Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Girls Night In

My husband had to work tonight on a shut down, so it's just my daughter and me for supper.  That means we will be having Broccoli Ham Ring, you can get the recipe here http://mollys-kitchen.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html 

This has to be one of our favorite meals, my sweet husband doesn't like broccoli, so we save this for nights like this.   Originally the recipe was posted with our pictures, so tonight I took pictures. 


All of the ingredients  mixed together.
I chop the broccoli and ham with a food chopper.
Crescent rolls laid out around the pizza stone.


Add the filling around the ring.


Bring the points of the crescent rolls up over the filling and tuck under. 


Finished product, try and enjoy!
The recipe makes two of these rings.

With my husband working it will give me some time to catch up on some blogs and maybe check out some new ones.

Have a great evening!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Garden Mulching

  Was asked why I mulch my garden and what plants I mulch?   As the garden season goes most of the garden will be mulch.  About the only thing that doesn't get mulched is the onions.


                    pickles                                                                        sweet potatoes
 
One of the reasons for mulching is to keep the weeds down.  I do not have a large area for a garden so my rows are planted close together, which does not allow me to use a tiller.  All of my weeding is done with a hoe and by hand.  Using the straw mulch makes it so all I have to do is pull out a few weeds here and there that come up through the straw.   You can also put newspaper under the straw to help keep weeds down.  This year the farmer had barley straw.



Mulching also helps to keep the moisture in the soil.  Our garden soil has some clay in it, with the mulching we seldom have to water the garden even in the dry times.   I have also found that with mulching the soil has a lot more earth worms, which is very good for the soil.   If you pull back the mulch the soil will be nice and soft underneath which brings the earth worms up closer to the surface.

                                                         mulch under a tomato plant

Mulching around the tomato plants helps to keep them healthy.   During a rain or when watering the garden  dirt splash up on the leaves which can cause diseases.   Mulch also keeps any low fruits off the soil helping to keep them from rotting.

                                                                                 potatoes

I do not mulch the potato plants until they have been hilled two or three times.   We put grass clippings around them and between the rows before adding the straw.  The grass is used so it doesn't take as much straw, my supply is limited.  I also use grass clippings by the carrots after they have grown some, just a light covering of the soil.  Most of the mulching is done between the rows and I pull the mulch up close to the plants.

                                                          peppers

The only place in the garden that black plastic is used is for the peppers.  We lay out the plastic where the peppers will be planted up to a week before planting.  When it's time to plant the peppers just cut an x in the plastic where each pepper plant will go and dig your hole.  I like to add a little compost with each pepper plant.  Peppers like the soil very warm.  I always had trouble getting my pepper plants to produce until a friend shared how she always uses black plastic around her peppers.  Mine have done beautifully since planting them this way. 

One thing that I have learned over the years is to never use regular hay to mulch with, it has a lot of weed seeds.  Makes for a lot of weeding the next year!  I have had times that we could not get straw, then we just keep putting a thin layer of grass clippings on the garden each time my husband mows.  You don't want to put them on to thick at a time or they heat and mold.

Mulching also helps to add humus to your soil when it is tilled in after the garden season. 

We're having a beautiful day for working in the garden.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Growing Garden

  After all the rain we have had lately we finally had nice warm weather last week and the garden really grew. I was amazed at what a difference a few days made in the garden.  I love going out and seeing the changes each day.


This morning I spent some time in the garden weeding, it finally dried out some.  There are a couple of lettuces that need to be pulled yet that have bolted and I want to get some lettuce, cabbage, and broccoli started. Will start them in a small flat as the garden is still to wet to plant directly in the soil.  I have a small area that was saved for some late plantings of these things. 

On Saturday was able to spend some time with a dear friend, we met at a quilt shop that is about 45minutes from me and a little over an hour from her.  It was fun looking around, I did buy two patterns and my friend found some material for a project.  After the quilt shop we spent a couple of hours at the A&W in the town to just sit and visit and catch up with each other. 

I am looking forward to this Friday, will be going to Waupaca to see my cousin.  We will be going to a quilt sale and having lunch at her house afterward.  My aunt (she is my cousins mom) who is 86 will be going along with us, she has quilted for years,  I would like to see if I can get some pictures of her quilts.  There is one quilt that I have always liked of hers, it's a Postage Stamp Quilt.  The entire quilt was sewn by hand and all of the little postage stamp size pieces where cut out with a scissors.  To have the patience to do a quilt like that!  I seem to have trouble getting my small projects done :)

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Strawberry Picking

I have went strawberry picking twice now, last week we went to a place by my dads.  They had nice berries if you picked carefully, to much rain in the area, a lot of rotten berries.  The berries were very ripe so they didn't last long fresh. We picked 15 pounds.

Yesterday went with  an Amish neighbor to Bethany Berry Patch in our area.  The berries were beautiful!  It was so much fun picking.  I ended up with about 36 pounds.


The berries were nice and big it didn't take long to fill up your buckets.  I plan on keeping some for fresh, making freezer jam, and freezing the rest for shortcakes this winter.  We always have strawberry shortcake on Christmas Eve, a tradition that my mom started, now I carry it on for the family.


My breakfast, strawberries with a few Cheerios!

I made this dessert for Fathers Day

Strawberry Dessert

Crust:  2 cups pretzels crushed
2/3 cup butter~melted
3 T. sugar
  • Mix crust ingredients together and put in a 9x13 pan
  • Bake in 350F oven for about 15m.
  • Remove from oven and let cool.

Strawberry filling:
8 cups strawberries~sliced
1cup water
1  1/2 cups sugar
4 T. corn starch
2 small packages strawberry jello

  • Pour sliced berries over pretzel crust
  • Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a sauce pan, add water. 
  • Bring to boil and cook until it turns clear and starts to thicken~stirring constantly.
  • Remove from heat, stir in jello.
  • Pour over strawberries.
  • Put in refrigerator until it sets up. 
Can serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Have a great day!






Saturday, June 19, 2010

Celebrating Fathers Day


We celebrated Fathers Day today.

Grandpa, Dad, boys

First we had a picnic lunch at the park, Grandpa did the grilling.


After lunch we took everyone Miniature Golfing, we had a blast!

I had a few shots that used up all of my swings and then some.

We ended the day at the beach, our grandsons enjoyed the water.
                                                                                                                             (photos by Tammy)

Happy Fathers Day to my dear husband and son!




Friday, June 18, 2010

Sunshine

The last couple of days we have seen the sun once again!  We do have a chance of a little rain tonight.  It has been so nice to be able to get out into the garden again.  Trying to get the weeds under control....I have some more mulching to do.

Today I was able to hill the smaller potato plants for the first time and pick off the potato bugs.  They have now found the younger plants, so far I have been able to keep them under control with only picking them off.  Hopefully I can keep on top of them, we do not use any chemicals in the garden, so there have been times when the potato bugs win the battle.

 The lettuce has really been growing.  We have been eating salads everyday and I have pulled a few plants to give away.  I am not sure if we will be able to get all of it used before it bolts.  Plan on starting some new seed next week a later crop.  It is so nice to be getting a few fresh things from the garden, waiting for the first tomato.   My early hills of potatoes have been blossoming, so we should have little reds by the 4th of July.

My sweet hubby had an unexpected lay off this week so that has been nice.  I wish he could be home all of the time, a few more years.   He got some projects done for me and we have more to work on this summer.  The big projects will be painting our shutters and doors and we need to put in new vents around the house outside.

Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend! 

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

It's Raining

It's raining
It's pouring
The old man is snoring
He went to bed
and 
Bumped his head
Didn't wake up in the morning.

Do you remember saying this little poem when you were a child?

We have been getting rain and more rain this past week and it's raining again today.  Along with the rain has come colder weather only getting in the 60's.  My garden could use some nice warm sunny weather and so could I :)  


My garden could  use some weeding, but with our clay soil I try not to walk in it to much when we are this wet.  So instead I will be working on cleaning my sewing room/spare bedroom.  Need to get the sewing area organized so I can work on some valances that my daughter wants me to make for her daycare room.  They won't take long it's just a matter of getting to it!

My sweet husband had off yesterday so we went up north to check on the house we still own.  It was fun to just have that time together, three house on the road each way.  After checking on the house and taking care of some things we were able to go over to were we had worked and see some people.  I was able to have a  visit with Lisa, she was the sweet young lady who trained me when I started to work part time in the maintenance office.  We had so much fun together and she was sooooo patient with me.   It was nice to get at least a little caught up on what is going on and to see all of the changes on campus.

Have a great day and hopefully you're getting some sun! 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

A Huge Praise


I just got a call from our grandson.
He wanted to tell me that last night he asked Jesus to be his savior!
What joy to know that both of our grandsons now have a
personal relationship with the Lord.
Thank you Lord for answered prayer!

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not parish,
but have ever lasting life.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Garden Pictures

Here are some pictures of the garden. We don't have a huge garden but I pack a lot into our space. My planting is somewhat like square foot gardening but using rows very close together instead of the squares. By the time the garden is fully grown there are no more spaces between the rows and you step very carefully. The garden provides us with all the fresh produce we can eat along with what we need to can and freeze for winter and always have some to share with others.

My husband made a covered box to put over some of our cabbage, it is covered with screen. We always have so much trouble with the cabbage worms so we are giving this a try and see if it makes a difference. Now if I could just figure out how to keep potato bugs away, not fond of picking them off everyday. It seems they are out earlier this year.


Black plastic is put down where the pepper plants go, this has worked very well for us. Have had really nice peppers after doing them this way. They like to be kept very warm, last year our eight plants gave us all of the stuffed peppers we could eat, plus froze whole peppers for winter along with bags of chopped peppers and gave away a lot.

I am trying sweet potatoes for the first time, took a sweet potato from the store and put the bottom half in water. After it sprouted I first broke off sprouts that were about 4 inches and planted them in pots. These did not live so then I took more sprouts and put them in water until they rooted and planted them right in the garden and they are doing well. So we will see if they produce.

A list of what is planted: red, gold rush, kennebec potatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, lettuces, radishes, spinach, red onions, walla walla onions, bunching onions, cabbage, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, beets, brussel sprouts, green beans, yellow beans, kohlrabi, tomatoes ( beef steak, mountain pride, amish paste, mortgage lifter), bell and cayenne peppers, dill, peas, along with zinnias and marigolds where ever I can stick them in.

Sunday



Psalm 111:1

Praise ye the Lord.
I will praise the Lord
with my whole heart,
in the assembly of the upright,
and in the congregation.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Campfire, Marshmallows, Sparklers


Last weekend our grandsons spent the night for a campfire, cookout, and sleepover. I had made up an invitation and sent to them for our party. They both thought it was neat to get a special invitation to come to grandpa and grandma's house. Grandpa made hamburgers on the grill, we made homemade french fries and old fashioned malts. This is the first campfire since we moved here. We did not have a place for one, our daughter bought us one of the portable campfire rings. It was so much fun having a fire again. Although we found out it makes a very nice burned spot on the lawn where it sits. Will have to do something before the next fire.



Have you seen the new giant campfire marshmallows they are now selling? I bought a package for our campfire, they are huge! The boys had fun with them, they are very messy! I weighed them, it takes four regular large marshmallows to make one of these. This picture doesn't really show how big they are.

Some of us like our marshmallows really burnt (that would be me) so grandson is having fun making sure grandma's is very well done.

OK, it got a little to done and fell off the stick into the fire. Turned out great the next time.

After we were done roasting marshmallows the boys did some sparklers.



They had a lot of fun! Time is going so fast, we no longer have little grandsons anymore, they are growing up fast. It is a blessing to see them growing into Christian young men. I wait to see what the Lord has in store for both of them.

I am praising God that my dad was doing a little better yesterday. He is still on oxygen, I don't know if he will be able to get off that at this point, but at least he was eating a little more and seemed to feel a little better. It was encouraging to hear, I would like to have him around longer but at the same time I don't want to see him suffer. The Lord is good and in complete control.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Weekend Updates

We had a lot of fun this weekend with our grandsons. I have some pictures to post later when I can sit down and go through them.

Check out Prairie Flower Farm, they are having a party to celebrate their 1st anniversary! She has some awesome prizes!

I have been spending more time going to my dads, he is a little over an hour away. Last week they had to take him to the hospital for his breathing. He was able to go home to my brothers place. My dad is 85. When I was out there today he still isn't doing well at all. I am praying for the Lords will to be done for him. He is tired and ready to go home to heaven.