Gardening

The gardens are ready. The first round of weeding is done. Lettuce, carrots, and onions are all in. Radishes should be going in this afternoon. The tomatoes are taking turns under the grow light now. I am getting very tempted to plant more but sofas logic is winning. There are a lot of volunteers in my garden this year so I am transplanting some, weeding some and finding good homes for a few others. Can't wait for the growing season to really be here although I am not sure where it will all grow yet. Just opened my last jar of canned jam today, a little early I am afraid but I am glad we all enjoyed it so much. We still have some apple pie filling and a few jars of green beans but we will definately be ready for more soon.

Irrigation Season has begun

Today was a busy day. Starting those irrigation pipes always takes forever. We survived it but it took a lot out of us. The girls helped get the house cleaned up in the morning leaving the afternoon for outside chores. The tomato plants coontinue to grow well. We started some zucchini seeds today that will hopefully get transplanted in a few weeks. Melanie is training to walk some of the Rhody Run. It feels so good to encourage her to exercise. She plays and runs so much I don't worry about her but instilling good habits is always good. She is really excited about all the gardening and planting we are preparing for. If only weeding were more fun. Gardening with Heirloom Seeds by Lynn Coulter is my next readin endeavor. It is an interesting book with lots of history and growing advice for heirlooms. So far it hasn't changed my plans for this summer but it is giving me ideas for the future to try.

Melanie and I just planted our second round of seeds. Today was green bell peppers, jalapeños, camomile, tarragon, summer savory, columbine, golden coneflower, Shasta daisies, and we are soaking some lupine seeds for tomorrow. Brent is getting worried about how much space we might need out in the garden. I also made our list of what to start outside when the time is right to make sure we don't forget anybody. Now I just have to plan out where all these little plants will go to grow and feed us.

We also got Melanie's birthday all planned out and invitations written. Party supplies are half bought. Tinker bell will be the theme with a flower cake for a little Tink figurine to sit on. The kids will all get a recycled hot cocoa container wrapped and filled with goodies.

Homemade bread is pulling ahead of store bought finally. I had to concede to 50/50 white flour to wheat flour. Last night I added a bunch of cinnamon for some breakfast bread. The girls are crazy about it. They ate it warm last night and then toasted today. We are on a roll. Which is good since I was getting tired of the question "is this store bought" before now maybe they will actually decide homemade is better.

Crocheting is taking a back burner to garden starts but it is getting somewhere slowly.

Just about finished with "Courageous." Such an inspiring book. I can't wait to read "Courageous Living" and see some tips on being a better example and parent to my girls. On the home front I started the tomato, basil, and stevia seeds two days ago. Now begins the waiting for tiny little sprouts to come up. In three days we begin to lose weight and get in shape to hopefully win some money for us and the school scholarship fund at preschool.

Homemade laundry soap is going well. The laundry smells wonderful and seems clean without using lots of soap and smelly stuff. I am also improving the storage in the house to make it more organized and easier to find our stuff. Anything to simplify is good for us.

Yesterday was extremely productive. The girls went to preschool and I got a third of our house really clean. I also finished my first crocheted afghan. It was not perfect but it will be a pretty way to keep warm. Today the grocery store will get an expensive visit from us. Somehow we ran out of lots of staples all at once. I am hoping to make some laundry soap today. Then we can see how well the recipe works. If it is good we should save quite a bit of money and use less chemicals around the house.

Homeschooling this week is always a little odd since I work so much of it but E,e,5,and lighthouses are our topics today and probably a little on the weekend.

Trapper is getting used to her wobbly legs and although I am not sure they are getting a lot better she is tired of going slow and taking it easy so there is definitely more caution for us to keep her quiet.

A very long week

Last week took the Race family by storm. Monday morning my 92 year old grandma passed away. She had a great life and had only a few days of discomfort at the end. We were sorry to see her leave us but it could have been so much worse for her. Consequently our week was a little hectic. Kirsten and I promptly left for Washington leaving Brent and Melanie on their own. We all slacked off on our simplifying and homemade life. Then our lovely and devoted dog Trapper slipped a disk. There has been a lot of laundry and cleaning associated with her medical care but we are coming back online. Bread was made yesterday, laundry is caught up finally, and the house is getting clean once again. I am enjoying a little crochet time today to relax and deco press from the week. The kids are getting back on track and I finally got to talk with Brent about something more than schedules and chores. Simply the Race family is coming back together after a week of chaos.