Puttering and Prayer

The house that my niece purchased belonged to her husbands late grandmother. Although his parents have sorted through the house there are still spaces that need to be purged. One of those was the attic. They needed to make a dump run and since we have a trailer we (meaning Chuck!) asked if they'd like to split the cost of the dump run with us.  During our big purge this summer Chuck had gathered a pile of things that needed to go. Friday evening we loaded up the trailer. 

Most of the things in our pile was old wood. Scraps from projects, fence pickets that had been replaced and random pieces of this and that.  While loading the trailer I picked out a few of the scrap pieces for a couple of project.

A cold front has come through and the season change is starting to feel real. That means I've been thinking about decorating for fall. As much as this girl loves summer, once the season changes I'm all aboard! 

As always Chuck takes my ideas and makes them reality. I had him turn the scraps into a couple of items to use in my outdoor décor. Here is a sneak peek at one of the items. 

The garden is starting to wind down. The cucumber vines are dying back, the potatoes have been dug and things are slowing down. 

My thoughts have turned to fall gardening. For me that means I started prepping things for the winter season and thinking about fall flowers.

I picked up these little mums on sale for $0.98!  

Since Friday I have been in constant prayer for Chucks' cousin and his wife.  They lost their baby at 39 weeks. She was induced on Friday morning and delivered their precious baby girl early Saturday evening. Sometime between a routine appointment on Monday and lack of movement on Thursday the sweet thing ended up with the cord around her neck. Heartbroken and devastated is an understatement. 

Saturday evening we ended up going out for pizza with my extended family. All 13 of us! It was good for my soul.

He healeth the broken in heart, And bindeth up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

The weekend ended with ice cream on the way home this evening. 

No matter what happens in life we can rest in the solid assurance that God only brings what is good. Even in the hard, ugly and heartbreaking moments. Prayers for this young couple would be greatly appreciated. 

Wendi 

 

Every Bit Counts Challenge Week 3

 I am participating in the every bit counts challenge with Jessica at Three Rivers Homestead. I believe that Jessica focuses on preserving from her garden. I do have a garden, but I don't have what you would consider a "homestead."  Honestly, this years garden hasn't been the best. A cool spring, too much rain, and then it was hot, humid and dry. I'm grateful for every little bit that I have been able to glean from the garden. 

With that said I will be doing more then preserving. I will be shopping sales, making things for the freezer and just generally using up all the bits in a way that will increase my pantry and freezer. The great thing about this challenge is that it isn't a one size fits all. You can customize it to fit your needs. The important thing si to do something. I'm not sure I will manage to do something every day, but my goal is to do something five days a week. 

So, lets get started with what took place this week.

Day 1

I was able to add some more peppers to the freezer. This is the first of the jalapeno harvest. Weird thing is that most of the jalapeno seeds I planted ended up being banana peppers. No one in my house likes them, so they have been shared. Megan's grandpa and her co-workers have been very happy.  *smile*

Day 2

The first of the tomatillo were ready. This is the first time I've ever grown them. They are for my tamale loving daughter. The garden is slowing down, so I'm gleaning all that I am able. 

Day 3

I needed some chicken broth for a recipe. I didn't need all of the container, so the remaining is currently freezing. 

Day 4

Over the weekend we had to go to the other side of town. Chuck ended up stopping at KFC to get us lunch. The leftovers were brought home. Ben and I shared a tender for lunch one day and then the rest of the chicken (pictured) was put into the freezer for a future pot pie. Even the bones were frozen to make the broth!

Day 5

I hit the jackpot at W*lM*art! They had their "school supplies" on clearance. I picked up the zipper bags for 50 cents a box. I usually buy a box of 40 count store brand on sale for $1.  The package of puffs was $2/50 cents a box. Again I usually buy a store band on sale for $1 a box. The wipes retail for $26.99 and were on clearance for $7!  I think I did pretty good adding of this to the household pantry for $10!!! 

I think it's crazy that they had all of this on clearance because it was in the back to school section. I'm in disbelieve that they didn't move it all over to the grocery section.  Their loss is my gain!

Let's meet in the kitchen again next Friday for the final challenge!

Wendi 

Every Bit Counts Challenge Week 2

I am participating in the every bit counts challenge with Jessica at Three Rivers Homestead. I believe that Jessica focuses on preserving from her garden. I do have a garden, but I don't have what you would consider a "homestead."  Honestly, this years garden hasn't been the best. A cool spring, too much rain, and then it was hot, humid and dry. I'm grateful for every little bit that I have been able to glean from the garden. 

With that said I will be doing more then preserving. I will be shopping sales, making things for the freezer and just generally using up all the bits in a way that will increase my pantry and freezer. The great thing about this challenge is that it isn't a one size fits all. You can customize it to fit your needs. The important thing si to do something. I'm not sure I will manage to do something every day, but my goal is to do something five days a week. 

So, lets get started with what took place this week.

Day 1

The grocery store seems to have the best price on corn. We don't eat a ton during the winter, so I only froze a couple dozen. 

Day 2

Our preferred bacon sells for $6.99/lb. Kroger had a digital deal to get it for $4.99/lb. I was all set to grab that deal when my mom asked if I wanted to make a trip to the commissary.  I found the same bacon for $4.85/lb. It wasn't on special, so that must be the normal price. It will be worth the drive to make this purchase. 

More serrano peppers have been harvested and added to the freezer bag. 

My tomatoes haven't done well this year. They are tiny. I had hopes of canning juice. Instead I am adding them to the freezer to use in sauces. 

There were three lemons that were starting to get soft. I juiced them and put into the freezer. These will be used in future marinades. 

Let's meet in the kitchen again next Friday!

Wendi 

Summer Days

I am starting to see signs that the season is changing. Tons of spider webs every morning along with a heavy dew. I also noticed that the tip top of the trees are starting to change their leaves from a deep green to more of a lime green. I know that change is inevitable, but this summer loving girl is trying to squeeze out every last day that remains of the warm, sunny days.

I love, love summer blooms. Last year we had an old, crumbling sidewalk removed from this area and turned it into a flower bed. It still needs some work... edging and more mulch. 

Even without the finishing touches this area is a little bit of sunshine. 

Summer brings blue skies and puffy clouds. 

I remember laying on a blanket on summers days not so long ago listening to Megan tell me about bunny, airplane, and dinosaur clouds that passed over us. *smile*

You can always find an abundance of produce stands on summer days. The new rage is little stands that sell baked goods, fresh eggs, and in the case of this little stand, items made from goats milk. Fun!

Summer in Indiana also means you can't drive very far without being surrounded by cornfields. 

I have been soaking up as much pool time as I can. The little boys next door have been coming over also. Ice cream and pool time.. I think they are living their best life!

It also means there is fresh produce to pick each day. 

I am Team Summer and plan to soak up all of the warmth and sunshine I can. 

Wendi 

Every Bit Counts Challenge: Week 1

I am participating in the every bit counts challenge with Jessica at Three Rivers Homestead. I believe that Jessica focuses on preserving from her garden. I do have a garden, but I don't have what you would consider a "homestead."  Honestly, this years garden hasn't been the best. A cool spring, too much rain, and then it was hot, humid and dry. I'm grateful for every little bit that I have been able to glean from the garden.

With that said I will be doing more then preserving. I will be shopping sales, making things for the freezer and just generally using up all bits in a way that will increase my pantry and freezer.  The great things about this challenge is that it isn't a one size fits all. You can customize it to fit your needs. The important thing is to do something. I'm not sure I will manage to do something every day, but my goal is to do something five days a week.  So, lets get started with what took place this week.

Day 1

I was only able to get one picking off of my green beans before the dryness did them in. I added 8 quarts and 4 pints to the pantry.  

Day 2

I had some bananas past their prime. I made a new to me recipe for banana muffins. Billie from Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea shared the recipe. My husband loved it! He is a huge fan of spice cake and this spicy goodness hit the spot for him. 

Anyway, some were eaten fresh, some were saved for breakfast and the rest went into the freezer for hubby to take to work for future breakfast. 

Day 3

One large zucchini was shredded and netted 5 cups for the freezer. 

Day 4

I made chicken pot pie for dinner one evening. I deliberately made extra filling. Before I thicken the broth I portioned some out for the freezer. 

I love these container from Ball. They are perfect for a lunch portion of soup. Bonus, did you know that you can mark your containers using a wet erase marker. It doesn't rub off like a regular dry erase marker and you don't have to spend money using a piece of tape to mark the container. 

After I filled the pie pan I still had broth left. I added that to the freezer and will use it as a start for future pot pie, chicken noodle soup, or even a pot of chicken and noodles. 

Day 5

One thing that has been doing well in the garden is the serrano peppers. The stems were removed and once washed they were bagged for the freezer. Megan will use these when she make tamales. 

As I have been working in the kitchen I keep a bowl for scraps. This makes the chickens very happy!

Let's meet in the kitchen again next Friday!

Wendi 

Joy in the Ordinary

As the keeper of the home, it's easy to get lost in the mundane. To lose sight of joy as we are bogged down in the every day. One way to combat that is to stop and find joy in the ordinary moments. I personally know that this isn't always easy. What I do know is that when I am intentional about slowing down and finding the joy it changes my perspective. 

Some ordinary, yet joyful moments from my week.

I enjoy floating on hot and humid evenings. Pure bliss!

Megan's little corn patch is doing quite well. I love looking out the kitchen window and seeing this view. 

The hot and humid weather moved out for a bit. Look at that 33% humidity! The heat and humidity will be back this weekend, in the mean time I will enjoy the break. 

I spent Sunday afternoon on the back porch with a book. 

I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing a bowl of fresh eggs on the counter. 

The break in the heat called for a heartier meal. It might not look pretty, but it sure tasted good. 

Look around, really look around and you will find joy... joy in the everyday... joy in the ordinary things. 

Wendi 

Back to the Grind

Well, we did it! What you might ask. We cleaned out our barn, shed, garage, and house. It was quite a chore!

As we cleaned we sorted and marked everything we wanted to sell. We had a massive yard sale. I don't have any pictures because we were suppose to start at 8 a.m. on a Thursday and had people showing up at 7:15! They continued to show up until about 1 that afternoon. We then did it again on Friday and Saturday. We got rid of a bunch of stuff.  The bonus is that we made a good amount of cash. Win, win. 

We wrapped this up just in time to get back to the grind. Do the organized toys give any indication of what is happening? *smile*

School started which means my great-nephew will be spending his days with me. We're going to have a busy year as we are adding one day of early intervention therapy for speech. 

I have been busy preparing. I started by going through my pantry. 

I took everything out. Made sure things were in order and pulled out the things that needed to be used. I then made a huge grocery list and did a large shop. 

During the summer months things get lax around here and one of the big things I loosen up on is menu planning. I spend a few days making a master menu list. 

This is a work in progress as I noticed a few more items to add. Once complete I will type it up to help keep me on track in those busy moments when my brain might not be firing on all cylinders. Ha!

I made a change and am no longer running my menu Sunday through Saturday. Megan gets her new schedule on Tuesdays and it runs Wednesday through Tuesday. I found that it didn't always work when she was scheduled for an evening shift. 

Once the menu was planned I grabbed my apron did some meal prep. 

Afternoon/early evenings can be hectic with taking Ben home, Megan coming home from work and trying to get dinner made before Chuck gets home. I saw that pulled pork was on the menu so I prepped Cole slaw to go with that meal. 

There is no way I would have time to chop the cabbage and carrots and get it on the table in time.  Having it ready to pull out and mix the day I need it is a time and sanity saver. 

I also try to as much prep as I can in the morning or during naptime. 

 Casseroles are one thing that is easy to prepare ahead of time. I will pre-heat the oven while I run Ben home and then whomever walks in the door first puts it the oven. Megan and I  usually arrive within about 10 minutes of each other. 

It's always sad for me to see the easy days of summer end. I'm hopeful that planning and prepping with make getting back to the grind easier.

Wendi