More harvest!

Today I harvested 24 ears of corn from the garden, blanched, cut and froze them. That seemed like a lot of corn for the freezer when I picked it, but once it was processed, it's not that much. I suppose it's about 8-10 meals' worth for our family of 4. I still feel like I've accomplished something though! I am also harvesting tomatoes and await the day I have enough to start making and canning salsa-it shouldn't be too much longer! I have 4 orange pumpkins in the garden and a lot of watermelon and acorn squash that aren't ripe yet.

This weekend I made some yeast dinner rolls and pancakes for the freezer. I am planning on making another roll recipe this afternoon. I also need to paint some baseboard trim and I want to clear the area under the boys' rope swing they haven't used all summer.

End of summer activities

With only 2 weeks left of my summer vacation, I have a lot to cram in! Tonight we're hosting a card party, tomorrow family visitors, Monday friends visiting, Tues. dr appointment and a session on raising chickens, Wednesday to my parents' house to drop off my boys for the week and a visit to an old friend I haven't seen in 21 years!

Once I get back home on Thursday (sans boys) I hope to make some meals ahead for the freezer: lasagna, enchiladas, cookie dough, garlic bread, taco meat, cooked ground beef, chicken noodle soup . . . I also hope to have ripe tomatoes some day so I can make and can some salsa. I need to get my menus planned. Josh and I used to get paid on opposite Fridays, now it will be the same Friday, so we'll only be paid every other week. This is going to take some adjustment in the way I shop and plan.

I have some more rooms that need to be painted in the basement and more organizing to do down there as well. I was planning to tile the kitchen backsplash this summer, but honestly, "it ain't gonna happen!"

I also have a few books I'd like to read and relax for a little bit!

Laundry soap

I finally decided to make some laundry soap. I've had the recipe for a couple of years now, Josh was always the one who did the laundry and I didn't know if he'd use it or not. Since I'm not working outside the home during the summer and Josh has been busy finishing the basement, I said I'd take over laundry duties for the summer. This is a good time for me to test the laundry soap. My mom said she used it for about 4 months last year and eventually clothes started to look dingy. I'll test for myself I guess.

I know everyone and their neighbor has blogged about their use of homemade laundry soap, so I won't bore you with all the details. However, here is the recipe I used:

1/3 bar FelsNaptha soap
1/2 C washing soda
1/2 C borax

Grate the soap and put in a saucepan with 6 cups of hot water. Heat and stir until soap melts. Add borax and washing soda and stir until dissolved. Pour mixture into a bucket and add 4 cups of water and stir well. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and keep stirring. Let soap sit for 24 hours to thicken a little. Use 1/2 C per load. There are little to no suds in the washing machine.