I called Adelia early this morning, figuring that she would be up, and asked her if it would be okay to come by and bring along a little gift from Jada for her daughter’s birthday. I decided to use Adelia’s method of teaching her children to give by having Jada pick out something of her own to give to her little friend as a gift. It took Jada a little time to figure out what she was willing to part with. As she stood in her room that morning she looked around and sighed to me, “It’s just so hard to choose”! Finally she happily decided to give her friend a little Prayer Box necklace that has been a treasure of hers for a while. I was proud of her decision; I thought it was a perfect choice.

As we drove the 15 minutes to Adelia’s house, Jada sat in her carseat excited about the surprise gift she had in her pocket. When we arrived on the farm the oldest daughter met us at the car with a smile, and told Jada that her friend was inside excited to see her. Titus must have remembered the kittens he played with last time ’cause as soon as I opened his door to get him out he started saying, “Cat. Cat.” We walked around to the back porch where the Mama Cat was nursing her kittens. Mrs. Adelia stepped outside and said hello. We went inside to find Jada’s eight year old friend at the stove cooking breakfast for her “Pa”. She has her own little square cast iron pan which she loves to cook in. She was attentively frying eggs for an egg sandwich, while Adelia stood close by looking on.

I asked Jada if she had given her friend the gift yet, and Jada quickly pulled it out of her pocket and gave it to her along with a “Happy Birthday”! Her friend was very excited when she saw the necklace, and Adelia helped her put it on while she stood on her step-stool at the stove. The chain was a little too short, as Jada is quite a bit smaller than her, but she didn’t seem to mind and wore it anyway.

I watched as Adelia gently guided her daughter in her task of making breakfast, reminding her to get this and that, and to use the cover for the hot handle, and praising her for remembering to turn the stove off when she was finished. What great pride, I thought, this little girl must feel to be able to sit her father down to a nice, warm breakfast all by herself. I’d love to give Jada that joy when she gets a little bit bigger.

Soon the kids were out the door and scattering on the farm. Adelia needed to pick some blueberries for a friend, so I offered to help her. We got together some big bowls and walked down to the blueberry bushes. The bushes were full of bright blue berries, and I thought it would be no problem gathering a gallon of them pretty quickly. I was ready to start picking away, but slowed myself as I noticed that Adelia was studying the berries. I waited, and then she told me that we want to pick the berries that are closed at the bottom. Of course I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, so I asked her what she meant. She showed me the bottoms of the blueberries; some had a star like thing sticking out from the bottom, and some were completely smoothed out. She told me that they aren’t quite ripe until the bottom has “closed” and it’s completely smooth; no “star”.

Unripe Blueberries- notice the “star” on the bottom:

Here is a ripe blueberry- notice the bottom is all smoothed out now:

Huh, and I thought I knew all I could about picking berries! So, after her examination, she decided that the bushes simply needed a little longer before they were ready to be picked. We did pick a small amount while talking and walking around the bushes, and little Titus couldn’t stay out of the bowls! He stuffed his cheeks with as many blueberries as he could grab in one chubby little fist full. (I had to keep an eye on him!)

Our two girls were having a great time playing. I first saw them over at the grape vines, evidently picking grapes to eat. Then I guess they went over to the apple trees ’cause I spotted Jada playing with a small apple in her mouth. Next they came over to us while we were at the blueberry bushes, and they pretended to be deer eating the berries right off the bushes using only their mouths to nibble them off the stem. What a joy it is to me to watch my little girl truly enjoying nature, carefree and content. I dream of recreating such an environment at my own home one day.

Adelia and I went back inside and I noticed the incubator on her counter. My mother-in-law also has an incubator going with eggs in it, and I just recently learned a ton from her about chickens, and hatching eggs. Turns out my whole theory of how chickens and eggs work was completely wrong! (I guess a California girl like me has a lot to learn out here in the country!) As I peeked through the lid at her eggs I laughed at my previous understanding of how eggs hatched, and felt like I should share my naivety with Adelia. I guess I will share my silly notion with you as well:

Okay, so my idea about how chickens and eggs worked was that a male and a female chicken would get together, and the hen would lay some eggs. Then she would sit on the eggs and after some time the chicks would hatch. If you got an egg and cracked it before the chick had formed, it was edible. Sounds logical, right? But I always wondered how to know which eggs were okay to eat, and which might have a chick in them. Boy, did I have a lot to learn! I don’t feel so dumb though, ’cause I explained that to my sister and she had always thought the same thing :)!

After my mother-in-law so patiently explained the whole process to me, and answered all of my silly questions here is what I now understand to be how it works:

Hens will lay an egg every day, with or without a male; but just one egg per day. Some eggs are fertilized, and some are not. Obviously the ones that are fertilized are when there is a male present. The unfertilized eggs are just dropped by the hen and left alone. These are the ones we eat. You can tell if an egg has been fertilized because the hen will start to scratch around to make a nest, and sit on the egg. It takes a few days before the chick begins to form in the egg. My mother-in-law showed me the chick inside of one of her eggs through a process called “candling“.

When I told Adelia all of this she graciously smiled and added that Hen’s produce eggs just like we do, and like ours if they are fertilized and incubated they will produce a baby. If they are not fertilized then they will just be dropped. I never thought of it like that!

Still curious about the whole incubation process I asked more questions. She told me that the eggs would be hatching Sunday afternoon. I said, “So, you’ll just come in here and there will be a bunch of chicks walking around in there?” She told me that they will begin to hear the chicks peeping from inside their shells, and then the chicks will begin pecking all around the perimeter of the egg. Soon after, the chicks will kick and squirm and push that top part of the shell off and finally come out, with their feathers all wet. She told me that in the mean time the eggs have to be turned twice a day; she uses an automatic egg turner in her incubator for that.

We sat in her living room for a long time after that talking about many things. I think I will save those lessons learned for another time. I do want to say though that one of the big lessons that I have learned from Adelia is to be happy to open my home up to guests even when I feel like it’s too small to entertain in, or it’s too messy, or it’s not fancy enough to be proud of. It reminds me of a quote from a book I’ve been reading, a cookbook called Extending The Table, which reads:

“Do we find the unexpected caller a welcome guest or a frustrating interruption? We deprive ourselves and others if we feel we must have the house free of clutter and our desks cleared of urgent business before we entertain guests. A simple beverage and an attentive ear will honor a stranger or a friend.”

That’s the way that Adelia has been towards me and my children. She doesn’t tell me to give her time to straighten up before I come. She doesn’t tell me she’s too busy, or maybe another time. She just graciously lets me into her home, and kindly shares her time. I am ashamed to say that I have turned away friends who wanted to visit because I didn’t feel like my home was presentable. It is now my goal to accept anyone into my home, at any time, and not be ashamed that it looks “lived in”. It is more important that I minister to others than worry about my appearance. And I know that this is how the Lord would have us to be.

Another visit too quick to end, more wisdom for a curious heart. Until next time…

(Read more about my other visits to Butterberry Farm! And for more money saving tips check out Frugal Friday over at Biblical Womanhood… don’t miss it!)

You guys, I can’t do it. I can’t leave you. I’m going through major blogging withdrawals!! The past couple of days have really been a struggle for me, especially reading all of your comments about how sad you are to see me go. I don’t want to go! After much thought, prayer, and consideration, I’ve decided to do whatever I can to keep this blog going. I have worked too hard, learned too much, and been so blessed by this site that I have decided not to give up without a fight! So, if I have to type this from the library, or from a family member’s home, this blog will continue!

Please forgive me for thinking about giving up. I thought it would be the best thing for my family, but I’m sure now that I was wrong. I am just going to have to change the way that I do a few things to make it work better for me. My sister, Sashwhy, will no longer be joining me with this blog. And since it will be only me posting, I’ve decided that for the sake of my family, I will try to only post on Mondays, Wednesday’s, and Fridays. Though, if the occasional deal comes along I’ll have to pass that on to ya ASAP!

I hope you guys will come back to join me as I continue Minimizing Monday’s, Lesson’s From Butterberry Farm, and so much more! Thanks for all of your support!! Glad to be at it once again!! Yay!!

Once again, here is my menu, this time from the July box of Angel Food. I have found that it’s hard to keep strictly to these menu plans, as sometimes items on the menu are substituted for something else. Like my pizza from the last box actually came in the form of generic Totino’s Pizza Rolls. And the mixed frozen veggies were actually just corn. This kinda messes up my plans sometimes, so just remember these are more menu ideas than plans! Most of these are just main courses, and this month’s box has a lot of already prepared meal items, so not too many creative recipes here.

1. Pasta and Meatballs

2. Crock Pot Dinner

3. Hot dogs; Peas and Carrots

4. Beef Fajitas

5. Meatloaf and Gravy, Steamed Broccoli

6. Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sage Cornbread Crust

7. Chicken and Biscuit Kabobs

8. Mexican Scrambled Eggs

9. Crock Pot BBQ Beef Ribs

10. Chicken Chunks and Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Hopefully most of these items will come as described. I’ve been really pleased so far with the food I’ve been getting. I have to say the breaded chicken breasts have a pickle-ish taste to them though. Has anyone else noticed that?? Anyways, still yummy though. Hope this gives you some meal ideas for next month!

Thanks so much to my friend Joy at A Joyful Keeper for sharing this website; now you can all read this book for FREE! And be sure to check out my book review if you missed it. Thanks Joy!

If you’ve been following along recently, you know that I have been searching for healthier makeup options after learning how toxic a lot of the chemicals are in the cosmetics that we use. I decided to order some samples of mineral makeup just to try. In my searching for truly quality products I have found that up front the makeup seems quite expensive compared to at store products. Once I received some samples, however, I realize that for the amount of makeup that you get, and how little it actually takes to apply, the mineral makeup actually isn’t such a bad deal. Your initial cost will be greater, but the right stuff will last for a very long time.

I decided to order samples from Ulew and Signature Minerals. My Mother-in-law loves mineral makeup, and actually had some to give me that she wasn’t using, so I was also able to try Bare Minerals as well. Here is what I think:

Ulew- Initially I didn’t see the samples available on the website, so I emailed the company and asked if they offered any. I was very pleased with the quick, friendly response, and was surprised when they offered me a couple of extra samples on the side just for my interest. I placed my order, and about 5 days later I received my samples in the mail. I ordered two liquid foundation samples, and also received two free concealer samples. The samples cost me $9.45 shipped which ended up being a lot to me since they were only one time use sample packets. Though I haven’t used the liquid foundation yet (I’m saving them for a good time!), I did try the concealer and found that it works very well.

Signature Minerals- I was very pleased to find on this website that they are offering a FREE Sampler Kit (though you do have to pay shipping). I ordered this customized kit and also bought a small Kabuki brush since you have to use this special brush to apply the mineral powder. They had the best deal I could find on these brushes, and since it didn’t add to my shipping cost I thought it would be wise to get one with my order. I got a Baby Buki Brush, since it was the cheapest at $10. With shipping, the free sampler kit and the buki brush came up to $15.35. So, without the brush it would have only been $5.35.

I received my order in a speedy two days, via UPS. When I opened the package I was very pleased with the generous size of the samples. Honestly, there is enough in these little containers to last at least a month, probably even two (and I am a makeup every day kind of person)! I love how they go on, and how my skin feels when wearing them. Very good deal! And you can order more sample kits if you’d like to try other shades.

i.d. Bare Minerals- Like I said, I didn’t have to buy any of these since my MIL gave them to me (what a blessing!). I haven’t found any samples to order online. You can buy them at various boutiques though and they may possibly have samples to try in the store. I have really enjoyed using these, and the Kabuki brush is a must have for these as well. It does take a little longer for me to get ready in the mornings now, but I think once I get used to using the brush and get more practice I will get faster with the application.

Overall Opinion-

Cons: The downfall to using the powder minerals is that it can be messy. It’s hard not to lose powder from the container because you have to tap a small amount into a lid or something to swirl the brush in before applying. I feel like I’m wasting money every time I lose some powder onto the counter. It also takes longer to apply.

Pros: It feels good knowing that what I am putting on my face every day is actually good for my skin, and not toxic to my body. I don’t have to worry when I pick up my baby that possibly dangerous chemicals might be rubbing off onto his tender little face. I was surprised at the coverage it gives, and I am very pleased with how natural the look is. It only takes just a little powder to go a long way. Though initially expensive (I do have a birthday coming up soon, hint hint, family) I plan on continuing using mineral makeup at least for foundation if nothing else.

If you use mineral makeup, or know of any good deals, I’d love for you to share with us!!

Wow…that’s a lot of L’s

My brain is sadly fried after a week of craziness (cleaning out a very messy garage, scrubbing the basement bathroom (please don’t ask how dirty it was), landscaping our yard, hosting in-laws, throwing my son’s first birthday party and helping my husband teach 2nd grade at our church’s Vacation Bible School), so I thought instead of writing a full-blown post, we could all just share in a little link love!

I’d like to hear from each and every one of you about your favorite blog(s) - pick one or two of your favorite blogs and tell why you enjoy them.

Personally, my favorite blog is Biblical Womanhood . I always find inspiration and encouragement in my role as wife, mother, homemaker and Christian from what Crystal writes. Her exemplary lifestyle and transparent writing is just what I need to be challenged and encouraged.

What about you? What are your favorite "reads"?

I LOVE making these for baby showers. And they are so simple! I saw a similar idea somewhere where they had made angels out out of these jars, and I thought the babies would be really cute too. You can make these into anything though (snowman, bride/groom, animals…) So here’s how I make them:

Materials:

• 1 1/2 in. styrofoam ball

• pipe cleaner (for hair); yellow, brown, black or orange
• acrylic paints; flesh color, pink, black, white
• Spray paint for the lid (it just goes on the best); whatever color you want it be (I like blue and pink)
• a clean baby food jar
• thin ribbon
• mini pacifier (you can find these in craft stores in the baby shower supplies)
• Hot glue gun
• Filling for the jar (whatever you want to put in it!)

Steps:

• Wash and dry the baby food jar really well (you’ll need to soak it to get all the sticky label stuff off)
• Spray paint the lid; may need two coats
• Paint the styrofoam ball flesh color
• Twist the pipe cleaner around a pencil to make it curl. Cut a piece about 1 in. long and stick it into the top of the ball once the paint has dried. This creates the curly hair on top.
• Hot glue the ball to the top of the lid, once the paint has dried.
• Push plastic pacifier into the ball where the mouth would be.
• Dip the end of a paintbrush in black acrylic paint and dot two eyes above the pacifier.
• Paint two round circles with pink paint beside the pacifier, where the cheeks would be.
• When the black paint has dried, using a small, fine paintbrush, dab a dot of white paint on the upper right side of each black dot, to create a highlight.
• Tie a ribbon around the neck.
• Fill the jar with whatever you’d like. I like using candy, or filling them with lavender scented candles.

So be creative, and have fun!!

Well, we’re at it again! And this time we’re working on the kitchen. If you missed last week’s post on Minimizing Our Closets, make sure you check it out for more de-cluttering inspiration!

I thought the kitchen would be a good next challenge because so many of us have cabinets and drawers overflowing with containers and various thing-a-ma-jiggers that we honestly haven’t used in a long time, if ever. I don’t have a very big kitchen, and I don’t have that much stuff… at least I didn’t think I did, but after a few purging sessions I surprised myself with how much unnecessary stuff I had just sitting around, taking up space.

So, if you are ready to take control of your kitchen cabinets, think Less is More! Less stuff, more room and less time wasted searching for the lid to that one specific container. It’s a good idea to start in one particular area of the kitchen, like a cabinet or drawer, and go through one section at a time. That way each part gets a thorough purging, and you aren’t distracted or overwhelmed. And you may need to do this over several days. It took me two days to completely go through everything, just cause I don’t have time to pull everything out and go through it all with two little ones running around!

When you are ready to tackle your kitchen, you need to have the mindset Do I really need this?. Ask yourself if you are able to function without that particular thing. For instance, I had an egg yolk separator. Seemed like a useful tool. How often have I used it? Once, maybe twice in the past 5 years that it has sat in my drawer! It has been just as easy for me to separate the egg yolk using the shell itself than digging through my drawer to find this “convenient” little helper. And the apple slicer thingy, I always forget I even have one! A knife does just as good of a job at cutting my apples, and it’s multi functional! So, this should be your thinking if you are ready to simplify.

Here’s how to know when to toss it:

• If you haven’t used it in the past year
• If you have more than one (and you don’t consistently use both), or an overabundance
• If there is another tool that works the same purpose
• If you can function without it
• If you don’t think you will use it any more

Things you really don’t need (this may be tough for some of you!):

• more than one plate/cup per family member; spares for company can be kept, but placed out of immediate reach
• a bread maker; you can do the same thing with your hands
• a toaster and a toaster oven; if you have a toaster oven, toss the toaster!
• 20 sippy cups or bottles! Pick three or four good ones to keep, or even less if you can.
• too much silverware; you only need so many spoons and forks!
• tons of plastic storage containers; try to limit them to 5 or 6 (this is my weakness!).
• an overabundance of kid’s plates and bowls; one per kid is enough.
• disposables (plates, cups, forks/spoons, bibs, sippy cups…)
• a billion cookie cutters and/or candy molds

These are the things that I’ve had to get rid of from my own kitchen, so I speak from experience! And I’ve begun reevaluating what I had on my wish list for kitchen appliances as well. I really wanted a bread maker, a yogurt maker, and a KitchenAid Mixer (you know, the super expensive ones!), but I’ve come to realized that I don’t need any of those things. Maybe you will be inspired to rethink what you think you need in your kitchen as well! So, after all of my cleaning here is what I am parting with:

It may not look like it, but after counting it all this came out to be over 100 items gone from my kitchen (and that’s not even counting the silverware)!! All just a bunch of stuff taking up space.

When my husband came home and opened the kitchen cabinet, and then the silverware drawer, he couldn’t believe the difference!

Mission accomplished.

Feeling inspired? Even if you are taking baby steps, we’d love to hear what you are doing to live with less. Let’s encourage each other to be free from all of these things that complicate our lives! To join us in “Minimizing Monday”, simply write a post on your blog about how you have minimized your kitchen (or any other tips, advice or ways that you are minimizing in general) and come back here to leave your link below. We’d love to hear from you!

I’ve been writing lately about minimizing our closets, but just because we don’t need a lot of clothing doesn’t mean we’ll never have to shop for it, and boy do I love shopping for clothes! I especially love a great deal! A while back I decided to limit myself to spending $5 or less per clothing item. That may sound hard to do, or like it would require sacrificing quality or style, but if you know where to look you can find top quality, name brand stuff for Goodwill prices! Here are my favorite places to shop, where finding clothing for under $5 is super easy!:

Kohl’s Clearance Rack- Now, I do not like credit cards, but I have to say that the only one I do have is a Kohl’s card, and I love having it! With a Kohl’s card you get special discounts and offers only good for cardholders. They always have great clearances going on, like 60-80% off, and when I use my card I often have another 15-30% off coupon that I am able to use with my Kohl’s card, not to mention the occasional free shipping code. The key is to pay the card off right away! I love shopping online when I have a free shipping code, talk about convenience, not to mention saving gas money!

Right now Kohl’s is having a great sale going on, and I have PROMO CODES to share!! Here is an example of a deal I found:

This shirt, regularly $16.00. After promo codes and free shipping my total would be only $4.36!

There are lots of other things to chose from, so go now before they are all gone!

Here are the codes for card holders:

15% off- JULYSAVE15 [Exp. 7/22]

Free Shipping- MVC7915 [Exp. 7/21]

Limited Too- Sometimes they have awesome clearance sales, stack those with coupons (and if you’re lucky a free shipping code), and you can really score some great deals! Right now they are having an extra 40% off clearance prices, plus you can use COUPON CODE: 755 [Exp. 07/21] for an extra 25% off. They are also offering $80 in TOO BUCKS (to spend on a future purchase) for every $50 you spend. I don’t see any deals that catch my eye right now, but often they have some good ones, for CUTE stuff too!

I have been fortunate in finding many adorable tops and bottoms on clearance for less than $5 shipped when using codes on clearance deals, so check back often!

The Children’s Place- I love shopping this store online when the clearance deals are good! They usually have a coupon code out, and shipping is a flat rate of $5. So, if you find a lot of stuff on sale, $5 bucks for shipping is worth it compared to the savings in time and gas!

Right now they are having a Monster Sale through the Outlet store online. For example:

This shirt is only $1.99 on sale! Add an extra 15% off to make the deal even sweeter!

Use code: FA78 for 15% off.

Find a lot of stuff on sale and the $5 shipping is so worth it!

So, do you get my point? Are you catching on? This isn’t so hard, is it?! Shopping is fun, and I especially love doing it from the comforts of home! Some other places to find great deals on clothing are:

TJ Maxx

Ross

Rugged Warehouse

Consignment Stores

Yard Sales

Goodwill

ebay (though make sure to consider the shipping charges!)

Craigslist

Freecycle

Notice I didn’t mention Walmart or K-mart. I don’t usually shop for clothing there. Sometimes you can find a good clearance deal, but what I have found is that the prices are still pretty high, the quality isn’t that good, and the style isn’t that great. Nothing against these stores, I just don’t like their clothing.

So, does anybody have any better coupon codes that they can share with us? Do you have a favorite place to shop for inexpensive clothing?? I’d love to hear how you save money on your family’s clothes!

I was fortunate enough to get to spend a few hours with my friend Adelia this week. Actually, I spent three hours at her kitchen table, breaking green beans and taking advantage of the time with her by making good conversation. I am not really a very social person, actually I’m pretty much an introvert when around people I don’t know. I don’t even hang out with my friends any more, ever. My life is at home, and I’m happy with that! But for some reason I am drawn to Adelia. I love spending time with her, probably because time spent with her and the conversation spoken is always so useful and rich.

When we first arrived at their house, we hung out in the front yard for a minute and they showed me their kittens again. They are SO CUTE! They tried to get me to take one home, but I just know Titus would terrorize the poor thing! Watching them nurse on their mother reminded me of how I’m trying to wean Titus, and I told Adelia about my attempts, and how I’m now giving him Soy milk. She said to me very cautiously, “Whatever you do, DON’T give him rice milk!” She told me of a friend of hers who has a son with Autism. He has to have a special diet, which included rice milk. At his latest checkup they did a blood test or something and it revealed dangerous levels of Arsenic. The baffled mother didn’t know how in the world he got that in his system, but when she started telling them what her son had been eating as soon as she mentioned rice milk they knew that that was where it was coming from. I guess Rice Milk does have Arsenic in it. Now he’s going to have to go through some sort of detox to clean his system out. Glad she shared that with me!

We soon went inside to get out of the heat. Adelia had traded some blueberries for green beans at the farmer’s market, and she had tons of them to prepare for canning! When I saw the huge boxes full of beans, enough to make over 5 gallons canned, I offered my novice help. Jada ran off to play outside with Adelia’s youngest little girl. I never know what they are doing, or where exactly there are off to, but I don’t worry when I’m there. I know she will be fine. They always come back laughing and absolutely filthy! I’ve learned very quickly to bring Jada in play clothes when we visit!

Little Titus had a great time opening all of her cabinets, and playing with plastic jugs and wooden spoons and things that he found around the kitchen. Adelia didn’t mind at all that he was into everything. I told her how I am trying to begin living with less stuff, and that I’ve had a really hard time purging the kids “educational” toys. She told me about how when she was a little girl and stayed with her grandmother all that she had to play with there was whatever her grandmother had. So with her own kids she did the same thing; she lets them play with whatever she has. Pots, spoons, mason jars, whatever is there, nothing fancy but just as entertaining. She pointed out that these things were doing double duty as useful household items but playthings as well. That really got me thinking! What a great way to save space in your home. I have now been inspired to get rid of all of Jada’s little play kitchen bowls and plates. I can instead let her play with her “real” dishes and our plastic containers when she wants to pretend cooking, saving space and using the items for double duty! Also I am going to get rid of Jada’s 50 piece box of Play-Dough cutters, and instead let her use my cookie cutters. (Hmmm, what else can I replace??)

We talked a while about the book Henry that she gave to me, and about living more simply. We discussed what would happen to us as Americans if we had to survive without power. Her mission is to be able to comfortably live independent of electricity and totally self sufficient. It was inspiring listening to her talk about using old fashioned tools and gadgets than don’t require power. Not that they live with no power, but if they ever had to, it would not affect their lifestyle much. She showed me the oil lanterns hanging on her walls, not only for decoration, but also for when the power is out. I started thinking, “Man, if we lost power, I wouldn’t be able to function!” and I think most of us wouldn’t know where to start, and things would go very bad, very quickly! I want to learn more about living independent of electricity. We discussed the Great Depression, and how things were back then, and what would become of the U.S. if it ever got that bad again. Thinking of not being able to feed my children, knocking on stranger’s doors asking for food or even having to steal to survive, makes me long for self sufficient living with even more desire.

I shared with Adelia that I canned for the first time last week with my sweet Mother-in-law. We canned potatoes. I was very proud of myself! I told her that my MIL didn’t think you could can potatoes, and I told her that Adelia told me that anything can be canned! I asked Adelia if she makes juice too. I knew she made Apple Cider, but I wondered if she made other stuff. Well, I learned that what she calls “cider” is what I call “juice”, so she was actually making Apple Juice. She also makes her own Grape juice, and Muscadine juice too. I asked her if she has to cook the fruit, and squeeze the juice and all that. She laughed and said, “No!” and she shared with me how she cans her own fresh juice. She was kind enough to make a copy of her recipe for me, so here it is, it is so simple!:

Grape Juice (Quarts)

1/3 c. sugar

1 1/3 c. grapes

boiling water

Wash grapes. Put sugar and grapes in jar. Fill jars with boiling water. Pressure cook jars for 5 min. at 5 lbs.

She explained that when they are done, the juice from the grapes fills the jars, and the grape skins fall to the bottom of the jar. She thought for a minute about whether she had any or not, and then retrieved a jar of juice from her cabinet. She opened the lid and poured a glass for me. I truly have to say that it was the BEST grape juice I’ve ever had! It tasted so clean, and fresh. I poured some in Titus’s sippy cup and once he started drinking I don’t think he took a single breath before it was all gone! It was really good.

I told her that my Mother-in-law has an apple tree, and she said that if I gather some apples I can come and use her apple press to make my own juice. I can’t wait to try that!!

She told me that the Ball Blue Book of canning was a great resource for recipes. BUT, she warned me not to use their recipe for canning corn. She said it’s not good. She did give me her recipe though:

Canned Corn (Pint)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Cut corn off cobs. Pack corn cold in jars. Pour boiling water to cover. Add salt, sugar and lemon juice. Water bath 30 min. or pressure 10 lbs. 15 min.

*Approx. 12 ears = 1 quart.

She told me that you can reuse the lids from the jars if you are careful not to damage them when removing. I knew you could reuse the rings around the lid, but not the flat part too! That’s good to know. She said she has some that she’s been using for years.

She also told me how she grows and cans her own Pimentos for making home made Pimento Cheese. In the winter time they especially love grilled pimento cheese sandwiches with homemade soup. I need to visit their house this winter… yummy!!

I asked her how she keeps the deer out of her garden. She smiled and said she doesn’t. But she doesn’t mind it if they get into it, she said, she’s gonna eat that deer the first chance she gets, and she likes to know what her food has been eating! I thought that was clever. She’s pretty funny!

We got on the subject of making shampoo and soap and stuff and I asked her if her soaps are made with lye. She said yes, and she has to order it from a catalog now because the stores have pulled it from their shelves. I guess people are using it to make Meth. How sad. So, she told me that she orders hers from Rainbow Meadow, Inc. and that it isn’t very expensive. (I checked out the website and there are lots of other cool things for sale there!) I told her I’m a little nervous messing with something labeled “Danger”, “Poison!”, but I do want to learn how to use it properly. Perhaps she can show me how sometime.

After about three hours of chatting and breaking beans, I realized what time it was and had to head home to feed the kids some lunch. We went outside and she took me to her little shed, which she calls her “grocery barn” cause it houses two large freezers full of meat. She asked her son to help her as she pulled out a humongous box full of mason jars. She told me that I could have them (since I had admitted to not owning a single jar), and they loaded them up into my van. I thought that was awfully kind! As they were getting the jars out of the shed I admired her water stove. I told her that I would love to have one, but they are really expensive to buy! She told me that the new ones are expensive, but she got hers from a greenhouse that was upgrading, for $150! She told me to look in the local classifieds and sometimes you can find them there. I will definitely be keeping my eye out!

As we finished talking, we looked around for the girls, but they were no where in sight. We figured they were down at the blueberry patch. Adelia told me that she has a dinner bell on the back porch. Whenever it’s snack or meal time, she just rings her bell and all the kids come running. How funny. We walked down to the blueberry bushes, and there were the girls, covered from head-to-toe with mud (evidently from making mud pies), filling their bellies with blueberries. I gathered up Jada, and loaded her into the van. We said our goodbye’s, and they told us to come again. I assured them that we would! I love that family! What a great time we had with them.