Miscellany Monday: July 29, 2013

I haven't done a Miscellany Monday post in four forevers.   But I have so many random things floating in my head that it's time for a comeback of the Miscellany Monday post!


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So I showed the girls' crazy VBS hair...

 ...but this is what they looked like when they got home from VBS that night and we took their hair down before they went to bed:

Wow...we couldn't believe it!  It's nice to have another hair trick up our sleeves for future reference....

 ...because I think they liked it!

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First it was our lawn mower...now it is our washing machine.  What is up with the big ticket items at our house?

We originally bought our washing machine and dryer 16 years ago when we moved into our first house (in Colorado).  They've served us well.  Jas mentioned a week ago that it would probably be time sooner rather than later to replace them...and he must have hurt the washing machine's feelings.  Shortly after that (next day?) it began just not turning off after the final spin cycle.

How I found out? My normal m.o. is to put one final load on to wash before I head to bed at night...so I can throw it in the dryer first thing when I get up the next morning.  Well one morning when I got out into the kitchen at about 6 a.m., the washer was going.  Hmmmmm?  Jas had gone outside for something and when he came back in I asked him if he'd turned it on.  Nope.  Checked inside it:  it was spinning and spinning...and spinning.  It had been spinning for approximately 8 hours at that point.  The clothes were almost dry.

So this is its new habit now.  Very naughty.  And since then one time it just totally turned off right in the middle of all the cycles, and never even got to the spinning.

But sometimes it works o.k.  But that isn't the majority of the times anymore.

We're hoping maybe it can limp along until Christmas.  Jason's Christmas bonus is going to be almost spent before it ever gets here!

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Some friends came to play/swim/eat with us a few days ago.  My friend brought a pitcher of sweet tea (as she always does when they come to our house...she's a big sweet tea addict fan) and a pitcher of red kool-aid.  When one of her sons went to refill his cup with kool-aid he spilled some on the counter.  She immediately wiped it up.  It did not sit there long at all...probably less than 30 seconds.  But it stained the counter.  I totally do not care about the counter (we do plan to replace it)...but WHAT is in that stuff, man???

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About 6 or so months ago I found a blog that I have come to thoroughly enjoy...The Elliott Homestead.  Shaye is into all the same stuff I am: Nourishing Traditions style cooking, fermenting things, making broth, home remedies, chickens, raw milk, grass-fed beef.  And she loves the Lord.  And she is stinking hilarious.

Shaye just released a cookbook and when I saw that it was on sale (woot!) on amazon I had to buy it.

I was so thrilled when it got here a few days ago...I read through the entire thing during rest-time that afternoon.  I highly recommend it!

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Some of my crazy friends took me up on the offer to share my SCOBYs so they can start making their own kombucha.  Woohoo!  I've already shared with some and have more to go.

I shared with Marissa and she is brewing away now.  And on Sunday afternoon, Shan and Arica came over for what Noah termed "Kombucha Klass."

Shan on left...Arica on right.  Can you tell we were all about to head to Sunday night services?
We totally do not normally look this dressy when we get together!

We got the kombucha basics covered...but there was lots of cutting up mixed in there.  (Oh, how I look forward to seeing my fellow homeschooling peeps more regularly when school starts back!)

Fizzy, fruit-flavored yumminess that is so good for you???  Who doesn't want to get in on that?

Ok, Sabrina and Anna...you ready for your Kombucha Klass?  And Amy, you need to head down to our part of the state here someday soon for your klass!