Follow our family as we build our dream house and live our life in between.

Friday, May 20, 2011

How does your garden grow?

My friend and I decided to do a big garden this year.  I was planning on doing a garden, but I was going to start out small as to not get overwhelmed and then get a bit bigger each year.  But my friend, Danielle, asked me if she could join me so we decided to do a big garden and kinda share the work.  Loy and I and his dad set the fence posts and marked out the beds.  Then one Friday Danielle and her kids (she also has three kids within three years) came over and we planted ALL DAY LONG!  It went much faster with two I am sure.  She would dig the trench and I would plant the seeds. We made great progress and got everything we had done!  We were hot, tired and sunburned but it was lots of fun!  Then her husband, Kevin, came over the next day and he and Loy put the fence up around the area.  We did an area of 35ft X 50ft, which had five 3ft X 28 (or so)ft beds, with extra space on both ends.  We planted everything, beans, corn, squash, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, okra, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, a few herbs, strawberries, pumpkins... geez, I can't remember everything.  We are planning on learning how to can as well once our bounty is in.  It will be new for me and somewhat new to her, but she's experienced it since her family has done this sort of thing forever.  We have bought tons of canning jars from yard sales and Craigslist.  And I can't say for her for sure, but I am super excited to learn how to can!

Rows of lettuce.  Red on the right and a green type on left.




It has been so fun going outside everyday to see what is new in the garden, or how big things have gotten.  Planting seeds in the ground and seeing them come up is pretty exciting!!  

Peas
Two rows of tomatoes and a row of onions
Beans and corn

Pumpkins and morning glories, in the kids garden (More on these later)

Squash seeding

Tomato blooms!!!



Pepper blooms!!

Potato plant





Something is eating the bean plants.  I haven't ever seen any bugs on them, so not sure what they are, but they are getting them.  I need something to get rid of them.  I am trying to stick to the whole organic thing so if anyone has any recommendations, please share.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Update and new adventures

Since my last blog of huge pity party on Carissa, I have been better and done better.  I have done what I could when I could and when I didn't get it all done I tried not to feel guilty about it and just try to get it done and do better the next day.  Some days are just so busy that there is just no way I could get it all done, but I'm ok with that.  I am still making sight adjustments here and there and still working to make things move more smoothly around here.  For example, since I started couponing I have been terrible about making a menu plan.  Before I would make a list of meals, which cookbook they were in then make my shopping list.  Now I have been going to the store and shopping and having no meals planned at all, which makes dinner time real difficult some times.  So I am going back to meal planning first then shopping.  I am still going to coupon, I am just going to try to be better organized before and after.  I also need to do this because I am falling off the wagon again and starting to gain some weight back that I just lost after torturing myself with the HCG diet (not really torture, but not fun or easy, but effective).  I really want to get back into working out, but need to schedule that in, somewhere...  Among many other things that I am constantly working on.

As far as new adventures go, I am joining ranks of the "weirdo's", "the minority", "those people" and whatever else you want to call us.  I have decided to homeschool.  It still sounds weird saying it (typing it) out loud or even in my head.  I have been debating it for the past year and after going to the Convention in Oklahoma City for two days this past week, I have decided I am going to do it.  I have my many reasons and if you want to know I would love to share with you.  I will probably post a blog about it soon.  I bought my stuff to do it this year with Grace starting Kindergarden.  I am going to use My Father's World curriculum and supplement with a few extra things like some writing, math and drawing and Bible curriculum.  I don't really need to supplement because the curriculum has all this included, but a little extra doesn't hurt, plus I bought the workbooks before I found the My Father's World booth at the Convention.  LOL.  I know I'm going to get alot of why's and how's and disapproving from others, which at times I am sure will hurt and make me question my intent, but I feel it is the best thing for our family and my kids.  It will definitely push me and test me on my patience and organization, which are two of the things that were holding me back the most, but it will make me a better person.  Like I have told several people, these are the two things I struggle with and want to gain, so what better way than to put myself in a situation where I have to practice these skills everyday?  It will also (as Loy put it) give me an avenue to gain that relationship I want, but don't currently have, with my kids.  As you remember in my previous post, I have not been a very good, hands on, interactive mom like I want to be.  I hope and pray that this gives this to me and makes me the mom I want to be and be the best thing for my kids.  I have prayed A LOT about this, done tons of research, and talked to several people in the past year and a half about this and I feel it is right.  So, have questions for me?  Want to watch me go through this challenge?  I will be blogging about my adventures in homechooling along with everything else here.