Spring has sprung and today as I walked through the greenhouse I was so excited to see what was blooming and what was ready for harvest. I picked a large handful of strawberries and also a small bowl of snow peas. Below are a few pics from the greenhouse. The first one is asparagus peaking through the soil the bottom two are strawberries in bloom. Enjoy your day and be blessed, Tina
It’s such a beautiful day out today. We have windows open, we’ve pulled weeds, cleaned up the shelter, I picked some nice snow peas from the greenhouse, the birds have been chirping and J’s been putting up siding. It’s just been a wonderful day around our house! After picking these gorgeous snow peas I thought I really should take a few photos of these green beauties before I eat them. So I’ll leave you with a few pics. Enjoy and I hope you’re also having a wonderful day!
This is my first post since we rang in the new year. I have a few goals in mind for the blog this year but I’ll keep them to myself. For some reason when I tell my goals, I have a harder time accomplishing them! Somehow it feels refreshing to be starting another year.
Ponce de Leon lighthouse
My seeds are ordered and I’m looking forward to another year of gardening. Am starting to read up on how to improve my soil and J is planning on getting shade cloth for the greenhouse. With the heat of our summers there are just things that won’t grow here in the summer but they would make great additions to salsa, etc. J also helped me build a neat two bin compost system using pallets and an old sliding glass door. I like the idea of keeping it a bit more contained. It’s not beautiful to look at but it’ll get the job done!
I have been getting that crafty bug again and have so many projects I’d like to make that I feel like I won’t have time! I made my first thing over the weekend. It’s a magazine rack that I made from the leftover pallets we used for our compost bin. I’m posting a picture but it doesn’t show the copper glaze that I applied over it very well. I also decided having a few craft get togethers would be fun so I’m working on planning that too. I’ll post pictures of some of the finished projects.
We also took the past few days and rearranged some furniture. We seem to always be doing this around here and most people who stop by on a somewhat regular basis cannot believe how much we change things around.
In November we went on a little organizing streak and closed up the windows of the sunroom and made it into a nice sized pantry. J also redid the girls’ closet as well as ours. It has made a huge difference! I wish we would’ve taken pictures to show before and after. Our closet seemed packed full before but after we can’t even fill it up!
inside lighthouse
The last week of December we took a trip to Daytona. It was really nice. Our first time in Florida. The water was a bit chilly for my taste but everyone else got in and I enjoyed sitting on the beach taking it all in.
Daytona Beach
Have a nice weekend and I’ll be writing more soon! ~Tina
Today is cloudy and rainy out. I do like these days but I must admit today I’ve spent entirely too much online! I hear Christafari in the background behind me & the littlest one asking me what she should write on her blog. M is in the kitchen finding a snack & the oldest in her room finishing up schoolwork. We did manage to make a milk jug skeleton today. Little one plans on making her own and the half gallon jugs are currently soaking.
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So I’ve been drinking the kombucha the past few days and am probably a week overdue on seperating the ones I have fermenting. From what I hear though it’s not as big of an issue as you’d think. I now am looking for local friends to share the scobies with. If I don’t find anyone I’ll be sharing it with the compost bin. I did try putting it in Ben’s food bowl and he picked around it. I will be chopping it in the food processor next time to see if I can get him to eat it.
My sister & I have a little pet project going in the form of a blog. It has been much funner than I thought it would be. We originally envisioned it more as a photo blog but so far it has turned into more of a writing blog. Fictious writing. It has been interesting and I think it’s started both our creative juices flowing quicker than before. She’s also good about keeping me on target as far as making sure I post every other day which for me can be a task at times.
Yesterday I found some cilantro I had planted in the summer that never amounted to much. Well, it’s growing now! I know this isn’t a big deal for most, but it is hard to grow cilantro around here. Mostly because it doesn’t like our summer heat. I must’ve planted a bunch because I had enough to share with a friend! I dug some up this afternoon & planted out in the greenhouse. Now I just need to pick up some limes. I’m gonna make some lime cilantro basmati rice.
We also had friends over yesterday for an art project. We used watercolor and painted, nothing particular, on large sheets of watercolor paper. Next time we get together we’re going to cut them down & turn them into journals. I’m excited to see how they turn out! I’ll post pictures of the finished products:-)
Next post, I’m hoping to have more photos to share. They’ve just been taking so long to upload lately and honestly I just don’t have the time tonight!
Wow, how fast the weekends go! It has been relaxing, fun, exciting and extremely quick. The only thing missing from the weekend was exercise!
I finally got around to making some soil block mix and then I made up some soil blocks. Tomorrow I will be seeding some snow peas, lettuce, spinach, arugula, carrots, celery, some other cole weather beans I bought when I ordered seeds, a few herbs and whatever else I have. I’m also gonna try propagating my rosemary. J built four beds inside the greenhouse which are currently growing several broccoli plants.
Today I have been out at the thrift stores to just look. You know, there are always those things that you are keeping an eye out for just in case you get lucky enough to find it. J found a whole house water filter. He’s been wanting one for some time. It was, of course, something he never thought he’d run across (esp. for so little) but he’s been pricing them online for some time & knew what he was looking for. And knew what they cost. We also like getting his work shirts at a local Goodwill that has a 50 cents clothes rack they have on Sundays.
I’ve also had some Kombucha (pronounced komboocha) tea brewing in the closet. I can’t wait to try it & see how it works for me. And the girls. I’m pretty sure J would stick his nose up at it. For all you interested in learning about it here’s a link
I also found out recently that I was, apparently very iodine deficient. I have been absorbing iodine for the past week & a half or more. I finally am no longer deficient and have so much more energy! It’s amazing. I’ve been sluggish and tired for so long now but could never figure out why. Who knew it could be something so simple? I’m still amazed at the difference it made!
The girls are now waiting for me to watch the much anticipated Letters to Juliet so I must sign off. Have a great week and be blessed!
I had a post partially, well almost complete waiting in my drafts. It would’ve been easy enough to just hit the publish button. As theraputic as it was to write, I just don’t want to go there right now. I’m only up to writing about once or twice a week here as school has busied us. I think promising a post every Sunday and Thursday is very doable right now. Some weeks I may hit a couple more posts a week but my goal is for two a week right now. That is, of course, except those drafts that I write with the best of intentions to publish but later realize they aren’t things I really need to share or put out in cyberspace.
What’s been going on around here lately? A little bit of a whole lot of that. We’ve been working in the greenhouse & around the yard to get ready for winter and to clean up from summer. I still need to harvest my peanuts which are doing pretty well. I also still have a few luffas out there drying on the vine. A few days ago walking through I found a potato plant that somehow was missed – well actually I think I missed a potato when I harvest & am thinking it may have sprouted. I took a few clippings of a tomato plant & potted them up in the greenhouse to see how they do. Tomatoes tend to be easy plants to root. I also dug up a bell pepper plant and potted it up. It looks to be in major shock and I’m thinking it won’t survive but it’s worth the wait to see. I also put my potted chives in the greenhouse and they seem to be enjoying it in there. I have some broccoli ready to go but with the temps still hitting upper 70′s, low 80′s I’m afraid they’ll get fried since they’re cool weather veggies. Once it stays consistently around 70 I’ll seed my lettuce, beets, carrots, spinach, snow peas & beans that I have seeds for.
Recently we found a nice lake right around the corner from us. It’s open to the public too and the girls are excited to hang out there in the afternoons when we get the chance. It’s pretty large and looks like a nice place to walk, which is what a lot of people seem to do.
I’ve been enjoying trying new recipes lately. I’ve had the Moosewood Cookbook for a while now but have just recently started using it regularly. Last week I made a spinach rice casserole that wasn’t too bad. It did need a little something though so I think I’ll have to tweak it a bit. I also made a minestrone that J & I really liked. Today I’m gonna try the Cardamom Coffee Cake recipe along with the Carrot Cake recipe. The girls can eat the carrot cake through the week & J can take the coffee cake to work with him. I also borrowed a friend’s tortilla maker and plan to make & freeze some tortillas & flatbread (naan). We eat both of these so regularly that if I like the tortilla maker I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled when I’m hitting the thrift stores.
This week I’m again planning on taking one of those week long cyber breaks that I do every so often. It really can be refreshing! My brain needs to go on cyber-overload vacation. Sometimes, just sometimes, all those e-mails, Facebook quotes, etc. just need to wait! I also need to focus on the Lord this week and be in prayer about some things going on. I will still post as it helps me to clear my head a bit.
Recently I’ve been cutting my time on the computer, little to no phone daily and started a schedule that gets school done usually before 2:00! So this has left little time to blog & connect/keep up with friends but I have been wondering how everyone’s school year is going. So far ours is going OK. There are the stressful moments but we’re getting through! I’m hoping that the schedule (which I just started Tuesday) helps the chaos we call life around here! And gives me more free time for myself and to get some art & photography back into my diet. I know what you’re thinking, I know I’m not the most organized person but I have a couple kids that really need this structure. As much as it’s driving M & me a little crazy, I think it’ll be good for the oldest & youngest. I just have to tweak it a little here & there to make it work for all of us. It is helping us to get everything done that I want to get to in our day and yet still have time for everyone to breath a little! Everyone seems to be enjoying this. Well, after M’s initial meltdown.
I’ve also started French, geography and art with the girls. We needed more fun in our school days, which is what we’ve been lacking for a while now. Next I’d like to add nature journaling ( I think we’ll all enjoy this ), but I’m waiting for the weather to break! I’m just not one to enjoy hanging out in full 90 degree sun. Right now for geography we’re doing a study of Holland (the book was written when it was its own country) as we read Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates. For art today we did a study on the Limbourg Brothers on their “Book of Days” that was commisioned by Duc de Berry. The girls are making a “Book of Days” calendar themselves so this is going to be an ongoing study til we’re done. And I definitely think I’m gonna be joining in this project myself! Today the girls got their outline finished & we copied off enough for each month of the year. M also did some thumbnail drawings of what she invisioned for most of her months. She still has a few to go but each month includes at least one fairie. The issue I’m coming up against is that the other two seem to have that perfectionist, OCD type personality that makes them want everything symmetrical & perfect. I really need to work on getting this out of them so they can just enjoy the art!
J & I have started cleaning out the greenhouse & removing some of the cinder blocks on the floor. We gonna use the area where we cleared the blocks as beds to plant in. I haven’t yet started any soil blocks as the temps are still way too hot to plant cool weather veggies in the greenhouse. I’m hoping this goes well and I continue to learn what I need to accomplish my goals since it’s something I really enjoy doing. I also plan on trying a few other things in there just to see how they winter over. I did have every intention of digging up my stevia (after harvesting it of course) and potting it up in the greenhouse to winter over. The problem is that J mowed it down while we were off visiting family. No stevia this year. I can’t completely blame him for this and honestly ~ I’m over it 
I also found an interesting article on organizing recipes here. I think this and a home management binder will be my next big projects. I’ll plan on posting as I make the home management system. I’ve found some really great ones out there and even tried one once. The problem was that what looked great & worked for other families just didn’t suit us so I’ll definitely have to put my creative juices to the test on this one. It’s useless to have a “great” system if you never pick it up!
I’m also on the prowl for some neat craft ideas to do with the girls. Maybe even a few sewing projects. We’ll see how the sewing goes. We try but, well, you know . . . I do have a couple of bags of corks that a lady saved everytime she opened a bottle of wine. I think I’m gonna start with a cork board but am still deciding on the shape I want it to be. Hopefully I’ll have enough so the girls can work alongside me & make their own. If not, I may just have to look the lady up & see if she has anymore corks that she’s saved since then. Or enlist people I know to start saving theirs. The problem is that apparently they are no longer all made out of cork but some are made of plastic.
Since we’ve cleared out, cleaned up & rearranged the house it has been much easier keeping it clean & presentable. I have to admit that some organization does make life smoother for everyone! I’m trying, I really am. It just comes a little slower for me than for most. I guess I tend to have M’s attitude that too much of this scheduling/organizing can be stifling. I think in the end it just comes down to how you view it and maybe even how you let it dictate. It’s a great tool but not an end all. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and enjoy a little spontaneity! Some of us just enjoy doing this more than others 
I am so thankful that this week has been going much better for us than the past few. God is so good & so faithful & through all the trials I see His hands.
For all those wondering, my sister is doing well and will be fine once she recovers. She’s still in pain, which I’m sure is normal, and has a bit of trouble eating due to the fact that they cut through a muscle in her head. Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes.
Sunday we got everything put back into the back room. J is currently expanding bedrooms for the girls. Its going much better (and quicker) than I anticipated. The initial mess only lasted a short while. They’re gonna be much bigger than the previous bedrooms and better planned out. I’m excited to go into the younger two’s room & organize! And clean out!
We started school yesterday and it actually went pretty well. I realize that not drilling addition, subtraction w/ the little one & multiplication & division w/ M was a big mistake but we’ll get back to where we need to be. Its a learning process for me too. You’d think I’d learn by now but, to be quite honest, I enjoy a break sometimes too!
We finally got some much needed rain yesterday evening. We ended up without electricity for a few hours. Thankfully, I already had dinner done before this or we would’ve been driving through somewhere! I made one of our new favorites, chicken fried rice. I found a pretty good recipe online and so this was the second time I made it. A friend recently gave me a pressure cooker. She got a new one & this one has steam coming out where it shouldn’t but it sure worked fast compared to the pan method I’ve been using to cook my rice! I can’t wait to try beans in it!
I’m still picking tomatoes, although due to the recent lack of rain and extreme heat they’re smaller than usual. They still make a pretty mean salsa and I’ve been canning as I go. We’re also getting other produce, again in smaller quantities but we won’t complain! I’m very excited that even though I have never sprayed our peaches the tree is loaded! They are speckled on one side of the skin but if you cut the skin off they’re fine. And they are sweet, man are they sweet! We’ve also been picking some apples off the tree that hangs over the our fence from the horse field. Today we plan on picking, freezing & canning if there’s enough. We’ll see.
I think I’ve decided to take the easy road this year with winter gardening. I plan on just growing them in the greenhouse whenever I get around to it! That will also help me to leave the ground clear to work it, however we end up deciding, more than likely with the lasagna garden method. My oldest is great at planning things out & as she proved this year she’s good at planning out a garden too. I plan on enlisting her help in planning next year’s garden. I think that’s one of the great things about being a family ~ using everyone’s strengths to work together!
Borage
Dill
I still feel like I’m in a training stage. In a lot of ways I don’t really know what I’m doing, or at least I think I don’t. Believe it or not I;m actually doing better in some ways than I expected I would after only a few years. Some things I know better in theory than in practice but with every set back or failure however you choose to look at it, I learn a lot.
birdhouse gourd tepee
luffa
cinnamon basil flowering
Ginger in the baby doll cradle
My little one is running a fever today. I guess of all days, today is a good one to be stuck inside. Its supposed to be a record high and I’m not a heat lover anyway. She sleeps soundly beside me while I type. A few rooms away I can hear four other kids loudly playing wii. No comments about kids & video games! Its hot and I can’t blame them for wanting to be in the house. I’m thinking today may be a good day to try to switch up the theme of the blog so if you come back and it’s looking quite different don’t fret.
