tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65032450097505087852024-02-07T18:42:24.031-08:00Free Time MomEMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-52517188904883819062018-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:002018-07-23T14:53:09.411-07:00A Peek into Our Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Showing Adam how to write the letter "A". He did super well for his first time!</div>
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Our garden pickings this week included the first tomatoes and cucumbers! Looks like we should be making some pickles later this week. Also, we got two summer squash which went out to the roadside stand. </div>
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Lunch was zucchini patties (<a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2018/07/summer-squash-plus-recipe-for-zucchini.html" target="_blank">click here for recipe</a>). So delicious! I could've made twice as much and devoured them all.</div>
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The kids enjoyed some leftovers from the much-needed rains we got the last couple days.</div>
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Playing hide-and-seek under blankets. 💕 Her smile is so charming, and her giggles of delight music to the ears!</div>
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I did some research on a few topics, including my two budding hobbies. Hard cheese making, and sourdough bread. Of course this meant browsing some websites for money spending opportunities on some needed supplies. I'm waiting to start a sourdough starter until tonight, and the cheese might be awhile still until I'm ready to dive into that, since I need a few things first, including Aaron to make me a dutch cheese press.</div>
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Skimming cream for butter making!</div>
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I had a feeling the butter was going to be done soon, but continued to keep my back turned until this happened. I was RIGHT THERE, too. This wasn't the first time my butter has exploded everywhere, either. After the first time (a couple weeks ago), I decided to always pull the mixer away from the wall so any potential spills would land on the tabletop. Of course this was the one time I forgot to do that since the first episode. </div>
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And at this moment my cheese was also done and ready to be squeezed out and salted, and baby woke up. So I left the butter and the cheese and headed to the living room for some baby cuddles. As I sat there soaking up the love, a chipmunk popped out from under one of our couches. I sat there watching until he finally saw me and darted back. HOW DID HE GET IN OUR HOUSE???? I grabbed a stick to poke and prod around back there and try to chase him out the front door. Of course Adam woke from his nap in this time, and excitedly joined us in the chipmunk hunting. Mr. Chipmunk was pretty terrified being chased around the back of the couches, but I'm pretty sure he ended up racing out the front door to his hole at the bottom of the porch. </div>
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While I'm not the least bit excited that we had a chipmunk in the house, this may just confirm that yesterday's signs of a critter indoors was probably not a rat, as I had presumed. </div>
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After all that, I went to finish rinsing the butter, and packaged away nearly two pounds!</div>
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And I finished the mozzarella cheese curds and stuck them away in the freezer so we can still eat pizza and casseroles when we have less milk available.</div>
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<i>Not pictured: Random other moments like laundry, washing dishes, cleaning off one of my bulk food shelves in the kitchen, eating chocolate, and wondering what to make for supper. </i></div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-80391652255583734632018-07-23T08:58:00.000-07:002018-07-23T08:58:37.112-07:00New addition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRX8Ddnx0SwcWlQU_sF8z5dazwCmzbAHYkp88YxQhRdsYIwGkaq9B90abMcW-JvcoHjCc2ZyPQsvSg00OZZG71jXzSgfwyas8yNuaEO27DBsbkDv_5qEH66oDPr_Zwhw5qIRd_GsspKm0/s1600/untitled-0590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1186" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRX8Ddnx0SwcWlQU_sF8z5dazwCmzbAHYkp88YxQhRdsYIwGkaq9B90abMcW-JvcoHjCc2ZyPQsvSg00OZZG71jXzSgfwyas8yNuaEO27DBsbkDv_5qEH66oDPr_Zwhw5qIRd_GsspKm0/s400/untitled-0590.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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We are so excited to welcome another little baby to our family this winter! </div>
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Current stats (since everybody likes to be nosey):</div>
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Gestation: 18 weeks. </div>
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Mom feels: Great! Sometimes a little extra tired, though. </div>
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Cravings: Hmm. Veggies I guess! Thankful for garden season. :) </div>
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Baby is: Pretty active. </div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-87997655760244509712018-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:002018-07-13T16:20:23.864-07:00Summer Squash {plus recipe for zucchini patties}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-66ZkfYbdx_Idps4Mn6uB-QRdz6GyLHORrwUf6DsGSC3_3MMJQIPfICO6N2pieFiUgqCWY78Dn4od7MEuPzpeU9KNZKtjoY4lwJ6RNY0fqjFBqnP2eUnOY4haaX_O8GmDR_8e-Bvk-o/s1600/garden2018-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1515" data-original-width="1600" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-66ZkfYbdx_Idps4Mn6uB-QRdz6GyLHORrwUf6DsGSC3_3MMJQIPfICO6N2pieFiUgqCWY78Dn4od7MEuPzpeU9KNZKtjoY4lwJ6RNY0fqjFBqnP2eUnOY4haaX_O8GmDR_8e-Bvk-o/s320/garden2018-37.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have been harvesting summer squash this week! </div>
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This spring I planted four zucchini seeds, enough to supply us with some for fresh eating. About two days later my neighbor asked me if I needed any zucchini or yellow squash plants because she had a bunch she didn't need. I thought it would be nice to have some yellow squash to add another color to our summer meals, so I said I'd take one of them. Next thing I knew, my husband came across the yard with a 5-gallon pail full of plants from our neighbor! She didn't know which plants were what variety, so rather than guessing, she just sent them all.... 😳 And I planted them in my garden. All 16 of them. </div>
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Because her plants had been started way before mine, they are a bit ahead, and have been bearing fruit already. I figured if nothing else I will be able to set up our roadside stand early to help get rid of some of it, since we don't need any more in our freezer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt56skZSWsbhHQB2CdhXaH3cV_gGXZR9aMW_w2RbBEp-FoY5LThGAzE7VEP2f3hCZxwG7uqQQT7fOM20J6a2MNRQYYSJAjQ_bE4fX0-92mHAuo9i_OhY2cO9ViyKOFmw0zYWZYwnSEDI/s1600/garden2018-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="1600" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt56skZSWsbhHQB2CdhXaH3cV_gGXZR9aMW_w2RbBEp-FoY5LThGAzE7VEP2f3hCZxwG7uqQQT7fOM20J6a2MNRQYYSJAjQ_bE4fX0-92mHAuo9i_OhY2cO9ViyKOFmw0zYWZYwnSEDI/s400/garden2018-31.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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But first, I have been trying to satisfy my cravings for fresh vegetables. One of my favorite summer dishes (although I've made it in the wintertime using frozen, shredded zucchini, too), is zucchini latkes, or zucchini pancakes, or patties, or fritters... whichever name you prefer to call them. A quick look on Google tells me Latke is more accurate, since most people add twice as many ingredients to their zucchini "Pancakes" as I do, while the recipes I've seen for Latkes are very similar to mine. A latke is basically just the yiddish word for pancake, although they usually make them from shredded potato, rather than grains like is popular for a pancake here in America. But I'll just call them patties, as I feel like that is meeting in the middle with a term everybody knows.</div>
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Now that we have that little tidbit of useless information out of the way, let me tell you how good these are!</div>
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They're addicting.</div>
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Need I say more? I have never tasted zucchini as yummy as I have in a zucchini patty. Not even fresh, warm zucchini bread slathered in butter compares. (Did I just say that?)</div>
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I was first introduced to them while under my parent's roof as a teenager, and I have no idea where my mom (or sister) found the recipe, but for years I didn't know of anyone else who made them. Then as an adult I spent a summer in Japan, and one morning I was served fresh zucchini pancakes as part of a breakfast smorgasbord, and they were as good as ever! They tasted just like how we made them back home, only my family always ate them with ketchup (except dad who likes his with applesauce), and in Japan we dipped them in soy sauce. Now when I make them myself I vary which dipping sauce I use depending on my mood. Either ketchup or soy sauce pairs nicely with these!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOfzL5u8rTcA_Fo20yBwAtcnLxE_TF7D7ON9SZfZQJjJV7N-mEGkgEEVC1Wx5T7_9sIfuAkfwxRkbTh5orJx9UXjIqtxYrk1D5xiGM2RWCPwfOcjg-dS7YjWucG87vY16h8vbEA_UsZg/s1600/garden2018-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOfzL5u8rTcA_Fo20yBwAtcnLxE_TF7D7ON9SZfZQJjJV7N-mEGkgEEVC1Wx5T7_9sIfuAkfwxRkbTh5orJx9UXjIqtxYrk1D5xiGM2RWCPwfOcjg-dS7YjWucG87vY16h8vbEA_UsZg/s400/garden2018-32.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's how I make mine:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Zucchini Patties</b></span></div>
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1 medium zucchini, shredded</div>
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1 egg </div>
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1/2 tsp. salt</div>
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1/2 tsp. onion powder</div>
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dash pepper</div>
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1/3-1/2 cup flour </div>
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Stir all the ingredients together, adding enough flour to soak up moisture from the zucchini. The longer zucchini sits, the more water seeps out of it, so you may need to add more right before cooking. The flour also helps hold the patty together.</div>
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Heat skillet over medium heat until warmed through. Drizzle somewhat generously with olive oil to keep the patties from sticking. Drop batter onto preheated skillet, making each patty about 3-4 inches in diameter. Let cook until the bottom is brown and crispy and sides start getting cooked. Flip them over, and let the other side cook until done. </div>
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Serve with ketchup, soy sauce, or eat as is!</div>
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Now my mouth is watering, and I really want to go cook up today's picking into some of these! Yum!</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-88300715767703299932018-07-05T07:15:00.001-07:002018-07-05T07:15:49.215-07:00{a day late}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBO3eyA6k7nwxOPAOVxmgMs8MiixYvatp2ZFQy-JpWGzFmN36x4nDnaXQm8IGj3ABl2GHS64Qjoaxwmzzz58nAci4B5b6wOXiVaneQQ0q3KfdLhLe8H40YsZrNnaouQgC5V5vZohOEWQg/s1600/garden2018-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBO3eyA6k7nwxOPAOVxmgMs8MiixYvatp2ZFQy-JpWGzFmN36x4nDnaXQm8IGj3ABl2GHS64Qjoaxwmzzz58nAci4B5b6wOXiVaneQQ0q3KfdLhLe8H40YsZrNnaouQgC5V5vZohOEWQg/s400/garden2018-30.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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"Knee high by the fourth of July"</div>
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Here in Michigan, this is how farmers gauge how well their corn is growing. </div>
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We have two holidays for this vegetable crop ... plant around Memorial Day, and it should be knee-high by July 4th. Our first planting is that tall and better, compared to my [short] legs. Our second planting is behind by almost two weeks, which we were hoping for so we could space out the pickings for our roadside stand, and to give us a longer corn-on-the-cob eating season!</div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-46173959556021012082018-06-08T11:10:00.000-07:002018-06-08T11:10:10.346-07:00Our 2018 Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWvfNvLyDA3JXpNnFRASM2aU8mtby7hSvScXYveUlwZxJOkWtzh4ntNDXrHmRtvgayMEAFu51-oof2VIZvTpnPLX9bjdT3S3ugJAP5Isf5wfhJsJ3-wvxnbo6VSSiBT9PFwmO7k3_XOM/s1600/garden2018-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWvfNvLyDA3JXpNnFRASM2aU8mtby7hSvScXYveUlwZxJOkWtzh4ntNDXrHmRtvgayMEAFu51-oof2VIZvTpnPLX9bjdT3S3ugJAP5Isf5wfhJsJ3-wvxnbo6VSSiBT9PFwmO7k3_XOM/s400/garden2018-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Memorial Day weekend is known in these parts as official garden planting time! Our last frost was technically a week and a half earlier than that, but we have been so busy that even if I could've planted earlier, Aaron wasn't able to till until that last weekend in May.</div>
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I had already put our spinach and lettuce in weeks earlier, and it has taken off! Our first spinach picking needs to be today, and I expect to start harvesting lettuce sometime next week. By start I mean, picking enough to bring inside for a salad. Adam and I have been happily munching on our frequent visits to check on the plants! He is a salad boy all the way, and helps himself to all the lettuce he can.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65GELRKcbfM8JyrwaevrUnZSJ2DsvLcvPfau385Yli8qeBEAXQQsk1GnBRK421tlWvOqaZbpEivFW_N4Y4fi3QQ80X9r3CG3qdS_L8qz4MfvVH2jCfNmvAlE2d1JasIA4cOfusLo24vg/s1600/garden2018-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1600" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65GELRKcbfM8JyrwaevrUnZSJ2DsvLcvPfau385Yli8qeBEAXQQsk1GnBRK421tlWvOqaZbpEivFW_N4Y4fi3QQ80X9r3CG3qdS_L8qz4MfvVH2jCfNmvAlE2d1JasIA4cOfusLo24vg/s200/garden2018-20.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCYrkO0S8WhyphenhyphenpwYOv4i9fSPXO0HUs25a7AZU2FdMcf0LInNiOdGg0p_L0m5gwxjb1potNdTw54nr_6eTCwyZ2I4Yc7jvd3OBes2N6n-mHDesTfZMjhqxSAbw_RYG064II4bYrltJU3f8/s1600/garden2018-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="1600" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCYrkO0S8WhyphenhyphenpwYOv4i9fSPXO0HUs25a7AZU2FdMcf0LInNiOdGg0p_L0m5gwxjb1potNdTw54nr_6eTCwyZ2I4Yc7jvd3OBes2N6n-mHDesTfZMjhqxSAbw_RYG064II4bYrltJU3f8/s200/garden2018-21.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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It was high time we got our tomatoes transplanted, as they outgrew our little greenhouse before any chance of frost was behind us. I stored them all on cookie sheets so I could easily bring them in for the night until it was warm enough to keep them outside uncovered. In the picture above, you can see how much taller the plants were than the shelves! Unfortunately, the shelving isn't adjustable. </div>
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We feel like we nailed it on our tomato plants this year. It has been the most successful year yet! I started them March 20 in little Jiffy pellets, and <a href="https://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2018/05/transplanting-to-bigger-pots.html" target="_blank">transplanted them into 16 oz. plastic sour cream containers that I had saved</a>. They took to the transplant so well, it confirmed that the potting soil wasn't our issue last year. I really liked having the plants in the containers. It worked well watering them from the bottom so they only soaked up as much as they needed. It was also fun to be able to watch to roots grow and see if that size container was big enough for 4 weeks of growing. When I transplanted them, the roots were definitely ready for some more space, but I don't feel like the plants were harmed any from crowding. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbymmcj7mEjXxjTpIvweQTqzMI3uffGSyROtIm32TDc8re-MmbzMpzt_2klw0W301bTaszsXfxLFxbHQFTxTAsdKNHHonNgVIjxJ-nAIz1adVAvdZaIGbBW80jc9jO8ysz1fOeFVt9VE/s1600/garden2018-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbymmcj7mEjXxjTpIvweQTqzMI3uffGSyROtIm32TDc8re-MmbzMpzt_2klw0W301bTaszsXfxLFxbHQFTxTAsdKNHHonNgVIjxJ-nAIz1adVAvdZaIGbBW80jc9jO8ysz1fOeFVt9VE/s320/garden2018-10.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I labeled some of my pots so I could keep track of varieties and other notes I though were worth keeping. This tomato plant was one that grew out of the bottom of a Jiffy pellet that I had pulled out and decided to transplant just to see what it would do. This photo was weeks later, and even now after 2 weeks in the garden dirt, you can't tell the difference between it and the rest of the tomato plants! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxgVcQXZ4aBs6cmwCbO_HCTPpszbFWocyi6Ss0fHXwAuK2IMd6rpPOPzp2st6FWGrg14zUA1kg3yNDPmej7AP8_eYT7i92biub33fIy-k96WVSHazW9byTBeTNgekkpmbLjOYV2Q-1Fk/s1600/garden2018-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxgVcQXZ4aBs6cmwCbO_HCTPpszbFWocyi6Ss0fHXwAuK2IMd6rpPOPzp2st6FWGrg14zUA1kg3yNDPmej7AP8_eYT7i92biub33fIy-k96WVSHazW9byTBeTNgekkpmbLjOYV2Q-1Fk/s320/garden2018-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was another exciting success! I have tried every single year, for 4 years now, to plant flowers from seed. I finally got one to grow and BLOOM! Granted, it is just one, but it's one success. This marigold was a welcome sight! Unfortunately though, it did not survive the transplant into the garden, and I'm not even sure why. I guess we can always try again next year....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzX1Haxo8iiIM2bs5LankqNltq0HQ1mC0oxgLWGmbgJ45mJACEo7_6hBUa3BHanNCfsLLiSXOESMBMzfJvldG56k2Okd0Ahoeqx1BTYicPkRuuShzwCCyFaOgBXUwCzLgvwWEyRFhK5U/s1600/garden2018-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzX1Haxo8iiIM2bs5LankqNltq0HQ1mC0oxgLWGmbgJ45mJACEo7_6hBUa3BHanNCfsLLiSXOESMBMzfJvldG56k2Okd0Ahoeqx1BTYicPkRuuShzwCCyFaOgBXUwCzLgvwWEyRFhK5U/s320/garden2018-9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmhv6WnEV3h5gas0KTVrXPSnYVJlpjnSxJmnasihEkfNnjJ8k1FznoTihLr20PIgazzrG72nOv9kB4s0c09u3Ya5oiRJCBi54cacJqQSnfosohgorZNKtfNp5DrEh3ptxAzrosUVGzrA/s1600/garden2018-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmhv6WnEV3h5gas0KTVrXPSnYVJlpjnSxJmnasihEkfNnjJ8k1FznoTihLr20PIgazzrG72nOv9kB4s0c09u3Ya5oiRJCBi54cacJqQSnfosohgorZNKtfNp5DrEh3ptxAzrosUVGzrA/s320/garden2018-19.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Adam has been my faithful helper and was excited to help carry plants from the greenhouse to the garden. He decided it was much more fun to carry them on top of his head. :)</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">He also enjoyed running the shovel digging the holes for the plants. We transplanted most of them in the evening when Aaron was home to help (and the one year old was in bed for the night), and I realized as I went to finish the next morning just how much longer it takes when I have a 17 month old to look over while also supervising the ambitious 2 year old single handedly. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I was so confident I could do it by myself, but it was Daddy appreciation day. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">He does way more to help with our garden than I realized!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-U49Cw7blx3H39XHCLSM4EaSmuTP1wQFDXIdbmtNNB-pYOOOP_qX2dG4nQLYrr5bnbZ_ev-TzKa6IeCoEKxC2QI-Fa42Vvy0B93MISDZzjARpeFbQc31PsztjSAQ4lSlqejMZzj_gN0/s1600/garden2018-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-U49Cw7blx3H39XHCLSM4EaSmuTP1wQFDXIdbmtNNB-pYOOOP_qX2dG4nQLYrr5bnbZ_ev-TzKa6IeCoEKxC2QI-Fa42Vvy0B93MISDZzjARpeFbQc31PsztjSAQ4lSlqejMZzj_gN0/s320/garden2018-24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Due to not having enough stakes (and not wanting to buy more), we decided to try a stake-less method to caging tomatoes. We drove the cages into the ground a couple inches, and packed dirt around the bottom to hold them. Since we have an electric fence, we shouldn't have to worry about deer running into the cages, which was a problem we ran into last year when we thought for some reason it wasn't worth it to put the fence up. </div>
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One week and a good rain or two after putting our garden in, the tomato plants were starting to bloom, and the corn was two inches tall. We had the perfect germinating weather! Our green beans, cucumbers, and okra didn't get in until at least a week later, and I have yet to see one of those popping out of the ground. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_0xv657ZGyis60T3WfCFtIqz_GJdDPO8lv75O-rP7204JV8iXuOixSXC76eDPDTaQNzqo6BeNsaZ-XvUI6-lmspLvi_GiJXHuj-KNPVRKmn_EWJA0_5xmXuEumJEDjZNxdjfRAXfdhQ/s1600/garden2018-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_0xv657ZGyis60T3WfCFtIqz_GJdDPO8lv75O-rP7204JV8iXuOixSXC76eDPDTaQNzqo6BeNsaZ-XvUI6-lmspLvi_GiJXHuj-KNPVRKmn_EWJA0_5xmXuEumJEDjZNxdjfRAXfdhQ/s400/garden2018-27.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This double corn plant is compliments of Adam, who thought he needed to plant his corn seeds right next to mine. </div>
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Something we did different this year was take a little extra time for a better looking garden. We squared the edges, made it a little smaller for efficiency (we never planted the whole thing anyway), and made sure our rows were straight. Every year previously we thought we were planting straight rows only to realize the were at a terrible angle because of the odd shape of the garden. We have enjoyed looking at our garden this year already more than any other just because we took the time to do it right, which really wasn't much extra time, it just needed to be done. </div>
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I'm looking forward to seeing what a difference these next couple weeks make, when we can see a garden full of neat, green rows!</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-10123583530779833652018-05-07T11:29:00.000-07:002018-05-07T11:29:17.628-07:00New Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjfXAbAFe4XoXnhEi1WdfLUfT_uHGJhWrhGanUvD93RyFmD0cBe8xdcka5StArlXYpylhbEAjbTVgd6CwZda8iPAzIwuDhrsldEptsV0XZMCa4QLDziQY_jMYZuZMm46C2WC1WztldrA/s1600/cow-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjfXAbAFe4XoXnhEi1WdfLUfT_uHGJhWrhGanUvD93RyFmD0cBe8xdcka5StArlXYpylhbEAjbTVgd6CwZda8iPAzIwuDhrsldEptsV0XZMCa4QLDziQY_jMYZuZMm46C2WC1WztldrA/s320/cow-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of our mutual dreams and goals back before we were married was to have a small farm where we could grow and raise nourishing food to feed the family we hoped to have one day. Now four years later we have a family, a garden, and as of this weekend, we finally have our jersey cow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroPLq0f4Fq_Qkx6FObGIbHPu5cJXopF5STsZX9tcFd4BAMIHX0LmhETR0QoP53Vc6DNfBVwu4mWHu99rl2ySSiP-I6WhlEzP48j0XyutSgp4Tw967358ueZPE3wy9LuMM5W0EFFDbVL8/s1600/cow-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroPLq0f4Fq_Qkx6FObGIbHPu5cJXopF5STsZX9tcFd4BAMIHX0LmhETR0QoP53Vc6DNfBVwu4mWHu99rl2ySSiP-I6WhlEzP48j0XyutSgp4Tw967358ueZPE3wy9LuMM5W0EFFDbVL8/s320/cow-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our two year old is so excited to have a cow and a source for our very own fresh milk. He asks about the cow every day and has taken it as his responsibility to help dad milk in the evenings. After watching the routine only <i>one</i> <i>time</i>, he knew all there was to know about taking care of the milk after bringing it back into the house.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dOl2cfoCZAeYG-OlpMfhYi55VkXmhPo-4pWbT1alCmSLLKnLhtmJ9AJ2fDXH3uBxg82OHRigSA_YvDDAJ_iz8fOwWg2Hn4Zu4khpGoV3kE5sMN9lJXtN1UUvuRvyYdFN-IZAbCydjnI/s1600/cow-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dOl2cfoCZAeYG-OlpMfhYi55VkXmhPo-4pWbT1alCmSLLKnLhtmJ9AJ2fDXH3uBxg82OHRigSA_YvDDAJ_iz8fOwWg2Hn4Zu4khpGoV3kE5sMN9lJXtN1UUvuRvyYdFN-IZAbCydjnI/s320/cow-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We started the cow on the pasture but after the first night when she just paced the fence line and bawled, we felt it was better for both the cow and our neighbors to put her in the barn to get her comfortable with us and her new surroundings before expecting her to stay calm out in the wide open by herself. She has been doing much better in the barn! We can't wait to get her out on the fresh spring grass though!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AXllSJHjzIVI6lPMziBPrS7UfrQxylLj1KFKXHq2OSamps6lCGEO1IZlk3Mq0N2w09RoZQhyphenhyphenVqM-4SSO8x20hXvYEsmWa2W2PMZTqpj_QRZbfyI6KiZEWzfYXQHKTwL8uXPubVGcDH0/s1600/cow-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AXllSJHjzIVI6lPMziBPrS7UfrQxylLj1KFKXHq2OSamps6lCGEO1IZlk3Mq0N2w09RoZQhyphenhyphenVqM-4SSO8x20hXvYEsmWa2W2PMZTqpj_QRZbfyI6KiZEWzfYXQHKTwL8uXPubVGcDH0/s320/cow-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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She is a very friendly cow who willingly follows and sticks by Aaron. She had been bottle-fed as a calf and somewhat babied by her previous owner. It's nice that we haven't had to work to get her to like people, but she's still not very comfortable with us milking her yet. She's got some stubborn mother in her that won't let all her milk down because we're not her babies! Hopefully she'll get used to the idea before too long, because we're certainly not overloaded with milk at our current yield of +/- 1 gallon a day. And I can't wait to have extra cream for butter! Now we're talking about getting another small animal so the cow isn't all alone out there. We enjoyed raising a lamb last summer, but haven't decided what else we'll get this year, or if we'll be adding to our farm for sure just yet.</div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-29524363126202861672018-05-04T08:58:00.000-07:002018-05-04T08:58:19.585-07:00Transplanting to Bigger Pots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1FaNe-kafWHb6fmrWcDmGR_ypo6rqlTwkUZJTSylQT_dk8DairroKKhJ37C0T_Evl93iCiIC62LYs8aqBjfx_ziFxeWn8fVHufVOdi0ausRoO49EQM3x6AalOPJSkn3f7TiLKz4Az3w/s1600/DSCN9986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1FaNe-kafWHb6fmrWcDmGR_ypo6rqlTwkUZJTSylQT_dk8DairroKKhJ37C0T_Evl93iCiIC62LYs8aqBjfx_ziFxeWn8fVHufVOdi0ausRoO49EQM3x6AalOPJSkn3f7TiLKz4Az3w/s320/DSCN9986.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our tomato plants have taken off and are growing like crazy! It was high time we transplanted them into bigger pots before their roots were all intertwined in one big knot, so that's what my garden helper and I did over the weekend. </div>
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<a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2017/05/more-seed-starting.html" target="_blank">Last year when I transplanted tomatoes</a>, I used the little biodegradable cardboard cups. Those things can be pretty pricey, and we didn't have very good success with them, so I opted for a free pot option this year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eJNVpSJlicEHrVCzI4tMVa0LEejQd3nRxhjR82k_RGHGp4BqYvHhRZX8og2slI150AocWhviL_oiLJkKV4hd6sM_GyVGtlQhZPGjnd8pq6-tZxeMfyQyZAcgtV3-VxUy3jyVTpxpeus/s1600/garden2018-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1600" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eJNVpSJlicEHrVCzI4tMVa0LEejQd3nRxhjR82k_RGHGp4BqYvHhRZX8og2slI150AocWhviL_oiLJkKV4hd6sM_GyVGtlQhZPGjnd8pq6-tZxeMfyQyZAcgtV3-VxUy3jyVTpxpeus/s320/garden2018-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We've been getting locally made butter in these little 16-oz. plastic containers. Instead of throwing them out, I saved them to use as transplant pots! Between these and some other random 16-oz. sour cream containers, I had more than enough for this years' crop. </div>
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One of the biggest issues we had last year with the biodegradable pots were that we had a hard time controlling the moisture. The pots ended up soaking up all the water and rotting, leaving the soil inside either really wet or dry. Maybe I just didn't know how to take care of them, but one fail was enough for me to try something different.</div>
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In effort to get my watering and moisture levels better, I poked about 6 holes in the bottom of each of the containers with a nut pick. I made the holes more at the bend of the container rather than directly on the bottom so they wouldn't create a seal as they soaked up water. My idea was not just to drain excess water, but to be able to get watered from the bottom, so they could soak up just as much as they needed, and also to encourage the roots to grow deeper to find the water source. This should also eliminate any stem rot due to overwatering.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nMTIholSG8prNckjfTJFpDMEAOZfvJfToAyZb0MKsQpUx-y_B6Ndd7WHr2n05oHKxDH1neXOwq08Gf1iUSWTszQMlMH8HR4rmlg1-jDhQfjfMS21Rr6TZ7q_uWakaL7ybbFc8R9u2fI/s1600/garden2018-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nMTIholSG8prNckjfTJFpDMEAOZfvJfToAyZb0MKsQpUx-y_B6Ndd7WHr2n05oHKxDH1neXOwq08Gf1iUSWTszQMlMH8HR4rmlg1-jDhQfjfMS21Rr6TZ7q_uWakaL7ybbFc8R9u2fI/s320/garden2018-2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I started the seeds in these little Jiffy starter pellets (the <i>best</i> way to start seeds in my experience!) You can see the roots were ready for more soil! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9t-TXzWdc2AKzbAZnXTSg-JuMY71ycTp4jMWvIOKEa7zGZwAwOQ8fHvvx7AneoYUj5y64pTECXjwAAIsYzbtrw3i-eFt5TCzSYquc0b3SuORbdLoL7RT80bA1UqKV_BkqipetRH-WRY/s1600/garden2018-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9t-TXzWdc2AKzbAZnXTSg-JuMY71ycTp4jMWvIOKEa7zGZwAwOQ8fHvvx7AneoYUj5y64pTECXjwAAIsYzbtrw3i-eFt5TCzSYquc0b3SuORbdLoL7RT80bA1UqKV_BkqipetRH-WRY/s320/garden2018-1.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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And this is what they looked like re-potted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNW4xGXIADNH2EeXdQlYB3Sor-bduhv54Nc_L3FuRjtKGyuafR8RqI-4eVjp5SPDj5VspHbRG9awh0HVxGq9Vzds3MV_2UD3AYOaCdoF6IvESP8B5B3BCva-HgbAkOwifDAip8Lb0d4cw/s1600/garden2018-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNW4xGXIADNH2EeXdQlYB3Sor-bduhv54Nc_L3FuRjtKGyuafR8RqI-4eVjp5SPDj5VspHbRG9awh0HVxGq9Vzds3MV_2UD3AYOaCdoF6IvESP8B5B3BCva-HgbAkOwifDAip8Lb0d4cw/s320/garden2018-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is what I used for transplant soil. I had told myself last year (after an unsuccessful growing season while using it) that I wouldn't be buying this stuff again, but I didn't know what else to get. Since I'd heard good things about it from other gardeners, I decided to give it another shot. And I went big and bought a cubic foot of it! It was much cheaper in bigger quantities and I figured between this year and next it'd get used. (Providing it actually did well for me this time!) </div>
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So far I think it has been a major success. I am loving my new watering method! These plastic containers have worked so well! I'm beginning to wonder if it wasn't the cardboard pots that were my problem before, and not the soil.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouA7X4cf4bojHyM4WWzCik_pivRjmyXJWAhtxyYkATjnyMyYo7KLxjv-Ufd4Cl-Y3ncB2r2U3e9yt0SSULntzCReHe9fTe0Qd6N4y0HMvuH89X9ucDVf0BPLs1WK6U97ylgcD2WxXoO4/s1600/garden2018-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouA7X4cf4bojHyM4WWzCik_pivRjmyXJWAhtxyYkATjnyMyYo7KLxjv-Ufd4Cl-Y3ncB2r2U3e9yt0SSULntzCReHe9fTe0Qd6N4y0HMvuH89X9ucDVf0BPLs1WK6U97ylgcD2WxXoO4/s320/garden2018-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My little buddy was a great help transplanting our seedlings. He has so enjoyed being a part of the gardening process! I was a little nervous letting him help with the fragile little plants at first, but we had extra and I wanted him to be able to help and learn, and he did really well! I could hand him the plants and leave him to do the rest on his own. He was so careful! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYXIw6oq5Oa7QS1eur3Nnobf6rt04tjTBPAgUVAdUsmrgKvFtdQTjOkGAfdRGfOni9zyGgGXYj0xUfV0yRJTywmKkWsJIm0sRueYxC_03Dy3ifbMZgNZvIUm7Sa0TeQPiF5F9ClC9uQQ/s1600/garden2018-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYXIw6oq5Oa7QS1eur3Nnobf6rt04tjTBPAgUVAdUsmrgKvFtdQTjOkGAfdRGfOni9zyGgGXYj0xUfV0yRJTywmKkWsJIm0sRueYxC_03Dy3ifbMZgNZvIUm7Sa0TeQPiF5F9ClC9uQQ/s320/garden2018-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sadly, our peppers aren't doing so swell. They are only this tall after 5 weeks!!! Some of them just popped out of the soil a week ago. I'm kind of disappointed, since I need peppers but have never done well with them. I think I'll have to change my ways next year and either start them a month or two earlier or else put a heat lamp up. I'm tempted to go out and buy a couple plants from a greenhouse just to raise our chances of harvesting some. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSO7SgBzM5wAl-jNHPVXYatzIfePJN-Z7IKDVLZ53eJ_S8vUoxVBTAJTZ3LIzwnyjALk4t7eusI8IpnsozKZLyX3wnw_MeyN0bFXIll1uvJl_LSZzcwgxPI35ZUcdUz_a6bJG6LbXkg4/s1600/garden2018-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1113" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSO7SgBzM5wAl-jNHPVXYatzIfePJN-Z7IKDVLZ53eJ_S8vUoxVBTAJTZ3LIzwnyjALk4t7eusI8IpnsozKZLyX3wnw_MeyN0bFXIll1uvJl_LSZzcwgxPI35ZUcdUz_a6bJG6LbXkg4/s320/garden2018-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-53859630186850671322018-04-14T10:40:00.000-07:002018-04-14T10:40:36.498-07:00Homemade Garlic Powder<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRqj1-au8cZTNF2vixdW3sRPjaeAtS5ZpLn9HA97CJ1BvsbeGzI3dw6VAZOY6FCR9QThyC1mCC4FUtypwqu5ZyVtWhkucSi_-xaHMmRWCa-7keOnQNIbb1gxk0Q2oB1NtkGGrArlWFvs/s1600/Garlicpowder-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRqj1-au8cZTNF2vixdW3sRPjaeAtS5ZpLn9HA97CJ1BvsbeGzI3dw6VAZOY6FCR9QThyC1mCC4FUtypwqu5ZyVtWhkucSi_-xaHMmRWCa-7keOnQNIbb1gxk0Q2oB1NtkGGrArlWFvs/s320/Garlicpowder-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love trying new things. Especially when it involves eliminating waste or saving money!</div>
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A more recent experiment was attempting to make garlic powder. </div>
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Last summer I bought a bunch of fresh garlic bulbs from the produce auction. We like to use garlic for all kinds of things, from making salsas, sauces, and garlic bread to get-well remedies and poultices. (It is our number one household healer for sickness!) Since it generally stores pretty well, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about trying to use up a half-peck of garlic right away. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78UibqdTPdzJWz61f5k-qizn441O9qF4jcfzUenurZgdHvwkIb-9D2yGYAxUlMnI5kKFkt0h3i1Ct05cSMgXC127SlT8wCz_HK_fBSlpT6ZX-f5w5pHlGEm863Pc3fM9t-B2m5pqsIr8/s1600/Garlicpowder-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78UibqdTPdzJWz61f5k-qizn441O9qF4jcfzUenurZgdHvwkIb-9D2yGYAxUlMnI5kKFkt0h3i1Ct05cSMgXC127SlT8wCz_HK_fBSlpT6ZX-f5w5pHlGEm863Pc3fM9t-B2m5pqsIr8/s320/Garlicpowder-2.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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My goal with most of the fresh garlic was to mince it and keep it on hand in the refrigerator to use instead of garlic powder. I find the powdered form to be pretty pricey, and haven't seen it under $11/lb. Because fresh garlic is more potent, I don't have to use as much when I'm cooking. I adjusted my cooking habits to use fresh for everything except salad dressing and veggie dips. </div>
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A few weeks ago, Aaron noticed a bunch of cloves were starting to dry out. I sorted what was left, minced the cloves that were still good and moist, and decided to make garlic powder with the rest. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyZQGqnKFZUhmOhS6NnPi3IUeWaoOFZSxATrpSV7PC8d9ugUdY_ukSrYzzSx02vWIjZTacJhsFQQZifajmyEHPhCorNtoU8ntdzIwPMq93DjEiOkjok9XTVUSLLfbI7zzztC5Sa4EzuQ/s1600/Garlicpowder-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyZQGqnKFZUhmOhS6NnPi3IUeWaoOFZSxATrpSV7PC8d9ugUdY_ukSrYzzSx02vWIjZTacJhsFQQZifajmyEHPhCorNtoU8ntdzIwPMq93DjEiOkjok9XTVUSLLfbI7zzztC5Sa4EzuQ/s400/Garlicpowder-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's how I did it. </div>
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First, I took the skin off the garlic cloves and placed them on a sheet pan. For quicker dry time, I sliced/chopped the garlic into smaller pieces. </div>
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I don't have a dehydrator, so I used my gas oven instead. Since it doesn't have a standing pilot light, I heated it up just enough to get it warm inside. Then I just let it set in there and I waited, checked on them, and waited some more. It took more time to completely dry out than I expected, but it was nice that I didn't have to keep an eye on it. I truly forgot about it a few times but it didn't matter because it wasn't going to spoil! I reheated the oven no more than 1-2x per day. Within a couple days, it was all dry to my satisfaction. I wanted to make sure they were dried out enough that it didn't get gummy when I went to blend it into a powder.</div>
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To blend it, I used my Magic Bullet. That thing is a workhorse! It has been used sooo much in the 6 or so years since I bought it. It's perfect for working with smaller quantities or heavy-duty use. Making salad dressing is probably the most mild thing I've ever use it for. Usually it's frozen fruit for smoothies, or other harder items like dried out garlic, which pretty much resembles rocks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNuT1gGjsIDq_ZGeJJ2X5Sag6PY5iMIRGkgz4SQzA8OcUcncl-PXVb1CFDYMk5O9iCD2ExXYrGeZgdYor7ETkOXexRzfiiSYnoaorQv8ANxGcp_fEXn_qf4_M3y4BlKoGYy_AbeQGhw/s1600/Garlicpowder-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNuT1gGjsIDq_ZGeJJ2X5Sag6PY5iMIRGkgz4SQzA8OcUcncl-PXVb1CFDYMk5O9iCD2ExXYrGeZgdYor7ETkOXexRzfiiSYnoaorQv8ANxGcp_fEXn_qf4_M3y4BlKoGYy_AbeQGhw/s320/Garlicpowder-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Magic Bullet ground it up in a jiffy! We ended up with exactly 4 ounces of garlic powder. I wish I remembered how much I paid for the garlic so I could compare cost with store-bought powder. (I paid somewhere between 35-55 cents per giant bulb.) Whether making my own garlic powder is cost effective or not, these cloves were destined for the garbage, so "repurposing" them was a money-saving endeavor!</div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-91696567812358573322018-04-02T13:27:00.000-07:002018-04-02T13:27:29.339-07:00A Peek Inside My Grocery BudgetAt the beginning of the year, we implemented something new...<div>
A real-deal, honest-to-goodness grocery budget. </div>
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We had talked about budgets numerous times, and have attempted trying to figure one more than once, but we literally didn't feel like it was right for us. We are savers and penny-pinchers as it is, and have been keeping track of where our money has gone ever since we got married. We've looked back and made mental notes and changed habits along the way. (Maybe that is a form of budget? I dunno.)</div>
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Being a money/numbers nerd, I decided I wanted the challenge of a budget to see if there were more ways I could cut my spending. Plus I like using cash, so this was a great way to make sure I had cash on hand. It has already eliminated my need to ask Aaron for his wallet! </div>
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Looking back on last year's average monthly grocery bill, I figured $200 sounded reasonable. It was enough less than our 2017 average that I would have to be a little more conscious of where my money was going, but not a huge enough difference that it would feel stressful. I am feeding two adults and two toddlers, and serve a meal to 50 people once a month (I allot $50/mo. for the crowd meal). This budget does not include beef for our family, which we buy by the partial cow every couple years.</div>
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After giving it a try for a few months now, I am excited to report that I have successfully made it through the first quarter under budget!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgvNJHtvYg_NDSRirmeA3a3PgODcTXN6vhUk-dO45Tx1KmaygpecJnIjZxBKwhUxEe5z2fsmQg23F5qK5Nu5pxrvxU9CK63HnYf8Wd3DMtndNqIoo1HZxThQOUSGujD40pZsfjvVQNB0/s1600/DSCN9991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgvNJHtvYg_NDSRirmeA3a3PgODcTXN6vhUk-dO45Tx1KmaygpecJnIjZxBKwhUxEe5z2fsmQg23F5qK5Nu5pxrvxU9CK63HnYf8Wd3DMtndNqIoo1HZxThQOUSGujD40pZsfjvVQNB0/s400/DSCN9991.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>January.</b></div>
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I did not do a full crowd meal (only dessert), but did make several meals for large families with new babies. </div>
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My larger bulk purchases consisted of a 2.5 liter container of olive oil and a couple pounds of onion powder. The oil will last me until September. Total cost of bulk items was $46.15.</div>
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At the end of the month, I had $4.13 left.</div>
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<b>February.</b></div>
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I made a full crowd meal and dessert, but already had about 1/3 of my ingredients covered, since I made turkey noodle soup using a turkey I had in my freezer.</div>
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Bulk purchases included vanilla beans and vodka so I could make my own vanilla. While it was a small investment up front, it will save me a LOT of money, since I only use real vanilla. To buy another quart of what I had been using previously would've cost me a whopping $80. I also bought a 50 lb. bag of wheat berries so I can continue grinding my own flour for bread and such. Total cost between the vanilla making supplies and wheat berries was roughly $46.</div>
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At the end of the month, I had $2.29 left. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1P39ZIFYeQcIl_LmB08T3AV1CuHM-q8tDo3NgLXfXBk55A0IVwMukrrQS7ZoZSgfewmMvYX24YW-oWDc71BIXfkb0tksUaOQfb9S7wRo1neYybYGkJ_pRsxV6T6_ocs5NovkWskQXd4/s1600/DSC_4296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1327" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1P39ZIFYeQcIl_LmB08T3AV1CuHM-q8tDo3NgLXfXBk55A0IVwMukrrQS7ZoZSgfewmMvYX24YW-oWDc71BIXfkb0tksUaOQfb9S7wRo1neYybYGkJ_pRsxV6T6_ocs5NovkWskQXd4/s320/DSC_4296.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<b>March.</b></div>
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I made another full crowd meal and dessert, and my cost into that was around $39.00. I have had a blog post typed up for a couple weeks now, but never got around finishing one last money figure so I could post it for you! </div>
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As far as bulk purchases, I had bought a 10 lb. block of cheddar for this month's crowd meal, and ended up with 7 lbs. left for personal use. My goal was to chop it up and freeze most of it so it would last us awhile, but something happened ... and it got eaten before it made it into the freezer. Instead of mourning the loss of 7 lbs. of cheese, I was glad for the extra treat and the delight I saw on my husband's face every time he grabbed the block for a quick snack or sandwich. He loves cheese, and it made me happy to see him happy. Not to mention the kids excitement over a slice for them, too! And my baby learned to say the word "cheese" over all this. Cost into her education... I mean, the 7 lbs. cheddar, was $20.23.</div>
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I had quite a bit left over when I reached the end of the month, which allowed me to buy several pounds of butter at $2/lb. I happened upon the sale (and needed more butter anyway), so it was nice to have the money in my wallet so I could take advantage of it! Stocking up on butter cost me $12. </div>
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Rather excited about the numbers this time! We had $23.62 left at the end of the month!</div>
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<b>Interesting fact:</b> I made a meal plan for January and February, but did <i>not</i> put one together in March. I'm curious if this had anything to do with how much we had left over at the end of the month? I find if I don't have a new selection of groceries I'm forced to get creative with what I do have. </div>
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<b>Other random interesting fact:</b> We had beans with rice no more than once per month, and each time they included more expensive ingredients to dress them up ... like meat, cheese, and sour cream. By the way, I think I've created the most delicious form of beans and rice. Problem is, I hardly measure things so I'm not really sure how to share the recipe with you. </div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-18169265230165160632018-03-20T13:10:00.000-07:002018-03-20T13:10:46.111-07:00First Day of Spring<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpweJuqHQsDDNRlqgvdh02NcdIuEgyxnQrabPyLFuip1ppBOpk8mGMUfLKqDibNMG84Q5iQFMLaAk6SwN4OZvFW4fgyeFPX7FqdIyvHBQ0P2L4oBw8Kx-1zRHWaO2YwfdE6W6KpOviXk/s1600/DSC_0354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1097" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpweJuqHQsDDNRlqgvdh02NcdIuEgyxnQrabPyLFuip1ppBOpk8mGMUfLKqDibNMG84Q5iQFMLaAk6SwN4OZvFW4fgyeFPX7FqdIyvHBQ0P2L4oBw8Kx-1zRHWaO2YwfdE6W6KpOviXk/s320/DSC_0354.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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My seeds have been started!</div>
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First thing this morning (after breakfast, of course), Adam and I went to work in the dirt and officially started our 2018 gardening season. I thoroughly enjoyed having a little helper working alongside of me. He was so excited to be able to help and happily watered the starting pellets and watched them grow. He is so detailed and careful for a two year old, and took his job seriously when I let him plant the pepper seeds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSRSSE4uYS1yXssAWMw20eMg86GFY0W7feNZP3wfGVooHrjm1qO-Ckgh6l4nhGsJsV5DO-rgCjKrGGpHXPFtT_Pp8bcyr9OPejAw98M36cODKJfWBQsUrGNBsoclfRFXLhrZRXXO4qQw/s1600/DSC_0356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSRSSE4uYS1yXssAWMw20eMg86GFY0W7feNZP3wfGVooHrjm1qO-Ckgh6l4nhGsJsV5DO-rgCjKrGGpHXPFtT_Pp8bcyr9OPejAw98M36cODKJfWBQsUrGNBsoclfRFXLhrZRXXO4qQw/s400/DSC_0356.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I had a hard time figuring out how many of each item to plant, since I'm hoping to sell some produce on top of stocking up and feeding my own family, so I just threw some seeds in the dirt and we'll see how we do! </div>
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I'm going to try three different tomato varieties: Roma (since they bring a high dollar at the produce auction and are a specialty item), Beefsteak (because who doesn't want a giant tomato or BLT sandwich), and Amish Paste (because this is my tried-and-true paste tomato. It has never failed me in all my gardening years, even while I've attempted and failed growing a number of other varieties.)</div>
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For peppers, I'm using seeds I had left from previous years. Besides bell peppers, I used up the rest of my jalapeno seeds. I'm hoping to sell those. There weren't any at the produce auction last year, and there are always gobs of men who attend, so I figured I'd take the chance and watch the market!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAACt1A8Wzbb5qopIJVrwyY0t_HVmo8SP6VIN_poMFzjM0N5eQmp2tF5N3DL63f_LpPWF5qqygHEdXS6tDT7avWgbbr-tS0MFEOcEoPXAsviORJe0uY7YSJHvHIc0vwN9uZtOKh7HLLI/s1600/DSC_0364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1223" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAACt1A8Wzbb5qopIJVrwyY0t_HVmo8SP6VIN_poMFzjM0N5eQmp2tF5N3DL63f_LpPWF5qqygHEdXS6tDT7avWgbbr-tS0MFEOcEoPXAsviORJe0uY7YSJHvHIc0vwN9uZtOKh7HLLI/s320/DSC_0364.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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In addition to the tomatoes and peppers, I decided to try some flowers, too. I've never had success with them, but I have too many packets of seeds sitting around unused. Ideally I should have started them weeks ago, so I guess you can call them an experiment, too. (But then again, what do I do that isn't an experiment?) The varieties I planted are Marigolds and Evening Primrose. </div>
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Evening Primrose are known as an enthusiastically spreading plant. I'm going to see what it does here in Mid-Northern Michigan where it gets below -10*F in the winter. I had the seeds so I thought I'd give it a shot. Another experiment I guess.... but this one is <i>not</i> going in my produce garden! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JwE1tmSDtI8CJhq0YSM_cSmUpMn30bcza65aIr_whMOlNWiLBK7PfRwOIJDAiFCip5TrUughWB3EMhTgDFoCUhoFI5d7_NueLjmaI4ZWs-flEiPfUFYMwrAxdxIGTyshEESU249Xfuw/s1600/DSC_0366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JwE1tmSDtI8CJhq0YSM_cSmUpMn30bcza65aIr_whMOlNWiLBK7PfRwOIJDAiFCip5TrUughWB3EMhTgDFoCUhoFI5d7_NueLjmaI4ZWs-flEiPfUFYMwrAxdxIGTyshEESU249Xfuw/s320/DSC_0366.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-31103012772796976192018-03-02T12:00:00.000-08:002018-03-02T12:00:28.863-08:00Deep Freezer - Before and After Organizing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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....Aaand here are the results of my freezer cleaning!</div>
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A couple weeks ago, I posted my <a href="https://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2018/01/refrigerator-and-freezer-cleaning-and.html" target="_blank">brim-full refrigerator before picture</a>, and a nice, sparkly after picture, along with a teaser of my deep freezer before picture, which revealed a freezer so full it's about busting at the seams. As promised, I have returned with an after picture and a list of what's really stored inside!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ93OvKDRgnOgOeK9Soz1vmRZCkP_ZxOSwJvNW3SqJGPPTulQ6ZrFiFm7ywQbE5wZCor4NT25fQf0YCs4bWHN1Gd9RGnhrD8PBUQqOaQ0n86WwXu7ik1XEcvEgTzaUC4mFwUh03i4PWA/s1600/freezerbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ93OvKDRgnOgOeK9Soz1vmRZCkP_ZxOSwJvNW3SqJGPPTulQ6ZrFiFm7ywQbE5wZCor4NT25fQf0YCs4bWHN1Gd9RGnhrD8PBUQqOaQ0n86WwXu7ik1XEcvEgTzaUC4mFwUh03i4PWA/s400/freezerbefore.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The main reason the freezer was so full is because I had just received a cows worth of beef bones, which I turned into some <a href="https://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2018/01/canning-bone-broth.html" target="_blank">delicious bone broth</a>. Once I was able to clear those out, I finally had room to rearrange and take inventory of what was inside.</div>
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I had a pretty good idea of what I had before I started, since the freezer came with these nice handy, dandy dividers where I can section off categories like ground beef, steaks, roasts, etc. These are super helpful because we buy our beef in bulk and can fill up an entire section with one variety of cut rather than everything being strewn about and it being a treasure hunt whenever I manage to dig below whatever is on the surface. </div>
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Because of this, I did not dig through the steak section to see exactly how many of each cut I had (round, sirloin, etc.). Knowing I had an almost-full section of steak was good enough for me to know we weren't going to run out anytime soon!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSNJ7l_sovOfS3ugt9hyphenhyphen87u8oU9I3vzX3tWn65Kfx25y2aRDmOX9mJgRwKUVcEfp5PF-avg5gggNHDxCwwrdumBl36jwaQp9nItJ9kHAJeE1K3B0Yff9EZNt-nSWUqKLspWYUXMa9Qew/s1600/freezerafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSNJ7l_sovOfS3ugt9hyphenhyphen87u8oU9I3vzX3tWn65Kfx25y2aRDmOX9mJgRwKUVcEfp5PF-avg5gggNHDxCwwrdumBl36jwaQp9nItJ9kHAJeE1K3B0Yff9EZNt-nSWUqKLspWYUXMa9Qew/s400/freezerafter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ta-daaa! </div>
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Here it is! The after shot. Still full, but much neater.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ycBvskxCFK0QQ_V3l4wUTSyAXju36hZ7HTMhxaKlbb-VEvfQs31QZfaviy7C4mojxO81vmurYP-7CU5_-gF_cMByR4r3W1t5_YDJbsFRQ9RLHe6g8T0QVqydeU88ooT4J_nny6gChfQ/s1600/DSCN0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ycBvskxCFK0QQ_V3l4wUTSyAXju36hZ7HTMhxaKlbb-VEvfQs31QZfaviy7C4mojxO81vmurYP-7CU5_-gF_cMByR4r3W1t5_YDJbsFRQ9RLHe6g8T0QVqydeU88ooT4J_nny6gChfQ/s400/DSCN0012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here is the inventory. I included the list of my upstairs refrigerator/freezer inventory, since I am frequently transferring things between the two.</div>
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Since making this list, I have used up the whole turkey, a roast, some steak, a bag of zucchini, the beets, a bag of hotdogs, and several pounds of butter. It has been nice having this list handy so I can plan my meals accordingly without having to open my freezer, although I do sometimes get better inspiration when I see the actual food. :) </div>
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Want to know what's cooking? I have a beef roast in the crock pot at this very moment! Mmm.</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-87438840780881409842018-03-01T10:54:00.000-08:002018-03-01T10:54:52.907-08:00Cooking for a Crowd: Episode 14 - Rice Krispie TreatsWe've had quite the weekend driving all over the state! Instead of going out on Valentine's Day, we decided to skip the rush and the late mid-week night by having our date night on Saturday instead. It was our second ever kid-free date as parents. I thought it was special, and enjoyed the rare chance of having undivided husband time with no responsibilities or interruptions. Our kids are super fun, but it is like pushing the restart button on life and sanity when mom can get out for a minute to breathe.<br />
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Because of spending many hours on the road - and all day doing it, I had limited time to create a dessert for the next day's meal. Thankfully I was prepared and had a few things in my pantry that I could pull together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEVeZrGb85riaEq-VR_hEEdK0qT-gXq7fw0JqizoFifJ1xDAGkU2HYCiTQEokWpoLrJsOnhyphenhyphenYSPSEpbOwLEms1GSdFVbUMA_BzjfEBa1Hmpybo6mBzxYfAVkHA6ENbxv7CeYPmpzGpMY/s1600/Sharkvacuum-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEVeZrGb85riaEq-VR_hEEdK0qT-gXq7fw0JqizoFifJ1xDAGkU2HYCiTQEokWpoLrJsOnhyphenhyphenYSPSEpbOwLEms1GSdFVbUMA_BzjfEBa1Hmpybo6mBzxYfAVkHA6ENbxv7CeYPmpzGpMY/s400/Sharkvacuum-1-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On my last trip to the "big town", I had a coupon that was good for $1 off any boxed cereal purchase. Boxed cereal is on my "I don't usually buy" list. Maybe 1x/year for a special dessert, like <a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2018/01/cooking-for-crowd-episode-13-christmas.html" target="_blank">Christmas Chex</a>.</div>
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One [of a few] big reasons we don't buy boxed cereal is because it's not worth the money! I personally don't find cereal very filling, and can eat a half a box in one sitting. At an average of $3-4 a box, this is really pricey. Instead, I make my own cereal (either granola or grape-nuts) for the day we need a quick breakfast or snack. </div>
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But back to that coupon. At $1 off, it wasn't worth my time trying to use it unless I was able to get a really good deal. Honey-nut cheerios were on sale, and the cheapest cereal per box, but it's not something we normally eat, and it's not very versatile, so I decided it wasn't a good buy even though the price was decent. The next best buy was Rice Krispie cereal, on sale for $2.50 for an extra large (maybe 18 oz.?) box. This was even cheaper than their standard sized box! With my coupon, this brought the price down to $1.50, which I thought sounded good to me since I could use them in a variety of recipes like Rice Krispie treats or granola bars. I did have crowd dessert in mind when I put them in my cart, and ended up getting a couple bags of marshmallows that day as well so I would have them on hand just in case. </div>
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So, on that day that I was gone until 8pm, Rice Krispie treats it was. My two year old and I had a grand time in the kitchen together that evening. We got to share of bowl full of the leftover Snap, Crackle and Pop cereal while we were melting the marshmallows for the treats. This was the first time I'd ever attempted making Rice Krispie Treats, and I had no idea previously that it was basically just marshmallows and cereal! As a junk-food illiterate chef, I guess I learned something new that probably everybody else knows.</div>
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[<i>By the way, another thing I learned this year was that Cool Whip is found in the frozen food section! I've never bought Cool Whip before, and have no plan to ever </i>ever<i>, since it's nasty and I don't even want to eat it, but I had NO idea it was a frozen item and was surprised when I walked through the freezer aisles to see it. This might confirm how unknowledgeable I am in the junk/processed foods department. I really don't mind being uneducated in this area.</i>]</div>
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I made 3 recipes of Rice Krispie Treats, which according to the box was enough for three 9x13 pans full. Each recipe took 6 cups of cereal and one 12 oz. bag of marshmallows. Since I don't have three 9x13" baking pans, I used a half sheet pan and a smaller 7x11 pan. My cost into the cereal was $1.50, and the marshmallows were $3.38, so my <b>total dessert cost was $4.88</b>. It made about 52 squares (if I'm remembering correctly), and I was aiming to serve 40 people. <b>Cost per square was 9 cents. </b></div>
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There weren't as many in attendance as expected, so less than 40 mouths to feed, but people did some snacking after the meal was finished, and we had about 12 pieces leftover. </div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-29625363037989550412018-02-23T12:57:00.001-08:002018-02-23T13:03:45.470-08:00Product Review: Shark Professional Rotator Lift-Away Vacuum - PART 1<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The following article is written based off my personal experience using this machine. It was bought and paid for by me, and I get no compensation from anybody for sharing my review and opinions with you.</i></span></div>
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I finally did it. I bought me a new vacuum!</div>
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I'd never bought one before, so this was a new experience.</div>
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I'm no expert in the area of cleaning. Cleaning is not my forte. I'm what you call functional, but having a vacuum that I had to sweep up after was too much.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWn6A0LavgIHxjfwXN5J_P12vlcDNlU_76-wpdztyfvmbLnZdeNyUpzIfFLGRzLRj4QSxfDfZSbRd_aFYDvrfltOUzZtLymlnxy7MrEeO9SGPRLm7dpt10ejAAs66I6qHVwHlIWIO3wE/s1600/DSCN9986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWn6A0LavgIHxjfwXN5J_P12vlcDNlU_76-wpdztyfvmbLnZdeNyUpzIfFLGRzLRj4QSxfDfZSbRd_aFYDvrfltOUzZtLymlnxy7MrEeO9SGPRLm7dpt10ejAAs66I6qHVwHlIWIO3wE/s320/DSCN9986.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The vacuum that lived in this house when we got married was one my husband already had. He may have been a bachelor, but he did have a few necessary household items, and he was fully stocked in the cleaning supplies department. Now fast forward to three years later, when I had to try not to vacuum when Aaron was home because he would complain every time I did, and it reminded me how trashy our vacuum "cleaner" really was. About a minute into cleaning, the house would smell like dust. The thing couldn't pick up a piece of dirt the size of a wheat berry, and it would leave a pile behind anytime it was turned off or jostled around the slightest bit. I had to be careful to wheel it over to a room with hardwood flooring before turning it off, so I could easily sweep up after it with a broom. I then carried it to its spot halfway down the basement stairs oh so carefully so as to not shake it too much to avoid any more dirt leaking out. We tried emptying it. We tried blowing it out, cleaning it, checking filters, and finally, after talking about it for months, saved ourselves the headache and hassle and bought us a new-fangled fancy one! </div>
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When shopping for a vacuum, I had a few specifications that I was looking for. </div>
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1. It had to suck dirt.</div>
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2. It needed to have a hose so I could clean in tighter spaces, in cracks or crevasses, or on top of furniture.</div>
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3. I wanted it to work well on hardwood floors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEmqEGoX4T_QW_7kYUa3CxxMG3KCXrxoaxFIpO3lIENSICCf04ZINVGD-_NcT6w8nNY__KRobgexwaGn8IR6OTisaeNWfCVvqrWnbTNr0okUngtDPn4XInwg-gSmwldHu0m-L6x5QP5w/s1600/Sharkvacuum-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1167" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEmqEGoX4T_QW_7kYUa3CxxMG3KCXrxoaxFIpO3lIENSICCf04ZINVGD-_NcT6w8nNY__KRobgexwaGn8IR6OTisaeNWfCVvqrWnbTNr0okUngtDPn4XInwg-gSmwldHu0m-L6x5QP5w/s320/Sharkvacuum-1.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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I had remembered hearing rave reviews on the Shark brand by other moms, many of whom had cleaning businesses or large families. While we have a rather small house with only one carpeted room, I'm banking on a new vacuum lasting a number of years, which means our kids will be older and tracking more dirt, our family size will probably grow in that time, and we'll be taking it on to our next house (and who knows how much carpet we'll have then). </div>
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Here are some of my first impressions.</div>
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<u><b>Unboxing and Assembly</b></u></div>
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It came in a much smaller box than I was expecting. I guess after having a huge honking vacuum, I assumed that this one would at least be in a vacuum-sized box. One of the unique features of this particular vacuum is that it is compact and can be easily taken apart for cleaning or depending on whether you're using it as a stand-alone vac or a hand-held sweeper. So there was some simple assembly (no tools necessary).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiXez5hmSZs0Aw7ECYhZEBWu_XjdEb7LNpbwqo28S3LrC1YjmkDEphuJp_kYecR4-Yr2bE65D62h6AHspDU-vQ3zhno5P6X9-lTrhR0OH5W82Jl5Ypov6TSxK9P5pE0gTYKJa3bp2ug4/s1600/Sharkvacuum-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiXez5hmSZs0Aw7ECYhZEBWu_XjdEb7LNpbwqo28S3LrC1YjmkDEphuJp_kYecR4-Yr2bE65D62h6AHspDU-vQ3zhno5P6X9-lTrhR0OH5W82Jl5Ypov6TSxK9P5pE0gTYKJa3bp2ug4/s320/Sharkvacuum-2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Another thing that caught my attention right away was how light it was. My first reaction to it's being lightweight was that it must be cheaply made. Heavy = heavy duty, right? Time will tell.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUOjSPiqTj7krw2SQYUYYc401-R5hyczA_5IwnWJtKrl6XIjmh5ZAGl3kiUVDxX1rcw3hu6BmbizWC9LZ2GWOekAywZukZRwnvQYCskLJdf0KHYZ4J5tSGmzc9OGR6z8eRt2gG5sWzI8/s1600/Sharkvacuum-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1153" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUOjSPiqTj7krw2SQYUYYc401-R5hyczA_5IwnWJtKrl6XIjmh5ZAGl3kiUVDxX1rcw3hu6BmbizWC9LZ2GWOekAywZukZRwnvQYCskLJdf0KHYZ4J5tSGmzc9OGR6z8eRt2gG5sWzI8/s320/Sharkvacuum-3.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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Next, it felt flimsy to me. I knew right away before trying it that I wasn't going to like the rotator.... That is, until I actually tested that function. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjMAiRiUDIADG__qrnPmT8BGKnrOxtYVBtzThJYvhtry-tyL8H95tSuzDBgRiLpHRU97irVOY5YEpk-aFYCsYRTufhfsC1W-dt49gXMdmEmvT97WaylQbmFV-nh90G7VTqDYvkyda3gk/s1600/DSCN9991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjMAiRiUDIADG__qrnPmT8BGKnrOxtYVBtzThJYvhtry-tyL8H95tSuzDBgRiLpHRU97irVOY5YEpk-aFYCsYRTufhfsC1W-dt49gXMdmEmvT97WaylQbmFV-nh90G7VTqDYvkyda3gk/s320/DSCN9991.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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While the base seemed a bit narrow at first, I love how slim it is in height. It is able to slide under the edges of my couch very efficiently! So much different than my old clumsy Eureka that kind of just bumped into the furniture.</div>
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Well, it blew me away with how well it picked up dirt. I was like the difference between a gentle summer breeze and a tornado. The suction was set at max by default, but I didn't see that until after it tried sucking up one of my baby's wooden puzzle pieces. It didn't eat the piece, but I was impressed that it tried. It also sucked up a piece of paper that was slightly larger than an inch square. This could be bad for those of you who try vacuuming around things you value somewhat that you might've forgotten to pick up beforehand, but helpful to those of us who don't want to bend down to pick up something that small that you would've just thrown in the trash yourself. If this is too powerful for you, then simply adjust it lower than max suction. I kept it at max because I wanted to see what it could do, and also to give my carpet a good cleaning after having a lousy vacuum for so many years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxl2D-q0o3JgZD5VHjARv7q8Gha4-gpNQeOf9WqoSKMHySc_oL307SKs4d6Dq9dhbnyeCzRK5maprKp8e6UOoa6_2dCkQvcAnKwd13CwnEmBLvxJF1QjddudxUa-hkUgfYHn8w_3ivKvg/s1600/Sharkvacuum-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxl2D-q0o3JgZD5VHjARv7q8Gha4-gpNQeOf9WqoSKMHySc_oL307SKs4d6Dq9dhbnyeCzRK5maprKp8e6UOoa6_2dCkQvcAnKwd13CwnEmBLvxJF1QjddudxUa-hkUgfYHn8w_3ivKvg/s320/Sharkvacuum-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Rotator feature</u></b></div>
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You're probably wondering what exactly do I mean by rotator? It means that the canister part can move from side-to-side while the sweeper base is stationary. This is why it felt floppy to me at first, but here's what it does! It is designed that way to get underneath things easier! In the above picture, I demonstrated how far it could get under my futon if it wouldn't have the rotating capability. In the photos below, you can see that simply by bending it to the side, I am able to reach an extra 12 inches! With my Eureka, it always seemed like I was pulling the hose out to get the under edges of my furniture, but the Shark can easily be maneuvered into tighter spaces. For reference, the space between the futon and the table leg is about 4 inches. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjl21LFn_KKyVjz2rVlYwum3hQRJSFrUJ6YeOYEffRCFG3tbUJLAxD_N7JGltrpEAOQOKPidNARgFNnwsqAZZ_yLjsXHBN_iwl4q1_zghPod8EWjiwNJ7zBfvUUnRo8cGurnoMx9g7hpA/s1600/shark+vacuum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1600" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjl21LFn_KKyVjz2rVlYwum3hQRJSFrUJ6YeOYEffRCFG3tbUJLAxD_N7JGltrpEAOQOKPidNARgFNnwsqAZZ_yLjsXHBN_iwl4q1_zghPod8EWjiwNJ7zBfvUUnRo8cGurnoMx9g7hpA/s400/shark+vacuum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ukZKVAoY3g0XbOdwM8_vWJmHgwniEALe7g5fjeYTa90mm5IBbWGbrZ2-cGfEnbwHV97QGmKaBRuTgTO5xJCLtY2IVkhXJKgJmSxxektsVnKIF0UQ9g5AT8oVedpsWe20gLXaWw9CUDQ/s1600/Sharkvacuum-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ukZKVAoY3g0XbOdwM8_vWJmHgwniEALe7g5fjeYTa90mm5IBbWGbrZ2-cGfEnbwHV97QGmKaBRuTgTO5xJCLtY2IVkhXJKgJmSxxektsVnKIF0UQ9g5AT8oVedpsWe20gLXaWw9CUDQ/s320/Sharkvacuum-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don't know if I should be more excited or embarrassed at how much dirt I picked up from sweeping my house one time. I think this is a clear sign that our other vacuum did. not. work. The dirt canister can easily be lifted off to empty, and the filters are all washable by using plain old water. The fact that it can come apart at multiple points for easy cleaning and maintenance was a huge selling point for my husband. He loves that he can access any part of the vacuum easily! Being a mechanic and fabricator, his words were "this product was very well designed". </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xbWwC2-RToUQgvGttEcZXAs6p9jmtElevcACddQ2aQG5dVMEOC5QxtT-zr73X9vXby5BGUGQinHcrqST4an9-8y4RoA-64gTOGlrm7ILJ8szUE59BqxzGhCBWho-oTlpSLo8afWwNMs/s1600/Sharkvacuum-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xbWwC2-RToUQgvGttEcZXAs6p9jmtElevcACddQ2aQG5dVMEOC5QxtT-zr73X9vXby5BGUGQinHcrqST4an9-8y4RoA-64gTOGlrm7ILJ8szUE59BqxzGhCBWho-oTlpSLo8afWwNMs/s320/Sharkvacuum-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mr. Asks-to-Vacuum-Several-Time-a-Week-and-Wants-to-Do-it-All-Himself stood on a chair while I assembled the vacuum and ran it across the living room for the first time. It wasn't until I shut it off and was ready to move on that he asked to give it a shot. This one is a little easier for him to use because it's not as heavy, but due to him being a kid, he still has to work to lift the thing in order for it to lay flat on the floor. I think he'll do better using it with the lift-away feature (to be reviewed in part 2).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPrn_5rcCRqcgfgL5ffT-dqFk2G1vvR8o_P-tpBwyxBq286mmU8Yzgy_k8Ze1bH4VfdD18-vFX-SCbkx2pD0e1nreZaKH5EniyHDCdBXB9F0_Knuff6fMmFn80Z3x148sYSEQ_7uUPqI/s1600/Sharkvacuum-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPrn_5rcCRqcgfgL5ffT-dqFk2G1vvR8o_P-tpBwyxBq286mmU8Yzgy_k8Ze1bH4VfdD18-vFX-SCbkx2pD0e1nreZaKH5EniyHDCdBXB9F0_Knuff6fMmFn80Z3x148sYSEQ_7uUPqI/s320/Sharkvacuum-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love that the cord is 30-feet long! We have an old house with verrry minimal outlets, and half of them are hidden by furniture, so having an extra long cord is super handy! I literally vacuumed my entire house without having to unplug it. It didn't even pull the cord tight! Yeah, our house is only about 880 sq. ft., but this still is absolutely impressive. Also, check out the cord hook, which helps keep the cord off the floor and out of your way while you're vacuuming. Okay, so I just discovered my old vacuum has this too, but I never noticed after all these years.<br />
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So far, I'm pretty happy with this product. My biggest disappointment is the fact that I had to learn on a rare big purchase that Kohl's doesn't offer Kohl's Cash all the time. Thankfully, I was able to get this on sale, plus stack two coupon codes for an additional $52 off, making the purchase price just shy of $180. It's a rare moment when I can bring myself to shell out this much money on anything, but I was sure hoping to get $30 Kohl's Cash back, because I already had plans on how I was going to spend it. :)<br />
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....To be continued....</div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-82223437873945647632018-02-08T11:57:00.000-08:002018-02-08T11:57:13.392-08:00Poinsettia UpdateIt has been nearly 9 months since I've last updated you on my poinsettia, and I'm happy to announce it is still alive!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhhKlON8DXpSob1w5s_Jrov2qx27jYJaFpSI9C3sxi4_uftn2BkIugi0bqaQVDNLettUCuAbVRdCyGd4OqmrjdCZ2ALCfDHlqYXoMo6YQOIcMiMI4gGI3Kz1mUSXe_C-ggOZbi09TwNs/s1600/DSC_0359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhhKlON8DXpSob1w5s_Jrov2qx27jYJaFpSI9C3sxi4_uftn2BkIugi0bqaQVDNLettUCuAbVRdCyGd4OqmrjdCZ2ALCfDHlqYXoMo6YQOIcMiMI4gGI3Kz1mUSXe_C-ggOZbi09TwNs/s400/DSC_0359.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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It's not very pretty at the moment, and I admit it had me worried this last week or two when I noticed it started dropping its leaves again. </div>
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I have been soooo bad about watering it this entire winter. I don't even know if I gave it water more than five times since Thanksgiving, until recently when I started trying to give it a little bit about once a week. That's when the leaves started turning brown and shriveled, and my hopes of keeping this plant got trampled.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinl51EgTcBAhEmwoz_fZ4qmh58fzJAypfuxpDve0prFlWlJGWMEpWFgu0sukemDdr3-RMhQk5rsKpeZRscQUV4w9EIA2dh3d0Z_bsZyB2dVi7dR0aapPm1j0VP42yQNh3jRy6I1XfgJB4/s1600/DSC_0362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1600" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinl51EgTcBAhEmwoz_fZ4qmh58fzJAypfuxpDve0prFlWlJGWMEpWFgu0sukemDdr3-RMhQk5rsKpeZRscQUV4w9EIA2dh3d0Z_bsZyB2dVi7dR0aapPm1j0VP42yQNh3jRy6I1XfgJB4/s400/DSC_0362.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My poor plant. The one that has been around wayyy longer than any houseplant I have ever tried keeping. The potted success that has brought green to my winter since 2015. I've had this for <i>over two years</i>!</div>
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Did you know though, that a poinsettia actually thrives with less water?! You're not supposed to keep the soil wet, but rather let it dry out a bit on the surface (being careful not to let the dirt get bone dry) before you water it again. I'm convinced my forgetfulness in watering it is the only reason I still have it around today.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDY1UZZH-3Mz5u_RHKZYjiwr_myBgNvHMlkA3tW4Bh3DglVHcjMOKJ9SB6_AElh5jg_tT4WCv4Jzt8ijzrUevopAC8gVkoieA1ObfknarVAhNSUvVQgcb9oS7-lSrXRjc4EG21fiHg_A/s1600/DSC_0358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1138" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDY1UZZH-3Mz5u_RHKZYjiwr_myBgNvHMlkA3tW4Bh3DglVHcjMOKJ9SB6_AElh5jg_tT4WCv4Jzt8ijzrUevopAC8gVkoieA1ObfknarVAhNSUvVQgcb9oS7-lSrXRjc4EG21fiHg_A/s400/DSC_0358.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Look! This week I noticed little red buds starting again! I about shrieked with delight when I saw them. It's coming back to life! I am so excited to be getting several bunches of red leaves once again. It always takes longer than I expect to get any decent-sized red leaves, so I imagine it will probably be late spring before they are nice and full again.</div>
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It's looking rather gnarly not since I've not pruned it back at all. I'm so nervous to try. Technically I should've been pruning it all along, but I feel like my brown thumb would show through and poinsettia would end up dying for sure. I would love to talk with an expert and find out what I really should be doing to care for it so I can maybe have a beautiful, full plant again. My goal is to get it to bloom again in time for Christmas one year, when I can remember to stick it away to hibernate during the winter months.</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-38197239650035520982018-02-05T12:18:00.000-08:002018-02-05T12:18:26.833-08:00Planning to Plant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjUbUocLHEUrLojZRETIbGaLAhPOBx3IDObM_fzhwi6EF6I7gxvTejq7F1EpFBbyCLm0FKgRy6kaTONaBxWjCnX7FZJAf8EY5J_WTefCtMfoRzGvz-9KK1PWMq3Z4KRLsNUFwJ8yOXlE/s1600/DSC_4351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="1600" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjUbUocLHEUrLojZRETIbGaLAhPOBx3IDObM_fzhwi6EF6I7gxvTejq7F1EpFBbyCLm0FKgRy6kaTONaBxWjCnX7FZJAf8EY5J_WTefCtMfoRzGvz-9KK1PWMq3Z4KRLsNUFwJ8yOXlE/s320/DSC_4351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My seed order has arrived!</div>
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This is by far the record earliest I've gotten prepared for gardening. I sent in my order in <i>January</i>. Looking back to the first summer we were married, that year I received my seed order in uh... April.</div>
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I never thought I'd catch myself getting excited about gardening. Back when I worked at Farmer's Markets, I remember hearing a born-farmer say he started his in January, and my eyes bugged out and probably did a little eye roll because I couldn't believe anybody could be so passionate about having a green thumb. But here I sit, the first week in February, with my seeds all ready, waiting for the snow to melt and sun to shine so I can get some seeds started! Since I'm in north-central Michigan, I can't actually plant outdoors for another 3 1/2 to 4 months. My tomatoes and peppers will be started indoors sometime in March though.</div>
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When I sorted out my seeds from previous years, I found I had enough left over of a few items that I didn't have to order quite as much as I had anticipated. We did order heavy on green beans and corn, since these are two items we have or will have used up our stock by summer. We're planning to mass-produce these crops so we can store away enough for the next 2-3 years. When I get tired of canning/freezing, the rest will be either sold at our roadside stand or taken to auction. I am purposely planning a little bit extra to sell, since last year both of these items brought a pretty high price at the produce auction. Beans were up to $22/bushel, and from what I remember, corn was hardly under $3/doz., unless sold by the giant bin.</div>
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Other items I bought seeds for include cucumbers, red beets, lettuce, spinach, roma tomatoes, wildflowers, and cut flowers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQP1bgR1F9YW2JC0HvvyL_lSUhDzdWJyWJA8ck5Zyfyc-fJWfYp3o6DuRE8ZKGIekUwac5K5PJHt2JrxFHvznTl1aXXum-JvT9_sAzKe0XFuBp0RUtUz5Bp2wB_F-s-1X4T9_g8C2bMzk/s1600/DSC_4364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQP1bgR1F9YW2JC0HvvyL_lSUhDzdWJyWJA8ck5Zyfyc-fJWfYp3o6DuRE8ZKGIekUwac5K5PJHt2JrxFHvznTl1aXXum-JvT9_sAzKe0XFuBp0RUtUz5Bp2wB_F-s-1X4T9_g8C2bMzk/s320/DSC_4364.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The roma tomatoes are for an experiment. I am planning to make a double batch of ketchup this year, but don't really need to stock up on any other tomato products. Ideally a paste tomato works best for ketchup because you don't have to cook off as much juice. I have a tomato variety I like already, but am unsure how well it would sell at the produce auction, so I decided to try my hand at growing romas so I can send whatever I don't need to the auction. They are a common, specialty paste tomato that gathered a high price last year, but was in extremely limited quantity and only was available every couple weeks, even though the auction ran two days a week. We'll see how well they do! To date, I have only had real success with my favorite Amish Paste variety, so it will be interesting to see if I can get romas to grow. </div>
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The wildflowers are because I would like to add some more visual appeal to my garden. Plus, my in-home summer decor is usually made up of fresh wildflower bouquets (often picked and carefully arranged by my sweet husband!). I've tried growing flowers in the past, but have never been faithful in watering them, so they've never come up. I'm hoping this year we'll be seeing nice patches of colorful blooms that we can enjoy all summer long. </div>
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Last week I got to go on a fun shopping trip. Aaron has a rewards card at ACE hardware, since he shops there fairly often for work. We get coupons in the mail every month, and after spending so many dollars (earning him a certain number of points), he'll get gift cards usually for $5 off a purchase of $5 or more. In January, it was ACE's anniversary, and they sent out their rewards members a $10 gift card to be spent on a $10+ purchase. The calendar month flew by, and before we knew it 1/31/18 was here, and the gift coupon was expiring. Since we literally can see the parking lot lights from our house at night, and can't let free money go to waste, I received the honors of browsing the store to use the coupon. It was like a field trip for a stay-at-home mom! I bundled up the kids and went out one wintery afternoon and we rode the cart up and down those aisles. It was quite fun being able to take the time to answer all of Adam's "what's that?" inquiries without feeling like he was taking up precious need-to-focus shopping time. </div>
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This is what we walked out of the store with! A hose nozzle and a piece of caramel (not pictured. It didn't last that long!) that we paid a grand total of 34 cents for! The nozzle was $9.99, but since the purchase had to be $10 in order to activate the coupon, we bought ourselves a treat for the short ride home. I had been needing a hose nozzle for the past few years, but never took the time or money to go out and buy one. Instead, I've spent the past few summers freezing my fingers off by covering the hose opening with my thumb to adjust the spray. Now I have a handy dandy, [almost] free nozzle that I can use! My fingers are already excited to be saved from the ice-cold well water.</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-75119140240045847512018-02-01T12:12:00.000-08:002018-02-01T12:12:34.299-08:00My Workspace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_PgItEVPAK_EZaFZZuXBUNbjGwfvHLABYFxvMMZ9AGOjbpJasjVKAqdHr81RwOq0W3wipzANHLPo6aWMJkGZHTMVtNnW7g8qGIqM0CbG9mWxoJb5UsU8S33M0gn_xSAXf885P3kHET8/s1600/DSCN9976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1336" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_PgItEVPAK_EZaFZZuXBUNbjGwfvHLABYFxvMMZ9AGOjbpJasjVKAqdHr81RwOq0W3wipzANHLPo6aWMJkGZHTMVtNnW7g8qGIqM0CbG9mWxoJb5UsU8S33M0gn_xSAXf885P3kHET8/s400/DSCN9976.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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Take a peek into my workspace this afternoon! Meal planning for the month, making a grocery list, feeding the baby (and me) some lunch, and copying down a bunch of our favorite recipes from Pinterest.</div>
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*This week's declutter/organization challenge is taking care of the recipe and coupon department! I don't clip many coupons and don't really have recipe books to weed through and purge, so my task is copying down the recipes I use from the internet and putting them on paper! It's another thing I've been meaning to do for quite some time.</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-36379815568567141872018-01-26T13:12:00.000-08:002018-01-26T13:12:58.489-08:00Canning Bone Broth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Working on reorganizing my deep freezer has been kind of a process during the past couple days, because I was given over 20lbs. of beef bones this week. My Tuesday through Thursday involved making two large batches of bone broth and canning it!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWainLVSM37pNwco4twkiKPb-NUgm2sw_zyWP1Fm7du7GCBrXJV5-UbmgGY8SjYVJKrtgTwxxGoSsp4YrHp_BDb4nZzBypSDoGMwklvCHaA357wdLFfrZyMzar7lxuzhD5tqHXybyJsOk/s1600/DSCN9957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWainLVSM37pNwco4twkiKPb-NUgm2sw_zyWP1Fm7du7GCBrXJV5-UbmgGY8SjYVJKrtgTwxxGoSsp4YrHp_BDb4nZzBypSDoGMwklvCHaA357wdLFfrZyMzar7lxuzhD5tqHXybyJsOk/s320/DSCN9957.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just add a few carrots (no peeling required!), some celery (leaves and all), onion chunks (only remove the very outer thin peeling), and a splash of apple cider vinegar and cover with water. Let simmer for 24 hours (or a little more), strain through a sieve, add salt and pepper to taste, and cool enough to skim off the fat. Unless you want a 1/2 inch or more of fat in all of your jars. I LOVE meat fat, but not in my broth. I'm not super picky on removing all of it though.</div>
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These bones had quite a bit of meat on them still, and I was able to salvage some nice chunks during the straining process. I know some of the flavor will have been cooked out into the broth, but the meat is still good enough to use in something like soup. I saved about 5 cups worth of meat scraps and plan to make borscht on Monday. I had a quart of chopped beets from our garden that I saved in the freezer specifically for a batch of borscht. You can find my delicious Russian beet soup recipe in another <a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2016/11/fall-beets-and-borscht-recipe-included.html" target="_blank">blog post here</a>. </div>
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I filled my pressure canner a record-full with my last batch. 19 pints! I purposely used a couple of my narrowest pint jars so I could get all of it in. I didn't want to have to put some in my refrigerator and have to come up with a way to use it later this week. Check it out! 10 on the bottom - 9 on top.</div>
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(Note: a quick check just now revealed that apparently the manufacturer says it can hold 19 pints, so this isn't as great a feat as I thought. I know I couldn't have have fit 10 on the bottom if I used all Ball jars though. I tried.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1vIaW94FxYNX-5te4ynszdn9g81DQMK3oJUIeOO8-OtgJVpCeCI__E4fU7WAbsy9Pvp7WlkLZP6nNAfuXJlipxOc9s_PRPqs9xgrQMffFMOo_GUb-DHAJKuKKMG68JOMwnGqQSG0XhY/s1600/DSCN9974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1vIaW94FxYNX-5te4ynszdn9g81DQMK3oJUIeOO8-OtgJVpCeCI__E4fU7WAbsy9Pvp7WlkLZP6nNAfuXJlipxOc9s_PRPqs9xgrQMffFMOo_GUb-DHAJKuKKMG68JOMwnGqQSG0XhY/s320/DSCN9974.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This was also the first time I got to try canning on my new (vintage) gas stove! I loved it. I actually had room for my giant canner, plus I didn't have to worry at how well the burner would hold that much weight. I definitely prefer canning on a gas stove!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJMwkg4LsLEOcnnVPnaVreEfjtyFZlGe_IcgevFr0XNfD4xiEPgMjt-2wXe9TjT_BBwDeP1KMYMtOX3vPg58PGDwIypYctOqv3WFaCjfaLNvaXcKw2dpNfB5hyphenhyphenQHbzIjo_WSvsZfZ0Oo/s1600/DSCN9976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJMwkg4LsLEOcnnVPnaVreEfjtyFZlGe_IcgevFr0XNfD4xiEPgMjt-2wXe9TjT_BBwDeP1KMYMtOX3vPg58PGDwIypYctOqv3WFaCjfaLNvaXcKw2dpNfB5hyphenhyphenQHbzIjo_WSvsZfZ0Oo/s320/DSCN9976.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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By the way, if you're looking at investing in a pressure canner, I can not recommend more highly the All-American brand. It's not only heavy duty with handy wing-nut closure, but it has this awesome gauge that tells you how you're doing at maintaining proper pressure. No more having to listen so intently to the jiggle of the weight!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghN4ux8FEiq_xXe7TtQDVUQSulVH7l6bUvUNZIjdikJqpR3Ordzd2jhri6lC9QeDDLVx5va5vRtcXfDBg0cueMNYcPzASTnFEINRB8jh4bTC7QkymlZMhWbbmJwZ5UqC4C387p58KkQ6g/s1600/bonebroth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1600" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghN4ux8FEiq_xXe7TtQDVUQSulVH7l6bUvUNZIjdikJqpR3Ordzd2jhri6lC9QeDDLVx5va5vRtcXfDBg0cueMNYcPzASTnFEINRB8jh4bTC7QkymlZMhWbbmJwZ5UqC4C387p58KkQ6g/s320/bonebroth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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How is this view so satisfying?</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-70300300134982636502018-01-24T10:25:00.000-08:002018-01-24T10:25:00.236-08:00Refrigerator and Freezer Cleaning and Organizing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now that I've shown you my <a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2018/01/lamehousewifegoals.html" target="_blank">kitchen makeover</a> (when I actually washed the hideous pile of dishes), I may as well keep going and update you on the rest of my house projects. I'm involving myself in a weekly "declutter challenge" that attacks a different area of the house per week. I'm loving that I get a whole week to take care of an area, because some of these weeks require more time for me to get the nominated task accomplished. </div>
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*Moment of truth*: when I finally achieved my goal of clearing those kitchen counters a couple weeks ago, it wasn't just because I woke up one morning and told myself I was <i>finally</i> going to suck it up and get it done (after having it on my to-do list for a month), but rather because it just so happened to be the task for the first week of the declutter challenge. It was an extra help to know that other housewives around the world were working on the same problem area that I was. </div>
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Fast forward to week three. This is the week to clean out the refrigerator and freezer. When I learned what area this week was, my first though was "well, at least my deep freezer is already organized", followed by a "don't they know I have more than just a little refrigerator-freezer?". My deep freeze is organized to a degree, but I've also acquired 50lbs of pork, 9lbs of ground beef, and a cow's worth of bones in the last week and a half, so it really isn't all that organized looking anymore. </div>
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As far as the refrigerator, it was in desperate need of cleaning out. I had been making the excuse of <i>there being snow on the ground, so I can't get out to the compost pile to dump out any bad stuff, plus I don't want to mess up the yard, </i>to justify my putting it off for like... all winter. But since this was the task for the week, <i>and</i> the fact that the snow melted over the weekend, that was no longer a valid excuse. I was going to get it done! In order to keep myself from putting it off any further (you know, my habit towards last-minute stuff), I got right on it Monday morning!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqScF3H3qi8DWavaXe0Q2u-MGautCgzzFEwyxJMmRqkDROU0sTzwodQhxAHM4r6INvZ0EC_fE9hHnF7kfifWdQY8fpw10wN1DCUGadgMskFtETvhRtt5XmtXQzSko_uJ5ThHkrn-xcMA/s1600/DSCN9980+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqScF3H3qi8DWavaXe0Q2u-MGautCgzzFEwyxJMmRqkDROU0sTzwodQhxAHM4r6INvZ0EC_fE9hHnF7kfifWdQY8fpw10wN1DCUGadgMskFtETvhRtt5XmtXQzSko_uJ5ThHkrn-xcMA/s320/DSCN9980+copy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1papXfRCDzxGXGqWAK51_m2qXhwKy9UtzhZYAOI_IDdWzQMaAL4d1YndYVmJf-BH89JFEgf-jKJaVrA-zGuX7f3Qw_oKac9XQKLFdP_xW4-H_J-I-LFHEHBWuxTyGU25zhlFPKQ6Xao/s1600/fridgeafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1174" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1papXfRCDzxGXGqWAK51_m2qXhwKy9UtzhZYAOI_IDdWzQMaAL4d1YndYVmJf-BH89JFEgf-jKJaVrA-zGuX7f3Qw_oKac9XQKLFdP_xW4-H_J-I-LFHEHBWuxTyGU25zhlFPKQ6Xao/s320/fridgeafter.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
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Why is it so satisfying to see a clean, shiny refrigerator? Is it because I know there is no longer a puddle of crystalized maple syrup under the crisper drawer? (Honestly, I had no idea it was even there until I pulled the drawer out to clean.) It's nice to know that every crevasse has been wiped down. </div>
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Next area: the deep freezer. I just took the first batch of bone broth out of the cooker, and will start another this afternoon so I can clear that much space before I tackle the actual cleaning and organizing of the freezer. It will be easier if I don't have to wonder where to put a few large items!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Teaser:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvDtn-gsIcghI5zIYXLCDdOggOoFPHipEv0ogJgCNHeEEpUcAt-nC2kaKc7UGh8TN_XPg4RNC7OZm9KVHS8tDWg9mq7luHY6mlr9mD_WBbQwLp8qwcWwpFszqK9l-DqRcnQOPnq4tR4I/s1600/freezerbefore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvDtn-gsIcghI5zIYXLCDdOggOoFPHipEv0ogJgCNHeEEpUcAt-nC2kaKc7UGh8TN_XPg4RNC7OZm9KVHS8tDWg9mq7luHY6mlr9mD_WBbQwLp8qwcWwpFszqK9l-DqRcnQOPnq4tR4I/s320/freezerbefore.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stay tuned - an after picture is coming! Plus, I'll be taking inventory of the freezer, so check back later if you're wondering what's hiding underneath the top layer of frozen goods. :) </div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-6955804009490345242018-01-05T14:19:00.000-08:002018-01-05T14:19:09.869-08:00#lamehousewifegoals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My lame housewife goal for <i>December </i>was to clear all my kitchen countertops. I wanted a clutter-free kitchen where I could think and create! For me, having a clean kitchen equals happiness. I can handle some clutter elsewhere, but when my kitchen looks nice, I can still breathe.</div>
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I'm here to announce that I made my goal!</div>
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In January.</div>
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I accomplished the huge task this week. On January 3rd. It seemed like an impossible feat especially after welcoming the new year. We were out of town for the weekend, and had food to prepare right before leaving, which meant no time to clean up messes. These before pictures were taken after our return home, January 2nd. Oye. This is what a lived in house looks like, folks! It's a moment of reality. Truth. I am not a neat, picture-perfect blogging mom. I'm a meal-cooking, diaper-changing, errand-running housewife. And clearly, by the pictures, anything but a cleaner. (Honestly, I hate cleaning. But I love the results. haha)</div>
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This is my kitchen. Isn't it LOVELY? You can see it! Look at the beautiful wood pieces my husband built for me. You can actually see the toaster. There's room to cook! All of a sudden my teeny kitchen, with no counter space and no cupboards, feels like it has room. It's not as small as it seemed. And today, I am enjoying it. I just want to kick back on this beautiful wintery day and look at the outcome of my labor. </div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-22150283821368630492018-01-04T10:30:00.002-08:002018-01-04T10:30:28.275-08:00Cooking for a Crowd: Episode 13 - Christmas ChexMy Crowd Dessert day just so happened to be the same weekend as their Christmas Party, so we went right along with the festive occasion and served a fancy holiday dish.<br />
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Christmas Chex!</div>
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I've been working on using up odd ingredients that I have in my pantry, so this is where the idea sprang from. One random item sitting on my shelf was a big block of white vanilla bark. Generally people use this in place of white chocolate chips, for coating candies and such. It was given to me once upon a time, and I figured I'd use it by making truffles or something fun like that. Problem is, truffles are not the cheapest treat out there (hence why you only get three puny ones for a giant price tag at a restaurant), so I decided it was not a good choice for a crowd dessert. Knowing how easy it is to pop three in your mouth... and feeding 40 people... I'd have to make over 100 just to be sure everybody got some. That sounded like a lot of work, and a lot of money, so instead I googled "what to do with vanilla bark". I found all sorts of unhealthy recipes! I needed one that would yield enough dessert to serve everyone with the 24oz. brick I had, so the Christmas Chex mix that seemed to flood Pinterest looked like the recipe that would make the most out of the vanilla coating.</div>
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The recipe I used came straight from the Chex cereal website. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(You can find it here: <a href="https://www.chex.com/recipes/christmas-chex-party-mix/">https://www.chex.com/recipes/christmas-chex-party-mix/</a>) </span>I adapted it a bit to fit my needs and preferences, like omitting the mini marshmallows (ew!), and skipping out on the sprinkles, since I didn't have any and it wasn't worth my time or money to get some just for the sake of fancy garnishing.</div>
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So my version of this recipe used 4 basic components. </div>
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<b>PSA!!! Please note:</b> I did <i>not</i> say ingredients. There are way more than 4 ingredients in this dessert. Things like Cereal, Pillsbury dough, Cool Whip, and Condensed Soup are not ingredients, but food items made up of multiple ingredients. It is my pet peeve when people call processed foods like these ingredients. All too many times I come across recipes advertised as "Easy 4 Ingredient Casserole" or similar, when in reality it is four pre-made, pre-packaged, unhealthy items that you just open, dump, mix together, and bake. Such recipes are falsely named unless it literally is four ingredients such as potatoes, butter, salt, and milk. In which case you can just call it mashed potatoes. Thank you. </div>
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Where was I? Oh yes, the four basic components: chex cereal, pretzels, vanilla bark, and M&Ms. It also has a small amount of powdered sugar for coating. I had to go out and buy the cereal, pretzels, and M&Ms, since I didn't have any on hand (and don't generally). Unfortunately I wasn't able to find chex-like cereal at the store I was hoping to (where cereal is almost reasonably priced), so I had to go elsewhere and pay the price tag. I was able to get the store-brand, which saved me quite a bit over the brand name Chex, though still more than I was anticipating. The box of cereal cost me $3.29, the pretzels were $1, and the M&Ms were on sale for $2.49/bag (I only used half the bag). So my cost (minus the small amount of powdered sugar, which I have no way of calculating) for this dessert is $5.53. </div>
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<b>Total cost: $5.53 divided by 40 = $0.14/serving.</b></div>
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The amount was perfect for the size group I was feeding! There weren't any leftovers because people kept munching while socializing after the meal, but it did take awhile for the bowl full to disappear completely. A note for next time, or for you if you happen to try the recipe, is to add the M&Ms while the candy coating is still soft. The recipe asks you to put the M&Ms on after the mixture has hardened, when you break it up and prepare to serve, but I found that they just wanted to fall through the cracks and hang out on the bottom of the bowl. Had I known this, I'd have skipped the M&Ms entirely, except I still wanted the color pop they offered. So remember: add candies when the vanilla bark is still soft (preferably sprinkle them on right after you've spread your mixture on the sheet pans to dry). This way hopefully they will be able to stick some to the pretzels and cereal.</div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-81944240689264472232017-12-17T14:20:00.000-08:002017-12-17T14:20:00.423-08:00Cooking for a Crowd - Episode 12: ChiliI'm here to report on our December crowd meal! For once I have zero stories of crazy busyness keeping me from forgetting our meal day. I actually had time to prepare, spend time in the kitchen, run to the grocery store for some last minute fresh items. It was a good weekend.<br />
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Like I always do, I asked for my husband's suggestion on what to make. His immediate response was chili! I had just made it earlier that week, so I was like "Again? I just made it!". So I listed a few other ideas and he still wanted chili, and requested leftovers, so guess what I made?</div>
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Chili! </div>
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For some reason I felt like it hadn't been long since I made it for the crowd meal, but looking back in my blog posts I discovered it was last December, so a year ago. <a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2016/12/cooking-for-crowd-episode-2.html" target="_blank">(You can find that post here.)</a> I was curious to see if I could make it cheaper than last time with only a day to plan. We'll see how I did! </div>
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One of the perks of chili is that it's a very simple, but tasty dish. I can my own tomatoes, so it's not only quick, but also free. Beans are cheap, it doesn't require a huge amount of meat, and how hard is it to whip up a batch of cornbread?! I think this was the first time I've duplicated a meal that I've already blogged, so I was able to look back on last year's post for reference. That was super handy, and very convenient to figure how much of what ingredients I needed. I had originally thought I would need 4 lbs. of ground beef, but after looking back at my notes, realized I had used 6 lbs. last time, so we could've ended up with more of a tomato-bean soup otherwise. Ask <span style="font-size: xx-small;">[almost]</span> anyone - they like a meaty chili. Still trying to keep within a budget, I strive for the happy medium. </div>
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Here's the rundown on the pot of soup:</div>
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I used 10 quarts of chunky tomatoes (free), 2 pounds of dry kidney beans ($2.58), 6 lbs. beef ($12.38), and spices (probably about $1 worth). I put it in my 16-quart stockpot, and it almost filled it, so I'd say we were at around 14 quarts (3 1/2 gallons) of soup. I served sour cream with it (something I'd have forgotten had I not blogged about it previously), and while I spent $5.96 on 4 16oz. containers of sour cream, we only actually used two of them. So counting only the sour cream used, this part of the meal totals in at <b>$18.94</b>, which is a whole $3.02 less than last year! We had 5 quarts left over, which made both Aaron and me very satisfied. He got his leftovers to take to work, I had a few easy lunches for the kids and me, all giving me a few less meals to cook for! I ended up putting half of it in the freezer, so we'll have an easy pre-made supper in the next few weeks, too. </div>
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I made three batches of cornbread, and it filled a 10x15" and a 7x11" oblong baking dish. Combined, the two pans total 6.5 quarts, so I figure it would be about the same as if I had used two 9x13 baking dishes. We were able to get free milk this past week in exchange for taking care of a family member's place while they were on vacation, so that cut cornbread expenses greatly since I needed over 5 cups for the recipe. Part of my goal for this month was to make something that used a substantial amount of milk simply because we had zero cost in a refrigerator full. (Not that I didn't have a dozen other ways to use up milk! We went through 6 gallons easily in a week.) All the rest of the ingredients into the cornbread (cornmeal, flour, eggs, butter, etc.) cost me <b>$3.29</b>. That figure includes the butter and maple syrup used for serving. The maple syrup was free that someone gifted us. I used that rather than stuff we had bought because the gifted syrup was in a glass container and I was curious to know how much would get consumed (it ended up being 1/2 cup). Next time, I would make one more batch of cornbread, because we only ended up with one piece left after the meal was over. We wouldn't have minded bringing more home to go with our leftover chili.<br />
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To add some veggies to the meal, I made a salad as well. It seems like I always make salad and I am stuck in a rut of doing it the same way. Well, I switched it up a little bit this time by adding boiled eggs instead of tomatoes, but for next time I might switch up my salad game even further and try something new. We'll see. Anyhow, this month's salad consisted of 2 heads of iceberg lettuce (1.87), 1 cucumber (.88), 1 orange pepper (.41), 6 hard-boiled eggs (.72), and half a bag of croutons (.89). Salad dressing I estimate around $1.00. This makes the salad total in at <b>$5.79</b>. There were enough leftovers to feed 3 servings.<br />
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Now let's add up all three parts and see how we compare with last time! $18.94+$3.29+$5.79=<b> $28.02. </b>Wow! I made it under $30! That's only $1.06 more than last December, but I added a salad to the meal this time, and we ended up with more leftovers, so we definitely got a bigger bang for our buck. Dividing our total by the 40 mouths fed, and we come out at <b>70 cents per serving</b>. (For reference, while we served 40, only half of them were adults.) This month has made the top 3 list for least expense per serving!<br />
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-20251000392921712312017-11-11T07:30:00.000-08:002017-11-11T07:30:04.392-08:00Cooking for a Crowd - Episode 11: Tomato Soup Tomato Soup. Of course.<br />
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Actually I didn't originally plan to serve it this soon after making it, but I knew we were going to have a very crazy weekend which in turn would leave me not wanting to spend much time cooking.<br />
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I was right. Friday we were up super early and spent the day at my brother-in-law's place making applesauce. (Read about last year's applesauce day <a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2016/10/canning-applesauce.html" target="_blank"><i>here</i></a>.) It is always a huge production, and this year was certainly no exception. We broke the record and made over 1100 quarts in 8 hours. Some of that applesauce was saved aside for Sunday, when we were planning to turn it into apple butter. So Sunday was another early morning and long day. We were able to get 120 quarts of apple butter! If you've been reading the previous Crowd Cooking posts, you'll remember that Sunday is the day I serve these meals. So on apple butter Sunday, I was in charge of feeding everyone, on top of my husband and I being in charge of the whole apple butter event. But you know, we tend to attract crazy, and the whole lack of sleep and desire to cook didn't matter. I had tomato soup.<br />
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Two good things about the fact that we have a basement full of soup is this: it's cheap, and all you have to do is heat and serve. To go along with the meal, we made the classic grilled cheese sandwich, and a salad for the side. Here's the rundown on what we used, along with the expenses.<br />
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<b>Tomato Soup</b> - I opened 12 quart jars, and we ended up with 2 quarts left over. Cost per quart was 50 cents x 12 = <b>$6.00</b>.<br />
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<b>Grilled Cheese</b> - The bread came from Aunt Millie's Bakery Thrift Store, where I got two giant (1.75 lb!) loaves of Italian bread for $0.89 each. I also got two regular sized loaves of wheat bread at $0.50/each. Total cost on bread was $2.78. The cheese was a large block of mozzarella that I got at our food service store for $2.19/lb. They can slice it on the spot, so I had them do that for me. The block of cheese was just over 6 pounds, and cost 13.40. I estimate I got around 80 slices out of it. We used about 3.5 pounds and had 2.5 pounds leftover. The butter was some I had in the freezer that I purchased this summer at $2.50/lb. We used 1.5 pounds of it, so the total butter cost was $3.75.<br />
With bread, butter, and cheese, our total cost into the sandwiches equals $19.93, but if I subtract the leftover cheese ($5.40 worth), <b>our sandwich expense is at $14.53</b>. I had brought a loaf of homemade bread in case we needed more, but we ended up with enough of the bought bread leftover that we could've made a few more sandwiches.<br />
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<b>Salad</b> - 2 heads of lettuce @.97 each = $1.94, 1 cucumber @.50, 1 orange pepper @ 1.67, 1 bag croutons @$1.79, and several tomatoes that I had a free coupon for. For the salad dressing I had two jars of my homemade french and ranch, and also had 2 partially used store bought bottles of Italian and Thousand Island. We went through less than $1 worth of dressing total, but I'll call it a dollar for our figures. We ended up using only 1.5 heads of lettuce, and had a couple servings of salad leftover. <b>Cost into the whole salad was $6.90</b>.<br />
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Cost between all three parts total up to <b>$27.43</b>. This is an incredible number for the amount of people we were feeding (40). Our cost per person is at a low <b>68 cents</b>! This is the lowest cost crowd meal since <a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2016/12/cooking-for-crowd-episode-2.html" target="_blank">last December</a> (which was .67 per serving)! I am rather pleased that the cost was this far under a dollar a serving. It helps make up for some of my higher months this summer.<br />
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Note: You can read more about the home-canned tomato soup <a href="http://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2017/11/canning-tomato-soup.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-76870354872767263222017-11-09T09:36:00.000-08:002017-11-09T09:36:36.078-08:00Canning Tomato SoupAh yes, I have more to tell about my last produce auction buy. Remember the acorn squash? Those were a great deal! The other buy I haven't mentioned, is the tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes!<br />
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Where I live, our first frost is generally the second-to-last week in September. This has been SO different, in that we just got our first frost <i>the last week in October! </i>This extended our growing season a substantial amount. I just brought in the last of my spinach a few days ago, and that completed our garden. So at the October 13 produce auction, there were plenty of tomatoes. Since most people don't expect to find them this late in the year, their canning had been done months before, in the peak of tomato season. So with there not being a market for them anymore, they were going really cheap.<br />
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Our tomatoes did terrible this year. The deer ate off most of the plants, too much rain killed another one, and there just weren't many blossoms left after all that. We were able to get enough to keep us eating fresh, but our canning tomatoes came from elsewhere. A friend of mine let me come clean out her tomato patch after she was finished with her canning, and I ended up getting several bushels! From that, I was able to cross a few items off my "we need to can this year" list. I was even able to can a pot of tomato soup - something we had been wanting to do since we were married, but weren't able to get ahold of the recipe until now. Yeah, we could've found someone else's recipe, but this tomato soup is different, and so much better than any either Aaron or I have ever tried. We figured we could go through at least a quart a week easy, so the batch I made from the friend's tomatoes wasn't quite as much as we figured we could go through in a year.<br />
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Produce auction to the rescue!<br />
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I mean, since they have been going for a mere $1 a box at the end of the season, I could easily get a few boxes and finish off what we needed. Get double that, and we wouldn't have to can any next year! Since we're all over not having to can everything every year, this sounded like a great plan. So I bid and I bought. The problem is, I didn't know how many quarts I could get per bushel. It never even occurred to me until after I brought them home. That might've been a good thing to know ahead of time. I mean, the two of us have canned several bushels of tomatoes in one day before, so I didn't think much of it. But then we started counting.... and figured I had just brought home about 11 bushels of tomatoes.<br />
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It still didn't faze me. I was excited, I hadn't spent a whole lot of money, and we were going to get our tomato soup that we wanted! After I brought Aaron out to see my purchase sitting there in the bed of the truck, we came inside and he asked when I was going to can it. Of course I said "Today!" I've always known tomatoes to be a more fragile fruit, so it's best not to let them sit and rot. They are so much easier to work with fresh. So I was going to start canning that afternoon. My amazing, supportive, go-with-the-flow husband jumped right in and assumed he was going to help me with it. I wasn't going to ask for his help, but all of a sudden he was working along side of me. His next question was asking where I planned to do it all. And of course, I said my kitchen. I mean, where else do I go to cook? But him being smarter than me said "Look, my brother has a huge commercial kitchen with a 10-burner stove. We could go over there and whip this stuff out in no time!" We have a tiny kitchen. I only have two stock pots, can only use one of them on my stove at a time, but have a two burner outdoor propane stove that we could use. Still, with our limited countertop space, this would be a huge task, so my visionary husband hardly needed to twist my arm before we were loading up jars, ingredients, canning equipment, and the kids to head on over to the canning kitchen.<br />
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Besides all the stove burners, stock pots, and stainless-steel countertops, another perk was that we could hose everything down when we were done! It hardly made a mess, but still, its nice that we didn't have to worry about tomato getting onto <i>everything</i>. </div>
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The soup was pretty easy to make. We took the whole tomatoes (skin and all), and chopped them into a stock pot, and added a couple finely chopped onions to it. Let it cook down until soft and run the mixture through the Squeezo (or Victorio) strainer. The strainer is what separates the good stuff from the pulp. To make things go faster (and to save our arms), Aaron hooked his drill up to the strainer. He managed the tomato washing, soup straining, and canning. We both chopped the tomatoes and stirred the simmering pots, and I prepared the onions, mixed up the rest of the ingredients, and washed the dishes. A couple of nieces and nephews came out to watch, which led to them begging to try running the Victorio! The few minutes of extra help freed up some time for Aaron to get the canners going.</div>
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This is by far the biggest cooking pot I've ever seen! It holds about 15 gallons. It's so big, my 6-foot husband could hide behind it! </div>
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Because we didn't get started until mid-afternoon, we could only get about half of the tomatoes finished. The rest of them looked to be in good enough condition that they would hold a few more days pretty well, so we went back two days later (Aaron's next off day), to finish them. All in all, we ended up with 191 quarts! This was um, more than anticipated. I was hoping for like 100. Looking on the bright side, we won't have to can tomato soup again until after the year 2022. Another good thing was the fact that I already had that many jars washed and ready in the basement, so that cut down on some time in the canning prep. The first summer we were married we went out and bought dozens upon dozens of jars in all sizes for an amazing price, and we still have a couple hundred of those jars sitting in the basement unused. </div>
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Also, while the tomatoes were cheap, there was other cost into the rest of the ingredients, like onions, spices, salt, etc. Calculating all our expenses and dividing it 191 ways, we figure we made it all at 50 cents per quart. That's not bad at all for a can of soup. If you went out and bought a small can of Campbell's soup (which isn't even comparable in flavor) at retail, you'd be spending more than that! With that being said, if you're in the market for some tomato soup, I might be able to work out a deal for you. Otherwise, don't be surprised if you happen to find some under your Christmas tree.</div>
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<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-31312323514138760012017-11-01T10:18:00.000-07:002017-11-01T10:18:58.155-07:00Pumpkin SalesNow that pumpkin growing season is officially over, it's time for a report on our crop!<div>
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You may remember that we started our pumpkin plants from seed this year in hopes of getting an earlier harvest. We used our mini greenhouse during some of the cooler spring days and nights, and ended up losing a few plants from accidentally leaving the heater on during the day once. I have since bought a light timer, so that should prevent this from happening again in the future. </div>
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I planted three different varieties of pumpkins: Howden, Jack O'Lantern, and pie pumpkins from seeds I had saved a couple years ago. This was my first year branching out and trying anything other than a pie pumpkin. I was aiming to try a couple new varieties, while also getting a nice range in size. I'd say I had the best success with my pie pumpkins. The yield was much better on these than each of the other kinds. I harvested almost as many pie pumpkins as I did the other two varieties combined. The Howden did the second best. It gave nice, uniform fruit with really pretty grooves. They are more round and robust in shape, making for a nice decorative autumn squash, rather than a taller and narrow(ish) pumpkin like you would normally see carved. The Jack O' Lantern variety didn't leave me too pleased. These pumpkins did really well at the beginning of the season, growing big and fast, but they seemed to stop growing halfway through the summer, and never filled out. If you look at the picture I had posted earlier this summer (I'll post it again below), it's the one on the left. See how long it is? It was a good 12" long when I took the picture, but didn't grow beyond that! The skin was pretty tough, and they had a hard time turning orange. I probably got 7-8 of these long pumpkins (from several plants!), and only picked one orange one, and one other that had turned color only halfway. The rest sat out in the garden doing absolutely nothing. I'm not sure if there were a few defective seeds in the bunch or what, but they honestly don't even resemble pumpkins to me. They remind me more of an elongated green spaghetti squash.</div>
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In this image, you can see the one longer pumpkin there on the right. Isn't it weird looking?</div>
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My goal in planting pumpkins was to set them out at a farm stand in front of our property and sell them to help cover my garden expenses for the year. Unfortunately not only did the yellow cucumber beetles appear early in the season, but we had a terrible infestation of gray squash bugs, as well. I felt like I was battling a war against them, and there being hundreds of them to one of me, they got out of hand fast. These bugs killed about half of the buds, so ... we lost almost half of our pumpkins. </div>
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In order to hit the busy buying season, I needed to start selling them by the middle to end of September. I had a few orange ones picked and ready by then, but didn't get my stand up until October 2nd. We live on a fairly main road heading into town, so I knew there would be plenty of people driving by, but when a day had past and nobody stopped I started getting discouraged and thought maybe my price was a little high. I had priced them competitively, but wondered if I needed to have them a bit lower just to get people to make a special stop just for pumpkins. While I procrastinated and thought about it, I got my first and second customers, and then felt like if I lowered the price at that point, those buyers might feel like they got a bad deal, so I just left the prices alone. Over the next two weeks I sold quite a few more pumpkins. The most common amount spent at the stand was $3-4 per customer, but there were a few that spent between $5-12 and bought more of the larger ones. </div>
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When I was out picking the pumpkins, I had a few that lost their stems in the process. That really bugged me, because in general, people go for the ones with stems. I felt like I was losing a dollar every time one of the stems popped off. Because I didn't have a huge crop of pumpkins compared to what I was hoping for, I put the stemless ones out there anyway, to add bulk to the table. As the old farmer's market saying goes, "Pile 'em high, and watch 'em fly!" I ended up selling all of the ones I had out there without stems! They didn't go right away, but eventually someone chose them for their own. I sold that funny long pumpkin, too!</div>
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As I mentioned earlier, I tried to price them competitively. The pie pumpkins all went for $1, and the largest pumkins for $4. I had some in between ones that I had marked at $2 and $3, depending on size. The $1 pie pumpkins and the $3 medium-large ones were gone the fastest. I had a container out there so it was a self-serve, help yourself stand. A few people must not have felt comfortable leaving their money out there, so they knocked on my door to hand the money right to me. That works for me too, but it's nice not having to feel like I needed to be watching the driveway all day long. I ended up selling all the pumpkins out there, with the exception of one greener funny-looking long pumpkin that I put out later in the season. My total earnings off pumpkins came to $57! I was not expecting to do that well, especially with such a piddly little crop. I am super excited to have a reward at the end of the somewhat stressful gardening season. It makes it all feel worth it. This has more than covered the cost of seeds for 2017, and will cover next year's as well. Seeing how much I was able to make off a mini pumpkin patch has gotten me a touch ambitious for next year, and I may have been planning my next garden already.... If I can do that well on a few pumpkins, what if I expand the stand a bit and sell some more produce next year? Or, if you read my recent post titled <a href="https://freetimemom.blogspot.com/2017/10/deal-of-week.html" target="_blank">"Deal of the Week"</a>, you heard about my other business idea; selling at the produce auction. </div>
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EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6503245009750508785.post-45394791710405652882017-10-25T09:31:00.000-07:002017-10-25T09:31:07.670-07:00Find of the Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the weekend I happened upon a yard sale out in the country, so as one might expect, curiosity made my car turn into the driveway. I was sure it was way past sale season, being that it's the end of October, but on a warm 70-some degree morning it just felt right.<br />
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The sale was a very small one, and I learned it was made up of leftovers from a yard sale they had earlier that summer. I was met with a good morning and a "Just ignore the price tags. Everything is name-your-price today." Just walk by her table, barely say "Would you take..." and she would say yes. I left with a few old Taste of Home and Quick Cooking magazines, since I love browsing recipes and am eager to try a few new ones this winter. I had been meaning to get to the library to borrow some but this deal was even better, because I don't have to worry about returning them, I can cut out recipes if I feel like it, and I don't have to stress out about my kids getting ahold of them. The other thing I found was something I have had on my yard sale "to-find" list for two years. I've been wanting a jar tall enough to store dried spaghetti noodles. My pantry is all on open shelving in my kitchen, due to a tiny house and very limited storage and cupboard space. I didn't realize how hard it was to find a tall jar until I decided I wanted one! In the picture above I have a gallon jar standing next to it for comparison. These gallon jars have always been the tallest jars on my shelves; they are even taller than Ball half-gallon jars. The new spaghetti jar towers over them all, and is absolutely perfect for what I need!<br />
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Have you found any exciting-to-you deals lately?<br />
<br />EMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11197925758200990398noreply@blogger.com0