Good morning!!
After a super busy weekend, Monday looks to be more of the same!!
All in all I canned 14qts of corn and 44 qts of green beans this weekend.
Today I have peppers and probably a few tomatoes to work up, I plan on stuffing some of the peppers and then cutting the rest up and freezing to use later in sauces and on pizza and such. The tomatoes I will probably can whole for chili and soups.
I have laundry going, the dishwasher going and the kids have a friend over for the day. I have the house work to keep me busy as well. I need to take my grandfather to the dr this afternoon. Its going to be a busy busy day.
This evening we plan to pick over our garden to see what is ready!! Then I'll have that to work up. I love canning time!! I sure get tired and sore, but I never get tired of looking at the pretty full jars on the shelf!!!
Oh and I almost forgot to tell about our great fortune. My mom was at Walmart on Saturday and she called to ask me if I needed anything, I told her if she had the extra money till she got here I could use some more jars. So she picked me up some and as she was leaving and walking across the parking lot, an older lady approached her and commented on the jars in her cart. Mom told her that she was picking the jars up for me and that I was home canning beans. The lady proceeded to tell my mom that she had some jars that she had taken to the flea market and couldn't sell and if I wanted them all I had to do was call her and come pick them up. Mom took the lady's name and number and gave it to me when she got here to drop off the jars she had picked up for me. I called the lady on Sunday and she told me she had a dozen or so and that if I wanted them they were mine. I thanked her and got directions to her house. When dh went out to get his hair cut he went by to get the jars. He brought home 32 jars!!! What a blessing!!! The lady told him she was happy to pass them on to us, and even happier to know that folks are our age are still canning. She said its sad that it seems its a lost art. I can't tell you how happy I was to get those jars. I've already washed them up and they are ready to be filled!!!
Well I better get to it or I'll never make a dent in my to-do list!!
Have a wonderful day!!!!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Sunday 8/5/2012
Good Morning!!
After being up late last night manning the canner, dh let me sleep in this morning. We've missed church but we knew yesterday that was plan as I had planned to go late into the night with the canning.
Here's how our weekend started out.....
Friday night my mother called after visting my gram at the hospital and told me that my Pap wanted to speak to me. So I called to check in with him. He told me that the beans need picking, the corn needs picking, and there's green peppers ready to be picked as well. He also told me he was down in his hip and didn't think he could pick much and if I wanted it, to come get it. I was in my garden when I talked to him, lol so I told him to give me a minute and I would call him back. I got off the phone told my hubby what Pap had said and we made plans to go picking first thing Saturday morning. I called Pap back and told him we would be there.
We worked hard and fast as we could in the heat, it was way too hot but we were able to pick all that Pap wanted picking. While we were there my Great Aunt Trish and Uncle Jerry came by to work in their garden patch that they have a Pap and Grams house ( They live on the side of a mountain and don't have any real garden space so they garden in Paps HUGE garden) They were there to harvest in their patch and gave me a head of cabbage and I think 4-5 cucumbers!!
All in all I came home with about 20 green peppers, over a hundred ears of corn and every bit of 2 bushels of beans. And the cabbage and cukes from my Aunt and Uncle.
While we were there, I went up to the house to change the baby, and while in the house my gram called from the hospital, they were releasing her after lunch and she wanted me to tell Pap to come get her!!!!! She was very happy to be coming home!!
We got ready, left and came straight home.
I started jars in the quick cycle of the dishwasher and made us a quick lunch. After lunch we got started on the corn first, as Pap hadn't sprayed the corn and most of it was buggy. We shucked the corn, sorted out what was usable and what was chicken feed and then went to washing and cutting corn off the cob. I ended up with 14 quarts of canned corn and some very very happy chickens!!! :)
Before the last 7 jars of corn was ready to come off, Tia called and said she and her son Scotty were coming over. She had went that morning to help us pick, and then went home to shower and wait for her son to come home from his Dad's. So they came over and the kids got in the pool and she and I went to snapping beans.
After the kids and the hubs were done in the pool it was about 7pm so we ordered out and dh went to pick us up some dinner. We stopped snapping beans long enough to eat then got back to it. It wasn't long till Kara was cranky and crying and didn't want any one but Mama so Tia and Scotty left to go home as it was late and I got the baby to bed and went back to the beans. Everyone else conked out and I was still had a batch ready to can so I put them into the canner and stayed up by myself till the batch was done. I pulled the canner off at midnight and decided I was pretty done in and headed to bed.
All in all it was a very productive day!! We picked all that I listed above then proccessed and canned 14 qts of corn, and 21 quarts of green beans.
Well I guess the coffee has kicked in and I am ready to get back at it again!! I still have quite a bit to do but I am completely happy to have it to do, if that makes any sense!! My grandfather blesses me so much I am so so so fortunate to have such a wonderful Grandfather!!!
Hope your day is full of blessings!!!
Dana
After being up late last night manning the canner, dh let me sleep in this morning. We've missed church but we knew yesterday that was plan as I had planned to go late into the night with the canning.
Here's how our weekend started out.....
Friday night my mother called after visting my gram at the hospital and told me that my Pap wanted to speak to me. So I called to check in with him. He told me that the beans need picking, the corn needs picking, and there's green peppers ready to be picked as well. He also told me he was down in his hip and didn't think he could pick much and if I wanted it, to come get it. I was in my garden when I talked to him, lol so I told him to give me a minute and I would call him back. I got off the phone told my hubby what Pap had said and we made plans to go picking first thing Saturday morning. I called Pap back and told him we would be there.
We worked hard and fast as we could in the heat, it was way too hot but we were able to pick all that Pap wanted picking. While we were there my Great Aunt Trish and Uncle Jerry came by to work in their garden patch that they have a Pap and Grams house ( They live on the side of a mountain and don't have any real garden space so they garden in Paps HUGE garden) They were there to harvest in their patch and gave me a head of cabbage and I think 4-5 cucumbers!!
All in all I came home with about 20 green peppers, over a hundred ears of corn and every bit of 2 bushels of beans. And the cabbage and cukes from my Aunt and Uncle.
While we were there, I went up to the house to change the baby, and while in the house my gram called from the hospital, they were releasing her after lunch and she wanted me to tell Pap to come get her!!!!! She was very happy to be coming home!!
We got ready, left and came straight home.
I started jars in the quick cycle of the dishwasher and made us a quick lunch. After lunch we got started on the corn first, as Pap hadn't sprayed the corn and most of it was buggy. We shucked the corn, sorted out what was usable and what was chicken feed and then went to washing and cutting corn off the cob. I ended up with 14 quarts of canned corn and some very very happy chickens!!! :)
Before the last 7 jars of corn was ready to come off, Tia called and said she and her son Scotty were coming over. She had went that morning to help us pick, and then went home to shower and wait for her son to come home from his Dad's. So they came over and the kids got in the pool and she and I went to snapping beans.
After the kids and the hubs were done in the pool it was about 7pm so we ordered out and dh went to pick us up some dinner. We stopped snapping beans long enough to eat then got back to it. It wasn't long till Kara was cranky and crying and didn't want any one but Mama so Tia and Scotty left to go home as it was late and I got the baby to bed and went back to the beans. Everyone else conked out and I was still had a batch ready to can so I put them into the canner and stayed up by myself till the batch was done. I pulled the canner off at midnight and decided I was pretty done in and headed to bed.
All in all it was a very productive day!! We picked all that I listed above then proccessed and canned 14 qts of corn, and 21 quarts of green beans.
Well I guess the coffee has kicked in and I am ready to get back at it again!! I still have quite a bit to do but I am completely happy to have it to do, if that makes any sense!! My grandfather blesses me so much I am so so so fortunate to have such a wonderful Grandfather!!!
Hope your day is full of blessings!!!
Dana
Friday, August 3, 2012
Happy Friday!!! 8/3/2012
Good morning!!
I am sitting here enjoying my coffee and listening to the washer and dryer running. Both of my boys are up but baby girl is still snoozing away!!
Whatever I had planned for Wednesday got thrown out the window. I got a call from my gram saying she couldn't breathe and was swollen all over and that she was headed for the ER and wanted me to meet her there. I got all the kids rushed through their lunches and got us all ready and we went to the ER. All in all we spent a total of 8 hrs at the ER, and the only news I have is that they think she has had a cardiac event but as to what kind or to what degree I have no idea. Still this day I have no idea and she is still in the hospital. I think they are leaning more towards a mild heart attack but with the swelling and fluid in the lungs causing shortness of breath I am leaning more towards congestive heart failure, but I am no doctor so what do I know?, only what common sense tells me.
Thankfully we have wonderful friends and Emmy came to the hospital and picked up my kids and fed them dinner. She is an angel I tell you!!!
My mother made it to the hospital around 5:30. She came right after she got off work. She would have came immediately if it was nessassary but honestly all I did was help gram answer questions and let my butt go numb with the waiting so there was no reason for her to miss work when I had it sorted and handled!!! My gram finally got into a room at I think 7:00 that night. Once I was sure she was settled my hubs and I went to get our kiddos. Hubs had met me at the hospital, he's a wonderful man, he knows I am uneasy with the hospital ever since I spent the week there with my daddy before he died. So he came for moral support.
I finally got to Emmy's to pick up my kids at 9:00 to say it was a long day would definately be an understatement.
Yesterday, Emmy and I went to my Aunt Ann's to pick the last of her green beans. Pap had told me Ann had canned all she was going to and wasn't going to fool with picking any more beans. Ann said if I wanted them to come and get them. So we went. We also pulled the vines for her. There weren't many beans at all. Once we were done we ended up with 6 quarts canned, which I told Emmy to keep since she doesn't have any green beans at all yet and I've already canned some that my Pap gave me. It was hot and a little dissapointing to do so much work for so little a return but trying to find the best in everything I told dh last night that its 6 quarts Emmy didn't have, so that is a blessing all in its own, and that if we had turned our noses up then next time there might not even be an offer and we could be missing out on something bigger the next time. So we know we did the right thing, Emmy has some beans on the shelf, it was a help to my Aunt by pulling the vines for her and she knows that we are open to any gleaning that might come about.
By the time I got home last night I was spent but I did get a few things done here at the house, made dinner got the boys a bath and before I could bath the baby she was out cold. I wasn't far behind her, I was so tired.
As soon as she gets up, I will get her a bath then the kids have a date with their great grandma. She's taking them for school shoes!!! She is such a blessing to us!!! Today also starts Tax Free weekend so I am going to take their lists and get their supplies!!
The rest of my to-do list mostly involves the laundry, lol its starting to look like the hampers might revolt they are so full!! Gotta get a handle on that!!!
Anyway have a great day!!!
I am sitting here enjoying my coffee and listening to the washer and dryer running. Both of my boys are up but baby girl is still snoozing away!!
Whatever I had planned for Wednesday got thrown out the window. I got a call from my gram saying she couldn't breathe and was swollen all over and that she was headed for the ER and wanted me to meet her there. I got all the kids rushed through their lunches and got us all ready and we went to the ER. All in all we spent a total of 8 hrs at the ER, and the only news I have is that they think she has had a cardiac event but as to what kind or to what degree I have no idea. Still this day I have no idea and she is still in the hospital. I think they are leaning more towards a mild heart attack but with the swelling and fluid in the lungs causing shortness of breath I am leaning more towards congestive heart failure, but I am no doctor so what do I know?, only what common sense tells me.
Thankfully we have wonderful friends and Emmy came to the hospital and picked up my kids and fed them dinner. She is an angel I tell you!!!
My mother made it to the hospital around 5:30. She came right after she got off work. She would have came immediately if it was nessassary but honestly all I did was help gram answer questions and let my butt go numb with the waiting so there was no reason for her to miss work when I had it sorted and handled!!! My gram finally got into a room at I think 7:00 that night. Once I was sure she was settled my hubs and I went to get our kiddos. Hubs had met me at the hospital, he's a wonderful man, he knows I am uneasy with the hospital ever since I spent the week there with my daddy before he died. So he came for moral support.
I finally got to Emmy's to pick up my kids at 9:00 to say it was a long day would definately be an understatement.
Yesterday, Emmy and I went to my Aunt Ann's to pick the last of her green beans. Pap had told me Ann had canned all she was going to and wasn't going to fool with picking any more beans. Ann said if I wanted them to come and get them. So we went. We also pulled the vines for her. There weren't many beans at all. Once we were done we ended up with 6 quarts canned, which I told Emmy to keep since she doesn't have any green beans at all yet and I've already canned some that my Pap gave me. It was hot and a little dissapointing to do so much work for so little a return but trying to find the best in everything I told dh last night that its 6 quarts Emmy didn't have, so that is a blessing all in its own, and that if we had turned our noses up then next time there might not even be an offer and we could be missing out on something bigger the next time. So we know we did the right thing, Emmy has some beans on the shelf, it was a help to my Aunt by pulling the vines for her and she knows that we are open to any gleaning that might come about.
By the time I got home last night I was spent but I did get a few things done here at the house, made dinner got the boys a bath and before I could bath the baby she was out cold. I wasn't far behind her, I was so tired.
As soon as she gets up, I will get her a bath then the kids have a date with their great grandma. She's taking them for school shoes!!! She is such a blessing to us!!! Today also starts Tax Free weekend so I am going to take their lists and get their supplies!!
The rest of my to-do list mostly involves the laundry, lol its starting to look like the hampers might revolt they are so full!! Gotta get a handle on that!!!
Anyway have a great day!!!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Wednesday 8/1/2012
WOW, I can't believe I just typed AUGUST 2012!!! Time is just getting away from me!! Before long the boys will be back in school and fall will be upon us. I thought it was a little strange to see a leaf fall from the tree outside yesterday and I noticed it had started to change into its fall colors. FALL, I am not ready for fall. There is still much to do, before we are ready for fall. I feel like the ant that needs to store up for the winter to come. If its only August and the leaves are starting to fall so soon does that mean that winter will come early?? Will it stay late or leave early again like it did this year?? So much up in the air and its unsettling.
I guess I need to step up my efforts to be sure we are ready, I do not like to be out and about once the snow is blowing. Well more so I don't like to have my kids out and about when the weather is bad, its not that I can't drive in snow, I drive fine and have never had a fear of driving in the snow (Thanks Daddy) but like my daddy always said its not how well you can drive in the snow its how everyone else drives and he's right. There are way to many accidents because people "think" they know what they are doing then they don't pay attention or drive way to fast for the conditions and before ya know it they've lost control of their vehicle. I won't be putting my faith in someone else's common sense. So I'll stock my cabinets and stay home, snuggle with my kids and enjoy them!!!
Ok enough about the snow!! LOL today it is rumbly and grey outside so I think we are in for rain!! I was able to work up the beans yesterday, but that is about all I got done besides meals. I took a headache yesterday morning and just felt run down, I tried some ibuprophen but it never touched it. I tried laying down with Kara when she laid down for her nap, I cat napped on a off for about and hour and a half but I couldn't shake that headache and it ached clear down into my teeth so I got up and took a daytime sinus meds and that helped some. I finished the green beans that my Pappy brought me and ended up with 14 quarts plus about 1/2 a gallon size freezer bag that I took over to Emmy as a thank you for helping me with the peaches the day before and I also took along all my peach peels and veggie scraps- those were for the chickens, :) She was happy for the fresh beans. Someone had given her bean seeds they didn't need, she planted them and they turned out to be purple hull beans and they were not fond of them at all, she said they tasted best raw that when she cooked them they were tough and not good. I tried them raw when I helped her pick them one day and they were good fresh but I never tried them cooked so I don't know. We normally plant Contenders or Tenderettes. Last year my beans didn't do well and I bought beans from the farmer's market, the ones I bought were AMAZING, so I called back to see what kind they were and they told me Derby, so this year I ordered some from our feed mill. They are coming up beautifully!! I can't wait till they are ready to pick!!! I'm guessing if I take a mess to Pappy that next year he will have me ordering him some Derby seed as well!!!
My kitchen right now looks like a cannery. I need to get control over my kitchen today. I need to wash down the peaches, label them and get them in the pantry, The green beans will probably need wiped down before they go into the pantry but they aren't sticky like the peaches. I think I will get that task done first then work on the corn. I think I am going to try to can it this year. I usually thin husk it and freeze it but I am trying to conserve room in the freezer, hoping to catch some great sales or maybe we'll have enough money to butcher, we're not sure yet what we will be able to afford.
So my agenda looks like this:
Clean jars, label and put them away
Reclaim my kitchen and get things ready for the next round of canning
Laundry
Tidy up or at least maintain the rest of the house.
I think if I get all that done with 3 kids in tow I'll be good to go!!!
Have a great day!!
I guess I need to step up my efforts to be sure we are ready, I do not like to be out and about once the snow is blowing. Well more so I don't like to have my kids out and about when the weather is bad, its not that I can't drive in snow, I drive fine and have never had a fear of driving in the snow (Thanks Daddy) but like my daddy always said its not how well you can drive in the snow its how everyone else drives and he's right. There are way to many accidents because people "think" they know what they are doing then they don't pay attention or drive way to fast for the conditions and before ya know it they've lost control of their vehicle. I won't be putting my faith in someone else's common sense. So I'll stock my cabinets and stay home, snuggle with my kids and enjoy them!!!
Ok enough about the snow!! LOL today it is rumbly and grey outside so I think we are in for rain!! I was able to work up the beans yesterday, but that is about all I got done besides meals. I took a headache yesterday morning and just felt run down, I tried some ibuprophen but it never touched it. I tried laying down with Kara when she laid down for her nap, I cat napped on a off for about and hour and a half but I couldn't shake that headache and it ached clear down into my teeth so I got up and took a daytime sinus meds and that helped some. I finished the green beans that my Pappy brought me and ended up with 14 quarts plus about 1/2 a gallon size freezer bag that I took over to Emmy as a thank you for helping me with the peaches the day before and I also took along all my peach peels and veggie scraps- those were for the chickens, :) She was happy for the fresh beans. Someone had given her bean seeds they didn't need, she planted them and they turned out to be purple hull beans and they were not fond of them at all, she said they tasted best raw that when she cooked them they were tough and not good. I tried them raw when I helped her pick them one day and they were good fresh but I never tried them cooked so I don't know. We normally plant Contenders or Tenderettes. Last year my beans didn't do well and I bought beans from the farmer's market, the ones I bought were AMAZING, so I called back to see what kind they were and they told me Derby, so this year I ordered some from our feed mill. They are coming up beautifully!! I can't wait till they are ready to pick!!! I'm guessing if I take a mess to Pappy that next year he will have me ordering him some Derby seed as well!!!
My kitchen right now looks like a cannery. I need to get control over my kitchen today. I need to wash down the peaches, label them and get them in the pantry, The green beans will probably need wiped down before they go into the pantry but they aren't sticky like the peaches. I think I will get that task done first then work on the corn. I think I am going to try to can it this year. I usually thin husk it and freeze it but I am trying to conserve room in the freezer, hoping to catch some great sales or maybe we'll have enough money to butcher, we're not sure yet what we will be able to afford.
So my agenda looks like this:
Clean jars, label and put them away
Reclaim my kitchen and get things ready for the next round of canning
Laundry
Tidy up or at least maintain the rest of the house.
I think if I get all that done with 3 kids in tow I'll be good to go!!!
Have a great day!!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tired.... but its a good tired...
I went saturday to purchase a bushel of peaches from a local farmer, they weren't quite ripe so they got put on the back burner and I canned up the tomatoes I had ready instead. I got 4 quarts. Nothing to sneeze at though, 4 quarts more than I had and the vines are full.
Sunday was a very busy day, I got up early and baked a cake, made a batch of icing and colored it and then worked up some roses to set to be placed on the cake later. We got everyone ready then went to church, after church we got a quick lunch and I came home to finish the cake. I think it turned out ok, not my best but it was a rush job as I didn't get home till 12:30 and I had to finish the cake and make 2 dishes to take to the cookout. And we had to be there by 2:00, admittedly we were about 1/2 hr late but it all worked out great as lots of other folks thought the party started at 3:00.
After the party was over I think we got home around 7:30, we went out to the garden to see if there were any more tomatoes ready, they have been trickling in slowly, and so we have been checking every day or so to make sure we don't miss any. Well what we found was a few tomatoes a couple cucumbers and a ton of weeds. So we went to pulling weeds and did so for about an hour. We all came in and got showers and got ready for bed.
Yesterday I decided the peaches were ripe enough to can so we get everything ready to work them up and then we got a call from my grandparents and asked if I would like some fresh green beans from their garden and I told them we would love some and so my gram said Pap had an errand to run and would bring them too me. I decided to keep Kara up a while longer before she went down for her nap so she could see her PapPap and we waited for him to arrive. It wasn't long at all before he pulled in and he brought more than just beans. He really blessed us with his generosity!!!
I sent him home with 6 big peaches, it was all he wanted and all I had to offer him, as I had nothing else ripe yet. I promised I would work up a few peppers as stuffed peppers for him and Gram, they love them.
Once Pap left I got the baby down for a nap and got busy. Later in the afternoon my good friend Emmy called and we arranged for her to come over so all the kids could swim and she helped me scald the last of the peaches and put them into jars. It wasn't long till it was 5:30 and she had to get her kids home and dinner started for her family and I kept plugging along vowing to finish the peaches that day. I did finish and took the last 4 jars off last night at 9:30. All in all I canned 25 quarts of peaches, did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom and made breakfast, lunch and dinner and started snapping the green beans. I finally got to tired and gave up and went to bed at around 11:00 last night. Thankfully I guess the kids were just as tired as I was and they all slept through the night!!!
I was back up at 6:15 this morning, hubby's lunch is packed and the younger two are up and eating their breakfast, I've made the bed and tidied the bathroom and my agenda today will be to work up the green beans, and If I get to it I'll work up the corn as well, in addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, I hope to get a couple loads of laundry done as well.
Busy busy busy, and so tired but it is definately worth it!! Feeling blessed and thankful to be able to fill the jars and the shelves to get us through!!! I may not have money in the bank but food on the shelves is a great feeling!!!
I am headed off to get busy, what's going on at your homestead today??
Have a wonderful day!!
Dana
Sunday was a very busy day, I got up early and baked a cake, made a batch of icing and colored it and then worked up some roses to set to be placed on the cake later. We got everyone ready then went to church, after church we got a quick lunch and I came home to finish the cake. I think it turned out ok, not my best but it was a rush job as I didn't get home till 12:30 and I had to finish the cake and make 2 dishes to take to the cookout. And we had to be there by 2:00, admittedly we were about 1/2 hr late but it all worked out great as lots of other folks thought the party started at 3:00.
Yesterday I decided the peaches were ripe enough to can so we get everything ready to work them up and then we got a call from my grandparents and asked if I would like some fresh green beans from their garden and I told them we would love some and so my gram said Pap had an errand to run and would bring them too me. I decided to keep Kara up a while longer before she went down for her nap so she could see her PapPap and we waited for him to arrive. It wasn't long at all before he pulled in and he brought more than just beans. He really blessed us with his generosity!!!
Once Pap left I got the baby down for a nap and got busy. Later in the afternoon my good friend Emmy called and we arranged for her to come over so all the kids could swim and she helped me scald the last of the peaches and put them into jars. It wasn't long till it was 5:30 and she had to get her kids home and dinner started for her family and I kept plugging along vowing to finish the peaches that day. I did finish and took the last 4 jars off last night at 9:30. All in all I canned 25 quarts of peaches, did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom and made breakfast, lunch and dinner and started snapping the green beans. I finally got to tired and gave up and went to bed at around 11:00 last night. Thankfully I guess the kids were just as tired as I was and they all slept through the night!!!
I was back up at 6:15 this morning, hubby's lunch is packed and the younger two are up and eating their breakfast, I've made the bed and tidied the bathroom and my agenda today will be to work up the green beans, and If I get to it I'll work up the corn as well, in addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, I hope to get a couple loads of laundry done as well.
Busy busy busy, and so tired but it is definately worth it!! Feeling blessed and thankful to be able to fill the jars and the shelves to get us through!!! I may not have money in the bank but food on the shelves is a great feeling!!!
I am headed off to get busy, what's going on at your homestead today??
Have a wonderful day!!
Dana
Saturday, July 28, 2012
It’s A Virtual Shelf Reliance THRIVE Party!
Welcome to Dana's THRIVE party! I’m Kendra, an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance, and I’m here to tell you all of the great reasons that you should have THRIVE foods in your home.I want to start off by thanking Dana for allowing me to join you here today! In return for hosting this party, Dana is going to receive 10% of all party sales in FREE products, as well as earning Half-Off products! Yay!!
If any of you are interested in earning FREE and Half-Off foods, you’re invited to host a virtual party as well! Just let me know you’re interested and I’ll get you all set up.
Now, on with the party…
If you’ve never heard of THRIVE, you’re probably wondering what it’s all about. Well, THRIVE is a line of top quality freeze dried foods by Shelf Reliance.
Freeze dried foods are not the same as dehydrated foods. Instead of using high heat, as the dehydration process requires, freeze dried products are processed at temperatures down to -50 degrees F. Approximately 98% of the product’s moisture content is removed by vaporization, leaving the foods with their full nutritional components, tastes, colors, and freshness in tact. The benefit of doing this is the extended shelf life freeze dried foods offer, without the use of any additives or preservatives. Most THRIVE products have a shelf life of 25-30 years when unopened, and 1-2 years even after being opened!
There are so many benefits to having THRIVE foods in your home, not only for long term food storage, but for every day use as well! Let me share with you how these products are saving me time and money in the kitchen.
But first… why’d I decide to become a consultant for Shelf Reliance? Well, over the past few years, I have come to really strive toward four major goals that pertain to my family’s eating habits:
- Eating More Nutritiously
- Saving Money on Groceries
- Spending Less Time Preparing Meals
- Becoming Less Reliant on the Grocery Store
So, when I discovered a product that can actually help me achieve my goals in EVERY SINGLE one of these areas… I was in love. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to tell everybody I knew about it. And hey, if I could make money while sharing my new-found love, why not?!
I must admit though… it wasn’t love at first sight.
In all honesty, when I first heard about “freeze dried foods” I was quite skeptical. For some reason I was somewhat put-off by the sound of it… as if the foods would be stale, and tasteless. How do you cook with freeze dried foods, anyways?
But when I got my hands on a bunch of THRIVE samples and had an opportunity to try them for myself, every misconception I had previously held to was immediately wiped away.
They were SO GOOD!!
And when my husband and kids loved it just as much as I did, I knew these foods were going to become a main staple in our home. (You can read my thorough product review with close-ups of the foods, and even watch a video of my kids taste testing THRIVE for the first time, HERE.)
THRIVE Can Help You Eat More Nutritiously & Save You Time
What is one of the major reasons why people don’t eat more nutritiously? We have all the fresh foods we could need available to us, so why do we still opt for fast food and boxed dinners?
Time. It’s all about time, isn’t it? The fast paced lives we lead today are often the reason we just don’t have time to prepare nutritious snacks and meals at home every single day. Chopping fresh produce and meat takes a lot of time. But there are those days when we just need something fast, which usually means a swing through the drive thru, or feeding our family unhealthy processed foods.
THRIVE has the solution to this ongoing dilemma! One of the great things about freeze dried foods is that they are already prepared for you. The produce and meat are washed, chopped, and ready to be added to any of your favorite dishes. The fruits in particular are delicious eaten straight out of the can for a quick and healthy snack (which is a fantastic way to get your kids to munch on something that is actually good for them!). The only prep work it takes to cook with THRIVE is allowing the food to reconstitute in a little bit of water for just a couple of minutes, then they’re as good as fresh!
Another thing I love about THRIVE freeze dried foods is that you won’t find any additives or preservatives in the majority of their products. Green beans are green beans. Strawberries are strawberries. Period. No salt, no high fructose corn syrup or sugar… nothing. So you can be confident that you are feeding your family pure goodness when you use these items in your every day cooking.
With THRIVE veggies and meats already chopped and prepared, there’s no reason you can’t have a quick, nutritious meal on the table in 30 minutes or less.
Okay, we’ve talked a little about how THRIVE can help you eat healthier and save time, but now I’d like to share how THRIVE can also save you money!
Save with THRIVE!
What’s the most expensive item in your fridge?
Organic produce?
Meat?
Wrong! It’s actually the stuff you throw away!!
Think of all of the produce and freezer burned stuff you toss every month. Spoiled grapes or berries, slimy onions, shriveled carrots or celery, sprouting potatoes and moldy mushrooms… so much of what comes out of the produce drawer in our fridge ends up being tossed straight into the garbage, doesn’t it?On average, Americans throw away over 25% of their groceries every single month. That’s HUGE! When you add up how much of your money is thrown straight into the garbage monthly, it can really add up to a significant loss. For instance, let’s say your monthly grocery budget is $500, if you are like the average American household you probably throw away around $125 in spoiled food every month. And I’m betting that’s money you could really use!
Why not reallocate that portion of your monthly grocery budget toward foods that won't spoil?
Having THRIVE’s freeze dried foods in place of the produce that typically goes bad in your home will save you big bucks every month. You’d never have to worry about mold growing in your berries, or your veggies spoiling because you didn’t use them in time. Imagine that… no waste!!
Okay, so how else do we blow money on food?
Eating out, right?
How often do you eat out during the week? Again, it comes down to time, doesn’t it? Some days we just don’t have time to get a meal together at the last minute.
THRIVE can help you on those nights when the family is starving and you have no time to put anything together. Instead of blowing a bunch of money to pay for somebody else to make your food for you, have several THRIVE Express meals on hand! Almost all of these hearty, complete dishes are table ready in 10-15 minutes, and can feed your family for less than the cost of what one person would spend eating out! Just dump it into a pot, add water, and heat. It’s super easy, and even my picky kiddos love these soups.(Just a head’s up, THRIVE Express meals are actually on SALE this month, and can be picked up for less than $6 per pack. A pack generously feeds four adults, and would be a real money saver compared to eating away from home.)
Take a minute to check out the selection of THRIVE Express meals that Shelf Reliance has to offer, and then make a note to have a few of these on hand for quick and healthy backup meals.
And how much of our money do we spend on impulse buys?
How many times have you realized that you were missing a key ingredient in the middle of cooking something? I know I’ve done it plenty of times! And it always meant a quick trip to the store to pick up the item I needed.
But running to the store for just one or two things isn’t a good use of time or money. You can’t forget to factor in the cost of your gas to get to the store and back. The pack of eggs you needed to run and get might cost you $1.50, but how much did the gas to get it add to that expense? Probably at least another $3.00. When it really comes down to it, that’s an expensive pack of eggs!
Not only that, but grocery stores know how to enlist those impulse buys. They’ve strategically placed tempting treats throughout the store, in hopes of catching your eye and begging you to grab just a couple of other things before heading to the checkout lane. I’m sure you’re guilty… we’ve all done it! So, that one missing ingredient that you ran to the store to get can end up costing much more than you’d anticipated shelling out.
Doesn’t it just seem wiser to have backup ingredients on hand for just such emergencies?!
Lucky for us, THRIVE carries just about every basic staple you would ever need. Powdered milk, powdered eggs, powdered butter, powdered shortening, even powdered sour cream … think of the things that you typically run out of in the middle of a recipe; you name it, it’s there. Add a little water and voila, you’re good to go.As a side note, the powdered eggs aren't only easy to use, and are fantastic to bake with, they're actually cheaper to use than store bought eggs! With over 200 whole eggs per #10 can, using powdered eggs for all of your baking can save you a little bit of money as well. Not only that, but you can actually eat the cookie dough without any fear of salmonella!! That's enough reason to have some on hand, right there!
Another way you can curb your impulse buys is by signing up for Shelf Reliance’s “Q”. The Q has been best described as Netflix for food, and is a place where you can do your monthly shopping online without the distractions and temptations of a traditional grocery store. Every month, you choose what you’d like to put in your shopping cart, and they’ll ship it straight to your door. It couldn’t be easier. But, more about the Q in a moment.
THRIVE Helps You To Be Less Reliant On The Store
A recent survey found that the average American household has enough food to sustain themselves for three days. THREE DAYS!
But what if bad weather hits, like the recent derechos that caused thousands and thousands of people to lose power for a week, and stores are without power and unable to help customers? What if gas prices surge and truck drivers can’t make deliveries to grocery stores? What if inflation sets in and we can’t afford many groceries anymore? Or, what if you experience the loss of a job and have to live on an extremely limited budget?
There are so many variables that our food supply depends on, and a problem with any one of them can disrupt the entire assembly line. It is foolish to think that we will always be able to get what we need from the grocery store when we need it.
Having food storage, or a Home Store, that you can “shop” when times are tough is not only wise, it can be life saving.
I’ll share a little personal story with you. In 2009, the Lord started pressing upon me and my husband to start storing up food. We’d never in our lives heard of people doing such a thing, but with the slowed economy and all we thought it would be a wise use of our money. Turns out, it was. In March of 2010, my husband was laid off. Work was slow, and they just couldn’t afford to keep him on any longer. It took six months before he found another full-time job (which he was also laid off from less than a year later!). During that time, we used what money we were able to bring in to pay our mortgage and other bills. And because we had food stored up, we ate just fine through the whole ordeal.
Now that we have experienced first hand how incredibly important it is to have what we would need to feed ourselves and our children when tough times hit, we will never again go without at least a year’s worth of food stored in our home.
Think of it as food insurance.
We have car insurance, and home owners insurance to help us if we ever run into trouble, right? But what I hate about those kinds of insurances is that you pay the bill, hoping you’ll never need to use it, though if you don’t use it then you’re out all of that money you spent!
Let me just ask you, what’s more important… having a car, or having food?
So, why don’t you have food insurance?
Reallocating a little bit of your grocery budget every month toward building up your home store is an incredibly important thing to do for your family. And the best part is that you’ll be using every bit of what you buy!!
Shelf Reliance has made building your home store as easy as 123...
The “Q”
If you don’t know where to start with food storage, The “Q” that we spoke about earlier makes it super easy to build your home store on a budget. I can even help you set it up. First, you would enter how many people are in your household, whether they are children or adults, and the Planner determines their caloric needs. Then you specify how many months of food you’d like to build up, anywhere from 3 months to several years! Next, you tell the “Q” what you’d like to set your monthly budget at, and The Planner automatically puts items in your cart that would fit your family’s needs.
The Q is completely customizable. If your family has special dietary requirements, or just doesn’t particularly like bananas per se, you can exchange that item from your cart for something else that you’d rather have. Every month you’ll get a shipment of food sent straight to your door, and your home store will soon be stocked with everything your family would need for your specified amount of time.
Help Feed The Hungry When You Place An Order
As if THRIVE foods weren’t awesome enough, the founders of Shelf Reliance have created their corporate charity, Thriving Nations, which donates 5% of all THRIVE profits to helping impoverished people in third world countries to become more self reliant by teaching them essential agricultural techniques and economic principles.
You can feel good knowing that every THRIVE purchase you make is used to bless the less fortunate around the globe.
Now do you see why I love this stuff so much?!
Here’s Even More Great News!
As a special perk for “attending” this THRIVE party, every one of you is eligible to receive an exclusive discount of up to 30% off retail prices on Shelf Reliance’s webstore! That means that you can get everything you would need to help save your family money, eat more nutritiously, and grow your home store for cheaper than ever!
All you need to do is contact me at newlifeonahomestead@gmail.com, let me know that you were a guest at Dana's virtual THRIVE party, and I’ll add you to my customer list. You will receive an email with a password that you will use to log in at Shelf Reliance. Once you’re in, you will always see the discounted price reflected on the screen, and you will get that discount on every order you place.
But the BIGGEST discounts will be given for “Q” customers who set up a Q budget of $100 or more. Not only will you see the absolute best prices available on the web, you’ll also get specials including occasional shipping discounts, monthly “Q-pons” which you can use for even deeper discounts on your favorite products, and points rewards you can earn for free products.
Alright Kendra, I’m ready to place an order. What do I need to do?
Your Six Steps To THRIVE Success…
1. Make a list of everything you can think of that typically goes bad in your fridge, then make a plan to order the freeze dried form of these items so you never throw away spoiled produce (and money) again.
2. Make a list of the basic baking essentials that you tend to run out of in the middle of cooking, then make a plan to order their powdered forms so you never have to run to the store at the last minute again.
3. Make a list of the foods that you hate taking the time to prepare. Hate chopping onions? Get them freeze dried, they’re delicious!
4. Decide if building a Home Store sounds like a wise idea for your family. Then determine how long you’d like your Home Store to sustain you, and how much money you can afford to spend every month on your “Q”.
5. Email me to let me know that you’d like to be added as Dana’s exclusive party customer. I’ll get you all set up.
6. Log in to Shelf Reliance with the password you’ll receive in an email, and start using your discount! You can place a one time bulk order for everything on your lists, or you can set up a monthly “Q” and get all of your family’s needs on a budget.
Please remember to place your order before the party's closing date on August 5, 2012.
If you have any questions or need help getting started, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be more than happy to help you with anything you need.
Thanks so much for joining Dana and I today!! It’s been a pleasure sharing THRIVE with you.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Thursday 7/26/2012
Good Early Evening!!
I'm sitting here listening to the children play, and just catching up on blogs I like to read.
Today hasn't been a very busy day per say but busy none the less.
First I got hubby's lunch packed and got him off to work
Then our friend dropped her son off to spend the day with us
I got a shower and then made sure all the children were ready to go and we left for town.
We:
Stopped by my mom's work
went to the Boy Scout office to pick up a package for dh
went to get some lunch
went to the dollar tree
went to the grocery store
then back home
the 3boys went directly to playing games while I took little miss to my room and laid down with her to so she could get her nap.
* what is it about trying to take a nap that makes everyone you know is try to get in touch with you at that moment?? Seriously if your ever feeling lonely take a nap- the phone won't stop ringing!! I know I got at least 3 calls while trying to lay down with the baby. The phone might not ring all day but by golly try to nap and see what happens. Sheesh!!!!
Now I am thinking about dinner, the kids want tacos which is fine. I'll make some dirty rice as well since dh is burnt out on tacos!!
I also have tomatoes to work up, I'll save some out for dinner tonight but work up the rest. Dh went out to the garden this morning to see if there were any ready for him to be able to take a few to his boss- he works in the city so not alot of folks garden. He came in and said to me lol "THE TOMATOES ARE COMING THE TOMATOES ARE COMING...BRACE YOURSELF WOMAN THE TOMATOES ARE COMING" He is such a goof sometimes, but it did make me chuckle, I asked if there were really that many out there that were ready and he said a good many with lots coming on behind them, he had taken 4 off to take to his boss, and as soon as they were dressed the boys lit out of here all excited and they picked this morning and came in with 29, 2 aren't quite ready still pink so they will spend some time in the kitchen window, So a total of 33 picked today. I already had 11 in the window so I should have at least a good 30+ to work up after I take some out for dinner tonight.
A small batch to can but every little bit adds up!!!
Well I guess I better get dinner started!!!
Oh and if you have a moment and wouldn't mind, would you say a prayer for my friend Tiffani, and her husband Mike and daughter Phoebe?? She tragically miscarried a couple of months ago and tonight they are having a memorial for their son who was taken so soon. She's a dear friend and I know she would appreciate it!!!
Have a great evening!!
Dana
I'm sitting here listening to the children play, and just catching up on blogs I like to read.
Today hasn't been a very busy day per say but busy none the less.
First I got hubby's lunch packed and got him off to work
Then our friend dropped her son off to spend the day with us
I got a shower and then made sure all the children were ready to go and we left for town.
We:
Stopped by my mom's work
went to the Boy Scout office to pick up a package for dh
went to get some lunch
went to the dollar tree
went to the grocery store
then back home
the 3boys went directly to playing games while I took little miss to my room and laid down with her to so she could get her nap.
* what is it about trying to take a nap that makes everyone you know is try to get in touch with you at that moment?? Seriously if your ever feeling lonely take a nap- the phone won't stop ringing!! I know I got at least 3 calls while trying to lay down with the baby. The phone might not ring all day but by golly try to nap and see what happens. Sheesh!!!!
Now I am thinking about dinner, the kids want tacos which is fine. I'll make some dirty rice as well since dh is burnt out on tacos!!
I also have tomatoes to work up, I'll save some out for dinner tonight but work up the rest. Dh went out to the garden this morning to see if there were any ready for him to be able to take a few to his boss- he works in the city so not alot of folks garden. He came in and said to me lol "THE TOMATOES ARE COMING THE TOMATOES ARE COMING...BRACE YOURSELF WOMAN THE TOMATOES ARE COMING" He is such a goof sometimes, but it did make me chuckle, I asked if there were really that many out there that were ready and he said a good many with lots coming on behind them, he had taken 4 off to take to his boss, and as soon as they were dressed the boys lit out of here all excited and they picked this morning and came in with 29, 2 aren't quite ready still pink so they will spend some time in the kitchen window, So a total of 33 picked today. I already had 11 in the window so I should have at least a good 30+ to work up after I take some out for dinner tonight.
A small batch to can but every little bit adds up!!!
Well I guess I better get dinner started!!!
Oh and if you have a moment and wouldn't mind, would you say a prayer for my friend Tiffani, and her husband Mike and daughter Phoebe?? She tragically miscarried a couple of months ago and tonight they are having a memorial for their son who was taken so soon. She's a dear friend and I know she would appreciate it!!!
Have a great evening!!
Dana
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