Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Different Choices

I have had to make many different choices and some have not been easy, nor have they been correct.
Not to say that they were not of some sort of teaching. Although I may not have known they taught me for some time, like years.
But these choices have made me who I am today.
I know that some of the roads that I have traveled down have been very rough, but I still can say I have learned so much from these dusty travels. I may even be better from them as if the mud covered me so that I became super clean in the end. I do try to choose not to return to those puddles in the roads any more.

So now I have been trying to show my grand-daughter to make wise choices, in her young life. I want her to know that those different choices that we have the opportunity to make can make the difference along the way.
I believe that no matter what road we go down, we will still do what the Lord has planned for us. We just may not have to go through really tough times as we may. We can arrive to the same blessing without regrets and quilt.
I have to hang on to the Hope that I can train her up in the way she should go and when she is grown she will not depart.
The different choices that I make today will mold or help mold her into what the Lord has planned for her. I pray that I am obedient to His will. I cannot say this enough. I pray I hear that still small voice, in the direction in which I am instructed.
So with this all said. I have made the choice to continue to homeschool. We are in the last quarter and we have finished almost all that we started from the beginning. I am so happy of these things. I almost through in the towel in the earl days of this journey.
Last week I was able to make a bag for carrying bible study supplies, while my star student sewed by hand on a project she choose to make. We will work on that more on a later date.
We were able to work with beads this week and make Easter cards. All enjoyable. And this week will end with a sleep over surprise, followed by a parade and then a chance to see butterflies released to the wild.
I am excited to watch this happen. I may make the choice to either miss Growcology or be late.

 I am not sure, but either way , I hope it will prove to be a learning experience.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

April Showers.....?

I have been having a time for the garden. This last week we were to have a storm come through, but it didn't bring much but cold weather.

It was actually34* two days ago. I was worried that my tomatoes may have froze , but they were okay.
I have turned more dirt than I have ever can imagine.
I have had to buy dirt to fill my 'U' bed and it still is not filled. Whats a gardener to do. My compost is Hot though and we will have more(dirt)  soon, just not now.
So this last week I went to the garden to see if corn needed water and if chickens gave me any eggs and just relax a bit . I need to do that from time to time since I am homeschooling Punkin, and low and behold. I see a grasshopper on the ground. So I casually walk up as to not scare it and I step on its legs. Cool snack for the ladies (chickens). I go to pick it up and I had to pull on it. It was coming out of the ground. I was like, WHAT?
I tugged and out it came with this long thing attached to it. I am told it was laying eggs. I tell you it was gross.
I found another one today in the compost and hit it with a claw. Feed it to the ladies and found its long thing still in the compost pile. DISGUSTING!!!
But two munchers gone , sweet.
Anyway, this next week I am hoping to plant my sprouting seedlings. That will will be sweet. Summer garden here we come.






Salsa, and cucumber / tomato sandwiches.


I love it. It's better than tangerines and chess-its.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Wonderful Weather We are Having

This weekend was fabulous weather for us people who love to work in the yard and garden.
 I had to pull weeds of course yesterday morning and I filled a 33 gallon trash can with them dag-gome things. Not going in the compost pile cause I just don't need that kind of green. But the side of the house looks pretty spiffy.

After a couple of hours I was able to go to the "U" bed and mix up some soil amendments that I had to purchase. Not what I was wanting to do, purchase dirt that is, but I can't make enough dirt fast enough for the 'U' bed right now. Anyway, I mixed and planted a few more plants in it.
Peppers and crookneck squash.
Which of course was before the third Growcology class.
Did I mention my seedlings are sprouting?




 This 3rd class was on seeds and gardening. Lots of great information of, when to plant and where to get good seeds.
 There were two Master Gardeners there to give all they could in the time that was allotted to them. But I tell you, I walked away with a bunch of great ideas and things to apply when possible.

I wonder if I will ever get back to making quilts. I am beginning to worry, that maybe  the time is short for it.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Time to Dig

This time I wasn't digging in the dirt which I had done earlier in the day.
This was a different dig.
Last night I had to struggle to do my bible study last minute.
I do not like to do it that way because then I don't enjoy it and I don't have the time to dig.
Ladies who study Gods word 
I was so glad that it was short. Ten verses. Wow, yeah only ten.
1John 1:1-10. Yet I still didn't have nor take the time to dig. But how deep can one dig in ten verses.
Well today I was impressed on how deep one can go. We have some wonderful ladies who LOVE the LORD. They share what they get from Him on a regular basis. I am blessed to be able to hear what the Lord has for them to share with everyone in our group.
Of course, I will tell some, or at least one point that really stuck with me.
When we say we have fellowship with Him and yet we walk in the dark we lie and and do not practice the truth. 1John1:6.
This bothers me for a couple of reasons. I know people like this and I hope I am not like this.

Another thing that poked me today is....
Calling sin what it is. Not just sin, but as an example.... Gossip. And gossip doesn't have to be big but it goes so FAR....
Wonderful Women of God
Did you notice?....
Oh yeah I heard about that ....
Well they are going through some really hard times....
etc.etc.etc.
I call that LaShon Horah. Evil tongue.
This all can alter the way someone else see's a person and it can destroy a soul. It is evil in it's own way. Yet it may not be malicious at all.
Another example is anger, or instant bouts of rage.
I hate when I do this . I need to repent and not do these things , but I am human and I do and I have to repeatedly say I am sorry and try again.
Thank you God , Lord Jesus for the GRACE.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Oh my aching .....

amendments added after sifting
So today I added amendments to part of the raised "U"bed. I found out I need more Dirt than I have.
I live on a pretty good sized lot and I don't have enough dirt. What is wrong with this picture?
I need good soil for growing vegetables in. I don't have enough compost yet from my STASH.
STASH, isn't that a key word that We all have so much of that we don't know what to use it in.?

 (Oh wait that is in fabric terms for us quilters, which I think I still am?...)
Okay well this is dirt and I know we all have plenty of dirt but I need MORE.
never to young to learn
I can't even believe I want more dirt, but I do. I was thinking of how to get it with out it taking to long like compost and also not costing me an arm and a leg.
 I really need to think this one through.
On another note, tomorrow morning I have to make a trip to a friends house to get horse manure, and while I am away I need someone to sit at the homestead to wait for my worms that need to be signed for. Does all this sound nuts? I think it might and this is all so I can get more good DIRT.
SWEET  :)
corn 1 1/2 week apart in planting
Anyway, with all this said I did manage to get a few tomato plants in the "U"bed. We also planted some more corn in Punkin's plot. My daughter's boyfriend contributed to the ranch.
So this is how my community garden has begun.


Has yours been started?

Sunday, March 27, 2011

3/27

We were together all day my best friend and I. Today was his birthday.
I made him breakfast and and then sent him outside, where he loves to be when he's home and the weather is sweet. Today it was. Not hot and not cold. Cloudy and just right for working on the ranch.
Okay so it is a small ranch , but we love it.
He has been working since I guess Friday on a raised bed for me. His best friend.

Today after I turned four compost piles, I helped him build it. We are calling it the "U" bed.
It is huge really. Especially with nothing in it. But still. 104 square feet, yeah big.
Anyway, we have always worked well together and today was good. We finished it. Now all I need to do is fill it with more dirt and then , Plants.
Part of why it took three days to build other than age, don't repeat that, is because we have gophers. So we needed to put wire mesh/ screen down. So we spaded it in the shape we wanted. Okay he did.
Then used Ole Trusty , that kept puttering out, not so trusty.
Then put down the wire screen, and put back in the dirt. Then built the raised bed, using 2x6s.
When then bed frame was complete, I went around and filled in the dirt around the frame to cover the screen. I had to work it pretty good so that as time goes by we don't get scatched by the stuff. It could be pretty nasty, if one was scratched by a thin wire that has been in the ground for a few years. So, I crawled around on my hands and knees pounding dirt.
Needless to say, I feel like I have been beat by the hammer right now and I need to go sit in a more comfortable chair. But I just wanted to let you know how my best friends day went. We ended it with one of his favorite meals. Burgers from IN/OUT.
Now that is what I call a win win situation.
I get my raised garden bed and dinner out and he gets to spend the day with his best friend and gets the job done.
needs amendments to fill 





sporting our work belt aprons
made by hope'nmotion

I will let you know when we get to plant in it. It still needs some amendments added.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

H.O.P.E.

Helping Overcome Poverties Existences
That's what we're talking about here. That's what we are trying to do in a small sorta way.
We are wanting to help, yet it will take you too, that is if you will. If the Lord leads.

We have been making bags of all sorts and wanting to sell them. We are hoping to be able to give to the people who are in need some of what we get. We need to cover our costs and then go from there as the Lord leads. We have come up with three or four different styles and choices of colors.
My daughter is trying to get approved to sell at the training camps where she was located when she was on the World Race.( This is an eleven month mission trip to eleven countries. This is where Skype comes in real handy and is a much need to stay in touch if possible and sane).
We also would like to be able to give those in need of food and water this season coming up, along with a bible. I have been asking the Lord who is He wanting us to give His word to and I am waiting for His direction.
Anyway, So this last week end my daughter was a 'sew-n-sew'. She went to town. When she wants to do something and makes up her mind to do it, she does good. As God said, "very good".


 We had a good time, Can you tell?

Monday, March 21, 2011

Things to think about

Saturday afternoon, I went to a soil composting class at Growcology. It was very informative.
 I have been throwing my kitchen scrapes in my compost for ever, it seems like. But I haven't been able to get my husband to allow me to save ALL the yard cuttings and weeds that have been hoed. I can't even get him to let me have the Jacaranda leaves from the neighbors tree that fall all over my driveway.

Well at this class of soil composting, the things I learned I really have to think about. I need to some how get him to let me put all of it in my compost pile. I have a very big pile of dirt that has been breaking down over the last two years and we have used some of it for various things we have planted, but the quality is probably not all that great.
I found out that I have way too much penicillin in my pile. That means I have to much citrus and when it molds and breaks down there is penicillin in there that kills everything.  :(
I some how need to enrich the pile of compost now.
I went to the Growcology class and we had hands on composting. We put the greens in and then the browns, and water and mixed, and repeated this several times until the frames were full and then learned another method.
The next method was sheet mulching. Where you just chop up the exiting weeds and wet it down . Put horse manure on it lightly and wet. Put newspaper on next thick and over lapping and wet. Then some more manure and wet. But this time the layer of manure was about an inch thick. Then wood chips or shavings and wet. Then manure and water, wood chips water, etc. About six or seven layers of theses elements. This helps to build up the soil and at the same time  slow or eliminate the weeds. In about six month with moisture but no turning the soil, it is good to plant in.
With about 120 people and all of us doing this , in no time we had a 25- 50 foot long fence line prepared for trees to be planted in.
At the end we were treated to a vermi-compost instruction. Just what I was in need of. I  have ordered my worms as of last week and so excited about the fertilizer that I will be producing from my own home. Just from my garbage. Anyone, anywhere, who really wants to provide minerals for their plants of any kind can do this. Even if they live in an apartment it can be done.
 Anyway I have some things to think about, wouldn't you say?

Friday, March 18, 2011

Punkin's Plot

     So today we went to the nursery and picked out some plants to plant. Since our heirloom seeds haven't arrived yet .
     We had done our home work and found out that raspberry plants DO NOT do well in the heat of our town. We need to be on the coast or in a different state altogether.
     Plan "B" came into play. While we were at the nursery this afternoon, we looked at all the wonderful flowers and veggie plants and came up with these for starters.
     We went to work as soon as we got home and added our amendments to our soil. We had planned out the direction of which way she wanted the plants to go and we went to town.
    
     Oh did I mention plan "B"? Instead of raspberries that she had her heart set on , she decided to plant corn. She said that she wanted to plant corn for 'me'. How Sweet !!! She is the best.

     Anyway, we worked together well and she learned a few things about planting trans-plants. I really think that this is a lesson that she will remember for ever.

     Did I happen to say that this was our own little field trip? Well it was. We walked pulling our little red wagon. We got our plants as well as new garden gloves and there was three of us that went, for the whopping low cost of $21.00. We didn't have to pay traveling costs or parking fees or is it just a one day adventure. This may be one of the best field trips with a triple win win situation. Would that be a win win win situation?

     Any way, we finished  planting the last of the flowers before she had to leave for the weekend.
I believe she would have stayed all weekend if she knew others wouldn't miss her.

     I will plant the rest sometime this weekend , if it doesn't rain the whole time. But I have to remember to go to my 'Growcology' class tomorrow afternoon. Soil/ Composting is the subject. I'll let you know what I find out if you want. Just let me know.

So have you started your summer garden yet? What are you growing this year?
large lizards that freak out my daughter