Down on the Homestead - May 30 - June 5th

**homesteadmamma** · 05-30-2004, 07:35 AM

Good morning everyone. Its raining yet again. It rained for most of yesterday and looks like its going to do the same thing today. If this keeps up, my veggie seeds may end up in China. Good grief, we've had enough for awhile. We need some warmth now.

Today is a day of rest here usually, but I do need to pick up in the kitchen. We had company for most of yesterday afternoon and I didn't get a whole lot done. It was wonderful meeting new people who are moving to our small town and we had a great time just sharing though, so I didn't mind not getting anything done.

I also need to get come quilting done today.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day, down on your homestead.

**slowtypinwoman** · 05-30-2004, 08:31 AM

Hi CJ and all the other Ladies,

Today I head for the lake. It is supossedto rain most of the day.

I did manage to get in the garden and get it weeded yesterday. It looks nice and I'm convinced this is going to be the year I FINALLY have a good one! Mike is staying home with all the dogs so Al and I can go. I wish I could just stay home but sometimes we have to do these things.

Tuesday I start my new summer school job. I'll be working in the kitchen. It's just the month of June and I think it will be a nice change of pace. I have to be there at 6 a.m. though!

**SusieJD** · 05-30-2004, 08:37 AM

Good morning everyone! Raining here in Northern MN too! It started about 3:30AM and hasn't stopped . They'll probably put out flood warnings sometime today.

Planted more seeds yesterday and pulled up the dead rose bushes

, I had so hoped that they would survive. Oh well, it gives me a chance to find more beautiful flowers!

Off to church now, have a great blessed Sunday!

Susie in MN

**Strawberry** · 05-30-2004, 10:28 AM

Good morning everyone! It's rainy here too

Yesterday was very busy with ds's college grad ceremony and dinner. I even had the college president congratulate me on a job well done because I homeschooled ds right through grade 12.

My in-laws are still here but I'm running away with Margery for awhile this morning.

We'll be chatting up a storm and sharing cookbooks in about a hour.

Not sure what the rest of the day will be like.

Have a great day!

**homesteadmamma** · 05-30-2004, 02:04 PM

Susie, hope you don't get any flooding where you are. Its raining here again right now.

Tina, have a wonderful time spent with Margery.

Marcia, hope your garden does well.

I just ran over to meet our new friends and bartered a quilt. I will make her quilt and she will teach me how to make porcelain dolls and give me all the supplies to do it with. YAHOO!!!!

**guest2** · 05-30-2004, 06:12 PM

Sounds like everyone is keeping busy and attempting to keep dry also! Add me to the rain and even hail club!

It will be beautiful one moment and then get really dark and come down in buckets.

I so want good weather for awhile.

We went to church this morning and saw some friends from our old church. It was so good to see them and be able to just love on them for a short while.

Everything about church was wonderful this morning and the message really touched my heart and also pointed out some error in thinking that I have been having. I had been gone from church for 3 weeks and I had mot realized how much I missed it until walking into the sactuary! We greeted at the 2nd service and then came home to grab some lunch before Chris had to head off to do some work for a neighbor.

This afternoon we took it easy for awhile and then Jeff and the boys headed down tot he park to play some basketball. I've been working on the list of things that need to be done before we leave for Montana and all the things that need to be packed and hauled over there. I have boxes of kitchen supplies: baking pans, stockpots, cookie sheets along with quilts, computer parts, life jackets, a windsail board and assorted other items that are going over to my parents new home.

Tonight were are planning on watching the 3rd movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The boys borrowed it from a friend since Jeff and I have never seen it.

You all have a blessed evening!

**ThriftyWife** · 05-30-2004, 10:35 PM

I feel almost guilty but we've had beautiful weather today. I went out and worked in the garden and noticed tiny cucumbers forming already! There are a couple of tomatoes on the early girls now, lots of flowers on the other varieties we planted. I still need to put in some squash and green beans too, dh loves the flat Italian ones and this year I found some that are a bush type, that will be fun to try. So many bugs this year! We are having trouble with leafhoppers, anyone else notice extra insects this year??

**Heather** · 05-31-2004, 06:40 AM

Good Monday morning!!

Thriftywife, so nice to hear your garden is starting to bloom!

CJ, what a great trade!!

Tina and Margery.....sounds like a fun time!

Debbie, I feel the same way when I've been away from church for awhile...which is now

We got so much accomplished yesterday in the garden, all the permanent plants were planted (strawberries, raspberries, asparagus, currant bushes) along with the tomatoes, corn and peppers. We staked the rest of the rows and I'll get the seeds in this week.

It is VERY windy here right now and we are expecting rain today and tomorrow and then it's suppose to be nice the rest of the week.

I'm off to do the papers with Dylan shortly and then get Kody and Delaney off to school. I have a hair appointment this morning and another appointment this afternoon plus my TOPS meeting tonight. I'd feel bad if it was a beautiful day and couldn't be in the garden.

I didn't get baking the other night so I want to do some of that today and get it in the freezer.

Have a wonderful day on your homestead!

**QuilterMom** · 05-31-2004, 09:08 AM

We're back from the homeschool convention and now I need to get everything unpacked and put away (in addition to all in the house that's still not unpacked and put away from our move a couple of weeks ago! LOL).

I would like to work outside today getting some more small trees, branches, and limbs cut down and trimmed, but it's supposed to be 95 or 96 here today and I don't know how long I'll be able to stand the heat. No rain in sight either. We haven't had rain in weeks and there are fires everywhere.

Dh hopefully will change the water heater today (he traded a washer and dryer that came with the house to his bosses for their dd in exchange for a brand new water heater and some faucets for the house). He is also supposed to start working on a couple of walls in the utility room/laundry room getting them ready for drywall. I need to do some laundry, but it can wait if need be.

**homesteadmamma** · 05-31-2004, 11:24 AM

I've decided I'm going to put my changeable hat on this morning and become a duck.

It is still raining, rained all last night and is suppose to rain all day today and tomorrow. There is water everywhere and mushrooms growing everywhere. Wish I knew more about mushrooms but seeing as I don't I won't pick any.

I delivered the papers in the rain, but while doing that I picked up another clotherack for $5.00. A couple here had been watching for one for me and I was delighted when they called me this morning telling me they had one.

Our friends also brought over a number of winter clothes or Michael last night so that was really nice.

I'm baking bread once I'm off the computer. I need to get the grain ground up first. I think I'll make up a large batch of buns while I'm at it. With all this rain, I can't do anything outside so may as well bake and get some things froze up.

Otherwise, not much happening here.

Have a wonderful day everyone.

**guest2** · 05-31-2004, 12:49 PM

Happy Memorial Day!

Today is a busy one for the boys and I. They are all off working for most of the day trying to earn more money for our trip later this week to Montana. Chris should easily make about $100 with the 5 yards he has today.

Josh is working on a huge property and Jaysn is doing a lawn and then helping to put in a huge garden with another neighbor.

Jaysn cleaned out the fridge for me this morning, scrubbing down shelves and tossing out yucky stuff. We did find some things that needed to be used soon, so we are doing that within the next few days. I'll be making 4 loaves of bread later today along with a lasagna casserole for dinner.

With a break in the weather, I've been working on multiple loads of laundry today. The first load we took to hang out on the line had to be rewashed because our male cat sprayed it!

I have no idea why he keeps doing this, but I'm ready to cork him! He has to live outside now due to his spraying and has a cush bed and everything. He also sprayed the laundry basket itself after we washed it and put it out in the front yard to dry. Darn cat came around to the front just to spray it. UGH!!!! Good thing we love him.

I need to get some of the packing done today. There is just so much stuff going over with us. I want to get the van all cleaned out and vacuumed before I load anything into it. It could use it after all the mud that has been tracked into it lately.

Have a wonderful day and be blessed!

**homesteadmamma** · 05-31-2004, 04:40 PM

Its 4 p.m. and its still raining here. I went outside to check on my new perennials and the ones I planted last year and they are doing wonderfully. Temperatures aren't too bad and with all this rain, the plants are loving it.

My cherry trees are in full bloom, so hopefully I'll get more cherries than just one, like I did last year. My apple trees aren't blooming yet - not sure why that is.

I managed to get the bread and buns baked, washed a load of clothes and verathaned a new clock dh made.

Now I'm off to do some reading.

**slowtypinwoman** · 05-31-2004, 06:27 PM

OMG!! I am SOOOO sun burned! I know I know it is my fault

The sun felt so good and gosh it's nice to sleep in the sun on a cool day isn't it?
LOL
I just got back from the lake and thought I'd check in on how all of you are doing. Michael has the laundry on the line and is doing most of it so I plan to relax before having to head off to work tom. Hope you all have a nice evening!

**canadian gardener** · 05-31-2004, 09:42 PM

Oh that sun felt good I bet!

Well I"m back from my trip north. I had a WONDERFUL day visiting with Strawberry and we were very bad and shared a huge plate of something called Death by Chocolate and swapped ideas, and she showed me Tawra's Not Just Beans cookbook (it's a TERRIFIC one) and I showed her one called The Best Recipes by Cook's Illustrated. (another terrific cookbook)

Anyone overhearing us would go slightly bonkers

"woooohooo lookit here on page 124 where Tawra shares this cake, it's really great,..."

"oh my goodness you gotta see this bit on baking powder, the inside scoop with the chemistry and how soda affects the colour of cocoa powder in cake!!!"

Tina shared a WONDERFUL tip that she does. We both add up our grocery costs as we put stuff in the buggy (cart to some). We both love doing that it's a mental math game, and kind of fun in the same way that doing a puzzle is or a nice game of solitaire.

BUT I lose track at times, and TINA WELL TINA adds it up at the end of the aisle smart woman, so she has a running total that she marks down as she passes out of an aisle.

Then we covered our families, triumphs, and joys worries and it was just wonderful.

I was doubly grateful because I'd been thru a rough day at the wedding. The wedding was dd of close friends of ours (he'd been a pastor at a former church and been excommunicated along with us, and several others when we caught the senior pastor in some stuff) Long long story and rather a painful but growing experiance.

Unfortunately his father in law still stayed at the old church, and there were others who came to the wedding that were part of that bunch.

Difficult and not without it's humourous moments but it sure helps to have a close friend you can tell it all to the next day and share the funnies as well as the sheer nerve racking soul stretching moments.