Farmhouse Friday - Week 23 The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways

 

Good Friday Morning!  

The top picture is of me (my 18th birthday/graduation party) and my sister Lynn.  We both made our dresses.  She is 11 years older than and I am 11 years older than her daughter, my niece Jessi.  

Last week's Farmhouse Friday post, Daisy g from:  Maple Hill 101 left a comment about Swedish Death Cleaning.  Honestly, I never heard of it.  So, I googled it.  "A thoughtful decluttering process where you gradually clear out unnecessary possessions while you are alive to spare your loved ones."  Well, I've been doing this for a year already, since being diagnosed with my muscle wasting disease.  

I come from a long line of hoarders.  I do estate sales for my job....yes, I do.  However, just like Sam from Cheers was an alcoholic bartender, I'm a hoarding estate sale specialist.  It's no secret, I sometimes buy out an estate, sometimes we do a sale and sometimes I buy what is left after the sale.   I've gone to too many auctions over the years and bought row after row of $1 boxes.  I'd pick out 1 or 2 things I wanted and sell the rest - it was the BEST!  I MISS those days!  

Anyway, back to the Lord works in mysterious ways.  I'm a story teller, I can't help it.  My sister Lynn messaged me yesterday, while I was elbow deep in yet again another box of some other old lady's sewing stuff I just had to have and I was short with her.  She messaged and said "this is a sleepy kind of day isn't it?"  (Poke the bear...poke, poke)  I messaged "No, I'm outside doing my Swedish Death Cleaning."  She comes back with "what is that?"  (Poke, poke....)  I said "Google it!"  She comes back with "I'm almost afraid to..."  I wanted to say, but I did not...."you should be!"  Truthfully, she messaged me when I was just feeling defeated about how I can hardly do "this" anymore for myself.  I spent decades doing "this" for others and I wish I had the old Dicky Bird, the stong one, that did "this" for just 1 week.  

Well, after several messages back and forth (I'll spare you all the details) about stewardship of what God's given you....my messenger "beeps" from our brother Frank.  That top picture comes up....(o.k. Lord, I get it!  I'll stop now).  Frank says, "I was looking at old picutures" and sent it to both of us.  I love my sister Lynn, we share many of the same "issues."  I fight my battles and she her's.  She is going to hate that I wrote this, but it was part of a lesson for us both.  On to more Swedish Death Cleaning.  

I did find money in a bag of my "stash."  

We had a ton of rain here this week.  This 3.5 is from 1 day.

Here are some photos from our boat ride in Waupaca, WI.

Both Ezra and Lauren we able to steer the boat.  

My friend, Lori U., said "he looks like the Skipper from Gilligan's Island."  He does!!!  Sorry, Gen X moment.  

Last of the Lilacs.  Is there a sweeter scent?  The air was full of it.  The Iris are almost done too.  Now on to Peonies and Lupines.  I enjoy all my flowers!  

Have a great weekend.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

Rhubarb Lemon Scones

 

Rhubarb Lemon Scones:

2 C flour

1/2 C sugar

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

stir together, then I use a cheese grater and grate in the dry mixture

1/2 C butter

mix with pastry blender or fork until crumbly, add

1 C chopped rhubarb

1/2 C heavy cream

1 egg

juice and zest from 1/2 lemon or 1 T (reserve other 1/2 juice and zest for glaze)

stir together 

Pat into a disc and cut into 8 wedges.  I brushed tops with heavy cream.  Bake 400 until golden 18-20 minutes.  Drizzle with simple glaze of powder sugar, lemon juice and little zest.  

My daughter said "these are so good!"

I redeemed my previous rhubarb failure with these.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

Farmhouse Friday - Week 22 - Sweet 16 to Salty 60

 

Little House on the Prairie was/is one of my favorite series.  I felt like Laura so many times growing up watching that show.  Oh, I do have that book too.  

I turned 60!  I woke up that morning thinking how blessed I was for 60 birthdays.  I was also thinking how I couldn't wait to turn sweet 16 and just like that I'm now salty 60 (thanks Lisa).  We are celebrating tomorrow with our children.  Going on a boat tour and out to eat.

We ordered a "hitch" type thing for the back of my scooter.  Now I can drive where I want to go and walk around.  So I did....

The Zinnia's are coming up.

Ginger loves the pool.

Drove down the road to the bridge.  

I'm working in one of my buildings, trying to set it up for sales.  I am planning the first for June 27.  I think once I get it set up, I'm going to keep selling for my own "estate sale."  Set up, have a sale, evaluate left overs, donate and then plan the next one.  I have to do this while I am some what physically able to.  I don't want to leave this big mess.  I also, made the mess, I need to clean up the mess.  I just have boxes and boxes of who even knows anymore.  I spent the past 10 years selling other peoples stuff and neglected my own.  I would buy, stack and store it.  I want to enjoy what I do in a new way that I can still do it.  

Well, I enjoy sharing with you all.  Thanks for reading. 

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

 

Farmhouse Friday - Week 21 This and That

 

I've inherited this and added to it - seed file box.  Some of them are from the 1980's.  It's time to give them a try and/or toss some I'll never plant.  

There were several packs that I inherited, for lack of better word, so I mixed all the "greens" together in a bag and planted them in a square in the raised bed.  I'm not out anything but my time.

These are my original raised beds, probably 25 years old.  This will be the last year with them as they are decaying, etc.  We will still make raised beds, only higher now for me.  

Al is working on tomato trellis in the garden.  He spaced rows far enough apart so that if it's dry, I can drive my scooter between them for picking.  

NOTE - As I was typing this.....we had a down pour - so, it won't be dry to drive in now. 

I did the same mixing up seeds with some old flower seeds too.

I have some rhubarb in the basket.  I made up a recipe, by mistake, as I had a "senior moment" and decided to just go with it.  I ate a piece, the rest was tossed.     

These were the ingredients.  My eyes saw, what they saw and 2 T of one ingredient became 1/2 C....ughh.  It was ugly too. (haha)

I have more rhubarb .... so I'll bake a different thing...

The crust was good - wink, wink.   

I saw a trick for potato salad on an Instagram reel.  I tried it - best potato salad I've ever made.  The secret is, after the potatoes are drained, while still hot, splash some vinegar (I did red wine) and a little handful of sugar.  I also did onion powder and garlic powder and dried parsley.  Let the flavors soak into the warm potatoes.  I did 1 boiled egg for each potato.  Diced sweet onion and celery.  The dressing is mayo, dijon mustard, little S&P and whip together.  Add the dressing, eggs, veggies once potatoes are cool.  So good.  

I was blessed to have play time with my little grandson.  We had so much fun riding around the farm.  He was getting stuck in all that mud and loving it!  I even pulled him out with my scooter and a tow strap he found in grandpa's truck.  

There is a fundraiser this Sunday for the families devistated by the tornado that hit our community, April 17.  These are the raffle items from our 4H Club and me (my business and event).  I hope it is well attended! 

Other than working on selling estate items, that I do for my business, that's about how my week went.  

On to the weekend...maybe more rhubarb baking?  Do you like rhubarb?  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.  

 

Farmhouse Friday - Week 20 - Garden Time

 

I'm still able to do "it" thanks to these raised beds Al made me last year.  We are finding other things around the farm to fill with dirt for me to plant in.  

Al bent some hog panels into an arbor for things to climb on.  We are doing the veggies together.  I can't get on the ground safely.  

My hanging basket...Al went to my favorite greenhouse for me.  Stephany owns The Flower Trough, LLC  I need to get over there too. 

This is the "wild flower" area.  This has been a pasture for so long, it's hard to get rid of the "swamp" grass and quack.  So, most of the wild flowers choked off.  So Al did this....around the little VW Bug I made him pull out there (ahahaha).  We planted wild flowers and zinnias.  I hope they come up, it will be so pretty.  

Al's bees are doing good this year - I hope it stays that way.

The pretty bouquets I've been receiving are from a local flower farm.  They are so pretty Green's Flower Farm and I LOVE them!

Happy Memorial Day.

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.

One Bowl Date and More Bars

 

I am looking for "one bowl" baking recipes.  I found an old recipe and tweaked it a bit.  It probably was a depression era recipe as it is made without butter or milk.  Simple dry pantry ingredients with eggs and vanilla.  I truthfully didn't think it would turn out.  But, they did and are VERY good.  I plan to use this with other combinations of dried fruit in the future.  

1 C chopped dates

2/3 C chopped craisins 

1 C chopped walnuts (could leave out or do less)

1 C brown sugar

1 C flour

1/2 t baking powder 

1/4 t salt 

Put all into a brown and stir around to coat the fruit. 

2 eggs and splash of vanilla - wisk together well and add to the dry ingredients.

It's thick - put into a greased 8" square pan.  Bake 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Or, until lightly brown.  

They remind of something I've had before, Fig Newton perhaps.  Soft, sweet and very good.  

I hope you give them a try.  I may start posting more "one bowl" recipes.  I have to ask for Al to help me when I use the Kitchen Aid mixer...too heavy for me...and he already does so much for me during the day.  

Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.