Hello Everyone!
Sometimes I forget that meals don't have to be so fussy and "planned".... it can be just a bunch of interesting and tasty treats to fill your belly. That's why I was so taken with this simple dinner. Mark and Anna of www.waldeneffect.org gave me this wonderful dinner idea. A little background on this couple is they live in southwest Virginia. They live on over 50acres and are being quite successful in being self sufficient. I love their blog and is such an inspiration to me for my little patch of the world.
Here is what they had for dinner one evening and every bit of food on their plates came from their garden and chickens.
Scrambled eggs with herbs
Tomatoes
green beans
corn
pickles and.....
raspberries
I made this for my guys just last week and I wish I took a picture. Not only was it tasty, but so pretty! I have to admit that hubby was not so excited about it, but confessed that the meal was "not horrid" after he had eaten every last bit of his meal. My son was happy with his meal, and even happier that I had replaced his serving of eggs with toast with peanut butter. (He is NOT a fan of anything eggy!)
So there it is.... my first experience with trying a blog recipe. Well, this case not a recipe, but just a great idea! Stop over at their blog sometime, you'll be sure to like it!
Until next time friends!!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
A Day "Off" for Homemaker Kim
Hey there everybody!
Today you will find me cramming laundry into the washer, juggling dishes around the kitchen, writing out bills like I'm a millionaire and running so many errands it would put Mrs Cleaver to shame! Yes, this is my day "off". Having my tea and catching up on some blogs is my only down time today.
Here's a quick smattering of what I have up my sleeve this week.
Making my homemade pasta .....
Getting going on trying some new blog recipes since the restaurant scene in this season of our lives is but a distant dream....
Getting cucumbers and cabbage seeds in the ground for a fall harvest
Showing you (aren't you so lucky?!) some of my homesteading life projects....
Well, this train is about to leave without me, so I better hop on..... but don't you know that I will look like a momma that's got it all together since my recent makeover? You Betcha!!
Until next time!
Today you will find me cramming laundry into the washer, juggling dishes around the kitchen, writing out bills like I'm a millionaire and running so many errands it would put Mrs Cleaver to shame! Yes, this is my day "off". Having my tea and catching up on some blogs is my only down time today.
Here's a quick smattering of what I have up my sleeve this week.
Making my homemade pasta .....
Getting going on trying some new blog recipes since the restaurant scene in this season of our lives is but a distant dream....
Getting cucumbers and cabbage seeds in the ground for a fall harvest
Showing you (aren't you so lucky?!) some of my homesteading life projects....
Well, this train is about to leave without me, so I better hop on..... but don't you know that I will look like a momma that's got it all together since my recent makeover? You Betcha!!
Until next time!
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Beauty At Work
Hello All,
I've mentioned before that I am lucky that our store is in a great place. Whenever I need to take a break and get outside, I have a beautiful world to explore. Here's what I found yesterday during a nice walk in the warm air and clear skies....
This is a sweet guy that I have named Marvin.... I have no idea how I know this, but he's a big fan of salami!
I found this along the way during my walk.... it seemed to be a low level vine with these cool looking berries.... I have no idea what it is, but so neat!
Bees are hard at work!
View from the back of our store..... ahhhhhhh.....
Here's an UPDATE!
Delilah the kitty is back! She was away for 3 weeks, but she meowed loudly at the door one evening! I was so excited to see her again I nearly cried. She's such a good girl and I wish she and my kids would get along better or else I'd try to get her to come in.... however Lita chases her any chance she gets. I think I'm gonna have her come in and sleep in the bathroom during the cold winter months.
Lita Pita Punkin' Eata!
Have a great day everybody - get out there and explore!
I've mentioned before that I am lucky that our store is in a great place. Whenever I need to take a break and get outside, I have a beautiful world to explore. Here's what I found yesterday during a nice walk in the warm air and clear skies....
Here's an UPDATE!
Delilah the kitty is back! She was away for 3 weeks, but she meowed loudly at the door one evening! I was so excited to see her again I nearly cried. She's such a good girl and I wish she and my kids would get along better or else I'd try to get her to come in.... however Lita chases her any chance she gets. I think I'm gonna have her come in and sleep in the bathroom during the cold winter months.
Have a great day everybody - get out there and explore!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Bread and Adventures in Style!
Hello Everybody!
What a balmy hot day here in my neck of the woods! 99 degrees with a heat index of 105. HOT! I'm at work today so I'm sitting inside in the cool with believe it or not, need to go outside once in a while to get warm! We had a nice rain shower this morning at home and I'm hoping it was enough to sustain my garden in the heat of the day. Ok, let's get started on all the goings on.....
Bread! I finally took the time to bake bread! Now that the neighbors moved that used to bring the community free day old bread from the grocery store, we are not enjoying the possibility of paying for bread again. So, I dusted off my mixer and got things going.... Here's some pictures. It's not hard at all. I like the recipe that came with my KitchenAid best.
Here's milk, butter, sugar and a little salt warming up ready to wake up all that yeast!
This is after the dough is mixed up and ready to rest for an hour...
Dough has rested for an hour, now it's rolled and put in a loaf pan...
Resting for another hour....
Ready for the oven! 400 degree for 30 minutes. All in all the only real work I did equaled about 15-20 minutes tops. The rest of the time was waiting for the dough to either rest or bake. That's it. Yummy Yummy Stuff!
Now onto some weird,scary and a little embarrassing stuff.....
Have you guys ever watched that show on TLC What Not To Wear? Well, I LOVE that show and my mom and I joke around how fun it would be to actually be on that show. I used to love shopping in my younger years, but don't remember really liking it once I got into my mid to late 20's so needless to say, I lack in the style department. I know that most homestead wanna be girls aren't the kind that are overly concerned about such things as clothes and style.... but I secretly want to be girly, I just don't know how to be girly. And, apparently this was so evident that my mom got the whole family involved with hooking me up with a mock "What Not To Wear" day! Now, folks, I have to admit... I was not a happy camper at first. My grandmother had come to our store and I was expecting a visit followed by a lunch out with her. So, when my brother Denny and my sister in law came in and told me what was about to go down, I was not happy. I think it's even fair to say I acted like a brat. Even when my mom handed me $300 and said I wasn't allowed to step a single foot into a thrift shop I had a big old giant size chip on my shoulder. "I haven't even had my tea yet!" I exclaimed. But my family lovingly whisked me away and my brother bought some tea for me. What a sweety. I continued to have an attitude once we were actually in the store. I dismissed every piece of clothing for some stupid reason. I totally related to the people on the real show. I was overwhelmed and had no idea where to even begin in trying to find new style. Shopping was hard enough by myself, now I had my whole family watching me and waiting for me to perform. AND THEN IT HAPPENED. Heather (my sister in law) picked out some clothes for me and every time I tried to say that it wouldn't look good on me, she sweetly told me it probably would and to just try it. I was in a dressing room before I could say - I need to shave my legs!- I was trying on clothes and hey..... I didn't look half bad in them.... even pastels that I assured Heather was all wrong for my pale skin. She assured me that it would look good on me. You know what? They did. I battled for a little longer.... but my family stood there, for some reason, cheering me on telling me how good I looked. I kept thinking Why are they insisting on helping me? Why? Especially my brother and sister in law. They keep giving and giving. No questions asked. They have supported us and brainstormed with us about our business.
In those couple seconds that I stood before them wondering why the heck they would give up a very big chunk of their day for me, I got it. They love me. They are my family and they want to see me happy inside and out. After that I didn't fight anymore. I went with it. I voiced concerns about a color or style, but not in a dismissive way. I had fun. I was being girly and I was having fun! I was being spoiled for a day and I loved it! Heather rocked some coupon magic and I got a ton of clothes for less than the $300! My brother carried my bag out to the car. We went back to our store, had lunch and then they took me BACK OUT to get my haircut. I really enjoyed that part. I had let down my guard and just enjoyed being with my family...... So here it is..... I went from the look above with those crazy walking across America kids from my previous post to this.......
Cool huh!?!
I love it!
So yes, again I understand and can totally relate with the people on the real show. It's ok to love yourself and let others love you as well. It's ok to be girly. It's ok to not take yourself so seriously and just have fun.
Have Fun Friends!!
What a balmy hot day here in my neck of the woods! 99 degrees with a heat index of 105. HOT! I'm at work today so I'm sitting inside in the cool with believe it or not, need to go outside once in a while to get warm! We had a nice rain shower this morning at home and I'm hoping it was enough to sustain my garden in the heat of the day. Ok, let's get started on all the goings on.....
Bread! I finally took the time to bake bread! Now that the neighbors moved that used to bring the community free day old bread from the grocery store, we are not enjoying the possibility of paying for bread again. So, I dusted off my mixer and got things going.... Here's some pictures. It's not hard at all. I like the recipe that came with my KitchenAid best.
Now onto some weird,scary and a little embarrassing stuff.....
Have you guys ever watched that show on TLC What Not To Wear? Well, I LOVE that show and my mom and I joke around how fun it would be to actually be on that show. I used to love shopping in my younger years, but don't remember really liking it once I got into my mid to late 20's so needless to say, I lack in the style department. I know that most homestead wanna be girls aren't the kind that are overly concerned about such things as clothes and style.... but I secretly want to be girly, I just don't know how to be girly. And, apparently this was so evident that my mom got the whole family involved with hooking me up with a mock "What Not To Wear" day! Now, folks, I have to admit... I was not a happy camper at first. My grandmother had come to our store and I was expecting a visit followed by a lunch out with her. So, when my brother Denny and my sister in law came in and told me what was about to go down, I was not happy. I think it's even fair to say I acted like a brat. Even when my mom handed me $300 and said I wasn't allowed to step a single foot into a thrift shop I had a big old giant size chip on my shoulder. "I haven't even had my tea yet!" I exclaimed. But my family lovingly whisked me away and my brother bought some tea for me. What a sweety. I continued to have an attitude once we were actually in the store. I dismissed every piece of clothing for some stupid reason. I totally related to the people on the real show. I was overwhelmed and had no idea where to even begin in trying to find new style. Shopping was hard enough by myself, now I had my whole family watching me and waiting for me to perform. AND THEN IT HAPPENED. Heather (my sister in law) picked out some clothes for me and every time I tried to say that it wouldn't look good on me, she sweetly told me it probably would and to just try it. I was in a dressing room before I could say - I need to shave my legs!- I was trying on clothes and hey..... I didn't look half bad in them.... even pastels that I assured Heather was all wrong for my pale skin. She assured me that it would look good on me. You know what? They did. I battled for a little longer.... but my family stood there, for some reason, cheering me on telling me how good I looked. I kept thinking Why are they insisting on helping me? Why? Especially my brother and sister in law. They keep giving and giving. No questions asked. They have supported us and brainstormed with us about our business.
Cool huh!?!
I love it!
So yes, again I understand and can totally relate with the people on the real show. It's ok to love yourself and let others love you as well. It's ok to be girly. It's ok to not take yourself so seriously and just have fun.
Have Fun Friends!!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Wonderful Unexpected Fun!
Hello All!
Happy Sunday to you! I'm here at home today and loving life. I will need to go to work tomorrow, so I'm taking today off instead. I've had a fun day doing some projects. I'll hit on those later, but let me tell you about some exciting stuff..... I had the craziest but fun thing happen just the other day!
Above you can see a sweet smiling couple standing in our store.... who are these folks you ask? Let me introduce you..... This is Levi and Shikira.... they are walking across America together... you heard right- WALKING! Let me tell you the story of how they ended up in our store.
I had been driving back to the store from the farm market and passed this guy and girl walking, when I noticed a sign on the back of her backpack reading... www.ourwalkacrossamerica.com I was intrigued since I have read Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity about a fella quitting his high paying lawyer gig and riding his bike across America. I also love reading Married With Luggage about a couple who gave up everything, careers and all, to travel the world. I quickly headed back to the shop and checked out the website.... so awesome. I was half expecting it to be some kind of group type walk where these guys are doing a small portion of a walk or something like that... so I was super excited to see these guys were the real deal.
I told Eric about it and what they were doing and he said "Well, go get 'em".... I was surprised and just said No, you go get 'em! With a little back and forth go get em go get em and fluttering nerves I decided to go see if I could see them. If I did, I told Eric, I would invite them back to relax at the store and have a drink.
I drove up the road and did manage to find them. It was perfect because they were taking a break and were sitting down in a little gravel area next to the road. I cautiously introduced myself, trying really hard to not sound like a star struck geek and invited them back to our shop. Before I knew it, they were in our shop telling us all about the adventures they had had so far and where they are heading. We had drinks and cookies and of course our areas famous Rt.11 Potato Chips!
They are such a sweet couple. They were so nice and talked to us like they had known us for years. It's nice because we got to meet them in the beginning section of their journey, so we'll be able to read their blog to see where else the road takes them!
Not only did I get to meet these guys, but it also taught me to not be scared or shy of people or experiences. I was so nervous even thinking about inviting them that I had to make myself get in the car. I'm so glad I did. Just like with the business, was I scared as hell of what would happen? Uhhhh, YEAH!, but I didn't let it stop me. We only get one shot with this time on earth.... make it AWESOME!
I wish them luck! What amazing memories they are creating! Levi and Shikira-- Know that I'm rooting you on every step of the way!!
Do you have something that you are thinking about doing but just haven't done it yet? Are you scared of the outcome? Do you fight the flutters and tell them to get off your back? Tell me your story, I'm all ears!
Above you can see a sweet smiling couple standing in our store.... who are these folks you ask? Let me introduce you..... This is Levi and Shikira.... they are walking across America together... you heard right- WALKING! Let me tell you the story of how they ended up in our store.
I had been driving back to the store from the farm market and passed this guy and girl walking, when I noticed a sign on the back of her backpack reading... www.ourwalkacrossamerica.com I was intrigued since I have read Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity about a fella quitting his high paying lawyer gig and riding his bike across America. I also love reading Married With Luggage about a couple who gave up everything, careers and all, to travel the world. I quickly headed back to the shop and checked out the website.... so awesome. I was half expecting it to be some kind of group type walk where these guys are doing a small portion of a walk or something like that... so I was super excited to see these guys were the real deal.
I told Eric about it and what they were doing and he said "Well, go get 'em".... I was surprised and just said No, you go get 'em! With a little back and forth go get em go get em and fluttering nerves I decided to go see if I could see them. If I did, I told Eric, I would invite them back to relax at the store and have a drink.
They are such a sweet couple. They were so nice and talked to us like they had known us for years. It's nice because we got to meet them in the beginning section of their journey, so we'll be able to read their blog to see where else the road takes them!
Not only did I get to meet these guys, but it also taught me to not be scared or shy of people or experiences. I was so nervous even thinking about inviting them that I had to make myself get in the car. I'm so glad I did. Just like with the business, was I scared as hell of what would happen? Uhhhh, YEAH!, but I didn't let it stop me. We only get one shot with this time on earth.... make it AWESOME!
I wish them luck! What amazing memories they are creating! Levi and Shikira-- Know that I'm rooting you on every step of the way!!
Do you have something that you are thinking about doing but just haven't done it yet? Are you scared of the outcome? Do you fight the flutters and tell them to get off your back? Tell me your story, I'm all ears!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
More Summer Fun..... on the cheap!
Hello everybody! We have been enjoying our summer and also enjoying how cheap our activities have been. But before we get into that, let me do an update on all the goings on in homemaker kim's world....
On the store front, I think I may be ready to let you know what our business is before too much longer. We are doing pretty well. We are going to be expanding soon by carrying a new product line and we are excited! I can barely wait to get started!
On the homestead side of things, (if you can call my little plot of earth a homestead!) Things are going pretty well in the garden. My lima bean plants made it through and are growing bigger. I installed support cages around them this past week. Normally they would like a twine trellis, but since we are making due with what we have this year, I put tomato cages upside down around them.... that way they can just grow up that and out the top if need be. I'm excited that I managed to get them through their rough patch. I hear a lot of people talk about how bad the drought is for them, but we are having better luck than most folks. I tell ya, having my rain barrel is really coming in handy. I haven't needed to use the faucet to water so far this year.... I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I planted some cherry tomato seeds last week for fall and they are sprouting up! I'm so excited! I dug out my compost to fill in the raised bed I had cleaned up, but it wasn't nearly enough. I did have some luck that I picked up some dried grass clippings from work here the other day. A fella came and mowed the property behind our store and I got two trash bags full of clippings... free mulch and garden material! Gotta Love It!! Bush beans are doing well and my larger tomato plant has blossoms! However......
my house.... oh my poor house..... lately it feels like I'm constantly behind... and the reason is because of having to share a car.
I shared with you that I'm in a bit of a pickle with my car. My car has officially said NO WAY. It won't start. The ignition switch needs replacing. Now folks, my car has over 225k miles on it. It is worth $1000 and that's being generous. We would really like a different car since she is starting to nickel and dime us to death, but we also don't believe in going into debt for things. So, we are having the switch replaced. The part will be about 150.00 and my dad will put it in for us. We'll pay him with some home canned pickles, home made bread and some homebrew. Thanks Dad!! Then we will keep chunkin' money away as we can to buy a different car. We may sell some stuff to get the process moving a long a little quicker. But, for this week, until my dad can get to my car, we are sharing my hubby's car. Did I mention that my husband let his inspection sticker expire? Yep, that's a whole other story.
Financially, well, let's say no news is good news. Moving on.
Summer FUN! Ok, this has been an awesome summer so far. We are getting creative and I like it!
We went to a free reggae concert at our local museum since we are members there. It was so nice. It was outside in the gardens. We just brought our own chairs and relaxed. We weren't allowed to bring our own food in.... so mom may just have to get a *ahem* bigger purse for the next concert.... we went to a beautiful state park to swim at the lake. It was so relaxing and at $5 a piece for the whole day, I'd much rather go there than the local water park. You can and are encouraged to bring your own cooler of food and snacks, but you have to take home your trash. Not a single trash can there and honestly, I like that idea too. It gets you thinking about how much waste you are going to produce. As you can see my son had a great time as well! Tomorrow we're going to head to the local park after work to watch the leagues play a little softball. It's free to watch and you can bring your own snacks!!
Next month we have been invited to an early look at the new exhibit at the museum since we are members and get this.... we will be getting complimentary desserts! Holy Free Cake Batman! Now, that is summer fun at its greatest! Finally, the best part of a summer is the free enjoyment of reading. My son and I have been reading a book together this summer that I got at a yard sale for 75 cents. Yea, I probably should try to go to the library, but it's just not very convenient. Here's some books I've been having my face stuck in recently.
I got the two on the left from the thrift shop and purchased Possum Living since I just couldn't wait for that one to either be in a library or be available in a thrift shop. Gooooood stuff.
Well, there you have it guys.... not that exciting.... definitely not that pricey but it's good simple stuff and that's what I like.
Until next time friends!
On the store front, I think I may be ready to let you know what our business is before too much longer. We are doing pretty well. We are going to be expanding soon by carrying a new product line and we are excited! I can barely wait to get started!
On the homestead side of things, (if you can call my little plot of earth a homestead!) Things are going pretty well in the garden. My lima bean plants made it through and are growing bigger. I installed support cages around them this past week. Normally they would like a twine trellis, but since we are making due with what we have this year, I put tomato cages upside down around them.... that way they can just grow up that and out the top if need be. I'm excited that I managed to get them through their rough patch. I hear a lot of people talk about how bad the drought is for them, but we are having better luck than most folks. I tell ya, having my rain barrel is really coming in handy. I haven't needed to use the faucet to water so far this year.... I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I planted some cherry tomato seeds last week for fall and they are sprouting up! I'm so excited! I dug out my compost to fill in the raised bed I had cleaned up, but it wasn't nearly enough. I did have some luck that I picked up some dried grass clippings from work here the other day. A fella came and mowed the property behind our store and I got two trash bags full of clippings... free mulch and garden material! Gotta Love It!! Bush beans are doing well and my larger tomato plant has blossoms! However......
I shared with you that I'm in a bit of a pickle with my car. My car has officially said NO WAY. It won't start. The ignition switch needs replacing. Now folks, my car has over 225k miles on it. It is worth $1000 and that's being generous. We would really like a different car since she is starting to nickel and dime us to death, but we also don't believe in going into debt for things. So, we are having the switch replaced. The part will be about 150.00 and my dad will put it in for us. We'll pay him with some home canned pickles, home made bread and some homebrew. Thanks Dad!! Then we will keep chunkin' money away as we can to buy a different car. We may sell some stuff to get the process moving a long a little quicker. But, for this week, until my dad can get to my car, we are sharing my hubby's car. Did I mention that my husband let his inspection sticker expire? Yep, that's a whole other story.
Financially, well, let's say no news is good news. Moving on.
Summer FUN! Ok, this has been an awesome summer so far. We are getting creative and I like it!
Next month we have been invited to an early look at the new exhibit at the museum since we are members and get this.... we will be getting complimentary desserts! Holy Free Cake Batman! Now, that is summer fun at its greatest! Finally, the best part of a summer is the free enjoyment of reading. My son and I have been reading a book together this summer that I got at a yard sale for 75 cents. Yea, I probably should try to go to the library, but it's just not very convenient. Here's some books I've been having my face stuck in recently.
Well, there you have it guys.... not that exciting.... definitely not that pricey but it's good simple stuff and that's what I like.
Until next time friends!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Babystep Babystep 1, 2, 3.....
Hi there everyone! I hope today finds you happy and safe. I'm at work again and I have some time to give you a little up date on all the happenings with homemaker kim.
First off, my dad came by the store last weekend and said that he is going to try blowing out the ignition switch on my car.... so maybe we won't have to get rid of her after all.... at least not right now anyway!
On the store front, we are doing pretty well. It's a bit slower than last week, but that's ok and to be expected. The front half of the week is always slower than the last half anyway.
On the "homestead" front, things are moving along sloooooooowly. I'm kinda at a halt with my garden. I have filled my cleaned out bed with all the materials that I can find. The dead tree branch is not going to give up the dead leaves with out a fight and I'm just not ready for that battle yet. I have some compost at the very bottom of my composter, but not enough to fill the bed with. I had hoped that I would be able to plant in it, but I'm afraid it won't be full enough. Here's some pics of what is growing though.
This is my carrots, tomatoe and lima. In the bare spots are cherry tomatoe seeds that I just planted yesterday and a bush bean. Hopefully the bush bean will pop up soon. I uncovered the limas this week since its been cooler. They are doing ok, but bugs are really getting those leaves!
Here's my acorn squash plants. They are doing really well, except that a couple are showing signs of mold, so I'm treating them with diluted milk weekly. I have also added two bush beans at the top end since there is more room up there. I'm thinking about taking out the right row and trying to sell them, this will open up a spot for cucumbers and a couple cabbages.
I did some more Bread & Butter pickles this past monday, so I have 9 pints. That's a good start. Not nearly enough, but a good start! I've been pretty good about keeping the house clean, having the list I've told you about really helps. I'll see if I can find it and put it up. I'm still struggling to find time to make a menu, and grocery shop. I've been reading in my Mother Earth News magazine about eating locally and I really feel like I need to get back into that. Hubby and I talked about it and he agreed that we should start going to the farm market on the weekends before work to get fresh food and local grassfed, free range meats instead of the supermarket fare. I can tell that when I don't eat well, I just don't feel good. We'll see what we can do on our budget. We budget $300 per month right now for groceries, that's personal items and pet supplies also. We raised it from $250. I'll let you know how we do. Hubby also agreed to one day a week "no meat" day to help. That means a lot since he is such a meat and potatoes kinda guy. So you can see that we are definitely babystepping our way through our fabulously simple life!
Financially we are the same. Still hanging in there. I'll give you a break down soon. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!
First off, my dad came by the store last weekend and said that he is going to try blowing out the ignition switch on my car.... so maybe we won't have to get rid of her after all.... at least not right now anyway!
On the store front, we are doing pretty well. It's a bit slower than last week, but that's ok and to be expected. The front half of the week is always slower than the last half anyway.
On the "homestead" front, things are moving along sloooooooowly. I'm kinda at a halt with my garden. I have filled my cleaned out bed with all the materials that I can find. The dead tree branch is not going to give up the dead leaves with out a fight and I'm just not ready for that battle yet. I have some compost at the very bottom of my composter, but not enough to fill the bed with. I had hoped that I would be able to plant in it, but I'm afraid it won't be full enough. Here's some pics of what is growing though.
I did some more Bread & Butter pickles this past monday, so I have 9 pints. That's a good start. Not nearly enough, but a good start! I've been pretty good about keeping the house clean, having the list I've told you about really helps. I'll see if I can find it and put it up. I'm still struggling to find time to make a menu, and grocery shop. I've been reading in my Mother Earth News magazine about eating locally and I really feel like I need to get back into that. Hubby and I talked about it and he agreed that we should start going to the farm market on the weekends before work to get fresh food and local grassfed, free range meats instead of the supermarket fare. I can tell that when I don't eat well, I just don't feel good. We'll see what we can do on our budget. We budget $300 per month right now for groceries, that's personal items and pet supplies also. We raised it from $250. I'll let you know how we do. Hubby also agreed to one day a week "no meat" day to help. That means a lot since he is such a meat and potatoes kinda guy. So you can see that we are definitely babystepping our way through our fabulously simple life!
Financially we are the same. Still hanging in there. I'll give you a break down soon. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Quick Weather Update.....
Hey Guys, Sorry no picture today, but I just have to tell you about the crazy weather we've had lately. Last week we had a serious rain storm that took down lots of trees in our town and many other areas as well. It knocked out electric for a lot of folks for nearly a week. Which makes me want to work even harder to be more self sufficient. You just never know what will happen. We were lucky though and only went without electric for 4 hours. We have had a few more down pours since, but nothing like that storm.
Today has been crazy. 100 degree weather with a heat index of 111! Talk about H-O-T! I like the heat though.... unless its real sticky. I could easily be happy in a house that's 80+, but not my hubby nor son! They like it at 74 (lower they would prefer) So, yep, I wear a sweatshirt during the summer!
Talk to you soon!
Today has been crazy. 100 degree weather with a heat index of 111! Talk about H-O-T! I like the heat though.... unless its real sticky. I could easily be happy in a house that's 80+, but not my hubby nor son! They like it at 74 (lower they would prefer) So, yep, I wear a sweatshirt during the summer!
Talk to you soon!
Friday, July 6, 2012
A different kind of pickle.
But now we're in a pickle.
Although I exclaim her greatness, there have been issues lately. This past year, we have easily spent over a thousand dollars keeping her running. It has all been replacing parts that, well, just wear out over a 16 year span. Understandable. We've gotten great deals by buying the parts and having our neighbor replace, repair or tune up what ever needs to be done. But now, there's a problem that won't be so easy.
It seems that the ignition switch needs to be replaced. It still works, but there are times that it is very hard to get it to start. There was even a running joke about how I have the magic touch in getting her started. I laugh and say we've been together a long time and she knows who her owner is.
The part isn't that expensive, it's only about $120.00, it's the installation that will be a ...... let's say "witch"..... the mechanic would have to all but do somersaults to get this thing replaced.
So here is our dilemma.
She is worth $1100 by Kelly Blue Book. It is starting to become silly to continue to throw money at it.
I could just wait until it just won't work at all ..... ever....
Emotions aside, we aren't exactly in a position to buy a different car right now. I guess we could if we had to, but I would prefer to not just trade for another car about to go to car heaven.
I think I will slowly start saying goodbye to my girl. :*(
I will keep you posted!
Until next time friends.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Bread & Butter Pickles and an Update....
Hey Everybody! I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July. We ended up staying inside and eating sweets instead of going outside because the whole evening kept threatening rain with lightning and wind, but we never did get rain. We did get to see some fireworks the neighbors put off though. Anyway, it was a nice relaxing day. I'm already looking forward to staying home Monday even though I have to clean all day!
Ok, you ready for an update? Alright then, let's get started!
Above is a picture of when I prepped some cucumbers to make Bread & Butter Pickles! I did these once year before last and they were so good. I sliced these thinner though, so these will be easier to get on a burger or hotdog or even to eat straight off a plate. I want to do some dill pickles that will be thicker slices. I did these pickles this past Monday. I was so busy, but these cucumbers needed to be dealt with or they would go bad. I got them from the fella that does a big garden every year and sells his extras. Only 3 miles away.... not bad! The picture below is of the cucumbers and onions mixed with pickling salt and ice on top. I had to soak them for 1 1/2 hrs. The last picture is of the finished product. I got so involved in the canning process that I forgot to take pictures! I did a water bath canner for 10 minutes... now we need to wait a few weeks before we try them. I have a feeling they won't last long!
Ok, so onto other topics.
The garden. I really need to take more pictures because I've actually cleaned out another bed and I'm slowly but surely finding things to fill it in with. I've used the bags of soil that I had there already, dead clippings, newspaper, more dead clippings, and some soil from some beds that just weren't working. I would like to work towards having all raised beds. The slope makes it difficult to keep erosion from washing away the soil. Tonight though, I'm going to plant some bush beans in one prepared bed that isn't raised. It's never been raised and I have had some good luck with plants there. I read on a blog that she always plants a second round of bush beans in July after her spring crops have been harvested. Well, since my first round was killed by frost, I'm gonna give it another shot! I'm gonna go for broke and try to have 6 plants. Exciting! We had a pretty bad storm come our way and broke a branch off our tree (did I tell you that already?) anyway, that branch is still in our back yard. We're waiting for it to give up the leaves so I can put them on my newly cleaned raised bed. I'll then top it off with some compost and I think we'll be good. I may even be able to plant something in it.
I'm gonna stop rambling and just do a whole post on it. Lots of pictures.... maybe even video!!
Business: Business is going really well. We did over 5k in sales last month and was able to bring home a descent paycheck. Still not enough to cover everything, but we're definitely heading in the right direction. We're getting more and more customers and we actually sold out of things this past weekend! Luckily we got a new shipment in on Tuesday. We're excited because business is starting to flow, but we're still not really "busy" all the time, so the numbers can only go up! I think the part I like most is meeting all the different people. We met an amazing man this past Sunday. He is a Vietnam War Veteran that did not one, but TWO tours of duty there! He is the sweetest most laid back guy I think I've ever met. He talked to us like he had known us his whole life. He is a back to basics kinda guy and I would love to spend the day with him on his property just to soak up his knowledge of homesteading! I have to say Business is Good.
Family: My son is loving summer and we had a great time Monday at the waterpark. We had a "camp out" in our sitting room Tuesday night, so we are having a good time on the cheap so far. I feel blessed to be able to be with my son and hubby everyday. I hope that when my son grows up he will look back at this experience and be happy with it. He's such a good kid.
Money: We are still hanging in there! We have earned half of the expense money for August and we are hoping that July sales will have us earn the other half. We are proud that the paychecks we have written to ourselves have actually been what we have truly earned. Maybe we will earn a enough money in August to cover all of our September expenses. We are working the budget like nobodys business. We are looking at the quality of food we are buying though. We are considering buying meat from a local free range farm instead of the stuff at the store. The quality is much better not to mention that it is encouraging local business. We may need to skip meat everyday of the week, but it will make those meat meals much more special. We'll have to see what we can do. Hopefully my garden will produce some food to help us with that goal. So, we will keep moving on.
Kitties: Oh my kitties. How I love each and every one of them. My old girl DiDitv. I can't believe my little kids are turning 4 this year! Lita and Harry! and their mom named "momma" will be 6. And yes, I bought special kittie treats to celebrate the occasion! I am sad though because one of my feral kitties has disappeared. Delilah. I had her spayed and she is a sweet kitty. My heart breaks thinking that she may be dead. Hubby says that she is so sweet she is probably laid up in someone's house!
Alright everybody, I'm headin' home. See you next time!
Ok, so onto other topics.
The garden. I really need to take more pictures because I've actually cleaned out another bed and I'm slowly but surely finding things to fill it in with. I've used the bags of soil that I had there already, dead clippings, newspaper, more dead clippings, and some soil from some beds that just weren't working. I would like to work towards having all raised beds. The slope makes it difficult to keep erosion from washing away the soil. Tonight though, I'm going to plant some bush beans in one prepared bed that isn't raised. It's never been raised and I have had some good luck with plants there. I read on a blog that she always plants a second round of bush beans in July after her spring crops have been harvested. Well, since my first round was killed by frost, I'm gonna give it another shot! I'm gonna go for broke and try to have 6 plants. Exciting! We had a pretty bad storm come our way and broke a branch off our tree (did I tell you that already?) anyway, that branch is still in our back yard. We're waiting for it to give up the leaves so I can put them on my newly cleaned raised bed. I'll then top it off with some compost and I think we'll be good. I may even be able to plant something in it.
I'm gonna stop rambling and just do a whole post on it. Lots of pictures.... maybe even video!!
Business: Business is going really well. We did over 5k in sales last month and was able to bring home a descent paycheck. Still not enough to cover everything, but we're definitely heading in the right direction. We're getting more and more customers and we actually sold out of things this past weekend! Luckily we got a new shipment in on Tuesday. We're excited because business is starting to flow, but we're still not really "busy" all the time, so the numbers can only go up! I think the part I like most is meeting all the different people. We met an amazing man this past Sunday. He is a Vietnam War Veteran that did not one, but TWO tours of duty there! He is the sweetest most laid back guy I think I've ever met. He talked to us like he had known us his whole life. He is a back to basics kinda guy and I would love to spend the day with him on his property just to soak up his knowledge of homesteading! I have to say Business is Good.
Family: My son is loving summer and we had a great time Monday at the waterpark. We had a "camp out" in our sitting room Tuesday night, so we are having a good time on the cheap so far. I feel blessed to be able to be with my son and hubby everyday. I hope that when my son grows up he will look back at this experience and be happy with it. He's such a good kid.
Money: We are still hanging in there! We have earned half of the expense money for August and we are hoping that July sales will have us earn the other half. We are proud that the paychecks we have written to ourselves have actually been what we have truly earned. Maybe we will earn a enough money in August to cover all of our September expenses. We are working the budget like nobodys business. We are looking at the quality of food we are buying though. We are considering buying meat from a local free range farm instead of the stuff at the store. The quality is much better not to mention that it is encouraging local business. We may need to skip meat everyday of the week, but it will make those meat meals much more special. We'll have to see what we can do. Hopefully my garden will produce some food to help us with that goal. So, we will keep moving on.
Kitties: Oh my kitties. How I love each and every one of them. My old girl DiDitv. I can't believe my little kids are turning 4 this year! Lita and Harry! and their mom named "momma" will be 6. And yes, I bought special kittie treats to celebrate the occasion! I am sad though because one of my feral kitties has disappeared. Delilah. I had her spayed and she is a sweet kitty. My heart breaks thinking that she may be dead. Hubby says that she is so sweet she is probably laid up in someone's house!
Alright everybody, I'm headin' home. See you next time!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy 4th Everybody!
Until next time friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)