Garden Goodness

mmmm.

Our garden has been good to us this year. Doubling it's size has really paid off. This weeks stash of tomato was enough to can salsa and pasta sauce. Wonderful smells were wafting from the kitchen and creeping upstairs. Here's what we've been enjoying.

lots of yummy tomato

Peppers galore

End of the season beans

One long cucumber phone

And we're still awaiting our carrots.

We were able to can using only ingredients from our garden- except for a bit of vinegar. With a few more weeks and plants loaded with green. I foresee more canning in our future.
Stay tuned...

xavier's sweater

Xavier is due next month. His parents had a baby shower this past weekend and their one stipulation was that his clothes show that he's a boy. Knitting a manly sweater is not an easy thing to do. Not many patterns exhist. I ended up improvising and creating my own pattern.

Something about this color combination is so much fun.

I love the wide shoulder seams.

Personalizing it was the most fun.

I'm not sure I've ever used graph paper before in knitting.

This project was a lot of fun!

Maybe someday I'll publish the pattern...

days of summer: outdoor art

tools for creativity.




attention to detail.





abstract art.





masterpiece.

days of summer: rockin the side pony

I had to work last week.

Ry stayed home and bonded with the girls :)

days of summer: nature hike

We recently went camping with some good friends.

Day 2 of our trip consisted of a lovely little hike in the woods.

It rained the night before- everything was beautiful.

Tree on the trail.
(Little A thought this was the coolest)

Little I explored everything.

Streams.

The Manistee.

All that exploration paid off- we found loads of wild blackberry bushes.
The perfect sustenance for our trip back to camp.

A successful hike.
(Little A and Little O- hiking buddies for life?)

days of summer: blueberries

Highlights.

Rows and rows of beautiful blueberry bushes.

Little A learns to pick only the blue ones.

My lovely family

Carrying home our loot: 2 lbs!

Deciding if I should make a pie or freeze them for later...both I think.

days of summer: going to the fair

Highlights of our day:

Petting the horses.

Little A's lengthy conversation with a sheep.

Really BIG pigs.

Pretty little hens.

Then we finished out the day with pony rides.
(These little ponies were offered water twice while we rode- which made me feel better about the ride)






Going to the fair sent me into one of my most common day dreams- which basically includes: homemade goat cheese, daily farm fresh eggs and self-spun alpaca yarn.
Our home is not likely to sell in a market like this, but maybe if I keep dreaming.
Someday....