The Weekend Report...........

Saturday.....
I love watching The Man and The Youngun' together.  My folks came down on Saturday for a visit and I went with my mom to walk her dog.  When I came back I found them together in the garage, potting the cactus he bought for her. 

                                              

Doesn't look a bit like her Daddy does she??

Then about 5 pm we were out doing chores early and the tornado siren blew.  We went to the house and watched out the door.  It was a very fast moving storm.  The Youngun was scared but we said a prayer, and remembered that God is always with us!  All we wound up with was this....

Thankfully, no damage!

Sunday......

Now that I'm milking again we have plenty of milk for making ice cream!  When my girls are in milk, we make homemade ice cream 'bout every two weeks.  The Man isn't much of a dessert eater, but he does like a bowl of ice cream every night after supper.  Since we've been without milk since October, we've had to buy store ice cream and it just doesn't hold a candle to the real thing!  On Saturday I mixed the ice cream up and put it in the fridge.  Sunday afternoon we got out the White Mountain!  I have to confess to you that I'm a total ice cream snob.  You just can't make good homemade ice cream without a hand cranked freezer.  It may be easier to just plug 'er in and let 'er go, but it sure doesn't make near as good ice cream.  Besides, The Man and I enjoy sitting out on the back stoop taking turns cranking and eating salty ice.  Today however, it was very windy and rainy so we made it in the garage!

Pouring the mix into the freezer...

Ready to freeze.....

Goodwife cranking.........

The Man cranking......

Yummy, rich, creamy ice cream!

This time we made cookies and cream.  We usually make different varieties each time.  Sometimes it's cookies and cream, sometimes it's peanut butter cup, or strawberry, or chocolate malt, or chocolate chip cookie dough, and sometimes it's plain ole vanilla.  Whatever type we make it's always good!

Here's hoping you had a good weekend full of thankfulness and grace! 

Till next time..........God Bless

Have They Been Salvaged......?

We'll see.  When The Man got home he helped me clean up and repot what we could.  He also suggested I make my shelf only 2 tiers high, thereby making it less prone to tipping over.  I have no idea if any of these plants will survive their ordeal, but I've got hope! 

Poor little guys!  I suppose if they make it they will be super strong plants! 

Ps...sorry that picture is sideways.......I've got no idea how come, but I can't get it any other way!

Till next time...........GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

A Tragedy Has Befallen........

Oh the horror!!  So much for my tomato seedlings! The wind blew my shelf over..............I'm pretty sure they won't be able to be saved...............but at least my pepper plants are ok, and I can start over with tomato plants!

Till next time...........GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Adventures in Seed Starting Update.........

I've had kids on the brain so haven't updated my seedling progress.  Things are going great!  I'm very happy with the pepper plants.  They are beautiful.  Tomatoes are doing great as well.  I do think I may have gotten in a hurry though.  Hopefully they won't be fruiting before I can get them in the ground. 

This is our transplanting station on the new kitchen counter.  The Youngun and I had a good time transplanting the tomato seedlings.

My beautiful healthy pepper plants!  I'm so excited to have my own multi-colored peppers in the garden!  It's in the high 60's today and nice and sunny so they are sitting on the sidwalk soaking up some sun.

The plant rack that I rigged up with a $14 plastic shelf from Wal-trash and a grow light fixture.  I set it up upside down and that way I can water without making a mess.  I carried the whole shebang out to the porch today for some sun.  Ellie is upset that I'm outside without her!

Spring is just around the corner and as soon as it's dry enough we'll be getting the garden worked up and getting onions, lettuce, beets, potatoes and other cold hearty crops in the ground!

Till next time...........GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Adventures in Seed Starting Update..........

February 8, 2010

If you remember I did a post a few weeks ago about attempting to start pepper seeds.  I haven't updated you on this because of our kitchen remodeling project, but things are going quite well!

2/14/2010

2/22/2010

2/24/2010

As you can see my little seedlings are growing quite well.  The tomato seeds are a bit leggier, the peppers are more squatty.  I've had 100% germination on all but the cheap $.20 Wal-mart seeds and some of them are actually starting to sprout.

I ended up putting my heating pad set on low underneath the seedling tray.  After the plants sprouted I removed the plastic dome, and put the plant light on them.  I have it ever so cleverly suspended by pencils right now and they are sitting on a tray in front of the window.  I turn them every few days as they do reach for the light coming in the window, even with the plant light on them.  As soon as the plants are tall enough I plan to move them into the aquarium.  I'm afraid if I do that now, they will get too leggy and spindly from the light being too far up.

Now I've just got to wait for spring......the temperatures are hovering in the teens again today........YUCK!

Till next time..........GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Brain Hurricane!

Yesterday as I was visiting with The Man about the Greek tragedy that is his hot rod, I had a brain hurricane of epic proportions! I ordered some pepper seed this year. I’ve never started my own plants because I don’t have a good place to start them. All of my house plants have died since we moved here because when I have to bring them in during the winter I have no well lighted locales to put them in. I was determined to order these pepper seeds though! The little hamster wheel up in my brain was turning at mach speed to figure out a good way for me to start them. As The Man was deep in thought regarding The Dodge, an idea breezed through my head. What if I started them in an aquarium with a grow bulb in the hood? Will this work? Who the carp knows, but I’m going to give it a shot. I called my sister because I knew that she had an aquarium that used to house bullfrog spawn and was no longer in use. It just so happens that The Youngun is at her house today and I’ll be picking her up at a mutually agreed upon meeting place later this afternoon……SO……I’m going to get the aquarium.



The plan is to put some garden dirt (do I need starting medium or can I just go dig some of my nice rich garden dirt??) in the bottom of the aquarium, put the seeds in, turn ‘er on and let ‘er go! Will they grow? I surely do hope so. I’ll be bloggin’ more about this as the experiment progresses.


Till next time.................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!