Wildcrafting Wednesday – Dandelion Jelly

This was a post from a few years ago.  It was the first time we made dandelion jelly.  I thought I’d repost it today and link up to the Wildcrafting Wednesday hop over here.

After leaving the animal park (see field trip post below), we went to the teacher’s house for a picnic lunch. My eyes were all over the field of dandelions! I went to town, so to speak, and picked and picked. Here’s a tip-never put a lid on dandelions for a couple hours in your hot car! Unfortunately they were all closed up when we got home and I had to send the girls into the neighbors fields to pick more.

Once picked the fun part began! I cleaned a pair of scissors (no, we don’t have kitchen scissors but I’m thinking we probably should!) and started cutting the yellow petals (ours had a little hint of purple on a few of the petals) from the rest of the flowers. I needed enough to make two cups of petals. Here’s another tip-the bigger, more open the flowers the better.

After getting my two cups I had to infuse them with boiling water. The recipe said 30 minutes to 24 hours. We let our sit overnight as it was already around 7 when I started mine.

This morning I strained the infusion and tossed the petals into the compost bucket I keep in the house. I read somewhere that you can keep the petals in the jelly but my kids don’t like chunky jelly. It would be pretty though. I finished up as the recipe stated and wahlah (sp?) we have dandelion jelly! I did not use the food coloring and mine came out the color of honey. Why use it if its not needed.

Mae ate it on her toast before it actually cooled. I did too. I would have to agree with other comments that I’ve read, it does taste sweet like jelly. We’re thinking of making a bunch to can for winter and have as our jelly supply. We eat a lot of pb&j. The only thing I’d like to change in the recipe is the amount of sugar, it uses quite a lot. Here’s the recipe I used.

An upside down week

Last week was just hard to explain. I think the best way to describe it would be as upside down or just plain out of whack! I had a really big decision to make at the beginning of the week. Well, it had already been made I just had to let people know. I prayed about this for months and months and it took me half the week just to be able to share it. It was a hard thing for me, I didn’t take it lightly but I felt this was where the Lord was leading me. Needless to say it was not received well by all. I should be used to this by now because I’m never received well by all (or even most). I wasn’t prepared though and ended up with very hurt feelings. I thought I went about it in the best way possible because it gave people a time to digest/absorb rather than being put on the spot. I will double think these things next time. Although apologies have been made on both sides it still stings. I can forgive but words are hard to forget. Throughout the week though I did feel a peace about the situation. I think when you follow God, whether others like it or not (or even the way you went about telling them), you will feel at peace about it all and I did. I really did.

Then, the following day came an incident about a portrait. It wasn’t a big deal but I was already on edge. It was worked out. I think mostly because we were both ok with being perfectly honest. And really neither of us were at fault or there really isn’t any blame to be placed. But can I just say here that if you don’t like the photograph you send to an artist to draw of someone I can guarantee that you will not like the drawing? This was the situation. This has been the past two situations with portraits I’ve drawn. The truth is that neither person really noticed the things they didn’t like in the photo until they saw the portrait. Bangs. A funny smile. You really should examine that photograph because the artist most certainly will. We have to, it’s the only way to get the drawing right. If we don’t notice these things the portrait won’t look like the person in the photo. It’s also easier to draw from a person in the flesh than a photo but it can be done well we just need a good foundation to start with. Most portraits I’ve drawn are from nothing close to great photos. That really makes it hard but I do my best with what I’m given.

Last, but not least, today we took a little trip to an amusement park. It was fun. We all enjoyed it but I literally was upside down when my cell phone fell out of my purse and ended up under the ship that was holding us hostage in said upside down position. Not one of us even realized this thing did that! We thought it was like all the other ship rides at parks where you are brought up really high to one side and then the other, rocking back and forth and then coming to a stop. Never had any of us been turned upside down on a pirate ship ride before!! I had my smallest child on one side of me screaming to please let her off the ride and my husband on the other side holding on for dear life and me feeling as if the child was too small and would fall right out of the seat. And my poor husband! He hates any ride that goes in a circle or fast or upside down or whips. . . Basically the only ride he likes is the carousel. Seriously, that’s the only ride he is usually ok with! In the end though we all walked away unscathed and strangely fast when walking past that ship for the rest of the day. It was only a Tracfone so it’s not the end of the world, right?

All this to say that no matter what’s going on. No matter where we are in life. There is always something to praise God about. An upset friend put me in more prayer this week as every time the situation came to mind I prayed for peace. A portrait that didn’t sit well gave me the opportunity to be honest and for others to be honest with no one having hard feelings. A phone decimated under an amusement park pirate ship gave me the opportunity to show my kids how to handle things calmly after a week of stress in the house.

# 386 – 397

for quiet moments stolen away from the world to help me catch my breath

the peace that truly does pass all understanding

forgiving

radio turned off and chatting it up in the car on long car trips

a good deal

friends that check up

calmness when things feel out of control (or maybe out of my control)

mix it up Icees – I honestly hate the things they taste too sweet for me but the rest of my family loves them and LOVED being able to mix flavors they never see together

stomach dropping roller coaster rides with girls who giggle and hold on for dear life

being absorbed in whatever it is at the moment – family, photography, a good movie with the girls, art. . .

17 years of marriage – it has been a great journey so far and I’m thankful for such a great husband. who else could put up with me and all my craziness? this man has been so calm and loving with me all these years, I don’t even know how he does it but I am so very thankful he does

love – just love

Blessings

This past week has been full of blessings. Not that other weeks are not but I guess it just felt like one of those really blessed weeks, ya know? A friend and her daughter came for a visit. Now that doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary except that we are the best of friends and haven’t seen each other for over 8 years!!! That’s a long time to “visit” on the phone weekly! We had the opportunity to hang out downtown, take in a movie, play some games, start a few hikes (don’t ask), shop a bit, make some crafts and laugh together. It was nice for us each to get to know the other’s girls a little better. Of course, we know the kids through what we tell each other but nothing beats meeting them in person and enjoying their company. I must admit that I’m a little disappointed in the lack of photos since none of our girls were really into it and everything went so fast that we didn’t have much time to plan a photo shoot. All in all it was a fast but great week!

We also have finished everything that needed to be finished around here and as of today our house is officially on the market! I’m excited, nervous and relieved all at once. My hope is that it would sell quick but I know that it’s not my plan that determines things in life so I’ll try my hardest to be patient. Patience is a virtue (so I hear).

I ended up with another art class. I wasn’t sure as of the end of last week but found out the day before that I had a preschool art class. Preschoolers are great They’re so hard to judge. You never know if they’ll take an hour on a project or 5 minutes, whether they’ll love it or dismiss it. I love the honesty that comes from small children and the excitement they have for life an new things!

And last but not least J got hire for a job yesterday. He starts next week. We are very thankful for him to find something so quick. It is currently a temp job but he was told that after a few months they typically hire people on full time. Ultimately, it’s whatever God has in store so we’ll just wait and see where we’re led from here.

# 355 – 367

visits with old friends – in person

watching happy girls laugh together

getting things crossed off the to-do list

nice weather

hugging friends for the first time in years

enjoying a little nature together

art projects to hold memories of special times with friends

making new friends – this always seems to happen right before we move, we seem to make several friends quickly before a move. I have no idea why this is but it’s a pattern I’ve seen over the years.

a friend giving birth to a healthy 8lb 12oz baby girl just this morning

pain I feel for someone who is sick- I know this may seem like a strange praise but I’m thankful we’re in touch because we weren’t on speaking terms for years. I’m not thankful she’s in pain. My heart aches and cries out to the Lord for her – for her health to improve, for her to come to know the Lord, for her to survive this terrible disease!! But I’m thankful I can cry out to God for her. For anyone. That God gives us that one on one with Him to be honest and talk.

being able to give to someone in need

having groups that I can be honest on without feeling that I will be judged – there aren’t that many groups I’m in that I feel this.

girls eating chicken for breakfast – another strange praise but I see myself in this as I’ve never liked breakfast foods for breakfast

A little ramble and then back to our original programming

It’s been so long since I used this blog as I originally intended, as my online journal-type journey. I miss writing here and I miss the free feeling of having my own space to just write. I know, there some people see blogs as worthless ramblings of people that really don’t need to be heard but I really am not writing to be heard. I’m just writing to write. I enjoy it and it’s my own personal space here in cyber world to do with as I choose. It’s ok for some to view blogs as worthless. They don’t have to read them.

When I started this blog it was actually to help family to keep updated on what we were doing. We live about 10 hours drive away from our nearest kinsfolk so it made sense. Some of them are subscribed or get on once in a while to read up and some of them probably don’t remember the url. Either way is fine with me.

I really want this to be a fun place that my kids can read through later in life and remember this or that. I want to get back to the quirky, fun writing that I did in the beginning. With that being said that is my goal for this site this year – to get back to life and all the weird, crazy, fun, minute things that happen day to day in our lives. The interesting and uninteresting. And the just plain strange! So there it is folks, if you stop by regularly or you’re subscribed this is the content you’ll be reading this year on this blog.

When Life Takes You in a Different Direction

Life seemed to be going great. A few snags here and there but that’s always to be expected. J was laid off every other week through December and January but the company had been bought by a much bigger company so we thought things would look up. Until Monday that is. The girls and I pulled into the driveway Monday afternoon wondering why J was home so early. He greeted us at the door, which he tends to do when he’s home. Then he called us all to the kitchen, sat us dow and started reading. It was a hard letter to listen to as his voice choked through it. The gist of it was this – the company is closing the plant in our state and as of the end of March J will no longer have a job. But he could have the rest of the day off with pay and come back tomorrow to “work as usual”. Hard to do for these guys. J has only been there about 4 years but some of these guys have been there over 20!! My heart breaks for them all.

Where we’ve gotten to in the past few days is anticipation of the worst and praying for the best. Last night we decided to get the house ready and put it on the market as soon as possible, regardless of whether we stay in the area or not. We love the house, the greenhouse, land, etc. but it has been a financial burden for some time and the wisest thing would be letting it go and clearing our debts. It saddens me a bit but in the end I know it’s the wisest decision.

I dont’ know what God has planned for our family but He does and that’s what counts. I’m going to trust Him on this. He has never let us down before. God never promised us an easy path but He did promise that He’d walk with us through everything. Prayers for our family would be so appreciated as we transition into a new season.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

First Post of the New Year

This is my first post since we rang in the new year. I have a few goals in mind for the blog this year but I’ll keep them to myself. For some reason when I tell my goals, I have a harder time accomplishing them! Somehow it feels refreshing to be starting another year.

Ponce de Leon lighthouse

My seeds are ordered and I’m looking forward to another year of gardening. Am starting to read up on how to improve my soil and J is planning on getting shade cloth for the greenhouse. With the heat of our summers there are just things that won’t grow here in the summer but they would make great additions to salsa, etc. J also helped me build a neat two bin compost system using pallets and an old sliding glass door. I like the idea of keeping it a bit more contained. It’s not beautiful to look at but it’ll get the job done!

I have been getting that crafty bug again and have so many projects I’d like to make that I feel like I won’t have time! I made my first thing over the weekend. It’s a magazine rack that I made from the leftover pallets we used for our compost bin. I’m posting a picture but it doesn’t show the copper glaze that I applied over it very well. I also decided having a few craft get togethers would be fun so I’m working on planning that too. I’ll post pictures of some of the finished projects.

We also took the past few days and rearranged some furniture. We seem to always be doing this around here and most people who stop by on a somewhat regular basis cannot believe how much we change things around.

In November we went on a little organizing streak and closed up the windows of the sunroom and made it into a nice sized pantry. J also redid the girls’ closet as well as ours. It has made a huge difference! I wish we would’ve taken pictures to show before and after. Our closet seemed packed full before but after we can’t even fill it up!

inside lighthouse

The last week of December we took a trip to Daytona. It was really nice. Our first time in Florida. The water was a bit chilly for my taste but everyone else got in and I enjoyed sitting on the beach taking it all in.

Daytona Beach

Have a nice weekend and I’ll be writing more soon! ~Tina

Bloggy Break

I am taking a break (if you didn’t already realize this) until after the new year. A lot has been going on and I’ll have a lot to update and tell you about then. Have a Blessed Christmas and a great New Year!!

This “friend” thing

I’ve been thinking about all this social media lately. And frankly, how I just don’t need most of it. I still have an account with Myspace (I think) and I am on Facebook (mostly because there are now homeschool groups on FB that I really like). But the more I thought about it and my xxx # of friends, I started to think how many are actually friends? Honestly, I don’t have hundreds of friends. And what about the people that friend you and you feel some sort of obligation to accept but yet when you see them at church or the grocery store or where ever they don’t even act like they know who you are? I started wondering why they asked to be friends in the first place. And then I realized – it’s numbers. People like having the numbers. One thing I’m really not is a numbers person! And if I’m going to be a part of something like this, I’d like it be as cozy a group of people as possible. Sure, I do have friends on there that I went to highschool with but we were actually friends in highschool. I really don’t feel the need to be friends with everyone I went to highschool with though. So after considering all this I did the best thing I thought possible. I sent out individual e-mails to people on my friends list letting them know that we haven’t talked in a while and that I was cleaning up my friends list. I thought it was the best, kindest, and most graceful way to go about this. Honestly, in the hundred plus people on my friends list now, most are family and you know you don’t delete family! They just won’t stand for it!

The weeks seem to get busier around here.  We all seem to be restless.  For what, I’m not entirely sure.  We rearrange rooms on the weekends.  The girls and I finish putting books back on bookshelves when the week begins.  I pick and can or freeze during the week.  We swim when everyone’s in the mood. 

Last week we had the opportunity to go pick blueberries with some friends. It. Was. Hot. And all the kids, well all except my oldest, complained the whole time. We did end up getting two gallons which was my goal since we were hitting the very end of blueberry season. While leaving (and with my hands full of buckets) one of the kids spotted a bird’s nest. Even though I only had one free hand and couldn’t steady the camera well, I had to take the shots.

 

#159-168

picking blueberries on hot summer morning

a borrowed tortilla maker – I should admit I made chocolate tortillas with it!  They were good too!

baby birds with eyes still shut

fresh canned salsa

a husband who organizes well, especially since it’s out of my element

the first watermelon out of our own garden

people who accept you just as you are

the 1/2 price table at the Goodwill

giving

beautiful clouds on a summer afternoon

Blessings

 

As I walk through the grass I feel the dew on my feet.  It must’ve rained last night, I think, but in the garden beds I see that the earth is dry.  I turn on my rain machine – the garden hose – and spray generously where I recently seeded. 

Walking through the greenhouse, I admire the tall, bushy asparagus.  I turn to look at the green apple cucumbers and think what I read was definitely right when they said they’re slow to start but take off once they do.  I hear the bees buzzing all around.  It’s like music to my ears. 

I pick what’s ready, dropping it into my bucket and walk down to the garden beds.  As I stand down there admiring the beauty of God’s nature around me I watch bees buzzing around down here too.  Picking the bright yellow cucumber, a bee follows my hand straight down into the bucket.  Trod lightly little bee the beans have been planted, I think to myself. 

I walk over to the tomatoes and start to pick.  Right in front of me are black cherry tomatoes ripe for the picking.  They look like a bunch of grapes and I admire them first before plucking them.  The black cherries have come to be one of my favorites. 

I fall into a deep thought.  The garden is where I spend time talking to God -pleading, crying out, praising Him.  As I stand there entranced in my own thoughts I’m interrupted by the youngest girl child asking if it’s time to swim.  "Yeah" I say, "go ahead and start getting ready.  I’ll be up."

 

#145 – 158

watermelon on a hot summer day

early phone calls

books finished

friends visited

 

my own lens

“weeds” with brilliant flowers

giving up (in this case coffee)

waterparks

fresh vegetables

story on tape

paper crafts

His hands

organizing together

making movies to share with friends