Thursday, September 27, 2012

It's Been A Couple Of Weeks

It's seems like so long since I last posted on the blog. Things are still busy around here. The time of year has a whole lot to do with it.

Last week we got a whole lot done. We have been finishing up putting in our firewood. We got our first beef cow brought home and then got the dirty work done, and it is hanging in the cooler. I worked on some apples, making apple butter,made another batch of salsa. Made a batch of slow cooker ketchup,and bottled the rest of the tomatoes,and finished up with the zucchini. HB picked our pumpkin patch with the kiddies. We had so many pumpkins,with so many big ones.

Over the weekend my friend and I got to take off Saturday on the four wheelers just us girls,no men,no kids and drove on the beautiful fall trails. It was great.
Mom is doing well and I am hoping to bring her home for Thanksgiving.
This week I did a lot indoors as we got some rain. So it was cleaning the house kind day Monday and Tuesday.I also got outside in between showers and got my annual plants dumped out and cleaned the window boxes. I put out a couple of mums for fall,and did a little decorating. I could not finish yet as it began to rain once again.
Yesterday I did up more apples, a few more pies to freeze, and 6 more apple crisps to freeze. Just juice and cider left to make.

Next week it's pumpkin week here. Pies, preservers, cooked to freeze, and get ready for Thanksgiving.

The children are all doing well after being back to school for almost a month now. Jayne has taken us all by such a surprise with loving middle school,being invoked in soooo much. She is running for student council and has worked super hard on her campaign, by making all her own posters(scrapbooked of course) made her very own campaign video. (To cute) everyone is super excited with all she has already accomplished even if she does not win.


So that just about wraps things up here on the farm. Till the next time.....

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sunday Stuff

Well I got to sleep in a bit this morning. I am feeling better. The kiddies are as well. We had brunch this morning on the BBQ,honey garlic sausages with left over beans from last nights supper.
I got busy and put a small fire on in the wood stove and am keeping it going as it is cooler out today. I put a beef stew on there to cook slow for the day and will make dough boys to go with it for supper. The girls (with a little help from me) made a $100 chocolate cake for desert and I took out of the freezer some buns to make roast beef rolls to go with supper. they are a big hit in our house. Very simple....Just use buns and slice a strip in them as a split. Then a dab of mayo and a slice of roast beef (that we keep shaved and froze in small containers to make sandwiches with) then a little cheese over the top and bake in the oven on a cookie sheet just until they are toasty and the cheese melts
I did a few loads of laundry up and the guys are gone to the woods to finish up some firewood. Jayne and I worked a little tiding up her bedroom. I went out to the garage to finish up with her head and foot board that HB made for her. I put the last coat of varnish on, so it should be ready to come in tonight. Poor Jayne has been awaiting her new bed for a while now.
We had a bit of a temp change last night at supper time. It was almost scary. It got so dark out and the winds began to pick up. We ran to close everything up early. Then the down poor came. It rained most of the night. (we did need it though) but the wind was not needed.
This morning we found 2 dead moles in our pond, murder suicide. hummm maybe????
I picked a few more tomatoes out of the garden and picked a few apples to fill the fruit bowl.







Saturday, September 15, 2012

Weekend Catch Up

Well I can sure say this has been one of those weeks that had felt like it was never going to get to Friday.
I managed to get a lot done ,more canning,laundry,and cleaning was on the list. The girls had meet the teacher night Tuesday and Wednesday evening, and I even squeezed in a trip to town to get some things at the general store. Yep it was a busy week.
The weather here has done it again. We are back into the Summer temps making it  all the way up 30 degrees the last 2 days.
It has been wonderful for washing quilts,and doing our grain. Kinda a little bit different from my last post. But it is suppose to cool a bit today with only a high of 20 degrees which is still beautiful for this time of year.
As for canning I am still doing up zucchini and cucumbers. Justin is wanting to go and pick choke cherries so I guess I will be doing up some syrup and jelly as well.
Jill has a birthday party to go to today from 2 till 4 in town so I think I will try and go to the general and pick up a little extra sugar.
Yesterday I ended up with a rotten cold. Justin,and Jill had it coming on all week as well. Oh the joys of starting back to school. They bring home everything. So I guess it's living on honey for us.
Well I must go get breakfast on as I here them moving in their beds. Have a great weekend everyone

Monday, September 10, 2012

Fall Like

The nights are cooler and the wind has a new chill in it. Leaves are starting to change and we can see the fleece growing longer on the sheep as each day passes. Small fires are neated in the mornings now.Fall is certinally a very busy time here on the farm. Winter preps Are already underway.
Firewood is being split, and the woodshed is getting a cleaning out to be filled. The pantry is almost full with jams,jellies,pickles, preservers,and a bulk of staples to get us through the winter.The potato harvest is finally in and I cooked all that I could pick for the pigs. I bottled 30 quarts for the winter of tiny ones.

Hay is being hauled home load after load and the grain is finally ready to harvest.
The grain shed is cleaned and the agers are as well.
The swimming pool now been shut off and I began draining it.
The meat birds,and turkeys are now done up and we had the small turkey for supper lat night.
The fall sweaters are out,and the last few nights we have had to take off the summer quilts and put the heavier ones on.
The children leave for school in the mornings with their sweaters on but the days are still warm,so they come home in the book bags.
The apple trees are ready for picking,next week with be a apple week here,filling the freezer,making pies.jelly,and cider.
I am finally finished my summer dying of all my wool. We had a wonderful summer for both drying wool,and drying dyed yarns.
I have done a lot more this year with the sales I had. I never expected to sell so much yarn.
The goldfish have tripled in size in the pond and we will leave them in there till mid October.
I took out some fall decor today for inside. I love the colors of Fall.
Meals have changed as well with Fall here. More hearty comfort foods are being made for supper with hungry little people getting home from school.

My Mother is still doing well,except for the c diff she picked up again. (I hope she is still strong enough to fight it off)
Speaking of cooler temps I should go and get the laundry off the line before it gets to damp. Have a great evening.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Help! zucchini Overload


Our family went out tonight to the kitchen garden to pick the rest of the cucumbers and pulled the stocks for the pigs. We ended up with still a whole lot of cucumbers after I made pickes,celery relish,and ate and ate and ate. We gave some away and I will spend the day tomorrow with the girls making Cheryl's dill pickle recipe.
Then it happened we looked a little further into the garden and where we thought we only had a few zucchinis left, we found we were wrong. We had 14 more. Yikes! What ever will I do with all of them. We grate and freeze some for baking though out the winter months. I cube and freeze some for stir frys. We make zucchini breads,muffins,and soup.
Does anyone have a favorite zucchini recipe they would want to share with me? If so please email me with it 
jessicacarey@live.ca

I would love to see what else we can do with them.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Fall Happens

Well I can sure say that the last week has gone by some fast.

The girls and I had a exciting day of back to school shopping in the city. We left late and then I was have way there and forgot my money in the cupboard and had to come back.
So that made us even more late getting away. Then my car over heated and I had to stop at the VW dealer in the next town so they could fix me up. We made it to the city by 4 and shopped till 8. We got home at 10:30 Friday night and were played out.
Saturday we left for the long weekend at the trailer. It was a lot cooler but it was sure relaxing.(I needed that after my trip)
We left Monday to come home and spent the evening getting things together for School. Justin had a wonderful weekend fishing with his grandparents and liked what we bought him for back to school.

Tuesday we went into town to pick up those last minute things. Came home got the book bags filled with their school supplies,and got to bed early.

Wednesday I drove the girls and Justin decided to take the bus with his friend. The high school was having a pancake breakfast for them and a BBQ for luch so Justin did not have to take anything to school with him for the day.
Jill got settled in and I took Jayne over tot he middle school. I drove home crying and worried about them all day.
But I kept myself busy here on the farm with doing the barn work, picking 10 pounds of beets and cooking and bottling them.
Made a chicken stir fry with honey garlic egg noodles,egg rolls,and garlic cheese bread for supper. 4:00 they all got home on the same bus. They were all so excited and had so much to tell me. We set the table and HB got from work just in time to sit and eat and  listen to there day. (they were also starving) so they ate everything.
Yesterday I made bread,and rolls. Cleaned the house, put a ham into the slow cooker after I boiled it, and went to visit my Mom. She has been doing really well lately but was not feeling good yesterday. (I guess we can't have every day perfect)

I came home and went to the kitchen to pick some corn. We had a lovely supper of Ham,corn,new potatoes,and rolls.
After supper we went back to the fields to dig more potatoes. We have done 1 garden and have started the second. Justin sat on the potato digger while HB drove the tractor and the girls and I filled the feed bags. They loaded them into the truck and we came home tired,dirty,and sore.
After baths were done the Kiddies had milk and cookies and were off to bed. We were not long behind them.

Today I drove the girls to school and went to the general store as I had my Fall order of flour,baking powder,and white sugar come in. They order special order for me as I buy in bulk large bags for winter. (it is   more practical for me, as I live so far away and traveling over those roads in the winter months is not a good thing)

I came home and loaded the pantry and also loaded my washing machine. I tied up a bit and washed out the fridge.
I am getting ready to go to visit my Mom then off to Jayne's school for 2:00 to have a welcome back BBQ and to see her classroom and Locker.
Then we need to pick up Jill for 3 and take Jayne to the eye glass store to see if they can tighten her glasses for her.
I promised take out tonight as we are in a rush when HB gets home, just after 4:00 as we are taking off to go get the trailer at the campground. It needs to be out of there by tomorrow and HB did not have the truck with the 5th wheel hitch on the road till this week.
We are trying to get home before dark.
Tomorrow we are going to the next little village to there Fall fair.
I hope to get a few pics.
Next week I need to finish my canning, so I can get ready for apple and pumpkin season.