Looking Back - August 2011

produce from our bountiful garden

August was salsa-making month. 

 

Everyone gets involved during 

harvest/canning/preserving season.  

You sow and you reap. You work and you eat.

jars full of salsa, diced tomatoes, green&yellow beans, jams & preserves line the shelves in my canning closet. Luke also put our dehydrator to good use --  onions and sweet bell peppers and jalapenos and habaneros --  all dried and ground, ready to be added to soups and sauces all year long. We also raised our own black beans. Using heirloom seeds last year, we saved many from the fruits of last year and now have a little treasure trove packed away, ready for another planting in this new year. Very exciting!





August was also birthday month for 2 special boys. Uncle Gabe and Arioch were born 2 years and 2 days apart. Gabe remembers well how he waited with great anticipation for the arrival of his new nephew. He considers it a great honor to share his birthday celebration with Arioch. It isn't every 9 year old who can say he is an uncle. Considering Gabe has lived all his life here on the farm, and Arioch was born here and has farming in his blood (he hooped and hollered everytime the tractors went rolling by) a cake to celebrate farming seemed quite appropriate.

yum!!!

Now, Mom has this thing about celebrating her children's actual birthdays on their actual BIRTH DAY. So, we had a mini-celebration just for Gabe, complete with a cookies-n-cream cake and the supper of his choice. And guess what he chose . . .

BROCCOLI PIZZA!!!!  

and it turned out to be quite tasty, too. 

broccoli, his favorite food

August was a month of milestones for Esther, as well.  She on her very first train ride, with Grandma all the way to the big city of Chicago to visit her brother and sister-in-law. 

And she cut more than a foot of length off her hair, donating the ponytail to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that makes hair pieces available to children who have hair loss because of disease and sickness. It makes her look so grown up!

There was also plenty of time for fun during the month of August.

down at the river during a weekend campout

Roller skating! Even this old Grandma rolled on out, and had fun giving the babies a trip around the floor a time or two. 

rough-housing on the living room floor

swing-time in the backyard