Gramma's Shoes

 There are some little girls who love to try on my shoes and see if they fit already.  They can hardly wait till their feet are as big as mine and the shoes fit.  They walk around in them for awhile and then put them away till another day.  I think it is cute, and smile, but inside I say,  "What's the rush?  Don't be in a hurry to grow up!"   but it is a good reminder to me that I need to be careful how I "walk"............there are little people watching me.

Every Once in a While......

 During the harvest season things usually get pretty busy what with all that needs doing to get the crop in while the weather holds.  Most of the time meals taken out to the field are simple and get eaten on the go.  Every once in a while though, we stop and have a picnic and enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery.  Today was one of those every once in a while days and Kerry and I enjoyed our lunch alongside a beautiful field of wheat, enjoying the sunshine and some good food.

 I had made myself a lovely, artistically, appetizingly arranged salad.  Unfortunately, as I drove to the field, it slid off the seat and onto the floor.  Good thing I had covered it in plastic wrap and so I could still eat it, and not have to pick it off the floor.  It didn't look quite as nice as before, but it still tasted quite good.

Christmas Stockings

   It seems that life is divided into befores and afters......before we were married, after we were married,....before we had kids, after we had kids, ....before we moved , after we moved...you get the picture.  Ours has lately been ..before the fire, and after the fire.   Before the fire I started making Christmas stockings for the grandkids as they arrived, making one or maybe two per year and I was caught up.  After the fire, I had to start over.  I just finished #5 last night, and have 3 more to go, and another one to purchase.  I made 2 of these last year, and have done 3 so far this year, and hope to do one or 2 more before Christmas rolls around.  Sound overwhelming?   Sometimes it feels that way, but I just take it one step, or stitch at a time, one stocking at a time, and so far I am having fun redoing what I had ---before!

Summer's Bounty

So far this summer we have enjoyed lots of green stuff from the garden.  We had plenty of spinach, and the romaine lettuce produced well also, as you can see from the first picture.  I pulled all of it before it got too hot and put it in the fridge and we are still enjoying garden lettuce for our salads.
The peas did very well also, and I had planted 1 and 1/2 long rows and so I had plenty to pick early in July.  I decided that this year I would put peas in the freezer to enjoy all winter and in total I think I must have frozen maybe 40 cups, after we enjoyed fresh eating and a couple of meals.                                  The last picture shows the makings for some yummy cabbage soup, fresh from the garden.  I have also put lots of cabbage rolls in the freezer to enjoy when the weather cools off again and I don't mind turning on the oven and heating up the house.  I have picked some cucumbers and am looking forward to more, and am waiting for the first ripe tomato and some corn on the cob.

Barley Harvest

A couple of days ago, Kerry and Erik were still busy checking the barley field for ripeness and readiness to swath.
They brought home a couple of heads to show me what they were looking like, and just because.
Soon they were out swathing and before long the  barley lay in nice swaths on the field.
And then yesterday, the combine ate up all the swaths and before long the barley was done, and in the bin.

Cottage Fun

We enjoyed a beautiful weekend at the cottage July long.  It was hot and great for sand and water play and the grandkids made the most of it.

The Best Kind of Kitchen Help!

The squares and pizza tasted especially good that day!

Eden Skye

Happy Birthday Mom, Grandma and Great-Grandma!

Mom celebrated her birthday back in June and we invited her over for a family dinner after church one Sunday.  She was not expecting a celebration but enjoys coming to join us when the kids and grandkids are also around the table.  The grandkids always love candles and so we put some on the cake and  Mom was pleased.  She said she couldn't remember the last time she had a cake with candles on it, and  when it came time to blow them out,  she got help from her oldest great- grandchild.  Happy Birthday Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma!

This is the life!

   What could be better on a hot summer day than enjoying a freezie on Gramma'a porch.   Lukas knows how to savor every moment of that freezie!

Harvest Time already?!?

Winter wheat harvest has begun and looking at the calendar it seems wrong.  I don't think we have ever harvested anything on July 14th before.......but if the wheat is ready.....................better get it in before it rains, and while the quality is still good.

 First time planting corn for the Eidse farm. Best start we have ever had and should be a record crop for us. Next pic has some zero till soybeans and and Sunday afternoon riverwalk with the family and a shot of the barley field