Don’t worry….I did not buy all this corn on the cob.

This morning I got up with the chickens and met my friend Carol to go to Amish country. Our mission was to purchase the best peaches in the world.

During the month of June a nearby Amish store sells peaches every Wednesday. I think they get their peaches brought on the train, but I am not totally sure on that.

Carol drove us down in her husbands BIG pickup. We had lots of room to buy as many boxes of peaches as our, eyes that are bigger than our practicallity, could buy.

When we got there we quickly went to the produce side of the store.

The produce was laid out in nice neat rows. The vegetables looked amazing.

BUT….where are the peaches?

If you look in the picture above, the peaches should be in those boxes against the wall.

When I seen all those  boxes, I knew I was in peaches jam, cobblers and pie heaven.

I opened one of the boxes and all I saw was tomatoes.

Beautiful, red ripe tomatoes…

BUT…wait…..

Where are the peaches???

Alas, they had already sold all 196 boxes of peaches before we got there.

Really?

People were waiting in line for the Amish to open their doors at 6 a.m. this morning. (now you believe that these are the best peaches in the world)

Boo….Hiss…

So, Carol and I decided to buy corn instead.

120 ears of corn a piece.

Yes, we are known to be crazy at time.

Though…..our day was not totally a waste.

There was fresh hand pies sitting on the shelves to buy.

The famous hand pies!

Usually they only sell warm hand pies on Friday and Saturday, but since it was Peaches Wednesday, they decided to make them today.

We both bought 5 a piece.

I bought, blackberry, strawberry and cream, cherry and  cream, mixed berry and apple. They also had pecan and coconut cream.

This is what I came home with. 120 ears of corn, 2 pounds of green beans and 1 pound of new potatoes and  5 fresh Hand Pies.

Next Wednesday, if we want to get some peaches, we need to forget about getting up with the chickens.

We need to get up with the roosters!

Anywho, if they are sold out of peaches…I can always buy some more hand pies.

Mine are gone already!

If you have any good corn recipes, send them my way.

My crystal ball says I have corn in my future,

Aww…Shucks

Becky

I am calling this post, “Budget Update.”

I really should be calling it…..”Budget Disgrace.”

I know I had a budget around the first of May. I think I had a surplus of $300 or so in my grocery budget. I really don’t know how much money I have left in it or if I have spent it all, or worse…..I am in the negative.

But you know what….it is ok.

I will just start over.

I went to a dramatic and you might call it, a radical move.  But, I took all the money I had left in my checking account at the end of the June, and transfered it to my savings account. So when I got paid I started with a clean slate. The money is safe and sound, but this way I can get a handle on my budget, get back on track and hopefully start replenshing my stockpile.

Trust me….I still have 25 boxes of cereal, and I noticed a great sale starting tomorrow on Frosted Flakes, so I see me stocking up on my favorite cereal indulgence. (besides chocolate Special K ).

Anywho…..just in case you were wondering if I managed to squeeze in any couponing over the last two months, I did. It was not a lot, but I think I got some good bargains.

Here is a little Wlamart trip that only cost me .29 cents.

Here is a shopping trip to Schnucks. I got all of this for $8.66. This was a triple couple sale trip.

Here is a trip to Gerbes where I got 6 boxes of cereal for a total of $5.37.

This was the cereal I ate (almost) every morning during summer school.  I ate all 6 boxes…please do not tell anyone. I hid it from my kids so I did not have to share.

No coupon, the bacon was just on sale. I was beggin for some bacon. I got three packages for $9.44

Another no coupon shopping trip. BUT…..I had to have these ingredients to make a three tired strawberry cake.

This is what it looked like. Am I forgiven? I will be posting this recipe soon….so don’t worry.

Here is a Gerbes trip. I bought all of these items for just $3.23.

Lastly………..

This is what the floor looks like when oldest grand girl brings up my and oldest daughter who does not cook,  groceries….

Good Grief…haha.

By the way that watermelon was so good!!!!

So, somehow I managed through the last two months and found a few deals and I did some baking too.

Right now I have a whopping $75 in my grocery budget, since I am starting over. BUT, I have the extra money in my savings account. Isn’t that what couponing is all about…..saving money. So what better place to put it, then in my savings account.

My grocery goal this week is to buy some frosted flake cereal at Gerbes. 

I think I am going to need it.

School starts again in 5 weeks!

Happy Couponing!

Becky

This morning I had to leave bright and early and take the Princess to her mammogram appointment.

For those out there that do not know, my mom, the Princess had breast cancer  5 years ago.

The great news is that she is a cancer survivor.

She goes to get a mammogram every 6 months to make sure she stays that way.

Niener Wiener or Jeanie Beanie take the  Princess to a lot of her appointments, but since I am, “kinda off,” for the summer, I try to take a few turns.

Anywho, bright and early this morning, before I left town to take mom to appointment, I checked on my little garden.

I noticed that I needed to harvest the rest of the lettuce.

 o

I had already taken her one bag of fresh lettuce, to her and dad a couple of weeks ago. Mom was telling me how much she enjoyed the lettuce and that she even put in a few of the kale leaves I took to her, in the salad too.

So I cut The Princess,  some fresh lettuce.

Remember those little onion seedlings I planted months ago?

Here is what they looked like a few months ago, when I started them from seed in the house.

I thought The Princess would like a few green onions for her salad.

Here is what they look like now.

I am so happy that I did not kill all of them….I want to cry.

See what I few onions can do to me… : D.

I grew the lettuce and the onions in a upside down planter, that I bought from Sam’s a few years ago.

I am really glad that the lettuce was up off the ground because I think I have a little rabbit nibbling on some of my little plants. Grrrr….

The planter is about 4 feet off the ground, and tomatoes plants hang down underneath the planter.

This is what it looked like a couple of weeks ago. Below is a picture of the tomato plants hanging down underneath it.

Can a rabbit jump 4 feet high?

I think I am going to pull up the rest of the lettuce, add more potting soil and plant bush beans in it now.

Is is too late to plant bush beans???

Should I wait till I do a fall garden?

Help!

I have missed everyone out there! I think my life is back to a normal rhythm so expect me to be back posting on a regular basis

Becky

This is fresh cut lettuce from my little garden.

The last week of summer school, my kids in class made a spaghetti dinner. I went out at 6:30 in the morning and cut lettuce for them so they could have a fresh salad to have with their meal.

It really was a nice lesson in teaching. I brought in fresh cut herbs and lettuce for my class. It was amazing to have them crush the herbs and smell them; some of them taking a little nibble to see how the different herbs tasted.

I watched them wash the leaves of lettuce off and dry them; making themselves a salad and telling each other how fresh it tasted.

I have taught summer school for the last 12 summers, except one, when I had to take a summer long college class to finish up my teaching certificate.

Teaching summer school, was particularly hard this summer, for various reasons. All of which would be very boring to hear about….

School is out for summer…..so who wants boring….not me!

When I look back on this past summer school, one of my favorite days was sharing my little garden with my kids at school.

That is how I survived teaching summer school.

Remembering those favorite days.

And to think….it was all about a little salad.

I have missed everyone!

Becky

Whew….I spent weeks packing and now I am unpacking….

When you start getting equipment in for a new foods lab  you get seven of everything; six kitchens and a teacher set for demos.

Doen’t Emeril take a good picture?

I am slowly but surely getting all my cooking magazines unpacked. Don’t they look great in those cubbies???

I wish I just had a kitchen aid mixer this size at home. I have not put them in kitchens yet. Trying to figure out what goes in what cabinet and what goes in what drawer.

It reminds me of the comic skit, “what’s on base….who’s on first…”

I have this new fangled washing machine too.

I tried using it the first time last week and I could not even get the thing to turn on. Frustrated, I just happen to look behind the washer and it was not plugged in….jeepers.  Anywho, it is so fancy, I had to watch it in action the first time I used it. It kind of spins the clothes a little, then stops, spins again and stops…..I think it has a brain….it thinks about how much water to use and how heavy the load is.

It may have a brain, but it works kinda slow….I was about ready to get out my wash board….well not really….my brain told me it was hard work using a wash board.

Just wanted to touch base with everyone, and let you know that I am surviving and getting all settled in my new school.

I took pictures tonight of my little garden too.

I will harvesting my first lettuce this weekend…woohooo!

Tomorrow is Friday…yippee!

Becky

Yippee!

I have finally harvested something out of my little garden!

This is fresh picked basil.

I went out at 6:30 in the morning before summer school and cut a bouquet for one of my best-est friends Rachel.

I cannot even describe how fun it is to go out and walk around the raised garden beds in the morning, looking around. It is so peaceful and soothing before heading out to tackle teaching summer school. My whole family is getting into watching the little seedlings pop out of the ground and take off. Oldest daughter who does not cook….watches more from the sidelines, (cushy patio chair). She likes her vegetables already rinsed off and on a plate.

Last night oldest grand daughter and I went to Lowes and bought tomato plants. The little ones I planted in the raised garden beds were drowned the day we had over 6 inches of rain in one day.

We planted tomatoes upside down in this cool container planter I bought a few years ago.

We also planted tomatoes in the topsy turvey tomato planters. In both of these containers we planted the tomatoes we started from seeds. They will be yellow, orange and red cherry tomatoes when they bloom and ripen. I cannot wait.

In the top of the container garden we planted the onions I started from seeds and leaf lettuce. I am hoping to eat some fresh lettuce in a week or so. I will have to take a picture of the top now that it is covered in little green lettuce leaves.

Here is a picture of my little garden.  In the pots sitting around the raised garden beds, I have planted herbs; like basil, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, parsley and something else but I forgot. Also, in the pots are bush beans, cucumbers, those artichokes, (I planted as seeds way back in January) and small zucchinis.

I have garlic, that I  planted way back in december, on the other side of the house. They, got pretty water logged but seems to be doing ok, after all the rain.

Here is a view of my little garden from the top of the yard.

I am not sure how much  I will harvest this year, but I am enjoying it….even if I have to buy some tomatoes from the grocery store : ).

Have you started a little garden in your yard?

You can bury a lot of troubles….digging in the dirt.

Becky

Have you wondered where I have been and what I have been up too? It has been a whirlwind the last few weeks.

First off…

Did I mention that I was moving?

Moving schools that is.

Over the course of the last couple of years, my district has been doing some changing around: building new schools, changing grades in old schools and teachers are moving around. I am making a brave leapt to start teaching high school in a brand new building. Even though this was my first choice and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity, it was a bittersweet decision, as I had been at my old school for 12 years.

So for the last month and a half I have been packing.

I started with my most valuable school resource…..all my cooking magazines. My kiddos love to look through them, picking out recipes. They only get in trouble if they tear out a recipe. I have quite a collection (junk pile) of them. Can you have too many cooking magazines???

I packed up fabric, curriculum books, text books and all my personal items that took me 12 years to accumulate. I cannot believe how long it too me to clean out my stuff.

I filled up the recycle bin more times than I care to remember.

One thing I learned is that I need to go through all my papers/test/worksheets at the end of every year, not every decade.

My son the super hero came to school to take a car load home, and I took 2 car loads home. Now I have a bunch of boxes in my garage that I need to go through again. I lost count of all the boxes I sent to the new school.

I postponed my last day at my old school as long as I could and finally turned in my keys on Friday and checked out of the building.

I cried when I handed in my keys.

When I left the office to load the last couple of boxes in my car, I got sight of a familar item in the hallway. It was like it was waiting to say to one last goodbye to me.

A range from my room that burnt out a couple of months ago and never got thrown away. It was sitting with the surplus items ready to go bye bye too.

The custodial staff must have written on it.

It made me laugh!

NEXT……

Baby College Girl came home for the weekend to celebrate my dads 95th birthday.

Us kids, had a big shindig at church for him to celebrate his birthday.  It was only a week after he was in the hospital for a nasty fall. He is a WW II Veteran also. We had three different cakes made to show different areas of his life.

Baby College Girl has a great visit. Took me lunch for a late Mother’s Day gift and brought home a four week old kitten.

It was a smelly little adorable kitten, that would melt your heart when you pet it. My daughter saved it from under the dumpster at her job. She has been feeding it with a dropper since the kitten was one week old. The mama cat got ran over and left 10-one week old baby kittens to be taken care off . My daughter tried to save all of them, but was lucky enough to get to two of them to save.  Youngest baby grand girl thought the kitten was one of her stuff animals. She kept throwing kitty litter into the box the cat was kept in during the day. I still have kitty litter on the carpet.

Baby College Girl left and snuck a few bags of goodies from my stockpile for her apartment.

She is going camping and the marshmallows looked good for roasting. I hope that is NOT my fishing pole in her front seat.

She had another bag of goodies in her back seat…..and the rest of a fishing pole that looks a lot like mine…um…..

After she left….I got really sick for the day.

Cold chills, fever…blah blah blah….you know what I am talking about.

Late in the afternoon….I finally got a little hungry and texted my oldest daughter who does not cook to send up oldest grand girl to make me lunch.

Oldest Grand Girl, could not find a tray to put my lunch on, so she used my cooling rack. She made me some cup a soup, toast with honey, a sliced apple and hot tea. I love eating off a Hercules plate, don’t you? LOL

So…..just in case you have wondered where I have been and what I have been up too….well…I just mentioned  a few reason for my lack of posting.

I am sure I will have great stories to tell about the new school and my new rooms.

I just hope all my cooking magazines will fit in the storage room.

I have a bunch more to get you caught up on. (I have been couponing a little and my little garden bed is showing signs of actually producing something edible).

I hope all of you are doing great!!!!

I have missed you!!

Becky

In every gardener there is a child who believes in The Seed Fairy.  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.comer

After months of planning and scheming and praying to the weather man to take away the snow, hail and tons of thunder storms, the raised garden beds are in.

Aren’t they Be A u Ti Ful???

My brother in law (Neiner Weiners hubby) was finally able to come up last week during some sunny days and put together my  raised garden beds. He worked in my back yard for three days, but he was able to put the beds together, fill each one with a 70/30 dirt mixture and mulch around them all in one day.  My son, The Super Hero, had already dug up the graves , oops, dirt,under the beds. Oldest Grandgirl helped me lay newspapers over the dirt and then we coverd the whole area with commercial landscape fabric.

Here are the graves…haha…

Oldest grand girl and I took old newspapers and laid over the turned over dirt to help with weeds.

Then we took commercial grade landscape fabric and covered the whole area. I had to use the flash on my camera for this picture because we did not finish up till around 9 p.m.

Here is a look at them from a different angle. Don’t worry about the shade. It does not get shady in this spot till late afternoon.

Here is another one.

Can you tell I am just a little bit proud of them? : )

Oldest grandgirl and I have been busy planting and digging and setting up the whole area.

Here is a picture to give you a little hint. Can you guess why those tomato plants are unside down?

MMM….

Anywho….I am ready to eat some fresh picked garden eats from my very own garden.

You can too….

You just have to believe in The Seed Fairy!

Have you started a garden this year, or doing some container gardening? I would love hear all about it!

In a couple of days I will post more pictures of what I have planted.

Life’s a Garden…dig it. (my humor amazes no one but me…hehe)

Becky