Today's Doings 😊

Why, yes, I think I will have a good breakfast to start my day.

Today I just took it easy because I was so tired from yesterday. My feet and legs hurt so bad last night from processing baked beans all day. I've still got more to do but I'm out of bbq sauce and would rather use it than ketchup. But dear hubby can't get any delivered and doesn't want me to get out unless I have to, I will just pause and find something else to do.

I put my plants out today to help harden them off. I will plant the peppers tomorrow and possibly plant a few rows of corn. We will see how tomorrow goes and how I feel.

A country girl can survive. Home grown and canned green beans, home canned potatoes, home canned pinto beans, corn bread and yes, fried Spam.

This is another way we save money. We will buy something in bulk and repackage it into meals and vacuum seal.

Well, I think I'm done for the night. I'm going to prop my feet up and get caught up on episodes of When Calls The Heart. 

Days Around Here

Days around here look something like this. On the days Jossie has class work to do with her teachers on line, I keep the girls busy. They do school too. We are working on letters, numbers, shapes and colors. We draw and create things. 

Then there is Science class. Bugs, birds, blooms and of course, a little water. 

Then we have some free time and watch a movie and eat popcorn. 

I love naptime cause I get all the snuggles I want.

Lesson for the high schoolers is putting up tposts and cattle panels in garden to get ready to put tomato and pepper plants. We are installing a solar electric fence this year because I can not loose  my garden to deer and racoons this year.

When your mother in law aka: Nanny tells your son if he gets him a rabbit or squirrel, that she will make him dumplings, this is the result. They were yummy rabbit dumplings. That is one less rabbit that want be eating my broccoli and cauliflower.

I love this little visitor when I'm sitting at my bedroom window reading my devotions in the mornings.

All these years of teaching your kids how to cook has paid off. Dallas made us some salmon one night for supper.

I did a thing and I'll do it again. I knew there was something you could do with pineapple cores and the peelings. People in Jamacia boil them down and strain the juice and add tumeric and ginger and a sweetner. Yummy cold or warm.

One morning I made a whole batch of pancakes and froze the rest to have breakfast on hand.

Today was a busy day. 8 hours later and I have 21 quarts of beautiful baked beans. My feet and legs are killing me so I am not doing any thing the rest of the  night except watch some tv.

I hope everyone is doing well. We are almost to the end of our peak time for shelter at home order. Our governor will be slowly opening things back up at the end of the month. Not that I'm gonna flock to town anyway. Cause I don't really like going unless I have to or there is just something I really want to do. 

Canning Dried Beans

On our Canning and Preserving Page, I have a picture tutorial of the way I have always canned dried beans like Pinto Beans. However, sometimes I just can't get them to turn out right all the time. Sometimes the jars evaporate some of the liquid out during processing leaving the top part of the beans in the jar either dry or scorched, or sometimes they get too mooshy. When I open a jar, I always just add a little more water and cook on the stove a little. Now, I have searched and searched for a better and easier way to can them, and let me say, I love this method better. Disclaimer: This is not USDA recommended. I am just a rebel and wanted to expierment. So I will leave this tutorial here in this post and I will add it to our Canning Page so any time you want, you can book mark the link. 

No Soak Method:

Step 1 and Step 2: Wash beans and pick out any debris, rocks, or bad beans. 

Step 3: I get a little vinegar and paper towel ready for wiping jar rims.

Step 4: Wash, dry and sanitize jars and keep warm in a warm oven. 

Step 5: I warm up some water in a big aluminum pot on the stove, and in another pot I will boil my lids and rings. 

Step 6: I prepare my canner with water in the bottom and rack. Check your manufactures directions for how much water to put in your canner. 

Step 7: I get a work station set up with my boiled water, pot with hot lids and rings, jars, bowl of vinegar and a paper towel, wooden spoon and my funnel. 

Step 8: I put one cup of dried beans into each jar. 

Step 9: I pour the hot water from the aluminum pot into each jar about 1" head space from the top. 

Step 10: I take a wooden spoon and stir really good to loosen any debris or bad beans, and get out air bubbles. 

Step 11 and 12: Bad beans and debris floats so you will want to remove them.

Step 13: I will wipe each rim of jar off with the vinegar I have in my little bowl with the napkin. (not pictured, sorry.) Then I will place hot lids and rings onto jars and just screw them on finger tight. Don't torque them too  tight or use alot of elbow grease. 

Step 14: Place jars in canner and put lid securely on the canner. 

Step 15: I process at 10 lbs pressure for 90 minutes.Be sure to check you manual too for lbs pressure for your altitude.  In this photo, my pressure got a little high, so I had to back down my heat some. You have to find your stoves sweet spot some times when canning. 😄😄😄

Step 16: After they have processed, I move the canner off stove to cool and let pressure come down so I can safetly take off lid and take out jars to cool. And you know they are sealed when you hear those "pings". You need to check the lids to make sure they have all sealed too. You can thump the top and if one is not sealed, you will be able to hear the difference. It will sound more hollow. 

To me they look so much better than the way I was doing them. 

They do look different than the other way of processing. I personally love it better. When it is time to have a jar for a meal, I just open the jar and empty into a pot on the stove and cook for a few more minutes. Wholah!!!!

Homeschool Lessons

Preschool Homeschool today. Agriculture,  Art, Letters,  Numbers, Shapes and Colors. And lots of Reading.
Mommy had lessons to do and is almost done with in of her classes for the semester.

What Happened After Easter?

Well, it didn't end there, that's for sure.


After Jesus rose from the grave he spent the next 40 days appearing to several people,  followers,  and his disciples. He had to because people were still in shock and disbelief. Even Ole' Doubting Thomas. He had to remind them again of what the scriptures said that all that happened was what was suppose to happen and was still going to happen. He reminded them what they were suppose to do and that was go and spread the gospel.  The next thing that happens is Christ's Ascension.  This is something I'm going to study next. It's called Ascension Thursday and Ascension Sunday which is 40 To 43 days after Easter. Than 10 days after that is the Day of Pentecost when Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. You can read about these accounts in the Last chapter of Luke and the last chapter of John and starting the first chapter in Acts.


Here is a link describing the Ascension and some further study.

https://www.learnreligions.com/ascension-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-542462

Early Sunday morning, several women (Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Salome, and Mary the mother of James) went to the tomb and discovered that the large stone covering the entrance had been rolled away. An angel announced:

"Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen." (Matthew 28:5-6, NLT)

On the day of his resurrection, Jesus Christ made at least five appearances. Mark's Gospel says the first person to see him was Mary Magdalene. Jesus also appeared to Peter, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later that day to all of the disciples except Thomas, while they were gathered in a house for prayer.

The eyewitness accounts in the Gospels provide what Christians believe to be undeniable evidence that the resurrection of Jesus Christ did indeed happen. Two millennia after his death, followers of Christ still flock to Jerusalem to see the empty tomb.

Sunday's events are recorded in Matthew 28:1-13, Mark 16:1-14, Luke 24:1-49, and John 20:1-23.

Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph ore' his foes,

He arose the victor from the dark domain and he lives forever with the saints to reighn....

He arose, He arose, Hallelujah Christ  Arose!

Easter 2020

On this day in Holy Week, it is called Preperation Day. Today a man from Arimethia named Joseph came to Jerusalem to ask Pilate for Jesus body so he could properly take care of the body but Jewish custom. Now the thing is, this man was a member of the Sanhedrin  court,  the very court that plotted Jesus death and his trial. However, Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus and was afraid to come forth in  regards that he would be punished. Another man named Nicodemus came to help with preparing Jesus body. Nicodemus was also a member of the Sanhedrin court. However, he was also converted and Jesus explained to him earlier what being Born Again meant. 

Pilate gave the authority to give these men Jesus body. They brought many spices and oils to wrap Jesus body in. Myrrh is one the spices which has significant meaning as one of the gifts that the Wise Men brought Jesus after he was born. 

After preparing his body, Joseph rolled a stone in front of the entrance to close it. Later, a guard went to Pilate and reminded him what Jesus had said about rising again in three days, so Pilate orders guards to stand at the tomb.

Today we had the graveside service for dear hubby's nephew. I did not take any pics because I was recording the service for some elderly relatives who didn't  get to go. 

I'm so glad dear hubby got to come home for funeral and he got to see his girls hunt Easter eggs this evening.  We chose to do it this evening for one the weather is suppose to get really bad here tomorrow with 100 %   chance of tornadoes and severe weather.  Also, dear hubby has to leave back out to go back to work. We kept it to a minimum of just 7 people.  We were outside so we are fine. 

I wonder when all this is over if we are going to be just as careful, conscious and lenient about germs and hygiene this fall when flu season hits.  

Good Friday

Good Friday is the most difficult day of Passion Week. Christ's journey turned treacherous and acutely painful in these final hours leading to his death.

According to Scripture, Judas Iscariot, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus, was overcome with remorse and hanged himself early Friday morning.

Meanwhile, before the third hour (9 a.m.), Jesus endured the shame of false accusations, condemnation, mockery, beatings, and abandonment. After multiple unlawful trials, he was sentenced to death by crucifixion, one of the most horrible and disgraceful methods of capital punishment known at the time.

Before Christ was led away, soldiers spit on him, tormented and mocked him, and pierced him with a crown of thorns. Then Jesus carried his own cross to Calvary where, again, he was mocked and insulted as Roman soldiers nailed him to the wooden cross.

Jesus spoke seven final statements from the cross. His first words were, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34, NIV). His last words were, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46, NIV)

Then, about the ninth hour (3 p.m.), Jesus breathed his last breath and died.

By 6 p.m. Friday evening, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus' body down from the cross and lay it in a tomb.

Friday's events are recorded in Matthew 27:1-62, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 22:63-23:56, and John 18:28-19:37.

I hope everyone is doing well today.

Today is also National Siblings Day. This is me with my  sisters. 

This is dear hubby with his brothers and sisters. The pic on top is of him and one of his sisters.  She is not pictured in the photo beneath it. Their momma is holding a pic frame of her in the pic. His sister was killed in a car accident back in 2013. He misses her dearly. 

This is our knucklehead boys..😂😂

I have done a little piddling around today getting ready for Easter.

Last night I stuffed 170 eggs for my little buddies to find. 🤗 and fixed up their Easter baskets.

Tonight I came up with these treats for the girls. Not a bad cake for first try. 

These girls love anything with sprinkles on them.

On Facebook,  people are posting their Sr pics of when they were in high school to honor all the Srs this year in high school who may or may not get to have graduation ceremonies. So here is mine and dear hubby's.
David Dixon Mcnairy Central High School Class of 1989
Tracy Miller Dixon Saltillo High School Class of 1989

Dear hubby got to come in just for the weekend to be able to attend his nephews grave side service. We are having to be careful as not to crowd and some will stay in their vehicles and roll down windows. This is all awkward and new to everyone due to Covid. However,  with desperate times comes desperate measures. I will video the memorial and put on a dvd for some of our elderly family members so they can see it later.  Some staying home has been a tough decision they had to make for their health. We will get by.

Stormy Night Cool Sunshiny Day

Last night we had severe weather blow through here.  It woke me up around midnight and lasted til after 2am. Took me a while to go back to sleep after it was over.

This morning I woke up and saw where some parts in our county had power outages and downed trees. So I have no doubt my son was called in in the middle of the night and worked all day restoring power. More time in prayer for me.

It was cool and sunshiny all day so I have had all the windows raised and and getting cool breezes and whiffs of my Lilac bush outside my kitchen window. When I was cooking supper, it kind of wanted to see what I was doing. 

See it sitting on the end of that limb?  I've got to get my humming bird feeders out. I will do it this evening. 

Since I couldn't get in the garden today, it was house cleaning day.  We still have to maintain a good clean home in the midst of everything.

 I ran my candle melts today with some extra essential oils. So with that and the lilacs in bloom outside,  it has smelled pretty awesome in here all day.

Tonight, I was looking in the fridge and saw some left overs again that needed to be used. Left over hamburger meat, rice and pinto beans makes excellent Enchiladas.

I have been craving cinnamon rolls for a while now, so I pulled out my recipe and tweaked it a little. I used a little all purpose flour, with whole wheat and oat flour and I used another glaze using cream cheese, butter, a little powdered sugar,  milk and maple extract. Yummy.

The rest of the night I'm just going to finish my cleaning and put away some laundry. 

I want to leave you with this today:

Today in Holy Week, it's called Maundy Thursday. Today is the day things started taking a somber turn. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead into Jeruselum to prepare the Upper Room for their last meal. Later that evening as they gathered,  Jesus washed the disciples feet. Then they shared the Feast of the Passover aka, the Last Supper. It is then Jesus announces one will betray the Son Of Man. Judas leaves and carries out his awful deed of finding the guards.
After the meal, Jesus and the disciples go to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed and agonized.
After he prayed for a while,  Judas leads the guards to Jesus in the Garden and betrays him with a Kiss.
They arrest Jesus and they hold him at the high priests home where they plan his case.
This is also when the disciples scatter in the wee hrs of the morning  and Peter denies Jesus three times.👑💒✝️

Get Creative With Leftovers

Not much happened here today. I am having to take a day off because I am so sore from the past two days working in the garden. I don't have sense enough to stop when my body says, "Hey girl! You need to stop!" 😂😂
I just mozied on this morning and just managed to put some things away and get a load of laundry folded and put away and another washed and dried and put away.

I have been in slow motion all day.
I've kind of pampered myself today doing my own manicure and pedicures.  No reason why a farm girl can't have both.  Makes me feel better anyway.

At this time or basically anytime., we need to find ways to reuse left overs and get creative. I can't stand to throw food away. I work to hard to cook sometimes.
So.....

Left over biscuits from breakfast? Toast them and add butter,  garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Goes great with spaghetti.
Find creative ways to reuse left overs.

I have left over taco meat, rice, and some pinto beans. Hmmmm.....
Burritos will be another night meal.
See, that wasn't hard.

Now y'all try it.

Supper

Fixed supper in my pressure cooker tonight.  One pan to clean up.
First, saute 1 lb of ground beef
Then pour in two jars of spaghetti sauce and then refill jars twice with water. Pour that in. Next, break spaghetti noodles and fan then around in the pot so they don't clump up. Then press the noodles down so all of them are soaked. Put lid on pressure cooker and make sure vent button is on seal. I hit the rice/risotto button and adjust time to 8 minutes. You can so this same thing in the instant pot. It will just be different settings on your pot but same method. I don't have an instant pot so I'm not sure.
When it is finished cooking , do a quick release. Open lid and use it will look soupy but the longer it sits, it absorbs the sauce and soaks it up but doesn't dry it out. Just stir and let sit for about 10 minutes.  Yummy!