Today In The Garden

Hi Fam.

How's it going?

I know it is Thursday, and I said we were

 going to do Thankful Thursdays.

But.

I started this post a couple of days ago and thought I  may as

well get it sent out.

Plus, look at that adorable ornamental

 cabbage up there!

My plan is this: 

Take pictures and do a blog post once a week 

or a couple of times a month so I can share the progress of 

the yard and garden with all of you who are far away.

Which is pretty much everyone.

'Cause, let's be honest.

Sam does not care about the blog.

He would almost rather go to the 

dentist than blog anything.

Anywho, I thought you might enjoy seeing bits of home.

Sorry the left side of the first half of the pictures is blurry.

Unfortunately there was a smudge on my lens

As you can see the peonies are gorgeous right now.

Mandy was able to get a tiny peek in her short foray home.

She got off the plane and exclaimed about how green it is.

And it's true. 

The green is real.

Look! The hydrangea is trying to grow a bloom!

They must need fertilizer or something,

cause they never do much.

See the cute little bird house Grandma gave me?

I have loved it for years and wished it was mine.

And now it is!

This is in front of the apple tree.

The cabbages and Dianthus are tiny!

The Dianthus is some I grew from seed last year and

transplanted here this spring.

For some reason my chives only have

 two blooms this year.

This craziness is the potato tower.

It is going gangbusters

I am really hoping we get, like,

 50 pounds of potatoes out of this.

The rhubarb looks pretty still,

 but might have some type of blight.

Again with the potato tower.

This pot always does so well!

I love how brilliant the colors are.

This one I just thought was funny because of all

 the trees growing in the gutter.

Sammy cleaned it out that same day.

Look close for my tiny cucumbers.

There they are, close up and personal.

Those lacy looking things in the bottom of the picture are carrots.

By the back gate.

And last but not least, the Queen Anne's Lace by the grill.

This is really the only time it looks pretty,

So there you have it.

I will keep you apprised as things grow.

Hopefully they continue to be beautiful.

Love you all so much!

Love,

Mom

42. All the green

43. Being well enough to plant a garden

44. My family ( I know I always say that one. I don't care. I am always grateful)

45. Flowers

46. Overtime at Dad's work

47. Music

48. Chinese take out on a busy day

49. A new hair cut for Sam

50. Summer!

51. Our kayaks

Rhubarb Cake

Happy May 20th.

It has been a while since I shared a recipe,

so I thought I would put up this yummy, 

Springy, Rhubarb Cake.

Interspersed with gratuitous cat pictures.

I know what you are thinking.

"Gross! Rhubarb is gross!'

I totally understand. 

When I was a kid I thought it was so icky that I always

 referred to it as "RUDE- barb".

However.

This cake is delish! 

And not sour.

Anything covered in cinnamon and sugar

 has got to be good, I think.

In fact it's so good I think you could use

 almost any fresh fruit with it and it

 would be awesome. Probably not bananas.

Cherries? Apples? Yes, I think so.

Also, my rhubarb is growing gang busters.

The plant on the far left is one that I got for Mother's Day

when we lived in Otsego, and have moved every time 

our family has moved.

Woot!

The other two are from Grandpa"s.

On a side note: See that ridiculous straw cylinder in the background?

That is my potato tower.

I am having serious doubts as to its effectiveness.

Everytime it rains it gets shorter and fatter.

Anyway, pick your rhubarb

 (or get it at the store or farmer's market),

 wash it good, and chop it finely.

Then mix up your cake.

It is a very fast and simple cake,

but really tender and good.

This is out of Grandma's cookbook.

The blue one.

Wow. I need to bleach my cutting board.

It is looking pretty gnarly in these close ups.

And then enjoy your delicious cake.

Enjoy it more with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

or home made whipped cream.

Or the kind in a can if you're in a hurry.

Not Cool Whip, cause blech!

Love you!

RHUBARB CAKE

1 and 1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C butter

1 egg

Blend together

2 C flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp B soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and add alternately with milk

1C milk, buttermilk, or yogurt

2C finely chopped rhubarb

Stir into cake mixture. Spread in greased

9x13 pan

TOPPING

1/2 C sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and sprinkle over cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min.

Serve warm or cold, with or 

without whipped cream.

Yum!

Family Home Evening

We made chocolate chip cookies for family home evening on Monday!  We had a lot of fun.  :)  We started teaching Gabe the song "Book of Mormon Stories" for our opening song.

  

The boys helped to put ingredients in. 

 Henry mostly wanted to throw flour, and 

Gabe just wanted to eat brown sugar. 

 It got messy.

 

We finally got everything mixed up. 

 Much cookie dough was eaten before any cookies were finished.

While we were waiting, we had a lesson from the nursery manual.  We learned about the teachings of Jesus Christ that are taught in the Book of Mormon.   We read about the birth of Jesus, and when he came to visit the Nephites.  Henry insisted on holding the book, and had to touch all of the faces in the pictures.  The cookies came out of the oven, and we had a cookie feast! 

We finished by singing "I am a child of God".  It was a fun evening.  

We love you all! 
 Also, everyone should get better about posting. 
 The blogs has been pretty slow lately.