Water, Calf Sled, Ore

Each spring the snow melts, our seasonal creek flows, and the stock tanks fill up.  However, if we experience a rapid thaw we get this:

 

the pond is out of it's banks and draining across our driveway

This year our thaw has been very rapid.  A week ago our high temperature was -6.  Today our high is forecasted to reach 50.  Needless to say the rapid warm up has resulted in a rapid snow melt.  Our pond is over it's bank, our seasonal creek is over it's bank and our stock tanks are over their banks.  We seem to have water everywhere.

While Mr.B and I may look out and see big mess that will soon be an even bigger muddy mess, EJ looks out the window and sees an opportunity for fun.  Yep, a flood, a calf sled and an ore spells F-U-N for that country kid.

EJ enjoying his "boat" during spring thaw

Thrifty Thrusday - Mug Shelf

As nice as our kitchen is, the layout is not as work friendly as I'd like.  We have plans to reconfigure  it - someday.  Until someday arrives, I decided I needed a way of keeping my family out from under foot while they prepare mugs of coffee, cocoa, or hot tea.  Our winters are long and we drink a lot of warm beverages.  What I wanted was a mug rack, but I don't like those silly little mug trees that only hold 4-6 mugs.  I needed something that would tuck out of the way and service 6, 9, or 13 people in one neat, organized, central location.  I also didn't want a monstrosity that would take up all my counter space.  An idea popped into my head (why doesn't my blog toolbar have an "idea" icon symbol?).

 

 While cleaning out one of our barns last summer, we found this old wooden shoe cobbler's box.  I cleaned it up and stashed it down in the basement storeroom. 

 

I turned the box on its side and used some scrap fabric pieces as "shelf liner".

All that was left to do was place our mugs on the shelves.

 

My new mug shelf holds all our mugs and is only 5" deep, leaving plenty of counter space.  It's rustic look is a great addition in our kitchen.  Best of all it was FREE!  What sorts of crafty re-purposing projects have you been working on?

The Time is Now

One of our family's most favorite aspects of JP's visits home is hearing tales of his world travel.  Serving in the U.S. Navy has afforded him the blessings of visiting more places than anyone in our family ever dared to dream.  His work destinations allow him to visit "ports of call" for 2-5 days at a time.  Often times he will visit those locations at time of deployment AND upon return to his stateside duty station.  We always enjoy his recounts of culinary dining experiences, cultural observations and occasional tourist mishaps while we gaze upon his many treasured photographs.
Today, I'd like to share one of his stories with you.  Picture this:

A handsome, young sailor receives deployment orders.  Because he rides around the world on submarines, he is not at liberty to share his destination, but his orders indicate that he should return stateside within 10 weeks, barring an extension.  The morning of deployment he strides into his command center to retrieve his travel information and prepare his trek to the airport. 

On this day, his travel orders are a little different than usual.  He is informed that he will rendezvous with his assigned vessel "at sea".  He becomes slightly nervous but also very excited.  This news indicates that he may be bumming a ride out to an aircraft carrier aboard one of the world's fastest and most technologically advanced navel jets.  As he arrives at  the military airstrip, this exciting suspicion is confirmed as the van approaches his "ride".

"You ever fly before?", asked the weathered looking pilot.
 "No, not on one of these." replies the young sailor.  As he climbs into the aircraft, the pilot responds with, "This is the best ride in the theme park."  When the sailor takes his seat he is suddenly aware, in a realistic way, how powerful this little jet is.  He doesn't have a little lap belt sitting across his thighs like the commercial airliners.  Instead, he finds himself in a helmet and full flight harness that secures his entire torso.  In short order the jets fire up and the aircraft taxis out onto the runway.  The jet's liftoff and ascension into the heavens was unlike anything he could ever imagine. 

After a while, he is notified they are approaching their destination - an aircraft carrier undulating upon the surface of the open seas.  Aboard the aircraft carrier flight deck personnel are scrambling to clear the landing strip and secure the landing cable as they communicate with the pilot.  Suddenly this young sailor realizes that the landing strip is moving.  His heart begins racing and beating so hard it could be seen through his uniform.  He sees the landing strip rocking up and down and left and right and not only is it MOVING, it's incredibly SHORT and they are going incredibly FAST!  The young man silently thinks, "what have I gotten myself into?", "OH! no, there ain't no way this guy can land this thing on that".  "These people are CRAZY!"

As the plane rapidly descends, it sways left, then right, then left again as it enters a dance with its moving target. As the first time passenger  hears the screech of landing gear hit the tarmac he feels the full force of his safety harness and gear keeping him safely in his seat while almost at the same time, he suddenly hears the jet engines scream with force and he receives the full impact of a G-force thrust.  His eyes find his little window only to realize the jet is descending toward the ocean surface and the aircraft carrier is behind them.  As the jet engines continue to howl and scream with all their power and force the aircraft banks hard to the left and the young sailor watches the tip of its wing lightly graze the white caps of the ocean surface.

When the young sailor regained consciousness the aircraft was sitting safely on the aircraft carrier's tarmac and the flight deck personnel was securing everything so they could disembark.  It took a total of three landing attempts before the aircraft safely hooked the landing cable.  It was the most thrilling, exhilarating and terrifying experience of the young sailor's life.

This particular young sailor was our JP.

Like many youngsters growing up in the Bible belt and being home schooled, JP was naturally a church kid.  Some of his childhood friends are pursuing the mission field or other full-time ministry positions.  Some are pursuing various career paths in business, education or engineering while a few others, like JP, are also serving in the U.S. military.  Growing up a "church kid" doesn't guarantee a lifetime commitment to Christ.  As a matter of fact, statistics show that more than 65% (some are as high as 80%) of "church kids" leave the church when they enter college or as they pursue careers.  Often times these youngsters have believed the lie that they don't have to serve the Lord today because they can repent and "get right" with God before they die.  They foolishly believe that if they are sick or diagnosed with a terminal illness they will have time to make amends with God.  In many situations this may be true, but what about the situations where the illness causes severe delirium or a comatose state?  They foolishly believe that if faced with a sudden unexpected catastrophe or accident they will within microseconds cry out to Jesus for eternal salvation.  However, the reality, like JP's flight experience, doesn't allow those few seconds of clear thinking.  As soon as JP realized his plane may crash into the ocean, his heart rate, sudden onset of fear and shock literally caused him to pass out.  In his situation,  JP didn't have a millisecond to cry out to his Father God and Savior.

 If you, or your loved ones, find yourself (s) believing the lie that you will have time to "make things right" with God before you die ... If you find yourself or your loved ones thinking," someday, I'll commit my life to Christ", please stop and consider JP's experience.   The time to get right with the Lord is NOW.

Admit you are a sinner.  Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Believe in Jesus.  John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believed in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Confess that Jesus is your Lord.  Romans 10:9-10 "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Sowing & Reaping

Last spring we invested $152.00 of seed and other supplies into our vegetable garden.  This initial investment yielded more than 7 times in harvested produce (1,087 pounds).  Although our garden did us well last year, we are planning to increase its size this season; specifically the onion, potato, and corn patches.  We are especially excited about the addition of a fruit and nut orchard.  Although our climate is too cold for my favorite peaches, plums and pecans, there is a plethora of other fruits, berries and nuts that will grow well in our region.

I have been working on our orders for 4 varieties of apple trees (honey crisp, sweet sixteen, red Jonathan, early harvest), 2 Keifer pear trees, 2 cherry trees (Montmorency, early Richmond), 2 apricot trees (Moorpark, Manchurian), 6 blueberry bushes (blue crop, duke, Jersey), 6 raspberry bushes (Latham, brandywine), 6 blackberry bushes, (Darrow, prime ark), 2 English walnut trees.  We will also receive a few free gifts with our orders such as 10 blue spruce, 2 lilac bushes, and 1 red maple.  I realize that 43 trees and bushes would be significant overkill for most property owners. But, we live on the Montana prairie where the only trees one will find are those specifically planted by property owners.  We also have a very spacious 25 acre yard providing plenty of room for as many trees as we'd like.  Our property does have a 1 1/2 acre wood lot consisting of mostly old growth cottonwood and Russian olive trees that Mr.B has been working on thinning the past 2 summers.  It is definitely time to bring in some new growth and other species.  I  LOVE the concept of edible landscaping thus, we have mapped out where we will plant each tree/bush.

 

Looking forward to the day when our trees and bushes are producing fruits, berries and nuts makes me consider the Biblical concept of sowing and reaping with increase.  Luke 6:37-39 tell us, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."  Many folks understand the principal of sowing and reaping with increase  but lack the persistence and patience to see this wondrous blessing fully cycle in their lives. 

 

Sowing and reaping with increase is not only a Biblical principal, it is also a universal law.  For instance, one tomato seed can produce a tomato vine that in turn produces up to 50 pounds of tomatoes with each one of those new growth tomatoes containing more than 100 seeds for even more production!  Because this principal is not only Biblical but universal, it works for every single person regardless of his/her belief system.  If, I as a Christian plant tomato seeds, I will reap a harvest of tomatoes.  If my neighbor is an atheist and he also plants tomato seeds, he too will reap a harvest of tomatoes. 

 

Within the same principal, what we sow will also be what we reap.  It is foolish to expect a harvest of bell peppers or squash from tomato seeds.   Tomato seeds produce tomatoes, pepper seeds produce peppers, and squash seeds produce squash.  This realization should make us, mankind, aware of our words and actions.  If we are sowing seeds of encouragement, generosity, forgiveness, peace, kindness, etc. then, in time, we will reap a harvest of the same.  However, if we sow seeds of greed, criticism, strife, etc., then we should fully expect to reap an abundant harvest of the same.

 

 As mentioned above, I believe that most folks understand and grasp the sowing and reaping with increase principal but they lack persistence and patience.  Many will give time and money to causes they deem worthy only to loose the commitment and return to selfish ways because the harvest doesn't seem to come soon enough.  Harvests do not sprout, grow and produce overnight.  In my vegetable garden, depending on the plant, I must wait 45 to 120 days before I will see any harvest.  With our fruit, berry and nut orchard we will have to wait an average of 5 years before we begin to see any significant return on our "investment".  But, with patience and the continued investment of maintenance, we will eventually reap more fruits than our singular family will be able to consume.  That is when we, out of abundance, will be blessed and honored to share our bounty with others.

 

Because I've been gardening for a long time the principal of sowing and reaping is often at the forefront of my thinking .   I pray, you, my dear readers, will keep in mind that as you sow seeds throughout your life, harvests will not only come in due season, but continue for generations to come.

Yellow Squash Muffins

When you have an abundance of squash and don't know what to do with it, try these tender, moist and lightly sweet muffins.

Yellow Squash Muffins

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

1 lb. yellow squash, shredded (I use my food processor)
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1.  Mix shredded squash, butter, egg, sugar, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl until combined well.
2.  Stir in flour, being careful not to over mix.
3.  Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full.
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5.  Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 1 dozen.

When we discover those hidden very large squash that are too tough for our preference, I shred and freeze them in one pound increments.  Thawing the frozen portions allows us to enjoy these tasty muffins throughout the year.

They Had Turned Mealy

Back in January an apple truck ran off the road in our neighboring town.  For some reason, USDA regulations prohibit the supplier from delivering to the grocer after an accident.  Because of these regulations, the supplier instructed the driver to give ALL the cases of apples away to the community.  On Monday, Mrs.D arrived at our house with one of these cases of apples.  She blessed us with 1/2 the case.  Unfortunately, the apples had been sitting for several weeks and had lost most of their crispness, also known in my family as "mealy".  

 

 What does one do with apples that have lost their crispness?  In our home, if a food is salvageable we find a way to use it.  Although "mealy" apples are not the best for munching on, they are great for baking and cooking.  After making an apple crumble, I used the remaining apples to make ...

... 13 half pints of apple butter.  It was a pleasure to thank Mrs.D for the 1/2 case of apples with a jar of apple butter.  The addition of the apple butter brings our supply of sweet spreads up to a year and half's worth.

So, if you are ever blessed with slightly overripe fruit, don't toss it in the trash.  Use it to make fruit fillings for pies, crumbles, cobblers,  or sweet spreads for homemade breads and rolls.

Here's my apple butter recipe:

Mrs. B's Apple Butter

8 lb.  apples (about 32 medium)
5 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
juice from 1/2 orange

Step 1:  Wash, core, peel and quarter apples. 

Step 2:  In a large stockpot combine apples with 2 cups water.  Simmer until apples are soft.  Drain.

Step 3:  Puree softened apples with a food processor or food mill, being careful not to liquefy.

Step 4:  Return apple puree to stockpot.  Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt and orange juice.  Cook over low heat until thick enough to round up on a spoon.  As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.  You may also want to place a screened splatter guard over the top of the pot.

Step 5:  Ladle hot apple butter into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/2 in. head space.  Removed air bubbles.  Adjust lids and bands.

Step 6:  Process 1/2 pints 10 minutes, pints 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Happy Valentine's Day

What a surprise!  Since I prefer to stay home, my precious OG drove EJ to the library today.  When they returned home, they brought me this BEAUTIFUL bouquet for Valentine's Day. 

 I am definitely the most blessed mom in the world!

 

Did Ya Miss Me?

The past couple weeks have been a fun, busy and exciting time in the B household.  Our JP took a two week leave to spend time with the family and help Mr.B install TWO sump pumps in our basement.

 

When we purchased our home the previous owner had just finished installing a sump pump in the center of the basement.  This considerably helped reduce the spring time basement moisture.  However, last spring was exceptionally wet and we found water entering the northeast and the southwest corners of our basement.  The sump pump located in the center of the basement is simply too far away from these other two areas.  Thanks to JP's help and hard work we now have two additional sump pumps and are expecting a dryer basement this spring.  This "do-it-yourself" project really is a two person job and JP's help saved us nearly $2,000.

 



northeast sump pump.

 

JP after a long day's work in the basement.  He'll need a shave and haircut prior to reporting for duty.

During his visit JP spent most of his spare time playing cribbage, checkers, and monopoly with EJ and OG.  One afternoon I walked into the front room and found our little babysitting charge, ET, sitting on EJ's lap during a game of cribbage.  Boy OH Boy did I reminisce!  You see, EJ is 11 yr. 9 mo. older than ET.  Our JP is 11 yr. 8 mo. older than his little brother EJ and when EJ was little, I'd constantly find him in JP's lap ... just like this photo, below, of EJ & ET.

 

"Memories, light the corners of my mind ... Silly water colored memories ... of the way we were ".

Every since JP left home for service in the U.S. Navy, we have not had the joy of celebrating his birthday with him.  During this visit, I decided an early birthday celebration was necessary.  I thought I would LOVE baking him a German chocolate b-day cake and preparing a special b-day supper of baked ziti, salad and garlic bread sticks.  Actually, I was enjoying myself until he said, "Mmm, that smells good, mom.  I haven't had baked ziti since last summer when I was in Rome."  I'm Irish / German, need I say more?

Didn't have 24 candles but JP didn't seem to mind.

My favorite quotes from JP's visit:

"... No, I actually like my family."  Was said to a friend via the telephone when asked if he was yet bored with installing sump pumps and hanging out around the house with only his family.

and

"... I've attended pubic school and I've been home schooled.  Trust me, there is nothing normal about public education."  Was JP's response to EJ commenting on how he sometimes wishes he was normal and attended public school.  (JP's primary education = public school: grades K - 7 / home school: grades 8 - 12).

 JP is always kind and generous with his family.  As usual, he left a smile upon my heart and I began missing him before he left.