Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

I started with a recipe from cooks.com, but really didn't use it...  Here is my approximate recipe:

8 cups rhubarb
9 cups strawberry
a jar full of powdered sugar (didn't have granular sugar)

Brought to a boil for 4 minutes.  Removed from heat and added a few more cups of powdered sugar.  Returned to a boil for 4 minutes.  Pour into sterilized jars and "processed" for 10 minutes.  Extra was put in freezer jars. 

It filled:  4 pints and 6 halfpints

Horseradish Jelly

How to Prepare Horseradish
Horseradish Jelly

I didn't actually puree the horseradish.  I chopped it really fine, but when I was making the jelly the chunks stayed hard, so I boiled for longer.  I'm not sure if it will turn out!  I was cleaning the funnel and the pan afterwards and the drips of excess jelly were hard!  We'll see what the verdict is when dad tries some.  No, I probably won't try it... 

Maybe next year I'll try it with pureed horseradish and a full batch...

Testing: Homemade Deodorant

Here is the recipe from the White House Black Shutters blog.

Ingredients:

4 T baking soda
4 T arrowroot powder
6-8 T organic extra virgin coconut oil

L just cannot figure out what I am making...Is it for daddy's birthday?  Are you going to bake it?  Does it need to be cooked?  What is it for?  What is it?

 Reviews:

Kevin (bikes 7 miles to work):  thumbs up
Anna (stay at home mom of 3 under 5 years):  Yes!
Curl Grandma:  thumbs up

(more testers to come!)

"It's compost."

I have a new composting method.  It was mentioned to me by a friend who took a gardening class and I decided to try it. 

Blend it!

Yep, put all your compost in your blender, add plenty of water or juice or steamer liquid, and blend.  I had one very green blender-ful of compost going today and Kevin asked what kind it was.  "It's compost." says L.  Haha...no green smoothies today.  My blender is on it's last bit of energy anyways, so I figured I send it out purposefully. 

My rummage sale earnings this summer are going to a new high quality, durable blender.  I am already $60 into that goal.  We'll see what I can get as the summer goes on.  So, let me know if you are having a rummage sale and I'll add a few things to it!!  I've already been a part of 4 sales!

Hmmm....life...

It's been rather hectic around here lately. We have a baby in the house again, so things don't always get done in a timely manner and we (I) kind of expect to get nothing done during the day. That way, I can be pleasantly surprised if it does. We added Vacation Bible School to the mix this past week and we were worn out! Below is a picture of my friend's second grade class.

 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

Also, I was previewing what I had written and the post title...oh, VBS was life this week.  We didn't do much else.  No laundry, no cleaning, just dishes and minimal cooking.  Ok, so more about the life lately thing.

The girls this week have taken turns washing the breakfast dishes.  It's been nice because VBS started at 9 and with them doing the dishes, I could get everything else together.  Pack a bag for the baby, figure out what I needed, pack lunches for a couple picnics, make sure the girls were wearing weather-appropriate clothing (I really didn't do too well convincing them of the need for long sleeves, even when L went outside to check the weather and came back saying, "I'm cold."), brush my teeth, make sure my hair was combed, etc.  I am going to try to keep them in the habit of doing the morning dishes!  I like that routine.

(abrupt end to post) 

Living Room Update

I know this is a little late and there is no final picture...but I have some time tonight to show off what we did in our living room. It all started with a little peeling of paint and wallpaper covered paneling. And as with all projects turned out to be much bigger than that. We decided to check out what was under the panel and found that we could tear it off, but...the people who had put it up had used some tar-like glue to put it on and therefore we couldn't just scrape and paint we had to sheetrock. :) Our realtor was very impressed, even told Kevin he could do sheetrocking as a side job if he wanted. So, here is the progression: