Grout Nitty Gritty

I got the grout applied to one of the platforms today. I think I might need more grout than what I have left to do the other one so I will wait on it. Home Depot run! I love that place. The label on the grout said wait 4 hours to wipe off the tiles. My Home Improvement book said wipe off soon after it is applied. I followed the label. Next time, I will take the book's advice. We got the excess off but it took a lot of elbow grease! That is one thing I like about DIY projects...I am always learning something new. Even if it is the hard way sometimes!

The grout is actually a sandstone color and is darker than appears in this pic.

My First Tile Project

We have new propane stoves to heat the house. They are the type that look like wood burning stoves complete with fake logs! I like to have a heat source that I can back up to - a bun warmer! Leon built some platforms for them and I tiled the tops of those today. I learned how to use a tile cutter and how to apply tile adhesive. Tomorrow I will apply the grout.

The first tiles...

The first platform

The second platform

Tiling has turned out to be fun! In the past I had been intimidated at the thought but the more I read, the more I thought it was doable. Now I am thinking about what other projects I could tile. Maybe redo the bathroom counter? I would like to make some end tables and tile the tops.  I will post more pictures as this project progresses!

A Rainy Day

Today was much cooler and drizzly. I love this weather! Leon picked up some chicken on sale so I fired up the canner. I love to have canned chicken on hand for casseroles, soups, etc. We will start drilling wheat soon so it is wonderful having chicken ready to make a quick supper when we come in from the field.

A Snake in the Driveway

When the girls and I came home from 4-H yesterday, we found this little guy in our driveway. At first, we thought it might be a rattlesnake but upon closer inspection we found it wasn't. We are not really sure what kind it is but he was fun to watch. As long as it is not a rattler, it is welcome to stay around and eat mice, bugs, etc.

Cooler Weather

 First pot of chili for the season!

These past few days have been relatively cooler. Not the 110 degree days that we had! I put a pot of beans on this morning and made a batch of chili for supper. I love the cooler weather when we can have soups, stews, and chili.

Canned Pears

I canned another batch of pears a couple of days ago. This time I added a vanilla bean to the syrup and small pieces of cinnamon stick to the jars. I love vanilla and I love cinnamon so I think these will be tasty. I also made a batch of pear-cranberry sauce. It will be good with turkey for Thanksgiving.

Canning

The last few days I have had my canners going. I got brave enough to try canning last year and I am hooked. This week I have canned pears, chicken, chuck roast, and pear jam. We get pears from Colorado. I don't care for pears in a can from the store. They seem to taste like metal. I canned some pears last year and yum! I use a light syrup so they are not too sweet.

When I thought of canned meat, I thought "Ewww, gross!" But after trying some, it is fantastic. It is so handy to have meat ready for a casserole or soup. Last year, I used the hot pack method on some chicken and pork. It was good, but really time consuming. This time I tried the raw pack method. Easy! I had a jar of chicken that didn't seal so I used it to make chicken fajitas. The chicken is so tender it falls apart. We also tried some of the chuck roast I canned. I used it to make some beefy noodles. It was really good also.

I have made sandhill plum jelly, grape jelly, pear jam, and apricot jam. If I am able to make jelly, I will never again buy it at the store. Homemade jelly and jam tastes like fruit! I have some strawberries in the freezer and can't wait to try some strawberry jam. I had a few pears left yesterday so I chopped them up and made a batch of jam. I added a little cinnamon and it turned out delicious.