true story...

 

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Mason Jar Chandelier...

Chandelier is finally done! I originally stained 5 mason jars blue, but they somehow got wet and messed up, so I went w/ regular Mason jars.

Challenge....

Journaling...(August 30)

 

 

HOLY COW, what a busy day w/ Carson!!! She did not need the Tdap shot, because she had it Oct. 2011 (booster is every 10 years), BUT...she got a Meningococcal Vac, a HPV Vac and a Hep A Vac (series of 3 shots, today, 2 months, 6 months).

ALSO...her Doc had us schedule her to see the Psychiatrist (9/11) to re-do her Concerta (anxiety has returned), The Optometrist (9/9) -both her and Cam. He wear...s glasses, she probably now needs glasses because, she failed her eye exam. OH...and She has a Cardiologist (9/17) appointment for an EKG for her heart palpitations.

I STILL have to schedule her and Cam for a Dental appointment too...I will try for those mid October. WHEW!!!!!!!! (I think I need a job to pay for all the upcoming doctor fees. Good thing we at least have good insurance!!!

Mystery KAL Colors...

Decided on these 3 colors for:
Stephen Wests' Mystery KAL
on Ravelry

 

First CLUE is Sept. 13th.

Setting up my Filofax...

'Precious' has arrived....

Canned Salsa Today...

Recipe From: Sherelle Christensen
http://sherellechristensen.typepad.com

 

Grandma Betty's Salsa

-4 quarts tomatoes, peeled and chopped
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 medium onions, chopped (one yellow & one red)
-2 red peppers, chopped
-2 green peppers, chopped
-2 banana pepper, chopped
-1/2 c. white vinegar
-1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
-2 bunches green onion, chopped
-3 fresh limes, juiced
-1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped fine
-2 tsp. chili powder
-4 Tbs. brown sugar
-6 cans tomato paste

Bring to boil in large stock pot and simmer for 25 minutes. Fill jars and seal while still hot. Put in boiling water bath 35 minutes for pints, 45 minutes for quarts. Water should be boiling when you put the bottles in, and should cover the bottles at least 1”.

I made 10 Quarts and 1 Pint. YUMMY!!!!

Been Canning...

Being Creative...

I added some of my handmade crocheted goodies to some long sleeved Onesies for Mila.

 

 

Brig's birthday cake...

Planning on making this Bacon-Laced Chocolate Cake for Brig's 26th Birthday tomorrow.

http://www.girlichef.com/2012/05/bacon-laced-chocolate-cake.html

Where has the time gone?

     Why...Yes, it's been several months since I last blogged. I really should Blog more and Facebook less....blogging is like a journal for me and is so fun to go back years and see what was happening in our lives and see old photos I had forgotten about.

 

Guess you can go to my Facebook Photos and click on those to see what's been happening though:

 

 Now it's August 2013....Quick update:

• All I have been doing lately is Gardening. Canning. Knitting. Organizing. (and that takes up some time for sure). But, Life is good.
• Brig's 26th Birthday is coming up on Saturday, Aug.10th. A day of Air Soft for him!
• Minions are getting ready to go back to school after Labor Day. Buying school supplies now. 
• Had a nice summertime visit from the cousins- Haley, Connor and Colin. Miss them!
• Grandma V had a motorcycle accident and has been in recovering for awhile now...getting better every day, but was serious and she had surgeries. Thinking of her.
• Celebrated birthdays since March: Lauren 28th (March 3), James 41st (March 10),
  Porter 9th (June 4), Carson 12th (July 2), and Myself, 51st (July 12).
• My parents celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary June 15th.
• Sold our Coop and 6 Chickens a few weeks ago and got a 14 foot pool in place of them, so Porter wasn't stuck inside all summer. The Chickens (all laying eggs) went to a great farm in Suffolk....Maeve Farms. Well, Chicken Farming...It was fun while it lasted!
• We are super excited about Lauren and Nick's first baby - our Grand Daughter, Mila, to arrive end of September. Going up to see them in CT for the birth and to help out. Can not wait!!!! We had their Baby Shower back in May (around their 2nd anniversary) when they came down to visit us. Lots of fun.

New ink...Knitting Chicken

our first chicks...

 

 

2 Lacey Wyandottes- 'Katniss' and 'Lacey',
2 Buff Orpingtons - 'Bernadette' and 'Penny'.
1 Black Australorp -'Amy-Farrah-Fowler'
1 Ameracana -'Marsala'.

 

 

 

pantry butler

Found this on the blog: The Comforts of Home

Making a Pantry Butler from an Armoire.....coolness!

Mama Hen

Got to knit this now....
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mama-hen

Watermelon Jelly...

Look what I made today:

 4 cups chopped up watermelon (inside)
 3 1/2 cups sugar
 3 tablespoons lemon juice
 1 package of dry no-sugar pectin

 

Step 1 -Wash, cut, dice and Puree the watermelon!Place diced watermelon in a blender or food processor. You’ll need 2 cups of blended watermelon in total. Pour the 2 cups of blended watermelon into a large pot.

Step 2 - Add lemon juiceAdd the 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice to the pot!

Step 3 - Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar In a small bowl, mix the dry pectin with about ¼ cup of sugar. Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar.

Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin or else the jam is runnier than I like.

Step 4 - Mix the watermelon juice with the pectin and cook to a full boilStir the pectin into the watermelon juice and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that cannot be stirred away).

Step 5 - Add the remaining sugar and bring to a boilWhen the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Step 6 - Testing for "jell" (thickness)I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass jar of water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jam is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/4 to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.

Step 7 - Fill the sterilized jars and put the lid and rings onFill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into the boiling water canner!

Step 8 - Process the jars in the boiling water bathKeep the jars covered with at least 1 inch of water. In general, boil them for 10 minutes.

Step 9 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) you can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed put the jar in the refrigerator right away. Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good.

Handmade....

~Peg’s 2012 Handmades~

Canned-

1.       Strawberry Syrup
2.       Peach Jam
3.       Bread and Butter Pickles
4.       Dill Pickles
5.       Sweet  Potato Butter
6.       Applesauce
7.       Pumpkin Pie Spice
8.    Spaghetti Sauce

Froze-
1.       Strawberries
2.       Sliced Green and Yellow Peppers
3.       Cooked and Scooped Sweet Potatoes
4.       Peach Jam
5.       Oatmeal Caramel Bars
6.    Onions

Larder Swap-

1.       Chocolate Sauce-3 to swap/1 for us
2.       Chai Tea Mix- 3 to swap/ several for us
3.       Orange Blossom Rice- 3 to swap/1 for us
4.       Granola-3 to swap/ several for us
5.       Bread and Butter Pickles-3 to swap/several for us
6.       Gardener’s Hand Scrub- 3 to swap/1 for us
7.    Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cupcake in a Jar-3 to swap/several for us

Other-

*Kombucha- Brewed and Bottled 9/12: 3- Blueberry Vanilla/ 3- Ginger Lemon
*Knit/Crochet- a plethora of items
*Reuse Craft- Junkin' Punkins

Lazy Blogger....

I have been such a lazy blogger for a few months now. I put this app on my Android, so now I have no excuses.

Blogger for Android:

Spring planting...

Seedlings in a DIY 'green house'...(a plastic container from Hefty, turned upside down....genious!).

 Waiting for Garden frames to go in to be able to sow these seeds directly into the ground.