Growing a Salad and SpRiNg!

The day after we built and filled in our garden, we looked out front and there on the dirt pile were two HUGE woodpeckers!  I mean, they were as big as Woody Woodpecker.  We couldn't get a good picture of them before they flew up into the tree, but you can see them if you look closely below.  Remember, this is a very zoomed in picture, so just take my word for it, they were big!! 

Also, in the midst of planting, we got to watch spring officially arrive.  Now, if you stay inside all day, you completely miss this exciting event!  I LOVE to see the first blooms on our pretty tree out front.  It took a little longer this year than normal - I guess the cold scared it off!  But, it finally started poking out little buds as we were starting our garden.

Our crepe myrtle tree out back is always cut back to sticks about March, so it is exciting to see the first sign of buds.  Here is a picture of one of the branches the day we were building the garden:

This is the same branch, 3 days later:

Again, the same branch, one week after the original.  God makes all things beautiful in His time!

Ok, Ok, on to the garden.  So, the garden was built, we added good organic fertilizer to the soil in the bed, mixed it around, and we were ready for some veggies.  We bought a few that were already started, since, according to Florida guidelines, we were a little late in getting things in the ground.  Plus, we were a little nervous about critters coming and eating up all our seeds before they could grow, so for us, a mix of some starters and some seeds seemed a good decision.  Here, we are getting things going:

Here is the partially finished plot.  MaKenna made the cute little signs!  In case you can't tell, we planted 3 types of tomatoes - Better Boys, Roma and Cherry, Bell Peppers, Zucchini (all the starter plants), and from seed, Sweet Onions, Carrots, Lettuce, Spinach, Blue Lake Beans and Zipper Peas.  In two smaller containers, we also planted Cucumber (plant) and Basil (seed).
 

Hmmm, while the girls and I planted the veggies, what did the guys start??? More on that to come!  You'll have to be surprised!

This picture shows a couple of things - first, we "mulched" it with some leaves.  Also, this picture is one week from planting - do you see our beans, peas, carrots, spinach, onions and lettuce growing????!!!  How exciting!  We are almost at 2 weeks now, and they are even bigger.  I will post more pics soon and the newest addition to the garden scene.

We are about to build one more raised bed garden next to this one, while we still have the wood and dirt here.  We may plant some watermelon and pumpkin in that one!

We have worked hard to get this going, but we are loving the process so much.  We have had a few critters dig in it and found that when we sprinkle cayenne pepper around the perimeter, they stay away!  We will have to redo it tomorrow, since it has rained the past few days, but it seems to be a good, safe way to keep unwanteds out.

Anyone else gardening this year?  What are the tricks that you have found to work with critters - both bugs and animals?  What are you growing?  I have so much more to share and will hopefully get there soon!  In the meantime, I will dream about the yummy meals I will make with my homegrown vegetables!

Raised Bed Gardening

Oh, I have so missed my blog.  It has been wayyyyyy too long!!!!  I am not even sure when I was on here last, but I know that it was looonnnggg ago!!!!  I have so much to share, too!  How will I ever catch up??!!   Let's just say that while I haven't been on here, we have been enjoying life around here and the journey that we are on.  It isn't always just how we want it to be or perfect by any means, but it is ours and we have decided to make the best of it as it comes and be joyful at all times, even when we may not be "happy."  Think on that for a while, it's worth it!!!

For now, even though I have so many blog topics and posts in my mind (and my camera!), I am going to share something so exciting that we have been doing around here, in all our spare time!!!  So, get ready, here we go...

Last year, we decided that enough time had passed since we lived here, it was time to start a garden.  We planned small, just to see how it would go and actually used a small child's wading pool and placed it on our back porch.  All things considered, that went well, but this year, we knew we were ready for bigger and better!  For what we had in mind and the space that we had to work with we decided to build a raised bed garden.  Here is what we did:

We chose a spot in our backyard that got at least 8 hours of sunlight a day and that was kind of out of the way of the usable yard.  We chose a spot near the back left corner by the fence.  Next, we marked off our space and prepared the ground - dug out the grass and pulled all the weeds.  Like this:

As we brought out dirt that was no longer needed there, we took it behind out shed where there is a little erosion.  I really only mention this because in this picture of Holly working, you can see the little swimming pool that was our garden last year.  This year, it is a compost pile in the making!

The next part was to build the garden walls. Oh, have  I mentioned yet that we did this whole thing for FREE!  Yep, that's right and here is the first how.  Before starting the garden, we took apart Caleb's fort that he is wayyy to big for and never uses.  This gave us a tremendous amount of wood at our disposal!  So, the labor was free and the walls were free - so far so good!  Here are the first posts laying down and ready to go:

 Caleb and Holly decided all work and no play is no fun, so they take a break for some playtime! 

OK, the walls are built - now to fill it in!  It takes lots of dirt to fill a garden that is about 4'x8'!  Lots of trips with the wheelbarrow!  The dirt came from that pile that sits between our house and our neighbors.  He had a truckload of soil brought in last year for a planter project, he used the amount that he needed and the rest has just sat there.  We asked if we could use some and he gave us his blessings to take as much as we liked!  More FREE materials for our little garden!  So, here are the first few piles: (notice the difference between soil and sand!)

Here's the dirt pile we are working from.  After all that we used, it seemed like we barely made a dent in it!  (We are actually about to start another raised bed and use some more of the dirt this weekend!)

OK, that's all for now!  You will have to check back for the next part, adding the plants.  We are LOVING our garden!

Fun Times in February and March

Since I haven't been blogging much, due to school, church, school, co-op, school, family, school and, oh yeah, school... =) here is a little review of some of my favorite highlights from the past 2 months!

We finally got back to scrapbooking, after a looonnnnggggg break for the holidays, in February.  Holly and MaKenna helped Cadence bake up some brownies for a goodie while we worked.  I actually ended up accomplishing nothing except for catching up with the girls sorting through some pictures and loving on Tracy's new baby!

A few of us took Melissa to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory for her birthday.  We had such a great lunch laughing, talking and celebrating Melissa and friendship.

Kimi came for a visit, making the month so much more special than it had already been!  We always have a great time when we get together and can pick up right where we left off - even our children!  Camille even got to come this time!  So many fun memories made!!!

Garrett, Austin, Camille, Caleb, Holly, MaKenna and Micaylah:

Kimi and I:

These are the "special" things that have happened.  Life tends to take on a sort of busy routine these days full of family, church, friends, school, homeschool, co-op, baking, cleaning, cooking, couponing, bargain shopping, lesson planning, etc.  Not to mention all the good things in the works - lots of little goodies up our sleeves around here!  Here's one - getting ready to build a raised bed garden - bigger and better than last year!  I am so excited!  This is my life and I am loving every minute of it!


Hopefully I can get back to more regular posts, but for now, I better get back to that next assignment before it comes due!

Dr. Seuss Day

March 2, 1904, Theodor Seuss Geisel was born into the world.  We know him today as Dr. Seuss.  What a character!  I think that he was a really neat person who we all learned to read from, taught our children from and has been a part of all of our lives for a long time.  Who doesn't love a good Dr. Seuss? 

In the past, the kids and I would do all sorts of silly things for his birthday - dress silly, read his books, eat green eggs, make Cat in the Hat hats, etc.  Today, I took a midterm exam and we didn't do any of that!  But, I did have some fun with the kids looking up quotes of his and we enjoyed that.  You can learn a lot of life lessons from Dr. Seuss!  So, I decided to post some of my favorite quotes here so that I can come and look at them anytime I like.  Thanks for humoring me and coming on the journey!  Hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." 

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
 
"A person's a person, no matter how small."

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"

"If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, just go right along and you'll start happening too."

"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!"

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."

"They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast! "

"And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed."

Thanks for reading along!  I find these inspiring in quirky little ways, don't you?  

Bread Machines

Funny - my last post was about bread that I made by hand and this one is about bread machines.  Seems like a contradiction, but so many things have come up about bread machines lately that I thought I would post a few thoughts here.

I was in a store the other day near some bread machines that were for sale.  There was a couple near me, looking at various things and the husband pointed out the bread machines, asking her if she wanted one.  Her response was so similar to many that I hear.  "No, I had that one a  long time ago and never used it (used it only once or twice, etc.).  They are just a waste of money."

I reflected on buying my first bread machine after I heard this discussion.  I bought a cheapie machine at Wal-Mart soon after my wedding and did as the lady at the store said - I used it once.  The bread was horrible and after that, if I made bread, I made it completely by hand.

Then, a few years ago I was at my local Homeschool Convention.  As I walked into the vendor hall with a friend, an amazing scent filled my senses and I think I literally floated to the booth in the far back corner of the massive hall.  The booth was for a company called Bread Beckers and I believe that I spent most of the rest of my time at that convention at their booth - watching, asking, talking, listening, learning and, yes, tasting!  I left there changed on my views of bread making, but didn't buy a thing.  I did take a free CD that heralded the health benefits of eating bread made from freshly ground wheat, though.  I didn't need much convincing.  Always being one to look for new ways to take care of the temple that God dwells in for myself and my family, I consistently and diligently search for ways to reach this goal.  Not to mention, the things I tasted were amazing!

Mark and I were blessed to sell a house that year, the year of the great rise in prices, and we made a nice profit.  We talked about it, analyzed the cost vs. the benefit to our family, and decided to take the plunge and get the things we needed.  We went back to the Bread Becker's booth at another Convention nearby and purchased the Zojirushi Bread Machine as well as the Nutramill to grind our own flour.  It sounds so Little House on the Prairie-ish to write that, but I love it!  The fresh ground flour makes everything taste better and fresher and it feels so good to know that I am putting unprocessed, whole wheat grains in my family.

So, what about the bread machine - do we use it or did I use it once and that was it?  The truth is, I use my machine at least several times a week, even though I take my dough out and bake it in the oven (simply because I like the shape I can make by hand better).  I trust this machine to take the wholesome ingredients I put in it and mix them thoroughly and properly for a perfect dough.  Then, I am able to make rolls, bread, pizza crust, cinnamon buns, sandwich pockets, etc. The possibilities are only limited by my creativity and time! If I didn't have the bread machine, I would like to think that I would still consistently bake bread, even by hand, but I know that there would be times when reality would take over in the busy-ness of life and it would be easier to stop and buy a loaf.  The machine helps me to continue making bread at home when I just have to throw the ingredients in the pan and go about my business.

So, when I hear people talk about what a waste bread machines are, I feel sad for all that they miss out on by using this amazing kitchen tool.  Here is my favorite bread recipe, in case you were wondering! :D

Gathered Ingredients:

 

Grain ready to mill:

  

Fresh ground flour:

1 1/2 c. tap water - as warm as it will get straight from the tap
1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. gluten
2 Tbsp. lecithin
1/2 c. flax meal
4-4 1/2 c. freshly ground hard red flour
1 Tbsp. instant yeast

Pour the water, olive oil and honey into the bread machine.  Add the salt, gluten, lecithin, flax and about 4 c. of the flour, in order.  Make a small well in the top of the flour and add the yeast.  Place in the bread machine.

I set it on the basic dough setting which takes 1 hour and 50 minutes to complete the cycle.  I will check the machine when the "add" timer beeps to see if it needs anymore flour (this will vary based on temperature, etc.).  This is where the extra 1/2 cup of flour may be needed!

Dough is ready to be punched down and formed:

When the timer beeps, I take the dough out and, on a normal occasion, I make 3 average sized rolls which I place on a greased cookie sheet.  I take a small amount of dough, form a rope and tie a knot.  I set these aside and then take the rest of the dough and lightly punch it down while forming it into a loaf shape.  Place it in a greased loaf pan and set in a warm place to rise to the desired height or doubled, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Ready to rise:

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes, remove and let cool on a wire rack.

Fresh out of the oven.  I wish you had smell technology on your computer, cause this is pretty much amazing!

I have used bunches of recipes, many of which are very good, but this is my overall favorite.  It is just right for us!  Do you have a favorite bread recipe?  Oh, and the ingredients are mostly gotten from a local co-op through the Bread Beckers.  You can get info from their site if you are interested in learning more.

BTW - I mentioned that sometimes we use the dough to make pizza.  Sometimes when I am making bread, instead of making the three rolls, I use that dough and make beauties like this for lunch.  Yeah, homeschooling is tough sometimes!

Homemade Spinach Alfredo Pizza:

I'll save that recipe for another time!

Homemade Bread

Many of you know that, for several years now, I have had the pleasure of making homemade bread using fresh ground grain.  I can't tell you what a difference it is to have fresh baked bread every day!  Just the flavor difference alone is enough to make it worthwhile, but then, when you consider the nutritional value difference - there is truly no comparison!  Well, that being said, I am always playing with new recipes and have my eyes and ears open for anything yummy that I can get my hands on.  So, when my dear friend, Melissa, called one day to tell me about a new recipe she had found, I knew that I had to give it a try!  Needless to say, it is amazing and I have made it 3 times in one week!  It is so good, that I had to share it with you all, too!  First, a picture to whet your appetite:

Isn't it beautiful??!!  So, here's the recipe:

4-4 1/2 c. flour                            3 Tbsp. sugar
4 1/2 tsp. yeast                            2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. basil                                     1  1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder               1 egg
3/4 tsp. rosemary, crushed       3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. water                                  1/4 c. butter, cubed
1 tbsp. butter, melted

(This is how I made it using a bread machine to mix.  You can also mix the dough by hand, if you like.)
Place the milk, water and cubed butter in the microwave until the butter melts, to about 120*.  (Don't allow to get too hot or it will kill your yeast!) Pour this into the bread pan.  Add all of the seasonings next, then add about 4 c. of the flour.  Make a small well in the top of your flour and place the yeast in the well.  Knead in the bread machine for 10 minutes.  I keep an eye on it and see if I need to add more flour, so that it forms a nice ball and is not sticky.  When done mixing, let rest for 10 minutes.  (If you are not doing this in a machine, make sure it rests in a warm place.)  After 10 minutes, divide the dough into 1/3's , shape each section into a rope and then braid on a greased baking sheet.  Pinch the ends and tuck under.  Cover and let rise until double, about 25 minutes.  This gets huge!!!  And so pretty!  Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until golden and brush the top with the melted butter.  We have eaten this with butter on it and we have also done this:

Dipped in olive oil that has a little pepper in it (like Macaroni Grill!).  Mmmmm, mmmmm... this bread just has an amazing flavor.  I have been out of rosemary, so I still haven't tried it with that.  The last time I made it, I had run out of dill, so I used some thyme and it was still good.  I have also been adding extra garlic powder and minced garlic as well, just because we like it like that - you can modify it with herbs and spices as you desire.  Also, it made me think of pizza crust, in a way, so this week, we will be using the same recipe to make homemade pizza.  I'll let you know how it turns out!  Let me know if you try it and ENJOY!

Checking in...

It has been a little while since I blogged and I felt like it was time for a check in.  Then, I sat down to start a post and couldn't think of a thing worth posting!  I hate when that happens.  So, here is an update on where I am in my life with the newest event - I went back to school! 

Yep, that's right.  A few weeks ago I started two classes that I have to take to keep my teaching certificate up to date.  I was very apprehensive and nervous about going back to school, seeing that I graduated from college in 1993!  And back then, I had no children, no homeschooling, no ministry involvement, no true adult responsibilities!  All that said, I chose to take 2 online classes, hoping that would help a little bit. 

So, I am in my 4th week of classes and, so far, so good!  I am taking Teaching Strategies, learning various methods, techniques and strategies to teach all types of students and Technology for Educators, learning all about technology and how to use it in an educational setting.  I am fascinated with the 2nd class - it is very challenging, but it is right up my alley for creativity, computers and integrating all of this in a classroom (homeschool or otherwise). 

I am learning how to juggle reading my textbooks, completing my assignments and doing my research with the rest of my life and have lived through it so far!  I love learning and am excited about all that this semester has to offer me!