Fair Time

I don't know about where YOU are, but here in Missouri it is brutally hot, and has been for a couple of weeks.  Bad news is, there really is no relief in sight.  Regular followers know that I am not a summertime person.  Don't get me wrong, I don't want it to be 10 below zero, but when its above 85 degrees, well, I don't like it.  Fall is my favorite season.  And that's about the only thing that keeps me going during the summer, knowing that fall is truly just around the corner. Pumpkins, crisp days, no humidity, sweaters.  Please fall, HURRY UP!!!!!!!!  I'm melting . . . . . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In Missouri, hot weather also means "Fair Time!"  This past week my kids showed their steers at the Miller County Fair.  Yes it was hot sitting on the bleachers in the sun, but I don't miss one minute of anything my kids are doing . . . even showing steers on the hottest day of the year!  I was so proud!!!

In addition to showing steers, Cole entered the flat bed trailer he built in FFA ag mechanics and HE WAS NAMED GRAND CHAMPION!!!!

It was a great week for our family.  Something we all do together, which I think is so important for families these days.  Keeping the kids involved in our farming operation, and having fun while we do it is our goal and so far it seems to be working!

Now, if we could just get some cooler temperatures!  Have a blessed day! 

We Can

And when I say "we can."  I'm not being encouraging, or inspirational.  I mean literally, WE CAN.  WE CAN GREEN BEANS!!!

Ya pick 'em, ya wash 'em, and wash 'em, and wash'em, and then ya snap 'em, and then ya wash 'em again, and again.  Ya put 'em in the quart jars, ya put 'em in the canner.  And then ya pressure cook the heck out of them for 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.  And out come THE MOST DELICIOUS GREEN BEANS YOU HAVE EVER EATEN.

We've canned 25 quarts so far.  At least 75 more quarts to go.  But some of them we will do in the fall.  When it is a little bit COOLER!!  It is HOT in Missouri in July!

In case you are wondering, yes, this is a lot of work.  It is miserable picking beans when it is 100 degrees.  You're sweaty, you're itchy, you're miserable.  But, when you sit down to delicious home canned green beans cooked with bacon and onion.  Yum, yum, yum.  Worth every minute! 

No More Drip, Drip, Drip

Our kitchen faucet has been dripping for quite a while.  Think months of dripping.  At first it was no big deal.  I just had to move the handle a little bit and it would stop dripping.  We live out in the country, water is free, so fixing a drip really wasn't a priority.  Over the last couple of months, the dripping has been getting worse, and it is harder and harder to move the handle to find a spot where it won't drip.  But still, I've got bigger fish to fry than a dripping faucet, so I ignored it, and just kept moving the handle to find a spot where it doesn't drip.

Here is the old, dripping faucet.  

Looks harmless enough doesn't it???  Well, there's more.


This week I got home from work and opened up the cabinets under the sink to get something, and there was water everywhere.  My dripping faucet that hadn't been a big deal, suddenly became a HUGE DEAL.  The drip, drip didn't bother me.  Water under the sink, now THAT got my attention.

So, I did what anyone would do.  I, got a brand new faucet.  

Check out that bad boy.  The sprayer is a pull-down style.  I've never had one of those before, so I'll have to let you know what I think.  It is an AquaSource brand, got it at Lowe's for $98. And the best thing of all . . . no more drip drip drip.  No more water under the sink.  Life is good.

Oh, and stay tuned for some "canning" pictures over the weekend.  Our garden is coming right along, and tonight, we can green beans!

$4.05 A Gallon And I Don't Mean Gas!!!!!

Yesterday, I went to the grocery store and bought this:

 

When I got to the checkout, I saw this:

$4.05.

Can somebody please tell me when the price of milk jumped so high?  I mean, I know the price of EVERYTHING seems to be skyrocketing these days.  But come on?  $4.05 for a gallon of milk????