Tidbits

Hubby: "When is your birthday?"
Me: "Tomorrow."
Hubby:  " Oh Sh*t!"

That was Thursday night, ha ha!

My birthday morning excitement was getting up at 5:30am and packing Hubby's breakfast and lunch, making my own breakfast, running the dishwasher, feeding the animals, washing a pair of jeans, and making a tea infusion.

I visited Mom and took her a Mother's Day gift.  Hubby didn't have to work 2nd shift, but it was a rather boring birthday.  No flowers, no gifts, no cake or ice cream etc.  I know he's working a lot of hours, so I gave him a pass.  As for the older kids, I'm lucky to get a "Happy Birthday" text message.

Hubby and our Youngest daughter later took me out for a steak dinner, which was pretty good.

I checked on the hens early.  Move in day was Thursday night and it was the battle of "Who is large and in charge."  I went to make sure they were all okay.  They are skiddish, but they'll just have to put the big girl panties on and fight for the food and water.

The slackers are finally giving me some blue-green eggs.  Haven't gotten any for months.  

Steak Sheet Pan Dinner ~ Whiskey/Blue Cheese Butter

I made a steak/potato/asparagus sheet pan dinner the other night, and all of us were disappointed in the steaks - organic ribeye and expensive.  They were more fatty than I have ever purchased.  These are typically not available until "grilling" season starts, and I was super excited to have them again.  This time?  Not so.  I'll be checking out a new organic, grass fed farm that is one hour away.

I however, made our delicious whiskey/garlic butter (Black and Blue Cheese Butter) to top the steaks and potatoes, so now I have to use up that butter one way or another.

The recipe for the sheet pan dinner is from Rachel Ray's show.  Just google it.  Super easy, I just need a new steak to use for it. 

Please be patient with me catching up with your blogs.  I have so much to catch up on in my kitchen alone right now.  Hmpf.  I know it'll be so nice when I'm done.  Now, if I can get Hubby to start on that bathroom.  Again.

Rain is in the forecast for the next 15 days.  

This and That

I'm slowly trying to get order of the homestead.  Thankfully we hired our biker friend to mow the almost 6 acres on the only sunny dry day, while we were gone.  Whew.  

While I put loads of laundry on the line (cold but windy), I picked the asparagus.  It's still doing well for us.

Also, while the washer hummed away, I cooked up dandelions, potatoes, onion, bacon, jalapenos and eggs for a scramble.  Poor Youngest was complaining about missing my cooking.  Not that I was in the mood to jump back in, but it was done.

Hubby is back to work, and in full swing.  It's that time at work where they shut down and work double shifts, 16 hour days for 4-6 weeks.  

Not the greatest picture since it was super windy, but my bleeding hear is in full bloom right now.

A late bloomer.  Nice.  I hope it keeps spreading.  It's the only purple one I have right now.

Our youngest was being bullied (was threatened by a student) at school prior to leaving on our getaway.  So far things are good since we contacted the school, but I still want her to learn to fight.  I refuse to tell my kid to sit there and not fight back (if needed).  Things have really changed in school these days, and they do have outside cameras, but it's still a problem in schools. One girl was suspended and one in-school suspension, but that girl is back in class.  We'll see how the week goes.

It's Raining It's Pouring.....

Thursday morning "sunrise" for us.  Blah, blah, blah...more rain, thunder, etc.  It was 94% humidity too.

The snow didn't kill off the remaining wild violets.  Good to know, but I've talked myself out of making jelly, although staying busy indoors is a good thing.  I just have zero canning mojo right now.

I think I got about 5 minutes of vit.D yesterday.  Better than zero I guess.

Jippity Do Dah

Up at 4am, couldn't sleep with some weird and crazy dreams.

Rain is now a "four letter word" around here.  We finally got up to 77°F, but couldn't do a thing outside.  It's getting depressing, so I have been turning on every light in the house, putting on music and staying busy with cleaning.  Found some division flash cards and phonics - in the goodwill pile now.  

The heat lamp caused major dust in my utility room, so I'm glad I never got that room deep cleaned prior to the chicks being in there.  What a mess.  I can't wash coats and jackets until the rain stops either.

Let's just say that the clothesline is not in full swing.  I caved, washed bedding and towels, and used the (gulp) dryer.

Lost my "jippity" in this mass of rainy do-dah days.  Now the forecast says rain here almost every day until May 15th.  Not sure after that.

Question for soap makers out there?  I bought essential oils from Hoegger to make goat's milk soap, and they are about 5 years old.  What do you think the shelf life is on them?  I do not plan to have dairy goats in the near future either.  No source to get goat's milk right now either.    Or if they are still good, anyone have a recipe for soap making that doesn't use goat's milk (won't be the same, but I don't want to waste it if it's good oil).

Tidbits

We had a beautiful morning sunrise Monday morning.  It was cold out, but gorgeous sky.

Never hit your shin on something.  The pain is like no other.  I've been using up my freezer stash of comfrey poultices.  They are helping, but man...

(used my mortar and pestal for a small amount)

I've also been picking plantain.  I somehow got an itchy patch of a rash on my ankle (hm, could be from wearing flip flops out when it was warmer and brushing on something).  I got rid of it using a fresh plantain poultice in two days (second one I added fresh chickweed).  Yay, for the power of weeds.  Our plantain isn't very big yet, but we are getting some here and there.  I also ordered a free small food processor for small batch making. 

Does anyone here take horse chestnut for varicose veins?  Would love to hear your input.  Just wondering if I order the horse chestnut, do you make the extract as you would a "tincture?"

I placed my order for jojoba oil.  It's time to make homemade tick oil.  It can be used on humans or dogs and it works.  You can also make it with water and spray it on, but I prefer the oil, so I don't have to re-apply so often in the hot sun.

We continue to get rain.  The farmers are behind by 3 weeks getting into their fields, so you can imagine how far behind we are.  Flooding issues almost everywhere right now.  I told Hubby, if we can't plant with good timing, I won't plant at all.  It would be a complete waste of time.  We can't even get the tiller into it until it dries up.  We are not yet at our planting time, so say a prayer, send up good vibes and positive mojo.

Baked away the cold rainy blues - blueberry crumble.

The frustration is real

Does anyone have a natural ant killer I can use in my herb garden.  I was walking by it and saw a puffed up area in my oregano.  I stepped on it, and poof a bunch of ants came out.  Urgh.  Cornmeal doesn't kill them, and I can't use artificial sweetener nor borax.  I'd contaminate my herbs.  I am however, dumping boiling water on the hill.  I will have to do it a few more times, and if it works, replant some of the oregano.

This my friends, is my rose bed.  Does anyone have a natural homemade weed killer?  I don't care if it kills off the roses either, I want different ones anyway.  It's the most frustrating bed we have, and nothing has worked from weed fabric to 6 inches of mulch on top.  

Well, since I wrote up this draft for the post, I found another way to handle this weed garden from hell - roofing shingles and rocks.  We know someone re-roofing, so we hope to get some of the old singles soon. Until then, guests will just have to enjoy the weed fest going on. 

We are due to have 4 days of rain starting today (again).  Sunday we had planned to piddle around, but guess what?  We took off south to pick up a new radiator for our 19 year-old's car.  While we were there, my step-daughter called.  She gave birth to our 3rd grand child - a boy.  We drove north and made a visit to the hospital.  What a busy weekend.

I don't have clean house slippers to work around the house today.  Sigh.  Thanks to Jesse.  He's been so good off the leash, and in plain day light I just go out with him.  However, he smelled a dead rabbit in the road and went straight for it.  He's back on the leash after I ran through the sopping grass, saturating my slippers and socks.  My slippers are drying after a good washing.  As for that dead rabbit?  Hubby went out and shoveled it off into the field north of us.  We later watched a vulture having it's meal.