Medieval Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 It's canning season....need I say more? Lol. I wont touch my dollhouse till sometime in october now. But the craft room upstairs ought to be 20 degrees cooler by then. My canning record is 97 quarts of green beans and 101 quarts of tomatoes (not the same year). But with arthritic knee i dont think i will beat that. I also dry and shell beans like great white northern (60 pounds in one year before deer found I was growing beans). I'm building up my dark kidney. I started with a 4 ounce packet of seeds. That grew almost 20 pounds. I planted a lot more this summer, so this fall we will see. The deer are wrecking havoc. I know one thing this was not the year for green peppers. I lost 6 bags of frozen sliced green peppers from last year when the freezer door was not shut all the way. I don't think I will be able to replace them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Our neighbors warned us we wouldn't be able to have a garden because of the deer, but when I couldn't even keep a compost heap because they'd browse the veggie scraps I grew jalapenos in pots on our back porch until they filled the pots; we transplanted them outside next to the porch and the deer ate them, too! The butcher at our grocery co-op makes wonderful chicken sausages and tonight it's spinach & feta sausages and roasted Yukon gold potatoes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 8 hours ago, Medieval said: ...I know one thing this was not the year for green peppers. No it sure wasn't a year for green peppers! Strange garden season all around. My pumpkins, butternut squash and okra never even grew they just sat there. I mostly ate my green beans and tomatoes this year but did freeze some of both. I was too busy with sick cats and work to can, much to my nephew's disappointment. He loves canned green beans. I will be planting more for a fall garden this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 1 hour ago, FurMama said: I was too busy with sick cats and work to can, much to my nephew's disappointment. He loves canned green beans. I will be planting more for a fall garden this weekend. I am sorry about the cats. I hope they are okay. Do you can your green beans in a pressure cooker? I do and it took hours just to do 21 quarts. Waiting for pressure to dissipate is the kicker. You wouldn't have any advice for safely speeding up the process, do you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Medieval said: I am sorry about the cats. I hope they are okay. Do you can your green beans in a pressure cooker? I do and it took hours just to do 21 quarts. Waiting for pressure to dissipate is the kicker. You wouldn't have any advice for safely speeding up the process, do you? Yes, I use a pressure canner and on a glass top stove! It does take forever even using pints. One year I did a series of pictures strung together in a timeline fashion of each step from planting to finished product and tucked it in with the beans that went to my nephew. Each pic was labeled with date time and brief description. My sister was the one surprised at the work involved. I have learned some shortcuts from Homestead Heart's You Tube videos but none for depressurization. By that time it is usually so late at night I just go to bed and leave the pot till morning. Sometimes I slide the pot off the hot eye but sometimes not depends how brave I feel. I have a healthy respect for that pressure inside that pot! The cats are much better thanks! Samantha had a flare up of her chronic bowel problems and nearly died but she bounced back one more time. Morgan had his usual allergies poor kids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 16 hours ago, havanaholly said: I'm finishing up a sampler I designed after seeing a sign at a craft fair: Be the kind of woman who, when your feet hit floor each morning, the Devil says, "Oh, crap, she's up!" I have always loved that saying! Wise words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 I finished the tudor musical instrument screen stitching last night. Took another photo for my collection. Started Renoir's vase of flowers and I know it's going to take at least twice maybe three times as long to do with all the color changes. Doctor's appointment this afternoon, dinner is supposed to be my dad barbecuing burgers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 7 hours ago, FurMama said: Yes, I use a pressure canner and on a glass top stove! It does take forever even using pints. 8 hours ago, Medieval said: Do you can your green beans in a pressure cooker? Have you tried using an Instant Pot? It uses pressure but the pressure can be released quickly and safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 I wonder how many jars would fit in the Instant Pot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 34 minutes ago, KathieB said: Have you tried using an Instant pot? I've heard of insta pot. But my current project that eats my money is dollhouses. Lol. First it was getting all the needed tools for gardening. Then it was raising chickens. Then canning. Now minis. I still do all the other things (except chickens but I may pick thgat up again someday) just not as much. I expect minis to be my main project for the rest of my life or until I get a knee replacement. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 5 hours ago, blueirishmoon said: Took another photo for my collection. Will you be posting? I love seeing your work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 An 8 quart instant pot fits 4 pint jars. I use mine to make yogurt....although I haven't had time for much of anything lately except work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurMama Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 1 hour ago, KathieB said: Have you tried using an Instant Pot? I looked at those at the beginning of the summer but the new ones don't seem to have the canning preset on it. So I figured I'd just stick with what I had. I have the same budget as Medieval it seems, except cats instead of chickens LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 Why thank you, Jess! Once I figure out how to transfer the pictures off my camera to my pc, I will. I have a whole bunch of new ones I want to share. Will have to sit down with my Dad this weekend in the hopes of figuring it out. My old camera gave up the ghost, but the new one is harder to figure out in some ways. Did a little more stitching on Renoir this evening, but it's going slow. Still, I'm not in any race, and I find the stitching very relaxing any way. Of course, the old Star trek reruns playing in the background do that too. Doctor's appointment went well, nothing wrong, just routine monitoring. Got wet leaving, as it started raining almost as soon as they showed me to an exam room. Luckily, it was only sprinkling where our house is, so my Dad was able to barbecue burgers for dinner. Tomorrow we're planning on Italian sausage and spaghetti, a favorite of mine. I think I'll bake an apple crisp this weekend, as I have a craving and a longing for fall to get here soon! I hate summer heat. It's pretty much been steamy and humid or raining here in NC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 10 hours ago, blueirishmoon said: Luckily, it was only sprinkling where our house is, so my Dad was able to barbecue burgers for dinner. Tomorrow we're planning on Italian sausage and spaghetti, a favorite of mine. I think I'll bake an apple crisp this weekend, as I have a craving and a longing for fall to get here soon! I hate summer heat. It's pretty much been steamy and humid or raining here in NC. Lol, I don't know how I could exercise portion control with the meals you tell us about! It always sounds so good. I'm one of those people who could eat salad and find something to tuck away into my fat stores. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 I didn't used to be good at that, but I've gotten better at it. I find with me, a little of something I want will satisfy the craving better than a lot of it. Soda stops tasting as good before I get to the end of the can, potato chips are better for me in small doses, etc. One thing that has helped is an MCT oil supplement I take daily. They take the good stuff from coconut oil, and I wind up feeling satisfied with less of the fatty bad stuff when I eat it. Also helps shrink the appetite, with me at least. I also now drink a daily coffee in the afternoon before dinner with creamer made from coconut/palm oil, so it has a little of the same effect as the supplement. And I'm eating more fruit in place of candy, so that helps too. Any way the apple crisp is so good, butter, cinnamon, flour, oats, a little brown sugar, and a dash of salt for the topping on the apples. Definitely making some this weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 mmmmm…….all this talk of apple crisp is making me hungry! Well, my dining room and small sitting room have been painted and my new furniture arrived this week! *Happy dance!* However, before I can get my rooms into a magazine-worthy state, there needs to be a process of moving some previous furniture pieces to their new locations. You know how it is: we decided to move the shelf out of the newly painted sitting room and into the office, but the space in the office is occupied by an old TV cabinet (now for storage), which will be moved to my lower level work room, but that space is occupied with a storage rack full of dollhouse stuff. So last night I cleared off the dollhouse stuff and disassembled the storage rack. Step 1 of Operation Re-Decorate My House is done! LOL Now the interesting part will be how on earth to get that TV cabinet into the lower level work room! Should be interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 54 minutes ago, jbnmini said: how on earth to get that TV cabinet into the lower level work room! I recommend a 12-pound sledge hammer 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 3 hours ago, jbnmini said: Step 1 of Operation Re-Decorate My House is done! LOL Lol. I find it simpler to not even go there! I've been in same house for 12 years. No rearranging, repainting, etc. Good news is I can find my way in the dark no problem! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 Found I made a stitching mistake last night, but was able to correct it because it was near where I stopped for the night. Made a little more progress afterwards. I also was able to take a rug pattern and adjust the colorway for the new design I'm working on. What's nice about it is that the pattern has these flowers that sort of echo the shape of the flowers on the scrapbook paper I got. To me, they look a little like peonies. I'm shooting for a peachy palette, with some gray, pale yellow, and gray green accents, and 4 tones of peach from pale to dark. Saving up for the fancy connecting bath fixtures which are a little hard to find. Dinner was delicious, not sure what I'll have tomorrow, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 Made another mistake in the stitching tonight but was able to correct it. I don't know, my eyes must be getting tired of working with the color I'm using, but there was such a big chunk of it in the pattern that I felt tempted to do that part, because it would leave me with a feeling of victory. Anyway, I'll be able to finish that chunk of color tomorrow and switch to a different color. I was quite clever when I got the kit. The threads were on multiple cards, but I put them all on one bigger card, yet kept the little ones because they have the chart symbols printed next to the color name. Now I'm using them to corral the current colors I'm working on so I can keep them straight, by putting the length of floss I'm taking plies from and looping it into the card. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 Switched colors but didn't get as far as I would have liked tonight; my eyes felt tired, so I stopped early to give them a rest. Dinner was leftover Italian sausage and spaghetti, garlic bread and salad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Did another chunk of color tonight. Dad tells me he has figured out the camera, and will show me tomorrow. Dinner was lemon pepper pork roast, baked potato and apple crisp for dessert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Just posted a bunch of eye candy to my needlework album. I finally got the camera figured out! Yay. Now I can bombard as I go instead of all at once. I think I just posted 13 pictures...just so you can see how cross eyed I've been getting, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Beautiful work, Cynthia! I'm glad you can share now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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