The Inadvertent Farmer

End of the Line!

End of the line you say.

What line?

I don't see any line!

What are you talking about?

End of the Line.

No I am not quitting...nor have I killed the camel.

Nothing that dramatic.

I have entered a photo contest called 'The end of the line' over at Gardening Gone Wild

And since I'm a gardener and also am a wild and crazy girl it seemed appropriate!

It is wishful thinking that is would be the end of the line for the above weed but alas it has spewed its tiny seeds all over my garden.  I will not admit that it is because I did not stay on top of the weeds this year...nope not gonna fess up to anything!

This one didn't get by me either...

 

Sanctuary Garden away from the Chaos

 

My life is anything but calm...it is managed chaos if I was to be perfectly honest.

Unmanaged chaos if I was to be brutally honest, but I'm not going to be...at least not today.

And that is ok.  I love the energy having a big family brings. But there are times that it is nice to visit a place of peace and beauty...a sanctuary from the craziness!

Luckily for me it is next door at my mom's.

She has such a lovely garden, full of roses and flowers and garden art.

As opposed to mine that is strictly about food.

No hers is meant to feed the spirit...

Even her bugs are lovely!

And she only has the beneficial kind...what's up with that?

 Maybe its her picket fence...everything is prettier surrounded by pickets!

Wonder if I could keep the camel in with a sweet little picket fence?

While mine is the tall type for eating...her kale is eye candy all the way!

Even her leaves fall more artistically than mine!

So while I could not live without the utilitarian purpose of my garden...

It is nice to have somewhere to go that only beauty is on the menu!

Thanks mom!

 

Now back to my regularly scheduled life...

Go jump in a pile of leaves Child Style

As much as I dislike the fact the summer has left us.  I do admit the leaves are awefully pretty right now...even after they have fallen they beautifully decorate the landscape in their rich colors. 
The kids on the other hand are not so interested in looking at them as...

 Jumping in them!  Children are all about action after all!

 

WhoooHooo!

  

So my little piece of advice for the day is this...
 

Chores will wait, the dishes aren't going anywhere, but the leaves...and the kids,

Will quickly be gone so...

Come on and kick your feet up and enjoy fall! 

(And always remember to bring your camera!)

 

Colony Collapse Disorder Good Bye My Little Friends

As a farmer you get used to the rhythm of the natural world.

Animals are born and others die...it is the way of things.

You may be saddened but you know that it is the way it is supposed to be...

This is not something that is remotely in nature's rhythm.

We have lost 7 different colonies to Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD.

Our last hive was lost this fall...

I am actually in tears as I type this.

 

How does one get so attached to honey bees?

Could it be the delicious honey that they share with us each year?

 

Is it their unequaled work ethic?

Maybe it is the indispensable way they pollinate our garden and orchard...

It is probably a combination of all of these things and just the allure of the mighty little insect that is the honey bee.

We have always been so careful to not use pesticides on the farm for fear of harming our tiny friends...

 They have always been surrounded by a buffet of things to feast on, both wild...

And purposely planted.

Yet they have still disappeared...

Leaving us perplexed and saddened.

The honey bee is being lost at a rate faster than they can reproduce...

I shudder to think what that means for the bees...

And for us.

We are more dependent on these little pollinators than most people could possibly realize.

"Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our food supply as the honey bee.  'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or CCD, has swept beekeepers throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers -- "

(quote from the top 25 things vanishing in America...the bees were #3 on the list with the family farm being #1, but that is for another post.)

I sure hope we find the cause and the cure soon.

For now our farm and our lives will be a little quieter, a little less productive, all because of the loss of our tiny friends.

Roasted Peppers Playing With My Food Again!

Although my pepper plants are still producing a pepper here and a pepper there.  This was that last big harvest of the season.

And before I put them onto the BBQ to roast I just has to play with them just a little...

Also I decided enter this first photo in the Abundant Harvest Photo Contest over at Gardening Gone Wild.

 

These little yellow guys are called 'Yum Yum Gold' peppers...and they certainly are that.  So very sweet with hardly any innards to clean out.  A perfect out of hand snack!

Not to mention just plain pretty!

When I was done playing around I put them on the grill...

Since I'm a free and easy kind of girl I let the red and the yellow peppers co-habitat while they roasted...

Are you shocked?

No I am not a prude...call me progressive and open minded.

Just don't ask my teenagers...they would deny that strenuously!

For those of you that have never roasted peppers. The object is to blacken the skins all around making them easier to peel and imparting a sweet smokey flavor to the peppers...truly a marvelous was to do peppers!

Ohhhh the smell coming from that BBQ...I don't think a steak in the world can match it!

 I had to do a grill full of just the little yellow ones...the ones too shy and self conscious about their small size to co-mingle with the big lusty red ones.

I am in no way projecting here...

As each batch was done I threw them in a large bowl...

 

And covered them to let them sweat a little...like a sauna for peppers!

After they had cooled I easily peeled them, took out the innards and seeds and cut them into strips.

I would love to say that I ate none of these and left them all for the freezer and that night's pizza...but I must be honest...I ate some...

Ok...I ate a LOT.

They were just too good and frankly I didn't try very hard to resist!

In the deep dark months of winter when I am out of roasted peppers I will regret my lack of self control but for now I am enjoying these with no guilt...well very little!

Getting them ready for the freezer is as easy as taking the amount I would use on a pizza and putting it onto some waxed paper.

Folding the paper into little packets and...

Putting them into freezer containers...one for red, one for yellow.  That way if I want a yellow pizza I don't have to go searching through all the packets cause all the yellows are altogether already.  Color coding for the freezer.  Yes I am that girl...that highly organized color coded girl.

For those that know me in the 'real' world you can get up now...rolling on the ground laughing is just not dignified!

And I am all about being dignified after all.

Now stop that...seriously...you're making a scene!

Ughhh, some people...

 

The Great Grape Harvest!

Hey Everyone...Look what I've just picked! 

Yep...Grapes!

Mama had great plans for grape juice...

But we had other plans...

We're pretty sure none of these are gonna make it all the way to juice or jelly or even raisins!

 

Nope...the only place these are gonna go is in our mouths!

 

 

Hey mama...we think you might want to plant some more grapes!

 
 
 

Yummmmm! 

This is My Reality...

Today I'm a tad droopy...

Missing a few petals...

Some minor holes in my leaves.

Yesterday I had a skin graft in my mouth.  Thanks to a cruel twist of fate I have fabulous teeth and crappy gums...

No matter how much care I give them, no matter how tenderly I treat them...they are receding.  Leaving the roots of my otherwise healthy teeth exposed to the big bad world.

So In order to cover the roots my dentist must take flesh from other places in my mouth and carefully stitch it over the receding gum line.

After three natural births and two c-sections this is not what I consider major...just annoying.  Mostly because it hinders my ability to eat anything crunch, salty, spicy, or hot.  Hmmmm applesauce anyone?

There you have it...

So while the kids are their usual bright, colorful, perky and slightly thorny selves...

 

I am slightly droopy...and hungry.

That is my reality for the day. 

 

Note: When I started this blog I never could have imagined that I would use sunflowers and roses in the same post as skin grafts...ahhh you never know where blogging will take you!

Playing With My Food Again!

October is almost at our doorstep!

As a gardener that means harvesting like crazy to try to beat the first frost. 

I have a wheelbarrow full of pumpkin, buckets of squash, baskets of peppers and tomatoes and...

I grew two kinds of eggplant this year...the usual dark purple and these lovely little gems.

They are 'Fairy Tale' from Territorial Seeds. I started them from seed...my first year of growing eggplant. The 5 plants in my garden have done remarkabley well!

They are beautiful but they are puzzling....

I have to admit after a whole summer of trying to cook with them that I am eggplant challenged it seems.

I have tried grilling them on the BBQ, putting them in casseroles, frying, roasting...I even tried baking with them!

They only tasty thing I like so far is roasted on pizza.

Will I grow them again next year?

Probably.

Even if it is only to do this...

Growing them for photo props seems like a good reason to add them next year!

Sunday Supper...Vegan Pizza from the Garden

I have been asked both in person and via email how the whole 'vegan thing' is coming...

Well to be perfectly honest it has been much easier than I expected.

I have learned to make both cashew and almond milk.  Egg substitutes work great in baking.  Cheese isn't something we ate much of anyway.  Since we went from vegetarian to vegan giving up meat wasn't an issue.  So it really has been a smooth transition...really!

Tonight we are having my all time favorite dish...pizza!

Now how can you have pizza with no cheese I can hear you wondering...

Well the secret to vegan cooking I have found is using the freshest ingredients (the toppings for the pizza are all from my garden) and ramping up the the taste so you don't miss certain things like cheese!

 

Now before I lose you all let me explain...

 

First I start with homemade crust, an olive oil dough that I always have in my fridge thanks to my 5 Minute a Day Bread Book.  I make it according to the recipe but substitute 1/2 of the flour with white whole wheat flour.

 

Next instead of regular bell peppers I have used fire roasted peppers done on the BBQ, they are sweet and smokey.

 

I have also roasted onions and eggplant from the garden...drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

 

How does it stay on with no cheese?

 

 

Glad you asked...the trick is to put the sauce over the veggies!

Instead of a canned pizza sauce I am using a sauce that I made from slow roasting tomatoes and garlic with some olive oil and then pureeing.

 

 

Put in the oven and bake on a pizza stone...

This is an delicious and intensely flavored pizza

You won't even miss the cheese...

 

Really!

Fall Garden Prep and Cleanup

Although we are still in full harvest mode we are also getting some fall prep and clean up done around here...

 Baby Boy is helping my in the bed that soon will cradle our precious garlic...

We LOVE garlic!

We have planted a fall cover crop in some beds while others are soon to be covered with hay and manure.  Rototilling will soon commence in a new area of the garden in preperations for next spring (in the Northwest it is way to wet to till in the early spring).  After the ground is turned I will cover it will hay and compost thick enough to discourage weeds.

Some things are still growing like mad...

I have more pepper, eggplants, and tomatoes than I can just about handle!

(Come back tomorrow and see what I make with this basket of goodies!)

There are also a few beans, lots of kale, onions, and some swiss chard.

 

The flowers are still blooming.

Some purposefully planted, some not...

 

 

We are not the only ones hard at work...

Even the yellow jackets are!

If you want more bug photos and a little story or two I'm over at Not Dabbling in Normal exploring whether yellow jackets can be considered art!

 

Of course there are the jams and jellies to be made this time of year!

 

How about you?  What are you doing to get ready for change of seasons?

Fun With Photo Editing and Manipulating

This photo was taken a few days ago in my mom's garden.  It is pretty typical of the kind of photos you find here.

Editing this was super quick and easy.

But sometimes when the kids are asleep and I am avoiding the sink full of dishes and the laundry pile that is growing at an alarming rate downstairs, I like to play around with photos.

I suppose you would actually call it photo manipulating instead of photo editing...

Here is the same hydrangea as above that I have put through a couple of filters and color saturation taken down...

Now before I go any farther let me state I am not even remotely and expert on any of this...

I have photoshop...I have heard nothing but wonderful things about it...

I have never used mine.

Yes I have yet to learn to use it and it has been residing on my computer for almost 2 years, sigh.

I still use an old Microsoft program that you can't even buy anymore, 'Picture It'

I will learn Photoshop one of these days...when the laundry is done, the kids are bigger, the garden is weedless, and the camel quits breaking the fence!

On this I made it black and white, softened the edges, brightened, upped the contrast and then sharpened just the little fuzzies.

 

On this one I selected the pumpkins using a little tool that grabs the edge pixels as you work your way around them.  Then I inverted so the background was chosen and made it black and white.

I love these little pumpkins they are just too cute...I'm going to plant many more next year!

 

A Dahlia up close and put through 6 filters until it looks like a painting!

 

When I was looking at the original photo I was trying to imagine what I could do with it that would be fun and different.  I thought having one of hubby's bees look like they were pollinating an old painting would be unique.

So I carefully selected the bee to make sure I got all his little parts.  Then I inverted the selection just like the pumpkins.  Next I put the flowers through a bunch of filter till I liked it and and voila...a bee on a painting!

 

Even my kids aren't safe from being manipulated...well their photos anyway!

You saw this photo last week in my homeschool post.

This I did similar to the bee and the pumpkins but when I was all done I overlaid a grunge border I had...I must say I LOVE this one.

I think I will redo this one to clean up the edges of Sweet Girl and her doll then have it printed and framed.  I have the perfect spot in her room to hang it!

 

And one last photo...

 Kiss Me....I'm Irish!

How to kill a camel without the neighbors knowing

Alright yes he is a minor neighborhood celebrity and the adoring public might notice if the big guy went missing.  He also does brings joy to small children in the Christmas parade every year.   And yes he even helps my teenage sons pick up girls but...

He is eating my ROSES! 

He's reaching over the fence seemingly ignoring the 2000 volts from the new fence zapper I just purchased and is eating my roses.  Not only are my roses in peril but he is violating the sanctity of the garden by snatching my tomatoes. He seems to prefer heirloom tomatoes mind you, the late to ripen harder to grow kind.  My just now ripening Brandywines seem to be his favorite!  So I'm left with no other choice but to kill him or put razor wire around the garden.

That is what I need...the garden looking like a prison exercise yard!

Before I went out and smacked him up alongside of his big hairy head I snapped these pics for evidence in case I'm prosecuted...

"But your honor he was eating my Brandywines, that certainly makes it justifiable homicide!" 

Reaching over the fence to eat my climbing roses growing around the chicken yard...

Good thing camels are vegetarians or the chickens big would be in trouble!

 

 I am the master of my domain...

I can bend small fences with a single push...

I laugh at high voltage...

I drive my human insane without even trying...

Yep, it is good to be me!

 

Life is not Symmetrical...not even close!

sym-me-try. n., 1.correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, line, or point. 2. a. excellence of proportion. b. beauty characterized by excellence of proportion

Always two socks...but never to the same pair.

The slices of cake are never cut exactly even.

Five kids...four of them boys.

Most day more laughter than tears.

My life is not symmetrical...not remotely close!

 

Could it be that is why I find these little guys so fascinating?

Perfectly symmetrical...

Perfectly even.

 

One side never complaining about the other side having more leaves than the other....because each side has the same...always.

 

No,

This is my life...

 

Beautiful...but not at all that symmetrical.

With a few spots...

And some aphids hiding among the blossoms...

Some slugs in the mulch...

But it is sweet and full...

 And fragrant...

It is the life I have chosen, the one God has blessed me with.

 

So while I will admire the perfect order of one...

I will live out loud in the chaos of the other!

 

Because I do chaos really well!

 

Photos from the Farm...and the Lake Monster!

Had enough?

I hope not 'cause I've got a ton of photos...

I had a hard time choosing just enough for three days...

I have enough for at least three years worth of post with just photos!

Although I suppose these posts weren't just photos.

I put in a little commentary...just enough to keep me sane!

So without further ado...or further words...

Remember the pictures are links to the original stories behind each one!

Had enough yet???

 

I have to show you one more...the photo that gets more hits than any other when people search Google for picture.

Think its of my cute kids? Nope.

The ornery camel? Not him either.

Not even the well tended ,cough, garden...Doesn't exist actually.

No,

It's this...

My very own personal,

Lake monster...

Who would have thought???

 

Eat Your Broccoli...Mr. Camel

G I Z M O, hey G I Z M O...come here boy

I've got something yummy for you!

 

I'm coming already...don't rush me!

 

S N I F F F F F...I don't know,

It smell a little funky.

 

I don't think I like broccoli...

Pretty sure I don't.

Come on you big baby its good for you...you'll love it, trust me!

 

Ok, ok...I'll try a little taste.

 

C R U N C H...hmmm not to bad.

I told you, and its good for you too...

 It has lots of vitamins and fiber!

 

Doesn't roughage make you poo more?

Do you really want that?

Oh, I guess I never thought of that...

Maybe you shouldn't have anymore.

 

Hey, hold on there...I'm not done

Ok you can finish this one.

I told you that you would like it...have I ever steered your wrong?

 

Well there was that kohlrabi incident.

Oh yeah...

Sorry about that...

 

Leisure Gardening...come stroll with me!

Come take a stroll around the garden with me...no weeding today, just enjoying!

First we'll stop by the tomato patch to sample a few!

These are Purple Calabash...beauties huh?

Quite a few!!!

How about some eggplant?

I know you like eggplant!

Look, the bees are hard at work...better them than us!

Peppers anyone?

Pumpkins will be ready soon...

Sunflowers, the happiest of garden flowers, makes you smile doesn't it?

Anyone have a good coleslaw recipe?

 

The berries are just about done but I bet if we looked we could find a few...

In the case of the blueberries, quite a few!

Thanks so much for taking this stroll through the garden with me...

Now why don't you come and sit a while?

We'll share something cold to drink...

 And enjoy the scenery...

Sorry, here's a napkin...

Didn't mean to make you spit out your lemonade!

 

Potato Pot Pushing or Harvesting Potatoes!

Hey mama...a potato!  Can I get it?

Of course...that's why we're here!

See that mound of soil...that came out of a pot that we grew potatoes in!

The little taters were so easy to find when grown in barrels or pots, no digging, no shovel or pitchfork required...

A brilliant way to grow potatoes!

Hey mama, a red one...look its still attached.

Mama why is it sill stuck to this squishy old potato?

Cause that's the mama potato and the little ones are the baby potatoes.

Oh...

Note:  After yesterday's post I am not even going to comment on the old squishy mama potato...no I am not!  And you better not either...

Well look there...baby bakers and baby red fingerling, ahhhh!

Sweet Girl made sure the littlest were safe as she carried them to the house in her dress...

Each was carefully washed and set to dry...

And since this is a nice family blog I will not go into the details of the royal hissy fit Baby Boy threw when he could not reach the water to wash his potatoes...I will not...because I've blocked it out...

forever...

Peace was again restored to his little world when I told him that his job was to find just the perfect spot on the towel for each and every potato...

And to tell each one what a nice little potato it was...which he did...to each and every last one!

 

So as a parting word of advice for any parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend of a child out there.

Please let them get their hands dirty...let them dig in the dirt.

Let them learn where their food comes from.

This world will better off for it...

Trust me on this, I know...

'Cause I'm as old as dirt...

 

Well almost!

 

 

Chilled Pumpkin Pie Soup...

I haven't posted a recipe in quite a while...not that we haven't been eating or anything, we have done plenty of that! 

 

No, it is just that I have neglected to share...my sincerest apologies.

 

To correct this grave error, I am going to share a recipe that I whipped up with our first pumpkins of the season...

 

And yes this recipe is vegan, but just because it happens to be, it has not be retrofitted to be, just like apple pie is vegan...well unless you use lard in the crust,

 

Or serve it with ice cream...

 

And a glass of milk...

 

OK, bad example, but you all know what I mean...right???

 

So without further ado...

 

I am proud to present to you the uncut version, with bonus features, in dolby surround sound...

 

CHILLED PUMPKIN PIE SOUP!

 

First you must have...any guesses?

 

Yes silly, you must have pumpkin. 

 

I'm sure you could use canned but I am suggesting that you walk on the wild side, be daring, be bold...go pick a real live pumpkin!

 

Or go buy one or two at your farmer's market, or purchase them at the corner grocer.  Either way this is how I'm going to start our little tale today...with two little pumpkins, two sweet and adorable little pumpkins that lived happily in my garden...until I snatched them up, took them from their home and...well never mind, you'll see.

 

 

 

Here are the stars of today's little show, the first two pumpkins of the season!

They are joined by some supporting actors that will have nothing to do with this recipe...no I am not putting potatoes in the soup...

 

I can hear your sighs of relief from here!

 

 

 

Sitting on the cutting board, blissfully unaware of what is coming next...

 

 

 

Oh the horror of cooking...but there are sacrifices that must be made for the greater good!

 

 

 

 

But in the middle of the unspeakable...there is fun to be had!

 

Kids and pumpkin slime...kids and pumpkin seeds.

 

A perfectly messy and wonderful combination!

 

"Whoo Hoo...pumpkin guts" Sweet Girl's exact words

 

Clean out the innards and you will have...

 

  

 

Cleanly gutted pumpkin, ready for the oven!

 

Put them in a 400F oven, covered loosely with foil, until soft.

 

After you take them out let them cool.

 

Peel and slice.

 

Then...

 

 

Put into your blender with one can of coconut milk, one can of water, and 3 to 4 Tablespoons of honey...

 

 

Add some cinnamon and nutmeg...or you could use pumpkin pie spice.

I would love to tell you how much to add but I just dumped it in, add lots if you like it spicy, less if you want it less spicy...original huh?  Then add a teeny tiny pinch of salt...

 

Then blend!

 

Note I am cheating a little here because I am using a Vita-Mix, you can use a regular blender but just make sure to blend it long enough to be very smooth...unless you like it a little chunky, then feel free.  My Vita-Mix doesn't do chunky well, just smoooooth!

 

 

 

Here it is after blending and chilling thoroughly...it really is best COLD!

 

It is light, refreshing and delicately sweet.

 

 

 

And since I don't do delicate very well I added something with a little zing...

how about some blueberries?  Anyone?

 

 

And because I'm the mama...and I said so

 

I'm going to add a little dab of yogurt,

 

Vanilla...

 

Organic...

 

Soy...

 

In case you were wondering!

So to recap you need, the meat from two small pumpkins, one can of coconut milk, one can of water, honey 3 - 4 Tablespoons, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and a blender.

That's it...could it be any easier?

I think not!

 

Tomato Napper...

Before I begin today's little tale...

Here is a photo I have entered in the contest going on over at Gardening Gone Wild.  We were challenged to try to take a photo of our garden from a different perspective...a low one... about ankle height to be exact! Hmmm exactly the place where my two youngest ankles biters are known to reside.

  The oh so very talented David Perry is judging the contest this month.

This photo was taken when I had set my camera on the edge of one of my raised beds.  I thought I had it focused on the lovely dish of tomatoes that I had just picked.  But as fate would have it I found it to be focused on the wooden side of the raised bed.  I must say I really loved how this 'accidental' photo turned out.  I even caught the hand of the sneaky ankle biting tomato napper in the background!

 

Now on with our little tale of crime and intrigue!

It begins when the inadvertent farmer is enjoying a sweet summer morning picking tomatoes from her jungle that is called her garden...

She is quickly filling her bucket with large juicy tomatoes, red ones perfectly round, purple ruffles ones, blocky ones with green shoulders, and tomatoes in the shape of plums.  They are all destined for sandwiches, sauces, and salads...

She is also filling a bowl with a rainbow of teeny tiny grape, currant, and cherry tomatoes.  You know the pop in your mouth, can't get enough, the I can't stop from eating them ones.  Her bowl fairly overflowed with goodness...

But wait...

The tiniest, most vulnerable tomatoes are mysteriously disappearing...

 The sugary sweet yellows are vanishing...

The farmer looks around alarmed...

Then suddenly she hears a muffled giggle...

Could it be???

 

Yes that infamous blond tomato napper had infiltrated the sanctity of her garden...

And was boldly,

With no sign of remorse,

Gobbling up her tomatoes as fast as he could shove them in his plump little mouth...

 

DROP THE TOMATO!!!

The response???

Snort, laugh...giggle, replies he with tomato juice dripping from his lips and down his chin...

The farmer gets no respect...

neither do her tomatoes!

 

Bragging Rights...

I try not to be boastful...

In fact I try to be humble...

If truth be told if you saw my jungle of a garden right now you would say I have every reason to be humble...embarrassed in fact.

Today I am not going to be humble, not one bit...

 

Because look what I grew!!!

 

It's a cantaloupe you say...big deal...I can grow those everyday and twice on Sunday.

Well I have not been able to.  It is not for lack of trying.  I have tried for years and years to get one to ripen here in the notoriously cool Pacific Northwest.

You see we grow big fir trees, apples, hazelnuts, lettuce and all manner of greens.  We can grow beans, potatoes, and corn but...

Musk melons are not what we are known for.

I had to pamper, baby and coddle this little guy along to get him to this point...

Was it worth it you ask...

Well...

 

Ohhh the shear intense smell that is coming from this is almost to heavenly to describe.

Look at that little dribble of juice...divine!

 

And because I wanted to walk on the wild side of breakfast I added...

Can you handle this?

Yes I combined freshly picked blueberries with my newly picked melon!!!

I know, I know...you can hardly believe I'm doing this, and first thing in the morning too!

 

If this was any better I would have had to classify this post under 'fruit porn'...

But since I don't have that specific category, I won't.

But I could...if I was so inclined.

But I'm not.

At least not today...tomorrow...maybe!

 

I ate every single last bite...alone...by myself...in secret.

I did not share...

I did not care...

I ate it all...

I had a ball!

 

So next time sweet hubby stands really close, leans in and whispers,

"Honey, you have really nice melons"

I can honestly reply

"You know darling...yes, I really do!"

 

To See A Friend...

Last week we went to visit a friend.

The kids and I had a very specific reason for going, but that will have to wait until tomorrow for that little story...

For today I am going to show you her darling garden that is just outside her back door

 

 

Her back deck and patio overflow with color!

 

A little wild...a little wonderful!

 

This pot is my favorite...I love all the variety of foliage colors.

 

Then again I am a sucker for something hanging and pink...maybe this is my favorite!

 

She has an upright fuchsia, I had never seen one before.  It is huge and very tropical looking...love it too!

 

Lemonade?  Why yes thank you , that would be lovely!

 

And strawberries...perfect with lemonade!

 

But as much as we all loved the flowers and the pots,

This was the hit of the backyard...

 

She has a trampoline...YEAH!!!

 

Birth of a Sunflower

 

Sometimes I wonder through the garden and am intent on picking something for dinner.  I am focused on finding something ripe and delicious.

Sometimes I wonder through the garden intent on finding weeds that are hiding in the corners.

Sometimes I wonder through the garden inspecting for insects that might be eating the crops.

But sometimes I remember to wander through the garden just for the joy of seeing nature in action, to just be there and appreciate the wonder of it all...

Today is one of those times...

Today I got to see the birth of a sunflower!

 

Note:  you can also find me today over at Not Dabbing In Normal trying to solve some garden issues...permanently!

Friday Funnies

 

Mator Mama?

Baby Boy kept picking red tomatoes the other day...Baby Boy doesn't like red tomatoes particularly, he much prefers yellow and orange ones.

He would pick a red tomato, take a bite, and then throw the rest through the fence to the goat.

Stop picking red tomatoes and giving them to the goat...mama likes red tomatoes

After went back to picking beans .  I felt a nudge on my leg, it was Baby Boy with his hands behinds his back with a big grin on his sweet face

Mama...mator mama?  Me pick mator you!

Thanks Baby you're sweet...but don't pick anymore red ones, ok?

Otay mama...

Pick wellow ones?

Ok Baby, pick yourself some yellow ones

Me wub wellow ones

I love you Baby Boy

Yep, mama wub me

The best thing I ever planted in my garden is my kids!

 

Peace Offering

 After finding many of these muddy handprints around after the kid's muddy adventure, I spent some time wiping them off the walls of the house, the patio furniture, and various other things that the kids had touched.

While I was cleaning up the kids brought me these...

A child size peace offering I suppose!

 

First Sweet Girl brought me her freshly picked daisy...she tried so hard to keep that flower clean.

 

 

Baby Boy's flower didn't fair quite as well!

 

 

Poor little flower...you'll never be quite the same!

 

 

Neither will this shirt!!!

Yellow...the 'Look at Me' Color!

 

Come join me at Not Dabbling In Normal as I ponder the small child like attitude of the color yellow!