Ten on Tuesday

Guess what?  This post isn't going to be about GAPS or my health (for the most part!) I know, some of you are very sad about that but I also know some of you are relieved.

Let's catch up on the other areas of my life, shall we?

1. ) We have been enjoying our summer already.  We've been out of school for about four weeks and have loved our break.  We have played around the house, done some spring cleaning, done some crafts, watched movies, planted our garden (that was a HUGE one), done some good ole' sleeping in and more.

2.) Speaking of our garden let me see if I can tell you what we planted this year (all organic too). Acorn squash, zucchini squash, yellow squash, peaches (which we lost all of due to a late frost), sugar pumpkins, cantaloupe, spaghetti squash, cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, garlic, strawberries, broccoli, kale, butter lettuce, romaine lettuce, mixed lettuce, cauliflower, sweet peppers, jalapenos, cucumbers, beets, sweet potatoes (going in soon), Fuji apples, blackberries, raspberries, sage, thyme, rosemary, lavender, marigolds (to protect a lot of the garden), chocolate mint, lemon mint, spearmint, chamomile, dill, cilantro, morning glories, and oregano. Whew! It took some weeks of prep and time but it is all well worth it. I thank God that I am physically able to do the gardening.  Two months ago, it would not have happened. I couldn't have handled it.

3.) We went to the zoo here for the first time.  The boys and I had a ton of fun enjoying the animals and the sunshine.

4.) Max, our cat, has been getting into mischief.  We let him out everyday but recently he started to dig up some of my plants!  He has been quarantined to the house now.  The picture below is of him covered in spider webs after snoozing under our shed. Gross!

5.) Cody and his brother have had fun playing super heroes and dressing up.  This is the latest superhero - "Underwear Man." Oh boy.

6.) Here he is being silly with decorative tape for crafts I got at the dollar bin at Target.  It is his mask.  He wasn't too happy when he pulled it off and it was stuck in his hair.  Oops.

7.) I have to confess. I think I have a new addiction.  Well actually I don't have any addictions to be honest BUT this could become one: thrift store shopping and going to garage sales.  Oh my goodness they are so much fun!  Steve and I had some kid free time the other day after a doctors appointment and we stopped by one of our local thrift stores.  We had a blast.  HE even loved it.  I think it is so cool to be able to get books for .65 or a plant container for $1.  My latest find was this trampoline for the boys at a garage sale.  It is almost brand new and they are like $50-60 bucks in the stores.  We got such a good price and the boys have had so much fun on it. I also found the perfect school room table and chairs and plan to refinish it. That will be another post but I can't wait to show you the before and after.  Like the Duggars say "Buy used and save the difference." It truly is a great philosophy.

8.) We have been getting our raw milk and eggs from a local farmer who has been wonderful to us.  We get a great price and go every week to the farm.  The milk has the cream on top and I always skim that off to use in coffee or some kind of creamy dish. It is also good whipped up to put on fresh fruit.  The latest thing we did with it though was make butter. I can't believe I haven't done this before.  It is seriously SO easy. I couldn't taste it but the boys rave about it. I also think it was a great experience for my boys to learn that this is how it is actually made.  We also had leftover buttermilk for gluten free buttermilk pancakes. Yummers!

9.) This is what my morning juice from my juicer looks like. I had to share because I think it is so pretty. It looks like the sunset.  Carrots, celery, beets, kale, parsley and dill.  A few other things sometimes too but that is generally my "coffee" in the morning.

10.) My brother came to town for a week and it was such a blessing to see him.  It had been way too long (3 years) since I last saw him.  I did miss my sister-in-law a bunch though.  She wasn't able to make it and I was looking forward to catching up with her.  I hope to be able to see them again toward the end of the year. We showed my brother around and had great weather.  It was nice for him to be able to see my extended family too and our grandma who is 92 in assisted living. I can't wait to see them again and I pray it is this year.

Have a great week!

~Blessings~