No, I am not talking in an unfamiliar Northern accent. I am declaring myself the new Wizard of -Ize!
I am determined to prioritize, organize, exercise, exorcise and dietize my life.
Prioritize. I have to take the above list and prioritize. Everyday there are chores that have to be done. Everyday there are glitches that arise in a daily schedule that make routine obsolete. Let's discuss yesterday evening from 7pm - 11pm. Just that 4-hour window as my to do list continues on into the evenings and night.
7-Hubby to be home. So supper needed to be ready.
7:30-Clothes off the line
8-Feed the animals, including bottle feeding Max.
8:30-Chickens locked up in coop
9-Clean up kitchen after supper
10-Pick up daughter at work.
Nothing to it, except:
7-Hubby home. No time for supper. Got the call a bit ago, the dress was done. We had to get daughter's prom dress after alterations. That is a 40 minutes drive and more money that I had expected.
8-Son called wondering where everyone had gone after his return from church. I asked if he could feed the animals, especially Max, since we will be late.
9-Finish cooking potatoes to go with ribs that had cooked for hours in the oven.
9:30-Eat supper.
10-Go to pick up daughter...wait, Max is out by the driveway. Go back in and get the boys to help round him up since a) Son didn't tighten cage properly and b)I have to go get daughter ASAP.
10:10-Notice the chicken coop is still open. Ask hubby to fix that problem as I drive away.
10:29-At daughter's work just in time!
11:00-Look at the BBQ rib remains on the counter and hang my head in shame. Until tomorrow.
11:15-Slip into bed and realize sheets and blankets still on clothes line! Until tomorrow.
Nonetheless, if I have a general priority list to guide me, things won't seem that bad. First and foremost is God time. No exceptions. Animals cannot be compromised. They must remain at the top of the list after the family needs. Garden is up there. Like the animals these provide for us. School. This is a financial investment in our family's future and must be treated as such. Study anatomy or paint my nails? Okay, I rarely paint my nails anyway, but you get the gist. Providing nutritious meals for the family. It gives me joy when I have the ingredients I need to make a wonderful meal that at least 2 of the 4 of can share. But if emergencies happen, there is always spaghetti and nobody will starve. Laundry. I like the ability to hang out clothes and know that I am saving our family money, but I can always use a dryer, or even better, everyone in the house can do his or her own laundry if the need arises. Oh, it will arise. I really need to pick my battles intelligently.
Organize. Every single corner of this place needs organization-drawers, sheds, computer desks, pantry, freezer, etc. I need to prioritize my organize! I think this is where a home binder would help. I need to create a goal for each week and each month in the area of organization. Chisel out an increment of time each day to achieve my weekly goal. And do the same for the monthly goal. But these "lists" need to be centralized. Otherwise, they end up on a page of a notebook that gets moved around, torn out and thrown away or rewritten for procrastination purposes.
Exercise. I am going to have a lot on my plate, just like the rest of the world, and past experience has taught me that if I take time to intentionally exercise, whether it's on the treadmill, at the dam, to the mailbox, or stretching during Family Feud, that I feel better and am better focused on other tasks.
Exorcise. No, I am not possessed by an evil spirit. But I feel that at this point in my life I need to narrow down unnecessaries in my life, including my acquaintances. That sounds harsh, I know. I feel that it is too hard on me and not fair to the people I really love having in my life to put too much effort into those people who cause me stress. Now that doesn't mean that I am going to be outright rude or disrespectful. I am just not going to go the extra mile to please people who don't really care one way or another. Is that an un-Christian attitude?
Dietize. Yep, have to throw food into the mix, don't I? Although I will not be technically "dietizing" my food, which means to take the unhealthy and make it healthier...well, maybe I am. I just need to really watch what I buy and stay away from those quick and easy boxes of food. This has not been a problem lately, but still there are food products that aren't necessary for us to have here on the farm. I still fry, I make gravy, I bake cakes and cookies. But I do not buy mixes, I make them from scratch the best I can. I do, however, need to portion control these items for everyone. One doesn't need a whole batch of no-bake cookies over the course of 2 days. For health and budget sake, these kind of treats need to be rationed for at least a week's worth of enjoyment.
I guess my point is...there's no place like home, there's no place like home.
Come on, you knew that was coming. Besides, I use it all the time!
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Food Friday 5/22/15
Well, I still can't do my monthly menu like I want because of the budget. Patience is a virtue, right? I do have my meal plan and grocery list ready. Hope I don't lose it before I can use it. So, until I save up enough to do a big bulk haul, per week it is...
What's on sale this week?
BL/SL chicken breast $1.98. Ugh. I know chicken is supposed to be so versatile, but I really am tired of seeing it on sale and in my freezer. I think I need to pull out my old fashion cookbooks and try a couple of new recipes. Yes, online recipe sites are nice, but nothing beats peeling back pages that have mixer splatter gluing them together, and not to mention I feel like one of those NAILED IT! pictures on Pinterest. Those are hilarious until you see them on YOUR dinner table. I digress...
Hamburger/ground beef. Sale, well if $3.48 is on sale. Remember the days of $.99 per pound hamburger meat.
Bacon -probably 12 oz-for $1.98.
Hot dogs are on sale from under $1 to $3, depending on your tastes and budget. Brats as well.
Whip cream on sale? Sounds like freezer fodder.
Red potatoes. Corn on the cob. Vidalia onions. Cucumbers (mine are growing nicely!). Condiments. Pudding. Fish sticks. Berries.
Okay, so what to fix. Most recipes are coming from Taste of Home 1994.
Saturday lunch- FFY (fend for yourself) peanut butter, bologna, left overs, maybe fish sticks. I have prom things to do for daughter so, whatever!
Saturday supper-chicken macaroni casserole, simple potato salad, baked beans (new recipe to try), peanut butter pie. (This may be overzealous for prom day too-we shall see.)
Sunday-pancake and pizza day.
Monday-Memorial Day-hot dogs, burger, chips, tea, left over potato salad and beans, coleslaw.
Tuesday-broccoli soup, egg salad sandwiches on homemade honey wheat bread.
Wednesday-western beef and cornmeal pie, tangy fruit salad
Thursday-Hot Legs, celery, carrots and ranch or blue cheese-seriously, legs are cheaper than wings and have more meat, right?
Friday lunch-spaghetti, garden salad, breadsticks
Friday supper-one pot patties, left over bread
LUNCHES: Leftovers, bologna, fish sticks, pimento cheese.
SNACKS: Rice crispy bars, trail mix, pudding (homemade).
Recipes:
Chicken Mac Casserole (Taste of Home 1994)
Cook 3 c. cubed chicken, set aside. Cook 14-16 oz box of macaroni, set aside. Melt 2 Tbs. butter in large pan, add 1/4 c. flour. Combine. Add 2 c. half&half and 1 1/2 c. chicken broth at once. Once blended smooth, cook and stir until thickened. Cook 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add 1/2 -3/4 pounds of Velveeta cubed. Stir in chicken, macaroni, 2 oz of pimentos, salt and pepper to taste. Add additional broth if needed (1/2 c. or so), pour into a 3-qt baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Top with some garden fresh parsley if you want.
Western Beef and Cornmeal Pie
Brown 1lb. ground beef and drain. Stir in a can of Mexi-corn, 6 oz tomato paste, 1 c cheddar cheese, 3/4 c. BBQ sauce, salt and chili powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. cornmeal, 1/2 c. milk, 1 egg, 2 Tbs sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese. Spread on bottom and sides of greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish or 10" skillet. Pour the beef filling in and sprinkle with 1/2 c. cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 for 25-30 mins.
Tangy Fruit Salad
Drain 20oz can of pineapple chunks, reserve juice. In a small bowl mix juice and instant vanilla pudding mix and 1/4. c of Tang or other orange instant drink. In a large bowl mix pineapple, can of mandarin oranges, can of fruit cocktail, 2 sliced bananas (slightly firm), 2 apples cut into bite-sized chunks (or pears), 1 c. sliced strawberries. Fold juice mix into fruit. Refrigerate for a while before serving.
What's on sale this week?
BL/SL chicken breast $1.98. Ugh. I know chicken is supposed to be so versatile, but I really am tired of seeing it on sale and in my freezer. I think I need to pull out my old fashion cookbooks and try a couple of new recipes. Yes, online recipe sites are nice, but nothing beats peeling back pages that have mixer splatter gluing them together, and not to mention I feel like one of those NAILED IT! pictures on Pinterest. Those are hilarious until you see them on YOUR dinner table. I digress...
Hamburger/ground beef. Sale, well if $3.48 is on sale. Remember the days of $.99 per pound hamburger meat.
Bacon -probably 12 oz-for $1.98.
Hot dogs are on sale from under $1 to $3, depending on your tastes and budget. Brats as well.
Whip cream on sale? Sounds like freezer fodder.
Red potatoes. Corn on the cob. Vidalia onions. Cucumbers (mine are growing nicely!). Condiments. Pudding. Fish sticks. Berries.
Okay, so what to fix. Most recipes are coming from Taste of Home 1994.
Saturday lunch- FFY (fend for yourself) peanut butter, bologna, left overs, maybe fish sticks. I have prom things to do for daughter so, whatever!
Saturday supper-chicken macaroni casserole, simple potato salad, baked beans (new recipe to try), peanut butter pie. (This may be overzealous for prom day too-we shall see.)
Sunday-pancake and pizza day.
Monday-Memorial Day-hot dogs, burger, chips, tea, left over potato salad and beans, coleslaw.
Tuesday-broccoli soup, egg salad sandwiches on homemade honey wheat bread.
Wednesday-western beef and cornmeal pie, tangy fruit salad
Thursday-Hot Legs, celery, carrots and ranch or blue cheese-seriously, legs are cheaper than wings and have more meat, right?
Friday lunch-spaghetti, garden salad, breadsticks
Friday supper-one pot patties, left over bread
LUNCHES: Leftovers, bologna, fish sticks, pimento cheese.
SNACKS: Rice crispy bars, trail mix, pudding (homemade).
Recipes:
Chicken Mac Casserole (Taste of Home 1994)
Cook 3 c. cubed chicken, set aside. Cook 14-16 oz box of macaroni, set aside. Melt 2 Tbs. butter in large pan, add 1/4 c. flour. Combine. Add 2 c. half&half and 1 1/2 c. chicken broth at once. Once blended smooth, cook and stir until thickened. Cook 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add 1/2 -3/4 pounds of Velveeta cubed. Stir in chicken, macaroni, 2 oz of pimentos, salt and pepper to taste. Add additional broth if needed (1/2 c. or so), pour into a 3-qt baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Top with some garden fresh parsley if you want.
Western Beef and Cornmeal Pie
Brown 1lb. ground beef and drain. Stir in a can of Mexi-corn, 6 oz tomato paste, 1 c cheddar cheese, 3/4 c. BBQ sauce, salt and chili powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. cornmeal, 1/2 c. milk, 1 egg, 2 Tbs sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese. Spread on bottom and sides of greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish or 10" skillet. Pour the beef filling in and sprinkle with 1/2 c. cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 for 25-30 mins.
Tangy Fruit Salad
Drain 20oz can of pineapple chunks, reserve juice. In a small bowl mix juice and instant vanilla pudding mix and 1/4. c of Tang or other orange instant drink. In a large bowl mix pineapple, can of mandarin oranges, can of fruit cocktail, 2 sliced bananas (slightly firm), 2 apples cut into bite-sized chunks (or pears), 1 c. sliced strawberries. Fold juice mix into fruit. Refrigerate for a while before serving.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Trust and Obey
One of my favorite hymns since I began going to church 40 some-odd years ago is Trust and Obey.
I learned it on the clarinet and the one-handed piano version that the untrained musician does. Sometimes it will just pop in my head. But what about the words...hmmm, something has been amiss.
Almost four years ago, I prayed that the Lord show me clearly my path. So many choices, so much confusion as to what path I should take. I got my answer in what I would call a supernatural way. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning-about 3am and opened my bible. There was a whole chapter that came alive. I read and heard every instruction that God was giving me. I wrote it down verse by verse and how it applied to me. And I worked on it: quitting a stressful, well-paying job, investing time at home in wifely and motherly duties. Then I doubted. I needed to do something else because this seemed a bit hard. I got another job and a different position and another position over the course of three years. Nothing was giving me peace. When I stopped and looked around one day, things had changed, definitely, but not for the better. The finances weren't better, the health wasn't better, the peace at home wasn't better; everything had deteriorated. From the wooden deck to the checking account to the marriage. You name it, it had not maintained, let alone prospered. I have still struggled with "helping" the family by getting a job or even going to school and get a career to secure our future as I could get a job more than likely being the main bread-winner, but... Time to get that little green journal back out and read my instructions again! Or even call mom-she knew it all along too.
TRUST and OBEY!!
I learned it on the clarinet and the one-handed piano version that the untrained musician does. Sometimes it will just pop in my head. But what about the words...hmmm, something has been amiss.
Almost four years ago, I prayed that the Lord show me clearly my path. So many choices, so much confusion as to what path I should take. I got my answer in what I would call a supernatural way. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning-about 3am and opened my bible. There was a whole chapter that came alive. I read and heard every instruction that God was giving me. I wrote it down verse by verse and how it applied to me. And I worked on it: quitting a stressful, well-paying job, investing time at home in wifely and motherly duties. Then I doubted. I needed to do something else because this seemed a bit hard. I got another job and a different position and another position over the course of three years. Nothing was giving me peace. When I stopped and looked around one day, things had changed, definitely, but not for the better. The finances weren't better, the health wasn't better, the peace at home wasn't better; everything had deteriorated. From the wooden deck to the checking account to the marriage. You name it, it had not maintained, let alone prospered. I have still struggled with "helping" the family by getting a job or even going to school and get a career to secure our future as I could get a job more than likely being the main bread-winner, but... Time to get that little green journal back out and read my instructions again! Or even call mom-she knew it all along too.
TRUST and OBEY!!
Trust and Obey
Hymn Writer ~ John H. Sammis, 1846-1919
Hymn Writer ~ John H. Sammis, 1846-1919
Hymn Music ~ Daniel B. Towner, 1850-1919
Stanza 1:
Stanza 1:
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Stanza 2:
Stanza 2:
Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
(Refrain)
Stanza 3:
(Refrain)
Stanza 3:
But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
For the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
(Refrain)
(Refrain)
Stanza 4:
Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do,
Where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Tuesday To-Do 5/19/15
Yep, I predicted it. My list has gone haywire. Broken toes, bruised / if not broken foot on the other side, summer death cold and cough, PMS, bunny deaths, chicken deaths and burials, healing cats, moving animals, fortifying fences and gates, bee swarms, new bees. Oh the list is neverending!
Let's see what we can recover.
INSIDE:
Finish last week's chores. Clean kitchen corner. Organize the green baker's rack. Reorganize the living room bookcase.
This week: I will be happy just to finish the above list, let alone the routine chores.
OUTSIDE:
This week: Lots of garden chores to do. Plant, sow, till, weed, water, fertilize. This is going to be the bulk of my home focus. I say home, because my financial aid for school went through. I actually had given up on it. Of course...Anyway, I will be starting school a week before daughter's graduation and all of those festivities that continue, not to mention prom and being poor, I have to try and fix her hair and nails. Just not fair sometimes, but hopefully, Lord willing, I will be able to do adequately.
Really, I am not putting to many to-dos on my to-do list since I have so much to do...huh???
Let's see what we can recover.
INSIDE:
Finish last week's chores. Clean kitchen corner. Organize the green baker's rack. Reorganize the living room bookcase.
This week: I will be happy just to finish the above list, let alone the routine chores.
OUTSIDE:
Finish last week's list: Straw the ducks. Wash the house and the feed shed. Hubby did an amazing job this week (picking up my slack!) putting up our newspaper tube, fixing the truck, clearing all the overgrowth around the house, fixing the lawnmower, fixing the goat gate, and so much more. Most of what I could do is snot and cough. Well there was the dropping of the drawer on the top of the foot and kicking the 8-pound weight in my daughter's floor to break my toe. That is accomplishing something, right? This week: Lots of garden chores to do. Plant, sow, till, weed, water, fertilize. This is going to be the bulk of my home focus. I say home, because my financial aid for school went through. I actually had given up on it. Of course...Anyway, I will be starting school a week before daughter's graduation and all of those festivities that continue, not to mention prom and being poor, I have to try and fix her hair and nails. Just not fair sometimes, but hopefully, Lord willing, I will be able to do adequately.
Really, I am not putting to many to-dos on my to-do list since I have so much to do...huh???
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Somewhat Silent Sunday 5/17/15
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| Free-ranging fowl |
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| Beans FINALLY! |
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| Maters! |
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| The first cucumber bloom |
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| Noontime lull |
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| Time to weed the kale |
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| Mad Max Nap |
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| My moon valley pilea is blooming |
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| Peas blooming late this season |
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| One water bottle, 9 bunnies I promise there are more water bottles! |
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| Tomato and Pepper raised bed coming along |
Friday, May 15, 2015
Food Friday 5/15
I have been thinking...oh no...it's true, it usually is not a good thing. Can I blame it on YouTube? Well, I am going to. I have watched a few menu/grocery haul-related videos and am really interested in trying a 30-day menu, buying bulk groceries. I know, as I have said, 10-day menus are sometimes pushing my limits, but I have got to try to stretch that dollar even further, especially with the end of the school year (and high school career for my daughter) and now I have to provide breakfasts and lunches everyday.
And if that it isn't enough to mix things up, I really liked seeing the pictures of the dinners that some YouTubers put up. Is that weird? Is that where the "food porn" phrase comes from? I can stop looking anytime I want to; I just don't want to... Of course, this will take some getting used to. Obviously, I have not made it a habit yet of taking pictures so this is all you get from last week.
If this is how it is going to look, we may revert back just to the written word. I don't want to be responsible for you losing your appetite.
Anyway, let me know what you think of pre-(not post) meal pics versus the pre-week menu. I will continue to put up some recipes with the weekly meal pics, and I will also include how much a monthly menu cost me and if I like it. I won't actually start that until next pay day though in preparation for the June month.
And if that it isn't enough to mix things up, I really liked seeing the pictures of the dinners that some YouTubers put up. Is that weird? Is that where the "food porn" phrase comes from? I can stop looking anytime I want to; I just don't want to... Of course, this will take some getting used to. Obviously, I have not made it a habit yet of taking pictures so this is all you get from last week.
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| Bean rice potpourri with iceberg and garden lettuce salad |
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| Umm, this was the grilled BBQ chicken, potato salad and cole slaw meal |
If this is how it is going to look, we may revert back just to the written word. I don't want to be responsible for you losing your appetite.
Anyway, let me know what you think of pre-(not post) meal pics versus the pre-week menu. I will continue to put up some recipes with the weekly meal pics, and I will also include how much a monthly menu cost me and if I like it. I won't actually start that until next pay day though in preparation for the June month.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Come on Noon!
If you read my last post, you know how I envied all of nature at noon with its stillness and warmth.
Well, let me introduce you to the morning. I would call this a DITL (day in the life), but really this is just from 4:30 until 6:30 am.
I hear my son's alarm going off so decide I had better get up and get everyone's lunches ready. I have discovered that if they do it themselves they either go through our supplies twice as fast as they should or they don't take lunch at all and things get wasted-feast or famine. I begin waking up by turning on a little iheartradio to a Vivaldi self-created station to ease into the day. So I open up the lunch boxes to find an ooey, gooey, syrupy mess in the hubby's. Really? So let's start the morning by washing out the lunch boxes. That explains why the red one was used instead of the blue for the last week. (Rolling eyes.) This goes smoothly; sandwiches and leftovers, grapes, peanut butter crackers, juice and cough drops for the sickly one, oats and more syrup-in an extra brown lunch bag-for the hubby. I have time to clean up a little before they are up. I consider making breakfast. No, let's not spoil them, besides they have breakfast bagels in the freezer. I put in a load of laundry and as the son comes out of his room, I remind him to leave some of his dirty clothes for me to wash. I think that was positive groan I heard from his direction. Ah yes, it was; there are clothes in the hallway now.
Shortly, everyone is doing the zombie walk out the door to work and school with lunches in hand. I now have two loads of clothes in my basket and the sun is up. I take the basket and set it on the rail so I can open up the chickens. I decided that it would be a nice thing for me to do if I let the goats out to nibble on poison ivy and privet whilst I hang out my laundry. I set my basket down and glance at the goats heading toward the greenhouse. Nothing in there, let them be curious. All of a sudden I hear a horrific squeal. The bunnies! I run as fast as I can in my muck boots and with a broken toe to find our cat on top of a rabbit...one of our bunnies! Oreo sees me and takes off. The rabbit runs back into the garden fence. I trot back around to get in the garden and pick him up. He does not move. He is in shock. I see a white rabbit also out and about. I put the possibly injured bunny on top of the cage inside an old honey super that we help to hold down the feed bags to give them shade. He does not move. The white one, however, is not quite as ready to leave the green, green grass outside of his tractor. Nonetheless, he goes. I hold the other one a little while, examining him. I see one little scratch on his ear, but no blood. Nothing else external. I leave him in the honey super and feed the others and also the chickens and ducks. I come back move the tractor to a new patch of grass, checking for dips where they can escape out the bottom fence and fill one with a brick. I put him gently back in the tractor. He remains still amongst the others.
Then I hear something in the greenhouse. Brie has knocked over a stack of gallon pots. I shoo them out of the greenhouse. They seem to moderately behave as I finish putting the rest of the clothes on the line. I grab a bit of feed to bribe them back into the fence so I can check my garden for rabbit damage. Yep, some of my lettuce has been nibbled quite badly. My newly sprouted beans seem to be intact. What the?!? Brie. In the garden? Exhale to slumped shoulders. "Come on Brie, back to the..." She jumps back over the chicken wire part of the fence and runs back toward the clothesline and runs into Mollie. I grab both of their collars and head toward the gate. The gate latch has been broken! The girls escape and take off running. I am sure from the outside it was funny to watch. I cannot recall the next 10 minutes of running through the trees and poison ivy on the driveway side of the coop, tripping over the roots, rocks and stones. My broken toe is now a bit painful, but as much as just wanted to let the dog have the goats, I had to finish this and reaffirm my authority. The queen bee shall prevail! I had to literally drag Brie like a stubborn mule all the way around the shed to the goat barn. I locked her in her stall so that I could try to temporarily repair the gate to hold them in. I wasn't worried about Mollie, she will come back in soon enough. She did, after hearing her sister in their stall throwing a hissy fit. I fed the adult rabbits in their cages. I was so thankful everyone had enough water to last until noonish. I gave Mollie some sweet feed and grabbed the blue nylon rope hanging on the barn and proceeded to make a web trying to hold the gate shut. A bit out of breath I went back in the house passing the digital clock on the stove. 6:29! Good grief! Come on noon! I need some peace!
Well, let me introduce you to the morning. I would call this a DITL (day in the life), but really this is just from 4:30 until 6:30 am.
I hear my son's alarm going off so decide I had better get up and get everyone's lunches ready. I have discovered that if they do it themselves they either go through our supplies twice as fast as they should or they don't take lunch at all and things get wasted-feast or famine. I begin waking up by turning on a little iheartradio to a Vivaldi self-created station to ease into the day. So I open up the lunch boxes to find an ooey, gooey, syrupy mess in the hubby's. Really? So let's start the morning by washing out the lunch boxes. That explains why the red one was used instead of the blue for the last week. (Rolling eyes.) This goes smoothly; sandwiches and leftovers, grapes, peanut butter crackers, juice and cough drops for the sickly one, oats and more syrup-in an extra brown lunch bag-for the hubby. I have time to clean up a little before they are up. I consider making breakfast. No, let's not spoil them, besides they have breakfast bagels in the freezer. I put in a load of laundry and as the son comes out of his room, I remind him to leave some of his dirty clothes for me to wash. I think that was positive groan I heard from his direction. Ah yes, it was; there are clothes in the hallway now.
Shortly, everyone is doing the zombie walk out the door to work and school with lunches in hand. I now have two loads of clothes in my basket and the sun is up. I take the basket and set it on the rail so I can open up the chickens. I decided that it would be a nice thing for me to do if I let the goats out to nibble on poison ivy and privet whilst I hang out my laundry. I set my basket down and glance at the goats heading toward the greenhouse. Nothing in there, let them be curious. All of a sudden I hear a horrific squeal. The bunnies! I run as fast as I can in my muck boots and with a broken toe to find our cat on top of a rabbit...one of our bunnies! Oreo sees me and takes off. The rabbit runs back into the garden fence. I trot back around to get in the garden and pick him up. He does not move. He is in shock. I see a white rabbit also out and about. I put the possibly injured bunny on top of the cage inside an old honey super that we help to hold down the feed bags to give them shade. He does not move. The white one, however, is not quite as ready to leave the green, green grass outside of his tractor. Nonetheless, he goes. I hold the other one a little while, examining him. I see one little scratch on his ear, but no blood. Nothing else external. I leave him in the honey super and feed the others and also the chickens and ducks. I come back move the tractor to a new patch of grass, checking for dips where they can escape out the bottom fence and fill one with a brick. I put him gently back in the tractor. He remains still amongst the others.
Then I hear something in the greenhouse. Brie has knocked over a stack of gallon pots. I shoo them out of the greenhouse. They seem to moderately behave as I finish putting the rest of the clothes on the line. I grab a bit of feed to bribe them back into the fence so I can check my garden for rabbit damage. Yep, some of my lettuce has been nibbled quite badly. My newly sprouted beans seem to be intact. What the?!? Brie. In the garden? Exhale to slumped shoulders. "Come on Brie, back to the..." She jumps back over the chicken wire part of the fence and runs back toward the clothesline and runs into Mollie. I grab both of their collars and head toward the gate. The gate latch has been broken! The girls escape and take off running. I am sure from the outside it was funny to watch. I cannot recall the next 10 minutes of running through the trees and poison ivy on the driveway side of the coop, tripping over the roots, rocks and stones. My broken toe is now a bit painful, but as much as just wanted to let the dog have the goats, I had to finish this and reaffirm my authority. The queen bee shall prevail! I had to literally drag Brie like a stubborn mule all the way around the shed to the goat barn. I locked her in her stall so that I could try to temporarily repair the gate to hold them in. I wasn't worried about Mollie, she will come back in soon enough. She did, after hearing her sister in their stall throwing a hissy fit. I fed the adult rabbits in their cages. I was so thankful everyone had enough water to last until noonish. I gave Mollie some sweet feed and grabbed the blue nylon rope hanging on the barn and proceeded to make a web trying to hold the gate shut. A bit out of breath I went back in the house passing the digital clock on the stove. 6:29! Good grief! Come on noon! I need some peace!
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Practicing Peace
Warmer days are starting. That means more to do in the morning and noon time. Hanging out the clothes on sunny days to take advantage of the drying sun. Checking the animals more often to make sure they are cool enough and have plenty of fresh water. Water the garden, daily weeding and hoeing to ensure the best harvest possible in the fall. Fixing things that have deteriorated over the cold of the winter. I spend mornings rushing about working on my to-do list. Inside chores and iheartradio go hand-in-hand to keep them moving along without too much thinking on my part. The washer is making noise, the ice maker runs and dumps the ice, startling me almost each time. Outside morning chores fill the air with sounds rustling bags of feed, birds and bees singing and buzzing, bleating goats, thumping rabbits, quacking ducks, meowing cat and clucking chickens, all vying for my attention to get theirs first.
Yet, when the sun is straight up and shade can be a challenge, there is an eerie silence on the homestead. As I was taking the dry towels off the clothesline, I noticed the stillness and silence, less the one cardinal sitting on the garden fence singing. The rabbits were in their rabbit tractor, splayed out trying to stay cool. One gets up and goes for a drink. The cardinal then has competition with the clink-clink-clink of the water bottle nipple, but not for long as he lays back down with the others. I see the chickens under the Leyland cypress trees resting in the deepest shade they can find. I can see the goats settled along the shady fence line joined by a few younger pullets on and around them, seemingly enjoying the silence that causes me to feel a bit uneasy. They all seem so at peace. I think I will follow suit and go inside into the shade and practice enjoying the peace and quiet before the afternoon comes and brings with it a new set of tasks-noisy, rushed tasks.
Yet, when the sun is straight up and shade can be a challenge, there is an eerie silence on the homestead. As I was taking the dry towels off the clothesline, I noticed the stillness and silence, less the one cardinal sitting on the garden fence singing. The rabbits were in their rabbit tractor, splayed out trying to stay cool. One gets up and goes for a drink. The cardinal then has competition with the clink-clink-clink of the water bottle nipple, but not for long as he lays back down with the others. I see the chickens under the Leyland cypress trees resting in the deepest shade they can find. I can see the goats settled along the shady fence line joined by a few younger pullets on and around them, seemingly enjoying the silence that causes me to feel a bit uneasy. They all seem so at peace. I think I will follow suit and go inside into the shade and practice enjoying the peace and quiet before the afternoon comes and brings with it a new set of tasks-noisy, rushed tasks.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Tuesday To-Do 5/12
Last week inside: Purge office. Breakfast sandwiches. Peanut butter crackers. Popcorn. Grapes. Deep clean 2nd bathroom. Clean ceiling fans. Check AC filters. Clean under kitchen sink. Reorganize pantry. Gather dead plants and compost.
This week's chores inside are: Finish last week's chores. Clean kitchen corner. I had a plastic drawer storage container break and I need to reevaluate and reorganize everything that was in that container and in that corner. I need to organize the green baker's rack that has spices and other baking items. Make more of hubby's oats. Reorganize the living room bookcase.
Finish weed eating the driveway. Fill the raised bed on the other side. Sow tomatoes. Plant pole beans, squash. Work on doggy door path. Dust the chicken coop. Wash the feeders and tub. Find DE (diatomaceous earth)-it wasn't at the closest feed store so will check in big town. Stake peach tree. Go through wood pile for new step. Breed Flower and Thumper (rabbits). Reorganizing the tool shed. Start on burn pit. Cut down saplings.
This week's chores outside are: Finish last week's list: Catch the newest litter of free range bunnies before the hawks get them. Fill one trash bag from porch. Straw the ducks. Cut the weeds around the front steps. Wash the house and the feed shed where it is getting yucky and green moldy looking with vinegar water. If that doesn't work, I will pour in some Joy dish soap, but vinegar usually does the job. Pull the honeysuckle off of the garden fence, and inspect where rabbits might be getting in...still.
Honestly, last week seemed very busy but just with the basic chores. Weeding the garden, watering the garden, taking care of the livestock, sowing and transplanting, making lunch snack bags and cooking meals and extras. I just didn't get to progress with the chores as I should. I think that the next two weeks (or more) are going to be the same way. My daughter has a lot of things going on such as concerts, graduation and all of the ceremonies that go with that, and banquets for chorale, etc. I am feeling unproductive on paper, but busy as a bee in real time. That can make one anxious if you don't sit down and remember what you really did. For example, it took over two hours just to mulch the blueberries after taking the wheelbarrow down into the woods, raking under the pine trees, sorting a little bit, running from ground hornets, packing it in the wheelbarrow and pushing it back to the yard, opening the berry fence and then finally actually mulching the berries and giving that a good douse of water. Of course, then doing that one more time just for good measure. Also, Oreo has a horrible cut on his front leg that we are trying to mend. I believe that he got hit by a car. His head healed and I see where his back is somewhat scraped looking under the fur. We are spraying his leg with Blue-Kote and wrapping it up until he tears it off a couple of days later and then we do it again. I am not sure it is healing, but I did give him penicillin shots and he definitely feels better and the "infection" smell is gone. Oh, and having only worked in the medical field for 18 years or so, although in a clerical / supportive role, transcribing the doctors' notes from various fields, including family practice, it never occurred to me that being allergic to penicillin and it touching your skin would cause an allergic reaction. Good thing I am staying on the farm now, I guess.
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| Sausage, egg, cheese bagels to freeze for family's weekday breakfast. |
Last week outside chores: This week's chores outside are: Finish last week's list: Catch the newest litter of free range bunnies before the hawks get them. Fill one trash bag from porch. Straw the ducks. Cut the weeds around the front steps. Wash the house and the feed shed where it is getting yucky and green moldy looking with vinegar water. If that doesn't work, I will pour in some Joy dish soap, but vinegar usually does the job. Pull the honeysuckle off of the garden fence, and inspect where rabbits might be getting in...still.
Honestly, last week seemed very busy but just with the basic chores. Weeding the garden, watering the garden, taking care of the livestock, sowing and transplanting, making lunch snack bags and cooking meals and extras. I just didn't get to progress with the chores as I should. I think that the next two weeks (or more) are going to be the same way. My daughter has a lot of things going on such as concerts, graduation and all of the ceremonies that go with that, and banquets for chorale, etc. I am feeling unproductive on paper, but busy as a bee in real time. That can make one anxious if you don't sit down and remember what you really did. For example, it took over two hours just to mulch the blueberries after taking the wheelbarrow down into the woods, raking under the pine trees, sorting a little bit, running from ground hornets, packing it in the wheelbarrow and pushing it back to the yard, opening the berry fence and then finally actually mulching the berries and giving that a good douse of water. Of course, then doing that one more time just for good measure. Also, Oreo has a horrible cut on his front leg that we are trying to mend. I believe that he got hit by a car. His head healed and I see where his back is somewhat scraped looking under the fur. We are spraying his leg with Blue-Kote and wrapping it up until he tears it off a couple of days later and then we do it again. I am not sure it is healing, but I did give him penicillin shots and he definitely feels better and the "infection" smell is gone. Oh, and having only worked in the medical field for 18 years or so, although in a clerical / supportive role, transcribing the doctors' notes from various fields, including family practice, it never occurred to me that being allergic to penicillin and it touching your skin would cause an allergic reaction. Good thing I am staying on the farm now, I guess.
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| Oreo recovering from his outpatient procedure, or just trying to milk it to stay inside... |
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Food Friday- Menu for 5/9
I have to admit that perusing the ads this week was very disappointing. Since living on a very strict budget, trying to get the most bang for my buck at the grocery stores is very hard. I guess that's why we are having so many soups this week, just as the weather heats up. Yay!
Saturday-
Brunch. Blueberry ricotta bread to use up leftover ricotta and frozen blueberries. I'll have to re-find the recipe though. Scrambled veggie eggs and maybe bacon.
Supper. Ham, cabbage and potato skillet and green beans.
Sunday-
Pankcakes, bacon.
Pizza-buffalo chicken with homemade ranch instead of blue cheese for hubby.
Monday- Split pea soup. I have leftover ham and a bag of carrots and split peas just begging to be used up. I'll just turn up the air conditioner this evening.
Tuesday-
Our weekly spaghetti with homemade canned sauce, homemade bread, salad with lettuce from the garden.
Wednesday-
CORD soup. Yep, that frugal Clean Out Refrigerator Day Soup. So far this will most likely include a ham cabbage potato skillet, left over green beans, broccoli and cooked carrots.
Thursday-
Bean potpourri pot. A few times a month I will throw in beans, rice and tomatoes with chilies with a little chili powder, cumin and cayenne for the sake of frugality. This time I will be using black beans. Aldi had a great deal about two or three months ago and we have really enjoyed them. I kept them dry though and didn't can them. Maybe next time. Hopefully soon because I am almost out!
Friday-
Grill day (weather permit). I have split breasts and leg quarters in the freezer. I think this would be a good BBQ day. Homemade BBQ sauce, Potato salad (Cook's Country recipe-LOVE it!), cole slaw, sun tea and fresh lemonade for a couple of Arnold Palmers. And the easy peach cobbler for dessert. Sorry mom, not traditional like you do. (This is the extravagant day since payday).
Grilled hot dogs with leftover salad and slaw.
LUNCHES- leftovers, tuna salad, chicken salad, and pb&j. May break down for some cheap bologna for sandwiches for their lunches. I am wanting to make about 2 dozen or so PB&J to put in the freezer.
Recipes I am trying:
Blueberry Ricotta Squares (allrecipes)
1 c. flour, 3/4 c. sugar, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder in a bowl. Mix 1/3 c. milk, 1/4 c. shortening (I will be using butter), 1 egg and lemon extract (which I will omit as I don't have it, but I do have some lemon zest in the freezer that I may sprinkle in). Add egg mix into flour mix. Pour into a greased 9-inch square dish. Layer the berries. Mix the 2 eggs, 1 1/4 c ricotta, 1/3 c. sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla until well blended. Spoon over berries and spread evenly. 55-60 minutes at 350.
Texas Potato Salad (Cooks Country)
Combine 1/2 c. red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 Tbl sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt in bowl. You are supposed to microwave this, but I don't have a microwave, so I just leave out covered. Add 1/2 red onion and 1 minced jalapeño and 1 sliced. Set aside for 15 or more minutes. Strain onion and jalapeños over bowl. Reserve pickled vegetables and vinegar mixture separately. Meanwhile, boil 3# of Yukon Gold potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, transfer to large bowl and drizzle 2 tablespoons reserved vinegar mixture over potatoes until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes. Whisk mayonnaise, mustard, ½ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne until combined. Add mayo mix, pickled vegetables, eggs, and celery to potatoes and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Serve. (Luckily I am of German descent and don't mind a warm potato salad because sometimes I just can't wait. :)
Peach cobbler (memorized from somewhere??)
Melt 1 stick of butter in a cake pan. Mix 1 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, 1 Tbl baking powder. I sprinkle a little salt in. No real measurement. I add 1 c. of milk and stir. Once the butter is melted I pour the batter over the butter without stirring. I add a large can of canned peaches in heavy syrup, or if it is a light version in its own juice, I will sprinkle about 1/3 to 1/2 c. of sugar on them. Bake it at 375 for about 40 minutes or so.
GROCERY LIST:
Can of tomato juice
Blue cheese dressing (Aldi)
Cherry tomatoes
Ketchup (Sam's) divide into 3 reused bottles
Brown sugar
Jalapeno (Aldi)
(Got red onions last week at Aldi 2# for $.69)
Yukon Gold potatoes
Mustard (Aldi) Probably will start collecting mustard bottles for a Sam's purchase
Bologna (Aldi)
Hot Dogs (Sam's) Grilling season is here! Freeze extras.
Mozzarella (Sam's)
Lemons (Aldi or Sam, depending on quality)
Tea (Aldi)
Peaches (Aldi)
Cabbage
Peanut butter (Sam's)
Jelly (Aldi)
Bread (Aldi) x 4-5
Grapes
Bananas
Cantaloupe
Split breasts (BiLo for $1 lb.) Restock freezer
Tuna (Sam's)
Saturday-
Brunch. Blueberry ricotta bread to use up leftover ricotta and frozen blueberries. I'll have to re-find the recipe though. Scrambled veggie eggs and maybe bacon.
Supper. Ham, cabbage and potato skillet and green beans.
Sunday-
Pankcakes, bacon.
Pizza-buffalo chicken with homemade ranch instead of blue cheese for hubby.
Monday- Split pea soup. I have leftover ham and a bag of carrots and split peas just begging to be used up. I'll just turn up the air conditioner this evening.
Tuesday-
Our weekly spaghetti with homemade canned sauce, homemade bread, salad with lettuce from the garden.
Wednesday-
CORD soup. Yep, that frugal Clean Out Refrigerator Day Soup. So far this will most likely include a ham cabbage potato skillet, left over green beans, broccoli and cooked carrots.
Thursday-
Bean potpourri pot. A few times a month I will throw in beans, rice and tomatoes with chilies with a little chili powder, cumin and cayenne for the sake of frugality. This time I will be using black beans. Aldi had a great deal about two or three months ago and we have really enjoyed them. I kept them dry though and didn't can them. Maybe next time. Hopefully soon because I am almost out!
Friday-
Grill day (weather permit). I have split breasts and leg quarters in the freezer. I think this would be a good BBQ day. Homemade BBQ sauce, Potato salad (Cook's Country recipe-LOVE it!), cole slaw, sun tea and fresh lemonade for a couple of Arnold Palmers. And the easy peach cobbler for dessert. Sorry mom, not traditional like you do. (This is the extravagant day since payday).
Grilled hot dogs with leftover salad and slaw.
LUNCHES- leftovers, tuna salad, chicken salad, and pb&j. May break down for some cheap bologna for sandwiches for their lunches. I am wanting to make about 2 dozen or so PB&J to put in the freezer.
Recipes I am trying:
Blueberry Ricotta Squares (allrecipes)
1 c. flour, 3/4 c. sugar, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder in a bowl. Mix 1/3 c. milk, 1/4 c. shortening (I will be using butter), 1 egg and lemon extract (which I will omit as I don't have it, but I do have some lemon zest in the freezer that I may sprinkle in). Add egg mix into flour mix. Pour into a greased 9-inch square dish. Layer the berries. Mix the 2 eggs, 1 1/4 c ricotta, 1/3 c. sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla until well blended. Spoon over berries and spread evenly. 55-60 minutes at 350.
Texas Potato Salad (Cooks Country)
Combine 1/2 c. red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 Tbl sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt in bowl. You are supposed to microwave this, but I don't have a microwave, so I just leave out covered. Add 1/2 red onion and 1 minced jalapeño and 1 sliced. Set aside for 15 or more minutes. Strain onion and jalapeños over bowl. Reserve pickled vegetables and vinegar mixture separately. Meanwhile, boil 3# of Yukon Gold potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, transfer to large bowl and drizzle 2 tablespoons reserved vinegar mixture over potatoes until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes. Whisk mayonnaise, mustard, ½ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne until combined. Add mayo mix, pickled vegetables, eggs, and celery to potatoes and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Serve. (Luckily I am of German descent and don't mind a warm potato salad because sometimes I just can't wait. :)
Peach cobbler (memorized from somewhere??)
Melt 1 stick of butter in a cake pan. Mix 1 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, 1 Tbl baking powder. I sprinkle a little salt in. No real measurement. I add 1 c. of milk and stir. Once the butter is melted I pour the batter over the butter without stirring. I add a large can of canned peaches in heavy syrup, or if it is a light version in its own juice, I will sprinkle about 1/3 to 1/2 c. of sugar on them. Bake it at 375 for about 40 minutes or so.
GROCERY LIST:
Can of tomato juice
Blue cheese dressing (Aldi)
Cherry tomatoes
Ketchup (Sam's) divide into 3 reused bottles
Brown sugar
Jalapeno (Aldi)
(Got red onions last week at Aldi 2# for $.69)
Yukon Gold potatoes
Mustard (Aldi) Probably will start collecting mustard bottles for a Sam's purchase
Bologna (Aldi)
Hot Dogs (Sam's) Grilling season is here! Freeze extras.
Mozzarella (Sam's)
Lemons (Aldi or Sam, depending on quality)
Tea (Aldi)
Peaches (Aldi)
Cabbage
Peanut butter (Sam's)
Jelly (Aldi)
Bread (Aldi) x 4-5
Grapes
Bananas
Cantaloupe
Split breasts (BiLo for $1 lb.) Restock freezer
Tuna (Sam's)
Garden Journal 5/7/15
Now that the Holidays are over (May the 4th be with you, Cinco de Mayo), it's time to get back to serious food production in the garden.
Admittedly, I have done a horrendous job of labeling. I hope that from this point forward I can do better job. One will never make it to the Farmer's Market that way! "Do you have Homestead tomatoes?" "Yes, I do." "Which ones?" " I dunno."
But it seems I am somewhat cursed. The ones that do have a label die and those that don't seem to do fine.
Nonetheless, I carry on sowing and planting. Right now in the garden I have lettuce, radishes, snap peas, cucumbers, 1 green bean?, kale, beets, hot peppers, sweet peppers, wheat and corn (a patch of each for experimental purposes and hopefully animal feed). Things are up and growing. It is the best it has been at Lost Arrow Acres since we now have a fence. However, we did find a dip in the ground that something (a rabbit) must have gotten in and decided to eat half of my beets. But on the upside, nothing else.
With a possible rainstorm over the next couple of days, I sowed a few more seeds. More beets, kale, lettuce (green towers), glory blend lettuce, Kentucky Wonder pole beans, Avalon and Honey Select corn, and a new green bean from Park Seed, Advantage. So we shall see.
In my raised bed where I planted lettuce, spinach, radishes and tomatoes, my radishes were growing amazing leaves, big and beautiful, but a teeny tiny radish. So I harvested all of the lettuce and 2 radishes that are actually a good size and planted some corn that would suck the overly abundant nutrients out of the soil. Now my menu has changed a bit for tonight. Chef's Salad it is!
Admittedly, I have done a horrendous job of labeling. I hope that from this point forward I can do better job. One will never make it to the Farmer's Market that way! "Do you have Homestead tomatoes?" "Yes, I do." "Which ones?" " I dunno."But it seems I am somewhat cursed. The ones that do have a label die and those that don't seem to do fine.
Nonetheless, I carry on sowing and planting. Right now in the garden I have lettuce, radishes, snap peas, cucumbers, 1 green bean?, kale, beets, hot peppers, sweet peppers, wheat and corn (a patch of each for experimental purposes and hopefully animal feed). Things are up and growing. It is the best it has been at Lost Arrow Acres since we now have a fence. However, we did find a dip in the ground that something (a rabbit) must have gotten in and decided to eat half of my beets. But on the upside, nothing else.
In my raised bed where I planted lettuce, spinach, radishes and tomatoes, my radishes were growing amazing leaves, big and beautiful, but a teeny tiny radish. So I harvested all of the lettuce and 2 radishes that are actually a good size and planted some corn that would suck the overly abundant nutrients out of the soil. Now my menu has changed a bit for tonight. Chef's Salad it is!
Monday, May 4, 2015
Tuesday To-Do
Last week inside:
Deep cleaning the master bathroom. Store and clean up (light box, trays and labels, heat mat back out to the big greenhouse, etc.) Wash the windows and scrub the floor. Purging in the office. Clean out the fridge. Make homemade instant oats. Homemade maple pancake syrup. Sausage and egg mini bagels, bacon egg and cheese mini bagels, peanut butter crackers. Make pimento cheese. Bag up some snack-size grapes, almonds. Pop some popcorn.
This week's chores inside are:Finish last week's list: Purge office. Breakfast sandwiches. Peanut butter crackers. Popcorn. Grapes.
Deep clean 2nd bathroom. Clean ceiling fans. It's still nice and cool in the mornings and evening so ceiling fans instead of the air conditioner. Check AC filters. Clean under kitchen sink. Reorganize pantry-how does it get so messed up?? Gather all empty pots and a few dead plants that didn't make it through the winter and put in compost pile.
Last outside week:
Weed eat up the driveway. Rake the goat yard. Fill the raised bed. Plant a few tomatoes, pole beans, summer squash and more lettuce and radishes. Sow jalapenos, tomatoes, and flowers (cosmos, bachelors buttons, sunflowers and other bee/bird attractants). Doggy door path. Straw the ducks. Clean the chicken coop, dusting the corners. Wash all feeders and water tub, add a diatomaceous earth and vinegar . Stake the peach tree. Gather pine needles to mulch my blueberries. Get a hive ready for new bees. Steps to the back porch. replaced RENAILED.
This week's chores outside are:
Finish last week's list: Finish weed eating the driveway. Fill the raised bed on the other side. Sow tomatoes. Plant pole beans, squash. Work on doggy door path. Dust the chicken coop. Wash the feeders and tub. Find DE (diatomaceous earth)-it wasn't at the closest feed store so will check in big town. Stake peach tree. Go through wood pile for new step.
We have a new baby buckling, Mad Max, that I am still bottle feeding 3 x / day. So there is a bit more time involved in the animals. Breed Flower and Thumper (rabbits). I have created a family project list for this month and have told them to choose a couple of projects to work on over the next 4 weeks. It is going to be a super busy month with graduation, choir concerts, hubby's work, etc. so I am expecting these to last into June - just don't tell them or they won't even try! So far it looks like I am stuck with cleaning and reorganizing the tool shed. Ugh! But I am here and I do have a pet peeve of not putting the tools back so we can find them next time. So I will begin that this week. I am going to work on sorting out duplicate tools and maybe I can sell them and make some extra cash. (Especially since I did put us a in a bit of bind with buying Max, but he will hopefully make up for it in a few months). Garden chores continue, hoeing, planting, weeding, thinning, cutting lettuce, eating radishes. The asparagus also has a few stalks that have gotten out of control. I will trim some of these back before letting it go completely. We need to get the mower and tiller back in working order so I can mow the "orchard." Work on a burn pit for all the extra trees and tree limbs that need to be burned. Cut down saplings and young trees that are growing in all the wrong places.
I did start some extra cardio and then figured out that all of my tennis shoes are not worthy of walking. Now I am limping and walking even slower than normal. Yay! Nevertheless, I shall prevail!
*recipes are from allrecipes.com and DoItOnADime YouTube videos, with some tweaks.
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| 2c shredded cheddar 8oz cream cheese 1/2c. mayo 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. onion powder small jar of pimentos 1 minced jalapeno |
Deep clean 2nd bathroom. Clean ceiling fans. It's still nice and cool in the mornings and evening so ceiling fans instead of the air conditioner. Check AC filters. Clean under kitchen sink. Reorganize pantry-how does it get so messed up?? Gather all empty pots and a few dead plants that didn't make it through the winter and put in compost pile.
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| 3c. oats in blender to fine meal 6c. quick cook oats 1 c. dry milk or creamer 1 tsp salt 3/4-1c. brown sugar  |
Weed eat up the driveway.
This week's chores outside are:
Finish last week's list: Finish weed eating the driveway. Fill the raised bed on the other side. Sow tomatoes. Plant pole beans, squash. Work on doggy door path. Dust the chicken coop. Wash the feeders and tub. Find DE (diatomaceous earth)-it wasn't at the closest feed store so will check in big town. Stake peach tree. Go through wood pile for new step.
We have a new baby buckling, Mad Max, that I am still bottle feeding 3 x / day. So there is a bit more time involved in the animals. Breed Flower and Thumper (rabbits). I have created a family project list for this month and have told them to choose a couple of projects to work on over the next 4 weeks. It is going to be a super busy month with graduation, choir concerts, hubby's work, etc. so I am expecting these to last into June - just don't tell them or they won't even try! So far it looks like I am stuck with cleaning and reorganizing the tool shed. Ugh! But I am here and I do have a pet peeve of not putting the tools back so we can find them next time. So I will begin that this week. I am going to work on sorting out duplicate tools and maybe I can sell them and make some extra cash. (Especially since I did put us a in a bit of bind with buying Max, but he will hopefully make up for it in a few months). Garden chores continue, hoeing, planting, weeding, thinning, cutting lettuce, eating radishes. The asparagus also has a few stalks that have gotten out of control. I will trim some of these back before letting it go completely. We need to get the mower and tiller back in working order so I can mow the "orchard." Work on a burn pit for all the extra trees and tree limbs that need to be burned. Cut down saplings and young trees that are growing in all the wrong places.
I did start some extra cardio and then figured out that all of my tennis shoes are not worthy of walking. Now I am limping and walking even slower than normal. Yay! Nevertheless, I shall prevail!
*recipes are from allrecipes.com and DoItOnADime YouTube videos, with some tweaks.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Somewhat Silent Sunday
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| Dinner time |
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| Lucy photobombing the bunnies |
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| After dinner nap |
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| Potting table |
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| Mini Greenhouse |
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| Boss Tweed (maybe) copper bearded iris |
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| Spanish lavendar |
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| Dianthus |
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| Blueberries are coming on! |
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| Blackberries |
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| Someone has found a new nesting area... |
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| Peach tree |
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| Plum tree |
Friday, May 1, 2015
Food Friday
Most of the grocery ads come out Wednesday around here so I wait for those before sitting down and putting together a 10-meal menu. Hubby is home for lunch on Friday and sometimes the kids are home for a lunch on the weekend...sometimes. Seven suppers and three lunches usually do the trick. Aldi's ad comes out on Sunday so I try to get that great priced produce. We get paid every two weeks, so week one is usually good with a variety fresh produce and special meat. Well, needless to say this is week two and more of the "clean out the fridge and pantry" menu. I try to budget a little bit for the second week just in case there are fabulous sales. Yes, I should do a 2-week menu, but I never stick to it for that long. A week, yes, 10 days, usually, but 2 weeks, never.
Saturday-
Brunch. Our fresh eggs, probably scrambled with some spinach from the garden, sausage gravy (using 1/2 of the pound), and the never-fail mayo biscuits.
Supper. Beans and leftover ham, fried taters, spinach (canned), cornbread.
Sunday-
Sunday is always pancake and pizza day. I am out of leftover pancakes that I freeze so I will double or triple the batch.
Pankcakes with the remaining sausage. Will make enough syrup for Hubby's oats for next week.
Pizza-pepperoni, black olives and I may rehydrate some mushrooms I have jarred up. I still have one jar of my homemade sauce. I may take one can of tomato sauce from Sam's and can some more next week. I have frozen green peppers I can mix in too.
Monday- It is "May the 4th be with you" but I don't know what Star Wars themed foods I can do. Fried Ewok? Wookie Cookies? Light saber stew?
Unless I get super creative, it's spaghetti, salad (add lettuce and radishes from the garden), homemade bread or breadsticks.
Tuesday-Cinco De Mayo
Tacos (obviously), Mexican rice.
Wednesday-
Grilled chicken breasts with mango salsa and a rice pilaf.
Thursday-
Buffalo chicken salad with ranch-salsa dressing.
Friday-
Homemade corn dogs, French fries/homemade chips, carrot sticks.
Deerloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, frozen green beans, cob corn.
LUNCHES-pimento cheese sandwiches, PB&J, ham&cheese sandwiches, leftovers
ON HAND:
Eggs, Sausage, Flour, Butter, Mayonnaise, Great Northern beans (canned 2 weeks ago)
Cornmeal, Sugar, Pepperoni (Sam's), Black olives (leftover in fridge), Mushrooms (dehydrated),
Pasta (Sam's), pizza sauce (homemade), Tomato Sauce (Sam's), Rice, Hot Sauce, deer burger, green beans, mixed veggies (Sam's), Baja vegetables (Sam's), Ranch mix (Sam's mixed with homemade), taco seasoning (homemade)
GROCERY LIST:
Milk (Sam's) - freeze 2-3
10# potatoes (Ingles 2.98)
Spinach (Aldi)
Taco shells (Aldi)
Tomatoes (Sam's)
Bag of shredded cheddar (Sam's) - freeze
Iceberg lettuce (Aldi)
Chicken breast (Ingles? 2.48)
Mango (Aldi)
Hot dogs
Carrots (Aldi)
Corn on the cob (BiLo 3/$.99)
Refried beans (Aldi)
Tomatoes with chiles (Aldi)
Avocado (Aldi)
Because of Cinco De Mayo, Aldi especially has great deals on their Mexican foods. I will stock up on the tomatoes with chiles, probably an extra box of shells for emergency taco suppers. I will buy extra mango and chop and freeze for smoothies or fruit salads. Pork loin is on sale at ingles for 1.98/lb. Probably get one to put in freezer. Bologna at BiLo is 1/2 price, might have that available for lunches too. Other than that nothing screams to me.
If I missed a good deal-let me know!
Saturday-
Brunch. Our fresh eggs, probably scrambled with some spinach from the garden, sausage gravy (using 1/2 of the pound), and the never-fail mayo biscuits.
Supper. Beans and leftover ham, fried taters, spinach (canned), cornbread.
Sunday-
Sunday is always pancake and pizza day. I am out of leftover pancakes that I freeze so I will double or triple the batch.
Pankcakes with the remaining sausage. Will make enough syrup for Hubby's oats for next week.
Pizza-pepperoni, black olives and I may rehydrate some mushrooms I have jarred up. I still have one jar of my homemade sauce. I may take one can of tomato sauce from Sam's and can some more next week. I have frozen green peppers I can mix in too.
Monday- It is "May the 4th be with you" but I don't know what Star Wars themed foods I can do. Fried Ewok? Wookie Cookies? Light saber stew?
Unless I get super creative, it's spaghetti, salad (add lettuce and radishes from the garden), homemade bread or breadsticks.
Tuesday-Cinco De Mayo
Tacos (obviously), Mexican rice.
Wednesday-
Grilled chicken breasts with mango salsa and a rice pilaf.
Thursday-
Buffalo chicken salad with ranch-salsa dressing.
Friday-
Homemade corn dogs, French fries/homemade chips, carrot sticks.
Deerloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, frozen green beans, cob corn.
LUNCHES-pimento cheese sandwiches, PB&J, ham&cheese sandwiches, leftovers
ON HAND:
Eggs, Sausage, Flour, Butter, Mayonnaise, Great Northern beans (canned 2 weeks ago)
Cornmeal, Sugar, Pepperoni (Sam's), Black olives (leftover in fridge), Mushrooms (dehydrated),
Pasta (Sam's), pizza sauce (homemade), Tomato Sauce (Sam's), Rice, Hot Sauce, deer burger, green beans, mixed veggies (Sam's), Baja vegetables (Sam's), Ranch mix (Sam's mixed with homemade), taco seasoning (homemade)
GROCERY LIST:
Milk (Sam's) - freeze 2-3
10# potatoes (Ingles 2.98)
Spinach (Aldi)
Taco shells (Aldi)
Tomatoes (Sam's)
Bag of shredded cheddar (Sam's) - freeze
Iceberg lettuce (Aldi)
Chicken breast (Ingles? 2.48)
Mango (Aldi)
Hot dogs
Carrots (Aldi)
Corn on the cob (BiLo 3/$.99)
Refried beans (Aldi)
Tomatoes with chiles (Aldi)
Avocado (Aldi)
Because of Cinco De Mayo, Aldi especially has great deals on their Mexican foods. I will stock up on the tomatoes with chiles, probably an extra box of shells for emergency taco suppers. I will buy extra mango and chop and freeze for smoothies or fruit salads. Pork loin is on sale at ingles for 1.98/lb. Probably get one to put in freezer. Bologna at BiLo is 1/2 price, might have that available for lunches too. Other than that nothing screams to me.
If I missed a good deal-let me know!
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