June 20, 2012

HAPPY SUMMER.....it has been in the mid 90's for the last 2 days....I wish this weather would make up it's mind.....the heat isn't so bad....but the humidity is hard on everyone....the older puppy dogs, especially poor Sheba just can't seem to catch her breath...so they stay in the office/garage where there is air conditioning.

We are getting ready for Vacation Bible School at church...I used to love going to VBS when i was a kid at St Mark UCC in Arnold Missouri...now i love working at the ones that the church puts on every year.....needless to say......it takes a lot of time and so that is why there wasn't a blog last night and why no meals are being cooked....because i have just not been home.

This morning....we started at 5:15 am...because I knew it was going to get hot quickly today and I wanted to get round 2 of my tomato plants in the ground.....so here is how it works.....

this is the same area that had the white peonies in it a few weeks ago......once they are done....we cut them off , pull the weeds and put some more soil down and use it as another tomato garden.....

here they are all planted....these are the Lunchmate Tomatoes......we will put the cages around them once we can bear to be in the sun for longer than 10 minutes.....they will come in 3-4 weeks after the other ones are done....

this is where the bright pink peonies bush was in the front of the house.....

this area is not in full sun...but I thought I would give it a shot this year...

Ross mowed all 3 fields this morning...the grass is pretty much dead,

but the weeds are growing like crazy! lol

Pleasant Dreams!!!

June 18, 2012

Ross and I worked in the office together today...he had a bunch of phone calls and paperwork to get caught up on...and I got to have my husband home for the day.....finished early.....so it was MOVIE TIME...

a couple of weeks ago we bought a stove at the church rummage sale .... Ross installed it in the partial kitchen area in the garage....it will be perfect for canning this fall when it gets so hot in the house...we have central air in the garage but not in the house...go figure!!!

look in the oven.....treats for lunch while we watch a movie on the big screen....

this garage area used to be part of our warehouse.....we sold embroidery supplies and had classes....so we had the projector unit on the ceiling and the 10 foot pull down screen on the far wall......not used for classes anymore.....just pull the cars out and it is perfect for movies and xbox.

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chicken breast on the grill and salad for dinner

Pleasant Dreams!!!

June 17, 2012

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

had a great day at church....check out Pastor Bob's message at http://www.h-hcc.org/

we did our FIRST canning today...woohoo... the TACO SAUCE that Ross makes is super hot....the recipe calls for habanero peppers that have been canned for about a year...so he starts with a quart from last year.

then we follow this recipe.....



Habanero Taco Sauce:

1 quart habanero peppers

24 oz tomato paste

3/4 cup spicy taco seasoning

1/4 cup chili powder

2 Tbsp garlic bread seasoning

1 cup cayenne pepper flakes

1-2 cups water

in the blender...mix peppers and all dry ingredients....

then put this in a saucepan on the stove.....add the tomato paste and the water to get to the consistency you like...he adds the cayenne pepper flakes for look and texture......this sauce is soooo hot...the flakes are not going to make it any hotter :)

bring to a slow boil...

NOW WE ARE READY TO CAN...................................

so this is what you need to get going....the little pan on the front burner has water in it, that will need to be brought to a boil so the lids can go in for just a minute to soften the rubber seal.....the back right burner has the water to do the canning....you can see the pint jars, the rings to tighten the lids down.....the yellow jar funnel, the blue lid wand (this has a magnetic end to get the lids out of the hot water) and the yellow jar lifter (the black end stays in your hand , the yellow end opens and goes around the jars to pull them out of the hot water)

now you fill the jars with 1/2 inch head space and put a lid and a ring on each jar...then place in the boiling water.....there should be enough water to cover the jars with at least 1 - 2 inch extra....boil 15 minutes



when the timer goes off...use your jar lifter to pull each one out and set on a rack to cool....and the best part.....wait to hear the pop...when the jar seals.

once the jars have cooled.....remove the rings....this is the label for the sauce.....XXX with a skull and crossbones....we only have a few family members that will give it a try

for the rest of Father's Day....we smoked salmon.....

watched it rain a little....and relaxed on the front porch!!!!

until we realized that we didn't have any Tartar Sauce....so we whipped some up...

Tartar Sauce:

1 cup mayo (recipe on April 21st)

3 Tbsp sweet pickle relish

2 Tbsp minced onion

1 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

mix it all together and put in fridge to chill.

Pleasant Dreams!!!

June 16, 2012

started the day off by sleeping in.....finally......it felt good.....we had decided that this weekend would have no commitments and if we wanted to go doing something we would and if not, staying home was just fine.

the big shampoo and conditioner from Sams Club finally ran out.....so I started looking through my "HOW TO MAKE IT BOOKS" when I remembered that we have a big box of little shampoos, conditioners, lotions and soaps from all the traveling that Ross does.....so I asked myself this question.....how many little shampoos does it take to fill up a shampoo bottle?

the answer......19....now you know!!!!

then we were on a roll.....so all the little bars of soap have to be able to be turned into a normal size bar pretty easy right?   Here is what 30 bars look like all powdered in the food processor...

Ross was amazed at how quickly it turned to powder......then he put it in the kitchen aid with the dough hook and added about a cup of water and turned it on.....

it had the same consistency of a dry dough.....so i put it on a cookie sheet and rolled it flat...

Ross cut it into squares....

and then i wrapped each piece.....made 10 bars and 3 circles

Recycle....Reuse......Gotta Love It!!!!

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the garden has been in for 3 weeks today....should have lettuce in 1 more week...woohoo!!

outside of the fact that we are in a serious draught here in lower central Michigan.....something we have never experienced in the 17 years of living here...the garden is doing well....it does have to be watered every day though...again something we have never had to do....our grass in the entire yard is dead....this normally happens in late August not in the beginning of June.....we missed another rain storm this evening....it just breaks up right over us...in this picture you can see the dead grass by the rock wall...but anything attached to the garden will be green....green....green....because of the daily watering.

Praying for a little rain......Pleasant Dreams!!!

June 15, 2012

back to Living off the Land......today is our granddaughter Sophia Grace Valentine's 6th Birthday and our nephew David Squires Miller's 18th birthday...hope you both had an amazing day !!!!

started the day making mayonnaise so I could make some more salad dressings....Mayo recipe on April 21st, 2012.....then made some 1000 island....recipe on April 21st, 2012....and then a NEW Ranch recipe.

Ranch Dressing: (this one tasted more like Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing)
1 cup Mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
splash of milk

put it all in a bowl and whisk together.....refrigerate for several hours before use....tasted yummy!!!

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we have this cedar tree in the front yard.....we planted peppers around it this year...do you see the hole?



last night while we were sitting on the porch....pouncer the cat/dog....runs up the tree like a lumberjack ....

I couldn't tell what he was doing until I got closer and saw that he was fishes the baby birdies out of the hole..

it's not like we don't feed him....he must have just had a taste for bird....he loves chipmunks and rabbits too.....yes...I said rabbits......I don't think he has ever brought us a mouse.....way too small for him... lol

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Friday Night is Pizza Night

made the usual for Ross.....pepperoni, ham, bacon, green pepper and mushroom.....and my usual with a twist......I love hamburger pizza....but tonight I made bread sticks out of the other half....I used a mixture of 3 Tbsp of melted butter, 1 tsp of garlic powder and brushed that all over the dough side....sprinkled it with Italian pizza seasoning and put it in the oven at 400 degrees...

after about 10 minutes...I take it out....add the cheese on top...about 10 more minutes and its dinner!!!

Pleasant Dreams!!!

June 14, 2012

we start tonight in the Stone Church Cemetery...this is where my 5 times Great Grandpa Valentine Miller is buried.....I wish I had a picture of him....he was either born on October 29, 1753 or October 22, 1754 and died on April 19, 1834...he served 2 different times during the revolutionary war.

his wife Susanna Laubach Miller (no picture of her either) was born

November 7, 1757 and died on January 8, 1837

Across the street from the Stone Church (Trinity UCC) and cemetery is the St Paul's Cemetery.....

my Great Grandparents (on my grandma's side) George Irwin Eyer and his wife Annette Appollonia Hensel Eyer.

George was born October 15, 1876 and died on December 31, 1958.....Annette was born on January 18, 1886 and died on April 7, 1984...Great Grandma Eyer was 98 when she passed.

Then up the road to the Reformed Cemetery on Rt 611 Mt Bethel PA where my immediate family is buried

I will start at the bottom....

Elbert (Bert) Austin Miller (my great grandpa) was born on December 9, 1874 and died on August 13, 1958...he was a school teacher and a gentlemen farmer in later years. 

Alice Mabel Ott Miller (my great grandma) was born on January 30, 1881 and died on June 11, 1957

Bert and Alice were married on February 8, 1902 at Stone Church (Trinity UCC) Mt Bethel PA

Infant Daughter....died in 1903....she lived only 4 hours and they named her Elizabeth

Allen Ott Miller (my grandpa) was born June 9, 1912....we were in Mt Bethel PA on the farm where he was born exactly 100 years later...how cool is that....he died on August 26, 1999...Grandpa was either preaching or teaching.

Dorothy (Dottie) Elizabeth Eyer Miller (my grandma) was born on July 25, 1912 and died on August 7, 2006.....Grandma wrote a couple books, loved to sing and had quite a green thumb.

Allen and Dottie were married on August 19, 1934 at Lafayette College Chapel Easton PA

David Allen Miller (my uncle) was born on July 3, 1948 and died on July 12, 2010

Richard Allen Miller (my dad) was born on March 4, 1939 and died on September 25, 1991..out of respect for my dad, I will say that I have fond memories of him, however he chose not to be a part of our lives.

3 generations of Miller Men all on the same stone.....

As we said goodbye to PA and headed home to Michigan this was what we saw.....



Eastern Pennsylvania is a breathtaking place...so glad it is part of my roots.

Pleasant Dreams!!!

June 13, 2012

so tonight I am going to blog about Miller's Church and Miller's Cemetery......

copy of the painting of Miller's Church from mid 1800's

here I am on the front steps of Miller Church...the only thing left of the church..it was dismantled in 1942 and the lumber used to make chicken coops.

several of my ancestors are buried in the Miller's Cemetery...

my 4 times Great Uncle Michael Valentine Miller is thought to be the founder of Miller's Church...it is also thought that the property that the church and cemetery resided/reside on was a part of the Miller Homestead and his land originally.

Michael was born on February 6, 1782 and died November 8, 1869....his wife Susanna Phillips Miller (I could not find a picture) was born January 23, 1787 and died August 2, 1858...they had no children.

My 2 times Great Grandpa Theodore G. Miller was a Lay Leader in the Miller's church after Michael passed in 1869.....Theo and His wife are buried in the Miller Cemetery as well....

 Theodore G Miller was born December 31, 1842 and died March 1913

Elizabeth Bachman Miller was born on March 16, 1848 and died on September 8, 1931

This is the bigger stone that sits behind Theo and Elizabeth's little stones

the date that Miller's church was created is still not known....approx 1850's is the best guess...my 2 times great grandpa Theo ( in his 1869 diary) said of Michael Miller (his great uncle) that "he was a man of great spirit and wisdom" and "he was a guiding force in our lives" what a wonderful legacy Michael Valentine Miller left behind....the other incredible link to this is that these same words were used to describe my brother Michael Patrick Miller who passed November 26, 2011 at age 49.

my late Uncle Dave wrote these words about the church.... "Although Miller's began as a cemetery without a church, and ended as a cemetery without a church, it survives to this day as a symbol of faith and determination."

It was amazing to stand on this piece of land and look out at the incredible view of mountains and hilly farmland and know that this is where I came from.

A couple more days of history / pictures from our trip....then back to LIVING OFF THE LAND

Pleasant Dreams!!!