March 2024

March 2024
Over the years, we've always compared our family life to a wagon train heading west. Just as everyone had to do his part to get to Oregon years ago, so everyone in our family must do his/her part to make our journey through life successful. If somebody climbs in the wagon and lets the others do the work, we just don't make any progress. We all have to pull our weight and work together. Along the trail we find lots of pebbles that make for a smooth ride and some bigger rocks that jar us a little; we hit the occasional pothole that can slow us down. But if we purpose to search diligently, there are countless gold nuggets and precious gemstones along the way as well. This journal is an attempt to preserve some of those precious moments for our children, and our children's children, as together we travel this trail called life.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11


Wednesday, May 19, 2010

5-18-10 Spinach

Today was a pretty routine Tuesday. Levi and Jesse milked, we had Drew, and I did geometry, read to kids, made meals, froze spinach, did laundry, etc. all of course with the invaluable help from my girls. Kids did jobs, played, did jobs, and played. Nothing too exciting (unless you consider spinach to be exciting) (well, I do – I love it, and it’s Dad’s favorite vegetable so I’m glad to have it done). Levi didn’t go to Precision so was home doing stakes and other jobs for Dad…and when he ran to Morton he stopped at Kroger for a few things for me. Now that’s a nugget!

Joshua likes his rides from Ben.

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The garden was still too muddy to rotor-till, but Tori and Kate picked spinach for me while I walked with Karol, and then we blanched and froze this tub full.

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Pushing the spinach down into the blancher full of boiling water.

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Put the lid on; bring it back to a full boil.

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Cooling stations are all ready.

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Station 1.

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Station 2. This cooling method, invented by the girls, was very effective and efficient – no spinach floating around the water that is impossible to get ahold of.

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Cooler Kate.

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When it’s cool, it goes to the cutting station. Form big blob of spinach into a hamburger-sized patty, and dice it.

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Weigh out 12 oz. per bag…

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…done!

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Yep, that big blue tub full of spinach yielded us 4 meals. I had a few left over from last year, and added 8 new this year; we’ll start the year with 12 which is what I wanted – one a month is about right. We love it creamed with hard-boiled eggs over fried diced potatoes.

Then to the hog shed (umm, that’d be the chicken coop now but it was the hog shed years ago and the name is still pretty firm even though there haven’t been hogs there for 10 years or so) to see Lovey’s kittens.

A recent project – the new improved chicken coop. Maybe now with a little more room, they’ll start laying again. You’d think 50 hens would be giving more than 3 eggs a day, wouldn’t you?

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Joshua loves to bomb around by the chickens – when they’re out, he tries to catch them. So cute!

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We’ve had such a challenge getting Drew to smile for us - not today! I don’t know if it was the good nap (in which he somehow got his arm out of his sleeve!) (?how did he do that???), the avid audience, or the bottle of Italian salad dressing (quite the sophisticated toy, you know), but he was hamming it up so cute! He is such a precious little guy.

Jolynn picked up Drew soon after that, then we did chores and supper prep. After supper and Bibletime at the table, Dad and the boys mowed at CIT while we girls and Joshua stayed home and relaxed. When they all got home, we were close to beds. Joshua was pretty pleased when Levi spent a little time with him – something that Levi doesn’t have much time to do but obviously enjoys when he has time. Joshua wouldn’t even come to me from Levi.

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And he still likes my tea!

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Beds then, and that’s all, folks.

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