August has been busy. Everything has been growing. Kaya is doing awesome and growing like a weed..amazing us every single day with some thought, action or thing. Our "zoo" at the Hacienda has been doing thriving. J has spread his wings into a new challenge in California and is doing well. Likes the neighborhood, who he's staying with etc. Now when school starts in September I hope good things keep coming for him. Garden has been awesome this year and despite the heat and lack of rain it keeps on going. We've already done one round of seed saving for next year.
Some seeds for our plans next year arrived this month. We will be raising loofah gourds next year. I'm excited because it will mainly be to sell/use not an ornamental item or a food item. We are doing regular gourds this year and they have turned out well. So it will be an adventure adding the loofah gourds to our garden next year. We will also be raising a type of ancient pepper that has awesome color and can be used for cooking or stuffing. We will also be starting seeds on the seed rack.
Things keep hopping at the Hacienda. New plans are coming onto the table with exciting prospects and ideas. And we keep trucking on ...
Kaya Rain
Our beautiful daughter.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Brother on his way...
Well my little brother and his best friend decided that they were camping all across the US that way they could take their time, see sites and have fun before getting to Los Angeles. J managed to mark alot of stuff of that bucket list of his this week!
Their first stop was in Pacific Missouri. They camped in their tent and had a beautiful sunset. Second stop was in Choctaw, Oklahoma with another night in their tent and cooking hamburgers over the fire pit. He sent me a beautiful pic of the sunrise. The trek through Texas was not their favorite..too much scrub land and they hit a very high wind storm on the way to New Mexico. The wind was so strong that they had sore arms keeping their vehicle on the road in spots!!
In New Mexico they could see the storms gathering over the mountains and J said it was awesome! They hit a hard rain and hail storm in New Mexico. By the time they got to Albuquere the hail and rain was bad! They were under a flood advisory and from the picture he sent me I could tell why!! You could barely make out the trees. Deciding to forgo the tent (lol) they stayed in a small one room cabin in the camp grounds and rested up.
One of the best legs of the trip was today...from Albuquere to Flagstaff Arizona. Some awesome scenery, cool things to see and they had sunny weather all the way there. They decided to camp in a teepee tonight in Flagstaff and since they got to the campground early ...they decided to head out and explore the area. They are about 90 miles from the Grand Canyon, there is the Petrified forest, Meteor Canyon etc so plenty of things to see if they decide to stay another day there. This leg of the trip is my favorite and I've been to the area several times. They hit the Dine (Navajo) reservation today and saw some beautiful scenery. They also witnessed a very lucky man take a header off of his motor cycle ..thanks to having leathers and a helmet on the guy will only be sore tomorrow! J and L rushed to help the guy as he was right in front of them.
Kaya is doing better today but still thinks J should be back by Friday as she misses him horribly. We have let her track him across the US on maps and tonight we fixed Indian tacos as that is what he thought they'd have for supper (and honestly..who turns down an Indian taco?? LOL) She has wished on a star for two nights...and J has wished on a star at his campgrounds. :) Sweet but hard on the heart when your kiddo loves and misses someone! J misses her alot too. We let her text him or talk to him and that helps her. Every night he sends her a picture of his tent etc so she knows he's "safe" :)
Some of the beautiful scenery from NM to AZ
Their first stop was in Pacific Missouri. They camped in their tent and had a beautiful sunset. Second stop was in Choctaw, Oklahoma with another night in their tent and cooking hamburgers over the fire pit. He sent me a beautiful pic of the sunrise. The trek through Texas was not their favorite..too much scrub land and they hit a very high wind storm on the way to New Mexico. The wind was so strong that they had sore arms keeping their vehicle on the road in spots!!
In New Mexico they could see the storms gathering over the mountains and J said it was awesome! They hit a hard rain and hail storm in New Mexico. By the time they got to Albuquere the hail and rain was bad! They were under a flood advisory and from the picture he sent me I could tell why!! You could barely make out the trees. Deciding to forgo the tent (lol) they stayed in a small one room cabin in the camp grounds and rested up.
One of the best legs of the trip was today...from Albuquere to Flagstaff Arizona. Some awesome scenery, cool things to see and they had sunny weather all the way there. They decided to camp in a teepee tonight in Flagstaff and since they got to the campground early ...they decided to head out and explore the area. They are about 90 miles from the Grand Canyon, there is the Petrified forest, Meteor Canyon etc so plenty of things to see if they decide to stay another day there. This leg of the trip is my favorite and I've been to the area several times. They hit the Dine (Navajo) reservation today and saw some beautiful scenery. They also witnessed a very lucky man take a header off of his motor cycle ..thanks to having leathers and a helmet on the guy will only be sore tomorrow! J and L rushed to help the guy as he was right in front of them.
Kaya is doing better today but still thinks J should be back by Friday as she misses him horribly. We have let her track him across the US on maps and tonight we fixed Indian tacos as that is what he thought they'd have for supper (and honestly..who turns down an Indian taco?? LOL) She has wished on a star for two nights...and J has wished on a star at his campgrounds. :) Sweet but hard on the heart when your kiddo loves and misses someone! J misses her alot too. We let her text him or talk to him and that helps her. Every night he sends her a picture of his tent etc so she knows he's "safe" :)
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| The guys teepee for the evening..video J sent me shows a pretty spacious inside with round beds!! |
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Little brother
My little brother is headed out this weekend to California to start schooling. Seems like time has flew since he came home in December.
Kaya is NOT happy with him going. She is very excited that my brother's best friend Lehmy is here to visit but not liking that he will be leaving with her Uncle J.
I'm very proud of my brother. He sat his goals, has traveled the world, survived bombings, lost his hearing in one ear on a mission and keeps on going. He decided he wanted into this school in Cali and he got in. He's nervous but ready to face the next obstacle.
California isn't my ideal place to go but I know he wants to see and hear the ocean again..the only thing he misses about Hawaii. I know he's very excited about this school and that he's getting to live in a new place and try something new.
I've always laughed and said we are twins born 27 mo apart but we are also best friends. Distance is simply measurement of time...but we are always together in our hearts.
Him and Dad has made strides in their relationship while he's been home and I admire him for that. I never once stepped in.
I'm very lucky that my babygirl has an uncle that knows what it is to be an uncle. He can discipline her,put her in the corner and still get a kiss goodnight every night. She is almost certain he's magic and hung the moon ;) He loves her as if she is his own kid. Every kid deserves that.
Sooo going to be a teary day I'm afraid and I'll rest easier once I know they are in their hotel in OK then at their home in LA, California. But I wouldn't want him to ever give up his dreams or goals. Life is too short for regret, too short to wonder what if..and if you never take that first step and try..then you fail.
Kaya is NOT happy with him going. She is very excited that my brother's best friend Lehmy is here to visit but not liking that he will be leaving with her Uncle J.
I'm very proud of my brother. He sat his goals, has traveled the world, survived bombings, lost his hearing in one ear on a mission and keeps on going. He decided he wanted into this school in Cali and he got in. He's nervous but ready to face the next obstacle.
California isn't my ideal place to go but I know he wants to see and hear the ocean again..the only thing he misses about Hawaii. I know he's very excited about this school and that he's getting to live in a new place and try something new.
I've always laughed and said we are twins born 27 mo apart but we are also best friends. Distance is simply measurement of time...but we are always together in our hearts.
Him and Dad has made strides in their relationship while he's been home and I admire him for that. I never once stepped in.
I'm very lucky that my babygirl has an uncle that knows what it is to be an uncle. He can discipline her,put her in the corner and still get a kiss goodnight every night. She is almost certain he's magic and hung the moon ;) He loves her as if she is his own kid. Every kid deserves that.
Sooo going to be a teary day I'm afraid and I'll rest easier once I know they are in their hotel in OK then at their home in LA, California. But I wouldn't want him to ever give up his dreams or goals. Life is too short for regret, too short to wonder what if..and if you never take that first step and try..then you fail.
Very excited!!
I'm very excited that I was gifted my great, great, great uncle's presentation outfit. It was the outfit that my 3rd great grandma hand sewed for him to meet his "church family". Dad gave it to me last night and I'm so excited over it.
My 3rd great uncle was born in 1899 so this outfit is roughly 114 yrs old! Considering other family members most likely wore it for their church presentation and it's been in storage for years it's in great shape!
Back in the day families would either make christening gowns or presentation outfits. The church my ggg grandparents attended didn't believe in christening babies so the children wore presentation outfits. They were usually very detailed, white and even if it was a boy usually resembled a more girly outfit simply because of the time period. The child would be either dressed it in the outfit to attend his/her first time at church or when the family came to the house to see the baby. The outfit would be wore for important events only.
The detail that goes into the outfits were amazing! This one had small three layer pleats down the front and back, button front, frilly neck line and arm holes and had tatting lace detailed down it.
Many families held onto their presentation outfits as long as possible. Some, if they had big households, wore out their gowns/outfits!
This outfit holds alot of feelings for me not only because it's a piece of family history but because my grandma is gone and alot of her family on her immediate side is gone as well. I never knew this 3rd great uncle but I grew up with my Dad farming with his son on his farm. I played on the same staircase that my 3rd great uncle would slide down...in the same rooms my grandma (who would be 88 if living) played in. There is a strong family bond to this piece.
That side of the family settled into Williams many years before it even had a proper name. Williams was originally slated another name but due to another town already having that name they couldn't open a post office or have the town slated. So they decided since the Williams family (my Grandma's mother's family) had the most farmland they'd use that name. My 3rd great and 4th great grandpa built a fine farm home on the family farm. Complete with wide staircase, big rooms and fireplaces in each bedroom. A summer kitchen, a sheep barn, a farmhand's home, and a big barn was also built by hand. My great great great grandma used the summer kitchen to can, cook for the farm hands and to do the laundry in the summer to keep the heat out of the main house. It was the first house to implement indoor plumbing/running water via a pump in the kitchen sink, slide troughs through the house and the privy was in the home eventually.
My Granny had many great memories in the house and with my 3rd great uncle. He was a comic and a tall thin man. I love that I got to grow up playing in the same house as so many of my family members.
Back in the day families would either make christening gowns or presentation outfits. The church my ggg grandparents attended didn't believe in christening babies so the children wore presentation outfits. They were usually very detailed, white and even if it was a boy usually resembled a more girly outfit simply because of the time period. The child would be either dressed it in the outfit to attend his/her first time at church or when the family came to the house to see the baby. The outfit would be wore for important events only.
Many families held onto their presentation outfits as long as possible. Some, if they had big households, wore out their gowns/outfits!
This outfit holds alot of feelings for me not only because it's a piece of family history but because my grandma is gone and alot of her family on her immediate side is gone as well. I never knew this 3rd great uncle but I grew up with my Dad farming with his son on his farm. I played on the same staircase that my 3rd great uncle would slide down...in the same rooms my grandma (who would be 88 if living) played in. There is a strong family bond to this piece.
That side of the family settled into Williams many years before it even had a proper name. Williams was originally slated another name but due to another town already having that name they couldn't open a post office or have the town slated. So they decided since the Williams family (my Grandma's mother's family) had the most farmland they'd use that name. My 3rd great and 4th great grandpa built a fine farm home on the family farm. Complete with wide staircase, big rooms and fireplaces in each bedroom. A summer kitchen, a sheep barn, a farmhand's home, and a big barn was also built by hand. My great great great grandma used the summer kitchen to can, cook for the farm hands and to do the laundry in the summer to keep the heat out of the main house. It was the first house to implement indoor plumbing/running water via a pump in the kitchen sink, slide troughs through the house and the privy was in the home eventually.
My Granny had many great memories in the house and with my 3rd great uncle. He was a comic and a tall thin man. I love that I got to grow up playing in the same house as so many of my family members.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Life has a way...
Life has a way at times of stopping you dead in your tracks and making you appreciate what you have. On my day off Wednesday we headed for a fave park to play. Noticed a guy there with a notebook and a little boy playing but it wasn't our business so we didn't ask. Just let Kaya have fun swinging with the little boy. You could tell the boy had some social issues and behavioral issues but on the whole nice little boy, adorable little glasses and he played well with Kaya. Notebook guy called someone on his cell phone and said "The mom is late for a supervised visitation. I'll go ahead and stay and wait only because she did call". Then we noticed the notebook guy was actually a court mediator through CPS (via the badge he had on). We continued to let Kaya play with the boy.
In pulls a car and when the lady stepped out the boy ran screaming into the covered slide. We told Kaya to come play with us but it struck me that the little boy didn't run TO his Mom he ran FROM his Mom!!
After a few minutes of the woman finally getting the boy to come to her she hugged on him and then "played Mom"....giving him rules and then saying at least 1 million times "I love you. I love you". The boy never once replied it back to her. The little boy came up to Kaya and said "It's my birthday today.". Kaya immediately put her arms out and said "You really look like you need a hug. Everyone should have a hug on their birthday". They hugged and then went to playing.
The woman had the boy go to a picnic table but he wouldn't stay there. Finally he came up to us and Kaya and asked "Can you please sit with me and have cake and ice cream. It's my bday party". There was only his Mom, her friend, her kid and the CPS worker for this poor kid's bday party. Normally we don't do such things but the child's face...killed me. So we sat with Kaya at the party while she had a bowl of icecream. The kid's Mom had to force her way between the little boy and Kaya and as soon as the gift was open he was on the swings with Kaya. I noticed the CPS worker saying that the boy's grandma had packed him a juice box etc.
The whole deal broke my heart, humbled me and made me hug my own child closer. I'm not judgmental and I don't know the ladies path in life. She could have been a drug addict, abused her child, a recovering addict, had a violent marriage/divorce who knows. All I can hope is that for her and her child she puts both feet forward and makes efforts to become a Mom. I'm thankful the child has a grandparent that is taking him in and taking care of him...but to watch a child and their parent interact with NO bond at the tender age of 5 killed me. I am constantly with, thinking of or doing for my child. She's 5 as well and we snuggle, laugh and are together every second we can be.
As a mother and a woman I was struggling to NOT cry. I wanted to put him in our backseat and drive off with him...give him stability, love and stop his visitations where parents get to "prove" they are parents or put on a show.
In the Jeep Kaya told me "Mamma, that little boy needed my hug". That was all she said. Tremendously strong words about a strong subject...brought down to the core. All that little boy needed was my hug..........
In pulls a car and when the lady stepped out the boy ran screaming into the covered slide. We told Kaya to come play with us but it struck me that the little boy didn't run TO his Mom he ran FROM his Mom!!
After a few minutes of the woman finally getting the boy to come to her she hugged on him and then "played Mom"....giving him rules and then saying at least 1 million times "I love you. I love you". The boy never once replied it back to her. The little boy came up to Kaya and said "It's my birthday today.". Kaya immediately put her arms out and said "You really look like you need a hug. Everyone should have a hug on their birthday". They hugged and then went to playing.
The woman had the boy go to a picnic table but he wouldn't stay there. Finally he came up to us and Kaya and asked "Can you please sit with me and have cake and ice cream. It's my bday party". There was only his Mom, her friend, her kid and the CPS worker for this poor kid's bday party. Normally we don't do such things but the child's face...killed me. So we sat with Kaya at the party while she had a bowl of icecream. The kid's Mom had to force her way between the little boy and Kaya and as soon as the gift was open he was on the swings with Kaya. I noticed the CPS worker saying that the boy's grandma had packed him a juice box etc.
The whole deal broke my heart, humbled me and made me hug my own child closer. I'm not judgmental and I don't know the ladies path in life. She could have been a drug addict, abused her child, a recovering addict, had a violent marriage/divorce who knows. All I can hope is that for her and her child she puts both feet forward and makes efforts to become a Mom. I'm thankful the child has a grandparent that is taking him in and taking care of him...but to watch a child and their parent interact with NO bond at the tender age of 5 killed me. I am constantly with, thinking of or doing for my child. She's 5 as well and we snuggle, laugh and are together every second we can be.
As a mother and a woman I was struggling to NOT cry. I wanted to put him in our backseat and drive off with him...give him stability, love and stop his visitations where parents get to "prove" they are parents or put on a show.
In the Jeep Kaya told me "Mamma, that little boy needed my hug". That was all she said. Tremendously strong words about a strong subject...brought down to the core. All that little boy needed was my hug..........
Whatta crazy week!!
Has just been one insanely busy crazy week!! Week of inventory at work is always a crazy time. Pushing extra hours at work, the added heat and just the stress to have everything done...then the stress of working your tail end off the day after catching up and doing paperwork.
This year inventory fell on a Wednesday so I had the day off (can't log items into the system when the system has to be down). Rare treat to be off in the middle of the week. Took full advantage of the day,tossed the to do list and had a great time. Lots of play time at the park, went for ice cream cones then lots of swimming in the pool in the afternoon/evening. Kaya was all smiles all day :)
Have been trying to stick to certain ideas on the food menu and we've been doing Friday Fun Food day. I'm off every weekend but one a month so Friday after work kicks off the fun weekend :) Last week it was yummy omelets (something we never do for supper) with whatever fixings we each wanted. This Friday Kaya picked homemade pancakes and smokey links for her and homemade biscuits with homemade deer sausage gravy for the gang. It's nice to change up the menu to something fun :)
Last night Steve decided to clean the garage and had a lot of it done by the time I got home. We ate supper then got back to work. I am pleasantly pleased at how much we got done and how much room we opened up :) We moved my garage fridge (I use it for extra milk, tea, etc and I use the freezer side to store flour while I freeze it etc) next to my deep freeze. I like how it looks and it should flow pretty well when doing garden veggies etc. I love having a spare fridge in the garage especially when having bday parties or get togethers because I have the extra room to store desserts etc.
We put our shelving we built into place. We now have a spot for the tools we use alot without having to go to the back of the garage. It also holds our cases of bulk drinking water on the bottom, the bedding for the tortoise and the ice cream maker so it's all within reach of the garage door. Have a few more tweaks to do then the garage will be done for winter.
One goal is to get the seed rack cleaned down, storage put where it should be on it and get it set to start a winter round of seedlings :) We will also be putting another set of racks we build into the garage as extra pantry shelving.
I also have to hit Kaya's toy totes. Sigh. HATE that job worse than anything. It's hard to sort and remember how little she was. But..we always keep special toys and we try to donate her other ones that were just regular old toys but in good shape to either Santa's helpers or the reservation.
After a sweaty job completed we hit the pool for a long evening swim. Kaya loved floating around and watching our two bat buddies swoop overhead looking for bugs. She simply loves bats and one of her fave stuff animals is a brown bat!! :)
This year inventory fell on a Wednesday so I had the day off (can't log items into the system when the system has to be down). Rare treat to be off in the middle of the week. Took full advantage of the day,tossed the to do list and had a great time. Lots of play time at the park, went for ice cream cones then lots of swimming in the pool in the afternoon/evening. Kaya was all smiles all day :)
Have been trying to stick to certain ideas on the food menu and we've been doing Friday Fun Food day. I'm off every weekend but one a month so Friday after work kicks off the fun weekend :) Last week it was yummy omelets (something we never do for supper) with whatever fixings we each wanted. This Friday Kaya picked homemade pancakes and smokey links for her and homemade biscuits with homemade deer sausage gravy for the gang. It's nice to change up the menu to something fun :)
Last night Steve decided to clean the garage and had a lot of it done by the time I got home. We ate supper then got back to work. I am pleasantly pleased at how much we got done and how much room we opened up :) We moved my garage fridge (I use it for extra milk, tea, etc and I use the freezer side to store flour while I freeze it etc) next to my deep freeze. I like how it looks and it should flow pretty well when doing garden veggies etc. I love having a spare fridge in the garage especially when having bday parties or get togethers because I have the extra room to store desserts etc.
We put our shelving we built into place. We now have a spot for the tools we use alot without having to go to the back of the garage. It also holds our cases of bulk drinking water on the bottom, the bedding for the tortoise and the ice cream maker so it's all within reach of the garage door. Have a few more tweaks to do then the garage will be done for winter.
One goal is to get the seed rack cleaned down, storage put where it should be on it and get it set to start a winter round of seedlings :) We will also be putting another set of racks we build into the garage as extra pantry shelving.
I also have to hit Kaya's toy totes. Sigh. HATE that job worse than anything. It's hard to sort and remember how little she was. But..we always keep special toys and we try to donate her other ones that were just regular old toys but in good shape to either Santa's helpers or the reservation.
After a sweaty job completed we hit the pool for a long evening swim. Kaya loved floating around and watching our two bat buddies swoop overhead looking for bugs. She simply loves bats and one of her fave stuff animals is a brown bat!! :)
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Love a family Saturday :)
Is there really anything better than just taking off for the day and having family time :) Work has been busy, we've been busy at home every evening even though we have been tossing in a swim daily when the weather cooperates ;) but it's still nice to just have fun and do something that we normally don't do every day.
Kaya's first pick was the Farmer's Market. She loves to look at everything and everyone as well as get her free book lol In the middle of the farmer's Market is a park and that sure does not hurt her feelings LOL So off to the Market we went. Got there an hour before it closed and caught a good deal on onions, cucumbers and blackberries. Played at the park while having a cold lemonade.
After talking we decided to hit Spring Mill for the rest of the day. They were having Pioneer Days and the village was "alive" so why not??! Kaya had fun feeding all the geese (although she was getting a bit close for my liking). Then we checked out the bridge and trail. Then to the village to look inside EVERY cabin, tour the garden and check out crafts, quilts and food being made. She always enjoys the candlemaker but she wasn't there today. Then we hiked back to the one cave and waterfall. Very nice to cool down for a few. Of course Kaya had to have a little walk through the creek ;). On the way out of the village we stopped at Donaldson Cave. All the caves in this area are closed due to White Nose Fungus with Bats (areas are trying hard to save the bats and their habitat) but you can walk into the front of the cave.
Man alive..I forgot just how many steps down it was to that cave!! Kaya was a trooper and handles the rocky part of the trail well. Inside the cave the temp drops alot..the water running out of it is only about 34 degrees!! and Kaya had fun checking out the inside of the cave, listening to the water rush "back in the dark", and seeing all the rock formations. The hike up was much kinder to Kaya than us hahaha but we all did it! Kaya had a blast and was pretty quiet on the way home! She did tell us more than once that she "had a grreeeat day" but was pretty wore out.
Once home we decided on slow simmered bbq ribs with a salad for supper (Uncle J choice) and Kaya ate really well! I had old bananas that were too ripe so we made up banana bread and froze one of the loafs for later. Then we took the blackberries..they were pretty ripe...and made an awesome blackberry crisp for Steve. He gave it two thumbs wayyy up.
Busy day but wouldn't trade it for anything. Love family time, stepping away from chore lists and stresses and just being together. We are very lucky that we roll with the flow of life and our life is not only blessed but usually peaceful but it's still nice to just have time together. Love having Kaya beside me in the kitchen. Yes, she is known to spread flour all over while stirring, not always hit the bowl with her egg lol but it's precious time I wouldn't trade for anything. It brings back memories of me helping my own Mom cook/bake and memories of standing at both my grandmas apron tails helping out. It's not "just cooking" it's sharing life, making memories, learning a new skill and new things, and having fun. Kaya has always helped put up veggies and fruits and to cook. I don't let her near skillets or that sort but she loves to mix up ingredients or find new recipes.
Kaya's first pick was the Farmer's Market. She loves to look at everything and everyone as well as get her free book lol In the middle of the farmer's Market is a park and that sure does not hurt her feelings LOL So off to the Market we went. Got there an hour before it closed and caught a good deal on onions, cucumbers and blackberries. Played at the park while having a cold lemonade.
After talking we decided to hit Spring Mill for the rest of the day. They were having Pioneer Days and the village was "alive" so why not??! Kaya had fun feeding all the geese (although she was getting a bit close for my liking). Then we checked out the bridge and trail. Then to the village to look inside EVERY cabin, tour the garden and check out crafts, quilts and food being made. She always enjoys the candlemaker but she wasn't there today. Then we hiked back to the one cave and waterfall. Very nice to cool down for a few. Of course Kaya had to have a little walk through the creek ;). On the way out of the village we stopped at Donaldson Cave. All the caves in this area are closed due to White Nose Fungus with Bats (areas are trying hard to save the bats and their habitat) but you can walk into the front of the cave.
Man alive..I forgot just how many steps down it was to that cave!! Kaya was a trooper and handles the rocky part of the trail well. Inside the cave the temp drops alot..the water running out of it is only about 34 degrees!! and Kaya had fun checking out the inside of the cave, listening to the water rush "back in the dark", and seeing all the rock formations. The hike up was much kinder to Kaya than us hahaha but we all did it! Kaya had a blast and was pretty quiet on the way home! She did tell us more than once that she "had a grreeeat day" but was pretty wore out.
Once home we decided on slow simmered bbq ribs with a salad for supper (Uncle J choice) and Kaya ate really well! I had old bananas that were too ripe so we made up banana bread and froze one of the loafs for later. Then we took the blackberries..they were pretty ripe...and made an awesome blackberry crisp for Steve. He gave it two thumbs wayyy up.
Busy day but wouldn't trade it for anything. Love family time, stepping away from chore lists and stresses and just being together. We are very lucky that we roll with the flow of life and our life is not only blessed but usually peaceful but it's still nice to just have time together. Love having Kaya beside me in the kitchen. Yes, she is known to spread flour all over while stirring, not always hit the bowl with her egg lol but it's precious time I wouldn't trade for anything. It brings back memories of me helping my own Mom cook/bake and memories of standing at both my grandmas apron tails helping out. It's not "just cooking" it's sharing life, making memories, learning a new skill and new things, and having fun. Kaya has always helped put up veggies and fruits and to cook. I don't let her near skillets or that sort but she loves to mix up ingredients or find new recipes.
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| Feeding the geese. They loved it, she loved it..I told her to keep a distance lol |
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| Looking down the "bend" of the cave. You can hear the loud rush of water wayyy back in there. Water runs from it constantly. We only looked AT the bend we didn't venture further than the main area in front. |
Garden is....
Really busting itself. So far we've got a ton of tomatoes coming out, banana peppers, lemon cucumbers, cabbage etc. Not too shabby :)
So far I've put up almost 6 gallons of green beans from our garden and banana peppers. A sweet friend of ours has canned/put up all she wants to this season so she's passed on her goodies to me. We barter back and forth all the time.
So to my own stash I've put a whole banana box (!!) full of green beans and over 120 ears of corn :) I'll put notes at bottom how I freeze them up. I've hit the farmers market and got bell peppers put up in the freezer as well as goodies to round out our everyday meals. I didn't plant regular cucumbers this year so I've bought them from the Amish for CHEAP this year as well as good size onions from the market...what we put out was small bulb ones.
Our heirloom tomatoes ...31 plants are producing pretty well. One evening we got 19 tomatoes!! We plant cherry tomatoes as well as a variety of different ones. We have started our first round of seed saving (will tell how at bottom) so next year we will have seeds from our best tomatoes.
All in all pleased with the garden this year. Squash is coming on as well as later season peppers (hot ones) that will go in the freezer etc. People need to remember that not just your own garden goodies can be put up in the freezer. Anything you buy at the farmer's market or even in bulk at a grocery store (as long as it's fresh looking) can be froze or canned!!
*** To freeze green beans:
Snap beans to desired size cutting tips if necessary. You can freeze as french style but it's not as easy! Get a pot of water boiling, drop a good amount of beans into water. Allow to boil 5 to 7 minutes (this is called blanching). Prepare a boil of ice water and immediately put beans into the water and allow to cool completely. Once cool, spread beans out on baking sheet and flash freeze for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, put beans in freezer bags and freeze :)
**To freeze corn:
Husk and clean corn. Make sure you get the strings off the corn. Get a pot of water boiling and add corn on the cob to the water. Allow to cook about 8 minutes. Prepare a boil of ice water and add the blanched corn to the water. Allow to cool completely. I use a handy corn cutter for the next step but a regular knife works just as well (and I do that too lol). Cut the kernels off the ears into a cake pan. If you cut straight down it makes whole kernels if you scrape it the action makes cream corn. Allow corn to flash freeze for about 30 mins then put into freezer bags and freeze :) Some people cut off the kernels and freeze without cooking. I precook mine first. I'm also going to try to see how it will freeze completely on the cob but have heard mixed reviews on that. So we'll see.
REMEMBER TO NOT SALT THE WATER FOR ANYTHING YOU ARE GOING TO FREEZE!!! It will break down the skin/membrane of the food over time and cause it to not freeze well.
***To freeze tomatoes:
Drop tomato into boiling water for 1 min. Remove and put into ice water. Skin will come lose and be easy to remove. Simply put the whole tomato (I put more than one per bag!) into a freezer bag and freeze. This will allow of stewed tomatoes, small batches of juice or homemade spaghetti sauce/paste later :)
*** To freeze zucchini:
Deseed it if it has large seeds. Some will ,some won't. Use a cheese grater and pull the zucchini, skin and all, over the larger grater holes. The green skin gives the bread recipes color and zing and will work fine in stir fry. Then simply bag it up in 2 cup bags (most recipes are 2 cups) for bread or desired amount for stirfry. Then freeze. You can also cube it up in uniform cubes if you use it in soups or casseroles. Then bag and freeze.
Seed saving: (Plants must be heirloom or seeds won't work!)
Tomato: pick a tomato, squeeze or use a spoon to pull the inside out of the tomato and into a mason jar (or any glass jar). Repeat with desired amount of tomatoes. Don't worry if pulp gets into the jar too. Once you have your amount in there add a few tablespoons of water, put a coffee filter on top of jar and rubberband it on. Sit in a good spot and don't move it around for about 3 to 5 days. A mold will start to grow don't freak out lol Simply remove the mold with a spoon (this is just the slimy membrane being removed from the seed...that is what keeps a seed from growing inside the tomato!), dump the seeds into a fine mesh strainer and gently wash seeds. Spread seeds out on a coffee filter and allow to dry. You may have to change the filter at least once. When a tomato rots in the garden the seeds go into the ground, winter breaks the membrane off the seed and it regrows in Spring. This just speeds up the process :)
Cucumber: Pick a nice smallish cucumber that is ready to pick. Allow to sit for up to 2 wks in a safe spot. Then simply cut, take seeds out and allow to dry out.
Beans: Allow a few beans to dry on the vine. Simply pop the beans out of the inside and you have your next round of seeds.
Important to note that once your seeds are dry you need to put them in an envelope, seal, label and then put somewhere cold (freezers work well) or some place cool where they won't get direct sunlight etc. Then you are ready for the next planting season.
Seed saving is as old as time. If you save seeds then you don't rely on manufacturers every year, you can keep certain plants alive and going that would die out with seed saving and you control how the seed has been treated. We are losing certain plants at high rates and certain breeds of veggies because people are going away from seed saving gardens and using hybrids!!
So far I've put up almost 6 gallons of green beans from our garden and banana peppers. A sweet friend of ours has canned/put up all she wants to this season so she's passed on her goodies to me. We barter back and forth all the time.
So to my own stash I've put a whole banana box (!!) full of green beans and over 120 ears of corn :) I'll put notes at bottom how I freeze them up. I've hit the farmers market and got bell peppers put up in the freezer as well as goodies to round out our everyday meals. I didn't plant regular cucumbers this year so I've bought them from the Amish for CHEAP this year as well as good size onions from the market...what we put out was small bulb ones.
All in all pleased with the garden this year. Squash is coming on as well as later season peppers (hot ones) that will go in the freezer etc. People need to remember that not just your own garden goodies can be put up in the freezer. Anything you buy at the farmer's market or even in bulk at a grocery store (as long as it's fresh looking) can be froze or canned!!
*** To freeze green beans:
Snap beans to desired size cutting tips if necessary. You can freeze as french style but it's not as easy! Get a pot of water boiling, drop a good amount of beans into water. Allow to boil 5 to 7 minutes (this is called blanching). Prepare a boil of ice water and immediately put beans into the water and allow to cool completely. Once cool, spread beans out on baking sheet and flash freeze for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, put beans in freezer bags and freeze :)
**To freeze corn:
Husk and clean corn. Make sure you get the strings off the corn. Get a pot of water boiling and add corn on the cob to the water. Allow to cook about 8 minutes. Prepare a boil of ice water and add the blanched corn to the water. Allow to cool completely. I use a handy corn cutter for the next step but a regular knife works just as well (and I do that too lol). Cut the kernels off the ears into a cake pan. If you cut straight down it makes whole kernels if you scrape it the action makes cream corn. Allow corn to flash freeze for about 30 mins then put into freezer bags and freeze :) Some people cut off the kernels and freeze without cooking. I precook mine first. I'm also going to try to see how it will freeze completely on the cob but have heard mixed reviews on that. So we'll see.
REMEMBER TO NOT SALT THE WATER FOR ANYTHING YOU ARE GOING TO FREEZE!!! It will break down the skin/membrane of the food over time and cause it to not freeze well.
***To freeze tomatoes:
Drop tomato into boiling water for 1 min. Remove and put into ice water. Skin will come lose and be easy to remove. Simply put the whole tomato (I put more than one per bag!) into a freezer bag and freeze. This will allow of stewed tomatoes, small batches of juice or homemade spaghetti sauce/paste later :)
*** To freeze zucchini:
Deseed it if it has large seeds. Some will ,some won't. Use a cheese grater and pull the zucchini, skin and all, over the larger grater holes. The green skin gives the bread recipes color and zing and will work fine in stir fry. Then simply bag it up in 2 cup bags (most recipes are 2 cups) for bread or desired amount for stirfry. Then freeze. You can also cube it up in uniform cubes if you use it in soups or casseroles. Then bag and freeze.
Seed saving: (Plants must be heirloom or seeds won't work!)
Tomato: pick a tomato, squeeze or use a spoon to pull the inside out of the tomato and into a mason jar (or any glass jar). Repeat with desired amount of tomatoes. Don't worry if pulp gets into the jar too. Once you have your amount in there add a few tablespoons of water, put a coffee filter on top of jar and rubberband it on. Sit in a good spot and don't move it around for about 3 to 5 days. A mold will start to grow don't freak out lol Simply remove the mold with a spoon (this is just the slimy membrane being removed from the seed...that is what keeps a seed from growing inside the tomato!), dump the seeds into a fine mesh strainer and gently wash seeds. Spread seeds out on a coffee filter and allow to dry. You may have to change the filter at least once. When a tomato rots in the garden the seeds go into the ground, winter breaks the membrane off the seed and it regrows in Spring. This just speeds up the process :)
Cucumber: Pick a nice smallish cucumber that is ready to pick. Allow to sit for up to 2 wks in a safe spot. Then simply cut, take seeds out and allow to dry out.
Beans: Allow a few beans to dry on the vine. Simply pop the beans out of the inside and you have your next round of seeds.
Important to note that once your seeds are dry you need to put them in an envelope, seal, label and then put somewhere cold (freezers work well) or some place cool where they won't get direct sunlight etc. Then you are ready for the next planting season.
Seed saving is as old as time. If you save seeds then you don't rely on manufacturers every year, you can keep certain plants alive and going that would die out with seed saving and you control how the seed has been treated. We are losing certain plants at high rates and certain breeds of veggies because people are going away from seed saving gardens and using hybrids!!
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