Garden Gloves

Juddah and Zion just wanted to say Thanks to Grandma Roberts for the coolest gloves ever. And I wanted to say thanks for getting the boys their own garden gloves because, now I can use mine, and not have to wrestle Zion for them. It is not a pretty sight when a mom has to throw a tantrum; "Uh, not fair. They are my gloves, I get to use them now, waaa"



Put your gloves up

Also, Thanks Cousin Kate, for the note. Juddah felt pretty cool getting a letter from his cool older cousin.

Just a Few Random Things

"It's too scary" I heard Zion saying the other night. He was crying, not the fake I-want-mom-to-hold-me-all-night kind of cry. So I went to investigate. Zion was curled up into a ball, sobbing. When I asked him what he was so afraid of, he said "the shadows on the wall, mom, are too scary. And the helicopter is too scary." After sitting in the boys room for a few minutes, I realized that when a car drove by, the lights would move across the top of the wall. But the scary helicopter? I have no clue. He also kept talking about the monsters in his room. I don't know what to do about this "too scary" business. I sit with them in their room until they are almost asleep, they have a night light and a fan on all night.

****
I finally have flowers growing in my yard. Like I have mentioned before, I started everything from seed, so if you compare my flowers to my neighbors (who bought pre-grown plants for their yard, humph) then my flowers are "late bloomers." It has been fun to see bright blossoms everywhere, and even pick some.

Speaking of picking, I have been harvesting lots if basil and oregano. We have enjoyed them fresh in spaghetti and lasagna. But the plants are growing so rapidly, we can't eat all that we have. I have been drying the fragrant leaves. I hope I can chop them up, and enjoy fresh herbs later. Any tips on how to preserve flavor?

Yesterday as I was dumping my compost, my neighbor popped his head over the fence, (he surprised me, I let out a little yelp.) He commented on how much bigger my tomato and pepper plants are than his. Then he added "But I only used organic matter in my garden so that is probably why." To which I responded "Oh, I haven't put anything on my garden at all. Hmm, funny." I know I sound like a meany, but he is so nosy and exhausting, it felt good.

*****
Juddah and Zion have colds. I thought Zion was coming up to me to give me a hugs. Wrong. He was wiping his nose on me. Thanks Zion. Or as he proudly calls himself "Ziggy-Zoney." Thanks Juddah for the great nickname!

Jewelie's Wedding

Sarah and I carpooled down to Jewelies Wedding. Sarah's Volvo wagon was packed full of camping gear, kids, snacks, toys, movies, and music. We really couldn't have fit anything else in. It was a long drive, but the kids did great. Iris and Juddah tried to claim different songs and words as their "own property," exclaiming "No don't sing it. It is my SONG!"


Here comes the Bride. Jewelie and her daughter Emmerichgray (sp) right before the ceremony.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Shultz


Zion and Iris in the tent. I shared my tent with Sarah and Iris. It was a little crazy getting the kids to go to bed, but in the end, the Moms won!


Zion and Wyatt, Roses son, loading up the gear, and getting ready to head home. I felt like we were so lucky it didn't rain he day of the wedding, but the next morning it was pouring rain.


Juddah, Iris, and Zion with is head in a backpack. There was a great playground for the kids to play on. It was in a very convenient location, so we were able to swing, and enjoy friends and family all at once!

Yesterday I was exhausted, but it was worth it! Jewelie looked beautiful. It was fun to see her mom, sisters, and kids. And have I mentioned the food? Jewelie and her sisters made all the food. Puerto Rican chicken and rice, avocado salad, cheeses, fruits, salads, steak and chicken kabobs, and oh my, two amazing cakes. Mmm, I am still dreaming of cake! All the happiness in the world to the newlyweds!

Ode to Onions

Sorry Mom, I love onions! I grew up, never trying onions, but taking my moms word, that they were a flavor and food less than desirable. When I did finally try foods containing onions, I actually enjoyed them. My love of onions has only grown. They are included in just about everything I make. And being that I not a very creative culinary artist, chopping onions and adding them to dishes always makes me feel like a real grown up cook. Shoot, I should host my own Food Network show!



Onion Facts:
The best way to keep onions from sprouting is to put them in a paper sack in your fridge. Tried and true, it has kept my onions fresh for months!
The word "onion comes from the Latin word "unio" meaning single. Because unlike its cousin, garlic, an onion plant produces only one single bulb.
Onions contain high levels of Vitamin C, chromium, numerous flavinoids, and quercitin.
Onions help maintain healthy bones.
Onions contain Allium, a sulfur containg element, and that is why it has such a strong pungent smell.
Sweet onions, like the walla walla, or the vidalia, don't make your eyes water, only hot onions make you cry!




The facts go on and on about how wonderful onions are, but the real reason I am writing about onions today is because while grocery shopping I saw a bag of these, Walla Walla Sweets! When we lived in Oregon, my Dad would bring home boxes of these onions from farmers he knew. I can remember him trying to get them slipped into foods, but no one was very excited. I remember turning up my nose, and thinking "who cares what kind of Onions they are, I still don't like them!" I also remember my niece Hannah setting up a wheel barrow and sign on the corner, and selling onions all summer. I think she sold every onion my dad brought home, which was a good thing, other wise they would have gone to waste.
I am trying to make up for my lost onion eating time! Sorry Dad that I never took your word, and just tried an onion before the age of 19! But you were right, Walla Walla Sweet Onions are amazing, and I know this bag won't last us long!

New Look

What do you think? I was crusising through blogs taht I haven't checked in a few days, made my way to "Fragile Flower" from Heathers blog. She mentioned she had just changed her look, and I thought I needed a change too! If you aren in need a a blog make over I suggest going to her site, and clicking on the links she has (I am not sure how to ad links to my blog, but she does!) Hope you like the new look. It feels like summer to me!

Let's Camp Out

It seems like I use to be a more rugged camper. But when the boys asked, and begged to camp out in their tent, I just really didn't want to spend the night on the hard ground. The next best thing to camping outside? Camping in Mom and Dad's room. I set their tent up in our room, put lots of blankets in, and they were so excited to "camp out!" The best part? We made s'mores, the boys were excited to go to sleep, and I was able to sleep in my comfy bed!


When I checked on the boys they were so sweaty. I pulled their blankets off, and made sure the fan was on HI.



I am sure we will enjoy many camping trips together. And I will even endure a hard nights sleep, but as for now, camping indoors is just as magical!

You are getting very Sleepy

So Tired


Going...

...Going...

...almost....

..gone....

It is so hilarious when kids can't keep their eyes open. Zion took a two second nap in the car, and decided that was enough for the day. So by dinner time he was so exhausted. He fell asleep, woke up once, and then was out for the night.

Dandelion Farm

This morning as I was weeding in the backyard, the boys were so busy. Juddah and Zion brought me Dandelion after Dandelion. It was so cute. I kept putting them into my back pocket. When we went inside we put all the dandelions in vases. They were so pleased with their sweet gifts. The cheery little flowers made me realize that maybe I am OK with being a dandelion farmer.

This spring I tried to get rid of all of the dandelions using vinegar. When the flowers died, they left brown patches of dirt everywhere. I thought the bare dirt looked worse than the dandelions. So I resentfully let the re-born weeds live. Today, though, I was glad that so many of them survived. It isn't too hard to understand why dandelion seeds were brought across the ocean with the Pilgrims.


These are for you mom!


Zion proudly displays the flowers he picked


Juddah shows his lovely bouquet

Water World, are you strong enough?

Here I am, held captive in my own home. My capture, lurks outside, waiting for any chance to attack. He is faster than I am. I have to be smart. How can I out think a professional? I desperately want to get the clothes off the line before he soaks them, but I may just have to count my losses and be grateful I got out with my life.




Ah ha, he looks away, I slip outside and wrestle the sprinkler out of his grasp. Victory is mine. I soak him until he can hardly breathe. He surrenders, and promises to never hose the house down or the clothes on the line. I think our agreement is fair, and I give him back his weapon. But then, unwilling to fight the temptation he shoots me in the back. A searing cold runs over me. Am I lost forever in this world of terror and sprinklers?

Hope arrives, he calls out, "I am done. Help me turn off the waaaa-terrrrr."

Anna'a Cabana

Heather requested I post some more photos of my back porch. Here's to you Heather!

Our backyard if pretty barren. No trees, and all the plants, are plants that I started from seed, so nothing is higher than my knees. I was feeling exposed, and hot from direct sunlight. One day Juddah and I were laying in the back yard, and he said, "I can't see, the sun is too bright in my eyes." So we rigged up a sheet on some bar stools. As we were laying there I thought, "oh I need a hide away. Somewhere comfy to sit and enjoy the great Northwest summer air." On "top Design" a reality show on bravo, one challenge was to make a beach cabana. They looked so inviting. The way the wind blew the material around, and the comfy couches, and rugs. I rememeber watching it this past winter and thinking "wouldnt that be so fun?"

First I thought I would build a structure off the side of our house. Then I thought, wait, I have this great porch that I haven't done anything with. So I pulled out my giant linen curtains (I bought them at that sub-division sale. They were $7 for all four panels. When I first saw them, I thought, "Wow that is a lot of nice linen, for far cheaper than I could buy one yard, I can find something to make it into" but since then, they have just been in a box)I measured the curtains, and they were so long. Since I will be taking them down eventually, I didn't want to cut the fabric. I just did a quick stitch, and all the curtains have more than a foot of hem. I just used a staple gun across the top. I really just did a quick job. I don't want to buy curtain rods for my back porch, so I figured the staples would be easy to put up and take down.



Juddah and the porch. The boys and I spend a lot of time in the back yard. It is so nice to have an "out door room" now. I want to get a futon, or something comfortable to take cat naps on.


I love the way the curtains look when the breeze gets under them.


You can't quite make it out, but the trellis' I made for my two pots of peas are in the same shape that the curtains are when they are open. When the peas are fully grown, I think it will look really pretty.


I hope this is a good photo log of what I did with the curtains. It isn't anything fancy, but I really love the way it came out. I have become quite an expert at making do with what I have, to make something I want!