Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sunday afternoon...

Just a normal sunday around here today!! We had church this morning, then went out to lunch with friends, we're home now but its chilly so we're house bound which is ok, I am getting a jump on tomorrows work!! The dishwasher is humming, the washer is going, the dryer too, and I am working I am taking a break from working in the kitchen to blog a bit!! My little girl is watching a cartoon, my oldest is playing in his room and my middle child is with his great grandma!! He loves spending time with her!!

Not sure what the dinner plan is yet, I am so super stuffed from lunch I would be ok to skip dinner altogether but I'm betting that idea won't fly with the fam.♥

Hopefully I'll get a good catch up on tomorrows chores so tomorrow will be a laid back day especially since there is no school. Hmm maybe I can pack dh's lunch tonight so tomorrow I can sleep in, hmm maybe!!

Have a great day with your families!!
Dana

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Canning in March??? o.O

Why yes I am!! One of the neighbors has a farm and this past week they had to clear out their cold storage, I guess for the impending harvest seasons. Anyway we were offered a bushel of apples and of course I said yes!! You just can never say no to free food!!

1/2 a bushel were yellow delicious, 1/2 a bushel are granny smiths, I've already cooked down the yellow delicious, and they are set to become applesauce, the neat thing is, I have a new toy to try and I can't wait. Dh bought me a food strainer for christmas and all you have to do is quarter your apples and cook them skin and all then run the cooked apples through the food strainer and it strains the apple pulp from the seeds, skin and such!! How cool is that?? Should make processing apples for applesauce a breeze. Last year I peeled and peeled and peeled FOREVER to get the apples ready to cook down to make applesauce. But with the food strainer you don't have to peel just cut out any bad spots and toss in a pot, I think I had 2 large pots full of that 1/2 bushel on cooking in less than 15 mins!!! I am so thankful for him buying me this attatchment!!!

Like I said my apples are already cooked I am waiting to dh's "help" to do the straining, he wants to see how it works so I told him I would wait for his help to do the straining. He's a kid at heart that way, New toy in the house he wants to see it in action and it doesn't matter that it is a kitchen helper appliance, its a new toy.... period. Its the same way with the kids, he is right there anytime a new helicopter or rocket or RC car is going for its first spin!! ♥ that about him!!!

The other half bushel of granny smiths I hope to turn into pie filling and can it but being so early in the season no one around here has clear jel called for in the recipe. I've called around to every place I can think of and no luck but I hope to go out today and see if Walmart has any. I actually called and they told me they do but when I was there yesterday getting my months worth of groceries I looked and it wasn't in the space they had told me, and by that time I was pushing a very full cart full of groceries and my little one was past being done shopping and I had to get home to get the boys off the bus so decided instead if trying to hunt it down I would just come back. So maybe there is hope yet that I will find some!! If not I guess I will try the cornstarch route and pray it works out!!

So I guess that is what I plan to do with my saturday, I had originally hope to have a cookout today but with 80% and 90% chances of rain today and tonight I am pretty sure that is out of the question!!

What's the plan for your Saturday??

Enjoy your day!!
Dana

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

35 doesn't look so bad

Infact it doesn't feel much different than 34 other than the fact that I look at my children and think wow where did the time go, its hard for me to grip that Colby will be 11 this year, Brady will be 7 and my sweet sweet boo Kara who just turned 2 3months ago will be three right after christmas this year. I think about that and get a little overwhelmed at that and wonder how it happened so fast only to remember that as of yesterday I am now 35 and I am the mom most graciously granted by the Lord above to those precious 10,6 and 2 year old children!!

I tell ya I am loved completely!! I have gotten cards, phone calls and gifts all starting last sunday!!

My grandparents gave me 20.00 for my birthday, which I plan to add to the 20.00 gift card my mother gave me for christmas to buy either some summer clothes or some under clothes- Yeah underwear how exciting am I, lol

Dh's gram took me shopping and bought me a new folding table, its one of those 6ft tables that folds for storage, we already have one and I am super excited to have another one, they are so handy for parties, cookouts, etc!!!

My mother gave me a bouquet of flowers, 2 grape plants, a blue berry plant and a black berry plant- what can I say, she knows me well and I am practical, when she asked me what I wanted for my birthday I told her she didn't have to do a thing but I needed a couple new ladles, and a subscription to Mother Earth News,lol She instead went with the plants and flowers and I am super happy with the new plants, hubs said he will build me a grape arbor and will plant the berries just as soon as I pick out a spot!!

I got cards from my other grand parents, a lady from church and a gazillion phone calls and posts on facebook wishing me happy birthday, and I heard from all of my brothers yesterday!! I am the only girl so to hear from all of them is a big deal because we don't really keep in touch all that great, everyone is so busy!!!

Dh asked me what I wanted for my birthday a month ago and I told him a new icemaker for my fridge as mine has stopped working some time ago. It hasn't arrived yet but its on its way!! He also got the last 2 days off from work the weather was beautiful and he took me to lunch both days!!

I just don't think it gets much better than that folks, I pleased as punch with my birthday gifts, I love the practicallity of it all, everything I will use and that will benefit not only me but my family as well. But between you and me I think mom had alterior motives as she loves black berry pie ;) and knows I love to bake,lol

Hope your having a wonderful day!!!
Dana

Monday, March 5, 2012

Monday 3/5/2012

Good Morning!!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! Ours was busy- as usual :) but nice. We were able to get some much needed errands taken care of this weekend, had dinner with some great friends and spent some quality time together. All in all a busy abut wonderful weekend!!

Today is back to business for me, Hubs is off to work, oldest is off to school as soon will be our second son also, I have my 2nd load of clothes in the dryer the 3rd load of clothes in the washer, the dishwasher going, meat thawing for both tonight and tomorrow night's dinner, and many many more things to check off my to-do list today. A busy day to be sure but hopefully a productive one as well!!

Its cold and snowy outside today, I don't think it will amount to much but its still cold so Dinner tonight is Beef Stew with corn bread muffins, warm, comforting and very filling and the best part is the crock pot will have dinner ready for us this evening after scouts!!

Have a wonderful day!!
Dana