A Day of Celebration

Autumn Equinox
First Day of Autumn (which started at 11:13 LAST night)
Mabon

We celebrate this day,thankful for cooler weather(ok,thankful when it finally gets here) and thankful for the harvest that is coming in from the fields.

The heat of the summer is still lingering, I started gearing towards canning the late summer/early fall harverst as I have starting canning apples for sauce and looking at the pumpkin I bought to can this week.

This is the day I "fall" clean from top to bottom, decorate the house with fall colors, decorate my stand with squash( this year it is a pumpkin instead of gourds, beans, grains, nuts and an apple.I also have a cinnamon apple candle lit on it and a pot of applecider, cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange zest simmering to scent the house( not to drink, that I will make this afternoon for the evening meal).

The evening meal with be spiced hot cider( maybe iced instead),corn chowder, pork chops with apples,roasted root veggies and carrot and raisin cake for dessert.

With grateful heart of blessings that have came our way and continue thru the year.

Blessed Be

chicken

Kroger's had whole chicken for sale for 88 cents/lb here.These were regular chickens not roasters but a 5 lb fryer is still 5 lb of chicken so I picked up 4 of them.

The largest 2 went in the freezer double wrapped to protect (besides I am weird over possible chicken leaks).I know I will make at least 3 meals out of each one when I roast them. It wouldn't be unusually to end up with 4 meals if I make chicken and dumplings or chicken soup with the carcass.For around $5 per chicken that is around $1.66 per MEAL if I only make 3 meals out of one and $1.25 per MEAL if I make 4.

The other two smaller ones I cut up. I don't do a pretty job when I cut up a chicken but the pieces are recognizable.I ended up with 4 thighs which is 1 meal, 4 legs which will be a second meal,4 breasts which will be another 2 meals and I cut the wings in 3rds so the 2 larger parts will be wings for appetizer night( we eat them as a meal in a restaurant might as well at home) and the tips went in the dutch oven with the fat and backs along with an onion, 2 regular carrots and 2 stalks of celery and water.Popped in the oven to do it's thing to make broth which will convert to soup or dumplings. Figuring what it costs the smaller 2 chickens came to $8.84 with at least 5 meals out of them that is $1.77 per MEAL.Knowing I have the chicken scraps and veggies in the dutch oven cooking( heating up the kitchen again with the oven)I will have 2 more meals ( one with dumplings and one with noddles) out of it.I figure the chicken scraps are free since the cost was figured into the other meals. The jumbo onion cost me $1, the 2 regular carrots costs me 20 cents total and the 2 stalks of celery costs me 30 cents total( yes I actually counted how many stalks and how many carrost there was and divided the cost out).SO for $1.50 I have the beginnings of another 2 meals.

I make my own noodles but I know for around a dollar or so you can buy a bag of noodles..okay it might be $2 now days. Dumplings can be made with a can of biscuits( cheap and cut in fourths) for around $1.20 last time I bought biscuits.


Figuring that as an estimate...for $1.75( or $2.75 for chicken and noodles and $1.95 for chicken dumplings for a meal ...that's a good deal.

storm is rolling in so I must go...

Blessed be

YOUR MONEY GOD'S WAY

YOUR MONEY GOD’S WAY by Amie Streater

If I was with in traveling distance to attend church with this lady I would in a heart beat. Down to Earth and real is the way I would describe her and this book. She gives us ( and admits she’s done it to herself) a real kick in the pants with false beliefs and how we make dumb, dumber and dumpest choices concerning our money.

She lays the ground work for you to turn it around and do it GOD’S WAY.

This is a book that every high school student should study and it wouldn’t hurt any of us, even those that are doing well in their money matters to read and reread through the years.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

weekly chores

Ever hear of the saying Monday wash day,Tuesday ironing day,Wednesday sewing day, Thursday odd job day, Friday cleaning day( bed linen was changed this day but not washed until Monday), Saturday baking and bath day and Sunday the day of rest????

Sunday the day of rest. This one I seem to struggle with the most. GOD took a day of rest so why do I think I have to work more than he did?

As I write this it runs through my head I need to clean out the 3 refrigerators to make sure there is nothing that needs to go in the trash as it goes to the curb tonight.If I was being a good steward of my food there wouldn't be food going in the trash to begin with. I didn't do any baking yesterday so I need to make the granola bars for Hubby's lunch box today since he works tonight(his Monday.


Monday wash day is my favorite especially when I can hang clothes on the line.Though tomorrow will be a late start as I have to go to the doctor's for a check up since I've been down sick to the point of pneumonia.

Tuesday ironing day...been there done that.The best thing I can say now days if I absolutely must iron something it is going to be sprinkled with water and frozen for at least 20 min before I iron...makes it easier.Spent many years doing ironing for a living out of my home.

Wednesday sewing day...hummmm...you mean you aren't suppose to wait until the laundry basket,box or trash bag you have it stored in doesn't explode all over the place before doing it?

Thursday odd job day.I think Thursday has over ran ALL the other days of the week as this seems to be what side tracks me from doing what I should be doing instead...except laundry on Mondays.

Friday cleaning day...sigh...I really liked it when I cleaned on Monday but that no longer works because of Hubby working 3rd without overtime so he is here by 7 am( Sunday night is his Monday) and wants to go to sleep.Midget house is too small for me to move around much without waking him up so Fridays is better I guess since he doesn't work Friday nights.Still I side track a lot with Thursday odd jobs.

Saturday baking and bath day. The bath part is understandable LOL.Those that don't know, in the old days you carted water by bucket, heated it on the stove that was fired with wood(corn cobs, coal etc) and then dumped it in a metal tub that was what would be about the size of a good size round trash can cut in half.Took your bath (cleanest to dirtiest in same water) then dumped it out.Not something you cared to do every day.They did daily take what is fondly called sponge baths or sink baths...in other words "WASHED UP" using a pan of water( still heated on the stove) instead of the full bath.

Baking was done on this day for the week. When the kids were little we went through a loaf of bread each meal.Take it back in time and I would have had to bake at least 21 loaves of bread a week if not more due to working more manual labor then we do now. Along with cakes, pies and cookies on Saturday.This would not be throwing a mix together or thawing out dough but making it and letting it rise( sometimes twice) before baking.It wasn't unusual when I was baking bread to bake 3 loaves with a sheet cake under them at the same time.

Have a Blessed day

corn cob jelly and syrup

first my days have been completely in taking care of Sammy in his final days here with us in this world so this got shoved back..again...some more...

Corn cob syrup and jelly...

don't matter which one you are going to make both start the same.

12 corn cobs that have had the corn cut off...I used ones that I cut off the corn for freezing.

6 cups of water to cover corn

bring to a boil and simmer for 30 min.

strain (I don't strain because I like corn particals in my syrup and jelly)

now here is where the difference lies....

FOR JELLY you need to have 3 cups of corn juice so if there is not enough "juice" add water until you have 3 cups. Add 1 pkg of pectin and bring to a rolling boil.Stir in 3 cups of sugar and boil for 2-3 min or it reaches jelly stage.Pour in to clean jelly jars and process in canner according to the same directions as apple jelly.

FOR SYRUP measure what ever corn juice there is...for light syrup add 3/4 cup of sugar, medium syrup would be 1 cup of sugar and heavy syrup would be 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 10 to 15 min until all sugar is dissolved.

process in canner same as apple jelly.

I do use corn cob jelly and syrup on corn bread or Mexican desserts...

I will note here that any time I have a jelly that doesn't set...it gets used as a syrup instead.

OUT LIVE YOUR LIFE by Max Lucado

OUT LIVE YOUR LIFE by Max Lucado...good book, interesting comparsion between people(us) of these times and those in the Bible times. Thought provoking...a little on the dry side for my personal taste. I do think the title does not reflect the writing inside the book...I would have named it something more in line of "We are
st like them" or "Same as you and me".

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

death of loved one

 

He was in the slammer as a vagrant.Unloved and unwanted because he was disabled. I asked him if he wanted to come home with me and he stood up and said yes.He was honest, he was a begger and a theif, disabled and unsure of his age but he would do his best to follow the rules and get along with me and mine.

For five months and two days, he was a blessing beyond what we ever thought he would be.With in days he knew he was home and safe, that we loved him and accepted him as he was.As his lower back disks gave out and caused him to no longer be able to get up on his own or sometimes not even stand, he never stopped showing his love and how grateful he was.At the clinic he laid in my arms, not whimpering from the pain he must have felt but nuzzling to show both hubby and me that he loved us, that it was okay. I held him until his heart beat no more with grief to match the love.

Our only comfort is knowing he is now running on all four legs, playing as he wanted...no as he needed to be and easily picture him sharing bread with our Lord

GOD BLESS YOU SAMMY...Sam I am, I am Sam...Sammy Wammy...Samuel Adams Sheltie.