Wordless Wednesday--Camel Ride

Almost Summer

A kid in the pool, a thriller novel in my bag and salt and vinegar chips on the picnic table- summer is taking over. We're trying to finish school work this week and I'm not sure who's more ready to be done, me or the children.

The repairs on the house are on hold while we wait for an official estimate. The delay is frustrating because it's so hard to make plans. If we can get our school year complete, that will be at least one thing off my plate.

We finally got some tomato plants in the garden and the flower beds are looking better. I'm also on the hunt for a good place to turn loose some mint. Mint is notorious for being invasive, but I think this family could handle an acre or two of it. After recently delivering an order which included mint ice cream, mint ice cream cones and mint bars, our Schwan man said, "I think this family has a mint deficiency." He may be on to something.

Dehydrating Strawberries

I have new kitchen toy-a dehydrator!  I've wanted one for years, specifically to dehydrate strawberries, although I can envision loads of ways to use it-garden vegetables, herbs, fruit leathers.

Dehydrating strawberries couldn't be simpler.  Just wash, cut off the tops and slice.  After 4-6 hours in the dehydrator they are ready to cool and store.  I also did some bananas.  They were almost as easy. The only extra step was putting them in a bit of ascorbic acid fruit preservative to keep them from turning too brown.  If the darker color doesn't bother you, you can skip that step.

The finished berries are stored in a canning jar.  If I thought they would last more than a couple of weeks (the children love them!), I would look into sealing them with a vacuum sealer.  

 

We're fast approaching canning season. I'll do my best to keep you up to date on this year's progress.

 

 



Wordless Wednesday-Marrakech

Teaser Tuesday

Dan Brown's Inferno

"Fighting the sedatives in his system, Langdon raised his eyes to the spike-haired assassin, who was still striding down the hall, covering the last few yards toward his open door. As she neared the threshold, she looked toward Langdon and instantly swung her weapon in his direction...aiming at his head."

Dan Brown's new thriller, starring symbology professor Robert Langdon, is my current read.  What's on your nightstand?

It's all about perspective

This is my family room floor.  Yes, that's subfloor.  No, it's not a new decorating trend.  The toilet in the kids' bathroom overfilled, probably for a few hours and damaged the carpet in one bedroom and the wood floors in the hall and family room.  The vinyl in the bathroom had to come up so the floor could be completely dried. We'll also need to replace the cabinet due to water damage at its base.

On the upside, I get to update the bathroom and have my wood floors refinished.  As my sister-in-law says, "Is anybody in the hospital?  Is anybody in jail?  If the answer to both of those questions is 'no', it's not that bad."

It's all about perspective.