Here are the books I brought home from the library last night (plus a whole stack of kids books, which I will not detail):
1) Container Gardening by Anthony Atha - I'm not sure if anything new here, but many very pretty pictures for inspiration. Also contains a plant directory in the back with info regarding how they do in containers.
2) The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean - I have not started yet but this book has intrigued me for a while now. Will update after I have read it.
3) Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew - I wish the pictures were in color. But otherwise a lot of useful info. Brad got some good ideas looking at it.
4) Cabinets and Built-Ins by Paul Levine - I love this book! Who knew I could stay up until midnight reading a woodworking book! It has some really great tips and makes it seem like even I could build myself some kitchen cabinets (except for my fear of the table saw, which is another issue...) I am thinking that eventually I could use this book to design some upper cabinets for my kitchen that go all the way up to my vaulted ceiling and finally lose that dust collector that is called a plant shelf.
5) The Straw Bale House - Love this book too but once again wish more pictures were in color. It really makes want to start designing a house with straw bale construction, solar panels, root cellar, etc. Someday, sigh!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
25 Random Things
25 random things about myself. It seems a bit narcissistic, but then isn't blogging in general a bit narcissistic? Anyway, it also seemed kind of fun, so here goes:
1. I always have a hard time starting things - I write things one way and then redo them another. I can't seem to just dive in and go without thinking way too hard...
2. .... and i overanalyze things, and re-analyze things....
3. I am not particularly observant of my surroundings. There is a lot of stuff I really just don't notice. (But once I am aware of something you can bet I will find some way to analyze it!
4. Have I mentioned that I am annoyingly analytical?
5. Not a phone person, I really just don't like to talk much on the phone.
6. I love to gather and collect ideas. And I constantly generate ideas. Not so great on the follow thru of many of those ideas.
7. I really enjoy doing jobs like sorting, filing, copying, shredding. You know things you can just veg and do. Plus there is such a sense of accomplishment - you can see your progress.
8. I love learning new things. If i didn't have to worry about time or money i could probably spend the rest of my life taking random classes that interested me. Photography, neurology, economics, astrophysics....
9. I would like to learn to weld.
10. and knit... and crochet (i actually am working on learning to crochet right now)
11. I love all types of food. I love to try new recipes. I like almost every kind of ethnic food i have ever tried. And i am fortunate to have a hubby who is even more adventurous in eating than i am.
12. I have picky kids tho - which really annoys me until i remember that i was once a picky kid, so there is hope.
13. I generally take terrible pictures; something i would like to change.
14. I have visited more foreign countries than I have visited states in the U.S.
15. And I have not visited a foreign country since 1991, so almost 20 years now. This includes Canada, which is really sad because I live in a state that borders Canada!
16. I rarely like to watch any movie a second time. Unless i have completely forgotten it.
17. I quite often find it easier to get in a conversation with a group of guys than a group of girls.
18. I like football and find it interesting, which may be why #17 happens.
19. I have actually taken birdwatching.
20. I seem to collect books, and yet i feel like there are so many i have not read.
21. I would love to have a totally self-sustaining, off-the-grid acreage: chickens, solar panels, woodstove, root cellar, etc. At least i like the idea of such a thing.
22. I am a skeptic and a rarely believe any "new study" unless I can look at the data myself and read about how the study was set up.
23. I debate people all the time in my head. I am learning to say less and less out loud because I am also learning that most people don't like a friendly debate. But it is happening in my head. And I sort of like the debates in my head better anyway - at least I can win those! ( I used to be queen of the yabbuts, where I answer a person, "Yeah, but....." )
24. Underneath it all I am a bit non-conformist, so in the end my list will be something other than 25.
1. I always have a hard time starting things - I write things one way and then redo them another. I can't seem to just dive in and go without thinking way too hard...
2. .... and i overanalyze things, and re-analyze things....
3. I am not particularly observant of my surroundings. There is a lot of stuff I really just don't notice. (But once I am aware of something you can bet I will find some way to analyze it!
4. Have I mentioned that I am annoyingly analytical?
5. Not a phone person, I really just don't like to talk much on the phone.
6. I love to gather and collect ideas. And I constantly generate ideas. Not so great on the follow thru of many of those ideas.
7. I really enjoy doing jobs like sorting, filing, copying, shredding. You know things you can just veg and do. Plus there is such a sense of accomplishment - you can see your progress.
8. I love learning new things. If i didn't have to worry about time or money i could probably spend the rest of my life taking random classes that interested me. Photography, neurology, economics, astrophysics....
9. I would like to learn to weld.
10. and knit... and crochet (i actually am working on learning to crochet right now)
11. I love all types of food. I love to try new recipes. I like almost every kind of ethnic food i have ever tried. And i am fortunate to have a hubby who is even more adventurous in eating than i am.
12. I have picky kids tho - which really annoys me until i remember that i was once a picky kid, so there is hope.
13. I generally take terrible pictures; something i would like to change.
14. I have visited more foreign countries than I have visited states in the U.S.
15. And I have not visited a foreign country since 1991, so almost 20 years now. This includes Canada, which is really sad because I live in a state that borders Canada!
16. I rarely like to watch any movie a second time. Unless i have completely forgotten it.
17. I quite often find it easier to get in a conversation with a group of guys than a group of girls.
18. I like football and find it interesting, which may be why #17 happens.
19. I have actually taken birdwatching.
20. I seem to collect books, and yet i feel like there are so many i have not read.
21. I would love to have a totally self-sustaining, off-the-grid acreage: chickens, solar panels, woodstove, root cellar, etc. At least i like the idea of such a thing.
22. I am a skeptic and a rarely believe any "new study" unless I can look at the data myself and read about how the study was set up.
23. I debate people all the time in my head. I am learning to say less and less out loud because I am also learning that most people don't like a friendly debate. But it is happening in my head. And I sort of like the debates in my head better anyway - at least I can win those! ( I used to be queen of the yabbuts, where I answer a person, "Yeah, but....." )
24. Underneath it all I am a bit non-conformist, so in the end my list will be something other than 25.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Making Applesauce
Next you want to wash those puppies real good with dish soap and water. I mean really scrub them. We will not be peeling them and will be cooking them with the skin on, so you really want to get any dirt and pesticide residue off. (Unless you like these things in your applesauce. Who am I to judge?) Since we are cooking with the skins on it probably would be even better to go with organic apples.
Now get a really big pot. I am using a canner here. Put a couple of inches of water on the bottom, 4-6 cinnamon sticks, and then fill the thing up with chopped apples. Just chop the whole apple into 4-8 pieces, depending on how big your apple is. Throw it in, seeds, stems and all. You can also sprinkle in a little lemon juice or fruit fresh at this point to keep the apples from browning too much. But it is totally optional. You are going to cook them right away, so they won't get too brown. Now bring your water to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and put a lid on. Stir the apples occasionally so that they all get cooked evenly. Keep simmering until they are soft.
While the apples are cooking get yourself all set up. (This is also a good time to make sure you have your canning jars clean and ready to go as well. ) Here is the attachment. It is a Fruit and Vegetable Strainer. I also bought a bigger tray to hold the apples. You will see in a minute. The cool thing about this is that it "poops" out solids I don't want (seeds, skins, etc.) and the applesauce comes out the other side. You can use it to make a bunch of stuff like tomato sauce, hummus, etc. Also if you remove the strainer portion you have a grinder that you can use to grind meats and stuff. So I should use this more than once a year. We will see....
This is how it looks set up.
Now spoon your softened apples onto the tray, turn it on, and push them down the hole with the pusher tool provided. Make sure you do NOT put any cinnamon sticks down the chute. They get stuck in the strainer and will constipate the situation, so to speak. Hypothetically speaking, of course. Not that I would ever do this....
Here is the "poop" of apple skin and seeds that comes out.
Here is the sauce. Now you can taste it and add more sugar or cinnamon if you so desire. To preserve it you would now spoon it into the size canning jar you want and process it in a water bath. For my area applesauce is processed for 30 minutes in a water bath canner for quart jars.
Let's try this again!
Oh look! Last time I posted was in October - and now it is January! Now that is just pathetic! Reading lots of great blogs lately has inspired me to try again - I might even include pictures as well. (Although all my pictures are taken on my sad little point-and-shoot camera that is old, old, old. I went to buy a new rechargable battery for it and the salesman just laughed... they don't sell those batteries any more at normal stores by-the-way. Probably could find one on the web or at a camera store, but not sure if it is worth replacing...) But I digress. I will start again. And so that I don't feel too bad about it I will start with my applesauce making which actually occured in October; so hey, I am keeping the spirit of October alive in the dead of winter! Whatever. Now to choose a person to write in. Part of me feels weird writing like I am talking to someone else, when I know that I am the only one reading this. But to write it like I am talking to myself is just a little too weird. (Not that I don't talk to myself all the time anyway...) And to talk about myself in the third person is even stranger to me, so I guess by default I will stick to the tried and true. Who knows, maybe someday someone else will read this. Although that is a somewhat disturbing thought as well.....
Monday, October 5, 2009
My thoughts on local grocery stores
It is a rainy Monday and I am feeling the need to give some constructive criticism (aka: griping) to several stores. And in fairness some kudos too. Being the main shopper of the family, I have built up enough experience at these stores to have developed some opinions about how they can change and either attract customers or keep the customers that they already have.
WINCO: After having kids this store used to be my main weekly shopping store. I used to drop $100 to $150 here weekly. The first blow to our relationship started when they quit giving a store credit for bringing my own bags. And then after starting in on couponing I have seriously cut my expenditures at this store. Yes, it still is the best store to go to if you need to pick up a specific grocery item that you know is not on sale anywhere else; but really my love for this store has definitely waned. I used to think that they had really great prices. Now I am just not that impressed. I am not sure if my expectations have changed or if their prices have creeped up. A little of both I suppose. I also have noticed that the offerings in the bulk section have decreased. Several spices that I used to be able to get in bulk are no longer offered. They are generally a little coupon-phobic. I can appreciate the no-frills, bag-your-own groceries to get a lower price; but lately I have been getting a lower price other places without bagging my own groceries.
PROS: overall low prices (but not always, be careful!), high volume of turnover so you rarely have to worry about expiration dates, great shopping cart return design: you are never more than a few cars away from one and they face both directions. Decent bulk foods section.
CONS: rarely do they advertise a sale and unadvertised sales vary from store to store, bulk foods selection seems to be shrinking, prices here have been rising over the last year whereas they seem to be decreasing at other stores causing the price difference margin to be shrinking IMO. Coupon friendliness varies from store to store and cashier to cashier. No rewards program.
ALBERTSONS: Sort of a love-hate relationship with Albies. Pre-kids I shopped almost exclusively here and then for years I did not shop here at all. Now I find myself shopping here more often, but not always finding it a pleasant experience. They have great sales that match up with coupons and catalinas, but their non-sale items are grossly overpriced. If they would just price their non-sale items a little bit higher than other stores, say 10-50 cents, then I would probably pick up more than the sale items while I am shopping. I will pay a few cents more to save me a trip to another store, but I just can't bring myself to pay 2-3 times as much! So with the ridiculously high regular prices, Albertsons needs the special sales and really needs to cater to the coupon shoppers. It will seem that they are doing this, such as by offering double coupons, and then they will put tons of restrictions on them, or they will really crack down on the cashiers who will then be wary of coupons. I also really do not like the recent changes to the gas program. I have been buying less from them since this change.
PROS: Good manufacturer sales that match up with coupons. A gas rewards program.
CONS: Overpriced non-sale items. The corporation comes across as trying to cater to couponers but the individual stores tend to make the couponers feel unwelcome. Low-volume turnover so you really have to watch the expiration dates. Very likely to be out of any really good deals. Recent changes to gas rewards program make it harder to earn rewards.
FRED MEYER: Probably my favorite of stores lately. Their regular prices are somewhat more expensive than Winco, but they do have great sales. I love how they rotate fairly consistently between sales of necessary items like eggs, milk, o.j., bread, etc. They also have a rewards program for both store rewards and gas rewards. They have great clearance sales and are one of the few places that frequently puts items such as legos and video game software and equipement on sale. Plus you gotta love the free child care while you shop.
PROS: one-stop shopping, good sales, rewards program, free child care, fairly coupon freindly. Generally high-volume turnover. Can get rainchecks on most sales.
CONS: Sales are generally store brand, fewer manufacturer sales than Albies (but that is okay with me), poor cart returns in parking lot (I wish they would steal Winco's design and placement). Fewer catalinas than Albies.
WINCO: After having kids this store used to be my main weekly shopping store. I used to drop $100 to $150 here weekly. The first blow to our relationship started when they quit giving a store credit for bringing my own bags. And then after starting in on couponing I have seriously cut my expenditures at this store. Yes, it still is the best store to go to if you need to pick up a specific grocery item that you know is not on sale anywhere else; but really my love for this store has definitely waned. I used to think that they had really great prices. Now I am just not that impressed. I am not sure if my expectations have changed or if their prices have creeped up. A little of both I suppose. I also have noticed that the offerings in the bulk section have decreased. Several spices that I used to be able to get in bulk are no longer offered. They are generally a little coupon-phobic. I can appreciate the no-frills, bag-your-own groceries to get a lower price; but lately I have been getting a lower price other places without bagging my own groceries.
PROS: overall low prices (but not always, be careful!), high volume of turnover so you rarely have to worry about expiration dates, great shopping cart return design: you are never more than a few cars away from one and they face both directions. Decent bulk foods section.
CONS: rarely do they advertise a sale and unadvertised sales vary from store to store, bulk foods selection seems to be shrinking, prices here have been rising over the last year whereas they seem to be decreasing at other stores causing the price difference margin to be shrinking IMO. Coupon friendliness varies from store to store and cashier to cashier. No rewards program.
ALBERTSONS: Sort of a love-hate relationship with Albies. Pre-kids I shopped almost exclusively here and then for years I did not shop here at all. Now I find myself shopping here more often, but not always finding it a pleasant experience. They have great sales that match up with coupons and catalinas, but their non-sale items are grossly overpriced. If they would just price their non-sale items a little bit higher than other stores, say 10-50 cents, then I would probably pick up more than the sale items while I am shopping. I will pay a few cents more to save me a trip to another store, but I just can't bring myself to pay 2-3 times as much! So with the ridiculously high regular prices, Albertsons needs the special sales and really needs to cater to the coupon shoppers. It will seem that they are doing this, such as by offering double coupons, and then they will put tons of restrictions on them, or they will really crack down on the cashiers who will then be wary of coupons. I also really do not like the recent changes to the gas program. I have been buying less from them since this change.
PROS: Good manufacturer sales that match up with coupons. A gas rewards program.
CONS: Overpriced non-sale items. The corporation comes across as trying to cater to couponers but the individual stores tend to make the couponers feel unwelcome. Low-volume turnover so you really have to watch the expiration dates. Very likely to be out of any really good deals. Recent changes to gas rewards program make it harder to earn rewards.
FRED MEYER: Probably my favorite of stores lately. Their regular prices are somewhat more expensive than Winco, but they do have great sales. I love how they rotate fairly consistently between sales of necessary items like eggs, milk, o.j., bread, etc. They also have a rewards program for both store rewards and gas rewards. They have great clearance sales and are one of the few places that frequently puts items such as legos and video game software and equipement on sale. Plus you gotta love the free child care while you shop.
PROS: one-stop shopping, good sales, rewards program, free child care, fairly coupon freindly. Generally high-volume turnover. Can get rainchecks on most sales.
CONS: Sales are generally store brand, fewer manufacturer sales than Albies (but that is okay with me), poor cart returns in parking lot (I wish they would steal Winco's design and placement). Fewer catalinas than Albies.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Our wishlists
Mostly things we want, a few we need...
ME:
Nice suit jacket / blazer to wear with dress pants or skirts
A couple of dress slacks
A pizza peel
Pressure canner
A new rack for my water canner
Laptop computer
Wii fit
A new salad shooter
Pampered Chef small dough roller
Digital video camera (plus get all the old video transferred to DVD's)
HUBBY:
Greenhouse
New matress or matress topper
KIDS:
Ski pants - size 8-10
Trampoline
Wii Resort game
Legos
Redecorate rooms and seperate boys
HOUSE and YARD:
replace or refinish wood floor & front room carpet
replace formica countertops
kitchen tile backsplash
refinish or replace cabinets
pavers for side and sitting area
Arbor w/ Concord grapes
Compost Tumbler
NECCESSITITES:
New tires for pickup
pickup 30,000 mile service
Chimney swept and inspected
New burners for grill
New vacuum
ME:
Nice suit jacket / blazer to wear with dress pants or skirts
A couple of dress slacks
A pizza peel
Pressure canner
A new rack for my water canner
Laptop computer
Wii fit
A new salad shooter
Pampered Chef small dough roller
Digital video camera (plus get all the old video transferred to DVD's)
HUBBY:
Greenhouse
New matress or matress topper
KIDS:
Ski pants - size 8-10
Trampoline
Wii Resort game
Legos
Redecorate rooms and seperate boys
HOUSE and YARD:
replace or refinish wood floor & front room carpet
replace formica countertops
kitchen tile backsplash
refinish or replace cabinets
pavers for side and sitting area
Arbor w/ Concord grapes
Compost Tumbler
NECCESSITITES:
New tires for pickup
pickup 30,000 mile service
Chimney swept and inspected
New burners for grill
New vacuum
The First Frost - Oct. 1
Well last night was the first frost and it is always a hard decision at this time of year whether to cover all the garden plants or to just let them be done. We (meaning my husband) covered all of them, as I would still like to reap a few more of all those tomatoes that are on the vines. Also our sweet potatoes are only about the size of my finger and nowhere near big enough. I am not sure if squeezing one more week out of them will make a difference or not. I suspect that the problem may be that the soil we had them planted in was too clay and not well enough drainage. However it could be that the season was just too short. Our sweet potato slips were delayed in getting to us and we had to plant them several weeks later than I would have liked. I need to remember next year to write down the date that we plant them so that I can keep track of when to pull them out. They take around 115 days, so it is really pushing the boundaries of our planting cycle around here. Even if we don't get any good sweet potatoes this year I would be willing to try them again next year. The foilage was really quite lovely and I think with better soil we could get a nice yield. Mmm... now I am craving broccoli and sweet potatoe stir fry.
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