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!

Of Rain Barrels and Such

.. This time of the year is hectic... no question about it the slow paced days of winter when you throw some soup on simmer and snuggle under a blanket to crochet or something are gone....

  I am thinking that is why we have winter... to rest up for spring when  the flutter begins again. spring cleaning, gardening, new chicks..

   Of course there are family dinner nights... and 7 year olds who need introduced to perler beads

..and getting excited about Christopher's biology project for an Earth Day expo at college

..its a rain barrel.. and I am excited to put it over by the chicken coop so I don't have to lug water so much....

  Chris and I were working out in the garden the other day and realized it was way past lunch time and we were hungry and tired... neither of us felt like cooking much so I grabbed a couple boxes of cornbread mix ( true confessions... I am deeply in love with Jiffy Cornbread Mix... so anyhooo.. we had some Hebrew National dogs in the fridge and I cut them up and mixed them in the cornbread batter... instant corndogs... dipped in some Zatarans Creole Mustard and we were happy campers!

   Chris was a bit alarmed that this one had ears...

   This is the season of weddings, babies and graduations so my hooks and embroidery machine needs to get flying....

   "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

.. Enjoy the season... and have a fine day..all day long!

A Busy Day @ End of the Road

Chris gave the chickens some extra room...

..and with that task complete we went to pick up our chick order.

The one in the bowl is Sue and the one directly in front is Dan.  The others are in various states of naming... 

  Here is a picture of part of the seedlings I transplanted into larger cups.  I am not thrilled with the foam cups but seedling pots are on the list for the fall purchase.

WWe have 37 of the 38 Roma tomato seedlings that were hardy enough for transfer.  Today we started cucumbers , greenpeppers and cayennes  We have started weathering off the seedlings and they will hit the ground the week after Easter.

I had to do a bit of weeding in the sugar snaps... easy to do witht he mulch

Dinner tonight was Farmers Breakfast; sausage, potatoes and eggs...

Tonight I am working on a Babushka to wear in the garden  it works up quickly...

he LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

have a fine day..all day long

Because he can......

  We are very blessed in our  bread labors these days to have time to explore things we are interested in  pursuing. I happen to be plunged into sewing, seedlings and perfecting baked beans ( yes my dear Mom in law... no more cans!!)... Chris has been planting, mulching..... and making charcoal... Why?  His answer " beacuse I can".

  Blacksmithing is something he has been reading up on for a few years since we went to an Ag fair with some friend sof ours and saw a demo.  He is now taking the steps to set up a forge  over the next year, study with some local smiths and try his hand at some iron works himself.  I am excited for him!  such a useful skill to have!

  The above picture is simply a large pot with oak pieces in and rocks on top with a hot fire underneath. For a first try the out come was great! 

   Our goals for this week:

   1. Make a video  on constructing a hndmade pvc water pump.

   2. start pepper seedlings ( tomatoes are doing great and should be moved to bigger pots next week!)

   3. Dehydrate carrots  to add to soups etc this year.

   4.  I got an order for 8 custom napkins with a strawberry design on them... I am very excited about this project.

   5.  mulch the onions

   6.  try adding dandelion greens to a stir fry

    7.  Continue crocheting bunnies for nursing home bingo

    8.   attempt first baked bean recipe

     9.  Weenie Roast teaching Taylor how to use a flint and steel.. ( yes I will take pictures!!)

    10.  Begin a couple potato towers....

  Hands to work...hearts to God...and have a fine day...all day long!

The Weekend March 9-11

 Besides spending the whole weekend working at the shoppe... here are the other things that filled in the blanks

1. Received the book " Our Sun Heated Green House by Helen and Scott Nearing ( began reading)

2. started a batch of keifer grains ( milk)
3. Continued burning down a brush pile for ash for the garden
4. Made pizza in the outdoor pizza oven again
5. Bought seeds for this week's planting
6. Constructed a pvc hand pump for the well  to use in the event power goes out
7. Bought 2 bamboo fishing poles with bobbers , line and hooks
8. Placed the order for 6 lbs of homemade sausage to be delivered next week

9.  Dinner with Mom and dad in law... always fun!

10. Continued work on an afghan I am making for a couple special someones.

Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ,
that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 2 Thess 3:   12

Hand to work... hearts to God... and have a fine day...all day long!

Feb 21, 2012... Date night

We got lots of small projects done around here today, spent a bit of time on auctions for the business...and some times getting dinner and snacks planned for our date night ( which we did at home).

 Chris tried his meat searing techniques on a chuck roast.... I would call that a fail... chucks require a slow cooking to tenderize and lossen the fibers... disappointing with a 12.00 piece of meat.

  I tried this  Soft Pretzel Bites recipe from Making Memories for us it was fail . The baking soda taste was really strong...AND I learned a very hard lesson  about baking soda and aluminum pans, I might have ruined this one.. I am not sure... but I do know I am going to start collecting stainless pieces... I know of two folks who have tried this recipe and loved it, so I am not sure if it was the pan..or some other operator error... I ended up tossing them and making chex mix instead.

   Despite our cooking failures, the movie we had picked was awesome!  You can stream it for free off the internet or buy the DVD...  We watched it off the internet projected on the TV.... both of us enjoyed it so much.  Back to Eden , is a true story of gardening God's way, quick, easy sustainable. We had studied this method for a few months now and this movie pushed us over the top to give it a try. We will certainly be keeping you up to date on the " no till " method of gardening.

   Matthew 6:19-20

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . .

..makes you wonder how much "stuff' we really need..

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

Feb 16,2012

Another busy day around The End of the Road.   After breakfast we headed out to a tree and vine pruning demo provided free of charge by a local Ag agent.  I can not recommend using your local extension office for free or almost free classes. We really enjoyed getting to know some new folks and learned a bunch too.

Peach and Apple tree pruning

 Grape vines ( and yes, this helped make our decision to plant grapes this year)

raspberries, blueberries and figs.

Thanks to Robert and Mary Jane for allowing us at their farm!

It started rainy just as we were leaving  so we were able to do a bit more cleaning ont he spare room.... 3 box loads for the local women's shelter. The room is really coming together.... a nice visit with my friend Shelley and it was time to fix dinner.

Chris decided to cook again... its a new sport of his I could get use to! Tonights menu... homemade chili cheese fries

 We found this fry maker at the market for 3.00... sturdy and well made it did the job perfectly!

The insides were tender... the outside crispy!

I was not idle!  A friend at the shoppe gave us this recipe for Microwave Bread and Butter Pickles...  easy and delicious!

 Billy's Microwave Bread and Butter Pickles

  2 sliced cucumbers

  1 onion ( sliced)

  1 1/2 cup sugar

  1 cup distilled vinegar

   1t  mustard seed

   1t salt

   1/2 t celery seed

   1/2  tumeric

 Place all ingredients in a microwave bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes

stir and microwave for another 4 minutes

stir, microwave 2 more minutes then pour into sterile jar ..allow to cool and stick into fridge. They are ready to eat when cooled.

...these are delicious!

 

"Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20

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

Feb 15,2012

Guest Post by Chris on Pizza-pa-looza and how to cook a steak.... he really has been doing more food prep the last couple of days...

next up we need a pizza stone and a pizza peel. The pizza was delicious but the center was not as done as the crust.

Beef...it's what's for dinner! Believe it or not, I cooked this in 5 minutes in the OVEN. I'll be perfectly honest, it's not quite as good as grilled....but it's mighty close!

See this link for instructions: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pan-seared-rib-eye-recipe/index.html

It is VITAL that you get your cast iron skillet HOT HOT HOT on the stovetop before putting the steak into it

 

²² The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, ²³ and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

 ²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”

   They replied, “Certainly, O king.”

 ²⁵ He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

 ²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

   So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, Daniel 3:22-26

Chris

   post script.. I told Chris when he picked a verse he had to find one that sort of went along with his post... :)... God IS faithful........all the time...so have a fine day, all day long!

 

Feb 14, 2012

We had an awesome Valentines Day... busy , but great.

Along with planting 100 onion sets, gracoery shopping, delivering a computer, laundry, general sweeping, and animal care....

  our Valentines present to each other...was this

.. an outdoor pizza oven.   Our goal was to not spend more then 20.00 on the whole project and after a scavenge hunt around the property  we came in right at the 20.00.

We had originally found the plans at Garden Fork TV. This guy has so many great ideas and this one was at the top of our list.

we used the top to an old stand that was behind the shed

 We built an insulated well house with our pump enclosed so the old well enclosure worked wonders as a stand.... it was a two man job..

...and now a picture of where I crawled to retrieve the bricks left over from the old pony barn that was on the property when we moved here.. I braved spiders, dirt, and  a gaggle of slugs...not to mention there was some sort of unidentified scat under there... racoon? skunk? velocoraptor?

 Anyhow.. we then began layering brick

We did not have an old bedframe and could not find one at the local dump or resale store so we ended up at Tractor Supply and bought some angle iron...

some of our bricks had holes in them so we had to turn them sides ways on top to hold in the heat..

and there you have it...! We are christening it tomorrow with a pizzapaloza... I can't wait!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1Corinthians 13:4

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