The Needle in a Haystack

April 30th, 2012

 This morning both Chris and I spent the morning at the BOE for training. This election both of us will be working seperate polls and this year I was sworn in as a judge.  I am so honored to do this.  I think everyone should do what they can in their communities  to serve.  My Grams worked the polls many many years and I am glad to be able to carry on the tradition.

   Then we decided a little trip into VA was a good idea ( only a few miles) so we shopped a bit in South Boston at their Goodwill store. They have such a nice store and we picked up  a few things for only a couple of dollars.  Then we splurged a bit and had lunch.

   Even though we were in a fried greasy fast food coma on the ride home we had worked to do so we trellised a few peas, fed the chickens, pulled a few weeds , plucked some lettuce for dinner and I set to work on my big project dujour.... getting the 50lbs of wheat flour into mylar.

 While I do most of my dry goods in jars or 2 litter soda bottles, flour I prefer to do in mylar.  Our consumption of flour goes up and down but it is soooo much cheaper to buy in bulk.

 We use 1 gallon mylar bags and a 300cc oxygen absorber.. probaly over kill but air is wheat flours worst enemy ( next to meal bugs)  and during the summer we just don't use the flour like in the winter so we need to keep it fresh.

Here is an excellent video about storing in mylar...

 

 

I use a regular iron to seal ours. We haven't had a bit of problems with this method

 

 

 

Genesis 41:49

Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

 

Have a fine day...all day long!

March 6, 2012 Giving to Others...

Our neighbor had a mass in her kidney resulting in the removal of the kidney last week. She was doing so well she came home from the hospital today and Chris and I really wanted to bless her family with a meal.

 A few years back we really made hte decision to try and let folks know we were thinking of them with small tokens such as a meal during illness, perhaps some cookies for an accomplishment ( like when one of our " adopted children got a new job", new babies, funerals..... muffins for a mother of littles who is plum wore out...

   and it also seemed we were buying lots of tin foil pans and plastic plates to make these deliveries in...

   Lightbulb moment... thrift stores..

  for a buck or less you can buy casseroles, plates, bowls, small pieces of glassware... how much nicer is it to have cookies on a pretty plate instead of paper, or having to wonder who the casserole or dish goes back to.  By purchasing  odds and end casseroles and plates you can simply tell the recipient to 'play it forward".. using the odd piece the next time THEY give a meal.

Tonight was a Chicken Casserole... easy to make and easy to freeze

Chicken Casserole

2 large chicken breast cooked and shredded

1 small bag of frozen broccoli thawed and drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 box of Stove Top stuffing ( prepared according to directions)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

place chicken and broccoli in a casserole dish

combine soup, milk and cheese and pour over chicken and broccoli

top with prepared stuffing and bake for 30 minutes..

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.  James 5:26

...and have a fine day... all day long

 

Feb 5, 2012

I thought I would post a picture of what our lab looks like when we hay treat the graden ... for some reason she thinks we put it down as a personal back scracher for her.... From the look on her face I think she knows  she went a bit over board with the straw

  We had quite a busy weekend at the shoppe and while thankful we both came home all three nights soaking our tootsies and worn out.  We love meeting all the new customers and visiting with the old.

    Two updates.  The elderberry syrup I made and we have been taking seems to be working well so far. I used the recipe from Learning Herbs  which is a bit differnt then some recipes calling form an alcohol base but the honey, ginger and cloves do add a larger immune boost and I think it works as well as one with alcohol base. I do have two cough medicine remedies calling for rum that I will make an infusion/ tincture out of this week.

  The 2nd update is out homemade vanilla started last Aug.  I doubt I will ever go back to store bought as this vanilla is by far the richest tasting I have ever had.  The recipe I followed was basic from THrifty MOM  But we ordered our vanilla beans from France on ebay and the cost was 10 nice beans for less then 5.00 which was enough for two bottles of vodka/ bean mixture.  I think I might order more beans for vanilla sugar and to make homemade vanilla for Gifts.  The total process takes about 6 months to infuse  but the six months really only requires shaking the bottles once or twice a week. 

  This week we will prepare the onion, and pea beds.  We had considered lettuce this year but found a lovely local CSA that grows the greens this time of year in a hot house so we are buying from them once a week along with our argula , turnips  and other greens. 

   So, every weekend for the last 11 years our neighbor Daniel has stayed with us.  Even if he goes out or has plans he checks in and we find him camped out on the floor or on the sofa... Qite oK with us as we consider him one fo our own after all these years... today he turned 22.

Happy Birthday Kiddo! We are proud of you!

  We didn't watch the Superbowl.  It sort of makes us sad at the how much emphasis is place on athletes, products, ... stuff..

  I was thinking of this verse

.....1 Peter 1:18-19 – For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,

   what are we handing down to our children?\

  Think about it.... and have a fine day.... all day long

A Day @ The End of the Road

We knew the weather was going to be beautiful today so we had made plans last night to do yard work today.  Friday, Sat & Sundays are always so busy for us that we knew it would be Monday before we could get much needed garden/hen/yard work complete.

  Breakfast was  cinnamon toast on homemade bread stuck under the broiler for a bit and coffee and hot tea.  I decided to try a London Fog that Miranda @ Nurtured By Love and mentioned.  I am so glad I did.  Perfect with cinnamon toast!~

 We both pitched in with critter feeding  and house chores and then headed out to the hardware store. The goal was to buy enough posts and netting to increase the chicken yard and double the garden size this year.  we had budgeted 200.00 for post, netting, plants, tools  etc...we came in at 191.00  so there is a bit for some seeds we had wanted to try and possibly some things to get the worm farm up and going again.

  So, while Chris set post... I was in charge of zip ties

I am happy to report we got them all set and the chciekn area complete along with the fencing around the garden area.

Something had to be done about Whitey Bird ,our rooster, reports had come back from 1/4 mile down the road he was making the daily trek  and terroizing  small children trying to play.  so... no more free range birds.   We are also getting 3 of Josh's Rhode Island Red  as he is getting some differnt type and we were in need of some hens.

.. Trapped!

While hanging out clothes this morning we found a baby woodpecker had fallen out of the nest.

  I moved the baby a bit closer to where the tree was but with so many cats and wild animals I doubt he is going to make it.  I had thought briefly  of trying to keep it alive.  I've never had very good luck with that. 

  We had burritos for dinner .  I made a double batch so we could eat taco sald tomorrow night  for dinner.

  All week the three of us have been piling our winter clothes we no longer need in the dining room  so after the fencing was done and Chris mowed the front area I boxed up the clothes to take to Harbor House Thrift, that supports our local battered women shelter.

  we are about to settle in for the evening with a good movie and prepare for our first day in our new location for the business.

   As Chris and I were tending to the fallen little bird we could not help but think of the Bible verse Matthew 10:29

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

  If our Father watches over a small bird so closely, image what he does in our own lives.....

 ..I needed to remember that as I got word that my dear Grams had taken a fall and has probably broken her hip. She is 92 and they have transported her to a much larger hospital where hopefully the orthopedist can fix her up good as new!

  But, God is in control... so we must continue to have a fine day.....all day long

 

ME! ME!

Seriously! More snow on Saturday.... I live in the Piedmont of NC for goodness sakes.....

Ahh well,  more soups and teas and books and yarn.... mental note to replace the old cookie sheet that disappeared after the last snow event ( which by the way is still laying about )

Right in the heart of the last 7 inches we all got a hankering for Chinese.... I took a basic recipe for Sesame noodles from Pioneer Woman  and added bits of beef and mix vegetables.... I must say our mouths and tummy were all happy and we give this a two thumbs up.

Sesame Noodles with beef and veggies

Ingredients

• 1 pkg angel hair or thin speghetti
• 1/2 cups Soy Sauce or teryaki
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 1/8 cip Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• 1 t chili powder ( adjust for your family)
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil ( any other veggie oil..olive competes with the sesa
  me oil)
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Water
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin or just minced onion)
•  cooked beef or chicken
• mixed veggies sauteed

Preparation Instructions

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.
Serve in a bowl with chopsticks. Yummy!

The sun is shining once again  Chris and Christopher are setting fence posts today... Christopher has a game this evening and class this afternoon.  As soon as I hang a couple of loads of clothes on the line i am heading to Raleigh  to do a once a month shop at the warehouse store.  a friend of mine from NJ is in town and we will meet for lunch and then my car will no doubt make a detour to the yarn shop. I ahve been thinking alot about yarn lately..

 I mean, I think about yarn  most days... but about the same time all the bloggy yarn goodness came into  my reads, my MIL and I started having conversations about yarn... like long conversations... because both of us seemed a bit discouraged with the stash we were sitting on... and then i bought some wonderful cotton blend right before Christmas.... soft and butter... gliding on my hook and it felt so good on my fingers....

 I have lots and lots of not feel good to me any more yarn... that just might have to be replaced bit by bit  with the cottons and wools and alpacas and other animals that will make my hook happy...

...probably not a good thing to hit during  this unemployment bout...but as we tell ourselves, this isn't unemployment.... its self employment.... and  truly, as grim as it could possibly look on paper... it is a blessing... peace has returned  to our home... gone are the worry lines on my husbands face.. we are good... our family is good....our focus we see coming right back where it needs to be...

..." feed my sheep.............. feed my lambs"..........

have a fine day...........all day long...........we will!

Finding a new rhythm

 Well, funny ( or not so much) how much the plans we set forth can be changed in the blink of an eye.  We were a bit sad when Chris had to go back to work after a wonderful vacation. We had spent time for months praying for God to open doors for him to be able to make changes and possibly do something less stressful.  it seemed we were in for the long haul when his yearly evaluation came back before Christmas tagging him as a model employee.... we seemed beyond the scope of lay offs....

  Until he showed back up at 10:00 Monday morning.   no severance, no health insurance, nothing....one minute you are the golden boy , you go on vacation, and you become just a memory of someone who worked there....

  .... but we had prayed..... we have lived frugally..... the house is paid for....

Its just time for a new rhythm..... a sorting and shifting of the things that are important....

God.... oh yes!  Family ( you betcha)..dearest friends... certainly included as we circle the wagons...

Our days have been filled with that extra cup of coffee (or tea) with heads bent together ..sometimes bouncing off ideas.... sometimes in prayer....

One thing we know most certainly....

Hebrews 13:5 (New International Version)

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
   "Never will I leave you;

      never will I forsake you."

so, the blog might turn a bit to living frugally in hard times... probably a space a ton of folks are living in....

.... a new rhythm.... with God holding our right hand.... how can it go wrong.......