daybook june 26, 2011

Outside my window…
Sunny skies with a few wispy clouds

I am thinking…
about online planning software which I am actually enjoying working with. I am also thinking about our summer plans and getting the house back in order.

I am thankful for…
my husband’s help with the tomato plants yesterday. Not pruning the suckers off the plants has created bushy plants, plus I got behind in getting the tomato branches tied to the stakes.

I am pondering…

Rejoice! Mend your ways. Encourage one another.

Living a green/frugal lifestyle…
As part of my Zero Waste Project for the summer, I am moving on to the kitchen next week. I’ll still be working on the online planning software since I use my laptop in the kitchen.

From the kitchen…
Preserving the garden produce is in full swing. Currently I am freezing beans and broccoli. We’ve been enjoying yellow cherry tomatoes in our salads, along with a few snap peas, broccoli, and lettuce. I am collecting the raspberries in a quart bag in the freezer.

I think I’ll be harvesting tomatoes and canning them in a few weeks. We found tomatoes starting to turn red as we were working on the plants yesterday.

I am using Springpad to help me remember kitchen tasks like making bread and yogurt, along with my weekly batches of kombucha.

I am creating…
a vision of a more relaxed mom. It’s necessary for my health and the health of my family.

I am going…
to mass this morning, and then home for the rest of the day.

I am reading…
Real Food on a Real Budget for fresh inspiration.

Living A Healthy Lifestyle…
I found a walk through a neighborhood near my home that features lots of hills and lots of beautiful older homes. I’ve been enjoying the hills and the homes.

I am hoping…
for rain this week. We desperately need it!

I am hearing…
children playing quietly.

Around the house…
The office is in better shape. I started going through the toys in the basement last week, and I plan on working down there at least once this week for about 30 minutes. The rest of the time I’ll be working in the kitchen cleaning the inside of cabinets and cleaning up recipe notebooks.

Around the yard…
My husband and I tackled the tomato plants in the garden yesterday. I’ve been overwhelmed by the task, but now it’s finished. We also decided that we had too many cucumbers growing, and we didn’t like the look of one of the 2 varieties. We pulled out those cucumber plants and put in beans, kale, and carrot seeds. I also pulled out the unknown squash plant because it wasn’t producing a squash that I recognized. Since I have 5 pumpkin plants and 2 acorn squash plants growing on the other side of the house, I didn’t feel we needed more squash plants.

We may pull out one row of broccoli next weekend. The broccoli are slowing down in their production, though still doing well with the weather. We also haven’t seen any sign of harlequin bugs. Since that is such a difficult infestation to manage, I usually pull out the broccoli when the bugs show up. Once the broccoli are out, I’ll use the bed to start fall crops like a few more broccoli and some kale.

One of my favorite things…
the flowers in my garden. I love seeing the bright colors either out my window or when I’m outside hanging up laundry.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
library time, summer playground, Peter Moses at Rose Tree Park, and “Despicable Me.”

A picture for thought…

The 4 little ones outside the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. We took a trip to the Train Museum last Friday.

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