Monday, September 15, 2008

The Simple Woman's Daybook




The Simple Woman's Day Book


Monday September 15, 2008






Today


Outside my Window...People are speeding past going somewhere in a
hurry. I am so happy I am not one of those people.
I am thinking...How my life is centered in the home.
From the learning rooms...School is session.
I am thankful for...for a home to take care of, a garden to nurture,
children to care for.
From the kitchen..blueberry muffins are being made. Chicken pot
pie for dinner.
I am wearing...a long flowered blue skirt with a purple top.
For I am reading... Psalms 101-111 as I am studying the character
David. The Flower Farmer An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising
and Selling Cut Flowers by Lynn Byczynksi.
I am hoping...To hear God's voice today. Maybe, a day just sitting and
watching the birds.
I am creating...I have been copying down some herbal recipes to use
and try out.
I am hearing...the quietness of the morning.
Around the house...there are books to be put away from a weekend
of learning of new ways to do things. My husband favorite book by
John Seymoor is still on the coffee table.
One of my favorite things...is to make something out of nothing. When
you buy material it is just material until you make something out of it.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...to work on getting the lettuce
planted. To work on a menu for the rest of the week. To write some
goals out for the next month.


Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


These are a rare Vermont Cranberry Bean I am growing.
They really are a red bean and they are the best tasting
dried bean I have ever had. They are also a unique type
of bean to grow. I like the stripes on the pod.







Saturday, September 13, 2008

Simple Ways

Saturday September 13, 2008

Simple Ways
Simple ways are just ideas in which are lives can become more simplified.
In July I talked about simplifying my life in the house so I could work
more outside. I have spent the summer doing just that. Here is one
way, the Lord helped me this year. First I started going back to
planning my week. What do I want to accomplish this week? If we set
goals, we will work toward those goals. Last week I wanted to work in
my garden all week. The whole week I strived to work in the garden.
There were certain tasks I had to accomplish in the house before I
could do that. There were tomatoes to process, so first I had to get that
done. I also went back to making bread so that needed to be done. School
is back in session so the morning are dedicated to teaching and keeping my
daughter on task. Now, that the house was more in order, I found one
morning where I was able to work in the garden.

Planning is the key!

Watching my mother as a child I think has helped me in many ways.
She planned her day according to what needed to get done. First, meals
had to be planned and made on to be on the table.
Second, she made most of the clothes for our family. She also had to
make time for sewing. Third, there was a budget to follow. My mom had a
budget of 5o dollars every two weeks to feed 6 people. Fourth, she had to
grow as much food as she could.
Now that I am an adult I can say what worked for her can work
for me.
Thank you God, for our mothers.

Friday, September 12, 2008

The Rain has come



Pelargonium Apple Blossom
Friday September 12, 2008
The rain is has come to supply us with moisture today. I have
noticed the plants have perked up due to the rains that have come.
The geraniums I have on the deck are beginning to flower again.
I bought them in the spring for 5.00 and they are still flowering.
The great thing about these plants as you can make more
plants from one. With a little patience and time instead of just one
on my deck I can have as many as I desire. Or place them in pots
where ever I want some more color.
To make more plants from the one you have just pinch.
Pinching gives you a fuller plant also and encourages growth.


Geraniums are the one plant I bring in for winter. I figure why leave
it outside to die, when you can keep it alive inside. The 5.00 I spent
can be streached year after year by keeping the plants alive. This year
I am happy to say I only bought a few select plants. A Skelton rose,
Apple Blossom, and Gardner's Joy. The Gardner's Joy is said to be
from 1870' from England. Apple Blossom is also said to be from the
1870's and to of been Queen Victoria 's favorite. The Skelton rose has
a very pungent scent in the leaves. Everytime you walk by you can
get a scent from the plant. The nice thing about scented geraniums
is they're leaves can be used in recipes in the kitchen.


Rose Geranium Jelly
an old grandmother favorite
Taken from Marcia Adam's Heirloom Favorites
Scented geraniums were a favorite houseplants at the turn of the
century, and in many old recipes their leaves were used to flavor
foods such as angel food cake and cream-based puddings. This jelly is
very attractive, with an intriguing flavor.
4 cups bottled apple juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
10 cups sugar
8 large fresh rose geranium leaves
1/2 teaspoon butter
1 package powdered pectin

In a large kettle, combine the apple juice, lemon juice, sugar, and
rose geranium leaves. Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring
constantly. Boil 1 minute. Add pectin all at once and continue to stir
and boil hard for an additional minute. Remove from the heat.
Skim off the foam and remove the geranium leaves with tongs and
discard. Ladle into hot sterlized jelly glasses, leaving a 1/4 inch
space at the top of the jars. Seal with sterlized rings and caps and
process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath, counting the time
after the water again come to a boil after the jars are immersed.
Remove to a towel-lined rack. Store in a cool place.
September is the month to consider what your bring in for the winter!
This is the month that I wash all the geraniums and put them in
sterile soil. You do this process in September to get your plants
ready to come in by October which will be our first frost date.
Phyliss Shaudys wrote a book called
The Pleasure of Herbs A month by month guide to growing
using, and enjoying herbs.
This is one of my resources for taking care of scented geraniums.

Monday, September 08, 2008

The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Simple Woman's Daybook

September 8, 2008


Outside my window...the sun is coming up around the side of the
house. The sun is in a different spot now that fall has arrived.
I am thinking... how nice it was to go down to Kentucky over the
Labor Day weekend. We had a great time looking around at property
and visiting with family.


I am thankful... God gave us an opportunity to be with my family
and spend quality time with my husband.


From the kitchen...there are bowls of tomatoes, cucumbers,
peppers on the counter waiting to be put away. Dinner will be light
tonight as my daughter and I will have a quiet night.


I am creating... a bouquet of flowers to sit on the table. Sunflowers
and Russian Sage will adorn us with their beauty.


I am going...to be home today as I will need to get ready for
my Bible study this evening. We are on day 47 of the David study.


I am wearing... a green top with my jean skirt.


I am reading...Psalms right now along with IF What do I know of
Calvary Love? By Amy Carmichael. Along with The Self Sufficient
Life and How to Live it by John Seymour. My husband and also like
to read from Small Farmer's Journal. It is a great magazine for
farmers using horses to farm with.


I am hoping... to work in the garden this week.


I am hearing... my daughter flip pages in the other room.


I am smelling... the scent of lavender coming through my window.
When there is a breeze outside I put Lavender essential oil on a
saucer and place it in the window.


A few plans for the rest of the week... Well I am not sure what but
the School is in session so the mornings are dedicated to learning.
The afternoons are for gardening, cooking, or sewing. Not quite sure as of yet.


Here is a picture thought...

This is a picture of an interesting place we passed by
while driving around in Kentucky. My idea of a nice
homestead.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Growing Corn



Growing Corn




Friday September 5, 2008


In the winter I love to pull corn out of my freezer. When I was a kid
my mom and my siblings would spend a lot of time gathering and
freezing corn. This year I was delighted to have 8 rows of corn. The
picture above is the final growing stage of growing the corn. It is sad
to say I did not have a good harvest. Most of the corn was small but
it was tasty.


I do buy produce from a local Organic Farm called Silverton Farms.
Over the past 5 years my husband and I have gotten to know the
farmer. Sometime this month I will be getting a bushel of corn
from him. I will freeze this for my family for the winter.


One day I hope to grow corn as a crop, but until that day I will
continue to learn the art of growing vegetables on a small scale.
Below is a picture of a field of corn like the one I used to pick from in
Kansas as a child. We were lucky enough to have relatives who let us
pick as much as we wanted.