Justin’s Birthday

 

We celebrated Justin’s actual birthday on Friday eating out with some friends and their two kids at Pat’s Fish Camp at Lake Blackshear. I am not crazy about fish, but the fried shrimp was good. We crossed the highway to loop around the Georgia Veterans State Park and we got to see four deer just happily munching away on their dinners in the field. It was really neat to see them so calm in their element.

I got Justin some bow targets which has quickly turned our yard into a bow range. I also bought him this homesteading journal. We have often talked about recording our experiences and lessons learned from our little piece of heaven. I got him this leather bound journal with the hopes that it will be like the family Bible for our land. We will be able to record garden planting dates, perfected family recipes for salsa and other canned goods, harvest records, animal purchases and slaughter dates, etc. I really hope this will be a cherished memento of our efforts that we can pass down for our children and grandchildren.

Inscription: “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, & they are tied to their country & wedded to its liberty & interests by the most lasting bands.” –Thomas Jefferson

Saturday, we had two kids’ birthday parties and wrapped up the celebrations for Justin with all of our family, enjoying Boston butt, ribs, cake, and ice cream.

I’m glad he chose me in this life. I hope to have 80+ more birthdays with this wonderful man!

Pickin’ and Junkin’

Junkin’ has been good for the Cooks lately!

I got this load of vintage Tupperware when a friend’s parents were preparing for a big move. I’m glad people know me as that “crazy Tupperware girl!.”

I stopped at an estate sale in Hawkinsville a few weeks ago and nearly cried when I found this: It’s a Tupperware ravioli press. I didn’t even know these existed and it’s made even better because it was in my favorite color—orange! Justin got me to make some homemade ravioli but I just couldn’t seem to get the dough consistency right. I did manage to make several and they were delicious!

 

I also got these two beautiful Pyrex bowls for my sister-in-law, a silver peanut for my desk at work, and these cute mason jar salt and pepper shakers at the same sale.

I found this amazing handmade triangular bowl at an estate sale. Since it was a Saturday, it was half off, meaning I only paid $2.50 for it. I can’t wait to see Sami use it as a photography prop for some squishy newborn session!

Wyatt and I went to Pickin’ Peanuts Marketplace and snagged up these old drawers for Sami’s studio too. She has her thank you cards and supplies stashed in them now.

Chicken Update #5

The Cook Coop is overflowing with happy chickens, guineas, and Doc Bunny these days. We tried to let the guineas out in the yard but May’s cattle dog instincts proved too much for us to have free-roaming animals. She managed to nip out a few tail feathers before the guineas made their way back to the coop. Aren’t they pretty?!
  

The roost is wildly successful. The chickens enjoy it so much that they sleep out there at night still.

 

Doc Bunny likes hanging out with the chickens. I snapped her pic here nuzzling up under one of our blue Maran hens.

We got the frizzle and sizzle chicks transferred to the big coop. They are small but mighty! They can take on a grown rooster any time!

 

I have been amazed at the variety of eggs we’re getting. I love seeing the colors, shapes, and size ranges we get. These make me smile every single day!

  

Last of the summer fun

We had a ton of fun this summer and we wanted to make the last few weeks before Wyatt started Pre-K super special.

Justin, Wyatt, and I spent a full day of hot fun at Wild Adventures. We were able to ride rides, check out the animals, and enjoy Splash Island waterpark.

 

I had a conference call for work so Justin promised Wyatt $10 to spend at the gift shop while I walked out to the car. Of course, Wyatt Cook found a pop gun to hunt stuffed animals! He is so much like his daddy!

Worship on Wednesdays with church was a lot of fun too. One Tuesday night, Liam got to spend the night with us. These boys are a mess. We took care of Sami’s plants at the studio, explored the dirt road with wagons in tow, and they sufficiently managed to destroy the play room and clean it up promptly.

 

The next day we went to Freckles Skate Center in Moultrie to have a little fun. Wyatt loved the Razor scooters the most!

 

Wyatt is in Pre-K!

Cue the tears. This was Wyatt on his first day of Doodlebugs Daycare and his last day. It was hard leaving the wonderful women and the comforting environment we had known for four years. He was a trooper and did a great job leaving though.

Justin and I went to open house and Wyatt took to his teacher immediately, playing with toys and having a blast while we filled out paperwork.

For his first day of school, Wyatt did great. I walked him in to his classroom and he didn’t cry. Heck, I didn’t even cry!

The toughest part was on the second day of school when he said, “It’s okay, Mama. You don’t have to walk me in.” Oh my breaking heart! Mama tells me all the time that parenting is the only job where you work diligently to make yourself obsolete. It is definitely a tough reality this mama is sure to face many times over the next 20 years.

July Garden Update

June and early July have been good for our garden. We have had plenty of opportunity to gather up cucumbers, peppers, and squash out of the garden. Let me tell you, it is a real pleasure to bring a fresh grocery bag of produce to family when you visit!

   

One late afternoon, I picked my dessert right off the bushes at Justin’s Papa Theron’s house. Sun-warmed blueberries are the cure for most of what ails you!

Justin and I picked flat beans and snap beans from a friend’s garden and I spent the majority of one night snapping them and popping the ends off. We canned them up and have them on the shelf for great tasting sides at supper.

   

I have also been blessed to have been given some delicious peaches from some local farms that we peeled and froze. We also bought a box of firm, tangy peaches and made peach jam from them. Peach is my favorite jelly/jam/preserve.

   

We had a volunteer sunflower pop up as a residual of last year’s crop. I’m sad we didn’t plant any this year. We had our potatoes on this piece of garden.

  

We also have an abundance of habanero peppers that we don’t know what to do with. I accidentally bought two habanero plants when I thought I was getting bell peppers. Luckily, our local newspaper editor loves them and is happy to use all I can bring him.

Silhouette Projects

We have been making very good use of my Mama’s Silhouette machine lately. My favorite project was this candy jar for Uncle Glynn’s birthday. He is always plying Wyatt with sweet treats and loves Dum Dum suckers himself, so we loaded it up with tons of goodies.

I bought a new car after having my trusty Camry for 7 1/2 years! I bought my very first, less-than-100 miles on the odometer car and have been very happy with my RAV4. I jokingly say that I needed more room for all the junk in my trunk. Seriously I have a ton of work supplies, personal stuff, and estate sale/junking hauls to carry around. I had to dress it up with a new monogram and a Georgia Grown logo. I have had a monogram on my car for over 10 years now and I figured I better not break tradition. I went outside the box a bit and did my Georgia Grown logo in pink and green.

 

Finally, my friend Katy requested a monogram for her daughter Sadie. I bought this gorgeous sparkly heat transfer vinyl and went to town! I managed to find plain tees at Walmart in the men’s section in great summery colors for $2 each! We even made some with Sami’s photography logo. I am so excited to see how great they turned out!