How Does Your Garden Grow?

As promised today I am posting some updated pictures of our garden.

First a picture of the day we planted.

This is what it looks like today. The watermelon plant was all over the place but my husband moved it to mow yesterday.

 Look it's taller than me. (please excuse the goofy expression)

 okra blossom

 This is what happens when you don't pick your okra every day. Whew look how big that sucker is!!

One more thing I learned about Okra: the leaves are a skin irritant and the okra themselves have little thorns that will prick you.

Garden Time!

Ever since Ryan and I have been together he has talked about building a kitchen garden.  Nothing fancy just enough to put some veggies in our pantry. When we bought our house this year it was the first project we tackled.  We got started a little late in the season so there was not a lot we could plant, but we were able to harvest more than we really expected.

 Isn't it perfectly lovely?! This picture was taken the day we transplanted all the starter plants. I will take an updated picture soon (as soon as I break out the lawn mower). The Okra is as tall as me now!

We didn't get any tomatoes this time, but we kind of knew it was too late. We got about a pound of black eyed peas, TONS of okra, several eggplant, loads of Jalapenos, and a couple of bell peppers. We had two watermelons but they were broken into by some critter. :( However, we are still hopeful that we may get some more.

What I've Learned :
Next time I plant okra it will be in its own box, because as it gets taller it blocks the sunlight to the other plants. I will try different recipes to can/pickle them and possibly sell some.

I will plant more pea plants next time and stake them up better. (I planted three plants this time)

I will NOT try and plant watermelon again unless we make a VERY large box for melons only! THEY TAKE OVER LIKE CRAZY!

It is a lot of work but it is so worth it! I love seeing my daughter play in the garden and I know she will value the experience of watching and growing her own food!

Do you have any advice for first time veggie gardener? whats your fav/least favorite thing you have tried to grow?

That's all for now! Check back soon to see updated pictures!!

I'm Baaack

Wow... I have no excuse I have been a slacker. A lot has happened over the past year for our little family! We got a puppy, bought our first house, started a garden, and Ryan was promoted to Executive Sous Chef! It's been a whirlwind year and now I am ready to get back to writing! I have really come into my own as a wife, mother, homemaker, and gardener. I cannot wait to share all my adventures with you!!

My daughter and her "puppy"

A Fresh Start

About a week ago Ryan and I watched the documentary Food INC., and it had a huge impact on us. We always wanted to eat fresh and local, but never bothered to put in the time to make the change. After watching the documentary we decided from that moment on we would no longer be buying our meat and produce in the grocery store.  Not only is it pumped full of unnatural things that were never meant to go into our bodies and shipped from all over the world, but the way the animals are treated is absolutely apalling. Seeing chickens raised in coops where they will never see the light of day and cows standing knee deep in their own feces was the last straw.

The American supermarket has no seasons, you can walk in and get tomatoes year round. Eating local you get only the freshest ingredients and here is a shocker, they taste SO much better. When you eat local not only are you getting better healthier foods but you're supporting your local economy and farmers. It's a big step and even a little scary. It will change the way you cook because you will only have the ingredients that are in season in your area to work with. I imagine I will be posting my dishes and recipes soon.

 The best way to make a change is to join a CSA.

"Community Supported Agriculture or CSA, is an alternative food system... It represents an informal agreement forged on an annual basis between a farmer and a group of members to produce and distribute food.  Members, sometimes referred to as shareholders, are people concerned about where their food comes from, how it is grown, and by whom.  They recognize the connections between thier food choices and the economic system that supports it...."  - The Community Supported Agriculture Handbook, The Center for Sustainable Living, Wilson College

For our meats we got a half share at a local CSA and paid $325 plus $50 membership fee for a10 weeks of meat. Each week we get four different cuts of meat one of which is substitued for 1/2 a dozen eggs every other week. This week we got some ground beef, beef stew meat, beef shoulder roast, and pork chops.  All the meat is pasture raised, grass fed, and hormone free.

For our produce we decided to go with a delivery service, Greenling,  that offers local and non local organic foods.  We will buy a local box every other week for $35 and we can add anything else we need or want for the week. They sell everything from meat and dairy to produce and pantry staples.
This week in the local box we recieved:
Asian Pears, Prickly Pears, Sweet Potatoes, Assorted Peppers, Okra, Sweet Potato Greens, Summer Squash, Pickling Cucumbers, Eggplant, Loose Shallots, and Limes. To that we added two white onions and .5lb of Purple Hull Peas.

Not Convinced.. Just take a look at what showed up on my doorstep!

I encourage you all to watch Food Inc, for yourselves and be informed what the Government is allowing to happen to the food you feed your families everyday. ( I will write more on this later)

 To find local CSA's in your area go to http://www.localharvest.com/ and for delivery service check out http://www.greenling.com/ 

The Candy Chronicles...

I'm on a mission.. I want to start baking and making candy..

We all love candy and baked goodies right?..  Plus I have to put my Kitchenaide to good use! Seasonal candy, colorful candy, chocolate candy, even weird candy! We have a good family friend who always makes candy at the holidays and I want to follow in her footsteps.. SO.. I am going to be trying out lots of recipes between now and Christmas and I will give reviews after each trial!! Have any favorites? Ideas? Send them to me and I will try them out!

Getting Organized!!

I love being able to stay at home, but I will admit sometimes the housework can seem daunting. It's a constant battle to keep the place clean, laundry done, and food cooked.  So I decided I needed to divide the housework up into a schedule! I think it's a great idea because it allows me to keep the house clean without feeling like I have the WHOLE place to clean up EVERYDAY!

Here's my schedule:

Sun:   Kitchen, Living Room, and Laundry (This is also the day I clip coupons from the Sunday paper)
Mon*: Husband's Day Off so I just pick up after him :)
Tues: Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Laundry
Wed: Kitchen-Clean out Fridge :p, Living Room, Laundry
Thu*:  Floors, Dusting, Closets
Fri:   Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Laundry
Sat:  All Over Cleaning, Make Menu and Grocery list

*Trash Day

What are your housekeeping secrets and tips??

Inspirational Sunday Story.. on Tuesday..

Ok. I know I have slacked off a bit. I have been wanting to tell this story but it's been a battle to sit down and relive it.

First I need to give you a little background information.  Ryan and I are very passionate about helping special needs individuals, we actually met while volunteering at a camp for adults with special needs.  We have even talked about the possibility of adopting in the future. Well about February of last year I woke up feeling a heaviness in my soul, and I knew I had heard God whispering to me. I went to Ryan and told him God was showing me that there was going to be a special needs "baby boy" that needed US in the near future. I knew that God was speaking to me and so I started praying for the strength to do what he needed me to do. I had no idea what he was preparing me for.

Fast forward to April 15, a horrible story in the news, an unidentified 3 or so year old boy had been found dead in a park near where I grew up.  As the days progressed it came to be known that the boy was actually 6 years old with severe medical problems and many special needs. He required a feeding tube and would have required around the clock care, but yet he was still unidentified. My heart was absolutely broken. Someone had removed his feeding tube and left him in a pile of brush. Who was this boy? Surely someone was looking for him, loved him, wanted him... I decided I had to do something.. anything..

I got on Facebook and started a page for our "angel". I sent requests out to everyone I knew. The page grew faster than I could handle. Luckily a few wonderful ladies came to my rescue. We did everything in our power to keep the story in the news everyday, we even organized a candlelight vigil in his honor. I was furious that this wasn't national news, and terrified that someone was going to get away with this horrible crime. The page grew to over 40k members in a week.  There were a lot of sleepless nights, tears, and an amazing showing of community. The people of Wylie came together and lifted this boy up.

Eight days later I see a picture of a beautiful boy flash up on my television screen with the words "Wylie's Angel Identified" streaming across. My heart leaped! I fumbled to find the remote and turn up the volume, it finally happened. I grabbed my phone and called one of my new friends who had kept me sane in the past week. "WE HAVE A NAME!! PRAISE GOD!!" I shouted through tears. We cried and rejoiced for the next few minutes then set out a game plan. We met up at the site where he was found, which had turned into a makeshift memorial. We taped signs saying he was identified, we hugged, and we cried.. a lot..

In the next few days we would learn that he was left there by his maternal grandmother.  I won't go into the details of  the rest of his family , but I will say this.. He was loved.. He was wanted.. This DID NOT have to happen. There were other family members who would have gladly taken him and cared for him.

I hadn't thought about the message I had received from God until one day Ryan said " I think Gerren was the baby boy with special needs God wanted you to help!" Wow. My mind was blown. God had been preparing my heart for this. I had not even realized it.

I am not telling this story to toot my own horn, I could not have been nearly as effective without the help I received from two wonderful women. As I sit here with tears streaming down my face I want to stress two things this experience has taught me; you must always listen to the little God whispers, and one person CAN make a difference.

You may not think this story is very inspirational, but the way the Community rallied around a little boy none of them knew and the things it taught me give me inspiration. Needless to say I will never forget this experience. I feel blessed that God trusted me to do something that would make an impact. God also blessed me with several life long friends that I know would go to end of the earth for me, and for that I am so thankful.

My heart has been forever changed, and I want to make a difference. I want to be an advocate for those who cannot stand up for themselves. I don't know how I will do this but I know I will..

Oh and in case you were wondering.. The "grandmother" (age 64)  was sentenced to 28 years for Murder, but the real judgement day is yet to come.


Rest in Peace Angel.. I will never forget you.