FLOWERS ARE STARTING TO COME !!!

These flowers are purple but came out blue on my camera.  My Mother was devote Catholic  so she called these flowers Blessed Mother's Violets. She use to say it was the Blessed Mother's way of letting us know that winter was over and the Lord was giving us Spring.  I guess that's why I really enjoy these flowers.  

HORSES AND BARNS

Like the coats that are covering the horses.  These pictures were taken in March,.  Maybe I get can get another picture now that all the snow is gone.

JEAN'S MAKE AT HOME RECIPES

Anna told of cleaning items you can make in your home, well here I and Marilyn are to give ideas of some food items that are usually store bought, but you can make.

BISCUIT MIX

5 lb all-purpose flour
4 oz (1/2 cup) baking powder
3 cups shortening
3 Cups dry milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons salt

Put dry ingredients into a large bowl or pan.  Add shortening.  Cut shortening into flour mixture, using a pastry blender, until resembling coarse meal (as for pastry).  Store in covered container.  Use as required for biscuits, scones, pancakes and waffles.
For Biscuits: 2 cups of mix and 3/4 cup water.
For Pancakes: 2 cups mix and 1 cup water and 1 or 2 eggs.

BAKING POWDER

8 oz tartaric acid
8 oz bicarbonate soda
1 lb rice flour

Sift together 6 times and keep in an airtight container.

DRY CEREAL

4 cups rolled oats (quick cooking)
1 cup bran
1 cup coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup honey (more if desired)
1/3 cup salad oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
nuts, dates, raisins, etc. (if desired)

Mix oats, bran, coconut, cinnamon, and brown sugar well: add honey and mix with hands to distribute thoroughly.  Add oil and vanilla, working through thoroughly.  Spread out on an ungreased 10 x 15 inch jellyroll pan or cookie sheet with 4 sides.  Bake in slow oven (325 degrees) for 25 minutes.  Stir often, turning bottom to top to toast all.  Keep in tightly closed tin.  *

* Sometimes during fruit season, I don't add nuts, dates, raisins, etc.  I just add fruit when I serve in with milk.

GINGER ALE

2 gallons warm water
2 oz bruised ginger root
2 lbs sugar
2 lemons - juice only
1 teaspoon cream tarter
1 yeast cake or pkg. in cold weather (2/3 of package in summer)

Let stand in stone jar, covered for 24 hours.  Strain and bottle.  Bottles must be tightly sealed.

I had the Ginger Ale recipe on before.  We can't remember if it was on here or Amish Stories.

FRENCH FRIED ONION RINGS

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg slightly beaten
1 cup milk
3 or 4 onions

Cut onions into 1/4" slices and separate into rings.  Dry onions thoroughly, then coat with flour.  Dip into batter, letting excess drain off.  Try in hot oil 1/2" to 1" deep.  (Three onions will make 6 servings)

THE FOLLOWING I GOT FROM LIVING FRUGALLY IN AN UNFRUGAL WORLD BY DONN MARTIN , Marilyn

DRY ONION  SOUP MIX (same as Lipton's Onion Soup Mix)

1 1/2 cups dry minced onion
8 tsp onion powder
2/3 cup beef-flavored bouillon powder
1/2 tsp celery seed, crushed
1/2 tsp sugara

Mix ingredients and use 2 Tbsp to each cup of hot water. Store in an airtight container.  When making use 2 Tablespoons to each up of hot water.  Simmer for 15 minutes.


SEASONED SALT (same as Durkee's Seasoned Salt)

8 Tbsp salt
3 Tbsp pepper
2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store in an airtight container.

SEASONED RICE MIX (same as Rice-A-Roni)

2 cups rice
1 cup broken spaghetti noodles
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
6 Tbsp instant chicken or beef bouillon powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
To use: Put 1 cup of mix, 2 Tbsp margarine and 2 cups of water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.

If there is something that you want the recipe for, but isn't here, please let Jean know on the posts.  We also have other items you can make at home, and will put them on at another time.

ANNA: HOME MADE CLEANING ITEMS

Someone requested ways they could make things at home like we do.  Jean will have how to make certain food items, I will will have cleaning items and Marilyn will put in here and there.  What I put on are items I make in my own home.  Please use these at your own risk.

WINDOW CLEANER

1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 pints of water

Mix. Put in spray bottle and spray on windows.  I use a piece of cloth or paper towels to wash the window and dry it with newspaper.

MARILYN: I worked for a school office one summer and wondered why the school smelled like vinegar.  I asked the maintenance supervisor and she told me they were washing the windows.  When I asked what they used she said vinegar and water.

HOUSEHOLD CLEANSER

1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda

Mix and dissolve in pail of warm soft water.  Wash walls, varnished wood work, and furniture.

ANNA and JEAN'S LYE SOAP RECIPE

ALWAYS use SCRAP FATS (bacon, etc.). NO OILS.   I have a coffee can that I put the fats in.  Don't throw them out.

Use only enamel pans or glass pans NO ALUMINUM pans.  STIR with wooden spoon.

CLARIFY waste fat by melting slowly and straining thru double cheese cloth, then add an equal amount of hot water, stir well and bring to a boil.  Remove from stove, add 1 quart cold water, stirring constantly.  Set aside to cool.  When firm, the clean fat will be a solid cake on top of water, read to make soap.

5 1/2 cups strained melted fat (no oils)
2 1/2 cups soft or rainwater
1/2 cup lye
1/4 cup liquid ammonia
1/4 cup borax
1/6 cup sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon (or other scent)

Add lye to soft water in quite large enamel or glass kettle, allow to cool to lukewarm.  POUR slowly into lukewarm melted fat, with slow even stirring.  ADD ammonia, borax, and sugar and continue stirring evenly.  Add scent and pure food color if desired.  CONTINUE stirring until like cake batter (about 20 minutes)

POUR into clean GLASS oblong containers.  COVER and keep at room temperature for 24 hours.  Then cut into bars.

The recipe makes 20 - 4 oz bars.  ALLOW soap to age two weeks before using.

Jean and I use this same recipe in making soap.  It has been passed down in our families for several generations.

MARILYN: Jean had the above soap on before.  I can't remember if it was on Amish Stories or here.

FURNITURE POLISH

1 qt. warm water (rain water preferred)
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp good cooking oil or cedar oil

Put in jar and shake well.  Soak soft cloth with polish and wipe furniture well.  Then polish with dry cloth.

ANTIQUE FURNITURE POLISH

1 cup linseed oil
5 cups turpentine
1 cup vinegar

Mix and shake well.  Bottle.  First wipe furniture with warm water and then with a tablespoon or two of polish.  When dry, polish with soft cloth.  This is good for keeping antique furniture from drying out.

ANTS

If you get ants in your house Bay Leaves or Garlic will take care of them.  I prefer Bay Leaves as I can put them in my kitchen drawers, cupboards.  Also can place them on the counter and floor.

COCKROACHES

Elderberry leaves placed on the floor or in cupboards will cause cockroaches to leave.

MARILYN: I have even used Bay Leaves on the bathroom floor where I found ants as well as in my kitchen.  Bay Leaves worked faster than a store purchased spray.

ANNA:  If I don't have on here what you were looking for or you think of something else you would like, please leave it on messages and I will see what I can do.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Anna
Jean
Marilyn

ELMER ANSWERS SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS

Almost forgot to put on a post this week.  Anna reminded me.  I thought I had done it all ready, but I hadn't.

The Mennonite and Amish are preparing for a group to go help those that had their homes destroyed by tornadoes.  I think they are going to Fairdale, Illinois, but I am not sure.  Eli's son and daughter in law that are John's best friend are going.  Kevin and Bridget are going.  I don't know who all is going. John and Sarah would be going, but because she is with child, they won't send them that far.

When someone is with child or has children, they are not usually chosen to go out of the state to disaster areas.  If there is a situation in the state of New York, they might be chosen for there, but not out of state.  The single people and those without children are chosen first.  Then those like Anna and I who are able to help and all our children are grown up are chosen second.

Which reminds me, Anna and I haven't gone to an out of state disaster since before we had children.  Before our children, we went a couple of times.  I have been, but the both of us haven't been in a long time.  Sometimes there is more of a need for men than women, but there isn't much a woman won't do.

Someone asked me to tell about living without electricity.  Could you ask me some questions?  I did a post on July 8, 2013.  Of course, I would be glad to answer your questions.

Do the Amish and Mennonites use banks?  We have checking accounts at the bank and savings accounts at the banks.

Do we have to finance loans for purchasing land at the bank?  We try not to.  It use to be that we would provide land for each son, but with the shortage of land especially when we were in Pennsylvania and the price - that is hard to do today.  Especially if you have several sons.

Sometimes a young Amish man will rent and work a farm until he has enough money to buy one.  Our sons have all been hard workers and when it came time for then to buy a farm were able to do so.  But buying the land is not the only problem.  You also have to purchase farm equipment, seed, plow horses and more.

We discourage going to the banks.  I remember when I first started out.  Anna and I had purchased the farm, obtained all the equipment, got the horses and seed, worked on the house and more.  But it was a bad weather year.  Our harvest was not as good as we thought it would be.  When it came time to buy seed the next year - we didn't have it.  I seriously thought of going to the bank.  My Father found out and loaned me the money with the words - don't go to the bank.

I felt I failed.  But as my Father told me, my first year was a bad year.  He and my Mother went through what we were going through.  I done farming correctly, but the weather didn't turn out as I wanted.

The next several years were good or great years of which we have saved money.  So the next time we had a bad year, we were backed up.  We had money in the bank.  I have tried to teach our sons what my Father taught me.  With all the expenses John and Sarah had last year with their farm and house, I told them if they needed a loan this year, I would provide it.  As yet, he has not asked for it.  I hope any of our sons know if they have a problem financially to come to us before going to any bank.

We consider borrowing money from the bank the way of the world.  It would be better to borrow from a parents, other relative or friend than the bank.

I hope I answered your question.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer

EASTER EGG HUNT

The Easter Egg Hunt was suppose to have been last weekend, but the weatherman said snow so they postponed it until yesterday.  The weatherman turned out to be wrong and last week was beautiful - this week cold, and windy, but the children and adults came.  Picture three is the children being told the rules.  Fourth shows the "Easter Eggs" - they really went't eggs.  The children were divided into different age groups.  Picture four has them off looking for the goodies. Children look high and low. Picture fifteen has them going over what they got.  The last picture is them going home.

PIERRE'S " THE BARK " MY DOG GROOMING !!!

This is the second time I did this.  I did it the first time and it came on the day I was making it up.  Didn't want to do that as Mom already had something on that day.  So Mom deleted it and is making me do it over again.  This time she set the time and date for me so I wouldn't mess it up again.

As you can see, the top picture is of me before I went to the dog groomers and the lower one is of me when I came back.  I felt so much cooler and handsomer when I got back than I did before I left.  The last time I had gone was in November, but Mom wouldn't get me groomed because she said it was too cold outside and I could get sick.  My fur grew and grew.  Mom called me Fuzzy Wuzzy before she took me to the groomers.

When we went to the new groomers, I was afraid.  I never met these people before. The lady asked Mom if I was a cock-a-poo when I came up because I had so much fur.  Mom told her when she groomed me, she would find out I was a poodle.   I didn't want Mom to leave, but she told me everything would be all right.  Mom forgot to tell them that I had never been in a dog kennel and didn't like them.  The lady found out fast and let me run around the back of the shop while she worked on another dog.

Time came to groom me and the man gave me a bath.  The lady groomed me.  I felt so much better with all that fur off.  Lady put the fur that came off me in a bag as Mom asked.  I was her last dog that day, so when the lady got done, she played with me until Mom got there and payed the bill.  Mom was so happy on how I looked - so was I.

The people we went to before were nice, but I like these people better.  I guess they have a different personality.  Mom likes them because they are right on Main Street and she doesn't have to drive back and forth so far to take me and pick me up.  Mom says if I am happy with the new groomers, she is happy with the new groomers.

Maybe she will ask the people if she can take pictures to put on here.  Hope you like second picture of me better than the first.  I got all done just before Easter.

Love,
Pierre