Pump up the jam

This summer, my little girl and I have decided to do all kinds of homestead-y projects.  One of them is making jam.  I have never done it, but have thoroughly researched it and I'm pretty sure I possess the necessary skills to make it happen.  We are going to try strawberry first and later on down the line blueberry, raspberry, and even apple butter.  How exciting!  I know, we're dorks.

Anyway, here is our jam making in pictures:

We started with 4 pounds for fresh strawberries, then hulled and crushed them before adding 4 pounds of sugar.  Yes, 4 pounds.  I've never claimed to be an angel.

The recipe I was using then had me bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and cook until it reached desired consistency.  I think this took about 25-30 minutes.  If it doesn't thicken quite like you want it to, you could add liquid pectin, return to full boil for 1 minute then remove from heat before canning.


My jam came out a little thinner than I would have liked, but it's pretty tasty and no one has complained.

Lickety split

I know some of you as parents often bribe your children to get them to succumb to your will.  I rarely have to do that with my child, as she will pretty much do whatever I tell her to.  Sure, she moans and groans a little, but what 8-year-old wants to clean her room or take a bath?  That being said, we had to do major grocery shopping and since she didn't want to go, I bribed her with a stop off at Braum's for a banana split.  My daughter then informed me she had never had a banana split and I was appalled!  How could I have deprived my girl of such a wonderful treat?  I immediately took her to the nearest Braum's (25 miles away) and we waited in line for a good 15 minutes, which was fine because the people-watching in Braum's is PHENOMENAL.  We shared this beautiful banana split:

In approximately 6.4 seconds, it looked like this:

It was a feeding frenzy!  People were staring with mouths agape and neither one of us cared!  Total abandon!  We didn't eat like ladies in the slightest, but we did wipe our mouths delicately when we were finished and got up and exited the store gracefully.  And miserable.

Patio renovation...part 2

Well, it's been over a month since I last blogged about our patio renovation, and the more you get to know me, you will come to understand that I am a prefessional procrastinator who is married to a professional procrastinator.  To our credit, we have had a lot of things going on but I'll keep it real and tell you the truth:  we have been to busy with work (him) and having fun (both of us).  But now, we must get serious!  Procrastinators unite!  Tomorrow.  Ahem.

So far, the flagstone is clean and has a polyurethane coat on it.  I want to get a second coat down this week.  My husband and I painted a bunch of the wood we are using since we are sloppy painters and didn't want to make a mess on the stone or the screening.  Also, the framing for the screening is partially done.  Maybe the next time I blog about it, it will be finished!  Who am I kidding?

Here are some pictures:

So far, so good.  Let's just hope it keeps going that way!  For any of you working on home improvement projects, you are not alone.  Don't watch too much DIY network or HGTV.  That stuff will just lead to more projects that will inevitably lead you to ask yourself the question, "When did I become such a grown up?"

KB Photography

I would like for everyone to take a gander at my very talented sister-in-law's photography website.  She's got major skills and really loves what she does and it shows in her work. 

http://kandisbarnesphotography.com/

It's definitely worth a look, even if you aren't local.

Just happy to see me?

The other day I was in my nicely air conditioned house, minding my own business humming a little tune merrily while I worked when my husband comes in a tells me I have to come outside and see something.  Now, when you live in the country, you just never know what that thing might end up being.  It could be exciting, beautiful, scary, unbelievable, funny, or a combination of all of those things.  The anticipation during the walk out the door can sometimes be too much!

So, we walk outside so my husband can show me the snake he found right up by our house. 

Keep in mind, PETA types, we can not have a snake hanging around our house, so this one ended up dead and is now feeding fish and turtles in our pond.  Circle of life, people.  Come on.

This is not the first snake and certainly not the last, but hopefully we won't see any for a while.

Release the hounds

I'd like to expose the world to my mutts.  Their names are Sandy and Mojo. They are total weirdos.  Sandy showed up at our house just a few days before a major ice storm and I had to take her in.  She's so sweet and I couldn't leave a sweet little doggie out in the cold with icicles hanging off of her.  We claimed her, not knowing that she was pregnant and would soon give birth to 6 puppies, one of which was Mojo.

They run around the spread doing God knows what, but they always come home and make sure to talk to us and smile at us a little.  And, yes, they talk and smile, although Sandy is a bit more vocal and a little smilier.  That's a word, right?  Now it is.

This is Sandy with my daughter, ready to herd her if she needs to:

Here is little puppy Mojo.  She's so tiny and cute and soft!

Here's Mojo now:

3 years old and a total freakazoid!  I never know what dead animal is going to show up in my yard, when my wrists are going to get gnawed on for stopping the belly rub or paying attention to Sandy, or even when she will bolt up out of her sleep to take off like a bullet after something in the pasture.  My dogs are quite the source of entertainment.