Life is a blur right now. Volleyball season has started and this post is a week overdue. I started typing it a week ago and just now have had the opportunity to get back to it.
Eleven years ago I was given an opportunity that I would have never had dreamed of. I was asked to coach a high school volleyball team. We were moving back home and a friend's mom had heard that I had taken a position at one of the school districts in the area. She worked in the same district I took the job in, so she called me up and asked if I'd be interested. I had hesitated at first, but something told me to try it out and see how it went.
Looking back, I think that was God's little nudge to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. I wasn't the head coach. (Thank goodness!!!) I was the freshman team coach. That year I had seven girls- barely enough to have a team. I drove them to games and had a lot of one-on-one interaction during practice. That interaction lead to a lot of silliness and me shaking my head at their conversations, but I would have to say, it was one of my fondest memories of coaching. We really got to know each other, and I came to care for those girls like they were my own.
These years of coaching have helped me become who I am and who I want to become. I get to help create wonderful memories for each and every one of the girls. It's a lot of fun watching these girls grow and mature over the four years they are in high school. I'm hoping that one day, the girls I've coached in the past will look back and feel that I had a positive impact in their lives. They have helped me through lots of situations without even knowing it.
Volleyball gives me a chance to get away from everything at home for a little while. It's a nice mental break from farm stress and it's a break from the physical gardening stress. By this time every year, I am done with the garden and wanting it to just go away. I'm not a perfect gardener and lots of things go to waste unfortunately because I just can't do it anymore. This year my chickens have had the run of the garden, so things aren't going to waste afterall!
Looking back at the past 11 years I've seen myself grow as a person, as a coach and as a parent. This is a leadership position that I would have never seen myself in when I was growing up. Now, it's something that I can't think of ever giving up! I know one day I will. My daughter is showing interest in volleyball and she goes to a rival school. I won't coach against her, so I'll have to give it up for a few years while she is in middle school and high school. I have a few more years to enjoy, so I'm going to live it up!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Rewards!
Look what I got in the mail the other day!
Ball canning coupons!
At first I thought it was junk mail, but I read the letter that accompanied them and then it hit me. I entered a jar of pickled jalepenos and a jar of crabapple jelly in our county fair and I won the Grand Champion sweepstakes ribbon! I didn't think there would be any award other than the large purple ribbon.
This was a pleasant surprise, so now, I'm making a list of supplies that I will be needing for another round of canning green beans. We picked another two brown paper bags worth the other night, so I will be busy canning this week. Also on my canning wish list is the Ball Blue Book of canning recipes. This seems to be the "go-to" book for anything canning. I've used my mom's knowledge of canning, but this will be a nice addition to my small collection of recipe and how-to books.
This has definitely made me think about doing more canning and then exhibit it at the county fair next summer. I had several people comment on my ribbons when they went through the rooms. I'm hoping this will in turn get more people to enter their canning. If I CAN do it, anyone CAN.
Ball canning coupons!
At first I thought it was junk mail, but I read the letter that accompanied them and then it hit me. I entered a jar of pickled jalepenos and a jar of crabapple jelly in our county fair and I won the Grand Champion sweepstakes ribbon! I didn't think there would be any award other than the large purple ribbon.
This was a pleasant surprise, so now, I'm making a list of supplies that I will be needing for another round of canning green beans. We picked another two brown paper bags worth the other night, so I will be busy canning this week. Also on my canning wish list is the Ball Blue Book of canning recipes. This seems to be the "go-to" book for anything canning. I've used my mom's knowledge of canning, but this will be a nice addition to my small collection of recipe and how-to books.
This has definitely made me think about doing more canning and then exhibit it at the county fair next summer. I had several people comment on my ribbons when they went through the rooms. I'm hoping this will in turn get more people to enter their canning. If I CAN do it, anyone CAN.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Firsts.....
Today was the first day of school for my kids. They attend the local public schools and I couldn't be happier that they go there. I couldn't do the homeschooling thing. I applaud those that do, but it's not for me. I feel confident in my school district's abilities to teach my children and I also feel that they are safe in their school.
Well, I have a kindergartener and a sophomore. Talk about an age gap! I know there are lots of people who have that age gap too, but many have ones scattered between those two ends.
For a couple weeks, we've been talking about the first day of school with both kids. I get the ever present groaning from the 16 year old. He's not about to say he's even the slightest bit ready for school to start. Secretly I think he is ready. He doesn't see his friends everyday in the summer, so this will be a nice change for him.
My 5 year old has had mixed emotions about school. At one moment she's asking if school starts the next day and then the next time I turn around, she is giving me this worried look, like she's not too sure she wants to go to school. I think it's all been an act to get a little more attention, but I've kept reminding her that school will be so much fun, she'll get to have lots of play time in class, recess, p.e. and learn so many neat and wonderful things.
Well, we drove up to the school and I had to all but keep her from jumping out of the car and running into the building. She's ready. We walked into the gym to wait for the buidling to open and she lined up with the rest of the kids. Once they were told to head inside, she walked like a big girl with her class, found her room and sat down at her seat. The whole time, she had this HUGE smile plastered to her face. I gave her a quick kiss and hug and told her she'd do great, then I left. Several people messaged me this morning asking how I did when I was leaving. Well, I did great too! No tears!
I couldn't say that when I took my son to school for his first day 11 years ago. I at least held it together until I got out of his sight. I can say I didn't break down and bawl, but I left with a few tears that day. Why did I do it then, and not now? Why is the first child different that the last child? Who knows. I'm sure there is a psychological answer, but I don't have time for that! LOL!
It's amazing how these kids grow up so fast and change. One day we are changing diapers and dealing with spit up, then the next thing we know, they are driving out of the driveway on their way to high school. Don't blink!
Well, I have a kindergartener and a sophomore. Talk about an age gap! I know there are lots of people who have that age gap too, but many have ones scattered between those two ends.
For a couple weeks, we've been talking about the first day of school with both kids. I get the ever present groaning from the 16 year old. He's not about to say he's even the slightest bit ready for school to start. Secretly I think he is ready. He doesn't see his friends everyday in the summer, so this will be a nice change for him.
My 5 year old has had mixed emotions about school. At one moment she's asking if school starts the next day and then the next time I turn around, she is giving me this worried look, like she's not too sure she wants to go to school. I think it's all been an act to get a little more attention, but I've kept reminding her that school will be so much fun, she'll get to have lots of play time in class, recess, p.e. and learn so many neat and wonderful things.
Well, we drove up to the school and I had to all but keep her from jumping out of the car and running into the building. She's ready. We walked into the gym to wait for the buidling to open and she lined up with the rest of the kids. Once they were told to head inside, she walked like a big girl with her class, found her room and sat down at her seat. The whole time, she had this HUGE smile plastered to her face. I gave her a quick kiss and hug and told her she'd do great, then I left. Several people messaged me this morning asking how I did when I was leaving. Well, I did great too! No tears!
I couldn't say that when I took my son to school for his first day 11 years ago. I at least held it together until I got out of his sight. I can say I didn't break down and bawl, but I left with a few tears that day. Why did I do it then, and not now? Why is the first child different that the last child? Who knows. I'm sure there is a psychological answer, but I don't have time for that! LOL!
It's amazing how these kids grow up so fast and change. One day we are changing diapers and dealing with spit up, then the next thing we know, they are driving out of the driveway on their way to high school. Don't blink!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Adventures in preserving
I've never really canned anything until my mom and I canned green beans last summer. Well, I'm hooked! I've had to buy store bought canned green beans recently and they are not nearly as good as my home grown canned green beans. Even the "low sodium" canned beans in the store have less taste than my beans. I don't add anything to my beans when I prepare them. Just garden green beans and water. That's it!
The picture above shows the load of beans I brought in the other night. They were gorgeous! These were sold at my farmer's market stand, but this is what I am working with! I had picked a brown paper bag full of beans earlier in the week, so those were the ones I was planning on canning.
We started out the adventure with snapping the beans. My 5 year-old daughter wanted to help with part of this, so she got her own little pile and started snapping away. She lasted about 20 minutes and then she was off to play. We kept on snapping beans and were done before we knew it!
The next step was getting them all cleaned up and ready for the pot of water. Mom likes to hot pack them. She feels she can get more into the jar, so that's what we do. You can cold pack them if you wish. It's all up to you. We worked in 2 batches, since we had so many beans. The first pile went into the pot of water to boil for 5 minutes. While those cooked, we got the jars washed up and ready to pack. The first round we canned pints, then decided some quarts were needed too.
Mom worked on heating the jars up with HOT water while I finished up the beans. We switched the canner over to the large burner and filled it to the appropriate line with water. A small pan of water was on a back burner with boiling water to heat up the lids. Once the beans were done, we brought the hot jars to the table and started ladeling the beans and water into the jars. These jars are Ball jars, but we've had Atlas jars and Mason jars as well. All have worked well and we typically buy what's in the store.
Once the jars are filled, we wiped the tops down and placed the hot lids onto the top of the jars and put a ring on it; tightened just till it's secure. Into the pressure canner it goes. Ours is a Presto. Beans need to be processed in a pressure canner, not a hot water bath. They are a low acid food and bacteria can grow inside the jars if they are not pressure canned.
We secured the lid of the canner and turned on the heat. The weight is not on the canner at this point. You wait for the steam to start coming out of the vent at a steady pace and then time 10 minutes. The pressure starts building at this point. There is a little air vent that will eventually rise and seal the canner. Once your 10 minutes is up, you place the weight onto the vent and wait for it to toggle at a steady pace.
This is when you start your processing time. The pints were proccessed for 20 minutes and the quarts were processed for 25 minutes. When you are done processing, you removed the canner from the heat and LEAVE it alone! Don't take off the weight, don't open the canner, don't try and cool it down too quick. When the canner cools down and the air vent drops, you will remove the weight and time 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is up, you can then remove the lid. We always open and pull the lid towards us. This allows the steam to escape away from us and not into our faces.
As with anything-PLEASE read the directions for your canner. These directions are for the one we use and they all can be a little different.
Remove the jars with jar lifter and set on a towel. They will start to seal as they cool. Any jars that do not seal can be refrigerated and eaten within a few days. If jars seal correctly, you can store them for about 1 year. We leave the jars on the table on a towel for a couple days to cool completely and settle.
This is the finished product!
We started out the adventure with snapping the beans. My 5 year-old daughter wanted to help with part of this, so she got her own little pile and started snapping away. She lasted about 20 minutes and then she was off to play. We kept on snapping beans and were done before we knew it!
The next step was getting them all cleaned up and ready for the pot of water. Mom likes to hot pack them. She feels she can get more into the jar, so that's what we do. You can cold pack them if you wish. It's all up to you. We worked in 2 batches, since we had so many beans. The first pile went into the pot of water to boil for 5 minutes. While those cooked, we got the jars washed up and ready to pack. The first round we canned pints, then decided some quarts were needed too.
Mom worked on heating the jars up with HOT water while I finished up the beans. We switched the canner over to the large burner and filled it to the appropriate line with water. A small pan of water was on a back burner with boiling water to heat up the lids. Once the beans were done, we brought the hot jars to the table and started ladeling the beans and water into the jars. These jars are Ball jars, but we've had Atlas jars and Mason jars as well. All have worked well and we typically buy what's in the store.
Once the jars are filled, we wiped the tops down and placed the hot lids onto the top of the jars and put a ring on it; tightened just till it's secure. Into the pressure canner it goes. Ours is a Presto. Beans need to be processed in a pressure canner, not a hot water bath. They are a low acid food and bacteria can grow inside the jars if they are not pressure canned.
We secured the lid of the canner and turned on the heat. The weight is not on the canner at this point. You wait for the steam to start coming out of the vent at a steady pace and then time 10 minutes. The pressure starts building at this point. There is a little air vent that will eventually rise and seal the canner. Once your 10 minutes is up, you place the weight onto the vent and wait for it to toggle at a steady pace.
This is when you start your processing time. The pints were proccessed for 20 minutes and the quarts were processed for 25 minutes. When you are done processing, you removed the canner from the heat and LEAVE it alone! Don't take off the weight, don't open the canner, don't try and cool it down too quick. When the canner cools down and the air vent drops, you will remove the weight and time 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is up, you can then remove the lid. We always open and pull the lid towards us. This allows the steam to escape away from us and not into our faces.
As with anything-PLEASE read the directions for your canner. These directions are for the one we use and they all can be a little different.
Remove the jars with jar lifter and set on a towel. They will start to seal as they cool. Any jars that do not seal can be refrigerated and eaten within a few days. If jars seal correctly, you can store them for about 1 year. We leave the jars on the table on a towel for a couple days to cool completely and settle.
This is the finished product!
Good luck if you decide to try this for yourself! You won't be disappointed with the taste of fresh green beans from your garden or local farmers market! Enjoy!
Managing My Priorities
Recently I've had to take a step back and re-examine my life priorities. How many of us do this on a regular basis? I know I don't very often. What made me do this is our local 4-H Club. We've had several kids graduate high school this past year, a few families moved to other states and another couple families that have decided to take a break. Those families that are taking a break or not returning at all due to "burnout" have decided that this is not a priority in their lives. That is their opinion and they have every right to feel that way. 4-H is something that can be very time consuming and if they feel they can't give the time to do it, they probably shouldn't be doing it. I know I've had to give up on certain events that I was once a part of because it just wasn't something I could give my all to. I still help out if I can, but I'm just not as involved as I once was. And that is OK.
Years ago I was very involved in Relay For Life. It's an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It's very near and dear to my heart since my son is a cancer survivor. I was part of the planning committee for several years, but once we found out we were having our daughter, I decided that she needed to take priority and I stepped away from my responsibilities there. I know I left it in very capable hands and the Relay has done exceptionally well since.
Now that my daughter is getting older, I am getting involved in other things. The farmer's market in our local community is a new venture that we've been involved in for the past three years. She loves to help me garden and this is a way to bring in a little extra money for the family. It's not something that I could retire on, or even quit my day job for, but we are able to grow food for our own family and share with others in the community that aren't able to garden or don't think they can garden.
Other activities that have me hopping are Tae Kwon Do, coaching volleyball, chickens, my daughter's gymnastics and starting kindergarten this year. I know it's a lot on my plate and in a couple more years, things will get even busier with more kid's activities. I don't regret any of the craziness, because I know one day the kids will be grown and on their own and I'll have a whole lot less to do. I'm just going to hold on tight and keep looking at the things I do and decide what needs to stay and what needs to go.
It's all I can do and that's what works for me.
What works for you?
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Feast or Famine
I know too much of a good thing can be bad for you-sweets, tv, internet. The list can go on and on. Well, right now the "good thing" that is turning out bad is water. We have been getting rain off and on for the last 2 weeks and it doesn't seem to be ending. We have been in an extreme drought for the past 2 years, so you would think I would not be complaining, but we can't always be happy, can we! ;) I was thrilled when this rainy system started, but 4+ inches later, I'm ready for a little reprieve.
The creek near my parent's farm has been out of it's banks for several days now. We haven't had a lot of water for the past several nights where we live, but further up stream, they've had buckets dumped on them, and that has been keeping the water levels up. Luckily the road hasn't been washed out yet, but if it keeps it up, the road will be under before we know it.
Usually this creek is just a little trickle of water. It had even dried up for several months last year. Now it's only a couple feet from the bridge. The bridge stands about 20 feet over the creek, so there is A LOT of water here now.
When we bought our place 5 years ago, we had a few big rains that flooded our front yard. Our house sits approximately 300 feet from the road, so we have quite a large yard. It also sits lower than the road, so there is a berm of soil between the ditch and our yard. Over the years, the soil had worn and eroded away. The berm wraps around the north side of our tree row and west along the trees. It too had worn down over the years. Due to the erosion, water would run down the south side of the berm and into our yard. One large rain and our front yard was completely under water. Knee deep water! 20 feet from the house! I was scared at first, but then realized that the water would run across the driveway into the field.
After several pools showed up in our yard over the next 2 years, my husband decided to talk to a local construction company that digs ponds. The soil from the pond would go to raising the berm to keep water out of our yard. We brought the front berm up about 3 feet and the north side of the tree row raised about 5 feet.
Once we were done with the pond we sat back and waited for the rains to come again. Guess what happened.... 2 years of drought. I think we had a total of 4 inches of rain in those 2 years. It was probably more than that, but it sure felt like we only had a little bit. We had a crop failure and the pond was quickly loosing feet of water. We have a pretty good supply of ground water close to the surface, so the pond kept some water in it at all times. There were a few months last summer that we thought it might dry up.
I guess I should quit whining about the rain. We were begging for rain for the last 2 years and now, we have it.
The creek near my parent's farm has been out of it's banks for several days now. We haven't had a lot of water for the past several nights where we live, but further up stream, they've had buckets dumped on them, and that has been keeping the water levels up. Luckily the road hasn't been washed out yet, but if it keeps it up, the road will be under before we know it.
Usually this creek is just a little trickle of water. It had even dried up for several months last year. Now it's only a couple feet from the bridge. The bridge stands about 20 feet over the creek, so there is A LOT of water here now.
When we bought our place 5 years ago, we had a few big rains that flooded our front yard. Our house sits approximately 300 feet from the road, so we have quite a large yard. It also sits lower than the road, so there is a berm of soil between the ditch and our yard. Over the years, the soil had worn and eroded away. The berm wraps around the north side of our tree row and west along the trees. It too had worn down over the years. Due to the erosion, water would run down the south side of the berm and into our yard. One large rain and our front yard was completely under water. Knee deep water! 20 feet from the house! I was scared at first, but then realized that the water would run across the driveway into the field.
After several pools showed up in our yard over the next 2 years, my husband decided to talk to a local construction company that digs ponds. The soil from the pond would go to raising the berm to keep water out of our yard. We brought the front berm up about 3 feet and the north side of the tree row raised about 5 feet.
Once we were done with the pond we sat back and waited for the rains to come again. Guess what happened.... 2 years of drought. I think we had a total of 4 inches of rain in those 2 years. It was probably more than that, but it sure felt like we only had a little bit. We had a crop failure and the pond was quickly loosing feet of water. We have a pretty good supply of ground water close to the surface, so the pond kept some water in it at all times. There were a few months last summer that we thought it might dry up.
I guess I should quit whining about the rain. We were begging for rain for the last 2 years and now, we have it.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Blackberry heaven
This summer has been the first year we've harvested wild blackberries. We found a patch at our nearby lake and the State Park regulations allow for people to harvest for their own use. We decided to head to the lake and try it out.
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These are not thornless blackberries, but they are delicious. The State Park staff have mowed paths throughout the patch to make it easier for pickers to get to the berries. We loaded up on a Friday morning with our jeans and long sleeves and plenty of containers. Jeans and long sleeves are a must if picking wild blackberries. Those things can grab you and practically pull you into the cans in a matter of seconds. I thought leather gloves would be a good idea, but they made pulling the berries off much harder. When you pick these berries, they are soft or really soft. You need to know how much pressure to use and leather gloves just don't let you feel that.
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We usually pick in the morning, so it's cooler. This summer has been strange with cooler than usual July temperatures, so the two times we went out, the picking was great. We typically spend about 1 1/2 to 2 hours picking. By that time, we are either hot and tired or our fingers are full of tiny little thorns.
When we get home, we get the berries ready for the freezer. I freeze mine in a single layer on parchment paper. Once frozen, they go into my food saver bags and back into the freezer until I decide what to make with them. The first time out picking, I froze all my berries. This second time out, I froze 3 quarts and kept about 3 cups out and made a blackberry cobbler. It was so rich and delicious! I can't wait to make more! I think I may be done picking for the year. My fingers are tired of thorns and I'm running out of summer to get up there.
These are not thornless blackberries, but they are delicious. The State Park staff have mowed paths throughout the patch to make it easier for pickers to get to the berries. We loaded up on a Friday morning with our jeans and long sleeves and plenty of containers. Jeans and long sleeves are a must if picking wild blackberries. Those things can grab you and practically pull you into the cans in a matter of seconds. I thought leather gloves would be a good idea, but they made pulling the berries off much harder. When you pick these berries, they are soft or really soft. You need to know how much pressure to use and leather gloves just don't let you feel that.
When we get home, we get the berries ready for the freezer. I freeze mine in a single layer on parchment paper. Once frozen, they go into my food saver bags and back into the freezer until I decide what to make with them. The first time out picking, I froze all my berries. This second time out, I froze 3 quarts and kept about 3 cups out and made a blackberry cobbler. It was so rich and delicious! I can't wait to make more! I think I may be done picking for the year. My fingers are tired of thorns and I'm running out of summer to get up there.
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