WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION... I MEAN SATURDAY AFTERNOON

And it was so warm that I just walked out of my house without having to wear a jacket.  Yes!
 

That jolt when I pulled out of the parking space in front of my house was not me hitting something.  The camera was just laying on the dashboard and it shifted as I turned.  Just saying.
 

I went around lunch time and it was really busy at the farm.  I got the things I wanted at the farm stand and then walked into the greenhouse to see what they had.  As I walked out I sort of panned around to show you the place.  I aimed low because I didn't want to get people's faces.

Here are some other shots from the farm.
 

There were all kinds of pumpkins and squash there.  Lots of different varieties.

This is the display they had when you first walked in the gate.
 

Winter pansies.  I love them.  I didn't have the money to get them today so I hope they are still there in two weeks when I get paid.
 

The sign with these said they were pie pumpkins.
 

Ornamental kale.  One year I had a whole row of it against the fence in my yard.  I might buy this too.
 

Here's what I got from the farm:  tomatoes (really nice ones), sweet potatoes (I had forgotten to get them at the store), a spaghetti squash, a red onion, and the toy for Snowy.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me.  See you later.

Kathy

Sunrise:  7:12 a.m.

Sunset:  6:18 p.m.

11 hours and 6 minutes of daylight

Temperatures:  High: 73*/Low: 59*

A SHOPPING DAY... I DIDN'T MEAN TO SPEND ALL THAT MONEY!

It wasn't the nicest day today weatherwise because it was so cloudy, but the temperatures weren't as high as they have been.  I decided to head for the farm to see what they had.  I haven't been there in a long time.  Joe decided he wanted to get out of the house and go with me.

We got quite a bit of food.  More than I expected to.

 Peaches, wax beans, tomatoes, spring mix, summer squash, zucchini and two orange and cranberry scones.  All for under $20.  Not bad.

The farm also sells plants -- herbs and flowers.  The flowers looked so great today.  I was surprised they held up so well in the heat.  My plants are looking a little... well... dead.

On the way out I saw a koi pond.  That's new.  I stopped to take a couple of pictures.

There was an Italian Ice guy setting up his truck as we were leaving.  Joe and he started talking and Joe bought a couple ices from him.  I asked if I could take his picture and he said sure.  I took it and then he and Joe posed.  I took another one and thought I had it, but I didn't.  By that time we had walked away and I didn't want to walk all the way back to get it.  It's a shame, because that was really funny the way they were posed.  Oh well, next time.  He says he is there every other week.

Then we headed to Rite Aid.  Joe was looking for a mini three ring binder.  We haven't been able to find it anywhere.  Rite Aid didn't have it either.  But we ended up getting cereal, a journal for me, a birthday gift for my sister, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and a few other things.  I spent a lot of money there, but with my discount card I saved $21.

When we left there we headed for Target which was the only place I had found the binder Joe was looking for.  We were going to get only that and a box of crackers.  Well, you know that didn't happen.  We spent a LOT of money on very nice things.  Cat food was so cheap.  So was the cat litter.  Besides that let me show you some of the things we got.

Last Christmas Joe gave me some of the skinny suede clothes hangers.  We both love them and he keeps taking them back for his clothes.  When I saw these hangers at 5 for $3 I knew we had to get some.

I was looking in the notecard aisle.  They had such nice cards.  I ended up getting the butterfly card and one with my initial on it.

I was in the party aisle looking for either ribbon or washi tape for a DIY project I will show you later this week.  I was really impressed with how things all matched.  And I loved all the birthday stuff they had to choose from.

Our downfall, though, was when we went to get the box of crackers.  The food just called to us.  Such bargains we found although most of it was either what we have been paying at Shop Rite or even more in some cases.

Here's a sampling of what we got.

The Pringles were 3 for $5.  The cookie chips were 2 for $5.  These are put away for our vacation in a couple of weeks.  We like to take snacks with us although sometimes we bring them home unopened.
 

A friend told me about these sandwich thins.  You get the satisfaction of bread but without the bulk or calories.  I am trying hard to cut down on carbs, so thought I would try these.  They are wonderful!  So tasty and filled me up as much as a regular piece of bread would.  These are definitely a go to product for me from now on.
 

We have loose song sheets at church that are getting mixed up and lost.  I picked these up to use for the sheets.  They are just folders, but I have some clips I can use to hold the papers in.  I will take the sheets home and put these together this week.  We are hoping to make a little chorus booklet.
 

Here are the notecards I got along with some patriotic pencils.  Twelve pencils for $1.  I took a jar we had in the kitchen and made it into a pencil holder.  It looks so cute.
 

I also got these gel clings for my window.  Too late for Fourth of July but they will keep until next year.  I also use them to decorate the inside of my back door.  But they would look good on the front door too.

To top it off I got my Julep box today when I got home.

 

Inside was a powder highlighter, a pretty lipstick called "Primrose" (I love the color) and five nail polishes.  There was also an orange slice candy which I promptly ate because it is my all time favorite.  Yum!  The best part is this box was free because I had collected enough points from the other things I had bought over the last few months.

Besides loving the color, I also love the case to this lipstick.  The ends are magnetic so after you use it when you go to close it, it just snaps together.  

After all of that I made chicken salad sandwiches for dinner from a leftover rotisserie chicken we had the other night and the left over salad from yesterday.  I added a half of a mango we got at Target to the salad.  Oh my it was SO sweet and good.  I could have sat there and just eaten the mango and nothing else.

But now it's late and there is church tomorrow.  Thanks for coming along with me on my day.  Until later...

Kathy 

THE LAST DAY OF WINTER I WENT TO THE FARM

Here it is the last day of winter and what is predicted for tomorrow? Snow!  At least the forecast has changed and the 12 or so inches that was predicted earlier has gone down to an inch or less.  The weather forecaster said that it shouldn't even stick on the pavement and street.  That is good news.  A pretty snow that is gone the next day.  I can live with that.

After I got up and going today I went to the farm.  It was a nice day to go.  The theme this week was Italian Dinner.  But they also were focused on spring and colors.  So they had things like golden beets and rainbow carrots.  Being the end of the month I didn't have a lot of money so I didn't get the Smoke Signal cheese for $6 a slice.  Even if I did have the money that's a lot for a small slice of cheese.  I know cheese is expensive but...  I also didn't buy the can of tomatoes for $4.  I did, however, go to Rite Aid afterwards and get a can for $1.49.

Let me show you what I got today:

 Pink lady apples (our favorite), rainbow carrots, and the can of tomatoes from Rite Aid.  Remember I said the farmstand theme was colors.  I can't wait to use those carrots in a nice salad.  It will be so pretty.  

Did you know that originally carrots were purple?  Before the 17th century, almost all cultivated carrots were purple.

The modern day orange carrot wasn’t cultivated until Dutch growers in the late 16th century took mutant strains of the purple carrot and gradually developed them into the sweet, plump, orange variety we have today.  Before this, pretty much all carrots were purple with mutated versions occasionally popping up including yellow and white carrots.  These were rarely cultivated and lacked the purple pigment anthocyanin.

It is thought that the modern day orange carrot was developed by crossing the mutated yellow and white rooted carrots as well as varieties of wild carrots, which are quite distinct from cultivated varieties.

Some think that the reason the orange carrot became so popular in the Netherlands was in tribute to the emblem of the House of Orange and the struggle for Dutch independence.  This could be, but it also might just be that the orange carrots that the Dutch developed were sweeter tasting and more fleshy than their purple counterparts.

Besides the farm stand there were tons of flowers for sale.  Again, I didn't have the money today but when I go back in two weeks I will buy some.  I did get pictures, though.

Gerbera daisies

This is part of the inside of the greenhouse.  Do you see the shamrocks on the bottom shelf of the stand?

There were some awesome orchids.

Primroses.  I love them but they always die on me.

Pansies

So pretty.  I hope to buy some in a couple of weeks.

I love going to the farm.  This is the first time this year the farm stand was outside of the greenhouse.  That is good news!  Summer is coming.

 I had another down day today.  I am very tired all the time and doze off almost as soon as I sit down.  I hope I can get my energy back soon.  There is so much to do.

I have to go now and print out the bulletins for Sunday morning service tomorrow.  Hope you all have a good night.

Kathy

A MIXED-UP, MESSED-UP DAY

Ever have one of those days where no matter what you do it seems you take three steps forwards and two steps back?  I have tried so hard to get things done today and Joe and I have seemed to work at cross purposes.  I would plan to do one thing and he not knowing went ahead and did another.  Ah well.  Tomorrow is another day.

Joe has been washing clothes like crazy ever since we got back from Tennessee.  As a result there are clean clothes everywhere.  I had no idea I had so many clothes!  I am sorting through them to see what can go to Salvation Army next week.

I went to the farm for the first time this year.  It was so good to be at the farmstand although the pickings were very slim.  I went late, though, so that may have been the reason.  I didn't take a picture of them before I put things away but I got three shallots, two big red onions, 1/2 pound of cremini mushrooms and two lovely navel oranges.  I was really looking for leeks for dinner tonight and the lady ahead of me took the last bunch.  But I'll just use the shallots instead.

For dinner I'm making lemon chicken and a pasta salad that I saw Nancy Fuller make on "Farmhouse Rules" today.  Of course I will change it up using the things I have in the house but I expect it will be just as good.

And so that is where I am heading now -- the kitchen to make dinner.  I hope you all have a good night.  Maybe you'll see the Dog Star (or the Snoopy constellation) in the sky tonight.

Kathy

SATURDAY AT THE FARM

Yesterday was the first Saturday off for the summer.  It was strange not working on a Saturday.  I'm sure I'll get used to it in no time, though.  My foot is still really swollen and hurting so I didn't do much of anything.  The one thing I did do was go to the farm.  For the rest of the summer I will be going every other week (pay weeks) to get their good food.  I always try to keep it under $20 and just made it this week.  But look what I got.

Wax beans, cheddar cauliflower, tomatoes, spring onions, cucumber and zucchini.

 We had the wax beans for dinner and they were delicious.

I have been looking for something to put in the little planter I got for the outside table.  I was thinking of marigolds since the planter is brown, but found these pretty purple-pink impatients and got them. 

I was surprised at how nice they look in the planter.  The dirt on the table is from me just planting them.  They look good with the white table and the blue chairs.

Other than that I didn't do much of anything except lay around with my foot up.  It's feeling better this morning so I am going to go to church. I can't wait until Tuesday to see the doctor.  I don't think it's broken but something is going on.  A sprain?  Arthritis?  All I know is that I can't keep going on like this.


My friend, Marion, is a real estate agent.  She is on a team with her friend Chris.  I recommended them to my co-worker Diane when she wanted to sell her dad's house after his death.  On Friday the settlement went through.  When I got home from work Joe asked me if I knew anyone named Chris.  I said yes and he said there was a box from her in the mail.  I opened it and there was this beautiful cutting board and knife with all kinds of treats attached and a note thanking Joe and me for our referral.  That was so nice.  I haven't eaten anything yet, but Joe had one of the amaretto cookies and a bag of cashews with white chocolate and pomegranate seeds and he said they were wonderful.  I'm looking forward to trying the Monterrey jack cheese and black pepper water crackers and the candied fruit slices.  We are going to enjoy this so much.  And I love the bamboo cutting board too.

I need to go.  I'm baking a peach and blueberry long cake for church this morning.  I want to do it before I take my shower and get dressed.  It's no good going to church with flour all over you.

Have a good Sunday everyone!

Kathy

THE FARM

Yesterday was a low-key day for me.  I mostly just lay around and slept.  The one thing I did do was go to the farm.  It was drizzling, so I made it a quick trip.  Joe went with me and it was fun going with him.  We don't do enough things together.

I didn't get very much, but what I did was so good.

Red bliss potatoes, baby heirloom tomatoes, garlic, 1/4 of a watermelon and 4 nectarines.

The watermelon is gone.  So sweet and good!  It was dessert for dinner last night.  I made a "What You Have" Pie for dinner and some of the tomatoes went into that.  Oh my!  I am making a salad for dinner and will use some more of them in that.  Joe has already eaten two of the nectarines.  He said they were sweet and he can't wait to eat the others.  I plan on making potato salad with the red potatoes for dinner.

Well, that didn't last long.  I love eating veggies that were growing in the field less than a week ago.  That's the best thing about this time of year.

Kathy

SATURDAY WITH DONNA

It's been a long time since my friend, Donna, and I have been able to get together.  Our schedules just don't seem to mesh.  When I am free, she isn't and when she is, I'm not.  Joe's sister being sick and then her death and Donna's father having medical issues that she is helping with didn't help either.  But finally last Saturday we were able to meet up and spend a big chunk of time together.

The first thing we did was to go to the farm.  She had never been to Greensgrow and I wanted to go to the Farmer's Market while it was open.  It's open only a few days during the winter.  I wanted to get some things and knew Donna would be interested in seeing it.  I was right.  We both ended up spending more than we thought we would.  Here's what I got this week:

A red onion, sweet potatoes, carrots, Pink Lady apples, an Asian pear and a loaf of Italian bread.

 Pink Lady apples are Joe's favorite.  He said it was juicy, sweet and absolutely wonderful.  We both love Asian pears too.  I had it in the salad I made for dinner on Sunday.  (I talked Donna into getting one.  I hope she likes it.)

We left the farm and went to Rite Aid.  I needed to get a few things.  As usual I went down the 50% off aisle looking for bargains.  I really wanted to get some little things for the back yard this year, but everything I liked was too expensive even at half off.  Then...

I saw these concrete jeweled animals.  There were birds, frogs, and one bunny.  And the price was right ($2.50).  I took the bunny and I am saving it for Easter.  I had to take the bunny, didn't I?  It was the only one there.  It was lonely.

See the pink butterfly on its side?  Butterflies are special to me.

Isn't it cute?

We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A.  We both love it there. While we were eating who should walk in but my mailman!  Besides being our mailman, Paul is also a friend of Joe and myself.  So I got the chance to talk with him for a few minutes.

Donna needed to stop at Pathmark for some cat food, so that's where we ended up.  I was able to pick up a few things I needed also.

It was a fun day.  We have already made plans to do this again in a few weeks.

Kathy
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 Monday's weather
Sunny
High:  40 degrees
Low:  31 degrees
Sunrise:  6:41 a.m.
Sunset:  5:47 p.m.
11 hours and 6 minutes of daylight

DOWN ON THE FARM

6 days to Valentine's Day

I had some energy today so I got Joe up (no sleeping in for him today) and we went errand running.  I have to do it when I am feeling good these days.  So much of the time I just lay around and fall asleep because I've been so sick.

I found out that the farmstand was open so we started out at Greensgrow Farm.

It was so good to get back there.  I miss the fresh organic veggies.

And I did good too.

Purple sweet potatoes, red onion, turnips and a carnival acorn squash

I have never seen purple sweet potatoes nor a carnival acorn squash before.  I'm anxious to use them and see how they taste.  That's one thing about the farmstand.  You always see something new there.

Joe loves the Copa Soaps.  They are expensive, but they are handmade and last forever so I guess they are worth it.  We didn't get any today because we didn't have the money, but next time.  His favorite scent is the spice.

I'm not much of a honey eater, but Joe is.  He loves Honey from the Hood.  Greensgrow has its own bee hives and produces different kinds of honey -- blueberry, clover, etc.

I wondered why they still had Christmas ornaments for sale, but was told that a lot of people hang them in their windows like suncatchers.  Nice idea.

We stopped at Wawa on the way home to get hoagies for lunch.  There was a little girl outside selling Girl Scout cookies, so I bought a box off of her.  I love the shortbread.  They are my favorite.

 

Debbie also has a box waiting for me at her house.  I have to get over there and pick them up.  Then I am all set for awhile.  I will have to stop myself from sitting down and eating a whole box at once.  I absolutely LOVE them.  (You know I really won't eat a whole box at once.  I would be very sick and then I wouldn't like them anymore. *wink*)

I took Joe to the barber to get a haircut on the way home.  He really needed it.  He was getting rather "shaggy".

We also stopped at the library to get some photocopies and pick up a box I was saving at my desk and Rite Aid to get a few things.  So by the time I got home I was exhausted.  I've just been laying around watching TV ever since.

Did anyone watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics last night?  I recorded it and watched it this morning.  I thought it was one of the best, if not THE best, that I have ever seen.  I usually get bored with them, but watched this one all the way through.  I am anxious to see the figure skating which is my favorite part although I like the speed skating, skiing and luge also.

I'm going to go get something for dinner.  I never got the chicken soup made, so I think that will be for tomorrow.  I'll look through the pantry and see what is easy.  Until later...

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Saturday's weather:

Cloudy/snow showers

High:  30 degrees

Low:  20 degrees

Sunrise:  7:02 a.m.

Sunset:  5:28 p.m.

Of course I was home today but it was too cloudy to see a sunset.  No picture.  *sigh*