Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Last night Josh and I hired a babysitter for the first time.  We wanted to go see a movie and have dinner, just the two of us.  Well, the movie didn't wind up happening, because the show times just didn't work with our dinner and babysitter arrangements.  So, dinner it was.

We went to Gabe's Downtown in Villa Rica.  Between it being one of Josh's accounts for work, us knowing a few of the employees, and this being where lots of our acquaintances in the community come to have dinner, it was a very enjoyable outing.  It just feels good to go into a restaurant and have the bartender yell out (over a crowd of people at the bar), "Josh! Marcie!"  And then, while Josh and I enjoyed our drinks at the bar while waiting for a table (for Josh, a Manhattan - for me, water with lemon), to have a couple of the servers and then the owner's wife come over and chat with us for a little bit.

While we enjoyed our (delicious) meal, our server sat with us for a while, and then our other friend came over and did the same.  Our meal wound up being completely comped, so when we got up to leave, we went into the kitchen to thank Gabe, the owner. 

On our way out we spotted some acquaintances of ours from when each of us was on a committee for the city.  We stood at the bar for another 15 minutes talking to them.

It just feels so good to get out and socialize.  Josh is used to this - this is what he does for his job.  He goes out to restaurants and socializes with the bartenders, servers, owners, and while doing that, probably runs into people he knows and chats with them too.  But for me... I haven't done that in - oh, let's see, Bennett turned four in December - about four years.

Josh and I used to go up to Fabiano's all the time to hang out, eat dinner, play trivia, or just sit at the bar and split a pitcher of beer.  We'd talk to the bartender (this is how we met our good friend, Dustin), the servers, and our friends and neighbors who would be in there too, doing the same thing.  Then we'd walk back home, often with a couple people joining us.

I remember there was this one neighbor of ours that we always saw out.  The husband.  We'd always spend some time talking with him, and we'd ask how his wife was.  We hardly ever saw her out.  Every once in a while she'd be with him, but it was very rare.  They had a small child.  I remember wondering why she was never hanging out with him, with or without the baby.  I thought she must have just been a little anti-social or something.

Oh my gosh.  Do I ever understand it now.  Because I am her.  I have been for four years.  Josh still goes out every once in a while, either with my brothers, or a friend that's in town or something.  And I'm never there with him.  Ever.  I'm always at home, taking care of our brood.  Which is totally fine with me - I'm not that interested in hanging at the bar anymore, you know?  And I would guess that our neighbor felt the same way back when I was labeling her "anti-social."

But anyway, last night reminded me of how good it feels to go into a place and have everyone know you and greet you so warmly.  You feel like part of the community, and I haven't felt like a part of the community in a while.  My own choice, but still.  It was a nice reminder that they're still out there when I'm ready to participate again.

Dead Giveaways

Josh's dad has been talking about needing more t-shirts lately.  So for Father's Day we gave him a new one:

(hint: we have two children, and Josh's sister just had her fourth)

For my mom's birthday, we gave her a video montage:

Music-Filled Evening at the Gibson Household

He is His Daddy's Son

The Funny Things They Say

Josh has been keeping his beard trimmed short lately.  I like the way it looks, but I hate the way it feels.  Every time he kisses me it hurts!  It's so short and stubbly that it feels like little bitty needles poking my face.  So while I love to snuggle and kiss on my man, it's hard not to wince and pull away.

That being said, Josh picked up Bennett the other night to give him a big hug before bedtime.  He pulled Bennett close to hug him and Bennett pulled away and said,

"No!  Don't poke holes in me!"

Experimental Cake

So I saw a cake in a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living and decided I wanted to try it. It just so happened that Josh's birthday was the next day, so I had a great reason to try it out.

It kind of didn't look nearly as great as the one in her magazine (did I really expect it to? No.)

It needed to be much bigger, and it would have been cooler if I had some of those custom-colored m&m's. Do you know how much those things are?!? Yeah... we won't be ordering any of those... ever.

Anyway, here is the cake for Josh's big 3-2:


Doesn't really leave much to the imagination.

Happy Birthday, my main man!

Best Wedding Favor Ever

Josh and I went to our friend, Brad's wedding in Athens last month and had more fun than we've had in a really long time. Brad is a friend of mine from high school, and I got to see some of my good high school friends that I haven't seen in a while. Not only that, but great college friends that we don't get to see that often, too. It really was just so. much. fun.

At the reception, Brad and Kay had a photo booth set up in a separate room for the guests' entertainment. And boy, was it ever entertaining! Of course, it got more and more entertaining as the evening went on... as you can imagine.

I laugh out loud every single time I look back at these. We actually have copies of each individual photo that I could post and they would be a little larger, but I'm not sure you really need to see my gnarly faces that close.

Snowed In and Can't Get to the Store?

Make your own pasta!

(or get you a husband that can.)

"You're Starting to Look Good Again"

That's what Josh said to me last night.

At first it sounds like a compliment, but it's one of those things that makes you go - wait a minute, was that a compliment? Because even though it's nice that I'm apparently looking good lately, that means that I've been looking not-so-good up until now.

Of course, all he meant was that I'm beginning to carry that pregnancy glow around with me. I always said I've never felt better than when I was pregnant with Bennett, and according to Josh I've never looked better either (well, maybe in college). It's partly due to the healthy eating habits I adopted while pregnant, partly due to the super-charged prenatal vitamins and fish oil that I took, and partly due to those good ol' raging hormones and increased blood volume.

So I guess all of those things have had time to sink in and leave their mark again on my skin, hair and nails. It is a rather nice side effect of pregnancy.

FAM Method and a *Little* Something Else

This past summer my sister-in-law blogged on her cloth diapering site about Natural Family Planning. I had heard her talk about this method of birth control before, but never really thought much about it. But when I read her post this summer, I just kind of went, 'Wait a minute. What am i doing? Why would I take hormonal birth control when my body can very easily and naturally do the same thing on its own?'

So I got on ebay and bought the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I admit, I did not read the whole book. I looked at the table of contents and skipped to the parts I was most interested in. Your body tells you each month when you are ovulating. I wanted to know what signs to look for. So I skipped to that part and was anxious to start checking myself for these natural occurrences. I'm not going to get into the details of this method, but they encourage you to chart your daily symptoms. Well, it was July when I was ready to start charting, but they encourage you to wait until you have your period so that you have a more accurate chart.

So it was August that I first started. There are two basic types of charts that you can use as a guideline. One is for if you are trying NOT to get pregnant, and one is for if you are. You're still looking for your body to indicate that you are ovulating or nearing ovulation, but obviously, if you're trying NOT to get pregnant they recommend that you abstain from intercourse with your partner during the ovulation period. Duh. And on the other hand, if you ARE trying to get pregnant, well, get busy during that peak time!

Josh and I had been kind of going back and forth about whether or not we were ready to start trying for another child. We were both really ready, but anxious about finances mostly. After several discussions, we decided we were ready. I had already stopped taking the hormonal birth control that I was on when I decided to try the FAM (Fertility Awareness Method - what the above book focuses on). But it was after this decision that I was able to start charting using the pregnancy guideline chart rather than the birth control chart.

So my first official day charting was August 6th. From there I would chart my cycle, noting any changes occurring in my body (I'm being pretty vague here, because I'm fairly certain my dad, brothers and male friends don't need any more details about what exactly I'm looking for here - that is if I haven't lost them already. If any of you would like more information about this method, either click on Lauren's post above, check out the book, or send me an e-mail and I would be more than happy to share what I know.)

A normal cycle is around 28 to 32 days. Once you ovulate, it is generally 12 to 16 days after that that you'll begin your next menstrual cycle. Well, It was clear on my chart when I ovulated, and I started checking off the days after that. Days 1, 2 and 3 went by, then we were to 12 and 13, a little later I was to day 17 past ovulation and still no period. The book did say that it is common to have a late ovulation if you are stressed, traveling or sick. I had been pretty stressed that month due to a few different things, and we went to St. George Island that month with Josh's family. So, no big deal.

Well, by day 22 after I ovulated and I still hadn't started, I got suspicious. Okay, okay, I was suspicious after day 13, what can I say? I was hopeful. I was ready to be pregnant again, and excited for Bennett to have a sibling.


But it wasn't until day 22 that I took this:





Oh yes. That is a big ol' POSITIVE sign you see there.

I AM PREGNANT!

I've known for so long and have been dying to tell everyone, but wanted to wait until my 12 week appointment so that I knew everything was looking good. Well, that was this morning and I heard that tiny little heart beat coming from my abdomen and now I'm ready to shout it from the rooftops! Well, write about it on the internet anyway. *what has this world come to?* :)

I have heard of so many pregnancies in the last couple of months. A friend from high school, my second (third?) cousin on my mom's side, and my first cousin Ashley who was in mine and Josh's wedding! She wrote me and told me of her news only days after I had found out my own, and it was all I could do not to tell her that my baby is going to be a couple weeks younger than hers!

We are so very excited and at the same time so very curious about Bennett's reaction. Because let me tell you, it is ALL about him right now. We'll see how he does when he has to share the spotlight.

So my due date is May 12th, but because I am (most likely) going to have to have another C-section, a more accurate date is between May 2nd and 5th. !!!

Man of Mine

I've been tagged again, by my sister-in-law, Lauren. She says it's because she knows I love tags, but I think she secretly just wanted to give me a reason to write about something. Anything. I've been a little slack lately... and that's not just in the blogging world. I've been fairly absent on facebook, I've been pretty bad about returning phone calls, and our house is a mess.

I have a good reason.

But for now, let me just tell you a little about my hubby hubs.

♥ What are your middle names?
Elizabeth and Stephen.

♥How long have you been together?
Started dating in April of 99 and got married September of 04. So, 10 1/2 years now!

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Mmm... about 6 months, I guess.

♥ Who asked who out?
I don't think either of us really 'asked the other out.' He had a girlfriend when we met and it was kind of a given that when she was booted I would step in. That, and we didn't ever really go out as much as we stayed in and just hung out with our mutual friends.

♥ Who made the first move?
Our friends did! We were basically closed up in a room and told that we couldn't come out until we had kissed. We were both very shy, so they had to take desperate measures.

♥ How old are each of you?
In two months we'll both be 30.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
We both went to UGA.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
No.

♥ Who is the smartest?
Josh is definitely more intelligent, but I have more common sense than he does.

♥ Who majored in what?
Me - Marketing (oh my gosh, I had to stop and think about that)
Him - Economics

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Let's just say that it was not my face that was wet last night when we watched "No Reservations."

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Well, see, we're poor, so we don't really eat out, but when we do we like our local Monterrey's Mexican Restaurant.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
France. Christmas of '00. Amazing.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
That's a hard one. Neither of us has a really bad temper, but I'm probably the one that gets more fired up about things.

♥ How many children do you want?
Definitely 2, and then we'll see from there if we want one more. I'm kind of thinking 2 is going to be our number.

♥ Who does the cooking?
We both cook, but he makes the good stuff.

♥ Who is more social?
Him.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
What is a neat-freak?

♥ Who is the most stubborn?
Probably me. Okay, the probably was not needed. Me.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Usually Josh. I'm never far behind, though, because Bennett is a fairly early riser.

♥Where was your first date?
We went to see the movie "Go" in Athens.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Me. Bennett was the 28th great grandchild on my dad's side of the family (and there have already been 2 more added since then, and by May there will be at least 2 more!)

♥ Do you get flowers often?
No, not really. I used to, when we were still courtin'.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Our holidays are usually pretty laid back. We like to spend a lot of time at home, but we also make it out to see the extended family. I love holidays. I can't wait for the ones coming up!

♥ Who is more jealous?
We're comfortable enough in our relationship to not be jealous people.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
About 3 months. Maybe not even that long. We knew.

♥ Who eats more?
I want to say Josh, but I don't know if I honestly can. ;)

♥ What do you do for a living?
Josh works in construction sales, and I am a stay at home mom. I hope to be in the baking business before my 33rd birthday.

♥ Who does the laundry?
Me.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
That would be the hubs.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Me. Almost always.

♥ What is "your" song?"
I can't really say that we have a song. Our first dance was to Shania Twain's "From This Moment On," which seems really cheesy, but we both cried when it came on the radio about a month before our wedding, so we decided on it.


Alrighty then! How about I tag the K's - Krista, Kelly, and Kara.

My Husband, The Brewmeister

I feel the need to share with you Josh's obsession hobby.

Josh brews his own beer. He started about 9 months ago and has gotten more and more interested in it. His beer is also getting better and better.

I like that he's into it because number 1, the whole idea is for it to reduce the cost of his alcohol purchases, since he was becoming a beer snob and had to have the best of the best. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but his beers were becoming more and more expensive. Number 2, I LOVE the way it makes our house smell. I love beer. I love going to the Sweetwater Brewery; it always smells so good in there! So I am not at all opposed to our house smelling like a brewery.

Things I don't like about it. Hmm.... well, I don't like that he always gets flustered and runs around like a maniac when he brews. No matter how organized he is or how much he has said, "This time I'm going to have everything ready," he's always darting around and asking me to "do this!" and "do that!" "Quick!" Ahhh!

I also find it humorous that he bought a book called "Radical Brewing" when we went to Winston-Salem for Christmas. He's probably half way through it. It's AUGUST. And it's not a huge book. He only reads it at night before he goes to bed. He'll get in the bed, lie on his stomach and prop himself up on his pillow with the book laid out in front of him. It's usually less than 5 minutes before his head has fallen into the book and he is snoring. He admitted to me one day that he only reads about a paragraph a night. And yet, he continues to do it, every single night. I guess he's happy with that pace.

Anyway, he brewed this weekend with a couple friends, and they documented the process in photos. I thought I'd share it with you. But please do not expect any real details, because I do not know them. This is purely a summary.

The ingredients (they did two separate batches):
Grain, Yeast, Hops.

First, they increase our gas bill boil about 6 gallons of water for over an hour. The temperature has to be just right. There's a LOT of temperature checking and rechecking throughout the day.

Dustin is pouring the grains into the insulated cooler,

the boiling hot water gets poured over them,

and then it's ready! Yay, we get to eat our beer now!

Oh, crap. That's not right. There's still a whole lot more to do. I forgot.

Here, Clay is dispensing some of that liquid into this pitcher (I don't know why). Maybe it's just to keep from making a big mess when transferring it into the keg that's sitting on the floor.

And now the process moves outside, to Josh's handy dandy homemade brewing apparatus. I'm sure Josh's bosses at Hilti would be thrilled to know that he used those beams for a beer stand. They remodeled one of the Hilti Centers and were getting rid of a bunch of heavy duty shelving units, and Josh and I loaded up as much as we could fit it the car. Some of it we'll actually use for shelving, but Josh knew what he was using it for all along:

The keg gets put up here and the beer cooks some more. Then, you toss in your hops. This is called the wet hop (right, Josh?). Because you put it in while you're still cooking it?

And, stir 'em up.

After that's done, you have to chill the beer very quickly. They didn't get a photo of that process, so you'll just have to come up with your own idea of how they do it. I'd be interested to see comments on how you think they do it...

Anyway, once it's chilled, into the carboy it goes. This is the beginning of the primary fermentation.

It stays in this carboy in our front living room for about 2 weeks. This is when all the yeast eats the sugar and creates carbon dioxide in the beer. Here is a video of the yeast going to town during fermentation:

When that's done, it gets transferred into another carboy for the secondary fermentation. It's at this time that you "dry hop" your beer, if you so choose.

This video shows a batch that Josh had just dry hopped. It's so beautiful! I love the way this looks. There is another batch next to it, still in it's primary stage, getting busy.




Once that stage is done, you violate child labor laws get your 1 year old son to carry a huge bucket into the kitchen for you so you can bottle it.

Transfer the beer out of the secondary into the bucket,

and bottle it!

After it sits in the bottles for another 3 weeks or so to carbonate, it's time to enjoy the fruits of Josh's labor. Yum.

Okay, so that's it in a big ol' nutshell. Please check on me in the next couple of days, because Josh is going to want to kill me for butchering this so badly. I keep telling him to keep a beer blog, but he won't do it, so I'd say it's his own fault, wouldn't you? I mean, somebody's got to do it, right?

Marital Problem?

So, if you ask just about anybody what is the number one cause of divorce, or less harsh, marital stress, the answer is almost always money. And that's pretty accurate. Money is a huge cause of stress, even to single folks. When you put two people together and make them share their money, or better yet, share the money made by only one of them, it can be a huge issue.

What would be number 2 on the list? What's another huge issue that most couples face?

It's got to be supper, right? I mean, isn't it normal that the question, "What are we having for supper?" sparks an argument at least once a week? Yeah, I think I've heard that supper is right there behind money in the poll. I think I read it somewhere. Probably Reader's Digest. They know everything. ;)

**I apparently need to add that the above paragraph was totally meant to be sarcastic and comical. I don't actually think that supper is the number two cause of marital stress or divorce. I thought that was fairly obvious, but my mom and Josh both questioned it. So, I feel it necessary to tell you that IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY. I need to learn to write in a way that more clearly expresses my feelings.**

Josh and I can't seem to have a conversation about supper without it turning into a heated discussion. For example, the conversation that we had just about an hour ago went like this:

Josh: "What are we having for supper tonight?"

Me: "Barbeque pork chops, fried squash and lima beans."

Josh: (long pause - never good) "How about we save that for another day when it's nice and sunny, and tonight since it's rainy how about chili or spaghetti or something."

I don't remember exactly how the rest of the actual conversation went, but I wound up getting upset. Only because EVERY SINGLE TIME I plan something for dinner it either gets the boot and replaced by something else, or Josh changes everything about it so that it's no longer recognizable as my original dish. Of course, it's always better than my original dish, but that's not the point.

I am so very thankful that I have a husband that can cook. Very well. But sometimes that's the problem. It makes me feel so inadequate as a cook that I don't get excited about cooking anything. Because I know he's going to tell me what I could have done differently to make it better. Which is so helpful, and he's not trying to make me feel bad when he does that. He truly is trying to give me constructive criticism. But sometimes it just hurts my feelings... especially a few certain days of the month...

So our conversation earlier - first of all, since when did oven baked barbeque pork chops, fried squash, and lima beans translate into a fun, sunny day meal? I consider it a nice, southern, comfort food meal. Great for a rainy evening. Yes, chili and spaghetti are even better for a rainy day, but I got the pork chops on sale, labeled "Reduced for Quick Sale." They need to be cooked ASAP. Also, we have a bunch of squash from our garden that can't just sit around on our counter waiting for just the right day - it does go bad.

I grew up eating barbeque pork chops, salmon patties, chicken a la king, chicken pot pie, all the southern favorites with you name the vegetable. Very simple but good, home cooked meals. Daddy came home every evening not knowing what was for supper. Whatever Mama chose to prepare during the day and then cook that evening was what we all ate. No questions. No "discussions." Certainly not heated ones.

So that's what I'm used to, and maybe that's part of why it bugs me so badly. I wish I could just make something and have Josh come home and say, "Ooh, what's cooking? It smells really good." Especially since most of the time he does wind up enjoying whatever it is that I've chosen to cook, even if it's not some fancy shmancy thing that he would have concocted. It's just the thought of such a simple meal that he can't handle.

Ugh. We're working on it though, because we both enjoy food so much (hmm... could be related to our recent weight gain), and I hate that we can't even enjoy talking about it with each other.

Sorry for the rant, but, hey - it's life. Mine and Josh's life, anyway.

On a positive note, I just painted my nails for him. So don't worry, we do love each other. :)

Freehand Bennett

Remember this picture? Well, I just had to share Josh's freehand version:



Into a frame it goes. I love it. :)

Happy Daddy's Day!

If Bennett could talk, he would tell his Daddy that he loves him so much! For now, he just puts his hand over his mouth and says, "mmmmmmmm.........mah!"

It's funny how Bennett is different with me and with Josh. If I squat down and put my arms out, he'll run over and almost tackle me with a hug. If Josh squats and calls him over, he goes over and right before getting to Josh, he'll turn around and back into him and snuggle up. He does it every time. It's so cute!

Most every morning when I go in to get Bennett up, the first thing out of his mouth is "Dada? ... Dada!"

He loves his daddy. :)

Happy Father's Day, Josh! We love you!

Uga Cake

*Updated 05/2009 to include latest version of our Uga cake - the best yet!

e-mail mmg13@comcast.net for info about ordering!

Anybody remember the groom's cake at mine and Josh's wedding? If you were there, how could you forget? It stole the show.

Josh made this cake. And it's not just a cake. He got the idea to make a 3 dimensional bulldog for his groom's cake, but knew you couldn't just carve a cake into a bulldog. That would be nearly impossible. So, he carved a bulldog out of a giant piece of styrofoam. My brother was working at a sign fabrication shop at the time and was able to help Josh create an abstract bulldog form. He then had to shape it by hand to make all the curves and details. The last step was covering it with a liquid plastic that hardened (we couldn't just serve a cake on top of styrofoam).

Once the form was completed, on to making the cake. Mama helped with the recipe, but Josh and our friend Derrick pretty much made the entire thing themselves. They put me to bed at my parents' house the night before the wedding (Josh and I couldn't see each other past midnight... you know, bad luck). Then Josh, Derrick, Mama, and my maids of honor Miranda and Kiesha stayed up until the wee hours of the morning putting this cake together. It wasn't just a matter of baking the cake, sticking it on the mold and that was it. Josh made the mold so that it had a cut-out on the back of the bulldog, so that the actual cake could be set there. So they baked the rectangular cake and set it on the form. It then had to be carved and shaped so that it meshed with the rest of the dog. Then it was iced. He chose to just do the white icing, rather than trying to make the face, sweater and all that. One, because it was 3am and he had to get up and get married the next day. Two, because we generally prefer more abstract versions of things. Leave something to the imagination, you know?

Here is a picture of the cake once it was cut. See how the back is flat so you can just cut and serve the actual cake easily? Josh is so smart. :)

Like I said, this thing totally stole the show that day. So many people thought it was a statue. Others thought it was entirely cake and couldn't figure out how we did it.

Leading up to the wedding, some were doubtful that Josh was going to be able to pull this off. Even the guy that did my wedding cake said to me, "A 3 dimensional bulldog? Holy shit." And then he gave me his home phone number and said that if there was a disaster and it didn't work out to call him and he'd make us a groom's cake. He wound up putting a picture of the finished product in his photo album in his shop. He was impressed.

(By the way, if you ever need a birthday cake, wedding cake, groom's cake, or are just really in the mood for a good cake (and Mama is all booked up because our bakery is just booming ;) ), call Martin. I highly reccommend the Strawberry Chantilly, White Chocolate Mousse (my wedding cake), and the Paris Brest. Amazing.)

Anyway, so Josh pulled it off. Well.

A few days after our wedding, Mama was at a shower somewhere downtown Douglasville and was telling someone about the cake. Another lady happened to overhear Mama. She said, "I have been searching and searching for someone that does a 3 dimensional bulldog, because that is what my son wants for his groom's cake in a couple of months." Mama wound up walking the lady down to our house and showing her (the remains of) the cake. Yes, it was still sitting in the same place. Hey, we needed some down time after that big event, give us a break. It got cleaned up soon enough. And yes, our reception was at our house, for those of you who didn't know.

Anyway, the lady loved it and wound up renting the form from us. The wedding was in south Georgia, so we didn't actually do the cake for her. She took the form to a bakery in the town where the wedding was, and they made this for her:

After the wedding, the lady called me and asked if it was okay to give out my number to a couple people because they were interested in using the form. I said sure, and we wound up renting it 4 or 5 more times.

The next year, we made another cake for my cousin Carla's wedding. Again, we kept it more abstract, without the face and sweater. We were able to spend a little more time on theirs though, and added the grass and the Georgia "G" to the base. I really love the way it turned out.

So the whole point of me posting this (other than bragging on Josh's artistic abililty) is because the lady has called me yet again and we are doing the actual cake for her son's wedding on May 16th. She does want the face and sweater, so we're a teeny bit nervous about that, but we're confident that we can do it (and hopefully do an even better job than the other bakery did)!

Wish us luck, and I'll post a picture when we do it!

The Gibson Garden

It's in! We got our garden planted Friday. Josh took the day off work and spent part of the day helping me finish what Daddy and I started Thursday afternoon. We tilled about half the area Thursday. I offered to help Daddy with the tiller, but we quickly realized that I wasn't quite cut out for that duty. As Josh put it, "There are two speeds. Digging way down into the ground, or skipping over the top of the ground." It was actually quite funny; me with that thing. I couldn't get it up out of the ground so that it could move on to another area. Once I did get it out, it took off and I was pretty much running behind it as it trotted across the yard. No good. Daddy had to continue with the tiller. I basically just walked behind him and pulled all the roots and chunks of grass out of the (beautiful) soil.


Anyway, we finished tilling the ground and Daddy and I made the rows, fertilized them, and I planted okra, squash, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, green onions, carrots, and there is an empty row ready for the peppers. When I posted last year about the garden I wanted to have this year, I kind of thought I might have been a little overly ambitious about what all I wanted to plant. But, most of what I mentioned is in there, plus a couple others. I didn't do corn or green beans; those are a little more time and space consuming. Maybe next year, if I am able to handle this one well. I also didn't do cabbage. I didn't see an cabbage seeds - I need to see if I can get some, although that may be a cool weather vegetable. Broccoli and cauliflower are too, but I put them in anyway. We'll see what happens. We really love steamed cabbage (even Bennett), and I would love to grow some.


I did almost kill Josh last week with some steamed cabbage. He got a cabbage leaf stuck in his throat and literally got choked and had to call/gasp/yelp for me upstairs. I had just laid Bennett down in his crib and I heard a commotion downstairs and then heard him trying to say my name. I'm surprised I didn't fall and break my neck, the way I came flying down those stairs in flip flops. I could tell he was choking; it scared me really, really bad. By the time I got downstairs he had thrown up and wasn't choking anymore, but it was still in his throat. When he would take a drink of water, it would just sit on top of the cabbage, and he would have to cough it back up. Not fun. So, he just didn't drink or eat anything for about an hour to hopefully let the cabbage soften. It got better, but man it was scary. I was shaking like a leaf for a while there.


Back to the garden, I haven't planted any herbs yet, but I will soon. I plan to put in some oregano, basil, thyme, chives, parsley and sage. We already have rosemary and mint. It's raining today, so I'll probably plant my herbs tomorrow or Tuesday.


I love this stuff! I can't wait until it's all full and green and Bennett and I can walk out there and pick some vegetables for dinner. How wonderful is that going to be? Hopefully he won't stumble around and stomp too many...


I'm posting a photo of the garden now, and I'll keep you updated on its growth. The bordered area on the left is where Josh has planted his hops. He is growing his own hops for brewing beer. I don't think I've ever mentioned that Josh brews beer now. He's made several batches so far, and a couple have been just okay, but a few have been really good. So he is growing hops because they are so dang expensive! The other area on the right with the gate in it is where the herbs are going to go. That's where our peppers were a couple years ago, but the peppers are going in the big garden this year, and the herbs will be in the small area.