Moody Monday: Prepping For This Winter From Apples To Making Butter

tlpoague

Isn't it odd how fast time seems to get by you? In an instant weeks have passed before you paused to realize how long it was since you last called a loved one, enjoyed a quiet moment, or in my case, wrote a post. This is how my fall went...with sneeze, suddenly, here was winter knocking on my door.
For as long as I can remember, my life wasn't measured much by calendars or clocks, but by seasons. There was a fishing season, hunting season, and a couple harvest seasons. There was a time dedicated to when you would go out and load up on wood or coal. Many of these memories were wrapped around family gathers to help with the work load.
This year, my hubby and I decided we would try our hand at canning, drying, and making a bit of butter. Of course it had been decades since some of us had done anything like this. There was nothing more interesting than dusting off the cobwebs of the brain and getting back into the swing of things.
Many a phone call was made to my mother, as she endured her cancer treatments, to reassure myself that we doing things properly. (Sorry Grams, I know a few of them apples and pears weren't pealed paper thin.) With each pass of the knife I could hear a small voice in my head chastising me if I tried to hurry. I could only imagine the chaos I would have endured had my great-grandmother witnessed my quick tips for making apple sauce and jams.
Between my dad's gift of pears, and my sister's gift of apples, I had plenty to keep the hubby and I busy for weeks. We began with the traditional task of hand peeling them until we realized that we owned an apple peeler/corer. This make the task so much simpler and quicker. Soon ideas began to develop. How could we speed up the mashing process?
It didn't take long till we had a rhythm going. Mr. P. would peel and core the apples while I ran them through a shredding process. Then it was off to the stove to be cooked into sauces or jams.

Photo by tlpoague
A small sample of our sauces and jams.

Suddenly we were hit with the canning bug. Soon I found myself peeling potatoes to can. Along with making soups, chili, and salsa to add to our collection.
Of course, horrified at the idea of the pressure caner popping its lid, I got it in my head to multi-task by making caramels and bread. Mr. P. decided to add butter to the list.
I didn't realize how simple it would be to make butter. The process was amazingly easy.
Step one: Gather some real cream.
Step two: Add half the cream to a butter churn.

Photo by tlpoague
Here is Mr. P. prepping the churn for me.

 (Now it is time to crank it till your arm falls off.) If you would like a quicker version...

Photo by tlpoague
Mr. P. thought this would be quicker.

You could try the drill method, but it didn't take long for the batteries to wear out.
Instead, the fastest and cleanest version was to mix it in a food processor.
Step three: Drain the solid from the liquid. (The solid is your butter and the liquid is the buttermilk.)

Photo by tlpoague

Step four: Knead in a little salt and place in a butter dish. Then refrigerate or freeze. (You can add a little sugar if you would like for a sweeter butter.)

Photo by tlpoague
Here is a small sample of the jam, bread, and homemade butter, we made while waiting on our canning.

Photo by tlpoague
Our grandson wanted to join in the baking fun.

Photo by tlpoague
Bit by the canning bug!

Naturally since I didn't think I had enough to do, I found myself crocheting and sewing in between projects.

Photo by tlpoague

Photo by tlpoague

I have to say, it has been a busy fall. Next week I will share with you the process of making your own snack sticks. Thanks for joining me for Moody Monday. Hope to see ya again soon.

Moody Mondays: Are You So Busy You Can Make Crazy Look Good?

tlpoague

Are you one of those people that have such a busy schedule you don't know if you are coming or going? You know, the kind that takes a disorganized, chaotic schedule and breaks it down to run smooth as silk?

Not me! But I have figured out a way to make going crazy look good.

My children use to ask me, “Where ya going?”

My answer, “Crazy, wanna come?”

At first this was met with a "yes" before they realized what I was talking about. Then over time it was met with their own comical responses. This trick became so popular in my family that everyone has used it at least once.

So, I had to change it up a bit.

“I'm so busy I make crazy look good.”

I can hear it now...how does one make crazy look good? Crazy is just crazy.

Don't laugh...I know to some they may mock the idea...but I call it the power of prayer, handful of scripture, and a load of faith. In my day to day life, I have noticed that if any one of these things are missing, my schedule begins to have a meltdown. It took me awhile to analyzed this.

My children and grandchildren
photo by tlpoague

On days that I don't have much to worry about, except for a bit of writing, it was easy to stick to my early morning ritual. But on days when my schedule is more demanding, or family drops by, and I don't follow my morning ritual, it is a guarantee that at some point during that day I will become too busy to spend a few moments with God. Most of the time I didn't realize it until I went to bed.

I have a friend that enjoys stenciling sayings onto wooden plaques. She has a few that are her favorite but I have two that sick in my mind when I think of her.

photo by tlpoague

“What if today you woke up with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”

“Sometimes God calms the storm, sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his children.”

I don't know the author of these sayings but I am grateful the I came across them. Because before now, I hadn't given it much thought about how thankful I was or how I handled life's storms unless asked. Could you imagine what life would be like if God said, “Sorry, I'm too busy today to answer your prayer or give you a hand.”?

I know I would be having a meltdown.

In those moments when I feel a meltdown beginning, I think of two of my favorite scriptures:

“I can do all thing through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 

This is a plaque that
can be found in
Hobby Lobby.
photo by tlpoague

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

I never have a dull moment in my life with working out a writing schedule, day to day tasks, and being around my children and family. That is why in those unexpected quiet moments, I try to slip away and thank God for my many blessings and talents. And...for helping me to overcome my little box of craziness.