Week 11 of Donna Downey's 48 Weeks Journaling Workshop ~Live in the Moment~ LOTS OF PICS

       Hello beautiful people its once again Friday night....and we just finished getting everything done for the day. I am waiting on Bruce to get done outside and its 9pm thank goodness for Instapots and Crockpots....am I right!!!! Amen to that! We had to go out today and actually relinquish supplies....when you work all the time and somethings you just can't order. We needed more jars, more cheese containers, and of course some easy foods for the boys tomorrow...however Colby is the resident chef as Bruce says....Colby likes to refer to himself as get this "Gordon Ramsey" everyone bellows in laughter.....HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!! He loves watching his YouTube videos and shows and remind me well Gordon Ramsey says, etc. I remind him I know what I am doing and keep on cooking....ya gotta love it though....I think I have learned somethings Colby has said btw! So keep up the good work Gordon kids are learning and that is TOTALLY AWESOME!! I have been a usual worker bee this week making more tie dyes, jams, pickles, and a few body products and of course more bracelets. I love the support from all my customers at the market and of course our market family....we always look forward to Saturday. Well Bruce is in now gotta run to the USDA kitchen and do some work...be back soon.
          Well I am back and now its Sunday evening and I am now cooking dinner, was supposed to be supper but we ended up having a swarm and I picked a bunch of veggies, time ran away with me. Colten has literally been on the tractor all day cutting grass, in his own words "MONOTONOUS" can you hear us both laughing after he said that....??? YES you can. I said what do you think making the same jam is or the same cheese, or washing laundry???? lol we both laughed on that one. I can do my monotonous jobs with my eyes closed but somehow its better to leave them open....and sometimes its nice to be able to make something else besides the same jams, so a little creativity is good!
           Enough of my chit chat here but onto the page in the journal. This makes week 11 of the 48 Weeks Journal Workshop by Donna Downey you can go to her website and still take the class. I actually started this workshop in January of 2014 and only made it up to workshop four complete and five half way. Thats ok though you know the old saying better late than never. Well let me tell ya this one was way out of my usual type of mixed media work and as far as flowers go not something I had really ever did except in week six a wee bit similar although it was poppies but defiantly the first time for flowers in a vase and this type. Oh my goodness I am certainly hooked now. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I am so thankful I have took a bit of time in my life to get some of these accomplished for I really don't have so called "me" time but now I just say I going to put a coat of paint on and just do it! You can only work so much and my back an only take so much......so I take a few minutes here and there to finally complete my workshop.....and I am so happy I am.
       

                                                      Love the texture and the colors.

                                                                the background is way to cool very tactile

I enjoyed this whole process 

the quote was perfect and came from an old calendar I had from 2015 which is the Page A Day by Workman Publishing the painting by Jessica Roush dot com "Live in the moment" I have these little pieces of paper as Dusty explains to everyone she has the artist brain lol but the calendar page was from September 28, 2015

I love these little calendars they are such great inspirational pieces of art and the new one comes out on July 23, 2019 for 2020 you can even get the back issue ones If they are still available I know 2018 still is and 2019 

note all the colors in the flowers 

I have been so digging this workshop and totally love that about summer being able to go on my porch and paint "such a happy place"

if you would like to see some of the other weeks you can see them here 

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6 

Week 7

WEEK 8

Week 9 

WEEK 10 

I am now working on week 12 and can hardly believe it hopefully it will be done soon I was able to get my orders done tonight as tomorrow I have my yearly exam and I have still had this so called sickness but its just allergies because when I get outside picking I just start sneezing and to think I eat a lot of honey so idk 

While Bruce and I were in Florida for Aubrey's 3rd Birthday we all went skating it was a blast 

It was like we had never stopped skating being a child of the early 70's rolling skating was a thing for sure and we both spent a lot of time rolling skating 

Aubrey loved it too and even asked Amanda to go back and they did like the next weekend 

Aubrey rode Dusty around on her tricycle, too cute

I always make tie dyes and have for years and I sell these at the farmers market 

you can see a short video I did on how I do it 

Making the tie dyes are just fun!!! 

my friend Cheryl brought me two plants one day at one of the craft shows I was at and they have been producing like crazy and so delicious I have made eggplant parmigiana, grilled eggplants all so yummy thanks to Cheryl for these prolific plants 

This one I had a special request for and made it exactly how she wanted it 

Bruce raises homegrown chickens we have raised quite a few we also sell these, we are approved by the North Carolina Vet as a home processor and we just moved these from the commercial freezers to a chest freezer 

they didn't all fit in the chest freezer and the chickens are the only thing in the chest freezer 

these are all my seeds as I am a seed saver and  stratify my seeds every year 

See these happy little faces.....well guess what they are going to be staying with us for the next month 

EXCITING 

Riggy is so adorable and he came last year when he was only two months 

Big Brother Ledger is coming too and the last time he was here he had just turned one....now he just turned two 

DOUBLE EXCITING!!! 

I am overjoyed at the thought......more to come

These are their pics from last year while they were here 

Ledgie with Sage one of our Oberhasli dairy goats last year 

Riggy in the carrier from last year over in my office I just love that look

I can't wait 

Super duper excited 

Well better close I am reading two books now and want to get back to one of them immediately 

Have a great week

Thanks for stopping by 

Cyber hugs, Dawn Gallop

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This is what's been happening on the Farm

We have new kids on the farm.......which is always exciting and fun! These are two girl Anne Marie and Lisa Marie plus we got a Andy. Both does and kids are doing awesome. 

Its been busy week and tomorrow as I type this up we have a SHOW at Larkspur Middle School in Virginia Beach from 9-1. Not a long day but when you get up at 4 am to get this ready laded and dressed and chores done....somehow it is VERY LONG>....Tonight we made pepperoni rolls which the boys absolutely loved and ate too much as thy said. I had yellow squash an onions. Doing the usual chores and making sugar scrubs and taking care of all my seedlings.....I made a dreamcatcher today....I will share that once its a sunny day....its been cloudy and cold today did manage to go on the walk.

Beautiful.  #love 

I love it!!! 

So much fun and adorable.......

Hello sister.....

Oh my I just love this time of year....I can't ever seemed to ever tire of growing stuff.....this year I have huge head-start which I am so thankful for.....

Little Andy

This is one of our roosters Jorge 

I have made these tags for the Art Retreat this weekend I can't really go but going to stop by and see the girls tomorrow after the show I am excited about this and let the boys go swimming in the pool at the hotel that they are at. 

Here is the video on how I made these...

All the supplies on on the info of the video 

One of Bruces' and the boys breakfast look at how wonderful those farm eggs look.....we love our eggs. 

Another day.....

Saying goodbye until next time.....hoping for a great weekend for everyone....and remember eat healthy, go for nature walks and enjoy life to the fullest. Next week I will share the dreamcatcher and some of the good times at the retreat this weekend. 

I'm posting this other video of the moving day on the chickens last Sunday....this week we are hoping to get the chicken tractors built as I don't have a dental appointment which is the first week since January 11 of this year that I don't have to go...yay! Looking forward to the day I am amalgam free......

Bruce has ran me a bath so gotta go.......

Cyber hugs, 

oh yeah the vid....

chicken moving day

Seedling update using the growing lights 

Later......

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Washing Cucumbers in a Vintage Wringer Washer Maytag Washing Machine

Hello and welcome to my blog......I want to tell you the story about washing cucumbers. Approximately a year ago I bought this book by Stephanie Thurow. Well in fact I got it around July 2017. I read it from cover to cover, still trying different recipes. In the beginning there is a story about washing your cucumbers in a wringer washer...….well I was sold. That was it I was determined to find a wringer washer. I looked everywhere from Craigslist, Ebay , Etsy, my daughter Alexis was even looking too on Facebook. Bruce would look also. I would find beautiful washers in like new condition and they would be way to far....like Arizona.....Kansas....California....not exactly somewhere where Bruce would agree to go and pick it up. I would stop looking for awhile, then go back at it. Finally one evening Bruce comes across a newly refurbished one in Maryland.....ahhhhhhh….CALL THEM! He called and this man who lives in an Amish community had recently refurbished this Maytag 1956 (I think that's what he said) even a new plug of course the man spent an hour on the phone with Bruce and telling him everything he did.....I think Bruce even learn something new about vintage washers.....maybe a little more than he ever intended. 

 

Which if you like to can or make fermented foods this is A MUST HAVE! This is the book by Stephanie Thurow 

So we talked to the man on Tuesday night and made an appointment for Thursday mid day to arrive at his house to see the washer. We left early that morning and since the gentleman was within an hour of the National Aquarium in Baltimore so we decided to make it a day. Let me tell you and beautiful place if you have never been it is a must see!!! We had such a blast and got to see the dolphin show too. See pics below of some of the adventures. 

So this washer purchase was right on time......we had rows of cucumbers ready and if any of you have had to clean them with all the little pricky nubs and not to mention pick them talk about needing long sleeves and gloves....but do you think I do that.....nope I just tough it out and keep on going.....then when my arms and hands are scratched up....I say why did I do that....every time. This washer takes care of all that, plus cleans them well. 

here are some of our pickling pickles that are parthenocarpy (as we have grown them in the high tunnel)   it basically means they fruit without fertilization. Since honey bees do not go into a high tunnel, but bumble bees do and other pollinators.....but maybe a bit less production....we use the parthencarpic cucumber seeds from Baker Creek called Monika. They produce an over abundance of cucumbers and as I type this are still producing...however not as many and many of the plants have done their duties. I didn't exactly want to self pollinate all the cukes so these seeds are the best option. Outside we use regular seeds different types and they do quite well....although many of them get away from me and I have these huge really long cukes….you know the ones. 

     

This is one batch of cucumbers 

You have to add water enough to cover so that it does not tear them up.....as in break them in half or just make them harder to cut 

You can see there is ample space around the cukes and they are not beating each other 

The water after the first washing 

I scooped it out but Bruce said " you don't need to the opening is wide enough, for the stuff to pass thru. The agitator comes off and you can clean under the drain area. He hooked it up with a valve so it drains properly instead of me lifting buckets......or him. 

This is how dirty the water gets 

plus I rinse them again with the sink spray nozzle 

This is some of the cucumbers 

Bruce uses this old slicer to cut the cucumbers. The slicer was actually my mom and dads when my mom was married to my dad. They divorced when I was five and I am fifty now.....so you know its old! IT IS NOT safe. I DO NOT recommend it at all! Bruce has a butter knife stuck in it to hold it on. 

                                      
                  Here is the video of him USING it and trust me...……..NOT SAFE

Once the batches of cucumbers are in the buckets you soak them in lime pickling powder that you buy on Amazon, or in your grocery store. NOT AT A FEED AND SEED STORE for your garden, although some of the feed and seed stores sell canning supplies so this lime would be in the canning section.  Trust me I get that question a lot where do you get the lime.  

One they have soaked and rinsed numerous times and soaked...…...then you make the brine and soak the cucumbers.

this is a 24 quart pot full of soon to be pickles 

Putting the pickles in the jars 

the sweet and spicy pickles in the jar 

These are the Monika parthencarpic seeds grown in the high tunnel which you can see do quite well and look really nice too. 

See how healthy the vines are and the baby fruit 

Almost ready cucumbers 

Ready for sure cucumbers 

Ready too 

It was a wonderful year for cucumbers 

You can see how tiny the pickling cucumbers are 

Also when it was time to dig potatoes I decided I was going to use the washer for this too

Sooooooo……

It worked great......clean potatoes and less hand work for me 

Here the boys were digging the potatoes

The potatoes were really dirty too I brushed them off a bit first once the dirt dried on them 

We had an excellent time at The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland 

The dolphin show 

more of the dolphin show 

I just loved the jellyfish so relaxing and mesmerizing 

                                               Just look how beautiful these jellyfish are

So as you can see what a long ride to get my dream washer for washing cucumbers and potatoes turned into a day of fun....I was so excited to finally get this washer I had goosebumps of excitement. 

It certainly is a great addition to any homestead....you can even turn these washers into gas run motors to use outside.   

Thanks for looking.

Dawn 

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