Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch

Nothing says "Fall" like a day at the pumpkin patch. The weather was perfect for a day of fun at Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch.

We had a lunch of brats, kettle corn and apple slush before heading into the petting barn where we saw all sort of cute farm friends.

The boys had a blast riding the big tractor trikes around the race track! Then we meandered our way through a hay bale maze before taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch!

The boys each picked out their own pumpkin. They were excited to take them home to use them in creating a Fall display!

We played on the playground and then finished off our fun with a train ride and a pumpkin doughnut!

Fall Blessings,

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September Happenings

I finally finished a project that's been on my "to-do" list for nearly nine years. Yes, nearly nine years! When we bought our dining room furniture, I loved the furniture itself, but didn't like the white upholstery on the chairs. White plus dining room chairs equals disastrous as far as I'm concerned! (not to mention a house full of boys only multiplies that!) A few months ago I was so blessed to be invited to an estate sale with two of my favorite ladies. The sale was all sorts of fabrics and notions from a man who'd been a tailor for many, many years. I found a roll of upholstery fabric for $10. As soon as I saw it I just knew it was perfect for the dining room chairs! I was even further excited when I saw the original price...$29 a yard! I figured out that I had well over ten yards on the roll! What a deal! I had never actually recovered chairs my self, but I remember watching my mother do it when I was a little girl. I just knew it was something I'd want to try! I'm so glad I finally can cross this one off of my list. I love the finished result!

We were so blessed to attend the birthday party of a friend's little boy. We'd been at his first birthday celebration as well, so it was extra special to be there for his second! I'm so blessed by all of the friends that God has placed in our lives!

Our friends sent these tool belts home for the older boys. So fun!

This beautiful girl wandered into our hearts this month. She showed up mysteriously on our road and we were never able to locate her previous owners. We decided to let her stay and she has made herself right at home. She adores the boys, and his such a little "mama" dog. She loves to watch over them as they play outside. We had wondered where she came from, or how she ended up here, but the longer she's been here, the more I've come to believe that maybe God sent her to be a part of our family!

My little boys are getting big! Where does the time go?

Blue tongues! We had some fun with blue slushy drinks. The boys thought their "polar bear" tongues were quite cool!

We've been hard at work on painting and decorating projects around the house. Now that we have been in the house almost a year, it's about time to start making it truly a home!

This month little Jamie has been busy with becoming big Jamie! He's been eagerly watching how his brothers do things and jumping in to do it, too. He seems to be growing by leaps and bounds right now.

Love in Christ,

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The Last Days of Summer, The First Days of Fall

We've been cherishing these last warm days as Summer draws to a close and Fall's door opens. Since moving to Happy Hearts Farm, we've really discovered the simple joy of just being in God's creations. The smell of the earth around us, the sounds of the birds and breezes, the beauty of this land He created. It's hard not to be joyful!

Joseph has learned to ride his big boy bike and he's quite proud of himself! He can keep up with the other two, now! The boys new favorite thing is to race their bikes down the gravel driveway (and give Mama a small heart attack!)

I think we could just about live outside when the weather's nice. We are trying to savor every minute of it before it gets too cold and snowy!

A picture of brotherhood...Joseph scraped his ankle on his bike pedal. Jacob immediately offered to run get him a band-aid, and Joshua got into the chair with him to hug on him. It was precious to watch his brothers show him such kindness. A little while later, Joseph was trying to ride his bike back up the hill, but was struggling to make it. Jacob got behind him and helped to push him up the hill. It just made Joseph's day! Yes, my heart felt very full!

In His Abundant Joy,

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Canning Peaches

What do you do with seventy five pounds of peaches? Why, can them of course! :)



Jacob helped me to peel the first half bushel. (Don't throw out those peels, we can use them later for Sunrise Jelly!)



After peeling, simply slice the peaches as desired. I like to slice mine in slightly smaller pieces than store bought canned peaches since we are in the "young children" phase of life and I'd need to slice them again before giving them to my "littles". (When slicing, save those pits, too! Just add them to the bowl with all of the peels.)



Prepare jars and lids as usual for water bath canning.



You'll want to treat the peaches to prevent browning after they are canned. You can use a product like Fruit Fresh, or you can use a solution of lemon juice and water. I use 1 T of lemon juice per cup of water.



While the peaches are soaking, prepare the syrup. I make a light syrup using 9 c. of water and 2 1/4 c. of sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and keep at a simmer.



Drain the peaches and place into the simmering pot of syrup. Bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes and then remove from heat.



Fill hot jars with hot fruit mixture. Leave 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles by sliding a spatula along the inside of the jar and gently pressing against the peaches. Using a damp cloth, wipe the rims of the jars. Place lids and rings on jars.



Process for 25 minutes in water bath canner.



Delicious home canned peaches to enjoy all Winter long!



In Him Who First Loved Us,

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"God's Little Worker Bee"

The other week someone referred to me as "God's little worker bee". I thought it was such an interesting thing to say. After thinking about it a while, I realized, yes, perhaps we are called to be God's little worker bees.



But, how am I doing God's work? I am just a homemaker, just a mama, just a wife. My days would be considered mundane to many, full of diapers and baby rocking and meal making and laundry and nose wiping and cuddles and school and cleaning and child training and, and, and... Nothing that's "exciting", just simple things. Gathering eggs or pulling weeds. Having a talk about being kind to your brother. Teaching letters and numbers. Singing songs about joy. Baking bread. Canning peaches. Fixing a hem. Sewing a button on a pajama shirt...



Oh wait! These are the things God called me to do! These are important works in God's Kingdom!



Yes, we've been busy lately. I've been busy lately. With the garden doing well, and our friends' sharing their excess with us, there's been lots to can! With growing boys there have been new pajamas to sew. With eager minds wanting to learn, there has been lots of school work to do. With boys who are learning and growing come characters that need developing! I suppose I have been busy with being God's little worker bee. :)



I am so blessed to be a worker bee in God's Kingdom.



Love in His Precious Name,

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Canning Peach Pie Filling

Prepare lids and jars as usual for water bath canning.



Ingredients:

6 qts of sliced peaches

7 c. sugar

2 c. plus 3 T Clear Jel

5 1/4 c. cold water

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 3/4 c. lemon juice (plus lemon juice for soaking)



We had frozen a 25lb. box of peaches (we ended up using all of these for this recipe!) due to not having enough time to can them immediately. Rick had read about a neat trick to peel frozen peaches. I have to admit that I was skeptical, but it worked like a charm! Simply hold the peach under cold running water and rub gently. The skin comes right off!



After peeling, simply slice to the size you want for your pie filling, and remove pits. Soak sliced peaches in water and lemon juice (or a product like Fruit Fresh) to keep them from turning brown. I use a solution of 1 T of lemon juice per cup of water.



Combine water, sugar, Clear Jel and cinnamon into a large kettle. Stir and cook over medium high heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble.



Add lemon juice and boil for one minute more, stirring constantly.



Add in drained peaches, and heat mixture for three minutes. (Note- I had to change kettles due to a slight miscalculation on the size I'd need. Oops!)



Fill hot jars, leaving one inch of headspace. Gently tap jars to remove air bubbles. Wipe the top of jars with a damp cloth to clean, and then place lids and rings on the jars.



Process for 30 minutes in a water bath canner.



The final result is a delicious peach pie filling that will be such a blessing all Winter through!



**From the half bushel that we used for this recipe, we yielded 8 qts. of pie filling. **

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Corn Cob Jelly

This time of year sweet corn is everywhere we look. We're surrounded by corn. Fields of corn or soybeans seem to line every road and highway around. Delicious creamed corn has become a staple on our menu!

So, then what to do with all of the leftover cobs (aside from letting the little one play with them)? I saw this recipe for Corn Cob Jelly and just had to give it a try! The result is a delicious jelly that tastes just like honey.

I do believe we've found a new tradition to our Summer...making creamed corn for the freezer and corn cob jelly for the pantry!


*Warning* This recipe does contain an unreal amount of sugar!

Ingredients:
24 cobs of sweet corn
8 cups of water
2 boxes of powdered fruit pectin
8 cups of sugar
yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions:
While preparing the recipe, heat jars and lids as you would for any water bath canning recipe.
Use cobs after the corn has been cut off for another recipe. Place cobs and water in a large stock pot. The water will not cover the cobs, but this is fine. Bring to a boil.
Boil for ten minutes.
Remove cobs and throw away.
You should have about 6 cups of liquid. You can add water if you are short.
Return the water to the stock pot and add the pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil.
Add sugar and return to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute.
Remove from heat and skim the foam from the top. You can reheat this foam to make a little extra jelly for the refrigerator.
Pour hot jelly into hot jars. Place the lids and rings on.
Process for ten minutes in a water bath canner.
Add a few drops of yellow food coloring.

In Him Who First Loved Us,

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Busy Summer Days!

This year Summer has brought with it a new perspective. In years past, Summer has been a time for relaxation, perhaps a vacation or two... This year, Summer is all about gardens and food preservation, and tending to our little farm. It's been busy, oh, delightfully busy! It's also been so filled with wonder, amazement, and rejoicing. When we planted these tiny seeds, we hoped for something to grow, and now, wow! Baskets overflowing with big beautiful squash, juicy tomatoes, yummy radishes...and so much more to come!

I've had lots of sewing to do as well. I wouldn't normally have planned to have sewing work during the busy season of gardening, but, with a new blessing on it's way there isn't much choice but to sew! Of course, a new blessing is always a very happy reason to have extra sewing work!

We've been trying to squeeze in some school work as well. Jacob is really enjoying the first grade. It's been so neat to see such a difference in this year's work verses earlier years. He's enjoying being able to be more independent and reading his own pages! :) I just love watching children learn.

We have had a tremendous amount of rain this season. It seems like every rain is a downpour! So many of my friends are facing droughts, and many of the farms in our surrounding area are flooding! It's unbelievable to see such deep flood waters covering the fields. So many of them look like lakes...until you notice the tops of trees out in the middle of it! In several places the flood waters are almost covering the road. It doesn't seem like it would take much more for us to lose access into Kansas City for a while, at least from the main stretch of highway. We actually received a letter from the power company saying that if waters rise too much they'll cut off power! We don't appear to be at risk for personally flooding out, although both of our gravel roads could easily flood. I suppose it's a complicated balance, too little rain and the crops can't thrive, too much rain and you have a flood!

One afternoon, Jacob and I sat watching an intense but brief Summer storm. We watched the rain moving towards us until it was actually over us. It was so neat to be able to see it coming! Once the rain stopped, this beautiful rainbow appeared behind the silo. I love how even today, the rainbow is such a symbol of God's promises to us.

Well, I should probably get back to being busy! I have sweet corn from a local farm that I plan to make creamed corn for the freezer with. I also still have an overflowing basket of squash and zucchini to put up, with lots more that will be ready in the next few days. It's busy busy, but busy is good!

With Love,

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