Canned Soup Mix Recipes...

Yesterday I was asked about the recipes for my canned soup mixes, so I decided to share them with you from the source where I found them. The YouTube channel is called "Wicked Prepared", and the hostess is from the northeast part of the United States. She's got some other great videos, and although she refers to herself as a prepper, I'm there for the recipes that help me create the best food for our family.

You can watch the video and then find links to all her recipes under the caption for the video. Just clink on her video description to locate them. If you have trouble linking to the recipes, let me know, and I'll try to help. (HERE'S a direct link to the video, too)

There are three recipes (remember these are for the condensed soup versions). These are shelf-stable dry mixes for Cream of Mushroom Soup, Cream of Chicken Soup, and Tomato Soup. She shows you how to make them, and then has sources for some of the ingredients. I just made sure I purchased non-GMO, organic alternatives for the healthiest options (in my humble opinion).

I'm mixing up some dry, seasoned rice mixes today. I purchased half gallon jars yesterday, too, so I have plenty now for my other mixes. It's always nice to see everything lined up in the pantry, and believe me, I've got enough things prepared now so that we'd be well-fed should we get a storm that snowed us in for a week this winter. I even have dried whole milk and cream so we'd be able to make Handsome's favorite morning cereal or our coffee. 

I hope you enjoy watching the video, and be sure to let me know if you try them. I'd love to know what you think. If you're traveling tomorrow, please be safe. The farmers that came into the station yesterday all told me to hunker down for the storm they say is going to hit us over the next few days. I'm going to take them at their word. The rain started last night, and the wind is up. I'm hoping if it turns to snow, we're just not blasted all at once. Nothing like a Thanksgiving storm to wake us up, right?

What I've Been Doing...

Canned Pineapple and Pineapple Juice

It all started with a trip to the grocery store. I haven't seen pineapples for under three dollars for over a year...until last week. They were marked two for three dollars! I bought six and for the nine dollars I spent, I ended up with thirteen pints of cubed pineapples, plus three pints of juice by the end of the day! These will taste like liquid gold in the middle of winter. 

Have I told you my favorite fruit is pineapple? My mum told me that she used to eat pineapple every day when she was expecting me. I guess that might have something to do with it.

Monday's Bread Production

Monday is my usual baking day, and yesterday was no exception. This time I made four farmhouse loaves, one asiago cheese loaf (in front), and a small baguette.

Condensed Soup Mixes

While my bread was rising, I mixed up two batches of condensed soup mix. One batch is for condensed cream of mushroom soup, and the other is for condensed tomato soup. Each jar holds the equivalent of eight Campbell's Soup™ cans. These recipes taste almost exactly like the traditional soups. You can't see them, but the mix for the mushroom soup has dehydrates mushrooms and mushroom powder in the jar. It smells wonderful. Likewise, the tomato soup mix has dehydrated tomatoes among the ingredients, and it also smells great.

When I'm ready to use the mix, I've got the directions on the jar for how much mix I need and how to make it. After making the condensed soup, I can either add milk or water to make it soup consistency, or I can add it in condensed form for a casserole or other recipe. 

This sure beats running to the store and filling my pantry shelf with cans. The other benefit is that I can choose organic, non-GMO, or other clean ingredients to feed our family. Worth all the time and effort ten times over, if you ask me. I also have a recipe for cream of chicken soup mix, but didn't have another gallon jar to put it in, so I'll get a few gallon jars and then mix that up, too.

We know there's weather coming this week, so the rest of our weekend was spent preparing. We put away the last of the yard furniture, changed over the mower to bucket and blade on our tractor, and then put up those holiday lights. Truthfully, I had nothing left for the studio after all that.

I work today, so my plan is to work on the bluebird wall hanging tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a little studio time, and know that the next few weeks, I'll be spending whole days upstairs. Right now, I'm "making my list and checking it twice". I'll share more later.

November Craft Day...

November Craft Day - L-R: Donna, George, Adrienne, Linda K, and Marie

Our November group was small, but all the participants are held closely in my heart. Linda is one of my dearest friends, and I've known her since I first moved to Portage in 1976. I lived there until 1981, when I came back to Fond du Lac and met my now husband. 

Linda and I have stayed close ever since, and as I've shared previously, her daughter Marie, granddaughter Adrienne, and now Adrienne's children, Belle, Bowen and George are also dear to me. Being able to see them so frequently is just like a mini family reunion, and getting together to craft is just a welcome excuse.

This month, Marie rounded up her paper and paint assortments, wooden tree forms from Hobby Lobby, and plastic peel and stick tiles from Dollar General. From there, we painted, cut, and glued our projects together to see what is photographed above. Aren't they fun?

I especially loved Marie's color theme, but every single one of theirs is unique and wonderful. Of course, I immediately focused on the music-themed papers and settled on one that had a cardinal in the corner. Once I fussy cut the design to fit my tree, the rest came right along. I may still add a star to the top of my tree, but I haven't decided what it will be yet.

George came up with the idea to cut a tree topper out of the tile, and then his mom followed suit. He was pretty darn proud of his once he finished it, and of course, we all told him how talented he was (is).

Having my tree photographed

Marie always shares our monthly projects with a craft group she belongs to on Facebook, so we always take photographs of each participant with their piece. Mine made it onto my camera this month, so here I am with my musical tree. Hmmm. Perhaps my tree topper should be a bell or a drum? I'm going to see what I have in my embellishment boxes that might be appropriate. (I know I have some grand piano buttons and a pin.) 

Linda's Owl Shawl

A few months ago, I saw this wonderful owl shawl crochet pattern and had to share it with Linda. She loves to crochet and is very good at it. She told me she bought the pattern and was working on it.

Well, after fifty or sixty hours' worth of work, she finished it and wore it Saturday. It is really magnificent! I had to share it with you. The pattern didn't call for the trim on each feather, but she used a sparkling brown yarn, and it was just the perfect finishing touch.

She told me she purchased a dragon shawl pattern at the same time, and Belle said if her great-grandma made it, she'd absolutely wear it. I told Linda Belle could wear the goldwork dragon brooch I made for her on it, too!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what we did for our monthly play date. I was on my way home by noon, so I spent the rest of the weekend with Handsome. We put up our porch lights yesterday, because the weather is forecast to get ugly later this week, and I really don't want to be doing that in frigid temps or biting winds. 

We turned the lights on last night just so we could see how they looked, so I guess I'm guilty of "decorating before Thanksgiving" now. I have a different idea for a tree this year, so I'll share that once it's accomplished. There are other things to write about first though. You'll have to come back tomorrow for that. 

Give Thanks - Web Image

Sunday Scripture...

Deuteronomy 28:13

 

Fresh From The Hoop...

Completed "Summer Serenade - Bluebirds" Quilt Top

I completed all the embroidery on my bluebird quilt top yesterday. It was my plan to begin assembling the wall hanging in the afternoon, but I got a call from my boss at work asking if I could come in early (which I did). Needless to say, the process stopped here. I took this photograph before I even had a chance to press the hoop marks out of the corners!

Today is Craft Day in Portage, so I'll be away this morning. If Handsome doesn't have some outdoor tasks for us when I get back, I'll begin where I left off on my wall hanging. I'm hoping I can share a completed piece early next week. I'll definitely have it completed by Thanksgiving!

I'm going to make a coffee for my go cup and get on the road. I need to be there by 9 am, and it's about an hour and twenty between here and there. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Time for me to fly!

It's Here!...

Brynwood Needleworks - "Summer Serenade - Bluebirds" Jelly Roll For Binding

Who would have thought that mail service from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin would take so long, but it's finally here! The jelly roll I need for the binding has arrived. I'm still working on the feathers, but plan to finish them today. 

Quilting the panel will be next on the agenda, and then I can add the binding. That won't all happen today, but it will happen soon. I've promised to share a closeup of the wall hanging when it's finished, and I'll also photograph it with the other two so you can see them the way I do...all together. I'm looking forward to that more than you know. I'm so enamored with this piece.

I'll close for now so I can get back to work. Fun times in my happy place...

November Classmate Dinner...

Front Row: Brad, Deb B., Donna, and Al. Back Row: Deb N., Lisa B., Dan and Cal

It's always a treat to sit at the table and watch each old friend walk through the door. Such was the case last night. We always ask how everyone is doing and get the latest update on doctor's appointments, healing from the latest procedures, and otherwise. Then, we move on to family updates and finally settle into our usual chatter about how classmates are, who we saw recently, who needs prayers, having to purchase a new appliance, or whatever else is going on since the previous month. You know. The stuff old friends always cover when they see each other. 

Yesterday was no exception, and like good old mature folks, we all hugged, said our goodbyes and were on our way home by 5 pm. We are a hoot. We set our next date for the week before Christmas, so our calendars are already marked. I'll send out the monthly date email and Facebook post to let everyone else know when the next one is, and we'll see who shows up for the last get together of the year. 

Can you believe it? December is right around the corner!!! gaaaaaahhhhhh! I've half a mind to tell everyone in the family to forego gifts this year and we'll just get together for a big party. Except grammie's jammies. I'll make those until I can't anymore, or until the kids tell me to stop. I need to finish the bluebirds so I can get into "holiday mode". Best get the blinders ready and call the elves. It's almost time!

Too Soon For This!...

In Otter News - Steve's Not Ready For Christmas

I've been seeing too many photographs on Facebook of friends who already have their Christmas trees up! Not here. We wait until after Thanksgiving. Heck there were Christmas ads before Halloween. That's just nuts! I want to celebrate each holiday separately, and not smush them all together. Maybe it's just me. 

I didn't go to the mailbox after I got home from work. It was rainy, then slushy, then snowy, then rainy all day, so when Handsome picked me up after my shift, all I wanted to do was get in the house, change clothes and take a quick nap. That's just what I did, but upon looking at my mail notifications, I see that the jelly roll to complete my bluebirds is in the mailbox. I'll get it in a few minutes.

My plan for today is to finish stitching feathers and start the process to turn my piece into a quilted wall hanging. I'll show you how far I get tomorrow.

Our monthly classmate dinner is today, so I may not likely won't get to the actual quilting until tomorrow. Just a few more days won't hurt anything, except that I'm as anxious to complete it as you are to see it!

I'd better get busy or I surely won't make much progress. Happy Hump Day! See you tomorrow.

Be Like Steve...

In Otter News - Steve the Otter

I'm working today, so I'll leave you with a life lesson from Steve the Otter today. I like his philosophy! See you tomorrow.

A Musical Afternoon...

FdL Symphonic Band Percussion Section

It was a perfect day for a cathedral concert in Fond du Lac (Wisconsin). The sun shone through the stained glass windows, and the pews were filled with enthusiastic audience members. The program was inspirational, lively, and moving, and I was so glad to be there.

The venue was St. Paul's Cathedral. It's a lovely stone edifice that sits along the banks of the Fond du Lac River as it winds through the city. The area where the band performs has soaring ceilings that send the music out into the seats. It has marvelous acoustics.

My Heartbeat in the Percussion Section

Of course, I was sure to position myself so that I could see Handsome during the performance. I didn't realize though that the music director (conductor) would be positioned right in my sight line, so during the pieces, if Handsome stood here, my view was blocked. Fortunately, he moved around in the section as he played various drums, so I did get to see him.

I wish all of you could have been there with me. It really was a great concert - and that's even if you remove my obvious bias! There aren't any more concerts this year. Their next performance will be in April of 2026. Handsome will be in Florida the first part of the year, but he's planning to be home to rehearse with the band in time for that concert. That means we won't be apart very long this year, and you know I like that!

Feather photographs tomorrow! See you then...

Sunday Scripture...

Matthew 6:34

 

Fluffing Feathers Again...

I'm working on the feathers, but only sharing a partially completed one today. I'll have all of them finished by Monday's post.

In addition to doing my needlework, I also made two loaves of bread which Handsome baked after it rose. I needed to take him to pick up his truck which had been at the dealership for two days because something prevented it from even starting, but I didn't want to leave the house with the oven going, so he took over where I left off once he got back home. I went on to work after I dropped him off. I was definitely multi-tasking all day.

Work went really well. We were insanely busy, and I was definitely flitting around until about the last half hour of my shift. It was great though, as the time flew by.

Handsome has a concert in town tomorrow, so he's helping set up at the venue this morning. I'll be working on feathers as soon as I take care of Bella and Carly. My binding fabric should be arriving today, which means that I'll be able to start the assembly process as soon as I finish stitching these corners. I'm going to try to do that this weekend, but with Handsome's concert in the middle of the day, I may not get to it until Monday. We'll just have to see.

Today marks two years since my younger sister, Lyn left us. I'll be checking in with her daughters and my remaining sisters today as we take extra care of each other as we continue to grieve her passing. I just couldn't close out today's post without recognizing the fact that we will always miss her terribly. I know she's rejoicing with our Savior, and knowing we'll be together again some day gives us all a measure of comfort. Our faith carries us when our hearts are hurting. I'll be back on Monday.

KP Duty...

That's how it felt for a while yesterday. I took twenty pounds of potatoes out of the fifty pound bag to process. Peeling, rinsing, cutting up, rinsing, soaking, rinsing...Potatoes were the center of my universe for much of the day. 

Once I'd rinsed away the starch that would cloud the jars, I was ready to start filling them with all those beautiful spuds. In the end, twenty pounds of potatoes were canned into twenty four wide mouth pint jars. Three didn't seal, but I had a plan for that eventuality, too.

I made potato soup with ham. Handsome thought it was delicious, and I wasn't going to try to convince him otherwise. It was just the comfort food we needed after both of our busy days. The best part was that there was exactly one full quart of leftover soup, so we can have that for lunch in the next day or so.

I work tonight, so I'm planning to rest and stitch feathers today. I think I've accomplished enough for one week, so I'll take it easy today. I hope you have a great weekend, dear friends.

Turkey In The Jars...

I think I should have weighed the carcass before I tossed it, but that thirteen pound turkey yielded four pints of meat, and two and a half quarts of broth. 

One thing though. This bird had been in the bottom of the freezer for a while. If any of the meat looked like it had even a wee bit of freezer burn, I didn't use it. Even so, I was a bit surprised that I didn't get more jars. I processed just over four pounds, and that meat looked perfect. That means a pound of meat per pint, which is just the right amount for two people.

Once all the meat was trimmed off the bones, I placed them into my pot along with carrots, onion, celery, whole peppercorns and salt. I topped everything off with spring water and let it come to a boil. Then, it simmered for about an hour and a half before I triple strained it and put it into jars. It really is beautiful.

The jars are labeled and in the pantry now. I'll be able to make soup, pot pies, or Thanksgiving casserole with the contents, so I'm happy with the effort.

Next up? I have a fifty pound bag of potatoes I got last time I was over in Portage. I spent $15 for the entire bag! I'll be dry canning at least twenty five pounds, and then put the rest in a cool, dark cupboard in the pantry. The outside wall isn't insulated, so it will preserve the potatoes while we use them this winter for baking, mashing, or in stews. 

As soon as my jelly roll arrives with the two strips I need for the bluebird hanging, I'll finish that, but for now, I'll be happily adding more to our pantry stock.

Today's Agenda...

I have a lovely frozen turkey that I refrigerator-thawed over the last few days. Our sons have gone to their in-laws' homes since we lived in Florida, so they set new traditions. I'll likely roast a turkey breast for us, rather than do a whole bird. 

Sooooo, today I'm pressure canning a thirteen pound turkey. I plan to can some of it for soups and stews, more for pot pies, and the rest in spring water to use in other ways later. Once I've cut all the meat off the bone, I'll take my saved vegetable trimmings, spring water, and the carcass to make a lovely bone broth. 

Work went well yesterday (thank you compression stockings!), and I'm up and at 'em today, raring to go. I'll be back tomorrow with photographs of my efforts. I plan to "make hay while the sun shines", and the sun is shining brightly today. See you tomorrow!

The Acorn...

"The Acorn" Collage Quilt

I saw this pattern today and loved it, so I wanted to use it for today's post. This is a design from Collage Quilter and I saw it in their group on Facebook. The pattern is available HERE for download, in case anyone is interested.

This is the copy from their Facebook post:

“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow”

We are excited to introduce this special little pattern, The Acorn! Now through the end of November, 100% of proceeds from The Acorn pattern will be donated to the Good Samaritan Foundation for their food pantry. The Good Samaritan Foundation was founded by Emily’s dad, James Woodward, and has been dedicated to helping refugees and immigrants for the last 17 years. We are honored to give back this season in loving memory of James, who passed away from ALS in June 2025, and we hope you’ll join us!"

 

Thanks for all the wonderful and enthusiastic comments for yesterday's post! I do love this colorway so much better. I was in the studio today and couldn't help stopping to look at it hanging on the wall. I did find the fabric I need to do the binding, but I had to purchase an entire jelly roll to get the two 2-1/2" strips I need. sigh I guess there's a lap quilt in this fabric in the "To Do" list for 2026! I'll complete the wall hanging as soon as the fabric arrives.

 

I'm working my first full shift today (6 hours), so I won't likely be doing anything else after I get home (except writing a blog post for tomorrow). We'll see. I'm a little nervous about being on my feet for six hours, so wish me luck. (I am going to wear my compression stockings and a knee brace on "BoB" just to be extra careful. Toodles for now!

 

 

Oh, What A Night!...

Brynwood Needleworks - "Summer Serenade - Bluebirds"

As I was assembling the other colorway on Saturday night, I noticed that the measurements I'd written down weren't working. After sewing three borders to the main block, I realized that I'd made a mistake when I cut the ground fabric for the birds. The width was correct, but I hadn't cut down the height. 

I sat for a bit, chatted with my resident sounding board (and excellent analyst, Handsome), and in the end decided to take it all apart and make it right. The work I'd accomplished throughout the day was completely erased. Handsome went to bed, and I painstakingly and carefully removed every stitch of sewing and at last, I was able to cut the block to the correct size. (You'd better believe I checked both of the other two bird hangings to make sure before I got out the ruler and rotary cutter!)

At 3 am Sunday, I re-ironed every strip and even though I probably could have kept working, I decided to pin everything up and start fresh after I slept.

I got up Sunday morning, made coffee while Handsome exercised Bella and Carly. Then I took a shower and started the day fully alert and awake...and raring to start over.

I also decided that there were going to be changes. While I loved the other colors, some of you commented that it looked autumnal. As this piece is called "Summer Serenade", I decided to jetison that colorway and look at it with new eyes. I went back to the fabric room and pulled the original blue/gray/brown colors from my Blackbird Designs "Blueberry Crumb Cake" assortment and previewed other blues, as well. I'm soooo glad I did. There was only one small problem that was soon revealed.

After I fell for the dark tiny floral inner and outer border as the perfect choice - and started the assembly - I realized that I wouldn't have enough of that pattern to use for the backing and binding. The backing was no big deal. I'll use the brown dot batik for the back. The binding will be another issue. 

Today, I'll be going through all my fabrics to see if I have something that will get close to that dark blue print. I'll also be looking on Etsy and other websites to see if I can locate a full quarter or half yard of it to match. I know I'll figure it out, but I'm hoping it will be easy rather than difficult. I'll let you know. I'll also be stitching the additional four feathers onto the main block this week while I figure out the binding.

I hope you love the new colorway as much as I do. Did I surprise you? lol I think it complements the birds and has a more summery vibe. It's nearly finished and I love this one so much! And to think...it only took thirteen months. See you tomorrow!

Sunday Scripture...

Psalm 55:22

 

Half Square Triangles...

Previewing Colors

I created nine different half square triangles in various combinations yesterday, and did a trial layout to see how it might look with my choices. There will only be a half inch of the gold border showing once I sew on the border of half square triangles. In fact, I may make it even narrower than that, so there's just a hint of it. Of course, this set of borders will repeat all around the main block and first two borders.

At this point, I'm thinking I may need a couple more fabric/color combinations for the blocks. The "X"s are where I'll still be stitching larger feathers into each corner. I'll use the same color threads for those feathers as the smaller ones in the hst borders.

Half Square Triangles (HST) Blocks

These will be 1" square after they're assembled. While previewing them, I may decide to add one darker color into the mix for my little blocks...or at least one other combination of different fabrics. I'll play with that today and decide.

I'm enjoying this process and look forward to completing it over the weekend. I hope to hang it with the other two when it's done. The robins and cardinals hang in my studio right now, but I may change their location once the bluebirds are ready to hang. We'll see. I need to get it finished first. Best not to put the horse before the cart, right?

And So It Begins...

First Two Borders For Wall Hanging

I spent the day in the studio assembling the first part of my bluebird wall hanging yesterday. If you've been following along, you may notice that many of my fabric choices changed. I decided to stick with more subtle colors. The batik I showed you will still be used as the outside border and back, but I'm only showing the borders and fabric choices (along the right side) for the half square triangles which will be the next border. I may add a few other appropriate fabrics as I assemble them.

There's a little tension in the fabric where I stitched the fencing, which is a bit disappointing. I tried very hard to keep my fabric taut in the hoop, and not pull too much when I was stitching, but alas, I still have to fine tune my technique. It should disappear when I do the quilting in this area, so I'm not too concerned at this point.

I placed the feathers that will be in the half square triangle bands on the corners of the main block to show you where I've yet to stitch them directly onto the fabric. The feathers on the main block will be larger than the ones you see here, but not significantly bigger. I kept this block the same size as my other two wall hangings (the robins and the cardinals) so their sizes will be consistent. The next one with the goldfinches will be the same, too. I'll stitch in those feathers after the next border is sewn to what's already done.

I got this much finished so far, and today I'll begin making all the half square triangles for the next section. The golden brown border you see here will be the same width as the darker border (1/2") after the next border is added. 

I work tonight, so I'm not sure whether or not I'll get the next border attached today. I'll surely try. Otherwise, I'll get to it asap. I'm sure you can tell now that I'd love to race to the finish line. I just want to make sure I get it right, and that it turns out the way I want it too. 

Oh, just a note. It was a conscious decision to avoid a lot of blues. I really don't want to take anything away from the needlework. What do you think so far? You like the colors I've chosen? Let me know.

What Was Misplaced Is Found

Once again, I was problem solving in my sleep. The night I told you I couldn't locate the last piece of fabric that was part of the background for the bluebirds, I went to sleep thinking about where it might be. Two places came to me overnight.

I woke up yesterday and immediately went to the first place. I pulled out a drawer and moved the contents that were toward the front. There it was, safely tucked under one of my small notebooks. Waiting for me.

I smiled as I took it from the drawer, turned on my small iron, and pressed all the folds out of it. In no time, I had drawn outlines of the feather (two of them mirror image) four times, and by dinner time last night, I'd completed all my feathers. It doesn't bother me that they aren't all exactly the same, because they don't all match in nature either. 

The lines represent the two inch squares of fabric I'll need for the corner blocks when I begin cutting the coordinating fabrics to create the wall hanging. First, I have to press and square up the center blocks with the bluebirds. Then, I'll work out from there.

I may work on more of this today, but I have a few other household tasks begging for my attention. You'll have to come back tomorrow for an update!

Shhhhhhh. I'm Hunting FABRIC!...

Elmer Fudd

 

I worked for nearly four hours yesterday, and by the time I got home and changed into my sweats, I was wiped. Even so, I wanted to pull out the ground fabric I used in the bluebird piece to start working on my feathers. One big problem. I couldn't locate it.

 

Ground Fabric For Bluebirds

I actually have it in two colorways. This one, in a tan colorway that I used for the bluebirds and cardinals, and a gray colorway that I used for the robins (and plan to use for the goldfinches). 

I went to the fabric studio shelves expecting to see it right next to the gray colorway bolt. It wasn't there. Then I remembered that I'd pulled the last of it off the bolt for this piece, and folded what I wasn't going to be using for the central block to use later for the corners. 

I spent at least an hour searching, sorting, rearranging, and yet was unable to find the last piece of the fabric. I went back to the main piece to see whether or not I have enough to tease the corners from it, and if I have to I can, but it will be tight.

I'm going to look again today. I'll go back through the places I looked yesterday, and open every container and drawer to see where I put it for "safekeeping". Needless to say, there was no feather stitching yesterday. I'll keep hunting until I find it, and perhaps I can begin that process later today. Wish me luck!