Counting down the hours...

My brothers' and my second-cousin-through-adoption, Hristiyan (from WI) is coming to stay with us for several days soon!  He's been literally counting down the hours.  :)  One of us will pick him up on Friday, whenever his grandparents make it to Steele.  They are then going on to visit other relatives and will pick Hristiyan up on their way back home.  We were hoping to have an Appleseed event in Jamestown this weekend, but now that has been cancelled due to not being able to get a shoot boss.  I'm sure we can have fun target-shooting with Hristiyan regardless...

The menfolk worked outside most of the day.  My mom and Jacob did some schoolwork too for a while.  I spent the day in the kitchen cooking up all kinds of things.  :)    I made a gallons worth of milk into Greek yogurt; we picked a bunch of tomatoes and I made them into a big pot of tomato soup to can; I emptied and refilled the dehydrator trays with apple-fruit-leather; then cut up a box of apples and made that into apple butter which is in the slow-cooker overnight.  My mom and I also made a huge pot of beef stock and turned the beef into stew with dumplings for supper.  I made my mom and I 2 different chocolaty desserts we can have and stay on plan.  Then, I made the guys a recipe I saw in the Penzey's Spices catalog for fruit cookies, using some of the candied fruit I had leftover from making Chris and Sarena's fruitcake.  The guys said the cookies were ok (with frosting on) and that it would be alright if I make them again in a couple of months.  ;)

Andrew washed the supper dishes because my mom milked his cow.  He said he got experienced at washing dishes at camp.   :) 

Life is good.