Got Veggies?

 These aren't veggies but Saturday was a really good weeding day.  You can't even see the strawberries in here but when we were done there they were! :)  We neglected them since they weren't producing any more and we had more important places to take care of.

 Jordan has been making veggie soup each week for us.  Here she added about anything she could find outside; leeks, green beans, onions, zucchini, garlic, eggplant and golden beets.  The only things that wasn't from the garden were the carrots. 

 The goats get a good meal too when we are done.  I think the leftovers look so appetizing!

 Tomato hornworms like my veggies, more correctly my fruit, tomatoes!  Yikes these things are huge!  I didn't realize what was eating on my tomatoes.  I thought grasshoppers were eating them but I found these yesterday.  They do a lot of damage.

 My squash is exploding.  I've kept it watered in this heat and it's doing so well.

Supper tonight!  Oh, this was good!  I took it all from the garden.  It was peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant with olive oil, garlic powder and coarse salt put on it.  I grilled it outside on low and it was good smelling and tasting.

Life lately...

 Love these kitties.  One mama had all orange and the other mama had orange with one black.

 Gideon's not so sure he wants to be up this high!

 Making bread for two markets now keeps the oven busy!

 Emily and Jordan had a sewing project last week; an apron Em had found online and she bought the material for it and Jordan guided her in the making of it.

 I love the material she picked out for it.

 Cinnamon swirl bread is becoming one of my best sellers!

 Caleb's been busy with dad to build his hoop coop for his laying hens.  The boys' egg business is going well.  They sold 15 dozen in one week!

 Kitty in the watering can was taking a nap when I came along!

 Strawberries in our high tunnel keep Lena busy outside looking for them!

Making kombucha!  I finish off the kombucha with grape juice to give it some flavor.  I have about 10 mothers (SCOBY) (starter culture) now so if anyone would like a lesson, bring a gallon jar and come over and I'll show you how we do it!  I use whatever jars I have handy to finish the ferment in the fridge. 

 The first official start of the summer market was this last Thursday!  It was a great day! 

 Isaac sold eggs.  Caleb and Isaac are in the egg business.  They are doing a great job keeping care of the chickens and learning how to wash and candle the eggs for market! 

 All the cucumbers sold except for about 4-5 large ones! 

 Jordan got some fresh herbs ready to sell.  About the last 10 minutes of market we made the first and only sale.  Sometimes you never know how something will sell.

 I didn't have tomatoes at market but I had some ready the next day.  I hope to have tomatoes at the next market.  There are quite a few about to turn.  Last night Kevin and I got some mesh to put on the sides of the tunnel to keep out the birds from eating the strawberries and now that the cats have discovered the ripe tomatoes I hope to keep them out too! 

 Jordan made this cute basket for picking her fresh herbs.

 Here she is cutting some herbs for market.  She dried the ones that didn't sell.

I didn't have eggplant ready but bought some at the market and last night Jordan made eggplant parmesan for the kids.  We had the leftovers for lunch.  I really like it but Gideon doesn't care for the texture.

The most amazing wedding...

 It is not a speck on your computer.  It is the groom who jumped from an airplane.

 He is currently a Navy Seal and had to do a little work to find a plane to let him jump out of it.

 Pretty exciting for the boys in the crowd.  How many boys dislike going to weddings, not this one?!

 The bride with her father waiting for the groom.  It was quite warm but such a perfect day!!

 TJ and Alicia.  We've known Alicia's family about 12 years now.

 Jordan looking so beautiful for the wedding.  A friend did her hair and it looks really nice on her.

 Live music.  They were so good!

 It was a perfect outdoor wedding.  They had ice cream and all kinds of toppings as an appetizer and then cheesecake and chocolate covered strawberries for the main course (a dessert bar for an evening wedding). 

 What a beautiful couple!  They went off somewhere across an ocean (didn't tell anyone where).

 Everything looked so perfect.  The large cake was pretty much decoration and they cut this cake for a picture.  The family had a big cake to eat the next day!

 The bride dancing with her dad.  They had a dance floor in the outdoor tent.  Very neat!

 The evening was complete with a fireworks show!

 There were mostly waltzes, a Scottish polka, and some swing dancing.  Daddy dancing with little Riah!

Gideon and Riah having some action on the dance floor.

Weeding frenzy...

 Before we weeded the blackberries and after I tilled on each side.  You couldn't see the blackberry bushes very easily.

 After we weeded the blackberries!

 This row was pretty much all weeds.  They are too tall to use the tiller on so we picked them all.  We did find some plants along the way.

 Moriah making progress on her area.

 The boys and I worked on the places that had plants and we found quite a few broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages coming up.  It was worth the weeding in the end.

 You can't see the plants but they are there.  Here it is finished.  Crazy how weeds take control of an area.

 We weeded 13 rows all together.  We made it a joint effort and it was fun at the beginning but the kids hung in there and we got all these weeds picked. 

Payment was ice cream bars and they each get $5 cash from the next market for a bonus!  They all actually get a percentage of the market earnings that goes to all of them together used to pay for camps or other family activities that we may do. 

Family Fun Days...

 We had a great weekend at camp.  The kids enjoyed barrel train rides and all kinds of activities!

 Kevin gave goat milking demonstrations and let the kids milk the goats!  It was a big hit!

 Isaac's walking on stilts.  There were a few pairs of these, some much taller.  Most of the kids were successful their first try.  I don't think I'd have the balance needed.

 Em and her good friend Hope. 

 The winning team for the tug-of-war.  You can see Isaac with the shirt untucked and Rebekah in the turquoise pulling.

 Here's Gideon and some others having a try.

 Jordan and some friends. 

Wheelbarrow races!

The theme for the weekend was Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding....  How many times do we try to justify or accomplish something on our own apart from God.  We may think we have sought the Lord for direction but we are really asking God to bless what we already plan to do and not do what God has planned for us to do.  We hope God will bless it because we've decided it's right or necessary.  I'm so guilty of wanting God to bless my plans instead of being blessed by His plans!