Monday, July 16, 2012

blackberries for breakfast

yummy...all those blackberries that my girls and I picked... we r treating ourselves to some delicious blackberry crisp for breakfast... I got the recipe from farmgirl fare, which I must say is super yummy...although, I am a little disappointed in that we already ate all of our goat milk ice cream, and so don't have any to go with our crisp... oh well its still great!!


My garden is not producing!!! I mean I keep waiting and weeding and waiting... and then finally I just noticed 1 zucchini and 1 yellow pear tomato.....I MEAN SERIOUSLY.....THAT IS NOT GOING TO FEED MY FAMILY.....HELP!!!!!!

 I just don't know what I am doing wrong!!!!!




Let me know if anyone has any secrets for a bountiful garden....please!!!


Monsoon weather has finally arrived here in the big A...we are always glad to have a break from the 100 to 110 degree temps.  We had a incredible lighting storm last nite... it was like every 3 seconds... an lit up the whole sky...awesome!!!

have a great day!!!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Making Kombucha and blackberry pickin

OMG..... I  just tried my first batch of Kombucha and......drum roll please.....IT WAS DE-LISH-OUS
I can believe it turn out SO good....I was a little nervous when my friend gave me the scoby... it did look a little creepy... she had brought it to the baseball field for me to take it home in a glass mason jar.... everyone and anyone that looked at it.... gawked and said WHAT IS THAT? some guessed... and octopus... some guessed a brain.... but no... i told them... its the mother, a scoby, a mushroom, to make a delightful fermented tea drink most of them got really grossed out...they just don't know what they are missing   (and by the way.. it costs like 3-5 dollars in the store).... and now I can make it for FREE.... yipee!!!!


 The way I made my kombucha....

So... they way i made it was so easy... i just took the scoby that my friend gave me and then in a pot one the stove boiled 4 cups of water and then turned off the heat... then took 6 tea bags, I used 3 green and 3 black and 1 cup of organic sugar,  and steeped the tea until it was room temp. and the sugar was dissolved. Then i poured the tea/sugar mixture into a gallon glass jar and then gently poured the scoby in and covered it with a paper towel and a rubber band. and let it sit in  a dark place room temp. for 10 days... ( don't use any metal or plastic, only glass, for anything ) then put the scoby with a little of  the liquid in another container, and you can reuse it to make some more.

It will form a new layer(another scoby) and you can share that one with your friends




Today we also went blackberry picking down by the creek.... i had heard there were lots of them from my boys who have been going down there and fishing... so i really needed to go get some before all the birds at them all... i am so excited to make something yummy for dessert to night.... the question is???? what to make.... cobbler, pie, topping for ice cream????? anyone have a great blackberry recipe they would like to share????


Have a great day!!!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Right now

Right now....we are still in the thick of baseball... we have all star games every night..(which i am so proud of my sweet son who has had 2 grand slams... and a regular home run...(and i found out what a grand slam was...its not the Denny's menu item)



right now... I just found this list that i posted on face book(when i used to post things)in 2008... which  I  was surprised of how many still apply


1. I am a horrible house cleaner and a major mess maker.
2. I made a huge tee pee for my kids to play in.
3. my dream is to someday build a straw bale home.
4. i want to plant a vineyard and learn to make my own wine
5. my husband and i brew our own beer, the nut brown is the best!
6. i home school my 4 kiddos( well only 2 at the moment)
7. i am crazy about recycling, and try to get all my friends to get on board.
8. i call myself a dabbler, i like to dabble in many things (crocheting, sewing, gardening etc.)but I'm not really great at one thing

9. i once made my own cheese, it was supposed to be mozzarella, but turned into ricotta.

10. i really want to live in a yurt(while I'm building our straw bale house) which is a Mongolian tent

11. i want to learn how to raise bees and get their honey
12. i want to be a farmer.
13. i someday would like to do a house swap and go live in Europe for a year or so.

14. i have a BS in photography
15. i just finished breastfeeding my baby, life is going to be different, since it seems like i have been nursing a baby or prego for 9 years, yikes

16.my dream car is a vw bus
17. i want to get some chickens and a goat
18. I've moved back and forth from AZ to CA to many times to count
19.i am going to do a mini triathlon and I'm starting to work out tomorrow! for sure!

20. someday I'm going to have a huge garden, that actually produces some vegetables and not just weeds.

21.i love being a stay at home mommy!
22. i love going to thrift stores
23. i cant go to sleep without putting on chap stick first.
24. i love jack johnson
25. my favorite dinner is pizza and beer
.
right now... listening to my daughter read Hedge's Surprise to her younger sister...love it!

right now... anxiously waiting for my Kombucha to be ready... only 5 more days!!!!

right now....just got done playing a game of Life with the kiddos... I was a travel agent and made $100,000 a year.(why can't i do that in real life)

right now...loving this song




right now... really wishing we could go camping...up in the cooler temperatures...108 vs. 80 degrees... who wouldn't?

right now... planning a trip to Cali... to see my parents... and swim swim swim and see all my high school pals( that is if we don't make it to the state championships for all stars... if we do, that now summer vacation for us...boohoo)

 right now.... enjoying going to the creek


What are you doing right now????

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