Isn't She Lovely?...

I completed this Bridal Brooch, and received an order today for another for a wedding in early October!  My client wants me to make another just like this one, and I'm honored to be able to create one for her.

This one will be lovingly packaged to gift to Jenna on Monday when I have my physical therapy session, and I'll take a short video when I package it to add to my current Etsy listing.

I'll begin work on the second brooch this morning, but I'm going to pamper my knee, too. I'm finally going to work at the station this evening to see how I can tolerate being on my feet for four hours. I know I can do it, because I've been busy canning and baking, but I want to be able to properly function at work, so this will be a good chance to see how I do.

Great Friends & Good Food...

Back Row: Bruce P., Deb B., Julie F., Mary S., Lisa B. and Dan N. Front Row: Donna L., Brad S., and Deb N.

It was so nice to get into my Explorer, drive to town, and spend a few hours with old friends.We caught up on all the news I've been missing, and they all asked about my surgery and how I was doing. We all have our aches and pains to share, so it was almost like going around the table to each person could share their current malady. Thankfully, we all have more fun things to talk about, too, and our conversations quickly turned to more interesting topics. It really was good to see them again after missing two monthly dinners. 

We set the date for our next dinner date, hugged and said our goodbyes, and were on our way home by 5 pm. (I know. That sounds so funny to me, too.) I brought home most of my dinner, and a meal for Handsome, so we sat down together, too after I got back.

I completed my stitching on the brooch early in the afternoon, so I'll do the finishing work on it today. My plan is to present it to Jenna tomorrow. I'll take photos, and a short video to share so you can see it. See you tomorrow!

Twinkle, Twinkle...

I got right to work yesterday morning after my cuppa, and only took breaks to stretch my legs from time to time. I wanted to make sure my knee wouldn't lock up by moving around. This part of my project is about four hours' work, adding silver brilliant check purls after I placed all the blue seed beads.

I love how it's looking, and will have the needlework completed today. I may not do the finishing work until tomorrow, as our classmate luncheon is this afternoon, and I don't want to miss seeing my friends again. 

It feels so good to be out from under the medications I was taking, and even better to be sitting back at my needlework frame. My knee gets tender from the sitting, so those breaks are really necessary. I finished my day with the ice machine and Tylenol, but it was so worth it to be able to stitch for a while.

I'll be back tomorrow with our group photograph from dinner. Nothing like a little "friends therapy" to brighten the day. 

Time To Finish This...

Something Blue Bridal Heart Brooch - WIP

I found out yesterday that I'll only have to do once-a-week physical therapy until I'm finished. I'm scheduled out through mid-October, but I'm going to assume I'll be released before then. With that in mind, I'm going to need to complete this brooch for Jenna. 

She's getting married this time in 2026, but just in case I don't get to see her again (she transfers, or something along that line) before I have my second knee replaced, I want to make sure she has this gift for her special day. 

I won't see her again until next Monday, so I'd like to have it completed by then to be able to gift it to her. So, this is what I'll be working on the rest of this week. Finally!!

Ready For The New Week...

Sunday Canning

Sunday began with a resolve to get a little canning and more laundry done. Handsome helped carry and move things for me which really lightened the load. Last week we bought a bushel of beautiful McIntosh apples from the local orchard for applesauce, pie filling and fresh pies. Neighbors Pete and Dawn also shared a box of tomatoes that needed attention, so Sunday was the day!

Handsome brought in one of our Nesco™ roasters and we cut up the apples together. We loaded the quartered apples into the roaster to cook down for a couple hours. We also cut up Roma tomatoes, added onions, garlic, and avocado oil and popped those into the oven to roast.

I peeled, cored, and chopped a number of apples to make pie filling so I could make some hand pies later today. I planned everything to stagger filling the jars, and I processed the pizza sauce in the stovetop canner while the applesauce went into my Kilner™ pot after milling out all the seeds and skins from the roasted apples. Those filled jars went onto the porch where I had my electric canner set up to process them.

When all was said and done, we had eight half pint jars of roasted tomato pizza sauce, one and a half pints of pie filling, and eight quarts of applesauce. We still have a half bushel of apples left to make more pie filling to can, and fresh pies...and more tomatoes that I may make into tomato basil soup.

Clean Kitchen

Handsome and I both tackled the myriad pots and pans, tools, and canning supplies that needed to be washed. I also reorganized the jars, lids, etc. for the next session this week. By the end of the day, our kitchen was back to normal...

Clean Pantry

and so was the pantry. I still have canning jars in the box on the counter, but I'll be using those soon, so there was no reason to put them away for now. I'd just have to haul them up from the basement again.  

We had a light dinner, and then decided to turn in early (for us). I have a therapy session this morning, and my knee (which I treated well through the weekend) is all ready for it. Afterward, I'm planning to take it easy. No canning today.

Sunday Scripture...

1 Peter 5:8

 

A Day Off...

Old Friends and Dogs

Sorry I didn't tell you ahead of time, but I needed to take a day off. It was a crazy week, and then I had PT first thing yesterday morning. I just needed to catch my breath a bit.

All week, I felt like I'd gone backward with my therapy, so I spent a little time on self-care. I was icing, trying to get back some of the mobility, and feeling like it wasn't working. 

I did a little baking, as I planned to deliver homemade cinnamon rolls to the entire therapy department on Friday. They were all tickled, especially since my morning appointment coincided with breaks and imminent lunch hours. Before I left, even Jenna managed to get a bite of hers before heading to her next patient. I got lots of thumbs-up! It was very gratifying. I also regained some motion during my session, so I left a happy girl.

Our friend - the now-retired dog trainer, Mike - along with his friend, Ed and Handsome all took Bella to a hunt club we used to frequent before moving to Florida. As this cooler weather always lights up the older dogs (who remember autumn days afield) we decided to give Bella a day flushing pheasants. 

She worked just the way she learned as a young dog. She worked back and forth across a field, ranging a nice distance between the gunners. She flushed a rooster pheasant but never got to retrieve it. Let's just say, the first bird flushed frequently gets away. Then the hen that had also been planted must have moved off the field they were working, because if she'd stayed put, Bella certainly would have found her.

I stayed home with Carly (PT appointment, remember?), but that little girl was not happy to have been left behind. She knew what was going on and wanted to go, too. This hunt was just for Bella, though. Handsome and I discussed it when we all got back home, and we'll definitely take both girls out once fall is officially in full swing. Even yesterday, being down at Bella's level in tall grass was a hot endeavor, and she worked until she finally just sat down and said enough. After all these years, we recognize when the dog is tired, hot, or just ready to pack it in. We always honor that because, first and foremost, our days afield center around being able to watch stellar dogs at work. Friday was no exception.

After they got back, Handsome called me. I was already on my way home, but we had a lunch date with Mike, his wife, and Ed. Handsome and I changed clothes and met the rest of the group back at Mike and Joann's condo. We spent a few hours just enjoying a meal together and doing some reminiscing about the old days. It was just what I needed. 

I have a little canning to do this weekend, and I'm planning to do a little more needlework. I have no intention of overdoing it at all. I'm going to take it easy. I'll share photos next week. Have a great Saturday!

9/11 and Charlie Kirk...

 

Trying To Stitch Today...

I woke up to a swollen knee yesterday. I contacted Jenna and the surgeon's office right away. We determined it's probably from increased strength training and not infection or something else nasty. 

Both suggested more ice, elevating and resting it, and just taking things easy. So I did. 

We met up with Florida friends (and Bella, Carly - and Tag's favorite trainer) Mike Sommers and his wife, who have a condo up here. We visited and then went out for dinner, which was the most exertion I did all day. 

Today, I'm going to sit at my frame and stitch for a while. We'll see how it goes. More tomorrow. 

Positive Thoughts...

Monday was a very good day. It began with a physical therapy session. When Jenna asked how I was feeling, I told her I may have overdone it a bit over the weekend. I told her I was on my feet, on and off, for about six hours baking on Sunday and that my knee was a bit "tight". We started on the stationary bike and I was surprised by how much things loosened up so quickly.

As we visited during the hour I was there, I told her that we'd purchased a lovely watermelon from our local farm stand, and once I'd cut it into chunks, Handsome and I walked down the yard to "the habitat" to leave the rinds for the critters. I told her I used a walking staff that we have because the yard is uneven and I wanted to be careful on the walk down and back up the hill to the house. She said, "You were walking on uneven ground? Well, that might cause your knee to be a bit sore today, too."

We were about halfway through the appointment when she asked what I had planned for the rest of the day. I told her that I'd be contacting a service about dealing with the hornets/wasps/yellowjackets (or whatever they are) that are moving into the soffit of our farmhouse. I said I only knew they weren't honey bees, but that I'd dragged out a ten-foot ladder so I could get a better photograph of them to try to get an identity online. I said I'd climbed up to about the second from the last rung, stretched out to take pictures as they flew around me, and then climbed down and put the ladder back in the pole barn before going in the house. She said, "So, you were climbing a ladder, too?!" while giving me a smile and a look. I broke out laughing. I knew what she was getting at, but she said, "You're wondering why your knee is angry with you right now?" Then, she laughed, too, and asked if it was okay for her to tell the other therapists about me over their lunch hour. Of course, I told her it was fine with me.

We agreed before I left that I would stop being quite so bold at this point. I still have healing and rehab to do, and she would appreciate it if I didn't make things more difficult for myself by being so bullheaded. I promised.

A few hours later, I met with the surgeon who was extremely happy with my progress. I told him the story and he laughed, but agreed with Jenna. Try not to overdo at this point and my recuperation will be easier. He was just glad I hadn't been stung and fallen off the ladder. I promised I wouldn't do that again, and he told me to come back in six weeks for another consult.

As I said, yesterday was a very good day. I rested the remainder of the afternoon, and did a little more ice therapy before the day was over. Bonus for me was to read your wonderful comments yesterday. I felt one thousand percent better. You're the best! 

Today I stitch!

Seven Weeks Post-Op...

Honestly, I keep trying to do something creative...anything. I don't know if it's the meds, healing, or just laziness, but I can't seem to focus on needle and thread right now. If you know me, either in person or through my posts, you know this isn't like me at all.

So, I hope you'll indulge me while I attempt to figure this out. I'm able to do needed things like baking bread, or canning fresh local produce while it's available, but I keep trying to get back to what my heart knows I love; my mind knows I love; but my body is just holding me back right now.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated. I've stopped all the painkillers, thinking they might be the culprit, and I'm adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to our menu. I'm open to any and all ideas.

Sunday Scripture...

Matthew 14:22-33

 

Saturday Silliness...

Relish Accomplished...

It was a busy day yesterday. I canned fifteen one-pint jars of Zucchini Pepper Relish. This entails using my food processor to grate the zucchini and onions, and then chop the requisite amount of green peppers for the mixture. From start to finish, I was on my feet for about 6 hours, and by the time I was finished, I was gassed!

***PLEASE NOTE: I updated the recipe I shared yesterday because I realized I'd missed the mustard seed. Sorry.

 

I left these on the counter overnight, so I'll remove rings, clean the outside of the jars and label them today, before adding them to the pantry. 

I have PT this morning, but before we go home, Handsome and I will pick up some local apples so we can make his favorite applesauce. I think we'll also stop for one of the watermelons and a few more tomatoes from our go-to farm stand. I really want to make some tomato basil soup for something fresh and hearty this winter. I'll also be making more bread this weekend, so I'll have my hands full.

 

Updating you on the puffin spoolie you've yet to see. That beak is harder than I thought it would be...even though I knew it wouldn't be a cake walk. I'm still working on that, so when I figure it out, I'll proceed to finish that project. The body is spot on, by the way, so I'm happy about that. I'm sure I'll get this one done, it's just taking a little longer. sigh

Zucchini Pepper Relish Recipe...

I was recently asked to share the recipe I use for the Zucchini Pepper Relish that's such a huge hit around here. This recipe is so good that it has great barter power! We eat it on the usual hamburgers, hot dogs, Italian sausage, brats, etc., but we also love it as a side for cheese, sausage and crackers.

Here's the recipe. If you decide to make it, be sure to let me know what you think!

Zucchini Pepper Relish

Makes 5 (one pint) jars

• 6 cups/890 grams chopped green bell peppers (about 8 whole peppers)
• 8 cups grated zucchini (about 3 pounds zucchini)
• 8 1/2 cups grated onion (about 2 large onions)
• 4 cups/960 ml apple cider vinegar, divided
• 2 cups/400 g granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Prepare a boiling water bath and 5 regular mouth (1 pint/500 ml) jars for water bath canning. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

Combine the chopped bell pepper, zucchini, and onion in a large, nonreactive pot. Stir in 2 cups of the apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the vegetables have cooked down, about 30 minutes.

Drain the vegetables and return to the pot. Add the remaining apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Ladle the relish into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch/12 mm of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

** I turn off the canner and remove the cover once the time is up, to allow the jars to cool a little while in the canner to avoid the hot contents from siphoning out of the jars. Once the water has cooled a bit, remove the jars from the canner. Wait 24 hours and remove the rings. Make sure the lid has sealed. If not, you can reprocess with new lids within 24 hours, or keep in refrigerator until ready to use. Clean the jars and lids with white vinegar, label and store.

Enjoy!

Playing With Wool...

Handsome thinks I should make another spoolie, so I've pulled out my supplies and will attempt a wee puffin today. I've pulled wool colors and will work on the pattern pieces to see if I can get the shapes right. I saw the cutest image of a puffin standing on one leg, so I'm going to attempt to recreate that. We'll see.

We're running a couple errands first thing this morning, and then I'm going to sit down with my wools to see if I can pull this one off. I hope so. I do love these quirky, little birds.

A Fun Weekend...

The Birthday Girl

I had a great weekend! Did I do any canning? Nope. Did I do any stitching? Again, nope. I did, however, attend a Birthday party for a certain six year old great niece. 

I'm not cleared to drive yet, so Handsome manned the wheel to drop me off at the party. Once there, I met up with my sister, Jan, and we enjoyed our family until it was time to leave. We had made arrangements before I got there that she would drive me back home, in spite of the fact that she lives about a half hour in the opposite direction from the party. We chatted and visited all the way home, and then she turned around and went back north.

I was extremely grateful that she made it possible for me to attend the party, and spend a little time with family.

I hardly saw the kiddos, as their Mom and Dad had installed a bounce house and swimming pool in the back yard. I only saw the Birthday girl when she came in to eat dinner and blow out the candles on her cake. Her sister and brother never did come in while I was there! They were having waaaaay too much fun.

Eldest and Youngest

Yesterday, I heard from my little brother. He was going to be in the area (he lives about an hour and a half away), so he came to spend a little time with his eldest sibling. We don't get to see much of each other, so Handsome and I really enjoyed his visit.

Beyond that, I spent time resting, doing my pt exercises, taking an occasional nap, and spending time with my dear husband. Canning and needlework will be there all week, and I'll certainly get all my work done, but it was a holiday weekend, so I went on break. I'm glad I did, too.

I hope everyone had a restful or equally fun time with family and/or friends. Sometimes we just need to kick out of gear and enjoy our wonderful lives. That's exactly what I did. See you tomorrow.

Oh, and Happy September!

Happy Labor Day...

Rosie The Riveter

 

Sunday Scripture...

Psalms 27:13-14

 

Ready For Relish...

While I've been receiving lovely zucchini recently, I couldn't start making our favorite relish until I located locally grown green (and/or red) peppers. When I contacted local growers, I was told that they didn't have many because the growing season wasn't conducive to a large crop this year. As I need peppers, I had to keep looking.

Two days ago, I found someone in the next county who was advertising hers for 75¢ each. I asked her if she had about twenty five of them, and she told me she would check her garden after work. Later that day she contacted me to tell me she did have that many, but some were a little deformed. I asked her, taking that into account, how much would she charge me if I took all of them. She replied, $12.00. I jumped.

After my physical therapy appointment yesterday - I got to 124º bend, by the way!!!  - Handsome drove us to this lady's home where the peppers were waiting on her porch for us. They're gorgeous, and I've yet to find one of those "deformed" ones. This basket is full, and I now have what I need to make the zucchini pepper relish. That's what I'll be doing today.

A few of you mentioned my cow image yesterday when I shared it on Facebook. I got it at Hobby Lobby last year, and only just put it up recently. I looks a lot different in this daylight photograph than in yesterday's post, which I took under artificial light. I'm rather fond of it myself. HobLob still has lots of farmhouse images, which I really love. Problem is we just don't have the wall space. It's probably just as well. sigh

We don't have anything planned for this weekend, so Handsome will help me with this project, and then we'll take it easy. Enjoy your holiday weekend, friends. 

A Little Salsa...

I danced in the kitchen again yesterday. The last of my frozen tomatoes became salsa. I have my electric water bath canner set up on the porch, so even though the temperature has dropped outdoors, I won't have to worry about steaming up the kitchen. 

All my pints (and one half pint) fit into the canner in one batch, so after a 40 minute bubble bath, they were all finished. I started to remove them, but one of the jars started to siphon, so they all stayed in the water until it cooled down late day. The one that siphoned didn't seal, but everything else did.

Before bed, I removed the rings, cleaned the jars and labeled them. Final step was to line them up like little pretty soldiers in the pantry. I went to bed with a smile on my face.

I did take time to rest during the day, and iced my knee on another time-out. I have physical therapy this morning and didn't want to backslide. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I'll take my pain killer just in case I get a tougher workout from Nicole than what I usually do with Jenna. It's Jenna's birthday today so she took the day off. I won't see her on Monday either as the clinic is closed for the holiday. I'm down to twice a week now, so I won't have PT again until next Friday. I'll keep working on my exercised, and hopefully I'll have made some more progress by the time I do see her.

I'd better get rolling. I don't want to be late for my appointment, and the sooner I get to my session, the sooner I can get back home to do something fun. What, you ask? I haven't decided yet.

What do you have planned for this holiday weekend? I'll be back here tomorrow.

Homemade Rotel...

A few years ago, I started assessing what I repeatedly purchased at the grocery store. I then decided to start canning those things myself. I was always buying tomato products: Rotel™, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, stewed or diced tomatoes, and salsa, to name a few. I now can all those things at the farmhouse, and after calculating everything but my time (as I thoroughly enjoy doing this), we actually save money.

Case in point...When I first started buying pizza sauce, I always got Pastorelli brand in small cans. They cost 99¢ each. Even after we moved to Florida, I'd order from a supply place in Wisconsin and have it shipped by the caseload. After we moved back to Wisconsin, I still purchased that brand at the grocery store. Then, one day about five years ago, the price of the same 99¢ can bounced up to $1.79! I think I bought two cans because we needed it, and then decided no more. My half pint jars cost us 71¢ each, use the highest quality San Marzano tomatoes from a local grower, and I know (and can pronounce) every single ingredient I use.

Same goes for all the products we can. I know what's in our jars. No unpronounceable ingredients. No toxic growth hormones in our meats. No insecticides on our vegetables. This time of year gets really busy (and right now, more-than-usual tiring), but it's worth it for our family.

This year, I've already finished the Rotel™. Next is our salsa. This weekend I'll be pressure canning venison that I've prepared and is in the freezer, along with a turkey (from a Thanksgiving sale last year), beef roasts, and chicken. Then next week I'll buy more tomatoes and green peppers for pizza sauce, as well as apples for Handsome's favorite apple sauce. I'll wait until after growing season to pressure can mushrooms, pinto beans, baked beans, homemade soups, and whatever else can hold until then.

By winter, our pantry will be restocked for the next two seasons until summer comes around again. We'll be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor, and when the weather is blustery and cold, knowing we won't have to hop in the truck to buy a meal will be well worth the time we spent now.

I see the surgeon on September 8th for what I expect will be clearance to drive and work again. I'm doing my at-home and in-clinic physical therapy to get back to my full range of motion. Once I get clearance, my boss and I have discussed starting me back for four hours on Friday nights to see if I can tolerate that. Once I clear that hurdle, I'll get back to my regular Tuesdays, and perhaps one or two more days. 

So, with that in mind, I want to get as much of this canning behind me before then, so my days off into fall can be spent sitting in the autumn sunshine and stitching. Doesn't that sound blissful? I know the coming weeks sounds like a lot, but trust me. I'll be careful. I don't want to push "Bob" (my Bone-On-Bone leg) because I'm not ready to have that second surgery yet. I'd really like to wait until spring, if I can hold off that long. Fingers crossed.

Guess What I've Started...

During the course of my physical therapy sessions with Jenna, I've learned that she's engaged and they're planning a wedding next year. With that in mind, can you guess what I've started working on for her? 

I know that I'll have it completed well before our last session together the end of September, but I wanted to pull colors and at least set up the project long before then, so I have plenty of time to pace myself. 

I didn't do much else yesterday. I did pull thirteen one-gallon bags of frozen San Marzano tomatoes and organized them on trays (still in the bags) to thaw. Once they're ready, I'll start the homemade Rotel™ and salsa. I decided it was best to save up my energy, because that's going to be a marathon canning session once I get started...most likely tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue my needlework pursuits and see what I can get done today. I'll share more tomorrow.

Today, I Rest...

Physical therapy went really well yesterday. I little TLC mixed in with the PT. I came home, rested a bit and then baked a double batch of my sister, Diana's bread recipe. My farmhouse bread takes around five hours from start to finish and is completely mixed by hand. This one of Di's (she does other recipes, too) is quicker and easier, using a mixer and less time. Start to finish around three hours.

I'm using one of my old photographs this time because it's getting cooler outdoors already. I had one of the kitchen windows open, and when I scored my beautiful loaves to put into the oven, they all fell and got wrinkly tops. Handsome thought they were cool, but I wasn't as happy with the look of the finished products. They did rise some back in the oven, but not State Fair worthy by any stretch of the imagination.

One cool amendment I tried was adding cheese to one of the loaves. I also made a eight hamburger rolls, and added cheese to three of them. We tested one right out of the oven, and I'll definitely be doing that again! Next time I'll have picture-worthy loaves, too!

After baking, Handsome and I both got on our respective yard tractors and mowed an overdue lawn. With both of us manning the riding mowers, it takes about two hours. Actually, time flies when we do this, and we frequently wave to each other if we pass in the yard. It's kind of cute. As all the foot controls for my smaller mower are on the right side, it's no stress on the healing leg, and quite enjoyable to be out in the sunshine. Nevertheless, I iced my left knee after dinner for a little more TLC.

I forgot to take all my tomatoes out of the freezer last night, so my canning won't take place today. It's just as well. I'm going to take a break, pamper the knee, and try a little needlework today. I think I'm ready to concentrate on that fencing again!

We've got another sunny day and the temperature isn't forecast to reach 70º. Although Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year, I was hoping for more warm weather. This season seems to have passed too quickly. Oh, Summer. We hardly knew ye. sigh I'll be back tomorrow to show you what I actually accomplished. 

I Came, I Canned, I Napped...

 

Sunday was a productive day at the farmhouse. My dear friend and neighbor to the north of us, Dawn and her husband, Pete have an extensive and prolific garden this year. She asked if we'd like some pickling cucumbers (among other things), and I said we would. 

Pete brought over a five gallon bucket of them, along with a large crate filled with red potatoes, more zucchini, and some gorgeous eating cucumbers. We sent home jars of pickled beets, pears, and green tomatoes in exchange. Pete had planted a whole row of beets because they love eating them, but the local deer herd proceeded to waltz right down that row, plucking and eating every last beet, leaving them with nothing. Our beets came from their crop last year, so I sent the last two jars I had left home for them.

Sunday was our day to see if I was up to canning the pickles. Handsome and I cleaned and sliced all the cucumbers and then I raw packed them into jars, covering them with the liquid for processing. A number of years ago, I did pickles using a recipe from one of my books, and got limp pickles that Handsome didn't particularly care for, so this year I bought packages of Mrs. Wage's Bread and Butter Pickle Mix to make the liquid. I didn't want to take any chances. I also added less than a quarter teaspoon of Extra Crisp to the bottom of the jar, hoping that would help.

 

 

 

After all the cukes were sorted, washed, sliced and jarred, I added the hot, sweet liquid, then added the lids and rings. I did wash the rim of each jar first, following safe canning guidelines. We had roughly thirteen to fourteen pounds of cucumbers, and ended up processing ten quarts, plus one pint of bread and butter pickles. 

These jars all pinged and were labeled last night. They sat undisturbed overnight, and I'll make sure the jars are clean on the outside and will add them to our pantry stores afterward.

I'm going to bake some bread after physical therapy today, and will be pulling all my frozen San Marzano tomatoes out of the freezer to thaw overnight. My plan is to can homemade Rotel and salsa on Wednesday. 

 

By the end of the day, I was tired, but Handsome was, too. We had a light dinner and called it a day. I did take a mild pain med before bed, but not the heavy duty hydrocodone. I'm reserving those for before my next few physical therapy appointments, but hopefully I won't have to take them through all my remaining visits. I hate taking that stuff.

 

I feel like I turned the corner Sunday. I was able to accomplish something I hadn't done for a while - standing and moving around for an extended period of time. I was proud of myself for being able to do something I loved with Handsome, without too much discomfort. That's a win in my book. Yes, I'm patting myself on the back. See you tomorrow!