Down on the Homestead - July 31 thru Aug. 6

**QuilterMom** · 07-31-2005, 05:53 PM

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday!

I have been busy with laundry, homeschool stuff, and decluttering more. Dh is currently doing the flooring in ds's bedroom and ds is 'helping' him. The conversations I hear coming from the room are priceless. I am ROFL!

Off to get dinner started.........

**Mamaw** · 07-31-2005, 09:12 PM

Hey Kim, I hope the floor is coming along nicely

I spent the weekend visiting my son in New York. So today I got to make the drive home. It takes about 4 hours so it's not too bad. I dont mind driving alone so I enjoyed it.

Got home and went with DH to buy some blackberries from a local farm. They are almost completely done but I got enough to try and make a batch of jelly. Have not made jelly for years and never tried blackberry so this should be fun. On the agenda for tomorrow to give it a shot.

DH made 2 more loaves of zucchini bread. One to eat now and one for the freezer.
Picked several more zucchini tonight and cucumbers so I need to also use them up or freeze them.
I hope to make jelly this week, clean up the house and pick the garden to be sure I get all the beans and peas. This week looks like a long one at work though so I hope I dont end up working late. That really cuts into chore time at home!

One of my dogs has sores on his head so I also need to call the vet tomorrow and get him looked at. I think it might be mange but I am hoping not. So I guess the jelly also depends on the vet visit.
Well ladies off to cut coupons and read the Sunday paper before bed.

**Strawberry** · 07-31-2005, 11:49 PM

Good evening friends

It’s been a couple crazy days around here. My mom and dad arrived unexpectedly on Wednesday, one of our very busy running around days. My mom got very sick on the way here and had to go the emergency at the hospital. She has a lung infection. My dad's health is not well either and he’s having a hard time coping. Later the same day I had to take ds#1 to the walk-in clinic as he was very sick and could not breath. He has bronchial pneumonia. Dh was and is still not doing well with all the commotion and has been very emotional and moody. I wanted to run away! Anyways, things have settled down some. Health wise mom, dad and ds are improving.

It will continue to be a busy week as I host a family dinner on Tuesday for my dad’s 77th birthday. We visit and eat our meals outside because my mom can’t come up our stairs so I’m praying it doesn’t rain. We can not squish 14 people into mom and dad’s motorhome.

I also have last minute things to get ready for dd’s big trip. She leaves August 8th. I still need to get her medical insurance and I just found out we have to go through a lawyer and do up a letter giving our permission for her to go traveling with her grandparents.

Rhonda, your no shopping experiment has motivated me to try feed us all without running to the store. I did go pick up some fresh vegetables and milk but other then that I’ve been making do. Thanks for inspiring me.

Good night

**homesteadmamma** · 08-01-2005, 09:31 AM

Good morning everyone. It was wonderful turning the computer off Friday at noon and not turning it back on until this morning. I plan on making this a weekly occurence.

Tina, I hope things improve at your home soon.

MamaW, hope that jam turns out well.

Kim, thinking of you often.

Today is a civic holiday here so nothing is opened, at least in our little town. We went to church yesterday and did a bit of shopping, however we need to head into the city tomorrow again and do some more. Sobey's have 10% off Tues. along with some pretty good sales this week, so I plan on hitting that store tomorrow.

Not sure what our plans are for today. Its cooled off nicely so I'm hoping to get into my sewing room to get some quilting done. I did my laundry yesterday, need to fold it today.

Tonight its over to the po to clean. It was nice to have a couple days off from cleaning there.

Hope everyone has a nice MOnday.

**Mom23boys** · 08-01-2005, 10:13 AM

Good morning ladies!

A busy day ahead here. I have a to-do list that needs to get done so I don't plan to be on the computer much today....or I hope I'm not.

I need to package and mail out ebay items today. I will take them to the PO this afternoon when it is less crowded.

I also plan on cleaning out the over today. What a chore. I should have already cleaned it, but it seems like there is always something better to do than cleaning out the oven.

And the list goes on and on. I need to get back into a routine as I start back to work Tuesday of next week. This means summer will be officially over for me. The boys will start school on the 16th. We start early to plan and attend those boring meetings.

Chris started 2 a days this morning. I am sure he is going to be one tired kid. He has to be at footabll practice from 9-12 and then back again this evening from 5-8. I don't know how they do it, but they do. Better them than me!

I hope you have a great Monday!

**QuilterMom** · 08-01-2005, 10:37 AM

Mamaw - You're making me hungry with all the zucchini bread! Pass some through the computer to me, please!

Tina - Hugs to all the sickies in your family right now!

CJ - I started reading The Rising and I don't know if I am going to finish it or not. It's freaking me out quite a bit (maybe while I'm pg and having weird dreams anyway is not the time for me to read it LOL). I am going to try reading a bit more and if I'm still having a hard time I am going to have to pray about whether or not I should finish it.

Michelle - There IS always something better to do than clean the oven! Hope it's a quick chore for you and you can breathe a sigh of relief!

I had a dr.'s appt. this morning and ds and I stopped at one of the libraries on the way home. One thing I am finding out is that being 'advanced maternal age' requires a lot more dr.'s appts. than I imagined. I need to do some more homeschool planning, more decluttering, and put away laundry.

Dh and ds will hopefully finish the floor in ds's room tonight. I love, love, love it! They are doing a really great job, and ds really is being a huge help to dh (much more so than I was LOL!). If they finish tonight, ds will get to collect his 'paycheck'.

**Mamaw** · 08-01-2005, 04:39 PM

Wow you all keep so busy that you put me to shame! LOL

Took the dog to the vet this morning. Seems he has developed hot spots from being bitten by insects such as flys etc. Have 2 medications for him and am just glad it is not more serious!

Working today as normal then off to try my hand at that jelly. Might also try to at least run the darn vacumn cleaner!

Michele, hope the back to school preparations go well for you. It can be such a busy time!

Kim, send photo of the floor/room if you can. I think its great that your hubby and son can work on a project together

CJ, have fun shopping. Nothing beats it sometimes!

Tina hope everyone feels better and enjoys the visiting this week in your house. Dont work yourself to a frazzle. Try to find a bit of time to rest!

Now off to start crushing berries. This might get interesting since I have never done it before..

**forestdale** · 08-01-2005, 06:02 PM

Hello homesteaders!

I've been reading this thread when I can. I miss you all but I'm still busy. Working today, Friday and Saturday but I hope to post some things tomorrow.

Tina, I'll be summarising my no shopping thread, hopefully tomorrow, and adding some thoughts and maybe some tips for stockpiling for the newer ladies.

**Mamaw** · 08-01-2005, 08:51 PM

Rhonda, any tips for stockpiling are greatly appreciated!

Just had to check in and let you all know that the jelly worked great! I only made one recipe of it so I got 5 nice jars and about half a jar to eat now! I was so inspired that I made 2 zucchini cakes to freeze and have a peach cobbler in the crock pot.

I think I might try the corn cob jelly tomorrow night!
Now off to find something for dinner, read a bit and off to bed.
Night all

**psjkmom** · 08-01-2005, 10:22 PM

Rhonda, those stockpiling tips will certainly come in handy. I've been reading about preparing for emergencies and I've realized We ARE NOT prepared! You all are so inspiring to me as I'm learning more and more each day about taking care of my own family and being more self-reliant. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing your knowledge and encouragement here!

This week I'm trying to stock up at the grocery for the month and am working on a quilt for my oldest son. Also trying to keep the children busy. Our school has delayed opening and so we have an extra month off. I don't mind except that I look forward to returning to a more organized routine!

Emily

**Michele Annette** · 08-02-2005, 04:37 PM

Hi Everyone!

Long story ahead, please feel free to skip!

It has been a trying week. As some of you know I was planning on seeing my family for a week. Well I just can't go. Even with my Mom paying for my plane ticket, no spending money, I cannot afford to go. My mom has set aside money for me to someday buy a ticket to see them. A few weeks ago my Aunt called to ask me if I wanted to fly with her and my cousins (a state away) to see my family as a surprise to them. Even though we got a great deal on the tickets I made a very rushed (less than 24 hours) decision to go. Realistically when I looked at what we have in savings, the EF (which has dwindled), etc. I would be having to take an additional 6 days unpaid from work for this trip. My boss also doesn't allow for us to make up anytime for unpaid vacation hours. On top that my car needs new breaks before I drive to and from my Aunt's house ($120) which I don't have and they are very worn. I KNEW as soon as my Aunt ordered the tickets that I made a very unwise decision. Even though DH is getting work for his business He isn't pulling a profit so I am the sole provider for all of our essentials (rent, food, electric, etc.) DH really wants me to go, but I can't afford to miss that much pay. Well I could, but if anything should happen to the car, etc. I will have to dig it out of savings which is set aside to buy a house. NOPE, not gonna happen!

So I call my Aunt this morning and tell her what's going on and offer to pay for my ticket that is non-refundable and non-transferrable. She says not to worry about it, etc. I insist and decided to write her a check anyway. Not five minutes later my Mom calls. I now realize that this was a plan between my Mom and Aunt to get me there to visit. (I fail to mention that my parents haven't come to visit us in six years!). My Mom already paid for the ticket. So I tell Mom the whole deal and she understands as I cannot take six days off unpaid. So I wanted to pay her for the ticket. She said no, but the next one is on me, which is fine. She started off with the guilt trip and then totally changed her tune when she found out I was taking 6 days off unpaid from my job and just couldn't swing it. I feel guilty about not going, but I also feel a bit betrayed because my visit was supposed to have been a surprise, so when I called my Aunt this morning I was hoping to skip all of the family drama!

Now my Mom is $249 poorer without a visit from me and I am sure the whole family will hear all about it! I was fine until I got to work and spoke with a coworker about it. I just started bawling. I feel terrible!

The only good thing that came out of this is that we actually get to eat next week and I get to put a little extra money into savings instead of taking money out of savings! I also learned my lesson in that I really need to think things through before I make such a rash decision and I have to go with my gut feelings!

Our landlords also raised our rent! I got the letter yesterday!

We are looking at the property I told you all about tonight after work. That is the only thing I have right now to look forward to. I will talk with my Mom again this weekend.

Thank you all for listening!

**QuilterMom** · 08-02-2005, 05:08 PM

Michele!!!!!!!!!

We got more rain today (3rd straight day) and today's was a huge thunderstorm. Hopefully our weather really is going to cool down as forecasted. We got our electric bill in the mail yesterday and I about fell over. I can definitely tell July was a very hot month although I know other areas (mainly stovetop use) where we (dh) could have been more careful.

I would love to post pics of our remodeling projects, but I am an oddball and don't have a digital camera!

I reorganized our freestanding pantry today and moved some things around in one of the kitchen cabinet shelves. I will be glad when the kitchen is remodeled! I've also worked a bit more on homeschool planning.

**forestdale** · 08-02-2005, 06:07 PM

Awww michele.

I've just harvested a basket full of lemons - about 30 - 40. I'm going to make a lemon meringue pie for dinner tonight, some lemonade and whatever is leftover will be frozen in ice cube trays for storage in ziplock bags.

I let the chickens out to free range in the yard. They're so simple and gorgeous those birds. They make me smile just looking at them. I'm going to clean out their coop and make them fresh nests later.

I have various cleaning chores to do today, as well as one load of laundry. Most of my time today will be spent writing and drawing.

It's coolish here but will warm up later to mid 20s. It's the best time of year. You want to work outside because it's sunny and fresh and the cold nights allow you to snuggle up in bed. Life's good.

**dmvezina** · 08-02-2005, 06:49 PM

Good evening. Again, I couldn't get in here yesterday!

We've been having some hot weather. I like it but do not like the thunderstorms that go along with it!! We had this one flash of lightening last night that lit up more than the sky and more than just a sunny day would too! Then the thunder that followed made me jump out of my skin!! It sounded like a bomb went off right outside my window! They're calling for more this evening!
I guess you have to take the bad with the good! lol

I went grocery shopping today. It's really the only day this week I could go. I actually was able to go alone too!! woo hoo, that was the best part! lol

The boys are at football practice so I'd like to get some work done. I need to fold the laundry in the dryer, put a load in the dryer & put some sleeping bags in the washer.
I'd also like to clean the diningroom windows, clean the pictures in the dr, disinfect doorknobs/lightswitch in dr, wipe the baseboards in dr, clean my shoes, wash the pet dishes, sanitize the cutting board, refill the soap containers, polish my bedroom furniture, make some chocolate peanut grahams, pick bingo words for a yahoo group I belong to.

I don't know if I'll get it all done, but I'm going to do my best. lol

Right now, I'm off to change the laundry.

Have a great night!!

**Mamaw** · 08-02-2005, 09:05 PM

Michelle, I am so sorry it did not work out for you. Hang in there

Lemon pie.....my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Tonight I tried to make corn cob jelly from a recipe on another forum here. I ended up with 6 jars but they did not set/gel or whatever you call it. AUGHHHH!!! I think I did not cook it long enough. I followed the recipe exactly as it is posted but when i look at the suregel instructions, they all say to hit a rolling boil, then add the sugar and bring back to rolling boil. What a waste!!
But never fear, I intend to try this again tomorrow, cook the heck out of it and see what happens. LOL

I managed to do a bit of laundry today. It was very hot and sunny so it dried quickly. Organized one shelf of the pantry and took inventory of the stuff in there. More there than I thought. Put some stew in the crock pot to let cook overnight for lunch/dinner tomorrow.

Took a look at the garden and found several pumpkins growing very nicely. I hope they continue to do well so I can show DGD and let her pick one. I think there is also a few more zucchini that will need picked and put up before the end of the week. Now if I could just get a few tomatoes!
Well, off to read a bit and then bed. Have a great night all