Harvest Monday....

It's Tuesday, So it seems a little late. Yet again.
This time it's my email not getting my pics from my cell phone I sent. But, then again it's always something. Isn't it?

This weeks harvest has been wonderful. All the citrus I can eat. All the pomegranates...
and some pictures!

Just look at those lovely fruits! In addition to what you see the girls had a birthday party that included the fun of plucking your own fruit to take home... too bad I wasn't aware of this until after the fact. Don't get me wrong I';m glad the kids are sharing and then neighbors all brought something healthy home instead of candy. It's just now the trees are bare and it will be a while before they are ready to harvest again.

First fall frost was due this week. So I dug up all the larger sweet potatoes even though the plants were still blooming profusely. Unfortunately tonight it's not just a frost and any chance of the bed producing anything other then the ones I didn't find yet are slim. I might get another 3 or 4 pounds if I'm lucky. Considering I harvest here and there throughout the year I can't complain.

The fall garden is finally starting to look like a garden again.

Still has a way to go but it makes me happy seeing green again!

Off to Alabama again this week. I can not wait to unplug and unwind. Also get to play with my new box blade. :-) Ah, the little things.

See you soon!

Barbie~

Guilt

So, I'm sitting here at work and eating some fresh arils.

They've become quite the rage at work, my homegrown pomegranates that is. I get requests for them daily, but only bring one in a week to share. I like them and the kids like them too much to share too many of them. We've had a good crop but we are down to the last few on the tree now.

So, anyway. I'm looking at these sweet drops of jewel-toned goodness and my brain starts ticking. It's saying to me... You know you should have shown them on harvest Monday. Should have shown off all the lemons that are cluttering your counter too. Don't forget the lettuce. What about all the things that have kept you away? Don't you feel guilty that you haven't posted in a while?

Well, yes conscience. Thanks a lot for reminding me. I didn't feel guilty until now. I've been too busy to feel guilty, remember?

So now here I am. I will show you a few of the things that have kept me busy lately.

First I had these

I turned them into these:

Yum. Carrot, persimmon raisin muffins with orange fluff icing... Oh heavenly.

Then we did this

Not that we don't have a pool at home. But a pool with spitting fish? TOTALLY AWESOME. I wasn't brave enough that night. LOL But the girls had a blast

 And we all did this... we are MUCH higher than it looks - about 20 ft off the ground.

We saw ginormous turtle poop.

I played with hair.








I got this.....

We did this... (OH so cool!)

Oh- and we met this! Him, her? 

We prepared for a certain someone(S plural) Birthday

And had fun opening gifts.

We marveled at things, and had cotton candy.

Used to call it candied cotton. WHY do they have to grow up?

Met some penguins, and Julian and a few more of the crew, too

Got brave and one of us rode our first roller coaster ever! It may possibly be the first one I ever rode, too! (Aww, sweet)

And all of that leads me to this. I didn't buy my girls a birthday present this year. Mean mom, I know.

I decided that this was the perfect year to teach the kids how sometimes handmade gifts are better than a toy from the store. Of course I really wanted this lesson to sink in - so I went BIG - I built them a see saw.

building the base

sanding all the corners so my kiddos don't get splinters in the hands OR their bums...

Hauled all into the back yard (With help from the big kids friends)

Put it together and... VIOLA!

Turns out I really am a mean mom though. The girls have done nothing but complain all week that they didn't get to use their present much because it's dark when we get home.

I feel their pain. I really do. What I wouldn't do to have more time to spend with them. 

All in all I've been gone for a whole lot of really good reasons. :-)

See you soon!

Barbie~