Friday, September 29, 2023

A Journal of My Days: 9/29/23

This has been a hard week in my grief recovery journey as I watched two families close to us say goodbye to loved ones.   Grief is a strange companion, and it has many layers.  You get to a point where you think you're doing pretty good and then something happens to peel back another layer (like an onion) and all the hurt comes rushing back.  I do not believe that one ever gets over deep grief, I think that over time one learns to live with it accepting its permanent existence in one's life.

I've got a hodge podge of different things to share this week!


The milk kefir grains that I ordered came and I started the process of rehydrating the grains.  I can't wait to have a smoothie made of kefir milk!  Yum!


The young hens that we hatched out in the spring are beginning to lay.  Their first eggs are small, can you pick out the 'young hen's' egg in the picture?


I baked sweet potato pound cake to share.
Here's where I got the recipe.


We were able to start harvesting peas.  One bucket contains purple hull peas and the other is an old timey pea that we're trying for the first time this year.

I also was able to harvest a few more jalapeno peppers as well!


I'm happy to share the progress my sister and I are making on our long distance, via technology quilt-a-long.  Mine's not sewn together in the picture yet; but I'm getting there.  Both my sister and I are really enjoying working with fall colors.  

I posted lesson one in the Bible study I'm writing on the book of Esther over on my other blog, From This Heart of Mine.  You can find it HERE.

That's it for this week, how has your week gone? 

Until next time,

patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

15 comments:

  1. When my grandmother died i was bereft for many months. I lost hair in large clumps. She passed in ‘82 and i still miss her. There’s no timeline for grief.
    I love the quilt! The Log Cabin is a favorite design of mine. I got a beautiful, hand stitched, bow tie quilt top from a garage sale this summer. I told the woman i didn’t have much cash on me so she tried to give it to me! I gave her ten dollars. She was so gracious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esmerelda, grief is a hard thing for sure. You scored big on the quilt.
      A friend gave me a bow tie quilt, it is quite lovely.

      Delete
    2. As a quilter, it is better to give a unfinished quilt top to someone who will love it than it is to get $ for it. There is more to life than $. In one of my project boxes, I have a 3d bow tie quilt to finish up. It was really fun to work on. :) Hugs, Kara

      Delete
  2. There is an old family story of two of my great aunts going to the beach in Florida for the day. The older of the two, Aunt Ruth, wanted to sit in a chair and enjoy the view while the younger, Aunt Bonnie, was going to go for a walk on the beach. Aunt Ruth was a tall, large woman who always sore pleated skirts and little ballet type shoes and her long gray hair was braided and wrapped around her head like a crown. Aunt Bonnie got her settled in a chair and went walking away and some ways down the beach she turned and looked back and the surf had washed the sand out from under Aunt Ruth's chair and she was down and floundering in the water but the waves would not even allow her to sit up. Meanwhile her little shoes where being washed away in the surf. That is how grief feels to me. One day I am fine and then the waves come and wash my okay away and I am down in the surf unable to get up and my shoes are washing away. It is so without warning. (The truth is that Aunt Ruth was laughing so hard she couldn't even help herself and yes people did run to help.) I am sorry you have been hit by waves without warning this week. I am going through the part where I just want to tell Mom I am sorry for some things I did and said.

    That quilt is beautiful! I love the colors, too. How wonderful to have something in common to do with your sister. I hope you have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lana, I think that is a part of working our way through grief. I too remember a season of grief where I wanted to apologize to my mom too. In grief, all the things we feel like we did wrong become magnified and huge in our broken hearts.

      There are days when I feel like those shoes in your family story too. I've come to realize that grief is sneaky and hard and so very hurtful.

      My sister and I are enjoying our quilting adventures for sure!

      Delete
  3. Sometimes working through grief can take as much effort and should be valued as highly as any other, more tangible tasks! So don’t feel like any time was wasted this week, which, looking at those garden harvesting and quilting projects make it very clear that you didn’t! 😉
    Love your quilt and that you and your sister are bonding through this project! Btw- the lower right block needs to be turned so that the overall quilt top pattern is uniform. This is NOT meant as a criticism. The quilt is lovely. But I know firsthand how that sort of thing can make me miserable if I have to seam rip a block out to turn it after the whole top is made or worse, after the quilt is quilted and bound! 😱. I can’t wait to see it after it is quilted and bound- your choice of fabric colors and block layout are great!! ❤️❤️

    Gardenpat in Ohio

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Garden Pat, I cannot thank you enough for pointing out that block placement! I have looked at it numerous times and had not picked up on it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

      Delete
    2. Patsy- I just finished a baby quilt top and had all 36 blocks sewn together. I took a photo and was happy because I need it as a baby shower gift in 3 days. Hubs looked at photo and circled a block near the center (why can’t mine ever be an end block? 🥴). Sadly he was right, so I had to rip out all 4 sides, turn the block 90 degrees and resew it in! 🙁. But I would have felt worse if he hadn’t told me and I realized it AFTER the quilt was quilted and bound! I hesitated telling you but then I thought how I would feel if no one mentioned it and I noticed too late. I really love your quilt and can’t wait to see it finished and bound!! ❤️❤️

      Gardenpat in Ohio

      Delete
  4. I am a big fan of Whippoorwill Holler YouTube. I’ve been wanting to try that sweet potato pound cake. I’m glad you had success with it. Good to know:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shayla, Whippoorwill Holler is one of my favorite Youtube channels! They are just so realistic!

      Delete
  5. You are so right about the layers of grief. It's been nearly 10 years since my husband passed. Most days are good, producive, and as if things were as usual. Then out of the clear blue, something takes me right back -- a song on the radio, a conversation that spurs a memory, or simply God's beauty at sunrise. Time may heal the exterior, but the interior still "feels" the absence. My heart goes out to you.

    From my deck garden, I've got 3 good-sized peppers to harvest and a handful of tomatoes. The chives could do with another haircut, and there's another batch of parsley, basil, thyme, and oregano ready for possibly the last harvest. At the farmstand, I stocked up on acorn and butternut squash, and got apples for making applesauce and for putting up sliced apples in a light syrup, and a quart of Fredonia grapes (a concord-type juice grape) for making grape juice. One of my favorite farmstands is offering a miniature butternut variety this year, which is perfect for 2 servings. It's a little sweeter than regular butternut, which is OK with me. I only got 2, since I wanted to try them first. Will get a few more when I visit there next time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lori, you described my grief journey perfectly. I'm coming to terms with the fact that it will always be this way and to allow myself to be still and work through the waves as they come.

      You've been busy adding to your pantry!

      Delete
  6. I'm sorry this week was difficult, Patsi. I still struggle around babies, so I understand how certain triggers can reawaken the pain of loss. 💙 You are in my prayers.

    Your quilt is beautiful and I love it! I think that is so special that you quilt along with your sister long distance.

    The pound cake looks delicious. I mean, you know, in moderation 😉
    Thank you for the YouTube channel recommendation. It looks like a really good one (and not just because there is cake lol).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kelsey, thank you for your prayers, I am feeling better. Whipporwill Holler Youtube channel is one I enjoy and visit often!

      Delete