Garden Update - 2013

"Be as simple as you can be;  you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become." Paramahansa Togananda.  When I started to analyze why I have not been blogging quite as much, this quote seemed to fit.  If I give myself the chance to slow down, breathe, laugh with my kids, and dance to the music I can find great joy.  And with 3 kids and a full-time job sometimes slowing down can be difficult but the payoffs are huge.

My garden is my happy place and right now we have a VERY prolific garden which includes broccoli, 30 pepper plants (wide variety of peppers), 40 tomato plants, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, sweet peas, green beans, asparagus, zinnias, sunflowers and cauliflower. 

Here's a picture of the garden on June 20th:

Greta on June 20th - the skeets were REALLY bad that day

Six weeks later:

Greta in the same spot 6 weeks later - wow!

I'm 5 foot 6 and many of the tomato plants are taller than me

 

 

 

My tomato plants include a WIDE variety of heirlooms. 
This tomato plant is called a BORAGE.  It started out as a runt but with some
organic fertilizer and TLC it was soon over 5 feet tall.  The flowers are purple, lavender and occasionally hot pink.  I can't wait to see the end product.  By far this is my favorite plant in the garden.

 

Today's harvest includes a bunch of different peppers, broccoli and sweet peas featured on my Grandma's platter

Green beans have been abundant this year so I was able to preserve a bunch (pressure canning) for the winter.

Some of my favorite things in the world include running with friends, reading by the fire (it's cold here today), taking a little nap, laughing with the family, and gardening and I've had all that today so I'm feeling pretty darn blessed.  What are your favorite things?  How's your garden?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Bi-Monthly Book Review

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”    Doesn't this quote sum it up?  I'm not sure who wrote it but I love it.

Below you will find the books I've read over the past 2 months - 1 is the lowest score and 5 is the highest.

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn - 5 stars

-Charles William Eliot

 

As you know, I'm a total reading fanatic and when I am without a book I feel lost.   The quote above really captures how I feel about reading.  Often I hear, "how do you have time to read?" to which I reply:  "I do not watch tv, movies, and I read every night before I go to bed to prepare me for sleep." 

 

Before I digress anymore, here's my list of books:

 

Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

The story of 2 lovestruck magicians and their adventures in the night circus.

 

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn 

Very entertaining mystery with a psychological twist.  Highly recommend.

Women, Food and God, Geneen Roth - 2 stars
Non-fiction read on how to connect to your true hunger. 

Night Circus, Erin Morgenstein - 2 stars
Two lovestruck magicians are engaged in a night time circus.  For some reason I didn't love this book.

The Woodcutter, Reginald Hill - 3 1/2 stars
A very interesting novel about a man, the woodcutter, and his adventures.  Very good book but it took me a full month to finish it (kinda' long).

Sugar, Salt and Fat, Micheal Moss - 4 stars
A non-fiction book about how the food giants add sugar, salt and fat to make us eat more (hence, buy more).

Brotherhood, Deepak and Sanjiv Chopra - 1/2 star
True story about Deepak and his brother Sanjiiv growing up in India but I did not care for the writing.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Jenny Lawson -5 stars
A mostly true story about this quirky, hilarious blogger - LOVE!  Warning though - she swears a lot so I'd skip this book if that bothers you.

I haven't been blogging much because I've been spending all my time preparing for Graham's confirmation party, watching the boy's baseball games, gardening and work. 

Our Family Picture at Graham's confirmation - poor Gus is getting squished!

That's it for my review:  I'd run out and read Gone Girl and Let's Pretend This Never Happened if I were you!

What book are you reading?  I'd love to hear.

Thanks,

Kristin