Garden Update 2010

This year we planted a BIG one, and we have loved all of the great stuff that grows there. I've tried to lable some of the things so you can get an idea.

So far we have 30 qts of peas in the freezer, 40 qt jars of green beans, and a sack full of red potatoes and squash. (Lots of Squash!!!)

Next week: Some  pictures of veggies!!

Dress Up!

Because sometimes moms get excited for little girls to grow a little older and play funny games with them.

Up, Up, and Away

The Blue Angels came to town! This was Jill's and my first ever Air Show. It was almost too exciting to handle.



Here we are, sitting under the shade of our own umbrella. I never realized how incredibly barren an air strip could be. I'll be sure to take notice and give thanks the next time I take off and land somewhere.

We sat with our friends the Bells. And the whole time I (and their two boys) kept wishing our shady umbrella was 5 times bigger.

We made it about half way though. The show began with a tribute to fighter planes from WW1 and ending with the current B-52 Bomber and the "Sound of Freedom." After a few swift passes, Jill had had it with the "Sound of Freedom" and was ready for a nap. So we watched the blue angels from a very shady field about a half mile away from the air strip while Jill slept in her stroller.

The whole time, I couldn't help thinking of Grandpa Jackson and his wonderful airplane stories. As I shared one of his stories with Matt, an older fellow with white hair in a dress shirt and tan slacks walked by with his camera pointed toward the sky. I said, "And if Grandpa were here right now, that is exactly what he would look like."

What sweet memories. I'm so grateful for a Grandpa who made those memories possible for me.

Fall is in the air

We're really hoping for a nice long India Summer so our garden will have plenty of time to grow (and because Summer didn't really begin until July 5th). But you know how much I love, love, love the Fall and how I just can't wait for that cool, crisp feeling in the air. And all the school supplies are on sale at all the stores. How could I resist putting together this little door decoration. I've been collecting things for it since May?

Isn't this the most perfect fall ribbon. (Robert's closing sale: $0.25)

And nothing says fall better than pine cones. (Front Yard: $0.00)



And I found these perfect little foam squash by accident. (DI: $1.00)

The way I feel when I put up the perfect seasonal door decoration: Priceless.

Jill Crawls

This really isn't much to see, and it's nothing to hear because our camara doesn't record audio. So here you go: video footage of Jill's first attempts at crawling. (Taken from a much longer video of Jill just sitting round, notice that we had to bait her with a carrot to get her to do her tricks on tape.)

Jill's 4 easy steps for perfect bean selection

This week we jarred 40 quarts of green beans. (We have another 40 still in the garden waiting to be picked if anyone is interested.)
Jill, our quality check specialist understood and preformed her job very thoroughly. Here are Jill's 4 easy steps for perfect bean selection:

Step 1:

Grab a handful of beans (no fewer that three or four).

Step 2:

Carefully examine each bean for any signs of age, over growth, or decay.

Step 3:

Test a few for taste. (This is a very important step. At least half of the beans are guaranteed to be fresh and crisp if you taste test along the way.)

And Step 4:

Discard any beans that don't meet the highest standard for quality.

There you have it. Now, go can your beans with speed and confidence If you need a quality check specialist, Jill works for $20 or one bunch of bananas an hour.

A Tale of Two Hiking Trips: Part 2

This time we started a little earlier than Jill expected. She doesn't like to be woken before she's ready.



We went to a place called the Palisades Lakes. We didn't actually make it to either of the lakes, but we did stop a fish a few times. And of course we took a picnic.

Jill showed great enthusiasm for the great outdoors this time around.

She got to help Dad do some fishing. Mom also did some fishing, and took a lot of pictures of wild flowers.

But Jill is always the only one who gets to sleep on the way back. What a life.