Happy Sunday all. My goodness, here we are at the end of another month! How does that happen so quickly??? LOL
In a few short days the year will be officially half-way over!
We had a few days of a little cooler weather - cooler than mid 90's! I got to have the AC off for a good while for 2 or 3 days. This next week is to be a little cooler as well and not so humid. We did get a few showers overnight (not much to speak of), but at this point we will take it. First showers in about 2 weeks. Gee - we had so much rain earlier in the year and now none.
The grass is going dormant - so no mowing needed for now. My allergies are raging! Sneezing and itchy eyes are daily.
All my flowers are starting to bloom again. Not only all the lilies, but I have phlox, coreopsis and echinacea all starting to bloom as well.
My week:
- As you can see I picked bouquets - 2X
- Been using water from rain barrels and have had to use the soaker as well
- I picked my first zucchini!!!! My first real harvest WOOHOO
- I have been having trouble with the cable box in bedroom - figured I was going to have to replace. It has been slow and disruptive for a while and the other night it froze. In desperation I cut off the electrical to it - and rebooted the entire thing. Works perfectly now.
- Got to have windows open some
- I raked!!!!! Yeppers. It is that time of the year that the leaves start to fall from the tulip polar. UGH - such a pain in the middle of summer.
- Been going through more stuff around the house and trying to de-clutter. I came across a very small hand-held video recorder that I bought years ago. Forgot all about it. Been working with it - and I think I have figured it out. MAYBE a video for blog now and then!! (think kitties or birds, squirrels)
- Just cleaning in general
- I started cutting pieces for a baby boy blankie for a new one on the way
- Using what I have and using all leftovers in new ways
- I did make a run to Kroger. Got milk 1.27/half gal. (2), 2 lb. strawberries for 2.49, a (yummy) cantaloupe for 2.99, got stock of trash bags and sweetener to last for about a year and of course more cat food
Meals this past week:
Chili/cheese dip over pasta
Dirty rice/summer sausage and lima beans
Burritos (using leftover dirty rice)
Charcuterie board of goodies
Meatloaf burgers (used leftover dirty rice in them)
Fish and fries
Cheeseburger rice skillet
SNACKS - fruit
Jalapeno summer sausage, cheese slices, radish, peppers, tomatoes, olives and pickles all with crackers
How was your week? Did you get much accomplished? OR were you out of oomph like me!!?
How are your gardens growing? Any deals?
I hope you are all well and healthy.
Prayers that you have a fantastic and accomplished week ahead. Stay cool!
Blessings from my humble little home to you and yours!
Lord, we graciously ask that You help us through our storms and trials in life. We place our trust and faith that You are with us every moment of every day, and that no matter what we face You will be with us. Amen
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.....
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Homegrown food and flowers are always a winner. Raking in summer sounds awful. I like your plate of goodies.
ReplyDeleteI do love me some homegrown! Thanks!! It tasted yummy.
DeleteYea on the first harvest! I have gotten a couple of zucchini also. We took the trailer and went to the coast for a couple of days. It was relaxing and got to see some friends and relatives. It's pretty hot here right now yesterday was 100 and today they are forecasting 102 or 103. The garden is doing great. I need to pick some blueberries and our grapes are looking good. Our kitties did miss us, no cold shoulders, lol. I have been working on a scrap afghan. Not much else going on at the moment just trying to stay cool. Have a blessed day my friend!
ReplyDeleteHey you - so happy to see you post!!!!!
DeleteGlad your garden is doing good. My grapes are loaded - sure hope I get a lot! That is downright HOT! UGH! Not quite that hot here. Sure has been a crazy year.
Your trip sounds lovely and very relaxing. You so love the coast! Glad the kitties weren't too upset! They probably had a ball while you were gone!!! LOL
Staying cool - seems to be the main activity here too.
Have a fantabulous day my friend!!!!!!
I always like seeing your list of meals because I get ideas for my own meals. Kudos on your charcuterie board. Not only does it look delicious, it is colorful, cool, and pretty---perfect for a hot summer day. Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteIt was very hot that day - and no cooking seemed to be the order for me! It was quite tasty.
DeleteGlad you get a few ideas from time to time.
Blessings
This heat just sucks the life right out of a person! Was happy to see the dampening of the overnight rain. We have been watering to keep the gardens going but a good rain would be most welcome.
ReplyDeleteGoing out to trim more leaves from the zucchini and yellow squash plants. Necessary to spot the produce and let the bees see what is going on with the blooms. Staking pepper plants as they have a tendency to tip over.
My sister-in-law flew to Arizona to visit with her brother. I asked about the weather and she said it's about the same as here.
The quote from Ecclesiastes is one of my favorites. It is a reminder that life has an ebb and flow to it. The Father is in control and He watches out for His children.
Yes the heat does zap one of all energy. Water, water, seems to be the name of the game!
DeleteAmazing that we are experiencing the same temps as all the places that are usually hot.
One of my favorites too. Life has good and bad, and ups and downs and it is all part of our experience. We so need to remember that!
Electronics can be a nuisance, and rebooting is often the best option. That's always the first suggestion I get from my technologically savvy son. :)
ReplyDeleteMy potatoes plants are looking lush and green, the tomatoes and peppers are beginning to flower. It will be some time yet before I harvest anything but I so enjoy seeing the transition.
Electronics are my nemesis! But anytime I have called the cable company that is what they say to do first as well.
DeleteIt is so fun watching things grow - especially things we ewill get to eat! I have small tomatoes - but it will be a long while before eating occurs! Hundreds of cucumber blooms - waiting for cukes!
Hurry up and wait!
My vertigo was bad this week so I was just happy to get meals on the table. It finally got hot here in NY so we turned on the AC.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry - that is horrible to experience. I hope you are doing better. Lay low and rest - you need it dear.
DeleteYour charcuterie plate looks delicious and is my kind of meal, easy and no cooking. Your zucchini is a pretty one! I’ve had the blahs lately too, but I just consider what’s been going on and realize it’s normal. We’ve not had any rain too and although I’m glad it has dried up our driveway, we do need some. I hope you have another good week, Cheryl. 😊
ReplyDeleteThanks - my kind of cooking too.
DeleteOh my, you have every reason in the world to have the blues. It is very normal - and may last a while. I still get blue on days thinking about loved ones that ae gone. Huge HUGS!
I know we had so much rain for a while and now nothing. Any would help.
Have a nice week.
I'm basking in my solitude after >2 wks of house guests. My long-time friend from England visited with her husband, sister & BIL so I played tour guide in my own backyard. I gain an appreciation for my locale through their eyes. There was a short turn around, just enough time to launder & change bedding and clean bathrooms before my cousins arrived for a music festival. It's nice to be back to routine. The bedding is washed again & the floors washed. The vegetable garden is coming along nicely but the tomatoes could use more heat. There's been ~ 6 in of rain in the past 2 wks and I won't complain after the drought/high temps experienced last summer. The irises are finished blooming, day lilies are blooming and the peonies are budding profusely. I spotted a wild tiger lily the other day as well as many bear sightings. Meals the past week have been all about using up leftovers from the freezer - lasagna, hamburgers with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, pyrogies/nalysnyky/holupchi, tortellini soup. One food item I really enjoyed was a watermelon, feta, basil salad. I plan to dry some basil. It's been an expensive month of repairs - new septic pump, new wire fence, bearings & transmission repair in the car, new furnace motor. I'm always grateful for my frugal lifestyle that affords me the ability to pay for these things when needed. Love Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have had an eventful and fun filled 2 weeks! How lovely. Having company and seeing people is cool - but it is always nice to get back to normal.
DeleteYay, on lots of leftovers! All sounds so good.
You sure had some big expenses - transmission - yikes! Those are always expensive. Hopefully it is all out of the way.
Enjoy your gardens!
Yes mam, that is why we are frugal - for those unforeseen problems,
That first harvest sure gets us excited, too! We had about 2 pounds of green beans and 2 peppers. We ate a few of the beans and canned two pints for later. I love that pickety bits sort of meal. Hubby not so much but I will happily have it when there are leftovers he can eat.
ReplyDeleteOur biggest deal was Town House crackers for 50 cents a box with sale, coupon and iBotta. Crackers have gotten so expensive that I was very happy to get this deal. Sweet potatoes were .69 a pound so I bought 4 huge ones and baked them and put them away in he freezer. Strawberries were 1.09 but I really had to look to find good ones. I sliced and froze them on baking sheet and then poured them into jars for the freezer.
Hard thing this week was talking to Mom on the phone. Her dementia has made her think that the caretakers at the nursing home beat her and want to kill her. It is heart wrenching. My sister and I are at our wits end not knowing what to do.
Yes that first harvest ids always fun. Yum on the green beans.
DeleteWhat a deal on the crackers - those aren't cheap! You are planning wisely.
I am so sorry your poor momma is going through that - and that you are going through that. That is just heartbreaking.
Huge hugs and prayers for you all. No advice to offer - just hugs.
I called Mom today and she was happy and laughing. That is very rare but I will take it as a bandaid ony heart today. Thanks for caring.
DeleteGlad you got a good day. Cherish those good days - they are wonderous.
DeleteA nice, quiet week here. We did get an inch of rain Wed evening. I'm picking peas (shading them in the heat of the day), the cucumbers and a few tomatoes have blossoms, and you can just about watch the zucchini plants grow. Cosmos and lilies are blooming, and echinacea and monarda have buds. Even got the flower beds weeded. We may get more storms later today. Hoping to fill the water barrels.
ReplyDeleteHusband is feeling much better and stronger since discontinuing one of his BP meds after he nearly passed out a couple of weeks ago. He is even using the treadmill. We are monitoring his BP, and it is staying normal.
Sounds like you have the sun and heat situation figured out for the garden. Glad to hear you picking produce! I would love to have a little more rain - we got hardly nothing.
DeleteWOW - that is great that taking away a med made for such a drastic difference for your hubs. Pathetic that people have to go through those things as doctors experiment!
Aldi had a lot of empty spots on the shelves, but I got a case of canned salmon for the future. Finally found oatmeal at our local grocery yesterday, on "sale" for $4.29/42oz. I bought 6 for the winter. Also stocked up on olive oil (on sale) and Husband's favorite sweet potato fries.
ReplyDelete(Blogger is not letting me post the complete post, hence two posts.)
No problem on 2 posts - do what you need to get here. Blogger is always changing something.
DeleteThat is good to have the salmon stock and the oatmeal. I use very little oatmeal unless baking, so I rarely check that at the store. Nice to have things on hand for the next many months - you just never know.
Have a good one
Another exemplary week, Cheryl! Even in a week you feel like you didn't accomplish lots...it appears you did. Here...watering then watering more. Some places not far from us have gotten rain. Sprinkles and dew have been the extent of our natural moisture. Picking cukes, shoes, sugar snap peas but they don't like the heat, onions, red raspberries and just a few blueberries. Using these fresh things is such a pleasure on the table.also, basil, purple basil and cilantro. This week was three appointments.All are one or two towns over. Also every five weeks I get a haircut with my best friend and we make the 35mile drive to visit her 96yr old mom in assisted living. She still has her wonderful sense of humor and she feels like a second mom to me. This week is four evenings of VBS at church so I will be needing to get things done all during the day. Since retirement, I seem to need to push myself more...I tend to not push much through my day...just go at an easy pace.🙃
ReplyDeleteWatering is sure essential. Yes, those small items gotten here and there from the garden just make for a better table and yummy treats.
DeleteSounds like you have a busy one coming up. Enjoy your visit - I bet she will!!! Have fun at VBS - I remember teaching at those. I always had littles about 4 or 5. Loved it.
I think that is me - retirement and alone - not a lot of incentive to get all up and busy! Safe travels this week.
Not picking shoes...zukes! Darn autocorrect!! Maybe picking shoes would be pretty economical though. Mom used to say money doesn't grow on trees....maybe shoes do...haha!
ReplyDeleteLOL - that would be nice - as they sure cost a lot!
DeleteEarly this week I took a (small) trunk load of stuff to the thrift store that supports the animal shelter. Some was ours that has been replaced as in comforters now quilts I've made on the beds, as well as an accumulation of items left by guests. GONE GONE! Today, I've given away all the garment fabric that has been sitting since the 90s. It was likely 40-50 yards. I got into a career move that was very demanding of my time and it became cheaper to buy needed clothing than spend the hours to make it so there sat all my fabulous (suit) wool/linings, dress fabric, shirt fabric....I won't go on. I'm retired and wear shorts/tshirts, jeans/sweatshirts and the occasional dress-up day. Gone and feelin' good! 😊 Let It Go!! Let It Go!!
ReplyDeleteI caught up on the CSA blanching/freezing all that was left from prior week and I think we will eat our way through this week's just fine as it's smaller than the prior 6w!
Happy Sunday everyone! May we all be Blessed with somewhere to remain cool. 101F tomorrow in the desert NW. This girl will be doing her 90 minute walk before 0900!
Good for you on the de-cluttering. I can only imagine how many lovely people you blessed with that donation!!!!!
DeleteNo sense keeping it - if you aren't using it.
I wish I had done a CSA - just none close by.
Stay cool indeed - I think we get a little break for a day or two! Be safe!
I don't know your town name, but you've talked about Indy. This is supposed to be a complete list "near Indy". https://edibleindy.ediblecommunities.com/shop/central-indiana-community-supported-agriculture
DeleteThanks - I will check it out. I am southside of Indianapolis
DeleteI know you must smile and giggle everytime you walk thru the garden.
ReplyDeleteIt was always that way with me, pushing some of the leaves to see what is happening. I only have squash and lettuce. My first time with lettuce, hope it takes.
I keep reading about people that have grapes. Are these for eating, juicing or making jams/jellies?
I call them snack boards but I always want a crusty loaf of bread and some fruit. It will be great when the garden comes in. You can add some of those kukes and tomatoes!
It does make me smile! It is just so neat to walk out there and see food! I hope your lettuce does great.
DeleteMy grapes are for all the above!!!! They do have seeds - but they taste so good.
Crusty bread is good with lots of things! I am so ready for a REAL tomato!!!
Have a great week!
Greetings from cool Kansas! Yes, we finally ended our heat wave and have had rain and temps in the 70s. Glorious!
ReplyDeleteI love having all the windows open and ridding the house of creepy air!
I can't think of a word to describe the week! If it was a Jeopardy, it would be 'Potpourri', as in a little of everything. Minor repairs around the house, challenging cleaning, too many necessary errands, and such.
The important thing I wanna share is a toilet bowl trick. I've shared this with so many people so if I already did, maybe someone new will see it. And if you know this already, you should've shared and saved us a $130 plumbing call!!! Okay, so our toilet was not flushing properly. We tried everything, but won't use Drano type junk. It got to the point where we had to plunge every time. Months and months went by and we kept trying to avoid the call. Nothing. So, here's what the plumber did. Snaked it...totally clear. At the front of the bowl, it seems there's a little hole where a jet of water shoots back and helps move the waste. He cleaned it out with a screwdriver in less than 10 seconds. Hard water and urine acid can clog it. And like magic, it flushes perfectly. Even the plumber said that it doesn't happen often, but baffled him in the beginning.
Who knew that the little hole was there?! We thought all the water comes from the top of the bowl.
I'll finish later as Endeavor is on, but I hope to save someone from calling a plumber!! It was an expensive lesson.
It is much cooler and no humidity here this morning. I love it. Windows are already open!!
DeleteWell I'll be. That is something I didn't know either! Now I need to go look. How simple - and the cost of a plumber can be quite expensive. Thank you for the tip and making us all aware!!!!!!
Have a good one.
That very verse from Ecclesiastes came to mind (and stuck there) this week. We're moved into our house and busily unpacking. Today's big pile of empty boxes is in the middle of the family room, waiting to be broken down and stacked in the shed with the rest. One box and 3 bags of donations are sitting at the front door for drop off this week. We dropped off 2 big bags of king sized bedding on Thursday, as we have an adjustable queen bed now.
ReplyDeleteSounds like everyone had a productive go of it last week. And hurray on the zucchini! I love that veggie. Fresh strawberries sound delicious. We bought grapes and nectarines for fruit in the house, and given time constraints, I broke down and bought a big bag of salad greens rather than chopping lettuce up myself. No deals on food this week. I was actually surprised by how much some prices had gone up in just a few weeks. Good thing I like to play with food!
It's been raining here--the monsoon--so we hope to get rain gutters on ASAP. With manufactured homes, they have to be custom made and the guy will be here this week or next. In the meantime, we have lots and lots of mud and puddles. LOL!
Wishing you a blessed week from AZ. --Elise
I think in these times we all need to read Ecclesiastes and stay assured that everything happens for a reason. A season for all.
DeleteYou are really making great progress.
I like playing with food too! I like to eat quite simply as well.
Oh my, a shame you have to wait so long for gutters. I sure hope the mess doesn't get too bad. Have a wonderful week.
We're cooler here in the Chicago 'burbs, too, thank goodness! I was able to harvest another tray of basil, oregano, parsley, and chives, and did my first dill in the dehydrator. I've got only one green pepper on the plant, and so far, nothing on the red pepper. It flowered, but nothing. Tomato plants have 3-5 small ones growing. So those are not going to be much to harvest this summer. My pickle cucumbers are loaded with flowers right now, so there's hope there. First time I've grown cucumbers in a container. My bibb lettuce is growing so much, it's almost too much for me, alone. But, I'm thankful I'm not having to buy lettuce at the store right now. I'll take all the bounty I'm blessed with right now! Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteIt is sure lovely to get a respite from the heat! Yay, on your herbs - sounds like they are doing great. I think the heat has a lot to do with maybe blooms dying - and not producing. I am hopeful for lots of tomatoes and cukes. Both are loaded with bloom.
DeleteIf you like smoothies at all or maybe to add to soup - you could dehydrate some of the lettuce for winter use. It would sure add a little freshness to anything.
Blessings come in all shapes and sizes and flavors!
Have a good one
Our rain barrel is full once again after 3 days of intermittent rain. Love that. Today it was nice and warm and sunny so I got to hang everything on the lines.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
How wonderful!!! Mine is getting lower - so happy for you.
DeleteWe are having a positively perfect day today!
I bet your laundry smells divine!!!!