Wall to Wall Family

The last few weeks have been filled with back-to-back, wall-to-wall family time.

I’m talking far-away family. This was drop everything and savor the moment family time.

First there were cousin adventures here on the farm with kitties and hammocks and games. Eating mulberries from the trees, throwing rocks in the pond, and chasing chickens fun.

And then, we had one last family reunion at Poppa and Nana’s house before they moved into a senior living apartment. All of my husband’s siblings and almost all of our children gathered to remember times past and make new memories.

Cousins, friends from birth, had one last time to hang out in the basement family room they claimed as their own, to play games on the hill in the front yard, to look through toys and books and take home treasures from Poppa -Nana’s house.

Three generations for one last time at the “big house”.

We filled those walls with laughter!

So many memories.

Locations may change.

But love remains.

And all is well.

Last Hurrah of Summer

We had one last hurrah of summer over Labor Day weekend.

One last weekend together with my family before the activities of the fall sucked us into it’s whirlpool.

My parents. Siblings. Spouses. Nieces. Nephews. Cousins.

Family.

Three generations under one roof.

Filling every minute. Squeezing out every bit of fun.

Tubing down the West Fork with cousins – twice.

Eating.

Hiking to the rock – twice.

Eating.

Laughing till our sides ached.

And eating some more.

Sitting on the porch watching the storm blow in – feeling the changes that were surely coming.

Remembering the past.

Relishing the present.

Anticipating the future.

Making hot sticky memories to enjoy all winter.

One last hurrah.

Summertime

After a wet cold spring , we were all kinda wondering if summer would ever get here.

It did. This week.

And not just the weather! (Which is really hot and humid…)

We had our first guests of the season – 2 of my sisters, one soon-to-be-niece-in-law, one niece and her bff. (best friend forever)

Can you say shopping?! At a thrift store of course!

Pedro wasn’t here – he spent the week house sitting for a friend, leaving Buddy as the lone male in a house full of girls while Jan was at work.

So of course the the electric fence charger got knocked down in the mud, the entire fence was down, all the cows got out, and the water tank sprang a leak.

Oh – and we had a baby calf!

We miss you Pedro. Come home. Now.

We planted two more rows of sweet corn, two more rows of green beans, and lots of herbs. Still no weeding though. Maybe next week…

And we enlarged my flower bed!

Okay – so it may not be the flower garden of my dreams – it is twice as big as last year!

Baby steps are still progress. 🙂

Don’t you think the wire fence adds to the charm and beauty of the scene?! Not. But it is a necessary evil to keep the silly chickens and cats out until the flowers get established.

Speaking of cats – we also had our first litter of kitties for the season. Still haven’t found them though.

And to top it all off – we’re packing for our annual family camping trip.

There’s just something about sleeping bags and Hershey bars and bug spray that says “Hello – it’s summer!”

Oh – and did I mention that it’s hot and humid?

By Plane, Train and Automobile

My house is quiet.

Really, really quiet.

Quite a change from a week ago when this place was buzzing with activity.

I had kids in and out of the house at all hours – we ate everything on a bun – and there was laughter well into the night.

Then it was over. In the blink of an eye – by plane, train and automobile – they were gone.

My nephew Sammy left first – by automobile, followed by Kimmer and her gang.

A few days later we said goodbye to Lainers at her grandma’s house. And cried.

Then it was time for my crew to depart.

Yesterday morning Matt flew to Summit Ministries headquarters in Colorado to start work and Dagmar took the train to Aunt Julie’s for a visit.

And the house was quiet.

Now, when Pedro leaves in the morning with Jan for his summer job, I have 2 children.

Two.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying it. 🙂

But I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m glad this is temporary – because deep down there’s a sadness knowing that someday the house will always be this quiet.

And that someday is getting closer.

Cherish every moment.

Corn-a-Thon

It all started with an innocent question.

My husband called at lunch – as he always does – and as we were chatting about the mornings events he mentioned that one of his buddies from work had some extra sweet corn. Did I want some?

Of course I wanted some! Our first picking had been good – we enjoyed all the corn we could eat and had about 30 “fat” quarts in the freezer – but our second planting was stunted from the drought and our third planting was weeks away.

So we gathered some buckets and boxes and set the boys in to meet their dad after work and pick us some corn.

I wasn’t expecting a lot – the guy told Jan they had been picking all week – but I was hoping for an all-you-can corn fest for supper and a few more bags in the freezer.

They brought home a Suburban full!

Boxes and boxes and boxes of sweet corn. Jan said they barely made a dent in the field.

They guys started husking right away and I got some water boiling.

We took a break for some supper – but by 6:30 we were back at it!

The next few hours are a blur.

Put corn in. Set the timer. Move the cooled corn to the table. Get fresh water. Cut some corn. Bag some corn. Clean some corn.Run out to grab more corn. Husk a few ears. Run in and take the corn out. Put corn in. Set the timer…

By 8:30 it was getting dark but the guys were still husking. They moved operations to the work shop. The table was covered with cooked ears but I sent Angel Girl out to help them finish.

By 9:30 the husking was finally done and all hands moved inside to help cut. My table was full of cooked ears, one counter was full of raw ears, and the other counter was covered with full freezer bags.

By 10:30 all four kids were cutting corn as fast as they could and listening to the 2nd Adventures in Odyssey CD. My feet stuck the floor in the kitchen from all the corn juice splattered.

By 11:30 the last of the corn went in to cook and the freezer was so full that I couldn’t find room for more.

By 12:30 the last ear was cut and the last of the freezer bags filled. The kids started cleaning themselves up and heading to bed while I looked at the disaster that once was my kitchen.

By 1:30 AM I had washed the dishes, scrubbed the counters and table, and was scrubbing my floor.

Finally tally – 58 fat quarts (a quart bag stuffed as full as it can be – usually between 5-6 cups), 4 exhausted kiddos, one trashed kitchen, and one wiped-out mom who kept shaking her head and saying, “What was I thinking?”

I know what I was thinking :

“Boy am I glad the kids are home to help!”

“Corn in the freezer is like gold in the bank!”

“This is sure gonna taste good come winter!”

“What a gift – all this corn for free! And I didn’t have to plant it, weed it, water it or try to keep the coons out!” 🙂

Fresh Picked

I love this season of the year – when my meals are planned around what I pick fresh from the garden.

Corn on the cob – all you can eat. Green beans – lightly steamed and dripping with butter. Summer squash in every form imaginable. And what about the tomatoes!

Is there anything as wonderful as a fresh, vine-ripened tomato?

Unless it’s something made from that fresh, vine-ripened tomato! Something like BLT’s, fresh salsa, bruschetta, or our favorite – pasta with fresh tomatoes.

Just peel 8 medium tomatoes. Chop, seed and drain.

Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 clove of garlic (crushed), 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley chopped, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 of a green pepper (chopped) and 16 black olives, sliced.

Add tomatoes and set aside at room temperature.

Cook 8 ounces of pasta according to directions. Drain and place in serving bowl. Add tomato mixture and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yum!

We’re still in the honeymoon stage with tomatoes- enjoying all we can eat fresh – but don’t have quite enough yet to can.

Then there’s my pride and joy – my watermelons – both of them.

The melons didn’t like the heat and drought of July. But thanks to the boys faithful watering, we saved one watermelon plant with 2 watermelons on it.

I was a little scared to pick the big one – but my friend Martha just gave it a thunk and proclaimed it done.

She was right – it was perfect!

I may just have to call her to come and thunk the next one in a few weeks. 🙂

So what’s on tonight’s menu?

All you can eat fresh corn on the cob (Pedro holds the record with 6 ears at one meal) and chicken wraps (with roasted yellow squash, green peppers, onions and garlic for the more adventurous eaters!)

Lip-smacking goodness!

Blackberries

Ahh..the wonder of the late summer blackberry.

Almost as big as my thumb, these beauties topped our ice cream, landed in our oatmeal, and were luscious in our scones.

But ohh…the pain of picking the late summer blackberry!

It’s bad enough that it grows smack dab in the middle of the poison ivy at the edge of the ravine. But then you have the thorns – or should I say spikes?

Those bad boys are so nasty you almost need almost full-body gear for protection!

And of course – there’s the heat and humidity – making that full body gear almost unbearable.

So why do we bother?

Because the warm, sweet deliciousness of a freshly picked blackberry – that stains your hands, your tongue, even the kitchen counter – is just that good.

It makes that kerplink – kerplank – kerplunk in the bottom of the bucket music to our ears.

Some things in life are just worth the extra effort.

Mystery in the Miracles

Once again we pulled off a one day – all day – Vacation Bible School – and had a great time doing it!

The youth group kids and the entire church family jumped in to help create a day of mysteries.

I had some seriously wonderful help from start to finish.

We learned who Jesus is by studied the mysteries in His miracles. (Yes – that is my oldest son Matt and yes – he is growing a beard. gulp)

We had hilarious puppet shows with an Australian goat and a hillbilly donkey.

And we went around the world gathering clues to solve the mystery. Miss Dorothy really rocked the Bolivian look!

While Pedro took the kids to the Antarctic to go iceberg bobbing.

And we had water. Lots of water. Lots and lots of water. Which was good – because it was a hot day. So hot that the Australian waterfall was a big hit.

We sent the kids home soaking wet but grinning from ear to ear.

They heard the gospel, learned about the Savior, and had a wonderful time!

Mission accomplished.

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

It’s hot.

Really, really hot.

I mean beastly hot.

And of course it’s time to bale hay. So when the guys have been out in the brutal heat all afternoon – I like to have something really cold and refreshing waiting for them.

Something like this frozen strawberry lemonade.

It took seconds to whiz up in the blender and was a big hit with my hot crew.

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

2 cups of lemonade
1-2 cups of frozen strawberries
2 cups of ice cubes
1-2 tablespoons sugar (as needed)

Dump all the ingredients in the blender and give it a whirl for a minute or two. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

Serves 4 normal people but only 1 hot and thirsty kid whose been haying.

I’ve linked this post with Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Digging Out

After the craziness of the fair died down (By the way – the kids did great – a thank you to everyone who wished them well!) – it was time to dig out the garden.

Once I found the plants again, I had some pleasant surprises!The corn has been growing fast and already has tassels and silk. My mouth waters just looking at it!
I found several baby watermelon tucked away under the leaves.
The winter squash, pumpkin and some volunteer gourds have taken over the bottom section! I see several little pumpkins and butternut squash forming, but absolutely no zucchini or summer squash.

Am I the only one in the world who can’t grow a zucchini?

But I can grow cucumbers! I had to pull a lot of weeds before I even uncovered the plant – and very excited to find this guy hiding in the leaves. Isn’t it beautiful? 🙂

And then there’s our summer staple – the fresh green bean. We’ve had just enough to eat fresh – lightly steamed and served with butter. Yum!

Somehow all the sweat and hard work is worth it when you see those fresh veggies on the table!

I’ve linked this post up with the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.