Weekly Roundup

 

It has been a busy week here on the old homestead. I have been not only doing the household tasks, but also helping Harvey with the carport set up. That is done for awhile as we are getting lots of rain, and the cement footings need to harden and season before we anchor the posts down and put the roof on. I would say at least another two weeks of work need to be done before we can say it is completed.

Then there was a problem with the plumbing that Hubby did on the bath/shower. He used regular steel joints instead of stainless steel and that caused rust to flow out of the taps.... I had thought I would need to turn into plumber's apprentice but Harvey managed to do so on his own.

That gave me time to do a few more harvesting tasks.

So today I dehydrated onions and lavender.

The lavender is for eldest and I hope to get another three trays done tomorrow.

The onions have been ground down to make onion powder.

Other dehydrating took place as well. I did the sage, oregano, thyme, parsley, and probably what is the last of the basil. 

Then I moved on to dehydrating jalapeno peppers.

I also dried more goji berries.

Lots more ripening that will need picking.

I made chili sauce and salsa (didn't get a picture of the salsa before I put it away).

Oops made an error I did get a picture of the salsa.

What I didn't get was the 5 pint bags of frozen tomatoes I also processed.

When I wasn't processing garden harvest, I was knitting, or refashioning some of my clothing. I managed to change two of my dresses into skirts, and one top. Plus some of the clothing had already been taken apart to be used as fabric for other projects.

I visited a friend in the hospital, did the shockingly high cost grocery shop (hope not to have to do another until the beginning of October). I also paid the middle of the month bills, and did a bit of sorting in the sewing/craft room (more work needs doing). 

Pretty sure next week will be much the same as this week, minus the carport, and plumbing.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

Slowly but surely completing those monthly projects and the gardening harvest. Though, what on earth am I going to do with all the cucumbers we are getting? 

I got all the blueberries frozen for use over the winter. Of course I also got lots of herbs dehydrated and into the jars as well as some frozen. 

The mint extract has been started, and put into a dark/cool cupboard for the next month or so. Picture of that once it is ready to be put into the containers.

Some of the peppers that I washed and put one to a bag after dicing or slicing for the freezer. Lots more to pick over the next few weeks.

Cherry tomatoes are being picked even if not completely ripe. One of the branches has broken off as it was so heavily laden and I have been picking many more off that branch as they begin to ripen.

Kris's rug just before I wet it down to block and get the weave to close up a bit.

One of the smaller of the four firepit quilts has now had a bit of hand quilting done on it. I have pulled the next one that is about this same size and I hope to get that one hand quilted by the end of next week. 

Next week will be filled with more harvesting from the garden, finishing up the tea towels, trimming the fringe on Kris's rug, and sewing the binding on the two quilts. I will also be able to finish up the mittens as well. I am working on pair number 10 for this month and tomorrow will start sewing up the side seam. 

Next week will also be filled with making lists of what needs to be accomplished before we go on our trip. It actually seems like that might actually happen as the Federal government is forcing the attendants back to work and both sides to binding arbitration. Keeping my fingers crossed that things still go according to plan. But there is so much that I need to finish before we leave. I am so looking forward to this holiday even though we could actually have traveled through most of Europe for much less cost. We have such beauty here in Canada and it really isn't fair that it costs as much as it does to see our own country. 

Slowly but surely downsizing of the wardrobe is happening. I really don't need as much in the way of clothing any longer and have made the decision that if I bring an article in or make an article, something needs to leave.

As I am trying to organize and declutter the sewing/craft room I have realized that I have enough yarn to last for years, and enough fabric to see me through at least a year. I need to use as much of those items up as is possible over the remainder of this year and as far as yarn into next year. There are a few projects running through my mind to use up both in the new year. Lots of weaving projects in store as well as simple knitting projects like dish cloths. 

I must admit that I think I could be a craft supply hoarder!

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Midweek and Middle of the Month

 

Another month is whizzing by. So much to do and no time to get things done. 

Today I got a phone call to go and pick raspberries. My answer heck yes, especially when in the stores a small half pint goes for anywhere from $4.99 to $6.99. Free is always good. 

This did mean that the rhubarb chutney and tomato sauce did not get made, but I will add those to the tasks for tomorrow. Along with washing and making raspberry jam. I was also asked that if she couldn't get anyone else to come and pick would I be willing to come again. Of course I would.  However, the back is feeling it tonight so I have rubbed some mint salve in and the heat from the salve is helping ease the pain a bit. 

I did get the mint dehydrated and crushed, covered with a carrier oil and sat in the window to make mint salve. The oregano salve was made as well. Yogurt is draining in the fridge and will be put in a container in an hour or so. 

Two of the doors that needed painting were washed well as well as the trim and Harvey painted them. One more door to wash, and then the trim only around the bedroom doors so Harvey can paint those as well. If there is any left, I will take a small brush and touchup some areas on the chair rail in the dining room and living room. 

I worked on the embroidery this afternoon for a bit, still some work needs to be done before I start the French knots, but the light is getting closer.

Hope to get at least one firepit quilt sandwiched tomorrow afternoon. Mind you that might have to wait until all the food processing is completed. Or at least until things are a bit more under control on this homestead. It is a rough time of the year for crafts. 

Today has been cool and we have had the windows wide open to take advantage of the cooler breeze and lack of heavy smoke. We will probably be able to keep the windows open until the early afternoon tomorrow as well. The less the air conditioner runs the more we will save on our electric bill. 

Off to visit with you all.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Tidbits And Stuff

 

Just a quick post. I know I have been absent for awhile, but this post should show you why.

Yet more beans picked. This is the third batch this week, so lots of freezing, eating and packaging to take to Kris's place.

Green pepper, jalapeno peppers, and an eggplant. Made another Parma, chopped the jalapeno and green peppers and got them into the dehydrator.

Made some salsa.

Made Sweet Cucumber Relish.

Finished weaving, and hemming the rug.

Started the wedding gift quilt.

And of course knit more mittens, dehydrated more herbs, and have the Black Hungarian Peppers in the dehydrator right now. 

I made packing lists, worked on getting things put back where they need to be, and of course did the regular household tasks. 

Still to do.... Bake some cookies and some muffins for our trip and do regular tasks around the house. 

I really believe that I will crash and spend much of our get away sound asleep. Probably will need that desperately by that time.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

An Overview of My Month

 Not that one needs a magnifying glass to go through what I have managed to get done this month or what our budget looks like (kind of horrible really, need to work on this even more). 

But I thought I would give a bit of an update on things here on the old homestead.

The first of the month saw us heading to a cabin for the family reunion.

The first night was at our place for hamburgers, hot dogs and whatever anyone else brought to share. Come to think of it many did not bring anything so I am really glad that some brought extra bits and bobs. 

The next evening was our supper and a silent auction. There were I believe 51 family members there. Friday only saw us with about 20. I did not succeed on many of my bids and neither did Harvey. Which is quite okay as the money (change) I had saved just went into my savings envelope.

Once home for about a week Kurt arrived and spent a week with us visiting, and even going to the football game in Regina. He left straight from there to his home, we stayed an extra day with Kris and enjoyed a bit longer visit. Kurt even took me out to forage for echinacea which are still drying.... I think I might be able to chop it up next week and store it for tea.

Home, and garden work began in earnest. Right now I am concentrating on dehydrating herbs before the harvest of however many veggies we manage to get. The weather has been so very hot after the cool and rainy start, that I am afraid that things might not be that productive. Could be a year of buying produce at the Farmer's Market (they are pretty darn expensive).

Once we got the cherry trees netted, I am happy to say that I managed to save many a cherry from the greedy robins. This year I actually had enough to make a batch of jam, and two batches of pie filling. There are even a few left to make some cherry muffins tonight, some of which will go into the freezer.

I have actually been able to use the lines outside for drying clothes. Love it, and it cuts down on the electric bill for next month (considering the A/C seems to be running constantly).

Got some more infused oils started, I am pretty sure the lemon balm one will be made into salve next week. The others will be a bit longer.

Started the second scarf and things are moving along much quicker on this one. I still have to move around after about 20 or 30 passes of the shuttle with the beating, but I have ordered the stand for it and hopefully that helps a bit. I have a feeling this scarf will be done and dusted by the end of next week if not before. 

Still knitting those mitts, and I am up to 32 pairs of the size that would fit children in grades 1-3. Once I reach 40, I plan on making some smaller ones (about the same amount if I am lucky) and then perhaps about 10 of the larger size.

Now the evil budget.....

Over on many a line, but because we did not spend much on our short holiday (the leftover will be put towards our get away in September), we managed to stay under for the total budgeted for this month.

I failed at keeping the grocery budget below what we had thought it would be. I think part of that could be because we had a bit of company, prices have risen in some areas, and I just didn't concentrate on what I was spending. 

The same can be said for health expenditures. The insurance did not pay as much as they usually do for my dental appointment (seems they might have cut down on certain items like cleaning), and since Harvey got that extra eye drop prescription costs have risen as well. My prescription has also gone up a bit.

Yard maintenance took a chunk of cash as well. The good thing is many of the items that were purchased will not have to be purchased again as they can be reused for a number of years. Looking ahead we will probably only need fertilizers, seeds, plants and soil next year. I am going to see if I can collect a few seeds from my annual plants this year as well as bring in a couple more plants to winter along with the lemon trees. 

There were a couple of wins though. Not as much was spent on hobbies this month, no clothing was purchased, the cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance was lower than budgeted for, vehicle insurance was lower, as was property taxes. So I am looking at those wins more than where I fell down. There is always another month to work on getting the budget down and more to focus on.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Playing Catch Up And Paying For It

 

Since coming home from Kris's place and the second trip to the city, I have pretty much been going steadily.

The cherries are all picked now.

These are from the second tree. After weighing them we managed to get 5 lbs. so there will be more than enough for some jam (to be made tomorrow, and perhaps another batch of cherry pie filling (though I will have to see how much Minute Tapioca I have). 

My infused oils are working there way to perfection on my sunny window sill. 

And dehydrating is going full blast. 

I have also been weaving, and knitting trying to stay in the cool of the house.

However we were out picking those cherries yesterday, and man even with a hat on it was hot and sunny. I think I may have been out a bit too long, or did not have enough rehydration happening. 

Now I feel like crap, which made grocery shopping today loads of fun (not!!) and trying to get anything but the basics done a bit of a problem. 

When the sun is setting I will go out and water my plants, wearing my hat and taking a bottle of water with me. Then pretty sure I will be hitting bed early.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

I have spent this past week working on getting the garden in and processed. 

Also finished cutting up the scraps of fabric. First into 4 1/2" squares and then the scraps from that into 2 1/2" squares. I did not get a photo of the larger squares, but I did manage to get a picture of the smaller squares and some of the fabric I recycled.

Lots to work with over the coming months.

I made more Eggplant Parma for the freezer.

I am now up to 11 trays in the freezer for meals this winter. We have even had one for our supper and I made 2 larger family sized trays one of which will be coming with us to Kris's. I always try to bring a meal or two up with us when we go. Saves him some money and at times has helped us clean out the fridge.

Tomatoes and what I think will more than likely be the last harvest of beans (processed today).

Hmm, missed getting one of the beans. Really I only got one bag for the freezer. Quite the difference from other years where I was giving beans away.

More cucumbers picked, as well as jalapeno's.

Notice that the cherry tomatoes are also starting to arrive. The jalapeno's have doubled as I picked more today. Still more to come.

Finished the one knitted prayer blanket, and started on the third. No pictures as I am going to try and take a picture of all four once they are completed.

My powdered tomato skin jar is slowly being added to and I am looking forward to using the powder. 

I was asked what perogies were. Well, they are dough (much like uncooked/undried pasta dough) that is rolled out and cut in circles. Then a filling is added to one side or the center of the small circles. Most fillings are potato with something added. Some people use potato and cheese, some use potato and dry curd cottage cheese, some use potato and bacon (chopped and fried). Then some people make fruit perogies which have no potato. These are then dropped into boiling water and drained when done (the perogies float to the top). Some then fry them, some cover them in melted butter in which onion has been fried. Usually served with a dollop of sour cream.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings And A Weekly Round Up

 

It has actually been a busy week here on the old homestead. I missed doing this yesterday, so thought I would end the week with a bit of a catch up on what has been happening here.

After about 2 weeks of no weeding, I managed to get most of that done earlier this week. Man, why is it that weeds grow so much faster than anything else? Still need to get a bit more done, but things are looking so much better.

I have also been working in the garden harvesting. So far not doing too badly at keeping up with things, but my back is really starting to bother me...This could be a big problem in a few weeks.

Lots of dehydrating of herbs happening.

This was only the beginning as I have been dehydrating almost every day since this picture was taken. 

I started the lavender infused oil, and today harvested more. This time I hope to make sachets for my drawers... Need to have nice smelling things. I should be able to harvest even more for more oil and either salve or lotion, perhaps even cooking. 

I have defrosted one freezer and organizEved all that was in there. As sales occur I will pick up different cuts of meat, but there is more than enough to last in my stock ups from previous shopping trips. Still being prepared for large upticks in costs is what all of us should do.

Working on the knitted blanket (I have decided that my goal of having two completed was out of line) and the two fire pit blankets. I still have a few other projects I had hoped to get done that will be carried over for another month (or perhaps two).

We booked our next holiday (I left it up to Harvey to make the suggestion and it took him three months) and only have the extra excursions to book. Man, those can be pretty expensive. 

Using up all that I can and trying to figure out other ways to save money even though we are lucky enough not too have to worry too much.

I have been checking out real estate in the two places we are interested in as well. Strangely enough it would probably be less expensive to stay where we are and purchase a condo here. Still would have to drive to the capital to visit my specialist and even with Kris living there and allowing us to stay with him, it takes a great deal out of us. 

I have also come to the realization that some members of Harvey's family will never consider us as important members of said family, unless they need something. Their loss, and not worth my caring about. Especially when it is just my family does not follow the same political bent that they do. Blood should be thicker, but I guess not to everyone.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Mid Week Yet Again

 

Cooler weather has prevailed over the past few days. I was worried that the air conditioner would come on last night but it didn't and hasn't come on today either. Love saving power and only wish it could last. By the weekend however we will have warmed up considerably and there is very little chance of the air conditioner not starting up. 

I have been drying herbs this week as well as the two cups of cherries I managed to rescue from one of our cherry trees. I was lucky enough to get to a friends place and pick cherries off their one tree yesterday. Today I processed them into 2 containers of pie filling and they now reside in the freezer downstairs. I do hope I get the chance to pick more and perhaps make another two containers of pie filling. I do have a small bowl of cherries left so will dehydrate those tomorrow and add them to the others. This is my type of foraging and I will be keeping my eyes on Facebook to see if any other friends have fruits they wish to get rid of. 

Dill is taking over the garden and I spent some time online learning how to dry it. This is going to be a year of using up all we can from the garden, perhaps even in new ways. I will harvest the dill fronds tomorrow morning and get them washed and ready to go in the dehydrator. 

We have a momma bush bunny and at least one baby in the yard. The baby scared Harvey while he was in the pumpkins. He saw a tiny creature scurry out and at first thought it was a small rat or larger mouse. He soon realized it was a baby bunny. Hmm, where there is one baby there are bound to be more.

Meals are being prepared, but there are so many bits and bobs that tonight the scheduled meal is being interrupted. I will be pulling those bits and bobs out and we will finish them off. We can easily have the soup and sandwich night tomorrow.

Shopping went quickly yesterday and even though prices have risen I think I managed to get enough on sale (even if it was at the old regular price) to keep the grocery bill low. Even managed to get a few stock up items. 

Projects are moving slowly, probably because of working on harvesting the garden and going shopping yesterday. I will continue to work on these and perhaps start a few easier Christmas gifts. Kurt wants a t-shirt rug, and Kris wants a quilt that fits his bed. Those are going to take awhile. I have some smaller things in mind so hopefully I can get those completed quickly.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Mid Week Once Again

 

The summer is passing by very quickly. It always amazes me that as I age the days whiz right by almost like I was a child and hoping the summer would last forever. 

Temperatures cooled down a bit today so I was able to get out this morning and weed the circular perennial bed. It really needed it. Tomorrow I hope to weed the bed by the shed and water plants. Keeping my fingers crossed.

The drapes in the dining room were washed and hung on the lines, and a set of drapes in the living room were done as well. Only one set left in the living room and all drapes will have been washed. Whew, less dust in the house for sure.

Herbs were harvested and dehydrated, more need doing tomorrow. Hopefully parsley and mint. 

Otherwise all I did was knit on the purse and make a list of Christmas gifts that I want to make starting next month. Forget about "Christmas in July" I just have too many other projects to work on.

Inflation has risen to the highest it has been in almost 40 years. I do hope that it doesn't get much higher, but with the wacky weather we have had this spring and so far this summer I am afraid that certain items will be hard to find. Farmers here are concerned about crops. Many have been destroyed by hail, and shortages from Europe and the Ukraine will cause many problems.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tidbits

It has been a week of harvesting the garden. Mostly beans and cucumbers but a few tomatoes, and green peppers have come into the house as well. 

So far I have 14 quarts of dills done, and 6 pints of hamburger dills. The green peppers were made into stuffed peppers for a few meals (one meal of which we have already consumed). 

We have had a few meals with green beans as one of the veggies and the rest have been blanched and put in the freezer.

Harvey says there are a couple of fairly large rutabagas out there as well so those will be cooked up for one of our side veggies this coming week. I am thinking roasted. The others will be waxed (if I figure out how to do so) and stored in the basement cold room for the winter. This is something I want to try instead of freezing them this year.

We have been lucky enough to get some rain over the last week and rain barrel is getting full once again. I should be able to water my pots and baskets for another couple of weeks. Things grow so much better with rain water.

I have been dehydrating as well and will continue tomorrow. The basil needs to be picked, and the same can be said for the parsley. I am hoping to do some more thyme, sage and oregano late next week.

Bread has been baked, but no sweets so that will need to be done before the end of the week as well. 

I enjoy this time of year even though it is busy. I love knowing that I am adding to the stores for the winter months.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Mid Week

Slowly but surely things are getting done around the garden. This week has all been about dehydrating. Of course this will continue until my herbs are done. 

This is what I have accomplished as far as herbs this week.

The picture isn't that clear. I believe there might be something wrong with my camera (it is 10 years old and perhaps getting a bit worn). Hopefully by the end of the season these bags will be full of homegrown goodness.

We netted the cherry trees this year and managed to actually keep the robins from gorging on the fruit. Still they are only three years old and not very big so the harvest wasn't that huge. 

This is the amount I managed to get off the tree that ripens a bit later.

About a third of the bucket. 

When dried this is what I ended up with.

Half a freezer bag of dried goodness. These will be lovely in baking or my oatmeal this winter.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

We actually have air conditioning in the church now, so it came as a surprise that the Mass did not take very long. I thought it might be longer as we no longer have to contend with people fainting, or to put it bluntly sweating so much they stick to the pews. Instead we were just over an hour, more what we are used to.

While the church started off cool, by the end of the Mass it was starting to get a bit humid. Probably from all the bodies attending. I just hope we can afford to keep the air conditioning running.

Todays homily (and the gospel) was about the "Good Samaritan" and Father brought up some points that I had missed over my lifetime. I never thought of the Good Samaritan as being Christ himself, or that the denarii could in fact represent our talents and treasures. It is making me rethink the whole parable.

Once home I made my mint jelly.

Six lovely jars. I will clean them up tomorrow and store them away in the pantry. We love this on ham.

These next two photos are from yesterday and my dehydrating. The dehydrating will be going on for the next few weeks, if not longer.

Three more trays of curly leaf parsley.

One tray of oregano, there will be more.

Tomorrow I hope to dry some thyme and some mint for winter tea. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.