Oregon Harvest

Okay so here's the deal.  Gardening in Oregon can be very successful or not so much.  If you want to eat tomatoes.... some years just stink!  BUT... I am learning that a few things do amazing.  This is what I know.  Green beans grow really well here, no matter the weather.  Lettuces, cabbages, peas, and herbs also do VERY well.  I have even gotten a TON of basil which is a warmer weather crop, but you do have to keep pinching the heads off or it will go to seed and get bitter.  I am thinking that winter squash also do very well but am not ready to give up that much of my garden space for it.  A note about cabbage... cover it with cheese cloth to keep out the moth larve, and cover your swiss chard so the sun doesn't scorch it.  Do successive plantings of lettuce and you'll have it all summer long.  My summer squashes are not doing wonderful... but I am getting a few.  And those are my first ripe tomatoes.  As for tomatoes... I have had too many tomatoes before but not the past few years.  I did decide to cut the tops off of my tomato plants today hoping that the energy would go into the fruit and not new growth.  Oh and I am still hoping for a billion lemon cucumbers, but last year was a bust so I'm not getting my hopes up.  Happy Gardening!

Grant's Baptism

Friends and family met us at the 45th street chapel for Grant's baptism.  He was so excited and did a great job.  The building was still standing after we left so it was a good day! 

Kroc Center

Great times in the pool

Gotta love the goggles!

Rock Climbing

That's Preslee!  Doesn't she look awesome?

That is ME!  Got to the top, then freaked out when I had to jump down. 

It was a good day for the family.  Now I want a membership.

Nee Deep

Best Times of a Young Boys life... no need to say more!

The Girls

Preslee, Me, My Mom, and Kim in Portland

She had no idea what she was about to see...

Up Up and AWAY!

Preslee did an Summer Orchestra camp, this was the final concert.

One very cute audience member and her amazing cello playing sister!

The Joy of Gardening!

This is a year of experimentation for me in the Garden.  I am trying to make the most of Oregon's unpredictable summers.  For the past 3 years I've hardly gotten any tomatoes when I've had surplus amounts in previous years.  This year I planted more cool weather crops so even though I'm low on Summer Squash, Cucumbers, and tomatoes, I am abundant in peas, lettuces, cabbage, bok choy, spinich, and swiss chard.  Even though this place only takes up a small portion of my yard I could still get lost here tending to my garden.  And for anyone who hasn't tried out their green thumb, I say do it!  It is so rewarding!  To see what it has grown from check out:  

http://familysellers.blogspot.com/p/in-garden.html

I put peppers and basil in pots next to the house to see if the house helps insulate and creates more heat. 

My peas are taller than Dustin and the carrots are wild.  I am going to move my Herbs to the yard so I have more room to plant other veggies next year.

My cabbage did amazing.  Since I took this picture medium size heads grew.  I did not cover them with cheese cloth, and was finding way too many eggs on the leaves so I harvested the heads earlier so the bugs could not get to them first.  Next I'll be making some sauerkraut!

And this is my cutest little gardening assistant.  She doesn't exactally help, but she does like to pick random things from the garden.  And I'll take all the help I can get at this point!

new to me!

The dining room... still a work in progress.  But what a great table!

The new wood floor and new appliances!

Used to have carpet in the Front Room, now its wood with  some new furniture  Ikea inspired!

My husband LOVES Ikea.... and now it is in both bathrooms!

The master bath also has a new all tile shower!

The new washer and dryer that is so wonderful.

Once Upon a time there was a Dad that went hunting and a Mom that started a load of laundry before she went to bed.  The mom was in bed by 9:30 but was woken suddenly around midnight to the sound of running water.  She ran to see what was going on and ran right into a puddle of water in her hallway. See previous post DeMoLiTiOn! Now nine months later she has a lot of wonderful new things to show for her stupidity.  It is like a new house! Insurance did cover this accident, and when your husband isn't working very much he has time to do the work so the money goes a whole lot farther!

We had to get all new flooring and in so doing, decided it was a good time to make some changes we'd been wanting to make for a long time.  Its like a whole new house and YES!  I did clean before pictures and NO, my house is not always this clean.  I am a real person!