Adventures

Great start to the day! Hearty, farm-fresh breakfast
and English Breakfast tea with honey from Wyoming!

So, last week, I ordered kitten food from Walmart because it was a really good price.  I decided to try the ship to store for FREE option for the first time.  Wellllll, I'm about to admit something to you.  We were getting pretty close to running out and the shipment wasn't to be in until tomorrow.  So, I prayed.  And I kid you not, a few minutes later as I was working in my home office, I heard a strange noise that came from the kitchen.  I stopped what I was doing to go check it out.   The dogs were still napping and weren't bothered by it at all.  I just couldn't figure out what it was until I decided to go  check outside.  And there was my evidence.  Yep, a bird ran smack dab into our window and the poor soul didn't make it.  It was then that I could see where he had hit the window.  That really has only happened a few other times here.  Since, he didn't make it and I was going to have to remove him from the area, I decided I would feed the cats.  I told Heath when he got home that God sure does have a sense of humor.  Pray for cat food --> receive a bird (food for cats) hitting the window.

A short while later, Kristin came to the house to go for a walk.  The dogs get so excited when they see her truck they were just going crazy.  She needed to come in for a moment before we left and they were barking and jumping around in circles!  They just love to G-O and anymore their bodies aren't letting them go as far or as fast as they used to.  Now, we walk 1-2 miles and sometimes throw in a jog.  They have recently put me between a rock and a hard place as if I don't take them, they get upset and if I do take them, they get sore and stiff.  So....our compromise....a 1-2 mile walk/jog on the ditch bank.  If I want to go further, I take them home before I finish and they feel better about the whole situation at that point having already been out.  The time we have is lovely, surrounded by nature and wildlife!

Bike ride to Bridgeport!

I have been wanting to take my tri bike to Bridgeport for the longest time!  Today, was finally that day that I made time to do it.  Heath is in pea harvest.  They take in dry edible peas -- like for split pea soup.  The ones the farmers grow out here are yellow.  They are a great dryland crop that doesn't need much water which is good out here!  Anyway, I suited up and headed out.  It's been a while since I have done a bike ride like this.  It was a gorgeous day.  I figured that 25 miles wasn't far (that is about the distance of the bike portion of an Olympic tri), so I didn't bring any snacks.  BOY, was that a bad idea.  I was famished...lol and for those of you who know this area, there is nothing between here and there but w-i-d-e open spaces.

You know that time from when you get done with work until time to eat at supper?  Well, this was that time.  Usually that's a great time for a snack, but I was so excited to just GO, I didn't prepare properly.  Luckily, Heath finished working before I got totally into town and he rescued me with a snack and we got to ride home together!  My plan is to do this a ton more this fall during bean harvest.  Since, he will be working late, it will be something fun for him to break up the day a bit and fun for me to get exercise!

A Day's Work

Sarah Young's Jesus Calling Devotional
I am clinging to this message!

The cutest little individual sized cantaloupe, creamed peas
and potatoes, and mixed green salad.

Kendra's celebration birthday party at work!  It was really nice!  We work with such an awesome team!

Have you ever made macaroni salad!?  It's kind of a new awesome thing in my life!
Fresh watermelon, tomatoes, and beet tops!  Oh, and of course, BACON!!

Today's Harvest!  *Bountiful Blessings*

After a long day's work at work and on the farm, we retired to the amazing
hot tub under the stars!

~ Stop and Smell the Flowers ~

Happy lunchtime out on the ole' school desk with
fresh garden produce!

Honeysuckle in bloom around gazebo!

"Weeds" around the gazebo that I LOVE!

Taking a moment to pause and enjoy this beautiful day!  Our hammock is a great place to do that!

My man working hard to maintenance our mowin' machine!  This eXmark is awesome!  It makes our mowing our yard go really fast!

*Farm Life*

Farm Fresh Sleepover Breakfast  :)  Truett got to go swimming while I made breakfast!

Yummy omelets with leftovers from last night's fajitas.

Truett is a true cowboy and today he also got to be a farmer!  It was his goal to catch a chicken...and so he did!

Look at that boy!  ADORABLE!  Big 'ole smile!

What a great sleepover with so much catching up!  I am always so grateful for times like these because they are always so needed.  If I don't make the time to make stuff like this happen, then life continues to fly by.  I feel like times by....some days I look down and it's like 'how did so much time just pass without me knowing it!?'  I get so wrapped up in my daily life and doing what needs to be done within my family, my home, my church, and even in my workplace.  If something or someone is important to you, make a commitment today - pencil it in on the calendar even if it's not until winter!  You will be amazed that by just getting it on the calendar you will prioritize that time differently!  You will be rewarded with a great, much-needed connection and fellowship with that special friend.  Or even pets if you want to spend more time walking them or taking them to the lake.  It will be mutually beneficial and you will feel happy about your choice to prioritize your oh so valuable time to connect!

My new favorite squash:  White Ace.  The use of the InstaPot was amazing and allowed me to process very efficiently!

Chokecherry pie for Pa! 

Cucumber chips with a variety of different seasonings.

SLEEPOVER!

Yummy breakfast!  Yellow and red beet slices and an egg omelet with sour cream and fresh herbs!

BOUNTIFUL Basket of Bright Lights Swiss Chard

As it started out, I was planning to head to Torrington for a sleepover however, throughout the day our plans changed a bit.  It's God's Plan, not ours!  Mo and Truett ended up coming over to our house since they were going to be in town anyway!  It was really awesome because Heath then got see them too!  (Also, Truett had really been wanting to have a sleep over "upstairs" and then go swimming in the hot tub.  So.....we did!)

Individual ~ size cantaloupe!

Buddies!

~ Sharing a Lovely Family Meal ~

THEN...enjoying the ice cream from Daddy!  It's his favorite from Schwann's!
Black cherry yogurt!

What a great way to fellowship with great friends.  There is something about gathering around a kitchen table with wholesome, fresh, homegrown food that is so nourishing to the soul both physically and emotionally.  It fills a very big need to nourish our physical body to be strong and be able to work while at the same time it is fulfilling to the soul to know all of the hard work, time, and dedication it took to raise up that food from the farm to our forks!  Blessed!  Thank you Lord for constantly reminding me how blessed we really are.  I love being able to recognize these blessings and it is through my time in the Word that these blessings become more visible.

Delightful! Savor the Moments!

Sarah Young's Jesus Calling Devotion

Grilled zucchini, green chili egg casserole (thanks to it freezing well), English Breakfast tea.
A delightful breakfast and morning!

Bountiful, Bountiful, Bountiful!

Yellow Beets in the amazing InstaPot

African Basket with Swiss Chard

Left to Right:  acorn squash, white ace, lemon cucumbers (front and center),
yellow zucchini in back right corner!

Bountiful Harvest!

Clockwise from top left:  green beans, chokecherries, peas, sugar snap peas.

The furry children are getting SO big!  They look forward to their twice a day
"gravy" (aka water over their kitten food).  They are so used to seeing me twice
a day from when they were babies and had to have their antibiotics morning and night.
There is one mama/aunt here, three bigger babies, and five smaller babies.

This little sweet thing is sooooo FLUFFY!  She is very much so long haired!

The Morning Glory is beginning to reach out!  We had one of these before and it totally took
over.  I think this is so awesome how it is wrapping around the old school desk.
Front:  Stevia plant.

I found this picture tucked away in a drawer and it is now sitting on my desk!
Lake Travis ~ a place we frequented alot while living in Texas!

Processing Veggies

This AMAZING machine called a FOOD SAVER was a gift from Bill, Alicia, and the kids for our wedding back in 2014!  We have used and used and used this thing!  We have three different types of bags which all have a different purpose.  For the more moist foods such as zucchini, carrots, green beans (after they have been blanched), the press and seal bags work well that you use the accessory tool to suck the air out of a special spot in the corner.  Then, for the dryer stuff like peppers, squash, and tomatoes (I don't blanch them) the pre-made bags work or even the roll.  I really like the roll because you can tailor make the bag to fit your product!  Then, you use the actual machine to suck the air out and then it seals the top (and bottom if creating your own bag)!

*Plant * Water * Weed * Pick * Wash * Process * Bag * Label * Freeze * Repeat until Winter *

*ENJOY ALL WINTER!!*

Bunches and bunches of peppers!

And shredded zucchini in roughly 2 cup portions!
Yellow and green make it *c*o*l*o*r*f*u*l*!

Happy Birthday Heath!

Lunch - leftover jambalaya, pasta salad, and cucumbers!

....and so we begin....just babysit every 20 minutes add water and check for juice.  Let it slow cook all day while I worked from home.

Amazingness!  No sugar added, 100% pure chokecherry juice to
be frozen and enjoyed all year long!

Barb offered to organize a family birthday surprise for Heath!  It was a great idea!  Garry, Barb, Tiny, and Trav came to the house to pick me up and head to Bridgeport.  We picked up BBQ pork, brisket, and beans at our favorite place, BugerWerx.  Justin met us there and hopped in so we all were together when we arrived at Heath's work.  Since he is in harvest, this is how we made it work!  Barb is used to doing stuff like this as Garry just retired from farming.  She told Heath she was sorry for the timing of his birth to have had him during harvest....LOL!

Heath was surprised when we wall walked in!  We organized the celebration in the basement and commenced!
Complete with his other favorite, strawberry poke cake.

*Family*

*Family*

Heath runs a beautiful facility!

He does a great job!

Right on the tracks for easy access to rail transportation of their product!

How beautiful tonight was!  Grateful and thankful for the time we were able to celebrate together as a family!  We made it work and I am forever grateful.  Celebrating is important!

We completed his birthday with picking the garden together!  How lovely!
Lemon Cucumbers - Top and Green and Yellow Zucchini - Bottom