Garden Update

My garden seems to be doing well this year. Despite an attack of potato beetles, hornworms and cabbage worms, each plant seems to be thriving.  I have many green tomatoes on my plants, (grown from seed for the first time ever - yes, I'm proud!!!), and a nearly ready green pepper.  I've had flowers blooming for a month with many more to come.  I just noticed baby cucumbers today.  I started my squash, melons and beans late, but they're growing quickly.

I tried a new way of staking my tomatoes this year.  I can't remember what it's called, if anyone knows, please inform me???  It's working so good - I love it!  You just put a stake at the end of each row, one between every 2 plants, and run twine between them.  You basically prop the tomatoes as they grow.  It's way better than the usual cages.

This is how they look staked:

And, this is how the twine looks run between the stakes.

This is how big my black tomatoes were about 4 days ago.  They're bigger and starting to change color now!

I also ran a trellis for the cucumbers.  They're just getting big enough to train them up the trellis.

I have a green pepper nearly ready to pick.

Can you see it there in between the leaves?

And, the beets.  They pretty much died when i planted them, but a few surprised me and came back to life.  I need to plant more, once these are closer to ready, so I can have them ready in the fall.
(yes, it's wilty.  The sprinkler misses this corner, we have to water it by hand, and it was forgotten for a day or two.)

I also have a ton of herbs - thyme, oregano, lavender, mints, (in pots), rosemary, tarragon and some HUGE basil.  Yum!

Blueberry Pie

On Wednesday, I decided to pick blueberries - on the hottest day of the week!  Okay, not the hottest, but next to hottest.  I believe it got up to 98* and after heat index it was about 103*.  I didn't get very many, only a bucket full.  Maybe next week, it will be cooler and I can get more.  Maybe I will be able to talk Troy into going with me - he's the best blueberry picker ever!

So, I didn't freeze any.  I saved some for the girls to snack on, they love them.  And, I used some to make a pie - the easiest pie ever!  I am not a pie maker, mine are always too runny.  But, this looked so simple, I couldn't not try it.  I got the recipe for the crust from this web site Mennonite girls can cook.

It called for 2 cups of crisco - a lot!  But, the crust was huge, so I don't feel so bad about eating it.

She used rhubarb, I just used the same amount of blueberries - 6 cups.

Here's the recipe:

Tender Pie Crust

• 4C Flour
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 lb, (2c.) Crisco Shortening  (next time, I'll try butter flavored)
• 1 Tbsp. Vinegar
• 1 C. Water
• 1 Egg
• She doesn't include it, but I added a little bit of butter flavored extract

Instructions

1. Put the flour, salt and shortening into a bowl. Cut in the Crisco.
2. Beat egg whites till stiff
3. Combine egg yolk & vinegar & water - and butter flavoring.
4. Now combine these three bowls and yes it will look a bit mushy, but don't add too much flour. This one needs be be handled with more care. Keep it light and fluffy.
5. Divide into halves and roll out the first half to the measurement of your cookie sheet.  I used a jelly roll pan that I had sprayed to prevent sticking.

FILLING:
Really simple - just 5-6 cups of fruit, I used blueberries.  Troy has requested that I use strawberries next time.  Spread them onto the bottom crust.  Sprinkle them with 1c - 1 1/2c of sugar.  Top with the other crust layer.  Sprinkle the top layer with sugar.  Bake at 425*F for 20 minutes.

So yummy - and not runny!!!


I can't not leave you with this picture of Averie and the hose :)

Baby dedication

Yes, it's been a while since my daughter was a "baby".  But, since we've been in 3 churches since her birth, we missed any and all dedication services until recently.  So, at nearly 2 years old, we dedicated ourselves to bring her up as good as we can with God's help.

She's so fun!

My girls' Father

Today is Father's Day.  For years, we didn't enjoy celebrating either Mother's or Father's Day.  The years when we didn't have any children, although we were trying hard to have them, desperately wanting them.  Of course, we were always thankful for our fathers and grandfathers, uncles, brothers, etc, but it's hard celebrating something we couldn't have.

But, for the last 3 years, we have been able to celebrate having our daughter(s).  They changed our lives completely.  They're such individuals.  We love watching them grow and learn new things.

So, today, we celebrated our girls' love of their father.  We celebrated our last little miracle on the way.  We remembered the two we have waiting for us in heaven

My girls couldn't ask for a more attentive, loving, wise father.

Happy Father's Day!

A trip to the beach

Last week, my niece and nephews were here.  Grandpa and Grandma took them to the beach nearly every day.  One of the days, I got to go with them, and although I forgot my camera, I did have my phone with me.  I don't know yet how to edit phone pictures on my computer, that's why these are a bit dark and not cropped.
Averie decided she liked laying on the beach, but didn't learn not to lay her face down in the sand, and then turn it to the other side, thus getting both cheeks and her mouth sandy.

Camdyn decided to burry herself in the sand, with her sister's help.  Funny!!!

We were watching the air show this day, but it was pretty boring.  We had watched them practicing the day before, and it was way better.  It was just, kind of, slow at the actual show.

Now, our days are spent weeding the garden while avoiding the spiders, hornworms and snakes, going to the library, going to the mall and playing outside.  I'm working a lot, still, 5-6 days a week.  But, vacation is coming up soon!!!

Here's an updated picture of the new baby...