Garden Favorites + Fresh Salsa Recipe

 

We are in our gardening prime right now!  It's not too hot yet, so the weeds are still at a minimum, we've had the third wettest May on record, so I haven't had to water all month, and everything is so very green!  The kids love being able to head out there for a snack whenever they want.  I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things to grow in the garden with you all, they are pictured below.

 

Our strawberry patch has grown bigger and bigger the last couple years and now it takes up about a third of our garden, but that's ok, because we prefer strawberries over green beans any day! (:

 

Sugar snap peas are another favorite, they were introduced to me by my Grandma, who grew them in her garden.  They make a fun snack and are great in stir fry's, if any ever make it inside!

 

Later in the summer a big favorite is all the fixings for fresh salsa!  We have cilantro ready now, which reminds me I need to plant some more so we have another batch ready when the tomatoes finally ripen.  This year I planted more tomatoes than ever, and I also always plant a few hot peppers.  I've included my recipe for fresh salsa that I received from a friend, back when we lived in Tucson, so it's authentic. (:

 

Fresh Garden Salsa

 

3-4 ripe tomatoes, diced

2 hot peppers, seeded and diced

1/4 c. shredded cilantro

1/4 c. diced onion

garlic salt

salt

 

You can adjust this to taste, of course, some people like more pepper and some less.  You have to put in quite a bit of garlic salt and salt, but adjust it to your liking!

I'm joining Home and Garden Thursday.

Memorial Day Tea

 

Miss E and I had not had tea in a while so today seemed like

a good day to remedy that!  Since it's Memorial Day we had

to use our Liberty Blue tea cups and saucers. 

 

I am so thankful that we are able to live in a free country.

Although many of those freedoms are under attack these

days, and the future is uncertain, I know Who holds the future!

 

 

This sweet little milk glass cream and sugar were a gift from

my Grandma on my 8th grade graduation, 24 years ago!

She originally received them for her 8th grade graduation in 1945.

 

We enjoyed our No-bake Cookies on this little plate

featuring life at Monticello over 200 years ago.  I wonder

what our founding fathers would think of our country now?

 

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,

and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Psalm 34:7-8

 

I'll be joining Tea Time Tuesday again today!

New Puppy

 

Aren't these roses beautiful?  May is such a beautiful month.

 

We decided another, bigger, dog would be good to have around,

and so we found this cute little puppy on Craigslist.  She's an

Australian cattle dog, or blue heeler, and loves to play!  She can be a

bit much for Miss E, but hopefully they will get used to

each other before too long.  We still haven't come up with

a name, any suggestions? 

Thinking...

 

For some reason I am having a really hard time coming up with anything to say lately.  But that doesn't mean I'm not thinking.  I have been thinking really hard the past few weeks about deep stuff like, what's my worldview really, and how does that affect my decision making, and I'm finding I know a whole let less than I used to think I knew.  Anyways, even though I can't think of anything remarkable to say I wanted to show you a few of our beautiful flowers this year.  We are having a wet and cool May which our flowers are loving, they are putting on a great show!  Here's a few pics I took this morning.

 

Oh, and the strawberries are ripe now too, so fun!

 

I will leave you with this thought provoking quote by C.S. Lewis,

it is kind of how I feel lately.

 

"I think all Christians would agree with me if I said that though Christianity seems at first to be all about morality, all about duties and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all of that, into something beyond.  One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things, except perhaps as a joke.  Everyone there is filled with light.  But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything.  They are not thinking of it.  They are too busy looking for the source from which it comes."

This week.

 

May is wonderful.

I am really enjoying each new week of flowers,

right now it's the week of irises, can you smell them?

At PD's track meet this week the air was thick

with their scent, it was amazing.

 

Speaking of PD's track meet, Miss E and I spent 6 1/2 hours

there on Monday.  He did awesome, but then, I'm his mom.

I've always hated running.  Obviously...

 

 

Tea in a red transferware tea cup is also wonderful.

So calming, which I seem to need lately...

I am almost done with this Bible study,

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God,

by Lysa TerKeurst.  I would definitely recommend it.

The DVD sessions are also good, you can borrow the DVD

from me if you live local!

 

I will leave you with this quote from St. Patrick,

that I read this week.  It's all about Jesus!

 

Saturday morning play dough recipe

Do you need something fun to do with the kids today? How about making some play dough? This is a recipe from our old church cookbook, by my friend Liz. (: Enjoy!

Play Dough--

1/2 c. salt

1 c. flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 c. water

1 T. vegetable oil

food coloring

Mix dry ingredients in large saucepan and add remaining ingredients.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture gets rubbery.  Turn out and knead.  Store in airtight container.