Ugh! It seems like anything that could go wrong with this project, can and will go wrong!
First, the internet was down for 11 days.
Then, the power was out.
Now, my pictures won't load. Server invalid or something.
So, I'm just about ready to scrap this whole 30 days project and try it again some other time, perhaps when I'm not so busy running here and there, trying to get school supplies and juggling the booth and kids.
Did I mention that Andrew got a job? Yes!! He started working last week and while I am beyond thrilled for him and us that he is working again, I sure do miss those 'do-as-we-please' kind of days. It's back to working around a schedule, but I am *not* complaining! It's been so long since he was out of work and filling out hundreds of job applications, going on countless interviews, and not getting even a single offer. So many times we've held our breath, hoping that finally, this would be the "one," only to get those hopes dashed on the rocks. Eventually, I just told Andrew, "don't even tell me what job you've applied for, just let me know when there's an interview."
And of course, as soon as the money starts trickling in, along comes something to take it away. Haven't even got his first paycheck yet, and the roof has started leaking. All these storms have not been kind to our house and while we knew about 2 small leaks, we now have several big ones. Big enough to make the ceiling in the sun room fall down and several stains in the dining room. -sigh- A call to the insurance co. and a roofer recommended. If the roofer agrees that it's storm damage, then we'll only have to pay the deductible, but if not, and this is what I am afraid of, then we'll have to foot the whole bill. Fingers crossed that the roofer will find it to be storm damaged. *crossing legs, fingers, toes... my it's going to be hard to walk!*
Counting my blessings, though, it's nothing really major or life-threatening. We're warm and dry and Andrew was up there with the roofing repair kit trying to slap on some kind of temporary fix for the next round of storms headed our way.
The booth has been doing well. It's a lot of fun. It's also a lot of work, cleaning and tagging things, but I'm doing what I love to do, and it's something we have both dreamed of doing for a long time. Today, we passed the lease mark, in other words, after I take out the amount for the rent, the rest is profit! More than 2 weeks left in the month, so I'm excited to see how much more we'll make!
Peter has just about kicked the pull-ups to the curb!! He pretty much only uses them at night-time. Several nights of bed-wetting in a row convinced me to get one last package of night-time pull-ups, but I think it will be the last pack I'll ever have to buy! Yay!! *happy dance* It's so weird to go out with all the kids in tow and hear Peter pipe up and say he needs to pee. I'm so used to just having to take the girls to the restroom, but I am so proud of him.
The garden is going well this year. We got behind on the weeding after we opened the booth, but the size of the tomatoes this year has me amazed! That cow manure we spread did wonders! I've never had such big peppers and tomatoes before!!
The corn on the other hand, still disappoints! foo! I planted two patches, two different kinds, at different times and both failed. The first looked like it was doing well, but then there was a dry spell and it seemed to have stunted the growth. Very few of the corn grew bigger than 2 or 3 inches, so I ended up giving it all to the chickens. The second patch looked gorgeous, still does! Lush and green, but a recent check revealed no corn! It's all stalks and leaves with no cobs? Wha...? That does it! I'm officially giving up on growing corn! I'll just support our local farmers and buy their yummy corn instead.
It's raining again, so I better fetch the buckets and check the leaky spots. Until then.. :o)
4 comments:
Jenny, $6/each is still a pretty cheap price. On ebay some of them are going for $100+ EACH. (In fact, if you still had the chance to buy them it might be worth the research for resale.) Between $5 and $10 each has become the norm around here.
Hi! I've never commented on a blog before! I put anonymous because I don't know what the others mean. Fingers crossed on the roof outcome, and yeah! about the job. I like your recipes, the first that grabbed my attention was way back when you made the candy corn cookies. So fall festive! Almost time for those again. How do you make your frozen grape juice concentrate? That sounds very good, and we have a few concords here, too. Take care and good luck! Cherie
Sarah-- Holy cow!! I had no idea they cost that much! Looks like I'll be holding on to the ones I have a little more dearly! There were SO many of them, lots of pinks and floral fabrics.. I would have bought them all but $6 each... ugh! I doubt I'll go back. They're going to be there all weekend and next weekend. Maybe I'll take a peek next weekend and see what's left, maybe they'll have come down on the price by then? Fingers crossed. Thanks for responding to my question so fast, Sarah! :o)
Cherie-- Thanks for leaving a comment and glad to hear someone appreciates the recipes I share! I've been thinking about those candy corn cookies lately myself! :o)
The wild grapes are just about ready to pick, I'll post how to make the juice concentrate, but here's the basic idea: Boil washed grapes with some water to keep from sticking to the pan, let simmer for about 15 minutes. While still warm, poor mixture though a seive and press to extract juice. Discard pulp. Let it sit over night so the sediment can settle to the bottom and ladle juice carefully from the top. (some people don't like the sediment, I usally skip and leave it in, doesn't bother me) For your sample batch, (take notes!) take about a cup of juice in a separate bowl and add 3 cups of water, then add enough sugar to make it taste just the way you like it. Remember the measurement of sugar.. 1 cup? 2 cup? That's how you know how much sugar to add to the remaining concentrate. If you have 4 cups of juice concentrate, then add 4 times the amount of sugar you just did in your sample batch. Stir until dissolved and pour into freezer-safe jars or containers. When it's time to make juice, just pour into a pitcher, and use the container to add 3 times the container of water. Done!
Hope that was clear.. I'll make a post on it soon. Hopefully I can post pictured by then, too! :o)
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