Littlesister

Taking it easy today. My rt. hand has been swollen and I can barely make a fist. Not to mention my shoulder is acting up again. Cleaned kitchen and read awhile. Had a late breakfast or brunch if you call it that. Breakfast and lunch together. Just wasn't hungry this morning early. Just coffee and read. Might get a few things done this afternoon. GS just woke up which is early for him. But he will just have coffee and go back to bed till time to get up and go to work. I think I had been over doing it on the warmer days. Though today is not bad but is a bit on the cooler side. Going to get some things out of freezer to start back canning tomorrow. I am going to try to empty all the freezers. The chest one first and then the ones from fridge. Though one of those is now about empty now. I dehydrated the veggies that was in there. So that's about emptied that one in garage. I have put a huge dent in garage and working on better organization out there. Dust is everywhere where the contractors were right at the door using their saws and such and it blew all that saw dust into the garage on everything. So, a lot of sweeping and dusting as I clear things out. It's a mess but getting better.

Jeepers, don't be discouraged. That is how my house looked when they demolished the bedroom, 2 baths and kitchen to a smaller scale than yours. But just keep in mind how nice it will be when all done and the fact you will get more money for the sale of the house. It will take a few months but once they get started putting it all back together again it will go fast. Have faith. You will get through it. Not a lot done today. Mainly cleaned kitchen behind GS. Seems he just will not put his dirty dishes in dishwasher, and I have to go behind him every morning. Why he thinks he has to use 4 to 5 cups and glasses every night is beyond me. But the kitchen sink is always full of dirty dishes when I get up in mornings. At least most of them hit the kitchen sink but now always rinsed out. July 1st can't come soon enough for his move out date.

Mt. Rider, so sorry about Koa. Our animals are our family also. And are always very much missed.

Mt. Rider, your DH didn't need to reinjure his back. Hope it heals fast. Hope you get your energy back soon. I wish I had the energy to do all that I am doing. I am pushing myself to get things done. Though tomorrow I am taking the day off. Have to go get lab work in morning and I want to go to cemetery tomorrow as well. Today marks 2 years since my DH passed away. Sad day. Yep, he and his mother both passed away on Valentine's day. His mother passed in 1981 and DH in 2021. Miki, just glad you had a spare for your DH till you could get the other one taken care of. Makes us think about things we really need in an emergency. My canners are screaming to give them a break. So tomorrow they get a break. I need to clean up kitchen again before starting back canning again on Thursday. Not sure what I will can yet. digging through freezer to see what all is left. I do have more things to dehydrate as well. My daughter said I will have enough food for the apocalypse. Told her I will never eat all this food and I was canning so she wouldn't starve since she refuses to stock anything or can food. She said she would never eat all that. She will have help. It's called grandchildren. And it seems like a lot but it's not really. Might get through a year without ever going to store again. Or at least as long as I plant a garden every year. Not sure how many more years I will be able to do a garden before my health goes downhill any further. Been working on garage on the warmer days. Yes, there is a floor out there. I found it. I got rid of a lot of mess out there and GS said he will help me this weekend on it if weather permits. At least he is now trying after I jumped on him about my being maid service for him. And that I was going to charge extra for that maid service. Guess he thought about that. He cleaned his room and his bathroom also. Jeepers, try to get some rest. I know what construction is like. And with you moving on top of that I know you will need that rest.

Jeepers I see a lot more Jeeps around here as well. Wonder if it's because they are 4-wheel drive? But then there are other models that are 4-wheel drive as well. But I did see a list of what they call prepper cars. Jeep and Bronco where the top of the list.

Been canning all day. Waiting for pressure to go down now. Then will clean up and get ready to start again tomorrow morning. Dusted while canners were on and did a few other things I needed to do. Otherwise not a lot going on right now. Will just be glad to have the chest freezer emptied. Jeepers, seems from what you have been saying about the house that it might be a blessing in disguise. Definitely could get a much higher price when you sell it. And found a way to get rid of things through Servpro. That is a huge help for you.

I have had some black on some of my food but nothing like some of those pictures. And yes, if it was going down the jar, I would throw it out. what little bit of black on the lids I had wasn't very much. So, I was ok with it and never got sick. But I have limits also.

What did that poor kitten do to make its mother that mad? That is just funny and cute.

Seems I have a lot to catch up on. Ambergris, hope you are feeling much better now. Jeepers, you have a mess on your hands. Hope they get it all fixed soon. Becca Anne, hope you get your ceiling done soon. I am thinking about painting my hallway and foyer myself. With my hands like they are I just hope I can do it. I got some great news today. I am going to be a great grandma. DGD no. 2 is having a baby due in mid-October. Too early to know if it is a girl or boy yet. Though she thinks it will be a boy. Guess I need to get busy. Her DH is going into the coast guard soon. So, he will be in boot camp for 6 weeks and then off to York town for 4 more weeks of training. They are going to move back to NC and live with DD while he is gone for 10 weeks. I got the turkey all canned up and put away as well as the rib eye beef that I canned. All put away and working on the rest of chest freezer now. DGD wants me to make more Veg. beef soup. So maybe that will be the next thing I can. Will see when I dig deeper into the freezer. Was hoping to have the freezer emptied and cleaned out by end of today. But we had 2 days of 70 plus degree weather and I started cleaning out the garage. got rid of a load of stuff. Now it has turned cold again so will start back on the canning. Funny how weather decides what I do around here these days.

Turkey finally thawed out. I have it on now but am doing it the way Whippoorwill Holler did it on U Tupe. So, it will take several hours to get done. She cut up the turkey and put in pot, bones and all. Then celery, carrots, onions and the seasonings. Then it cooks on the stove for about 4 hours. Then you remove the turkey from pot and remove all the bones. Then she takes her stick blender and blends all the carrots and celery and stuff in the broth till it comes out smooth. Then she fills the canning jars with turkey meat and adds broth. She had enough turkey broth to can just the broth as well. So, hoping mine will come out like that. I used the same seasonings as she did as well. It's going to be a long night. Unless I just finish cooking and then put in fridge till morning. Then I can just heat up and can it. Will see how long I last.

Momo, I know what you are saying about your DH not being there to enjoy what you cook. I am going through the same thing. But I also know my DH would want me to continue with the garden and canning. Before he passed, he told me to keep the gardens going. Past 2 years I did but not as big. So, with that comes cooking. I try to think about what he would want me to do. Maybe that would help you to get back into cooking a bit more. I don't cook as much as I once did. But I cook almost on a daily basis. I was never one for going out to eat much. Hope that makes sense. I have had that stupid turkey thawing for 2 days. It is almost 15lbs. It is still frozen to a point I can't cut it up yet. So now soaking in cold water. I should have had it in the canners hours ago.  This is putting a damper on my day of things to get done. But it is what it is. Going through freezer soon to get things out to dehydrate. Still some frozen veggies and fruit in there to get done.

That is funny. Though it is true that you can pull water from the air. But you need the items to do it. I watched a video of it I think on U-tube. I will try to find it again. It may also be in one of my prepper books. Will check that also and post on it.

Euphrasyne, Sorry to hear you are having issues. Prayers for you to heal and get better soon. Wow Mt. Rider, You have some crazy stuff going on with a phone line that led to nowhere so far. Wonder if they will get it figured out soon. But at least you have a phone that works. Sorry to hear about your stocks. I also live on my stocks. DH pulled out of Columbia Gas stock and has it in something much safer. I don't think that is safe any longer, but we stayed very conservative with it, and it held up during the 2008 crash. My financial advisor is supposed to meet with me sometime this week and I am going to start pulling money out on a monthly basis. It won't be a lot as like you I live off of that. But just enough that I can get a few more things done around here without taking out a loan. I am hoping and praying that the stocks will go up again even it not to where they were. As for my freezers, once the chest freezer is empty, I am going to defrost it, unplug it and not use it anymore. It is just me. So really don't need it now. I won't get rid of it as if things go south, I can fill it with water if need be. Things are getting worse in this world, and we really don't know what will happen. I will only be using the 2 fridge freezers. One for premade meal and bread, etc. and the other for maybe some meats and veggies that come out of garden till I can them if I don't have time to do it right away. Came home and checked the turkey and it is still frozen but, on the outside, it is thawing. Right now, I have it sitting in cold water to dethaw the rest of it. Will can it first thing in morning. Slow day today. Just taking it easy as starting back into full canning tomorrow. Hope to have freezer emptied at least by end of week. I have bacon in there that I will move to the fridge freezer soon.

Got 56 quarts of water all canned. I am beat. That is the easiest thing to can but it did tire me out. But that should hold me for drinking water for a long while. At least I have leftovers in fridge for dinner. I was going to have breakfast for dinner, but I will do the leftovers tonight and tomorrow will have breakfast for dinner. Going to bed early tonight. Church tomorrow. and then will come home to make sure turkey is thawing good for Monday. Once that is out of the way, I should be home free for the rest of the chest freezer. Lots of things in there to get canned. I will be glad when those freezers are empty.

Dee, I don't know about that. I know you would need to find out what the BTU's are as to how hot it gets. It might not get hot enough to can on. But what I use for summer canning now is a propane burner. Like they use to fry turkeys on or cooking crabs in. You would need to check the BTU's the higher the better. I am looking into getting a double one as I usually have 2 canners going at the same time. I also have a two-burner propane stove that DH made me. That has been up in the loft, and I need to get it down and start using it as well. It was made out of an old gas stove. I think someone had asked about that on here a long time ago but don't know where that post is.

Dee, I have been wanting to get those freezers emptied for over a year. But with the construction and my GS moving in over a year ago, things got out of hand to say the least. Both fridge freezers and the huge chest freezer have been overflowing. GS wants ice cream, and I haven't had the room in freezer for that. I have passed up good sales on meat because I didn't have freezer room nor able can do to construction. So, a lot of this is catch up. I really don't have the energy for all this, but it has to be done and I am just pushing myself to getting it done and out of way. I am on my 4th batch of water now. 14 jars at a time. I just hope they all seal. I will be putting all that under GS's bed as his bed is high up. It won't be used for a long while so that is the best storage area. I am not canning in quarts much anymore because it is just me and GS will not touch a veggie. So, I am canning the meats, soups and veggies in pints and half pints. though most of the veggies have been dehydrated and are in mylar bags in buckets. I dedicated my smallest bedroom for my pantry as I don't have a pantry and not much in kitchen cabinet space. I have already filled that room up. 4 8ft. shelving units and the closet that DH had put in shelving for me several years ago. Will be canning succotash and sautéed okra next week along with the last turkey on Monday. I had 4 in freezer and GS bought one home from work before Thanksgiving and I got all those canned already. This one I held out in case it was needed for Thanksgiving, but DD found one and got it for Thanksgiving.

Dee, that worked out great. It usually doesn't stay below freezing long enough for me to do that unless I leave out all night and get into freezer in early morning. Right now, I am canning water. Bottled water is rising and it comes in plastic bottles, So I can my own. Will be canning the turkey on Monday. But so far, this past week I have canned beef, chicken, vegetable beef soup, vegetable soup with no meat, tomato soup, chicken soup, pasta sauce without meat. I have dehydrated corn, butter beans and mixed veggies so far. Might make beef jerky in a couple of weeks as well as fruit rollups for GS. I think I have another bag of both frozen strawberries and blueberries in freezer. Will be dehydrating that as well. I much be crazy as I have had both the canners and the dehydrator going all this past week. Don't ask me what the house looks like. I really need to clean house. but felt with everything going on in the world, getting everything out of freezer and canned or dehydrated was more important. Then I can start doing what you guys are doing and making up and freezing premade meals. I really love that idea. I do freeze my leftovers when I have more than enough for a meal or 2. But just taking a day and doing what you guys are doing for a fast meal is great. those pies look really good.

Great find MidnightMom. Welcome to the crazy canning session. I have been canning for almost a week now, I think. Canning more water now. Waiting for canners to cool down so I can start the next batch. Wish I could find a buy like that. My GS loves chicken.

Got a phone call real early this morning from a dear friend. She has some issues going on but is working on getting that straightened out. She just has to change the locks on her doors now. Family issue. Sad times indeed. So, since I was up so early, I made coffee and started in on canning the water. This batch is about ready to turn off to cool and I am getting the next batch ready to go in a few minutes. Turkey is in fridge to thaw for canning on Monday. That was in the fridge freezer in garage. Will go through the chest freezer later today to hunt down alll the hamburger to can next after the turkey is done. That takes longer as I need to brown it first. But I do need to can more hamburger as I only have a couple of jars left. Hope I have enough to make spaghetti sauce with hamburger also. If not, I can always add hamburger to what I have when I fix it for dinner. I do my spaghetti sauce both with meat and without meat. I have had the wood stove going for 5 days straight now and the whole house smells of smoke. yuk. Need to figure out how to get that smell out of house. But right now, it is up to 30* right now and that stove has helped to keep my gas bill way down. I bought a nonelectric fan that sits on top of the stove even though the stove has an electric on it. That nonelectric fan works better as it is taken the heat down the hall better towards the bedrooms. Bedrooms are still a little cooler than kitchen, den and living room but I prefer the bedrooms to be a little on the cooler side for sleeping anyway. I am going to need to take a break from canning and cleaning kitchen for the next canning load as I need to dust this house. Wood stoves do make a lot of dust. But right now, with how things are lining up I need to get the freezers fully empty. Miki, I am so glad your DH is doing much better. I know that has been a struggle for both of you. My shoulder is doing much better today. heating pad, Advil and muscle relaxer seems to have helped. Forgot to mention that clean it supply online has a sell on paper products and free shipping. I took advantage of the sale and ordered 2 cases of TP and 3 of paper towels. With GS here, I go through both of those a bit faster. So was time to order again.

I still have one more turkey in freezer that we never used for Thanksgiving last year. Went to daughter's house and she had bought one so am getting it out of freezer to thaw and will be canning that. It should hopefully put a bigger dent in freezer. Got more jars ready to can water also. Will get that canned up on Monday morning. Will also be canning up succotash as well as sautéed okra. After that I will be taken inventory of the rest of the freezer foods.

I agree, for me being a diabetic, sugar free is the way to go. Thank you MidnightMom.

Miki, Glad your DH is doing much better. The live 52 is a daily livercare product. It boosts liver performance and detox. It is now under the name Himalaya Livercare but is still Live 52. It came out in the 1930's so it is an old one. It is a vegetarian Herbal supplement. I started using it over 15 years ago due to fatty liver. It corrected that. I take 2 twice a day but that is by my doctor's orders. It works very well. My liver counts have been back where they should be for a very long time now and no more fatty liver. Tired today, my shoulder and arm just wouldn't stop hurting last night so not a lot of sleep. Will be seeing the doctor later this month and will talk to him about that. Don't want frozen shoulder again. I am canning more water today. Will use most of my qt. jars up for that but will keep about 3 doz. jars for other things. I can store the water under the beds. It keeps forever as long as they stay sealed. So, I won't need to pull food out from under beds to find what I need. Moving the water, I had canned 3 or 4 years ago from pantry and putting that under the beds also. It will give me more room for the food I am canning now. Jeepers, I hope that info will help you with your decisions on your meds.

I am so copying these. Thank you Kappydale.

Happy Birthday Kappy. Glad you found some chickens. 12 of them should give you a nice supply of eggs. Luigi looks very comfortable, and a bit spoiled also.

He is too cute. yep, the vampire has struck. I can fully understand why you want to move closer to your kids Jeepers. It's a hard move, but one that is well worth it just to see your GS growing up. But not to fast.