School starts on Monday. That's right, just 4 days and they will be sitting in their little chairs listening to the teacher.
Colin is going into KINDERGARTEN!!! My baby is going to school for 7 hours this year. his teacher is Mrs. Ulrich. She's a great teacher who I met last year with Keely in kindergarten. She's very mellow and calm, cute as a button, and Ulysses really warmed up to her. I think that it will be a good match for him.
Keely is going into 1st grade!!! Her teacher is Mrs. Boyette. Mrs. Boyette lives 4 houses away. Her kindergarten teacher feels that she is the best match for Keely's personality. She has one of her friends in her class so I think that it will help some of her anxiety.
On a very exciting note, the autism specialist for the school (Mrs. Pacheco) who had taken a large interest in my kids last year, continued her quest in helping me out over the summer. She went to the Collin County Co-Op and talked to them about Colin and re-opening his IEP. We have to wait a few weeks just to get everything started in motion, but it looks like this year is starting off in a positive light!!!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Pickles, Anyone???
This was my first time making pickles. I learned one VERY important thing.... do it on a day when you can open the windows and air out the house. It still smells of dill pickles 15 hours later!!!
Making pickles is fairly easy. A good way to use up all of those cucumbers from the garden at my parents house. Keely tends to love pickles as much as my dad, so why not make a few jars.
Slice cucumbers thin.
Mix up the all important pickling brine (For my first batch, I cheated and bought the pre-mixed stuff. Next batch I will do everything myself).
Place cucumbers into hot mason jar. Ladle the brine on top leaving 1/2" headspace. Process for 10 minutes in the canner.
Wait 24 hours to check the seals.
1 jar for us. 1 jar for my dad. 1 jar for Grandma Gerry. 1 jar for Leonard. 1 jar left over.
Making pickles is fairly easy. A good way to use up all of those cucumbers from the garden at my parents house. Keely tends to love pickles as much as my dad, so why not make a few jars.
Slice cucumbers thin.
Mix up the all important pickling brine (For my first batch, I cheated and bought the pre-mixed stuff. Next batch I will do everything myself).
Place cucumbers into hot mason jar. Ladle the brine on top leaving 1/2" headspace. Process for 10 minutes in the canner.
Wait 24 hours to check the seals.
1 jar for us. 1 jar for my dad. 1 jar for Grandma Gerry. 1 jar for Leonard. 1 jar left over.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Mmmm..... Blueberry Jam
I don't really sit down much. If I'm not working with or playing with the kids, I'm cleaning and in between the kids and cleaning, there are the crafts.
Last night, I put the kids to bed and pulled out 6 cups of fresh blueberries. It was time...
Take room temperature berries and smush the daylights out of them. Add 4 cups of sugar and bring slowly to a boil.
Once the berries start to boil, turn up the heat, and boil until it reaches the gelling point (when the jam sheets off a spoon held away from the steam).
Ladle it into hot jars, attach lids, and stick into boiling water making sure to have at least an inch or two of water over the top of the jars.
Boil jars in water for 15 minutes. Remove. Let sit for 24 hours. Check the seals on the jar by pushing the center. Hide the jars from the kids so they have no idea you have made such a special treat.
The following morning, wake kids up early exclaiming about the special surprise and they have to get out of bed before the breakfast train leaves. When they sit down half asleep in the chairs, present them with toast smothered in jam!!!
Last night, I put the kids to bed and pulled out 6 cups of fresh blueberries. It was time...
Take room temperature berries and smush the daylights out of them. Add 4 cups of sugar and bring slowly to a boil.
Once the berries start to boil, turn up the heat, and boil until it reaches the gelling point (when the jam sheets off a spoon held away from the steam).
Ladle it into hot jars, attach lids, and stick into boiling water making sure to have at least an inch or two of water over the top of the jars.
Boil jars in water for 15 minutes. Remove. Let sit for 24 hours. Check the seals on the jar by pushing the center. Hide the jars from the kids so they have no idea you have made such a special treat.
The following morning, wake kids up early exclaiming about the special surprise and they have to get out of bed before the breakfast train leaves. When they sit down half asleep in the chairs, present them with toast smothered in jam!!!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Brown is the New Green
For those who do not know... Andy, my brother, sold his beloved Chevy truck and bought himself a fancy shmancy Ford F350 Diesel.
Andy has decided to start using used oil from local restaurants to make Bio-Diesel (or as we lovingly refer to it as "Bio-Andy" since our dear Willie Nelson's bio-Willie is no longer). This is his super duper bio-making machine :)
What's my part in all of this bio-diesel talk? One of the byproducts from making BioD is glycerin. Many people simply dump this stuff out. That is not an environmentally good way to deal with it. We are making soap out of the glycerin. If you look on your common cleaners and soaps you will notice that they use glycerin too.
The jar on the left is made with mixed oils (veggie, canola, soy). The the jar on the right is made with peanut oil. Both have the bio-diesel layer on the top and the glycerin layer is settled on the bottom.
Until we get our still made, I am cooking the glycerin layer in buckets in the sun for two days and then sticking it in a pot on the BBQ to boil it.
Once cooled, I mix water, a caustic, and a few drops of scent into the glycerin. A few minutes of stirring and I have soap!!! Since we are using oils that are liquid at room temperature, bar soap is VERY difficult to make. Our liquid soap is gentle and safe to use as shampoo and body soap, safe enough to use as a dish soap, tough enough to use as a degreaser and laundry soap.
http://www.biodveggie.com/index.html
This is Andy's site he is very slowly building. He started building it only a few days ago.
Andy has decided to start using used oil from local restaurants to make Bio-Diesel (or as we lovingly refer to it as "Bio-Andy" since our dear Willie Nelson's bio-Willie is no longer). This is his super duper bio-making machine :)
What's my part in all of this bio-diesel talk? One of the byproducts from making BioD is glycerin. Many people simply dump this stuff out. That is not an environmentally good way to deal with it. We are making soap out of the glycerin. If you look on your common cleaners and soaps you will notice that they use glycerin too.
The jar on the left is made with mixed oils (veggie, canola, soy). The the jar on the right is made with peanut oil. Both have the bio-diesel layer on the top and the glycerin layer is settled on the bottom.
Until we get our still made, I am cooking the glycerin layer in buckets in the sun for two days and then sticking it in a pot on the BBQ to boil it.
Once cooled, I mix water, a caustic, and a few drops of scent into the glycerin. A few minutes of stirring and I have soap!!! Since we are using oils that are liquid at room temperature, bar soap is VERY difficult to make. Our liquid soap is gentle and safe to use as shampoo and body soap, safe enough to use as a dish soap, tough enough to use as a degreaser and laundry soap.
http://www.biodveggie.com/index.html
This is Andy's site he is very slowly building. He started building it only a few days ago.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
An update about absolutely nothing....
A quick update since I have been MIA for a while...
My aunt has been here from England. I haven't seen her in 12 years, so it's been great visiting with her. I have seen her all but one day while she has been here. She's so much fun!!!! My grandparents took her to CA to visit all of the family (being that my grandparents, my parents, myself and one of my two brothers are the only ones here in Dallas). Of course, I saw this as an oppurnity to get some sewing/knitting done.... and then I pinched a nerve in my back. How did I accomplish such a wonderful thing??? I was picking zucchini in the garden. I stood up and that was that. I have been on the recliner for 4 days now in pain. So, another day or two sitting still and my aunt will be back in Dallas and I'll be spending my time with her. The Wii and I have become best friends. It goes between my brother and my house all week long. I have it during the days. Andy and Jessica have it during the nights. Wii Sports is darn tootin' fun! Christian even plays!!! I got Carnival Games for the kids and have fallen enamoured with it myself. Keely's nearly as good as I am!!! Colin likes to play Sonic & Mario Olympics (I think that's what it's called). When Jessica and I get to gether it becomes an all night extravaganza of Sports and Cooking Mama. It's kind of a lame game, yet it's kind of fun at the same time. Um.... my garden is producing me with daily zucchini, squash and tomatoes. The kids have enjoyed helping me pick the veggies. I have been enjoying the nightly squashs!!!! YUM!!! I do have one problem being that my giant Pink Brandywine (beefsteak size) tomato plants have gotten so big they can't stand stand anymore. They have mutilated the cages they are in. With the back issue, I can't fix them either. I really hope that the wind doesn't knock them down and snap the stems *crosses fingers*. Yeah... I think that's about all right now....
Cheers!
PS- excuse the typos and randomness of the brain. Vicodin tends to leave my brain a little wacky.
My aunt has been here from England. I haven't seen her in 12 years, so it's been great visiting with her. I have seen her all but one day while she has been here. She's so much fun!!!! My grandparents took her to CA to visit all of the family (being that my grandparents, my parents, myself and one of my two brothers are the only ones here in Dallas). Of course, I saw this as an oppurnity to get some sewing/knitting done.... and then I pinched a nerve in my back. How did I accomplish such a wonderful thing??? I was picking zucchini in the garden. I stood up and that was that. I have been on the recliner for 4 days now in pain. So, another day or two sitting still and my aunt will be back in Dallas and I'll be spending my time with her. The Wii and I have become best friends. It goes between my brother and my house all week long. I have it during the days. Andy and Jessica have it during the nights. Wii Sports is darn tootin' fun! Christian even plays!!! I got Carnival Games for the kids and have fallen enamoured with it myself. Keely's nearly as good as I am!!! Colin likes to play Sonic & Mario Olympics (I think that's what it's called). When Jessica and I get to gether it becomes an all night extravaganza of Sports and Cooking Mama. It's kind of a lame game, yet it's kind of fun at the same time. Um.... my garden is producing me with daily zucchini, squash and tomatoes. The kids have enjoyed helping me pick the veggies. I have been enjoying the nightly squashs!!!! YUM!!! I do have one problem being that my giant Pink Brandywine (beefsteak size) tomato plants have gotten so big they can't stand stand anymore. They have mutilated the cages they are in. With the back issue, I can't fix them either. I really hope that the wind doesn't knock them down and snap the stems *crosses fingers*. Yeah... I think that's about all right now....
Cheers!
PS- excuse the typos and randomness of the brain. Vicodin tends to leave my brain a little wacky.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Garden Pictures... 4 weeks after planting
Excuse the large amount of weeds in the front.
My little patch of green love!
Little Lettuce Patch
Somehow, someday, this will be cabbage
My Wall-o-Squash. Since it was overtaking everything within it's reach, I decided to claim a bell pepper support for the Butternut, Straightneck, Crookneck and Zucchini to grow on. I only put it in two days ago.
A Butternut Squash nearing harvest hidden under the canopy of leaves
One row of Green Beans was snuffed out by the Zucchini. The other row is doing well.
The soybeans are starting to flower.
Giant tomato plants in my little tomato cages
My little patch of green love!
Little Lettuce Patch
Somehow, someday, this will be cabbage
My Wall-o-Squash. Since it was overtaking everything within it's reach, I decided to claim a bell pepper support for the Butternut, Straightneck, Crookneck and Zucchini to grow on. I only put it in two days ago.
A Butternut Squash nearing harvest hidden under the canopy of leaves
One row of Green Beans was snuffed out by the Zucchini. The other row is doing well.
The soybeans are starting to flower.
Giant tomato plants in my little tomato cages
Monday, June 23, 2008
My First Harvest
That's right... one month in the ground and I have a harvest!!!!!
Drum roll, please....
All two cherry tomatoes... Keely devoured them seconds after the picture was taken.
Radishes. We planted 200 seeds and it seems that a good 150+ made it. I don't eat 'em, but I hear they are some of the hottest my family has ever eaten.
I have been patiently waiting for the squash section. I have 4 varieties in the garden. The first to be picked was a gorgeous zucchini that was hidden deep under the leaf canopy. As you can see by the measuring tape it's over 10" long!
I heard Colin playing phone and came out to him exclaiming, "I found this big telephone on the counter!"
And non-garden related, yesterday Lambchops celebrated his 12-week birthday. He's gotten a lot darker on his points. He's extremely vocal and we have full conversations. He's so much fun and so adorable!!!
Drum roll, please....
All two cherry tomatoes... Keely devoured them seconds after the picture was taken.
Radishes. We planted 200 seeds and it seems that a good 150+ made it. I don't eat 'em, but I hear they are some of the hottest my family has ever eaten.
I have been patiently waiting for the squash section. I have 4 varieties in the garden. The first to be picked was a gorgeous zucchini that was hidden deep under the leaf canopy. As you can see by the measuring tape it's over 10" long!
I heard Colin playing phone and came out to him exclaiming, "I found this big telephone on the counter!"
And non-garden related, yesterday Lambchops celebrated his 12-week birthday. He's gotten a lot darker on his points. He's extremely vocal and we have full conversations. He's so much fun and so adorable!!!
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