Cute Pics of "Busy"

My little Vikings fan. (They won!)

Bundled up on a cool day to go play outside.

 

Trying out our new hippidy hop on our tippidy toes!

Elizabeth is closing in on her 2nd year.  She can recognize all of her letters, is starting to work on numbers, and is now putting 3 and 4 word sentences together.  Of course Mom and Dad understand her better than anyone else as it is with all toddlers.  :)  She wasn't one to really copy what we said for a while, but she is liking to do it more and more -- with everything, good and not-so-good.  Kids are definitely good mirrors on how you act, and I'm learning to watch my "acts".  :)
The other day, she said "Daddy running", "Mommy sit down" to play playdough together, and when Auntie Kitty asked her to come play blocks when Elizabeth wanted to play playdough "I don't want to" came out loud and clear - sending us into a fit of giggles.
Like I said, she'll repeat just about anything you ask her.  The funny thing is what she calls herself, "Bizzy".  @ daycare, the kids call her Liz or Lizzy - easier to pronounce than Elizabeth. And while I call her by her full name or BooBoo, I guess she has just put them together and calls herself "Bizzy/Busy". Either are cute and she's definitely a "Busy" little girl.  We are so blessed.

1st Time Canning Results:

First time we tried canning. Outcome:

Carrots: 11 Qts

Beans: 11Qts & 13 Pts

Pickled Beans: 7 Qts

Corn: 21Pts, 1 1/2 Pt

Pickled Beets: 8 Pts
Refrigerator Pickles: 3 Pts

 

 

 

And if we didn't have enough room in the canner then we froze what was left of the batch.  We also have onions, potatoes, and green tomatoes in the garage.  All in all, it was a good year. The fences really helped to keep the deer our, but a little more water would have helped.  David also grew sunflowers as well.  My mom came to stay the weekend & teach us the art of pickling. Good times had by all.  Hopefully we'll get a deer & get a chance to try canning venison!

The Baby's Got Rhythm

Save Your Blanching Water

The next time you boil or steam vegetables, don't pour the water down the drain.  Let it cool & use it to water potted patio plants, and you'll be amazed at how the plants respond to the "vegetable soup."

Plant Freezables Near Each Other

I am starting a "Gardening Tips" label for myself (and the 3 people who read this blog :) ). Since we have such a short growing season, we have to make the most of it.  Year after year I get these good tips, but do not remember them from year to year - so I blog them for future reference.  They will include things I hear from others as well as trial & error on my part.

Plant Freezables Near Each Other:  It just so happened that the past few nights have been pretty cold and so we cover our freezables with plastic.  Out of pure dumb luck, I planted my cukes, tomatoes, and peppers near one another.  Thereby, we were able to cover them all together versus covering different parts of the garden.  That's my tip.  Take it or leave it, but I'll try to remember it for next year too!

Family Gathering in Ely

Like looking in a mirror when eating Grammy's yummy chex mix

Mark & Troy: Get your motor runnin'

Ruby's frog from Mark

Alpaca Farm

Baby alpaca - Elizabeth refused to pet it, but it was SO soft!

Getting bigger! (Zane was napping)

Zane & Derik-o

Beautiful Day!

Ruby learning from Mark how to cast

Mom & Kelly yakin'