Tueseday Tomatoes???

Lots of normal things going on around our little farm today, but nothing outstanding to report from here. I am busy cleaning, cooking, and YES I am still canning tomatoes!!! The harvest is starting to slow down a bit. I may even put my canner away and clean my entire stove top before the day comes to a close.

Our garden is winding down just a bit. We are still anxiously awaiting our first watermelon. Our cantaloupes are producing, but this year I wasn't thrilled with the variety we planted. I just plain old didn't like them. Michael says he likes them, but he isn't eating them very fast. I miss our Ambrosia Cantaloupes. In my opinion, they are the best thing going in the cantaloupe department. I didn't get any ambrosia seeds this year, but I will be putting it at the top of my seed order for next year. Our peppers are producing nicely now. I even froze some green, red, and orange peppers for winter use. I will have many more to freeze soon.

I had a revelation the other evening. I now know why God causes babies and children to cry and whine and have voices. If they did not make noise, I would have forgotten to feed them and water them!!! Yes, I planted a ton of broccoli, cabbage, onions, and cantaloupes in our basement "green house". Well, they didn't make any noise so I FORGOT about them. I was sure they would have dried up for lack of water, but God had mercy. I now have a reminder note to "Water Seeds" in my kitchen to help me remember. (I am not even old enough to have these issues in my life)!!!! The little plants look great, and I am very thankful to the Lord. God himself knows I didn't do anything to help them along any!

I still haven't harvested my flowers for drying, but I am wanting to do this sometime soon. Things have been busy here, and I just haven't taken time to do it yet. My son did bring something home with him Saturday evening while he and his friends were out fishing....and it wasn't a fish. I will tell you more about his BIG heart and what he dragged home soon. Until then...

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, who covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. He gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens that cry.

He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy". Psalm 147:7-11

Everlasting Flowers and Tomatoes!!

I have been reading a book that I found on my bookshelf called Everlastings. It had been given to me several years ago by a friend, but I didn't have any flowers at the time. I have so enjoyed this book. It is very detailed with gorgeous pictures. Come to find out the flowers in the picture above are a good flower to dry. I will be drying them today or sometime this week depending on time. I think we are going to get some rain next week so I really want to get this job done before the rain comes. In the book she also talks about drying wildflowers. I noticed in our fields that we have what looks like a wild version of purple statice. I am going to see how this dries. She even talked about drying out Queen Anne's Lace. I love that weed, and I use it in many of my arrangements. (We don't have allergies in our family)! She suggested using a screen to dry the Queen Anne's Lace. Place the head of the flower on the screen, and let the stem drape through the screen. Hang the screen up until the flowers dry. I'll let you know how this works. I want to take my husband and go flower hunting today in our woods.

Did I happen to mention that I am CANNING TOMATOES!!!! I think the harvest of the tomatoes are going to be everlasting! I know I am going to be thrilled come this winter, but I am starting to question my own sanity at this point in time. I spent last night preparing over 2 bushels of tomatoes that we picked from our garden, and there are still more tomatoes to pick. My new motto has become "LET THEM EAT TOMATOES" when anybody asks about what's for dinner!!!

grace and peace,

julie

Flower Bounty

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know I love growing and cutting flowers. I mentioned earlier this week that I am wanting to expand my flower garden next year. I am wanting information from my readers on flowers that you have grown in the past. First, I like low maintenance. If they have to be pampered like a french poodle, then they probably won't last long at my house. Second, I am really wanting to grow some varieties that would make nice dried arrangements. If you have some of those varieties that are low maintance, send me some ideas. As always, the flowers that I enjoy growing are the ones that make beautiful cut flower arrangements. I have missed my sunflowers this year. Next year I will include those in my garden once again. I think the horses ate the young plants...or it could have been the cow...or maybe a coon....or who knows...perhaps it was the English Mastiff. I just know that all my sunflowers were gone.

grace and peace,

julie

Garden Gumbo Recipe

2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons butter
1 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 cups diced smoke sausage
1 to 2 chicken breasts diced
4 cups chicken broth
One 28 oz canned tomatoes
2 cups cut okra
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
cayenne pepper chopped fine or you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

In large pot conbime the flour and butter. cook over medium heat stirring constantly until incorportated. Add onion, pepper,and garlic. Saute for about a minute. Add sausage, chicken, broth, tomatoes, okra, and seasonings. simmer over low heat for about 50 minutes until chicken is cooked. Remove over bay leaves and serve over rice.

Sometimes I add the rice to the pot. thi is the way I usually make this dish. I just add about 1/2 cup of rice and I increase the chicken broth. This makes it truly a one dish meal.

Summer Flower Arrangements

Here are a few of the arrangements that Hope and I have put together lately. She made the one in the second picture by using a special designed vase. I am always on the look out for different types of containers to hold my flowers. The first picture is a large basket type container. I put pint jars full of water down in the "basket" and I filled each jar with flowers. I then added water to the container itself and added filler in the container to hide the jars. The last picture holds my favorite flower vase of all. It is an old coffee pot from our camping supplies. One of the kids actually was using it to scoop animal feed. They left it by the chicken pen, and as soon as I picked it up a light bulb came on that it would make the perfect vase for flowers. I love it because it looks rustic on or kitchen table or setting on our fireplace hearth in the living room. I find that changing the container can change the whole look of flowers. I have a special shelf in our laundry room that I keep these various containers. They are handy when I have an inspirational moment.

I have seen flower frogs in stores to help arrange. There are several different frogs available. One sets in the bottom of the container, and you poke the stems of the flowers into individual pins. This gives your bouquets an appearance of standing alone. Another type of frog sets on top of your vase and looks something like a toothbrush holder. I do not have any of these frogs although I don't think they are expensive. I have used Scotch tape to create my own frog. Take the vase and fill it with water. Make sure you use plenty of water because you don't want to add any more later. It would make the tape wet. Place strips of scotch tape across the top to make a graph pattern. (Kind of like tic tac toe). Make sure your vase is good and dry before adding the tape. This graph will give you holes to add your flowers. These holes will give your flowers something to make them stand up so they don't rest upon the side of the vase. Make sure you use enough filler that you don't see the tape. Baby's Breath is a nice filler that is VERY easy to grow.

I plan on growing more varieties of flowers next year. I have loved each and every flower that I have grown this year. I just want to add to my collection. I am already researching different cut flower varieties. I want to add some flowers that dry well so I can enjoy the beauty of the summer's harvest all year long. I will post my list once my research is done. More than likely this will be later in the fall or early winter.

grace and peace,

julie

Garden Harvest Being Enjoyed

Our garden is in the midst of production right now. I know I am always rambling on about tomato production, but there is so much more things that we are enjoying right now besides tomatoes and flowers. Yesterday I fried green tomatoes as a side dish to go with our Sunday meal. My children were getting ugly over having to share them with one another. To keep order, I jumped up from dinner and quickly fried another skillet full. By the time dinner was finished, all the kids had their fill of fried green tomatoes! (Who would think that kids would like fried green tomatoes enough to fight over them during Sunday dinner none the less)!!! Tonight's dinner will be Gumbo to finish off the neighbor's okra. I also use our garden tomatoes, fresh Cayenne peppers, and thyme from the herb garden. This is a great one pot dish that uses the garden bounty plus it is cheap to make. To feed my whole family I use 1 chicken breast, and a package of Smoke Sausage in the Gumbo. I could get away with half a package, but I usually splurge and use the whole thing. If anybody is interested let me know and I will post the recipe.

I also am finally picking cantaloupes. It has helped keeping the English Mastiff Coon away from them. Our watermelons are looking great. We have about 15 large watermelons that will be finished growing soon. Our okra is on the verge of being ready to pick too. I also have peppers coming out of my ears. I take my bell peppers and I freeze them in freezer bags. I usually cut them in half so I can remove the seeds and stem. These are great for use in the winter time. They also really save money because peppers are expensive at the store. This weekend I pulled up all of our onions. Michael hung them in the basement to dry for later use. I picked a few more cucumbers, but I am thinking that they are done now. Our eggplants have made little eggplants. I am not for sure what to do with these, but I am sure I can fry any vegetable!! That is the southern way when you don't know what else to do!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Weekend Production and Fun

We got so much done over the weekend in our garden area. Michael and I spent all Saturday morning in the garden. We weeded specific beds, pulled up some dead plants, picked veggies, planted peas, put netting up for the new green beans, and he even weedeated the whole garden area. We enjoyed some quiet time together to talk and just do what best friends enjoy the most...being together. After a very productive day in the garden, we took the family and spent the late afternoon and evening at the lake. We had been invited to an end of summer pool party bash at the lake. We had so much fun. The kids all enjoyed swimming in the pool and eating way too much food. We all enjoyed the good fellowship and just some time to relax without any pressures of things needing to be done. Over the weekend, Hope and I also made some flower arrangements AND we planted all of our seeds in the shop. I can finally mark that one off of my things to do list.

Of course I have been hot and heavy into canning tomato products all weekend long. I ended up with 5 more pints and 2 quarts of tomato sauce. I should have had 5 pints of tomato relish, but I did a foolish thing. I turned the relish on to heat up so I could put it in the jars. I got sidetracked just for a minute, and I burned the entire pot of relish. This was so frustrating to me because I had spent a lot of time working on that relish. I have moved on, and I will make more today. However, I still get aggravated at myself when I think about it. My chickens did enjoy the mistake!

We are picking about 3/4 of a bushel of tomatoes every other day. They just keep coming!!! I will be canning some more whole tomatoes today as well as making more relish either today or tomorrow. Well, I guess I must get off the computer and get to work. Have a blessed day.

grace and peace,
julie

Sunday Scriptrure

"He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water". John 7:38

A Few Other "This and Thats"

I had meant to share in my post yesterday that we finally found our coon that was eating our cantaloupes. This animal was much larger than I had anticipated, and I was horrified to see it eating our cantaloupes in person. This "coon" turned out to be our English Mastiff house dog!!!! As you can well imagine, my husband was not very happy. We are being much more diligent to keep an eye on her when she is near the bed of watermelons and cantaloupes.

Yesterday as I was watching our 10 year practice football, I was chatting with some of the other mothers. I mentioned that we had chickens that weren't laying any eggs and I was contemplating making chicken and dumplings out of them. One of the other mother's said that her chickens weren't laying either, and she believed it was due to the heat. I decided to put a hold on my chicken and dumplings idea...for now. Our family sure has missed the fresh eggs. They make baked products so much nicer. Our children complain whenever store bought eggs are put on the table for breakfast. They just don't taste as good. Often times to cover up the fact that the store bought eggs are pale and tasteless, I sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on the eggs before serving. It helps, but the kids still aren't fooled.

I am once again canning tomato sauce today. I picked well over a half a bushel basket of more tomatoes today. There are many more on the vines almost ready for the picking. Our cucumbers are on their last leg now. I could pull those plants up and feed them to the chickens. I am thankful that I have canned all the pickles that I will need for the next year. However, I will miss the fresh cucumbers in our salads. We also enjoy fresh cucumbers sliced and dipped in ranch dressing. It makes a tasty afternoon snack.

Our neighbor shared his abundance of okra with us last night. I was thrilled because our okra plants got a late start this year. We haven't cut any okra yet, but our plants are pretty. Okra happens to be one of the few vegetables that my kids ALL love. I can never make enough fried okra to satisfy everyone. I also use it in my Gumbo, and we love it that way as well.

It is still blazing hot here in Tn. Our high school postponed the football practice last night until 8:00pm due to the heat. I am ready for a bit of a cool down and more rain would also be a good thing around here.

And yes, it is football season once again. Our three oldest boys are all playing football again this year. The pictures are all from last football season. I had them all put on their jerseys so I could take pictures. I had wanted them to all get their full uniforms on, but no one wanted to play my picture game! Even the little guy jumped into the action! Due to their ages, they all 3 play on separate teams. This will be the last year for this problem. Next year our two older boys will both be in high school and will play together. Up until last year I never thought about our kids getting hurt playing sports. I am not naive, but I just never thought about it happening to our kids. Last year it did happen to our oldest son. He endured a severe broken arm, an ambulance ride, a night in the hospital, and surgery. Now I am so on pins and needles when they each play this sport. Our oldest had a HARD hit recently in a scrimmage game. (If I can tell it was a hard hit, you know it was a hard hit). My stomach sank as I sat there and watch him get up and be dazed. I left shortly after that. I decided I could let his dad be there, but I wasn't feeling so well anymore. I sometimes wish our boys had taken up something a bit more friendly on the body than football. However, all three of them really love playing the game. Now their Momma has just got to get back to the place of really loving watching them play the game!

grace and peace,
julie

A Little of This and That

This week is flying by in a hurry. It seems that I just started Monday morning, and here it is already Thursday afternoon! We have had company since Monday staying with us. Three college girls came to vacation in our beautiful area of Tennessee. They stayed at our home during the night while going out to find fun things to do during the day. Our daughter was in hog heaven because it has been a week filled with girly activities. We enjoyed their stay, and we are praying for their safe return back home. Last night Michael and I went out for a church meeting. We came back home late, and we were delighted to find that all the girls pitched in and cleaned the house. It was like I had hired a maid. That was a wonderful surprise for me, and it has made today go much nicer.

I am still in the midst of canning tomato sauce. I believe I will be at this activity for the next week or so. I don't mind doing it, and I sure enjoy watching our pantry fill up with the work of our hands!

I am also planting fall seeds this week. I will be planting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and more lettuce plants in the shop. I will be sowing peas in the garden. We still have some beds to clean out to make room, but the things in those beds aren't quite ready to be cleared out yet. They are still producing some, and I want to enjoy the harvest for as long as I can.

We did go to the fair last weekend. Michael and I met up with the local "Bee Lady". We were able to have a lengthy conversation with her. She has over 70 hives now, and she said that she has only extracted about 25% of her usual honey crop this year. Our late freeze was the first big problem for the honey production, and then our drought has added more problems. We still have about a gallon of last year's honey so I am hoping that our bees make enough to get us through until next year. The Bee Lady also gave me a sample of Sour wood Honey. I thought I hated sour wood honey, but turns out that the honey I don't like isn't sour wood. Sour wood Honey is very light in color...almost a clear yellow color. I had never seen it before. It had a very delicate flavor, and I liked it after all. She was able to transport her bees up to the mountains when the sour wood trees were in bloom, and she had a wonderful batch of honey to show for her efforts.

I still have many things to put my hands to this afternoon. I must get out of this chair and go get busy!!!
grace and peace,
julie

How Many Tomatoes Does It Take????

We have 2 and a half large beds of tomatoes. I was sure I had planted plenty of tomatoes. I ended up filling this half bed of cucumbers with extra tomato plants. I picked a little over a half bushel of tomatoes yesterday. I began the process of making sauce. Keep in mind most of my Roma tomatoes aren't quite ripe yet so I used some Romas, Rutgers, and a variety of other tomatoes. I expected at least 4 quarts of tomato sauce in the end. Can you guess how many pints I got???? I finished with 3 PINTS of tomato sauce. Yes, folks 1/2 bushel of tomatoes yielded 3 PINTS of tomato sauce. I was bemoaning my yield to TnFarmGirl. She agreed with my complaint, and she added that she was amazed that a bottle of ketchup didn't cost $20! I will continue the process of making tomato sauce because I love the end result. I use the tomato sauce on my homemade pizza, and there is no comparison with pizza sauce made from store bought tomato sauce. It is well worth the trouble and the large amount of tomato consumption.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills- from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1-2

Saturday Happenings

I have many things on my agenda today. Garden and yard clean up are at the top of my priority list. The only problem with this besides the heat is that I have to convince 6 other people in our household that these are the priorities for the day. I know my husband will be in agreement, but I am still unsure of the little people!

I seem to always carve out time on my Saturdays to play in the flowers. I posted one of my favorite pictures of our daughter that was taken several years ago. I caught her in a group of weeds. She was picking Queen Anne's Lace and making bouquets. (She is a girl after my own heart)! I have 3 flower arrangements that have to be redone today. I may stop by a craft store while I am in town today and pick up some foam for cut flowers. This way I can make a different kind of arrangement. I haven't done any of those types this year. I can guarantee that Hope will be right along side helping me.

I was informed last night that we will be attending the county fair this evening. I love the fair, but it is blazing hot here right now. I enjoy the fair when the evenings are a bit cooler. However, there is a strong man contest tonight that my husband and children want to watch. A good friend of ours puts this event on every year. If I get any great pictures, I will post them.

I don't think I have anything to can today. I may even put my canner back in the laundry room for a few days. During the major part of the canning season, my canner is a permanent fixture on our stove. It isn't the pretties item, but it sure is functional~I canned 7 pints of Salsa yesterday.

I best get off the computer and get started with this beautiful day that God has made. Hope you enjoy your Saturday wherever God has planted you.

grace and peace,

julie

Bees...A Love/Hate Relationship

Michael checked the bees today to see how they were coming along with honey production. The one hive has put up plenty of honey to get them through the winter. The other hive has also put up honey stores for the winter, but they have added to the supers for our use. However, they have not capped the honey yet so this means that it still isn't ready for us to take. The bees will not cap the honey until the humidity level is correct. Michael said we will probably get honey somewhere between the end of August and the middle of September.

I have a love/hate relationship with bees. I love the honey, but I am not happy with the bees themselves. Every time I go close to the hive, I get stung. The little critters even stung me in the middle of winter one year. I can't tell you how many times I have had bees get lost in my hair. Michael, man with NO hair, says just stand still and they will fly out in a bit. (Yea, right. Like a bee has ever got lost in his hair)! Well it happened to me again this evening. I waited until Michael had checked the hives. He had put everything back together, and he was headed back to the house. I met him on the road. I was keeping my distance that it why I chose to stand in the middle of the road. He came over to give me a status report of the honey situation. As we were chatting, a neighbor drove by and stopped to talk. Right in the middle of the conversation while I am still standing in the middle of the road, a bee flew into my hair and got lost. I was doing a jig in the middle of the road trying my best not to get stung. The whole time MR. NO Hair himself was laughing at me and reminding me that I probably should be mindful of cars. I figured cars would just stop and wait for my dance of the bees to come to an end. Finally I did catch the little critter, and I smashed it dead in between the strands of my hair so I wouldn't get stung. I won!!! I think that is the first time I have ever managed to get a bee out of my hair dead or alive without being stung!!! I decided next time I would just wait for him to come into our home and give me a status report without the extra excitement of the bees. I believe the hairspray I use must attract the bees to my hair. I just know that there is always at least one bee trying to get in my hair.

The second picture is of a bee swarm we had several years ago. I thought it was such a great picture. I truly find them fascinating when they swarm. It is an awesome sight to behold. Maybe on another occasion I can relay how to properly move a hive of bees if you have to relocate. Let's just say it was a night to remember, and I wasn't very happy. Mr. NO Hair seemed to get along alright. I abandoned my post and ran back into the house screaming at the top of my lungs in the middle of the night!! I am happy to say that it took us a second try to move the hives, but I held my ground and stayed at my position. Again I wasn't happy, but I made it to the end...praying ALL the time.

grace and peace,

julie

Tomato Relish Recipe

This is my favorite relish recipe in the world. I love to have dried beans and a heaping spoon full of tomato relish. Dried beans have always been one of my favorite foods since I can remember. Unfortunately my children did not inherit my love of dried beans. They eat them because I make them, but it doesn't come with much joy. I will be canning some Tomato Relish in the next day or two because we have an excess of tomatoes and peppers. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Tomato Relish
1 gallon ripe tomatoes, peeled, chopped, and drained
1 bunch of celery, chopped fine
7 large onions, chopped fine
6 sweet green bell peppers, chopped fine
4 banana peppers, chopped fine
2 hot green peppers, chopped fine

1 1/2 pints apple cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all together and cook over slow heat until thick. This takes about 3 1/2-4 hours. Be sure to stir often to keep from burning. Put in hot pint jars and seal. Process in water bath for 15 minutes.

grace and peace,
julie

A Thief in the Night

I went yesterday to pick in our garden. I took a couple of the boys to help me because it was blazing hot outside. My main motto in our home is "many hands make light work". I have been eagerly waiting the arrival of our cantaloupe. W got the cantaloupe and watermelon planted a little late this year because we needed to build the bed to plant them into. I have been watching the cantaloupe knowing that one would be ripe very soon. When I saw the bed, it appeared that something had been in the bed. I thought of our dog or our 3 year old. However, neither of them really bother the garden. Then I saw the remains of my first ripe cantaloupe, and I knew it wasn't any of the children or the dog. More than likely it was a coon enjoying the fruit of our bounty....the labor of our hands. I was not happy, and I am a bit unsure as to how we are going to keep this little thief away from the rest of our cantaloupes and watermelon. We always have trouble with the coons getting into our trash as well as our feed storage. We keep the feed in large trash cans lined up in the barn. As long as we keep the feed storage full, we are in good shape. The coon cannot tip the can over because it is too heavy. We still see his paw prints from trying. However, if the feed cans get too low then the coon can push the can over which allows the top to pop off, and he then has a meal or two. He does the same thing with our trash cans of garbage. It can be quite annoying.

I do not plan to do any canning today. I canned 7 more quarts of tomatoes yesterday. That brings us up to 34 quarts of tomatoes. The two other beds of tomatoes are still not ripe yet. I know they should be in the next week. I would have thought that they would already have turned, but we are still waiting and watching which is fine with me for now.

grace and peace,

julie

August Struggles...

I always struggle with the month of August as a gardener. It is a very productive month in the garden. Many items are still ripening, and there are always many chores left to do to finish the season. Somehow in my mind I have always viewed August as the end of summer. School starts back during this month. Along with that comes football practice and football games. I mentally get ready to start winding down my summer activities. However, the garden still has much left to give, and I still have much left to do. I also find August hard because the plants that have been so pretty all summer long are starting to look worn and weary. My tomato plants are just down right ugly although they are still producing. I struggle with wanting everything in my garden picture perfect so I get frustrated when I see such an ugly bed of plants. I want to till up the whole ugly bed, but I know I will still get tomatoes from those plants. I have to use restraint. My zinnias are the same way. The flowers are still beautiful, but the plants look horrid.

I am not the only person who sees August as the end of summer. I opened my email this morning and there was an invitation to an "End of Summer Bash" pool party at a friend's home. So I get caught between summertime gardening and mentally and physically preparing for fall. One of my fall preparations this week will be to start many of my seeds for fall planting back in the shop greenhouse area. I will post my schedule of plantings a little later in the week. I am excited that I am prepared to do this. Every year I have always intended to raise our own plants for fall, but I always get caught without ever doing that. I know we will be clearing out beds to direct seed fall peas and collard greens. I also want to get a new bed ready to plant more lettuce soon. So you see I am caught between summer gardening being in full swing here on our farm, and winding down to prepare for the fall season as well as the fall garden. I am still canning lots of tomatoes. I also have to schedule the time to plant the seeds in the shop. I just pray I remember that I have seeds/plants growing down there!!

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand."

Psalm 95:4-7

Saturday Happenings

We have been somewhat busy here on our farm and in our house today. Michael and I went out this morning and picked tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and flowers. We ended up weeding the green bean bed this past week. It looks so much better now than when this picture was taken. I have spent much of the morning canning. I canned 7 more quarts of tomatoes and 5 more quarts of Lime Pickles. I also started preparation for tonight's dinner, but I was sad to find out that we had run out of eggs from our chickens. It is hard to make many desserts without eggs, but Hope found some apple pie filling. We made an apple crisp that smells delicious. It will be the perfect ending to a fried chicken meal. I have also spent much of today cleaning house. There is still so many things left to do, but at least I am farther along than I was this morning when I started.

I enjoy Saturdays like today. There isn't anything pressing and we do not have anywhere we have to be tonight. It is a day for enjoying the beauty all around us and also for enjoying all the things that God has given to us. We are blessed.

grace and peace,

julie

Confessions of a Humbled Mother

I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that our family had spent a weekend clearing our back pasture. As Paul Harvey would say....Here's the rest of the story.

Several days before we worked in the pasture, I had met up with Tnfarmgirl (her blog link is in our sidebar). I purchased a bar of Chocolate Ice Soap, (that soap was soooo good it deserves its own blog post), healing salve, and poison ivy salve. I felt armed and ready for whatever may come our way. That weekend we headed off to the pasture. As we were headed out there, I thought I am sure one of our kids will get poison ivy from this and I will get to try out that new salve. You see I am actually the skeptical customer that Tnfarmgirl refers too. I am always amazed when natural things work. I have actually called her on the phone and said, "You aren't going to believe this but such and such REALLY worked"! So when I realized that my children would be coming into contact with poison ivy, I was actually excited. This was going to be a great experiment for me. I am not allergic to poison ivy so I couldn't try it out on myself, and I was willing to let those darling little ones be my Guinea pigs. By Monday morning, I noticed my neck was itching. By Monday afternoon, my whole body was itching. I had a major case of poison ivy for the first time in my whole life. (God does have a sense of humor)! I quickly put the poison ivy salve on my spots. I was surprised at how much it helped control the itching. I used it frequently, and I noticed that the patches did not spread. I had a large patch on my right cheek and right side of my nose. I was faithful to use the salve on my face, and it helped the itching so much. It had a cooling effect on my face. However, one morning my daughter and I were headed out for a girls' day, and I decided not to use the salve on my face. I did not use any make up that day. After we got home later that afternoon, the poison ivy had spread to the lower lid of my eye. My eye was so puffy that I could see it when I looked down. I promptly put on more of the salve. My kids were suggesting a trip to the Dr. for a steroid shot. I told them that if by the next day it wasn't better, then I would go get a steroid shot. I just wanted to avoid that if at all possible, and I already had confidence in the salve that I was using. By that evening, my face was better. The swelling under my eye had gone down. I was very thankful to avoid a trip to the Dr.
My experiment worked. The poison ivy salve did a much better job than the pink calamine lotion that our family had always used in the past. It controlled the itching, and it helped the patches not grow larger. It wasn't a miracle cure to make poison ivy be gone in 3o minutes or less, but I believe without a doubt it was the reason that I was able to avoid a steroid shot. Plus it helped keep the itching under control. When the itching started, I would go use the salve, and I felt so much better. My medicine cabinet will be well stocked with this salve from this day forward.

My children did get a small amount of poison ivy, but it was nothing like they usually get. I had to ask forgiveness from them for all the times in the past I told them "Just don't scratch and it will feel better soon". That is like saying "Just don't breath, and you will feel all better soon".

And now you know the REST of the story......

grace and peace,
julie

Tomato Basil Salad and Jacob's Favorite Salad

We had a great time with my brother and his family. I cooked so much over the last few days, and I enjoyed it very much. We grilled most of our evening meals, and we topped off every main meal with a new dessert. My kids were in hog heaven, and truth be told so was I!! I had an abundance of tomatoes and basil from the garden. My mom had reminded me of a "salad" that my brother really liked using both of those ingredients. I will include the recipe in this post. That particular evening I made Fettuccine Alfredo, Tomato Basil Salad, Jacob's Favorite Salad, Grilled Chicken, Garlic Bread, and Banana Pudding for dessert. You may be wondering why I would have 2 different salads in the same meal. With 10 different people eating, I never know for sure what everybody likes. I often times offer 2 salads when we have company. That way they hopefully can choose something they like. I usually do not serve meat whenever I make Fettuccine Alfredo, but again I wasn't for sure how a meatless meal would be received with my brother's family so I opted for Grilled Chicken. Hope you enjoy the following recipes.

Tomato Basil Salad
Layer a shallow serving dish with romaine lettuce to make a bed for the tomatoes. Slice garden fresh tomatoes fairly thickly. Make a layer of tomatoes on the lettuce bed. Sprinkle fresh thyme and fresh basil over the tomatoes. Sprinkle some dried Italian seasoning and Kosher salt over the tomatoes. Sprinkle slivers of red onion and Regiano Parmesan cheese. Drizzle good olive oil over the tomatoes sparingly. Repeat layers of tomatoes and spices olive oil, onions, and cheese. Make as many layers as needed. I usually just have 2 layers for our family. Regiano Parmesan cheese is the cheese that has to be graded by hand. This is not the type of cheese that comes in a can!


Jacob's Favorite Salad
2 Bunches Romaine Lettuce torn
1 cup Shredded Swiss Cheese
2/3 cups slivered almonds toasted
8 Bacon strips cooked and crumbled
1 cup Croutons

Dressing
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix dressing in a mason jar. Cover and Shake well. Chill. Right before serving add all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss. Shake dressing and pour over salad. Serve immediately.

I always make my croutons from sourdough bread. I cut day old bread into cubes. Place on cookie sheet drizzle with olive oil. I sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt, and herbs. Place them under the broiler until brown. Flip them over and toast the other side. This takes only a few minutes.

grace and peace,
julie

God's Promises

I just took this picture the other evening from our back deck. The rainbow was a complete rainbow, and it was breathtaking. God is so good. When I see a rainbow, I instantly think of the Lord and His promises as well as His love.I posted my Sunday Scripture verse yesterday. I felt led to use that verse, but I kept thinking I don't have any pictures of Lillies that would go with the Bible verse. However, I went ahead and posted the verse with the picture I had available. As I was heading to bed last night, the phone rang. It was business for my husband. Something had happened that was not good for our contract with a particular company. I went to bed with such a heavy heart. Instantly, the Lord reminded me of the scripture verses I had just posted. I understood...those verses were for me all long. I was so encouraged by the fact that God had ordered my steps to ponder those particular verses BEFORE I even needed them. He knew the phone call would be coming, and that I would be unsettled. He prepared a way for me to build my faith BEFORE I even knew there would be a situation. This brought so much encouragement to me. As I was taking my shower this morning, I took extra time to pray. The Lord answered my prayer, and I am so thankful. Each and every time a situation or trial comes my way, I see it as an opportunity to grow in faith. I don't always react that way at first, but I know in my heart of hearts that through the trial I will grow in the Lord. It doesn't always feel that way during the trial, but after all, God tells us to walk by faith and not by sight.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

..."Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, o you of little faith? Therefore do not worry saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:28-33

Saturday Happenings

Saturday is here once again. It seems like the week has gone very quickly. I am spending my day today preparing for my brother and his family to come and stay at our home. I haven't seen him since Thanksgiving so I am looking forward to spending several days with him. I am not for sure all the things that we will be doing over the next several days, but I did hear my husband on the phone with my brother reminding him to bring golf clubs. While they are off doing that, I will sneak away to the garden and enjoy the beauty and quietness.

As you can see from the first picture that we are still collecting and using newspaper mulch for weed control. Our peppers got planted a bit later than I would have liked. They were very pretty plants, but they just weren't growing the way I expected them to. Michael and I pulled weeds last weekend, and covered them with every bit of newspaper we could get our hands on. He also added some phosphorus to them a few weeks ago. They are doing great. They have grown so much in just the last few days. (Could also have something to do with the rain that we have been getting)! While we were spreading the newspaper on the bed, I saw the most amazing thing. There was a picture in our local paper of a submarine with a Navy Seal Delivery "thing" attached. Michael was in the Navy for almost 12 years, and he served on a fast attack sub. He pointed the Seal Team Delivery portion out to me right there in the pepper bed. In times past, these types of pictures were considered classified so that is why I had never seen one. Now I never know just exactly what I will find in the garden!!!

I also included the 2 flower arrangements that I made earlier this week. The one on the kitchen table is just an old blue Ball canning jar that I had found in my grandmother's barn when I was a young child. I placed it in a wire egg basket with straw in the bottom. I put a bunch of zinnias in the jar, and the zinnias will last for about a week. The other arrangement was the gomphrena plants along with cosmos. I stayed with a soft pink and purple background, and then I added some bright yellow zinnias to make the arrangement pop. This arrangement was my favorite, but it isn't holding up as well as I thought it should have. The gomphrena flowers are still lovely, but their leaves have wilted quickly. I used the leaves as the foliage to build the arrangement around. I will have to experiment with this a bit more. I have never grown the gomphrena before, but I do think they are a darling flower.

I have so many things ahead of me today to get ready for my company. I must get off this computer and start checking that list off! We will be grilling for all of our supper meals so that makes dinner preparation and clean up much easier. I am going to make a few desserts today that can last throughout the visit. I will also be making some homemade banana ice-cream. That is my brother's favorite. It is also my favorite, but my husband and children don't really care for it. I will also be serving banana pudding and coconut pie more of my brother's favorites. All of these desserts were things that my grandmother and mother use to make often. My brother only gets them when he goes to visit my mom or me so I always try to spoil him whenever he comes our way. If time permits, I will also make a pot of homemade Tapioca. Every Sunday my grandmother had a huge pot of Tapioca on her stove as one of her desserts. It brings back wonderful memories.

grace and peace,

julie

From Garden to Kitchen

We spent a little bit of time in the garden yesterday. I so enjoyed the time there. I took some time to pick tomatoes, cucumbers, and mess in my flowers. I also took the time to "dead head" the zinnias. This keeps them looking nice plus it encourages more blooms. I cut more lettuce and picked radishes and onions. Jacob and Seth gathered eggs for the day, and then they played until I was finished in the garden.

I brought everything in the house and began to work. The last picture shows the fruits of my labor. We ended up with two flower arrangements, pickles, canned tomatoes, and eggs. I added the loaf of sourdough bread that I had made earlier in the week. I enjoyed my day thoroughly, and my whole family will enjoy the bounty all through out the winter.

grace and peace,

julie

Trip to North Carolina

Last Saturday I had mentioned that I went to breakfast with a friend. She lives in North Carolina just a short distance from our home. We had a wonderful breakfast, and she asked if I minded going to the local organic grocery store with her. I was more than willing. It was my first time ever being in one of those types of grocery stores. The first thing I saw was beautiful arrangements of fresh organic flowers. The ones that caught my eye were the bunches of Sunflowers. I looked at the price and I about choked. Now, I like Sunflowers, but NOT that much. We quickly moved on to the produce. The prices were enormous. I was truly shocked. There were many people in this store, and I was amazed at how many young families were shopping there. Generally they were not toting 5 or 6 kids with them, but several did have 2 youngings with them. At the meat counter, I asked about the meat being organic. I wanted to know exactly what that meant. Come to find out the meat wasn't exactly organic but it was all natural. That meant that it didn't contain hormones, steroids, antibiotics etc. I wondered if the people shopping there knew that piece of information. The meat was VERY expensive. Our family would have to be vegetarians if it meant spending that amount of money per pound of meat. ( I am not joking).

I left there in shock and awe. First, I felt my eyes were opened to a whole new population of people. I was impressed that money wasn't the first thing on their mind when it came to their convictions of healthy living. Secondly, I was so thankful to God because our farm provides the exact same products and more for a whole lot less. I think the payment on our farm would be cheaper than paying that much money for groceries. (Again, I am not joking). I also realized there were a lot of people out there that want what many of us provide for our own families. They are willing to pay B-I-G money to get it. This one trip totally renewed my thoughts about a CSA. Truth be told, Michael and I are not at a place in our life to build a farm that produces enough food to sell. Our goal for now is to produce enough food for our own family. For every dollar that I don't have to spend at the grocery store, it is just like we earned that dollar. If we can produce it here, that truly does help our checkbook. Plus our kids get the life lessons that come with raising their own food even when they don't want the lesson! I know without a shadow of a doubt they will be thankful for the experience later in their life. I also KNOW exactly who has touched our food and how it has been handled. Recently I bought two packs of ribs at the grocery store. Both packs were the same type with the same expiration date. The first pack was normal. The second pack had an odd smell, but nothing major. I was in a hurry and I cooked them anyway. (I WILL NEVER MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN)! I ended up with food poisoning. I will spare you all the gruesome details, but lets just say I was very sick. Now both packs had come from the same store. Who am I to blame for this? First, I blamed myself because I knew better. But who can I hold responsible. I have no idea. I went back to the store I purchased the meat at. I realized they would listen to my tale of woes, but they really could care less. I have no way of controlling the way they handle the meat. Perhaps they let it set out too long. Perhaps the butcher let it set out too long. Perhaps the truck driver let it set out too long....and it goes on and on. Here on our farm...I know how long the eggs have been in the chicken coop. I know that I can eat them raw if I want to without worrying about salmonella. We are in control of how these animals are taken care of, and we know exactly what has been put on our plants. I really like that peace of mind.

I write this to encourage you as fellow homesteaders or homesteaders wanta be's. There is a market out there for what we have. People want it. and many times they are willing to pay for it. I am sad about the Farm Laws here in Tennessee. I wish they were different. Lets just say they aren't very farm friendly. If I wanted to purchase meat from my neighbor that he had slaughtered that is against the law. If I want his meat, he can sell me half a cow and I can go to the butcher to pay him for my portion, but it isn't as simple as making a deal with your neighbor. If I want to purchase eggs from my neighbor, I can't. If I want to purchase raw milk from my neighbor, I can't. I would have to purchase the milk with the understanding that it is for pet consumption only. (Do children qualify as pets??) (Now, I am joking)! However, if I had purchased those ribs from my neighbor and I had gotten food poison I would know exactly who to have a talk with....IT would be my neighbor. I would expect my money to be refunded, and I would give him or her GRUESOME details of what his meat did to my body. Then I would have the decision to shop somewhere else if I didn't like his response to my tale of woes. More than likely my neighbor would have a small enough clientele that it would make a difference to his pocketbook if I took my business elsewhere. (Unlike the large grocery stores who really don't care one way or the other about my "pauper" amount of grocery money spent in their store). However, Tn. does not allow me the freedom to live that scenario so I just get to purchase my food from China....oh that makes me feel all better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Kitchen Happenings

Yesterday was a busy day in the kitchen for me. I ended up canning 7 quarts of tomatoes. I love canned tomatoes. They make such a difference in taste in my recipes compared to store bought tomatoes. I also started my first batch of Lime Pickles. They are setting on the kitchen table in a large cooler as we speak. Making Lime Pickles is a several day process. They are my least favorite thing to can because it takes several days from beginning to end. However, I love the taste of these sweet pickles in potato salad or tuna salad so it is worth the effort. I use The Ball Blue Book for my canning instructions. I follow canning procedures meticulously even though I have watched the generation before me be very haphazard with canning instructions. Several older women I know, my mom included, never pressured canned their green beans. They had an older method and that was the way it was done. I am sure over the course of my lifetime I have eaten many quarts of these type of canned green beans, and I am still alive to tell about it. However, I still want to know that I have followed the "letter of the law" when it comes to canning. Here is the question that I hope somebody out there can answer for me. My mom always canned her tomatoes except she did not put them in a water bath. The tomatoes were always beautiful in the jar. I have seen these same types of canned tomatoes at our local fair. The jar is full of red ripe tomatoes. I always put my tomatoes in a water bath as the Blue Book instructs. My jars of tomatoes are always separated. The bottom quarter of the jar is the liquid, and the tomatoes seem to float to the top. I know they are safe to eat, but the jar themselves are not pretty. Lets just say they wouldn't win a ribbon at the county fair! I know that the water bath is what causes this to happen because when I can tomatoes like my mom, they are beautiful. Does anybody know why this happens, and better yet does anybody know how to remedy the problem and still follow proper canning methods?

This summer I have gotten lazy when it comes to bread baking. I ran out of wheat berries and it took me over a month before I knew it. I did get more wheat to grind, but the bag is still sitting in my kitchen waiting for me to divide and store. I don't particularly like this job because it can tend to be messy. My family loves the whole wheat bread that I make using the wheat grinder. When I keep this bread made, I am amazed at how much it cuts down on our grocery bill. The whole wheat bread really fills the bellies up, and they stay full much longer. It is usually a staple at breakfast around our house. Our family likes it toasted with honey or jam. Michael really likes it toasted with peanut butter. Back to my original point...I have become lazy with bread baking this summer. There are a multitude of excuses I could come up with, but none are worthy of any merit. Yesterday, I was in the mood to make bread, but I still didn't want to deal with the large bag of wheat sitting in my kitchen. I did the next best thing...I pulled out my sourdough starter from the refrigerator. I did whip up a batch of sourdough bread yesterday evening. (My family also loves sourdough bread, and it is a great change of pace from the wheat bread that I generally make). I love to make sourdough bread because I make the dough the night before. I then let it sit over night to do its thing. The next morning, I shape 3 loaves of bread...let it rise in the loaf pans for about 3 hours...and then bake it. In the past, I always hated to make sourdough bread because the recipe I used was very unpredictable. Sometimes I had great bread, but other times I had no bread at all. Much of the bread success depended on the temperature of the house. We lived in Florida at the time, and my husband kept the air conditioner very cool. My bread never did well. Several years ago, I was reading our local paper. The food editor wrote a story on our county fair and the different people who had won blue ribbons for different recipes at the fair. She even included many of the recipes in the story. The sourdough recipe was one of them. This recipe is a true jewel to me. It has solved all of my Sourdough Bread problems. Yeast is added to the recipe which ensures success in rising no matter what the temperature of the home is. This is not your "traditional" sourdough recipe, but it does have great flavor...and it works. Hope you enjoy.
grace and peace,
julie

Sourdough Bread
Starter: 3 Tablespoons Potato Flakes, 1 cup warm water, 3/4 cup sugar. Mix this all together. Store in a container that can breath. I use a plastic container with small holes punched in the lid to let air through. Let this sit on your counter for 2 to 3 days. After that, store in refrigerator.

To make the bread combine the following:
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup starter (that is at room temperature)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 package yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
6 cups bread flour

Procedure: On the day you want to make bread, take the starter out of the refrigerator. Let it sit on the counter for at least 4 hours. I usually let mine set out all day. In the evening, assemble the bread dough using the above recipe. I have a large plastic container that I grease and mix the bread in. I use my hands to knead the ingredients together until a nice ball of dough is formed. This doesn't take very long. Cover with a dish towel. Set the container somewhere free from drafts overnight (about 12 hours). The next morning the dough should have risen quite a bit. Punch dough down and shape into 3 loaves. Place each loaf into a greased bread pan. Let the loaves rise again for 3-4 hours. Keep an eye on them because if they rise too much, they will fall when you bake them. They should be over the top of the pans in a nice loaf shape. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Take the bread out of the pans to cool on a wire rack. I usually butter the tops when I take them out of the oven.

To feed the starter: When you assemble the bread dough, you must "feed" your starter. After you take 1 cup of starter out for your bread, add 3 tablespoons potato flakes, 1 cup warm water, 3/4 sugar. Stir with a nonmetallic spoon. A wooden or plastic spoon works well. Leave the starter on the counter overnight. This is what gives the bread the sourdough flavor. Store the starter in the refrigerator. You can use this starter several times a week, but the more you use it the less the sourdough flavor is there. I have gone a month or two before using my starter. I just keep it in the frig. I have never had any problems doing it this way. Some people take a cup of starter out once a week. If they don't want to make bread, they just throw the cup of starter away. Then they feed the starter. I wouldn't do this unless it had been more than 2 months since I made bread. The longer the starter sets, the stronger the sourdough flavor will be.

Garden and Weekend Update

We had a great weekend. We enjoyed a little fun mixed in with a lot of work. We have spent much of the weekend working on clearing our back pasture. We have worked on this project on and off for a month now. The mountain view is incredible as you can see from the picture. Michael wants to build a house there. My dreams are a bit more realistic. I would like to someday build a pole barn and have a place for gatherings and playtime. Campfires and guitar music comes to my mind when we are out there. The only real issue is that there is no bathroom within walking distance. My family of boys has no problem with this fact, but friends may. I am wanting to look into some new designs for outhouses. But all of those thoughts are just dreams for now and can wait until another day. For now, the pasture will provide extra grass for our animals, as well as a great play place for us.

Our garden is growing by leaps and bounds. We spent much of last night weeding the garden. (We ran out of newspaper to use as mulch and weed control). Michael and I got the eggplant and peppers all weeded. Our tomatoes are doing fantastic this year. We have tomatoes in all different stages. One bed is producing glorious red juicy tomatoes. We picked about 3/4 of a bushel Saturday and Sunday. We are eating tomatoes as well as canning them. I will be canning sometime today again. One bed of tomatoes is just starting to look like they are starting to ripe. I will be working that bed of Rutger Tomatoes sometime in the next 2 weeks. We also have a bed of Romas that are just now starting to produce small tomatoes. These are no where near ripening, but by the time they are ripe I will be ready for them. Our cucumbers are growing nicely. Lime pickles are still on my list of canning projects. We picked some new lettuce last night. Here lately the lettuce has been bitter due to the heat. If this new lettuce is bitter too, I will be pulling up the remaining lettuce and feeding it to the chickens. I will plant more toward the end of August. Our watermelon and cantaloupe are beautiful. I have never been able to grow watermelon before. I know the difference this year is planting them in a raised bed. I just wish I had gotten them out earlier this year. We will have watermelon and cantaloupe coming out of our ears in late August. Next year I want to make sure I succession plant both of these.

This week Michael and sons will be constructing the hog pen. I will keep you informed of the progress complete with pictures if I can remember to charge the batteries for the camera!

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it". Psalm 118:24

A Little of this and That

Joshua and his Dad have spent some fun filled Saturday mornings fishing this summer. Here is a nice Bass that Josh caught last week. I am thankful that all of our boys enjoy fishing and hunting. Michael's boat is small so he has to take one child at a time to the lake. This is a great opportunity for that child to enjoy some one on one time with Michael. Fishing is good, but building a strong relationship is great.

I spent yesterday cleaning and canning. Jacob and I canned 14 pints of peach jam. I also had some tomatoes that needed to be canned or I was going to have to throw them away. I ended up with only 2 quarts of tomatoes, but that will change soon when our Rutgers and Roma tomatoes get ripe. I just saw a great looking recipe for zucchini bread that uses honey, and I may make several loaves of that for the freezer. We only have a few zucchini left in the refrigerator. This maybe the perfect use for them. If I really like the recipe, I will post it later. My next canning project will be Lime Pickles. I should be starting that this week depending on the cucumber production. I went to make Dill pickles and all of our Dill had gone to seed. It is a bit hard to make Dill Pickles without any dill!

This morning I am heading out to breakfast with a friend. Upon my return, I will be heading into the garden to see what needs to be accomplished there. I haven't been there much at all this week so I am sure that I have a lot of work facing me there.

grace and peace,

julie

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Our calf is coming home from our neighbor's herd more often now. We are hoping that she will slip back through our fence to nurse, and then just stay home. We are working on getting Lizzie to come to us to eat grain. After all, we should have already started milking her. We are still not for sure how to go about that since we don't have a milking area. As you can see from the last picture, our horses have to butt their noses into EVERYTHING!! They can't stand the thought of Lizzie getting a bucket of grain. Our farm is set up in such a manner that the entire 17 acres is fenced around the perimeter. The only division that we have is this fence that you see in the bottom picture. It divides our backyard from the rest of the farm fields. We are trying to figure out how to separate the milk cow from the rest of the group. We are wanting to do this project with the least amount of money possible as well as the least amount of time and effort possible. This isn't because we are lazy, but we have so many other things pressing us at the moment that we can't get involved in a large project. However, as I was standing in the milk aisle at our cheapest grocery store, I was having a fit. In just one week, our milk went from being around $3.79 a gallon to $4.79. My numbers may be off by a few cents, but the point is that it went up over a dollar in one week. That same morning I bought gas at $2.74. By that night, the gas was back up to $2.89. I was fussing and fuming about the prices going up up up. My 13 year old son in his laid back way said,"Well, Mom. I would suggest you get out there and milk that cow that you bought if you don't like the milk prices here". I looked at him, and he had a huge grin on his face. He had gotten me good. But I will have the last laugh....it will be HIM out there milking that cow with his Dad of course!!!!

grace and peace,

julie

Family of the Corn

We have had a very busy day. Michael and I left at 6:30a.m. to pick up corn from a local farmer. We purchased approximately 500 ears of corn. (We did not get to grow corn this year due to time and fence issues). We met the farmer in the field, and loaded our truck up with the fresh picked produce. We arrived back home by 7:30, and that is when the fun began.

Corn day at our house is a family affair. Some of our children like it more than others, but I know we have made memories over the years! We set up our corn "stations" outside on the carport. We use our truck as a shucking spot, and then I have one child inside washing the corn. (Everybody gets a turn at this job. Hope is our best corn silker/washer. She is the most efficient in the least amount of time. Joshua cleans the corn best of all, but we would have to wait on him a week just to have the corn clean. Matthew is horrible at silking corn. We all teased him that his corn would come complete with dental floss installed)! The washed corn is brought back outside for me to cut it off the cob. This is a very messy job, and it makes for a much nicer clean up time if this part takes place outside. Then the corn is taken back into the kitchen to cook. We bag it outside due to the mess that this can create. This process went on from 8:00a.m. until well after 2:30 p.m. I am happy to say that all the corn has been put away, and most of the mess has been cleaned up. We still have some work to do on the carport, but at least our kitchen isn't messy!

500 Ears of Corn Yielded:

4 dozen ears for fresh eating

48 Quart Bags of cut corn for the freezer

6 dozen ears frozen on the cob

grace and peace,

julie

Are you Our Mamma?!!!

Our English Mastiff dog found the 6 puppies that we have been keeping. I was terrified that she would hurt them, but much to our surprise she has doted on them as if they were her own. We have caught them trying to nurse, but of course she is way too tall. She wanted to get in their bed/pool to curl up with them, but of course she is way too large. She wanted to chase them down the hill, but of course she is way too fast.

grace an peace,

julie