~ Giving Thanks ~

My cousin's son was found yesterday , I don't know all the details. But he is alive and safe , which really is the only thing that matters. On this day I'm ~ Giving Thanks ~ to our Creator for bringing him home safely.

Thanks to all my blogging friends for the Prayers , Positive Thoughts and Well Wishes.

We're having a birthday party for my niece here tomorrow , it will be her 1st birthday. So I need to get off the computer and start cleaning and preparing.

~ Hope your weekend is Blessed ~ JoyceAnn

* Deer Tracks ~ Hot Okra ~ Snorting *

We had another storm yesterday , before I could get to the garden. So I didn't get to check the garden. I was up bright and early today , had to see how much damage was done. It actually fared well , a few stalks of corn were down. When I got to the okra , I saw these deer tracks ...................
Monday I spent time in the garden doing organic pest control and it seemed to have saved the okra this time.
I placed hot red peppers on the stems that had been eaten the last time. I just broke the stem off the peppers and stuck them down on the leafless stems of the okra.
It appeared they had got a bite , and moved on. As I was checking the garden I heard snorts coming from the woods , I guess my deer friends aren't to happy with me. The first plant was missing the peppers and leaves , but the rest of the row looked untouched. I was afraid the rain had knocked the peppers off , that happened last week , but I had laid the peppers on top of the leaves . Sticking the pepper pods on the stems was more effective.
The japanese beetles have made their appearance , they like the corn. I hung this trap on Monday and it seems to be working . I have never used a trap and wasn't sure it would work. What do you do to control japanese beetles ?
Does anybody make their own traps ?

Well I'm back to the kitchen today , still need to cutup those bell peppers. I didn't get them done yesterday. I did get 3 pints of the hot peppers pickled and made some squash for the babies. I also snapped some green beans , plan to stir~fry them today.

Still , no word about my cousin. Will give an update as soon as he is found. Thanks for your Prayers , Thoughts and Well Wishes.

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Mother Nature's Fury ~

Monday night we spent time in the garden , a storm on Sunday night blew the corn down. We stood it back up , packed the dirt around them and pulled dirt to them , they looked pretty good yesterday. My hubby and I also staked the peppers and had to fix the trellis for the spaghetti squash. I had cages around the tomatoes , so they fared pretty well. Last night Mother Nature made a return with her fury. We have some more corn down , but hopefully everything else is o.k.

I did get 4 quarts of banana pepper rings processed yesterday , before the storm. We lost power for a few hours , so I didn't get to pickle the other peppers or freeze any. So back to the garden we'll go this afternoon , we may have to stake the corn. They have some nice ears coming along and are heavy , the least bit of wind will keep bringing them down. They're forecasting stormy weather everyday this week. I have both of the grandbabies today , so I won't get much done until this afternoon.

I haven't talked to my Aunt today , but as of lastnight he still hadn't been found. They have talked with his friends , but Flassie you're right , there maybe someone they don't know about. They are following some leads , so please keep the positive thoughts and prayers going. Thanks for your concern , it means so much to me.

~~ Blessings ~~ JoyceAnn

~ Blackberry Jelly & Peppers , Peppers , Peppers ~

Yesterday , I made some blackberry jelly. I wasn't going to make any this year since I have 2 jars left from last year , but I couldn't resist. So now I have 6 more jars to add to the pantry.

My sweet bell peppers and banana peppers are showing out this year. I've never had sweet peppers do this well , they're huge , perfect except for the dirt , I took this pic before I washed them. I 'm planning to make stuffed peppers one evening for supper.
Today I will be pickling the banana peppers. We love pickled banana rings on salads , sandwiches or just about anything we eat. I like to eat them raw with my meals too.

The cayenne will be pickled today also , they're doing pretty good. I will pickle them whole.
The jalapenos aren't doing so good , but the few I have will be cut up and froze. I use the frozen peppers in spaghetti sauces , meatloaf or anything I want to add a little heat and spice to.

So I'll be busy in the kitchen today ....... yesterday I did grocery shopping , made jelly and worked in the garden. We had a storm Sunday night and some of the corn was laying down. Dh and I stood it up and pulled dirt around them , hope the sun draws them back to normal.

Talked to my Aunt a little while ago , they still haven't found her grandson. Thank ~ You so much for your Prayers !

~ Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

~ Please Say a Prayer ~

My cousin's son is missing , he left home last Monday after an argument with his Mother. The police are considering him a run away , since he left on his own and won't do an amber alert even though he is a minor. He's 14 and hasn't been seen since last Monday. Please say a prayer for their family and his safe return.

~ Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

* 100 Foot Diet Challenge *

7 ~ 6 ~ 08

Sunday Supper

Green Beans *~* Homegrown

Fatback ~ From Locally Grown Hog

Red Potatoes *~* Homegrown

Squash & Green Onions *~* Homegrown

Baked in oven

~ Meat Loaf ~

Ground Round ~ Local Owned Grocery Store

Eggs ~ Local Owned Grocery Store

Green Onion ~ Homegrown

Banana Pepper *~* Homegrown

Bell Pepper *~* Homegrown

Cayenne *~* Homegrown

Jalapeno *~* Homegrown

Banana Peppers *~* Homegrown

~ Blackberry Cobbler ~

Wild Blackberries ~*~ Backyard Forage

~Taking Some Time Out ~

Mojo

Buddy

~ Happy 4th of July ~

Wishing everyone a ~ Happy 4th of July ~

Enjoy the food

Cherish your Family & Friends

and

Count your Blessings .............

May your Blessings , be many !!

JoyceAnn

~ Honeybeez Sauce ~

Last night I cooked some country style pork ribs over hot coals in the fire pit. DH created a grill rack and Curious J helped make the sauce. It's been cool in the evenings , perfect for cooking over an open fire . I found a recipe I thought I would try , although we changed it up a bit and created our own version. Curious J helped snip the rosemary and get it all mixed up. Thought I would share the recipe.

Honeybeez Sauce

1/2 cup prepared brown mustard

1/2 cup of our local honey

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tsp crushed fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp pepper

Add all ingredients and mix well.

Baste meat during half of cooking time , although we added as soon as it hit the grill ~ Curious J wasn't patient enough to wait. He wanted to paint the meat ( LOL). Add leftover sauce to meat before you serve.

We enjoyed this sauce , it was easy to make and tasted great.

Next time I make it , I plan to add minced garlic to the sauce and try it on chicken.

Curious J loves helping in the kitchen , he helped cut up the squash. My youngest daughter made the broccoli , green onion and squash stir fry with garlic. Curious J and I made a blackberry cobbler , he loves blackberries and enjoyed adding the berries to the batter. Everything was delish , I always forget to take pics of the finished dishes. It's such a good feeling to sit down at the table and eat mostly homegrown foods.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

* Simple Joy *

Lib over at http://libsprivateparadise.blogspot.com/ posted about the simple joy in your life yesterday. She ask the question ~ Whats some simple things that brings you joy ? ~ So I thought about them yesterday and here's my list.

• Baby Squirrels chasing one another in the trees
• Being near water ~ creeks * lakes * ocean * ponds * river ~
• Butterflies
• Creating
• Discovering useful wild weeds (Herbs)
• Drawing
• Feathers
• Fields of Sunflowers or a single one
• Happy Children
• Hummingbirds flittering on flowers
• Pets
• Picking wild berries
• Porch Swings / Tree Swings
• Reading
• Smelling Honeysuckles
• Smelling Magnolia first thing in the morning
• Smiling Grandbabies
• Star Gazing
• Sunrises
• Sunsets

Those are some of my ~ Simple Joys ~

~ Hope your day is Blessed with some Simply Joy ~

JoyceAnn

~ Monday Morning Stroll on the Homestead ~

We were Blessed with rain last night , so the garden looks so lush and green. I took my ~ Monday Morning Stroll on the Homestead ~ and thought I would share some photos. ~ Banana Peppers ~

~ Green Bell Peppers ~

The garlic is drying out nicely.

Picked Jazzy some red clover and fresh grass

I placed an old ~ Pee Pot ~ under the cage to catch her droppings.

Works Perfectly !

~ Homestead Tomatoes ~

~ Another Compost Pile ~

Those cows were out again yesterday , but they didn't get to the garden. My Mom & I got the hoes and were going to head them off ( LOL ) , but the cows decided they had been spotted and went on down the driveway.

I think my deer friends made a visit , something had been eating the okra again. I broke out my organic pest control , will share that tomorrow.

Well , I need to end this post and head to the kitchen. I'll be making baby food today and have lots of squash I need to do something with.

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

~ Yesterday ~

~ Yesterday I had a house full of boys , didn't get time to post. I help a friend out with childcare , after school mostly. But he spends a few days a week with me now that school is out. My payment was a local jar of honey , we barter most of the time. She is single Mom trying to make a living in these hard times. I don't charge her , but she likes to give something in return. Sometimes it's money , if she has extra or whatever we can barter.

My oldest daughter hubby's nephew was visiting yesterday , so he came over to go swimming with K Gray. I also had Little Bob White ( my grandson ) yesterday too. They kept me beezzzzzzzy ~~~ watching the older boys out by the pool and chasing Little Bob White , he's crawling and scooting all over the place now. Boys seem to stay hungry or thirsty all the time (LOL).

I did go out early yesterday morning and pick some more blackberries. I picked a quart and 1 pint , they're huge this year and taste delicious. I made my blackberry cobbler the other night , it was delish , the first one of the season always taste best.

I hope to go to a blueberry farm this weekend or next week and pick some blueberries. I'm going to can & freeze alot of fruits and veggies this summer , it really helps on the food bill and you can't beat the flavor.

~ Hope your weekend is Blessed with Fresh Berries , Love , Peace and Much Happiness ~

~ JoyceAnn ~

~ Peach Leaf Tea and Red Clover Syrup ~

If you've never tried peach leaf tea , I highly recommend it. I was reading about it on a herbal blog ( http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=414 ) and decided to try it yesterday. I gathered the green leaves and made a delightful tea.You can use green or dried leaves.

I just threw a handful of torn / crushed green leaves ( maybe a cup ) into my small sauce pot and added water. I turned the heat to med. high and let it get hot (to a light boil )and simmer about 20 min , then turned the heat off and let it sit for a couple of hours. I strained it through a coffee filter before drinking.

The next time I will simmer before going to bed and let it steep overnight. The flavor was great , I really like it. I dried the rest of the leaves in the oven and stored them in one of my recycled jars. Since I'm trying to cut energy use , I placed the leaves in the oven after I made toast yesterday. Just turn the oven off and place the leaves inside to dry. It didn't take very long , so keep a close eye on them.

The tea is good for morning sickness too . My oldest daughter who is pregnant , loved the taste. It feels good to find a natural , safe and great tasting remedy.

Today I'm making red clover syrup , I put a quart of red clover buds in a pot and added 1 quart of water , let it come to a boil and turned it off , let it steep overnight. Strained it through a coffee filter this morning. I will add sugar and cook it down , until it thickens. Hope to make some red clover pancakes this weekend.

Nature gives us some wonderful foods and teas , if we're willing to work a little for it. I find it very relaxing and enjoyable to work in the garden , pick berries , leaves , clover or whatever the season brings.

~ Herbal Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

* Berry Picking Blessings *

I spent sometime gathering herbs this morning . I was going to pick a couple of cups of blackberries for a cobbler , but the vines were loaded and I ended up with a basket full ( 2 quarts ). I will use some for a cobbler tonight and freeze the rest. I started this folk art style drawing Sat. and finished it today , she's picking blackberries.

~ Berry Picking Blessings ~ JoyceAnn

* ~ Harvest Time ~ *

* MOO MOO MOO................*

This was my wake up call this morning , the dog was barking and I heard cows mooing outside my bedroom window. I got up and looked out and the front yard was full of cows , I woke hubby and he headed them off in the backyard , before they got to the garden , I thought.

Hubby told me to call the neighbor , I headed back in the house to call , but before I got to the phone , I heard the neighbors truck go out. So I headed for the garden. I could see hoof prints along the way , so I knew they had been to the garden. They didn't do much damage , I don't think all of them made it to the garden. I believe one or two went through the garden , they must have called the family (LOL). There were a couple of pieces of corn broke , most of the plants survived the trampling , I think the sun will draw them back up , they weren't completely broken. There were about 20 or more cows when I saw them in the yard , but I don't think they all went through the garden or they would have totally destroyed it. We were Blessed today for sure. I told DH that we need to fence the garden in , that little buck was out there again Friday evening. He has been nibbling at the okra , I noticed deer tracks down the okra row ~ I moved the scarecrow and did the vitalis treatment again. We had rain Thursday and Saturday , I believe the scent had washed away . Tommorrow I plan to add red pepper pods to the okra and greenbeans.

We were sitting on the back porch after brunch today and I saw something out by the chicken coop. I saw its head pop up , it was looking around , hubby thought it was a bunny. I went and got the binoculars , it turned out to be a groundhog. I've never seen one in this area , although I did see one a few years ago about 10 miles north of here. Do they do much damage to gardens ? Does anyone have any experience with groundhogs ~ how do you keep them out of the garden ? It's a full time job , trying to keep the critters out of the garden (LOL).

I did have some nice blooms waiting on me at the garden this morning. These are from the sunflower seeds I planted last year.

~ Green Blessings ~ JoyceAnn