Tomato Crazy

Matthew's first real snow!

GARDENGURL — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:41:00 GMT

Look at us! The last time everyone else in Georgia got snow it missed us! Not today. We had a fun filled day building snowmen, making snow angels, just playing in the snow!!!! Matthew was impressed at my ability to roll a giant snowball around the yard. I kept reminding him I grew up with snow. It was a wet snow. The pictures were taken with my phone so apologies to the quality.
Here is a few pics of the chickens, garden and our angels.

that is broccoli under that snow. Tomorrow is probably soup making day.....

You know that ole saying "madder then a wet hen" they are wet. I threw them some corn. For those of you that keep chickens, giving them corn helps keep them warm and makes their yolks nice and yellow.

That large looking angel is mine and the little one is his

Keep warm my friends!

Rainy day Patriotism

GARDENGURL — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:50:00 GMT

Today was supposed to be park day. The children have park day 2 days a week with their homeschool pals. It is something they really love and look forward to but weather has been cold and rainy. Today was the same-- parkday canceled. UGHHHHH I kept trying to come up with ideas to give them something fun to do. I have been wanting to go to the National Infantry Museum for some time. It is a BEAUTIFUL presentation close to Ft. Benning. Whoever was the Architect did a wonderful job with the flow of history design. They had a simulation room, the only one of its kind available to civilians in the United States. It was a room where you could use real weapons and learn how to shoot at targets in the same manner that the US Military learns. We were the ONLY people there. The man took his time showing Matthew and Abby how to properly hold a weapon and the history behind each one. Matthew quickly asked where the trigger was for the Grenade Launcher...... (crazy boy). They had a room where you could dress up like a Soldier, Matthew loved that! There was so much to see and the volunteers were so helpful. I really need to go back soon because we just skimmed over everything because of Matthew's attention span. I want them to love Museums and not feel like it takes all day. We absorbed all we could for one day and went home. Two thumbs up for those who have not visited!
Here is a link to the Museum.National Infantry Museum

The Netherlands New Year and some Sourdough insanity.

GARDENGURL — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:47:00 GMT

On New Years Eve I noticed that one of my friends who lives in the Netherlands was celebrating by making a pastry. They have a tradition to make these things called Oliebollen. They are what the Dutch eat to keep the evil spirits at bay. It may keep the evil spirits away but might bring on a cardiologist because they are fried in Lard! Sooooo anyway I thought it would be a good chance to have a baking and a Geography lesson at the same time. We got our our Globe looked up the Netherlands had a quick lesson then moved to the kitchen to get down to "business".

I had this great idea to start baking sourdough bread. I had read about San Fransisco having the best sourdough so I went online to order one. Well if you all know how I am, I ordered 4 different sourdough starters to try to see which sourdough had the best flavor. For those of you who don't know what sourdough starters are then click HERE
Basically it uses natural yeast.. The thing about sourdough starters are they are like PETS. You have to feed them often while you are growing them. Sounds easy? Feed the starter 3 times a day in the beginning days. flour and bottled water. Ok reach back in your memory and recall how to make paper mache.... flour and ohhhh ya water. I start feeding all four starters. When you feed the starter you take out a cup of starter and feed it a cup, take out, feed, take out, feed, take out, feed. I started to feel like that old duncan donuts commercial..time to feed the starters.... and then
and then........ I found out some crucial information..........................................
Lets say you have a starter from San Fransisco, and I did. If you have that starter the natural cultures of yeast in Columbus Ga will take over the yeast from San Fransisco. AHHHHHHHHHH I had been feeding starters to the point the whole house smelled SOUR! I threw up my hands and now I have one starter. Yes, I do feed it because it is alive. The cool thing about sourdough starters is that you can SHARE them with your friends (or enemies) So I am warning my friends in advance that if a starter just happens to come to your doorstep or in the mail YOU HAVE TO FEED IT. Millions of yeast depend on you. Here are my tips to keeping your sourdough pet. DISCLAIMER: I don't have a doctorate in Breadmaking this is what I know from observations.
Feed your starter. I like to make it more like a really thick pancake batter.
Always use plastic no metal.
Always use bottle water because tap will kill your pet.
If you are not actively using your starter feed it once a week (store in fridge)
When you DO want to use it feed it twice a day for 2 days then use. (store on countertop) someplace warm.
ALways take out the same portion you are putting in. I am keeping about 2 cups. I take out a half cup or so then feed a half cup or so.
I mix water and flour together to get a thick pancake dough consistency then add it back.
I have found the thicker the starter and the more often I feed it the more sour it is.
I have also found that letting the dough have a long proofing time in the fridge makes it more sour.
I highly recommend this method of making sourdough bread.
NO KNEAD SOURDOUGH EASY!

I have to admit I have made some KILLER sourdough bread! I highly recommend having a starter!

Aunt Rena

GARDENGURL — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:18:00 GMT

Recently with my Sister moving to the Artic, Oh I meant Colorado. It just seems like she is in the Artic. Very far away. I never really thought much about being an Aunt. I kinda thought when I grew up someday I would be an Aunt. I loved my Aunts! I have such fond funny memories of all of my Dad's Sisters. Recently my friend Iris mentioned she was making Tuna casserole. Instantly I had an image of my Aunt Lou Lou (ya thats what I called her) To me just saying the 2 words...well lets just say, I dislike it. We (my siblings) had gone to stay with my Aunt Lou Lou for a few days. We sat down to dinner. I was STARVING because playing with the cousins was big work. We all sit down at my Aunt's table to eat. We pray.. which was kinda weird for me back then but that's the way things rolled at my Aunt's house Here is how the conversation went.
Me: What's for Dinner Aunt Lou Lou!??
Aunt Lou: Tuna Casserole!! It even has potato chips on top. (she was very excited to serve it) I am sure to everyone else this WAS exciting news...
Me: Aunt Lou Lou... UH WE (speaking for the siblings because I have a big mouth) WE DONT EAT TUNA CASSEROLE.....
Aunt Lou Lou... Very calmly spoken with great love I am sure " Well at our house you eat what I fix and what I put in front of you"
Me: Eyes watering and wondering if Aunt Lou was gonna get Uncle Ron to spank me cause there was no way in Hell I was going to eat Tuna Casserole.
Me: sits and stares.. and stares and stares. Aunt Lou Lou FINALLY EXITS the kitchen. I jump up and run to the Casserole dish and I slide that serving RIGHT BACK IN---I then RAN to my seat sat down and wiped my mouth!
I am sure my tummy growled for the rest of the night and I AM pretty darn sure she KNEW I did not eat that casserole
I have learned so much from each of my Aunts. One had a gift for baking and sewing. I would sit and watch her making cinnamon rolls, she also taught me how to ride a horse. Another Aunt taught me about hiking and learning to hunt arrowheads. One had the gift of writing and laughter. One taught me about manners, making beds, how to fold clothes! I will never forget riding in a car going somewhere with one of my Aunts, she rolled down her window to talk to a flagger. You know those people who stand at the side of the road in construction zones? As we pulled away I asked her if she knew him? Her reply was NO- I was just being friendly. She had told me how hard that job is standing out in the weather and how not very many people are nice to you. Years later the scene repeated itself in my very own car. My daughter looked up and said, "Did you know him"? The answer was No, but it brought a smile to my face because the memory of my Aunt came to me and I repeated the same words that she had told me that day. The Aunts brought such words of wisdom and grace to me over the decades.
I love being an Aunt. I can only imagine the crazy things my Nieces an Nephews are going to say about me. I can only hope that the glean something from Aunt Rena like I did my sweet Aunts!

WHEWWWWW December...

GARDENGURL — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:37:00 GMT

It's almost over isn't it? So much going on. I can't fit another thing into this month... well I will try not to. We started off our December like we have for the last decade--- at Disneyworld. I know I should not complain but the magic for me has worn off a bit. It is like a symbol of materialism at its finest. Everywhere you go you keep with the subliminal message BUY ME! Spend, eat, indulge. We go to Disneyworld for the spouses business every year. He is gone during the day and I am hand in hand taking the pups to all the parks! This year we had the nice fortune of meeting up with our good buddy Iris and her family. It was nice to have friends to enjoy the parks with.
While in Orlando I went and picked Oranges and Grapefruit at the same place we went last year. Abby and Matthew fought and bickered the whole time until I pulled out my phone to take a pic and then they acted like best friends (rolls eyes).

We did enjoy the parks at DisneyWorld. Matthew and Abby love going to this free area in Epcott where they have soft drinks from around the world. Matthew in particular liked the Watermelon tasting drink from China. Look at the expression on his face!

On a rainy day we met up with my Mom and her Husband Jerry. I had this great idea to check out the ice sculptures at this hotel called the Gaylord palms. Ice slides! Ice Sculptures! Hot Chocolate! Parkas! How fun can that be??? uhhhhhh let me tell you COLD does not cover the depth of freezing ass temps we endured. I was like all excited---- bragging to my kids how we would slide TOGETHER how we would see some Artistic Sculptures. The show is INCREDIBLE. The ice is carved by Chinese Artists.

I started out all peppy and excited... we went from room to room. It got colder and colder. Not only was it cold they had it circulating around you.

It was 9 degrees. It does not sound bad but when you are wearing a damp parka and your kids look like Ice cubes themselves...well I started to think about bulldozing a bunch of fat tourists trying to get to the darn slide so we could get the freezing hell out of there. Room to room we moved... like Penguins to the water, shuffling along in anticipation of the DAG GUM ICE SLIDE. At some point my Mom EXITED to warmer air. I kept thinking this is Hell. FINALLY we arrived to the much anticpated uhhhh waaaaaa?? THAT is the ICE SLIDE we just traded our money and the ice walk of death for? It looked like a frozen version of the cheap playground slides you can buy at Walmart. I quickly became hypothermic crazy Mom. I was like CLEAR THE FRICKIN way my kids are going down and we are getting the heck out of here. My kids were like Mommy aren't you going down the slide? Heck NO!!! Matthew pauses at the top of the slide... I start doing the pyscho MOM yell GO DOWN THE slide honey... slide down... louder and louder then finally MATTHEW RYAN ABERNATHY if you don't slide down that slide RIGHT NOW, I AM COMING UP THERE!!!! There he went puter, puter, puter at the speed of say.... ice melting maybe. His fanny moved down that darn slide like molasses on a cold winter day! I grabbed him by the hand almost knocking down some fat lady and got the heck out of that place. Did I mention how beautiful the ice sculptures were?
Not only did the kids have a great December ending in the Birthday of Jesus, so did our lovely orphan cat Olive. She is a MESS. She took to sleeping in the tree during her terrorist downtimes. She is the wildest, craziest cat we have ever known. Here are a few shots of her I barely got because she is constantly moving and into trouble.

And FINALLY my non furry children on Christmas Morning. See you on the other side of 2010! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Holiday Traditions NEW and OLD

GARDENGURL — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:39:00 GMT

Not sure when this tradition started. I am sure it was probably when Abby was about one. We had a new baby and a new dog. Our new baby was very interested in pulling off ornaments and sticking them in her mouth, our new dog wanted to eat the glass balls like her rubber balls. I kept thinking what can I do? I decided to dry some citrus in 1/4 inch slices and hang them as decoration. I use about $15.00 in citrus and my dehydrator. The dried slices look like pieces of stained glass on the tree. After Christmas I toss them. The house smells of lime right now!

Our NEW tradition is going to be the Fantasy in Lights at Calloway Gardens. They have a 7 mile walk for the March of Dimes. You walk and get to see/hear the Holiday lights and Music. It is OUTSTANDING. The night air mixed with family is incredible. I love the nature themed lights. Here is some pics. I need a lesson in taking pictures at night but here is a sample of some of the ones I really liked.

Did I mention it rained? Here is Abby and her brother John David.

Change

GARDENGURL — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:42:00 GMT

The seasons are changing. The children are growing and MY SISTER is moving. Yes, not really sure what to think of that. I keep trying to be happy but deep down I really hate change. I keep telling myself that I will get to see her just as often but I know that can't be true. Abby is jealous her cousin is living the American dream in the best place ever. I think I will like to visit Denver. I have not spent much time there. She leaves this month. I know change is coming. How will it be without her? The voice of interior decorating and fabric, educator to my children, daughter to the Potter, and friend to me. I hate being alone with change. I hate that she will not be here to help me as she always does. I have decided to see her in May to help her put in her very first Colorado garden. Change. It can be good. I know it can.

Westville

GARDENGURL — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:18:00 GMT

We celebrated Georgia History today by going to Westville. Westville is a real colonial "town". They had story telling people telling the story about the history of Georgia. They had a Blacksmith, candle maker, a Indian, an explorer and MORE. It was sweet but a little on the over the top side. I could tell after 5 minutes Matthew had the "checked out nobody is home look" I honestly enjoyed it more then the kids I think. It was also geared more toward adults. The kids got to hang with their Peeps and that is what matters. I hope some history fell into their brains. I myself learned a lot.
Westville.org.
Here is Abby and I loving the day!

Halloween 2009 Orlando

GARDENGURL — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:23:00 GMT

We decided to go hang out in Orlando. My sister is moving to Colorado soooon. In fact while we were there someone came and looked at the house and made an offer! Yep, it looks like pending a home inspection she will be moving Nov 30.
The cousins did not have school so we took everyone to the Orlando Science Center for some fun. As usual we had a grand time playing like cousins do. While at the OCS we saw an IMAX show on the Grand Canyon. We came out running to the computer to book us some reservations to go and see that! We really would love to take our kids and head in that directions.. plans plans plans
Iris my friend from Miami surprised me, she came up to go tricker treating with her kids! I love my FRIENDS!

Progress....

GARDENGURL — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:24:00 GMT

Wow... a picture says a thousand words. Look in the first picture. Matthew's feet are not even touching the ground. I am sure the time of year is about the same. Here is the story behind the second picture. The title of the blog entry is progress. Well as most of you know I am always saying that my kids seem to lean more toward the Daddy side of the family and not the Mommy's. They are evolving I tell you---- and I am so proud of both of them. I would be fine and happy how God made them but I am thrilled they are changing to loving the great OUTDOORS more and more!
Let me give you the background. Abby had mentioned that there was a HUGE dead fish near the boat dock. I told her if she could snag it we would feed it to the chickens. I kinda laughed that off but she grabbed her pole that was on the dock and I went back to the house. I started doing laundry and Matthew runs in yelling, "Abby caught a fish, Abby caught a fish"! I was like EWWWWW no way. I ran up to the kitchen and got some gloves and followed Matthew down to the dock. There standing like the DYNAMIC DUO was Matthew and Abby with a little TINY Bream. It was alive and on the hook. I looked at her and then him.
I need to explain something to those that do not know my kids. ---- they do not ever touch things normally that are muddy, slimy, part of insect Kingdom, cold blooded or germy for that matter.
I stood there mouth wide open wondering how that happened. It had only been a matter of minutes since I left them both.
Here is the conversation.
Me- ABBY! Where did the fish come from?
A- I caught it.
Me- Huh? With what? Did that line have bait left on it?
A- No. I caught it with a worm.
Me- huhhh A worm? A dried worm?
Me- where did you get a worm?
A- Matthew (she points to him because he is standing beside her) He puffs out his chest and points to himself.
Me- (somewhat perpelexed) Matthew??? Well where did you get the worm?
M- Your garden.
Me- YOU DUG A WORM out of the garden (laughing)
he nods and I take the fish off the hook.
She untangled the fishing line, got a worm, BAITED THE HOOK and then caught a fish!!!!
Yippppppeeee
Progress I tell you all, progress!

Gluten -free Buckwheat Pancakes and Buckwheat Cheddar Flatbread

GARDENGURL — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:30:00 GMT

I normally do not post many recipes but this was a must TRY for those of you who dont eat wheat and maybe those that do. Buckwheat is not really a grain but considered a fruit. It is actually very healthy and has been found to lower blood sugar and help with hypertension. I buy my grains and buckwheat in bulk and grind them myself. I was worried I would not be able to use up 6 gallons of buckwheat, but I worry no more
Buttermilk buckwheat pancakes. I double this for a family of 5.
1 cup buckwheat flour
1.5 Tbsp Sugar (I use vanilla sugar that I make) If using regular sugar add 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (or you can use 4 Tbls DRY buttermilk and one cup water)
2 Tbls olive oil (vegetable oil)
I spray the pan with olive oil spray between pancakes. Make sure you wait until you see the bubbles come up on the pancake and then flip.... YUMMMMY

Tonight I was in a huge rush to get my chili going and had it on my mind that I should change up the recipe and make a buckwheat flat bread.... I did and guess what??? it was delish!!!
I was in such a hurry I forgot to add an egg. It did not seem to matter and had no problem binding.
Measurements are not exact but it will be fine as long as you use the general idea.
2 cups buckwheat flour
1/5 tsp of kosher salt (more or less)
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 teaspoon of ONION POWDER not salt more or less....
3/4 cup sharp cheddar (more or less)
2 cups buttermilk or (2 cups water and 8 TBLS of dry Buttermilk)
Stir and make into flat bread pancakes. I can see eating this for a sandwich wrap. Chives would of also been tasty and pretty.
I suppose you could add and egg if you were wanting a stronger bread. I will have to work with the recipe and see.
ENJOY!

Birthday EVE ponderings and gifts.

GARDENGURL — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:35:00 GMT

Is there such a thing as Birthday eve? Can I stretch this self indulgent holiday any further? HMMMM??? Well I DID get some very cool and tasty gifts before the big event....
Ellen made me some delish homemade truffles
Ellen's Eldest made me a duct tape wallet- TAKE THAT DOONEY AND BURKE. I am so going to use it ! will be so proud to whip out that bright yellow wallet and make my purchases. I think that in some odd twist of fate that I was being robbed I could use it to blind the robber I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I love homemade gifts!

Ellen's youngest gave me this lovely card. That is me with the red hair (duh) and that brown thing is MY GARDEN of coarse. The small brown object is my wheelbarrow for sure. If you are really clever you will see that he added a guitar shaped cloud at the top because he is a boy who loves guitars!

Ellen's middle child made me this butterfly pin thingy. It is a very neat thinga ma bob jigger thing. I am very happy to have it because it makes me feel young and I will use it to..... well you know... umm you know I will use it ... tomorrow.

THANK YOU SWEET little people!
My Mom being the artist that she is made me this bowl. She knows I am a woman of function. Give me a bowl and I will bake bread in it I say. Nothing collects dust here. It has use or well it does not live here I can collect garden veggies, bake or maybe even put Halloween candy in it. THANK YOU MOM. I love you.

Tomorrow I turn 38. WOW. 38 years on this Earth. I promise as I type this I plan on living everyday like it was my last. I promise to stop pondering and start living. I have a few dreams I have that I want to put into action. I want to say on the Birthday eve of 39 that I did just that... I lived.
Thanks for the Birthday wishes. I love you all!

Yes Matthew

GARDENGURL — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:47:00 GMT

Conversation between Matthew and myself over breakfast at camp... (last week)

Matthew: Mom is there really a toothfairy?
Me: (chewing and thinking what to say)
Matthew: more persistant - Mom are you the toothfairy?
Me: (thinking still)
Matthew MOM!!!???
Me: Matthew let me finish chewing and then I can talk.... (gives me time to think)
Matthew: Well?
Me: Yes, I am... thinking darn it, if i lie he will never believe me about other stuff.
Matthew: (shocked) YOU ARE?? You put that cool lego set under my pillow?
Me: (thinking darn it my bubble has burst) YES Matthew I did that.
Matthew: YOU ARE THE TOOTHFAIRY FOR EVERYONE? (very shocked and excited)
Me: SHHHHHHHh be quiet Matthew. No not for everyone, just for you
Matthew: Does Abby know?
Me: I think so Matthew.
Matthew: Can I tell her?
Me: I guess so.
Matthew (yells across the table) Abby did you know Mom was the toothfairy?
Abby: (turns red) SSHHHHHHH she tells him, and nods.

What a silly boy he is! Today he lost another tooth and before bed he came in and said, "Do you want the tooth under my pillow or on the nightstand, what would be easier for you?"
LOL

Burton 4H Homeschool Camp

GARDENGURL — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:09:00 GMT

My expectations really were not high, but I must confess Burton 4H did a fantastic job teaching some Biology! I figured Abby would be all in it and Matthew would be just along for the ride. I was so wrong! The instructors did an outstanding job keeping his attention and fed him some really good info. Matthew called the teachers our tour guides.
It was like real camp. We had a Dorm room with bunkbeds. I was so happy we had the dorm to ourselves because all the kids wanted top bunks (me included). I was like I got the top bunk OHHHH YA>>>>> but then getting up in the middle of the night to potty, that bunk was a long way down to the floor. We had kitchen duty, campfire songs, Marsh ecology, beach classes, shark teeth, turtle nests, Crabs and critters... oh and lots of crabs! The squid dissection went really well with Abby and Matthew BOTH participating. In the end they punctured the ink sack and wrote their name on the plate with the squid ink. THEY LOVED IT. I was happy to hear that they recycle the squid back to the animals that they have on site. Speaking of RECYCLE they had compost duty and recycle bins everywhere.
They will offer another set of classes in Feb if any of you home schoolers are interested let me know.
Here is a few pics... And on the way home we stopped at the docks where the shrimp boats came in and got 5lbs of fresh shrimp to take home to Columbus---- YUMMMY

Back to School

GARDENGURL — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:15:00 GMT

Our school runs year round. What?? I can hear you all moaning along with the children, but it is not like that. It is because we take off whenever we want to chase the rabbits so to speak. For example next week we are going to Tybee island to study about the local habitat and to dissect squid. I am sure it will so horrible to have to spend the afternoons playing on the beach (wink). It is such a joy to be able to school the kids hands on. This week we did a study on plant tissues and plant reproduction in Biology. Class moved to the garden. I know schooling at home is not for everyone. It does work for us!
Abby looking at some celery we had under the microscope.

Watermelon female and male blossoms.

Matthew is not bothered in the slightest by girl boots.

I wanted them to be able to pick up any flower and name its parts....

So a guy walks into a grocery store....

GARDENGURL — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:10:00 GMT

I have mentioned I attract weird people...LOL
SO .... tonight I go to the local upscale grocery store near my house. It is called publix for all you folk out west. I go to the wine section to get some white wine for Chicken Saltimboca. I am chatting it up on the phone when out of the corner of my eye I can see this guy pointing to his HUGE jug of Sangria. I am thinking DON"T make eye contact. TOOOO late. I get off the phone and in less then 15 seconds I got this whole life story. It appears that this young guy has been hitting the wine already. BUT WAIT I have yet to tell you the punch line. I learned that he is a soldier, that he drives a harley, that his wife just left him, that he comes from a rich family, he is in the Navy and he is leaving for Somalia. I am trying to be kind after all he IS a soldier. I am sad his wife has left him (could ya blame her)? The whole aisle is filled with women who are witnessing the whole thing unfold like a train wreck. Some feel obviously sorry for me and some are annoyed (rich southern types). I myself am cornered by the big Soldier who WAIT for it.........................
He OPENS up the bottle of wine RIGHT THERE an INSISTS I try it.
I am so shocked I can only think what kind of invisible sign am I wearing to deserve this? I can see one woman on one side of the red wine section giggling. I can see another in the white grab her wine and dash.. people at the end of the aisle are peeking in to see what is going on with the loud Harley riding drunk soldier guy. He INSISTS over and OVER TRY IT >>> TRY IT. I start to squirm, I wonder what the law is? I ponder what my husband who is a local quiet physician would think of his wife drinking out of a bottle in the middle of our LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD grocery store. I start feeling sorry for the guy.. seconds tick by like minutes it seems.
The woman laughing who happens to be looking at reds.. says to me " I am looking away"
I look left
I look right
I grab the bottle and drink a good drink. I hand it back very quickly and I almost run with my cart to the meat section.
I breathe a sigh of relief. Harley guy is gone to purchase his wine.
THEN HE COMES BACk.
He says he is sorry. Ok great ok bye bye mister harley drunk guy. HAVE a nice day.... OY!!! I am a weirdo magnet.

Colorado 2009

GARDENGURL — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:59:00 GMT

WoW a whole year has gone by and here I am writing about our Annual Colorado trip. Last year I drove all the way. It was actually pretty enjoyable minus the price of fuel. This year as fuel prices rose I went ahead and bought plane tix. After our day in Steamboat, we packed our kids up in the rented Suburban and headed over the Mountains to made Dad's NEW home in Rangely. My Dad was moving into the new house he had built with his wife Vickie. It was soooo cool to see what they had done all by themselves DEBT free. Gotta love the no mortgage concept. The home is built of straw and is also Solar. I can't tell you how proud of them I am. It is so cool to look over the Rio Blanco river and see the Elk coming in, Coyotes and from time to time a Mountain lion. The views in each direction are astounding. We did a great deal of hiking. I took my sister's kids and my oldest to some petroglyphs, an owl nest and arrowhead hunting. I actually found a scraper. It was cool teaching my sister's kids how to arrowhead hunt just like my Aunts had taught me. I also had the chance to show them some tips on hiking, getting lost and general outdoor safety. When there are hungry Mountain Lions around you should know what to do not do if you come into one. The owl's nest was in the same spot it was 7 years ago when I found it with baby owls. Raptures are known to vomit up their food after they eat it and because the nest is in a cave (rock outcropping) the owl pellets were easy to find. We happily took them back to dissect at another date. owl pellets

All of my Dad's Sisters and a few cousins showed with their travel trailers and their beautiful children. My Aunt brought some Rocky Mountain Oysters... because they own a ranch in Colorado. For those of you who don't know what that is click here

Much to my dismay my Aunt decided that they had been in the freezer tooo long. DARN It My Aunt Mary Lou made an enticing green chili! We had a stock tank swimming pool, cause that is the way the cowboys roll! EVERYONE went fishing down at the river. Lots of Rainbow trout and a few Carp. My girl and my boy cousins can fly fish better then anyone I have ever seen. It is just awesome to see them whip that pole just right. Some of the cousins brought a new weapon and everyone got to try that out. See how right wing our family can be?? hahaha Guns?!! The 4 fourwheelers were kept running as often as my Dad would let them. The day everyone left I went on a long hike ALONE. It was so nice to get out and see some more Petroglyphs and to relax. During this trip we had virtually zero cell phone service. As I was climbing a steep rock face.... my phone rang! I was like uhhh HELLO??? It was my Mom! When I came back from the hike we decided to take the kids out to the reservior. It is tradition in our little town to jump off the cliffs. I had not done it since I was a teen. When I was a teen it did not look so scary and so HIGH UP. The water is from melted snow ...OY Finally I told my sister AFTER our kids had jumped off that if she would do it I would go with her. She said YES and I quickly ..wearing my clothes threw my sunglasses down grabbed her hand and jumped off!! You can see the poor video here but let me tell you we are some screaming women!

sreaming sisters

Slide show of the trip

Colorado 2009

Oh an ant lion what it is

I also had the best luck of actually being at my Dad's when the Columbine's were putting off their seed. So many kinds to choose from. I also had the luck of getting some RARE ones that are native. They were in my Dad's greenhouse. I would never harvest from the wild. It is actually against the law. If you want some Columbine seed then email me

Colorado Vacation Day 1

GARDENGURL — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:13:00 GMT

We flew in yesterday and because it was not an FULL travel day then I am not counting it. My sister and her kids met us in Denver. We picked up our rental and drove to Steamboat Colorado. The cousins were so happy to see each other. Abby woke up at Georgia time and we had a relaxing morning drinking coffee and eating breakfast.
We decided to take the kids hiking in a National park that had some falls. It was so breath taking I could not believe how beautiful it was.
They had several trail hiking options and we choose the easiest for the little ones sake. It is still at a very high altitude and a good incline. I was kinda winded I need to come and acclimate LONGER.... hahahah
Once we finished hiking we went on to a Mexican lunch. I have made it my goal to eat mexican as much as I can because it is sooooo good and I never get any at home unless I cook it.
I had some computer problems so.. I am a day late with this entry.
Here is a slideshow of our day
SteamboatCOLORADO

Nationals and some sides....

GARDENGURL — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 00:30:00 GMT

We went all the way (via SUV) to Illinois for the INLINE SPEED SKATING NATIONALS! That's right, my little baby girl skated UP a division doing a relay with a boy from Georgia named Paul. We were just excited for her to have the experience. She did not make it out of her heat (4th) but she did get to skate and we were thankful.
Along the way....
YOU know how I am... I had to stop at something. I am always looking for an adventure to get into. We decided we would spend our first night on the road at Mammoth cave National park.

They have there own hotel. We tried to get a cabin but they were sold out. Later we heard someone talking and they said the cabins had no A/C so--for the Daddy's sake it was better we had cool air. The hotel was still very rustic. We got our keys and checked out the rooms... REAL KEYS not cards LOL. It was like high end camping.

Upon arrival we secured our tickets for the following day tour called The Frozen Niagra. Nothing frozen about it, just a catchy name to focus on the geological cave formations that look like Niagra falls. The Ranger said it was the best tour because it took you straight to all the good stuff without the walking. Matthew has a very short attention span and we felt the shortest tour was probably the best idea. Mammoth caves is the LARGEST cave system in the WORLD. It spans a documented 360 miles of cave. They believe that other caves are linked to a total of 500 miles of cave. It is not spanning across the state of Kentucky but in layers upon layers on top of each other. The way the Ranger explained it was a bowl of spagetti with the caves being noodles..you turn the bowl over and that is the cave system. Way back they even had Church services there because the cave stays a temp of 54 degrees spring or summer.
Here is a picture of the Cave entrance. It has an air lock on it because it was created by man in 1920 and they are trying to preserve it's natural state.

That is not really a good photo of one of the formations. It is a cave folks! Plus we had other people in the way who were whining about the flash on the camera... grrrrrrr....

As we were getting ready for the tour Matthew took one look at our guide and said, " Momma Ranger Kate.... uhhh she is PRETTY"! I laughed and asked her if we could take a picture. The boy loves girls I tell ya! Look at his face!

On the trip home, I whined until the spouse finally stopped at the Tennessee Aquarium.

I swear he can be a cow to the barn. It was a vote of 3 to one and he lost.
I am always looking to give the kids more Science and just MORE!
For those who are wondering... the Tennessee Aquarium has come a long way and is in my opinion much nicer then the Georgia one. It is in a safer neighborhood, better flow, volunteers working the exibits, good parking, good food, nice folks and good variety. Thumbs up here!
Matthew was very interested in the Penguins. At the Georgia aquarium you have to pay extra to see the Penguins. We saw them for free at a very nice exibit. Some of the birds were sitting on nests made of rocks. Matthew was tuned in and learned a good deal about the birds. It was funny watching one of the nesting pairs. The Momma was on the nest and the Daddy kept fussing at her trying to make her get up off the nest and let him have his turn. She kept pecking him back. Finally he just stood there and she waited a second then got up and stretched and let him take over. I wish I could of understood that conversation.
Male: Get up, my turn.
Female: I will get up when I am good and ready.. go away.
Male: (the nice approach) Honey I can see you are tired and hungry, why don't you get up and eat, stretch your legs..
Female: Shut up! I will get up when I am good and ready.
Male: waits quietly
Female Ok I am ....................ready.
Male: Yes Dear..... whatever you say
Female is on the left-- male is getting ready to sit.

Matthew loved the shark cage. He was giving me a visual demo in this picture.

They had an area where you could look up at the sharks. Pretty relaxing.

Not to offend any of you Illinois folks but that state is BORING to travel in. OY! People say Kansas is boring. --- Kansas has a special warmth to it.. with all the farms and windmills.... It was a good trip!

Check--Check and Check

GARDENGURL — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:38:00 GMT

I absolutely love and I mean love crossing stuff off my
SOMEDAY I WANT TO WHEN I GET A CHANCE - life list.
Today coming home from seeing my sister in Orlando I did 2 items off my list. For years and I mean YEARS I have wanted to stop along the route home to check out this Mom/Pop type sausage company. It is off the path only a mile. It just always seems like someone is in a hurry (John) or someone is hungry, or tired or something that I never get a chance to stop. TODAY I was determined and well to be honest the kids are getting older (easier to bribe). I wanted to go to a sausage place. This is the kind of place once you visit you keep going back every chance you get. It was a small and I mean small type shack way out in the middle of no where. I mean you drive by the cotton fields and wonder if places like those still exist. When I had finally considered turning around --There it was. What you can't see in the picture is some tomato plants that are planted and bearing fruit to the right of that bush. How often do you see that? While I was trying to decide what KIND of sausage some travelers came in and told me what their personal favorites were. I will let you know how everything tastes! Here is a pic taken with my camera so forgive the quality.
The name of the place is called Carroll's Sausage and Meats (sausage like Grandpa made)

Having secured the sausage on ice and 2 Lemonades for the kids I continued on down the road. Our next exit was the Georgia State Farmer's market where a great deal of Georgia's produce is purchased!
At this point there was a great deal of whining going on but I would not have it. The stacks of Southern Pea's and watermelons --- I was in a trance. It did help that I fed them homemade peach Ice cream while I made my produce deals. Southerner's love peas. No not the kind of peas English people eat. Southern Peas-- they boil them with ham/bacon/fat of some sort and eat them as a daily food during the summer and winter if you put some up in the freezer. I wanted a variety that has a wonderful butter flavor called Zipper. I also wanted what John's Dad called white acre or field peas. I had a problem... so many farmers selling peas? Some already had been shelled. How would I know what was fresh and how would I know when they were shelled?.....
Boiled peanuts, peaches, peanuts, okra by the case, corn so fresh I am sure it was picked only hours prior! I was overwhelmed!!
I found an OLD and I mean OLD man who was sitting in a recliner ( I know weird) he had pallets of peas next to him. He had a cell phone in one had and was running it like he was a seasoned bookie in Las Vegas.
He was saying things like.
A truck ?
Ya I got them,... no too low, no,- no,- no -ok yes ----alright deal there yours.. !!

I INSTANTLY knew I had found my man. I explained my concerns to him and he directed me into a room where 3 women were shelling and bagging peas. They eyed me up and down. I was hoping to make this fast. Abby's ice cream was melting and Matthew was had an eye on some dangerous shelling equipment. We talked price. I smiled. I mean I smiled a LOT. Next thing you know I had 4 bushels of VERY CLEAN peas all bagged up and ready to go. The women were teasing the man about how nice he was being to me LOL and he cut me a deal on the peas A smile will get you EVERYWHERE.
I was not aware that Cordele is the Watermelon capitol of the world. I did not buy any melons. I have over 22 growing in the garden. I don't want to get tired of them before I even have a chance to eat my own!

Oh and the 3rd check? I will write about tomorrow.. I have peas to deal with.