Rain Rain and more Rain

We have been getting so much rain,i have been running outside on the short breaks between the heavy showers.One good thing with all the water my tomatoes and peppers are finally growing.Did manage to pick the last bunch of blackberries,all cleaned and in the freezer.Tomorrow will be flea market sales,i just finished carding 80 little hair bows to sell.So much fun,they are too cute.
Dinner tonight will be catfish,fried taters,tomato and strawberries for dessert.
I will go to bed early since I have to be at the flea market early.Last night was a bad night.It stormed pretty bad and the "girls" were scared so I was up most of the night.I am so glad dear hubby is cooking tonight.
Don't have much to talk about today,just another part of life in the country,it can get pretty quiet and layed back,but I like it that way sometimes.

Rainy day fun

Well all that rain put a cramp in my style.Was not able to get to the last blackberries.Instead I cleaned out my freezer and fridge.I had enough small chicken pieces and veggies to put on a pot of chicken stock.Now I have 8 quarts of beautiful stock,and a clean freezer.Not a bad trade off.I managed to coax the girls outside for their morning business and picked a few blueberries for my morning smoothie.It will still rain the next 2 days,so I plan on making some fathers day cards.Making cards is my other passion right now,and people like to get one of a kind unusual cards.So the coffee pot will be going most of the day,while I create.

Just a little sample of the cards I made.

Catching up

I have been busy doing nothing,so it's time to catch up.It was Memorial Day weekend.We stayed at home,and grilled a couple of slabs of ribs.I been picking peas of my bushes,and watching the tomatoes grow.Our peppers are just not doing well,all I have are little green balls that just hang there all sad.
Went out back yesterday to check on the huckle berries.I think the birds like them to,there were not enough left to pick.
Today I will pick blackberries for the last time I'm sure.Since I don't mind the seeds ,I think I will try to make some jam with splenda .Never used splenda before so we will see. I will take some pictures of the process.
Yesterday we spend half the morning at a car parts yard waiting to get a transmission for hubbies truck,so he will be busy putting it in the truck today.The good part of the day was that a friend of mine told us to come over for lunch,which her hubbie fixed.We had some wonderful catfish ,hush puppies and a fresh salad.along with the company it made for a great afternoon.
Of course when we got home the "girls" let us know that they were not happy with being left alone.They got a little extra treat.

Busy day ahead

I will be busy today,my poor garden has been neglected.With all this heat ,I think I will give it a good watering,then pick some more sweet peas and green beans.On one of my walks behind our house I discovered what I thought were wild blueberries,but I was told that those are huckle berries,They are so sweet,but very small.I think I will try to pick them,seems like a good thing to make jam with.The last huge hedge of blackberries has finally ripened,so those will have to be picked.I will make a small cobbler and freeze the rest.Got a pretty good deal on strawberries yesterday,they have to be cleaned and frozen.I freeze a lot of fruit,when in season,so I have it all through the winter.While I have the oven going I might as well make some herb bread for dear hubby.Also need to make new laundry soap,Like I said it will be a busy day.
But first 5 more minutes of listening to the birds concert and 1 more cup of coffee.

Rude remark...oh well,it makes me smile!

I titled my blog my life as a country bumpkin,i never said that I was one,just living like one.I have and always will be a city girl at heart,but i grew to love the country life.So that makes me a bumpkin in my book.....Today i am doing much needed cleaning,so not much to talk about except maybe that i am trying to learn to use more natural products for cleaning.Besides the cost of all the cleaning products,with my girls living here i want to use as little chemicals as i can.So i will research and see what i can find.I already make my own liquid laundry soap ,it lasts for ever and gets the clothes nice and clean.After realizing that i don't much care for just the soap smell  i added a few drops of lavender oil to the next batch.I loved the results.The following recipe was given to me by a old southern lady and i have no idea where she got it from.So i hope I'm not in trouble for posting it.
4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

All Cracked up...

One great thing about living in the country,is that you can always find fresh eggs.Even if you don't have chickens,chances are you know someone who has them.Or you can listen to the phone adds on your local station ,(yes we still have phone adds here),and someone will call in with eggs for sale.Me, i am lucky enough to get my eggs every Monday morning from our town clerk at city hall.I have a standing order with her.So now let me tell you how I feel about eggs.I love them,anyway you can fix them,like Forrest Gump knows many ways to cook Shrimp I can do the same with eggs.Next thing is what kind of eggs,i love my BROWN chicken eggs.When I crack them the most beautiful yellow yolks show up in my bowl.Who would not love them.I know people who don't eat brown eggs.Well let me tell you ,if you ever ate anything at my house that required eggs ,you ate brown eggs.So i think that's enough about my thoughts on eggs.

Now i think i will boil some of those beauties for some deviled eggs.....cluck cluck.

Sunday in the country

Today was a perfect day.Getting up at 6:30,i put on coffee,let out the girls.pulled on my trusted pinkies 

   ,and went to the garden.With 2 watering cans filled from the rain barrels I walked up the little way and gave it a good watering.I picked the first green beans and some sweet peas,snipped some green onions and stood back to admire my little garden.Just a few years back I would never have thought that one day I'll be picking vegetables I grew in my garden.
When I went back to my backporch I noticed the 2 strawberry pots were loaded so I picked those pretty little red berries.Yoghurt and fresh berries for breakfast.
By now the girls were ready to go in and have their breakfast,the coffee smelled great,and the world was still quiet.I just had to take a few minutes to thank God for all my blessings.

our Girls

I will be talking about our girls from time to time so let me introduce you to them.

Meet Lille Bit and JuJuBee.

Lille Bit is in back ,JuJuBee up front.Lille Bit will be 8 this year and JuJuBee just turned 2.These 2 characters do not know that they are dogs.I had Lille Bit for 3 years now,and I would not take a million bucks for her.JuJuBee the trouble maker is hubbies dog,but she still prefers my lap.These 2 have become such a part of our family,i would not trade them for anything.

Today was a good day.I was busy at the flea market,sold quite a bit of little stuff.Did not have time for my garden,because when I made it home I was to tired to do anything.
My dear hubby picked more blackberries.I never seen this many fat Blackberries here.I think all this rain we been having helped.

We have been picking every other day for 2 weeks now.I will be glad for them comes "winter".

Tomorrow is sunday so it's church pool time and grilling ,just taking it easy.

Getting Started

Hello and welcome. I am not sure if  anyone ever read this. But I figured it will be fun anyways.
I have been posting on Facebook but I think this is a better format.
So a little about myself. I was born and raised in Berlin Germany .So I was a city girl all my life until I moved to the country with my retired military husband in 1992.
My first years here in Alabama ,i had to get used to the 2 seasons,hot and not so hot.I am still not used to the hot season,but I have learned to deal with it.
Well back to introducing myself,i am married to a great man who served 22 years in the military ,he retired and then worked at another job for 20 years.He is now retired for good.We will be married 40 years in October.
Myself I was a licensed in home daycare provider ,while we were in the military.I tried my hands at owning a business,which I quickly learned is easier said then done.
Now I am also retired,and taking care of home,garden and our 2 girls.
We have 3 sons together,who all left home and have blessed us with 7 grand children.I also have 2 children from a previous marriage.More about all that later.
So that's just a little about myself.