Travel — Page 7 — kris·tin·ol·o·gy

Green Bean Canning Lesson

September 2, 2011 By Kristin 2 Comments

Today I had the chance to help Grandma can some green beans. I realize this may sound like a chore to some people, but it’s exciting when I’ve never done it before. Danny and Linda brought us over a whole bucket full to work on.

Frist we snapped off the end and snapped them into smaller pieces. I definitely snacked on a few raw ones in the process.

We’ve had a couple different varieties of beans this week, but I think theirs were the best. I’m not sure how to explain the taste… maybe sweeter or just green bean-ier. They sure were good. I’ll have to find out what kind they are and see if we can get them at home. Or maybe they’re just extra good because they’re so fresh.

First, Grandma washed the beans

I drained and filled the cans

A little salt was added to each can

Each can was filled with water

The lids soaked in boiling water while the cans were being filled

Each can got a hot lid

Each can was tightened and secured

I had assumed that we would use the same method of canning we had used for tomatoes, but I was wrong and we did it a little differently. The huge pressure cooker came up from the basement for the most important step. That was interesting. I’ve never used one of those before either.

The big pressure cooker on the stove

We payed close attention to the gauge while the beans cooked

A little water and all the cans were added to the pressure cooker

The beans were ready to come out about half an hour later

Our finished cans!

That was a fun experience. I’m glad I was able to help can something while we were here.

Filed Under: Family, Travel Tagged With: canning, directions, green beans, pressure cooker

Of Corn and Computers

August 30, 2011 By Kristin 1 Comment

Breaking news of the day: I ate corn! A friend dropped by to visit this afternoon and brought with him a bag full of freshly picked corn on the cob. It had occurred to me on the drive up here that the opportunity would probably come up to try corn again, and it did. I just couldn’t resist giving it at least a little try.

My allergist had advised me to cut out corn for several months in hopes that it would lessen my sensitivity to it. Since it had been about that long, I figured that now was as good a time as any. It doesn’t get any better than eating it hours after it was picked! It was SO good!! So far I’ve had no problems. I’m maybe a little itchy around my chest and arms, but nothing major. It’s hard to tell if that’s only my imagination. I think I’ll give it a few days and try it again before we head home.

In more important news: Jesse finally has his new computer! We have been planning this purchase for quite a while now, he was so excited when it was finally time to go to the apple store.

We have been watching our budget very closely these days. We are working very hard to save money and not spend money spontaneously. Our goal was to get ahead a little in the business account and then earn enough on top of that to pay cash for the new computer.

With all the programs Jesse usually has to have running at once, the laptop would often have a hard time keeping up with him. I know he was frustrated with being slowed down by his computer, but he was determined to stick with his goal. He wanted to prove to himself that he could be wise with his money unlike he used to be.

I’m so proud of him for EARNING his new computer before purchasing it. I had one very happy Jesse after making that purchase. We decided it would best if I drove home from the store so that he could play with it on the way home.

It turned out to be great timing that we were able to make the purchase right before coming to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. He’s been able to set up his entire office here and work like he would have at home. Plus that means the taptop is now free for me to be able to use. Good work Jesse, I’m glad you’re happy with your new purchase.

Filed Under: Allergies, Travel Tagged With: allergies, budget, food allergy, fresh corn, new computer, saving

Busy, Busy

August 29, 2011 By Kristin 3 Comments

Today has been such a busy day. In fact, I began writing this post hours ago and I am only now getting back to finishing it. We had several visitors stop at different times, two of which were the home health nurse and the physical therapist. None of us got too much sleep last night so we were all struggling a little to get through all of the activities of the day.

Last night Jesse and I went for a walk down to the end of the driveway and back. It’s the perfect distance for an evening stroll. The silly, stray cat followed closely behind us the whole way. I think it thought the purpose of the walk was to bring it food.

It was “freezing” last night. Well, at least for this Floridian! The crisp, cool air feels nice, but it sure gets chilly in a hurry as soon as the sun disappears. I bought this new jacket at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago. Mom and Ashley almost talked me out of buying it because they thought it looked like a space suit (and because it was about 100 degrees outside at the time), but I liked it so I bought it anyways. I’m glad I threw it in the car to bring it along. It’s nice and warm and blocks the wind well.

I just had to sit out in the sun for a little while this afternoon. It was a perfect sunny day and the perfect temperature. I set out a towel and relaxed in shorts and a tank top. It was nice to be able to do that without sweating to death. There is no way we can enjoy much time outside at home this time of the year.

While I was soaking up the sun, Jesse finished up almost all of the mowing. That is… until he broke the lawn mower. Luckily, great-uncle Danny happened to stop by at just the right time. After a quick trip to pick up the needed part they got to work and got the mower fixed “right quick.”

Grandpa used to own a John Deere shop so he knows everything there is to know about fixing them. He was close by to supervise the work being done.

This evening aunt Linda came over with some new book shelves for the living room. We worked quickly to organize things and clear some floor space. Hopefully it will make it easier for Grandpa to get around with his walker while he needs it.

It’s been a very full day so I hope that we will all be able to get some good sleep tonight.

Filed Under: Family, Travel

Green Bean Canning Lesson

Of Corn and Computers

Busy, Busy

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