So busy - wondering where the blog will go

The girls practicing writing the letter N

We're busy here beyond our belief. Well, I guess I can believe it because I'm living it. :)

The boy started college on Monday. He's commuting so he'll be here some evenings, but the flow of days will be very different without him around.

Another change - and probably the biggest change - is that the big girl wants to do schoolwork. Since we're unschooling my job as her educational facilitator is to search out curricula and assist her. We're working on phonics and handwriting right now and will soon add in some mathematics. I'm more comfortable not working with curricula, but when a child asks it's pretty important to support their educational exploration.

I already have in the house Hooked on Phonics and another 1970's era phonics curriculum, but they weren't working as well for her. The one we're using right now takes a more focused approach and we work on one sound daily. It's free and you can find it at ReadingLessons.com.

Yesterday was the "n" sound and today is the "a" sound. What I prefer about this approach is that parts of it are very age appropriate for the baby girl. She's loving it as much as the big girl. We can also do a theme day and that's kinda fun. It reminds me a lot of the old Sesame Street. Today is brought to you by the letter A!

Today is also the big girl's birthday. Six years ago today I was laboring at home and around 8pm she entered this world.

Here's a look at what a fairly typical day now looks like:

Yesterday morning consisted of me getting up with the girls and helping the baby girl get a clean diaper and clean clothes. The big girl dresses herself. I made pancakes for breakfast and washed up the dishes. I changed a poopy diaper. I threw in a load of dirty clothes into the washing machine, moved another load into the dryer, and folded the clothes that had been in the dryer. Then I went ahead and baked up two loaves of bread - from scratch. While the dough was rising and while the bread was baking I researched phonics curricula and decided on ReadingLessons.com. I downloaded and printed out the lessons for this week. I put the pureed tomatoes on the stovetop to simmer down into tomato sauce. The girls and I worked through the lesson on "n". Then I cooked lunch and we ate. After that I finally got in a shower. After the shower I changed the baby girl's diaper. Next it was time to nurse the baby girl and rock her to sleep. While she slept in my arms I watched a few episodes of the BBC version of Vanity Fair. The Hubster and the boy came home. The baby girl woke up. I passed her off to the Hubster and I canned up the tomato sauce. Then I cooked our dinner. While dinner was cooking I also washed up some of the prep dishes and the lunch dishes. We ate; we rinsed the dinner dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher. I left the pots and pans for the next day. After dinner we went grocery shopping (remember we're a one-car family so that happens in the evenings or on Saturdays). Then back home and I downloaded some phonics books from EdHelper.com. Then I threw in another load of laundry, folded the dried clothes, and we went upstairs. Upstairs we put away the clean clothes, helped the girls get dressed for bed, brushed teeth, etc. and then nursed the baby girl to sleep. I slept.

Rinse, repeat. ;)

Add into that helping the baby girl with preschool type stuff like shapes, colors, letter and number identification, etc. and I'm keeping pretty darn busy.

So the blog is getting knocked down a peg or two. I'll write up posts and tutorials when I can squeeze them in, but it probably won't be daily. Okay, I can pretty much guarantee the posts won't be daily. I just won't have the time for a daily post.


The big girl "reading" some Mother Goose rhymes to us (she really has them memorized)

Scripture verses of the day - Psalms 33

Psalms 33

1 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

This week in the blogosphere

Since the boy starts his college classwork on Monday I thought that this might mean that summer is over.

Sure, the garden is still producing and there is more food to be preserved, but I thought I'd take a crack again at compiling links to my favorite blog posts from the blogosphere this past week.

1. How to make Hakama from Pattern Making

2. Homemade Yogurt from Home [in] stead

3. Summer Fresh Pillowcases from Moda Bake Shop

4. So you want to become a happiness Ninja? from Rowdy Kittens

5. Homeschooling:are you certified? from Happy Little Homemaker

6. Back to School Pleated Uniform Skirt Tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew!

7. Bloom from Little House in the Suburbs

8. DIY Croutons and Bagel Chips from Home Grown

9. Sandpaper Rub Mystery from 2 Teaching Mommies

10. Drafting Part VII - Adapting a Basic Sleeve for Other Styles from ikat bag

11. Preserve the Bounty from Home Joys

12. Back to School ~ Hand-Stamped Clothing Labels from Sew, Mama, Sew!

What are you into this month?

I was inspired by a post by Megan at SortaCrunchy and decided to do my own "What are you into this month?" post.

So...

What Am I Into This Month - August 2010

On My Nightstand: Well...first off I don't currently have a nightstand in our family bed room and since the baby girl has the outer spot on the bed. But what's on my stack near the rocking chair (the spot I usually read these days - while simultaneously nursing the toddler) is 1)Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes and 2)Happily Ever Laughter by Ken Davis

Want To Read:
1)Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life by Dacher Keltner;
2)The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses by Eliot Coleman;
3)Instead of Education: Ways to Help People do Things Better by John Holt;
4)Simple Food for the Good Life: Random Acts of Cooking and Pithy Quotations by Helen Nearing
5)The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections by Amanda Blake Soule

T.V. Show Worth Watching: I just started watching Big Love via Netflix. We don't have cable, satellite, or even a TV antennae so I tend to only watch TV via DVDs or instant streaming through Netflix or Hulu. Now whether or not it's *worth* watching is up to the individual viewer. I found it mildly entertaining.

Movie I've Seen (in or out of the theater): Last night I managed to watch an old version of Vanity Fair and enjoyed it. Again, this was via Netflix.

In My Kitchen: My latest passion is trying to get a loaf of bread to approximate bakery bread. Mine is still a bit too dense to be quite right so I'm trying different recipes and reading up on technique. I'm also deep into processing tomatoes and canning up tomato sauce right now!

In My Ears: I rarely get a chance to listen to any music that *I* enjoy. I do listen to the girls singing quite a lot - does that count? :)

Three Newest Blog Reads:

- Sustainable Eats
- Inspired Ima
- My World Edenwild

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: I'm eagerly anticipating and at the same time dreading our newest adventure - the boy attending college. It will be a big change in our daily routine to now have both the Hubster and the boy off at the college during the day. The girls and I will adjust to being without them and learning how restructure our days. I think it will probably be both relaxing and a bit stressful as we transition into our solo time.

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 31:10-12

Proverbs 31:10-12

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Birthday gift makes life so much easier

My birthday gift from the Hubster this year was an electronic base for our grain mill!

I'm so excited because I can now grind wheat in just minutes. What used to take an hour and a half of turning the handle is now accomplished in a few minutes. I was surprised, though, to see that the wheat is not ground as finely when using the electric base. But sending it through for a second grinding results in wheat almost as finely ground as when we grind it by hand.

I know some people would think an electronic grain mill base to be an odd present, but I love it (and had it on my wish list). It frees me up to do other fun things and in that way is a very thoughtful and personal gift. :)

What have been some of your favorite gifts? Any gifts that others might think odd?

Scripture verses of the day - Proverbs 24:3-4

Proverbs 24:3-4

3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Sewing cloth menstrual pads - a tutorial - Part I drafting the pattern

For several years (from the time the big girl was a toddler until just a few months ago) I owned and operated a home-based business sewing and marketing cloth menstrual pads. It was called Retro Rags Wisconsin and I still retain the url in case I decide to open it back up again in the future.

I decided to show you all how to draft your own pattern for a cloth menstrual pad and show you the design and construction methods I used to sew up cloth menstrual pads. Feel free to use these instructions and techniques for either your own personal use or in starting a business yourself. :)

The first step is drafting your pattern and that's what Part I is all about.

For me the first step in drafting a pattern is getting out my tools. I use a ruler or other straight edge, pencil, packing paper (that we saved from our move in 2002), and various templates. The templates save me some time, but you could really accomplish this all with a ruler and protractor.



The next step is deciding what size the pad will be. A good guide for this is to measure either an existing disposable pad of the size you like or take a measurement of the crotch of a pair of panties that fit you well. I personally like a longer pad so I typically go with 12"-14" as the preferred length. Shorter or thinner women may prefer a shorter pad length.

After determining the length you'll want to determine the pad width. Again, measuring the panty is the best guide. Add about 1/2" to the measurement of your panty. That will give you 1/4" seam allowance on both sides of the pad.

You'll also need to decide what style and width you want the wings to be. I usually take a flexible tape measure and measure around the crotch of the panty. That measurement will tell me how long the wings should be from side to side and around. I take that measurement and add in 1/2" for seam allowances and another 1/2" for snap allowance. To recap, I measure all the way around the crotch and add in a total of 1" (1/2" seam allowances and 1/2" snap overlap).

I used a combination of rectangle templates and oval templates to quickly draft the pattern to the measurements I had taken. You could also do this using just a ruler to draft out the straight edges and a protractor to round off your ends.


Here you see the center rectangle representing the absorbent portion of the pad and a line marking the additional length I want to pad to be


This picture shows you how I used the rectangle templates to draft out the remainder of the pad pattern


I used the oval templates to round off the ends of the pad pattern - shown with the template over the paper


shown without the template


I again used the rectangle templates to draft the wings


and used the oval templates to round off the end of the wings


finished pattern

In Part II we'll discuss fabric choices and begin showing you how to cut out and sew the cloth menstrual pad.


This post was part of Raising Homemakers Homemaking Link-up.

Scripture verses of the day - Galatians 4:6-9

Galatians 4:6-9

6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did bservice unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

How to use up all that zucchini???

Grilling is a usual method for us to use up the zucchini. Spread a little olive oil and salt on big slabs and pop them on the grill.

If the weather is bad, then we slice them a bit thinner and oven-fry them in a hot oven (450F).

I've also made oat flour zucchini muffins before using a Hodgson Mill recipe - Zucchini Spice Muffins.

But my new favorite use involves a recipe from Home Joys - Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.

My version goes something like this:

Ingredients -



1 cup flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt



1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


I first add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. In another small bowl I quickly beat the egg and then combine the sugars, yogurt, olive oil, and vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Then I fold in the zucchini.

I pour that mixture into a greased 9"x13" pan and then sprinkle the chocolate chips and walnuts over the top.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 35 minutes.

An apology is due

I have something to get off of my chest.

I've recently come to the realization that some of my writings here were unkind and I feel very badly for having written them. At the time I thought it was okay since I wasn't identifying any individuals and the blog is pretty much anonymous as far as the greater world is concerned.

I've now been convinced by the Holy Ghost that my actions were wrong. I should never write unkind words about others - whether anonymous or not.

I apologize to any and all I might have hurt with my words. I'm sorry if I caused any offense, discomfort or pain to you. I'd apologize in person, but can't because I don't know who I might have hurt with my writings.

I've tried to go back through the archives and delete any posts that mention others and I'm determined now to take care to only write positive uplifting things when I write about others. Please forgive me.

Scripture verses of the day - Romans 12:2-21

Romans 12:2-21

2 And be not conformed to this aworld: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

The "ADHD Personality": Its Cognitive, Biological, and Evolutionary Foundations - blog post on Psychology Today

On the Psychology Today blog Freedom to Learn there was an article posted recently titled, "The "ADHD Personality": Its Cognitive, Biological, and Evolutionary Foundations.

It's rather serendipitous that I received the notice today - the very same day I was pondering the change in seasons and educational decisions.

The blog post/article discusses traditional schooling expectations, diagnoses of ADHD, normal/abnormal behaviors as social constructs, the risks of medication, and a host of related concerns.

Back to School Planning

The "back to school" period is a little different in our home due to our unschooling lifestyle.

Other families might be shopping and picking out new clothing. We're not. Other families might be researching and deciding on curriculum. We're not.

Oh, we might take advantage of some of the store sales to get low-priced art supplies and who could pass by those penny packages of pencils? And I do pick up various curricula to have on hand in case the big girl wants to use it.

But our back to school planning is more of a "What would we like to learn now?" sort of planning.

I'm compiling a list of skills I'd like to acquire and searching out fun activities that I think the big girl might enjoy.

Unschooling for us means constantly learning and growing - and that's not just for the little ones!

It means that while I don't plan out daily lesson plans I need to be aware of my children's interests and have the materials available for them to continue to challenge themselves. I need to be ready to facilitate activities for them when they ask and I need to be sharp in my own skills set in order to be able to assist.

I'd say the primary difference in our household since we began unschooling and left behind traditional schooling is that the adults are more actively engaged in learning!

Scripture verses of the day - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Deuteronomy 30:19-20

19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Scripture verses of the day - Luke 6:43-45

Luke 6:43-45

43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Carrot cake - includes a dairy-free recipe

We made carrot cake the other night.

I had forgotten how easy carrot cake is to make. It's also a cake that I can make a dairy-free version of for the big girl. Because the rest of us appreciate a traditional cream cheese frosting on our carrot cake I baked it in two layer cake pans instead of baking it in one 9"x13" pan.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups olive oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine the eggs, olive oil, sugar and vanilla in a mixer bowl. Mix on medium until well blended. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in grated carrots and walnuts.

Pour into greased and floured pans.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes and then remove from the pan. (We're lazy and often don't remove the cakes from the pans. The end result is the edges are a bit crispier.)


Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla in mixer bowl. Cream. Add in powdered sugar and mix until fluffy.

We also ground up about a 1/4 cup of walnuts and sprinkled them on the top of the frosting.

Scripture verses of the day - Isaiah 55:5-13

Isaiah 55:5-13

5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Ketchup - a canning tutorial

On Monday it was my birthday, but since the Hubster had a long workday I decided it would be a great day to can up some ketchup. (He's working from 8am until 10pm on Monday and Wednesdays this summer. He works his administrative job during the day and then teaches two classes in the evenings.)

I've been wanting to try ketchup for a long time now, but Michelle's recent post about canning up ketchup nudged me into it. I also took an inventory of our food storage and realized that we had stocked up on commercially canned organic tomato sauce already and still have two cases of home-canned stewed tomatoes left from last season.

So...ketchup it was!

I did things a little differently than many recipes indicate.

The first decision I made was that I would puree the tomatoes instead of starting out with chopped tomatoes and later grinding them in a food mill.

We have a tool called the Sauce Master Food Strainer that I use for making applesauce and tomato sauce. I thought it would be perfect for the first step in making the tomato puree I'd need to make the ketchup.


Sauce Master Food Strainer

The other thing I did differently was not weighing the tomatoes. True confession time - I never weigh fruits and vegetables when canning. I always just eyeball them and estimate. I'm usually pretty much on-target, btw!

So I started with a heaping bowl of mostly ripe tomatoes. As an aside this is the same measurement that usually results in 7 quarts of canned veggies.


big bowl of mostly ripe tomatoes

Then I assembled the Sauce Master.


the sauce master all set up and ready to go

Before putting the tomatoes into the Sauce Master I chopped them. Quarter chops are sufficient.


chop the tomatoes before putting them in the hopper of the Sauce Master

The Sauce Master is a pretty clever little gadget. You put the chopped tomatoes in the hopper at the top of the Sauce Master...


chopped tomatoes in the hopper of the sauce master

and then you turn the handle and the peels, stems, cores, seeds, and any other solidish matter go out one side of the grinder...


the seeds and peels go out one side

and the pureed tomato goes out the other side.


and the pureed tomatoes to out another side

In addition to the tomatoes I also peeled and chopped some onions.


onions

And pureed them using our food processor.


pureed onions

Then I took some green peppers...


green peppers

chopped them and pureed them in the food processor as well.


pureed green peppers

All of the pureed vegetables went into a large stockpot and simmered for about two hours to reduce the liquid a bit.


pureed veggies in the stockpot

Then I assembled the rest of the ingredients needed to make ketchup: vinegar, sugar, salt, hot sauce, paprika, cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, whole cloves, and ground mustard. The hot sauce wasn't an ingredient included in the original recipe. I added it as a substitution since I didn't have any cayenne pepper left.


ingredients - vinegar, sugar, salt, hot sauce, paprika, cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, whole cloves, ground mustard

The recipe I used was one from a 1974 edition of The Ball Blue Book, but I didn't follow it exactly.

My version:

4 quarts of pureed tomatoes
4 green peppers, pureed
3 medium onions, pureed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp hot pepper sauce

I measured out the solid spices - the whole cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, and whole cloves and tied them up in some cheesecloth.


solid spices - whole cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, whole cloves - set on cheesecloth

Then I mixed all of the ingredients together in the stockpot and put in the cheesecloth bundle. I let the mixture simmer for about 4 hours. Either I or the boy stirred the sauce about once per half hour throughout that time.


ketchup cooked down and ready to put into jars

When the ketchup was the consistency that we wanted it was time to begin the canning.

The ketchup was canned using the hot water bath method. The first step in water bath canning is to place clean jars in a large pot of water and boil them for five minutes to sterilize them.


jars in the canner warming up

I usually begin heating up the water while the food I'm planning to can is still cooking because it takes a while to bring a large pot of water up to boiling.

Then I filled a small saucepan with warm water and placed in the canning jar lids. I turned the heat on low to warm the lids up. Warmed lids form a better seal.


canning jar lids warming up in a saucepan full of water

Next I laid out the tools I'd need - clean cloth for wiping down the rims of the jars, magnetic lid lifter, canning jar tongs, canning funnel, ladle, and canning jar rings.


tools laid out - clean cloth for wiping rims of jars, magnetic lid lifter, canning jar tongs, canning funnel, ladle, jar rings

When the jars had been sufficiently sterilized I removed one from the canner with the tongs and emptied the hot water into my sink. Then I placed the canning funnel in the jar and ladled the boiling ketchup into the jar. I filled it to about an inch of the top. The recipe said that I could leave as little as 1/4" head space, but I know from experience canning tomato products that I have better results leaving more head space.


filling jar with boiling ketchup

Then I lifted a warmed lid out of the saucepan and placed on the center of the filled jar. I placed a ring over it and tightened it down.


jar filled and lid and ring on

Then I used the canning jar tongs and placed the filled jar back into the canner. I repeated until all of the ketchup was in the canning jars. I ended up filling three pints with ketchup.


filled jars back in the canner

Then I put the lid back on the canner and made sure the burner was turned up to high. Once the water reached boiling I set a timer for 15 minutes and processed the jars for 15 minutes.

Then when the timer went off I turned off the burner and removed the lid from canner. I set the timer for 5 minutes and let the jars wait in the canner.

Then when the 5 minutes had passed I used the canning jar tongs and carefully removed the jars from the canner. I set them on a piece of cardboard on my countertop to cool.


three pints of canned ketchup

After the jars had cooled I removed the rings and checked the seals. You know you have a good seal when you press into the center of the lid and the lid does not move back. I wiped down the jars and wrote the contents and date on the lid.


jars cleaned and labeled

While I was cooking up the ketchup I tasted it at several points. I found my adapted recipe to be somewhat spicey and more akin to a cocktail sauce than regular ketchup. The onions I used were pretty strong and I think that's part of the reason for the spicier flavor. I think the next batch will have only one onion or perhaps even onion powder instead of fresh onion puree.


I also linked this post over at Raising Homemakers Homemaking Link-up Day!

Scripture verses of the day - Matthew 12:31-33

Matthew 12:31-33

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

On becoming elderwise

Over at Peaceful Parenting there is a post entitled, On Becoming Elderwise: Caring for Grandma God's Way. It's a parody written by Rachel Mills that showcases how it would look if we applied Ezzo's babywise principles to eldercare.

It's not a pretty picture at all but illustrates how poorly some infants are treated and emphasizes how we'd never extend that same treatment to adults in our culture.

Why on earth, then, are people doing this to their babies?

"What is done to children, they will do to society."
~ Karl Menninger

Garden update - 08/17/2010

Several readers have been asking for pictures of my garden beds this year.

I kept putting off taking the pictures because I thought I should have the garden weeded and looking nice before I shared pictures here. Then reality finally hit me and I admitted to myself I'm just not going to get caught up.

What you're going to see here is a brutally honest view of my garden beds.

If you want to see what my gardens look like in a normal year take a look at a post I wrote last August.

I'm not making excuses, but I will sort of attempt to explain my neglect. The weather this year has been unusually rainy, humid, and hot. All three contribute to create conditions under which I have little desire to weed. They also contribute to rapid weed growth and plant growth.

The upside is that I have huge plants that have also taken over the garden beds and made my garden look like a friggin jungle!


Beets - this is a second planting. The beds held green beans earlier in the year. These beds were newly constructed last season and are located on south side of the house between a sidewalk and our driveway. They get a lot of sun and have a very hot microclimate from all the concrete.


Volunteer tomato - we had tomatoes planted in the bed next to it last year. This year the bed held green beans first and now is planted with beets. This is located next to the southwestern bed from the previous picture.


Mint - located in the backyard next to the garage.


Tomatoes - planted in the beds on the west side of the house in backyard. You see the fence separating us from the neighbor's yard.


Zucchini squash and tomatoes - also planted in the backyard. These beds are between the back of our garage and the neighbor's garage - they receive probably the least sunlight of all the beds.


Strawberries - this is incredibly overgrown and I need to get in and thin the plants out


Volunteer tomato plants along our compost bins


Sort of a center view of the backyard garden beds - on the far left you'll see green bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and beets - in the center you'll see tomatoes - and the far right is the strawberry beds


Closer look at the bell peppers and many, many weeds


Raspberries - the Hubster has already cut them back once this year. They always give us two harvests - one around July and another in late September or early October.


Basil in the center - cucumbers on the right - weeds on the left


Green beans - this is a second planting. The bed had beets and turnips in it earlier in the season. Unfortunately these guys may not make it as rabbits came and chewed the leaves off soon after they sprouted.


Beets


Acorn squash and cucumbers. You can't see them, but I have cilantro, rosemary, and lemon balm planted the front bed. They've been completely covered now by the other plants.