What have I been up to?

I found two great web sites created by one great individual, Maggie!

Hillbilly Housewife
and
An Old-Fashioned Education

Check them out…. There are great recipes, things to make you smile and lots of support – and best of all – Maggie shares (ALOT)!

—-
What else is in the family news:

The not-so-good news:

Our middle child’s goldfish, Nemo, passed away last week. For four years + he has lived faithfully on our kitchen counter. He was character and is missed greatly by all! His body was interned beneath our son’s cherry tree where he will create beautiful blossoms in the spring, just as his wife, Lucy, does for our roses.

Our garden – sad little tomatoes from the drought created a 2 inch diameter Brandywine (and it ripened on the vine – go figure)
Rust has taken over the Kentucky Wonder Beans. We bought sulphur in time to spray – brought it home – loaded the sprayer – and the sprayer that worked last week – suddenly doesn’t work this week.

The good news:

We just received two days of really nice rain and now the weather is absolutely wonderful to go out in during the hottest part of the day!

We’ve just about finished completely rearranging the house. The kids (I’m still in shock) acting of their own accord, decided to donate 3/4′s of their toys to help get rid of clutter. They have been such a great help re-arranging. They move clutter so fast – it’s actually a pleasure to move things now! I love these boys!!!!

I spent yesterday remaking 27 jars of muscadine jelly that didn’t set. Humf… Really glad that’s over – now just say your prayers for me that it sets…. please?

After just 3 hours sleep, we went to the Farmer’s Markets locally and the state’s. (Yes, we bit the bullet – I needed tomatoes and apples to complete the years storage plans. The drought has literally dried up our local market). The local market ended today *sniff*. I’ll miss going there, but it signals time for the craft shows to begin in October and November. That will be fun!

At the local market we purchased 2 dozen free-range eggs for 3 $ a dozen (one dozen had two turquoise eggs from Easter Chickens, that was really neat), a lb. of Italian Sweet Peppers for 2$, 2$ for a head of lettuce and 3 peacock feathers for the boys to play with for 2$. For the first time, we found pork and chicken there. We bought soup bones at a $1 a pound (this included 5 lbs. of meaty chicken wings), 1″ thick center cut pork chops for $6 per lb., The prices for the veggies weren’t better than a supermarket, but everything is local and organically grown which is wonderful, especially for canning! The meat we bought was from Gum Creek Farms in Roopville, GA. She said they were going to be delivering meat to our area once a month and we can reserve some. I’ll start saving now! I was very relieved to find a source for fresh meats. Our local super markets carry rancid horrible meats alot of the time. I wish that I had remembered the lady’s name we dealt with, but she reminds me of family. A strong woman with blonde hair and the most beautiful blue eyes like my sisters’ eyes. Talking with her made me remember for an instant, my father’s mother. They were the same strong woman with the most gently eyes! Of course, she was much younger – probably younger than me. Have you ever gotten the feeling tho, sometimes, when you meet certain people, it’s an ancestor or someone special looking back at you? That’s what I felt. Just me tho. Maybe because it’s fall and I get too romantic (or crazy) at this time of year….. lol.

The State Market had actually really great deals this time. And more American vendors, albeit only a few more. But, hey, I sure was glad to see them! Possibly getting there a few hours earlier helped or the fact it’s bloated with produce right now. We were able to get 3 cases of Romas for 4.00 a case, 2 cases of Better Boys for 9.00 a case, 2 cases of Rome Apples and 2 cases of Granny Smith apples for 17.00 a box, 5 lbs. of Pecans for 15.00. The apple season has all but dried up in Georgia, the ones we purchased were from North Carolina. Still the first of the season. I can taste apple butter already – yummy!

I started making the Spaghetti Sauce for canning when we got home (about 4pm). Now at 1:42 am, the sauce has finally shows signs of reducing to a level that might put me in bed by 3. lol. It’s cool outside tonight also for the first time in months! The house smells wonderful, the back doors are open, nighttime sounds creep in between the dryer going and the stove creaking under the heat. All in all it has been a very wonderful day! Fall is definitely in the air……and tomorrow we are off to see the civil war get re-enacted at the New Manchester Textile Mill ruin. That will be alot fun for the kids. We’ve hiked there and geo-cached there several times, so it will be fun to see the place alive as if walking back in time 200 years.

Slobo has pics of the tomatoes and Spaghetti Sauce up at his site.

I hope you are enjoying the fruits of your labors and the beautiful fall God gave as much as we are…

I leave you with my favorite quote from hillbilly housewife’s site: “Going to church every Sunday no more makes you a Christian as standing in the garage makes you a car!”.