Thankful Thursday

Whoo Hoo! It's time for Thankful Thursday! There is always sooo much to be thankful for, however I will try to concentrate on just a few:)

#1...We have a 3-day trip to the Oregon Coast in the planning stages for the middle of February:) I have been checking out used book stores, coffee shops (I love Iced Chai with Soymilk), a yarn shop which turns out to be a craft store as well, and a tanning salon (looks like it's right next to the yarn/craft store (BONUS)! All of the businesses I found were within 1/2 mile of the place we are staying--walking distance for sure!

#2...We have had wind/sun this week so our off-grid power is working without the aid of the diesel generator!!! That means money saved! 

#3...We have stayed healthy for the last week!!! After the previous month, that is really saying something!

#4...Hubby had a really good January! He works on commission so if he doesn't sell, he doesn't get paid! Sooo, we will have money to put away for a month that isn't so good:)

#5...My mom hasn't had any health crises in the last couple weeks! Now, that's something to be thankful for!!! My sister lives with my mom and dad so keeps me apprised on their situation. No news from my sister is usually good news:)

Okay, it's your turn! What are you Thankful for today?

Have a great day!

Kat

Getting Ready for Winter

Butternut squash ready to be picked--at least 30 in all

My husband works on commission--always has. For 29 years he sold real estate and for the last 6 years he has been designing and selling renewable energy systems. In both of these industries it is difficult to make sales in the winter so we have always tried to make sure our winter expenses are minimal. Each September/October/November finds us canning, drying and purchasing food to store away in our root cellar.

Six boxes of apples so far and more trees to go! 

This year I dried: apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums--lots of plums! I am canning applesauce (20 quarts yesterday and hopefully that many more today) and may do a few quarts of pears. For the root cellar we go to Portland to The Barn to purchase potatoes and beets (when we don't grow our own), also cabbage, Brussels sprouts, leeks and whatever else looks good and will last. These items will keep in the root cellar through March. 

Root Cellar set into the bank

This year we made our own sauerkraut so will be purchasing a lot of cabbage to make another bigger batch of sauerkraut. Our last batch is nearly gone and we used 17 pounds of cabbage for that one. The sauerkraut will keep in the crock in the root cellar all winter--no need to can it:) 

My husband brings the winter squash and tomatoes into the greenhouse to store them. The tomatoes he hangs from wires so they don't touch anything and we frequently have fresh tomatoes until after Christmas! He lays the winter squash on a newspaper lined table.

Shelves line both sides with a gravel floor

With all this good food and the fact that we live off-grid, our winter expenses are minimal. We heat with wood and make sure we have plenty to last all winter. Our cooking and water heating are propane so we make sure the tank is full in the fall. Occasionally we have to run the diesel generator in the winter when there is no sun or wind so we make sure the diesel tank is also full. 

By Thanksgiving, everything is ready for winter and we are truly thankful for all the Lord has given us. Maybe I should have saved this post for Thankfulness Thursday but I have so many other things to be thankful for as well. By then I will be thankful I am finished with the applesauce!!!

Have a wonderful day and a great week! No crafting for me this week:(

Kat

Sunday Night Chit-Chat

I found this delightful quote on Pinterest...duh! I LOVE Pinterest but have to time myself or I could be there FOR HOURS! Anyway, I love this quote! My calendar in the kitchen is the Mary Engelbreit Wit and Whimsy 2012 Calendar. The picture for September shows a girl at a door with a "B" on it. The quote at the bottom says "Life is all about Plan B." And isn't that the truth?!!! So the quote above fit right in with what I have been looking at on the calendar all month:)

Oh how I love the Sunday Night Chit-Chat started each week by the sweet and very talented Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I love participating. I thought I might not get to participate this week because of traveling to my daughter's but put the trip off a day so I could get a little more done in preparation for my trip. So here I am and there you are; let's get started!

I am...

Reading...Dear John by Nicholas Sparks (nearly finished) and still reading Hiking Thru by Paul Stutzman as our read=a=loud (LOVE this book). Also went to the library this week and checked out audio books for my trip...The Confession by John Grisham; Twelve Times Blessed by Jacquelyn Mitchard (first time for me with this author) and Lethal by Sandra Brown. I will likely only listen to one but got three just in case. I also checked out Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders--will I read or actually MAKE something?!!!

Listening to...
Rocky, our English Bulldog, snoring! I hear that a lot:)

Watching...
Cooking/Baking...Busy cooking day getting ready for my trip: 

• Whole Wheat Bread
• Granola (daughter's favorite)
• Gluten Steaks (another daughter fave)
• Banana Bread
• Oatmeal Cookies

Happy I accomplished this week...

• I made it through a whole week with hubby away and minimal contact! He was in a remote location with no cell service and no land line so had to wait for him to get where he could call me. Now, some you are thinking "what's the big deal!" However, we live off-grid with a small wind generator, solar arrays and a diesel generator. I am fine unless something goes wrong. Thankfully nothing did. Everything worked fine and there were no storms (I don't know how to shut the whole system done)! 
• I made 20 thank you cards and 2 sympathy cards. Still need 2 birthday cards.
• Cleaned out my appliance cupboard
• I made it through a memorial service without Kleenex. Why I go to weddings and funerals without Kleenex is beyond me:(

Looking forward to next week...A whole week with daughter and granddaughter!!! Plus will visit a dear friend overnight Friday:) Lots to look forward to.

Thankful for today...Hubby's home!!!

**Bonus Question**

What is the grossest thing I have ever eaten?
I think canned peas has to top that list. Pair that with liver and you have a double gross!!! My mom used to serve liver with canned peas at least twice a month. Double yuck!!!

Thank you for visiting! 

Kat

New Range

I recently got a new range and I love it! Actually I wasn't even thinking about a new stove even though the old one had some issues but hubby found one and bought it! Where??? Why, Costco, of course!


My new stove is a Premier Pro Series 30" Stainless Steel Sealed Burner Gas Range by Peerless. I am finding that the black top shows every speck of dust but am willing to live with that! The back left burner has 15,000 BTUs as opposed to 9,100 BTUs for the two burners on the right side. The front left burner is called a Simmer Burner with only 600 (low)-6,000 (high) BTUs. 


"The Natural Convection Oven System has a baffled oven burner that distributes heat evenly through scientifically located oven vents for better baking performance." It also has a low 150 degree oven thermostat that is perfect for making my granola which I bake at 150 degrees overnight. The oven door closes and the racks easily pull in and out (the issues with my old stove). 


You might be asking why we purchased this particular range as opposed to one of the many on the market. We live off-grid so we are very conscious of power usage and did you know that most gas ranges use electricity for more than just the clock and oven light? Most gas ranges have what they call a glow bar that uses about 400 watts of electricity the whole time the oven is on. Another drawback to these ranges is that if your power is off, you cannot use your stove--the burners will not work and neither will the oven. With my new range, if I don't have any power (rare at my house) I can light my burners with a match and still use the oven. Took some careful research on my hubby's part to get just the range we needed. 


I thought I would show a picture of my oven while it is still clean:) I sure hope I can keep it looking like this!  Look at that shine!!!


For someone who likes to cook as much as I do, a good range is important. Check out the bread on the counter beside the stove:)


I hope you are having a good day and a great week. Thanks for stopping by.
Kat