# February 2013 Journal and To-Do Lists



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Dh has made a list of additional seeds he wants me to buy to raise for extra livestock feed. I'll need to get those ordered this weekend.

Taxes were done last week and hope to have enough leftover after bills to buy some canning lids.

Went back to the restaurant supply store earlier this month to refill my flour and sugar buckets. It is so nice to just go dip out what I need from a bucket rather than fooling with the little bags.

Been experimenting with my yeast roll recipe to incorporate more whole wheat flour that we can grind. The first go with all whole wheat (yeah, I know) was not acceptable on the dinner table, lol. Need to get some dough enhancer before I try that again. I did make another batch 1/2 and 1/2 with regular AP flour and it wasn't bad. Needed a tad more honey though.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Made dinner in the wood burner, tonight. With sub zero wind chills in the morning and not much warmer in the afternoon....it has a great bed of coal by late afternoon as I've had it running all day. Tonight's selection was calzones.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Jen- Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!OMGoodness!

I found myself back on Amazon.....They double shipped me on AntiViral Kleenex.....I have 54 new boxes.... I'll just keep them....it was a decent deal. So, I guess it was double decent.

Mutti - I'd take a $25 off at Gurney's, too!:happy:

I am looking at a few things on EE.....But, I have not placed an order just yet. I am going to order a food storage system from Shelf Reliance....I give up...I'm out of room. I have got to figure something out.

I just took Chicken and Dressing out of the oven for dinner.... we are worn out... with the Stock Show going 1 more week. 

Also, It's been a somewhat crappy week at work, so I am ready to call it a night.
Plan to work my stores and make a new plan.


----------



## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

Have my first ever batch of jerky in the dehydrator right now...smells good at least! 6 chicks hatched last night to add to the flock; many more to come. I think there are something like 60 eggs (chicken math) in the incubators right now. There's another 36 waiting to take a spot in the big one once this hatch is done. My girls have seriously started laying, which means no more store bought eggs! :nanner:

Greenhouse got put up, 12 new trees for the orchard came in yesterday...5 more getting shipped soon. Just waiting on the strawberries, kiwi and grapes to come in now. Oh and still looking for good prices on blueberries and cherry trees. Sadly it's looking like we'll be getting those at Lowe's this year as none of the other places I've bought from (small family owned nurseries) have them in stock.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Texasdirtdigger said:


> Jen- Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!OMGoodness!


Honestly, it's not that bad. I've lived in Ohio all but 2 years of my life.....it's normal for us. Now, your summer heat would KILL me!! I'll take sub zero over 100 degrees anyday :happy2:


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Jen...Make that 100F+!!! Thanks...but, I'll stay with the heat! 
BTW how did the buckets of "dirt" yield for ya?.......Sounds like with weather like you have.... reloading is a good thing to work on.

JessiM - Pray tell....Where did you get your orchard trees?

I have been working in stores all day. I am struggling to dig up more room...But, I am determined!!

Dusting and vacuuming.... trying to straingten. Making sure there are no tell tale signs of insects in the storge areas.

With the droughts we have had, lately....there is more than enough dust flying around.... and insects, too.

I have 20 lbs of ground beef thawed...I plan on canning some swedish meatballs, but the day is gettting away from me and I have a muscle spasm kicking up in my shoulder. WAAAAH!!! Just sent Dh to get us a burger.....What is wrong with this picture?????:huh:

I am going to the shooting range tomorrow... no matter what!! I am having withdrawal! I have a buddy out shopping at the Pawn Shops for..... items. We pooled some $$ and he is on the prowel. I am also going to place an order for ammo.....might as well get on another backorder list!

I came up with some Heirloom Mortage Lifter and Cherokee Purple tomatoe seeds, I forgot I have....YAAY! I out the seed mats out on the tables, and setting out my plan.

Well, I better get back to it...breaktime is over......Enjoy that cold snap , Jen!


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Hit the canners this morn. Tackled Swedish meatballs.......Have 16 pints processed...so far. They smell awsome. May try some Italian meatballs for Sandwiches...... At least once. I still have another 10lbs to do something with.

Off to the range in a while for a short fix me up.


BTW: RADIOFISH - Check in, please.


----------



## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

TXD- The fruit (apple, peach, plum and pear) I got at FruitTreeFarm.com 

They are HUGE compared to some that I've seen and simply beautiful.

The other 5 are pecans that haven't come in yet...hoping they look half as good. Those are coming from Plant Me Green.

Strawberries, grapes and kiwi (not yet here) are coming from Indiana Berry.


----------



## fostermomma (Feb 26, 2007)

My January was spent with multiple rounds of the flu going around the house. It seems like we are over it at last. So not to productive.

I did get the garden planning complete..Well complete for the moment. Plants and seeds are ordered.

I loved the idea of doing a room or two top to bottom every month. I started with the living room It's one of the easiest rooms. Everything is clean organized and touch up painting is complete. I wanted to get the homeschool/dinning room done also but, I am still working on it.

So the plan for Feb is to get the homeschool/dinning room done and the entry hall.


----------



## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Took the Feb posts and made the start of this February to-do/journal thread


----------



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Went to my favorite grocery outlet store and was able to stock up on some things. I'll be repackaging several things for later use tomorrow. They had some great deals in the canned goods so I was able to stock up on somethings we really like but only buy when they are on special.

Never did get my seeds ordered so still have that to do.

Dh was given a livestock trailer and we went to get it today. It had been abandoned on a man's property several years ago and he told dh he could have it if he could move it. It wasn't as hard as we thought but dh has a lot of work to do to it before it is ready for hauling. Better than nothing though.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Only thing I've done today is sit on the phone listening to a town hall meeting with my congressman.


----------



## radiofish (Mar 30, 2007)

Hello everyone - well early last month when I made my trip to the San Francisco VA Hospital to see the "Pain Management Clinic", I was thinking that I was being careful with using hand sanitizer and watching where and what I did while at the VA Hospital, plus washing my hands every few minutes and such, but I would up catching the creeping crud. So for almost a month I have been hacking and coughing, plus not feeling well, and swearing that I will be even more dilligent when I next go to the germ-laden Big City. 

While I was down there, it seems that the VA pain management clinic physicians want to do a "Spinal Cord Stimulator" surgical implant that uses a remote control (an invasive surgical procedure along my spinal cord) to try to control my chronic leg and knee pain. I have been asking everyone I know and all of my doctors about it, and so far I have had 1 positive response, and many negative replies about the procedure. It uses a "RF" (radio frequency) to block the pain impluses along the spine, but my concern is over my use of my amateur "ham' radios with up to over a 1,000 watts RF output and with the electromagnetic field rapidly expanding and collapsing that is generated by my radios and antennas. The manufacturer (Boston Scientific) has not yet returned my inqueries, as to how my ham radio equipment will react with their surgically implanted equipment.

Today I received a post card to make another appointment with my Neurologist at the VA Hospital, so I will see what she has to say when I next see her. The VA has not yet approved the Spinal Cord Stimulator surgical procedure, and I am very hesitant as to being a "Guniea Pig" / one of the 1st patients, for when they receive approvial to do the surgeries. I would rather wait until they have performed a couple of hundred procedures, before I consider giving my consent for the surgery.

So that means I did not do much prepping over the last month, and I used quite a bit of chicken noodle soup to the point where I need to buy or make and can up some more in the near future. It was nice to cook out of the pantry for most of January. In fact, a fellow Marine Corps Veteran that is the "new" Manager of our local Safeway supermarket asked me the other day where I had been lately. He is wanting to be introduced around to the local Marine Corps League Detachment/ VFW/ and American Legion Posts.

TDD - I saw your posts about the lack of ammunition for sale. When I was at the local hardware store this last week, I saw a box of .25 a.c.p., and one box of .44 magnum pistol ammunition on the empty shelves as I was looking to see if there was any .38 special ammo. I asked my friend that works there about it, and his reply was - "They don't expect any ammunition to show up soon", and "hang on to what you have". Of course I am not hurting for ammunition in the calibers that I use, but rather I was looking for something different like a box or three of Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) 158 grain .38 special to use in my latest revolver I had picked up a few months ago. I also have been looking at gunbroker.com at a couple of .357 magnum revolvers with a 4 inch barrel, and waiting to see what they will go for at auction. I do have a couple of .357 magnums already (Ruger GP-100), but with 6 inch heavy target barrels, but they are a bit large to use for a concealed carry weapon.

In the last month I did some shopping off of Ebay, Amazon, and such since I did not go anywhere to shop. So the UPS big brown truck has been up here a few times recently. I did get some more MRE's, and dehydrated and freeze dried meals to put into storage. I got a bargain price on-line for them, including the cost of shipping.

But I have been talking to my sister regarding my next visit to Detroit which may occur sometime this Spring, if we can agree on the dates of travel. She has a huge list of things to do at our Dad's place, and of course my youngest nephew has been asking if we can go to the indoor gun range so he can shoot his Marlin model 60 semi-auto .22LR rifle again. He has abour 1,500 rounds of .22LR ammo squirreled away that he wants to run thru his 'new to him' rifle that I had bought for him at a Gun-Show during my last visit there at Thanksgiving of last year. I keep telling my nephew that if he was here, we could just go in the 4X4 on the old logging roads to the far side of the property and do some shooting at tin cans and paper targets - as we had done when they had visited here a couple of years ago.

The neighbors and myself are planning our veggie garden activities, as to what we will be planting this year. Lots more broccoli, celery, onions, and adding potatoes along with peas, beans, and more garlic. So I am watching locally for a good price on chicken and steer manure and will go to town in my 69 Ford pickup (without the camper shell) to haul a truckload of the smelly stuff for the many raised beds and greenhouse.

Otherwise, it is nice to start to feel human again, after several weeks of it hurting to cough, with congested sinuses, and where nothing tasted good when I did feel like cooking. Now to get ready for the 50% or more off of seasonal chocolates on the day after Valentines Day sales..


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

RF w/an RF - hmmm. Wired for sound! Sorry to hear you've been feeling cruddy for so long. I had a touch of the stomach bug a week ago, but am feeling fine. One of the benefits of being a hospital RN is a robust immune system. Good to see you checking in - you've been missed.

Hate to say it, but I've been in a total prepping slump. Been a slug on my days off, and of course I don't get much of anything done on my work days. Just drive home, do chores, sleep, shower and drive back to work again. I need to finish gathering up my paperwork and get my taxes filed so I can put any refund on my mortgage. Have the money in the bank for this month's payment, only 3 more after that!

Been trying to get the seed train moving on the Gardening thread - getting a little frustrated with the delays. Started in October and I think it's on the 5th person now. Last year I think we were starting our 2nd round about this time. It's about time to start my tomato seeds and do some germination testing on older seeds, so I am looking forward to seeing what comes home to me on the seed train.

I think I've about finished my continuing ed for my re-cert, but still need to stop at Learning and Development to get my transcripts from work for the last 5 years. I have last year's and this year's, but need the 3 years prior to that. 

I've been lax in making sure my financials are ship-shape...nearly cost me my power being turned off - found out this morning that my auto-pay had stopped in October, due to the PUD switching to a new server. Since I'm on auto-pay and the budget plan, I'd not really paid any attention to the blue envelopes in the mail and missed the memo!   Needless to say, I brought the payments up to date immediately and will go on-line to sign up for auto-pay again (can't do it in the office any more). I grumbled to myself about the PUD making it difficult for its customers, but it's really my responsibility to pay close attention to ALL incoming mail and my financials. Really need to set up a regular day of the week to deal with all incoming bills, file receipts and paperwork, and get back to recording my spending each day. I used to be very diligent, but it's been sliding for a while now, much like my weight loss program and housework, lol. Need to pay more attention to details!

One more night to work after this, and then 4 days off - I have plans to make sure I'm following a good sleep-wake schedule, getting outside for more than quick chores, and getting some of this stuff back on track. Wish me luck!


----------



## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

radiofish- When we were still in Germany one of our neighbors had the SCS. When they finally got it set right, it did wonders for him. The radio use on post didn't seem to bother it, but that's a whole different can of worms. I sure hope they can find something that works for you...maybe a TENS unit?

Well, 27 new chicks...though one probably won't make it...have added to the preps. They'll either be part of our flock or I will sell them off at one of the swap meets in the area. There are way too many more eggs in the incubator (with another 4 1/2 dozen needing to go in). The girls are seriously laying now and eggs are NOT an issue anymore, lol.

Off to work on getting the raised beds built and the pieces cut for the new dining room table!


----------



## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

good to see you back online radiofish.

Hope the pain blocker can work out for you.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Well, I want to the ear Dr for my follow-up and post surgical hearing test. The verdict is no improvement on my hearing. I do hear a bit better in that ear then before (can lay on my good ear and hear the TV). But I am like "normal people" now, I don't have to consider everything and how it will effect my ear. So I can go canoeing and fishing without being paranoid about tipping....could consider taking my kids to a water park (they've never been to one). Heck I can even go to a concert if I want, now.....so it's wasn't a total waste.

Did a bit of couponing on top of sales while over in the shopping district. Picked up coffee for $6.50....not the brand I like, but for a $4 savings I'm not going to complain. Got some of the shampoo that makes my hair manageable for a reasonable price, too, and a free bottle of another kind. Everyone else in the family can use anything...so if the free one isn't good for me, one of them will use it. 

Ran into GFS to get 10" tortilla's. Picked up a bunch so I can make up 60-70 burritos for the freezer (major time saver for lunches and dinners - and fast to put together). Need to pull together the stuff to make a big load of calzones, too.....we are out of ham and "swill" as well as the other flavors 

Peaked at the price of rice and what kinds they had while I was in GFS. Was surprised to see a 50# sack for $20 and change.....I tossed on in the cart. Will keep stopping and picking up a sack when over there. Yeah, I know, beans and rice....Prepping 101. Let's just say we do things a bit backwards here, lol. We started with Prepping 1201 and are working our way down.


----------



## fostermomma (Feb 26, 2007)

I'm a big fan of GFS myself. I have really found some great deals on the clearence racks over the years.

I went to the super marts and found board games on clearence. I got each of the kids one for next years Christmas gifts. I also got some odds and ends school supplies.

Still working on cleaning out the dinning /homeschool room...it's always a slow project but eventually it will get done. I did get the entry hall and closet done so a little progress.


----------



## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

My dh had the spinal cord stimulator implant a number of years ago and it has worked great for him. His mobility improved immediately. Last year they put in a morphine pump that puts minute amounts of morphine directly into the spinal fluid so he doesn't need to take it orally. It has helped with the pain plus his disposition is better with less oral meds.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Took advantage of the 25% off Tattler sale. Ordered 100 red Tattler lids (I didn't know they had red, now!) and a few boxes of gaskets....I always order a few gaskets with every order.

Been running most days this week. Finally have a 1/2 day off to be home and get things done. Loaves of bread and pans of sweet rolls to hit the oven shortly. Need to get the black beans out to soak so I can go into burrito mode tomorrow (full day home!!). If I can cook the beans and rice in the morning while the kids work on schoolwork....we should be able to get an assembly line going in the afternoon and get 60-70 done in no time. Then I can start planning to do some loads of calzones, maybe next week.

None of this prep could have helped us last night. We left at 11am to go to classes for the kids, got back into town at 4:45....kids had to be to church by 5:30 for bells and choir :hair. Ran through the grocery store and bought some of their pre-made hot food for dinner (fried chicken and pot pies)......I just couldn't stomach the thought of another drive through dinner. At least this way I could make up some frozen veg to go with it. Got home at 5, kids were out the door by 5:25...fed.

Noticed I need to work on canning up more veggie soup. It's becoming my fast go to lunch. Need to get that all caught up before it's time to work in the garden. Hope to start building more raised beds in March....if the weather cooperates. Maybe GFS will have another veggie sale soon.....pre-cut veg and such makes soup making SO much faster.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

My living room is filled with lumber at the moment. My plan is to build shelves in my pantry to make better use of that space, but it will involve moving everything out of the way, then constructing the shelves in place. It's on hold for a day, at least, because tomorrow is Girls' Day Out with my dd and ddil. We're planning to go to lunch, hit Costco, and shop Goodwill. I need to pick up TurboTax for this year, and have a list of things I want to stock up on at Costco.


----------



## margo (May 29, 2002)

Got a 50 lb. bag of unclassified Russet potatoes at local grocery store a few days ago, so I'm canning those up. It's late in the season here for top quality taters, though these are still very firm and haven't gone starchy. Cost was just under $11.00. I think I got a good deal.

Milder weather trend here has me drooling over the seed catalogs as they come in. It's hard to think of our resolve not to overplant in the garden. Every year it gets so burdensome when the temps hit the 90's to work out there, and keep up with weeding. But we do it every time, so we must love it.:bash:


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Ohio Dreamer....could you post your recipe for the buritos? It would be great to get a bunch in the freezer with spring coming and so much to do outside. Most days I try to put something in the crockpot so don't have to think about what's for supper.

Finally got the last five giant logs cut/split/stacked. Mild here but will,no doubt, have another blast or two of cold before spring so that should take us through. So glad to get that mess cleaned up. Will probably end up only using 3 cord-real cords, not ricks or ranks or whatever--this winter in our outdoor boiler. Always too hot in this house for me but Pa likes it warm.

Son and dil surprized me with enchilada supper on my birthday...drove all the way here. Sweet Cassie has been cooking something new and first time she ever made supper! Taught her to make bread and now makes all of theirs and eager to learn how to can this summer. All my boys know how to cook, can,sew,knit,keep house, do their laundry besides the "manly" arts!! 

Forgot to plug in my yogurt maker and surprize...yogurt made itself overnight! Told Pa it was too hot in here. Gonna try and see if I can do it again on purpose.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Well we are making the burritos a bit bigger then in the past, so I won't have enough filling for the 60 I wanted to do.....but DS is eating more, so they really needed to be bigger then the ones in the past. Recipe: I wing it, lol. Here's what I did this time around.

Looked in the freezer for a Big chunk of meat that had been there a while....found half a pork loin. Tossed frozen pork loin, jar of salsa, some taco seasoning and garlic powder in a slow cooker last night. This morning (about 16 hrs later) I shredded that meat. Last night I set about 5# of black beans to soak (guessing on weight...I scooped them out of a LTS bucket). Boiled those up this morning, cooked up 3-1/2# of rice. Mixed cooked rice and beans....added zest and juice from 5 limes (got 9 for $0.75 on clearance the week before the supper bowl...they needed used up). Tossed in some salt, more taco seasoning and the last few Tablespoons in a container of stake rub, (Like I said....I just dump stuff together)

I picked up 10" burrito wraps from GFS for $1.89 a dozen.....I use to use the 8", but my DS-14yr is eating more, so I went bigger.

Assembly: about 1/3-1/2 c of rice mix, 1-2 T of meat mix (use that juice in the bottom of the pot, too) and top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese. We have the first 36 made....just finished the first pound of cheese....so I mean just a sprinkle.

We had to stop for now, all my pans are full and in the freezer. Once they are rather solid, I'll put them in a 2 gallon freezer bag. We can thaw them in the microwave on days we need a quick meal (or snack). Or for dinner I'll but them in a baking pan and top with salsa and cheese and toss in the oven.

I've added green pepper, onion, crushed tomatoes, etc to the rice mix in the past....again what ever is in the fridge or garden that needs used up.

I should end up with at least 45-48 with meat in them. I'm betting I'll get about another 12-20 done "vegan style". Once I run out of meat I'll toss a pint of salsa on the remaining rice, for flavor and moisture, and roll that all up.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Last weeks crummy work week.......paled compared to this week. 
So, that tells me to really get my act together and pay off as much as I can, as soon as, I can. (Heavy Sigh)

RF - Good to see your posts. Best wishes with your decision(s).

Yep, store shelves are still empty of ammo here. You can get shot shells.....but that is about the size of it.

Today is DH, B- Day,.his mom's is Thursaday.....I have cakes to bake.
I also ran out of time last week, I froze the Italian Meat Balls....I need to get them out and can them up.

We had some of the Swedish Meat Balls, I canned over some rice for dinner...They were delish!

I added a dozen cans of Chili, a dozen cans of Salmon. 8 more bags of Starbucks coffee. Starbucks Coffee 6.99 at Walgreens, Comunity coffee 3.99 at Kroger.......Walmart will price match! I plan on getting about 20 bags of the Community Coffee for my stores.

JessiM - Thanks for the info.....I placed an order for Fruit trees. They were out of Cherry trees.

I helped the neighbor behind me, get 1000 onion sets in the ground,(I AM SO SORE) sewed some radishes and beets.....and just a few turnips. Weather has been mild.......but we must not be too tricked......We usually get at least one big ice storm during Feb. Easter is early this year....it's gonna be tough to hold off diggin in the dirt.

I came across a few packages of Seeds of Change,at Lowes the other day. Beefstake and San Marzano tomato. 
I was looking for the 24oz Ball Jars( Pint & a half).....haven't come up with them yet.

I watched a couple of episodes of Moonshiners, the other day. I have decided that is where all the mason jars go! LOL!

Well, I better get up and get going. I have already been out to feed,,,,,so, I'm in the kitchen for a spell.

MGM- I need new shelves, too! YOU WORK TOO HARD!!!


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Nope, don't work hard enough, most days...I've been resting up today, after a wonderful, if busy day yesterday! 

I had such a good day out with my dd, ddil, and dgd yesterday. We had to cut it a little short as my dd got called into work (thank goodness she has a job!), but we had lunch at Costco (my treat, Polish dogs and drinks, last of the big spenders, lol), and filled the back of ddil's Xterra. They finally had the Power Station I've been wanting in stock, so I bought one, along with stocking up on dehydrated hashbrowns, instant potatoes, hot chocolate mix, and cat food, among other things, plus the TurboTax I need to file taxes (I could do them myself, but the software is worth its price in time savings for farm taxes). The one thing I'd like to have purchased and didn't was fruit trees. They have the best fruit trees for 11.49 and I like to add a few more to the orchard each year. We just didn't have room. Hopefully, my bff and I can make a run down there before bareroot tree season is over.

It's a dry day here, so I should probably get my rear outside to work on firewood and dig postholes for the supports to the lean-tos on the shed. I can work on shelves on rainy days.


----------



## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

Well, the pecan trees from PlantMeGreen came in...wow! Even bigger than the fruit trees. We finally got around to getting the fruit trees in the ground...felt a bit like we were in Ireland with all the rocks. Pecan tress will wait until Monday after the storms move through tomorrow.

Spent the past two days building brooders/pens for the younger chicks in the coop while DH built some hutches for his future rabbits. We need to tear out and redo the nesting boxes in the coop but I think DH is waiting until the coop gets moved to its new home in the back...I'd rather just do it now, so I will probably work on that next week. The track to the back field stays pretty moist anyway and the rain is just going to delay any moving.

Going to have to break down and inventory the food stores...I've not been keeping track like I should.

ETA: Still on the hunt for a GOOD supplier of cherry trees...may have to wait until Lowe's gets their stock in, as much as I hate the idea.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Jessica, is there a Costco in your area? They have cherry trees in stock at the local ones to me..I don't have a Costco card, but my son and my bff each do. I think they allow visitors a one time pass to shop, too.

I got my post holes dug, worked on firewood a bit, brought in the Costco buys from yesterday, did laundry and dishes, and cleaned up Russell, The Muttley Wonder's latest mess, worked on the goat pen toys, and did all my regular animal chores before dark. I really need to work on the pantry - there is SOOOO much that needs to be moved out before I can start building shelves. It's a bit overwhelming...I need to just give it 15 minutes of work each day until it's done.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Well, I got the Italian Meatballs canned! Woo hoo!
WE had some for dinner last night....VERY good!

I went to ACE Hardware and ordered 12 cases of 24 oz( The New pint and 1/2) Ball jars. 9 jars for 11.99. Ha They call them new.... PESHAW !!!!I remember them when they were originally discontinued! They have brought them back!!! DH grumbled that I already have a million jars.....I countered with....yeah......but not a million of those.

I found a bit more space to fill up...YAAAAAY! 
I worked in the Salmon and Chili I purchased the other day. I also bought a few cans of Mackrel. (Which I have not eaten since I was a child.) I figure out something to make with it!.......I think! Mackrel patties?

We had a decent rain fall early this morning! Came in the form of a super loud thunderstorm....but, no damage for us.

I am trying to talk DH into making a walk in opening under the stairway for more home canned storage.....would be very dark and cool.....Wish me luck.....he is not sold on the idea.......just yet. I would like to replace the treds on the stairway....so, might as well as add more storage.....Right?

The Stock Show is over, so he can take a breath. We did pretty good. Glad it's over!

Oh, I vac packed a whole bunch of Angel Hair Pasta. When I get a bit more, I gonna place them in Mylar and store them away.

Plan on a mid week gun range visit.


----------



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

TDD: We recently opened a can of mackerel we had on the shelf and found that we prefer it in our fish patties more than the salmon we usually used. It's a definite advantage on the pocket book!

DH has been cutting down some older nut trees that no one eats from to make room for some fruit trees. Our fruit trees in the backyard are not doing well as our boxer seems to think of them as large chew toys. He managed to completely chew down a cherry tree. I think he's half beaver. 

I'm planning on ordering a case of canning lids from our local Fred's store. They carry the $1 Golden Harvest lids. I've had good success with them and the price is right. I have used all my disposable lids but want to get some more. I hate sharing canned goods that have my tattler's on them and sometimes just for times sake, I like having the regular lids available.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

HBG - Yeah, I think my mom used to make fried Mackrel Patties and we'd also have Salmon Croquettes.....She passed when I was very young....and I can honestly say.....I don't think I have ever tried them myself. So...now I will.

DH is at The VA Emergency room......Acute swelling in his feet and legs.....so I am on pins and needles right now. He's about 70 miles away from me. Fingers crossed it's just a med's thing....they have recently changed up a lot of stuff.....

Looking for some more meat specials this week.


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

TDD...sure hope it is nothing serious with your husband.

Had to have some green so started my sweet potato slips...they were stored in dark closet in closed paper bag but spouting (!) so guess they think spring is on the way! Noticed our maple trees are getting buds....guess they didn't hear we might get 2-4" of snow tonight. We have been getting good rains and,hopefully, bringing our soil closer to normal moisture. Fields are turning green, hyacinths up, forsytia hevily budded. Two weeks until I start stuff up in the greenhouse. Have learned my lessons about getting too eager as the plants get overgrown in the excellent growing conditions. If I wait a bit I don't have to spend alot on heating. 

Plan trip tomorrow to bulk food store.Getting down on my black beans, garbonzos and split peas. We've been continuing to eat from stores and trying alot of new recipes. Mostly meatless. Finding my arthritic hands do so much better when I eliminate red meat from my diet. Hard to get good fresh vegetables around here in winter. Cauliflower at $4.49 a puny head is not in my retirees' budget! Good thing we like cabbage which is always a good buy. Plus home canned beets and carrots.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Prayers TDD!

Well I guess I'm doing my prepping job correctly. The boy came home and asked if I could make a snack for this weeks teen Bible study. SURE....scratching head, what should I make...it's the 13th so I wanted to make something "festive" not just a plain old everyday snack. Decided on heart shaped chocolate cookies that are partially dipped in melted dark chocolate and then decorated with crushed cadies, nut, etc. To the storage room I go. I find a few of the big thick baking bars of dark chocolate (great only mildly sweet), M&M in Valentines day colors bought the day after Valentine's last year, Valentine's sprinkles, red sanding sugar, and nuts. I should be able to make up a pretty variety to put on a plate. And the best part.....I don't need to run to the store for anything! Recipe calls for only a cup of powder sugar per batch (2 batches made 70 cookies)....so the cookies should be overly sweet. Giving a bunch of teenagers a sugar high at 7 pm on a school night is NOT a good idea, lol.

Ordered a bottle of Potasium Iodide, today. This whole North Korea thing isn't sitting well with me (I'm not panicked, worried or even thinking about it much.....it more just irks me). For $16 I have enough for my family and for my neighbors next door. May get another bottle next time I order from Amazon. None of my normal online prep places had them...or they were a crazy high price. I saw 14 tablets for $8 (not even enough for 2 people), where as I got a bottle of 120 for $16, same mg dosing - so we can "help" more people. DH hadn't heard about it, but when I mentioned it this morning and that I wanted to get the tablets, he said do it fast....before others start putting two and two together and everyone runs out. Wonder if these events changed the planed speech for the State of the Union much....guess we'll find out in a few hours.


----------



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Found out that a nearby county's 4-H club is having a fruit plant sale with berries and apple trees. We're getting 50 strawberry plants to refresh my strawberry bed, 5 blueberry bushes, and 4 apple trees. The prices were very good even for bare root and I'll have to go over to pick them up in April. 

We bought a used livestock trailer so we can now transport our cows. We were wondering how we were going to get our cow to the butcher this fall but now we'll be able to handle that. Dh has a lot of work to do to the trailer but it should serve the purpose for a few years. 

Hoping to hit some after Valentine's Day sales this weekend and store some chocolate. This past Christmas season I was making peanut butter balls with chocolate bunnies melted down and now I'm out of whimsically shaped candy, lol.


----------



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

DH and I went out last night for Valentine's Day. After eating at a small, local Italian place, we went to Dollar General. They have a coupon for 50% off selected home items online and in store. I had bought some of things online as they also have free shipping over $25 orders. I stocked us up on Swiffer refills and also bought some basic sewing supplies, clotheslines, clothes pins, iron on patches, and a few other odds and ends. I was disappointed that I couldn't get more wooden clothespins but I'm hoping they'll restock online before the sale ends.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Middle of the month Pay Day....so monthly shopping day. I went through our inventory a week or so ago and wrote down what we needed (I really should do this every month, lol). Was happy to find some of the first aid items we needed on clearance!! Why would a store clearance out band aids, tape, and gauze? other wise no real major finds. 

Did find DD a winter coat for next year...2 coat system...marked down to $19. It's not high quality, but since she will out grow it in a year or two, I don't care. 

DS notified me he's out of jeans.....I hate hearing that! His size doesn't exist in normal priced jeans - people just don't come in "string bean" anymore so the store don't sell that size :grumble:. Found some 32x34's for him (which was exciting!) on sale for $10. So we bought him 3 pairs (two for now (daily wear) and one for later - when he needs a pair that looks nice) and I should be able to take a few inches in on the sides for him (he needs a 28 or 29 x 34).

Now, I'm just sitting here trying to think of things to do instead of paying the bills... It only takes 15-20 min to pay them.....but I just hate the process.


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

I always buy DH three pr. of jeans at a time. Two to wear and one for me to hide as he has yet to learn the difference between work and dress clothes!!! He'll get sidetracked and be in his town clothes chasing cow or messing with the tractor. 46 years and I still don't have him "edicated"1


Bank called this week and someone in Thailand sucked 6-$33 payments out of my account. Bah. Had to mess with that and get new debit card. Bank dealing with Visa on the whole deal. I hadn't been online checking account as SS was due and I was nigh onto broke! My banker was right on the ball though.Thank goodness. No telling how they got the number as I don't use card for anything but local stuff. Dedicated low limit cc for online purchases. 

Our woodpile is almost gone and here they are predicting really cold next couple of days. I need/want/require spring! Maples blooming here and bees real busy gathering pollen. Grass green.Two weeks until I open the greenhouse.


----------



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Ran by Dollar General with a 50% off coupon and bought six more packages of wooden clothes pins. My dog and kids are hard on clothespins and I wanted to stock up while they were $.50 per 50 pack. Also grabbed a couple of bath rugs for half off to put in front of the doors.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

My bff and I made another run to Costco a few days ago - bought 3 fruit trees (2 plum, one peach), gloves, and stocked up a bit more on pantry goods. We also stopped at a couple of Goodwill stores - found a light fixture for my kitchen bar, some scrubs and jeans that actually fit, books and a few other goodies.

I've been trying to work on my pantry shelf project a bit each day...so far I've moved things out of the area where my first set of shelves will be built, cleaned the floors, and scrubbed the walls. I have the template for the angled cuts at the ceiling, and am working on the rest of the layout. As soon as I figure out how many shelves, how far apart, how wide, etc, I'll start cutting wood and get them put together. The ceilings are 9' tall on that side of the room, 8' long wall, so I should be able to fit a LOT of supplies on that set of shelves.

eta: Nearly forgot to tell y'all my good news - first kids of the year have arrived! My Oberhasli doe kidded yesterday with back and doe twins.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Canning 50lbs Roma Tomato's today for Pasta Sauce. Picked up my Pint and 1/2 Ball jars....I think they will be perfect for the Sweet and Sour Chicken, I want to can this weekend. I am still feeing very uneasy with the world and weather situation..so, I am trying to can my fool head off. Hopefully DH will put my chrome rack together this weekend. I am getting a late start... extra tired and I slept in. Very unusual for me. 
Big gun show this weekend... hope to get by tomorrow. It is craziness right about now.

I have another Honeyville order waiting......10% Discount Honeyville **Coupon Code** *ORGANIC***. 

I better get to it.......Have a productive day!!!


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Well, I realized, I was moving slow yeaterday, cause I did not feel well.... didn't get much done.

Today, peeled and cored all the tomato's, Chopped onions, garlic, basil, oregano and thyme. Have about 7 gallons of Pasta sauce on simmer. Still needs to be cooked down,run thru the tomato press, jarred and canned. Also, 40lbs Chicken is thawing. I have already prepared the peppers, onion, pineapple, ginger , mini corn,and mushrooms, and have them waiting. I am off tomorrow......I am going to be very busy finishing this up. 
Jars are already washed and sanitized..... Hopefully, his will help speed me along. Wish I had someone to help me, somedays. Sigh!


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

TDD, sounds like you need a few days of down time. YOU work way too hard.

Had another goat kid yesterday - my French Alpine doe had what appears to be a singleton. I noticed she was streaming "goo" in the morning when I fed and watered. Went out to check her before leaving for work and saw her with a cute kid, black and tan with white splashes. I was in my scrubs so I didn't check to see if it was a buck or doe. I'm surprised she only had the one - she usually twins for me. Anyhoo, I'll check on the kid in the am when I get home. Only one more doe to kid out now. 

Was looking over the trees I bought at Costco and found that somehow I'd purchased another cherry tree rather than the peach I thought I bought. Oh well, cherries grow better for me than peaches anyway. Have a Black Tartarian(sp?) to add to the collection. I'm hoping that my cherry trees will start bearing this year. If I cover them with netting, I might, just might, actually get to enjoy cherries from my own orchard this year.


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Takes one to know one, Ms. Mary!


----------



## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

When I went to the basement to use the treadmill I decided to sort seeds. I had about decided not to start any seeds this year due to lack of success last year, but I have the seeds, flats, potting soil, etc. so am going to try again. Since I'm no longer working every day I will be home to keep closer watch over them. I think the main problem is they would dry out too much during the sunny part of the day. The plants always recovered but the constant wilting/reviving can't be good for them. So I have seeds for 8 varieties of regular tomatoes, 2 of cherry tomatoes, 4 of romas, 4 varieties of peppers, 8 of cabbage, and numerous herbs. I now need figure proper planting dates and narrow down choices as my garden isn't big enough for everything!


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

37 pints of Pasta Sauce down! 10 Pint and 1/2 Jars of Sweet and Sour Chicken!.......I'm a happy girl......tired....but happy. Saved back some chicken for other stuff. 
Sent the Honeyville order to be filled. Pretty productive day.


----------



## jessimeredith (Sep 12, 2004)

What a week(end)!

The weather cooperated most of the time when we were out working. DH got a new window put in the kids' room, NO MORE COLD BLASTS!! We spent our Valentine's Day pricing lawn tractors (push mowing 5 acres, no bueno) and ended up getting a pretty good deal on one and a new gas stove for me...yes, thank you.

Picked up another incubator today, as I've now actually got customers (yay!) wanting chicks and others wanting eggs. The girls have been out-laying us...a dozen a day. And because some of the girls are on the older (read: probably will only lay this year then become friends with the stock pot) I ran by the hatchery and got some White Rocks...and two ducks because they were just too cute.

This week consists of another window installation (maybe) and me finishing our new table and benches...oh and getting the house spotless for a visit from my parents.


----------



## NBC3Mom (May 14, 2005)

jessimeredith said:


> What a week(end)!
> ...oh and getting the house spotless for a visit from my parents.


I know what you mean about getting the house spotless. Daughter and granddaughter's birthdays are this weekend. My daughter and her husband and her inlaws will be spending the weekend at our house. Luckily my granddaughter's party will be at her (my son's) house. 
Got our greenhouse up and ready. As soon as this weekend is over, I will have time to sort my seeds and start planting!
Looking for 1 or 2 more rainbarrels. If the predictions are accurate, we are in for another hot, dry summer. I had nothing from the garden to freeze or can last year. We did have enough potatoes to get us through January and I still have onions but we hope that by having more water we can grow more this year. 
We also want to get all of the closets cleaned and organized. Will sell what we can on Craig's list and donate what is left.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Ordered 3 tubs of wheat berries, can't find it locally these days. 

Pulled out dry beans to soak over night and can tomorrow. Picked up some large chunks of beef to can tomorrow as well ($3 a pound for whole eye of round....can't buy the cheap ground meat for that around here). 

A friend got a membership to the Y, so we are meeting there a few times a week so all our kids can enjoy free swim (before the schools let out), we can chat (time with other adults is highly prized when you spend your days homeschooling you kids, lol), and we can sneak it a bit of a workout as well. I'll put in 20 min in on the cross trainer while she works with her 8yr old on learning to swim. Swim classes have been cut to one or two offerings a week at crazy high prices. So she's going to just do it herself (and end up with better results). We've been members a while, but the kids don't really like free swimming by themselves. If they wanted to have "together time" they 'd rather do it at home....but add in their friends and it's a whole nother ball game. (I'm more likely to workout if I have a "buddy", too)


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Well, I get a "home day" today....well almost, till this evening at least. I'm waiting for the pressure to drop on the caner so I can pull out the beans and put in the meat. After lunch I'm planing to strip our HB&A storage cupboard and "re-do" it. Right now it has lots of sewing related items in there on the floor.....those could all go into tubs in the basement. That would open me up to more space for other things I don't want in the basement. Working on filling all our nooks and crannies in the most efficient way. May be time to move extra blankets and such to the attic of the garage. Who cares if blankets are exposed to extreme temp swings. I need room for more filled canning jars!


----------



## CCCC (Nov 21, 2011)

Snowed in this am, so I cleaned out the driveway and made the biggest batch of Chili, I have ever made so that it will be canned up this weekend in my new pressure canner my mom(what a wonderful mother) gave me for christmas. Told the wife what I was doing and thought she might find it funny, but she just said ok and giggled at my huge pot of Chili.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Nice to have a huge pot of chili to can up (if ya like that sort of thing). 

Got the chainsaw sharpened up and ran another tank of gas through it on my days off - now I need to sharpen it up again! Cutting long down and dried saplings is hard on saw chains. It's nice to have all those piles of saplings ready to cut up into stove lengths - NO SPLITTING! 

Also worked on the layout for the pantry shelves. 2 shelves far enough apart to use for 5 gallon buckets, 2 deep on the shelves, then 5 shelves 10" high for canned goods/home canning, then a final shelf up high for things like sleeping bags and other things that don't weigh much and won't hurt if they fall off on my head, lol. 8' long, 9' tall, with supports every 32", using 2x4's for uprights and supports, and 1' boards to make 2' deep shelves. I think I can put most of what I'm storing now in the whole room into that one section of shelving. Now I just need to unpack the air compressor from its store box and bring in the hose for it. 

That will have to wait for my next days off, most likely. I am picking up an extra night tonight and have to work the next couple nights, so will probably not do more than outdoor chores and dragging more wood in by the fire over the next few days.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Don't forget to take a few pictures, MGM, of those pantry shelves. Many of us LOVE "pantry pron" and are drooling to see a picture or two


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Pantry porn........oooooooowooooooooowooooH

All I have managed to do is get another 30pints od pasta sauce canned..... and I stlll have a batch of chicken to process.

Market Street has 90/10 Beef.$1.97 Ib, soI grabbed up another 100lbs to freeze and can, 99 c Green beans......I grabbed a bushel........prices are already thru the roof down here,

I have 4 Instant Orchard" size Apple trees coming....can't wait.
Cannot find Strawberrires.....alll sold out. grrrrr.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

LOL, pantry pron...is that like ham and swill, Jen? 

So far I've taken a pic of the pile of lumber in my living room and the first boards laying on the floor in the pantry, where I was eyeballing how far apart the shelves should be and how wide...that's as far as I've made it! 

I should have worked on that project when I was trying, and FAILING, to fall asleep yesterday. I finally got back up, went outside and ran a wheelbarrow load of firewood across the table saw to take off the misc branches (hemlock saplings have a lot of branches that do NOT like to break off, no matter how seasoned), brought all that wood in to dry by the woodstove. Only got about 4 hrs of sleep all day. I sure hope I sleep well this morning. Still have one more night to work before my next stretch of days off.


----------



## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

TDD...www.jungseed.com sells excellent strawberry plants if you aren't adverse to ordering online.Can't tell you what supplier they use but they are always husky healthy plants. I ordered another 200 plus 50 everbearers to try growing in greenhouse in eavestrough on walls. Had a thriving patch going until my goofy Pyrenees decided to romp thru and then dig herself a nice cozy bed! She is no longer a yard dog.

Supposed to be in mid-50's today so will go do some pruning in orchard. Son here this week so cut down a few dead trees to rebuild the woodpile in hopes that will be enough to hold us until spring. We missed the storm which brought a foot of snow to other parts of MO but got an inch of ice. 

It has taken me three years of retirement to learn to sleep at night...night shift just plain ruins your wake/sleep cycles. Many is the night off that I've been up cleaning or baking bread 'cause I couldn't sleep. I've been going to bed earlier and earlier so I can get up early in am before the heat arrives. DH wakes the birds but I've always been a night owl.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

manygoatsnmore said:


> LOL, pantry pron...is that like ham and swill, Jen?


YEP!! Not only am I naturally blonde, but my fingers are dyslexic some days, LOL!!! or is that OLO???


----------



## fostermomma (Feb 26, 2007)

I finally got the homeschool/dinning room cleaned out and organized....thank goodness.

Dh put up more shelves in the green house and has it cleaned out so it's ready for me to start working in again. I got all the seeds and trees ordered and can't wait to get back into the garden. 

I've been sticking to my diet and fitness plan and have lost 10 pounds. So that's a good start.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Jen, OLO!  I'm a bit dyslexic when it comes to numbers and knowing my right from my left. I also spell well, but type poorly, so you're likely to find some typos to tease me back!

Congrats on the weight loss and clean dining/homeschool room, both, fostermomma! I really need to get some will power (or won'tpower, maybe?) and lose some weight myself.

TDD, check in with the seed train - you're up next and need to comfirm you're ready for the box to arrive! Only 2 stops before the box is back to me! :sing:

Mutti, I sure hear ya on the sleep cycle confusion. I made it through my 3 nights at work (or will in 3 more hours)...can't wait to go home and sleep. I don't even know if I'm gonna go see the Guppy-girl this morning. I only slept 4 hrs Saturday and about 5 and a half yesterday, and I'm exhausted. I have so much I'd like to get done on my days off, but I bet I'm gonna sleep through at least part of them.


----------



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Placed an order with dollar general this weekend to stock up on coffee using their $5 off coupon and free shipping. Dh will be happy as we don't always get the luxury of name brand coffee, lol. 

Dh and my nephew did away with a rooster that needed to go tonight. I'm sure the hens will be very appreciative once they get over the shock that goes with snatching one off the roost at dusk, lol. Now we have two roosters with about 15 hens. Our old rooster Roy doesn't do much hen chasing these days. His main goal in life is to catch me feeding the goats before they hear me. He waddles by me and jumps up to eat their food before they come stampeding up the hill. So now we have "Roy" and "not-Roy". When Roy passes on, "not-Roy" will take his place as our new "Roy".


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Went and worked out while the kids swam. Felt good to get in 25 min of cardio and 20 min on the leg machines.

Made up some cookie dough to put in the freezer. I need to bake 6+ doz on Friday, so making some of the dough ahead will simplify that day. We tested the lemon dough (IE there was a bit more then fit the piece of plastic wrap I cut)....yum, that makes a good cookie! I need to come up with a third cookie....not sure what to do. I want something "different" as they need 60 dozen total. I'm sure there will be plenty of choc chip and oatmeal. May do a Mexican wedding....if I can find my recipe. Although a coffee cookie of some kind would be good, too....this is for a Senior High lock in - 240+ people.


----------



## PaulaBlanch (Feb 18, 2013)

Hi Radiofish, where did you get the good deal on MRE's?
PaulaBlanch


----------

