Our Weekend

Another busy weekend is behind us. I cried Uncle late last night and declared the Weekend the victor as I was applying Aspercream to my legs and taking Advil in hopes that I could have a pain and ache free night of sleep.

Our weekend started out busy and stayed that way right up until dark last night when we called it quits.

Friday the kids were out of school due to flooding and boy did it flood. When we went to bed on Thursday night it sounded like someone had just turned the water hose on and laid it on top of the roof. The rain didn't even sound like rain it sounded like pouring water from a faucet.

With both the boys home from school we went out to get the supplies for the Scout Troop lunch on Saturday. It was a very simple lunch- cold cuts, chips, apples and juice.

Saturday we got up early, I packed us a lunch in the cooler and we all loaded up and met the Scout Troop at the church. We situated the scout lunch stuff in coolers and packed extra drinks and we were off. 5 cars full of Adult Leaders and Boy Scouts headed to Gettysburg, PA. It was an all day excursion, we visited the Military Museum, watched a movie, took in the Cyclarama and then visited the Museum and gift shop. Then we drove a little ways taking the car tour around the battlefield till we found a spot to pull off and make lunch. We set up all the lunch fixings on a rock wall buffet style. The Boys and Leaders could go through the "buffet" and make whatever lunch sandwich they wanted. We had Turkey, Ham, Salami, cheese, Chips, Apples and juice. I had packed our lunch ahead of time to after all that walking we chose to just lunch in the car. I got our softsided cooler out of the trunk and we just ate our packed lunch in the car. We had a similar lunch, sandwiches, chips/pretzels, apples, peanut butter crackers, water. Then we cleaned up, packed up and took in more of the car tour. Then headed home. We met back at the church to drop scouts off to parents and then called it a day. After a long day of driving and walking, hubby treated us to dinner at Outback. I was back home in in bed before 10. I have no idea when the boys went to bed, but Little Miss and I were out!!

Sunday we got up showered and headed to church, Hubs and the boys stayed home. When I got home from church Hubby sent me to get our gas cans filled while he worked in the yard. I filled the cans and came back home, hubby was ready to go so we left the kids here to watch a show, headed to town. I dropped Hubby off at Lowes to get fencing supplies and a few other things we needed while I went next door to Target for Sugar and Dog food. I met up with Hubs and Lowes and I picked out a few more plants while I was there. Then we grabbed a fast lunch and then headed home to have lunch with the kids. After lunch we gassed up all the equiptment and he went to work on the garden fencing and tilling while I got on the mower and started mowing. After I got the yard mowed I helped hubs in the garden. We planted 23+ tomatoes, 6 bell peppers, 1 tabasco, 2 cayenne, 40 onions and 2 pumpkins- YES REALLY, and YES I did just plant over 100 seeds at Paps but the hubs said those were old seeds and what if they don't come up. So I just went with it, lol We worked till dark and then called it quits. I was D.O.N.E!!

Still to plant is the beans, cucumbers and any other plants that the kids started from seed that have made it. But that is for another evening,lol

And that was my weekend!!

Planting more seeds

So this year I decided to plant as much as I could for my garden from seed. I've had some good results and some not so good results. To be honest I think my not so good results are because I am impatient and rushed things a bit. But you live and learn right??

So I decided yesterday that it wouldn't hurt a thing if I planted more seeds for our garden. I replanted some of what didn't make the first go around and then I planted more of some that are doing well and with all the seeds I am hoping for the best.

I planted alot of seeds yesterday: 2 kinds of tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, asparagus seed, cucumbers, to name a few.

I know that if they all survive that I will have WAY MORE than we will use and I hope we do so that I can give some plants to a dear friend who lives close!!

Dh says he hopes to get into our garden this weekend and get it tilled up. I plan on using some advice/tips from Brandy by using my empty canning jars as mini greenhouses. Yes I know impatient but hey she's had great results so it can't hurt to try.

Dh and I have also talked about putting in an asparagus bed. We've discussed it before both of us thinking it was a good idea but we never got past the "thinking on it" stage. Now that we've started seeds, we've got the push to get something done. We know our seedlings won't produce for a couple of years but if we don't get something started we'll never have any asparagus.

Dh's talking about enlarging our garden, its not very big to begin with and it wouldn't hurt for it to be a bit bigger, especially since I got a little crazy with the seed planting, but I'm guessing we'll start in the fall and clear and till and amend for next years garden.

In the mean time any extra plants we end up with will be shared with friends and any extras we can't get rid of I'll plant in the flower beds, lol  I plant flowers in the vegetable garden ( marigolds between the tomatoes-helps with bugs) why not plant vegetables in the flower beds?? :)

Enjoy your day!!!

Tired.... but its a good tired...

I went saturday to purchase a bushel of peaches from a local farmer, they weren't quite ripe so they got put on the back burner and I canned up the tomatoes I had ready instead. I got 4 quarts. Nothing to sneeze at though, 4 quarts more than I had and the vines are full.
Sunday was a very busy day, I got up early and baked a cake, made a batch of icing and colored it and then worked up some roses to set to be placed on the cake later. We got everyone ready then went to church, after church we got a quick lunch and I came home to finish the cake. I think it turned out ok, not my best but it was a rush job as I didn't get home till 12:30 and I had to finish the cake and make 2 dishes to take to the cookout. And we had to be there by 2:00, admittedly we were about 1/2 hr late but it all worked out great as lots of other folks thought the party started at 3:00.

After the party was over I think we got home around 7:30, we went out to the garden to see if there were any more tomatoes ready, they have been trickling in slowly, and so we have been checking every day or so to make sure we don't miss any. Well what we found was a few tomatoes a couple cucumbers and a ton of weeds. So we went to pulling weeds and did so for about an hour. We all came in and got showers and got ready for bed.

Yesterday I decided the peaches were ripe enough to can so we get everything ready to work them up and then we got a call from my grandparents and asked if I would like some fresh green beans from their garden and I told them we would love some and so my gram said Pap had an errand to run and would bring them too me. I decided to keep Kara up a while longer before she went down for her nap so she could see her PapPap and we waited for him to arrive. It wasn't long at all before he pulled in and he brought more than just beans. He really blessed us with his generosity!!!

I sent him home with 6 big peaches, it was all he wanted and all I had to offer him, as I had nothing else ripe yet. I promised I would work up a few peppers as stuffed peppers for him and Gram, they love them.

Once Pap left I got the baby down for a nap and got busy. Later in the afternoon my good friend Emmy called and we arranged for her to come over so all the kids could swim and she helped me scald the last of the peaches and put them into jars. It wasn't long till it was 5:30 and she had to get her kids home and dinner started for her family and I kept plugging along vowing to finish the peaches that day. I did finish and took the last 4 jars off last night at 9:30. All in all I canned 25 quarts of peaches, did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom and made breakfast, lunch and dinner and started snapping the green beans. I finally got to tired and gave up and went to bed at around 11:00 last night. Thankfully I guess the kids were just as tired as I was and they all slept through the night!!!

I was back up at 6:15 this morning, hubby's lunch is packed and the younger two are up and eating their breakfast, I've made the bed and tidied the bathroom  and my agenda today will be to work up the green beans, and If I get to it I'll work up the corn as well, in addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, I hope to get a couple loads of laundry done as well.

Busy busy busy, and so tired but it is definately worth it!! Feeling blessed and thankful to be able to fill the jars and the shelves to get us through!!! I may not have money in the bank but food on the shelves is a great feeling!!!
I am headed off to get busy, what's going on at your homestead today??
Have a wonderful day!!
Dana

Garden is coming along!!!

I woke up this morning stiff and sore and just feeling like I had been ran over. After a good hot shower and a (another, ;) lol ) cup of coffee I feel human again!!!

Right now the garden seems to be kicking my tail, but all this stiffness and soreness will pay off I know it, and that is what keeps me plugging along!!

Yesterday we planted 22 tomatoes, and 37 cucumber vines, we put straw around everything we planted yesterday and put the stakes in for the peas climb.

I still have bell peppers, and more tomatoes to plant as well as cantelopes, and squash, watermelon and pumpkins, hot peppers, onions  and more green beans. But its coming along!! Plus whatever else I find to plant!! Oh and the herbs, I haven't planted them out yet either and I am thinking I might plant another crop of garlic, it turned out to be super easy and well why not?? LOL

If you can't tell I am super super excited to be in the garden!! I absolutely can't wait to see all the jars filled up and ready for winter!!

How does your garden grow???

Have a blessed day!!!
Dana

Garden Work

Well I dove right in working on weeding out the weed patch garden patch. I was able to get over 1/2 the garden weeded yesterday and planned on finishing up weeding this morning but wouldn't ya know it good ol' wrench showed up. Ya know that wrench that always gets thrown into the middle of your plans??

Well even before my hubby left for work this morning I heard it, the wrench that was going to mess up my plans.

Today it is in the form of a paving crew that is stationed on the road in front of my house, sealing the asphalt.
Normally this would not be a big deal but with a very curious 2 yr old and mama busy in the garden, yeah just don't like the idea of her being out running around with strangers so close and me concentrating on working in the garden.

Let her help me in the garden so I can keep her close you say? Yes well I tried that yesterday and she about trampled my peas to death, so instead of getting angry and letting my temper cause me to yell and fume I sent her and her brother off to play.

Brother has already left for school so my garden work will have to wait till later today. But I will get it done!!

Super excited to get my veggie plants in the ground.

So while the road crew is working I'll take care of the inside of the house instead!!

Have a great day!!
Dana