Summertime......

What are your plans this summer??

My first plan is to get all

my garden going. Get all my starts

in the ground, the 9 tomatoe

plants a friend gave

me, some transplants sent home

with me from my trip.......

Then I just need to catch

up on weeds, it has been

raining, with thunder and

ightening and even hail!!!!

Very Crazy!!! But boy do

the weeds love it!!

After my garden is planted,
I will begin preparing for my

May Farm Cottage

Summer Daze Tea on the Veranda.

Every Tuesday and Thursday

through July and August,

Ladies can come have

tea on the porch.

So I am going to create a

"Tea Room"

at one end of the porch with

some fun finds from my trip. Had my

first call yesterday for a group

of 8-10 for a birthday celebration!

Then a lady I know is having an
"Upscale Yardsale"
in July.
She puts a pretty big ad in the
paper and it is not just a yard sale!

There are homemade items,

she has ladies serving

lemonade and cookies,

she has lovely

things on a clothesline, a

place to sit in the shade with

your refreshment,

several vendors as

well as we can bring our yardsale

stuff that is in good condition.

I have several things I want

to make, so that is in my plan.

Yummy Rhubarb Sauce....and I will

make some Strawberry and

Strawberry Rhubarb Jams.....

And, last big thing

of the summer,

well maybe not last

if I do an end

of summer tea in my

friends garden

.....but almost last

.......have not really

decided if I will do this.....

Prairie Day Camp!!

Yep!! Girls come for a

day camp, 3 or 4 days in

a row. First we

make bonnets and aprons

so they have them to wear,

then we do all

sorts of fun things,

from making candles

to embroidery......

Prairie stuff!!

Here they all are having

afternoon tea....

Ever seen girls have so much fun

washing dishes!?!

Sitting around doing handwork.......

Oh, yes, and in between

all that, I will be

busy keeping

the quail and such

out of the garden!!!

The girls love washing clothes in

the washtub with a washboard and

hanging them up to dry......

And just so you do not think I am a crazy woman......all these things just take a bit of initial organizing and then they are really very fun!! Also, my husband has not had much work and this is a little bit of income and a way I can help from home.

And, I do plan on having some nice breaks.....July is our 30th wedding anniversary and we plan to go somewhere nearby for a night or two.....On the Tuesdays and Thursdays that no one has called to reserve tea, I may have my own friends over for a time of relaxing and chatting......And, I do want to read this summer....in the shade......yes!! Not sure what I will read, nothing too intense, just something fun......

Some friends and I plan to go to the Coburg Quilt Show and take our own "Tea Party" picnic. We also have a fun local camp we attend that is very relaxing for me.....

And if I had small children around, which sadly I do not, I would have them by my side in the garden, they would help me make cookies and serve tea to the ladies, and of course they would enjoy Prairie Camp!!! And when it got too hot.....they would dip into their wading pool, while I cooled off in the hot tub which will be set on a low temperature......Enjoy your children this summer!! Keep them nearby, they will soon be grown, very soon.....

What are your summer plans???

Independence Day Update #1

Thought I would join in on the fun over at Sharon's blog...

Casaubon's Book. She tells all about it, check it

out at sharonastyk.com

Here is my update....

Planted Something:

Inside have planted cabbage, broccoli,

cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, various herbs,

squashes, cucumbers, beans, hollyhock, ......

Outside have planted lettuce, carrots, spinach, onions,

potatoes, radishes, beets, kale.....

Harvest Something:

Too early, but we did eat the cabbage sprouts that

I thinned out. They were really good on a baked

potatoe with cheese for lunch!

Reduce Waste:

Used old newspapers to make pots, also used some

egg cartons and toilet paper rolls.

Preparation & Storage:

Have been organizing my canning pantry and working

on a years food supply. Lately have been canning beans.

Did Boston Baked Beans and have done

some Pork and Beans ......

Community:

We serve dinner at the Shepherds House

once a week. That is our local mission. Last week I

made pasta, vegetarian spaghetti sauce and sent

cones for the ice cream.

Eat the Food:

I have been trying to use up some of what is in

my canning pantry. Eating the applesauce

and using up jam, alot of jam left. And....

we did eat sprouts........

Hope you will check out Sharon's blog and read what

the Independence Day Update is

all about!!

And....be sure to check here every Monday

for my Update!!

Garden Beginnings.......

I took a day awhile back

and layed out a calender

and planned my garden backwards!! I looked at when

I wanted things to be harvested and counted back to

when I would need to start them. I did this because

last summer we had a killing frost in August. (GRRRR)

It was actually an enjoyable

process, I had my seeds and

I had a couple of books to determine what things

were cold hardy and how long things took to

grow and I also threw in the idea of planting

some things together that help the growth of

the plants they are near.....

all with a cup oftea and "Pride & Prejudice"

soundtrack in the background.........

Very lovely time indeed :)

This year I want to work really hard for the couple

of months that we can garden and get the harvesting and

preserving done before we have frost. So, I have planned

what can get started inside now and what

could possibly go outside while it is still cold.

Since my husband still does not have much work,

I cannot just go get little starting pots, so have

been making several different types

with whatever I have on hand......

Newspaper pots.....

and below I was blessed to find in my shed these
starting pots.....and I had these plastic lids from
some pans I bought at an Outlet store. The pans
were for taking meals to the Shepherd's House, but
I did not use the lids, I did however save them!!
as well as these little starter pellets........

I also used some toilet paper rolls......

This is what I rigged up for the seeds that needed

higher temperatures to germinate. I used my roaster

oven as a container only (not turned on) and put

our heating pad in the bottom of that. Then I

used some baking cooling racks first to hold

the bottom layer up off the heating pad, then

to hold the second layer up off the first pots.

I also used egg cartons......

I lined the lids with a bit of plastic to hold the

water. At night I put the lid on the roaster,

but kept it off during the day when it was

warmer so the plants would get some light.

Did not take long and there were

baby sprouts everywhere!!!

and they just kept growing and growing!!!

Now they are ready to be

transplanted into a little

bit bigger pots. All I have to do is plant the whole

thing into a bigger pot. All of my starts are this

way so as not to disturb the roots.

Some of what I started has to stay inside until

the beginning of June, then I can put them out

but still have to watch and cover at night.

The cabbage and the broccoli I started inside

because the germination temperature was a bit

warmer than outside is right now, but as soon

as they are growing well and established

I can put them outside as they are both cold

hardy. I will probably put out one little

plant first to be sure. Wouldnt

want to kill them all at once. :)

How is your garden coming???

Springtime happenings....

Well, when life keeps going on, it sure is hard

to think a about blogging. Or rather, sit down

and do it.....I do think about it. :D

I had planted some cold hardy seeds outside

and am happy to say most came up. Here

in the High Desert, that is a big

accomplishment. I also have several seeds

that came up in my back room.

So far inside: Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Eggplant,

Roman Chamomile, St. Johns Wort, Broccolli,

Cabbage, Squashes, and maybe a couple

more things.

Outside things that came up are: Kale, onions, radishes,

lettuce, beets, maybe I see some

carrots and spinach. Our nights are in the

low 30's sometimes high 20's, so I am

pretty excited about these things working.

I am just trying to figure out now, with small

sprouts, do I keep covering them with plastic

or just straw or what?? Much experimenting

going on here. I knew from the beginning that

this is an experiment, so that if I do have

to replant anything I will not be too disappointed.

Today I am going to plant turnips and peas, these

could have already been planted and hubby is

going to make me potatoe boxes, so Iwill

plant potatoes today.

I have also been canning some more. I canned

Boston Baked Beans and Pork and Beans the

other day. Grama Belle where we crochet

on Tuesdays gave me alot of jars from her

shed, so I have been pretty busy just

running jars through the dishwasher

Very few real canning jars and lots of

odd ball jars. But I used to can with mayo

jars, so will try it again for fruit and applesauce.

Also, there are alot of jars with lids just

right for freezer jam, since I am always

short of plastic containers and plastic

lids can easily crack.

As I started canning and cleaning jars, it was hard

to get into my shed where the canning goes.

So, I decided to clean that first and get

it organized and hubby put in the extra

shelves I needed!! Happy day.

I had planned on doing something else and my daughter

said, Mum, do what you are passionate about

today, you will get more done that way.

And, she was right!! I made wonderful

progress on the shed.

I am sad to say that I do not have the pics of

all these doings yet. Something happened

awhile back and I cannot load my pics like

I used to, so I do not know how to do

it anymore and have to always wait

for someone to do it for me.

That is why my posts get so far apart.

It is my hope and prayer that wherever you

are and whatever stage of life you are in

you are enjoying peace and contentment.

Living life as shared above gives me a true sense

of contentment and inner joy and peace.

Knowing that with God's help I am doing all

I can do to make our home a shelter and

restful place for my family.

The Sun is Shining!!

Just thought I would "pop" in for a minute.......

Well, the weather report was actually

right!! It has been

warm and sunny and beautiful.....

I have planted many of my seeds in pots indoors, today

I am heading out to plant some outside that will

have to be covered at night.

Made our weeks bread yesterday, off to

Gramma Belle's this afternoon for a bit

of crocheting.

Just stopping by to

say "hi", been busy

outside. Oh and the wonderful sound of

the sprinkler watering the grass to make it

green again. In the high desert, the grass

is brown most of the winter and the hose

is frozen, so this is the first bit of

watering I can do. Trying to at least

green up the grass around our firpit by

Sunday so we can cook out on the fire

with the family Easter Sunday.

Proverbs 2:3-4

"...yes, if you want better

insight and discernment, and

are searching for it
as you would for lotst money or

hidden treasure, then wisdom

will be given you......."

Wow......lost money??

hidden treasure??

Lately I am actually searching just

that hard for wisdom. My husband

continues to not have enough work,

and we are day by day by day

"clinging" to wisdom and

trusting God to lead us.

I just continue to do my part in

making our home a refuge, a place

to come in out of the storm. :D

Hope you are all

enjoying Spring Days

wherever you are!!!

Sign of Spring.....

My neighbor friend sent me this picture of her new

babies!! They are sooooo adorable.

Saturday we had our Titus 2 Group meeting.

This time our Bible Study was about

"Becoming a Titus 2 Woman"

How that requires a focus and different

lifestyle than we might otherwise choose without

that as our goal.

Whether we are striving to be all Titus 2 implies

now as we raise our children, love our husbands

and learn to stay home.....

or even as we are striving to be that

older woman for others in our life.....

Either way, it involves abandonment.

We must abandon our desires, hopes, dreams,

family, friends......etc. Wrap them up in a

blanket and lay them on God's doorstep!!

Walk away.......the new owner (God) will

now take care of

those abandoned things......

this does not mean we will never have

a life......it only means we are not in

charge anymore. :)

"Others may surrender......

we must abandon."

Then we talked about planning our

gardens and growing more this

year, and growing enough to feed our

families and even be able to put some up

for over the winter. How soon we can

get started on that...trying some cold hardy

crops now with plastic on them.

Then off to Gramma Belle's for more

crocheting!!

It was a good day.

Summers End Garden Tea!!

There are so many pictures of tea it is hard to choose, but I did, this is not even all of them, but it is alot, hope you enjoy.....................

Violas as they entered the yard.......
The lovely Ladies...........

The table..........

We gathered white pitchers of different sizes and filled them with flowers of white and shades of pink, the plates also had pink flowers along the edge.



Frenchesca comes to tea!
(the cat :) this was after the ladies had left...

This cup is the same as the little plates we used.
This is their take home gift, a vase of fresh herbs from the garden!!

The grande finale....fresh, homemade peach ice cream, soooo good!

The store.............

The girls helping me serve made these "heirloom tomatoe" pincushions....CUTE!!

HA, here it is!!!

Lavender by the spoonful........
Sweet rhubarb sauce.........

My lovely servers and their sister..........

The one in the front is my daughter... :)

OK, I do not like pictures of myself....but here you go..... :/

Sun setting at the end of the day......

It was a beautiful day....my friend and I sat here at the empty table after everything was cleaned up, except the table...we just wanted to sit and savor the moment with a cup of coffee (ooops...don't tell).....

Now a tour of

Our beautiful Tea Room.......