Back to work!

Well, we managed to make it home safe and sound. It took 3 hours longer than I would have preferred, but what can you do when you're traveling with kids? I am still unpacking and trying to get back into the swing of things. I am also checking out my photos and trying to put together a nice little trip journal. So please check back over the next couple of days, hopefully I will be fully recuperated and ready to write!

And we're off!

The car is packed and in about 20 minutes the Monkey Bunch and I will be heading over to Ruidoso for a week! Yea! I'm looking forward to the cooler weather and an entire week hanging out on the deck, watching my children do art projects, feeding and watching all the birds and deer, visiting the petroglyphs and going to see a sunset at White Sands. You won't hear from me for about a week (no internet connection at the cabin) but I will post a full trip report and a bunch of cool pics when I get back! Hasta la vista!

Morning visitor

I just saw a little hummingbird visiting my salvia and turk's cap! I don't see hummingbirds around here too often, so it was a pleasant surprise!

First Tomato!

I am thankful for the first luscious summer tomato! This is a Golden Boy, a juicy, sweet tomato with just a slight tartness that makes your tongue tingle with joy! Can I get a "HELL YEAH!"

And that's the way it grows!

Well, a little over a month ago I got started on my summer garden. At this time things are going pretty well. Some veggies are doing better than others, but everything is still alive and not completely overrun with aphids and squash borers like last year! I'm hitting the road in the next couple of days and the thought of leaving my little urban farm for a week makes me sad! I've worked so hard to get it this far and hate relinquishing its care to Big Daddy, who has too much on his plate already! I know he'll water it, but he won't go out and check for ripe produce or aphids or fertilize or love it and tell it how wonderful it is everyday. I worry most about the aphids, you have to keep on top of those little bastards!

I am seeing definite progress though, just look at all the flowers! I predict a salad full of juicy grape tomatoes in the near future! And look at this awesome Golden Boy, it will be ripe and yummy by Friday and oh so worth the wait! The black-eyed peas and okra are also doing well. I can't wait to make gumbo this summer and some ass-kickin' Hoppin' John! Oh the possibilities! The eggplants seem to be rebounding (I hope), but the green beans and peppers are still kinda puny. Wish I knew what the problem was. That's the sucky thing about gardening, you win some, and you lose some! The Monkey Man did find an interesting visitor on one of our tomato vines... so cool! Wish we would have seen it emerge!

My Latest Pet!

I seem to have a knack for taking on new and unusual pets. First it was the tad-trolls, they died. Then it was the multitude of butterflies and moths! Then it happened, at Monkey Man's science co-op, I was given...

AMISH FRIENDSHIP CAKE STARTER!

I was so excited, it sounded so yummy! Little did I know I'd have a bagful of slime that I'd have to feed milk, sugar and flour to every few days. Not only that, but it multiplies! It's worse than freakin' rabbits people! One bag of starter begets 2 loaves of bread AND 4 new bags of starter! Holy crap! I have alot of friends and all, but after you hit someone up once, it's over, then you're fighting with each other as to who gets to give their bag to the next friend! Luckily I have discovered you can freeze the starter, but at some point my freezer will overflow and there will be Amish Friendship cake starter flowing through the suburban streets of Austin, Texas! There needs to be a magic word, "Ibbity, abbity, STOP!"

I do admit though, the cake is damn good and rather addicting, so I am now on my third or fourth (I've lost count) run! I mean look at it...
it's moist, it's flaky on top, covered on all sides with cinnamon-y, sugary goodness! Cue picture of Homer Simpson with his mouth open and drooling! So hey, if this sounds good to you, by all means, let me know. I'm sure I could find a bag of starter around here somewhere!

What's on the Menu? On the fly soft tacos!

This post is for Nelson... you wanted to see my taco, so here it is!

Scenario: Hungry kids, 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, and a time crunch!

I stripped the chicken, cut it up and threw it in a pan with some onions and a little bit of oil. Sprinkled chicken liberally with chili powder, salt, cumin and black pepper and added a little bit of water to coat the chicken with the seasonings, then let it simmer low. Drained and rinsed a can of black beans and added them to the chicken to simmer. Sprinkle with some fresh cilantro and stir in just before serving.

I served it on warm tortillas with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, a good salsa and fresh greens from my garden. Quick (less than 20 minutes from start to table), easy and totally yummy! Kids loved it!