwucLtb0OsNVpAowd_r-E/s320/20170216_090359.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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Then add the flour and mix. It should have a few lumps left.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32HXXn-BzypjyBLtu076V-qd0CsmuLWZ6_YZm3nxuEakCiyF2mKrg4r7J88Q9G_Rwlc3SF50XIxbPTnhyphenhyphenrBm6cYGzFb8VtHIb8rxdZA__pgU7uFgCEROY6w1idrMrZOmWZ2guhOPGtkJ9/s1600/20170216_091049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32HXXn-BzypjyBLtu076V-qd0CsmuLWZ6_YZm3nxuEakCiyF2mKrg4r7J88Q9G_Rwlc3SF50XIxbPTnhyphenhyphenrBm6cYGzFb8VtHIb8rxdZA__pgU7uFgCEROY6w1idrMrZOmWZ2guhOPGtkJ9/s320/20170216_091049.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw-rco6K84nlkuO5rKvs30TSFxjnu1-LywBmJKIY5SChzru1Jzo0MAnApu8HGtGv2xe2Fbjhqo2zcClb51n-VIyaP18UxN5UjuSQHxQC0lb10DsYNxfhU2qMVV21YozpjD14JiZn7AfGc/s1600/20170216_090312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw-rco6K84nlkuO5rKvs30TSFxjnu1-LywBmJKIY5SChzru1Jzo0MAnApu8HGtGv2xe2Fbjhqo2zcClb51n-VIyaP18UxN5UjuSQHxQC0lb10DsYNxfhU2qMVV21YozpjD14JiZn7AfGc/s320/20170216_090312.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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I then cook them on an electric griddle like this one:<br />
I drop them on the griddle from a 1/2 cup measuring cup, and when they get golden brown on one side, I flip them over to the other side. When you flip them over is when they will puff up, and get all delicious looking...see!<br />
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Then the only thing to do is eat them. I ate mine this morning with homemade butter and some huckleberry syrup I made last year. So GOOD!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAlI_-PSr-eNY7kgV3R6m-7aZN7Y5L83Gfnq7E4RumnMj9IM47tmsXR9wSnqk_eEtg4U1Ikdf9l607zL2W5FAlmiGb3nLpnLlIL4LIU3WZ6hm7kNAfj8gxoLglIklE6vVF-PZfvIjLmM4/s1600/20170216_092838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAlI_-PSr-eNY7kgV3R6m-7aZN7Y5L83Gfnq7E4RumnMj9IM47tmsXR9wSnqk_eEtg4U1Ikdf9l607zL2W5FAlmiGb3nLpnLlIL4LIU3WZ6hm7kNAfj8gxoLglIklE6vVF-PZfvIjLmM4/s320/20170216_092838.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Now its your turn. Let me know if you try the recipe and what you thought of it. Have a great Thursday. I am off to do my weekly home blessing.<br />
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<br />Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-75746387137798458002017-02-16T09:47:00.000-08:002017-02-16T09:47:09.594-08:00Umm....Menu Monday? <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5dXi6DQBLZo76OvuTqUKeXXzshsxbj6klL__C8XGAG04ftu474lX5yeDy25IvaJ05ZKrmOMngFmvwShOW5ygLD0PHcZQtDAvou_TxWixDgtm5sMKOxU-rLDcRHSXaV3DsBYirg8FV4K7/s400/Menu+Monday+2.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Boy I really suck at this game! I totally forgot to post on Menu Monday. I mean good grief! How hard is it to set an event reminder in my phone? I guess remembering to post the reminder to remind me to do something is beyond my capabilities. Oh well, we will just pick it up from here, shall we?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This weeks menu has/will look like this:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Monday - Pizza</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Tuesday - Ham dinner at church for Valentines Couples Dinner</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Wednesday - Meatball Stew, with rolls</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thursday - Chicken Alfredo, with homemade pasta, broccoli, salad</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Friday - Beef Pot roast, potaotes, carrots</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Saturday - Bacon Cheeseburger Roll up, salad, fruit</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sunday - Scalloped Potatoes, dessert (Pot luck at church this week)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times, times new roman, serif; font-size: large;">That pretty much sums up the week. I have a recipe post I am going to give you today also. Hope you check that out too! See ya again for Menu Monday, hopefully on Monday. </span></div>
Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-63972789609109574902017-02-12T19:50:00.001-08:002017-02-12T19:50:46.086-08:00Snapshot Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxVfBFQe3pyqNOF2ADWcQqp1V2cEKvIViIwnTkr8pmUQtWUhI75vY8HwWTOmFGGrXwgYYg0eGDGt8-zxQ7_NP_wpfu-uCs7GJfQwgTBchSC7z8v0W_m7ehyphenhyphen2RMuaHKrJRwV66cm5n5LXb/s1600/Sunday+Snapshot+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxVfBFQe3pyqNOF2ADWcQqp1V2cEKvIViIwnTkr8pmUQtWUhI75vY8HwWTOmFGGrXwgYYg0eGDGt8-zxQ7_NP_wpfu-uCs7GJfQwgTBchSC7z8v0W_m7ehyphenhyphen2RMuaHKrJRwV66cm5n5LXb/s1600/Sunday+Snapshot+photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuMv5Chjt4zrfM9sz3P4An8zQIOyqMdrNssR04kMatr7bm3-eSU8CATqa8Hs6qQeM25cBrl_JYoIQXd8yY2LcE7hKSCzkxdXV7IC1KCo7nZDpDyFZKwy1j8i7T3h-bKyI9VNPAygk_4ve/s1600/20170211_111828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuMv5Chjt4zrfM9sz3P4An8zQIOyqMdrNssR04kMatr7bm3-eSU8CATqa8Hs6qQeM25cBrl_JYoIQXd8yY2LcE7hKSCzkxdXV7IC1KCo7nZDpDyFZKwy1j8i7T3h-bKyI9VNPAygk_4ve/s320/20170211_111828.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hello all! Another Sunday has come to my little homestead. And it has been a great and busy week. I have done many projects, spent time with family, and enjoyed a sunny bit of change in weather. Today my Dear had his week come up in the rotation for teaching the Sunday sermon, and he taught on having a pure heart. It was such a blessing to hear his words from the Lord. I am so thankful to have a husband who is so willing to follow the Lords leading. Another thing I was thankful for was the rest of my seeds came in the mail!! Whoooo hooo! I just love going to the mail box and seeing a big ol'package of seeds. It just made my day. Well that and these beautiful cupcakes I made today that Sis decorated beautifully with definite flair....</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYIyB-aXf2phc-nbanqnfPQ2WKp789_9a_00b6qcb15YlyRgDyfoXw2iawm2JCt3Se7-LJLTOOJqCoxhcU3S57JRMcR5FPkzTcMj5BxVTqz_8kDtCLCNpzc2iviM56rfHSxlwDWATtVq8/s1600/20170212_182734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYIyB-aXf2phc-nbanqnfPQ2WKp789_9a_00b6qcb15YlyRgDyfoXw2iawm2JCt3Se7-LJLTOOJqCoxhcU3S57JRMcR5FPkzTcMj5BxVTqz_8kDtCLCNpzc2iviM56rfHSxlwDWATtVq8/s320/20170212_182734.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>So on with my Snapshot!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Outside my window: </b>It was cold earlier in the week, with temperatures in the 35 to 39 degree range. But a couple of days have had the most stunning show of sunshine. It is like your body goes into withdrawal after days of just nothing but overcast skies, and your mood seems to drag down with the clouds and mist. Then when the sun shines it just feels like a weight has been lifted. At least that is how it feels to me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Inside the house:</b> Again it is quiet, I hear the dishwasher running, Sis laughing at a video she is watching, and the dog whining because no one will throw her baby (her toy) for her. Today Lil'bit went over the hill to an audition for a talent show. She has a true love for singing, and we are really hoping she got in, and will get to preform. We should know by Wednesday. My Dear is relaxing after teaching this morning and watching videos. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJSnf5n8kib3z-cwl5mVaJH0umEdQz2zwofP2FyeaddRxGTk4H6fFghuB4YQqV-V1T4FpuQPOwv7I2AII0fgjk1LDkTLHQ0XUv_LkPuVSq0Ju8ILBmsbOOGq5o1AWPYBfDCFK6F6cUH7P/s1600/20170211_145155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJSnf5n8kib3z-cwl5mVaJH0umEdQz2zwofP2FyeaddRxGTk4H6fFghuB4YQqV-V1T4FpuQPOwv7I2AII0fgjk1LDkTLHQ0XUv_LkPuVSq0Ju8ILBmsbOOGq5o1AWPYBfDCFK6F6cUH7P/s320/20170211_145155.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In the mirror:</b> This morning for church I wore my hair up in a big messy bun, and very light makeup. I wore dark blue jeans, a peach sweater, and a very light tan pair of knee high boots. Now I am sitting here in sweats, a dark green sweatshirt and these slippers, they are VERY pink, fuzzy, look totally ridiculous, and are very comfortable. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>On my needles, and hooks: </b>On my needles, I am knitting This head warmer or headband for myself. I purchased the pattern from Heidi May at the Velvet Acorn from her shop on Etsy. I love all of her designs. She does almost all of her patterns in both knit and crochet so everyone can do them doing whatever their preferred method. This is a brown wool yarn I had left from a scarf I knit my son for Christmas one year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrZXXHI8CrW0aPlxRX9Elw7Hv4SBCXdT0o3kxoHJBwnFLqoaBK6eHXkHOvKKPT7Rp5CyUV9oLTzRC5fcp7wMlfyBNVNa2Md3ILvY1NMZJseqpdjtCWVlnGNqF15EXUbrRomjr5U8tJMe3/s1600/20170212_184104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrZXXHI8CrW0aPlxRX9Elw7Hv4SBCXdT0o3kxoHJBwnFLqoaBK6eHXkHOvKKPT7Rp5CyUV9oLTzRC5fcp7wMlfyBNVNa2Md3ILvY1NMZJseqpdjtCWVlnGNqF15EXUbrRomjr5U8tJMe3/s320/20170212_184104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I still have not started those socks but I am going to someday. Of course I have been saying that since I started knitting, and I have not gotten around to it. I also have a hat that I have finished but still need to stitch up the final seam. I will put some pictures of that later. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On my hooks I have a dishcloth in this creamy white color. It is 100% cotton Peaches and Cream by Lily yarn which is the only thing I use for my dishcloths. It is a very simple pattern, and I like the pretty look of it. Who ever said dishcloths can't be pretty?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2MbC4W1a9cCiUnh2nRSWIUHVBhP9lzFteLORQNXOPucyy7YUyTtH1ZQIbYsF65VakOPJz7SpwgSVXQxGvLWrxcatQJAiKthrCaHu1Qny5CCJnU6EGmpc2nsPXVdVFWqGS9g8ia8V-gKr/s1600/20170212_183351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2MbC4W1a9cCiUnh2nRSWIUHVBhP9lzFteLORQNXOPucyy7YUyTtH1ZQIbYsF65VakOPJz7SpwgSVXQxGvLWrxcatQJAiKthrCaHu1Qny5CCJnU6EGmpc2nsPXVdVFWqGS9g8ia8V-gKr/s320/20170212_183351.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In the sewing basket</b>: I finished this quilt for Sis, and put the borders on it. I love this material line, I believe it was by Moda, and was called "Kimmie Doll" or something like that. It has an Asian theme, and is red, white, black and taupe. Sis loves it, and is excited to put it in her living room when she moves into her own place.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>What I am reading</b>: I am continuing my journey through the bible and I am still in Genesis and Matthew. The schedule I am using, has you reading in the old and new Testaments at the same time. I actually like this. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am also reading this cookbook. I am hoping to get into more of the artisan type breads and this book has a great way to incorporate that without it taking a ton of time. I like the way it is laid out, and it is a good read. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaLlRy-oGd7gi2JRILOx6R2j-K3GAlLNHMSQZGvXfznmUbu7-iWbiY0qKmJqP61MF4q8Cho0rKVMt8Z5EIOte-Z8MADNgob7r6ajEUKMGOVy0R60h1WdxaeaRBoDITRQF2ll3Wl5zZd0p/s1600/20170212_184232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaLlRy-oGd7gi2JRILOx6R2j-K3GAlLNHMSQZGvXfznmUbu7-iWbiY0qKmJqP61MF4q8Cho0rKVMt8Z5EIOte-Z8MADNgob7r6ajEUKMGOVy0R60h1WdxaeaRBoDITRQF2ll3Wl5zZd0p/s320/20170212_184232.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So that sums up my Sunday snapshot. I hope to post a recipe this week, and a link to a great video on a quick baby blanket project that makes a great gift. Until next time, have an extraordinary Lord's Day!</span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-82767552557852023662017-02-10T20:01:00.003-08:002017-02-10T20:04:55.403-08:00Slow Friday afternoon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4hgRaE-PjnZUctxJz-3uqX9agziHc_fit6-4pJBlUMXwBvpgsqH2TEQOohI1Vk1cXGuEF5fMojUbNQSfv6dK4cakUyZjJbJ8wCJL65KRMyRCLqruBfd3tGvImHk163BNhzkjgUd0L3o5/s1600/20170210_160357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4hgRaE-PjnZUctxJz-3uqX9agziHc_fit6-4pJBlUMXwBvpgsqH2TEQOohI1Vk1cXGuEF5fMojUbNQSfv6dK4cakUyZjJbJ8wCJL65KRMyRCLqruBfd3tGvImHk163BNhzkjgUd0L3o5/s400/20170210_160357.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Today was a bit of a slow day here around the homestead. I putted around, you know what I mean when I say "putting" right? Those times when you are really just not very motivated, but know you really should be doing something. So you just kind of slowly make your way through the day doing "stuff" but nothing really big. Like I did not clean the storage room and pack up all the empty canning jars, nor did I organize in the studio, or wash the mini blinds. All projects that need done. But I did make my bed, cleaned and straightened up all the rooms in the house, did a couple loads of laundry, and paid some bills. I also baked up some honey wheat bread. I made up this recipe today because I did not want to make my same old white bread recipe. My family and I thought it turned out really good. I am calling it honey wheat because I used a combination of white and whole wheat flour so I can't really call it honey whole wheat. It did make a beautiful loaf that had a good rise, and made excellent sandwich bread for our grilled cheese today. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rbSjpOZWHwHyTu6EkELBVgmGbGsCtax9fGOMGGCQv0EcyrPO4pnPRWIYCbsdEjAzxxxNtecsA2FwheT8Fr_HOAsjR8hPh9S9Y47_bIthcdO6HIv_Fc2gAr5cMgCWRhqRLfR83ag608rt/s1600/20170210_163343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rbSjpOZWHwHyTu6EkELBVgmGbGsCtax9fGOMGGCQv0EcyrPO4pnPRWIYCbsdEjAzxxxNtecsA2FwheT8Fr_HOAsjR8hPh9S9Y47_bIthcdO6HIv_Fc2gAr5cMgCWRhqRLfR83ag608rt/s320/20170210_163343.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our little kitty, Jericho, thought it was a lazy day too. He is making a permanent indent in my bed where he lays all of the time. But he is really cute, so I don't fuss about it too much. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYigOZnGjxG_O58XcO_cESjs_v6TUhL-LSM3qbVLGt-ijGmGOha8XrzDWC-P3VO_MIFxLrU9jXYqsqYpR1MOXll-tdWtwd2MDZ3v5GC5HWkzM6ZJX3REheYaNkn2B3tWkVhZobkfFEEok/s1600/20170210_170946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYigOZnGjxG_O58XcO_cESjs_v6TUhL-LSM3qbVLGt-ijGmGOha8XrzDWC-P3VO_MIFxLrU9jXYqsqYpR1MOXll-tdWtwd2MDZ3v5GC5HWkzM6ZJX3REheYaNkn2B3tWkVhZobkfFEEok/s320/20170210_170946.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I also worked on a couple of new signs for my Etsy store. If you are interested there is a link to my store in the side bar. I also love to do custom work so if you ever see a sign you like somewhere but its not for sale, or you have an idea you would like to have done, just give me a holler. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsWH3XetgATaQfjzcvEYB3zUZ_kWq_g7g-BRUDxRnMsBguv3yTVYlpUkncSfZZqt-zbFHvzicD85UjSbCrm5QcJs5fYyQLU_sNnNzf0I3QkeJSMBFIr9dYYjjMxg6AF557FrSeqPCFYVf/s1600/20170209_175641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsWH3XetgATaQfjzcvEYB3zUZ_kWq_g7g-BRUDxRnMsBguv3yTVYlpUkncSfZZqt-zbFHvzicD85UjSbCrm5QcJs5fYyQLU_sNnNzf0I3QkeJSMBFIr9dYYjjMxg6AF557FrSeqPCFYVf/s1600/20170209_175641.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsWH3XetgATaQfjzcvEYB3zUZ_kWq_g7g-BRUDxRnMsBguv3yTVYlpUkncSfZZqt-zbFHvzicD85UjSbCrm5QcJs5fYyQLU_sNnNzf0I3QkeJSMBFIr9dYYjjMxg6AF557FrSeqPCFYVf/s320/20170209_175641.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last night I made my momma her birthday dinner. She wanted real old fashioned fried chicken, pasta salad, and baked beans. I also made her a white cake, with huckleberry filling and cream cheese frosting. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYai7Av-z6sxCZZPKZn3DlRmnfaKNFcgumB5V_2XX-rKdchb2qtHc6fYJhD6fHVnZC44imanvQfKfinWm6bDeG0CIfCeSwG526cwfNSpCl9tYVYBdVFFEoQt88CktNrsSUojZzQbS-3Qh/s1600/20170209_182850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYai7Av-z6sxCZZPKZn3DlRmnfaKNFcgumB5V_2XX-rKdchb2qtHc6fYJhD6fHVnZC44imanvQfKfinWm6bDeG0CIfCeSwG526cwfNSpCl9tYVYBdVFFEoQt88CktNrsSUojZzQbS-3Qh/s320/20170209_182850.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwi00VEp1dun91CNhy2jJ5YxFCl2-GLS_aXRLMxsqyDYP3xuor93BRN8UoAT_4LoHY2LkLwSIYv3smt1pTE5IOUcrhVY1YwZ1phnDQDQ9egG1peBlbDSy_UG5IvsrWEPoNbU9YwyPP80Dr/s1600/20170210_091326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwi00VEp1dun91CNhy2jJ5YxFCl2-GLS_aXRLMxsqyDYP3xuor93BRN8UoAT_4LoHY2LkLwSIYv3smt1pTE5IOUcrhVY1YwZ1phnDQDQ9egG1peBlbDSy_UG5IvsrWEPoNbU9YwyPP80Dr/s320/20170210_091326.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">She came over early and just sat in the kitchen with my two girls and I and visited while I cooked. It was a great time and the food was pretty good too. Here are some pictures of the chicken, and what was left of the cake after we ate. There was not much left. It was just that good! Well that is all for today. See ya on Sunday for the Sunday Snapshot. Let me know in the comments if you ever fry chicken and what your method is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-64001672891564018542017-02-08T13:37:00.001-08:002017-02-08T13:37:44.799-08:00That your joy may be full!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVTRZPR_6czTJ_nmYOCw85m_rO2hWYsW-28dA5_6DwfITH2DDH7TCztccfy8ITeJqT-othvXXU6A9BbAtqbbTXuxVyqCnFaFots3XjEDF8kK-jw4nlPa_SJg23K91phKihyphenhyphenmq_WYfp2Ga/s1600/20170208_132519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVTRZPR_6czTJ_nmYOCw85m_rO2hWYsW-28dA5_6DwfITH2DDH7TCztccfy8ITeJqT-othvXXU6A9BbAtqbbTXuxVyqCnFaFots3XjEDF8kK-jw4nlPa_SJg23K91phKihyphenhyphenmq_WYfp2Ga/s400/20170208_132519.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I know, I already posted today but...Yay!!!!! I am so happy on this rainy snowy day I received some of the seeds for my spring garden! It just makes spring feel so close and just around the corner. I am still expecting another package with the rest of my seeds but this is enough for today. And I just could not wait until tomorrow to share. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have a blessed day!!</span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-21195970987328624332017-02-08T09:39:00.001-08:002017-02-16T09:39:30.849-08:00Menu Monday...on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5dXi6DQBLZo76OvuTqUKeXXzshsxbj6klL__C8XGAG04ftu474lX5yeDy25IvaJ05ZKrmOMngFmvwShOW5ygLD0PHcZQtDAvou_TxWixDgtm5sMKOxU-rLDcRHSXaV3DsBYirg8FV4K7/s1600/Menu+Monday+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5dXi6DQBLZo76OvuTqUKeXXzshsxbj6klL__C8XGAG04ftu474lX5yeDy25IvaJ05ZKrmOMngFmvwShOW5ygLD0PHcZQtDAvou_TxWixDgtm5sMKOxU-rLDcRHSXaV3DsBYirg8FV4K7/s400/Menu+Monday+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well I know, I know it is actually Wednesday, but I am happy to say we got to town yesterday to pick up our beef. It was A LOT of beef! In the end it was 670# of beef, and it took this many coolers to get it home...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The brown boxes in the forefront of the picture are the 60 lbs of whole chickens I picked up from Zaycon Fresh. We have all of our beef and pork raised locally. The beef ended up costing us $2.79 a pound raised, cut & wrapped, and in the freezer. You can not buy good grass raised without a bunch of chemicals beef in the grocery store for that. And that price is for all cuts from stew meat to hamburger to T-Bone steak. So while it is a large out of pocket expense at the time, in the long run it is so much cheaper to do it this way. We hope to raise future beef on a friends property so we will have an even lower cost. Also we are looking into taking a pork butchering seminar to do that ourselves also. But back to the menu, here is what my cooking week looks like...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Monday - Tacos, with all the trimmings</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Tuesday - I got burgers for the family, and I ate leftovers. We rarely eat out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Wednesday - Pepper Steak, rice and green beans</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thursday - Fried Chicken, pasta salad, baked beans.</span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> My momma's Birthday Dinner</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Friday - Stuffed Pork Chops, fried potatoes, peas</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Saturday - Homemade Pizza, salad</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sunday - Hobo packets (I will post on this one, a real easy meal my family loves!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That is it for my week of cooking. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions!</span></div>
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Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-72848151400353668442017-02-07T10:03:00.000-08:002017-02-07T10:03:04.945-08:00WELCOME Tuesday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whew! I am glad to see Tuesday! I realize that I did not post "Menu Monday", but that was because I had a CRAZY Monday. Like the kind that makes you wonder why you got out of bed Monday. Here let me just share a one minute realization with you from yesterday...<br />
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At one point was trying to home school my sweet little one, (or more like Napoleon Bonaparte), my other daughter was upset because her computer had died, (she does online college), the phone was ringing because my mother turned subtitles on on her TV and could not get them off, on my cell phone was my pastor's wife was calling because she needed me to pick up her chicken in town, the dog was barking because my shadow kept moving, we had water POURING out from under our shower so my Dear was under the house shouting things he needed to me, the cat was running all over the house throwing up, and I was trying to make muffins...seriously, you can't possibly make all this up..<br />
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But by the grace of our benevolent Lord, I survived...or at the very least I still woke up today. And I did get these beautiful pumpkin cream cheese muffins done..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pkdj-CBlWqAZ5C6O0IuMdcRx7V-CVt06Xfhov_TSWzVMjPUHC-j57Vj5zC9xtZQUYjb91UBb1cJVOwT3sBCuoL4RfWEeBPNYOHS8NafVfjxIKCQ2DoLOIIJTorEoyoUdfxezR8Y7N5_L/s1600/20170207_084432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pkdj-CBlWqAZ5C6O0IuMdcRx7V-CVt06Xfhov_TSWzVMjPUHC-j57Vj5zC9xtZQUYjb91UBb1cJVOwT3sBCuoL4RfWEeBPNYOHS8NafVfjxIKCQ2DoLOIIJTorEoyoUdfxezR8Y7N5_L/s320/20170207_084432.jpg" width="180" /></a><span id="goog_1078336014"></span><span id="goog_1078336015"></span>And I made Banana Chocolate Chip also. Unfortunately our bathroom floor is trashed! We had just put in new flooring in the house when we moved in May of 2015, but the problem was going long before that and just finally showed its ugly self. So now my bathroom floor looks like this...<br />
UGH! And it smells and every thing. So upsetting, but we will get it dried out, then replace the sub flooring if needed, and reinstall the flooring. At least upon examination there is not structural damage which could have bee a problem so we are thankful for that. Today I am off to "town", it is an hour away and we have this going on outside..<br />
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But I have to go because I am picking up over 700 lbs of beef that we had butchered, and also some chickens from Zaycon. Zaycon is the only place I still buy meat that we do not have raised. I will post on that later. I really am going to get to that Menu Monday post....but it will have to be when I get home from town.Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-38549744321606585752017-02-05T17:28:00.001-08:002017-02-05T17:28:29.108-08:00Snapshot Sunday<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hello all! It is Sunday here on my little homestead. And I am going to start doing what I am going to call Snapshot Sunday. I have done similar posts in the past, and so I decided to make it a regular post. I also saw a post like this from a fellow blogger over at Homemaking on the Homestead, and she invited her readers to copy her post and use it as a template, fill it out and link back to her page. You can find one of her snapshots posts <a href="http://homesteadinghomemaker.blogspot.com/">here</a>. </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am going to make my categories a bit different so as to fit more of what I do. I am also going to do mine on Sunday, as that is my day of rest and relaxation, and I will be able to recap the week and what the happenings were. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Outside my window:</b> It has been overcast and wet today. We have had a LOT of snow around here this winter. Much more than is normal for our area, kind of like everywhere else in the country. Day before yesterday we had 2 feet of snow accumulation in our yard but the warmer temperature, 37 degrees, and wet weather has melted half of that away. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Inside the house:</b> Sunday is the only day during the week that I tend to just sit and relax, it is very quiet in our house. Sis is working on homework, Lil'Bit has a migraine, and is laying down. I am at my desk writing, with my dog at my feet. Candles are burning making a sweet smell in the air, and I can hear the furnace running keeping us toasty warm. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In the mirror:</b> Since it is the Lord's day, and I attended church earlier, I was wearing gray leggings with knee high gray boots. I wore a long cowl neck mauve sweater with silver earrings. Today's makeup was powder, mascara, a little blush and chap stick. I wore my glasses instead of my contacts, and my hair curled just at the ends and all down to my waist. Now that I am home, I threw my hair up into a messy bun, put on my Oregon ducks pj pants and t-shirt, and slippers.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>On my needles, and hooks: </b>On my needles, I am knitting a hat for a friend of my son, Coco, that has been fighting breast cancer. It has been so cold here where we are from, and with her having had chemotherapy, she has no hair to keep her head warm. This hat should help to do the trick. Her favorite color is purple, and I found a cute basket weave brim pattern. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03O0MrId9IaYLcQiP1ZuZQ8iPTYzY7cppUH8Nj6C0K1ixTnn3T_h9ZkSUHOuTiwWpyuR6xxg-x61lY2o6rj5J3PItzJzmspBQCmbtfh0CVj8Q-s9TCDQMuxzwahQcHkG4Kio9410TkhEG/s1600/20170205_145530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03O0MrId9IaYLcQiP1ZuZQ8iPTYzY7cppUH8Nj6C0K1ixTnn3T_h9ZkSUHOuTiwWpyuR6xxg-x61lY2o6rj5J3PItzJzmspBQCmbtfh0CVj8Q-s9TCDQMuxzwahQcHkG4Kio9410TkhEG/s320/20170205_145530.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am also knitting a couple of dish clothes from a pattern book I have, and I am getting ready to knit some socks for the first time. I will let you all know how that goes. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On my hooks I have been working on crocheting dish scrubbers using Red Hearts Scrubby Yarn. So far I have not had any problems with using it, and I have finished one in green and I am starting one in the rainbow color. The pattern was the one on the back of the yarn packaging. One thing I will say about it is that the solid colors are 3.5 oz packages and the variegated ones are 3 oz, but cost the same price. I purchased mine from Walmart. And it was about $4 per skein. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In the sewing basket</b>: I am making some gathering aprons for my sister, my niece, and myself. I am using a pattern I got off of the Reformation Acres website. The pattern and a detailed tutorial with pictures can be found <a href="http://www.reformationacres.com/2011/04/gathering-apron-tutorial.html">here</a>. I just LOVE her blog, and you can find such wonderful inspiration and information there.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>What I am reading</b>: I started reading through the bible in a year with Connie over at Cosmopolitan Cornbread, <a href="http://cosmopolitancornbread.com/bible-week-1/">here</a> is the post where she provides her link to a printable schedule if you would like to join us on the journey. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am also reading this cookbook. And while that might sound weird to say, this cookbook has stories all through it, and some of the most beautiful pictures I have seen. If you watch the show and are a fan at all, I highly recommend the cookbook. It is really great. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So that sums up my Sunday snapshot. I will continue to post each week and keep you posted. Have an extraordinary Lord's Day!</span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-33395272848803544822017-02-05T16:40:00.001-08:002017-02-05T16:40:35.763-08:00Hello again! I once again have been absent from blogging for a good long while. And even though it has been more than a year since I have blogged and feel like I need to delete and start over, I am not going to do that. I am going to leave my old posts just in case someone can use any of the information I posted, and move on. I am going to start posting regularly though. I have had a lot happen since I last posted. So I will do a quick catch up on what is going on with us...<br />
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We moved to a new house, but in the same town. We are now the maintenance caretakers of the church we attend, and live in the parsonage in exchange for the work we do there. We are also the music ministers, and my Dear teaches the main message in a rotation on Sundays. The parsonage is a three bedroom, two bath house on a nice sized lot. I am still homesteading in town. For those who like me desire to homestead and live as simply as you can, but do not have the opportunity to have property with which to do it, I will continue to post and share my experience with you. Hopefully I can encourage others to start right where you are, and do what you can. I was able to have a successful planting and harvest here last year, and will post in the coming months on it as we get back into planning for the 2017 gardening year.<br />
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I started a home based business with my Dear, making and painting signs for home decor, and it has been doing well. Most of my signs have been sold to a brick and mortar store in another town who carries them and sells them for me. I have started an Etsy store to sell on also, but it has been slow getting started. I just have not put the time into growing the online site like I should have. My intent is to change that in the future and this blog will be linked to my store so you can take advantage of online giveaways and specials I will offer to you, my readers. In addition to the signs I also intend to sell my own soap line, dish clothes/scrubbies, aprons, table runners, and anything else I manufacture myself that suites my fancy. So those will all be coming too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjDM78uEgqpK8ocmykKnPGanWlIjXJg9Ev4mj_BmFiWC_8XXHgs1SbIRFnUEyHBoO0GXIwZg0ysOGK69hwFE7aoVyo7MXqsa68nXW4Y9GGENVNKtnW9M5X7nFfgb4sSbLOGnvG8b2OUE2/s1600/20161104_141920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjDM78uEgqpK8ocmykKnPGanWlIjXJg9Ev4mj_BmFiWC_8XXHgs1SbIRFnUEyHBoO0GXIwZg0ysOGK69hwFE7aoVyo7MXqsa68nXW4Y9GGENVNKtnW9M5X7nFfgb4sSbLOGnvG8b2OUE2/s320/20161104_141920.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUoL8BHc6nhPd1AVKxEhIPoJJ6NYWdWp5QB97Hhjnx4uwDAQT2ajSGaHkoRSSofLiPQOYtWdfe3gYU9akWoTSvKdI0npTAXkeBaed7a_AmPzYRGCGwTwSYhln8Cz0GDdB-kmUIH23ltIE/s1600/20150907_093915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUoL8BHc6nhPd1AVKxEhIPoJJ6NYWdWp5QB97Hhjnx4uwDAQT2ajSGaHkoRSSofLiPQOYtWdfe3gYU9akWoTSvKdI0npTAXkeBaed7a_AmPzYRGCGwTwSYhln8Cz0GDdB-kmUIH23ltIE/s320/20150907_093915.jpg" width="180" /></a>My family is fantastic! We are all healthy, happy, and doing well. I am homeschooling Lil'Bit and she is doing well. Sis has been living at home since April of last year, but plans on moving out sometime in the spring to attend the university in another town. She has been attending community college for the last 2 years but it is time to transfer to finish up her four year degree. She still wants to be a teacher of English to secondary students.<br />
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Our beloved dog, Peanut, passed away due to liver disease. We were very sad, and it took us a bit to decide on getting another dog. When dog of a friend of mine had a litter of puppies, we went out to see them. As soon as we saw this puppy we fell instantly in love!<br />
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Meet Summer Rain, she is our pride and joy. She is a smart, beautiful, funny, playful ball of energy that keeps us jumping all the time. As far as they can figure out she is Part McNab, part Border Collie mix. We love her like crazy. And also new to our family is our Seal Point Siamese cat, Jericho. He is just a baby still, and he is also very loved. We also found it was time after 4 years to cull out our laying flock, so at this time we have no chickens but plan on redoing our chicken coop to better utilize the area we were keeping them, and afford better protection to the future flock. We plan to restock in Spring of this year. More to come on that.<br />
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That is pretty much where we are now, but I will keep you all up to date on anything else I remember. Have a great day!Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-35173236870716604232015-02-16T09:03:00.000-08:002015-02-16T09:03:13.971-08:00Menu Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">This week is not near as busy as last week. More time spent at home means more meals to cook. Here is the plan for the week, subject to change. (Of course. :) )</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Monday - Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, buttered corn</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Tuesday - Baked Potatoes and salad (My Dear has school)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Wednesday - Ham & Cheese pockets, homemade mac & cheese</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Thursday - Spaghetti, Salad, French Bread</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Friday - Homemade Noodles in Chicken Gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Saturday - Cornbread Chicken Potpie, fruit salad</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Sunday - Chili Verde, fried potatoes, flour tortillas</span></div>
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Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-85336245496512382102015-02-15T12:13:00.004-08:002015-02-15T12:13:50.772-08:00Making Commitments<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So yesterday I did some baking and created the most beautiful and delicious baked goods for my family. I thought, "Oh I need to blog about this!" So with pictures and words at the ready I was going to share all about how I masterfully created something wonderful that should be admired and adored. Then I stopped and thought about the fact that how often do we read blogs about women and families who seem perfect. Sitting and wishing we could be like them only to be made to feel we somehow just don't add up. That is because in "blogland", very often I have found bloggers don't post their mistakes, failures and just plain flops. I mean who wants to read about those? Well I do. I want to know that everyone else is just like me, totally flawed, but by grace every once in awhile I have an awesome success and get it right. So first I want to tell you about the fact that the day before yesterday Lil'Bit had a friend over to spend the night, and I wanted to do something fun for them. So I mixed up a double batch of pretzel dough, telling the girls they could help me shape them into whatever shapes they wanted. It was a grand idea, but not one that would come to pass. You see I was also making scalloped potatoes and ham for a large surprise birthday party for my niece's new husband. Well when I had the commercial size pan of potatoes ready to bake, I turned on the oven to preheat it. Unfortunately the dough for the pretzels was in there raising. Well the result was not good, the dough halfway cooked into a giant dough ball. Now not only was this disappointing because of the waste of materials, but also it was disappointing to the girls. So I decided to just through it out and start again the next day...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here is the result of a successful day of baking...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I made cinnamon rolls, onion and plain bagels, and also Bavarian Soft pretzels. And yes, it was all a success. I also made a homemade pizza for dinner as requested by my Dear. While this day of baking resulted on all these good foods, I have had my failures. I just feel it was good to share that. And to admit it was not the first time this week that I had done the SAME thing. I also cooked my bread dough instead of raising it earlier in the week by not turning off the oven when I was raising it. I always turn my oven to 170 degrees for 3 minutes then turn it off. I forgot to turn it off and therefore cooked it for an hour and a half at 170 degrees. Hahahaha! Again, it found its way into the trash. </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So now you know. I make a lot of mistakes too. I burn things, spill things, kill yeast and many other things. But I also have some successes, and I want to share everything with you all of the failures and all of the sucesses. I want you to know you can also have successes, even when you have failures.</span><br />
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<br />Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-85165476052572896852015-02-15T11:20:00.003-08:002017-02-05T15:07:15.812-08:00Around the homestead<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Today I am going to post about all the glorious things I see...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Outside my window:</b> I see a beautiful blue sky, the sun is shinning its glory all around the hills. And while for now they are still brown and dull looking I know the sunshine is helping to turning them into a beautiful vibrant green somewhere in the near future. The deer are out pawing through the remains of last years garden, every once in a while digging up a carrot to munch on. And the chickens are out in their run pecking around looking for little critters to eat. And off in the distance I see my beautiful Eagle Caps, adorned with brilliant white snow calling for me to come and visit for a while. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>Inside the house:</b> I see an orderly home, all dressed up and clean, waiting for company to come over and have dinner tonight. I am making a ham dinner with pineapple sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls. And yes, this is a deviation from the weekly menu. The price of ham in my small town was way to high, so I never baked one earlier in the month which would have produced the leftovers for my Ham and Cheese pockets today. But this week we had to go to "big town" and I was able to pick up a large 10 lb shank portion ham for $.99 a pound and will be baking it today. This of course will alter things on the monthly menu for next week, but hey, being flexible is a necessity when you are trying to "homestead" in an apartment in a VERY small town. LOL</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In the mirror:</b> I am wearing woolly, fuzzy, polyester blend, yoga pants, a tank top (for some reason I am burning up), slippers with no socks (remember I am on fire) and no makeup, hair down and straight. Someday you will all be amazed at my snappy fashionable attire, just not today.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>On my needles, and hooks:</b> I am knitting a beautiful Harry Potter scarf for Sis (authentic style, just like the ones they had in the movie). It is a good thing I have more than one set of knitting needles or I would have to wait to knit anything else for like a year. This thing is taking FOREVER! On my hooks are a hat for my father in law, a pair of baby booties for Sis's baby hope chest, a set of finger-less gloves for Lil'Bit, and 2 newborn baby hats for someone in our valley who just had twins!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>In the sewing basket</b>: I see three new aprons for me, almost complete. (Pics to follow when they are done), 2 new receiving blankets for those beautiful twin boys, a new bed runner for my room.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well that is what I see today on the homestead, I hope you are all seeing beautiful and wondrous things. </span><br />
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Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-71411993005232536962015-02-09T12:13:00.001-08:002015-02-09T12:13:06.003-08:00What's cooking this week?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Mondays I am going to post what my menu for the week will be. Every month I do a menu for the whole month. It really helps me to keep eating at home a priority. It makes it easier to say no to the excuse of not having anything thawed out so we better eat out. We love eating at home, and in our small town there are not many places to eat out anyway. So for us it is a win. So the following will be our menu for this week:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Monday - We are having dinner at the in-laws today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday - My Dear is gone to school, so Lil'Bit and I always have baked potato, and salad</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday - We will be gone to "Big" town until late at night so I will not be cooking</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thursday - Homemade Pizza</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Friday - Chicken Broccoli Casserole, green beans</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Saturday - Tri tip roast, baked potato, buttered corn</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sunday - Ham & Cheese pockets, homemade macaroni and cheese, salad</span><br />
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There you have it. I hope all of you have a blessed and fruitful week!Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-80126191938288671232015-02-09T11:42:00.002-08:002015-02-09T11:42:26.393-08:00Back to Normal<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well this last weekend was a busy one. I had the little man all weekend, and Sis and her boyfriend came out on Friday and spent all weekend with us. In addition it was my momma's birthday on Saturday. To get ready for having company, I re-thought the menu, I didn't want to make pork chops like I had planned on Friday night as they are one of the few things Sis doesn't like. So I changed it to Tatter tot Casserole for Friday, Crock pot Chicken gravy w/noodles for Saturday night, and Hamburgers on homemade buns for Sunday. For breakfasts we had homemade waffles, and I made bagels on Thursday. Here are some pictures of my making bagels. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> It was pretty easy to do, and the bagels were a huge hit with my family. I made plain and onion, and we ate them with flavored cream cheese.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made a custard pie for my momma, and we all visited and had a great time. I am now cleaning house today, making bread, and doing laundry. All things I do on a regular basis, and life is back to normal.</span></div>
Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-37270064803208728092015-02-03T22:37:00.001-08:002015-02-03T22:37:13.750-08:00<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well it has been almost a year since I posted anything on my blog. It is not that I no longer live a busy country life, it is just that I have well, been busy. We had many changes over the last year, and many things went on. I was not really sure anyone would ever read my blog, and it was actually kind of a journal of sorts for me personally. I would go back an review what I had wrote and keep track of the things I did. Maybe how I did them, and what worked out, and sometimes what didn't. So I was not very regular about posting. Then this weekend I realized something. I have been giving cooking lessons to my niece. She just got married this last fall, and while her mother is a fabulous cook in her own right she just cooks, different from me. You see she has 13 children, 8 of which are still at home. When you have that many all of your recipes are geared more towards large amounts, and a lot of casseroles. LOL My niece only has 2 in her family right now so small meals made with frugal means in mind are what she needs. I have some experience with both so she has been coming to me and I have been sharing with her what I can. In this process though, I have come to realize I just might have something to contribute to other young women her age who need the same information, but don't have anyone close to teach them. So here I am, back to impart what I can on those who would like to learn. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So to start I will update everyone on the changes in my life. First of all, with a mixture of joy and sadness, Sis moved out of the house. She wanted to spread her little wings, have a home of her own. She moved 92 miles away to another town that is a bit bigger than the one I live in, and set up her own little haven. It has been hard to have "my person" not here as she was such a blessing to have around. She does however come out and stay overnight about 2 times a month. I cook her favorite meals and we work on sewing, knitting or crochet projects. I will be posting some pictures of the things I have done for her lately. Her birthday is in January, and between that and Christmas my needles and hooks have been busy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Secondly, I GOT MARRIED!! I married the love of my life in May of last year. It was a private and quite ceremony as we had an actual wedding in September. But we had the opportunity to move into some housing that would be very beneficial to us while my Dear went to school full time, and wanted to be married before we lived together. So I also moved to a new apartment at the end of April/beginning of May. It was a bit difficult to give up the house that I had done so much work on remodeling, but it was the best thing in the long run. And while we live in an apartment, we have made an agreement with the owners of a small lot of land right out our front door next to the complex to use the land. There we were able to keep our chickens, and so moved our hen house there. We are hoping to expand that in the spring. We also had a beautiful garden there this last summer which I will be doing a post on later. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And lastly, we have taken a job doing daycare for a 14 month old baby boy. His grandfather is raising him right now. This is a situation that was not planned and the grandpa has been a bachelor for many years, and in addition to a full time job, is our voluntary Fire Chief. What this means for us is that we have baby, many hours a week. But since we have been considering adoption, it is a very welcome change. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well that is what has been going on in my life. Tomorrow I will post some of what I have been doing on my little homestead. </span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-60634518567073257512014-02-01T09:13:00.002-08:002014-02-01T09:13:40.614-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So sorry about the long absence. I have been busy with the holidays and family. I have also decided to go back to school. So I have been making some new recipes lately one of which was the Skillet Chicken Stew from the Foodie Army Wife. Find the recipe here... http://thefoodiearmywife.com/skillet-chicken-stew/ . I absolutely LOVE her blog. She always has great recipes and I have followed her for years. The stew is made in a cast iron skillet and is a big hit with my whole family. I made a from scratch cornbread to go with it (also baked in a cast iron skillet.) Today I made bread and took to my Dear's father, he so lovingly told me until I brought him bread there would be no more using their camp site at the river. Well as you can see from these pictures taken two weekends ago on our last camping trip there, it was worth the effort.<br />
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Have a great weekend. We are going for a drive in the mountains today!<br /><br />Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-86439910815467642642013-10-11T12:21:00.001-07:002013-10-11T12:27:57.009-07:00<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Blessings from my little "homestead"! I hope your week has been going great. Mine has been a week of wonder and learning. A week of getting prepared for the winter and working like a little squirrel to do so</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">. Every day the Lord shows His love and concern for us. My Dear is a mechanic by trade, but is disabled as a Iraqi war veteran who was injured in the war. He still does usually small mechanic jobs for friends around town. He is working right now on a 1950-something jeep and has been doing work on the transmission, brakes, and clutch. It has been a lot bigger job than he usually does as he doesn't have a shop, or lift or any other larger equipment to use! He was trying to get the transmission back in to the vehicle, and was having a bit of difficulty with it. Finally just prayed and asked the Lord for help. Right away a small still voice said, "just lift up on the front of the transmission a little". He walked around and lifted it up just a little and the whole thing slide right into the jeep right where it belonged. How many times do we here a small voice and ignore it when it could make our lives so much easier if we listened? I know I am guilty of doing that, of thinking I can just figure it out myself. But really I should just save time and let the Father help me out. Anyway on to grape juice!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I was able to glean some grapes from a man in a neighboring town. His grapes were Concords, and I also got some from an alley where they grow over the fence. The fence grapes were a different variety and did not have the real sweet strong flavor like the Concords so I decided to mix the two to get a better blend. I then used a steamer juicier to make my juice. Here is the picture of the steamer juicer and grapes after I had rinsed them well to get rid of any dust, spiderwebs and spiders...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I loaded the grapes into the steamer basket at the top of the juicer, and put water in the bottom section of the juicer. The middle section with the tube coming out of it is where the juice collects as it is steamed out of the grapes. I set it on my burner and turned it on high. This will heat the water in the bottom to boiling and start steaming the grapes. It is VERY important to not let the bottom section run out of water. If it boils dry your grape juice will burn, or cook which gives it a bad taste. When the grape juice is 3/4 of the way up the cone on the inside middle section of the juicer, I used the tube to drain it directly into my hot, sterilized jars. It is very hot to take precautions. Also I only let about 2 quarts at a time collect in the juicer to preserve a fresh taste.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I adjusted lids and rings on the top (the lids had been in hot water on the stove), and set them on a double thickness of towels. I did not process it in a water bath canner, and all my jars sealed on their own from the heat alone. Of course that is not what is recommended when you read the Ball canning book, and so don't process your juicer at your own risk. Otherwise do so according to the experts on this. I put 2 tbls of sugar in each quart jar to sweeten a little, but you should do what your personal preferences are on that.That is pretty much it! So easy, and as long as you have the time to wait for the juice to start coming out, you can make delicious grape juice. I got 8 quarts of beautiful juice out of the grapes I had. Since this batch someone gifted me with three more plastic bags of the bland grapes and I am hoping to get more of the Concords to make another batch. We will drink it straight with breakfast or mix it with Squirt or Sierra Mist to make punch for Christmas dinner. Have a blessed day and next time I will show how I canned my own dried beans. Stay tuned and have a very blessed day. Remember listen for God's quiet still voice speaking to you.</span></span><br />
Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-34634134773052703932013-10-10T10:04:00.001-07:002013-10-10T10:04:38.278-07:00When I moved away from my farm life to become a finance executive I didn't think I would ever be canning again and promptly gave away all my canning implements to my sister. All my jars, lids and bands, cheesecloth, and 2 water bath canners were now in her very capable hands. I only kept (probably due to my subconscious revolting) one water bath canner and my trusty pressure canner. I am so very glad I was wrong about where the Lord thought I belonged, although this year has been a year to start over, it has been a great journey so far. This year since I really did not plant a garden of my own, and I did not have an over abundance of produce. Starting over meant I did not have one jar of food preserved, nor one glass canning jar to do it in. And while I have been very fortunate to be able to glean from very generous people, I did not have the amounts needed to preserve the large amount of food I would need for my 5 person family in the year to come. This doesn't mean I did not take advantage of the opportunities I was given. I still took what I could and feel blessed to have what I do. I know that next year I will be power canning, tons of jars of green beans, tomatoes, and applesauce. I decided to do a lot of experimental canning while I am just canning a dozen or so jars of things at a time. In other words, I have canned several things I had not tried before. Things like dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, dried beans, homemade spaghetti sauce, and grape juice. I am just thrilled with the result so far. The two things I have put up that will be enough until next year are potatoes and onions. We live close enough to the growing fields of these two vegetables that we are able to glean in the fields after they have harvested them. Until I moved to this area the first time, I had never heard of such a thing.<br />
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But after the commercial digger and trucks come through and take what they want, (here at least) we are allowed to go through and "glean" or pick up what is left behind. Growers usually don't care as they are just going to disc them back into the dirt anyway. Now just in case you are thinking that we are getting the "leftovers" look again...<br />
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That is a wide mouth canning jar lid next to the onion and potatoes. As you can see we got really nice ones. Of course sometimes you have to look for them, and even go to a different field. But in the end we got about 650 lbs of potatoes and 500 lbs of onions. Some of those I gave away, and some will be saved for not just my little family but my mom and dad also. We are set for winter!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3Y8kbT6-cJqV-v6TkG3rGDuCCRZ6f37QWupTMp1eeVXnU2P4flmnH7WBsKc4ja2Hm7SbxniPTgEVD9FJcNRF3AXgosDFKHoXzr1RWjGxBkLLe32HVVSYJTnYn-oHQrjHwZXcDqb8m4ZY/s1600/20131010_095051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3Y8kbT6-cJqV-v6TkG3rGDuCCRZ6f37QWupTMp1eeVXnU2P4flmnH7WBsKc4ja2Hm7SbxniPTgEVD9FJcNRF3AXgosDFKHoXzr1RWjGxBkLLe32HVVSYJTnYn-oHQrjHwZXcDqb8m4ZY/s320/20131010_095051.jpg" width="320" /></a>Here is a picture of my canning shed with the many bags of onions. We use gunny sacks for air flow. The canning shed is insulated so it should stay cold in the winter without freezing. This is my first year in this house so we will see. If potatoes and onions are allowed to freeze they will rot, also you can not keep them in plastic containers or they will sweat. The moisture then causes rot. I will be letting you know how they keep, and for how long. I might can some of the potatoes and freeze and dry some of the onions when the fresh food preservation is done and things slow down some. But for now, that is my post for today. Stop back by later for my post on canning dried beans and grape juice!</div>
Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716986771026512769.post-72732335569771119362013-10-07T08:14:00.001-07:002013-10-07T08:31:02.168-07:00On to tomatoes!<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well here is the beginning of my posts on putting up tomatoes. I have been on a search for tomatoes in the last month as the ones in our garden did not seem to do very well. The plants just kind of gave up and seemed to die from the inside out. They just did not produce well. But fortunately the Lord provided a couple of very generous sources around my small town and I was able to glean them at several places. This is the first batch I got...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As you can see I have them sorted between stages of ripeness. The green ones will go in the canning shed until ripe.(a large green insulated metal storage shed out in the back yard. It has floor to ceiling shelves along both of the long walls, and is where I store all my food.) Some I will wrap in newspaper and place in a single layer in short cardboard boxes to hopefully slowly ripen for fresh eating in the next couple of months. The rest will be canned in various ways as they ripen. My first priority this year in canning tomatoes was I wanted to try making my own spaghetti sauce to can. It is more of a marinara as it does not contain meat. When I use it I will just brown my meat with some onions and garlic and add it then. So here is the process in pictures. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yTEzGF7dPJYyxHE4OvhdOK1gQ4jKqnU3OgCqMU-BPYK4WXw3h-mhHcoAe9gnQPYMjarJs0Q3T_HJb8tMYywr5WFZEdWHV1YUdEw6VmbzNsBpmHgiUaZHwcxPZK7MZ34fme4W-LeWg_p7/s1600/20131003_122351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yTEzGF7dPJYyxHE4OvhdOK1gQ4jKqnU3OgCqMU-BPYK4WXw3h-mhHcoAe9gnQPYMjarJs0Q3T_HJb8tMYywr5WFZEdWHV1YUdEw6VmbzNsBpmHgiUaZHwcxPZK7MZ34fme4W-LeWg_p7/s320/20131003_122351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> First thing was to "slip the skins", or peel the tomatoes. Some people skip this step, but for my spaghetti sauce I did it. To do this simply dip them in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, then into cold water. The skins will easily slip off. You could then run them through your food processor to chop them up, I however don't have one of those so I used a hand crank salsa maker I have. While it took longer than a food processor would have, it was easier than chopping them by hand and did the job quite nicely. I then put them in to my huge cooking pot, and added the rest of my ingredients for my spaghetti sauce. Everyone has different tastes, and I am sure you have sauce recipes of your own to use. If you would like a copy of my recipe I will gladly provide one, please just ask in the comment section. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GZHhEdAnxavQ3I9iNFU0NEeaSauedkGWteEcviXETVSqjtgmft2oI7_BEfWm_rOmnGZNYrGfSmSBbZyakJXZ7gmIGrbWxO_rsMuK9gZL6o072JUUp8wZnxC3CRrnmnO9H-yIZFBZ2j6-/s1600/20131003_134634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GZHhEdAnxavQ3I9iNFU0NEeaSauedkGWteEcviXETVSqjtgmft2oI7_BEfWm_rOmnGZNYrGfSmSBbZyakJXZ7gmIGrbWxO_rsMuK9gZL6o072JUUp8wZnxC3CRrnmnO9H-yIZFBZ2j6-/s320/20131003_134634.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But for space sake I will just say I added onions, garlic, green pepper, brown and white sugar, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and many spices. Here is a picture of it before I stirred it all up.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpu74rEE3ihpnFK6zBgBsbcnDoU2RBdUR23jInilSOOQrb7Jo2IkCxhBLF4ksQK5tuNt3q1h3InY3grH9euK6PWGtli-BCAIhIuuQEh4sqVurlbUE_pjsaAa8nKo6vAyrnfwetPF7f-_u/s1600/20131003_134634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvPlDHJO3nuyBB4HRmfWvqCVGme_SdnK0tL1Qpv7D8O3kjf07xfqgbDVt4It8zrtfE5AZocPPbXB5EXHTNXcMA0-O_6v-9Q1QmzlulS6Dmdit2Bw9hHDXenPQMDvUPlPLwKXhu3uq44fH/s1600/20131003_143925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhvPlDHJO3nuyBB4HRmfWvqCVGme_SdnK0tL1Qpv7D8O3kjf07xfqgbDVt4It8zrtfE5AZocPPbXB5EXHTNXcMA0-O_6v-9Q1QmzlulS6Dmdit2Bw9hHDXenPQMDvUPlPLwKXhu3uq44fH/s320/20131003_143925.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">After I stirred it I simmered it for several hours. This I did to really get the flavors blended and developed well, and also to cook it down so it was a little thicker. Here is the real secret, I added 3- 12 ounce cans of tomato paste to it. This really thickens it up and gives it a great flavor.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijW9ua2ysThWXoVmodePWcsLkOM8nk73O_2iYlQ6KVTjFzm8ewC3QtDaCyM658H_3JSE9uy84GjrehzMFafxmWTCFBoqIgewEctoitONRYRD-1-8yBHFMmR9YnGWj_zeacmLRufXbLIC8G/s1600/20131003_143925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECtUEbJ7h3aIs_e5jqifkBYDJ9QftEGREEykMdcJXQfizvGCT_Nr108C9xIdty1APGso0MDwpTH91piwajBSDm_qeXdhrhhks3V4LzYGACjTU5BhOpLEkY3nrOQICcgInnbnTU_lBU2_b/s1600/20131003_214045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECtUEbJ7h3aIs_e5jqifkBYDJ9QftEGREEykMdcJXQfizvGCT_Nr108C9xIdty1APGso0MDwpTH91piwajBSDm_qeXdhrhhks3V4LzYGACjTU5BhOpLEkY3nrOQICcgInnbnTU_lBU2_b/s320/20131003_214045.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I let it simmer for another 45 minutes or so after adding the paste while I prepared my jars, lids and bands etc. I then canned it up in a water bath canner, processing the quart jars for 40 minutes each starting the timer after the water started boiling.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHDbagdrTRdfaOQgSl8gPxc8Hh3p6QjEMGFQ4-kv5Om843mTktMnWTbBVnRhqx_Xk8heW6f9fjS3gUdERcP-ylAMfkRw4q6EGzSXLY4kHtVy41INAezapcWE0LL_jW41Biu-OOt2wrfis/s1600/20131004_140226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHDbagdrTRdfaOQgSl8gPxc8Hh3p6QjEMGFQ4-kv5Om843mTktMnWTbBVnRhqx_Xk8heW6f9fjS3gUdERcP-ylAMfkRw4q6EGzSXLY4kHtVy41INAezapcWE0LL_jW41Biu-OOt2wrfis/s320/20131004_140226.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Here is what I ended up with using my recipe for 20 lbs of tomatoes. 10 quart jars, and 1 pint. There are a few jars of regular tomato sauce in the picture as I had about 5 pints worth with the first box of tomatoes I processed but I will later detail how I make my sauce using my oven and my food mill. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thanks for stopping by, and have a very blessed day.</span></span>Monahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15410148741173449769noreply@blogger.com0