We try to purchase things that have an array of uses. I don't have a lot of storage area so I don't like gadgets that are just one use products. I think we have gotten more than our money's worth out of the English Mastiff. Seth has once again found one more use for her. I caught him using her as his personal pillow while enjoying a movie. She doesn't seem to mind at all. They both look content and out of trouble!!!
After dinner last night, I decided I had some extra time to can the green beans that had been waiting in the refrigerator. I ended up canning 7 quarts and freezing another 2 quarts. I don't generally like to freeze green beans. However, I do love Green Bean Casserole made with frozen green beans. I had the extra beans and I did not want to go through the whole canning process again for only 2 quarts so I chose to freeze them. I do wish canners would hold more than 7 quarts at one time, but I have yet to ever see one of those.
Here is a look at the first flower bouquet out of the garden this season. It was made up of baby's breath, pincushion flowers, and zinnias. I am headed back out to the garden this morning. I haven't picked out there in 2 days so I am thinking I will have some lovely surprises waiting for me. 
When we left for vacation, we only had a few flowers showing their beautiful colors. When we returned, they were all starting their summer show. I made my first bouquet yesterday. I so love the privilege of having fresh cut flowers in our home. 
I also enjoy using the sunflowers to fill up a basket for the house. I will usually use a filler like cosmos foliage and then add a few sunflower blooms to that. It is always a cheery basket. My kids all enjoy the fresh flowers too. My boys almost always comment on a new vase or basket of flowers. 
Here are a few shots from our vacation. We rented a cabin at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. We had a wonderful relaxing time. We grilled almost every night.
There was time for Dad to teach Hope how to play Chess.
Time for hugs...
And time to swim...
As we were away this past week, I found myself laughing out loud often. My teenage boys are always telling me I cackle. They aren't much better. We are a family that laughs loudly and often. I also think that is something that has made a difference in our marriage. We both have a sense of humor and we aren't afraid to laugh at ourselves. I can't tell you how many church services I have been to and something would be said that I knew would end up sending Michael and I into roaring laughter. If it was an appropriate time to laugh that was fine, but often times it was an inside joke just between me and him so nobody else would be laughing. I have had to cross my legs and look away just to keep myself contained. 
Our family has been on vacation this past week. We rented a cabin at Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Tennessee. The original purpose of leaving was Jacob had to play baseball in Mt. Juliet over the weekend. We decided to combine a little rest and relaxation with some ball. We spent the entire week there and we were all ready to head back home. We had a wonderful time. Michael's mom and my mom live about an hour and half away from were we stayed. Michael's mom came down on Thursday to spend some time with us. She was having a huge family reunion and 3 of our children ended up going back to Ky with her. This included the 4 year old. I spent the next day huddled on the front porch of the cabin reading a book. It was glorious.
I took two days off from going in our garden. I still sent the kids to pick squash and zucchini, but I have been so swamped in the house the last few day. I was surprised when I walked back out yesterday and I found green beans almost ready to be picked. I also had baby cucumbers and even little tomatoes. Our apple tree is almost ready for the picking. I see apple sauce making in the near future. Our two apples trees are what we call June Apples. There is a more specific name for them, but I can't remember at the moment. They are ready by the end of June. They aren't the type of apples that you pick and eat. You have to cook them to really enjoy them. When they are ready, they have a white/pale green look about them. Oh my, do they ever make nice apple sauce and cooked apples. Add some pork chops, garden green beans, and green onions and you have a fine meal!! We have a tree at the back of our yard that we thought was too out of hand to ever produce apples again. Michael has worked on this tree the last few years and there is still much work to go. However, it is covered in apples this year. They are producing smaller apples than our other tree, but I am just thrilled that it is producing anything at all. I did finally get some okra planted and all of my tomatoes are now in the ground!!! 
"And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers..." Malachi 4:6
Our pastor in Florida spent some time teaching marriage principles and this was one that spoke to my heart. He started his teaching with the question "Are you willing to drop your ball?" Now if you play sports you know that dropping the ball isn't usually the goal of the game. Well, I guess if you are a bowler that would be one of the goals, but for baseball or football players they want to keep their ball. In football, a dropped ball is considered a fumble. In baseball, a dropped ball can be the catalyst for many unearned runs for the other team. Aren't you impressed of how much sports knowledge I have gained over the years being the mom of 4 boys???
This particular marriage principle is different from the usual sports analogy. Are you willing to drop your ball intentionally and LET the other person have his/her way? Is there something REALLY worth fighting over enough that you can't give in for your spouse? I started realizing that most of the arguments that Michael and I had were not that big of a deal. If it was something REALLY important then I could wait until the heat of the moment was over and talk to him when we both were more rational. (Not that I would or could ever be irrational or anything)!!! We both have defused many arguments by just dropping our ball. It is an intentional and on purpose kind of thing.
Too often in the past, I have had this look on my face when I wasn't getting my way...
Sometimes Michael will drop his ball for me, and other times I will drop my ball (wants, ideas, plans, desires, dreams) for him. It is a give and take situation. When we first moved to Tennessee, I found a house that I really wanted. It was a foreclosed home and it had many issues. (One was the fact that the kitchen was pretty much gone, but that is such a minor dilemma when you are married to a cabinet maker)! The house was also crooked, but it was so FULL of character and I really loved it. It was like the doll house that I had always wanted...well minus all the yucky color paint and other minor details that needed to be repaired. Michael wasn't as sold on this 100 year old farmhouse as I was. I saw all the potential in the house and he saw all the work. We talked and prayed about it. The final decision was his to make because when we can't agree on something we go with his decision because he is the head of the house. Now that doesn't mean he always gets his way. He has to go back before the Lord and find the heart of the Lord on the particular matter. We did buy the house, and I was thrilled with it. I loved that house so much and I loved living there with my family. He was willing to drop his ball for something that meant a lot to me. Just for the record, I had to drop my ball when we bought the farm we are living in now. I wasn't interested at all in it, but it was important to him.
I find that the big issues in life are easier to lay down for my husband than the small ones. Some times I get irritated if he wants something from me or if he has made plans without my knowledge. I could let him have it on that one! I then have a decision to make...will I drop my ball for him... if the answer is yes, then I choose to do it with a good attitude even if I am less than thrilled about his request. If it is something that we need to address further, then I can talk with him when I am not upset. The same holds true for him. We were in a heated argument one day, and I realized that I was holding my ball very tightly. I wasn't about to fumble this particular ball...no siree...I was right...he was wrong.... I was going to stand my ground. (By the way, I really was right). Then I heard the Lord speak to my heart and He asked me if I was going to drop my ball for the man that He put in my life. UGHH...I looked straight at Michael and I told him that I was dropping my ball. He could win the argument because it didn't really matter. He looked stunned...kind of like a calf in a hail storm. I won his heart instantly because I was willing to lay my life down for him.
Are you willing to drop your ball for the person that you are married to? Are you willing to lay down YOUR ways, YOUR will, YOUR desires, YOUR dreams, YOUR wants for your spouse? Ask the Lord to help you in the areas that you need help in letting go of your will. He may just surprise you!!!
grace and peace,
julie
Off to the baseball games we go!!! We are coming to the end of our travel baseball season. We have this weekend and next of tournaments and then we have several weeks without ball. It has been a great season and Jacob has grown leaps and bounds...both in baseball and in character.
I spent some time yesterday afternoon freezing our cabbage. This is an easy job that requires little expense other than freezer bags. You may be wondering why I would freeze cabbage. After all it is cheap in the grocery store. The reason I do it is it is cheap and convenient to put up our own. Plus I know that there won't suddenly be a cabbage recall due to some nasty disease. I like to know where my food has been and who has handled it. Let's get started....
I have been thinking a lot about what makes our marriage great. I have had a few major threads of principles that Michael and I have learned to live by over the last 21 years come to my mind. I can't say that we learned them all at once, but we grew into these ideas and they really have worked for us.When I walk out this principle on a daily basis, Michael's day is made much better. He feels that I value him and care for him. He SEES it in action. However there are many times that he doesn't even realize that I am doing this. The day he asked me to go golfing with him is a prime example of this in play. He really wanted me to go. I really didn't want to go. I had a huge garden afternoon planned out, and I had really been looking forward to my afternoon. I made sure all the household chores were done that morning so I could enjoy the time in the garden. I was looking forward to the garden time and I was looking forward to the garden chores being completed. Then came my husband... "Hey, since you have all the inside stuff caught up, would you like to come golfing with me?" In my head was a loud "NO!!! I have long since outgrown spending time getting frustrated hitting a little ball into an elusive hole!" I saw the look in his eyes and I realized it was important to him. Just to make sure that I wasn't mistaken, I asked him if he was serious. He was and I went. I put my plans and wants down to do what he wanted. Turned out we both had a great time and I enjoyed spending the time with my best friend ever so much.
The flip side of this principle is that Michael lives his life in the same way. He looks out for my good at his expense and I get blessed with that each and every day. I think the Biblical way to say this is do unto others as you would have them do unto you! It really works.
This principle has to also be seasoned with grace. Michael isn't a morning person. He has a hard time starting his day with a smile on his face. I don't expect much from him in the mornings. I give him grace to get a slower start on his day than what I would like to see. On the flip side of this is I am not a night person. After 9:00 p.m., I am tired and I am getting irritable with everybody in our house. Michael knows this about me and he gives me the grace I need during the hardest part of my day. He usually puts the younger kids to bed for me and any discipline that needs to be attended to at night is his responsibility. We didn't write a formal set of rules that say he is responsible for all children issues after 9:00 p.m. We just kind of evolved in it over the years. It works for us. He saw my weak area and he laid down his wants and desires to allow me what I need.
The tricky part is when one of us changes our normal behavior or pattern unexpectedly. For example, if I am having a hard time starting my day and I just am plain grouchy, that usually catches Michael off guard. A simple request for a cup of coffee can put me into a tizzy. Michael isn't at his best in the morning, and we have a situation ripe for an argument. One of us has to "drop our ball" so to speak and be willing to give the other person a little extra space. Sometimes we hit the mark...other times we don't. One of my children's favorite stories to tell on me is that one morning neither Michael or myself was willing to give for the other one. I was angry...he was angry. He walked out the door and I was still so frustrated. I happened to have a cup of coffee in my hand. As he drove off to work, I threw my cup of coffee at him while he was driving down the road. He never knew, and I felt better. Of course I had to go pick up the coffee cup bits out of the road. My kids still talk about the day I threw a coffee cup at their dad!!! We both blew it on that particular day. But a few minutes into his drive, he called me to tell me he was sorry. I too was sorry and we talked about it for awhile realizing how silly we both had been. All it would have taken that particular morning would have been for one of us to give for the other one. To this day I have no idea what each of us was so upset about. It really didn't matter.
I do find a proper way to deal with things that bother me. His good at my expense doesn't mean I have to live with things that cause me irritation or strife. I have to be honest with him and tell him when things bother me. If he asked me to play golf every Saturday, I would have to tell him that I don't really want to do that. If he still wants to play, I would give him some suggestions on how we could make that work for him that didn't involve me always having to go. That is living life honestly with one another which is very important.
I hope and pray this little glimpse into our life may help spark thoughts to help you think about ways to improve your own marriage. Please know that we aren't perfect...just ask our kids...they will be more than happy to tell you about me throwing coffee cups or the time I threw the meatloaf out the back door. Just come to our dinner table any time that we are having meatloaf and you can hear the story in full living color!!! After soon to be 21 years of marriage, Michael and I still are looking for ways we can improve. Marriage isn't something that stands still. It isn't suppose to be stagnant...it is suppose to be full of life and growth...even in the hard times of life.
grace and peace,
julie
He got dressed in handy dandy bee suit and went to catch the hive.
He took his high technology cardboard box for carrying the bees. He tapped tapped tapped on the fence...
And then he shut the box and carried them to their new hive home...
He shook them out into the hive and went for another load.
While he was having all the fun, I was across the street in the shelter of the Big Red Truck with my magic weapon....
Just yesterday I was having tea with a friend and we were chatting about marriage. She has children at the marrying age all the way down to eight years old. I would consider her and her husband to have a great marriage. She would agree. The problem is that I don't know many people who I could really say that I think they have a great marriage. 
It has been very hot here in our area. It seems we went from a cool spring right into a hot hot summer! Missy is always trying to find a way to beat the heat. She loves to be with me in the garden, but she hates the heat. I am up as early as possible to work in the garden before the major heat comes every day. Yesterday found me pulling up broccoli plants and preparing the bed for tomatoes. Today I pulled up cabbage plants and planted watermelon and cantaloupes. I also planted more rutger tomatoes. We are out of beds. I can't squeeze any more space out of the beds we have. I talked with Michael and he suggested that we till up 2 more beds, but we will not actually build them. We are running out of time and materials. If the rain holds off today, I will have my son till the beds. Even though we won't have the wood around them, they will still serve the purpose. At least they will be located with the rest of our raised beds so we can water them. You know it isn't the perfect plan, but it is what it is...and it will work for now.
Today I found our first zinnia in bloom. How glorious it was to walk out early this morning and see a beautiful new flower waiting to greet me. As I was in the garden, I was reminded of the old hymn "In the Garden". I found myself humming and praying while working the soil. Now put a cup of coffee with that and you have the perfect start to a perfect day!
And then we noticed them getting a bit more aggressive. 
Every hive was doing well. The supers that were on the hives were full of honey, but the honey had not been capped yet. When the moisture is out of the honey, the bees cap it to seal it. 
He added another super to a hive. He was looking for extra queen eggs, but the bees were so aggressive that he didn't take the time to comb through them. Usually on a hot sunny day, bees don't even notice when you are in the hive. However our bees were very stirred up. The only thing we could think of is that Michael hasn't been in the hives on a consistent basis. We know that one of the hives hatched out an extra queen because that hive swarmed. It is always frustrating for us when that happens. In an ideal world, one would catch the swarm and put it in an extra hive. We even keep extra hives for that purpose. In the real world, it doesn't usually work for us that way. The bees always swarm when Michael is at work. By the time he comes home, they have already left. Whenever he sees new queen eggs being laid, Michael always smashes them. When doing this, you are taking a chance that your old queen may need to be replaced, but there will be no new queens to do this. We have had to go order new queens from the bee supply store before. However if you leave those queen eggs to hatch out, then you know for sure that a swarm will take place. Just remember...2 queens can't live in the same home!!! A swarm causes your number of bees to go down in the hive which causes less honey to be produced.
I am hoping that we will have a good crop of honey this year. Last year we didn't get any due to the drought and the late freeze. We even fed the bees through the winter months because we weren't for sure if they had enough honey stored for their own survival. I have rationed my honey this past year and now I am down to my last quart. In times past we have sold our extra honey, but if we have extra this year I think we will keep it. I enjoy using it to bake my Whole Wheat Bread!
"For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." 
We have 5 boys and 4 girls. We are still waiting for our last sheep to have her baby. She is obviously pregnant, but she still doesn't look like she is close to going yet. 
My pincushion flowers are starting to bloom. I noticed buds about to open on the zinnias. I can't wait to start making flower arrangements!!!
Summertime can be a challenge to mothers at times. Each child has his own view of what a summer day should look like. Our 3rd son seems to think that summer is about going and DOING fun things. Just the other morning he crawled out of bed and started hounding me to go do something fun. Later in the day, I was just about at my wits end so I picked up the phone and called our oldest son who happened to be in the basement.
Here is a picture of my sink full of lettuce soaking in water to be cleaned.
After I have washed and picked through it, I then use my salad spinner to dry the lettuce. I store it in large plastic containers or plastic bags. I put a paper towel in the bottom of the container and one on top of the lettuce to help soak up any moisture.
Whenever I have green peas or green beans, I make sure I break them ahead of time. I also go ahead and wash up the broccoli or cauliflower. I bag it in meal size portions in small plastic bags. Last night I was in a huge time crunch. I was able to prepare cauliflower in no time flat because all of the prep work had already been done. There is nothing more frustrating than pouring all that time, energy, and money into growing a garden and then having to feed the produce to the chickens because I let it go bad. It still happens some, but not near as often as it use to.
grace and peace,
julie
Always be vigilant with looking for bugs and eggs. If you get them before they get a good start, you will be much more successful in combating them without using chemicals. Turn the leaves over and look for little yellow eggs on the underside of the leaf. If you find them, squish them. This will also help control the bug population in your garden. It is time consuming, but I think the rewards are well worth the effort! By the way 3 and 4 year old boys usually really enjoy this garden job!!!
Our zucchini and squash are coming along nicely. I will be enjoying some fried zucchini and squash casseroles very soon. I will also make some zucchini bread with the extras in the near future. I have a friend who begs me for the flowers off of my squash and zucchini plants. Apparently you can do some wild gourmet thing with them. I like my flowers right were they are at...making more squash and zucchini!
This is my first time to grow cauliflower...isn't it just beautiful?
Here is my cauliflower and broccoli bed. If you look closely you can see I used my daughter's rubber band hair holders to tie my cauliflower in a bunch. This is done in order to make the cauliflower white and not be bitter. When I was in Tnfarmgirl's garden (link at the sidebar), she used clothespin to pin hers together. I thought that was even a better idea, but I didn't have any clothespins! With all boys in her family, I guess she didn't have any little girl ponytail holders!!!
Here is another full bed of broccoli plants. They are almost finished for the season so in the next few days we will be pulling up this bed and feeding some of it to the chickens. Out with the old and in with the new!
Here is our bed with the strawberries that we planted this year. If you watch closely, you can almost see them grow right before your eyes. They have done wonderful this year.
And next you will see my green bean bed. These are bush beans that my dear son and his friend Kolin planted for me. They planted about double the amount of beans that they were suppose to plant that day. They told me if some was good more was better! The bed is full to the brim and there are already blooms on the plants. I hope those boys stick to their philosophy of some is good more is better when we are picking and breaking these beans!!!
This is one of 3 tomato beds that I have planted. I will be putting in one more bed of tomatoes in the next week. I have the plants, but no room in the inn for them! These tomatoes are our eating tomatoes. I have Super Sweet 100's and Cherokee Purples and a few Big Boys in here. We should have already staked them, but that will get done today.
