Friday review

I took the week off from blogging to spend it with my nieces. Today is the last day of the third annual "cousin's week". I'm not exactly sure what we'll do. The girls are just relaxing this morning so I'm taking time to catch up.

What has been going on in my little world this week? Let's see....
I'm still very disturbed by the blight. I've been pulling off the dead leaves, spraying my "real garden" with fungicide, and hoping that the fruit on the blighted plants ripen before the plants totally die. They have so many tomatoes on them... it's such a shame!!!!

I went to the CSA on Tuesday. For $13 I got: a pint of syrup, 6 corn on the cob, bok choy, lettuce, and shell peas. The girls just love shell peas raw!! I'm planning on making a wonderful summer dinner tonight. I have a bok choy salad recipe I haven't had in years. I'll add that to corn on the cob and grilled chicken... yummy :) We'll also make a fresh fruit pie!!!

What else???
We've been to the pond beach, Old Orchard Beach, and my back yard pool. We've had camp fires, and smores. We've been to the mall and smiling hill farm. We've eaten the most healthy assortment of food..... ice cream, pier fries, dough boys... real growing food ;) My sister will be glad to hear I'm taking such good care of her girls. Hey, it's summer, it's cousin's weekend, it's all good!

The weather has been wonderful, spirits for the most part have been light. I feel that happiness that comes with summer.

Life my friends may not be perfect but the little happy moments make up for the imperfections.
Enjoy your summer any way you can :)

DAMN BLIGHT!

I have blight on my beautiful tomato plants. The big beautiful ones on my deck. I'm devastated! I was unable to garden for three days (tore my calf muscle... I'm 75% better now) when I was able to go outside my plants and their fruit are black. I'm going to get a fungicide for my garden before it spreads. I was reading it's the only thing that will protect my plants. I want an organic garden but I think it's the only thing I can do. I recommend you do the same. I'll add photos soon. Soooo sad!!!!

Crafty Wednesdays

Find it game:
UPDATE: Make sure you dry your rice for a few days!!! My game molded!!! Oh well, it was fun to make and fun while it lasted!!

I woke up wondering what to do for a craft today.... nothing like the last minute! I scoured the Internet and blogs and came across an idea I have been thinking of since Sunshine was 5. On her first class field trip another mom had packed a "Find It" game for the long bus ride. The girls had a blast trying to find everything, and it was much harder than it looked. I have wanted to buy one ever since but I could never justify the cost. It looked easy enough to make, I just hadn't gotten around to it.... until today.

I wish I could give credit to the blog I found it on... I was copying the web address when my computer sounded like it was going to blow up and shut down on me. A reboot and a quick clean plus virus scan got me back up and running... but now I don't know who to credit it to, sorry!!! If you had this on your blog or know who to give credit to please let me know. I didn't follow the persons directions specifically but, I'd still like to give her the credit :)

I started off by coloring rice. I filled plastic bowls with water, a food coloring and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. I let it set for about 1 hour.



I drained the rice, then the girls spread it onto newspaper. After an hour, I put the newspaper on cookie sheets and transferred it outdoors to dry in the sun for 4 hours. It probably could have used a few more hours... we just couldn't wait that long. I got a little condensation on my bottle but I'll set it out with the top off when the girls are done playing with it. If you know of a better drying method please let me know!!!

While the rice was drying (did I tell you it took forever???) we found stuff to hide in the bottle.
This was sooo much fun!! You can hide anything non-perishable that will fit in your bottle. Don't forget to write down what you put in your bottle. I entered it into an excel file and will print out copies.

Once the rice was dried we mixed up the colors. It was so much fun to play in we didn't really want to put it in the bottle. We are using the extras for a rice table. We haven't had one in years but even though they are 6 and 9 they still enjoy the simple activity....for today.

We filled the bottle a little at a time, taking turns with the rice and the items so it was thoroughly mixed. The girls were surprised that we totally hid some of the items, especially the fork!

My bottle came from a local dairy. I had it on my window sill waiting to bring to the farm for recycling. I was thinking about using three separate water bottles (one for each lovie) until this one spoke to me. It looked perfect for the job. The glass is thick so I think it will hold up under lots of playtime. One giant game will get more use and Reusing is one of the three R's too!!!

This was one of our favorite projects. The process was probably more fun than playing the game will be... but, that's OK by me :)

One version of play: Each child or team has a print out of what is in the bottle. Using an egg timer each team gets a chance to fine as many objects as they can. Which ever team finds the most objects wins.

CSA Tuesdays

2nd adventure:
This trip may have been in the rain but it was a nicer experience. I didn't get lost and look at all the goodies!


Today for $11.05 I recieved:
1 large qt. of strawberries
1 lb sugar snap peas
1 lb spinach
1 head of broccilli
2 tomatoes

There were a lot more options this week. I decided to go with just things the family likes. Last week: the beet greens rotted, the scallions turned brown (but I think I can still use the bulbs), I choked down the kale, and we still have carrots. Most of us liked the peas and lettuce.

I took pictures of my deck tomato plants. They look amazing!!! Tons of tomatoes, even two red ones. Here's the post I wrote about them early in May.

Enjoy your local harvest!!!!

Mondays in the garden

No one said gardening was pretty

What with the weather, the black mulch and the chicken wire it's down right gorgeous!! Ha Ha!
It ain't pretty, but it's mine!

I just put the black mulch on today. I was wandering through the hills of Maine this weekend and saw that the best gardens had this under the plants. OK, it might be too late but I gave it a try anyway. I'm having a problem keeping it in place, but maybe it will be better when I water it??

Ready for exciting news??? I found my first white cucumber! I tasted them at a farmer's market last year and loved them. I was excited the same farmer was selling seedlings this spring. I am impressed I have cucumbers. Most of my friends lost their whole crop due to the slugs. I think the zucchini took the hit, I only have 2 sad looking plants... they do have flowers though so maybe I'll get a couple?? I think I'm the only one who has ever killed her squash!!

As skimpy as my tomatoes look, I did find a couple of tomatoes and quite a few flowers. My patio plants will make up for them though, they look great!

My peas are forming! I'm excited!!! I did see that a couple vines were drying up, guess it's getting too hot for them.

I'm not expecting a bumper year for the veggie garden, but it's mine, I grew it myself and I'm proud no matter what happens!
Next week I'll show you the berries I've been finding around the yard! Some I never even knew I had!!

Fab Friday

Lunch at Burger King:

To signify the end of Basketball camp I asked the girls where they wanted to go for lunch. They chose Burger King. Here are snipits of our outing... I'm pretty sure they will have our faces on a do not serve sign if we ever dare to show our faces again!

They ordered everything in McDonald's vocabulary "chicken McNuggets and apple dippers please". Then, they saw crowns on a bunch of party goers. "Please Please Please can we have one too???" the poor lady had to search high and low to please my children, but each were crowned, and all was well in the land..... until they started shooting their transformers motorcycles off the table.

My most embarrassing moment was when the symbol for McDonald's came up on the Big Screen TV. They all shouted "Mom Look, It's McDonald's!" Not once but twice :)

For the record: We honestly don't do fast food more than once a month or so. McDonald's did not pay us to infiltrate Burger King. Finally, to the employees of our local Burger King: Thank you, and really we do like you :)

crafty wednesdays

Granola Bars:
Wow, a week of being on routine... it feels good!!!



Today I didn't do a real craft project with the girls. We did a little cooking instead.


We made homemade granola bars. I first tasted these yummy treats at girl scouts and my dear friend posted it in her blog just for me :) You can find it here. It's sooo easy and sooo good!! The girls can do everything, except (or as my thing 2 keeps saying but'scept) putting the mixtures together and putting them on the pan. I have my 9 year old do the stove part, the twins do their share of the other work. Cooking in our kitchen is a practice in team work and creativity! Oh, and my patience of course!

Here's our work, cooling as we wait... not so patiently!

We made two batches. To do this I toasted all 4 cups of oats at the same time. I put the dry ingredients in two separate bowls. I then made the binder for one batch at a time, completed that pan then made a binder for the next pan. I felt it would cool too quickly and be a stressful experience to make a double batch of boiling hot sugar mixture with three eager sous chefs.

Cinnamon Raisin is on the left, chocolate chip is on the right.
As you see, the chocolate chips melt when exposed to the heat of the binder. I even tried to put them in after I put the mixture in the pan but no luck. I know for a fact they still taste good so I'm not too upset.

How much longer til we can cut and eat them??? Not sure if we can wait that long!

Enjoy!

My first trip to the CSA

Tuesday's will now be dedicated to my CSA goodies!
This is my first year as a member of a CSA (community supported agriculture). I'm keeping track of what I get so that I can tell if I am getting my moneys worth. Each CSA is different so check around for one that works for you.

I'd like to rant and rave about my first trip to the farm. I'll refrain and say this:

I may have gotten lost (thanks to very bad google directions! A real thanks to cell phones and my friend who guided me there!!!), the farm may have not been much to look at (a bit run down and cluttered to say the least!), but... I'm quite happy with my first CSA pick up. The farmer's were friendly and the food was fresh! The farm hand let my girls help him feed the goats carrot greens... that goes a long way to making me happy!

My CSA deducts the amount you spend from your shares. This way you get more choice and if you skip a week or two your not out those shares. I spent $10.25 today and got:

1 baggie of carrots

1 bunch of scallions

a trial size of kale

1 head of romaine

a large bunch of beet greens (some with baby beets)

and a large bag of shelling peas... just like my Nana used to have!

UPDATE: The girls loved the carrots and peas. They loved shelling the peas and eating them raw, just like I use to! I sauteed the kale in butter and garlic but I just didn't like it. The flavor is OK it's the texture, very tough. I tried adding some water and steaming it... it did help the texture a little but still got into my teeth. The romaine, scallions and the few carrots the girls let me have, were added to a yummy salad and the beet greens will be used for tonight's dinner.

Monday's in the garden

A garden update on a Monday! It's nice to be back into routines.

The sun has really done my garden a world of good. We have a flowers on our pumpkins, cukes, zucchini, and tomatoes. The corn that was transplanted is knee high. The direct sown corn is to my calf. My sweet peas are full of flowers. The rest... well... only time will tell!

I can't say the plants are very big. I think it's the lack of sun and fertilizer. I need to go buy non water diluted fertilizer... I'm just being lazy. The ground is just so wet I cannot justify watering the garden to spread fish fertilizer.

I dug up two very sad looking potato plants this weekend. Lo and behold they had 4 good sized potatoes each. They were yummy too! Can't wait til the healthy plants are ready to harvest.

Next week I'll put up pictures of the progress.

A little change is good for you

I've done it! I've made a few changes to my blog. Most are subtle. The big change is in my name. I've become "Maine Momma of three"... it fits my web address much better. There is a maine momma out there in blog land but I don't think that will be an issue.

Enjoy my new pictures, my new name, and the same posts you've come to love!

Sunshine!!!!!

YAY!!!! Today will be the second sunny day in a row! Wow! No showers forcasted til tomorrow night. It's amazing what a little sun will do:

My garden is much greener and growing.... yes in one day!

My kids slept like a dream.... after a day at the beach, bbq salmon for dinner made by my sister in law, and a campfire with marshmallows!

My spirit is lifted, I am happy!

Enjoy your weekend! I know I will enjoy mine!!!

For you N0n-Mainers this may seem like a very strange post. I know some of the country is experiencing a heat wave. In Maine, we are having the rainest summer on record with highs in the mid 50's low 60's most of the time. One thing I can say is once the sun comes out we pounce on it and make the most of it. It's like a rare treasure!

Wimpyville campground

My Sister in law is a wimp! (This is coming from a person who's had her share of rainy weeks in a tent with three kids.) She made big plans to bring her family down for camping, sun, and relaxation on the shores of Sebago Lake. This was in February.

Now we get to the first of July, of the rainiest summer season on record. For some reason they have no interest in camping anymore... Like I said: WIMP!

The first half of their vacation she set up her tent then snuck off to Boston in a nice cozy hotel. The second half, she brought her crew to my house. They spent the night wherever they could fit... I say, more the merrier, just blow up an air mattress!! The next day when it was raining (*surprise*) they decided to crash here and pull up stakes at the campground. We are sitting around after dinner and they ask: "Hey, do you think we can put the tent up in your garage???"

Why not???

It's better than sleeping in one of the kids rooms!

So, here it is, the wimpyville campground:


As redneck as it comes but, it's dry and comes complete with TV and electricity. Not bad accommodations if I do say so myself.

Disclaimer: I love my sister in law and her family!! I've crashed at their place more than once. She thinks this is as funny as I do!! We have one strange sense of humor... it's what keeps us going :)