Goodwill Outlet

Scott took some time to go to the Hunting Club (remember when I went with him here?) to prepare the land & house for the summer so I decided to go into town for some Pho and shopping.

The Pho place wasn't the best in the world, man so I miss Pho Oregon, so I thought I would try my hand at the Goodwill. Unbeknownst to me it was a Goodwill Outlet where nothing is sorted and you pay by the pound.

Chaos!

It was crazy! People had shopping carts (known as buggies here) overflowing with stuff! I was a little overwhelmed, but I had taken a trip all the way into town so I wasn't going to waste it by not looking around.

Most of the stuff was junk. I think you really have to be in the mood for thrift shopping, or at least I do. But I did find some treasures like this NKOTB book with the original stickers inside!

 

I left that fun find for someone else. I did however walk away with a few kids books that were in great condition - Sideways Stories From Wayside School anyone!?

More Critters

It seems that with the summer heat in full swing (actually, I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. Check back with me in August. Yuck.) more and more critters are making their way out of hiding and into full view.

You may remember we have already seen our share of various bugs (click here to see), frogs and groundhogs (seen here), our baby robins (seen here) and my personal favorite - lightning bugs (seen here)!

This is what we've had around lately.

Praying-mantis, Lady Bugs, Red Headed house finch at the bird feeder, Japanese Beetle (that is wreaking havoc on my plants!), black snake in the road, and a family of bunnies that live in the field! There are three babies and a mama. I love watching them frolic just before the sun goes down!

We have our own animal park right in the back yard, you just have to look a little harder to find our treasures!

German Pancakes

I try really hard to incorporate a little bit of home here in the South so I don't feel so far away and out of touch. Sometimes it is a little harder with food, especially when you have some picky eaters on your hands (I've said it before and I'll say it again - Scott is such a trooper). 

The other day I made oatmeal (homemade of course), nice and thick with brown sugar and cream, they way I grew up eating it. That didn't go over so well, Scott grew up eating it with white sugar, milk and super runny. 

I decided to make some German Pancakes, also known as Dutch Babies. Yum!

Usually I eat mine with powdered sugar and lemon juice or maybe some freezer jam. Scott didn't seem to interested in eating it either of those ways so this is what he came up with. 

Chocolate sauce! He said it tasted like a funnel cake :) I had already eaten more than I should have so I didn't try it, but I'll take a bite next time!

Here is the recipe I use. 

German Pancakes

4 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon almond extract

1 pinch salt 1/2 stick butter 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting

1.	Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet inside oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2.	In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until light. Add milk  & almond extract and stir. Gradually whisk in flour and salt.
3.	Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.
4.	Bake until puffed and lightly browned around the edges. Remove promptly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Babies

Scott discovered three baby robins in the shed the other day!

Three baby Robins! 

I love checking on them in the morning when I go out to pick the squash. I was surprised to find they already flew the coop! That was short lived but fun!

Looks like we are once again empty nesters :(

Buffalo Beals Animal Park

Yesterday in Catawba County there was an agricultural tour/fair also known as Agri-Tourism Day where farms were open to the public (most for free). Scott's Aunt Vickie and her 2 kids joined me at Buffalo Beals Animal Park for a little morning fun.

We decided to buy some feed so we could interact with the animals. It was a great choice that provided much entertainment and laughs! I could have spent hours petting the animals and feeling their velvety lips taking the grains from my palm.  They animals had so much personality!

They had a great variety of animals too! Camels, zebra, monkeys, buffalo, highland cattle, porcupine, kangaroo, various birds and many more. The animals looked well taken care of too which was a big  plus.

There was also a picnic area with a playground and bounce house that the boys enjoyed. They were a little crazy doing flips and everything! The boys rode a pony & horse for the first time and seemed to love it! I was so proud of them for trying something new.

What a wonderful day we had spending time together and learning about the animals. This a a place I will go back to again and again as long as the kids are willing to go with me!

Like I said earlier, I loved feeding the animals. I think I even made a new best friend.

Feed me!!

Fingers taste so good too!

So happy!

I am already looking forward to my next visit! 

Summer Squash Harvest

Our yellow squash is out of control! We started harvesting already and have given away about as much as we have eaten for ourselves!

I can tell we are going to have squash coming out our ears pretty soon. Any great recipes out there that I need to try?

Veggie Garden

With all of the weird weather we've had the last few weeks, our garden is growing like crazy! Mix the rain & heat and we have all the advantages (or disadvantages for us humans) of a hot house. 

At first people laughed at our garden because we didn't plant much, but now people are commenting on how well it is doing! Looks like this city girl has a little more up her sleeve than I get credit for!

3 big tomato & 4 cherry tomato plants.

Already showing signs of a good harvest! 

Pepper plant that produces 4 varieties. 

Yellow straight neck squash. 

Peaches! 

The star of the show would have to be the squash. The 4 plants we have are doing so well and we have already started harvesting them! The tomatoes will start rolling in soon, there are already lots of green tomatoes on the vines. We also planted green & white cucumbers that are getting off to a slow start, but I am confidant they will catch up with the rest of the crop. 

I have such big plans for next year. I will admit, keeping the weeds out has not been easy and I have let the last 1/4 of the garden space we tilled up to grow back. I figured since I haven't planted anything, whats the harm right?