Guess What?!?!?!?!!!!!

5 more days of work till vacation.
5 more days to wait.
5 more days to think of something to do.
5 more days to clean my house.
5 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!
Then Disneyland!!!! And California!!!!!
I'm so excited I cannot wait. I have butterflies of excitement in my tummy and cannot sit still long enough to do anything!

Yesterday I shredded almost all of my squash- 46 cups (generous- I heaped them a little)plus 1 made into zucchini bread, and an entire gallon bag stuffed full of cubed squash plus 2 more whole squash for steaming in the fridge, and more coming in the garden. I might have to try make squash pickles and just can some with vinegar and salt to store and I can rinse off the juices and cook as a side dish...

(and remember- I gave away at least 5-6 squash- some were large)

 Above: an entire 1/2 of my bottom freezer drawer. Below: the top 1/2 of my fridge. 1 bag Cubed, 2 bags shredded.

I guess I can't buy more groceries unless I eat it all up. The big bag of ice will go with us to California and will make more room. I'll probably make 2 cups into loaves to bring with as well. we'll probably finish off the big gallon of sherbet in the freezer before we go... Maybe there's hope after all...

Now I know what they say is true... If you grow zucchini, you'll have them coming outta your ears! Believe me! With all I have stored away, I'll not have to grow them for probably 2 years! That's 47 loaves of zucchini bread! Maybe more maybe less as I find other uses for it all and as my garden still provides!

I'm thinking:

• zucchini bread
• squash pancakes
• squash latkes
• steamed squash
• squash muffins
• etc..
• any ideas???
• "pumpkin" bread?

The garden, it provideth a lot. Still.

3 Cantaloupe I picked yesterday: MMMMMMM they smell yummy!

 And my pickles I made the other day. I'm so proud of them! I'm still hoping they taste good! I'll give them another 2 weeks to soak in flavor before I crack open the first jar! (This picture is old. the kitchen is now clean, and the pickles are on the shelf. )

But wow! so much food! and this is the first year I'm actually getting enough to save! And give away!
I'm finding my garden soil grows watermelon, Armenian cucumbers, cantaloupe, squash, and zinnias really well. One year I had butternut squash coming outta my ears, (I was so happy when it finally froze!) I'm kinda weird cause I'm now hoping I'll get more squash so I can try make pickles outta them!

Anyways, I gotta go find something to do- maybe clean my house or something! Maybe I'll look for more food in the garden! I leave in 5 days!!!!

I'm so excited!
Have fun today!
Trisha.

HeeeeeelllllPPPPPPP!!!!!

My husband says he's not going to Disneyland because he can't go into Pooh's Playful Spot because it's closed for renovation.

Dang It! and I so badly wanted to go!

yum

I have been busy today planning my Disneyland vacation, and canning pickles. I sure hope they taste good so I didn't waste my time! They are so easy! I made about 1/2 with canning spice, and 1/2 without. I don't know if it will make them sweet bread and butters or not, cause I don't like those types of pickles! I put no sugar in mine! Plain dill all the way for me! Cucumbers, garlic, dill, mustard seed, vinegar, salt, water. Those are the only ingredients. except for the pre-made pickling spice in some!

These are the Armenian cucumbers and squash I got from the garden today. All of this (cucumbers only) plus part of another from the fridge went into all the jars. I ran out of jars.

Ever try a homemade buttered English muffin?

These are the sourdough ones. They don't look as pretty as the other recipe, but they sure do taste good!

Here are the ones from the other recipe that tastes like a honey sweet roll. Such a disappointment! they look so pretty!

Comparison side by side: Sourdough on the left, plain on the right.

Closer: regular on left, sourdough on right. Check out them nooks and crannies on that sourdough! the other just looks like bread.

Both work as English muffins, but for the real taste, the sourdough ones win. I'll never make the other recipe again.

And yes, the gecko has not surfaced. Sure hope I didn't end up canning him! Still nervous I'll step on him in the middle of the night though if I have to get up!

(I cooked anyways. Even though my husband hasn't removed the gecko yet.) We had chicken stew for supper with steamed squash from the garden. It's so delicious!

 I'm going to have to get a pressure canner somehow so I can can meat, veggies, and fruit. The meat only cause I've heard it's so tender and delicious when home canned, and I'm always wondering if my freezer stops working when I'm not around... I'd not have to worry at all except about how we'll eat all the homemade bread before it goes bad! cause most of the meat would be shelf stable! And can you imagine how fast it would be to make supper? You can even can stew or soup! and pie fillings!

I'm getting excited to start lining every available shelf in my entire house with all kinds of jars!

I'll just have to buy a lot of wide mouth jars cause I don't like the small mouth ones. they're hard to clean. easier to get jelly out of even! probably pickles too! and it's easier to scrape your pie filling out of and ..... 

I just want wide mouth jars. They look cuter.

So have a good night!

Trisha.

Yay! Baby's out!

I received a call last night from my sister. Baby waited all day to come and finally came after 11PM. I was so relieved to hear he is healthy, 8lbs 1oz and a beautiful baby. My brand new baby nephew!

I get to see him today!!!! I am sooooo excited!

yesterday we had our house painted. We went from this:

 To this: I stubbornly did NOT want the bricks painted. I'm hoping it looks OK. I like to look at unpainted brick

 Here is one of the painters trying to cover the front window: Hee Hee I took a picture of him!

 I think everything ties together now. It all matches. Notice the dog always has to smell the watermelon??? I don't get it. It never smells like anything till you cut it open...

 And yesterday morning I took a picture of the sun peeking around the saguaro. It's growing 2 new arms!

 And yesterday I started 2 recipes of English muffins. The first is sourdough:

 The second, just regular.

I've always been curious to make them, and now I did. I'll cook them when they finally raise.

For now, I gotta finish my breakfast and try think of what to do till I call my sister at 10AM.
I can't wait to see that baby!
Have a great day! Cause this is going to be baby's first day with sunshine! and he's going to be so sick of us all passing him back and forth and fighting over him!
But he'll get used to it! My other nephew did!

See ya later! Trisha

The Starts of Painting

A new view! They pressure washed first... Good thing I never clean my windows huh?

 Guess what I found in the garden this morning? OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!!!! (maybe 4 of those were already in the fridge)

More Squash! I knew you would never ever guess that!

Oh dear.... and I saw more big watermelons. HELP!

3 big ones, A millions tiny watermelons, thousands of squash ripening per day, etc... etc... etc...

BUT...I am so excited today! My new baby nephew will be arriving here today. and then after work, maybe I can go visit him! I cannot wait to see him! I'm sure he's going to be just as cute and precious as my other 2. (-Just cause my sister's only popped out the cutest.)

Don't get me wrong, I love all babies, It's just a different feeling altogether when they are of your own sister's blood. I'm not sure why. They are just so special. Maybe it's just instinct kicking in to gather together to protect and raise your own, but it just feels different. I just don't know how to explain it. Like it feels acceptable to kiss their cute cheeks while it feels like other parents are going to look at you as a giant germ if you kiss their kid... Don't know... I'm just saying....

IT'S DIFFERENT I TELL YOU!!!!

Anyways, I'm going to most likely meet my new nephew TODAY!!!!

So I'll see you later! I gotta go watch them paint or I might bore you by repeating myself over and over about my new nephew, and Disneyland! And I get to see him all weekend! I got my 4 day weekend off starting tomorrow! Then I get to help my sister out! And hold my new baby nephew!

So, have a great day! Cause today will most likely be my new nephew's Birthday!
Trisha.

Progress At Last

Remember that big pile of bricks? I moved them this morning all by myself. It now looks like this:

 We are getting the outside of our house painted tomorrow. My fingers are raw, swollen, and red. I also have cuts and slivers  all over and a bruise on one knuckle. I'm feeling very sorry for myself. I'll have to wear gloves all day at work so I don't get them all infected. But look! All moved! including the tree branches from the tree we cut down out front many moons ago. (I'm planning on a campfire) I had to keep thinking of something else while I was moving the bricks each time I remembered I'd have to move them again when I lay my brick walkway again.

 Them cucumbers just don't stop do they? they are completely taking over the border around my garden. and going outside the fence. notice the squash at the bottom of the picture? they're doing the same.

 My garden is so thick and dense, it's nearly impassable now. You have to go hiking just to get through. Here is the squash and beans and a zinnia. Remember these are at least 3 feet tall. some are taller.

 Around the corner, squash still growing. who would have thought squash could grow like that? It's growing along the ground like a vine. in the background, strawberries, watermelon and cantaloupe.

 and my poor poor strawberries. I don't know whats wrong with them, nor do I have time to study what is inflicting them. But they are barely hanging on. I just picked a baby strawberry this morning though!

 And oh dear! Another big one!

 Oh dear! more starting to grow!

 OH DEAR! I absolutely have to transplant my seedlings!

I have 13 full days until my vacation starts! Disneyland!!!!!!!
I am so excited! I absolutely cannot wait!

I have to eat breakfast and get ready for work now, So have a good day!
Trisha

Aiyyy-yiiieyyy-yyiiiiii!!!!!

Look!!!!!! Help!!!! what am I going to do??????

6 squash, 1 watermelon, 1 cucumber and of course, the dog HAD to smell it... while I took the picture...

It seems every second that I am home, there are things to do, like for days..... and I finally go out in the garden this morning to just see if the CUCUMBER I saw a couple days ago is ripe and BAM! I find all that also..... HELP!!!! I'm outta canning lids or I would try can squash. this variety is for that. Help!

I have been spending what ever time I can find trying to plan my Disneyland trip next month, so haven't been getting much else done. and any other time I had: My 3 day job of making orange marmalade (don't ask why it took 3 days... just figure in time there to get it started, the next day to start making it, realizing I was out of sugar, ....) turned out some pretty good marmalade I'll tell you! and my first time making it, and I have never bought the stuff before and only tried it here or there throughout my life. SO I'm pretty proud of myself! tastes like honey on Ritz crackers. but it has 3 ingredients- oranges, water, and sugar.

BUT DISNEYLAND!!!!!! I am way beyond excited and I'm already counting down the days till I can go!!! I cannot wait!

I've been waiting for my husband to take me since we got married 7 years ago! and now we're finally going!!!! FINALLY! YAY!!!

Splash mountain, thunder mountain rail road, space mountain, toon town, etc........... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait! I first want to go on Alice In Wonderland's spinning teacups!!!!! and walk through the castle....  and see the parade, go through the haunted house, and go to California Adventure park.....

I am so excited I feel like crying and I can't concentrate on work, and I can't wait for all the days to just disappear between now and then so I can just GO!


So, I'll write more later after I get my head outta the clouds. And I gotta get ready for work.
Trisha.

Forgot

Oh! did I tell you that when I scrubbed/mopped up Cruizer's flour and spit mess that it

• took just as long to mop the entire rest of the house that it did to clean his mess
• smelled just like pancake batter
• I learned I don't like cleaning flour/spit messes
• I'll NEVER leave a new bag of flour on the counter AGAIN.

Thanks for letting me take some of your time.
Trisha

HELP!!!!

Oh dear.....   how are we (me and my husband) supposed to eat all that before it goes bad???

 TA-DA!! There's the new door!!! ( I haven't yet woken up the house so it's kinda dark still)

 And my baby pineapple plants are taking off! I can see the new growth-maybe not you! I am so excited!!!

 Am I the only weird person who loves to look out at my green patch of garden through my new door? I find I keep looking out and looking out and looking out at it! I just can't believe how the watermelon and cantaloupe vines are taking over the fence!

  I just know that in a couple of months, it will look like this: (minus the lettuce bolt towers)
KINDA DEPRESSING HUH???
 So I think I will enjoy just looking out and looking out and looking out.... while I can.

BLURRRRRRR (can you tell I took it through the rainy window while we were driving?)- this is the drive to Flagstaff- about 2 miles was fog and what looked like snow all over here and there, but we figured it musta HAILED! I took this picture too late after we passed the "snow". you can still see some.

 Here was towards the end- the next 2 seconds we were out of it. POOF! just like that!

Made for a fun drive! I'm getting so excited just like I do every year for fall and the colors it brings! red, brown, orange, tan, yellow, Burgundy, gold, maroon, fire engine red.
-Just had to throw that last one in there cause it sounded good. I can't remember where or when I heard or read that term before, but oh boy, I figured they just had to pick a name for their color that just POPed out and grabbed the buyers attention or something!

But OOOOHHHHHH! the weather was so pretty up there! I felt like moving there! I want to stay there! Open window weather all summer!

My seedling tray that the dog has miraculously left alone so far- sprouting!:

Pretty tree seedlings from the park within the community we used to live in:

yellow/orange flowered honeysuckle bushes (five million!) that I gathered from a house.

Mexican bird of paradise from seeds from the first house we lived in.

Mesquite tree seedling from seed pods I gathered from the neighborhood of the first house we lived in:

(the 4 pods of dirt are filled with seeds. only 1 came up.)

ANYWAYS, time for me to go enjoy my HUGE stack of library books I gathered yesterday and MOM??? where are you????
COME         GET       A         WATERMELON!!!!!
They're backing up! 3 in the fridge and 30 in the garden and still a bag of cut watermelon we still hafta eat....... and the squash, Oh my! Who woulda thought that when it started producing that I would have them coming outta my ears???? I wonder if I could use it in place of zucchini for zucchini bread... any ideas? would it taste the same???

HELP!!!!
Trisha

open house today: all are welcome

Yup, My husband removed the door last night. we slept with no AC and had bugs everywhere after the lights were on last night. You sleep well??? It's still warm in the house. Cruizer loves it! in and out in and out... if only now I could convince him he really didn't need me up to witness him peeing in the morning when he can let himself out....  but I won't bother training him. the new door should be in tonight! :-)

 The breezes blow in...

 The breezes blow out.

carrying dust. and bugs.

and yup, just as planned, I now have no cleaning to do except make messes and waste time:

 I pitted all these cherries and now don't know what to do with them. I would like to make cherry pie filling but have no experience cooking with cherries.... so here they sit till I can figure out what to do with them. I just might freeze them till I figure it out.

 I started making no pectin grape jelly today. here it is draining.

and yes, duh I work in a sanitary work environment. (everything is dusty and hopeless whan you have breezes blowing in and out at their convenience). Just remember you don't have to eat any.

and back to this mess:   Didja hafta lick it Cruizer?????? (it's stuck- might have to chip it off)

 I highly doubt Cruizer will help me clean it up. here he is watching me take a picture of his mess so curious:

OOOOOHHHHH nice slimming picture huh Cruizer???

Anyways, I gotta go cause I leave in an hour, (leaving 1/2 hour late!) and I got fruit just sittin!

So that's my day so far! -stuff to cross off the list of things to do before I leave, NONE!

Have fun!
Trisha