Runamuck Ranch

A Calm Spirit

A great quote from Little Jenny Wren's blog...


" Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.
Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset"
St Francis de Sales

8 Things

I have been tagged by Mrs. Ben Lanier.  Thanks for the tag.

8 TV shows I watch...  but I actually rarely watch TV.

1. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.  I swear I am going to try out for this show someday.
2. Cavuto
3. O'Reilly Factor
4. Veggie Tales
5. Huckabee
6. Paula Deene
7. Myth Busters
8. Dirty Jobs

8 Favorite Restaurants....

1. The Compass Room in Phoenix, AZ - just don't have wine with dinner and use the bathroom or you will not be able to find your table again.
2. Eva's Mexican Food in Casa Grande, AZ
3. Little Sombrero in Casa Grande, AZ
4. World Famous Seafood in San Diego, CA
5. Pirates of the Carribean Disneyland, CA  - there is something about eating in a Disney ride.
6. Kirby's in Okmulgee, OK
7. Old El Paso
8. Big Texan, Amarillo TX  - the rolls are so light and good.

8 Favorite Singers/Bands...

1. Loreena McKennitt
2. Patsy Cline
3. Johnny Cash
4. Martina McBride
5. The Chieftans
6. Amy Grant
7. Various dead classical composers
8. Irish folk music

8 books I have read...

1. These is My Words, Nancy Turner
2. Rise to Rebellion
3. Little House Series
4. Christy
5. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes
6. Jan Karon' Mitford series
7. Gone With The Wind
8. True Women

8 things that happened yesterday...

1. Had a 4-H meeting at my house.
2. Shot archery at my house.
3. Fell down the stairs
4. Enjoyed seeing and eating with friends.  I know they are friends because they did not tease me for falling down the stairs.
5. Knitted
6. Put curlers in Boo's hair
7. Laughed
8. Snuggled with all three children

8 things I am looking forward to...

1. Being completely debt free including the farm.
2. Our big winter break from school.
3. Christmas creating and crafting
4. Getting my knee fixed so I can start walking again
5. Seeing my children grow
6. growing old and sitting in rocking chairs with the Farmer on the front porch
7. a cure for juvenile diabetes
8. colder weather

8 things I wish for..

1. Content and healthy children who love God and know He loves them.
2. A happy marriage
3. A healthy body
4. A cure for juvenile diabetes
5. Ice cream that makes you lose weight
6. Time for Art
7. To walk with God
8. To not be a mother who causes her children unnecessary pain.

8 people I am tagging:

1. Ali
2. Rodney
3. Christina
4. Steven
5. Jenny
6. Anna
7. Kirsten
8. Summer

Runamuck Ranch Decorating Rules

A dear friend of mine is changing her style and asked me if I had any books on a rustic look.  After looking through the bookshelves I realized I have pretty much cleaned out all my decor books.  What does this mean?  I think I have finally found my own style.  Does this mean I am now really a grown up? 

Here is what works for me.

• I love the colors of the outdoors in the desert.  Browns from dirt and trees, red's from dirt and sunset, greens from mesquites and crops, sky blue from the sky, yellows from the weeds and wheat.  These natural muted colors are soothing to me and have the added benefit of not showing what is tracked in from the outdoors.
• I love the utilitarian look of pioneer cabins and homes from the 1800's.  I really have very little decorative objects that are not also useful and used.  In that same vein I try to choose things that are handmade and USA made and not mass produced.  Baskets, canning jars,  and repainted (by me) tin containers hold knitting, medical supplies, cookie cutters, garden seeds, craft supplies and shoes by the doors. I see things I really like in stores and other people's homes but I have learned to not bring them home because they are not me and also because I do not want to care for them. 
• I am ruthless in getting rid of things that are not useful.  I do not want to have things take my time away from my priorities.  I will not dust something that is not useful or extremely meaningful - out it goes.  Purging is a process as our ever changing lives change what we need at the moment.  Sometimes we want to hold onto something because we are living too much in the past or the future and not really living in the moment.
• I save nothing for good.  Everything is fair game to be used if it doesn't bless us or survive - out it goes.
• Furniture must be sturdy, easily cleaned, functional, and cowboy boot resistant.  My favorite pieces are old and already well used.  I know these pieces are survivors and our use only adds to their charm. 
• I like seasonal decorative items that can be composted or thrown out in the yard.  ie., pinecones, shells, pumpkins, flowers.  Not the plastic kind that have to be stored or dusted. 
• Some useful things I love are quilts, pie safes, baskets, home sewn and easily washable curtains, meaningful art, chalkboards to write sayings or words we are learning on, cloth mismatched napkins, books, mismatched china, old trunks, 1930's feed sack fabric,  and big pillows which double as furniture or trampolines.
• I also like things that reflect who we are as a family.  Old branding irons and spurs, livestock show banners, aprons,  and shooting plaques and antelope heads.  
• Function over Form.  If something bugs me - out it goes.  This scares my children sometimes.  Simplicity, peace, ease of use, and a cozy home feeling are what I continually strive for.
• Be Honest.  I honestly prefer formica to granite and linoleum to tile.  I care very little what people think about my taste as long as it suits me and my family and supports our values.  I do care if the place is a mess and really try hard to keep things tidy.  I have never been overwhelmed by having too little but by having too much.
• I really like to keep space open so that their is room to work on a project or play without having to move a bunch of stuff first.

My home does tend toward the rustic and western because that is who we are.  It would be frustrating to try to make our home into an urban industrial space or a floral cottage because it would be an uncomfortable fit for our family.  As I have aged I realize less is more and housework and life is a lot simpler if my home is planned to support our life instead of our life supporting our home.

Canning Uncooked Pinto Beans

One of the shotgun moms on our team told me she and her mother can pinto beans - without cooking them first.  Our family loves pintos for bean burros, tostadas and just as a side dish. I usually do mine in the crockpot but sometimes do not think ahead.   I was intrigued but a bit afraid of the process.

Anyway, I tried her method last week and it really works great.  Last night we had 4-H archery practice at our house with dinner and I was running short on my beans in the crockpot and added these at the last minute and they are seriously good.  Here is the process.

Add 1 Cup and 1/4 Cup of dried (rinse first) pinto beans to a Quart jar.  I added 1/4 Cup of my own fresh salsa to each jar as well for flavor.  Fill jar with hot water leaving one inch of head space.  Do not use softened water or beans will be mushy.  Process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds for 90 minutes.  At higher altitudes I would probably increase the pounds a bit?  Obviously use proper canning methods. 

These turned out so well, tasted so much better than store canned, and are a lot more economical so I will be doing a large batch of these.

Hail on the Cotton

All of our cotton was too green to pick right now.  This afternoon huge amounts of hail pounded it.  Tomorrow we will know how much we lost.  Tonight I am praying.

Cream Soup Mix

My dear farmgirl friend gave me a huge amount of mushrooms today which I am dehydrating.  I began to wonder about making homemade cream of mushroom soup.  I seem to use alot of it in the winter for casseroles and crockpot recipes.

After consulting my trusty The Complete Tightwad Gazette which is one of my favorite frugal and homemade resources I found this recipe for cream soup mix...

• 2 Cups dry milk
• 1 1/4 Cups cornstarch, or 2 1/2 Cups flour
• 1/4 Cup chicken bouillon powder
• 2 T dried onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme (optional)
• 1 teaspoon basil (optional)

Mix all ingredients, and store in airtight container.  If the mix is made with cornstarch, add 1/3 cup mix to 1 1/4 cups water; if made with flour, add 1/2 cup mix to 1 1/4 cups water.  This makes a concentrated casserole consistency.  For soup consistency, double the water.

I am assuming I can delete the chicken bouillon or reduce it and add dried mushrooms.  I think I might add garlic powder to the mix.

I compared this recipe to the ingredients on the back of a store canned cream of mushroom soup and it is quite the chemical cocktail.  I am sure it is more expensive as well.

Hope

Foreclosure Angel

Homemade Moisturizing Body Scrub

As the dry season is upon us I am mixing up a batch of scrub.  This is my favorite recipe for scrub and it works better than any I have bought, is more economical, and the scent can be personalized.

• Get a plastic jar like an old peanut butter or mayonnaise jar or you can buy a fancy one at a whole foods store. 
• Fill jar 3/4 with either a combination of coarse salt and regular salt, or if this is irritating to your skin then use a combo of turbinado sugar and regular sugar.
• Fill remaining space in jar with sweet almond oil available in the grocery store.
• Add essential oil for scent or add a few drops of your favorite perfume for scent.

Use a tablespoon in the shower to exfoliate and moisturize your skin.  What is great about almond oil is that it soaks into your skin and does not just lay on top like petroleum based oils.  If you want to be really fancy you can add some grape seed oil to the mix for some extra antioxidant properties.

When I was expecting  the children this stuff saved my skin because it works and I was pretty much allergic to everything else. 

I Voted. Did You?

Be a Patriot.  Vote today!!!

Yarn Central Station

Two really great sites for free patterns are

• www.knittingpatterncentral.com 
• www.crochetpatterncentral.com