Learning with Survival Girl!

Way way way back

before shows

like "Survivor"

my Machine Man and I had a friend...

who was SO into the whole survival thing..

she was in Service of our Country,

and is quite the Patriot to this day.

Princess and Ms.S.G. 

are cut from very similar cloths..

That said

WHY did it surpise me to learn on Facebook

that Survival Girl

is quite the canner?

who KNEW !?!?!

When she learned I am on the path to learning 

NEW skills

and that canning was on my 

"must learn" list

she invited me right over to start my learning

on some yummy jam!

here's all my ingredients..

don't freak out that those berries aren't from the farm

or that my sugar isn't organic..

it's class people

i am fully prepared to fail at this..

FAIL

First

Attempt

In

Learning

i am just fine with the idea of my failure in this..

I just want to LEARN it

Here is Ms.SG's cool pot..

liking the color... 

here she is printing up the recipe I have chosen

because like

EVERY newbie

and naughty student..

I forgot my assignment.

but..

brought all my supplies..

(that should make up for it!) 

first we have to sterilize my jars... 

here is one of her favorite Canning Magazine..

Watch out all you fashionista's

I didn't even KNOW this existed! 

here are the things we will need

FRESHLY washed 

lids.

they can't be re-used..

soooo didn't know that

and so bummed..

what a waste! 

filling the tub o'water

beautiful

black berries... 

fresh lime...

sounds yummy doesn't it? 

washed, sliced

and ready for action 

jars being steralized 

hot and steamy

and the smell?

WOW

so yummy

PINCH ME 

yummy! 

see the slivers of lyme?

we are just following the recipe... 

there's my lids

(nice english right? ) 

here is Ms.SG's amazing funnel

mine is NOT so cool..

(Dear Santa.....) 

and here

is the jam..

OH my! 

scraping the bottom..

so so so yummy! 

putting the lids on 

ever so snug 

carefully placing each jar of 

summer yummyness,

into the bath of HOT water.. 

see the happy jars.. 

they are in process!

this gave us more time for chatting..

they are ready! 

now what?

well now we sat at stared..

waiting for the thrilling sound of the 

POP

after that? 

after that, you thank each jar..

really?

Look..

I am just reporting the facts..

THIS is how it is done..

you THANK the jars...

weird but TRUE

just do it! 

next batch is Raspberry jam

yes

the aroma is beyond yummy

I feel giddy just from being near it.. 

here my dear pal is explaining to me how you

skim off the filmy icky scum 

from the top...

and get down to the YUMMY glorious beautiful

deep red..

of the summer berries

picked from Ms.SG's garden 

there is the ick 

and there is the YUM!

oh please people,

why haven't I been doing this forEVER? 

LOVE this woman! 

here is the set up..

busy

busy 

PINCH me

this is beyond fun..

but..

then I learned something tragic...

and well..

i thought i would share this funny interchange with you..

that sort of "grasps" my whole "jarring" experience...

well, i am uber NEW to the WONDERFUL world of canning.. 

and all I knew about is the 'water bath canning system" as seen in every walmart in america...

  I finally BOUGHT this whole set up, 

and got together with my pal 

Survior Girl, for my lesson on "HOW to can"

 only to learn, that soups, and a HOST Of other sorts of things can NOT be canned with this method... 

and I am all like.. ??????? huh?

 She was all.. "yah.. i KNOW" 

and I was like.. "can you teach me THAT too?" 

and she was shaking her head no..

 So i talked to this ramdom Amish friend I have.. 

and she just giggled... 

she thought it was Sooooo funny that I didn't know ANYTHING about a pressure canner.. 

or that it is SO different than a pressure cooker..

 (seems they are NOT interchangeable..)

 now... i like jams.. a LOT.. 

but I make soupls like a mad woman... 

and I would LOVE to learn to can these... 

so NOW I have even MORE exciting skills to obtain..

 such as 'pressure canning"...

 here is one I am looking at.. 

(note: I have NO idea what size i need.. just beginning researching..

)http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___Canning_and_Preserving___Canners_and_Cookers___Lehman_s__Best_Pressure_Canners___910?Args

Lehman's® Best Pressure Canners

www.lehmans.com

Lehman's® Best Pressure Canners; Our pressure canners are more expensive than some but they are a once-in-a-lifetime investment

That said..

I think..

perhaps..

this is Canning 101

next up..

Canning beyond....

learning even MORE skills....

Some friends are friends for life..

Life happens

you don't talk

but when suddenly you do

suddenly you are RE connected..

it's like time hasn't passed

you are RIGHT back to that awesome place

and then you wonder

WHY did we not talk for so long?

WHO cares..

we are now!

and hey

what's new..

well...

recently some SUPER wonderful friends of mine

(who are a bit camera shy)

invited me over to visit..

it turned into a LEARNING day!

Because everyone on THIS blog gets a nick name

and because I didn't check with the STAR of this post 

about the nickname we are giving him..

please dear reader note:

he may want to change it... 

Meet 

AQUA man!

this is Mr. A

he is an AMAZINGLY fun,

hardworking

bright man..

and he has a passion to LEARN

(very inspiring .. let me tell ya)

His recent passion is 

Aquaponics...

he is my Go To guy for this exciting field

and he recommends THIS book 

he is in fact, SO into this, he started his own aquaponics garden

IN 

the family garage..

(how cool are HIS parents??)

He is truly a blessing to his family

innovation HERE we come! 

here is the set up.

He explained he has room for two more tables..

AND he'll be setting up solar to the lights

to be even MORE eco!

so are you like me,

going..

huh????

yah.

ok, 

lets go through this step by step..

please note for a more detailed

explanation

I may need Aqua Man by my side...

while I type..

for now.. 

this is the "TANK"

in it

is WATER

eventually there will be..

Tilapia.

really?

FISH?

yes..

REALLY

he's raising fish..

so why not a pretty tank to see them?

that isn't practical..

He's not doing this to enjoy watching them

to name them

to become attatched emotionally to them.

THEN WHY ?

he's raising them to help his aquaponics

byproducts ..

all that..

well don't fish BREED?

what's he going to do with all the extra?

add them to the weekly family menu.

yes..

eat them..

they are yummy..

THAT said

the water from the tank

goes through this

to dump the water into the garden tub things.. 

that are filled with medium...

MEDIUM?

yes..the one Mr. A uses is a kind of clay ball..

see ? 

The water from the tank fills the growing bed 

with water and then drains

and things GROW in it 

see? 

here is the cool regulator thing 

here Mr. A lifted off the cap 

showing me how it works inside.. 

filling

then draining..

BUT..

where does it drain to?

UNDER the cool garden bench things...

see 

isn't that super cool?

then it gets put back into the TANK..

and it just keeps going

and going and 

GROWING 

yum 

yes.. YUM! 

do you see the orange carrots NOW?

I am not a hydroponics experts, 

in fact i had only ever vaguely heard of it..

I learned a LOT

and frankly want to learn MORE!

It's super interesting

and a good investment for families and communities that want

to be sustainable

and eat really really YUMMY foods..

talk about LOCALLY grown foods...

(giggle) 

now,

just so you don't think that the ONLY thing Mr. A is doing

is Aquaponics

he is into more than just that..

Here is his vermicompost..

it means worm compost..

I am very jealous..

I have been wanting one for YEARS 

it's another way to compost your kitchen scraps..

SUPER cool right?

it got us talking all about 

decomposing and composts

which naturally led to my interest in fungi!

Turns out this is newer passion of Mr. A 

and this is the book he favors on the topic!

We've invited him and his FABULOUS family to the farm

for some 'shroom hunting 

Outside the house

My friends have incorporated their growing garden

in with their landscaping

much like what we see is the style at the farm!

Super exciting to learn more about this 

NOT so traditional form of gardening 

yummy! 

Mr. A has a brother...

but his brothers passions are NOT the same

not exactly

he's a Poultry Man

(A.M, and P.M) 

(giggling)

Poultry Man

is also a man after my own heart..

he's about the same age as C.S.

and this is what HE is up to! 

pinch me!

I can't WAIT till we are all set up on the farm!

I want some girlies too! 

here is his watering bucket 

see what is underneath

little waterers..

smart right? 

oh aren't they lovley? 

i love the girls...

PINCH ME! 

how fun are my friends

with their one acre sustainable farm...

ok..

it's not sustainable YET

but it's getting there

and we are so motivated!

looking forward to their visit to 

Blessings Farm!

I love the Friends that God has put in our lives

to be

family

encouraging an inspiring

Thank to Layla at The Lettered Cottage, 

I got to enjoy THIS Annie Sloan Video!

I thought you might too!

NEW Skills Week.... Painting Class

they were offering a Paint Class

and 

well..

I LOVE PAINTING

I love chalk paint

but I also love any paint

watercolor

oils

acrylic

spray paint

really

i love to PAINT! 

but right now I am in a "chalk paint" phase...

I can't ACTUALLY imagine it ending

but we won't try now.. will we?

So In my Bible Study I am working through the book of 

PROVERBS

and was very convicted I needed to learn MORE skills

to be "sharp and ready"

capable, competent

seizing every "opportunity" to LEARN new skills

or learn ABOUT things I may need to know 

and this class was a GREAT opportunity to become more

SKILLFUL

and have FUN doing it! 

here are my boards 

here is one of them

all slathered up 

you are allowed to be messy MESSY with Annie's fun paint,

in fact for some techniques you NEED to be messy...

which can be a bit different...

and a bit cool 

i love this color..

provence 

here we smoothed on a glorious pink

and then 

wiped off some so that the gold leaf

underneath 

could be seen! 

pretty right? 

LOVE LOVE LOVE

the way this turned out!

but why aren't the step by step instructions on here?

why aren't there MORE photo's?

WHY didn't I get shots of all the pieces after?

the answer may surprise you...

 see these ladies in all these photos?

it is 

THEIR FAULT!

They are my classmates

and they are FUNNY

WITTY 

CHARMING & CREATIVE

and how does one FOCUS  on one's blog with an amazing group of ladies like this one?

one does not.

so sprinkle grace..

and lets move on

Julie, Ann, and their Mom Nancy

run Tattered Tiques

and they are NEW stockists for Annie Sloan !

They are wonderful teachers

and really kept things hopping in class!

I adore them all, and am so inspired by THEIR talent!

check THIS beauty out!

it's Provence

and some fun techniques done to it..

smooth as silk

you'd think it was peeling but it ISN'T!

off to paint!

have a happy day

chalk paint on the Buffet

so we found this buffet...

and as you know, we LOVE to entertain

and I have BEEN on the hunt for one..

consider i found..

NOW 

it would seem I can NOT locate ANY before pictures

so you can't really KNOW

how i looked

but when I drove up to THAT garage sale

i was IN LOVE!

and KNEW 

it needed a bit of Annie Sloan

it did have this remarkable oval of art work in the center

and I didn't want to cover that..

so carefully 

very very carefully 

I attempted in my

enormously amateurish way

to

save it 

The colors are... do you really wonder?

Pure white

and 

Paris Grey

( though it only outlines in spots..)

I love the details!  

It was built circa 1920's

so it isn't as old as the house,

but I LOVE it! 

the drawers are deep

and see those lovely shelves

they will be covered

with the coolest curved doors! 

I was waiting for things to cure before

Machine Man assisted me.. 

see how it fits SO wonderfully!

See also

how I finally got around to painting all the trim 

yep all done with painting the trim in the kitchen too! 

ta dah!

next time..

I will TRY to remember the "before" photo's

and 

to get a good shot of the doors on..

thanks

for understanding my enthusiasm!