Today was the third day of spring break. My children have both left the house. My oldest to my sister's house. My yougest to help the neighbor. I put the chicks in the tractor. Bandit the outside dog needed to bark and run around the tractor for what seemed like for ever. While I was waiting for her to calm down I braided the twine that comes on hay bales. I buy three string usualy from the feed store in Maricopa. They get it from a local farmer. Hay prices have risen since we started this homestead ($7 to $16). My youngest says my animals are spoiled. I would have to agree. Well feed animals are happy animals. Anyway back to today. I took the eggs in the house checked the clock. I was only outside for an hour. That includes thiry minutes of feeding time.
I start my work week today. Wednesdays are usually soup days for that purpose. I love my crockpot I have three. One small, One large, And one strictly for soap. I haven't made soap yet because the does dried up before I was comfortable with the process, lye is scarry. So I cut up potatoes, cut up left over ham, cut up an onion. I add an onion to most of my cooking. Throw everything in the small crockpot. Add one can of evaporative milk, two cans of water, pepper and lemon pepper. Turn it on high, so I can take some with me to go to work at 2:00. Then I turn it on low. It will cook until my husband comes home.
Then I realized I have a bunch of time until I need to get ready for work. I have been thinking of making sacks with the feed bags. I hate plastic grocery sacks. The eggs that I sell never want to stay upright in them. It is difficult with the duck eggs. They are so large that they do not fit in an egg carton. You have to leave them open a bit. This really worries me. What if they tumble out they will make a yucky mess. I have lots of feed bags saved. Last year I sewed them togetherr to create shade for the chickens. So I just stock pile them. Well today was the day. I created a feed bag sack. The first of anything takes a little longer to figure out. It only took an hour or so. I think it will work nicely to transport eggs.
Then I cleaned up. I have curious teenagers. If I leave my sewing machine out they will try to use it, mess with the knobs. You know. So everytime I work on a project I must pack it back into my box. I received a sewing machine from my mother in law when I was first married. It came with a nice hard case. I left it out on occasion. Eventually the boys "fixed" it so well I couldn't get it to work. They acctually "helped" me with two sewing machines. I have learned my lesson. I bought a cheap machine at Walmart. It has worked for four years now. As long as I put it away. This does bother me at times. It is my house, my stuff. They should leave it alone. Yah right.
Off to work I go
I am amazed at all you do! Will U b selling your "sacks"? I also think grocery bags are not worth the plastic they are made from! Heck I got stuff at a pretty good store the other day and got half way out the door and the bag ripped right down the side. Now if this would have been groceries I would have been in a world of hurt, as it was it was just hard goods. I have almost gone back to paper at the grocery, when I don't bring my own bags. With that though, I read you have to be careful for bacteria buildup and should wash them often.
ReplyDeleteI was veryinterested in your little collection of crock-pots. I 2 am a crock-pot lover. Especially when I worked out-side of the home. Being retired now I don't use them as much, but find there are some things for which they can't be beat. I also love love love to make soup! Not s.o.a.p (tee-hee) like you, just plainn old s.o.u.p! I do think I shall try your recipe with the milk though, it sounds wonderful. Oh yes,I wanted to say how much I love your pictures. They make your stories so personal. See U tomorrow
I probably won't sell the bags. They make life much easier. I will make two for each customer. One for transport, then one for return. They wipe sclean with a wet wash cloth.
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