Well I received an email from one Professor saying the end of this week we would be a quarter through the semester! I'm not keeping track! I'm just trying to keep on plugging away, one assignment after another. You know what it's like to go back to school when it has been 35 years! sheesh All I can say is thank heavens for auto-correct on Word. So far the religion class has been great. Not bad for the amount of work involved. It averages 8 assignments per week. Mostly written summaries of "what I learned this week" etc. Today I've been writing and reading for a 700 word paper. (Yeah, laugh...I can hear ya!) The other class is screwy. I think the prof emails me once or twice a week about something I messed up on. I finally today wrote back and said but you said i could...he immediately responded and said sorry I'll fix your grade. So I've got a 99% in religion (because of a trick, stupid question on a quiz today!) and a 98 in GS class. Last week I was all 100's. :((
I've been shopping for a laptop cuz I'm super-duper tired of being stuck back in my room all day, day-after-day doing the work. The weather turned really cold today, at least 58 seems cold right now. We've finished the garden. Picked everything that is salvageable. We've got lots of tomatoes and zucchini - want some? I bottled 8 pints of beets yesterday. Man they smelled yum-my. Oh and the hill - the Iona hill - rumor has it there are 72 windmills going up between the top and down to the railroad tracks near Ririe. 72 freaking windmills. They are already well on their way - I think I've counted 8 in one spot...and you can see the bases of many many more starting up. The cranes that assemble these 90 foot monstrosities are crazy tall. So the sky is full of white windmills! :((
Dad is headed to do some kind of bird hunting with Travis next weekend for a few days - like five I think. We had to swipe Michaels cell phone from his box (cuz I'm cheap) so he has a phone. Yesterday he was supposed to stay after school for debate but had no way to let me know so he came home. Isn't life grand?
Have a nice few days!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Update on the zucchini candy -
It worked well. However the flavor of the finished candy would be much better if you use three packages of Kool-Aid rather than two.
Ha! And now that we have found something we can do with zucchini it is just about done producing. From the 12 large, really large, zucchini we got five sandwich bags of the candy. LOL
Dad and I in the last two weeks have made 38 pints of salsa with all the tomatoes.
First round Dad was home to cut the jalapeno. Second batch, I wasn't really wanting to get my fingers burned so I opted for store bought in the jar, medium temp, jalapenos. They weren't hot enough for 3 qts of tomato, 3 cups green pepper, 3 cups onion. So if and when enough tomatoes come on for another batch I'll get the hot ones...or have dad prep fresh ones beforehand.
Tomorrow I'll be doing relish with the cucumbers...and tackling homework!
What a week it was doing homework, getting used to required chat boards, where to find assignments, trying to figure out what exactly the assignment was, and then typing up three papers, oh and an actual physical class on Thursday night. This stuff has cut into my sewing (therapy) big time!
It worked well. However the flavor of the finished candy would be much better if you use three packages of Kool-Aid rather than two.
Ha! And now that we have found something we can do with zucchini it is just about done producing. From the 12 large, really large, zucchini we got five sandwich bags of the candy. LOL
Dad and I in the last two weeks have made 38 pints of salsa with all the tomatoes.
First round Dad was home to cut the jalapeno. Second batch, I wasn't really wanting to get my fingers burned so I opted for store bought in the jar, medium temp, jalapenos. They weren't hot enough for 3 qts of tomato, 3 cups green pepper, 3 cups onion. So if and when enough tomatoes come on for another batch I'll get the hot ones...or have dad prep fresh ones beforehand.
Tomorrow I'll be doing relish with the cucumbers...and tackling homework!
What a week it was doing homework, getting used to required chat boards, where to find assignments, trying to figure out what exactly the assignment was, and then typing up three papers, oh and an actual physical class on Thursday night. This stuff has cut into my sewing (therapy) big time!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Dad came home from work the other day talking about zucchini made into what would pass as gummi bear candy. So out of curiosity I googled the recipe and found it quite intriguing. I thought I'd make "a" batch and see how it would turn out. Well you all know dad - it all or nothing. So he and James gathered up all twelve or so zucchini that had been hanging out in the wheelbarrow for the last month and they peeled them all.
Well as we speak the dehydrator is running and will for another 18 hours. Yes, that long. The end result should be little pieces resembling gummy's.
If you want to make your own:
10 cups of peeled, zucchini - the Zu needs to be cut about 3 1/4" x 1 1/2" so when they are dry they would be about a gummy worm size.
3 cups of water
2 1/2 cups of sugar
2 pkgs of unsweetened Kool-Aid
Make a syrup of the water, sugar and Kool-Aid in a big pot. Add your Zu and bring to a boil for 25 minutes.
Drain and place on dehydrator racks for 20 or so hours!!!
We tried Black Cherry, Lemon-Lime, Strawberry, Blue Raspberry and Grape!
Here is a picture of Brooke helping Grandpa put the sticky pieces of Zu on the sheets.
Well as we speak the dehydrator is running and will for another 18 hours. Yes, that long. The end result should be little pieces resembling gummy's.
If you want to make your own:
10 cups of peeled, zucchini - the Zu needs to be cut about 3 1/4" x 1 1/2" so when they are dry they would be about a gummy worm size.
3 cups of water
2 1/2 cups of sugar
2 pkgs of unsweetened Kool-Aid
Make a syrup of the water, sugar and Kool-Aid in a big pot. Add your Zu and bring to a boil for 25 minutes.
Drain and place on dehydrator racks for 20 or so hours!!!
We tried Black Cherry, Lemon-Lime, Strawberry, Blue Raspberry and Grape!
Here is a picture of Brooke helping Grandpa put the sticky pieces of Zu on the sheets.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
This posting is all about soap - laundry soap and making it...
Alissa said "geez mom, you need to put this on pinterest". Well since I don't do Pinterest I thought I could at least share it with my children. Be prepared to know it is cheap!!
I picked this up off the internet over a year ago and only occasionally do I make it. But ya know things change and you feel like "why not?".
K so go to Walmart for the best buy. Pick up in the laundry aisle a box of Borax (probably 20 Mule Team) 75 oz and a box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda....K, make no mistake with that one as there are a few different Arm and Hammer products out there. You don't want baking soda, it's in the baking aisle. You don't want the Arm and Hammer laundry soap. You're looking for a box that is about 55 oz size- WASHING SODA. And a bar of Fels-Naptha soap. Yup it's in the laundry section. Costs about a dollar.
Now for the easy part. The bar of soap will grate better if you allow it to air dry for a day or two...mine sat open for weeks!! I grated it by hand with the same grater I use for cheese. I put the grater inside a pie pan and grated the whole bar. If you're impatient you can still grate it the same day you buy it....you'll just have to put everything in small amounts into the blender to make it all finer texture.
To the bar of soap you will add one cup of the borax and one cup of the washing soda. Mix it well.I just used my fingers. Don't breathe in too hard...it makes me sneeze!!! After you mix the borax, soda and grated soap store in an air tight container. You want your soap to look smooth and fine like store bought laundry powder. So blend in the blender if you need to.
I bought a cheap wide mouth plastic container to put my soap in @ walmart for a buck or two.
To Use: One Tablespoon to a load of laundry. Two to a large load. Three for heavily soiled. Really!! that's all. This costs about 5 cents a load. You'll get about 40 one TB loads from this batch.
Now if you're game to make a bunch use a full box of Washing Soda + 7 cups of borax + 7 bars of soap. Just buy a big enough container to hold 96 loads worth!
Alissa said "geez mom, you need to put this on pinterest". Well since I don't do Pinterest I thought I could at least share it with my children. Be prepared to know it is cheap!!
I picked this up off the internet over a year ago and only occasionally do I make it. But ya know things change and you feel like "why not?".
K so go to Walmart for the best buy. Pick up in the laundry aisle a box of Borax (probably 20 Mule Team) 75 oz and a box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda....K, make no mistake with that one as there are a few different Arm and Hammer products out there. You don't want baking soda, it's in the baking aisle. You don't want the Arm and Hammer laundry soap. You're looking for a box that is about 55 oz size- WASHING SODA. And a bar of Fels-Naptha soap. Yup it's in the laundry section. Costs about a dollar.
Now for the easy part. The bar of soap will grate better if you allow it to air dry for a day or two...mine sat open for weeks!! I grated it by hand with the same grater I use for cheese. I put the grater inside a pie pan and grated the whole bar. If you're impatient you can still grate it the same day you buy it....you'll just have to put everything in small amounts into the blender to make it all finer texture.
To the bar of soap you will add one cup of the borax and one cup of the washing soda. Mix it well.I just used my fingers. Don't breathe in too hard...it makes me sneeze!!! After you mix the borax, soda and grated soap store in an air tight container. You want your soap to look smooth and fine like store bought laundry powder. So blend in the blender if you need to.
I bought a cheap wide mouth plastic container to put my soap in @ walmart for a buck or two.
To Use: One Tablespoon to a load of laundry. Two to a large load. Three for heavily soiled. Really!! that's all. This costs about 5 cents a load. You'll get about 40 one TB loads from this batch.
Now if you're game to make a bunch use a full box of Washing Soda + 7 cups of borax + 7 bars of soap. Just buy a big enough container to hold 96 loads worth!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Okay it has taken a good long week to be able to put down in words about Sophie.
Gosh, maybe not...just thinking about her makes me cry.
But she was loved - I think - by most all the family. some more than others, but that's okay.
Poor girl had a tumor on her spleen that filled her belly with blood and was causing pressure on
her other organs. Her back legs were so swollen she could no longer walk. I feel worse cuz I didn't
realize she wouldn't walk so when we found her the next morning still laying in the same spot as the night
before- she was soaked from the sprinkler. :((
Alissa, James and I were with her when she went to sleep. The doc was so kind and gentle. What a good vet he was. They even sent us a condolence card a few days later. Hard to believe that just two days earlier she was walking with Brooke out to get pheasant eggs. Alissa had taken a picture of the two of them!
Yesterday CR and James and Abe reworked the playhouse and made repairs!
And they replaced two fence posts out at the street. James and Abe were working side-by-side when James got too close to the digging bar and Abe tried scalping him. James came in the house with blood running down his face and dripping off his nose. I'm thinking - oh! Oh! (thinking the log across the top of the swingset must have clobbered him when they were hoisting it up) There was no way to do stitches. So James had to sit with a gauze pad on it until it quit bleeding - man head wounds bleed!! Then he popped it back open in the shower this morning. :(
But good news is is the fence is done! The opening in the front of the porta-hut is closed off and the playhouse is ready to be played on. Now we can add another swing and between dad, I and Abe we're thinking another
baby seat?
Gosh, maybe not...just thinking about her makes me cry.
But she was loved - I think - by most all the family. some more than others, but that's okay.
Poor girl had a tumor on her spleen that filled her belly with blood and was causing pressure on
her other organs. Her back legs were so swollen she could no longer walk. I feel worse cuz I didn't
realize she wouldn't walk so when we found her the next morning still laying in the same spot as the night
before- she was soaked from the sprinkler. :((
Alissa, James and I were with her when she went to sleep. The doc was so kind and gentle. What a good vet he was. They even sent us a condolence card a few days later. Hard to believe that just two days earlier she was walking with Brooke out to get pheasant eggs. Alissa had taken a picture of the two of them!
Yesterday CR and James and Abe reworked the playhouse and made repairs!
And they replaced two fence posts out at the street. James and Abe were working side-by-side when James got too close to the digging bar and Abe tried scalping him. James came in the house with blood running down his face and dripping off his nose. I'm thinking - oh! Oh! (thinking the log across the top of the swingset must have clobbered him when they were hoisting it up) There was no way to do stitches. So James had to sit with a gauze pad on it until it quit bleeding - man head wounds bleed!! Then he popped it back open in the shower this morning. :(
But good news is is the fence is done! The opening in the front of the porta-hut is closed off and the playhouse is ready to be played on. Now we can add another swing and between dad, I and Abe we're thinking another
baby seat?
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wee Wonderful
My first handmade doll. She was fun to do and I learned lots. And a few things I'd do a bit different on the next one. The pattern came from the Wee-Wonderful book. Her name is Little Miss Storybook, but I made some changes...so she isn't Red Riding Hood as you can see. Now to go let my fingers heal.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Conference is over. :( I love listening to the apostles and our prophet!!
Brrr today outside, yeah?
Mia got into english thistles and came home with (no exaggeration here) her front legs nearly covered top to bottom, her back legs stuck together and her chest so badly matted. I'll bet she had over fifty clusters stuck in her fur. Poor thing. CR and I had to work for a couple hours just to get her back legs cleared (after all she does have to go potty somehow). She was so exhausted from nerves that she slept for an hour while I combed out her ears. Normally she bites the comb the whole time I even try. CR wanted to work on the rest but I said no, I'd rather take her to the groomers in the morning and let them sedate her to take care of it. Geesh what an expensive dog!! I'm sure she'll get shaved in several spots. :( It would help if Mia wasn't such an outdoor dog, but she absolutely loves the BIG dogs and I'll bet she thinks she is one!!! tehe She has gotten so that she spends time in the orchard while CR is pruning. Mia sits at his feet or in the shade of the wheelbarrow. And when she sees a robin she takes off after it. Did she learn this from the BIG dogs? funny is all I can say.
This last week while James was out for Spring break he watched a few home movies from when Michael was two years old. It was Michael's b-day. The family was outside and Isaac was tossing balls to Michael to bat. Alissa is heard several times to say "mom can we go get the kitty now?" That kitty is now 18 years old this month!! Happy Birthday Princess.
Brrr today outside, yeah?
Mia got into english thistles and came home with (no exaggeration here) her front legs nearly covered top to bottom, her back legs stuck together and her chest so badly matted. I'll bet she had over fifty clusters stuck in her fur. Poor thing. CR and I had to work for a couple hours just to get her back legs cleared (after all she does have to go potty somehow). She was so exhausted from nerves that she slept for an hour while I combed out her ears. Normally she bites the comb the whole time I even try. CR wanted to work on the rest but I said no, I'd rather take her to the groomers in the morning and let them sedate her to take care of it. Geesh what an expensive dog!! I'm sure she'll get shaved in several spots. :( It would help if Mia wasn't such an outdoor dog, but she absolutely loves the BIG dogs and I'll bet she thinks she is one!!! tehe She has gotten so that she spends time in the orchard while CR is pruning. Mia sits at his feet or in the shade of the wheelbarrow. And when she sees a robin she takes off after it. Did she learn this from the BIG dogs? funny is all I can say.
This last week while James was out for Spring break he watched a few home movies from when Michael was two years old. It was Michael's b-day. The family was outside and Isaac was tossing balls to Michael to bat. Alissa is heard several times to say "mom can we go get the kitty now?" That kitty is now 18 years old this month!! Happy Birthday Princess.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Got 17 dresden plate blocks done and sent off in the mail for the swap. Now I'm waiting for the lady in England to get hers sent in. It will be exciting to see what I get back in return. I really loved my blocks and it was hard to part with them.
yesterday I went shopping for an exercise bike. I decided the manufacturers don't want you to sit for long....geesh, why don't they put a good comfy seat on these things!
yesterday I went shopping for an exercise bike. I decided the manufacturers don't want you to sit for long....geesh, why don't they put a good comfy seat on these things!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
One of my favorites. I had several extra reds leftover!!
Each plate has twenty blades. I made 25 plates x 20 blades =500 blades @ four and one half inches each. Geesh! The finished size will be about twelve and one half inches across. Woo-hoo onto the centers and sewing them on to the background fab by hand.
New project
I don't recall when I started this Dresden Plate quilt. Here are twenty-five plates that are now ready for their centers and to be sewn on a background.
Monday, January 23, 2012
LOL
I had to laugh at reading my resolution -- I was serious at the time I penned it. Don't think I gave up already - but I really didn't think (at the time) that that was the all-time resolution for most people and it never sticks. So here's my blog update for this -- Since I resolved to get healthy I've avoided more snacks than before...so far I've only had cold cereal for breakfast three times a week. I've eaten one bag of peanut M&Ms, yes, a large bag!!! I've not had more than two glasses of pop, um, that was with some ice cream. No cookies, oh wait!! Yes I did have cookies Lofthouse ones!! Sheesh! This isn't sounding too good is it?! But I did loose weight!! I got food poisoning. Not a great way to loose a few pounds. Made for a miserable night etc. Stayed home from church to recuperate and eat. I was starved. Hopefully those pounds I lost won't find me. Now to figure out how to incooperate exercise into a busy house.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Keeping Fingers Crossed
Good news or bad news - which first? The bad? Well we're keeping our fingers crossed that come the end of January we will still have a job. Dad came home from work yesterday and said that out of the 1300 employees at his company 600 will loose their job by the end of the month. That doesn't count the 350 that got laid off yesterday. All I can say is thankyou Obama. Good news though is - well, this may be a bit premature - but Alissa's doc can hear more than one heartbeat. So she is and will be nervous until next month. She is a great momma though and I know she can handle whatever comes her way.
My goal this year is to catch up. It's not a resolution. Just a goal. I'd like to get the house cleaned up a bit. You know, paint and patch and maybe a carpet in a room or two. Then finish up some quilts. I like making the tops and the rest of the process just hasn't happened. It would be nice tohave some actual quilts "done". And then to get healthy....exercise and eat right. cut out the unnecessary sugars. I don't know, sound like a dream?
My goal this year is to catch up. It's not a resolution. Just a goal. I'd like to get the house cleaned up a bit. You know, paint and patch and maybe a carpet in a room or two. Then finish up some quilts. I like making the tops and the rest of the process just hasn't happened. It would be nice tohave some actual quilts "done". And then to get healthy....exercise and eat right. cut out the unnecessary sugars. I don't know, sound like a dream?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)