Catching up on Going Ons

So I said I was going to get better right? Oops! Sorry!! Work has made my brain MUSH now that I've had LOTO (Lockout Tagout) dropped on my lap. Plus things with the kids and getting ready for school... it's just been busy!

So let's do some recapping and maybe later this month I can get back to posting more regularly since our schedules will be settling into the school year functions.

Well first off I've done a lot of blackberry picking and with the final push of help from my friend and her kids I got enough blackberries to do some jelly.

So I got a big stock pot to start boiling them down. I actually burnt some to the bottom! It took awhile because you want to do this on low heat but you also need to get it to a simmer so you kind of heat it up then slow it down and well... yeah... but I made sure to be careful and not scrape the bottom so I didn't have a burnt taste! 

It really looks like I was murdering someone and it was SO thick that I talked to a friend of mine and we think we should use blackberry juice this halloween because we want to throw a bit halloween scary bash like you read and see on these classic shows. I remember a few of those when I was a kid but not many and over the years I haven't heard of anyone doing them any more so that's our plan!

Straining things through to try and get it as pulp and seed free as possible after using cheesecloth was a long process but I didn't feel like buying a jelly bag.

I made blackberry jam and then because I was low on blackberry juice by just a bit for a second batch I cut it with pure apple juice and it came out good. 

Do you ever buy things discounted for quick sale? It's really how we get buy over here. I vacuum sealed the broccoli and other veggies and some of the green beans and then put them in the freezer where they will last much longer! Though with a couple pounds of the green beans I trimmed them up and made dilly beans! If you like things pickled and you have a bunch of green beans and no pressure canner than pickle them! Normally green beans have such a low acidity that you have to pressure can them but when pickling you don't need to worry about that and a water bath works just dandy. 

This was my freebies for this week (left). I just got a bunch of freebies last week too (right). I had fallen behind on using my coupons but with Kroger having their Freebie Fridays it's put me back on a bit of a coupon trip. 

Sadly coupons can't help with everything so I dive into the discount bin.
Do you ever buy damaged goods? Some people frown upon it I know I used to. Now though it is nearly a way of life. I check to make sure dents in the cans aren't so sharp that there is a chance of them being punctured and that bags in boxes are still properly sealed.
This is my purchase today.

For a grand total of $12.14

Earlier this week I went to the grocery store and found damaged boxes of cereal on sale. 

 6 boxes of cereal for $6.84

I made sure to check the bags inside to assure the cereal was still okay and truthfully what was wrong with this cereal is the boxes were damaged and nothing else.

Now there is a store in town that will sell damaged and out of date food but I avoid that place mainly because I don't want to check the date on everything that is one thing I am still picky on. But I'd rather be safe than sorry when it comes to illness especially food borne illness.

That is pretty much what is up there in the kitchen.
The girls came home last Wednesday from Oregon and it was nice to have them home though they were spoiled rotten and it was very apparent so there were a few tiffs as they had to relearn what their mother will put up with.
I took them out to Walmart and we bought fishing poles and then grabbed some dinner and went out to the park. It was expensive to buy fishing stuff but as I told them as long as it is well taken care of it will last them for years to come. We also brought the bread to feed the ducks.

 My husband of course did not do any fishing he isn't much of an outdoor person but he did come out with us and and sat down with a book.

 Other then that Saturday Peter took Katherine to a local gaming shop to play Pokemon which we hope will help her get involved with other kids. We are working hard trying to help her overcome having her heart on her sleeve which gets her in trouble at school. Brielle will start going to Friday Night Magic (also a card game group) with Peter too so both the kids have an activity that isn't them sitting in front of their computers. Peter and I are trying a LARP (live action role playing) that some of our friends play because Peter and I realize we are hermits and we really should learn to socialize also. We've been bad about that over the years either because we were working on our marriage or work had us completely spinning around.

Peter also ended up buying a new TV (I'm not exactly sure WHY we need a 60" TV but he paid for it out of side jobs he's been taking the last several months). Tonight we go out and get the TV Stand and start moving around a lot of furniture.

The kids are currently in South Carolina and we will get them back next week before school starts on Wednesday.
On Monday before I took the kids down to Nashville to catch their flight I took Brielle down to the Orthodontist where she had her braces put on.

We are on a 5 year journey with the orthodontist and already Brielle has several appointments set up for the next two months as we start down this path. 

While for now it may be painful and annoying I hope later in life she will appreciate it. My parents were never able to get braces for me so I especially know how much your smile can plague you over the years. 

She's being a trooper and I'm proud of her. 

Yesterday, Thursday, I did Brielle's school registration for 8th grade and then turned around and took care of Katherine's 4th grade registration. Things are getting set and they are moving fast! 

Well I think that about sums things up for the time being. With any luck life will start to calm down and maybe I can find more time to sit at the computer and write something more meaningful and helpful to everyone.