Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

 

It really doesn't get much better than this.  Fresh lettuce from the garden!!  Our lettuce is doing beautifully this year.  All the rain and the cool nights have made it a gorgeous crop.

Although lettuce is one of the more time intensive veggies to get to the table I would have to say it's one of my favorite garden treats.  Washing it takes a lot of time, and the fact that we mulched with grass has made it a little harder to clean.  There are a LOT of grass clippings on it.

This year I planted Leaf Lettuce and Romaine.  I don't usually let the Romaine go into heads I just cut it like leaf lettuce.  Because the leaves are long and flat it is easier to wash. 

We've also been eating a few little cucumbers and zucchini.  My family likes to eat zucchini raw.  We slice them up and eat them with ranch dressing or just plain.


I spent about a half hour pulling weeds today. I need to make it a priority to work a little on the weed crop every day--otherwise it gets overwhelming.


What's growing in your garden?

Open Hands

I tend to get attached to things.  Especially things that are close to me.  I like my house and the furnishings in it, and I get upset when something gets lost or broken.

I'm that way with my children too.  I tend to think of them as "mine."  I don't like the thought of them growing up and "flying away."  I hold them tightly with a strong grip.

For this reason foster parenting is a scary venture for me.  I don't like to think about losing someone I've grown close to .

However, none of the things that I mentioned before are really mine.  Not my house--the things in it--my children--or my foster children.  They all belong to God first.

I must hold all of it loosely.   If I grasp at things and people too tightly I don't have my hands open for God to place added blessings in them.

So, I hold all of it with open hands.

Is It Monday Already?

I'm not sure where last week went.  Somewhere between bottles and diapers it disappeared.  By the way--guess how many diapers I change on average per week.  You can leave your guess in the comments. 

I did manage to accomplish my list.  The chicken is all in the freezer.  I left 11 of them whole--to be roasted, and three of them our neighbor smoked for us--yummy.  (If you've never had smoked chicken try it!)  The remaining 19 I cut up and froze separately wings, leg quarters and boneless skinless breasts.  The necks and backs I freeze in large bags.  On cold winter days I pull a bag out of the freezer and cook it off the bone and use the chicken for soup, casseroles or dumplings--but who wants to think about cold winter days right now.

The corn patch is weeded. 

The clothing is sorted and organized neatly in a tote.  Wonder what people did before there were storage totes?

This week we have several dentist appointments, but there are still other things to be done.

I would like to finish some sewing that I started before our foster children arrived.

I need to patch a large pile of jeans.

Last but not least I need to work on my canning shelves.  I will soon be filling them again and I would like to organize them a little before then.  Am I the only one that gets a slightly panicky feeling about the upcoming canning season?  Once I'm in the middle of it I enjoy it, but the anticipation is stressful for some reason.

Today we host a family reunion at our place so my day will be filled to the brim.

Have a blessed week!

Sunday Music

A little music for your Sunday enjoyment.

Things I'm Happy For This Saturday

Slobbery baby kisses--forgot how much I love them.


A clean house--thanks to my six year old baby entertainer.


Daddy's home--so I might get a nap this afternoon


Sams Club--plenty of groceries in the fridge.


Air Conditioning--it's sweltering outside.


Baby giggling--there's no sweeter background noise.


Good Health--my cold is finally better!


What are you happy for today?

A Rainy Day

I love rain in the summer.

I love going to sleep to the sound of it pattering on the roof.

I love the fact that rain forces me to take a break from outside work.

I love that I don't have to water my garden when it rains.

I love to curl up with a good book on a rainy day.

I love to take a nap when it's raining.

Do you like rainy days, and if so, what do you do when it's raining?

Some Like It Hot

 

Sometimes the solution to a problem is right under your nose, or in this case in your pantry cupboard.

  I mentioned yesterday that I had a bad cold. 

 In the afternoon it started moving to my chest and I became very congested.  I remembered that Cayenne Pepper is a natural expectorant and so I took some. 

Almost immediately I was able to cough up some of my congestion.  I'm not completely over the cold yet, but I slept a lot better last night.

You need to have a tolerance for spicy foods to use this remedy.

Put about 1 inch of very cold water in a drinking glass. 

Add about 1/8 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper and drink in one quick gulp.

You will feel a very hot burn on your throat initially, but this dissipates quickly, and your throat will feel much less sore.

Within about 10-20 minutes you will begin to cough up some of your congestion.

You can repeat this every several hours.  I even got up during the night and drank some.

I would not recommend this remedy be used for babies or children, and remember that Cayenne Pepper burns--DO NOT get it in your eyes.