tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24879572691863994182024-02-19T03:37:17.721-08:00Eye of the Beholdermommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-5718374712721200072014-09-25T21:32:00.000-07:002014-09-25T21:32:12.915-07:00Prickly Pear Jelly and Syrup, how to process prickly pears a little easier!I've been making Prickly Pear Jelly again, and looked on the internet for a good syrup recipe to make this year. After reading several recipes that require pealing the fruit, I've decided to put my recipe on the blog in case someone would like a new idea for making it that I think is easier.
First of all, picking prickly pear fruit requires some special care, because there are spines and glochids, or tiny hairlike spines that seem to have a poison in them and burn like fire about an hour after they get into the skin. I use heavy leather gloves, BBQ tongs and plastic buckets. Sometimes I even wear thinner rubber gloves under the leather ones, just to keep the stickers out. Use the tongs to pick the fruit, and be careful not to step too close to the plant, the spines almost jump out at you! Once they are picked, I pour them onto a metal screen designed for screening gravel, but you can put them on bare ground as well. Then I use a propane torch to burn off the spines and glochids, rolling the fruit until I've torched all sides of the fruit. It's so much easier than cutting off the skin! Hold the torch about 6" above the fruit as you burn off the stickers and it will not burn them.
Once the fruit is prepped, I rinse it off and put it into a big pot, cover them with water, to about 1-2 inches above the fruit. Boil it for 1/2 hour to an hour. I usually process 10-20 lbs at a time, so it should take less time with less fruit. Once the fruit is soft, use a long sharp knife to cut them open, while in the pot. The skin is tough so the knife helps open them up and let the juices flow. Then use a potato masher to mash the fruit well, and low-boil for another 1/2 hour. Use a strainer to separate fruit from the juice, discard fruit. If you have a spaghetti pot with a set-in strainer, put the fruit in that first,and once it's boiled you can pull it right out! Otherwise use a colander covered with cheesecloth. Then I simmer to low-boil the juice until it reduces by about 1/3 to 1/2, or until it has a nice strong flavor. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. It will be fruity and slightly bitter. At this point you can use the juice for jelly or syrup. This way to process the fruit may take a little longer, but is much easier on your hands than cutting and handling the fruit.
Prepare 10 1/2 pint jars by washing and sterilizing them, prepare either a water bath pot or, my favorite, a steam canner. If using the steam canner, you can wash the jars and place them upside down in the steam canner on low heat while cooking the jelly. They will be sterilized and ready for use! Mine is a 'Back to Basics' brand, but I'm sure there are others to choose from.
Prickly Pear Jelly
Makes 10 1/2 pint jars
8 cups prickly pear juice
1 cup low-sugar powder pectin; Ball has a large jar of pectin that I really like, one jar will do one batch
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter if desired, to reduce foam
6 cups sugar
For spicy jelly, add 2-3 tablespoons of jalapeno puree. 1-2 jalapenos pureed in a food processor gives the jelly a nice little kick and really brings a great flavor.
Place prickly pear juice, pectin, lemon juice, butter and jalapenos into a large pot, bring to rolling boil stirring occasionally. Slowly add sugar, stirring to incorporate. Bring to a hard boil, stirring constantly, boil for one minute. Turn off heat, and ladle into sterilized 1/2 pint jars.
I haven't made syrup, but you can use a basic syrup recipe from any canning book, using the juice instead of water. I googled syrup and found several interesting recipes as well, give that a try!
mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-57002118943189241452014-01-31T20:00:00.001-08:002014-01-31T20:00:22.018-08:00So Many ChangesI haven't written in my blog for so long, I've forgotten how to use blogspot! The past two weeks have been so hard, I decided I need to write a few things down before I forget the timeline. January 16, 2o14, Mom had a serious stroke. She had a 'mini-stroke' on December 3, and it was such a shock when it happened again. I went over about 9:30 Thursday morning, and she was sitting in her recliner, just staring out the window. She had a very 'flat affect', meaning very little expression on her face. I asked her what happened, and it took her several seconds to respond. She said she had fallen and hit her head when she got up to go to the bathroom. As she was leaving the bathroom, she fell against the doorjamb and hit the side of her head, bounced off and hit the other side of the doorjamb, again bumping her head. So there were 3 hits to the head, I thought, which could account for her behavior. I was assessing the situation and continued to talk with her, becoming more worried by the moment. I called her doctor and explained what happened, and they sent us to the emergency room.
We found out that Mom had a stroke, but it was quite a shock to me when the doctor was doing a stroke assessment; she had no numbness or paralyzation on any limbs, but she couldn't see his fingers wiggling at her on the left side. He sent for a neurologist, who did a more thorough assessment, and it quickly became clear that the stroke had damaged her brain's ability to interpret the messages the left eye was sending. The doctors and nurses seem to think this damage may be permanent, which means she can no longer drive. Her swallowing was also affected somewhat, but that cleared up pretty quickly. By the next day she was returning to normal thinking and responses, which was a huge relief to me. She was very unsteady on her feet and having difficulty with her new vision problems, so I pushed to have her admitted to a good rehabilitation hospital. The doctor recommended Mountain Valley Rehab in Prescott Valley, and they moved her Friday evening.
Allison drove through the night Friday night, spent a few hours sleeping at Megann's before picking me up to drive to P.V. Dear Allie stayed with Mom from Saturday until Tuesday, helping her with everything she needed except walking, the hospital was insistent that one of their employees had to be with her getting in and out of bed, to the bathroom, etc. Allison made it so much easier for Mom and for me by being there. Mountain Valley had her doing some kind of therapy 3 hours a day for 10 days, especially teaching her how to compensate for the vision problems.
Tuesday January 28 I drove her from Prescott Valley to St Johns, AZ, to her new home at the Hinkson Assisted Living center. Thank goodness my cousin Marvin Haines came up from Mesa and went with me, he was so much help getting Mom in and out of the car, and even drove quite a bit. Mom decided it was time for her to live somewhere with more care available. It's really hard to see her leave here, but I know my sister Debbie will take good care of her there. Besides, 4 of Debbie's kids, and 20 grandkids live in St Johns, so Mom will have a lot more family there to spend time with her. This has been a huge adjustment for her, but she is determined to make it work out. She is an amazing woman!mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-75808555864206211662012-06-24T13:19:00.000-07:002012-06-24T13:19:05.269-07:00Cooking, cleanin' and sewingLately I've been sewing, drying foods and clearing out clutter. It's nice to get things out of the house that haven't been used for a long time, and send it on to a new life with someone else. We have some great 2nd hand stores that support organizations such as St Vincent de Paul's and the Old Town Mission, so I try to send most of my things to them. Two big bags of clothing, several flower vases and even some silk flowers are off to the 2nd hand store.
Right now I'm making a skylight cover for Heather's house for the front room. It's nice for the winter, but makes it really hot in the summer, so hopefully this will help. The project before that was a button-up shirt for David as a father's day gift, then an apron and pot holders for my niece, Franki's graduation. She loves to cook! I want to make me a nice caftan-style dress for casual wear around the house, but pretty enough to wear out if I want.
Since it's a little too hot to do any canning, I've been drying apples, celery and next will be peppers. I want to make 'dinner in a jar' recipes. I found them on Chef Tess' blog, and they are so interesting. Done in bulk, they use freeze-dried meats, dried vegies, etc. Put together in quart canning jars, all you have to do is dump them in a pan to cook. I'll let you know how it works out.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-10745350556350580272012-02-12T21:02:00.000-08:002012-02-12T21:12:54.812-08:00It's been too long!Man, I haven't written in this blog for months, so sorry! Seems I've lost my attention to Facebook, and it's games. That, holidays, sewing, family- it just distracted me for a while. <br /><br />We had a wonderful visit with Dakota last month, she was here for a week before school started again. Now that Nic and Gina have moved into their own apartment, she won't be staying with us much any more. I hope to have her spend the night at least once when she comes out to visit though. I made her a pair of pajamas with my new Bernina sewing machine. Yes, I'm pretty excited, David gave me a beautiful machine that does embroidery as well as regular sewing. I've been taking the free classes to learn how to use it fully, and can't wait to start some more clothing and home decor stuff.<br /><br />Whitney Houston died yesterday, it's such a shock. She was only 48, and left an 18 year old daughter behind. I don't know what happened, but it saddens me greatly, she was so talented, and her demons started taking her down a very dark path. This is what I wrote on facebook:<br /><br />My thoughts on Whitney Houston's life, and death. We all have amazing talents and character flaws. Even the smallest of us has something to offer to others. No-one is perfect- Whitney had a perfect voice, and we were so happy to share her gift, but she also had flaws and challenges few knew about. Do our flaws or sins negate what we offer to the world? No, of course not, thus the joy and pain of life. The best we can do is continue to strengthen our talents and improve our weaknesses. Sometimes our dark sides overcome our strengths, but it still doesn't diminish whatever good we have brought into this world. Luckily, most of us don't have our dirty laundry aired before the whole world, and can have some dignity in our trials. Rest in peace Whitney, and thanks for your beautiful music in my life.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-6451097167495920592011-10-16T22:27:00.000-07:002011-10-16T22:36:34.782-07:00Busy FallI helped Mom drive the motor home back from Nevada last month, and we stayed with Allison for several days along the way. Whitney got tickets for Women's Conference, and we met her friend there. There's no fee, but you do have to have a ticket to get in. It was so wonderful to sit in the Conference center and listen to such inspired people speak, and share their testimonies. Thanks Whitney!<br /><br />On our slow drive home we also stopped at the Barton's, and had a good visit with Sharry and Dave. He is recovering well from his terrible accident. He broke a vertebra in his back, crushed his leg, bruised the brain- when his parachute collapsed in May. It's amazing he survived, and he's already back to work. A little slower than he used to be, his leg is still healing, but an incredible comeback. <br /><br />While we were traveling, I found peaches! I bought 2 boxes of fresh, yummy Utah peaches, and bottled a case, and made jam with the rest. So tasty! My niece Megan brought some apples by last week; they are from Garland's, in Oak Creek canyon. We made applesauce with them, plus a few were dried with cinnamon-sugar on them.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-5225427988893894752011-08-28T06:40:00.000-07:002011-08-28T07:04:20.340-07:00Happy CanadaWe just returned from a trip to Canada, where we visited our friends Marcel and Fran. They live west of Edmonton, in a beautiful forested area. I mean, miles and miles of green, tall trees, deciduous and evergreen. And it rains there, a lot. When I gave blessing on the food, I expressed gratitude for the rain- when their daughter gave the blessing, she expressed gratitude for the sunshine!
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<br />We spent a week RVing in Jasper National Park. Right outside of Jasper town limits, I saw a white wolf trotting down the jogging path. During the evenings we heard shotgun blasts, but Fran told me they shoot blanks at bears to keep them out of the camping ares. Surprisingly we didn't see very much wildlife this trip- last time we saw elk, moose, mountain goats and a bear. All of the trash cans are bear-proof, even in the towns. At our campgrounds, it was obvious on several cans that bears had clawed at them, there were big ole scratch marks around the doors.
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<br />We took a boat cruise on Maligne Lake, I'll post some pics. The Columbia Ice Fields draped across the tops of the mountains next to the lake, and there were several glaciers dripping off the tops of them, one looks like a big teardrop sliding down the mountain.
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<br />Banff is quite a pretty place, but very touristy. Jasper is further north, and while it's very busy, it's less flashy or expensive as Banff. I did find a beautiful jacket there; it's turquoise colored, with an embroidered outline of a wolf on it. The whole thing, including the fabric, is made in Canada. I'm really motivated to buy from this continent as much as I can- preferably American made, but Canada and Mexico are fine too. They are our good neighbors, and I want to support our industry. May I say, it's nearly impossible to find US made fabric???mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-16897476452059610392011-07-24T20:10:00.000-07:002011-07-24T20:21:29.104-07:00Jumpin' June n July!I've been really bad at keeping up my blog, so there's probably very few out there reading this. It's been really busy, I made 3 trips to Mom's in 6 weeks. She's having problems with an eviction, and also has had some doctor appts. When I go down there, I stay for several days at a time, I just can't run to Casa Grande and back like some people do- I have to have some recovery time between drives. Driving through Phoenix makes me crazy- the traffic is awful, and June is so hot. She only has a swamp cooler, so those lovely 110 days are just peachy...<br /><br />Mom drove up here on her way to Nevada, and the motor home quit just past Sunset Point. Luckily, she has AAA, and was able to get towed to my house. She's so unflappable, she turned on the generator, the AC and took a nap! She was here for several days, got the battery changed and met Shawna in Flagstaff. Shawna drove her on up to her home in Nevada, but they broke down again on the way. She was told it was the fuel pump, so hopefully Mom can get the motor home road-worthy again before we get her back home.<br /><br />Dakota has been here for the past month, and we've really enjoyed the visit! I've posted a few pictures of her, a couple in the dresses I made, and maybe 1-2 from her swimming classes.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-73521647439360402702011-05-11T20:21:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:32:09.481-07:00Newsy updateWow, what a week this has been. Gina's dad was in a terrible paragliding accident last Wednesday, and lived to tell about it. His 'chute collapsed at 300 feet, he fought it and was able to get it open again, until he hit another air pocket that collapsed it again at about 30 feet, I think. He landed hard, crushed a vertabra in his back, broke both bones in one leg, both ankles, and his shoulders are badly bruised from the ordeal. Nic and Gina went to Provo to help the family at the hospital all weekend, and got back yesterday afternoon. Nic had to turn right around and drive to Tempe for a class last night and tonight. <br /><br />I took the phone the last couple days for Best By Farr, and boy was it busy! This is their busiest time of year, and I was very happy to give it back to Gina today. She's doing pretty good, considering the stress. She hated leaving her dad and mom, but Nic had to be back for class, and they both had to come back to work. <br /><br />I have now said it out loud, so now I have to put in on the blog to make sure I don't back out- I'm working on the Balmes/Pike book. Hopefully I can go to Missouri this summer or fall and get copies of my Aunt Shirley's writings and information about the family. She has the most about the Pike line, and wrote booklets and poems about her Mom and Dad, my Dad and her husband, Gerald Goodman. I need to get the information gathered, and get my nerve up to start writing. I've received so many pictures and stories from my Dad's Balmes cousins that it's time to put it all together.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-83029034996734953452011-04-24T12:33:00.000-07:002011-04-24T13:09:38.721-07:00Pike GenealogyI've been doing more research on the Pike family, and want to share what I've found. My grandmother is Marie Pike, or Marria Bridget Pike Balmes, as she is recorded in places. Her father is William A. Pike, and his father is Franklin Pike, who served in the Civil War for the Union. Not only did he serve, but he served with the 8th and later the 6th Regiments, Here is a transcript of the information I found about his service, from the website http://www.mosocco.com/newjersey.html.<br /><br />Frank Pike listed as a veteran in 1890, from Gloucester, Camden, New Jersey. <br />Corp Franklin W. Pike <br />Birth: unknown <br />Death: unknown <br /> <br />Civil War Union Soldier. He was mustered in as a Private in Company H, 4th New Jersey Militia on April 27, 1861. He served through the July 1861 First Bull Run Campaign, and was honorably mustered out on July 31, 1861. He then enlisted in the 6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, enrolling on August 9, 1861, and being mustered in as a Corporal in Compnay D on August 26, 1861. He re-enlisted on January 4, 1864, and, when the original enlistments of the regiment expired, he was transferred to Company G, 8th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in October 1864. Reduced in rank to Private due to there being already enough Corporals in Company G, he served through tthe conclusion of the war, and was honorably mustered out on July 17, 1865. <br /><br />So, Franklin Pike served from the very beginning of the Civil War to the very end, in fact, his regiment was present at the surrender of General Robert E Lee at Appomatox, Virginia. He participated in an amazing number of battles, including Gettysburg. I know it's long, but I'm going to include here the paragraph from the military records for the New Jersey militia.<br /><br />Siege of Yorktown, Va., April and May, '62; Williamsburg, Va., May 5, '62; Fair Oaks, Va., June 1 and 2, '62; Seven Pines, Va., June 25, '62; Savage Station, Va., June 29, '62; Glendale, Va., June 30, '62; Malvern Hill, Va., July 1, '62; Malvern Hill, Va., August 5, '62; Bristow Station, Va., August 27, '62; Bull Run, Va., August 29 and 30, '62; Chantilly, Va., Sept. 1, '62; Centreville, Va., Sept. 2, '62; Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 13 and 14, '62; Chancellorsville, Va., May 3 and 4, '63; Gettysburg, Pa., July 2 and 3, '63; Wapping Heights, Va.; July 24, '63; McLean's Ford, Va., Oct. 15, '63; Mine Run, Va., Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1, '63; Wilderness, Va., May 5 to 7, '64; Spottsylvania, Va., May 8 to 11, '64; Spottsylvania C. H., Va., May 12 to 18, '64; North Anna River, Va., May 23 and 24, '64; Tolopotomy Creek, Va., May 30 and 31, '64; Cold Harbor, Va., June 1 to 5, '64; Before Petersburg, Va., June 16 to 23, '64; Deep Bottom, Va., July 26 and 27, '64; Mine Explosion, Va., July 30, '64; North Bank of James River, Va., August 14 to 18, '64; Fort Sedgwick, Va., Sept. 10, '64; Poplar Spring Church, Va., Oct. 2, '64; Boydton Plank Road, Va., Oct. 27, '64; Fort Morton, Va., Nov. 5, '64; Hatcher's Run, Va., Feb. 5 to 7, '65; Armstrong House, Va., March 25, '65; Boydton Plank Road, Va., (Capture of Petersburg,) April 2, '65; Amelia Springs, Va., April 6, '65; Farmville, Va., April 6 and 7, '65; Lee's Surrender, (Appomattox, Va.,) April 9, '65.<br /><br />As I read this incredible list, I was sobered at the amount of warfare that Franklin must have endured. It's easy to recognize that by the end of the war, he was a professional and battle-hardened soldier. He entered a hospital for Veterans in Virginia in 1890, which is probably shortly before he died. He left the hospital after several months, and he is not found on any census afterwards. Although I haven't found an exact death date, he is buried in the Cedar Grove cemetery in Gloucester, New Jersey.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-73848239664260323732011-04-16T20:16:00.000-07:002011-04-16T20:27:45.047-07:00Warm days aheadWow, it was so beautiful today! Last Saturday it was cold, rainy and even snowed a little, but today is amazing. I spent 60$ at Home Depot for flowers and herbs today. David gave me two big, big flower pots for Valentine's day. They've been sitting on the front porch waiting patiently for warm weather and fresh flowers. <br /><br />I found two gorgeous canna lilies; they are maroon on the inside, and slowly turn golden up the flower. I added lemon colored petunias, dark red petunias, blue allysum and some white trailing plants in both big pots. There is a smaller big pot too, and I put a basil plant in the middle, some onion chives flowing over one side, a lemon petunia and several blue allysum. I'll have to take some pics. They look really pretty! <br /><br />David was super busy, he rototilled the rest of the garden, did some weed-eating in the front, ran the lawn mower, helped me hang up a couple of the topsy-turvy hangers- one with strawberries, the other with a tomato plant. Then he moved some of his antique farm equipment in front of the house for decoration, hung a cool name plate with our address on the front too, plus some metal butterfly decorations. It's looking pretty spiffy out front! <br /><br />I planted some tomatoes in the garden, but pooped out before I got the peppers in the ground. Hopefully I can do them on Monday, along with some lettuce, beans etc. All in all, it was a great Saturday. Sure hope I have the energy to make it to church tomorrow...mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-16275986087038800472011-04-11T20:07:00.000-07:002011-04-11T20:14:55.573-07:00Springtime birthdayWhew! Yesterday I celebrated my 56th birthday. I was born on Easter Sunday, but I haven't had a birthday on Easter for many years. It used to happen about every 4 years, but no more. I don't know when they will meet again. <br /><br />Nic and Gina planned a marvelous BBQ, then moved it up to Garland's Cabins in Oak Creek canyon. My niece Megann and her husband now manage the whole place, and invited us to have the party at their house. And what a house! They recently moved into the home of the owners, and hope to live there for many years. It was really cold- it even snowed on Saturday, which froze much of the blooming fruit trees in Oak creek, so probably not many will have fruit this year. It even snowed a little at our house yesterday evening, I was so shocked.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-11457871452960174382011-03-22T22:09:00.000-07:002011-03-22T22:24:22.914-07:00Garden onWell, life has moved on. We were in wedding mode for months! It's nice to get back to focusing on normal life again. Heather and Jared are settling in to their home in New Hampshire. Both are back to work, but they had a marvelous honeymoon. <br /><br />Last week I moved into garden mode. With everything going on this past year- floods in Australia, California. Bad weather in so many parts of the world that we get our food from, it's very worrysome to me. I had decided last fall not to have a garden this year. I started buying from Bountiful Baskets, which is a food co-op that offers great veggies and fruit, so I thought I really didn't need to have a garden. But with so many areas of our country flooded, or in drought, or frozen out, prices are going up and there are some things that may not even be available- so in goes the garden. Gina helped me plant onions and peas last Thursday, which was perfect because it was right before the rains came in. The bad weather absolutely crippled me, but it sure gave the garden a boost. As soon as the dirt dries out a bit, we'll plant some more stuff. <br /><br />We are getting used to the idea that Dakota is moving soon, and trying to enjoy every minute that we get to see her. It's not enough!!! But, her stepdad found work, so I have to understand that they have to leave, at least for a while.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-82882312800346501342011-03-09T20:05:00.000-08:002011-03-09T20:10:55.519-08:00Wonderful Wedding!What a great day! Heather and Jared Gunnell were married on Saturday, March 5. Thank you to all the family and friends that shared this amazing day. All of Jared's and Heather's siblings made it, and so many others. Here are a few of the pictures.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-68638756878467746672011-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:002011-02-18T14:54:40.998-08:00February flying by...Wedding plans are in full swing now, I received 150 chair covers, Heather's wedding dress, and sparklys in the mail last week. Gina and Nic bought Dakota a beautiful dress for the party, it's white and burgundy, just adorable! I finished the changes to my outfit, and just got everything out of the cleaners yesterday. Whew! I hope everyone received their wedding invites, if not please let me know, I'd be happy to send you one. The reception is at the Shalimar Country club in Tempe, I still need to call them to firm up the last minute details. <br /><br />I'm working hard to stay well, taking lots of vitamins and immune system boosters. Rosemary is supposed to help, so I'm using Rosemary essential oils every day too. I washed my car on Tues, and I really thought that would ensure that it would rain here, but so far all we have is wind and clouds. At least my car looks good a little longer, but we need rain!!! <br /><br />The chickens are doing well, I got 8 eggs yesterday. That's the most we've had all winter; usually it's 4-6 a day. We built a new dog run in the side yard, and moved the front fence off the patio, so it's easier to walk right up to the front of the house. It also keeps the chickens off the patio, so no more poo on the porch :) The dogs seem really happy in their new digs, and the boys bought a nice handmade wooden dog house for them. They even use it occasionally! Our dogs would never lay in a dog house, so I'm pretty happy about that. I'm really, really happy to have my back yard available again. I haven't used it much for the past year, because the dogs were always back there, jumping on my, and digging up my plants. Now I can get it cleaned up and replant my pots, roses, etc. Happy Days!mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-11518226996094525182011-02-10T19:04:00.001-08:002011-02-10T19:16:10.544-08:00Wedding plansI have been terrible at blogging the last few months! Part of it is that I'm busy with wedding planning. However, I have to be honest, there is so much going on in my mind that I can't seem to put it into words. I'm so excited for my daughter and her fiance, and I soooo wish they lived closer. Sorry Heather, I know you can't move now, but there, I said it. <br /><br />Things are starting to come together; yesterday I spent the day in Prescott picking up sparkling cider, concentrated punch, etc. Nisha is going to put the cute little candy gift boxes together, so I dropped everything off to her yesterday too. We ordered 150 white satin chair covers off ebay, because we couldn't find any place to rent them from and it was actually cheaper to buy them than to rent- go figure. Now we are just down to working out the flower details, and setting up the room before the reception. <br /><br />David and Jon were planning to go to Bess and Tom's mission farewell, to support their sister. Unfortunately today they learned that all of their employee's are out sick, or injured, for the weekend, and so they have to stay home and cover the office and weekend calls. So sad, they were really looking forward to the trip to Utah. This is the downside of being the business owners- the buck stops here....mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-62650484483860602992011-01-16T19:05:00.000-08:002011-01-16T19:14:02.835-08:00I just got back from spending a few days with Mom. She's moved back into Casa Grande and still has some boxes to unpack. OK, and a back porch full of stuff, but we didn't get to that. We did some unpacking Thursday, went to Tempe to the Shalimar to order food for the reception. We also found the old SAS fabric store in Tempe. I still have fabric I bought at SAS 30 years ago, but I need some sewing accessories like zippers, etc. I paid .50 or .99 cents each- perfect! They have so much fabric, it's like a candy store for me. <br /><br />The bad news is that my sister Debbie's grandson Chase is in the Children's Hospital in Phoenix. He started having bad seizures Saturday morning, after having the stomach flu for a couple days. They did a spinal tap Saturday, after we left the hospital, but it sounds like they still haven't figured out what's wrong. We went up shortly after Debbie called and stayed about an hour. Poor little guy, he's had so many health problems, and he's only 2 1/2. This one is really causing him a lot of problems, please pray for him.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-13289938668896863182010-12-19T18:35:00.000-08:002010-12-19T18:48:27.377-08:00Fighting with FibroI've been thinking about my frustrations with fibromyalgia. Sometimes I get whiny (inside my head), pondering all the things I could do if I was healthy. Volunteering, working, teaching Sunday School, be a Big Sister, there are so many things I want to accomplish, but my physical limitations get in the way. I heard a radio show this morning about life challenges- and how they make us stronger. Fibro is certainly a challenge, but I keep looking at it as something getting in my way. The radio host talked about how the challenges we have refine us, bring us great growth, and should be embraced. I nearly laughed out loud, I do Not embrace this! I fight it with all my might, and try to ignore it, push through the pain and fatigue, pretend it doesn't color every moment of every day.<br /><br />I have heard this message in different forms for a while, and I guess it's time that I stop apologizing for my situation, and accept, nee, even embrace it. It has certainly made me a more compassionate person, and caused me to allow others to help me, which I'm sure has benefited both the giver and the receiver. The energy I'm using to resist and fight my situation can be better used gaining acceptance, nee even embrace this; and maybe that is the lesson for me- I don't have to do everything. I can support those around me in their efforts rather than pushing to do things myself. I have gotten more honest about what I can and can't do, which is progress toward acceptance. Now it's time to enjoy my life as it is, and stop feeling angry for the things I can't do. Maybe I'll make that my New Year's resolution....mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-54882508491587751102010-12-11T18:40:00.001-08:002010-12-11T19:10:58.244-08:00Charging to ChristmasI wish I was charging to Christmas... I'm still feeling weak, but at least I have a voice again. We have most of the gifts here, but I don't have the tree decorated, or any other decorations up yet. I've decided that with Jared, Heather and his parents coming, I better not get too caught up with the prep work and save my energy for the Christmas weekend. I need to remember that it's not about the stuff, it's about celebrating Christ's birth, and enjoying the time with family. I can't wait to spend time together, read about Christ's birth, and all the amazing events that transpired before and after his birth. That's what I need to do this year I guess, really focus on the important part of Christmas, and let go of the unneessary. <br /><br />It's just that I love the feeling the decorations evoke, the memories of making Christmas past. I'm so mushy, I still have most of the decorations my kids made when they were in elementary school! We still use the ornaments that we made as a family 20 years ago, it all has meaning to me. When they were younger, we made beaded wreaths, candy canes, etc. When Jared was in the hospital before Christmas a couple times, he and I painted some, and crocheted others. The year he had kidney surgery at 14, and was hospitalized for 10 days, actually nearly died, we made more. Painting ceramic angels, santas and such helped distract me from the hours of care at the hospital, and when he started feeling better, he helped me paint. The ornaments are simple, and inexpensive, but they carry years of love and faith with them.<br /><br /> My kids are grown, in their 20's and 30's, but these little decorations hold the memories of wonderful holidays past for me. I expect to give them to each of the kids for their own homes when they're ready. By then, David and I will be going to their homes for Christmas, instead of them coming to ours!mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-57722914069727778912010-12-05T13:09:00.000-08:002010-12-05T13:36:00.085-08:00Time FliesBoy, has time rushed by! We had the Barton's down for Thanksgiving- Gina's family and our very old friends. What a great visit we had! Everyone helped to make it a wonderful weekend together. We had Dakota too, the whole weekend. It's the first full holiday we've had her with us, and she did so well, she only got a little homesick once. <br /><br />David Barton brought his paraglider outfit, but he didn't make it up onto Mingus to fly. The 'boys' played video games, all the family watched football, we ate, we laughed! Sharry and I solved all the worries of the family and the world- at least in our minds! <br /><br />By Saturday I was getting pretty sick with a cold, and it just got worse. I'm sure all of my running around getting ready for Thanksgiving, working on the reception plans and just my general pushing myself too hard had something to do with it.... Nah, it was just a cold turned into bronchial infection- nothing to do with my nervous energy!<br /><br />Anyhow, I hope to visit the Shalimar Country Club this week, hopefully it will be marvelous and I can book it for the reception- one thing checked off the list. I want to find a lovely place for their celebration, and I'm amazed how many places have already been booked! My typical last-minute, spontaneous planning won't work this time, so I'm practicing to be a real Farr; using a list, planning and everything!<br /><br />Right now I'm watching Eat, Pray, Love. I read the book a couple years ago, and it inspired me to write about my own spiritual journey. My book is languishing in the document section of my computer right now, until I stop avoiding my life and start writing it down.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-33119367735328523852010-11-05T20:15:00.001-07:002010-11-05T20:20:31.970-07:00She's Engaged!!!So I can finally talk about this, because the ring is actually on Heather's finger. Meet Jared, the love of her life. I can't wait to meet him myself! They are coming for Christmas, and he gets to meet the whole crazy family. I think Heather has properly informed him about us, and since they live all the way across the country, I don't think he cares!!! Just kidding, sorta. It's always a little scary to meet the family of someone you care deeply about, but other than David taking him out shooting, it should be a nice casual week.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-79842008190756219752010-11-04T16:05:00.000-07:002010-11-04T16:33:37.824-07:00Ohio from the Alleghany and MonongahelaI'm back from Pittsburgh! It was a great trip, Heather had a 5 star hotel already booked, since she was there for work. We just changed it to a double queen- it was a fabulous room at the Omni William Penn Hotel, right downtown. It had a sitting room with 2 cushy chairs, a love seat, entertainment center; also had a work desk, which was good, because Heather was working and needed it! <br /><br />I got to sleep in, watch TV and eat bon-bons! Well, snacks anyhow, if not actually bon-bons. When her classes were over, we went shopping. There's a mall north of Pittsburgh, and we took a taxi there. Our first taxi driver was in shorts, short sleeve shirt and had the AC on, while we were dressed in coats, boots and gloves. He raved on an on about how the Ohio river starts from the Alleghany and Monongahela rivers; technically the Ohio should be called the Alleghany, since it is the strongest river of the two. And... the Ohio dumps into the Mississippi as the strongest river, so actually the Mississippi should be called the Ohio, IF the powers that named them had followed protocol! Really- that took most of the 20 minute trip...<br /><br />Pittsburgh proper is mostly vertical, which triggers my claustrophobia something fierce. I walked out of the hotel the first time, looked up into the forest of skyscrapers and nearly had a panic attack. I focused on watching the building doors and windows, and didn't look up much after that. There's a reason I live in small towns or in the country- downtowns make me crazy! But it was an interesting place. There was a little 7-11 right downtown that we picked up a couple gallons of water, because I am a water snob. We found a chinese food place not too far away, and enjoyed eating out a few days. We ate lunch at the hotel the 1st day, and paid $15 each! Once was enough, so I started asking for places to eat, and people were very friendly and nice about helping us out. <br /><br />There were still fall colors there, and it was beautiful! I brought my camera, and when I first took a picture, I realized that I left the camera card in my computer at home, so no pics of this trip. duh!mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-3230530541317619492010-10-18T08:01:00.000-07:002010-10-18T08:18:17.207-07:00Sports and rentalsMore soccer pictures! There's nothing more fun than watching 4-5 year old's play soccer. One of the Sharks' Mom made the girls matching ponytail holders, so they looked very cool! The kids have all improved a lot since last year, it's amazing to watch their progress.<br /><br />Mom and I are sitting here watching the morning news. This has been such a busy, crazy month, and it's nice to sit quietly for a little bit. We've been working like mad on the rental, and we're getting close to being done. The painting, tiling and new carpet is complete, now we need to get the new toilets in and finish plumbing the shower and kitchen sink. Whew! I'm mostly supervising everything, but it's still a lot of stress. Hopefully we can get it rented for November.<br /><br />Mom showed up last Friday. The joke in our family is we never know she's coming until she drives into the driveway. My Mom loves to travel, and isn't held to schedules or plans; when she's ready to travel she just takes off. Her motorhome is loaded for traveling all the time, so it takes little effort to cruise. I love having her visit, she should be here a week or so.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-34655082785612405562010-10-12T11:31:00.000-07:002010-10-12T11:31:43.139-07:00Heather Skydives!<object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/AhgEUB3zDGY/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AhgEUB3zDGY?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AhgEUB3zDGY?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-4920627451312436772010-10-06T16:35:00.000-07:002010-10-06T17:00:44.144-07:00Pie Filling recipeI received permission from Jenny Evans to print a summary of her marvelous apple pie filling, which is designed to be bottled for future use. See other recipes at her blog- http://www.jennyevansdunham.com/blog/<br /><br /> Sterilize jars and lids, either in the dishwasher or in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. You can leave the heat on low once it has boiled to keep jars warm. <br /> Peel, core and slice 6 quarts of apples. There is an appliance that is simple to use and does all 3 at once. I found one at Ace hardware.<br /> Make the sauce for the filling (recipe below)<br />Pull jars from water, and pack with apples while they're still hot. Use a knife to adjust the apples in the jar, packing them tightly. <br /> Pour the hot liquid sauce in the jars, using a canning funnel to within 3/4" of the rim.<br /> Swipe around the edges of the jars, and run the knife down the edges to make sure the liquid covers all the apple slices completely, and to remove air bubbles. Shaking the jar slightly can also help in this step.<br /> Wipe rims with a clean damp cloth and tighten lids.<br /> Process jars in either a boiling water bath or steam canner for 20 minutes, longer for high-altitude, up to five minutes more.<br /> Remove jars with tongs and place on a folded towel to cool. Cover them with another towel. The jars should seal within 24 hours. Do not store if they aren't sealed, but any unsealed jars can be used immediately.<br /><br />Pie Sauce<br />1-2 cups sugar<br />1 cup cornstarch <br />2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />1/4 tsp ground nutmeg<br />1 tsp salt<br />9-11 cups water, depending on thickness of sauce desired<br />1 tsp lemon juice<br /><br />In large pot, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and water. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Boil 1 minute and add lemon juice. Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the apple slices. <br /><br />The 20 minute processing cooks the apples, and they are ready to be used for apple pie, cobbler or apple crisp. They are also delicious poured over vanilla ice cream!mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487957269186399418.post-15566510004068725072010-10-02T22:07:00.000-07:002010-10-02T22:28:34.320-07:00My My, Applie Pie!Today was canning day. Gina and I canned 12 jars of apple pie filling; 7 quarts and 5 pints worth. We have a bushel of Granny Smith apples and did just a little less than half. Gina's Mom gave us a great recipe for the pie filling, so we got started about 3 pm. At the same time the ceiling in the front room was being painted, the guys were watching football in the family room and David, Jon and Norm were working on the rental, so it was a busy, rather hectic day. At least things are getting done! <br /><br />The ceiling is finally painted, the painter came in today and set the baseboard in, patched the walls and sprayed the whole thing in one day. With everything else going on, it's sure nice to have it finished and be able to get the furniture back in the house. Right now it's piled up on the covered front porch, stacked up on top of the couch. <br /><br /> I have to admit we look like a bunch of rednecks- furniture on the porch, dogs running around, chickens scratching in the yard. I have to be careful about the animals going into the front yard, just because I'm trying to coordinate between the chicken's and the dog's time there. I don't dare let them out together- the chickens would be lunch! I usually let the chickens out in the afternoon for a few hours, and the dogs out there in the mornings. The other day as I was putting the dogs back in the back yard, I saw some rustling in the garden, and saw a black chicken picking around the tomatoes. Somehow she'd managed to survive being in the same yard as the dogs for hours without getting killed! I think she hid in the garden while they were out front romping around, but if they'd seen her, well.... I have to double check that all the chickens are back in their yard before I let the dogs into the front again.mommafarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02130356987933135987noreply@blogger.com1