Well Monday is out of the way!!

Well we have monday down, only 4 days to go until a 3 day weekend, I don't know why I am looking so forward to it, maybe just the fact of going and doing only what I want to do at the lake has something to do with it. 

It was a busy weekend, made my bread and butter pickles, a small batch of soap I didn't have too many supplies left, waiting for my shipment to come in should be here thursday but won't have time to play with it until next week sometime, I really feel the need to get more  soap going as the more people who try it really like it, had to laugh at one of the ladies that works out in our warehouse, I gave her a sample last week, and then asked if she had liked it, she said she didn't use it yet, I kept telling her your gonna like it.....  today she says to me I used your soap and boy is it ever nice , had all I could do to not say  "I told ya so"  lol  so guess who wants to order some?  I just feel with Christmas coming on and people wanting lotion and soaps I am going to get behind as the soaps have to sit for 4-6 weeks before I can sell them. 

Oh I am so ready for fall,  I just love that you can just smell that faint hint of it in the air, it is by far my favorite season, I know I know after that comes "shhhhh  winter"  but that doesn't stop me from having it be my favorite time of year. 

Thought I would share a few pictures and then I need to go do something constructive,  why is it when you are work, all you think about is what you are going to do when you get home, and then you get home and find out your "got up and go got up and went?"  well I did cut my flowers down to the dirt in most of my pots outside,  and I did cut a batch of soap, and I am going to go knit,  I so want to get this baby blanket done!! just to start another one, but the sooner they are done I can go on to some fun things!

Well I hope everyone has a fabulous week!!!  

Blog at ya later

Ok I have to tell you the story behind the stainless steel mixing bowl, this is my new best friend I kid you not, I ordered it on ebay for soap making thought it would be nice to have a "handle" on things when making my soap, well it arrived and I can't part with it, I could seriously get rid of every other bowl in my kitchen, I LOVE IT!!  I actually found another one on ebay and bought that one too, not sure which one will be for soap making this is a 6 quart, and not sure I think the new one is a 5 quart but we will see, so if you don't happen to have one of these...... well your missing out!!

This is my second gallon jug of bread-n-butter pickles, they are pretty tasty  :)  

my new best friend

don't let the name fool ya! 

these are still my bread-n-butter pickles

soaps doing their thing can't wait til their cured. 

my coconut/vanilla small batch cut today.

Val

FINALLY!! We have blue eggs!

Well we finally have our blue egger laying so all three of the hens are laying for us! I was really excited when I saw the blue one on wed.
Got my package off to South Africa today, joined the sending love heart swap this past week, and you get teamed up with someone else and send them a home made gift,  I am not going to say what just in case Marie happens to check my blog I don't want to ruin her surprise.  The person I got teamed up with lives in Capetown  South Africa I was so excited about that, I don't know anyone who lives there.  I wasn't sure about sending something over there but it was really easy the lady at the post office was so helpful and all I had to fill out was a little white form with my name and their name and what was in the package, and it didn't cost me too much either, I used the if it fits it ships box, trust me duct tape was my best friend there!!  lol 
Not much else going on, just taking a break from vacuuming, laundry, the normal weekend stuff,  I have the grand daughters for the day tomorrow so when they come I like to be able to just spend the time with them and not have to clean etc.  
Making a baby blanket and it's coming down to the end (thank goodness)  I forgot how boring stuff like that is, but I do have another one I have to make too, want to get them out of the way and maybe make a few more dolls, and I got a really cute lamb pattern I want to make., I am surprised I really kinda like making that stuff,  instant gratification :)  
My soap making is going pretty well, had to rebatch a couple batches I did over the weekend because of the oils I used they didn't play nice together, but it was a good experience for me and I think both batches are going to survive! Not real found of the smells but I think after smelling them in the crock pot that might have something to do with it.. lol 
Really looking forward to going to the cottage next weekend, Steve's mom and sister are going and his oldest brother,  just go up and relax and talk, knit, read all those things you just don't get to do enough of at home. His moms health is failing pretty quickly she is 85 years old, lots of health issues, always had a pretty good mind but that seems to be failing pretty quickly just don't know how much more time we will have with her ya know?  Both of my parents are gone, and she is the only parent left for us, I think it will be kinda weird with no parents left.
Made some zuchinni bread yesterday, mmmm it turned out really good, I used pistachio pudding mix too, pretty yummy if I must say so myself, I like using pudding mixes in recipes like that it seems to give them a moisture you don't normally get, I use pudding in my amish breads too, I think I might make another and try banana pudding next time. 
Well I suppose I should sign off for now, Steve is out mowing the lawn and I should be doing something...... 

aren't they pretty?

pansies always remind me of my grandma

our Mr. Mac

honeysuckle in full bloom can't you just smell it?

just some old boots

my energy bar soap it turned out so pretty

top view before I cut it.

Thanks so much for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment. 


Well I'll blog at ya later!  Enjoy your weekend!
Val

Woot Woot or should it be Bawk Bawk?

 Well we finally have two hens a-layin!  Went out on monday after work and too my surprise  AN EGG!!  I was pretty excited to say the least and of course ran in to get my camera, by thursday we had two, and we know whose isn't laying because these were both brown.  Mr. Buff (rooster) is taking his job very seriously and talking to all the roosters in the area, this morning I was outside enjoying my morning tea and he was holding a conversation with a rooster that was WAY down the road, too funny! 
 I have been busy with canning, and lotion making, and today I finished up my dill relish and have two batches of lye cooling off to make some soap. The soap has been a big hit, my only problem is I didn't have a batch for backup and gave my first batch away as samples, so now everyone buying my lotion, that want my soap have to wait,  DUH!!  oh well live and learn right?  Got a couple new scents kinda anxious to do them :) 
Summer is winding down and ya know what, I'm good with that, I am anxious to see all the dumb weeds that are small trees DIE!!  this time of year stuff just kinda starts to take a dive, like flowers etc. and I don't know about you but this time of year I get really sick of taking care of all those flowers, sick of watering them all the time, so yep bring on fall!
Fall is my favorite time of year, I know winter comes next but I still like fall.
Yesterday my son Jason would have been 36 years old, I can hardly believe I would have a child 36 years old, we lost him in a horrible car accident 14years ago this October 12th, he was my naughty kid, you know anyone who has more than one child knows what I'm talking about, the good kid, and the "challenge" he was my challenge but boy I would never have believed how much I miss him!!  I miss so many things about him but I also miss him not being able to see his nieces oh he would have loved them!! I miss him not being able to have children, just lots of things you take for granted, but I do believe I will see him again some day, he did accept Christ a few years before he was killed, my mom always reassured me when I would doubt (he wasn't living for the Lord) I might not see him again, and like my mom would always say to me  "that is satan making you doubt".  So someday I will see him again, and my dad and my mom, but until then I have many many memories of all of them.
Ok didn't mean to go mushy there, but it happens this time of year for me, with Jason's birthday yesterday and the anniversary of his death not far away it just happens.
Looks like it's gonna storm here today, and I'm thinking so because our dear Mr. Mac is under the computer desk at my feet and that is a sure sign something is brewing. (he isn't really fond of storms) he has a couple issues but we love him to pieces anyways!  Don't we ALL have a few issues? I mean really? 

some dill pickles

up close 

our very first egg!

the chickens

my butterfly bush / tree 

I think hybiscus

THE sauce master

the lastest edition to the family

Our grapes this year are awesome, last year in the spring we had a ton of them, and then they just all withered and died, this year I honestly can't believe how many there are and they are all good and turning purple, I think I will be making grape juice this year, might try my hand at some grape jelly too,  Steve likes to make wine but I think we will have enough to do it all.. I bought an awesome tool for just that too it's called the sauce master and you can buy a special attachment for grapes, so this should be fun! 
I forget about the new lawn mower we had to go buy I got sick and tired of used, used, used, and said that's it we are buying NEW! so we did :) 

Good News!

I have good news to report, my biopsy came back negative, praise the Lord!!, it was quite a week for me this past week for sure and it just amazes me how I could literally feel the prayer I had behind me!! I felt God's presence in everything that I faced. I also had a bad molar that I was putting off having anything done with because I didn't want to have the breast biopsy and a surgically removed molar in the same week, but had the biopsy on friday the 29th and then the tooth kicked in on Monday the 1st, so at least I split it up a little right?  and I got the message about the biopsy sitting in my car with a mouth full of gauze, they had called and left me a message while I was having the tooth removed, what a feeling to look down at my phone and know who had left me a voicemail, just kind of a this phone call is THE phone call I have been waiting for! So I called as soon as I got to my car, the poor nurse could hardly understand me, but when she came back on the phone she told me that she had something that would make my tooth feel better, needless to say I had to sit and cry, and thank my wonderful Savior for all He had gotten me through and for the good news!  I must stress how important it is to have a yearly mammogram if your of age, I seriously had thought about not having one this year as I have had them for 20 years with no problems, I do not have any breast cancer on either side of my parents families etc, and then last year they came out with it's not necessary to have them every year, but I am just so thankful I decided to still go, I will say having your boob numb is the best way to have a mammogram though!  lol 

Well it's pickle time around here, I did 29pints of dill pickles in the past few days and have more to do, I think I am going to make more dill relish, ya know once you can it and have your own, the store kind just doesn't cut it!!

We had to go out and buy a new riding lawn mower today, I wish I was happier about it, but it just adds to the debt, we had two of them, one burned up a few months ago, and the second one burned up yesterday, get sick and tired fooling around with used crap so we went out and bought new period!

Didn't want to but hey you have to mow your lawn and we have about 2 acres we mow so it's not like an option.

Been busy making lotion too, I would like to do a few more soaps also so maybe in the next week or so, the first batch I did should be ready in a couple weeks, even though I cheated and tried some it's AWESOME! if I must say so myself :)   no more store bought soap for this chick!  Also want to be able to offer people soap to go with the lotion they buy.  

Not a whole lot new other than that, been hot still, but they are promising us a real cool down this coming week, like high's in the 70's low 80's how nice is that going to be.

Vacation Bible school was really fun, I am so glad that I volunteered I knew that I would be blessed but just didn't realize how much, like I said I am not much of a "kid" person, I have low tolerance I think but all in all I really enjoyed myself and it went very well. 

Well Steve is off to go pick up the new mower, so I'll try and post a picture of the new family edition in the next few days.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing my blog with me!

Have a wonderful week!

Val