Life in June - Daybook Entry

Outside my window...sunshine, glorious sunshine.  The butterfly bush is full of purple blooms and really big this year.  I think we should have pruned it back in the fall....  Pink roses, daisies and lots of weeds in the flower beds.  Who has time to weed flower beds? 


I am wearing...red button up cotton shirt and new cropped khakis from Eddie Bauer. I do like the way their pants fit, how well their made and how long they last.  And I'm down a size since last summer and that makes me really happy.


I am listening to...the washer and dryer and someone scrounging for something to eat in the kitchen.


I am thankful for... the juiciest and sweetest cantaloupe that I'm eating as I type this.  I love melon season!  I haven't bought a watermelon yet though - with the prices hovering at six dollars a piece,  I think I'll wait a while longer.   The mountain laurel is beginning to bloom on the driveway and the little tomatoes that are growing on my tomato plants bring a smile to my face. 


Around the house...I'm trying to work on cleaning out the office area in the basement.  I've misplaced some very important papers that I felt sure were there.  I've fretted, fussed and stressed to the point that I've made myself sick over the "lost recipes", (which I hope aren't like the "lost manuscripts" and will actually be recovered).  I'm praying powerfully that they will show up soon, all the while trying to not lose hope that I've lost family heirlooms.   The more I work, the madder I get that I ever let things get that out of control in the first place!  I have twenty five years of photos, scrap booking materials, homeschooling resources and more in that small space.  It's past time to do something about it. 


I am loving... the longer days.  And I saw the first lightning bug last night - a sure sign of summer.


I am hoping....well, more than anything to find the recipes.  I'm also hoping for answers to some hard questions.


I am reading.... Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Never read it before and felt like I needed to.  I just finished To the Rescue - the biography of Pres. Monson which was wonderful.   I think that one will deserve a post all it's own.  Also read The School of Essential Ingredients, and The Sunflower, which is the book club selection for this month.  They were easy and light reading and I enjoyed both of them.  I listened to a book on CD when I took a little road trip last week and loved it.  These Is My Words is a fictional journal account of a pioneer woman and her family as they settle the Arizona Territories.  The narrator was delightful, so I'm glad I listened to it, but there was so much "quote worthy" material that I ended up buying a copy of the book for myself...and the next two in the series.  I hope they are as good as the first one.   I'm rereading A Place at the Table as I eat breakfast each morning.  I have much I can still learn from this one.


I am creating...a vegetable garden - a really big vegetable garden!

I am pondering... 

"Don't hyperventilate about something that happened at 9:00 in the morning when

                               the grace of God is trying to reward you at 6:00 in the evening."        

   Elder Holland

This is just one little snippet from an excellent talk in April's General Conference.  I realize that I  never understood the Parable of the Laborers before this talk...thought I did, but I really didn't.  I have listened and read this one over and over again.

I am learning... that it's so easy to slip back into bad habits.  During my lenten fast, I cut out sugar and processed foods and felt great.  At the end of that time, I felt like I was in the healthiest place I had ever been in my relationship with food.  Yes, food and I definitely have a relationship. But in the last few months I've found myself backing off on my "once a week sweet treat" commitment and sneaking in a candy bar here and there (they are really good candy bars!). Chips,crackers and other processed things have found their way back into my grocery cart.   And I've gained five pounds.  So, I'm embarking on another forty day fast to get myself back on track.  Don't worry, I won't be going hungry by any means, but I will be going without sugar, processed foods and meat.  Yeah, I decided to cut out meat and see how I feel.  If ever there is a good time for me to take a trial run with vegetarian food, I figure it is now, with all the fresh fruits and veggies available.  We eat a lot of meatless meals anyway, so it will just be a matter of adding a few more in a week, right?  During this fast, I will take a break each week on Sunday and eat whatever I want, meat and sweets included.  I'm hoping to get my eating habits back on track and grow spiritually at the same time.  


From the kitchen... I've made blackberry scones (twice) with our berries and oh, man, were they good!
And I made that Best Lemon Cake Ever for Father's Day for my sweetie.  He declares it his favorite.  


Living my faith by... recommitting myself to early morning scripture study.  Something about summer makes me lazy and undisciplined.  It takes more effort to get up early.  I always say I will study later in the day, but it doesn't happen.  To be faithful to this discipline, I have  to get up early.  It's just the way it is (same thing for exercise).  After reading President Monson's biography, I want to focus more on people.  Showing love and concern and rescuing those in need is how he lives his life.  He follows the example of the Savior to minister to the "one" and I want to work on that as well.  We have one more Primary training session this Sunday and our conference trainings are over for this year.   Then we will visit units and help out as needed.  Being with the children each Sunday is one of the Lord's tender mercies to me.  He knows how much I miss having little ones around my house.  


One of my favorite things... the thrill of pulling carrots out of the garden.  It was exciting, each one a different size and shape. 


In the garden...so much is going on in the garden.  All the plants are in the ground.  I ended up with 25 tomato plants, five rows of string beans, okra, squash (bunches of different kinds), four varieties of potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, eggplant, leeks, onions, peppers... I think that's all!  I harvested the carrots and the garlic.  Yes!!  The garlic turned out great, another first for me.  I have a new tiller, compliments of my husband, that is small enough that I can operate it myself.  Now, hopefully I can do a better job keeping up with the weeds.


Around the farm... well the big news is the bees have swarmed and we put them in a new hive.  That was exciting and I'll post about that later.  My poor chickens look pitiful, as they have lost so many feathers.  We are still trying to figure out what on earth is wrong with them, as we've treated for mites and they don't look much better.  They still turn out the eggs...but I want pretty chickens!  That is so prideful isn't it?  We had a great crop of raspberries and blackberries and the blueberry bushes are loaded.  Just waiting for them to turn blue...and hoping the birds don't eat them first.


A few plans for the rest of the week... gardening and working on the basement will be the priorities. Finish stringing the beans, dig some potatoes and make a potato salad are on my list.  I hope to catch up on some blog posts.  I have lots of ideas, but no time to sit and work on them.  I'd like to take a hike and view the world from the top of a mountain and maybe a bike ride over the weekend?


A picture thought...