Questions for Jo…

Often time in the comments section or via email, I get question from readers.  After reading the question, I guess that other readers might have the same questions.  I thought I would tackle a few of the questions today in a post so everyone can see the answers.

I recently posted about my cake mix challenge along with a recipe of pumpkin muffins.  If you missed the recipe you can find it here.

A reader asked what size of can for the pumpkin…ANSWER:  15 oz.  By the way, thanks for all the recipes.  Ranch Wife wrote: LOL – with all the recipes everyone is sharing, you may soon be heading out for more cake mix.

About the recipe for Scrambled Pancakes a reader asked, “I looked at the recipe for scrambled pancakes and want to know a couple things. How many will this serve and do you just make one big pancake and then chop or separate into pieces or do you actually scramble in the pan? Hope this is not a stupid question.”

ANSWER:  When making these, scrape the pan and chop up the pieces of pancakes in the pan just like you would scrambled eggs.  By the way, if you haven’t tried them, they are yummy.  They don’t look yummy but trust me, better than regular pancakes by far.  Here’s the recipe if you missed it

Here is a question I always get:  I just wanted to let you know how much I admire your ambition and get-up-and-go! You do more in a day than I can in a week. I check your blog every day because I know you will have something interesting on it. I love your plans for the house and look forward to seeing it happen. Any hints for finding extra energy?

ANSWER:  Ha!!  I really don’t feel like I accomplish all that much but people have said that to me so often that I really have begun to believe it.  Here’s some things I have to say…I don’t watch television.  I rarely even watch the news anymore….if I am making supper when the news comes on I turn it on.  I am a product of my mother.  My mother was always doing.  I never in my entire life remember watching my mother just sit down and watch television.  She was always doing…whether that be cooking, sewing, mending, working outside, gardening, working on DYI projects…she was always busy and 99% of the time, happy.  I am my mother’s daughter.  My kids would all say the same thing about me.  They would say the same thing about their dad.  I don’t nap during the day..not even on weekends.  I am just content “doing”.  I really think it’s a life style.

I don’t commute to work.  I walk down the stairs each morning and I’m at work…commuting takes up lots of people’s time.
I squeeze 15 minutes in here and there.  I often make lunch and supper at the same time.  When I am making lunch, I peel sweetcorn, and have that ready in a pan, make salads etc so that I only have one mess to clean.

I have help….when my kids come home, they do things to help out.  They’ll gladly take care of the garbage, mow lawn or help in the garden.  They are all do-ers too.   Kalissa stopped by Monday morning for a quick visit and while I was washing dishes, she made lunch.  When Buck and Jen came home, we worked with Kelli and got the garden caught up.

Working is breed into us (on both sides of the family) we pride ourselves on the work we accomplish.  My Hubby’s mom was a work horse.  Oh that woman could work.  When we ate at her house, there would be an entire feast in front of us.  It was all things she canned or froze too.  She milked cows.  She farmed and her house was immaculate.  She was the church janitor.  Hubby remembers growing up and being four and five.  His mom would be outside milking cows.  Hubby and his younger sister were to play inside the house in front of the big window in the living room.  As she milked cows, she would stop and look for the kids playing inside near the window.  They were always there playing.  My Hubby was programmed that it was his job to be there playing…so he was there.  Now days, that might be misinterpreted as child neglect, but it wasn’t.  It was just part of the process of managing life on a farm with kids.  I remember going to her house and helping her freeze apples.  I about fell over.  There here 5 five gallon buckets of apples to peel and process.  I never heard her complain..she just started in on it and it got done.  She was an amazing woman.

Our son Buck loves working his carpentry job.  He can look each day and see what he accomplished by seeing how much progress they made on the house.  Kelli at her job measures accomplishment by how her call logs and inbox at her work look.  We honestly are a family that likes to measure accomplishment and feels great pride in seeing work finished.

How much I accomplish quilting is directly related to Kelli.  We team work projects all the time now.  When she was home this weekend, she left me with a quilt and I sent a started quilt with her.  I have to do the machine quilting and binding, she’ll get the other one closer to being a top.  What you see being sewn here, is really two people at work..not just me.

On the medical side of having energy, it’s important to keep track of your vitamin D levels.  I would recommend having your doctor check that out if you are really concerned out your ambition level.

All in all, I like to be busy.  For me busy is good.   For me a nap isn’t refreshing at all.  Finishing something I was working on, having a nice supper, getting one more thing checked off my list, that is refreshing.  Also note, I work at something pretty much from 8am to 9pm.  I am happy that way.

Feel free to ask more questions…I’ll try to answer them in a “Questions for Jo” post.
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