Jori

Have a wonderful day Jeepers!!!!!

Have a wonderful day Dora!!!

Have a blessed day!

Good morning~

We are just coming back from DD's dentist appointment, no cavities but 3 loose teeth , and a few errands trying to pull DS2's birthday together. Filing in the back of my mind to pick an easier theme for next year. We are doing The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I thought there would be plates and such everywhere I looked. Nope, there aren't.

I finally managed to put the rest of the garden in yesterday, :cele:so now I just have to wait. DD had an awful day at taekwondo yesterday so I'm hoping tomorrow is better.

It's cool and gray here today, a few drops of rain but hoping for an actually shower or 4. We are going to do a quick trip to the grocery store this afternoon but that's about it.

What's new with you?

Thanks for sharing windmorn!

Sounds like I should go get my iron levels checked and my thyroid.

Have a wonderful day!

9 half-pints of strawberry banana jam.

I can't believe the gap between posts.

Like you, Jori, our weather is cooler. HOPEFULLY we'll get that rain they say is coming tomorrow!

 

(rain dance time!) (and the big finish!)

 

 

 

The house is awfully quiet without Alice the cat. I didn't have the heart to deal with her litter box last night, so I took care of that this morning. DH put some cement patio blocks over her grave, but the curious critters still tried to dig in to see what was there. So I pulled more dirt back in and will cover it with still more blocks tonight. I know they can't help it, but still...

 

LilDD is still struggling with her schoolwork. Her English teacher is asking for college-level writing projects. In fact, my college profs weren't this demanding. Not "Ivy League", but still... School will be finished next Tuesday for her. We will ALL be glad!

 

DH's work has had a major disruption between two workers, and it's affecting everyone's sense of security. It looks like one of the boss' very spoiled son will be calling the shots if they don't quickly set things right. Boss 1's spoiled/impaired son started it, Boss 2's extremely spoiled only son defended the first but escalated things, and now everyone is walking on eggshells. And these are supposed to be "godly" men.

 

I reminded DH that when he was passed over as a partner despite old promises that I told him then that maybe God was *protecting him* from something. Were he involved directly in this mess, no amount of his common sense would prevail.

 

So much to do, and my head is spinning. Some days ya just don't know where to start.

(((Cat)))

On a lighter note, I'm hoping we get rain,too, because I'm exhausted from what seems to be the never-ending rain dance.

Good morning~

It's cool here this morning,64, with a high of 67*. The ac is off and I've opened up the living level of the house.

We are laying low today. DD has taekwondo later but that's the only thing. I woke up with a sinus headache this morning that seems to be gone now. I need to clean the house, finish up the laundry, and make strawberry banana jam, DD's request (jars are in the dishwasher).

I need to finish the last few raised beds today, one for beets, one potatoes, and finish carrots in one. I need to put straw on those and go over a few that I didn't cover as well as I'd like to have yesterday. I put 3 sweet potatoes in yesterday, a few tomatoes, savory, basil, and carrots, along with straw on the beds that were already in.

Tomorrow DD has a dental cleaning. I was going to run into Gordon Food to look for sugar and do some grocery shopping at Costco and Sam's (normal grocery day) but DH is getting a paper check instead of direct deposit this week because FIL was messing around and didn't postpone work on the server when then couldn't gain access to it on Saturday so they are without a server. FIL then left for the day to work on his boat and let DH and another person deal with the fallout and problems that occurred. ok, done venting.

What is going on in your neck of the woods?

Have a wonderful day!!

Peaches are on sale at one of the local chains. $.99#. I'm going to go pick up several pounds,at least 10, and try to see how much I can do. I need to freeze, dry, check my jam supply and make peach lemonade concentrate.

I just ran and picked up strawberries at the berry farm, they are much better than last weeks, by the way.

I talked to one of the girls that has been there awhile specifically about sweet peas. She said the crop in Michigan was completely destroyed and they are trying to grow some in their fields but they aren't sure if they are going to have any. So the door was open and I asked about the rest of the crops from Michigan. Her response - no cherries at all, apples and peaches were destroyed (she was waiting from one farm for both but they weren't hopeful.). Blackberries and raspberries are fine. She didn't know anything about pears since they don't sell them. She also didn't know anything about the grape crops but I know from an article I read they were concerned about them, too.

I've been making the strawberry lemonade concentrate and we've been drinking it.

Is it alright if I run the strawberries through a layer of cheesecloth or a strainer to remove the seeds? I didn't see anything in the book about it. If I do, will I need to add more strawberries?

Good Morning~

It's a cooler, sunny day here. A much needed break from the 90's we've had so early this year. The high is 85* today with no rain in sight. We are under a wild fire watch (conditions are right), I don't ever remember having one issued and I've grown up here. I know they are possible because there is a posted sign at the dunes that tells you the risk.

The kids and I are running to the farm I buy my plants at. The one girl I've become friends with, who does a lot of the ordering, told me yesterday she has sweet potato plugs hidden and yellow bean seeds that aren't unpacked, yet. So we will be running over there to pick up a few slips (I'm think 2 or 3), the yellow bean seeds (praying they are bush), another basil plant, and one or two savory plants. I need a few tomato cages and a few marigolds, too. Then off to the berry farm to pick up a few buckets of strawberries (strawberry lemonade, jams, and I'm going to try a freeze a strawberry-rhubarb pie or two - wink has inspired me).

We need to run to Target to look for a few things for DS2's first birthday.

What's going on in your world today?

Have a great one!

wink~ heads up on the strawberries this year. I bought a bucket from the berry farm last week thinking we could eat and I could put some in the dehydrator. The flavor is very little this year and they are very dry, just a few truly juicy strawberries. I'm saving my last bag from last year, which were AMAZING, to let the kids eat plan this winter. DD ate them without a problem thought.

The berries from this season will be used for canning and pies. I'll use some for drying and freezing but will try to find the sweeter ones for that.

*** disclaimer - my berries aren't in, yet. so I can't tell you what they are like.

Ah! I miss my mom's (and dad's) washer from when I grew up! No bells - no whistles - no little children pushing buttons because they make beeping noises and the lights move. (And they think they are really helping mommy.)

Although, I'm sure part of my problem is our washer/dryer are on the second floor in a tiny closet next to the kids rooms. The laundry fairy can't always keep up with the laundry because little people are sleeping or we are busy doing things on the living level or outside (like this weekend).

I'll do it miki! I can't promise I'll be perfect with it.

Congratulations on the move!!!:balloons:

As Michael said, stop in at the library when you have a few free moments and let us know how you are doing!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

I've never had mulberries, either.

Wink~ would store bought pie crust hold up?

You have to watch prices. Out here, in the Northwest, I alternate between Costco for sugar and flour, and United Grocers, a bulk grocery supply store. Last summer I found 20# of sugar for $13. I bought 3. Why? Because at the time, 4# of sugar was almost $6. I didn't need but a few pounds for canning things, but we tossed it in buckets and stored it.

 

I called my husband to help me unload it and he looked at the price. He grinned while shouldering the bag and said, " At least there will be cookies during the zombie apocalypse."

The troops have to be fed and mine would be thrilled about cookies, even as they are telling me how bad sugar is. The joys of little people.

HazelStone ~ thanks! I hadn't even thought about running into GFS.

I was in a grocery store yesterday. It is part of an employee owned small chain of good local stores. Saw their coupon guidelines on the counter. No "extreme" couponing caught my eye. When I asked the cashier said that that meant they wouldn't let you use more than one coupon per product, as in if you have a coupon for Gold Medal flour, you could only use one of them.

 

The other guidelines Included no "stacking", no free coupons, no coupons worth more than 50% of the product, and no shelf clearing. I don't use many coupons and really only buy meat from them so doesn't bother me but it did seem kind of extreme.

Wow! That is extreme. I can see the no stacking or shelf clearing but wow!

Wink~ I was going to pm you on facebook but since you've already posted here, too, and I'm logged in here, I'll just ask.

What do you put them in? Foil pie pans? Pyrex? Do you bake them pre-baked, partially baked, fully baked? I freeze cookie dough but am thinking it might be nice to have some desserts ready to go over the winter.

Poor babies and momma!

Can/will they do OTC children's allergies medicine, chewable or liquid? DS1, 4, has horrible allergy/sinus problems and that has helped the vomiting from sinus drainage.

I've gone as far as using a dropper and syringe to get fluids into him.

Good luck!

Thanks to you both!

Mt. Rider ~ the humidity just makes the curls, tighter, frizzier, and out of control. (Hair is pulled up as I type and getting ready to put a headband on. )

So Aldi has gone to the 4 lbs bags of sugar for the same price as the 5# bags ($2.98) The kids and everyone around me received a lesson in inflation and learning to watch the size of products and the price.

I'm starting the first phase of the summer of fruit canning, jams, juices, fruit, etc. I think I should be fine to do a bulk bag of sugar.

Here are the questions - best way to store once open and best place tp purchase, Sam's or Costco?