Garden and Kitchen Time

The garden continues to dominate my time. The corn is simply not going to make it. 

I went on a purple theme this year...not sure why. LOL 

Acorn squash 

A few more peas...

Time in the garden leads to time in the kitchen... 

Beets...now that I know I can grow them, and that Michael likes them, we'll plant more in future years. 

Millie isn't overly fond of canning days when she has to be out of the kitchen. 

home-grown flowers

Stacia's Shadow...

Stacia has a shadow these days. 

We planted purple and green beans in the space where the greenhouse had been last year. They did well. I thought that meant I had figured out how to grow beans in AK...looking back from 2022 I realize it was an unseasonably warm summer and they did better than typical. 

Stacia harvests beans while Millie plays. 

purple beans

The squash is doing great too. 

Spaghetti squash 

It's satisfying to pick the veggies we need for the next few days.  

We harvested all the beans and will put these up for winter's use. 

Millie helps with dishes....

She's not as great a help in the kitchen as she thinks she is. 

We've never had a dog big enough to snatch food from the counters. Millie as a pup could. We began working on stopping this. 

Some of the veggies are used as Stacia creates this wonderful pan of yakisoba. 

More Zucchini pickles.

Zucchini EVERYWHERE

Today is all about zucchini. 

 

I made lots of relish, shredded some for the freezer, and even made some pickled.

Note from 2022...I used monk Fruit in place of sugar in my canning. Everything tasted great. HOWEVER, when I refrigerate the relish, pickles etc...the monk Fruit crystalizes. This was disappointing. I have heard there is a way you can use it and it won't do this - but I've not tried again. 

Lap Dog

 Millie continues to think she is a lap dog. She is the cuddliest dog we've ever had...ironic as she is the biggest dog we've ever had. LOL 

Sibling Climb

 Krista, Nolan, Stacia and Millie took advantage of the nice day to climb to the top of the Butte. The view is great from up there. 

Stacia and Millie Meet Zak George

 You know how sometimes you find the perfect gift and you knock "it" out of the park? Jamin did that for Stacia's 15th birthday.  Stacia purchased Millie a couple of months prior to her birthday... She had been watching all kinds of videos on puppy training by Zak George.  

At the party Jamin asked her if she'd like to have a one on one session with ZAK GEORGE?

WHAT? 

Jamin is a real estate agent. Jamin meets people. One of his people was Zak George and he and his wife were willing to meet with Stacia and Millie. 

This was a great afternoon for Stacia. Zak said that she is doing a great job with Millie. It would seem that Labradoodles are "extra" and he is now the second trainer to say she is doing a good job. He had a few pointers to help with her stubborn streak and her tendency to eat the inedible.  

Thanks to Jamin for the pictures and for making the arrangements for this special afternoon. 

Stacia Turns 15!

 Stacia's magnificently loaded Birthday Sundae on birthday Sunday. 

 

We missed Cory (had to work), Larissa (at home in Juneau) and Izaak (had previous plans). Nolan arrived after work. All in all this is a pretty good crowd and the sundaes were a hit!  Both Bre and Arielle are starting to sport pretty cute baby bumps. 

Bre, Annie, Gideon, Stacia, Bella, Livie, Krista, Carrie
(Michael and Jamin in the back) Cy, Jared, Alex, Benny, & Arielle

Puppy Cuddles

Cousins! 

Stacia and Jamin bounce kids....

Interesting sermon notetaker....

Football of some sort

Annie is coming into her personality - and it's delightful!

Stacia received quite a few thoughtful gifts, cake decorating tools, a warm fuzzy blanket, a tablet, a phone, phone minutes, play toys for Millie and a training session for Millie with a trainer Jamin knew.

Best of all? Dad woke up! Yes, GG is awake and there is no more talk of implementing his medical directive.