In my area crab apple trees are plentiful and most of the time you can get all you want for free.
Last week Elizabeth and I picked some crab apples and boiled them for their juice. I didn't have enough for jelly so this morning I picked more of them.
Now I have almost 3 quarts of juice. Either this evening or tomorrow all this juice will be turned into crab apple jelly.
All I lack is sandwiching it and the machine quilting. I love how this has turned out and I hope the recipient does too. 
My tomatoes have been struggling quit a bit so I put some grass clipping around them. The clippings are really holding in the water so I am hoping this is what they needed.
I purchased some jalapeno pepper plants at the store earlier in the week. They didn’t look too good but after transplanting them I think they will do fine. I am planning to use them with the tomatoes for salsa.
I planted some wax beans but only a few came up. I was hoping to can them with the potatoes but I don’t think this is going to work out.
My cucumbers are struggling; this is the only one that has hung on. I have another one that recently came up but I don’t know if it will live
My potatoes are really growing but no signs of blooms yet. So far being in containers hasn't caused any problems yet.
This is a mulberry tree we have in the yard and this is the tree that shades my potatoes.
The chickens really like scratching and pecking under it.
I hadn't intended to have a very big garden this year since I new I wouldn't have too much time to work in it; But last week I called a local produce farm and was shocked at how high the prices were. So, I have been slowly adding more plants as well as planting more seeds to my small garden. Most of my garden items will have late starts but this should be fine; the first garden I ever planted was in July and it produced more food than we could eat.
I suspect on of the little dogs had her for lunch. We will either have to tie him up or make a pen for him. This is such a big disappointment as I was hoping the little dogs would protect the chickens.
I am very pleased with how my doll quilt came out and I hope my swap partner is pleased as well. 
This evening we moved out a lot of her toys and books into the hallway so I could move her bed to another wall.
It looks so much better, now if I can only convince her that having a lot of space is better than a lot of toys.
The mower cost me $30 and has a grass catcher on the back. This grass catcher has turned out to be an added bonus as I can now put all the clippings in with the chickens.
The chickens are having a great time scratching and eating all the clippings; not only is this great fun for them but they are eating less grain which makes it cheaper to feed them.
It is so hard to be without Internet since I depend on it for so much.
I usually keep it braided unless we are going to church or special event.
Even after the braiding her hair is quilt long.
Elizabeth is my "real baby doll" and I love playing with her hair!
The typewriter looked liked a lot of fun to her so we took out our old one and set it up for her to play with.
Now she has decided to be a writer.
The view is once again clear.
When the wind begins blowing it always looks like rain.
It is always disappointing when it ends up being sand that is blowing.
During the high winds tumble weeds begin showing up; this tumble weed is a very small one, usually they are much larger.
My stack of completed blocks is really growing.
Only 4 blocks left to go before I can begin sewing them all together!
It was delicious!
He was having such a good time until I started snapping photos and then he decided it was time to move along.
The scrap quilt is coming along nicely.
I have cut 378 strips; the smallest strip is 2” x 4” and the largest strip is 4” x 18”.
The finished quilt block is 12.5”.
My sewing room mess is growing by the minute.
I am very pleased with how everything is fitting together.
Making a scrap quilt takes lots of scrap fabric….
A pattern or idea layout with estimated fabric cuts….
Fabric sorted into piles and counted out….
Into various widths and lengths....
And the making of a sample block…
He has signed up for his fall classes, all our paperwork is in order and now he is pretty much ready to go.
How exciting it must be to go to college and plan out your future!
Our local feed store sells medicated chick feed for $11.50 per 50-pound bag. We have found buying this in the beginning well worth the cost because we have little to no sickness, which can result in loosing some of the chicks.
Once we begin with the second bag of food it is time to begin mixing this with a second grain, which in our case is maize. We have an old antique grinder that is mounted to a heavy board making the grinding part pretty easy.
The kids like using the grinder; it’s like a toy to them. By mixing half maize and half chick starter the chicks learn to like their new food.
Along with grain we are also introducing table scraps to them too. If the scraps are too big this too will be put through the grinder in order to make it easier for them to eat.
Taking care of the chicks is a lot of fun and we all enjoy watching them as they scratch and peck and jump and play.
I think this may turn out to be one of my favorite quilts!
Yesterday I found just what I wanted, in a classified ad on a local web page, for a fair price. It is heavy, sturdy and very well made.
The kids are loving the new dog!
Jonathan likes to run each day and Rani will be his running partner. She has always lived in the city but now she will see what it is like living in the country.
The bags came out very nice and I think my customer will be very pleased with them.
While I was busy working on the travel bags I also rearranged the living room in order to make space for a chair my mother-in-law gave me over the weekend. 
This chair is very comfortable and I am planning to sit in it for the rest of the evening!
They are healthy and eat a lot, we usually fill the feeders twice a day.
This box, a dog carrier, is housing one lone chick. Her wing was bleeding and the other chicks were pecking at it and now half of it is gone. We will keep her in this box until she is healed and then put her back with the others.
I love having chickens again and I am looking forward to many fresh eggs.
What wonderful colors the red, white and blue are together! It gets better and better with each additional block!
By using coupons at the grocery store I was able to get cereal for $1-per bag, colas for $2.33 per 12-pack and the tea for free.
I have been learning most of my strategies from http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
Over the weekend I cut out and began piecing together the remainder of the red and white setting blocks.
I really love how the red stands out in the quilt.
We looked into purchasing an ice machine but after seeing the prices I decided making ice in the ice cube trays was worth the little effort it took.
Working together my son and I can empty ice trays, refill them and bag up all the cubes in less than 10-minutes. 
When my freezer begins to get low I like to add ice to fill up the empty spaces plus when a freezer is full it wont run as often. In my area a 7-pound bag of ice sells for $1.19 so the savings is minimal but every little bit helps.
Place a small amount of butter or margarine in your skillet and set the flame on medium; once melted place the honey bun in the skillet and let cook, undisturbed for a minute or two. Turn over and cook the other side. This is wonderful with a glass of cold milk.
