Solomon Homestead
Today's ProjectsHere is what I built today...The first raised bed for the new house. This one is going to get filled soon, so I can do a late summer/fall garden.  My youngest has wanted some of these old-fashioned, fun stilts since he tried some at a farm festival a couple years ago. This was his first attempt to walk with them.  http://www.MrsMamaHen.com Fourth of July Plans & Menu Sunday our Church is holding an evening meeting and then a potluck meal. I'll be brining watermelon, lemon meringue pies and spinach salad. The girls are making cookies & cupcakes. We are also going to bring a pinata & water balloons! It should be a fun evening! Fourth of July is one of our favorite holidays! We sure enjoy celebrating and taking time to remember how blessed we are in this land of the brave and home of the free! I am also thankful for the freedom and perfect law of liberty thru Christ our Lord ! Jesus died so ALL men could be set free! How grateful I am for that! We are no longer under the bondage of the law -- but are free thru the grace and liberty in Christ! Thank you Jesus for your precious blood shed on calvary so all men can be free! Hope you all enjoy a blessed Holiday! Gloria A song stuck in my head & new school booksThere's greenbeans in the garden, Clean clothes on the line, There's little ole' barefoot children playing beneath the grapvine. The sun is shining bright And the creeks a' bubblin' too We've got alot to be thankful for And Lord I want to thank you. Today is another hot one here on the little bitty homestead. I do have my dryer running but it's just to dry the undergarmets. The towels & the rest are out on the clothesline. My husband & son are gone fishing and Abigail is still sleeping. So even though it's a little after 9:00 it is very quiet here. I got my package from Rainbow Resource in the mail yesterday. It feels like a holiday when those crisp, clean schoolbooks arrive....To me anyway. Abigail came running in from outside yesterday evening with the package the UPS just delivered. Here was our conversation: A- "Mama, mama, we got a package & it's got your name on it." M- "Oh great it's from Rainbow Resource." A- "What is that? Is there anything for me in there?" M- "Yes a few things & a couple for your brother." A opens package up and pulls out a couple of books. A-" Are these school books?" M- "Yes aren't they neat. Come look at this one for you all about animals." A- looks at cover & looks back up at me not too happy. A-"Next time can you please order something useful." M- Hope everyone has a good 4th of July. Thankful ThursdayIt is a very hot one indeed outside. I an thankful for the gentle breeze . I woke early to get some chores done. The heat is great drying cloths on the line . Which I very thankful for. I am thankful that I can afford to have AC on in my home to keep cool . I couldn't afford to run the dryer even if I wanted to . So for me the choice is simply "Solar Dryer " . And it does a great job !!! Very Frugal !!!
I have been canning tomatoes and salsa small batches at a time . This is much easier on me . I used to wait and do large batches of tomatoes . But this got to be way to much to do in one day . Plus ,trying to keep up with other household chores . I dried some bell peppers and froze some . I have been cooking with them everyday . They are very crispy and crunchy this year !! Great for dipping in Ranch !!!! I almost have enough okra to fry some(I hardly fry anything ) . This is the first batch , just coming in . I plan to freeze the rest for gumbo in the winter . Here is a Tip from the Tiptionary : Crystal Light , make your own product with these ingredients . 1 cup lemon or lime juice ,5 cups cold water ,5 packets of sweeterner (any brand or type you like ).Mix in a pitcher ,serve over ice ,and enjoy !!!! Cooler : Keep a cooler in the trunk of your car .You can stop for groceries with out having to to straight home. This is also a great idea during the summer months for keeping bottles of water and snacks on hand while running errands . You will save lots of money from the convenience of your own cooler . And skip the high prices at the Convenience Stores . Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July !!!! Shaune A Morning WalkMorning WalkAmidst the dew of early dawn, I took a morning walk. And along with me, I took a Friend, For I felt a need to talk. I unburdened both my heart and soul, And spoke many things: Of plans gone wrong, of failure's pain, And how to live with shattered dreams. My Friend just listened quietly, And uttered not a word. For it was His time to listen, And my time to be heard. His sympathetic ear brought peace, As we walked this earthly sod. And I learned to trust life again, On my morning walk with God. Poet, Barbara Cagle Ray I think I'll take a long morning walk.......Kitty A Beautiful EveningI know, I have posted several times today. I promise this is the last one! :-)Once again, God shows how He can paint the most beautiful paintings in the sky. Every changing, forming, and no one can beat the expanse of His canvas. I did not alter the color of these photos at all. Enjoy...              http://www.MrsMamaHen.com In the BackyardHere we are outside in the backyard again. I thought I'd take a couple pics of some sneaky visitors, and some other little pretties.These two thought they could hide from me when I came outside. They had been enjoying the birdfeeder, but ducked into the cover...  Then I glanced over and got a glimpse of some yellow. This guy was taking a drink of the water on the ground from the sprinkler.  Basil flowers are so delicate.  Pepper blossoms  And the first red thing from the garden...  http://www.MrsMamaHen.com Family, Friends and Food for the Fourth (nd an update too)Well I just got notification that my side of the family is having a big BBQ at my brother's house on the evening of the Fourth. I am thrilled since hubby's family is all busy and doing their own thing. His mother and father will be at their church's 3 day meeting, his oldest sister is in Washington and unable to come home but will be home in a few weeks for Grandma's 90th bday, and his youngest sister and her hubby and daughter are in California at Disney! Of course I asked what I could bring and my SIL told me maybe a salad or a dessert. So I plan on taking both. LOL Not sure what kind of salad to take, and I have a simple dessert recipe I will make (it is red white and blue). Hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill sound so good right now. And I know several of the other dishes will be potato salad and baked beans, etc. One gal there doesn't cook, so she usually brings the pop, or ice and sometimes a large tub of icecream depending on what we are all having. We aren't shooting off any fireworks there though. One of the twins is scared of fireworks, 2 of the other kids are with their dad for the weekend and won't be there either. So it is the one if the twin who likes fireworks, and Noah, who is only 3 but loved them last year, so I unless he decides to change his mind, LOL, I think he will be ok with them again this year. After the BBQ, several of us will drive back to town and watch the citywide fireworks display at the lake. We won't buy much this year....maybe some snappers, some smoke bombs, and some other smaller items for Noah. I just can't see spending alot of money on big bangs this year when we have so many things we could spend the money instead. Matthew got called today for a small electrical job. The guy wants an electrical hookup for a camper put in behid his barn by this weekend. So Matthew is running a little late tonight getting that done. He was hoping it was a 10 minute job, but knows things happen and it might take longer. Oh well, we need the money to take care of part 2 of fixing my car's air conditioning. (Part one was putting in a new fan, which he did last night. Part 2 is??? LOL I have no idea. I know the fan works now but no cold air. Maybe it needs freon?? Who knows. That is hubby's job) I have discussed having a yard/garage sale and then canceled it thinking I would just have an auction (a HS friend has an auction business and is going to hold a consignment auction), but now I am thinking I should just open up a Ebay shop, and possibly put some stuff on Etsy as well.I think in the long run I will end up getting more money for the items. I will just advertise that I go to the post office once or twice a week, etc. so I don't have to go every single day. That would be crazy. On days I have many packages, I will ask a girlfriend to watch Noah, or drop him off for an hour at grandma's shop. Speaking of grandma's shop.....she has offered me one of her large display windows to put items in if wanted. I told her I would speak to Matthew, pray about it and get back to her. I know I won't make alot of money from it, because her shop is kind of out of the way, and not many people walk around there either. However, the customers that come into her shop for Speech (She is a Speech Pathologist) might see something and buy it, or order one in a different color, tell their friends, etc. I was thinking of putting some vintage items in the window, and making up some aprons and shaggy blankets to display and sell there. I am getting excited about the opportunity to make some money to help with household items and Christmas, etc. When I get the shops up and running, I will post the addresses here for all of you!!! Matthew (who is the king of putting things off, starting projects and then not finishing them, etc.) has turned a new leaf. I am not sure what happened, but I am not about to ask and screw this up. LOL Projects like Noah's bedroom upstairs that have sat for over 3 years without being finished are now being worked on! He comes home from work and instead of colasping in his chair with the laptop, he asks if there is anything I need him to do! Mostly it is small stuff like, take out the trash, take this box upstairs, etc. But recently he has fixed part of the air conditioning on the car, fixed the leaky roof, replaces a filter on the furnace/air conditioner, and my favorite, bought and hung a ceiling fan in Noah's new bedroom!!! The later was all his idea and he was so pleased to be able to buy the fan with his extra money coming in from electrical jobs. :) Makes me smile to see this part of Matthew blossoming. Noah has been talking up a storm!!! I can't believe in the last couple of months since his birthday screening in April, how much he has developed. He is definately not the same little boy. He is doing better every day. Last night I told Matthew that he had been talking up a storm all day long and learning new words every day. Later on Matthew said, how do you turn HIM off?? LOL We both had a great laugh over that one. The little boy that wouldn't talk earlier except for mom, dad, cookie, candy, etc. little words, is now talking 4 word sentences, answering questions with words instead of sign language, and asking for items instead of pointing and grunting. God is so good to us. I love this little guy. And yes, there are times you want to turn him off still. LOL But most of the time, I love hearing him talk (now not only in English but a little Spanish and Chinese due to a few tv shows he watches) Well, that's all for now. I should go. Pickles, pickles, picklesI started early this morning due to the heat. I got 16 pints of dill pickles canned & made a double batch of the refrigerator pickles & put those in the fridge. We are watching my niece (the 2 year old one) today. She was apprehensive about our swimming pool the last time she stayed. However today I put on my suit and got in with her. She LOVED it. I'm watching her again on Friday & then next week too so I'm going to get some floaties and things to play on. Our dog Carly (Should have been named "Dog that chews everything to bits") Has squeezed on the pool deck and popped every float we have. Well, I have a little while until she wakes up from her nap so I think I'm going to get a couple things done. ~Take care
Home-Made Compost TumblerAre you like me? Do you get a horrible case of the guilt trips every time you throw away a whole pile of food scraps?For some time I have wanted to build a compost bin. I have heard about these very easy compost tumblers that are supposed to be great. Now, if you go looking, they can be REALLY expensive. But THIS ONE sure looks neat huh? Looks like a giant hamster ball! So here is my new compost tumbler, based upon a craigslist free tip to "save your money, make your own compost!" There is a very helpful person that likes to post tips on our local craigslist, in the farm & garden section. He (or she) is full of good, frugal advise! In any case, here is something similar: Make a Compost Tumbler But the basics are, get a pickle barrel. Drill a bunch of holes using a 1/2 inch drill bit.    And you're done! You can build a stand if you want, add a crank, and all that....but why not just have the kids roll it across the yard once in a while? Total cost: Commercial compost tumbler: $130+ Home made compost tumbler: $12.00 for a pickle barrel from the local farm supply/feed store. Here's another simple way of doing a compost bin. Oh, and I can't forget my obligatory "garden pic" :-)  http://www.MrsMamaHen.com { Last Page } { Page 1 of 5 } { Next Page } |
I have been planning our weekend. Tomorrow we will enjoy a quiet day at home.. just family ( all 12 of us!). We always enjoy a special meal on America's B-day.. so this year I will be making grilled steaks ( a rare treat) , baked potatoes, homemade baked beans, watermelon & homemade apple pie! It's not the fourth w/ out homemade apple pie! 
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