Prairie Quilts and Kolaches

10:39 p.m. and all's.... tired

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 04:06:00 +0000

Yes Lucy... it's me... the Blue-eyed Farmer's wife, also known as "Gail" or "Ethel" around my new employment digs. Obviously I fit in just fine with all those yahoos. We just laugh at one another and share the banter. You can find out more about those digs here: Seward Independent

It's 10:40 p.m. I've been up since 5:45 a.m. I am doing my work (aka "good") clothes in the cold water wash. I have to, or I'll be wearing the Farmer's coveralls and a scarf to work.

I cut up 5 organically raised chickens today. "How are your chickens?" was the question of the day at the office. "Dead." was my response. Well... they were/are.

The garden is growing but needs water. The 15 drops of rain we got tonight won't cut it, so I'll be up early tomorrow to turn on the sprinkler. Someone tell me again, WHY I wanted to plant a garden????? Isn't working fulltime and then helping a Farmer enough for one Prairie Chick????

On a happier note: The pumpkin & gourd seeds the Farmer threw into the bull pen are coming up and liking their swampy/drying-into-concrete-hardness bed. Who'd a thunk being trampled by a huge ole bull named Amos would cause a seed to sprout and grow?

Other randomness: My sewing room is languishing in neglect. After the 19th, I WILL go down and sew stitches on a precious sweetness' quilt.

VBS approaches... June 12-17, with the church program on the 19th (see above)... I'm in charge of the 3year-olds! Fun Times because I love that age! I have SillyBands for them and we will have snacks and games and Bible lessons and crafts. I will have no free time to do laundry or dishes or clean or garden, but the memories and learning about Jesus are more important.

My favorite Brynlie is growing. My favorite Kendalynn & Kaleigh have a loose tooth each. My precious ones are 'there' and we are 'here.' Dislike!

My "baby".... my youngest.... my brown-eyed blond sports-loving, hard-working, handsome, "just like his father" boy turned 27 today. Yes, I had him when I was 2 years old... why do you ask? *wink*

The washer & dryer have stopped, and it's 11 p.m. Time to switch out and fold and get into the shower and fall into bed. Looking forward to Friday because the weekend is coming and I'm hopeful for either some BFF time or at least some reading on the porch with a nice glass of Riesling.

Be well, be happy, be blessed.
K~

** May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
~Irish Blessing

Changes that were in the Air....

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Tue, 17 May 2011 04:00:00 +0000

are becoming reality... commonplace... the usual... nothing new....

Schwoo~~ It's been quite a ride the past... um.... let's see... 4 weeks.

Change 1: New Job (or old job updated)

Unexpectedly, I was offered a job at our hometown newspaper, as the receptionist, classified ad salesperson and legal notice person. 5 years ago I was the office manager at the small "sister" paper. While I was very happy at my job at Green Magazine, this was Father God answering prayers, mightily. We've had other changes around here that I can't really write about, since it doesn't concern only me. Basically I was feeling like I needed to help out more with our budget and I could only cut so much. Just as I was planning to do some serious second job searching, God put this full-time position in my lap.

After all the usual meetings and interviews and sad "See you soon"s, I started at the paper on the Tuesday after Easter.

I'm still learning the software and reacquainting myself with the procedures and meeting new customers. But it's also like coming "home" again, knowing all but 2 of my co-workers.

(and oh woe... I have to use a PC... NOT a Mac... It has not been fun. How do you people -who like PCs- use them every single day without pulling your hair out?? Don't you know there are easier ways to cut & paste, etc... LOL )

Change 2: Resurrection Sunday in Ohio with our first-born, his darling wife (our dear daughter-in-love) and our precious, perfect Grand-girlies. We finally (stupid cows and their calving schedule), got to meet (snuggle, cuddle, hug, kiss, adore) our newest grand-- Brynlie.

Brynlie & Pappo sharing smiles.

Pappo with his girlies (l to r: Kaleigh, Brynlie & Kendalynn)

Change 3: Looking at the world, extra-ordinarily. God is working in my life, in the lives of those special to me and I am constantly amazed at His love and concern and grace and mercy. And His answer to prayers. (I believe, please help my unbelief....)
While life has me in it's grips, please remember, I'm around somewhere... I'll be back.

Hugs

"On my own I am.

Exceedingly plain. Tremendously weak. Ordinary in extra degrees.

Yet through Christ.

I can be.

Exceptionally graced. Completely empowered. Thoroughly gifted.

Extraordinary." Pastor Aaron Householder, 2009

God's Unrelenting Love

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:00:00 +0000

.... Have you heard Him.... Our Heavenly Father, God Almighty... have you heard His still small voice as you went about your week? What did you do? Did you stop and argue? Did you obey? Did you ignore it.... writing it off as nerves... bad food... your imagination?

He calls to us.... He loves us.... He loves you...

and them.... those over there....

and He wants to reach them.... using us. Yes.. You and Me... in our inadequacy and our failings.

Do you remember when God pursued you? Or is He still calling to you? Have you heard His call? Do you want to know what He wants of you, from you, what He has... For You?

I can tell you what He has in store for you.... Love. That's right.... unquestioning, uncompromising, unconditional.... LOVE, never ending. All you have to do is accept His gift of Love.
You can email me or comment below. I'd love to tell you about His Love.

He Loves You,
K~

** For God so Loved the world (that's all of us), that He gave His only begotten Son (that's Jesus), that whosoever would believe on Him, will have everlasting Life (that's forever!). John 3:16

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:24:00 +0000

I so enjoy the blog "Like Mother, Like Daughter." A 3-generation family of women who blog and share their wisdom. I wish I had known Lelia when I was a young mom. She and I have many of the same goals, ideas and parenting styles.

The button above is their fun way of sharing our lives with one another.
Photos of something "pretty," "happy," "funny" and "real." Join them/us every Thursday.

Pretty

Beautiful granddaughter #3

happy

Playing in my flowers & herbs makes me "happy."

funny

Watching the calves and their "funny" antics.

real

A "real" un-fixed photo. Opps!

Hugs,

Kay~

** "The system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing. Not so with technology." ~E.F. Schumacher

ORGANIC IN ST. LOUIS: A WINDY DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:41:00 +0000

ORGANIC IN ST. LOUIS: A WINDY DAY

Oh read this... My friend Glo... she "gets it".... or rather she "gets me." My love of the country, of sewing, of grandkids, of gardening and....

My love of hanging laundry on the clothesline.

(I've been doing it for the past week and my soul is happy and content. )

Hugs

** "The naked earth is warm with Spring,

And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze."
~Julian Grenfell

Menu April 4-10, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:55:00 +0000

It is time for a spring-time menu. While we are having a blustery and cool day today, it is supposed to warm back up to the 60s by midweek. I have some left over chili in the fridge that needs to be frozen for another cool day in the future. I need to start making meals that can “hold” until the Blue-eyed Farmer gets done with his farm work after sundown.
And I’m still trying to be more low-carb, so you will see some dual meals below.

Monday: Homemade cheese & veggie pizzas, salad. I’m going to make the dough early in the day and let it rise slowly, hoping for a more complex favored crust.

Tuesday: Individual breakfast casseroles: eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy, vegetables, cheese. Fruit.
I plan to double this and make some in muffin cups to flash freeze for quick breakfasts.

Wednesday: Grilled hamburgers, chips, baked beans, cole slaw. Baked Kale Chips for me and grilled veggies.
I may switch Tuesday and Wednesday depending on the weather. I can’t wait to get the grill fired up again!

Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, salad. Spaghetti squash with asparagus, mushrooms and peppers, salad. (brought over from last week)
The forecast is for rain on Thursday, so a favorite comfort meal will warm us. I want to try making the sauce in the crockpot. Usually my sauce is made on the stove-top, but I’m looking for some slower cooking/less attention needed meals. We get so busy in the afternoons and evenings this time of year.

Friday: Date Night for a good Fish Dinner.
Lent is almost over and the fish fries and specials will soon be over for another year. We are busy the next two Fridays so I hope we can go out this week to enjoy a typical fish fry. If we end up staying home, I have shrimp and salmon in the freezer for grilling or broiling.

Saturday: Lunch- Chicken strips and french fries. Cobb salad for me.
Dinner- Oven-roasted root vegetables, bread sticks, salad. Oven-roasted low-carb veggies, whole-grain crackers, salad or sauteed spinach.
Farmer will probably be doing farm work all day and will need a heartier lunch and supper.

Sunday: Lunch will be fast. We have dress rehearsal for our church’s Easter drama and I’ll need to be back to church quickly to help with the costumes. Supper is always “catch as you can” on Sunday evenings.

Are you wondering how my Pantry Challenge is going? Last week, I tried to only purchase dairy and produce. I stopped at my natural foods store yesterday to get some Farm Eggs and picked up some marked down bakery breads: Jewish Rye, French and Wheat Germ. I’ll double wrap those today and get them in the freezer. I’ll serve the French bread with the spaghetti meal and the Jewish Rye if I make our seafood meal at home. The wheat germ loaf will be an everyday bread for Farmer when we finish the loaves we have now.

Looking over my menu, I anticipate having to get only loss-leaders and a some produce at the end of the week along with my usual dairy (yogurt and half-n-half.)
I’ll be watching for sales on the good canned baked beans; bbq sauce and the good hot dogs/brats for upcoming spring and summer meals. I'll be looking for some quick healthy snacks for Farmer. He takes a few minutes between getting home from the factory and going out to do his farmwork and I like him to recharge by eating something healthy (cheese & crackers, apple, homemade cookies, etc…)

How does your menu change in April? Have you made out your Easter menu yet? Drop me a line and let me know what you are cooking these days.

Hugs~
Kay

** “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” ~Bern Williams

Changes are in the Air…

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:25:00 +0000

Oh Dears… the changes… they are a-comin’… I can’t divulge some of them right now but as someone special said to me the other day, (paraphrased) “Just when life starts getting calm and settled, it all goes kaflooey!” Never get “settled.”

Some changes I can talk about here… Our church’s Easter Drama is coming up soon. For you local-yokels, it will be April 13, 15-17. Here is the official announcement and information.

Stretching the theme a little but I have a "newly changed" light fixture in my kitchen. The old one was put up by Farmer-dear's parents back in probably the 1970s. It has worked beautifully everyday for over 30 years. I have a new fixture and new "daylight" bulbs now. Will it keep going for 30 years? All I know for sure is it is SO bright and there will no more cooking in the shadows or by flash light.

Changing times… it’s almost spring! It has been a couple of beautiful 70° days and then WHAM! The cold front came in this afternoon and it’s wildly windy and very chilly tonight. Warmer temps again by the end of the week. Schwoo~

While south of the Big City yesterday, I heard the Peeper Frogs. None are singing here yet, but I always figure we are about a week later than the City for Spring advancements. The forsythia are blooming there and the daffy-o-dills too. I figure in 2 weeks we’ll be blooming and “singing” too.

Just to keep up with “the neighbors”, Farmer-dear tilled my 2 garden areas this afternoon.

From 2 years ago, but same tiller and same Farmer.

This is the bed south of the patio. It will be for flowers and shade loving plants--Hostas! Columbine! Bleeding Hearts! Lupine!

The only veggies that ever did very well here were lettuce, peas, spinach and chard since they grew before the trees leaf out. I will probably plant my sugar snap peas and put up the fencing for them again but as soon as they are done in June, I can pull it down and plant some annuals. The edge closest to the patio is sunny all summer.

I just read about planting potatoes in bottom-less 5-gal buckets. We have an abundance of bottom-less cattle lick barrels (half 50gal drum size). Farmer suggested using those for the tomatoes too, since one is not supposed to plant tomatoes where potatoes were the previous year.
I’m hopeful that by using these taller containers I will:
A. Get more potatoes from fewer seed potatoes. (you just keep mounding up the dirt as the plant grows, then in the late summer, remove the container and knock the dirt aside to find the potatoes… no more digging for them! Ds2 will be happy.)
And B. Whatever varmint that keeps eating my tomatoes as they start to ripen will be deterred with having them 2 feet off the ground. My only concern will be caging the plants. I will need taller cages if I plant the vining kind of tomatoes.

I am reading “Lasagna Gardening” by right now.

I’ve done variations of this type of gardening for years. Basically it involves layers of wet newspaper, compost or mulch and then planting. I want to seriously implement this in the main garden and plant more peppers, zucchini (darn squash bugs anyway!), onions, maybe green beans. I’d like more perennial plants around the garden. More rhubarb and some berries. I have a pyramid strawberry “bed” that has never been used. I just need to find a spot for it. It’s hard living on a hillside. And I’d like to plant more asparagus or move the bed I have by the peonies.

Speaking of Lasagna Gardening, few years ago I surrounded our Big Rock...

Thank goodness for a couple of friendly trees.

with wet newspapers and rubber border and filled it all in with river rock. The Rock needed to be “grounded” and this worked very well to keep the weeds out for a while. I wish I had made the newspaper layer thicker as now the weeds come through, since the paper has disintegrated. My hope this year is to “zap” the weeds as soon as we see them and also to plant some Yucca plants in that hot, barren landscape. The Rock looks a little lonely up there all alone.

While in the City this weekend, I noticed the pop-up garden centers are open. Pansies!! And my favorite family-owned bedding plant market will be opening April 25! Be still my heart! I don’t anticipate any huge events this early summer to keep me too busy, so I hope to get everything weeded, mulched and settled in before the heat gets going and actually have a decent garden again.

And then there are those Standing Salad Tables (read about those HERE) I made 2 years ago. They need to be painted (Badly!) but they are just waiting for some new potting soil and seeds.

I guess it’s good that nothing stays stagnant and boring. Shake out the cobwebs and throw open the windows of our souls to all the good things Father God has for us with each change in our lives. Everything He allows for His glory and our good.

Be watching tomorrow for another Change… a new menu for this week.

Hugs!
Kay~

** “Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.” ~Pauline R. Kezer

Menu March 28-April 3, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:58:00 +0000

Continuing on with the Pantry Challenge this week. I foresee only needing to purchase some dairy (half-n-half, maybe milk) and produce. Lots of produce. I've found that this "woman of a certain age" just cannot eat as many simple carbs anymore. I've felt rather sluggish and "too-round" lately and after doing some self-diagnosis, I've found I need to cut those foods from my diet. I'm using the South Beach Diet book as a guide but I'm not going to follow it exactly. There are too many "fake" foods in it. Diet spread, low or no fat cheeses, artificial sweeteners..... ick!
I'll just follow their guidelines for cutting back on the carbs and will cut back on the real fats/dairy I eat.
Blue-eyed Farmer is Not joining me in this. His metabolism is high enough. We'll just continue to add more fruits and veggies into his diet.

Monday: Chili soup, cornbread. Asparagus-red pepper Omelete.

Tuesday: Oatmeal, toast, apples. Broiled chicken on romaine. Simple vegetable soup cup.

Wednesday: Smoked pork chops, cole slaw, au gratin potatoes. Same pork chop, same cole slaw, kale chips.

Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, garlic bread. Spaghetti squash with asparagus and mushrooms, salad.

Friday: Broiled or pan-"sautéed" locally-raised Trout, french fries, cole slaw, rye bread. Trout, leftover spaghetti squash, sautéed cabbage.

Saturday: Oven-roasted potatoes, carrots and onions, corn bread, salad. Oven-roasted asparagus, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini. Salad. Any sides leftover from my week or sautéed spinach and garlic.

Sunday: Cook's day off. I plan to have some kind of hearty salad when we eat out.

I realize to many ladies, making 2 different dinners every evening would be odious. However, if you look closer, we have the same main dish or one that is very similar most nights. The two meals that are totally different, both meals were easy to prepare. And in the case of Tuesday's, can be prepared earlier in the day while I am working around the kitchen. I plan to make most of Thursday's meat sauce on Tuesday also and freeze most of it.

I'm looking forward to feeling more energetic and hopefully lose a little of my "fluff." I've made a start already and I'm ready to stop feeling so "full" all the time after eating any carb.

Happy Eating this week!
Hugs
K~

** "The longer I live the less confidence I have in drugs and the greater is my confidence in the regulation and administration of diet and regimen." ~John Redman Coxe, 1800

Our "Brief 2-day Spring"

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:26:00 +0000

Good Morning Puffins.... technically it's morning as it was at 3:45 a.m. both yesterday and today. Farmer-dear is working some over-time at the factory, so we all get up then... him, me and the cattle. I don't mind quite as much in the summer as it is dawn about then, but in March, after daylight savings time has started (Way too early IMHO!), it's DARK! But it is morning so we'll just get on with it...

Remember a few days ago when I mentioned the Blue-eyed One had the tractor and disk out for oats sowing? I remember it well, for it was our 2-day Spring. Here, let me show you how we spent it....

We had a thunderstorm complete with HAIL! Those white blurs are more hail stones falling. The hail ranged from quarter to pea-size .

This was a marble-sized hail stone outside the front porch. If you look closely you can see a few pea-sized.

But shortly after that brief storm, the sun came out! I hung jeans on the clothes line in the breeze and Farmer-dear did this...

Opening the drill boxes.

Reading the settings for oats. (Notice the glorious sunshine on the hills.)

Pouring in the oats seed. This was the last bag. I helped by lifting the bags onto the walkboard. (I'm sure there is a technical term for that, but I don't know what it is. I should ask Mr. Thinker. )

Dumping out the last bits, as this was rather pricey seed! And then off he went behind the hill until way after dark. He was pleased he got finished and used all the seed.

These "beauties" will have feed this winter. We have a variety of colors in our lot now. From pure white calves to these funny brownish ones to dirt-colored ones. Most of the Mommas are black, with a few brown and one white. The Bull, Amos, is a white Charolais.

Hello, Inquisitive.

And then it turned cooler (ok, cold) and Winter came barreling in for another round of rotten weather. **sigh~** To keep my spirits up, I went to the Thrift Store and found some bargains.

A gardening book, (the Farm Animal Ailment book is for Farmer-dear... I just don't want to know about any of that!), a Grace Livingston Hill book and an audio book for my sewing room. Some serger thread. I only got one spool to see if it will work for piecing quilts or if is too thick. Some greeting cards. And music cds.

This morning (yes, I could see it in the dark) we awoke to snow on the ground, snow coming down and more in the forecast. **bigger sigh~~** On the bright side, we also had 2 new calves in the last 24 hours. All is well with them and their mothers. We are past the half-way mark on calving. YAY!

I believe I'll be home today and while I should do some bookwork, I think it will more cozy to do my Bible Study, read more chapterz for our church's Bible Reading Challenge and then see how many pinwheel blocks I can sew. Also feeling like sewing some small giftie-type items like bags and tissue holders. Both the laundry and dishes are caught up and it will only take a short amount of time to do the rest of the dailies.

Final question... Chocolate Chip Cookies or Brownies?

I hope Spring is firmly in place wherever you are (unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere, then I hope you are having a nice long, beautiful Autumn.)

Hugs!
K~
** "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine." ~Anthony J. D'Angelo

Menu March 21-27, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:08:00 +0000

Hey! I remembered! I told you I would post my menus and I remembered. (With my brain these days, I take any victory I can. ;o) )

Without any further delay or silliness....

Monday - "First Warm day of Spring" Chef Salads made with Romain lettuce and various toppings (hard-cooked eggs, good turkey from the deli, good cheese, tomatoes, avocados, homemade dressing for the Farmer) with grilled Ciabata Rolls;

Tuesday - "First Spring Supper Served at 8:30 p.m. because the Farmer was out in the field" Pancakes made with egg, oil, half dry milk and half creamer since the milk went bad on me; leftover sausages from Saturday's company meal, fresh strawberries & cream (if wanted.);

Wednesday - "What the *%@$^* happened to Spring?" Bean, Onion & Cheese Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Pickles Jalapenos, Tomatoes, Avocados, Lettuce and Tapioca Pudding for dessert;

Thursday - "Really??!! 60% chance of SNOW/Rain mixture?!" Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Frozen Mixed Veggies, Biscuits or Butter Sticks (for him, I plan to use mine for a strawberry shortcake dessert);

Friday - "I'm not Catholic anymore but Fish was made for Fridays" Pan-fried Nebraska Trout, French Fries or left-over Rice, Cole Slaw or Mennonite Fruit Salad; leftover biscuits or toasted Tuscan Boule, (if there's wine, then no dessert for me) Individual Rhubarb Cobblers;

Saturday - "If I have to spend the day in the pickup doing farm errands there had better be a dinner 'out' at the end of this road!" Seriously, we plan to go to the town where my sister-in-law lives (the Blue-eyed One's sweet sister), so it's probable we'll take them out for dinner. At the very least, there will be lunch somewhere on the way and then we'll make do with leftovers for supper;

Sunday - "Sorry, Cook's Day Off" I rarely have to cook on Sundays, but if I do, I'll make something fast like hamburgers or grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, raw veggies and whatever sweet thing we can find for dessert (cookies, ice cream, pudding, fruit.)

Looking over my menu for the rest of the week, I can see I only need to buy milk, potatoes, cole slaw mix or cabbage. I like that kind of small shopping list!

Is anyone else doing a Pantry Challenge Week/Month? I'd love to read your menu.
And Thanks to Mrs. Mac for the suggestion of making a big Caesar Salad with my bitter romaine with croutons from our extra bread. I may have to substitute some of the veggies this week for this for me... Farmer-Dear isn't a fan. Or maybe make myself a Trout Salad on Saturday/Sunday evening. I had a wonderful one on Sunday at a local bistro, only made with grilled Salmon.

Happy Pantry Shopping!

Hugs
K~
** "If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?" ~Marquise de Sévigne

Pantry Challenge Spring 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:40:00 +0000

Spring is "Springing Out" on the Prairie Farm

Everyday more perennials are poking their first sprouts out of the ground. We have a few more calves on the ground. And the Farmer hooked up to the disk last evening and prepped some oats ground up behind the hill.

Today is a breezy, chilly, humid/damp, unsettled kind of day. Storms and a change back to winter is in the forecast but I remain hopeful. I'm getting very spoiled
by these 50-70° highs.

(Update: It turned out to be a wild day. Chilly and breezy in the morning. Humid and warm in the afternoon with a hail storm and a little rain. Warm and breezy in the evening until the cold front came through. Farmer-dear was able to finish working up that oats field and then sowed it in the evening. God willing, the cattle with have oats bales next winter.)

One nice thing about the return of Spring, more daylight and warmer temps, is I have much more interest in cooking again. I had a few growly days lately (ok... alot of growly days) ... sort of like a bear coming out of hibernation, but adjusting my supplements and adding a few more veggies, fruits and glasses of water to my diet has helped pull me out of that slump.

We've also been adjusting our budget with the anticipation of the Farming Year beginning and the expenses associated with that.

One item to be cut was our subscription to the local "big city" paper. I didn't read it on a daily basis but I do miss the ad flyers on Wednesday and Sunday. I have subscribed online to the weekly grocery ads and I need to get into a habit of looking for the few other stores I find bargains (Menards, Wal-greens, Shopko, etc)

And while I'm sure I've missed a few good sales, I also know I have saved by staying out of the stores. Except when I don't plan and impulse buy.

We did just that this weekend when a Salad Supper sounded good one day. Not remembering how much or the condition of the salad greens in the fridge had us buying a large bag of romaine. I found the bag of romaine hearts I had were perfectly "fine" and what I should have purchased was another jar of Miracle Whip (for Famer). There was one on the pantry shelf, thank goodness.

Adding to the frustration is that both this new bag of chopped romaine and the bag of romaine hearts are bitter tasting. Anyone have a good solution to this? Farmer-dear is a 1000 Island dressing or French (in a pinch) dressing fan and will not eat ranch or vinaigrette and this is just too much lettuce for one woman to eat.

We have a bread glut also at this time. We had some wholegrain bread, then I bought milder bread when I thought Farmer was getting the stomach flu and then there were those ciabata rolls & Tuscan Boule on the sale rack. The rolls are almost gone and the boule I'll stash in the freezer for the next spaghetti night. I'm planning on a French Toast (or in Farmer's case "German Bread") for a meal this week. I'd like to make a strata but He's not the biggest fan.

As I posted before we have been stocking up the old Farmhouse pantry while we've had some extra funds. One thing I purchased, was a large bag of Basmati Rice. I don't have room for it in my freezer so I'm cooking it, vacuum-sealing it and freezing it. Then I have it ready to eat more easily during the week for lunches and quick suppers.

Another plus to a well-supplied pantry & freezer is you can entertain on a whim. Saturday evening we invited some friends over for a "Breakfast for Supper" meal, spur of the moment. Except for the eggs, which they provided, (we were not near the natural foods store this week), it was a pantry/freezer pulled meal. Waffles with butter, jelly & maple syrup, sausage, grapes and juice. Easy-peasy. The hardest thing was keeping up with the hot waffles for all the diners.

Speaking of my freezers... I haven't shown you my organized upright freezer. (I'm so proud of myself!)

The top shelf has all my extra, small baking supplies. Sugars, coconut, different-flavored chips, decorations, dried fruit and the like.

The second shelf has 2 bins of cheeses.

The third shelf has other proteins foods -- cooked pork roast, chicken stock, "fake" meat products, and some regular rice (I forgot I had this when I bought the Basmati. oy~)

The bottom basket has the frozen fruit I put up last year.

The door is a wild and varied place. Let's see.... I spy more frozen fruit, some purchased frozen veggies, some home-frozen tomato juice, some power bars, bananas, hash browns and apple sauce.

No photos of the chest freezer. After all, how boring is a big dark hole full of white paper lumps? lol Not that I'm complaining!!

So you see, we are not in any danger of starvation. I'm back to only shopping for produce, dairy, loss-leaders and only produce until the garden starts growing again. I whispered a "HURRY UP!" to my asparagus this morning on my way to the mailbox.

Stay tuned dear Friends. I hope to start posting my menus again.

Happy Early Spring!
K~

** "Where man sees but withered leaves,
God sees sweet flowers growing."
~Albert Laighton

It's here! shhh~~~

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:11:00 +0000

Yes, dear Puffins... I do believe Spring may actually be here. (shh~ don't say that too loudly or we'll have a snow storm tomorrow!)

While the warm temps have been very welcome, I'm trusting the other evidences more.

Such as:

My Thyme coming back vibrantly on the back porch.

Swiss Chard greening up, having survived the winter.

New baby calves in the lot.

Chives (and garlic, Surprise Lilies, Day Lilies and Peonies) poking through to meet the sun.

The female robins are here and many other song birds, flitting here and there, nest building.

I'm just waiting for the Peeper Frogs to start their Spring serenade. There is an old rhyme about them starting to sing 3 times and then Spring is truly here to stay.

I also know that until the Barn Swallows come back, we could still have a freeze. Our earliest last frost date is April 15th.

I've missed the pea planting moon dates for this month, but my garden is just too wet to do any kind of planting yet. We'll try for April along with the potatoes on Good Friday.

I'm trying to be patient. Guess I'll have to do something else, like wash windows, clean cupboards, or....

THIS!

Happy National Quilting Day!!

Hugs!

Kay~

"Spring Cleaning

March bustles in on windy feet

And sweeps my doorstep and my street.

She washes and cleans with pounding rains,

Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.

She shakes the grime from carpet green

Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.

Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,

She ushers gentle springtime in." ~~ Susan Reiner

Randomness Becomes Me on a Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Yup, another Randomness Becomes Me post.... Why? Because it's Friday the 11th.

And because I've had more than my share of broken things in my life lately.... a tire on my Edge, my watch, my iMac (it's being getting a new hard-drive tomorrow), my Farmer (he's on his way to being well again, but's been a long road), my sleeping 8 hours per night, his chainsaw and tree cutter, my ability to not over-bake things, my Sun-heat heater and my iMac (yes I said it twice because it is That important!)

Because I'm in the midst of piecing 102-2 3/8" squares of 2 different colors into 204-2" half-square triangles and out of every 10 I sew in a set, at least 3 need to be frog-stitched and resewn and even then I end up with 1 in every 30 that is totally too wonked to be used. **crazed look**

It's a blustery early Spring day and I'm going to wash the sheet and let them blow out all the germies into the wind!

I'm drinking Kona Seneo Coffee today.

I decided that I MUST eat breakfast everyday and I love oatmeal, just not the fussing with making it every morning. So I made up "instant packs". 1/3 c. regular oatmeal, handful of dried fruit (raisins, apples and apricots that I dried, were my choices), handful of nuts (pecans, walnuts and slivered almonds), a good shake or two of Mulling Spices for "zing".

Packaged these in sandwich-sized ziplock bags so that in the morning when I'm barely able to make coffee, I can dump one bag's worth into a bowl, add 3/4 c. milk and microwave for 4 mins on 60% power. A little more milk or half-n-half on top and wah-lah! It's breakfast!

I went to the thrift store yesterday and found sweet pink and purple clothes for my favorite girlies (jackets for the big girls and clothes for my sweet baby-kins for this summer and fall.) I found a yellow coffee cup that matches the miscellaneous pieces my dear neighbor gave me. I had a yellow saucer so now I have a yellow cup-saucer and a pink set. I just need someone to come have coffee with me.

I also found a cool straw tote bag with a clasp. It has yellow decorations. Ok, so it's a cheesy tourist buy from Mazatlan, but it's got "leather" handles and is big enough to hold a laptop (if I had a laptop) or supplies for the beach (if I went to the beach) or maybe just my Bible and Study book for church this summer. In any case, it made me smile, and I'll take a $2 smile any day during "mud season."

And finally....

Who are these people and why am I here??

This darling has stolen my heart. She is there and I am here. But we have conversed on the phone and I know she is saving all her sweetest snuggles for her Grammie... who will get there as soon as we are well and those danged cows all have their calves.

The laundry calleth and my coffee cup is empty and there are no elves to finish sewing those half-square triangles.

Enjoy your weekend Puffins.
Hugs
K~

PS Please pray for the people of Japan and the islands in the Pacific and even our West Coast. I cannot even imagine the tragedy and loss in Japan. Please Father God... be with our Brothers and Sisters in that country. Send aid, comfort, provide, save and give them strength in this time of need.

Sewing on Saturday and a Wonky Macintosh

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:31:00 +0000

I was sewing the pink and yellow squares together today. And then cut them apart again. It's a Quilt-thing.

Yes dear Puffins... I sewed today! Unfortunately there are no photos as I lost the daylight before I could take any. I sewed half-square triangles for Dgd3's quilt. And realized once again that piecing is NOT a race but I need to use the tools that help (The Angler Half-Square Triangle guide) and to go slowly. After I started trimming dog-ears off the first of the blocks I realized I had some VERY misshaped pieces. So I started stitching more slowly. After I had both stitch lines done but before I cut the HST apart, I measured the space between the stitching. If it was anything other than exactly 1/2", I ripped out the stitching and did it again. Thankfully by sewing more slowly, I only had to do that about 1/3 of the time.
I realized I was not holding the corners firmly as I sewed and the beginning part of the stitching had a tendency to go a bit catty-wompus on me.

102 individual squares of 2 colors, sewn together and cut apart makes for alot of HST blocks to be pressed and trimmed. I sew about 10, then do the pressing and trimming, so I can catch any problems in a bunch. It's easier to resew 10-20 HST than 50 or more at a shot. Besides if I waited and had not found I was having a problem early on, I probably would have had to remake most of those blocks and I don't have that much extra fabric. (And no idea where I got this to buy more.)

Anyway... that is how I spent my Saturday afternoon and plan to spend some of my Sunday the same way. And my computer has decided to get sick now too. I fear the hard drive is going out on me so as soon as my friend & repair tech gets the new one, I'll be "gone" for a few days. It'll be hard, but I have that sewing and plenty of new books and I've been wanting to crochet some washcloths. I will not be starting my Spring Cleaning. *grin*

One final word of wisdom.... if you have not done so already.... get yourself an external hard drive and BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER NOW! You'll be glad you did.

Hugs
K~

** "OUT: Focusing on your mistakes

IN: Focusing on your fabulousity" ~Mark Lipinksi, Quilt Designer & Magazine Editor

Sick Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Yup... we're still sick-o. Still contagious enough to stay home from church and not get to enjoy some of these people:

Sunday School party in 2009

The incomparable M.Allen!

And we are still too contagious to go see these beloved ones: (very sad face)

So instead we stayed put and slept in. I am missing my date with BFF and the Antique/Flea Market. Boo! :oc

We had tuna salad sandwiches on homemade buns for lunch with homemade cinnamon rolls for dessert. (Another "boo!" on canned frosting. blech~~ )

The afternoon is gearing up to be a nap/tv/computer/book/hand-sewing fest. On the positive side, it's almost the last day of February and Spring cannot be too far away, right?

Stay well & warm Puffins.

Hugs

** "Sickness comes on horseback but departs on foot." ~Dutch Proverb

Homemade is still the best

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:21:00 +0000

Good Morning Puffins. It's a cloudy, snowy, cold Saturday morning here on the Farm. My Farmer and I have been taking turns being "awake" all night long. Congestion, back aches, sinuses, etc... Thankfully it's the weekend and we'll be able to catch up on our rest.

I'm mentally planning my day while I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and have been reading through a few of my favorite blogs. I'm not feeling up to doing much cleaning or decorating, beyond the must-be-dones. But I enjoy imagining how I will "fluff" my front porch and kitchen this spring. Our living room and office may be in disarray as we are planning to gut & renovate the living room, paint both it & the office and put new flooring down in both rooms. My brain seizes up when I try to plan much for these rooms. It balks at even considering paint color. I'll be asking for advice on that as I get closer to actually buying it.

So since it is not a day to do alot of physical activities, my plan is to bake some cookies for my Farmer and mix together some sandwich buns and possibly a loaf of bread. While the bread dough is rising I can be resting or sewing.

And on the off-chance we feel well enough to go to church tomorrow, we should dig into our Sunday School lesson.

The day will not be a loss as long as I keep myself on track. I've found if I give into the feeling of "poor me" when I'm not well, then I truly am a pitiful soul. But if I keep on going, I may still feel just as unwell, but I have accomplished something and that helps me to feel productive and brightens my day.

Such was the case last evening. After both my Farmer and I were home from our busy day at work, as usual we discussed our ideas for the evening meal. In the past, I've done meal planning, but many times he is not that hungry or would prefer something lighter. It works best for me to have a well-stocked pantry and freezer and fridge, with the ingredients ready for different meal suggestions.

We both agreed we felt pretty worn out from the week and that a lighter meal sounded best. I had 2 different packaged soup starter mixes on the shelf. I don't normally buy mixes like these, but they were a Christmas gift and I've been eager to try them. Farmer-dear chose the Beef Noodle and I chose Chicken and Dumpling. Happily, his left-over ribeye steak from last weekend was in the freezer and it took no time for me to defrost and poach a chicken breast and thigh from my stash in the big freezer.

While Farmer was out choring and then was busy with his own affairs inside; I thinnly sliced and then sauted his beef. I poached my chicken in water, fresh thyme, s/p and onion/garlic.

While that was going on I started to break up the 2 pork roasts I had cooked earlier in the week. I used Pioneer Woman's recipe from her cookbook. I had planned to serve some of this all week long but Farmer-dear was never in the mood for it. I decided to shred it all, reheat it with the juices and rechill it. (I love my "walk-in cooler" a.k.a. front porch in winter when the temps are 12°.) Today I will portion it out and vacuum-seal it for meals this spring and summer when we are busy. And quite possibly I'll save out enough for us for this evening, just in case a bbq pork sandwich sounds good to him. Or it will go into his lunch this week.

While the pork was reheating in the oven, I finished up our dinner. This consisted of shredding up my chicken, dumping the contents of the boxes into the broths and topping mine with the dumplings. I'm sorry to say that was it for our dinners. Not the most nutritiously planned meal. No veggies beyond what was in the soups. And I noticed Farmer-dear hunting around for more after his initial bowl. That is very telling for me. He only does that when his meal was not satisfying.

We both found our individual soups very lacking. I definitely did not care for the smell of his. Too much of a "processed beef" smell, that was sickening to me. My chicken soup was too salty (I guess that's why they said to start with water, not my good stock, which was salted to flavor the chicken when it cooked.) The dumplings were fairly good. We both agreed that the soups were "edible at best" and tasted much too "processed and full of preservatives." I guess we've gotten spoiled from eating mostly home-made foods. And then later I noticed I had a reaction from the MSG and the extra sodium that were in the soup.

I know these kinds of foods are marketed to busy women, but I can't say I saved all that much time. It takes only a few more minutes to slice or chop up a carrot and potato, add in some dry noodles, stir in a handful of frozen peas. If one does not make their own stock, there are several decent brands available in the store, some sodium free and some organic. With just a very few more minutes I could replicate these soups with ones that would have a cleaner flavor and very few additives.

I do, however, appreciate the wonderful thought behind this gift.

Well, my dears, my coffee is long gone and the laundry is not getting washed by me sitting here. It's time for a Vit C dose and a big glass of water to wash out my system.

Have a wonderful, relaxing, joy-filled weekend. Please leave a comment on your thoughts of time-saving vs home-made meals. Are you interested in cooking more "wholesomely" or are you willing to sacrifice taste for convenience. Oh dear.... I must get off that soapbox! *grin*

I'll be back soon....

Hugs!

** "Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork." ~English Proverb

Sniffles, Snow and Polkas

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:13:00 +0000

I've been noticing a increase in "cabin-fever" around Blog-dom lately. It seems like it's been an awfully long winter. I'm not one to wish my life away, but I'm ready for April/May and some warmth and sunshine and green grass....(someone remind me I said that when it comes time to mow again. lol)

Here on the Prairie Farm, we're at the brink of calving season. yipee~ >_<

We're also in the midst of colds/virus/something . Farmer-dear is feeling better, but still gets puny in the evenings. I'm self-doctoring with Zicam, garlic, Vit C. It's moving out slowly. Unfortunately it went from my chest to my head & sinuses.

And we are in the midst of a winter weather weekend! 5" of snow yesterday and 1-2" today with more in the forecast through Monday a.m. I know.. I know... It's still February in Neb. We've had 13" in April before.

But to turn this into a happier post.... I went thrifting earlier this week. I found these 2 cookbooks:

(yes, I took the images from Amazon... too lazy to take the photos or scan them myself.)

I'm a bread-baking girl, and love to make bread with whole-grains. The Laurel's Kitchen book has at least 2 recipes I'm eager to try.

And of course anyone who has read or seen "Julie-Julia" has to have MTAOFC on his/her shelf. I can't imagine I'll make too many recipes from this one, but it's fun to read the recipes while reading along with Julie Powell's blog. (warning-- lots of f-bombs in it and Bush-bashing, but an entertaining read.)

I also brought home 2 cassettes... remember those? (I could have picked up several 8-track tapes but our players have been long gone. We had a stereo with an 8-track player and one of our vehicles... I think it was our courting car.... Oh the memories... we played Willie Nelson's "Red Headed Stranger" over and over.)

Anyway... used to have a LP (remember Those?) of Sandi Patti's "Morning Like This" and the title song always speaks Easter (Resurrection Sunday) to me.

I also got this:

with the dance mat for the girlies. You know I can't go into the thrift store and not look for them. They don't need any clothes but a fun dance-along dvd might be fun for them.

And the last cassette I got was.... Al Holman and The Polkatoons, #12! LMHO... Farmer-dear was a bit dismayed.... polkas?? Yes! Back when I was growing up, the radio station we listened to, used to play polkas on Sundays. I haven't been to a Czech Wedding Dance in ages, to hear all the old polka tunes and I miss them sometimes. (does it mean I'm getting old if I am starting to look back fondly on my youth.... oh crud!)

All in all I spent around $13 but I'll get hours of enjoyment from these.

Hopefully I can share more photos of my quilting projects. I hope to have BFF's quilt done by Sunday and more progress made on DGD3's. And I might cut out another caring baby quilt in some brights just for the fun of it.

Stay warm and keep thinking thoughts of Spring and if you've been thrifting lately or like Polka music... leave a comment, telling me about it.

Hugs

** "Music is what life sounds like." ~Eric Olson

She's Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:40:00 +0000

Little Missie DGD3 has been borned and is a healthy 8lb 14.6oz, 22" long precious, beautiful little bundle of joy!

Daddy says she is all about the nursing and sucking and is a very good baby. The big sisters love her and want to hold her all the time. Daddy tells them they will have her "forever" and they will get to hold her more.

Grammie and Pappo are desperately trying to get well (Grammie came down with congestion and coughing yesterday) and to figure out what the weather is doing where so we can either hop a plane or hop in the car and head east.

As soon as I get the "ok" from Daddy to share photos, I will. In the mean time, go hug on your special ones. They'll wonder what you are up to... ;o)

Hugs

** "What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies." ~Rudolph Giuliani

Apple Cake Saves the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:51:00 +0000

In order to lift off some of the doom and gloom around here, I've posted Debby's Apple Cake over on my recipe site HERE.

I made it on Saturday as I have 1/2 a lug of Red Delicious apples getting wrinkly and unappitzing. We just don't like that variety for eating fresh. But chopped up in this cake they are amazing. Just enough apple-goodness to mix with the cinnamon and walnuts. And this cake is sooo moist.

Make it soon. And don't bother with the frosting. Just pour yourself a cuppa coffee and enjoy the spicy goodness as you sit in the sunshine and plan your upcoming garden. Spring will be here soon.

Hugs
K~

PS if you would, please send up prayers for Ds1, Ddil and Dgd3. Instead of the home-birth they were looking forward to, it appears they will be having a C-section sometime this week. Some little Missie is being stubborn. Thank you so much.

More of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 03:58:00 +0000

The Good: Dgd3 will hopefully be born in the next few days.

The Bad: All of my sweet grandbabies are "there" and we are "here".

The Good: It was very nice and sunny and warm this past week.

The Bad: Fickle winter has returned with cold and wind and well, cold.

The Good: I have a dear Farmer.

The Bad: He's sick.

The Ugly: My mood. Nothing seems to be helping. I'm tired, I'm cranky, I'm trying to hard to not be horrible, but I feel like I'm losing this battle. Even getting to go to church this morning didn't really help. It's not the way I like to start a week.

The Good: I have chocolate in the Prairie Farmhouse. I intend to use it.

The Best: God still loves us, hears my prayers, never leaves or forsakes me and so I will sing of His love now and forever. Praising works miracles in me.

I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever

Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing of when
Your love came down

I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever

Oh I feel like dancing
It's foolishness I know
But when the world has seen the light
They will dance with joy
Like we're dancing now

I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/hillsong/#share

I hope your weekend is filled with more Good than Bad and no Ugly.

Hugs

** "Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow." ~Rita Schiano, Sweet Bitter Love, 1997

Menu: Feb. 14-19

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:33:00 +0000

If you’ve read PQ&K for a while you know one of my favorite ladies in Blog-dom is PennyAnn Poundwise. (Blog-dom for we haven’t meet in real life...Yet! I believe someday we will share a hug and a cuppa.)

She never fails to inspire me with her homemaking ways. Today she posted about eating meatless meals. She’s right up my alley as we have at least 1-2 meals per week that I consider meat-less or at least meat as a flavoring rather than the main part. Plus my dear PennyAnn posts her weekly menus which always leave me hungry and wanting to hop the next stagecoach for Dixie, so I can dine at her table!

While I’m not nearly as consistent with my weekly menu planning as my friend, here is the menu I’ve come up with for this week.

Monday, Feb. 14:
Valentine’s Day and my Sweetie took me out to the Farm Store and then to Arby’s for dinner. I didn’t have to cook! Arby roast beef for him and a turkey club for me.

Tuesday, Feb. 15:
Waffles, Bacon and Fruit
Tuesday evenings are almost always Breakfast for Supper nights here on the Farm. I vary the taste of our waffles by adding whole grain flours to the recipe. And we enjoyed the last of the bacon from the 2010 hog. I love knowing exactly where our food comes from.

Wednesday, Feb. 16:
Chef Salads
Variety of greens, cheeses, hard-cooked eggs and individual chosen toppings (crackers, olives, etc.)
It has been unseasonably warm this week. The temperature has been in the 60s. We attended a Celebration of Life service for a neighbor today and afterwards worked on individual projects. It was the kind of day that called for a lighter meal.

Thursday, Feb. 17:
Ham balls in tangy tomato sauce, mashed potatoes or rice, sauted spinach (me) or roasted carrots (him)
I had purchased extra ham ball mixture at Christmas time for later. It is one of Farmer-dear’s favorite meals, so Valentine’s week seemed the perfect time to make it. I have several packages of instant mashed potatoes that should be used and we have stocked up on rice. Either will be a nice foil for the tangy sauce. I found this garlic-raisin-spinach saute that I absolutely love! Farmer-dear, not so much. He’ll enjoy the carrots that will roast in the same oven with the ham balls.

Friday, Feb. 18:
Baked trout filets, rice timbales, cole slaw (purchased) and garlic bread
I purchased Nebraska-raised trout recently and it is so good. The timbales are basically cooked rice and seasonings pressed into a small mold or custard cup and turned out, holding its shape. Just a little fanciness.

Saturday, Feb. 19:
Baked pork chops, stove-top stuffing, more spinach saute & roasted carrots, applesauce
Saturdays are busy days on the farm and more so as the weather improves. Farmer-dear mentioned weaning calves that day and he’ll want a hearty meal after a long day of working cattle.

I guess if you count the trout, we will have had 4 meat meals, but I don’t count fish as a “meat.” So that leaves 3. The bacon on Tuesday was a side dish. I realize our week is a bit pork-heavy. I’m hording the last of our beef. We took the beefers into the locker this week but it’ll be at least 2.5 weeks until the meat is ready. We are picking up our pork tomorrow or Friday, so I wanted to use up the last few packages of that.

Please share some of your favorite meat-less menus. I’m always looking for new ideas.

Hugs
K~

** There is no sight on earth more appealing than the sight of a woman making dinner for someone she loves. ~Thomas Wolfe

It’s in the Small Things... Spring’s Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Today I witnessed one of my favorite indictors of Spring.

No, not the robins, although I do enjoy them.
Not early budding flowers; it’s several weeks [months] too early for those.
The peeper frogs are still hibernating on the pond bank.

No, this afternoon, I stood at my laundry room window and soaked in the sight of the small usually-dry creek/gully behind our house, sparkling and dancing with melting snow run-off. **Very Big Grin**

The temps have been in the 60s this week. The roads and driveways are all snuddy from the melting and thawing; sullen and messy.

Our little creek can be a roaring torrent later in the spring when the thunderstorms dump on us.
But in early spring, it eases my mid-winter depression with it’s joyful exuberance and reminds me once again, that my Heavenly Father’s mercies (and love) are new every morning. And winter will soon be over for another year.

(I have been praying lately for some relief from the “blahs.” Thank you Father!)

Sometimes you have to find the joy in the small things....

Hugs
K~

** "For every day that there is sunshine, there will be days of rain,
it's how we dance within them both that shows our love and pain."
~Joey Tolbert

Sewing and Family "Secrets"

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:07:00 +0000

I had a great time being a Secret (Prayer) Sister at our church in 2010. It was hard to be sneaky since I live out of town and anything I mailed would have my unique postmark on it. But in the end, my Sister didn't guess it was me, so it ended well.

Here is a photo of the Mug Rug I made her as a last parting gift. Having never made one before, when it was completed, I decided it was a little large for a mug rug, but hopefully still worked for her. Looking forward to making more this year as CEMs and other gifties. (CEMs-- Christmas [gifts] Every Month... a way to get a jump on hand-made gifts throughout the year.)

I spent a good portion of the afternoon, today, listening to podcasts on my Mp3 player and stitching the binding down on BFF's quilt. My goal is to have it done by next Sunday when she and I go to the Antique Flea Market. I can't forget the label too! (someone remind me...)

I also spent yesterday afternoon zigzagging around the fused applique on the blocks for Dgd3's quilt. I didn't do too badly considering this is my first serious fused applique attempt. (I've made caring quilt single blocks before.) My old Kenmore has a decent sized zigzag stitch that is just small (or big) enough to cover the edge without being too noticeable. I only have the stem and leaves left to do on 5 of the blocks.

I got interrupted in the midst of my sewing, by a certain Farmer, but it's ok. He had something "interesting" to show me. He found some checks and bank statements from his grandfather's account, dating back to 1949-51 (just a few months from each year). The later years were from around the time Farmer's dear-father was in Korea. It was interesting to see Grandpa Hank used pencil to write and sign them all. Grandma Marie did not sign a single one of these. We think one was for when he bought the trailer we use for feed now. And possibly several were for paying the hired harvest help when Dad-Norman was overseas.

I love old family history stuff like this.

I'm off to do a little more stitching and then off to the Land of Nod.

Hugs

** "Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future." ~Gail Lumet Buckley

Playing in the Sewing Room in Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:16:00 +0000

All the fabric, all but the applique pieces cut.

Applique templates

Leaves, Flowers, Hearts and Stems.... Oh My! The fuse ironed onto the material and awaiting the cutting.

Stacks of applique pieces, all cut out.

The Heart Blocks

The Flower Blocks

Now I need to machine stitch around the edges.

More to come... stay tuned...

Hugs
K~

** Grandma quilts have love in every stitch. ~Author Unknown

More Frugal Fun at the Grocery Store

noreply@blogger.com (Kay) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 04:12:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I hope you are all keeping warm these cold days & nights? We’re doing fine here on the Prairie Farm. Our new windows still are amazing in the way they keep out the cold drafts! But now we can really feel the lack of good insulation in the living room and kitchen walls. Brrr~~

I’ve been continuing with my 7-9 hours of sleep per night and I’m trying to get in at least 3 times of sewing/quilting each week. Just today I downloaded some audio books into iTunes to put on my MP3 player when I’m doing handwork. Currently I’m listening to “Enchanted April.”
I’m also trying to read a little every evening. And I am watching at least a little tv with my Farmer (his favorite form of relaxation) or play some Kinect bowling and not spend as much time on the computer.

With the start of a new year, the economic news and some changes in our farming practices, I’ve been thinking of more ways I can save money.

One way, is by playing the coupon, loss-leader game at the grocery/discount stores. Last month, I saved $27.37 by getting the loss-leaders, price matching and coupons.

Some examples:
Loss-leader Sales
Hormel Thick-cut bacon, less than $3 per pound.
Betty Crocker Family-sized Brownie Mix, 89¢ (woo hoo!)
Store brand Dry Roasted Peanuts, $1.69
Crystal Farms shredded cheeses, 8oz, $1.39 (great price, so I got a lot!)

Coupons
Hershey’s candy bars, BOGOFree: saved $1.48 and got 2 FREE!
Ziplock sandwich bags: $1.00 off 2 packages
Contact solution 2-pack: $4.00 off pack
Rayovac D Batteries, 6-pack: $1.00 off multi-pack

Price-matching
Russet baking potatoes: 59¢ per pound, saved $1.11 on 3.6#
Land O Lakes Milk, 1/2 gal: $1.39, saved $1.20 on 2 and $1.00 C on 2 containers
Crest toothpaste, 6.4 oz: 99¢, saved 40¢, $1.00 C (FREE!)
Old Orchard frozen all juice: $1.00, saved 48¢ on 4
Orowheat Bread: $1.99, saved 50¢
Hefty garbage bags: $5.99, saved 90¢ PM and $1.00 C

I saved $4.59 in price matching and $11.95 in coupons alone!

During last month we took the opportunity of a little extra in the budget funds to stock up on pantry staples. We purchased that $1.39 cheese, unbleached flour, sugars, ziplock bags and toilet paper. All items I can store for several months and they will be available for leaner times later this year.

On Monday this week as I mentally took stock of my pantries before the “Major Winter Storm” set upon us. I decided we were stocked up except for Half-n-Half for my coffee. So, I did a little price-matching on sale items that would be going off-sale on Tuesday. I got the following: Yoplait yogurt for 50¢ each and with a 40¢ off on 6 coupon
Era laundry soup, 96 loads, price-matched for $8.69 (Very good price, normally I pay $10.88)
Fresh asparagus (regularly $2.94#) price-matched at $1.79#
Heinz Ketchup, 40oz, $1.69 (was on sale for $1.98)
Pepsi products, 12-packs, $2.50, regularly $3.98 and I was able to get the “throw backs” made with real sugar for this price.

That was a savings of $10.08 on price-matching and coupons. Plus I saved the ads for the Era and Pepsi products and will get more before those ads expire. Of course the store I price-match at **cough** (wal-mart) **cough** has a tendency to pull items with too large of a price difference off the shelf and then say they are “out.”
It pays to check all the ads as the Era was at a big box “lumber” store and the Pepsi at a higher-end discount store (did that make sense?? )

(oh, and guess what one thing I forgot to pick up at the store... yes, the Half-n-Half!! >_< )

And while I’ve been doing a bit of grocery shopping, at the same time, I’m shopping my pantry and freezer too. Our chest freezer is almost bare! We bought a hog from a co-worker and our beef goes in to be butchered in 2 weeks, so we want to eat all the remaining meat. Right now I have 3 packages of pork chops, 3# of sausage, 4# of ground beef and 3 packages of short ribs, plus several chickens, some fish, 1# of bacon and a few packages of leftover spiral ham. My upright freezer is full of cheese, some easy lunch items (ravioli, chicken strips) and frozen fruit, veggies and chicken odds and ends to make stock.
Our pantry has a nice variety yet and I want to use up the canned goods I bought last fall and start to bring in some new stock.

Also I’ve been buying a few more staples in bulk, such as Real Maple Syrup, EVOO and vanilla at the natural foods store. I get my eggs there from the bulk cartons too. I filled 2 containers of EVOO (5.46#) for $8.49#. Seems high but this is cold-expressed oil and always tastes fresh.
I also got a little over an ounce of crystalized ginger for $1.17 ($14.59#) The same amount (or less) in the small jars at the grocery stores was over $7! I’ll be going back soon for more eggs and I need cayenne pepper. I’m eager to see the price difference on that!

I know this is a long post with a lot of numbers. I didn’t write it to brag, but to encourage you to read the ads, cut the coupons, read the saving blogs and start cutting that grocery budget. Create a pantry (even a small one) and start saving for a small chest freezer.
Remember that “Mega Winter Storm”.... a friend of ours in Missouri shared a photo of the empty bread aisle at his local Wal-mart. I read several other friends status updates on needing to go get “supplies” just a day after the storm passed here.
I’m not belittling anyone, but just want to pass on some peace of mind. If your pantries are well-stocked with easy to prepare foods and the ingredients to make staples (like bread), you won’t have to worry about being snowed- or iced-in. Then you can concentrate on filling water jugs, maintaining an alternate heat source and light sources.

Just a little wisdom, I’ve learned through the years, living on the Farm.

And just in case anyone is looking at those candy bars, brownie mixes, soda with a critical eye... what can I say... it’s mid-Winter and my Farmer has a sweet-tooth.

Stay warm and safe, my Puffins!

Hugs
K~

**Thrift comes too late when you find it at the bottom of your purse. ~Seneca

Prairie Quilts and Kolaches

10:39 p.m. and all's.... tired

Changes that were in the Air....

God's Unrelenting Love

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

ORGANIC IN ST. LOUIS: A WINDY DAY

Menu April 4-10, 2011

Changes are in the Air…

Menu March 28-April 3, 2011

Our "Brief 2-day Spring"

Menu March 21-27, 2011

Pantry Challenge Spring 2011

It's here! *shhh~~~*

Randomness Becomes Me on a Friday

Sewing on Saturday and a Wonky Macintosh

Sick Sunday

Homemade is still the best

Sniffles, Snow and Polkas

She's Here!

Apple Cake Saves the Day

More of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Menu: Feb. 14-19

It’s in the Small Things... Spring’s Coming

Sewing and Family "Secrets"

Playing in the Sewing Room in Winter

More Frugal Fun at the Grocery Store

It's here! shhh~~~