Matthew 6:34So don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Phew!  This month of August is just flying by!  I can't seem to keep up!  I have so many projects going on and where to start and how to finish seems to be my mantra of the days!

The garden has been such a source of pleasure this year!  We have put up many quarts of tomatoes.  Mainly I've been freezing them because that's, well, let's be honest, easiest!  It also seems like I haven't had enough tomatoes at one time to significantly can enough.  However, yesterday I canned 3 quarts of tomatoes--okay so that's not a lot, but I was very proud of my accomplishment!  First time canning tomatoes!  Why do women today (at least many I know--certainly not any I know here on homesteadblogger) believe that canning our food, our bounty, what God has graciously provided and we have worked and tended lovingly, is some mysterious artform?  It's actually quite simple.  If you can read, you can can!  (and not the can-can!)  I do belive it is an art and a beautiful one.  One of simplicity. One of love.  One of forethought.  One of economy.  One that we all can do!  It gives me such great pleasure to my jars of peaches, tomatoes, jellies, jams, figs, etc. in my cupboard.  It is also a great reward to have my husband's admiration that I'm doing this for our family and, of course, the kids appreciation and hungry eyes as they want to eat what I just canned!!!  So, if you haven't tried it, please do so! 

OKAY...I'm stepping down from my Canning Campaign!  Ha Ha!  On another gardening topic, our pumpkins are coming in and they are just beautiful!  I can't wait for my children to be able to go and pick their own pumpkin right from their backyard and for free!  Okay, well, I did pay $.99 for the package of seeds!  Our corn is looking beautiful and finally tassling!  After the disappointment of our first several rows that dried up so horribly, I"m excited and anxiously awaiting some corn from our lower garden.  We put a nice size garden in where our horses used to be housed and their eco-friendly leftovers have left that garden thriving!  We had fresh organic green beans in our pork mole last night and it was delicious!  My husband's only complaint was that I should have really put in more green beans!!

I canned some more peaches and they turned out quite lovely again!  Also made the  yummiest peach cobbler!  I should have taken a picture, but alas!  We were so hungry for it we just dove in!  My neighbor brought be a huge bag of figs.  Now, I was very gracious but was thinking, what am I going to do with figs because I don't like to let anything go to waste!  So, my brain said bread!!!  Okay, so maybe not the brightest idea, but it was very yummy and the kids ate two loaves in two days and I froze the third loaf!  Then another light bulb idea as I actually went and picked more myself--as I said I hate to waste things and my neighbor only likes them once in a while and will leave them for the bird and the bees!  So...I actually pureed the little figgies and froze them in little plastic frozen jelly containers!  So when I want to make figgy bread, I can just pull it out and defrost and insert as my filling! 

We're already planning in the fall for what our garden will look like next year (with God's help and grace!)  We are very excited--of course I still have lots of maters and beans to pick--yet it's always good to think ahead!

We will be using Tapestry of Grace this year and are in the midst of planning that!  School starts Monday so I'd best be planning!  More on that tomorrow!  Here's my planning picture...

We're ready to HOMESCHOOL!!!!!!!!

Blessings to all!!!!!