Some photos of the weekend:
Laundry on the line.
Pinto Beans – 15 pints canned
Hemming of thrifted vintage sheets to use for closet curtains. The spare bedrooms were missing closet doors instead of adding doors, we opted to use curtains instead.
Bread making and baking.
Not captured in photos:
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Painting of interior doors and window trim
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Removal of fence and lots of weeds between that fence and the neighbors’ fence
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Tearing out and moving old compost bin to new location and turning it over
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Discussion and more discussion about trimming pine trees that line the street – I think we’re decided on trimming the bottom up to “clean” it up a bit and remove any fire danger from dried out pine needles and potential cigarettes thrown out passing car windows.
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Freecycled an old metal chimnea left by previous owner
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Lots of hugging and laughing
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Falling asleep on the couch with every intention of watching a movie….
July 20, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Sounds like a very productive weekend. I just love seeing laundry hanging on the line and home canned goods lining the shelves. Your beans look beautiful!
I have closet curtains, also.
July 20, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Ah, the last two are the perfect accompaniment for all the rest
July 20, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Those beans look good, there is just something about how food looks in the jars that is so appealing. Hmmmm, kind of the same feeling when one sees line dried clothes and bread dough.
Great post!
July 21, 2008 at 6:49 am
Oh, Kathie, how do you get your canned beans to look so beautiful? I canned pinto, navy, and black for the first time last year and mine turned to mush. I processed them exactly as the Ball Blue Book instructed, but they seem overcooked. I think only the black bean turned out fairly well.
Will you share you secrets?
July 21, 2008 at 9:35 am
Gina – As far as secrets go, I use this method for canning dried beans, I only use 1/4 tsp salt for pints though: http://www.culinarycafe.com/Canning/Canning_Peas_Beans.html I’m not sure how that compares to the Ball method. Hope that helps.
Thanks to everyone else for sharing in my weekend!
July 21, 2008 at 11:18 am
I’m going to ask, even though it will be a dumb question.
Why do you can beans? Aren’t they fairly easy anyway? Put ‘em in a crockpot, done later that day?
Just curious. I’ve done OK at explaining to husband why I want to can other stuff, but I can’t come up with a good reason for beans. Can you help?
July 21, 2008 at 11:59 am
Meadowlark, I can dried beans merely for the sake of ease and time. Its much easier for me to remember to open a can of beans for dinner than it is to remember to soak them the night before. It’s also better for unexpected company – I always have some on hand.
July 24, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Way to be productive, Kathie! Sounds like you were really motivated and energized. I find that the more productive I am, the more energy I have and the more satisfied I feel… until I do too much.