Summertime Success: Dishwashing Overload - CUPS!

This is a series of articles showing up throughout the summer in regards to ideas and strategies that I come up with or utilize to make the time the kids are home that much easier!

Now, I can't take credit for this idea.  My mom did this when we were growing up one summer.  Now I understand why!

Every day, we'd go through EVERY.SINGLE.CUP. in the blasted house.  Some only used for a quick sip.  Others left on the table half full of Kool-Aid or (ugh) milk.  And, really, it's just crazy.

At Wal-Mart last night, I picked up some nice, sturdy PLASTIC cups on clearance (4 for $.25  KACHING) and wrote the kids' names each on a cup.  Now they each have their OWN cup to use throughout the day, and I'll make sure they're washed each night.

Now no more asking "Who's drink is this on the table!"  That alone was worth the quarter.

Tin Foil Dinners

The best part about these meals is that everyone gets exactly what they want.  They're great for camping, or can be done at home as well.

Basic Ingredients
Meat
Hamburger patty
Chicken strips
Round steak
Steak, cut into strips
Summer or Polish sausages
Whatever tickles your fancy

Veggies
Thin cut potatoes
Diced onion
Sliced carrots
Zucchini
Broccoli
Pea pods
Peppers
Mushrooms
whatever is fresh from your garden

Seasonings
ANY!
Cream of chicken or mushroom soup
lipton onion soup mix
lemon pepper
seasoning salt
etc

Butter

Take two 12" pieces of tin foil.  I place them crossways one over the other.  Place potatoes on foil, then layer meat with veggies, seasonings and a couple pats of butter.  Place in coals, or oven at 350 for 40-60 minutes.  Enjoy!

Here's how I did it tonight:

Had young lad dig a hole for fire

Making their dinners:

Look!  A happy face!  Oh, wait - we weren't supposed to play with our food?

Forgot a pic of it all in the fire, but here we are opening them up to enjoy!

Mmmmm, dinner!

Scones!

Occassionally I cater in the breakfast for our monthly company call at work.  Traditionally I do breakfast burritos, bacon-wrapped smokies and a baked good of some sort, and fruit.  This time, I wasn't sure what baked good to do, so I requested the opinion of a co-worker who asked for Scones.

I'm guessing they were good since they were all gone! :D

Scones with Variety

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1 cup (8oz) vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup milk

Mix ins for Variety

• Cherry Chocolate Chip
• 1 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 2/3 cup mini chocolate or vanilla chips
• Orange Cranberry Chip
• 1 Tablespoon orange extract or orange juice concentrate
• 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup cranberries
• Blueberry
• 2 cups fresh, frozen or dried blueberries

Directions

• In standing mixer combine dry ingredients.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Combine the wet ingredients (milk, yogurt and any extracts) and mix until just moist
• Grease baking sheet and pat the dough into a 8'' circle.  Cut into wedges and seperate.  Brush with milk to brown.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Instead of the circle and pie-shape, I also will double the recipe and press it into a bar pan or large cookie sheet and cut into smaller square pieces to serve more people.

Enjoy!

Home Office

Yup - this is my working spot today.  I love my life!

Note to self: buy a LONG extension cord.

Dreams can come true!

“Dreams are like stars...

you may never touch them,

but if you follow them

they will lead you to your destiny.”

I’m not sure when it started, but sometime in my early teens I decided that I wanted to live on a farm. I think a large part of it came from reading the books written by an old-school country veterinarian, James Herriot and his All Creatures Great and Small series. His well-written stories showed the hard work and pure love of animals.  At this point, I also considered becoming a veterinarian - until I realized how much chemistry was involved.

It became a dream to live on a minimum of 5 acres and have cows, pigs, chickens, etc. I wanted to live in the country on a big farm house with a wrap-around porch with a porch swing that I could sit on each evening. I would look through home plan books, and find the styles I loved.  I would imagine buying an old farm house and finding amazing treasures in the attic.

I wanted the simple life. To be surrounded by nature, the circle of life and to have it be JUST like all the books I read about life in the country. My family teased me about going to college in Southern Utah and marrying a farmer or cowboy. I even took an Agriculture class in college hoping it would help.

Didn’t meet any guys, but I did go lambing for my final.

While we all have dreams of our life, they do not always come to fruition. Often the simple realities of life get in the way of our idealized dreams.

Recently I took a psychology of motivation course and come upon a theory of motivation that basically relies on the premise that 'a goal without a plan is just a wish.' 

This leads to the question - what can we do so that our dreams become plans, and now just wishes?  What can we do to make them happen?

This weekend, one of my dreams came true.  I moved to a 5 acre piece of land.  It has a barn, a shop for the hubby, the old, original farmhouse and a run-down summer kitchen.  One quick look in it shows what looks to be an old, but in good shape, apple press.

And this was the view out of my bedroom window this morning:

I can't wait to bring you more stories, recipes and pictures of my farm life! 

Some rain must fall - but there should be limits!

"If you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with a little rain."

- Dolly Parton

Normally, I really like the rain.  I love the smell of the air when it's clean.  I love the way it makes everything so lush and green.

And after almost 4 years in the great Pacific Northwest, I *still* like the rain.  However, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. 

Portland Averages
Average June Rainfall: 1.5 inches
Average Yearly Rainfall: 36.5 inches
Record June Rainfall: 4.08

This Year
June Rainfall, by the 9th:  3.47 inches

And yes, we've had more rain since then.  And the sun and warm weather that had originally been predicted for this week - now cooler and more rain.

The chickens are not happy with all the extra mud and are currently roaming free in the grass and old garden spot until we move this week.

We could discuss the metaphor of rain, rainbows, growth, etc.  And really, I don't mind rain. 
I just am ready for the rainbow, and not a flood.

Photo from http://www.raf.us/

Book Review: Back to Basics

Find on Amazon

All growing up I remember reading this book, flipping through the pictures and reading things I thought I'd never see in 'real' life (aka, skinning a rabbit).  The book edition we had was with a yellow cover, but the information is all the same and wonderful.

A few years ago I purchased this recent edition for my husband as a gift, because he used to have it as well. 

As we have slowly built our family farm, we have referred to it often.  Now, as we prepare to move to a 5 acre property, I know that we'll be using it more often.  Whether you're a small, suburban gardener or working on a more self-sustaining home, this book is a MUST HAVE!!