The end of July brings many mixed feelings. It is our end of Christmas in July. I have more movies than month, so that just doesn't seem right. But we had fun watching all the old movies. Yesterday we watched "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye. Why don't they make singers like that anymore? Man, Bing could sing! We've also watched Home Alone 1,2,&3, Santa Clause 2 (can't find 1), the Christmas Story, Peanuts Christmas, Jingle all the Way, Flintstones Christmas, Here comes Santa Claus, Jetson's Christmas, Little House on the Prairie - 2 different Christmas episodes, Frosty the Snowman and the animated Grinch. I am not sure what is on the viewing list for tomorrow, but it will be good. Still need to see Rudolf and Muppet Christmas Carol. I have collected these for 25 years, so we have alot!
It is also the end of our vacation from school. we have done alot of planning this week and written most of it down. Some lessons are planned till the Tues. before Thanksgiving. This is a first for me. We did this over 3 mornings and spread the school books out and got it done. Yeah, for us. I say us, because the kids sat and helped me with everything. We have also tried to schedule out our days which is proving to be a bit more difficult than I imagined. We have different schedules for a couple of days, which don't fit into the norm. Still figuring that out.
We are going to try our hand at making sweet pickle relish this weekend. My cucumbers are producing great quantities and they are going to turn into relish. One of them weighs 1 3/4 pounds! This is a further attempt at exorcising High Fructose Corn Syrup from our lives. I have found some organic relish that we like, but our one organic store here doesn't carry it. So, we are trying to learn a new skill.
Before the torrential rain hit today, we pulled up the green bean plants in one of our square foot gardening boxes. They were not at all productive. We replanted with more bean seeds. Then the deluge hit. Hopefully all the seeds didn't wash to one end of the box. I would still like to grow enough beans to can and eat through the winter. But, if not, I will buy them at the Farmers Market and can them. They are locally grown and will be better than anything else I can buy at the grocery over the winter. We went and bought some today and had them for dinner tonight...yummy!
Time for reading and bedtime. Tomorrow is another day!
Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Update on our crazy life & Happy June
We are back from Virginia. It was a great trip and we had fun visiting with family. Greg's sister and I decided it was a really good thing we didn't live closer together....we ate way too much junk food last week and we are both paying for it now. Its just easier to eat trash with a friend! Our van was full to overflowing on the way home. We brought home an antique double bed that Greg had loaned them and they are done using it. Then on the way home, we stopped at Costco in Birmingham and loaded up more stuff. Unfortunately, I left my shopping list in VA, so there was stuff we forgot. Or, maybe that was a fortunate mistake, since we were so crammed in the car. We listen to books on tape as we travel to pass the miles away. 2 we got from the library this time were 1776 (history documentary about the year) and Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was good and we learned stuff we didn't know...his neice Eleanore married his godson and cousin Franklin Delano. Actually FDR was his cousins son, so I guess that makes him Teddy's 2nd cousin. We also listened to a James Patterson mystery which was really good but a couple of the story lines, we had to fast forward through. The story lines were not appropriate for my younguns.
Monday was spent doing laundry and cleaning up. We also cleaned out the sewing/computer/office room for the floor to get busted up. Thats the next demolision project. James and Will worked in there last night. We are going to rearrange our downstairs and repurpose some spaces. That room will now be our dining room. We will be able to put Greg's grandmothers dining room table, all the chairs, china cabinet and buffet in there, as well as the piano. We would also like to put bookshelves against one wall in there to hold our hundreds and hundreds of books but we will have to check on the available space when everthing else is done. (Homeschoolers have alot of books) The girls had ballet also. This is recital week, so we will also have rehersals on Thursday, Friday and recital on Sat. Katies foot was swollen after class, you could see where the straps from her shoes cross her foot. Ouch! After dinner last night, Greg and the kiddies went swimming.
When we left for VA the weather was warm and the garden was growing. Now the weather is hot (97 yesterday) and the garden is huge. Gregs watermelon is taking over the corn. The peppers are growing and the squash has blossoms all over it. We picked 2 1/4 lb. of green beans!
Yummy fresh produce. We may have to replace our tomato plants cause they look kind of spindly. but they do have little tomatoes on them. Grass is taking over the lantana bed at the end of the pool...it really looks like a nice green groundcover! I hate to pull weeds and especially in this heat and humidity.
Granny is on her way to Miss. and she is bringing my neice and nephew with her. They came last year and spent recital week with us, so we are starting a tradition. There will be lots of swimming, some shopping, and pottery painting. Our new Michaels Craft Store just opened and they sent us some 50% off coupons. and yes, during their visit will be floor destruction.
This month will be busy...Granny, Ben and Bethany's visit, Katie takes the ACT, Fathers Day and our Oklahoma Mission Trip. We are glad summer is here! The pool will be used lots and lots!
Monday was spent doing laundry and cleaning up. We also cleaned out the sewing/computer/office room for the floor to get busted up. Thats the next demolision project. James and Will worked in there last night. We are going to rearrange our downstairs and repurpose some spaces. That room will now be our dining room. We will be able to put Greg's grandmothers dining room table, all the chairs, china cabinet and buffet in there, as well as the piano. We would also like to put bookshelves against one wall in there to hold our hundreds and hundreds of books but we will have to check on the available space when everthing else is done. (Homeschoolers have alot of books) The girls had ballet also. This is recital week, so we will also have rehersals on Thursday, Friday and recital on Sat. Katies foot was swollen after class, you could see where the straps from her shoes cross her foot. Ouch! After dinner last night, Greg and the kiddies went swimming.
When we left for VA the weather was warm and the garden was growing. Now the weather is hot (97 yesterday) and the garden is huge. Gregs watermelon is taking over the corn. The peppers are growing and the squash has blossoms all over it. We picked 2 1/4 lb. of green beans!
Yummy fresh produce. We may have to replace our tomato plants cause they look kind of spindly. but they do have little tomatoes on them. Grass is taking over the lantana bed at the end of the pool...it really looks like a nice green groundcover! I hate to pull weeds and especially in this heat and humidity.
Granny is on her way to Miss. and she is bringing my neice and nephew with her. They came last year and spent recital week with us, so we are starting a tradition. There will be lots of swimming, some shopping, and pottery painting. Our new Michaels Craft Store just opened and they sent us some 50% off coupons. and yes, during their visit will be floor destruction.
This month will be busy...Granny, Ben and Bethany's visit, Katie takes the ACT, Fathers Day and our Oklahoma Mission Trip. We are glad summer is here! The pool will be used lots and lots!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
More signs of Spring/Summer
Ahhhhhh, the weather is getting warmer and we all want to be outside.
Here are some more signs of warmer weather...
1. Greg is barbequing alot. We have 2 grills and a smoker and they are working. I've already typed about how awesome the ribs were but last weekend he smoked a pork shoulder that was the best I have ever had! It was wonderful! That was dinner on Sat. night, lunch on Sunday and lunch on Monday. The rest was split up into 2 freezer packages for dinners later on. Super yummy! Last night he cooked pork chops (can ya tell we are on a pork kick?). So yummy! The grocery store has had some good "managers specials" on meat and we were able to stock up.
2. The garden is green and growing. Our corn stalks are about 3 inches tall. We have basil and bell peppers coming up. 2 tomato plants were planted in containers and they are thriving. The 2 square foot garden boxes of green beans are loaded with plants mostly about 6 inches tall. the blueberry bushes are growing and we have lots of little berries on them.
3. We bought 12 pounds of strawberries the other day to make into jelly. By the way, 12 lbs. of berries will make about 42 half pint jars of jelly. Will claims that will only last him a month. The berries are cleaned and pureed and frozen waiting for our canner to be delivered. Greg ordered us a pressure canner and it was shipped yesterday. We won't need to use the pressure for the jelly just a water bath to can it, but we will need the pressure canner for the green beans and squash and stuff like that. I would like to try making our own salsa and sweet pickle relish. We will have to see how ambitious we get. Our next preserving class is in 2 weeks and its on canning.
4. We are nearing the end of some of our school books. Katie will finish Algebra 2 today!!!!! Her average for the class is 96! Very good! She is going to do economics next and then Geometry in the fall. Amy and Will will be starting Pre-Algebra in the fall. We are investing in the Teaching Textbooks curriculum for all 3 kids. They can teach and explain everything and keep up with the grades...I will supply good lighting, a computer, notebooks, scratch paper and plenty of sharpened pencils. Yesterday was sign up for fall co-op classes for the next school year. Amy and Will are taking Physical Science and Beautiful Feet Geography. Katie will be taking Exploring American History. Hers will count for 3 grades since it covers history, bible and literature. We will be stimulating the Homeschool curriculum economy with our tax refund check when it comes.
5. Amy asks everyday to go swimming. She and Will went last Sat. and loved it. Granny bought Will a floating pool basketball game and they had fun with that. Today it looks like rain so I think swimming is out till the weekend.
6. The farm stands are opening in the area with some great produce. Also, the wheat order form came so we have to figure out what we will need for the next year...the order is once a year.
More economy stimulating going on.
Miss Katie will go back to the dr. on Tuesday, next week. We will go to the hospital first for x-rays and then to the surgeon. She has been exercising her foot everynight. She can move it up and down, sideways, and a slight circular rotation. Hopefully this progress will be enough so that we don't have to do rehab.
Thats all for now! Hope everyone has a great Spring Day! Gotta go do laundry!!!!!!
Here are some more signs of warmer weather...
1. Greg is barbequing alot. We have 2 grills and a smoker and they are working. I've already typed about how awesome the ribs were but last weekend he smoked a pork shoulder that was the best I have ever had! It was wonderful! That was dinner on Sat. night, lunch on Sunday and lunch on Monday. The rest was split up into 2 freezer packages for dinners later on. Super yummy! Last night he cooked pork chops (can ya tell we are on a pork kick?). So yummy! The grocery store has had some good "managers specials" on meat and we were able to stock up.
2. The garden is green and growing. Our corn stalks are about 3 inches tall. We have basil and bell peppers coming up. 2 tomato plants were planted in containers and they are thriving. The 2 square foot garden boxes of green beans are loaded with plants mostly about 6 inches tall. the blueberry bushes are growing and we have lots of little berries on them.
3. We bought 12 pounds of strawberries the other day to make into jelly. By the way, 12 lbs. of berries will make about 42 half pint jars of jelly. Will claims that will only last him a month. The berries are cleaned and pureed and frozen waiting for our canner to be delivered. Greg ordered us a pressure canner and it was shipped yesterday. We won't need to use the pressure for the jelly just a water bath to can it, but we will need the pressure canner for the green beans and squash and stuff like that. I would like to try making our own salsa and sweet pickle relish. We will have to see how ambitious we get. Our next preserving class is in 2 weeks and its on canning.
4. We are nearing the end of some of our school books. Katie will finish Algebra 2 today!!!!! Her average for the class is 96! Very good! She is going to do economics next and then Geometry in the fall. Amy and Will will be starting Pre-Algebra in the fall. We are investing in the Teaching Textbooks curriculum for all 3 kids. They can teach and explain everything and keep up with the grades...I will supply good lighting, a computer, notebooks, scratch paper and plenty of sharpened pencils. Yesterday was sign up for fall co-op classes for the next school year. Amy and Will are taking Physical Science and Beautiful Feet Geography. Katie will be taking Exploring American History. Hers will count for 3 grades since it covers history, bible and literature. We will be stimulating the Homeschool curriculum economy with our tax refund check when it comes.
5. Amy asks everyday to go swimming. She and Will went last Sat. and loved it. Granny bought Will a floating pool basketball game and they had fun with that. Today it looks like rain so I think swimming is out till the weekend.
6. The farm stands are opening in the area with some great produce. Also, the wheat order form came so we have to figure out what we will need for the next year...the order is once a year.
More economy stimulating going on.
Miss Katie will go back to the dr. on Tuesday, next week. We will go to the hospital first for x-rays and then to the surgeon. She has been exercising her foot everynight. She can move it up and down, sideways, and a slight circular rotation. Hopefully this progress will be enough so that we don't have to do rehab.
Thats all for now! Hope everyone has a great Spring Day! Gotta go do laundry!!!!!!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Free Tomato Seeds
Go to "www.helpgrowyourownsoup.com" and click on the red barn. This is a Campbells Soup website, you can click on the spade to donate seeds to FFA and then request a pack for seeds for your own home...all for free! There is a limit of one seed pack per household. You can go back everyday and click on the spade for the donation seeds.
I have never grown tomato plants from a seed, but for FREE I am willing to try.
I have never grown tomato plants from a seed, but for FREE I am willing to try.
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