Garden Clean Up 2010

We plowed the big garden where the corn and beans were planted several weeks ago.  Today we finally got around to pulling out everything in the raised beds.   There were a few unfrozen peppers and tomatoes so we gathered them up along with the rest of the asian pears.  I'm hoping we can store them in the garage and have the fresh fruit for another month or so.

While we were cleaning out the garden, we cut the artichoke plants down, covered them with sawdust, then several thick layers of newspaper, and finally some netting to keep the newspapers from blowing away.  We would have used leaves, but the trees haven't dropped enough yet.  Now we're crossing our fingers that the plants will survive the winter and really produce next year.  The Prudent Homemaker was able to harvest 100+ artichokes last year.  (this fact triggers salivating...)

The part without newspaper is where the onions are.  We harvested the bigger ones and left the small ones for next year.

Shameless Friend Promotion

My totally amazing former college roommate is the author of the blog The Great Fitness Experiment.  She's hilarious and wonderful, and now you can enjoy even more hilarity in her book (preorder it now-I did-, once it's out, the price will go back up):

Shameless Self Promotion

I've been feeling wordy lately.  Check out my guest posts at Feminist Mormon Housewives and Wheat and Tares.

Getting Through the Winter/Propagating Grapes

It's supposed to snow.

Yesterday, I sat in the garage loading sliced and peeled apples into jars, and admitted to my Mister, that canning apples (and grape juice) made it finally feel like fall.

If it snows, that means the garden will freeze soon, and there won't be any more fresh tomatoes. I like fall, with the leaves changing color, and the garden in full swing. I like eating squash. I don't really like winter. The only redeeming thing about winter is playing in freshly fallen snow, and drinking tea or hot chocolate by a fire. I'd be good if winter was condensed a bit and we had a week around christmas time where it snowed, and no one had to go to work or school, and we could play and wrap up in blankets around the fire. Then it could be spring again and I could start a new garden.

Since gardening is my main hobby, winter gets a little old fast. This year to get me through, I'm planning on bringing a cherry tomato plant indoors and see how long I can keep it going, as well as a couple of regular tomato plants we have growing in the green house already.  We'll also do indoor lettuce again, they were a little leggy last year, but it was fun to have fresh home grown lettuce in december.

The thing I'm most excited about is propagating some grape vines. My parents house, where we are living was build around 1890. There are grape vines that we're not quite sure how long they've been around, but know that they were here before my parents got married. My mom says they're called agwumps. They make the best grape juice. Concord grapes are nothing in comparison. They grow along the driveway, and when we build our new house, we may not have as easy access to them (not to mention that when my parents get home from Peru, the might want to use the grapes themselves), so we're going to take cuttings to plant in our own yard. I got the instructions from this website.  It looks pretty easy.  Cutting dried stems with three or four buds, dipping them in rooting hormone, and planting them in potting soil and repotting in individual pots as they get bigger.  The website says that by spring when it's time to plant them outdoors, they should be around 6 feet tall.

Gotta love conference bingo

The most fun part about conference bingo (aside from the candy) is hearing the kids yell, "PRAYER!  THEY SAID PRAYER" as they're grabbing candy to mark their cards.

I did something right, sort of...

You may (or may not) remember a post I wrote about growing artichokes.   Here is the result:

Out of 12 seeds that came in the packet, I ended up with 5 healthy plants.  Out of five healthy plants, one produced an artichoke.  (actually it produced two, but the other was so dinky, i'm not counting it.)  I debated whether to pick and eat the artichoke or not, but it wasn't huge, and there was only one, and if I picked it and ate it my kids would want some, and I decided it wasn't worth it, besides I'd heard they have beautiful blossoms, so maybe it would be better to just leave it.  (phew, sorry about that rambling)

I'm glad I did, the flower IS beautiful.  I'll try to save some seeds to start again this winter.  I'm also planning on cutting the plants back, covering them with leaves and plastic and hoping against hope that they somehow survive the winter and REALLY produce some artichokes next year!

Getting back to normal?

Aside from the thoughts that perhaps I now have more children than I can really handle (I really only think that between 3:30 and 5:30 pm on school days), I think we're adjusting to having a new baby.  Here's the evidence:

I got new bread pans several months ago, but hadn't ever used them.  They're narrower and longer than regular bread pans, which work well for sandwiches to send to school with my boys.

Can you believe these were made with freshly ground 30-year-old wheat?  Go food storage!

Baby E at 2 months

A full belly and a good stretch feels soooo nice!

A DuHa! moment

I recently had a DuHa! moment. Duh, because I can't believe this didn't occur to me sometime during the previous, oh, 9 years that I've been a parent and Aha! because I think I've had a major realization of what my job as a parent is (maybe that should be Duh! also).

It's not about me.

When my kids "spill" baking powder all over the kitchen floor, it's not about me.
When my kids "decorate" their rooms (walls, blankets, toys, bed frame) with a sharpie marker, it's not about me.
When they have a total meltdown over cleaning up their playroom, it's not about me.
When they have a tantrum over doing their homework, it's not about me.

If it was about me, I'd be angry that they made such a huge mess that they were in no way capable of cleaning up themselves. I'd be mad that they ruined a new bed spread, and left me a lot of work to do with a magic eraser (praise be to magic erasers). I'd be frustrated and feel like throwing their toys in the garbage. I'd be ready to tack on some extra jobs, and maybe do a little tantruming myself.

But it's not about me.

So instead, I show them how to use a measuring spoon without spilling the whole jar (or I keep it out of reach of little fingers), and teach them how to use a broom. I keep permanent markers up high, and kid-friendly markers and paper down low, and get two magic erasers and teach them how to clean their toys. I provide places for each toy to belong, and teach them how to put each toy away before getting out new ones, and sometimes I put toys in time out (but I don't yell, because it's not about me). Finally, I sit down with them and show them how to make a to-do list when they're overwhelmed, and if it helps, we both eat lifesavers to get us through the work.

My Aha! moment was that it's not about punishment for things they do that make me angry or frustrated, it's about teaching them to take care of their belongings, and how to clean things up if they make a mess, and use their words to express frustration, and take a deep breath and take overwhelming tasks one step at a time.

It does my kids no good for me to yell and send them to time out because I'm mad. Time outs are for helping them to calm down and think about things. What I need to do when they do something they shouldn't, is teach them what they SHOULD do next time, and show them how to fix whatever it is that they did.

Seems pretty obvious, but it took me 9 years for the idea to occur to me.

Drying Nectarines

Guess what I've been doing lately?  The nectarine tree looks beautiful this year.  We don't usually can the nectarines, I've actually never tried it, but my mom said they don't can well, and she knows practically everything.  So, we've been eating them, (yum yum!) and drying them as fast as we can rotate batches through the dehydrator.

Pick and wash nectarines

Cut in half and remove pit.  Slice each half into 4 or 5 wedges.  If a piece ends up bigger or smaller than the others, you have to eat it.  A shame, I know.  Place wedges close together on drying sheet.  Load into dehydrator.  (I recommend this one: Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator - ED 2900 Dehydrater - Jerky Maker Food Dehydrator Excaliber)

Dry for somewhere around 20 hours- check occasionally so you don't overdry them.

Store in a airtight container.  If you have room, and want to keep them fresh for a longer period, store the bags in the freezer.

The most difficult thing about drying nectarines is not eating them all before winter even starts.  I keep having to tell the kids that they can eat fresh nectarines if they want, but we need to save the dried ones for when the fresh ones are gone.  (of course, I still eat a few here and there, I deserve it, I did the work, right?).

Zoo Trip

Before my parents left, while my brother and his 3-year-old were here, my mom and I had a 3-year-old-boy-zoo-trip.  Baby E got to tag along also.  It was so fun to see CP and LG play together.  They're finally old enough that they really interact and have fun together.  We were sure sad when they had to leave.  Having cousins your age is so much fun!

CP and LG at the zoo.

Isn't the baby Elephant so cute!

Are we in Peru yet?

We took my parents to the Missionary Training Center this past Monday.  They're going to be there for about two weeks, and then they're off to serve in the Lima, Peru Temple.  We're excited for them- this will be quite the adventure.

CP with Grandpa and Grandma outside their "dorm".

The older boys were at school, so we had my parents, my Mister, CP, and baby E.  As we neared Provo, CP said, "are we in Peru yet?"  He knew that's where grandma and grandpa were going, and thought we were taking them all the way there.

Happy Birth Day Baby E!

Baby E was born at 4:08pm on August 3rd.  

My sister helped through the delivery again, like she did with CP.  Thanks Mary!

Grandma and Grandpa took the boys while we were at the hospital.

Proud Big Brothers:

J

A

CP

Proud Dad

I'm so glad baby E is here and part of our family.  He's so sweet, and we are all in love with him.  CP even licked him a couple of times (I think he was pretending to be a dog).  I'm also glad that I can sleep on my stomach again. :)

Food Storage Alfredo (sounds yummy doesn't it?)

(This isn't really called food storage alfredo- I just happened to have everything to make it in my fridge or pantry.  The name sounds mormony and maybe a little disgusting though doesn't it?)

  Lacking inspiration for dinner several weeks ago, I scanned the list of frugal dinner ideas at my friend Jessica's blog.

Here's what I found:


Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 TBSP butter
• 1 1/2 -2 TBSP flour
• 2 cups whole milk (I used 1%)
• Half a block of cream cheese {cut into chunks. Low-fat varieties work just as well!}
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese {can use fresh or Kraft}
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used minced garlic)
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Gradually add milk, whisking to combine as you go. I generally add it about 1/2 cup at a time, whisk, then wait for the milk to heat up and thicken a bit before adding more.

Once all the milk has been added and it's hot {do not boil!} add the cream cheese. Whisk to combine. Heat the sauce back up before adding the Parmesan cheese. Simmer this until all is melted, and mixed well. Add salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste. Serve over noodles, with chicken, in a pizza, or however you like it! Tips: I normally double this recipe, so that I can use the whole block of cream cheese. I freeze about a cup in small containers, for future dinners. I love this sauce and use it in a variety of ways, however my favorite is in the pasta dish described below. It's so easy and versatile! If it's summer, add zucchini, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. In the winter, I add eggplant, collard greens and frozen bell pepper. Really, I use whatever vegetables I can get inexpensively! I don't actually have a recipe for this, I just toss things in and call it good! 


I mixed the sauce with some green beans and tomatoes from the garden, and some frozen broccoli, and tossed that with the pasta.  A little sauce can go a long way, and makes for a light summer dinner.  Next time I'd put about 40 times the amount of vegetables in it that I used this time.  Other than that, It was a big hit!

July and August... Where did the summer go?

We've had a busy summer, and I haven't had time/energy/desire to update my blog.  I've been thinking about getting it printed in a book as my journal, so I thought I ought to do better at keeping things up to date.
A few days after we got home from our Ferron Reservoir camping trip (and did I mention I couldn't sleep at night while we were there?  The elevation made it hard for me to breathe), we left again for Baumgartner, the yearly trip we go on with my Mister's side of the family.

We left friday after work and stopped for the night at a truck stop.  I can't believe some trucks idle all night long. 

My Mister and CP floating in the river (it was REALLY cold this year.  I had pictured myself floating in the cool water, and how good that would feel, being large and pregnant and all- but I didn't get in further than my ankles).

All the kids in the hot pool trying to sink my Mister.  

We got home from Baumgartner and started swimming lessons the following Monday.  J and CP both passed their levels.  A will take level two again next year- the boys always repeat the same level several times before advancing.

CP

A

J

Next up:  Back to School time.  We have school supplies in abundance, new clothes as needed, and we're all getting rather tired of each other (well mostly, J and A are tired of each other, and the rest of us are tired of hearing them argue).  I used to think it was weird when people would say they couldn't wait for their kids to go back to school.  I hated sending my little kindergartner to school, and was so happy when he was home all summer.  Now with the boys being a little older, and having a little too much "together" time, I've joined the ranks of those who are excited for the kids to go back to school.  

Rice and Beans

The kids asked what we were having for dinner tonight, and for lack of a better name, I said, "rice and beans".  If I had used white rice, the entire meal could have been ready to eat in 20 minutes.  I used brown rice so it took a little longer.

In saucepan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil.  Add a can of chopped tomatoes (hopefully by next month, I'll be using fresh tomatoes), a can of kidney beans and a can of black beans.  I drained the beans, but left the liquid from the tomatoes in to make a sauce.

Add plenty of cumin, and a little salt.  Serve over rice.  Fast, easy, tasty dinner.
(The picture is my 8-year-old's second helping.  He gave the meal a 9 out of 10, claiming it lost a point because it had onions.)

Ferron Reservor

Basic Chicken and Cloth Diaper Primers

I've written a guest post on Utah Deal Diva about getting started raising chickens.

Go here if you'd like to read it!

I also have some basic getting started in cloth diapering articles here and here.

I've heard of people using diapers on their chickens to make them housepets, but I don't recommend it.

Harvest

We've been eating strawberries here and there for over a week now, but tonight was the first time that we've picked them and brought them inside.  (The kids love to sit outside and eat them, so getting this many at once was unusual.)

Along with the strawberries, we got 4 eggs from our 4 chickens.  I can't wait to see what we get to harvest next!

June Updates

The week that school got out we planted a large crop of beans and corn and various melons at my parents' house, then we spent several days frantically trying to get the watering systems working so we could safely go on vacation.

We left around 10am in the morning for a long drive across Nevada and California, to reach our family cabin in the woods, a mile or so off the coast.  


Our first item of business once we arrived (after sleeping that is), was haircuts.  The boys had really gotten shaggy.  I love this picture of A.  He was constantly brushing hair out of his eyes.  We decided that summer buzz cuts would be great (although it was tempting to leave A's as shown in the picture).  :)


Once they were all buzzed and showered, they enjoyed some hot tub time with dad.   

One day of vacation we hiked to a waterfall.  Here we are by the "smiley face tree"

We ate lunch by the water fall.

We got up early one morning to go see the tide pools.  We also took our usual trip into the town for fresh seafood lunch, and shopping at the toy store and book store.  The boys spent a huge majority of the vacation working with grandpa building their tree house.  

We were very happy to see everything alive and growing well when we got home.  Here are the green beans.

The corn in the three sister's bed is three or four inches tall now, and we planted the vining beans as well as the squash, so hopefully those things come up soon.  This picture is a good one of our new watering system that my Mister worked so hard to get operational before our vacation.  He used a length of hose to connect the tap to the pvc pipe.  He drilled holes in the pipe to correspond with the locations of the plants.  Nothing is glued together, so we can take it apart for winter storage and use it again next summer.

This section of the garden was also going to have the pvc pipe system, but we ran out of pvc pipe.  Rather than go buy more, we made due with what we had, which was a length of old hose (the one we had been cutting up to attach the pvc pipe system to the faucets in the other raised beds).  He again, drilled holes in the hose to correspond with each plant.  It will be interesting to see how it holds up compared to the pvc pipe.

After planting the beans in the three sisters bed, we realized that our experiment wasn't going to yield us very many beans, so my Mister constructed this lovely trellis for more beans to grow up.  We had a small section of raised bed with nothing growing in it, so it worked out well.

One morning I decided to break down and do some pruning.  I have a hard time cutting healthy growth off of plants, but driving through all the vineyards in northern CA, I convinced myself that it needed to be done.  I thinned out the grape vines so that there is one or two vines going to the lower wire, and one or two that we will continue to let grow so it can reach the top wire.  It looks much better now.

The strawberries that I transplanted several weeks ago have perked up, and have started to send out new runners.  By next year there ought to be another nicely established strawberry patch here.  This picture also shows one of the other irrigation types we have.  This one uses funny pipe and sprayers that direct the water exactly where you want them.  A little more pricy than our other types, but really nice to use.

We've been researching flowers to plant to attract beneficial insects and deter harmful insects.  We'd also like to attract hummingbirds.  We planted alyssum, marigolds, salvia, nasturtiums, and a couple others I can't remember now.   Most are spaced around the yard, but the extras were all planted under the hummingbird feeder.  I haven't seen any yet, but I have seen a couple of big fat bumble bees.  Usually we just see wasps, so I was excited to see more useful things.

At the nursery, while we were looking for flowers, I saw the basil, and instantly though of one of my late summer meals where we're trying to use up the prolific zucchini.  It's zucchini, tomatoes and onions sauteed in olive oil with garlic and oregano.  Fresh basil will be a really nice addition.  

We've also been trying to maintain an organized schedule this summer.  The kids have a list of jobs and homework that they have to do every day before they can play.  J's homework mostly involves practicing his multiplication tables, and A's is anything from the 1st grade section of the ABCya website.  The fourth and fifth grade sections have some fun games that J has been playing around with.  Hopefully they help him with his typing skills a little too.

Finally, at church yesterday, one of the nursery leaders came and got me out of relief society and said that CP needed help going to the bathroom.  I was confused and said, "you mean he needs his diaper changed?"  She restated, that no, he needs help getting his pants off.  I said, "do you mean A needs help?"  She must have been getting frustrated with me, because she said, "no, CP, the one with the red hair."  I was really confused, because CP isn't potty trained.  

I got to the nursery and took CP into the mini bathroom (the nursery room has it's own bathroom with a tiny sized sink and toilet.  CP wanted to use the little toilet.  I took his diaper off, which was only a little wet, and sat him on the toilet.  He went!  Then we put his slightly wet diaper back on him (the diaper bag was with dad) and washed his hands.  I'm guessing he saw the little potty, and saw other kids going into the bathroom and decided he wanted to also.  So, figuring that this week is better than any other weeks this summer, we're potty training.  He's had two minor accidents, and lots of good trips to the toilet.  I just wish we had a mini potty at home.  He's loving his big boy underpants though!

Also, as long as I'm giving updates, today CP said to me, "mom, when you do your email, it makes me irritated".  hehehe...