Happy, Busy Days

So, I have been a bad blogger, but time just goes by so fast. I thought I would update everyone on what all I have done recently...
Canning- well, not much got done in this category...I will try again next year with our garden, but start MUCH earlier. Our bumper crops...Carrots and GREEN TOMATOES...we are actually going to pick ALL of the tomatoes today and see if we have enough to can anything when they ripen.
Crafting: Well, I haven't done too much here...we already have 2 Christmas Projects done, and three in the works...at some point of being done. Having some trouble with one, need an item for another and we had supplier issues for the third. I will try to post pictures when Christmas is over...I don't know if my family reads this or not, but I'd rather not take chances.
Sewing: While technically a crafting item, I have a few sewing projects I need to work on...Grace and I need to finish 2 skirts, I would like to make aprons for us...I am such a sloppy person in the kitchen... and I still have a quiet book in the works...
Cooking: Menu planning fell by the wayside this month when my hubby said, "I would like __________________ for dinner tonight." So, now I am trying to get back on the plan...I LOVE menu planning, because when I have a plan, dinner is much easier...when I fail to plan...I plan to fail...I found a recipe for Pork and Mushroom stew that was served over apple mashed potatoes that looks SO incredible. I hope to try it soon and report on that. A friend gave me a recipe for gingerbread scones that I hope to try soon. Today, nothing says fall like gingerbread scones...I hope they taste as good as they sound. I am also hoping to try my hand at making buttermilk bisuits again...either I have not made these correctly OR I do not have a good recipe yet, but I LOVE biscuits and am going to try a new recipe soon. I have learned a couple things about biscuit making that I did not know before...I did not know there was an ART to making biscuits. On a similar note, I have told many people that I cannot make banana bread...I think I know what my trouble is and I also think I have confirmed it...GLASS PANS...I use Glass pans to make it in...and I think it bakes better in metal pans. It is ALWAYS either overcooked or undercooked...NO MATTER WHAT I DO...so I am on the lookout for 2 or 3 metal pans at a REALLY GOOD PRICE!
I went to a baby shower at church yesterday...there is NOTHING more beautiful that a pregnant woman...(well, unless it's me...I do not feel beautiful when I am pregnant)...she was blessed with a wonderful devotion, gifts, gift cards and sweet friends. A friend of mine made her this quilt...they are so adorable...she has made these quilts for most of the babies in the church (some of whom are in their mid-twenties now!) and I almost cried when she held it up...these quilts truly are special...a beautiful tradition in our church...
We have had a couple of deaths too in our church family...always sad on our end...one was a founding father almost of our church...a pillar for sure, the other was a new little lamb and so sad. We are trying to come alongside and support these families right now.
Our family has just started attending Bible Study Fellowship...we are studying Isaiah this year. I am so excited that all of us are in this study. I love BSF and I am so happy to be back...when I last went, my oldest was 5...so it's been awhile. I am already learning so much about this book, about myself, about history and about God...and we are only on lesson 2.
Well, I keep hearing some harsh words...time to redirect everyone.
Love you!
C~

Striving for Simplicity

A sweet "bloggy" friend, Linny, Posted this great tip on her blog and I thought I would share a tip that has made life more simple at my house...
For the youngest two children here, I make them clothing bags for each day with their entire outfit in it...no shoes, but everything else...so for the Principessa, I fold her clothes and put everything in the bag, one for each day...and as I am doing that, I try to think of what will be happening and plan accordingly...For DD, I just put together the pants and shirts...he doesn't have enough socks and skivvies for the number of bags I have for him. On his bags, I wrote his name...since he can't read (but can recognize his name) and because I was finding empty ziploc bags all over the house and I was never quite sure if they were his or mine...I wrote days of the week on the Principessa's.
So, I am sure you are wondering...how does this Simplify your life? Well, now they are not digging through their drawers to find clothes...which if it were left in the drawers, would be okay with me, but they ended up ALL OVER THE FLOOR and then because they were on the floor and became mixed with dirty, got thrown into the laundry and so I was washing clean clothes several times...which, when you have more than the 2.5 or 1.9 or whatever the average number of children is right now...well, let's just say...I don't need any more laundry.
And now, when I am doing laundry, I have them grab their basket and I refill the bags while I am folding...may not be rocket science, might not work in your home, but in my home, "It's a Good Thing!"
Now, we're working on CLEANER BEDROOMS!
So, how do you Simplify your Life?
C~

Jam Session

Canning Seasaon is just beginning to be upon up and is ushered into our home with freezer jam...Strawberry and Raspberry...our family's favorites...I am thinking of trying mango too as we really love mangoes, but I will not go crazy with that in case we're not that crazy about mango jam...also hoping to do some peach too...
My other canning plans or hopes at this point are for:
Applesuace- I really need to get one of those peeler, slicer jobs though...
Apple Pie Filling
Green Beans
Peaches
Pickles- been a few years since I have done these
Tomatoes in almost all forms....sauce, puree, chunks...
and...I am going to try canning some jalapenos...we will see about that...

So, I would post pictures, but I am not so sure Bessie can...I'll play with that a little later (and by "I" I mean my techy teenager who seems to know all of that stuff by osmosis or something....) but right now, I need to go put away my jam!
What are your canning plans this year?

Hello again

Well, how have you all been? I have been okay...getting ready for Christmas now...planning all my plans...I will have to post most of what I am doing after Christmas, but I have been giving a few ideas here, so keep checking...and NO PEEKING...you KNOW who YOU are...
have had some pictures to post for a LONG TIME...
Remember that shower I was getting ready for...well, the day before, I had a friend come and do some last minute helping...I went to bed with a clean house, but woke up smelling something BURNING...I never did find out what it was, but Prince Charming did...






Which makes me wonder...how much longer before we had a fire???? Thank you dear Lord for protecting us! Her son was playing with these trains and when he was done, she set these up against our fireplace insert WHICH comes on automatically at a certain temperature...

We have been having some history fun...for the unit on the Byzantine Empire and Muslims, we made Pita Bread...it was VERY Easy and VERY Tasty...





And then, we have had some preschool fun: No, this is not an intro to shaving...





And HOME EC??? Nutrition 101???







I guess that is it for now...
Love,
C~

Great Recipe and more

So, it has been a little while since I posted...haven't had much to say...haven't had time to think it through...etc...
First, I would like to share a GREAT recipe...I will post it how I make it...and you can try it that way...but it is VERY GOOD...my family likes the meat the best, so I do add a little more than the recipe calls for, but I would try it the way written first. Also, it takes and hour of cooking time, but do not let that deter you...30 minutes is just cooking on the stove. I serve this with rice, because it FEELS like it needs a starch to go with it.

Bavarian Sausage and Apples
Serves 6

3 Tablespoons butter
12 links sausage of choice, Polish, bratwurst, etc. You probably do not want a strong Italian flavor or something like a Cheddar jalapeno, but I think most types would work fine
2 medium onions, sliced
4 apples, unpeeled cut into 1/2" wedges
2 tsp. brown sugar, heaping
2 T. flour
1 c. beef broth
1 c. unsweetened apple juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

(and, if you do not eat sausages for whatever reason, I am sure that there are veggie options that would work, or you could try it with a similar meat, I am just not sure what that would be....I am not a big lamb person and do not know if that would over power the flavor...maybe a ground beef, ground lamb mix that you make into small meatballs...let me know what you think...)

Take sausages and cut into slices...I like to cut them on the diagonal, maybe 1-1/2 inches long and 3/8 inch thick...this is not obsessive, just a good mouth sized bite.
Brown sausages in skillet with butter, until browned, remove from pan, set aside.

Add onions to skillet; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add apples and brown sugar; cook 5 minutes. Remove apple slices and set aside.

Add flour to skillet; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Return sausages and apples to pan; bring to boil. Lower heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes


I just got (LAST NIGHT) from the Library, Mary's book, Family Feasts for $75 a Week and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!! I read the WHOLE thing last night...this is SO much more than a cookbook...she gives SO many practical and helpful tips for cutting your grocery budget down...I WILL be buying this book...many delicious looking recipes. I am looking forward to my next meal planning session with book in hand!

Also, just in case you have never heard...pre-grated cheese has both an antibiotic in it (Natamycin...can read here for more info) and Cellulose...now, that seriously makes me sick that there are antibiotics in pre-grated cheese...but if that does not bother you, eat freely. I think that most people do not know this and because the price of grated VS block are almost the same...even cheaper for the grated at times, we all go for what is easier. a big thank you to my Pampered Chef lady for letting me know about this one...the ingrediants are right on the back of the package.

So, I think that is all that is on my mind today...I will be back when I think of more things!
Happy Fall...oh and the time change is coming up...I think we FALL back on October 31! Don't forget...

Cookbook Giveaway

Mary at Owlhaven is having a contest giving away SETS of her cookbook that I have mentioned....here are the details...


I’m giving away three sets of THREE copies each of my book Family Feasts for $75 a Week. Be one of the three winners of this giveaway, and you’ll have a copy of the cookbook for yourself, PLUS two copies to give away to friends. (Christmas gifts, maybe???)

You can get up to 5 entries to the Family Feasts giveaway by doing any of the following 5 things:

1. Blog about the contest and share a direct link to your post in comments.

2. Twitter about it, and share a link to your twitter in comments.

3. Request that your local library purchase FAMILY FEASTS, and tell me which library it is.

4. If you’ve already read FAMILY FEASTS, post a review of the book on amazon.com or bn.com.

5. Mention the contest on your Facebook page.

I’ll be picking 3 winners using random.org. Be sure to comment using a valid email address. The contest ends Monday morning, October 26th! I hope to hear from lots of you!

Grocery Challenge Wrap up

Mary at Owlhaven posted a challenge at the beginning of September to spend $75 a week on groceries this month. I was excited about the challenge and jumped on board...we lost track of our spending because my hubby did some of the shopping, meal planning, etc...and I couldn't find receipts, etc...so that is a flop...but...I did learn things this month...
The greatest thing this challenge did was made me aware of my spending...we would often buy things because they looked good, were on sale, etc with no plan...and I am sure many of those purchases are still on my shelves...stocking up during a good sale is good, but there must be a plan somewhere.
The next thing that I realized was that when there is a plan for meals, life is so much easier...the brain wracking frantic 5 pm hunt is gone...I know what is on the menu and am prepared to pull out the things I need.
From many of the other participants, I realized that some people were able to stock up and buy extras even on that lower dollar amount...I am hoping to stock up on some things over the next several months too...sugar, flour, butter, etc...all those things that you go through so quickly during the holidays.
I am excited to see what this means for future months of grocery shopping...I think Mary may have just started something!
Thanks for the challenge Mary~!
C~

Another picture...

Two of these....full...Yahooooo!!!!

One Cart, Two Cart, Empty Cart, Full Cart

Well, I have been on a rampage in my house because of a Baby Celebration that is going to be here...that was what started the motion...but the real cause of the rampage is all the energy it takes to deal with STUFF...so, I have been PURGING MAJOR...And...here is what I have gotten rid of...TWO of Goodwill's Rolling blue carts that they store stuff in as they sort...TWO of them...FULL...two full carts that are NO LONGER IN MY HOUSE....Hannah...are you proud...I wish you could see it! Thanks for the help in getting it all started...Hannah is an amazing organizer and it was such a treat to watch how she worked...stuff we've all heard before...but she had a basket that she would put things in that didn't belong in the room...then she was making stacks of like things...paper, pencils, crayons, books, etc...and she just started in one corner and went methodically around the room...focused...not stopping to put things away until she was done picking up...it made me see how off track I get as I am running from one thing to another...
So, my life is getting simpler...somehow...even though it was tough...I don't think I am going to be missing any of the THINGS we got rid of...and I KNOW I won't miss picking them up!
Pictures a little later...
C~

The Clutter that Stole my house

Many of you know, I am a clutter bug...I have been trying and trying to keep it under control, but when there is too much stuff...there is NO CONTROL...so I have been frantically de-cluttering...so far, it has been relatively easy...things I am tired of shuffling from here to there...clothes that don't fit anyone...games and puzzles missing pieces or that we have never used...that kind of thing...but I know I need to go deeper...It is amazing to have about 7 boxes and 2 large bags go out of the house, but while you can tell...it doesn't really even scratch the surface.
But today...I have someone coming to help...she is really a dear and precious girl...but I have heard she is RUTHLESS...Now, while I say that in all fun...I know I need to be ruthless too...I am tired of the chaos that a bunch of clutter causes. So, the rule of the day is a place for eveything, and everything in its place...you may want to pray for me!
I will see if there is anything picture worthy to post later....

Grocery Challenge

Well, It is challenge time again...the day of reckoning, so to speak...and I have just completely lost track...and here is why...the wonderful man I am married to can do two things that are related to this...one, he does most of our shopping, which allows me to stay home and do the things I need to do...LIKE CLEAN (always a challenge with a houseful...and a Momma who would rather be sitting on the floor doing a puzzle with the 3 year old), and homeschool, and love on our blessings...and second...this man can COOK...and I don't mean like top ramen, or mac and cheese type "box" cooking...I mean, he can REALLY cook...last week he made Chili Verde...I am REALLY hoping that he will make Pork Carnitas on Sunday...those are my ABSOLUTE favorites...he is also wonderful with grilling...burgers, steaks, etc...so I have lost track where we are. What I appreciate about this challenge though...is that it is challenging me to be more creative, think more in advance, use what we have, even if it is not our preference for that meal. It's helping me to look ahead for maybe what I will need for holiday baking...to gather staples now when there is a little more money in the budget rather than when everything is busier and money is stretched far too thin...use seasonal things that are cheaper and fresher and to REALLY watch the specials.
So, even though I have lost track of where I am, I have been reminded of some valuable lessons and I am so thankful for this challenge...and I tell you what...as soon as I can, I am going to get Mary's book...Family Feasts for $75 a week...

C~

Pumpkin Bread

Mary at Owlhaven has an abundance of pumpkin, so I thought I would post this recipe...it is such a delicious bread....not at all as healthy as it sounds...it does freeze well, but usually does not last that long...at least in my house it doesn't. This is also a great bread to give to friends and neighbors at Christmas.

5 eggs
1-1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 packages (3 ounces each) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add oil and pumpkin; beat until smooth. Combine remaining ingredients; gradually beat into pumpkin mixture.
Pour batter into five greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 325° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 5 mini loaves (8 slices each). Editor's Note: Bread may also be baked in two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans for 75-80 minutes.


Enjoy!
C~

Gleaning

Well, we have been SO blessed to have Gleaners in our area...I thought I would show what I got today...this includes a Specialty Glean, which memebers get when they work over so many hours per month, that is why there is so much...





So, some of the things I got were:
Borax (Score for making laundry soap)
Dish Soap ( I really needed this...Thank you Lord)
2 lipsticks and a compact
2 bottles of lotion
1 bottle of body wash
Pregnancy Test- you just never know...
a quart of sour cream
a pint of whipping cream
1 gallon milk
1 doz. eggs
1 package sausage patties
1 lb bacon
4 pack. hot dogs
2 pack. apple gouda sausages (THESE ARE SO GOOD!!!)
1 lg. can tuna
3 boxes pop tarts
2 boxes ritz type crackers
bag of jelly beans
2 bags frosted animal cookies
4 small bags chips
box of brownie mix
2 boxes cereal bars
bag of lollipops
5 pkg. gum
bag of cheese puffs
pkg. oatmeal cookies (these look real interesting with chocolate covered sunflower seeds on them)
a pkg. of oreo type cookies....double stuff!!!!
2 lbs coffee
5 cans soup
box of penne noodles
2 bottles hot sauce
bottle of salad dressing
can of pumpkin
qt of strawberries
lettuce
freezer jam
4 Dove ice cream bars....YUMMY
2 Deli sandwiches
lasagna
1 dz. biscuits
a bouquet of flowers
1 pr. pajamas...a Christmas gift for my nephew....shhhh....don't tell!

I am sure there were a few more items, but my brains aren't quite all there and so...this is it...I know that this has blessed our family TREMENDOUSLY...There have been a couple of really lean times when we have had to create from what we get from gleaning.
Well, I need to get ready for dinner...
Love,
C~

Turkey, the easy way

As I promised, the turkey recipe....this is from a good friend's website, which I think she got from a friend...thanks for sharing Pamela!

For every pound the turkey weighs, it cooks for about one hour: a 20 pound bird will cook for at least 20 hours. The first hour (I usually go for 1.5 hours for a 20 pounder) it cooks at 350 which kills all of the bacteria. Then the heat is reduced to 190-200 and it is cooked for the remaining time at that temperature (18.5 hours for my 20 pound bird). Before I put the turkey in the oven I remove the neck and giblets and thoroughly wash it. Then I pat it dry with paper towels. I have my daughter pour some real salt into my hand and I salt the cavity. Then she pours organic olive oil in my hands and I spread it all over the skin of the bird. It cooks in a roasting pan on a rack, breast side down. This makes for a bird that is not quite as pretty (from the lines of the rack imprinting in the breast), but it self bastes and stays nice and juicy. I’ll go for awesome flavor over pretty looks any day. And that’s it. I do still use a meat thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature is right (180). Once the turkey is up to temperature it pretty much stays there, since that’s close to the temperature of the oven, and I can let it sit in there for a couple of hours if the other food is not ready. It’s still delicious. Once the turkey comes out of the oven it needs to rest for about 20 minutes before carving. At that time I put the potatoes and green beans in the oven and I make the gravy from the turkey drippings. Everything is done and ready at the same time.

I also put some onions, celery, etc in the cavity...gives off wonderful flavor!

Try it, you may like it!
C~

Monthly Grocery Challenge

Well, it has been a few days since I posted on this...just busy with school starting this week and all...so we are still going on this...I think we are still under budget...I need to check with my husband (He treated us to steaks one night, and I KNOW that was more expensive!). Breakfasts are usually whatever is available....leftovers, cereal, etc...yesterday, I made the children some potatoes with leftover chicken verde that I sauteed in butter and olive oil...it looked really good. I did take four of the children to taco bell for lunch too...we spent $9 for the 5 of us...not so great for you, but we were all hungry and that seemed the best option... We are trying to empty a freezer so we can defrost it, so that has been making life a little easier...so yesterday, I really needed to go to the store for dinner, but due to some circumstances, I was unable to...so 4:30 ish came by and I thought...what on earth are we going to have for dinner...thankfully, I was able to come up with an idea. I made Tuna Casserole....not at all my favorite, but I was so grateful that we had all the makings...for those of you who live for Cream of Whatever soups...they do make life a little easier, but white sauce is SO easy to make....cooking noodles, making white sauce, stirring it all up with the tuna and into the oven for a bit...we had some salad left and I cut up some tomatoes and onions and tossed that with some italian dressing...and even made dessert...brownies with strawberries and ice cream....
I think I am going to make Turkey this weekend...we still have one...I kept forgetting about it...I have a good friend who posted a great way to cook a turkey...maybe I will post that next....makes life a little easier...
I will be gone tonight, so I need to figure out something to be ready for everyone else...and then Friday is my hubby's birthday, so we are going to Red Robin...he gets a FREE burger...and I think we have a coupon or something...then I FOUND some money in my wallet...woo hoo!!!! I will be making my husband a german chocolate cake too...that is his yearly tradition...

White Sauce recipe (Sort of)

I do not measure this at all, I am sure that there are recipes out there, so you may wish to check on that, but here is what I do:

Equal parts butter and flour ( I usually do about 1/4 cup of each) in a pan...til thick and pasty looking...then add milk...again, I don't measure...just till it looks right...I add just a little at a time...seems like I don't have to wait as long to see if it is the right thickness or not...my guess would be 2-3 cups of milk, but that is totally a guess...
I added some chicken base, parmesan and garlic to this last night...

I will post the turkey directions soon!

Love,
C~

Budget Crunching

Well, I briefly mentioned about the challenge Mary over at Owlhaven has presented and how I was going to try to do it this month. Now Mary spends $75 a week for everything, if I read that correctly...shampoo, etc...I am not sure if I will cut that far...but I think $75 a week for a family of 7 is a worthy challenge, so that is what I am aiming for...
Now this week, we are living on whatever we have or whatever we can get from Gleaners...Our Gleaner organization gets things from local grocery stores that they can no longer sell and we bring it back and it gets distributed among 80-ish families and let me tell you...it is a BLESSING! Yesterday, I was able to get milk, orange juice, lots of veggies and breads...things we will really use this week FOR SURE! One unexpected find was KALE...well, no I am not a Kale freak, but Kale works beautifully in Green smoothies, which I need to get back to, so we will be enjoying that...I will post the "recipe" below...they are SO good for you!
So, for your info, I will post our plan thus far...I am not very far into the plan...I need to so that today...
So yesterday we had:
B:- It was an on your own morning...granola bars, yogurt, baked spaghetti...
L:- Leftover Taco Soup, fritos and peaches (Had all of these)
D:- Clam Chowder and rolls- We got the leeks, milk and rolls from gleaners and had all the rest.
$0

9/2-
B: French Toast- bread, milk and eggs from gleaners
L: Mac and cheese for children- good ole blue boxes...we have these...I think I got them from Gleaners...I will add veggies and fruit...whatever we have on hand...and I think I will have a green smoothie...
D: Chili and Cornbread...raw veggies...we have all of this...

$0

9/3-
B: Scones, Lemon Curd and something to balance the sugar...not sure...maybe bacon, maybe yogurt...we are not big egg people...
L: Leftover Clam Chowder and bread- We need to thicken this, so when we do that, I will need to get some cream....I will do that later...Bread from Gleaners
D: Baked Spaghetti, Salad or green beans and Garlic bread...
We either will get this from gleaners, already have it or will buy some lettuce...I haven't decided yet....
That's my plan thus far...such as it is...

Okay, a couple of recipes

Green Smoothies

40% green leafy things...spinach, kale, chard, parsley, etc...we usually use either spinach or parsley...if you use spinach and get the proportions right you cannot taste it...
60% fruit...I always use a banana or two...this sweetens it...we use frozen bananas for this...no need for ice if you do...I also balance seeded fruit ( Berries) with unseeded (Bananas, peaches, plums, etc)...too many seeds and I don't care for it as much.
We add a little water to get it all blending in the Vitamix, you could use juice if you like...sometimes we add a little coconut milk or oil if we have it...and that is it.

Lemon Curd...this is SO easy and delicious...much better than a store bought jar...
I usually use bottled juice if we have it and it tastes fine..I also do not add the zest...I don't like that texture in it...and I have not noticed a noticible difference in the taste with vs. without...

Grated peel of 4 lemons
Juice of 4 lemons, about 1 cup
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, cut in small pieces
2 c. sugar

In the top of a double boiler , combine zest, juice, eggs, butter and sugar. Place over simmering water and stil until sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and smooth. Strain through a sieve to remove bits of egg that cooked. Chill. The recipe says it lasts a couple of weeks...I think they are lying...mine never lasts that long! ;-)

Enjoy!
C~

I'm still here....

So I have not been on some sort of a luxery vacation or anything...I've been here...just without a computer...then, it is only so stimulating to talk about laundry or dishes....so I haven't really had much to say...not that I really do now...but I thought I would pop in and say "hello...remember me..."

Well, it's that time of year....time for back to school...I feel behind in my planning, but hope I can catch up to at least have the first week planned...we will start on the 7th (Labor Day...a fitting start) with a big breakfast and prayer time...goals...and such...get everything ready for our first WORK day on the 8th...new books, new schedule, new goals, new focus...etc...I love how new everything feels at this time every year...and it makes me think of God and how His mercies are new every MORNING...not just every year, but every day...if I blew it yesterday...today is a new day...fresh, clean slate...

So, last week was a wild frenzy of doing something with our plums before they were rotten...we blanched them, took off the skins, pitted them and froze them in ziploc bags....yesterday I made plum crisp for breakfast...yumm...but we were doing that all while getting ready for Family Camp up at Mount Baker...we got the plums done JUST IN TIME...and thanks to a very good friend who took the rest from me...I could not look at one more...anyway...we left early for Family Camp...and I do MEAN EARLY...and went up to Mount Baker to pick blueberries...they were all over. We were there for two and a half hours and got about a gallon and a half...after that, the children had ENOUGH so we went down to the camp.
We had sweet fellowship while camping with church families...came home all bug bitten to pieces and itching like crazy and boy...bed felt so good on Sunday night...I think we are caught up on laundry again...nothing like a three day trip to send your washing machine into overdrive.
I made two blueberry pies with some of the blueberries we picked and realized while we were eating it that we doubled the pie, but only put in a single recipe of what needed to be in there, like SUGAR...but the pies tasted okay...we are hoping to make a little bit of jam and that may be all the blueberries we have...
I think that is really it...I need to get a little organized today...bringing a meal for a friend who had a baby and I want to bake cookies and have everything ready to go, so that is the focus for today...
Love,
C~

Two Tales of Cherries

Well, I have been canning cherries and I have Two Tales to tell...

First, After 20 Years, you would think you would know a person...but sadly, I find that that is not true...Dana and I have known each other for almost 20 years...we have been married for almost 18...and yet, I am still discovering new things. I have had a few friends who are canning cherries. The more I talked to them, the more I thought about canning cherries. But I have never had them and was not sure. So, I was talking to my MIL and my husband and come to find out that my husband LOVES them...NOT ONE MEMBER of the Cannon Family has EVER mentioned canned cherries in the 20 years that I have known them...I guess they all forgot about them. SO I am glad that I can bless my husband in this manner AND introduce my family to them as well.

Second, God of the great and God of Cherries

So, a couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was talking about this fruit list she has and was telling me that she had 2.5 cases of cherries left, would I be interested...but she would need to see if anyone ordered through email, before she could confirm that I could have any. So, the price was $16 for 26 pounds...AND they were Van Dyke Cherries, which I was thinking was the type we got on vacation a couple of years ago that were delicious, so I was hoping that I could get some more.
When I got home, I found out that they were gone...so I was looking for another source. Then my friend emailed and said she could get me one after all...Then I found another source...the price was not as good...but I ordered two. By the end of that week, I found out that had fallen through. So I talked with my friend and said...if there happened to be any more...I would love more...but I thought that was a HUGE long shot. Then I found out that Fred Meyer had them for 99 cents a pound and I went to get some...they were out of course...so all of this long boring story is to say that I got two more boxes of cherries from my friend at the cheapest price around. God guided me to this by having the others be unavailable and I so appreciate his watch care over our family. He is God of all...even the cherries...so as we eat our cherries, I have a memorial stone of His provision and will be able to praise Him for them.

I will post some pictures when I can find the cord...I think one of my children may have borrowed it....

C~