Yeah. I know. AWOL again. I'm sorry.
Hasn't been a waste of time, however. Dehydrated broccoli, green beans and onions. Canned chicken legs and thighs. Cut up and froze two spiral cut hams that were on sale.
As much as I am reluctant to admit it, age seems to be catching up to me. My sister had the right idea when she told me she was simply counting the years backwards at each birthday. I wasn't that smart. And to top it off, unlike those who have the good grace to be aging like fine wine, I seem to be aging more like milk. :)
As the result of all those birthdays, standing at the stove to cook a meal doesn't work all that well some days. So, I decided to can some meals in a jar. I've got lots of soups canned, but this is a bit different. Into wide mouth pint jars I put a handful of chicken breast chunks. Topped that with layers of chopped celery and onions, sliced carrots and either peas, green beans or corn. Tossed two chicken bouillon cubes on top and added water to within an inch of the top of the jar. Pressure canned the jars at 10 lbs. pressure (for my altitude) for 75 minutes. Two canners full gave me 32 meals.
And they taste good. Found I can eat as a soup or thicken for a stew or consume just as a chicken dinner. Two minutes in the microwave and dinner is served. I may do more using different meats - whatever is on sale.
In the meantime, I have been working on making access to my Family Trees a bit easier for my family who might be interested. Being a grumpy old woman who is also a cheapskate, paying a monthly fee to put my family data online irritated me.
So, I figured out how to do it, using this blog. Earlier I had made more blogs under the umbrella of Mom's Scribbles. One held writings by ancestors and another I used for some old pictures. This time I made a new blog for each branch of my Family Tree - five in all, including the ancestors of my kid's Dad.
Adding links is a pain in the posterior to accomplish. I am not that computer savy. So, I gave each person in my direct line a separate Family Group Sheet. Each page has a label listed in the side bar. The object is to choose a person you know to start with. From there the labels can be used to move on to other ancestors.
To my kids...the Matheny Family Tree is complete except for photos. Go to Mom's Scribbles. On the right side, click on "View my complete profile" and then click on Matheny Family Tree. I will add photos later.
My grocery order went in today and I ordered nothing that needs processing. I am kind of on a roll with the ancestors and want to finish that project. Personally, I believe it is important to know our heritage. I want my kids and grands to realize they spring from some pretty good people. Oh, we have our share of rogues and reprobates, but for the most part they were hard-working, God-fearing folks who make me proud to be counted among them.
And with that, I am off to wade in my gene pool.
Things around us don't appear to be getting better. Keep stacking. Keep praying. Stay safe.
Meals in a jar sounds brilliant Vicki. :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about aging like milk, haha.
Congratulations on the Family Tree idea. That sounds well done, too.
You all be safe and God bless.
LindaG...I'm not so sure brilliant is appropriate. Mostly the idea was stolen from all the recipes online for dehydrated meals in a jar. Wanted something I could heat and serve quickly. One of the few times an experiment actually worked!
ReplyDeleteI checked out several genealogy websites as places for my Family Trees but wasn't really satisfied with any of them. Too much having to register and too much wanting money. This seems to be working so far. Takes time to enter everything but think it will be worth the effort.
May God truly bless you and yours and keep you safe in these troubled times.
Brillant indeed Vicki. What you have created is a home version of Hornel 'Minute Meals' (that I consume a lot of). Like them, yours can be stored indefinitely at room temperature, are quick to prepare in a microwave, and taste good (for Hornel, fairly good). You have the advantage in that you can customize the contents to what you really like.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Don...but I can't claim brilliance when I stole the general idea from many websites that feature dehydrated meals in jars. I just canned the meals instead of using dehydrated foods. Was going for quick and easy, which seems to work well for me these days. :)
DeleteIf I can find some ambition, I think I have some beef lurking in the bottom of my freezer and I think that would work well. Worth a try, anyway!
We can all share the claims of brilliance if we share what we know, Vicki. After all, the light given off by a light bulb is the result of MILLIONS of electrons moving through it; not just one!
DeleteAge is overtaking us all, Vicki, and they don't make parts for us anymore! Rancho Whybother is on an acre. About eight years back I bought a "subcompact" John Deere tractor with a front loader. Buying a tractor for an acre plot is borderline, but I can tell you that it's saved this aging carcass an untold amount of trauma. You know, the older I get, the more I appreciate that tractor! ANYTHING that makes things easier is WORTH THE MONEY at our age!
ReplyDelete...When the neighbor wants to call 911 when you light your birthday cake, it's time to stop counting the years. One candle will suffice... After all, we enter life wearing diapers, and leave doing the same...
Pete...It has gotten to the place where if there is an easier way to do it, that's what I do! And at a turtle's pace. All in all, I consider myself blessed to have lasted this long. :)
DeleteOne of my children once asked if I had goals. I replied that my main goal was to live long enough to become a problem to my children. To which she replied, "Mother, your work here is done."
And that's how we make it through. A sense of humor is a huge help. (At least I hope her reply was a joke.)
It was a joke, Vicki... Laughing keeps one from screaming...
DeleteYep. Joke. I am eternally grateful that all of my kids have really good senses of humor. And I get the screaming part!
DeleteMissed this post -- good to hear from you! As always, I'm impressed by your industrious activities.
ReplyDeleteDon't mean to whine, but must confess to having days when I struggle with feelings of futility. Never before have the attacks come so hard and on so many fronts.
Intellectually, I know it's all intentional and designed to demoralize us, but there are days it still overwhelms me.
I do regroup, but wonder if I'm alone in the "bad" days?
Thank you!
ReplyDelete