minty mondays.

We are staying with Johnny's Grandparents again. They have such a lovely place. It's very secluded. The back porch swing is my favorite in the early mornings and late evenings.
Johnny planted sweet taters yesterday and darn it there is something sneaky in that garden that likes to eat everything we plant. He is going to try and come up with something that will keep whatever it is away from those precious vines. It's not a bug, it's an animal of some kind. My papa gave us his roosters the other day and we let them roam. They are our garden guardians. They killed a rat the other day.
I am going to try and find an Asian market today. I want to try making Massaman curry. It's a favorite dish of mine at a local Thai place. It calls for shrimp paste which doesn't sound too appealing.
I am going to have a lunch date with my sister today. I don't spend enough with her. She is such a special girl and I'm proud to call her my sister.

what a character..

I just ate a delicious mango. Reminds me of China. I don't think many people read this, but if you are I hope that you have a beautiful day and drink lot's of water cause it's hot out there...

the lovely ladies

weekly sourdough making

 

 

 

 

he wishes he had teeth

I love rainy days.

beans beans beans!

Elias and cousin Wyatt

pickin

Butternut squash face

Mornin' folks.

I went to bed canning and woke up canning. The other day all my family picked beans together. It was hot, fun, and very itchy. Now I am canning. We will dry the last harvest, but we just keep on picking to keep them on producing.
We are on our last jar of sauerkraut so I need to start a new batch today. It's harder to do things when you have a baby. You can still do them, but it just takes longer and you have to do them in stages. I like it.
Johnny and I were talking last night and this morning about how God gives and takes and that we must trust God because everything is His and is for Him. I can't imagine how Abraham felt when God asked for him to sacrifice his son. I wonder is Abraham's wife knew about it.
Well, it sure looks like rain and it puts me in the mood for chicken in the crockpot...a whole chicken with lots of garlic, celery and assorted spices.
I'm gonna walk with Elias to visit my grandmother now. I have some delightful berries for her. I hope that this Tuesday is special for you in some way.

Berries and Basil.

Today is gonna be a hot one. Last night before dinner, I went out to the garden to pick some berries and some basil. There were blackberries as big as your thumb, blueberries, and raspberries. The basil was really happy to be harvested because it knew it was going to be paired with garlic, olive oil, walnuts, and yogurt to make a delicious pesto for some homemade pizza.
I think Johnny's Papa will get to come home today so we will be moving back in with them to help out.
I have finally perfected making biscuits after a lot of trial and error.  Snapped beans for canning with mom and grandma yesterday on the porch. The other day Johnny and I put up an electric fence, powered by solar, around our garden because something is getting in and chopping down on our cucumber and okra plants.
I love my sister.

hello...I kept dreaming that I was sleeping real late this morning. I ended up waking before seven which is pretty normal for Johnny and I. Elias tags along somewhere around 8ish. We like fresh eggs in the morning overeasy.
Johnny's Papa is still in the hospital. Bless his heart.
My sister and I took a trip with Elias to the pool today. My grandparents converted their pool to a salt water pool. It's real good for the skin.
I went to pick berries today and I picked a lot. When I got back there wasn't much left.

I love the laugh of my son. It does something to me that nothing else does. He laughs uncontrollably when he sees dogs. I've been noticing lately that I don't really call him by Elias but, I call him all sorts of nicknames.  Booty boot is one of them...

motives.

We've been staying with Johnny's Grandparents to help out his Papa. It's really peaceful there. It's like being in the middle of nowhere and the mornings on the porch swing is ideal. Papa ended up in the hospital a few days ago. He really has a liking to Johnny and prefers him to help and to keep him company. I am really glad Johnny is loving his Papa like this.

He is still asking this question a lot.

I made a yummy pizza tonight with ingredients from the garden...fresh basil, onions, and the first tomato. Among other things, we are hemming overalls, making diapers, building nets for berries, making chicken pie, and clapping hands with Elias. He is on the verge of crawling and is doing this awesome trick with his fingers and lips.
The sound of the television in the other room annoys me...especially if it's an action film.

I just want to sit with my husband and do nothing for a little while. Ok, ok.. I will.

our little man.

Keepin cool

warrior

 It's Saturday morning. Johnny and I went to ATL last night for a wedding rehearsal and dinner. We are glad not to be living in the city, but we did have a great time celebrating the beautiful union of marriage.  Our 2yr. wedding anniversary is coming up in July.
I woke up earlier than I thought I would today. My Boys continued to slumber together upstairs while I had myself some breakfast and tea. Johnny brought down Elias and I just hugged on my little man and he seemed to hug me too. I love him more than I thought I could and I know that this love will only continue to flourish. I pray that my love for Johnny and Elias will grow deeper and wider with each coming day and that God will give me the grace I need to be a wife and mother that brings glory and honor to Him.
So Johnny discovered this wild raspberry patch on the outskirts of the garden. In the morning when he goes to feed the ladies (our hens), he brings back a handful of sun ripe berries for me to put on my homemade sourdough bread topped with peanut butter...a delicious combo. 
I spent the day with my mother yesterday. I love her. She is relentless in her love. She will go the extra mile and is so generous. We like to call her Mammers. Love you Mammers!
I'm trying to decide whether or not to give Elias raw goats milk today and tonight while he stays with his mammers because Johnny and I will be at some more wedding festivities. I don't want to give him formula and I hear that raw goats milk is a great sub if you are low on breastmilk. We got the milk from the goats at the homestead in Asheville and it's been frozen for about a month. I think I will go through with it. Hope he enjoys it as much as I do. Homemade goat cheese is even better! Thanks for reading. Happy Saturday!

Loves mama.

it's darn hot.

I am happy to blog today and it's not because I have much to blog about, but I am happy. Elias is asleep next to me in his car seat. He is such a big boy at 6 months. He isn't too interested in real food yet, just the boob. He is sitting up by himself and he really loves the water. We took him over to my dad's parents last night to get in their salt water pool. We wanted to wait for the sun to go down a bit cause that sun will do a number a baby's new skin.
So it is real hot here...a real adjustment from Asheville. It's one thing we miss but not the only thing. I haven't been able to spend too much time in the garden being a mom and all but Johnny is being a great caretaker. Growing so far we have okra, cucumbers, zucchini, assorted sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, winter squash( we should have waited), dry bean, chinese noodle bean, malabar spinach, assorted herbs and flowers. Just about every opportunity Johnny gets, he goes and collects leaf mulch, coffee grounds, and manure. The "Pup" (the isuzu truck) comes in handy for these duties. The Pup has been out for repair but is about to make a victorious return! We are trying to amend the soil (feed and nurture) so that our plants have a fertile place for their roots. All of the organic matter that Johnny is able to collect is great for this. This process doesn't happen overnight. It's a continuous process with a fruitful harvest. We are learning what works and what doesn't as we go and definitely don't always have the answer to the questions we have, but we will keep on trying. We are having a great time!

Posted