Weeding the Garden - An Impromptu Photo Shoot

I couldn't resist an impromptu photo shoot when Hailey showed up in her Laura Ingalls Wilder outfit to weed this garden this morning. Personally, I think she looks more like Holly Hobby. We were really late on getting the garden in for this area, so the plants and the weeds are madly competing with each other. I've started setting the timer for 30 minutes of mad weeding right after breakfast while it is still fairly cool.  

Since the kids are helping with the planting/weeding and harvesting, anything well sell (by donation only) will be split between them, first taking out 10% tithes and 35% savings and 5% for seeds and the electricity to water. The other 50% they will get to use for spending money. We are doing the same with the any milk soap sales.

Of course, Cuddles, Hailey's cat, decided he wanted his picture taken, too. He loves to hang out in the garden with us while we are working. He has been such a sweet addition to our little homestead. He is Hailey's live doll with fur ;)

Hope your garden is growing well if you planted one this year! I just finished planting mine. It was so big, I had to plant it in stages. I know I'm late, but the growing season is longer around here. The kids have been a big help this year as they are able to recognize the weeds better. This garden is about a quarter of an acre, so we should be plenty busy during harvest time if everything grows well. 

Hope you are all having an awesome summer!

God Bless,

Jackie

"Mama's Bull's Eye" - Healthy Barbecue Sauce Recipe

(Hailey eating bbq'd beaver hams that Josiah cooked - yes, we eat just about anything around here!)

"Mama's Bull's Eye" - Healthy Barbecue Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Tbl butter

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 cups ketchup (I use my homemadeketchup)

¼ cup sucanat (or brown sugar)

¼ cup molasses

2 Tbl yellow mustard

1 Tbl lemon juice

2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce

3 garlic cloves pressed

1 tsp sea salt

¼ tsp chili powder

Saute onions and garlic in butter until just soft. Add all other ingredients into pan, simmer about 15 minutes. Makes about 2 cups

This is the closest I've been able to come to making my son's favorite store-bought bbq sauce. I always quadruple this recipe and freeze it in jars. This recipe is great on top of meat loaf, too.