It's warm one day and of course all the little bugs come out (well in this time.) Boy, do they stink when you smash them..hee..hee...
Making Brownies-
As some of you know I love doing things with my children. I also love passing down family recipes or making some new ones up from time to time. Although a lot of times when I try to make something new up it doesn't always turn out (don't ask me about the peppermint patties I made last week..lol..)
Anyway, these did come out. I'll share what we put in them (I myself love nuts but my children don't so I didn't add them but I'd bet they'd turn out even better with them!)
Combine 2 1/4 cups of flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 cup of Coco, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in small bowl (hey, at least I didn't say bowel this time..lol)
Beat 2 cups of brown sugar, 3/4 cup of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3 eggs in a larger bowl. Slowly mix in the smaller bowl (with your flour mixture into the bigger bowl.)
Add some chocolate chips (I got the smaller bag and it worked just fine.) Oh, don't forget give the kid's something to hold them over while you cook it!
Put into greased pan (I used a glass one. No real reason why I used it just seem to be a nice size. It's about 9X13 I believe.) I then put it into the oven at 350 for 25 minutes. Let cool for a while and then cut them and enjoy!
What's for dinner-
Soup tonight. My mother-in-law called me on the phone and gave me something interesting to make. You put one head of broccoli, a head of cauliflower, 6 cups of milk (ok, I didn't stick to her 6 cups because it looked like I needed more. I put 12 cups in), she called for onion (but my family gives me a hard time with that so I didn't put it in), a few carrots, a small bag of chopped ham, and some(1 cup but I added more because I added more milk) flour to thicken it up (now I add my flour after things warm up. I find it mixes better that way.) I'll let you know how it turned out later.
Believing-
Did you believe everything your told? I am not a distrustful person. A matter of a fact I'll listen to anyone but that doesn't mean I follow what they say without double checking at times. I have found that sometimes people will tell you something because they believe it to be true but it may not always be right.
For example: My mother-in-law and I are talking and I tell her that I am going to grow some potatoes. She says that she never bothered with them because they are too much work and you don't get a lot back from it. I asked what she meant. She said for each eye you plant you only get one potato!
Now, I did a little reading on it before talking with her and I kept finding that the eyes will make ONE plant but each plant will make multiply potatoes (kind of like one seed from a tomato will make one plant but each tomato plant will have multiply tomatoes on them.. Although, the potato is in the ground.) Sometimes what you read on the Internet or even in a book it isn't right so I started to ask around and everyone I talked to said the same thing.
Well a SANE person would never call her mother-in-law back and tell her otherwise but I did. Oh, boy.. She says her husband was a farmer (although never farming potatoes because they weren't worth the time) and he should know.
Who am I to say different? I really don't know much about farming or planting really. I just like to read and try things out. So, I blinked back into sanity and told her maybe they were wrong and that I'd just plant some and we'd find out. As I have said before my way isn't the ONLY way or the right way.. I honestly, don't have to be right all the time. I want to learn and sometimes you have to be wrong to learn what's right.
Now, to the interesting part. I am going to plant these potatoes in either garbage cans or in tires. The real reason to why I am going to do it this way is because I know little about my soil here (that's a whole other story I'll tell you here soon) and I think it would be easier for me (until I'll learn about changing my ph in my soil.)
Soil-
A really nice man told me that my soil was 2-3 on PH! I am still shocked at that. I believe him but I hope he is wrong because I don't know how to really deal with that much acid. I know I can add lime and wood ash but how much and all of that I do not know. I have never done anything like this before.
So, off I went to the store for a cheap test. Now, this isn't one of the best test but I want to try it at home. If, I see it's real bad I'll take an sample into the County ext. office and get it tested then and see what they suggest. I just have my fingers crossed that my soil may not be as acidic as he says (I gotta at least hope so.)
Groups I have joined-
I seen an ad in the local paper for a gardening group (like I said before I don't know how to adjust my soil from it's PH problem so I think finding a group to learn from like this is what I need.)
It's called "The garden Club" (I like things simple.) They meet once a month at the senior citizen building in Moody, Alabama. When I called I talked with Patty and this woman was wonderful!
Not only did I talk to Patty about my soil but I also talked to her about her livestock and guard dogs. Come to find out she has 2 Great Pyrenees (which I have been working on Jon to let me get one.) She said she is on a waiting list for a guy that has some puppies that will be ready next month and that her husband said no more! So, she is going to pass along his number to me!
Everyone I talk with that has goats seem to have a Great Pyrenees to control problems with other animals or with people they don't want around. So, it looks like we are getting a puppy!
Click here to learn more about them (Amy, sent me this link. They have goats and two really good looking Great Pyrenees at their farm also. Thank-you Amy!)
