Honey Status

Michael checked our bee hives yesterday for the status of honey. We didn't expect much in way of production this year due to the Spring freeze and Summer draught. However we fully expected some honey, but there was less than a gallon of honey in 2 hives. Michael also informed me that we would have to be very diligent this year to feed our bees because he does not think their stores will be enough to get them through winter. I will be making our first of many batches of "Bee Soup" which is nothing more than sugar water. This will be an expensive winter of buying sugar and hay and feed for all of our animals.

I was not only disappointed about not having any honey, but I was looking forward to extracting honey. It is a sticky mess in the kitchen, but I really enjoy extracting the honey. The pictures above are last year's honey extraction. Everybody wants to get their hands in the honey pot. We have to be careful because if you sample too much you will end up with a belly ache before all the work is finished! The process of honey production fascinates me, and I have enjoyed learning about bees from far far away.

We still have about a gallon of honey left from last year. I use honey in my whole wheat bread recipe, and we love to eat honey slathered on hot breads. I also make honey butter for our bread. In the winter, I use honey to sweeten a Hot Apple Cider that I enjoy serving. When our honey runs out, we will buy from local people.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and clouds drop down dew.

Psalm 3:19-20

Saturday Fun

I have to say that I have had a wonderful Saturday. First, I got to spend the morning with TnFarmGirl. We had a great visit that was complete with a homemade Carrot Cake. Is it bad to have Carrot Cake for breakfast??? Nahh... After spending time with her this morning, I came back home inspired. The truth is every time I go to Cheri's house I come home inspired. I think that is what being in the company of Christian women is suppose to do for us. I came home and created a homemade Chocolate layered cake with the help of my daughter. I then put a chicken and dressing in the oven to bake. I finally got around to making green beans, sweet potato casserole, whole wheat bread, and sweet tea. Is it bad to have 2 pieces of cake in the same day???? NAHHHH...

I then got a chance to putter in our fall garden. I did some weeding and looking. I pray that our broccoli and cabbage plants make it. The broccoli looked poor. I am not for sure what happened, but I went ahead and planted them anyway. The above picture is of our collard greens. They came up spotty, but they are starting to fill in a bit this week. Our fall garden is as follows: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce of all types, spinach, peas, and collard greens. We are still getting red tomatoes and some green peppers. We also have okra still coming in and the Zinnias are beautiful. Michael picked the last of the eggplant. I don't even like eggplant, but I must come up with some dish for that this week. My goal for the fall garden is to see how much fresh veggies that we can produce for the winter time. I do not want to put any of these veggies up, but I just want them available for fresh eating. I will keep you posted on the results. Our lettuce is beautiful right now, and we should be having our first salad in the next week or so. Our english mastiff enjoyed some outside garden time. She was making sure our chickens didn't get out of their pen.

Last night our daughter and I were curled up watching some Discovery TV. A commercial came on for brownies that are premixed with nothing required except a hot oven. My daughter looked at me with her little nose all wrinkled up, and she said, "We like ours homemade". I smiled because she didn't buy into the advertisement. And yes she is right, we do likes ours homemade. TnFarmgirl has a recent post about homemade cooking. I enjoyed reading it, and again I enjoyed the fruits of her hands with that wonderful carrot cake! She also gave me a taste of her homemade Challah Bread. It was divine!

grace and peace,

julie

We finally got a bit of rain today. I woke early this morning to sounds of rain drops hitting our window. Our county has been in desperate need of rain. I just read in the paper a few days ago that the county has decided to have Volunteer Fire Departments pump water for area farmers to water their livestock. The farmers would have to bring containers to hold the water, and then transport it back to their farms. This would explain why I have seen fire trucks by a local creek pumping water! Our pond is as low as I have ever seen it. We can see the bottom of the pond in several areas, but it isn't near drying up as of yet. The rain has allowed me to enjoy a mellow day. I have cleaned a bit, but nothing worth mentioning! I will have to get to it pretty soon and get dinner preperations going, but I am going to savor just a few more minutes on the computer before I start. I enjoy days like today...nothing pressing. I wouldn't want everyday to be like this, but it is nice to just catch my breath upon occasion. I have enjoyed some time reading with my children. My youngest came to me and said he was tired. We quickly curled up in my bed to share some quiet reading time. He has outgrown his naps, but it still pays off to find a quiet moment with him and let him rest. It makes the evening go much smoother.

grace and peace,

julie

Happy Chickens

I had mentioned yesterday that we had moved our chickens into our garden area. I am happy to report,complete with pictures for evidence, that these chickens are loving their new home. (Well, all except for that Silly Rhode Island Red that is always escaping)! The last picture shows our previous green bean bed. I am hoping that these chickens are eating all the bean beatles and their offspring!! I know they are enjoying the green grass. It is the only green grass that we have on our entire 17 acres! We will have to buy hay soon for our cows and horses. Usually in our area, the pastures stay green enough that hay isn't really needed until December. However, this year due to the drought our pastures are bare as well as everybody elses. Our county officials are coming together to figure out a plan to help the farmers who have large herds and no water left in their ponds. Our pond is down considerably, but it hasn't dried up like so many others in the area. We are still trying to get together some funds to purchase a few Black Angus Cows because the local farmers are selling them as quickly as they can. Many farmers don't have the resources to feed large herds for this winter. If you think about us, please pray that the Lord will send rain.

grace and peace,

julie

New Home for the Chickens

Our chickens have had a rough summer. They are either really "on" in the egg laying department or there are none. For the last month, there have been no eggs. I thought about making Chicken and Dumplings out of the birds, but every time I cracked open a grocery store egg I changed my mind. With the severe drought that we are enduring, I knew our chickens were not getting all they needed. We do buy layer rations for them, but they still weren't laying eggs. The only green spot on our entire farm is around our garden area. I assume that the grass is growing around our garden beds due to the fact that we have watered all summer long. (Our water bill is proof of our diligence in this area)! We decided to move the chickens in our garden. This will give them green grass and 2 garden beds that need to be cleaned out of old plants. We put their fence around the beds, and left the old plants so the chickens could enjoy some vegetation and bugs. Our beds will be fertilized with all the good chicken droppings, and hopefully we will get eggs from this move. We will not be able to leave them there for too long because we don't want to over fertilize our beds. I know this will also be good for the bug population in our garden. We are not planning on using these beds until Spring so they should be able to enjoy them for awhile.

Jacob came in carrying 9 eggs yesterday. I was all excited, but then he told me that he found them in the barn. (I was confused as to how they got in the barn). He reminded me that we have 2 Rode Island Red Hens that escape the pen all the time. Those 2 hens had spent the last week out of the pen. I guess they found bugs and grubs so they were busy about the work of egg production. I plan on making eggs for breakfast. Our kids just won't hardly eat grocery store eggs any more. This really limits me on what I can cook for breakfast. I think this morning I just might make Omelets. That will be a special treat for them all.

grace and peace,
julie

Pickled Jalapenos and Frozen Corn on the Cob

Here are two recipes that have been requested from me. Hope you enjoy!!!

Pickled Jalapenos
Cut peppers into rings. Scald peppers in boiling water for approx. 15 seconds. Remove from boiling water and drop in ice cubes to stop the cooking process. Drain well. Pack in hot pint jars.

Boil: 2cups apple cider vinegar and 1 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved.
Pour liquid over peppers, and seal with a hot lid and ring. Make sure jars seal because you do not process these peppers in a boiling water bath. It may take several hours for the jars to seal. Just check the seal before storing. You will also want to use rubber gloves when you cut the peppers!!!! (Trust me on this)!

Frozen Corn on the Cob
Boil corn in water for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and immediately place corn in ice water to stop the cooking process. Leave in ice water for just a few minutes. Stand each ear of corn up in a dish rack. Leave standing until dry and cool to touch. Wrap each ear of corn separately in tinfoil. Freeze.

To prepare for a meal: Thaw corn at room temperature. Place in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes until heated.

I thought this woman was crazy when she gave me this recipe. (You know I am going to stand 3oo ears of corn up in a dish drainer to dry!! However, she told me that was what made it so good frozen because it allowed all the water to drain off so it would freeze better. I was still skeptical so I only did 5 dozen ears this way. It was very good, and I usually don't like frozen corn on the cob. I didn't have a dish drainer so I took some baskets from my freezer and use them in the same manner).

grace and peace,
julie

Peppers and Grass OH MY

We still have peppers coming out of ears. I love to grow different pepper plants. I think they are beautiful. I have to be honest, I am not for sure what to do with a lot of the peppers that we grow, but I still like to grow them nonetheless. For instance, we grow habenero peppers. I do add them to a few jars of dill pickles to add an extra kick, but what else do I do with such a hot pepper? (I have used them to decorate flower arrangements before!) I do freeze all of our green, red, and orange bell peppers. This is a huge money saver in the winter time. I will only buy a fresh pepper at the grocery store if I want it for a salad. We string up our Cayenne peppers. We hang them in our laundry room to dry, and these are great used in spaghetti sauces or chili.

In the latest issue of Taste of Home magazine, I found a great appetizer recipe using peppers. I rarely get excited about magazines, and I most certainly don't keep them around for extended periods of time. However, Taste of Home is different. I truly enjoy this magazine, and out of every issue I get at least one (if not several) new recipes that become our family favorites. When I planned my two week menu and grocery trip this time, I used mostly the recipes from this issue of Taste of Home. The magazine is sold at most grocery stores, and it isn't expensive. Hope you enjoy the recipe.

Smoky Jalapenos

14 jalapenos or milder peppers

4 oz cream cheese, softened

14 miniature smoked sausages

7 bacon strips

Cut a lengthwise slit in each pepper. remove seeds and membrane. Spread a teaspoonful of cream cheese into each pepper, stuff each with a sausage.

Cut bacon strips in half . Cook in skillet until partially cooked. Wrap a bacon piece around each pepper; secure with a toothpick. Place in an ungreased baking dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

grace and peace,

julie

Peas, Zinnias, and Grass OH MY!!!

Since this is a real life blog with real life people, you will also see real life pictures complete with grass. Our pea bed isn't fairing so well this year. First of all as you can see, the peas came in spotty at best. I intended to sow some more in the bare areas, but again this is real life and my intentions aren't always acted upon. I weeded this bed more than once, but the grass decided that it wanted to make a home nonetheless. Now here is the odd thing about this bed of peas...I had many zinnia plants come up in the pea bed. Please note...I did NOT plant zinnias in the bed of peas. (My husband was wondering why I would sprinkle zinnias with peas, but I PROMISED him I did not do this). I was shocked to see the zinnias. I had already decided that I had missed the window of opportunity to plant anymore, and I was fine with this. After being sick a few days ago, I walked down to the garden just to look. I didn't feel like doing anything, but I wanted to stretch my legs and get a bit of sunshine. When I saw my pea bed, I couldn't believe my eyes. I should have named it the Zinnia Bed instead. It is covered in zinnias that are in bloom now. I guess the wind blew the seed from another bed. This is great. Honestly, I like zinnias better than peas anyway. I didn't have to do anything and these beautiful flowers just showed up as if God Himself planted them for my pleasure. I will post cut flower pictures a little later this week.

A quick health update on our family: Everyone is feeling much better. The last one left is our oldest son. He is still tired, but he woke up wanting breakfast! That is a good sign.

grace and peace,

julie

Stomach Bug Has Bitten

Just to let you know I may be out of the blogging world for a day or two. The stomach bug has taken up residency in our home. Our family is a family that shares with one another....we even share nasty bugs! I will spare you the details of the past few days, but I will be back after I get everything under control in our home. By the way, God is good even during times of sickness. I was so sick in bed the other day. As I was laying there worrying about all the events that needed our attention, the Lord brought to my memory the scripture "Some trust in horses, some trust in chariots, but we will trust in the Name of the Lord". That one scripture brought so much peace to my situation and all the worries in my mind. I decided to just trust God no matter what.

grace and peace,
julie

Cheap Fall Decorating Ideas

I love the season changes. After living in Florida for 7 years, I truly savor each and every seasonal change in our mountain area. I also enjoy seasonal decorations. I have often thought that if we ever became rich I would decorate our home and farm for every season. Well, since we aren't rich in money terms, I have to be a bit more creative. I still want to decorate, but I just have to do it keeping cost in mind. I have learned over the years to rearrange my "pretty" things throughout our house as the seasons change. For example, during the fall and winter season, I choose pieces that have a darker look about them for our living room. I change candles out to fall colors. This is one of the cheapest decorating tips with the greatest rewards. I use my candles as accent colors, and beautiful fall colored candles really add a special touch for the fall season. I also burn different smelling candles to help set a fall mood. This time of the year I am looking for cinnamon, pumpkin, apple pie, or hazelnut smelling candles. I put all of my spring/summer candles away for next season. Just make sure you put the lid tightly on these candles, and they should smell brand new next season.

My dad was a hobby photographer. I have several of his outdoor photos and change them out to the proper season. Someday I want to frame and mat them all, but for now I get to enjoy them each displayed on my fireplace mantle during the appropriate time. I also found some pretty potpourri. It had such a fall look about it with nuts and dried pine cones. I put that out for display during this time as well. For the spring, I will put that back in a Ziploc bag and store it until the next fall. Since I took the picture of our fireplace, I have added some real pumpkins on the hearth of the fireplace. It looks nice, and I pray the English Mastiff doesn't think they are balls for her playtime enjoyment.

The basket picture is something that you have seen before if you have read my blog for any length of time. This basket is a wire egg basket, and I use it for decorating every season. In the spring I display our colored eggs, and in the summer I always have a cut flower arrangement from our garden displayed in it. For fall, I bought a bag of cheap little pumpkins and gourds. I added a fall ribbon, and I have a quick fall display for around $6. I found the ribbon in our local Dollar Tree store...it was a dollar! I also started collecting seasonal table cloths over the past few years. This is the first year I have ever bought a fall table cloth. It made everything come together perfectly. I didn't think my husband or kids would really pay attention, but I was wrong. My husband really likes the fall table cloth. He has commented on it several different times. I bought the table cloth at Walmart for $12. I actually bought another one yesterday because we do eat on our table cloths and wash them after almost every dinner meal.

During last year clearance sell at Big Lots, I found a cheap little grape vine wreath with a scarecrow. It says Happy Harvest, and I use that for our front door. We do not celebrate Halloween so I wanted something that was for harvest time instead of halloween. I bought 3 pots of mums for our front porch and I completed that with a beautiful pumpkin. It isn't elaborate or too expensive, but it is nice none the less. I enjoy sitting in my rocker on the front porch and seeing the mums.

Another great way to add fall color to your home is by changing our your flower arrangements. I took apart a summer arrangement, and replaced it with an arrangement with fall colors. This can get expensive depending on the grade of dried/silk flowers that you use.

I hope these ideas get your own creative juices flowing. Keep your eyes open, and ask the Lord to help you find your own creative look to your fall season. Enjoy!!!!

grace and peace,

julie

Pig Pen Getting Closer!!

Here is a little update on our pig situation. Michael decided that for now he would attach an outside fenced off area to our barn. The barn will give the pigs the shelter that they need. This wasn't our first choice of location for our upcoming pigs. The barn is close to our home so we know we will get some smell sometimes. We also wanted them to have a nice area to root in covered with green grass and trees. However, we just aren't able to come up with all that idealistic picture requires for now. Our biggest dilemma would be watering them in the winter. When we raised pigs before, wintertime watering was a big deal. The water in their bucket often froze...the water in the water hose often froze... We needed to keep the pigs in a location that watering them wouldn't be a major effort all winter long. We will be using the barn as a shelter for them. Our barn is an old tobacco barn that Michael and sons have worked hard on to make it fit more of our needs. They took out many of the tobacco poles and used them for fences. The first picture is looking into the barn . The gate can be swung open to block off the last half of the barn as the picture shows. It can be swung closed to block off 1/4 of the barn. This gives us the option to let the pigs in half the barn or just a quarter of it.

Our barn is in much need of repair. The dirt floor has eroded from not having gutters on the barn. We just don't have the needed money at this time to pour concrete in the barn and to fix the water run off problems. Our dream is to build a new barn. However, I am not sure that idealistic dream will come to pass anytime soon. So we must work with what we have. There is still much clean up to be done in the front half of the barn. We must use it for storage as well as animal needs. As you can see in the last picture, we still have some work ahead of us. However, we are thrilled with the process that has been made.

Before we can pick up the pigs, Michael must close off a few more holes in the barn area so they will be contained. This shouldn't take too much effort, but it has to be finished before the little piglets come our way. I project we will be buying them in the next week. As soon as we have them, I will post pictures. Until then...

grace and peace,

julie

Pantry Update

I wanted to give a final total of canned goods that have been produced this summer. Our garden is done producing enough to can. (There are enough green tomatoes to still can, but I am not for sure I will can any more). Here are the totals:

64 quarts of tomatoes

7 pints of salsa ( I didn't really like the recipe so I didn't make anymore).

9 pints of tomato relish

16 quarts dill pickles

12 pints Pickled Green Tomatoes

3 quarts Pickled Green Tomatoes

3 Jalapenos (left over from last year)

9 pints blackberry jam

7 pints apple butter (left over from last year)

31 pints of tomato sauce

5 quarts of tomato sauce

38 quarts of green beans

5 1/2 dozen frozen corn on the cob (I found a great recipe for this)!

48 quart bags of frozen corn, cut off the cob

14 pints of peach jam

Some of these totals aren't near enough to last our family through the winter. For example, I was not able to grow enough green beans to reach my target of 60 quarts. I estimated that I needed that much to last us until next summer. The late bed of green beans just didn't produce like I had hoped. We are getting enough beans to eat fresh, but not near enough to can the expected amount. Looking over this list makes me realize that I should can some more Green Tomato Pickles for the winter. This will be easy because I have the veggies in the garden. I am not for sure that the tomatoes will be enough for the winter, but I will have to see.

We are still eating out of our garden so I am not using the canned goods much at this point. Our green beans, peppers, okra, eggplant, and green with some red tomatoes are still producing for now. I use the green tomatoes to make Fried Green Tomatoes which everybody in our family loves. I started making a sauce of thousand islands dressing and tarter sauce mixed together to serve with the Fried Green Tomatoes. It is really good. I use this dish as meat often times in our meal. I will add a large pot of beans for protein to accompany the Green Tomatoes and I also will include homemade macaroni and cheese. This is a great meal that is cheap. (I know it isn't weight friendly)!@!!!

With the late freeze killing our apple production, I wasn't able to put up any apple sauce this year. I made a ton of that last year, but our kids ate it as fast as I could make it. I would come in the kitchen and find an empty quart jar where one of the older kids had eaten the entire quart by himself!!

The late freeze took out the blueberries here in our area so I couldn't make any blueberry syrup or jam. I also did not spend the money to buy extra peaches to freeze. I went several times to pick some up, but by the time I decided I really wanted them bad enough to buy them, they were all gone. I will miss having bags of frozen peaches in our freezer. I always used them to make homemade peach cobbler and homemade fruit salad. They will be much missed this year.

grace and peace,

julie

Weekend Happenings

Our weekend was consumed with ball of one kind or another. Thursday and Friday our 2 oldest sons played football. The rest of the weekend our 3rd son played a travel baseball tournament. When I saw the schedule with all the games for all the kids, I really struggled with a feeling of being overwhelmed with time. However, I made a decision that I was going to enjoy the weekend no matter what type of farm production was completed. If that meant nothing was completed here in our home and on our farm, so be it. I am so thankful to the Lord because He was faithful to help me lay down my agenda. It turned out we had an awesome weekend. We packed a picnic and in between ball games, we went to Bays Mountain and spent the afternoon. When our children play ball, we do our best to make it a family affair. We try to include other things that are fun for all, and I was thrilled with the entire weekend. I was also excited because I was able to watch my oldest son play football without fear of an injury. This was a big step for me after last year, and I enjoyed watching his game so much more!

Even though we had several ball games this weekend, we squeezed in a bit of garden work none the less. I was able to plant one entire bed of lettuce and collards. I also planted some spinach. I love fresh baby spinach salad. All of my kids enjoy this as well!I planted a few cauliflower plants out in the garden. I am harding of some more now to plant later in the week. It seems if I just plant them straight from the shop into the garden that they never make it. They need a bit of time to get use to the elements of outside.

Speaking of elements...I woke early this morning to the wind blowing. It blows so hard here where we live. It usually doesn't start blowing until November, but I guess we will get it a bit earlier this year. Our chicken tractor was damaged last year in the wind. Michael will have to put fixing that at the top of his list of things to do! I don't want our poor chickens to blow away to Kansas!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Sunday Scripture

"The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever".

1 Peter 1:24

Growing Fall Plants

Here are a few early pictures of our fall plants growing. I have cauliflower, cabbage, and a lot of broccoli growing in our shop. I keep water in the trays under the plants to keep them moist. The trays are disposable cookie sheets that I found on sale last year. I am trying to see how much fresh food I can keep growing this fall and winter. We will be adding hoops over our beds this winter. We don't have to worry with those right this moment, but it is on the back burner for a few weeks from now. Our first frost date is around October 15th if my memory serves me correctly.

I am in the process of cleaning up the garden beds that are done producing for this summer. I was surprised to find that my zinnias have kicked it up once again. The plants look horrible, but the flowers are beautiful for cutting purposes. Our tomato plants are still producing tomatoes, much to my surprise.

I haven't had a chance to plan a honey do list for this weekend so I need to get with Michael and check to see what his plans are. I am hoping to get quite a bit done on the farm this weekend. The weather is beautiful, and I am having a hard time staying in the house at all. When I get the bug to be outdoors, I try to get out there as much as possible. I know winter will be here before we blink twice, and I want to enjoy this great weather as much as possible!!!

Hope you have a great farm weekend!!

grace and peace,

julie

Helpmeet

Last week I was speaking with a lady whose husband owns a dairy farm. This woman is around my age, and I felt comfortable asking her personal questions. Of course Michael asked her if they drank their own milk. She made a very disgusted look, and said "NO WAY"! I then asked her if she helped her husband much in the barn. I was hoping that she did so I could then ask if I could come one morning and share in the milking experience. She smiled, and told me the advice that her grandmother gave her right before her wedding day. The advice went something like this: "Don't ever start doing a chore that you don't intend on doing for the rest of your life". She promptly made the decision that she didn't want to commit to barn/milking chores everyday so she doesn't go to the barn with her husband. I have to say I was a bit shocked.

I then had a conversation with another dairy farmer's wife. She is in her late 50's, and I asked her if she helped her husband much with the cows. She said that she did for a short period of time, but the more she did in the barn for him, the more he wanted her to do. She decided quickly that she wasn't having any part of that so she even quit carrying her cell phone so he couldn't reach her to ask for help!

I have to say both of these scenarios puzzled me. First let me say, I do enjoy being outdoors any chance that I can. I know this helps me when I am working with Michael doing farm chores. I find them very pleasant usually. However, for me enjoying the work that I do with Michael isn't my criteria for helping him. I do it because first of all, I want to be his help meet. But it is even more than that...I ENJOY being with him. If I can help him with work, it gives me more time to be with him. Often times I get a double bonus...first, I get to spend time with him while we are working together, but then the chore is done quicker with both of us working together so I get to spend more time with him after the chore is completed. I see it as a WIN WIN situation.

There have been many times in our marriage that I felt like I couldn't help him because I just wasn't qualified to do the job at hand. However, I find if I offer to help him , he is more than willing to teach me the skill. I have been taught to properly sand and finish cabinets. I have learned about laying tile as well as wood floors. I have learned how to paint, and I have learned how to garden all at the hand of my husband. I have learned many skills right along side of my children. I can put together bee hives with the best of them. But you won't find me out with the bees!!

My husband runs a consulting business with a partner. When he started this adventure, I felt for sure that I wouldn't be able to help in any way at all. He assured me that I could learn the computer again. I wasn't so for sure. However, after much teaching I am now becoming a technical writer. I work with him some, and I love being with him. I enjoy knowing and learning more about his business. I find it very rewarding, and I get the double bonus of spending much time with him.

I feel like this is a key to our marriage being successful. We each take time to learn and experience the things that the other person likes or does. I can't imagine being isolated from the things that Michael does. I will admit there are a few things that I do not participate in, but our kids enjoy doing them with him. I don't want to hunt, but I will go shoot guns. We just enjoy being with one another doing whatever...as long as we are together. I don't want to sit on the sidelines while he goes and does all of the things that life requires. I would much rather be at his side whenever possible.

grace and peace,
julie

grace and peace,
juilie

My Children Keep Me Humble!!!!!

I love my children to pieces. They are truly a gift from the Lord into my life. God gave us 5 beautiful living children, and I lost 5 babies to miscarriages. I remember the days before our first child was born. I really wondered if we would ever have children. I wanted to be a mother so badly, but I couldn't make it happen. I finally gave the whole issue back to the Lord, and I got to a place that I would trust God even if children were never a part of our life. This was not an easy journey, but I truly decided that I could trust God no matter the outcome.

Michael and I have been parents for 16 1/2 years. I have finally figured out my children!!!! I believe that they have a meeting in the basement and play "Paper, Rocks, Scissors, Shoot" to determine which child is going to drive Michael and/or I crazy on that particular day or week or month. When the "winning" child decides that the heat has been on him or her for too long, the game starts again, and a new child is designated to the job. Let me explain myself. For several months, our oldest son has been the designated one. There have been times that I have been so outdone with him over the last few months. About the time I decided that I am going to shake him until his teeth falls out, then a new person had been chosen. My oldest son came home with a smile on his face, and kissed me with greetings and salutations. You can only imagine my surprise. I did not expect this change, and I was confused. When our third son arrived through the door from ball practice, I expected my sweet loving 10 year old. Oh my...he must have won the latest "Paper, Rock,Scissors,Shoot" match because he now is the grumpy one!!! The saga continues....

I was really pondering this whole point, and I realized that God gave Michael and I children to keep us humble. (I am sure that this isn't the only reason, but it is one of the reasons). About the time I find myself feeling good about the parenting job I am doing, along comes another game of "Paper, Rock,Scissors, Shoot", and one of my little darlings turn into something that I shall not even name!! Everyday, I find myself going to the Lord to get a strategy for these children as well as for myself. Everyday I am humbled, and there is nothing wrong with this. It is good to be humble....even if the children MAKE you that way!!!!! I would rather them make me humble than crazy!!!!!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Sharing a few thoughts from my heart...

I love reading about the Amish and their lifestyle. A friend of mine shared an Amish collection of books with me, and I devoured each and every one. However, one day I finished a book and I found myself feeling sad and discontented. After a time of reflection, I realized that I longed for the life style of the Amish. Let me pause for a moment, I do not want to embrace many of the Amish beliefs. However, I am quite enchanted with their simple life. I know in my heart of hearts it isn't truly simple, but just different than what I experience.

I heard a friend say one time that the grass isn't greener on the other side...just different. I thought about that for a moment. Our calf still likes our neighbor's grass better than ours, but that doesn't mean the grass is better or greener. I could spend a lot of time wishing that things in my life were different. For example, I sometimes wish my children didn't participate in sporting events. I don't see anything wrong with healthy competition so it isn't a problem of conviction, but instead it is a problem of time. I know without a shadow of a doubt that if we didn't attend sporting events of 4 children that we would have an abundance of time to give to this farm. On the other end of the spectrum, I am thankful for what sports have brought into our children's lives. I believe that in 2 of our kids imparticular, that sports have helped create much character in their lives. For our third son, sports has been a wonderful growing experience that brought him out of his shell.

I sometimes find myself wishing for a different home...you know one more like the Amish style home. I would love to live in a home with that much ambiance. On the other hand, I sure do enjoy my fresh ground coffee brewed in my electric coffee pot! I also enjoy the air conditioner on a nice summer day. When we first moved to Tennessee, we rented a cabin that had a wood stove for heat. It was all fun and games until the fire went out. You see, I could keep the home fires burning (usually), but I couldn't ever start a fire from scratch. The novelty of heating with a wood stove wore off real quick. The mornings were unbearably cold. We spent a lot of time huddled in the living room in front of the wood stove trying to stay warm.

One day I came to the realization that I could spend my life wishing for some other pasture to eat from, but I would rather spend my life enjoying the pasture God gave to me. I am so thankful for all that God has done in my life. I still would love a community like the Amish share, but I am so thankful for the family that God has placed me into. I have a husband that is more wonderful than words could express. He is a Godly man that protects me as if I were his most valuable treasure. He is a wonderful father to our children. I am so very blessed.... so today I want to enjoy the journey that God has given to me. I want to enjoy the grass in my pasture...not the grass in the neighbor's pasture. After all, once the calf has eaten from the neighbor's pasture long enough, she realizes it is just grass. Then she is forced to look for another pasture that might have greener grass than the previous pasture. I don't want to be like the calf that moves from one pasture to another eating the same grass, but wishing it were different.
grace and peace,
julie

Dancing with the English Mastiff

When my brother was in town a few months ago, he wanted to get a picture of how tall our mastiff really is. He wanted to send it to his step son who has always wanted an English Mastiff. What you need to know to really appreciate this picture, is that my brother is close to 6 1/2 ft tall! Missy sure enjoyed the playtime that he provided.

On another dog note...Missy went to the vet to get spayed. We had considered breeding her to sell her puppies. (English Mastiff puppies can be quite costly. Unless of course the breeder just wants to get RID OF any extra puppies and makes you a deal you can't refuse, as in the case with our acquiring an English Mastiff). We also found out to get a good stud dog would cost between $1800-$2000 up front!!! I quickly made a phone call to the vet because we weren't about to pay that much money to breed a dog! After being at the vet for surgery, Missy came home with a horrible hot spot on her back. She is allergic to fleas, and if she comes in contact with them she will chew herself up. My mom told me about a hot spot remedy that she saw in the DogWorld Magazine. I tried it, and it is working. She is much better now.

Hot Spot Remedy for Dogs

In a clean spray bottle use equal parts Original Listerine, Baby Oil, and Water. Shake well and spray the dog's hot spot often.

Simple and Cheap...you can't beat that!!

We had a nice weekend. When time permits, I will give updates on the pig pen, farm chores, and plants in the make shift greenhouse. We still need to extract honey. I am hoping that will be done in the next week.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Birthday Moment

Our only daughter is celebrating her 9th birthday today. Here is a picture of our girl helping me make Pickled Green Tomatoes.

Before she was ever born, I almost lost her. I went to bed to rest, and had a wonderful dream. God showed up in my dream and I knew that all would be well. When I awoke from my nap, I was filled with much hope and peace. We named our precious baby girl Hope Shalom as a reminder of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness.

Hope means confident expectation of good, and Shalom means peace. (If our last baby had been a girl I was going to name her Faith Charise. However, God sent us a boy and Faith just didn't seem to fit. We named him Seth, which means appointed one. I figured God knew we already had 3 boys and only 1 girl, but he appointed Seth into our family anyway)!

We will be having a family celebration this evening, and of course we included one of her little friends to join in the fun. She had the funniest birthday request I have ever heard. My husband said, "Only a girl child would come up with that! We have a little trailer that hooks on the lawnmower to use as a little cart for odd jobs. Hope suggested that her brother's make her a float using the cart, and pull her around on the evening of her birthday!! She thought that would be a fun moment in time, and it would make a great birthday present. If this gift comes to pass, I will be sure to post pictures later, but don't hold your breath!!!

grace and peace,

julie

Lizzie and Isabell

Here is a recent picture of our momma cow and her baby. This calf still isn't staying home very well. Michael has put much effort into securing our fences, but she always finds a way to escape to the neighbor's farm. She comes home when it is time to drink some milk. I am getting ready to order my supplies for milking so maybe we will be ready to milk soon.

Michael and I were talking with a couple that owned a dairy farm. Michael asked the wife if they drank the raw milk. She made an awful face and said "NO"! I found that to be odd. Many of the dairy farmers around here won't drink their own milk. That gave me food for thought. To be honest, I haven't met one dairy farmer that consumes his/her own farm's product. Of course, I haven't met every dairy farmer here in our county, but still I have chatted with quite a few of them. They look at us like we have 2 heads when we mention milking and DRINKING our own cow's milk.

grace and peace,

julie

Many Hands Make Light Work

One of my favorite sayings is "Many Hands Make Light Work". I have raised our children by this motto. When people say "oh, you have so many kids", my response back is "Many hands make light work". I can see many people pondering this statement. This weekend we all pitched in and made quick work of the garden area. I took a few pictures of our eager helpers. Well, the Mastiff wasn't really helping do anything. She was just enjoying the shade from the Okra plants. I just liked the picture because at least she was behaving herself. When we all work together, it gives us time to visit with one another as well as teach and train. When there is a million and one weeds that need to be pulled, there is plenty of time for a little girl to share ALL that is in her thoughts while she is helping to pull all those weeds!! I probably have taught more Bible truths in the garden than anywhere else. The kids can actually see the lessons right before their very eyes. This makes for a great impact later on when they need to be reminded to pull the weeds in their own heart before they take root! The garden is my place of solitude, but it is also a place of fellowship for me. My kids would rather we fellowship elsewhere, but for the most part they are willing hands to help make the work a bit lighter.

grace and peace,

julie

Garden Goodies

We have had a busy weekend. One word sums it up nicely...."Football"! We have spent much time watching our children play ball this weekend. However, we also have found some time to spend in the garden and even working on the hog pen. Here are the okra plants that are now in abundance in our garden. I also snapped a picture of our new bed of green beans. The red things in the background of this picture are the flowers in the neighboring bed. I have canned 8 quarts of green beans and 4 pints and 4 quarts of Pickled Green Tomatoes over the weekend. I also have frozen 5 quarts of green peppers and Anaheim Chili Peppers. I still have enough green tomatoes left for a large batch of fried green tomatoes as well as probably 2 more batches of Pickled Green Tomatoes. I think our regular tomatoes are finished for the season. We are still getting red tomatoes to eat out of hand, but the abundance is no longer there. I heard my husband say something about doubling our tomato production next year. (Now is not the time to share those thoughts with me. I am still tired of canning tomatoes and sauce. It was nice to can green beans because they are not nearly as messy)! Michael and the boys tilled up the watermelon bed and added more dirt/compost. I will be planting lettuce later this week in that bed. I want them to till up the Roma tomato bed next. The plants still look nice, but there won't be enough time to produce new tomatoes before the cold weather comes. We ended our weekend with a makeshift bond fire complete with a game of hide n seek for the children.

I am starting to really get in the mood for fall. This morning it was cool enough to have a jacket on outside. I was at the grocery store buying extra milk the other afternoon and I caved into a spur of the moment purchase. I bought 3 pots of mums for our front porch. I love fall flowers!!! I am always a sucker for fall flowers. I am also a sucker for fall food. To go with my fall mood, today I made pumpkin pie and whip cream for our family dessert.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength in whom I will trust."

2 Samuel 22:2-3

Friday Night Football

Our oldest son played football last night. Michael and I went to watch the game, and I saw an awesome sight. Early on in the game, one of our players went down on the field. His best friend was under him, and the player on top did not get up. The player on top has had a horrible year chocked full of injuries. The player on the bottom was finally freed by the paramedics, but the player on top layed lifeless on the field. In high school football in our area, if a player gets hurt both teams goes to their sideline and everybody takes a knee. When the player on bottom came back to our sideline, he was crying hard. He called the entire football team to come together in a huddle formation to pray for our injured player. Our entire public high school football team made a huddle on the field on their knees with their arms on the next ones shoulders, and bowed to pray for their team mate. It was an awesome sight. The boy that was hurt was knocked unconscious. His nose was bleeding and his face mask was completely flattened by the impact. He was o.k., but of course he did not get to play the rest of the game, much to his disappointment. I truly wish I had a picture of that ball team praying for their teammate. I would love to frame it and hang it in our son's room. It was a wonderful moment in time watching our team cry out to God on behalf of a friend.
grace and peace,
julie

Green Tomato Side Dish Recipe

My mom gave me a recipe for Pickled Green Tomatoes. She told me that it really isn't a relish, but more like a side dish that I just HAD to try. In fact,she guaranteed that I would like it. I decided to make several batches of it even though it didn't sound all that great. I also decided that if we didn't like it, I would include the jars that I made as part of her Christmas gifts this year. Yesterday, I mad a pot of Pinto Beans and I opened our first jar of Pickled Green Tomatoes. Michael and I BOTH loved it. I haven't shared the recipe up until now because I don't like to share recipes that I haven't tried myself. I don't think of these as "Pickles", but I think of them as truly a side dish to a meal. In Ky, one of the local fish restaurants serves this dish with the platter of fish. I loved them with beans, and my mom says they go great with any meat. On top of our thing to do list for this weekend, will be to gather more green tomatoes and peppers!!! I will be making SEVERAL more batches of this recipe over the weekend.

Pickled Green Tomatoes
8 cups chopped green tomatoes
2 large onions chopped
2 Hot peppers chopped fine
2 green peppers chopped
2 Tablespoons Canning Salt

Cover above ingredients with water. Let set for 2 hours. Drain.
In a large stock pot stir together:
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Celery Seed
1 Tablespoon Mustard Seed
Add Drained Tomatoes to above brine. Heat until boiling. Once boiling, Boil for 3 minutes. Have jars hot and lids hot so they will seal. Place tomatoes in pint or quart jars. Make sure they seal for extended storage. ( yields approximately 3- 4 pints)

When I made this recipe, I used small green tomatoes and I quartered the tomatoes. I chopped my onions and peppers like I would for tomato sauce. I also switched out green peppers for red peppers. I had them in the garden, and I thought they were pretty with the green tomatoes. I hope you enjoy!

grace and peace,
julie

Farm Happenings

The air is starting to feel different here in East Tennessee. I went out this morning before dawn to let our dog out, and it was chilly. Last night while we were in the garden, I noticed a slight chill in the air. I love fall so much, and I love the change of seasons. I find that as the seasons change, our dinner menus change as well. Last night I made Baked chicken and dressing, sweet potato casserole, and garden green beans. It was a nice change of pace from our summer menu.

The chickens are enjoying the cooler weather too. Michael gathered 9 eggs yesterday. This is much better than the 2 eggs that we gathered the entire month of August!

Work continues on the hog pen. Michael will be doing some work on the barn to house the hogs. Our barn needs so much attention so I am looking forward to it getting a bit of a clean up as well as a fix up. Our neighbor stopped by yesterday. This is the same neighbor that offered us a cow for a good price. The calf was suppose to be born sometime in the next 3 months, but they found out the little thing was born yesterday. They couldn't find it yesterday evening so we will look for it today. I pray all is well with the little thing because the deal is even better with 2 cows for the price of one! We considered trading our jersey calf that was born in June, but we decided that for now we will keep her. (I am getting weary with her escapes)! Michael has fixed the fence so many times, but she always finds a place to slip through. Her mother has become a very calm cow. She comes to us now when we are in the field. Our goal is to milk her, but our barn needs so much work. Michael did work with her some yesterday, and she was fine with him going over her milk sac. I think she will allow us to milk her now. She has come along way since June when we couldn't even get near her. We will need to purchase milking supplies soon, and I am excited about this update.

grace and peace,

julie

Progress Being Made

The last few days have brought about unexpected farm progress. My husband decided to start the pig pen that we have wanted since July. He will complete it soon, and we should be getting pigs in the next week or two. I am very excited about this new event in on our farm.

I was out talking with Michael while he was wiring up the pig pen this evening. The weather is beautiful here, and it feels like fall may very well be in the air. On the way back to the house, I stopped in Michael's shop to water my plants. I saw the potting soil, and I decided it was a nice time to start repotting plants. I spent the next hour repotting plants while visiting with my hubby and children. I still have A LOT of broccoli plants left to repot, but I finished up the cauliflower and cabbage plants. Progress was made!

Tomorrow I will be back to canning. I probably have enough tomatoes to can, but I am wondering if I REALLY want to do that again. Our green beans are now coming in strong, and I know I will have at least a full canner of green beans to process. I need to rearrange my schedule so that I can spend a whole day in the kitchen to catch up on my canning, but I can't do that tomorrow.

Our neighbor also stopped by the other evening wanting to know if we wanted to purchase/trade cows. He heard we were looking for a beef cow, and he has one that will calf in the next 3 months. He offered us a good price, and now we will need to decide what we want to do. I'll keep you posted. I would be thrilled to add a beef cow to our farm!

grace and peace,
julie

Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

Well, our weekend didn't turn out quite the way I expected. Not that it was bad or anything just different from my expectations. Michael needed some time to relax and play. I on the other hand had a "honey do list" the size of Texas. As you can imagine, each of our wants and desires were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. I decided to submit to my husband's wants and needs and just go with the flow. We had a nice weekend with some production accomplished. We did not extract honey, but Michael did glance at the hives. He was very encouraged with what he saw. The front porches of the hives were covered in bees. This is a good sign. The honey extraction can wait a little longer. In fact, it may be good to let it wait a while.

I did get some canning done. I canned 6 more pints and 1 more quart of tomato sauce. Plus I tried a new recipe for Pickled Green Tomatoes. It is a side dish served with fish or beans. I am looking forward to trying it. My mom said they were wonderful so I figured if we don't like them then I could package the rest up as part of her Christmas present!

We picked green beans this weekend which was the big surprise for me. I didn't think they would be ready quite yet. That is the fun thing about gardening...you just never know what to expect. Our peppers are coming out of our ears. I have been busy freezing these for winter time use. We picked all of our watermelons today. They taste wonderful, but they are smaller than I expected. The okra is coming on strong. Yesterday we had chicken strips, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and homemade biscuits for supper. And yes, we all washed it down with sweet tea! (Maybe that's why I am always walking the loop and never losing any weight)!

I weeded the bed of peas with our son. We had a nice time chatting while getting chores done. My big disappointment for the garden this weekend was that I wanted to till up the beds that we were done with so I could start planting fall crops. I also had wanted to transplant my baby seed/plants into bigger pots in the basement greenhouse. I guess I can move that all to next weekend. It really wasn't that pressing just something I had hoped to get done.

We ended up going back to the mountain stream for a playtime on Saturday afternoon. This was Michael's idea and you can well imagine that the children were thrilled. We had a wonderful time, and I enjoyed getting back up into the mountains very much.

On Friday evening, our second born son decided that he and a friend would go camping on our neighbor's farm. They asked permission from our neighbor and were granted permission. They quickly got their gear ready. I asked them what they were taking. From my perspective, it didn't look like much. I asked about the tent. I was informed by these two 13 year old boys that men didn't need to sleep in a tent. I then asked about sleeping bags...again real men didn't need sleeping bags. They were going to pile some pine branches up and make a bed. (I was thrilled that I wasn't camping with these "real men". I asked about food. They informed me that they would be catching their supper and cooking it over the fire. (Now, I was REALLY glad I wasn't camping with them)! They set off with Michael's sea bag filled with a tarp. (There wasn't any rain in the forecast. I personally would have chosen the sleeping bag over the tarp, but again I am not a "real man"). About 10:30 p.m., the phone rang. Joshua announced that they were headed home. I asked what was wrong. At this point, I was afraid that the real men had set the neighbor's woods on fire. They assured me all was well, but "it was H-A-R-D roughing it"!! They were hungry, tired, and wanted a bed. They came back home, ate a bite, and went to our pond to frog gig instead. Then they tucked themselves into a nice soft bed in the nice cool house. My new names for these two boys are Boone and Crockett. By the end of the weekend, they were responding to their new names well!

grace and peace,
julie

Sunday Scripture

..."'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me".

2 Corinthians 12:9

Honey Do List for the Weekend

I have spent a little bit of time planning our weekend work schedule. I find if we have a bit of a plan to work from, things generally go better. I am hoping that perhaps this will be the weekend to extract honey. He had mentioned that earlier this week so I added it to his "honey do list". I also want to empty the tomato beds if at all possible. I am sure I will be canning tomatoes or sauce or something red this weekend. I have run out of quart jars. I have never filled all of my quart jars before. I am amazed. I noticed the new bed of green beans are coming in now. We will probably pick green beans by the first of the week. I will have to purchase more quart jars for this event. I don't mind. Since it is the last of the canning season, I am hoping to find them on sale. Speaking of canning jars, TnFarmgirl turned me on to 1/2 gallon mason jars. I had never seen this size jars in the past. They are wonderful to have for many different uses. TnFarmgirl uses them to put her fresh milk in. We use them to store our honey in. I also use them to store our wheat berries, and homemade granola when I make it. These jars are somewhat hard to find so keep your eyes out for them. I will buy any extra that I can find because I use them that much. I also will be using these jars to store our milk when we start milking Lizzie. Just thought I would pass this information along. Hope you have a great weekend and good production of your time.

grace and peace,

julie

Tennessee Fun

Here are some pictures of our Labor Day outing. We took a little time off work to splash in God's "swimming pool", and enjoy the beauty of the Tennessee mountains. Sometimes it is hard to take time off from work, or even the garden. There is such a balance between work and fun, and Michael and I struggle to find that balance at times. We so want to build the farm up, but not at the sacrifice of our family. We do not want to raise our children to hate the very life that we hold so dear to us. If the farm becomes nothing but work, our children will resent it and want to remove themselves from it. However, if play is the only thing our children know, then we have not done our job as parents. They need to learn early on the balance between work and play. I know I enjoyed the play day very much. I heard talk about a camping trip coming soon for our family!!!

grace and peace,

julie

Canning Wants and Needs

I have spent a lot of time this summer canning our garden produce. I enjoy canning, and I am thankful that I have the ability and knowledge to put up our own food. Growing up, I never saw my mom can. I know she did can, but she waited until we were outside to do so. We did help her put up corn. This was always a big day at our home. I enjoyed it every year. When we moved to Tennessee we started our first canning endeavors. We bought a canner, and Michael started reading the directions. I had heard horror stories of the past so I was a bit scared of this huge pot. Michael and I spent that first summer canning together. He taught me the canning process, and in turn I taught him about cooking. These are fond memories for me. Now almost 7 years later, I am chief canner in our home. I am no longer scared of the large canner that has permanent residency on our stove during the summer months. As with anything in life, canning brings needs and wants. For example, I want to have 2 canners. It would make my canning day go so much faster if I had 2 canners operating at the same time. This would save so much time for me. This isn't a true need in my life, but it is a valid want. However, this year I have discovered a true need in the canning department. I need another large pot. I have a large stainless steel pot that I use to make my sauce or cook the beans or tomatoes. I have been caught so many times this year needing another pot. I have had to pour tomato sauce that isn't ready into other containers so I could use the pot to make supper. After supper, I would wash the pot and continue cooking the sauce. This is crazy. I haven't had this issue in the past because I haven't canned as much as I have this year. Before next canning season, I will purchase another large pot. I see this one desire as a true need worthy of money being spent on it. The extra canner idea is just a desire, but I will not purchase that one at this time.

grace and peace,

julie

Garden Goals and Updates

We have had a wonderful garden season this year. I am very thankful for this because the late freeze and summer drought has left our apple trees with no apples and our bees with little honey. Local fruit has been very expensive due to the freeze, and the local blueberry crops didn't produce anything. I know the key to our garden success this year has been the raised beds. We were able to control the amount of water our plants received even though we have had little rain. (Our water bill has been sizable)! We also have not had to deal with bugs like we have in times past. I believe the late frost did something to the bug population. We only had a few Japanese Beetles. The ones we did have enjoyed the Zinnias and the Marigolds and the Basil plants. They pretty much stayed away from my produce plants.

Every year my garden goal is to put as much of the produce up in the pantry and freezer as possible. This means much canning and freezing on my part. I have always thought this was the main goal for my summer in the garden department. This year I had an epiphany. I want to see how long we can keep fresh produce going in our garden. We so enjoyed the fresh lettuce this year until the August heat came and the lettuce turned bitter. I talked with Michael about my thoughts. He told me that he could construct hoops to go over our beds during the winter months. This would promote a longer garden season. With the hoops, I think for much of the year we can grow many different veggies. I have started a ton of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and onion seeds in the shop. I plan to make another planting of these items soon so we can have a succession of plants. My main concern about these hoops is our wind. After all, 2 of the largest trampolines have blown away during 2 different winds at our home. (One was even strapped down)! I am sure Michael will come up with something!?!

This week we will be tilling up some of our summer garden beds. My flowers are looking very tired. I am having a hard time finding ones to cut to make bouquets now. Before he tills the flowers, I will cut all the pretty ones and make as many bouquets as possible. My mom has a recipe for a green tomato relish that she likes a lot. I will be picking the green tomatoes out of the Rutger tomatoes and use them for that recipe. These plants are almost finished producing, and I don't want to keep wasting the space for plants that are tired. The Romas are slowing dying down too. I will let the ones turn red that are on the vines then these plants will be tilled under too. They have been heavy producers this year. Our other bed of tomatoes are still producing enough tomatoes to eat out of hand. We will leave this bed for now, but I am sure they are not long for this world. The cucumber bed needs to be taken apart. I believe the watermelons will be finished in the next week or two, and that will give us another bed to clean up for fall use. We have beautiful pepper plants that still have a lot of life, and our okra is just now getting good and started. We will have okra until frost this year. We also planted a second bed of green beans which are covered in blooms. We will have green beans until the frost comes as well this year. We planted an entire bed full of peas a few weeks ago, but the peas came up spotty. I am going down today to plant some more peas in that bed.

I will keep you up to date on our fall garden. This is truly a new experience for us. I am planning a post on this year's garden failures and what I plan to do about it next year as well as a post about our growing pantry. I also keep a garden wish list and new things I would like to try for next year. I will share those with you as time permits.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"Behold He is coming with clouds and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so. Amen. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" Revelation 1:7-8

Dove Hunting Tradition

As many of you know, today is opening day of Dove Season here in East Tenn. This day has become a tradition of sorts in our family. Michael loads the children up and heads to the local dove fields. Even our daughter participates in the hunt. She is too young to hunt, but that doesn't stop her from participating. If your under 10 in our home, then you are the designated retriever. (I think some families actually have a dog for this job, but our Mastiff wouldn't want to actually work for her dinner)! The other boys all have guns. Now this is a walk of faith for me. I know our children have had good gun safety drilled into their heads, but they are just kids. I choose to let Michael deal with all of this...I'll just stay home and can some more tomatoes. That should be safe enough!!! The kids and Dad look forward to this day so much. It is the beginning of fall in our home. Next on the agenda will be fall football games, evening bonfires, and planting fall gardens. I am ready for the change of season. Maybe today's dinner will be grilled dove breast wrapped in bacon, but just in case that doesn't work out I am putting on a pot of chili. Hunters are hungry even if they don't catch anything for dinner!!!!

grace and peace,

julie