Just an Update

Melvin does well with flower arrangements

July 19
Today is one of the hottest days we've had yet this summer. It has been quite warm and humid a lot of the time but for the next few days they're predicting it will be very warm. Thank God for AC! With pregnancy the heat is even harder to bear.

My strength has returned to a greater degree and I've been able to do more than I had earlier. I still tire easily and my brain hatches up more things than I can accomplish. 

Sister Joanna has been around since the middle of June and has occasionally come to my rescue when I've "bitten off more than I can chew". She is in the states for a few months, looking for ways to pay off debt before returning to Poland. She stays with my parents and relieves the rest of us by taking them places they need to go.

My parents both have very poor eyesight and are hoping to be able to get cataract surgery done sometime this year yet. I hope it will help their sight! 

June 21-24 was the biannual Miller camping in Ohio. That is Thomas' mom's siblings and descendants. We missed the gathering four years ago so it was good to catch up with everyone who came. Traveling was uncomfortable for this pregnant mother but we made it.

Following us home were Thomas' brother & wife from Haiti as well as his sister & family from Oregon. We had some time together for about a day and a half. Short but sweet.

Our garden gets planted little by little when the guys have time to work on it. I'll be happy for whatever they can turn out. Things seem to be growing well. This is our second year with the "Back to Eden" gardening method and we're pleased with the results so far. The earthworms are really making fertile soil.

One reason we're late with the garden is because the chickens were in there and needed another place to go. One hen hatched six chicks and we moved them into a chicken tractor. About the time we were ready to move the other hens in with them, three more started setting. Only one of them was successful and she hatched two chicks. Yesterday one of those chicks was discovered dead in a bucket of water. Sad day.

The blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are producing some fruit. Blueberries are pretty much over with at this point. 

We got a few strawberries this year too. Any little bit helps! 

A small harvest of sugar snap peas was so delicious. 

A few banana peppers have found their way to the house too.

A friend gave us some pie cherries. I didn't know how to quickly pit them so I did a bit of research and can now tell you. The easiest way to pit cherries with regular household tools is to use a stout drinking straw. Punch it in the stem end and the pit will come out the bottom end! Presto!

My sister has also shared a few garden goodies with us. Nothing compares to fresh home-grown produce! 

July 21
The heat continues today but tomorrow is forecast to be cooler. Praise the Lord! We are not accustomed to heat like this. I think in earlier years we had longer periods of this kind of heat but I'm thankful that this is only for a few days.

This week I'll need to go visit my midwife who usually comes to my house. She is pregnant as well and is developing pre-eclampsia so she needs more rest. She is due a few weeks before I am but she says she always goes early. She seems confident that she'll be up and running when I need her.

Joanna has a friend coming to visit her this week. She will be here Thurs through Mon and we'll provide lodging. So beginning Thurs there will be company in my house until August 19. A lot of coming and going to say the least. I counted seven trips we'll need to make to BWI airport to pick up or return family members. My sister's family will help with that.

Austin and Matthew have been planning a rafting trip on the Potomac river with some friends from MD. They leave Wed evening and come back Saturday, Lord willing. 

Melvin has been struggling with a stuffy head this week. I think it's his allergies kicking in. Lots of hay being made the last while. Last evening he had earache. We washed his ear out with peroxide, put a few drops of silver in and he took a pain pill. Thankfully that took care of the pain. He's still plugged up and hard of hearing.

Hay field behind our house

I'll share a few snapshots of what we've been eating this month. We've had a few grilled meat meals and Christopher is perfecting his grilling skills. He does an excellent job!

Pork chops

I tried a one month meal plan and shopping trip again this month. I did get more fruit, veggies & eggs halfway through. It definitely takes planning!

I made some progress on getting our room ready for baby this month. We have no extra bedrooms so we'll have to play it by ear to know where to include a girl. I don't like to have baby in my bedroom too long as neither of us sleep well then.

Just since I'm writing this the wind has kicked up and the temperature has dropped way down until it's very pleasant outdoors. 

Until next time....

How to Blanch Green Beans for the Freezer

An older woman taught me this method some years ago. It makes very tasty beans. And it's quick and easy. (Note the stove clock and you will see how long it took me.)

Today I am blanching whole beans; stem end and bug spots removed. You can do this with snapped beans also.

Put washed beans in a large pot. You don't want them very deep in the pan because you will need to stir them almost constantly. This is a 16 quart kettle.

 Add a shallow layer of water in the bottom of the pan. Just enough to cover the bottom.

 Turn the heat on high.

  As the water begins to boil, stir the beans.

Do you see how a few of them have turned bright green? 

And now they are all bright green.

Dump them out into a pan in a shallow layer to cool.

Once cooled, package and freeze. You can add the water that you cooked them in into the package if you wish.

When you need green beans for a meal, open, cook, season and enjoy.

This works for green peas also.

What garden produce are you currently enjoying?

Are green beans a favorite at your house? Canned or frozen?

Enjoy the Little Things

This is the message in this post.....

How could I resist this planner? It is so mine!

Enjoy the big things too! Here's what you get when you're shopping for a big crowd. Sharp Shopper clerks wondered where my helpers were this day. It was a day when I needed space to think and do on my own thing even though I really did need help.

Here is part of the crowd...

A couple more.... 

 And another room full. 

The parents in the crowd- one sided. Our spouses are not in the photo. We are all first cousins, sisters/brother and/or double first cousins. I invited Troyer family to come to our place for the weekend to visit my brother Paul and his family, who were up from their Honduras home taking an extended trip through the USA. One highlight of the trip for them was the Troyer reunion that was planned in Farmville, VA and then was cancelled. So a few of the cousins from Maine and VA came. We had a party!

L-R Brenda, Rhonda, Joyce, Paul, Marie, Verina, Darlene, Rosaline

The "little" girls.... sisters, cousins, second cousins, etc.     

                 

My goofy sons and their goofy cousin.

Oh, not so goofy after all.

Here's the way to travel! Three boys and one bike.

 Brother Paul, his wife Helena and daughter Julisa look on.

Most of the children (lower 20's down to 2 yr old) who were together for the weekend. Minus the wee ones.

My brother Paul, his daughter Anne and our sons made the flowerbed look nicer than it ever has.

A random snapshot of my brother and his wife. 

We went to Gap Mills to clean out my parents' house. We had a yard sale for a couple days to get rid of excess stuff.

I made a couple t-shirt dresses for my nieces in TX.

Ever see cheese puff creations? The boys bite off one end, lick it and stick another to it.

My one Lapp niece. We got a very short visit (one evening) with her and her Mama after the trip to TX.

This is what happens when someone gets a hold of my phone.

The joy of fresh garden things. Zucchini, onions, peppers, chicken (not from the garden).

The first corn on the cob- from the farmers' market.

I just love making vegetable mixes for the oven. The colors are so beautiful and with some meat and spices the flavor is amazing.

What little things are bringing you joy?

Or big things?

You CAN choose joy!