The Crazy Weather!

      I can only say wow! The first part of January was typical: cold and windy. Now, it's raining and warm! Especially the last couple of weeks. Very warm! The trees and shrubs are even starting to bud! I know winter isn't over. I'm concerned for the trees and shrubs! But I have no control over this. Only our Creator does. He knows what He's doing, so I trust Him even though I don't understand.

      I have been inspired by the Back to Eden way of gardening again. I've always wanted my garden to be that way. We found a place that we could get wood chips, but we have to drive a trailer and scoop them ourselves. We had such a long, hot, humid summer that we couldn't possibly do that. At least I wouldn't. Then came the cooler weather along right with the holidays and shorter days. Finally, yesterday we had the opportunity to go there with the trailer and fill it. The weather was pleasant: close to 70. Boy did we sweat! But we got 'her done'! Today has been raining all day. I'm not sure about tomorrow, but just as soon as I can, I will be unloading wood chips. Yay! Finally! They won't go far. And I don't know when I'll get anymore, so I'm happy for now.

      I'm patiently awaiting seed catalogs to come in the mail. I want to order things from Baker Creek and Southern Seed Exposure. I sure do hope they come in soon! I need to get the tomatoes started! I hope I have a better time starting from seed than I have in the past. The shelf and grow light are set up in the garage in a warm spot. I think that will work nicely.

      I hope to get back with ya'll later in the week. I'm embarrassed to do it, but I'm going to link to a video I've done. I don't think it worked! If you have any advice for adding videos, please let me know. Enjoy the blog and thanks for commenting! Blessings from Bama!

We actually got some snow!

Just barely enough to cover the trampoline.

This will probably be it for this year.

Ya'll need to add this to your winter arsenal for staying well. Works for us!

A cute wreath I made. It's for sale.

I'm almost through with this wreath. Just need to add the bow. It will be for sale too.

Here is a video of me.

And this is the second part.

Enjoying the Moments of Christmas! 2015

      Hello Everyone! I hope your weather is as pleasant there as it has been here! We've been enjoying temps in the 60's-70's the past few weeks. Today is much cooler with the highs in the 40's, but that will warm up as well. I'm so glad we haven't experienced the cold weather that was predicted! But, winter hasn't begun just yet!

      I've been really busy lately preparing Christmas goodies. They are actually not for us, but for some trays I'm making for someone. I hope they turn out well! It's my first 'job' since I took the cottage test to be able to sell baked goods from home. So far, so good!

      I'm listening to Pandora Christmas music in the background. It makes the season become real. If not for the music and Christmas tree, it wouldn't even seem like Christmas to me! I've also celebrated another birthday and welcomed a new life into the family! His name is Gavyn, and he is the cutest little thing! I kept one of his sister's (Riley), the first week of his life, so I really miss her! But soon, we'll see them all again! And Yasmine and Layla too! It's so hard to believe the big day is one week away!

      The garden isn't producing very much now. I have received a seed catalog, but I haven't ordered anything yet. I hope our Spring will come sooner than it did last year! I hardly know what to think with cool weather lasting all the way until May! Soon enough, it will be time to get the garden ready! I do spread the goat droppings on the garden several times a week. We still need more cardboard to cover the rest of the garden. Hopefully we'll be able to aquire this during the holidays.

      I hope you all have a wonderful, safe holiday season! Remember: Jesus is the reason for the season! Thanks for stopping by! Blessings from Bama!

My favorite picture of the girls!

The front here has never been painted. Randy is putting on primer.

Peppers from the garden. I cut these up a couple of weeks ago.

My first photo of Gavyn.

A much better picture of him.

April with two of her babies.

Randy sheet rocked the stairwell.

Got to get a pic of Randy holding Gavyn. How do you like his hair? I cut it!

I love the expression on Riley's face as she examines the dead flower. The photo was taken from inside.

Riley wasn't afraid to get close enough to feed them!

Sweet balarina princess!

Gardening, Summer Vacation, And 24th Wedding Anniversary!

      As I said in the last post, it's a busy season! Thus the reason I haven't written! You wouldn't believe the heat unless you live in the South! I'm sitting here sweating as I write this! AND the air conditioner is on! What a drastic change in the weather in just a few short weeks! We went from somewhat mild and rain to heat and drought! I would sure like to get some of that rain they are getting in the west and along the coast! At least some clouds would be nice! When I get up at 7, it's already 70+ with about 50% humidity. Then the temps climb into the 90's! Today it's supposed to get to 98 but probably much higher. My body is so sore and drained! I can't even walk my regular walk! All I've done is work in the garden. I love it, but it's so hard! I'm hoeing all the grass and putting down mulch, so hopefully I won't have to hoe much the rest of the summer. If I had been smart, I would've gotten the mulch in when we planted. Randy seemed to think he could keep it tilled. He wants to till and I want no till! I think he finally agrees, since his job is keeping him so hot and busy! He comes home literally soaked from sweat every day! And I'm talking blue jeans! Poor guy! I think our summers are as extreme as Wisconsin winters! What do you think, Jacky? 

      We got to go to the beach a couple of weeks ago and it was so nice! It wasn't too hot and it didn't rain but a little. We had one cloudy day, but still went to the beach. My Mom and Dad, Amber and the girls all went. We stayed in the camper and they rented a house close to the state park. It was convienient for them and us. The girls had a blast! The trip was not without incident however. We had a blowout on the trailer along the Florida State line. Thank goodness it wasn't far from a rest stop! It didn't take Randy and Skylar long to fix it and we were back on the road. Then Skylar got food poisoning or something he ate made him terribly sick for a couple of days. Then he felt better again and was able to participate in all the fun. We played putt-putt on Yasmine's birthday that night and my Mom fell and dislocated her little pinky. It went backwards and you could see the ligament poking through the skin on the front! Needless to say, we spent most of the early morning hours in an emergency room. She's much better now and had the stitches removed. It will take some time to heal since it was a rather serious injury. An hour before we got home, the neighbor called and said our beloved collie of 12 years died in their garage. Randy and Skylar her buried down the hill behind our house as soon as we got in. I was so sad! I miss her so much! She was my daily companion and watched me every where I went outside. I have a hard time when I walk through the back door where she always layed. She was the most faithful and sweetest dog we ever had!

      This past Sunday, Randy and I celebrated 24 years of wedded bliss! We went to the local Thai restaurant where Skylar treated us to dinner! He's such a thoughtful young man! He's been working hard too! He rarely gets home before 9:00 P.M.! Well, I think I've caught ya'll up on all the happenings here on the homestead! Just more heat and no rain predicted for the next week! I hope we do have a shower! The extreme heat is not good to go on without one! People will start to get sick in this heat if they're not careful! I hope ya'll stay cool and dry! Thanks for reading and commenting! Blessings from Bama!

The beautiful water and sand!

Little LuLu playing in the white sand.

View from the back of the camper.

Me and Randy with the girls on the Sea Dragon ship. We took them for a cruise along with their Mom for Yasmine's 6th birthday.

The girls wanted a pic with the pirates.

The night and place where my Mom fell.

Can you believe the size of this ship?

Even I enjoyed staying under here!

Such pretty water to have such danger lurking below! Two days in a row, we saw sting rays swim by!

We enjoy staying in here even though it gets a little cramped at times.

First harvest. I've harvested more since this photo.

Homemade chicken nuggets with homemade ketchup. Better than McD's! That's homemade chicken noodle soup, creamy style. Yum!

I made enough for eating and to freeze.

Homemade bread with homegrown eggs and homegrown squash inside!

The girls planted birdseed while the weather was still cold. These are what they turned into!

The sun is so bright, it makes the dirt look white. It is very dusty.

Finally got this section done!

There's a lot more grass than what you can see here. It is very thick and deep so I will let Randy till this.

The path down the side was tilled awhile back. We just failed to remove the grass so it grew back.

Even the chicks know to stay out of the sun in this heat!

Apple Sticks

      Hey Everybody! I hope you had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday and Easter weekend! We did! Spring is in full bloom here. Thus the reason for my title. I bet ya'll thought I was talking about a recipe! Lol! I am speaking of my apple trees! But they did start out as sticks, as some would say. They are grafts that we ordered and planted three years ago. They have thrived in our zone and are blooming for the first time. They are absolutely beautiful! Some have a lot of blossoms while others have only a few. And they smell like roses! Not a real strong scent but still! I never knew they smelled like that! I am so happy we have these apple sticks, er..I mean trees! I don't know if that means there will be apples this year, but maybe. The older apple tree is loaded with blooms and will hopefully be loaded with apples this summer. Don't be afraid of apple grafts. Research and see which apple trees are suited for your zone. Those will be the ones to order and will thrive and produce lots of apples for years to come. I can hardly wait to see the results of all these blooms!

      The blackberry brambles are already blooming! I guess this is the right time, but it seems sooner this year because last year it stayed colder longer. We have been enjoying temps in the seventies for several weeks, and tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 80's! Yikes! I need to get some tomato plants in the ground! I just need to go ahead and plant my whole garden, as a matter of fact! Surely the snow has melted where you live and there won't be any more until Fall or Winter. I don't even want to think that far ahead! I'm just so glad for the warmer temps! I wished the sun would shine more, though. We've had a lot of cloudy days with a good bit of rain. Some days it was just cloudy with no rain. Blah! I need the sun! Just not the extreme heat! Oh well, that goes with living in Alabama! 

      I've been into baby chicks lately. I am trying to build my flock so that it will be one that produces many eggs. The chicks I want have not been offered at Tractor Supply and I've had to really search for the ones we've aquired. I got some Ameracaunas, but I think 3 of the 5 are roosters! I also got some mixed chicks that I don't know for sure what they are: roos or hens. If you go by the comb, there are probably 4 roos and 3 hens. You can't always go by that especially with mixed breeds. Time will tell. I just want to find out so I can sell them and not have to feed so many I'm not going to keep. If you know of a way to sex young chicks, please share in the comments. I would greatly appreciate it! I still plan on getting some Black Australorps, Speckled Sussex, New Hampshires, and maybe some Barred Rocks. These are supposed to lay lots of eggs. I'm having fun watching the chicks grow and turn into pullets and roos! The life cycle is amazing! How can one say there is no God?

      The girls were here this past weekend and we had fun, as usual. We went to their Meme's (Grandma) who is my sister, for Easter dinner. We all had a great time and enjoyed lots of food. I've been making cakes lately, but my sister made a delicious coconut cake. I forgot to bring a piece home, but that's OK since I have a strawberry cake in the oven. I did use a white cake mix but it has pureed strawberries in it. I will make a cream cheese icing with strawberries as well. I sure don't need to be eating much of it! I had to stop eating the carrot cake with cream cheese icing I made last week, cause I don't want to gain back the weight I've worked so hard to loose! I do indulge in a piece of cake now and then, just not everyday.

      I hope ya'll have a great week and can get in the garden soon! It won't be long and we'll be enjoying those fresh veggies, straight from the ground! Thanks for reading and commenting! Blessings from Bama!

A little morning Uncle Randy love!

They love looking for Easter eggs!

Winn didn't bring her sunglasses! Randy's one man carport for the camper showing in the background.

The blooms look almost like a double blossom!

Another tree.

Cherry blossoms.

Another apple tree.

The oldest apple tree.

Can you see the blossoms?

These are the same chicks in the last post. Haven't they grown!

These chicks are a few weeks younger.

These are the newest babies.