Lydia's Days

Our sweet Lydia came last week for her Days.  I met her and her family at a nearby Sonic and we enjoyed a lunch and the playground.  Then, we loaded Lydia's supplies into my truck and headed off to the grocery store.  I loved that when her mother was buckling her into her car seat that she announced that she was going to "stay for a million days!" 

After we picked up a few needed supplies from the grocery store, we headed north to Mr. Mike and Grand B's house.  The first item on our agenda was to get in out of the heat.  The deck thermometer looked like this when we got home and it was about two o'clock!

Before I began to put the groceries away, Lydia thought we needed to find some Barbies for her to play with in the new dollhouse Pop and Mama O had given us for all the granddaughters to play with.  So, downstairs we trekked to get the old girls.  I have a stash downstairs that were Bridgette's when she was a little girl.  Isn't it amazing that Barbie was introduced when I was born years ago and little girls today still like to play with her?

Getting to know the old girls

The Barbies provided hours of fun and entertainment.  One has a sparkly, fluffy skirt and she became a ballerina who performed several remarkable dance recitals for me. 

Lydia had selected the menu for dinner and we all enjoyed pizza.  She also shared a special treat with Mr. Mike after dinner - Little Debbie Oatmeal Cakes!  These she had picked out special at the grocery store because she knew, "these are Mr. Mike's favorites."  Somehow I think they might be her favorites as well because both of them ate at least two while we watched TV.  Another night she selected "Sbusketty" for our dinner menu.  It was a night when she must have really worked up an appetite with all our activities because she tried to be a little helper and near disaster ensued.  I'll tell more about that in another post.  It must have been really tasty to her, though.  She and I were eating because Mike was later getting home that night.  She informed me, "Mr. Mike better hurry up or he is going to miss out on this good sbusketty!"

She was a wonderful helper.  While I was watering the flowers each day, she would generously spritz spray them with a home-made bug repellent.  It was a hot job, but she was quite adept at it!

spraying bug repellent

a hot job made easier with a sweet smile

This sweet girl is one who can entertain herself for hours.  Her imagination is certainly healthy.  There were no boundaries for discovery for her either.  If something was just out of reach, she could work out a way to get there with ease.

I was making the beds and thought I'd better check on her because she was so quiet and this is what I found.  She had been intrigued by a collection of screws and the end of the towel bar that has pulled out of our bathroom wall.  (This is a project that has caused me quite a lot of frustration, but more about that another time.)  Lydia is a bit like her friend, Ariel from Disney's Little Mermaid.  These discoveries get new names and purposes when in her hands. 

We went to the library on the day that the thermometer looked like this:

I knew that we needed to do something special and playing outside just wasn't an option.  We watered and sprayed the flowers late in the afternoon, just before dark because we knew the plants were thirsty and dependent upon us.  That time also provided Lydia with a little time to ride one of the bicycles we have here for the girls to enjoy.  However, it was just entirely too hot to be outside unless it was really a necessity.  So, the library turned out to be a special treat.  There was a set of chairs and a table that was just her size and there were shelves and shelves of books all waiting for her to read and peruse.  She found books about horses, storms, bugs, puppies, and more.  There were some familiar friends like Llama, Llama Mad at Mama.  We finally settled on bringing home one entitled Purplicious.  It turned out to be delightful because the main character's favorite color is pink just like Lydia's.  So, we had to read it no less than a dozen eighteen twenty times while she was here. 

I think the favorite activity while she was here were the trips over to Nan's (my sister-in-law) to go swimming in her pool. 

This was a wonderful way to spend some time outside and wound up being a cool thing to do as well.  I had to carefully schedule when we went so that we could avoid sunburn.  However, it was so hot that week that it didn't matter what time of day we went, the pool was a welcome respite from the weather.

Smiling, kicking, and giggling was the order of any time spent there at Nan's pool.  It was pure innocent fun and she wanted to go every one of the million days she planned to spend here!  Lydia had packed a pool bag with a swimsuit, a cover-up, a towel, sunscreen, and bug spray.  So, she was well-prepared for this outing.

Every trip to the pool we had to empty out the pool bag before we could dip even a toe into the water.  You can see the hot-pink bag collapsed on the deck in the background of this photo.

We had to have wave-making contests and the shot above shows her getting ready.  She would grab on to the side of the pool and push away with her hands and feet to make waves.  She had noticed that when one of us adults did that the waves would make her floaty rock.  So, she thought that when she pushed away she was making big waves even though they were basically just ripples.  Still, it was great fun.

Another fun part of these outings was fueled by her curiosity as well.  Nan has a big 'treasure box' there on the deck.  It is full of interesting items.  Part of the fun is just the digging and discovering, though.

Lydia learned quickly that she didn't want to forget and leave her floaty on the deck.  She wasn't ready for swimming without it and getting her face underwater.  Even vigorous splashing wasn't really welcome.

Finding treasures in the box entertained her endlessly.  It was fun to figure out what might float.

Armed with several of the treasures, she would float around and create games for long stretches.

Again, like Ariel, the treasures would rarely have the original purpose for Lydia but were still great fun and fit well into the games she thought up.  Probably the favorite treasure for her were the goggles.  Most of the time they rested across the top of her head.  However, there were times when she needed them to protect herself from splashing or to dip down into the water to find something that hadn't passed the float test. 

Favorite Treasure = Goggles!

She was always on the look-out for Nan's dog.  Mitty was a little intimidating for Lydia.  Maybe it is just that she is an animal and Lydia is not really sure about making friends with all animals and hesitates somewhat.  In this photo, Lydia is gazing out over the side of the pool to make sure that Mitty wasn't coming up to the deck to join her.

On the Look-out

Mostly the swimming outings were relaxing but they also tend to make a little girl tired. 

Mike and I had a wonderful visit with Lydia during her Days here and I think she had a big time, too.  It was really quiet around here on Sunday after she had gone.  Grand B was pooped from keeping up with her little helper but the sweet memories still linger.

Coming In

I can remember my grandmothers talking about the vegetables in the garden "coming in."  I never understood this.  They certainly didn't sprout legs and walk into the kitchen!  Mercy knows that would have been nice.  Then, we wouldn't have to worry about all that back-breaking stooping and picking.  Nor would we have to stand for long periods of time blanching and cooling and bagging and such. 

Now that I am a grandmother and an educated southern woman, I wonder what term would really work better?  Saying that the vegetables are ripening isn't quite the term.  Neither does it seem right to say that we are harvesting them.  For goodness sakes, we only have one row of everything we planted.  So, I guess just saying that our vegetables are 'coming in' is the way to go.  After all, they do seem to come in the door with Mike every afternoon! 

Here was the first "mess" (another one of those terms from my grandmothers) of okra and the first tomato my sweet hubby brought in the other day.  The okra is especially wonderful as it seems to simply get long and not get big and coarse.  This okra is long gone since Mike and I cooked us up a good old summer meal the other night of fried okra, potatoes in cream sauce, green beans, and pork roast.  Yum!

I decided to batter and freeze the okra that he brought in yesterday.  If you would like to see the technique Mike taught me for that, just click HERE.

We have really been enjoying the bounty of our garden and I am ever thankful to have fresh foods.  It is especially delicious and the freshness really makes a difference in the taste and texture of the dishes we prepare.  Plus, when we freeze or can them, they taste far better than the store-bought canned/frozen veggies. 

Hope you are finding a way to beat the heat.  If so, please let me know what it is because I am wimpy and not weathering it so well!

HOT! HOT! HOT!

The temperatures here are beyond sweltering - I'd say closer to southern Hades!  We have had record breaking temperatures this week and I've grown spoiled and out of shape for the heat.  Yesterday and the day before the thermometer on the back porch looked like this at 4:30ish:

 

I know that part of this is radiating off the wall and the porch floor and that the sun is hitting the thermometer directly, but when I was standing right there, it certainly felt every bit of 138 degrees!

The official temperature was 108 yesterday, I think.  Today we got a break and the official temperature was only a mere 106, I think. 

We were invited to a potluck dinner tonight and I took baked beans and pasta salad.  If you want the pasta salad recipe you can find it HERE. 

Reading and Searching for Inspiration

Since before I moved into this house to make my life with Mike we have been making changes to it.  Do other people do that to their homes?  I know I did to my first home.  Almost immediately after we moved in we started making changes - painted a little to have some variation from the beige that the former owner had painted everything - I mean EVERYTHING - walls, woodwork, ceilings... 

Then, several years ago I sold that house and bought a brand new house.  It was so new that everything had not even been finished.  For example, there was no handrail going up the steps to the bonus room.  The cabinets were still dusty from where the floors were sanded.  The paint was barely dry!  Yet, I began changing things.  This time there weren't big changes - just subtle things like hanging artwork and photographs and plates on the wall.  Adding blinds and curtains and rugs on the floor stamped the house and made it mine.

I remember Mike telling me about his first visit to that house.  He said that he was so nevous, anxious, and tied up in knots.  Yet, the minute he stepped in the front door, the house seemed to put him at ease and he could relax.  Truly, that has always been my goal when creating a home - making anyone who comes in the door feel at ease and relaxed.  I'd love for folks to feel like they can simply plop down and put their feet up and set a drink beside them and enjoy the place as well as the company. 

So, when Mike and I decided to join together, we immediately decided to make some changes to this house as well.  This time I wasn't working with a completely blank slate.  This time there were memories, origins, and tastes that were lurking in the corners and shadows.  So, I had to tread lightly, gingerly, carefully as I began to put my stamp on this dwelling to make it my own. 

There were many pros and cons to moving into this house - his house - instead of the two of us adapting my house or selling both our houses and finding a new one that is all our own.  I won't go into all the pros and cons here but one of the pros is that the house was originally built for my in-laws.  (Of course, that could also be considered a con if I really think about it - maybe their ghosts and tastes and memories are some that are lurking!)  They selected some fine attributes to include into the house - like the white oak flooring in all of the rooms

You may remember this photo from another post.

and the big farmhouse kitchen

Here is the working side and...

Here is the dining side.  You may remember this look from another post.

and the double fireplace

The kitchen side and...

and the den side.  (Yes, these pictures are from this Christmas post.)

and the nice crown molding

Seen here in the Den Before and After

and the French doors and large windows... 

Seen here in Fall on the Back Porch.

Plus, I'm lucky enough to have a husband with wonderful taste (so much so that at times I have teased him and called him Martha).  You see, my in-laws lived in the house for fifteen years or so before they sold the farm where it was built.  Then, it was moved to its current location here.  So, when it was set here, Mike had the good taste to add some other wonderful features.  Features like the beadboard in the guest bathroom...

Seen here in Before and After.

and the window seat in the bay window...

also known as a favorite hiding spot.

and the brick on the front porch...  well, I think you get the idea!  This house has really wonderful bones.  Mainly, what we have been doing to it during the past three years is to simply update it, adapt it to our current stage of life, and put a stamp on it that is uniquely our own together. 

Every time I have a break from work - spring, fall, holidays, summer - I try to take on an updating project.  With a tight budget, sometimes the updates have to be cheap small inexpensive and that has certainly been the case from the beginning!  So, from the beginning I have been consulting the experts.  I have kept an idea book for years.  It is simply pictures from magazines that I have clipped and added to a binder.  I keep scraps of fabric from projects there and paint chips and such.  That way I can simply grab this binder when I go on a shopping trip in search of an accessory update and I will know if the color will match or blend or coordinate.  I've also begun keeping idea boards on Pinterest and can pull those up on my iPad or phone - or plan ahead and make a printout if I need a hard copy. 

This summer break hasn't lent itself well to taking on a big set of projects just yet because I have had obligations with work.  Each week has found me planning or facillitating a professional development session for the teachers in our district to help them plan for integrating technology into the curriculum more seamlessly.  So, I have found my down time to be when I am looking for inspiration and dreaming.  I referred to a post by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch where she shared a list of her favorite decorating and design books.  I saw an advertisement for a sale on one of the books and decided to check it out of the local library to see if I wanted to snatch up the half-priced copy for my own library.  That just seemed to start the ball rolling for me to check out more books and do more dreaming! 

This morning as I was finishing my coffee, I was perusing one of the books I've checked out of the library, Creating a New Old House by Russell Versaci, I read a passage that struck a nerve with me and helped me to see what Mike and I really are doing here with this house.  Versaci says,

"Our childhood memories are colored with picture-postcard images of old houses.  Most of us can remember dreamlike visions of the house we grew up in or wish we had.  We recall the pleasures of sultry days at a summerhouse spent idling on the front porch or swinging from the big tree in the backyard...These scenes from the past, which are half-remembered and half-imagined, come to the surface...Creating a new house ought to be like walking down memory lane, gathering these treasured recollections for one of life's most creative endeavors."

What a revelation that was for me.  Not only are we trying to create something that is uniquely our own and fits our lives - updating and revising as we grow and change, but we are also trying to add in our childhood memories and dreamlike visions of the pleasures we recall - scenes from the past that are a walk down memory lane.  Bunny Williams wrote a book called An Affair With a House and that is where I started my search for inspiration.  I guess that was a great place to start since, basically, that is sort of what I am doing as we live and grow here - I'm simply building an affair with this house as I update it and try to put my stamp on it in making it uniquely our own.

Is it hot enough for you?

I remember as a kid that lots of the grown-ups would ask that question all during the summer.  I always got a little peeved about it because what could they do about it?  If it was hot enough they had nothing to do with the temperature and if it wasn't hot enough they couldn't turn up the thermostat either.  So, I'm not really asking that frustrating question but what I am saying is...

Do you have any idea just how hot it is out there?  To me it is just unbearable.  I know that I have become spoiled having a cushy job sitting in a cushy chair in a cushy air-conditioned school building.  But, today was a day when I was out and about running errands and getting in and out of the vehicle and going from place to place.  So, even today I wasn't really suffering so much out in the sweltering heat.  But let me tell you - it was HOT out there today!

When we got home, this is what I noticed on my back deck:

I know, I know that this was a bit of an exageration.  This was at about three o'clock and the sun was beating down and bouncing off the deck and the side of the house but it really felt that hot to us!  In the three summers I have lived here, I have never witnessed that thermometer showing such temperatures.  So, if you asked me that frustrating question, my answer would be ...

No!

 

Mainly because it is W-A-Y TOO HOT for me!

The Things We Do For Love (Part II)...

Isn't it amazing how we will do things for those we love that we never, ever, never thought we would be doing?  Well, this afternoon found me doing just that.  Of course, this is a big step past what I've done for love in the past.  You may remember me talking about it HERE.  I also posted the recipe HERE.  Today, though, I took a big ole step toward the dark side even further than I ever have before...

Remember yesterday that I told you Mike and I went to Mennonite country and got some vegetables - including five heads of cabbage.  Well, you have probably already figured it out - I began the process of making Kraut.

Now, realize that I feel the same way Bridgette did in kindergarten about Kraut.  I think it smells bad and cannot even eat the weenies.  However, it is one of those dishes that Mike just loves.  He has mentioned several times how he could eat it pretty often.  So, I bit the bullet and asked my nieces for their recipe and dove into Kraut making this afternoon. 

I may have more than one college degree and have been told I am rather smart at times.  However, when it comes to making Kraut, I felt like the greenhorn I really am.  So, I needed more than just the recipe Becca sent me.  Here it is:

Kraut

1 gallon cabbage (VERY FINELY CHOPPED)

8 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Mix together.  Work it.  (Press down with palms of hands.)  It will make a liquid when you press down.  Then, pack Kraut in sterilized jars and put lids on them very loosely.  Store in a cool dark place for 21 days.  Check on it every 7 days.  If it appears dry, mix 1 teaspoon salt in a quart of water and pour over Kraut.  At the end of 21 days tighten the lids down and keep in a cool dry place. 

There were more instructions like "after you cut the cabbage, don't let it touch metal again," and "store it in a cool, dark place," and "you might want to set it on a towel or piece of cardboard in case it spews out," and "it is going to stink!"  However, undaunted, I plunged in.

The problem is, I had no idea what is "very finely chopped."  Does that mean minced or does it mean slivered or just what?  So, I put in a call to the experts.  No answer.  I discussed it with Mike and he said he had no idea.  So, I just began to chop, chop, chop.  I mixed up one batch and Mike helped me to put it into the jars.  What a messy job that was!  We had Kraut all over the place!  Plus, it didn't seem to have enough liquid to me. 

Finally, one of the nieces called and I confessed that I had sent them photos and pleaded with them to please check out my work and give feedback.  After a bit, I could hear mutterings and both nieces said it looked fine but maybe I needed to "work it" a bit more.  They suggested that I mash it around in the jar with a wooden or plastic spoon.  So, I did.

That seemed to make it more slushy and I decided that must have been the ticket.  So, I plunged in a little deeper.  I wound up making three batches - nine quart jars of Kraut. 

Chunking the cabbage to get ready to chop it.

Chopped cabbage pieces for Kraut

Looking down into one of the jars before I mashed it around with the spoon.

First batch of Kraut

After smushing with a spoon

I have set all nine jars on an old towel that is set on the top of a plastic storage tub.  They are stored in the dark basement storage room.  I've marked the calendar so that I will be reminded to check the Kraut in seven days.  (Do you think I will wait that long?  I don't!)

We shall see what this adventure brings.  The things we do for love...

Green Bean Scene

We have been the Green Bean Scene for the past couple or three days.  Mike and I trekked to Mennonite country on Saturday morning and bought a few vegetables.  He really enjoyed the hunting, bargaining, and dickering and I enjoyed the scenery and time spent with him.  Plus, it has been so hot here that we didn't really want to do anything productive around here and we are the outdoorsy type.

We came home with some blueberries, cabbage, corn, bell peppers, and green beans.  Did we ever come home with some green beans!  We brought home thirty-nine pounds of green beans!  So, late Saturday afternoon, Mike began to break all those beans.  He had brought in some squash from our poor little cooked plot just above the barn and I cut it up, added some onions from our table tubs, and started it to boil for a suppertime squash casserole.  As soon as he had a mess broken, I snatched them up and put them on to cook for supper as well.  Knowing that Bryan and Jessica were coming by for a visit, I laid out some pork chops to thaw and stirred up a peach cobbler.  Then, I began gathering supplies for canning the green beans. 

When Jessica and Bryan arrived, Jess quickly shucked some of the corn and Bryan went to work seasoning and wrapping it to cook on the grill.  Then, Jessica joined Mike in the bean breaking.  I was in the throes of blanching my first pot of beans for canning.  I had never done this step before because I usually just raw pack them into the jars.  I'll be interested to see if we notice a difference. 

I trooped downstairs to get the canner started and while Mike and Jessica continued to break the beans, Bryan and I prepped the supper.  Bryan served as master griller.  He just kept muttering, "pressure, pressure, pressure," and I didn't understand why until much later when they presented Mike with his Father's Day gift and the card indicated that Mike is the griller around here.  Just before supper was ready, I turned off the heat to the canner and let it begin to cool. 

We feasted on a delicious summertime, southern meal of grilled pork chops and corn on the cob, fresh green beans, squash casserole, cucumber/onion salad, home-made pickles, and had peach cobbler for dessert.  It was a wonderful evening of fellowship, food, and fun.  Well, I guess they had fun breaking the beans because Jessica and Mike wound up breaking the entire bag!  I only completed one canner-full that night.  We put the rest of the beans into the fridge downstairs.  Then, I did another canner-full yesterday afternoon.  Today has been serious canning time and I have finished them off.  Here is how I did that:

First, wash the broken beans thoroughly.  I soak them in a sink of cool water and rinse them under cool running water before placing them in a colander to drain.  Next, I begin to fill the jars, shaking them to pack the jars as full as possible without mashing the beans.

Then, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar over the top.  I remember helping Mama when she canned beans and after breaking the beans, sprinkling the salt is about the only job I was qualified to do!

Next, pour boiling water over this to fill the jar.  Run a wooden or plastic spoon handle down the side of the jar in a couple or three places to encourage the air bubbles to float to the top.  Attach the two-piece jar lids.  Then, troop downstairs to the canner.

I have to use the downstairs stove for the canner because the flat-topped-glass stove I have upstairs doesn't work to heat the canner quite as well for some reason.  The older model with the coils seems to work well for this task, though.

Place the jars into the canner and add three to four inches of water to the canner.  (I usually do this when I begin to fill my jars and turn the stove eye on to begin heating that water to save some processing time.)  Attach the canner lid and turn the eye on high heat to bring the water to a boil and build up steam pressure in the canner. 

If you look closely you can see the steam rising out of the top-most point of the canner in the photo above.  When there is a good steady rise of steam with a strong ssshhh-ing sound, the canner is near readiness for processing. 

This is when the "jiggler" should be added which regulates the amount of pressure that is maintained.  For green beans, it is recommended to maintain ten pounds of pressure for twenty-five minutes.  After a minute or two, the jiggler will start to rock back and forth and the sound of the steam escaping will become a steady ssshhh, ssshhh, ssshhh.  I set the timer for twenty-five minutes and find a task to do - washing dishes, folding clothes, ironing, reading a good book, etc. 

In the photo above, the jiggler is rocking and the steam is ssshhh-ing at a steady rhythm.  At the end of twenty-five minutes, I turn off the heat and remove the jiggler to allow the canner to cool and release the built-up pressure.  After fifteen to twenty minutes, the top can be removed and the jars can be set on a towel on the counter.

The beans will have changed from a brilliant emerald green to a softer, more olive tint and the liquid in the jars will probably still be boiling.  I let the jars and the canner cool completely.  Then, I wipe off the outside of the jars and place them in the pantry to await a nice southern, country meal.  Yum!

So far we have about thirty-five quarts of green beans processed and there is still enough for another meal to cook fresh.  I guess we will share a few jars with Bryan and Jessica since she helped to break them all up.  Of course, quality control might mean I need to limit what she and Mike have earned through their efforts.  Notice what I found when I was washing the beans:

Quality Control

Do you think I should dock their pay?  I found all these ends mixed with the good beans. 
(Actually, that isn't bad considering how many they touched that afternoon/evening!)