Necie

Still working on pasta sauce. So far I’ve put 20 qts of juice in the pot. 🥴 Will make sure I find paste tomatoes for the garden from now on.

I’m feeling the same *weird* lately. I’ll get there. But beware... when the rambling begins, y’all be hollering at me— SHADDUP!! and

Today is Day 1. Every day is Day 1. Just keep repeating and don’t give up. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I have been repeating for 10 yrs, 11 months, 2 days. And am doing it again today. God willing, again tomorrow.

Finished canning up the cherry tomato juice pasta sauce yesterday. Out of 7.5 qts of juice and 1.5 qts of veges and stuff, I got 7-24oz jars, plus about 1/2 a pint dumped into the next batch. Started the next batch with 12 qts of juice. Will add more to it. Only grew regular tomatoes this year— Big Boy, Better Boy, Parks Whopper— so will take a lot more cooking down. I usually grow some paste tomatoes and mix the two, but couldn’t find any at planting time. Will also process veggies today to add to sauce.

Here’s tonight’s supper. Kinda a variation on boiled dinner: sliced smoked sausage 1 qt canned potatoes 1 pt carrots 1 onion ham soup base and a pkg Sazon (all veggies were from the garden) I did NOT put the kale in the pan... that would be ruuuude! 😂 I heated it in the micro and added it to MY bowl. 😉 DH made cornbread, but I didn’t get a pic of it. 🥴

Figured this might be fun to help give each other ideas. Hope everyone joins in!! I don’t cook/bake as much in the summer cuz... busy. 😂 Maybe one or two nights a week and the rest of the time, it’s leftovers... or *free for all*. But once market is over (October), I’m in the kitchen nearly every day—cooking, baking, canning. I don’t do breakfast (unless it’s for dinner), don’t even usually do lunch, but I love coming up with new or old comfort stuff for dinner. 🥰 Last night I made: mangalitsa pork steaks (raised by DS2) mushroom gravy mashed potatoes (DH made—instant) kale Got cast iron pan HOT and seared steaks, turned heat down and added cream of mushroom soup with some water. Put lid on and let simmer til tender. Kale was just on a low boil while steaks cooked. DH (D isn’t always for *dear* 😉) doesn’t like kale, but I’ve taken the attitude that I’ll make what I like sometimes and he can make something else or not eat. 😏

Go for it!! 🙂 I don’t measure anything though. 😂 The only way I knew how much juice I used is cuz I canned it first so I could make sauce as I had time. 🙄

There are tons of sourdough discard recipes. I see a lot of people rave about the chocolate chip cookies. There’s a cracker recipe that I want to try, but haven’t got to it yet. 🙄

Cherry tomato pasta sauce for DS2 (Tony-37). He likes a sweet sauce—but doesn’t want sugar. So I’m experimenting. Used 7.5 qts of juice. Roasted carrots, candy onion, yellow and orange bell peppers, garlic, and apples in olive oil. Blended veges with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, beef base, basil pesto, garlic paste and enough water to make it blend. Finished with 1/2 stick unsalted butter. Started yesterday boiling down the tomato juice. Added veggie blend today. Will can tomorrow. Oh, yeah, I tasted it. 🤢 It’s SWEET!! He ought to love it!!

Ya almost got to see my goofy self up close. DD (Leah 35) and I were supposed to go to Florida this next week to see my newest great niece. Plans got changed and we did a whirlwind trip to TN/NC/GA — right in your neck of the woods. I had your addy pinned in my map app just in case. But with only 2 days, it was crazy. 🥴😂

Still feeling sloooow. 🥴 Started making pasta sauce yesterday. Harvest time was so crazy busy that I burnt the first batch of sauce when picking tomatoes. So I just decided I’d can the juice and make sauce later. 😉 I’ve got over 100 qts of juice sitting in my dining room. 😂 Did the same thing with blueberries... 6 half gallons of juice that need to be turned into syrup/jelly. My sister and mom are coming down in a bit. Sis is getting canned venison and frozen burger to take back to Georgia with her. That’ll help clear a bit of shelf and freezer space to deal with this year’s harvest. DS2 is in charge of that. They have 9 tags to fill. DS1 and DD help to *finance*, my mom provides the hunting ground, and I process. We all eat good. 🤤

My internet is sketchy. We live on a large lake, which means *lakers*. 😏 I think they’ve all came this weekend cuz we have good weather and it’s yard work time. But that means more drawing off our internet. Locals have been complaining about it for years, but the internet companies say they go by residents... Well, vacation/second homes don’t count as residents. 😡 Anywho.. picked up DS1(Jay-38) yesterday and we went to my Grandpa’s old farm (you’ll all probably hear much more about this as it’s a huge part of our family’s preps) to rake leaves. My sis that’s up from Florida followed and my uncle (lives next door) gave her a couple hour tour of the farm in his Tracker. She hadn’t been there for quite a few years, so got to see all our *improvements*. Then she went to visit one of our other sisters. Jay and I raked til 4 and decided to head home instead of camping over like we usually do. We got over half done, but the leaves weren’t all off, so we’ll go back in a week or two when we get a good, dry day and finish up. So we picked up pizza and headed back to my mom and dad’s. Jay lives there and helps my mom (75) take care of my dad (86) who is mostly home bound and does all her yard work and pretty much anything she asks him. Good kid! 😌 He has a 36’ camper there that has all his stuff in it, but he’s mostly in the house during the day. He’s got his own room/bath inside, but goes to his camper when he just needs a break. 😉 Not sure what I’ll get done today. Still not much ambition. Might go to DS2’s (Tony-37) to give them their souvenir prizes from my vacation. If I can get ahold of him... always busy, busy. He might be hunting today. 🦌

Vacation is over and I’m back home in Indiana. My niece and her husband closed on their new house near McCaysville, GA. We moved my sister’s stuff from near Liberty, NC to the new house. They’ll all be out of Florida by Thanksgiving. Niece and her husband lost their house on Pine Island from hurricane Ian. Sister is up here in Michigan for a couple of weeks seeing family and then will head down to help move stuff from Cape Coral. But anyhow, I’m home... and have seemed to lost all ambition. 🥴 Hopefully I can find some motivation next week. I hate this cold weather.

Thank you for all the loooove!! It’s awesome to see familiar faces. Hoping to catch up soon. I sure have missed this place.

Change of destination. 🥴 We’re in the southeast corner of TN instead of the southwest corner of NC. 🤷‍♀️ We’ll probably be running back and forth and just over the GA state line anyhow. All about 10-15 minutes from each other. Having fun. Hoping to sleep better tonight. Everyone thinks I’m nuts cuz we have a really nice air bnb and I’m camping in my van... it’s MY bed and I’m used to it! 😂 Pic of dd and the *new* baby.

Happy Birthday PIXIE!!! I still miss the beautimous, most supreme, fantastical siggy line that you made just for me!! Hope you are well and had a wonderland 😉 day and have an awesomest year!!

Drove... left the house (NE Indiana) at noon. Ran a couple errands. Went up to my mom’s in Michigan (45 minute drive) for a bit. Picked up DD at her house after work @ 5 (30 minutes from mom’s). Now just south of Richmond, KY for the night. Will finish up the drive to TN/NC/GA state lines in the morning. Then the fun begins!!!...

Rainy, drizzley day. But got a break for a couple hours to clean out and shop vac my van. Getting a bit of a break for the weekend... DD and I are going on a road trip!! Heading out tomorrow for GA/NC to see my sis, her dd and sil and... THEIR NEW BABY!!!! Can’t wait to get my snuggles in and TONS of growing smooches!!

*necie comes roaring down the road... skids into the turn and barrels up the drive, sliding into her parking spot. jumping out and waving arms: “DON’T SHOOT! DON’T SHOOOOT!! Do you remember me??”* Soooooo... where y’all keeping the coffee and chocolate?.. And HUGS??

You just wanted an adrenaline rush from my buggie. <bigcheesygrin>

Awww... my siggy that Pixie made me is gone. Such it is with change, I guess.

AWWWWWWWW.... Thanks for the Happy Birthdays! Has been crazy busy around here. 10 new baby goats out of 4 new mamas--yes, first timers, in the last week. Been busy, busy getting babies on the milk bucket and getting the mamas used to milking. They are all doing really well. Thanks AO54G for dragging me in. I miss this place. HOME!! <3

DD and I had such a wonderful time at the first gathering. Memories of such super people that we'll never forget. <3 No such thing as *vacation* with the goats now. Will be busy milking and breeding and markets. Someday I'll find my way *home* for a visit. Hope everyone has a wonderful time making forever memories.

I see more of *those* looks from women than from men when it comes to selling my goat milk soaps/lotions. Women are much more... forward about their opinion of it being 'weird'. I've had some right down rude comments. And I've seen the look directed at their husband. If a woman approaches my soap and is interested, her husband just kinda stands there and waits while she makes her purchase. If I point out our men's scents and he's truly not interested, he just smiles and shakes his head 'no'. But if a guy approaches the soap, I've seen wives roll their eyes and glare. If he starts asking about it and purchasing, she'll usually turn and walk (huff) away. This is a very small percent of my customers now. Most couples that buy, buy as couples. But the ones that are divided in their opinions, the women are much more obnoxious about it.

Oh, I'm soooo sorry about your loss of Abby. I remember so many of your posts about her. Such a wonderful gal. (((()))) Yup, I figure if the *work* and *cost* bother me, then I'm not ready yet. When work/cost seems irrelevent, then the desire for the dog itself is true and I'll be ready. It was 6 yrs after I lost Greta before I got Gracie. Making sure that I'm not trying to *replace* them is also an issue. Rottie's are soooo different that I have to make sure my *expectations* are in the right place.