Blue 2, Red 1

For the first time ever I entered some things in the fair.  For those fair veterans out there, please don't laugh.  I entered 3 things:  duck eggs, chicken eggs and a jar of zucchini relish that I told you about here.  And guess what??  This first timer didn't do to shabby!  I got blue ribbons for both sets of eggs and a red ribbon for my zucchini relish.  Wowza!  I could barely contain myself when I saw the ribbons!  There I was, a grown woman, acting very similar to a four year old with a new barbie.  But I didn't care - I was wrapped up in the moment.  I just about squeezed all the air out of Jerry, did some serious jumping and high-fiving and talked about the fair non-stop for the next four days!  (Jerry is really hoping that once I get this posted I will move on to something else - little does he know my plans are on to what I am going to enter next year!)

There is nothing quite like a true county fair.  And when I say true - I mean a fair that is not all about rides and booths and carnival crap.  It is about the animals and the cooking and the crafts!  I am so lucky to live in a county that has a fabulous fair.  County fairs offer all American fun and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

My ribbons and dough from the fair!

The Rodeo

I have never been to a rodeo.  Funny right?  I grew up in rural Idaho my whole life and never.  My mom claims this is not true - and she could be right.  Let me restate that.  I do not remember going to a rodeo.  So the Bonner County Rodeo was this weekend and I just had to go.  Jerry, who has been to many rodeos and is not particularly fond of them, was not quite as enthused as I was and could have almost been annoyed with my continuous jabber about the rodeo (I must be dreaming, how could Jerry get annoyed with me?).  But he took me anyways. 

We arrived and walked around looking at the horses.  Once inside the outdoor arena we went to the very top of the grand stands to sit.  Jerry had the BBQ ribs and I had a hamburger.  Here I am before the rodeo started - very excited.  Jerry was making fun of me because I asked him to take my picture.

Happy Me

In retaliation, because I am extremely mature, I took this picture of him. He even smiled - which is amazing in a picture - it never happens!

My handsome man

Here are the few pictures I was able to get of the rodeo.  I did not consider that the top of the grand stands would not be a good place to take pictures from.

The rodeo was fantastic!  It was good ol' all American fun!  I hope to do for many years to come!!

Zucchini Relish

Well - I had all these zucchini's more than I knew what to do with - which is wonderful because that is when I make zucchini relish!  And it is a darn good thing I did make it - because my plants have dried up - no more zucchini for me :-(  But I did get the one canning of relish in this year and for that I am very thankful!

I started out with several beautiful zucchini's (including one eight ball zucchini).  I needed 12 cups diced for the recipe and it was going to be really close.  I ended up not having 12 cups, only 10.  I adjusted the recipe with my handy-dandy calculator - Jerry.  He has a math mind - it is fabulous.  Math is one of those things that really shows how women and men think differently.  To Jerry it was simple - 80% of the original recipe.  To me, well let's just say it wasn't simple.  I liked his 80% - especially if he would calculate it for me:-)   I got my 3 cups of peppers and 3 cups of onions diced up using the wonderful attachment I have for my kitchenaid and then added salt.

Doesn't it look beautiful

The mixture sat over night and in the morning I rinsed the salt from the mixture.

Rinsing

Then I added the vinegar, sugar and spices and put it on the stove to start heating up.

Adding flavor

Once it got to a rolling boil, 20 minutes.  And bam - done.

Ready for jars!

Ladle into jars, wipe the rims, put the lids on, screw the rings on and good!  Fabulous and easy!  So I entered a jar in the fair - I will let you know how it turns out.  I could be a blue ribbon winner you know!!

The fruits of the labor

This zucchini relish is fabulous on soup beans, hot dogs, hamburgers....

I am sharing this post at the Homestead Barn Hop

Bath Time!

For the last couple of days I have been meaning to give Stella a bath.  She got into who knows what and stunk!  This afternoon I finally had the energy to take on the task of a first bath.  I know, I know she should have had a bath already by now - but it has been summer and she really hasn't gotten stinky until this week.  So, I got her in the bath tub and she wasn't too sure what to think.  This is one of those times when a picture says a thousand words.

Stella's First Bath

Obviously, the safest place to be was down my shirt!

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The Nankins

For the first time ever this year I purchased hatching eggs online.  I really like the strength and vigor of chicks that I hatch.  They grow so much faster and seem to be healthier - I was thinking I would be able to carry that through with the eggs I bought.  I wanted some rare heritage breeds (get it - Red Roof Heritage Farm - one of my goals is to have mainly heritage animals and heirloom plants) and by the time I got around to ordering - the hatcheries didn't have any chicks left.  It is amazing the things you can buy online these days.  So I found a nice lady from somewhere down south with Nankins and bought one dozen hatching eggs.  She shipped them, I got them, placed them in the incubator and 21 days later - 4 chicks.  Yep - 4.  Needless to say these are very expensive little chicks.  This is why I am so frugal everywhere else in my life - so I can own $11 chicks.  I can top that though - I bought some Russian Orloff eggs and only one chick hatched.  And wouldn't you know it the little bugger is a roo!  A $40 roo!  Anyways - I don't think I will be ordering hatching eggs anymore.  The shippers did an excellent job of packaging the eggs but there are just too many variables involved.  Lesson learned.  So next year I will buy some Russian Orloff chicks from Welp Hatchery to go with my $40 roo!

Back to the Nankins.  These little guys are really something.  They are tiny.  I had read that they would only be twenty ounces - so I knew they would be little.  But they are super little, super cute and super friendly.  So now are you thinking - why in the world would she want a chicken that little?  My husband sure was when I told him about these little guys.  It just so happens that Nankins are some of the broodiest bantams that a person can get.  They are also a very rare and old breed.  The ALBC lists them at Critical Status.  You can read all about what the ALBC says about Nankin's here.  So I decided on the bantams because of their broodiness and critical status.  I plan to use them to hatch out eggs - although now that I see their size - I'm not sure how many eggs I will be able to get under one of those little girls.  I also am planning on starting a breeding program to help with the critical status of the breed.  I am new to this and the Nankins are going to be my first try with a true breeding program so any recommendations or tips are greatly appreciated.

Three Nankins and my $40 Russian Orloff Roo in the Back

Just Being Nosy

Pretty Bird

They are so stinkin cute!  How could you not love these little guys?

A Trip to the Grocery Store

For those of you who know me - you know I am an avid couponer.  There is something about the coupon game that I just love.  It's a way to stick it to the man - you know?  For those of you who don't know me, I am not a shelf clearer - I do not have 67 bottles of mustard.  However, I do have 40 bottles of BBQ sauce - please note - I placed a special order for these so I DID NOT clear the shelf.  I firmly believe in leaving some for the next guy.  

Let me give you a little history on why I began couponing.  Jerry and I were spending almost $100 per week on groceries for just the two of us.  I was buying generic, taking advantage of sales and I put a ton of food away every summer.  $100 a week - really?  Groceries are super expensive - I really feel for the people who are trying to feed a family.  I decided that there must be something to this coupon thing - after all they were making a tv show about it.  And if they make a tv show it has to be true, right?  Anyways.  I started doing some research and found several great blogs that made it seem simple.  I decided to give it a shot.  Eight months later I am spending under $40 a week for groceries and have an impressive little stock pile!  Woohoo!

So now that I have been couponing for some time I am used to the huffs and the puffs and the eye rolls.  I don't let it bother me - I am just nice and smile - kill 'em with kindness type of deal.  However, here of late, at my favorite grocery store, line crowding has become a huge problem.  I was there last week and a man was standing right behind me while I was at the register - in my bubble - to close for comfort!  Is it just me, or are manners going to hell in a hand basket?  Anyways - this line crowding has happened to me the last two times I have been at my favorite grocery store.  So last night I asked Jerry to come to the grocery store with me.  It was a double coupon weekend and I had some large purchases to make and didn't want to deal with the line crowding.  Jerry met me at the store.  (I would like to take a moment to brag on my husband a bit - he is so wonderful.  He will do just about anything I ask him to if he thinks it will make me happy and means we get to spend time together.  I just love the guy!)  Jerry is a big guy - he is 6'3" and he runs his own construction company and works outside all the time and has the muscles to prove it.  Also, he has mastered the "don't mess with me" look.  It is really quite impressive.  He is one of those people that you really wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.  And obviously, he is just as mean as his look - I mean, he is going couponing with me.... what could be more intimidating!!  

So we went around the store and got all of the purchases sorted in the cart and such.  We got up to the register and I had five separate purchases.  (Please note:  I have all of my purchases lined out and ready to go with the coupons in the appropriate order.)  Each person can only do three transactions at the register - so Jerry was going to do the other two. (If the store had been really busy we would have only done one at a time.  I try to time my shopping so the store isn't busy.)  I started the first transaction and Jerry loaded the other transactions on the belt.  And you are not going to believe this - not one huff, not one puff, no line crowding - no nothing!  It's amazing how differently a big man and a little lady are treated.  It was a beautiful thing!!  I did my three transactions and Jerry did his two.  And he looked so cute with his coupons and cash in hand.  I think the cashier even flirted with him a bit - I am sure she doesn't usually see a big guy with his coupons in hand every day!  We were through with our five purchases in under 5 minutes.  Not bad if you ask me.  Now I know couponing isn't for everyone but it really has been a wonderful thing for Jerry and I.  As many of you know, I am a tight wad, or as my mom says, frugal.  I like to spend my money on things that get Jerry and I towards our goals - and anything I can do to get more of that money going towards our goals - I am open to trying.  So if I am able to save a significant amount of money on the groceries that I have to buy I am going to do it, at least at this point in my life.  Priorities might shift tomorrow - that's life though, right?

Just to give you and idea of the money saved, here are the items Jerry and I purchased last night:

2 boxes of Dreyers Frozen Fruit Bars
10 cartons of Dreyers Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt
2 bottles of Bailey's French Vanilla Creamer
4 boxes of Cherrios
4  boxes of Golden Grahms
10 boxes of Pizza Rolls
2 boxes Fiber One 90 Calorie Bars

By purchasing these items during a sale and using coupons I was able to get $143.75 worth of groceries for $29.87 and I have a $4 coupon to use on my next shopping trip.  I'll take that savings any day!

P.S. Please don't think that I am a junk food junkie!  My husband is the one who has the diet of a thirteen year old boy:-)

You Don't Know Love Until....

Last weekend was weekend #2 of cutting wood for us.  Actually,  it was splitting and stacking weekend.  We did much better getting out to work before it got too hot.  On Saturday, we split the first half of the wood which was smaller rounds - not to heavy - no problemo.  On Sunday however, we got into some of the larger rounds.  We were using a wood splitter that a wonderful lady from church let us borrow.  Jerry ran the splitter and put the rounds on to get split.  I was responsible for making sure the rounds were within reach for Jerry, flipping the rounds in the splitter once it had gone through the first time and then throwing the split wood into the trailer.  All started out good, things were going quite well and a few hours in my arms, back and legs started getting tired.  That's nothing - I work through tired all the time.  I kept plugging along.  A couple hours later - my arms were pretty much like wet noodles.  This was not such a big deal with the flipping of the wood in the splitter and the throwing of the wood into the trailer.  Where this became an issue was when I was throwing the wood towards Jerry so he could reach the rounds to put them in the splitter.  Do you see where this is going?  So - I threw a round towards the wood splitter and Jerry - and wow - my spaghetti arms aim seemed to be off a bit.  I almost hit Jerry!  Me:  "Oops!  Sorry!"  Jerry:  Blank stare at me - no words.  At this point I proceeded to have a very serious conversation with spaghetti arm A and B.  Problem solved.  Things went smoothly for about 20 minutes and then I threw a round and it hit Jerry's foot.  Me:  Blank stare, followed by batting eyes...  Jerry:  Ignored me.  I did a shake that probably looked very similar to a wet dog shaking to try to get the arms back into shape.  No such luck.  Over the next hour Jerry had to dodge approximately 6 pieces of flying wood.  And finally we were done.  On the way towards the house in the truck - I casually brought up the subject of the near misses and how sorry I was.  Jerry's response:  "You don't know love until someone throws firewood at you."

And that friends is why I love him so much!

Preparing for Winter

So after the birthday party I told you about here, Jerry and I got up the next morning to do one of my favorite things in the whole wide world!  Cutting Firewood!  I am not joking - I love it!  It is my favorite winter prep activity.  This is probably because it reminds me of being a little girl.  My mom and dad would make a day of wood cutting - we would have a camp fire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows - and of course work - but it was so fun and didn't feel like work!

Jerry, on the other hand, does NOT love cutting firewood.  It is one of his least favorite things to do.  (I WILL convert him - just wait - he doesn't know what is going to hit him!)  But he is still a good sport about it.  We have oil and wood heat in our home.  I, of course, prefer wood heat.  I love the smell, the sound, the feel - back to the childhood thing...  However, I am pretty sure that if I did not love fire wood as much as I do, Jerry would prefer to go the oil heating route.  Lucky for me he loves me!!

So we were down over the hill Sunday morning and probably didn't get out there quite as early as we should have.  Jerry had used the tractor to pull all of the cut trees down to the landing so we could do all the cutting and chopping there.  (Side note:  I also pulled some of the trees down with the tractor and Jerry used those darn fancy-dancy hand signals on me again in an attempt to direct where I was going.  One of these days he is going to realize that I just don't care to understand them and he will resort to my pointing, screaming and jumping technique of directing.  I can't wait!!  Hope I have the camera!!)  Jerry was cutting the trees into firewood length portions and I was chucking them out of his way.  I decided that instead of just making a pile of wood, I should stack it, it would be easier when we got to the cutting stage.  So I would chuck some wood and then go and stack it.  Repeat, repeat.  At first I had several small stacks but the longer we went the stacks came together.  This is what my stack looked like.  It reminds me of a meandering brook - but made out of wood of course.

My Pile of Wood

Like I said, we probably didn't get out there as early as we should have to be doing the firewood thing.  So, three hours into it we were in the heat of the day.  Lovely.  I am very fair and do not do so well with sun and heat.  But here was my handsome man, cutting away, I couldn't let him know I was getting tired!

Love a man with a chainsaw!

I bent over to chuck some wood, raised up and whew!  Feeling a little dizzy!  MUST KEEP PUSHING!  Can't let Jerry know I am feeling faint...  I threw some more wood, did some more stacking, stumbled a few times - heat was making me crazy!   At that point, my vision was blurry, even the dogs were looking at me with concern. 

Throwing Wood

And then it happened, Jerry lost a bolt or nut or something on the chainsaw!  HALLELUJAH!!  Me:  "What, we can't cut any more wood?  Nooo - I was just getting into the swing of things."  Jerry:  "Well I could run it a bit more without the bolt/nut/something, but not for long."  Me:  "Oh no, we don't want to take a chance on breaking the chainsaw.  Do you have any spare bolts/nuts/somethings in the shop?"  (Please say no, please say no!)  Jerry:  "Nope, gonna have to get them at the chainsaw shop.  We'll just call it a day."  Me:  "Well darn!  I was hoping to get this all done today.  I guess there is always next weekend!"  (On the inside I was jumping for joy - but played it pretty cool, if I do say so myself!)

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A Celebration

This last weekend there was a surprise birthday party for my dad.  Jerry and I traveled to my parents home on Friday afternoon for the festivities.  My dad, Willy, turned 69 this year.  He is the best dad in the whole wide world!  It was a small gathering of close friends and family and such a wonderful time!  Here is my dad with his three cakes - oh yes - three!  He is Mr. Sweet Tooth!  Peanut butter pie, carrot cake and german chocolate - what could be better for Mr. Sweet Tooth :-)

Happy Birthday Daddy!



Fantastic Finds

I am a yard saler.  I love them (and that is an understatement)!  There is nothing quite like the thrill of getting something for my farm or home at a fraction of the cost it would be new.  I was able to get all of the accessories for the goat barn that I told you about here from yard sales!  When I am at a yard sale I like to make a pile of the items I plan to buy and then deal on the whole pile.  The majority of the time I get a much better deal using this method.  I learned this fantastic strategy from my mom.  She is the master yard saler of all time!  This last weekend Jerry and I went out yard saling and found some fabulous items:

I had no clue what this thing was.  Luckily Jerry was with me and he knew it would be something I would want :-)  This will replace the two heat lamps I have in my chicken coop in the winter.

Flock Heater - $1

Jerry and I recently bought a camper and I have been looking for the essentials for it.  And look what I found at the same yard sale:

Wooden Spoons -$.25   Cooking Utensils - $.10

I found these shoes at a different yard sale.  I have to dress up everyday for the real job so I love finding things like these shoes that look new!  I want to be able to spend my hard earned money on my animals and plants for my gardens - not fancy clothes and shoes!  I have found that if you are willing to look at the clothes and shoes at yard sales (and maybe dig through them a little) you can find some really nice things that are very budget friendly.

Nude Pumps - $2

And last, but definately not least (in Jerry's opinion) is the Hummingbird Fish Finder.  You know the boat I told you about here - well of course it needs a fish finder!  (Why wouldn't it?)  This fish finder had never been taken out of the box - it was still sealed.  Jerry told me this was a smokin' deal!  My dad, the expert fisherman, confirmed.....

Hummingbird Fish Finder - $15

I like to yard sale on Saturday afternoons during the summer - when it is too hot to work outside.  There are deals to be had and I just have to go and check them out!

The Beginning of the Summer Harvest

I picked my first zucchini this week!  And this is very exciting for me because I was able to pick ZERO zucchini last year - it was just too cold.  The first zucchini this year was from a new variety I tried called Eight Ball zucchini.  It kind of reminds me of a little green pumpkin.  But let me tell you - it tasted like zucchini and it was fabulous!  I am amazed every year at how wonderful and vibrant the taste of produce fresh from the garden is (also wonder how I make it the nine months out of the year I am without it).  The zucchini plants look very promising right now - tons of babies!  Which is just wonderful because I am on my last jar of zucchini relish!  (Ok, ok - I was on my last jar of zucchini relish two jars ago and my wonderful mother brought me some more,)  What would I eat on my soup beans if I ran out????  Trust me - I have contemplated this thought many times.... and nothing compares to zucchini relish on soup beans.  Haven't tried it?  I would highly recommend it - it is good on hamburgers and in deviled eggs too!  If all goes well, I will be doing a post very soon on zucchini relish canning - keep your fingers crossed!!

The Beautiful Eight Ball Zucchini

The Zucchini Plants

A Beautiful Translucent Bell Pepper Ready to be Picked

Please note:  I use a passive aggressive weeding technique.  I am passive - the weeds are aggressive!  Darn things!