Hiatus ~ Look for new posts in about a week ~

I'm taking a blogging hiatus.  School break is about to end, and I need to catch my breath from all this farm/garden work and take a few walks with God.

I hope to be back soon, with a fresh approach and fresh ideas. 

Come take a stroll through the last three years of my flower gardens.

I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Every year the gardens change, some things may die and new plants get planted.  Isn't is just like life itself?  We grow, we plant, a few things die and some return.

Excerpts from a Journal Junkie

From the Garden Journal . . .

     blanched and froze 2 quart bags of tomatoes, diced and froze 2 very full bags of green peppers, shredded and froze 22 cups of zucchini.  The wet and cooler weather is killing many of our zucchini plants and rotting some melons.  We cut our first cantaloupe last night and it was delicious.

From the Exercise Journal . . .

    walked 2 miles, 30 minutes on the speed bag, taking a bike ride later tonight.

From the Homesteading Journal . . . 

     located a 1 year old Lamancha female for sale and may go look at her this coming weekend, cut down tree branches that were hanging too far over the driveway and gave them to the goats, working on more barn repairs, researching raising beef, researching raising an alpacas for spinning their fiber, and researching canning meats.

From the Crafting Journal . . .

   still working away on my 12 year-old's crocheted blanket, starting my 9 year-old's 4th embroidered flour sack towel, and started another crocheted hand towel for my on-line store.

Poison Oak, Sewing and Embroidery lessons, Word of Wisdom

My son, bless his heart, went to work looking like he had not slept in a week.  His co-worker, told him he looked like he was on drugs.  

His eyes were swollen, his ears were swollen and covered with poison oak, as well as his entire body.  I was about to take him to the doctor for a quick fix, when we started using a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar and water (50/50).  

He had been using a wash that we've always used, followed by a cream to dry it up. It just kept showing up in other places on his body.  

We mixed the water and apple cider vinegar and he sprayed himself, anytime, including taking a small bottle to work with him.  He looks so much better and he's not scratching.

I think we found the culprit too - one of the dogs.  We think the dog slept with him, then spread it, and spread it.  We did a major wipe down/clean up too. Even I got it on my arm after walking in the house and only being home for about 15 minutes.  I looked down and my entire wrist to elbow was covered in poison oak.  

We've got all three poisons here, so we have to be so careful.  We have poison sumac to kill this fall, and we've already killed much of our poison ivy.  It's the oak that keeps showing up.

As for the sewing and embroidery, my 9 year-old daughter has shown more interest than the older girls.  She's been asking for felt to make her Tiger Needle Case.  I did help her with the pattern and cutting (very sharp scissors).

She completed the embroidery, and the stitching to bind the two pieces together.  She also did the drawing for the nose, mouth and dots.

Tiger meets Tiger, and approves of him.

This morning I sipped soothing, hot coffee, from a mug from the Gauley River.  It's a mug from my Uncle.  The kids find these mugs/cups very special and take special care of them.  The mug made me remember the words of wisdom my Uncle told me.

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
These words will now be written in my quote book, and read over and over, along with others.

Garden Gifts and Bartering

Bartering is not yet a thing of the past.  We barter our garden goodies for services or to borrow tools. 

Yesterday, we bartered a jar of jelly, and a bag of fresh picked green peppers for the help of a family member (moving our new treadmill, again from my wonderful Uncle).

We also gifted another family member with a bag of green peppers, a cucumber, some cayenne peppers, and banana peppers.  

The garden has truly been a blessing.

Wow! What a Ride!

The title is a portion of a favorite quote of mine, "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out. and loudly proclaiming -- WOW!  What a ride!" 

I've read that quote in so many different versions, so I have no idea who to give credit to.  It is now written in my "Favorite Quote" journal.

But that quote sums up the summer so far, and I am sure there is more to some.

 Canned Ketchup

These summer gardening days have become longer and longer.  I don't always have the help from my older kids, as the two oldest have jobs now.

The last two days have been productive, but long.  After my ketchup canning day (and hope to have another), I tried to sort through a pile of library books.  It seems I never have time to read them.

This is Jesse, my 14 year-old's dog.  He has claimed his bed.  Isn't he adorable?  However, I  need to train him to not sleep on my bed at night.  He eventually goes to my daughter's room, but still loves my attention.  My Uncle gave me a king sized, hand made quilt, and I would love to put it on my bed, and know that the dogs won't jump up there.  

In between daily chores, and another dentist run, my kids helped me locate a good spot for a bird feeder my Uncle gave me also.  It's gorgeous and looks wonderful by this natural fence of flowers and rose of sharon hedge bushes.  Somewhere in there is a bird bath.

This ornate feeder is taller than myself, and looks wonderful in our flower gardens.  I just put it out there, so I need to add some feed soon.  It's in a location where it can be seen from the front porch, the back porch and anywhere I am at in the back garden.  The kids love it and can't wait to watch the birds.

Did you know you can roast chickpeas for a crunchy, and healthy snack?  We made these last night, and although I had to roast them longer than the recipe stated, they were actually pretty good.  I'm searching out healthier snacks to pack in my kids school lunches this year.


Here is the recipe online:  Spiced Chickpea "Nuts"

Here is another updated photo of the sunflowers blooming.

Potatoes

I think I bought our red seed potatoes for about $15.00 or less.  I didn't record it in my garden journal - tsk tsk.  However, it was worth planting.  

We've enjoyed several meals with them already, and I am freezing red potatoes tonight.  We dug up over half of them, and still have more to dig up.  If you take the cost of a bag of potatoes in the store and compare it to what you can grow and freeze - WOW!  What a savings to our family.  And not to mention how healthy they are.

Once we get a root cellar built, I can put some in there also.

Last year was the first season to plant potatoes.  We had enough to feed us until the season was over, but wanted to prepare more.

Once I invest in a pressure canner, we can also can potatoes.  There are so many possibilities yet.


This year, we succeeded, but will have to plant more varieties.  This year we planted 2 types of white and one type of red.