Floral Arranging

Last month Rachel spent the afternoon with other home schooled girls learning the art of floral arranging!

Here's the finished product. Much of it from our own yard! Thanks Mary!

Worth the Wait...

We've enjoyed fresh fruit of one kind or another almost since we moved in. First we feasted on cherries, the nectarines were yummy lunch treats, next purple plums, grapes to share, and finally the peaches are ripe! They're delicious! And huge! Seriously, most of them are softball size! One of Wade's former occupation's happened to be peach sorter. So when this man declares these peaches as some of the biggest he ever saw, we know it's no joke!
I picked so many today I thought I better do something with them! I made this cobbler after dinner. On Saturday, I'll make some jam. By the way, thanks for planting a freestone - Jim and Mary! I don't have to feel guilty about not canning them!

Piled up/Stacked up

Stacked up-The amount of hours Wade and the kids spent splitting wood this weekend.
Piled up - A new seat for Bret!
Stacked up - Garret's confidence in the amount of work he can do! Not everything has to be done by big brother anymore!

Piled up -All the wood split this weekend.
Stacked up - all the other wood Wade and the kids have chopped and stacked this summer!
Piled up- Half of our almonds!
Piled up - More corn from the neighbors
Stacked up - Ready for the freezer

What else?

Piled up

Books and papers left out in the school room!

The gararge, still/yet (we're waiting for the weather to cool off!)

Weeds in the flower beds (It was a busy month!)

Lilly's dresses - handme downs for a special cousin!

Stacked up

5 Loads of laundry folded and put away!

Boy's closet - nice and clean again!

The dollars it took to buy our new computer! (more on that later)

Entertainment center - cleaned and organized!

I'm looking forward to another day off tomorrow! Not that I won't be busy! There will be more stacking and piling to do! The weeds are calling my name, and the kitchen is begging for some freezer meals to be cooked and put away for a busy day!

Have a nice Labor Day!

Dad and the boys splitting wood!

Ummm! Something Smells Good!

Today I made homemade bread for the first time! Believe it or not we are eating it, and enjoying it! My kind friend loaned me her Bosch Mixer two weeks ago (maybe 3!) It took me a while to get the right ingredients and then a little longer to find the recipe I wanted to use. Another friend told me about the http://urbanhomemaker.com/website. I downloaded her e-book on bread making, pretty informative and it led me step by step through the process. There are things I'm wondering about, like should the dough have actually been coming out of the top of the mixer? I turned it off when this happened! As I scooped it out into another bowl to rise, I felt pretty defeated, but alas when all was said and done it did not look half bad! In time I will get the hang of it. This evening my family enjoyed some homemade vegetable soup with their bread and butter! Well, let's face it - we all enjoyed the bread much more than the soup. Some of the veggies were given to me by a generous friend, some were from our own garden. I knew my family wouldn't eat them raw so I disguised them in a soup. Most were blended so they didn't even know they were there!! Think of all the nutrition I was able to pour into their mouths, and down their throats this evening! Here's another website I refer to, to make me feel good when I serve my family a healthy meal - http://whfoods.com/.

Someday, I may show you a picture of my bread, but for today enjoy the picture I downloaded. And try to imagine the yummy smell!