Simple Truths

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the Word."
Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet.  So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.  The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:

1. To See
2. To Hear - (sign)
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
7. To Love

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous! A gentle reminder - that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

  

  

Nanaimo Bars Recipe - Not healthy but oh so yummy

A few years ago my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin and I went to Victoria, BC. We had a WONDERFUL time. My sweet uncle took us for High tea at the Empress. That was worth the entire trip. It was expensive - what a beautiful gift he gave us. If you ever get that way save up your dollars and go. We also did lots of walking and sight seeing. When we started to flag we stopped at a little bakery for a coffee and treat. The treat we chose was Nanaimo Bars. I came across this recipe. I plan to make them at some point and thought I would share the recipe with you as well.

Four tens

I'm going to try four tens this year.  So four, ten hour days.  Which means I won't get home until a bit after five.  I will need to be VERY organized and get my menus lined out so I won't have to come home and wonder what to make for dinner....

I want healthy, easy, yummy, and homemade.  Not a bit picky am I.  :-)

Pure Filtered Bees Wax

The bees wax turned out beautiful.  If you would like to see it check it out HERE at Swenson Hives and Honey Bees.

Third Honey Harvest

Third Honey Harvest

Swenson Hives and Honey Bees

If you would like to see the latest honey harvest click on the link above.

Salad in a Jar

Very cool idea!!

A Year's Supply

While you are 'putting by' I thought you might enjoy some information from years gone by.

A recommended year's supply of food from The Klondike Official Guide of 1898 consisted of:

450 pounds of flour
50 pounds of oatmeal
25 pounds of cornmeal
250 pounds of good fat bacon
50 pounds of hams
25 pounds of dried apples
25 pounds of dried peaches
25 pounds of tea
10 pounds of coffee
100 pounds of sugar
120 pounds of beans
10 pounds of barley
15 pounds of rice
6 pounds extract of beef
12 pounds of baking powder
30 pounds of salt
1 pound of pepper
1 pound of mustard
12 pounds of compressed vegetables
30 pounds of canned fruits
24 pounds of jam
10 pounds of baking soda
35 pounds of dried potato and onion

This is per adult.

From

The Klondike official guide 

For more information and free downloadable books check out: http://www.pioneerhandbooks.com/ 

Book Review - Heaven is for Real

I just finished reading Heaven is for Real 

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.

Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.

Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

If you haven't read this book I recommend it.  The above description gives you the gist but it should be on your must read list.  It will bless you I promise.

I highly recommend this book!!!  

That's the sun

It is 8:10 AM

And this is the sun...  It is hidden behind all the smoke in the air.

Little towns northwest of us have been evacuated.  The question is no longer if but when the fire will hit their towns.  BLM is there and working but the fire is not containable.  It will take winter snows to put it out.  They are there to try and protect structures.

Please pray for the safety of the fire fighters and for the residents being displaced by the fires.

a little bird

Still learning...

Last night I processed my vegetable mixture for 90 minutes.  This is a long time.  This morning I did a bit more research and found:
"All tomato-vegetable mixtures must be processed in a pressure canner, according to the directions for the vegetable in the mixture that has the longest processing time."
So Easy to Preserve Cooperative Extension the University of Georgia

Onions require 40 minutes.  I think that was my longest vegetable.  Zucchini is no longer listed alone but tomatoes with zucchini are 35 minutes.  So I think I could have processed for 40 minutes.  So this gal is still learning.  My mixture turned out great and even though it was really cooked I know it will be wonderful this winter.

a little bird

Canning Mixed Vegetables

Mixed Vegetables

When I got home from work today my DH had picked the tomatoes and the green beans.  While I dipped the tomatoes and got those all ready to go he cubed the zucchini, chopped the onion and cut the green beans to size..

GREAT help!!!

We will do this now through the remainder of the season.  A canner at a time through the week after work  and then  I can handle more on the weekend..

My mix above is:

tomatoes

green beans

zucchini, cubed

onion, chopped

2 tablespoons salt

bring to a boil for 5 minutes

put in your hot jars, 1" head-space

PRESSURE CAN for 90 minutes (quarts)

RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS

How do I? ...Can Vegetables Selecting, Preparing and Canning Vegetables Mixed Vegetables 6 cups sliced carrots 6 cups cut, whole kernel sweet corn 6 cups cut green beans 6 cups shelled lima beans 4 cups whole or crushed tomatoes 4 cups diced zucchini Optional mix – You may change the suggested proportions or substitute other favorite vegetables except leafy greens, dried beans, cream-style corn,  winter squash and sweet potatoes. Yield: 7 quarts Please read Using Pressure Canners before beginning. If this is your first time  canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning. Procedure: Except for zucchini, wash and prepare vegetables as described for carrots, corn, lima beans, snap beans or italian beans and tomatoes. Wash, trim, and slice or cube zucchini; combine all vegetables in a large pot or kettle, and add enough water to cover pieces. Add 1 teaspoon salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Boil 5 minutes and fill jars with hot pieces and liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process following the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the method of canning used. Table 1. Recommended process time for Mixed Vegetables in a dial-gauge pressure canner. Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 2,000 ft 2,001 - 4,000 ft 4,001 - 6,000 ft 6,001 - 8,000 ft Hot Pints 75 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb Quarts 90 11 12 13 14 Table 2. Recommended process time for Mixed Vegetable in a weighted-gauge pressure canner. Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 1,000 ft Above 1,000 ft Hot Pints 75 min 10 lb 15 lb Quarts 90 10 15

A light at the end of the smoke... :-)

It's getting better. We are supposed to be clearing - that's a good thing!!

The Lantern is Working

My dear husband got my lantern going.  Some new mantles a little oil in the right places and here she is.

Hanging in the house

My dear sweet husband is outside doing this and that.  He came in a minute ago and his eyes are burning from the smoke.

I'm hanging in the house with the air conditioner on and all the windows shut.  Just too smokey out there for me.

That's a good excuse to read a book or make some cookies don't you think??

Hope you are having a blessed Sunday and even getting a nap in.

Smokey Skies

We had a beautiful breeze come through yesterday.  It blew a lot of the smoke out.  Our visibility is a mile + now which is much better!

One thing about smokey skies is the sun rise and set are amazing.  I thought I would share our view.  This is out the back door about 10 minutes ago.

Sunday blessings to you.

a little bird

Fire, fire everywhere!

It is so smokey here today!!! It has been all week but today the skies are gray with smoke. We have wild fires all around us and the air quality is proof...

Trinity Ridge Fire crowns on August 6, 2012. Courtesy U. S. Forest Service

U.S. drought drives up food prices worldwide

From CNN Money:
The drought that's drying up the Heartland isn't just an American problem. It's causing food prices to surge worldwide.

And it could get worse.

"This is not some gentle monthly wake-up call, it's the same global alarm that's been screaming at us since 2008," said Colin Roche of Oxfam, noting that the drought could lead to food shortages for millions of people worldwide...  Read More  

I guess I better keep canning, freezing and putting by.
a little bird

Zucchini Soup

Perfect for this time of  year.  Do you have zucchini everywhere??  If so here is a way to put them by for this winter.





Click to link to the recipe.


CANNING
Recommendations for canning cubed or sliced zucchini (considered a summer squash),
have been withdrawn due to uncertainty about the determinations of safe processing times.
Squashes are low-acid vegetables and require pressure canning for a known period of time that
will destroy bacteria caused by botulism. Science-based documentation for the previous
processing times cannot be found, and reports that are available do not support the old process.
Due to this, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED THAT YOU HOME CAN ZUCCHINI.

I made this soup and it was wonderful.  Since it is no longer recommended to can zucchini I put this in the freezer.

My mom did corn today.

I just got off the phone with my mom.  She did two bushels of corn.  She did one bushel last night and the second this morning.  I think that is wonderful.  My mom has always put food by and she still does.  She is an amazing lady!
Thank you mom for setting an example.

The beets are done.

26 pints of beets.  So not quite a bushel.  

If you're a counter you'll notice there are only 25 pints pictured... 

Yep, you're right one of the pints was held out for fresh to eat tonight.

yum.

The garden still has beans, cabbage, corn, tomatoes, peppers,  and grapes.  So the process is just beginning but this is my favorite time of year. 

 I love the harvest. 

Pickling Beets

Today was the day to pick the beets.  I have about a bushel.  My family LOVES pickled beets.  I put a pint jar on the table as a side for dinner and they eat them all.  I like pickled beets and one or two can be nice but my DH and sons love them.   So what that means is the whole bushel will be pickled.

There is a recipe HERE for pickled beets or you can use my favorite from Putting Food By.

Follow the instructions from the above recipe.  The only difference is the pickling syrup.

Fill clean, hot jars with hot beets (slices or small whole beets), leaving 1/2 inch headroom for pints, 1 inch for quarts.  Add boiling Pickling Syrup, leaving the above headroom. Adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water bath for 30 minutes at sea level.  Remember to check your altitude adjustments.

Pickling Syrup
equal parts of vinegar and sugar
2 cups vinegar - 2 cups sugar, etc.

Plan on 1/2 to 3/4 cup of syrup for each pint jar.

Altitude Adjustment Chart for Pickled Beets below:

Table 1. Recommended process time for Pickled Beets in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 3,000 ft	3,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints or Quarts	30 min	35	40	45