I haven't blogged for a while so I thought that I needed to do some updating.... Last month my mother and I took the kids to the beach- our first annual beach visit. We try to go several times a summer since we only live 2 hours from the coast. It is probably one of our favorite places to go. It was rather foggy that day but still worth the drive to dig our feet into the sand and listen to the powerful ocean. The kids burried eachother and played in the waves- kids just don't care how cold it is, they just want to play in the water. My boys played baseball this year- it has been a very exciting season for our 8 year old and the 5 yr old played T-ball. This is him, he liked the position of catcher:
We took a day trip to Yosemite National Park. We only live 2 and a half hours from there and have never been (there is no excuse for that).The spring time is the best time to go- the snow is melting and causing the falls to be extraordinary. We spent the whole day there, ate lunch, hiked around, got wet, saw a bear, and drank some delicious glacier water. What a great day! My oldest daughter got her driver's permit- GET OFF THE ROAD! Just kidding. She is doing great but not with me! I am WAAAYYYY too nervous for that , so she drives with her dad and Grannie Annie (my mom). On to the garden! We have to move , so I took 2 of my garden beds out and kept my tomato/squash bed- it is doing fantastic.I also have 2 cucumber plants and 2 honeydews- hopefully I can still harvest them when I am gone (I will have to come and water them to keep them going). Right now this is what I am harvesting almost everyday: I have waited patiently for these plants to start producing- it has definately been worth it! |
Every morning I go out to my garden to investigate and if I don't make it in the a.m. I go out in the evening. Lately I have been battling the gophers. They are demolishing my spinach one plant at a time- I can not figure out what good are gophers! This morning I was on a mission- I harvested all of my spinach and left the skeleton of the plants in hopes those nasty creatures will eat what is left and stay away from my cabbages and cauliflower. We will see..... So this is what is left of my spinach: This really made my day: It gets really windy here in the valley during springtime and sometimes our seedlings just can't handle it. So my mom and I have been trying to figure out a way to protect our baby tomato plants from the wind....well, one of my neighbors does this so we decided to give it a try- their's is better but I think that mine will do just fine: The garden keeps moving along and hopefully we will be enjoying the big harvest I planned for this summer; but if we only get half of it I will be happy and have new knowledge going into next year. |
I have so much of it I suppose I will wash and then freeze it.
I just love to see my hard work pay off!
It gives the plants shelter from the wind and it creates a greenhouse effect; they already look better in the 3 days since I did this.
The weather over the last few days have been perfect for getting outside! My little girl and I love to get out there and get our hands in the dirt. She helps me plant seeds and water everything(we are currently watering by hand). I really think my garden is starting to look pretty good- what do you think: Yesterday afternoon we had a typical spring storm that dumped alot of rain and much cooler temps.; I don't know if my new seedlings will make it but I have more and I will wait a while longer to do anything with them: Both of my boys have started baseball and my little girl is in ballet, the oldest has never been interested in any of these things so she sticks with her music. This is a crazy time for us, my husband and I are usually going the opposite direction with practices and lessons trying to get everybody where they need to be. I am very thankful that our classes are over for the year, so at least we are home during the day. I absolutely love going to their games and cheering them on- this is my little guy playing catcher and I thought he looked so cute with all of the gear on: |
I have another big bed just to the right of where I am standing that has 13 canning tomato plants and 6 squash plants trying to get established. I also have 2 small hills with cucumbers planted but they haven't sprouted yet- I hope they will. The small bed in the middle has pole and bush beans- they are finally sprouting. The one thing that has surprised me the most are the potatoes that I planted:
I dug 2 trenches and put a piece of potato 6 inches apart. And this is what happened! I did something else right! 
When there are 4 monkeys (children) living under the same small roof ...well, at some point one of them is going to end up in the ER. That was us on Sunday evening when my youngest daughter- not either of my sons, it never is- decided to monkey around on my bed and hit her head on the window ledge above my pillows. OUCH! The cut on the back of her head required 4 staples- yes, I said staples. She was so brave, only a wimper from the local and that was it- thank the Good Lord! Later, I thought about how much worse it could have turned out, I will take 4 staples any day over what could have been. I will spare you all with the yucky picture, but this is the sweet child who seems to get hurt the most:
Now, on to the spinach. I posted pics before of my spinach so I won't post another one. I keep picking it and it keeps growing. Right now the flavor is the best- very sweet. I have been giving it away because I can't use it up fast enough. Last night I made spinach pesto- it was so yummy and everyone liked it- even my husband. This is what I put in it: spinach, garlic, parm cheese, pine nuts, olive oil and s/p. I just got a recipe from food network and added garlic; I put it over pasta, added cooked chicken and a can of tomatoes- Yum! |
I am not comfortable with putting my kids' faces on the net, so this is what you get.
I love this time of year all the way through summer. Someone once asked me if I prefer the hot or cold.....I don't think about weather in the form of temperature, my brain relates to the seasons in terms of gardening and food! So, my answer to that question was hot. I don't like 100+ temps, but summer evenings have to be my fav! I get to harvest all sorts of veggies and fruit in the summer- which I look forward to every year. I found my camera- YEAH! It was right where I put it - in my jacket pocket. OOPS! I took some pictures of the garden, it is still a work in progress, but I am getting there. Here is some of the most beautiful and best tasting broccoli I have ever had- and I grew it! This was an organic seed called Green Sprouting Calabrese that I just started in the ground and 4 of my 8 seeds germinated. I was actually surprised it did so well. That apricot tree that I was hoping to get a few fruits has 21 apricots growing! I am so excited about that, and my asparagus bed that I made, well.... This spear is now a fern along with about 10 others that have sprouted in the last month. I can't wait until we can have fresh asparagus. My seedlings are coming along very well,almost everyday I have to transfer one to a peat pot. My peppers were the only seeds that didn't germinate but my mother has so many I am not worried about it. I am trying a new tomato (new to me) called"Hank "that a seed company ( www.tomatobob.com ) sent me with my order to try, I hope it turns out to be a good tomato. Has anyone tried it before? Here is the boysenberry that I planted: There is some new growth towards the bottom that you can see- this always makes me feel like I accomplished something - it is going to live! The weather has been super nice, mid-70's but very windy. Yesterday there was no wind and I think the temperature was every bit of 80 degrees.... needless to say, we were outside. I worked in the garden getting the squashes, cucumbers, and canteloupe planted and the kids played in the sprinkler for the first time this year. Then today, the wind is back and I have already watered my garden once, I might need to do it again to keep the seeds moist. The cherry trees are in full bloom and my apple tree is just starting to open up. The rest of the fruit trees are busy growing fruit. The kids are getting all of their testing done and all of their classes have finished for the year- I think they are just as ready for a break as I am. They are losing their focus on their studies and it makes for a very frustrating time for me.We still have 2 more months of school and then we can breath. Last but not least.... my most favorite thing this month was the awesome Newsboys concert that my mother, oldest daughter, niece and myself went to go see. I love their music so much! I walked away that night feeling so Free! Free of the worldly chaos that I encounter everyday, free of the worry of what the stock market is doing , free of where our country is heading (morally)....... then I woke up the next morning and felt all the burdens again. But the thing is.... I am free everyday and I don't need a concert to tell me that, I just need to open the Book and it is all right there! We are all FREE! |
It's been over 2 months since I last blogged...wow, how time flies! There really hasn't been much to write about during winter- nothing going on in the garden. And unfortunately, I have misplaced my camera so I can't upload any pictures- Bummer! Spring is around the corner and I can't wait. I started a bunch of seeds indoors a few weeks ago- 18 roma tomatoes (for canning), 6 san marzano tomatoes (also for canning), 6 california wonder peppers, 6 celery, and 12 heirloom tomatoes (a variety). I planted a row of snow peas that are already sprouting and my Olivia planted a row of cherry belle radishes. I think that we are out of the frost dangers now, but I not going to plant anymore seeds until the last of the month. I have Kentucky wonder and romano beans, okra, a small seedless watermelon, Hale's cantelope, red and russet potatoes, pattypan ,yellow and green squash , and pickling cucumber seeds all waiting to be planted. I just started to harvest the broccoli that I planted by seed in the fall- the plants are really beautiful and I recently planted 6 cabbage and 8 cauliflower plants I found at the nursery. I also just planted a Santa Rosa Plum and Granny Smith apple tree. My 2 little apricot trees that I planted in the fall are in full bloom so I am hoping to get at least a few apricots. I have started to add more garden beds to fit what I want to grow this year, but I can't seem to get it finished - it keeps raining! I was sitting at my kitchen table one day watching the rain out my window and wishing somehow I could collect some of that water- it just seemed like such a waste of nice rainwater when we are facing a big drought this year. So, I found 2 plastic garbage cans on the back patio, washed them out and stuck them under the gutter spout. They have since overflowed a few times but I am getting use out of that collected water- giving it to my potted plants and my new seedlings. I am already thinking about how to collect more next year. I recently took an interest in sewing. I am sure this makes my mother very happy since she has tried my whole life to get me to sew. I decided that jean pants just don't fit my body type very well and thought about wearing more skirts. The problem is that I can't find many skirts that I would actually wear- hence the sewing. I have started a skirt from a pattern that I found online- stay tuned for that project. My girlfriend, Misty, has the same view as me so she is also taking on this endeavor. By summer, we hope to make some summer dresses/skirts for us and a few summer dresses for our little girls. When I find my camera, I will update all of my pics! |
The weather stays mild all winter in the central valley, but we do get some frost days and it has snowed here twice that I can remember but it didn't stick. Last week when I got up to get my husband off to work, I found this: They are the yellow ones and were so sweet but very mild. I used the tops and all in a rice veggie dish inspired by http://simple-green-frugal.blogspot.com , it was pretty tasty.
What else have we been doing? Well, now that school is out for Christmas vacation, the boys have been playing outside "hunting for things" with these wooden rifles I found at the Tractor Supply store(my favorite place ever!): And my girls and I have been baking and knitting. My little guy, Eliot, had a hard time transitioning into the girls' bunk beds (they got a new bed) because it was the "girls'"bed (even though it is a plain wood color) so he decided to write his name all over the bottom bunk- I guess it made him feel a little better. He also wrote his name on his drawers so I came up with an idea that I would paint each of the kids' names on their drawers but my friend said to let the children do it themselves- so I did: And last but not least, here is my kitty- you know I can't resist this cute little face: |
ICE! The truck and lawn was covered with frost it almost looked like snow but as soon as the sun came up it was gone. It has been awfully cold staying in the 40's. I know, doesn't sound very cold compared to the rest of the country, but I lived in northern Idaho for 7 months including winter. We experienced single and negative digit weather- that was cold, but the cold is different. Fourty degrees in California is very cold! Anyway, despite the low temps I am just now harvesting carrots! Yeah ,I did something right!
I hope the holiday season is finding everyone well! Happenings in the garden: I just planted 12 crowns of asparagus-YUM! and 12 strawberry plants- double YUM! I have never had very good luck with strawberries but I won't give up trying to raise them. I have been harvesting spinach and snow peas everyday and my kale needs desparately to come out of the ground- I think this weekend I will make a big soup and use the rest of it . I also recently planted a ton of vidalia and red onions. Now I am trying to figure out the best place to plant 3 berry vines- boysenberry, black satin, and red raspberry. Not much to report from the house other than school everyday,trying to stay warm and keeping our thoughts and eyes on the true meaning of Christmas! |
I went out to my garden last night and picked a handful of kale: I made a soup that my nanna used to make ,although she never wrote down any recipes it was always in her head ,so I can only try to make dishes similar to hers: This one is linguisa and kale soup, this is my recipe ( I don't write anything down either so this is very close): I cut up one package of linguisa into small chunks and fry that with 1 onion and 5 cloves of garlic in a big pot until the linguisa is browned. I then add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and then fill the pot 3/4 full with water- then I put about 4 or 5 cubes of beef boulion in it. I let that cook uncovered for 10 min and then add 4 peeled and diced potatoes. 15 minutes before I serve I put the kale in the soup and season with salt and pepper. The kale only needs a few minutes to cook. I also made my 1hr french bread to go along with it. I think my family liked it for there was nothing left- I love when I can make something and no one complains!
|
It is an heirloom Italian kale- I think it is so beautiful!
Most days around here are spent doing school and chores. The evenings ,for me, are spent knitting, reading and planning. But when Misty (my best girlfriend ) and I get together, it is all about gardening. We are trying to plan who plants what and then share so we both aren't planting and raising everything. So far she has most of the apples, citrus and one cherry, oh and a plum. I have 2 cherry, 2 peach, 1 nectarine a few other things and I just bought 2 apricot- 1 Blenheim and 1 Tilton: I think they are so beautiful. It was an end of the season 50% off sale at one of our nurseries and I couldn't pass it up. I hope that they will transplant okay, the weather has been very warm ( in the upper 70's) and they need so many chill hours. I went with my mother to the farmer's market on Saturday and found my most favorite fruit: My garden looks really good (except where the kitty cats keep going potty in my soft dirt); I am picking a few snow peas everyday: They look really healthy and in the front there are 2 broccoli plants that I planted by seed- we'll see what happens for we don't get frost until late Jan. Rebecca (my oldest) has been taking guitar for a few years and I think she finally found her niche. She started with violin which I really loved but it just wasn't her thing. She was practicing the other day in our office/schoolroom and I thought it was a pretty picture: And last but certainly not least: I couldn't help it- every time I turn around my kitty is in the sink or bathtub- I don't have any idea why but it really cracks me up! I hope you all like seeing my photos- I sure like looking at pics on other blogs and my mother always says that a picture is worth a thousand words! |
Pineapple guava! It is at the end of their season but I did manage to buy 2 small bags of them. I cut them in half long way and scoop out the inside with a spoon. They have the texture of a pear but taste like a conglomerate of several fruits. I am now on the hunt for a tree and I read online that I can grow them in Ca. I hope I can find one this season to plant.
My mother saw this book at the bookstore and new I had to have it. She has always agreed that I was born in the wrong era. I keep this book close so that I can look through it often and imagine that I am a real prairie girl living on the prairie wearing dresses and putting my hair in buns and everyone is polite and shows respect to others. Something is definately wrong with the world's views these days- no one is courteous,we are having to deal with immoral issues right and left, crime is something we hear about everyday, but......one thing is still the same today as it was on the prairie in the "old days": Jesus lives and our salvation is promised! And that is what keeps me going in this sometimes gloom world. Despite all of the bad things, God is always faithful to show us His love- a new baby, birds singing, the power of the ocean, the majestic mountains, a breathtaking sunset, and His Word. Another book that I am starting is A Woman's High Calling by Elizabeth George. I have only skimmed it so far and I can already tell it is going to be one of those
Ok, on to fish- Only 3 of these children belong to me, the others are friends. The aquarium was alot of fun and the weather was fabulous.We met our friends at the entrance, fought through the crowds, and finished around lunchtime. After lunch we went to a few of the historic buildings of Monterey (had to throw more school in) and I think we learned alot of things that we didn't know about our state. We finished our day with a dinner at Bubba Gump's- that is always a treat! |
Friday night my husband and I went with a group of friends (and family) to the city - San Francisco for a nice dinner and jazz concert. We ate at a sushi restaurant (I don't like fish cooked or not so I had a salad) and I think my husband ate way too much fish because yesterday he had a stomach ache! I think he definately was a glutton. Then off to the jazz club which happens to be in the same building for an excellent concert with John Pizzarelli. Super fun!!! I forget how beautiful the city is at night, I don't get the chance to go there often enough. I love visiting but I love coming home to a quiet place on a country road even more. Yesterday was a day of shopping and baking cookies with the kids. I had a gift card so I thought I would go to the mall to catch the big sales that were going on. Even with the discounts, I couldn't bring myself to by any jeans- I can't believe how much clothing costs. I did get a much needed jacket for my little girl and much needed jammys for my oldest son with the gift card. For me- I headed to the goodwill. I found a really nice jacket, shirts and 2 pairs of pants for $20. Some people might have a problem with second hand goods, but I think that if it is in good condition why not get some more use out of it and it SAVES MONEY. My sister-in-law gave me her sugar cookie recipe (it is the best) so 2 of the children and I made yummy cookies:
My children love to be in the kitchen with me baking and cooking- they don't care as long as they get to help. My oldest is 15 and she has a few dishes that she prepares on her own; I must say they are quite delicious. Some readers have requested my 1 hr French Bread recipe: We went to church this morning then off to Costco and rest at home. The weather is quickly turning into winter (our winters are very mild in the central valley) but my garden seems to love is. I picked 3 snow peas the other day and they were so sweet. My radishes, carrots,spinach, kale, broccoli and green leaf lettuce are doing great- I can't wait until I can pick fresh lettuce and spinach. Tomorrow we will be going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with our homeschool group, I will take lots of pictures and tell everyone about it in my next post. |
I hope it is legible to everyone.
I love being home. If I wasn't, I couldn't capture things like this: Our dog ,Zeek, has found a gopher hole and has his whole head inside it. I love baking and I if I was always on the go, I couldn't bake breads. This is our favorite: I feel like I am doing much better this week with my organization. My sister-in-law told me about www.donnayoung.org . There are some really great , free printable charts for household, homeschooling, and more. So I decided to print out a bunch for household and see how it goes, I think so far so good. We will see how long I can keep it up. We are still picking up walnuts every day and shelling every other day. My grandma doesn't shake our trees, she lets them dry on the tree and picks them up when they fall. This seems to work pretty good because there is no drying time. I am also still harvesting pomegranates and seeding them... this will take me a while. I thank the Good Lord these things will not spoil for some time. We had an awsome show of lightening and thunder last night. It rained all night and is supposed to pick up again tonight and through the weekend. I am very thankful for we really need it. My family loves this time of year, we just wish it lasted longer! |
I am not sure which blog I got this from but THANKS! It is a 1 hr french bread and I think it tastes better than the loaves you can buy at the store in the bakery. I had to taste test it when it first came out of the oven- hence the missing slice.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the kitchen. My mom has a pomegranate tree and it is ready ,so I picked 2 bags of the cracked ones:
|
It is hard to tell, but they are really big. Then, I took the seeds out- this is the most tedious job and as I was doing it I was thinking that there has to be an easier and faster way of harvesting the seeds...but I couldn't come up with any other way:
I have tried several different ways of extracting the juice and this time I just put a handful of seeds in a cheesecloth and twisted until all the juice was out. I think this worked very well- the juice didn't splatter everywhere. My husband's favorite jelly is pomegranate, so I made a batch for him.
I have such a hard time thinking of a title because my posts aren't usually about one thing...oh well. I am finally feeling better but stayed in bed over the weekend and watched the old TV. I came across a marathon of the Duggar family in Arkansas. I was very impressed with the way Michelle runs everything and I felt inspired to get more organized. I like to be organized but I really don't think that I am any good at it and with homeschooling 4 children, organization is a must. I will post my progress. My little girl loves to play mommy. She is only 6 but she came out of the womb with the gift of helps. This is her when I wasn't feeling too good- she said things needed to be cleaned and then after this she told me that the toilet was dirty so she took it upon herself to clean the toilet. She made sure I had something to drink all the time and that I had enough blankets to stay warm. I went out to the garden to water after a 3 day absense and what did I find? 4 flowers on my snow peas. I am so excited that I can actually grow food! My kale, cherry radishes, spinach, and lettuce are all sprouting- cross my fingers I hope they continue to grow. I took this picture of our family cat. My husband brought him home about 3 months ago and we are having a ball watching him. He plays with Zeek(our dog) and they seem to be the best of friends. I call him Kitty: |
Mondays and Tuesdays are spent at our Charter school for classes, so I don't get much done on those days. We did manage to make some applesauce and crack walnuts on Wednesday before getting ready for church in the evening. This is Olivia stirring the apples: and Eliot watching. One of our neighbors (well, actually, they live a few miles away but when you live in the country people 5 miles away are considered your neighbors) is selling granny smiths for a really good deal and we thought we couldn't pass this up. I used a Martha Stewart recipe and it turned out so yummy. I managed to get the three little kids to crack walnuts with me- they really like it. I gave each one of them a hammer and we sat on the back patio cracking away: Then yesterday- I came down with a cold! Yuck! I am just thankful that I got sick at the end of the week instead the begining. I need to get better by tomorrow- we are having company. Anyway, hope the beautiful weather finds you well! |
I did get to work in the garden for a few hours on Friday. This was the last of the French Breakfast radishes I planted in early September: They had a good flavor but very hot. We will see how the next batch of radishes turn out. Here are a few more pics of my fall garden. Not a whole lot is going on right now but I expect that it will start soon for the weather has finally cooled down a little. There are some heirloom italian kale in the top row and 1 spinach plant in the bottom right corner. There are a few sprouts of lettuce, green onion and leek, you just can't see it in this photo yet. Yesterday I went to a women's conference at church and took my oldest daughter- it was so wonderful to fellowship with so many ladies who love the Lord! We were there all day. This morning we went to church and then to my niece's 2nd birthday and my brother's house. It is always nice to get together with family but it seems it is only on birthdays or holidays. We are all in the season of little children and school so it is hard to coordinate a time when we can all be together.The shame is we all live within a few miles of eachother. This evening is catching up on blogging and knitting. I will upload pictures of my projects after Christmas. My folks went to the new Bass Pro Shop here in the valley ; my mom called me to tell me that they carry my favorite candy- Cow Tales. No one has it here so I am super excited about that- I will have to buy a case when we go.
|
Thursday through Sunday are our stay at home days to get things done around here, but it doesn't seem to work out that way. Yesterday I was out all day getting the grocery shopping done to last us the next 2 weeks and today my eldest has a math class. Fortunately, I will be home around lunchtime to get some school in with the kids and head outside to work in my garden. I had planted lettuce,spinach,snow peas,carrots, radishes,italian kale,leeks and green onions by seed in September. I guess it was still too hot for a fall crop (it is still well into the 90's in CA in Sept and begining Oct) because the only seeds that actually germinated were my radishes (I planted a variety called French Breakfast and they were soooo hot), a few carrots, kale and my snow peas ( which are doing great). So, today, now that the weather is cooling down, I will replant the seeds that didn't come up and hopefully I will have more luck.
|
This is my first entry! I actually set up a blog, I can't believe it. I have been thinking about it for a while, so now I am finally doing it. I really love reading other peoples blogs and I will eventually add their addresses to my favs.... sooo...be patient while I get this thing started. |