Queen's Edge Farm: Town Day Gone Awry

Friday, June 29, 2007

Town Day Gone Awry

I didn't get to do my normal errands today as I wanted to have my friend Candi over instead. I did make it to the meat market to get bacon, cubed steak and jerky for my husband. We passed the cute little vegetable stand that I normally visit every year, but since my garden is up and running this year, I didn't need to stop. That is my dream one day to have my own produce stand. We'll see how it turns out.

We had a nice time talking, and visiting while the kids ran amuck through the house and yard. Candi and her family are staying in a hotel while they wait for their house to close, and I really wanted her to get out of being cooped up with the kids in the room after all the rain we have had lately. I have a large yard, a bunch of toys and a trampoline.

For lunch we left the bigger kids here and took her 5 year old and my 3 year old with us to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things, and get lunch from McDonald's.

Her husband came after work to pick them up, and we ordered Pizza from Domino's. Candi and I talked, while the guys watched Hannah Montana with the girls. (LOL) They headed back to their hotel a little before eight o'clock.

My husband stated that he didn't know how we could hang out all day together. And wondered if we ran out of things to talk about or do we just keep talking about the same stuff over and over. SHUT UP! We're girls, No way, I don't think we ever run out of stuff to talk about.

He then asked me what we talked about, so I told him...her new house, how to decorate, her garden, the baby afghan she is making, sewing, the kids, etc., etc., His eyes started glazing over, so I stopped telling him.

Here is a list of what I need to work on tomorrow:

1. Grocery store
2. Laundry
3. Post Office
4. Mail money order for Math book
5. Take son to job interview
6. Work in garden
7. Pay car insurance

8. Harvest yellow four o'clock seeds from flowers, package, label.

I found this info on another blog, and I totally agree with it!

1. Curriculum doesn't matter. I don't care what I use to teach my children. Give me something, and I will make it work. I am deeply wary of the desire for perfect teaching materials, and I view the search for the magic bullet curriculum as a time and money pit. Because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that you sat down with your child and together engaged in mastering an idea.2. Mastery is everything. If my child can demonstrate that they understand and can do, we're out of there. Frankly, I have better things to do than spend twenty minutes rounding up tongue depressers, mylar balloons, and exposed light bulbs in order to demonstrate some science concept I can explain in thirty seconds. Further, if you can do the last three problems on the math page just fine, I won't waste your time asking for all the odd-numbered problems.3. Diligence counts too. School isn't negotiable--we do school every day. I don't care if your essay is mis-spelled, just write it already! Just show up.4. Trust the child on enrichment. The *idea* of unit studies is just fine, but my experience says that if my child expresses an interest in, say, butterflies, that if I jump on that and assign him to find five butterflies, read about metamorphosis, and create butterfly artwork, he will suddenly find butterflies the most boring subject in the world. Leave them alone! If they're interested *they* will create or request the opportunities to learn more.5. Live an interested life. I cannot put this in bold enough face. You are interpreting the world to your child. Is it fascinating for you? Are you engaged in creating, in thinking, in knowing people? Do you make music, take pictures, cook, teach yourself to sew, hike someplace new, learn to fish, eat at a new restaurant, take the back way into town? Are you reading about the history of mental illness, repairing furniture, learning to oil paint? *Show* your child how interesting the world is, and they will love to learn.And that is what we're after, isn't it?

That's about all I can think of right now....have a good night.

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Grandma's Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs active dry yeast or 5 tsps if using bulk yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not too hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, butter, margarine
2 tsps salt
2 cups milk, scalded
1 1/2 cups cold water
10 to 12 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

Yield: 4 loaves

Soften yeast in warm water, springkle in a tsp of the sugar
In LARGE mixing bowl blend sugar, shortening, salt and milk until shortening is melted. Add cold water, cool to luke-warm. Stir in yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover with foil or damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 to 90 deg) until light and doubled in volume about two hours. Punch dough down by plunging fist in center. Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Roll out one fourth of dough to a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 TBSP of melted butter. Combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or more to taste). Sprinkle mixture over dough. Starting with 16 inch side, roll jellyroll fashion. Either cut into 16 1 inch slices or leave as a whole loaf. Place on a greased pan, cover and let rise in warm place until light, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix one box 10X sugar with 2 tbsps water. If too stiff, add more water until icing consistency, add a drop of vanilla too. Spread on baked bread while bread is still warm.

2010 Homestead Stats

Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small washpan or bowl that holds about 2 gallons.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the washpan. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Transfer soap (using a funnel if necessary) into empty plastic laundry holders, milk containers (I use my empty glass milk bottles and old Fab containers) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

5 cups grape juice (about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe grapes)1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of sure-jel pectin7 cups sugarBefore getting started it is best to clean the entire kitchen, making sure the sink is empty. Bleach the sink and all utensils used in making jelly (I do this as I sell my grape jelly as part of my homesteading business.)

Wash the canning jars in warm soapy water, and rinse well. Set off to side.

Place a large pan of water on the stove to heat. Once it starts steaming, place lids and rings in the bottom, and 2-3 jars (depending on if you use actual jelly jars or pints) to sterilize.

Next make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (make sure you use rubber gloves when picking or washing wild grapes)To 3 1/2 pounds of clean grapes (6 cups of grapes) add 1 1/2 cups water.Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes.Strain and squeeze out all of the juice with cheese cloth (see paragraph below)
I didn't have cheese cloth, so I poured the grape mixture into a large spaghetti strainer with a large pan underneath. I had to stir it around some as the skins and seeds would sink to the bottom, and clog the colander up. Stirring allowed the liquid to drain out. I then used a large metal spoon and squished it some to get more of the juice out.

In a very big pan, put 5 cups of the juice (it’s okay to add no more than ½ cup water to even out amount)Add the fruit pectin to the juice.Mix well.On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil, again boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Remove jelly from heat, skim off foam
Use a large spoon inserted inside the jar to lift CAREFULLY out of the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE JAR OR THE RIM WITH YOUR HANDS.
Ladle jelly into hot jars, place a lid and ring onto jar (do not tighten yet).
Set jars to the side. After a while you should start hearing “pings” as the jar seals.
When jars are completely cool, tighten rings and store on pantry shelf.**SIDE NOTE: Wild Mustang Grapes are normally ready the end of June, so be prepared. Keep an eye open for vines on the side of the road, or any that friends and family may have growing in their yard. Many people just let them grow and don’t do anything with them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a good supply. Also, the more you pick off the vine, the more the vine produces new grapes, so you probably won’t EVER run out of grapes to use until the vine dies or you get sick of making jelly. Good luck and feel free to contact me at queensedgefarm@yahoo.com for questions.