I Heart John's Gardens

Marrying me nearly six years ago has not been an easy adjustment for John. I already had six kids when we met, and during the course of our brief marriage we have added four more rambunctious boys to our brood. That being said, John often says that being a father isn't nearly as challenging as being a husband. Tells you that I may be a little high-maintenance.

Anyway, my point is that everybody needs a release from their every day responsibilities, and John's happens to be gardening. Over the course of the almost four years we've lived here in Mexico, John has planted iris gardens, vegetable gardens, grape vines, a winter wheat field, an herb garden, a stunning gladiola garden, trees throughout the property, pots filled with colorful annuals and vines spilling over the sides, melon patches, tomato and cucumber vines and much, much more.

My all-time favorite garden of John's, though, is the "strawberry field". It's not really a field, just a small patch of ground to the left of our home, but we just love to say the "strawberry field". And even though it's only mid-April, look what it's already producing....

I'm in love with our strawberry field! Thank you, John, for all of the work you do in our gardens. Our home is beautiful and our harvest is plentiful because of your efforts! :)

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

I wish you could smell this...

(To see what the twins did with this honeysuckle, go HERE.)

Thanks for listening.

P.S. Have I told you how much I love my new (to me) camera? I love my new camera!

Easiest Ever Tomato Sauce (No peeling or de-seeding!)

This is the first YouTube video in which I make an appearance....EVER.

I look much fatter than I think I really am, but I guess I could possibly be deluding myself...

I am pleased to list this post @...

-Kelly's "Real Food Wednesday",
-Tip Junkie's "Talk to me Tuesday",
-5 Minutes for Mom's "Tackle It Tuesday",
-Tammy's Recipe's "Kitchen Tip Tuesday",
-Blessed With Grace's "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday",
-Mary's "Tightwad Tuesday",
-Jen's "Tasty Tuesday",
Gollum's...


...and a newly discovered carnival...


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Thankful List, Including Cute Toe Nails, Giant Gourds. and Twins Who Wear Hats

I am thankful...

...that most everyone in our town grows apples...


...that THIS taratula didn't figure out how to get in the window, which is right over the head of my bed...




...that sometimes...the twins let me put hats on them...



...that the 14-year-old girl can cut her brother's hair, like this...



...that the twins aren't afraid of huge, green grasshoppers...





...that the twins are old enough to enjoy books...


...that Grandma came for a visit...


(I have to admit, it was a little disconcerting to hand-draw the leaf over Twin A's nether region. Additionally, I will explain why the twins are outside naked in a subsequent post, probably on Friday night.)

...that the 7-year-old girl always makes sure the twins are in style...(or not?)


...that our chickens lay such tasty eggs...


...that John planted giant gourds everywhere that have huge leaves bigger than my hand and climb all over everything...




...that the same John planted me a cutting garden, so I can enjoy the beauty of nature indoors...




...and finally, that I have a super-good friend who knows how to paint toe nails really awesomely!


(The 14-year-old girl just looked at this photo and said I should have put lotion on my feet before taking the photo. I told her I didn't think it would have helped. I have accepted my feet as they are...)

So what are YOU grateful for? I would really like to know...

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Tomato Garlic Salad with Basil Vinegarette

If you garden, chances are that you are wondering what to do with your surplus of tomatoes. I came up with this recipe because I had to bring a dish to a corn fry pot luck and I needed to use up my tomatoes before they became squishy. Everyone LOVED it. One woman came up to me and said, "Did you make the tomato stuff?" I answered that I did, and how did she know? She said, "Because it's really good." That answer didn't make sense to me then, nor does it make sense now, but it did sound like a compliment. Here's how I did it...

Tomato Garlic Salad With Basil Vinegarette

-Tomatoes, as many as you want (I used roma, about 20 of them.)
-Fresh garlic (I used 6 cloves)
-Fresh basil (I used maybe a handful)
-Balsamic vinegar (to taste, but I think I used about 1/3 cup)
-Virgin Olive Oil (to taste also, but I probably used about 1/3 cup of this, too.)
-Salt (to taste, I used about 1 1/2 teaspoon)
-Pepper (again, to taste, but I probably used about 1/2 teaspoon)

Step 1: Slice the tomatoes into slices about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 2: Finely chop up fresh garlic and fresh basil.


Step 3: Mix garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl, then add balsamic vinegar and olive oil.



Step 4: Let this marinate for about 30 minutes, if you have time.

Step 5: Pour marinade over tomatoes and stir carefully, keeping the tomato slices intact. In order to create a more appealing photo for this post, I garnished the salad with edible nasturtium flowers. Is it not attractive? The kids asked why there were flowers in the salad, and, instead of lovingly teaching them that some flowers are edible, such as the nasturtiums in our garden, which taste like pepper, I said during my rush to get dinner done, "Because there just are". I'll do better next time.


Enjoy!

I am pleased to list this post @...

-Kelly's "Real Food Wednesday",
-Tip Junkie's "Talk to me Tuesday",
-5 Minutes for Mom's "Tackle It Tuesday",
-Tammy's Recipe's "Kitchen Tip Tuesday",
-Blessed With Grace's "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday",
-Mary's "Tightwad Tuesday",
-Jen's "Tasty Tuesday",
Gollum's...


...and a newly discovered carnival...


If you liked this post and would like to join me here on a regular basis via email or other reader, please...
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Wordful Wednesday: And Even More of My Husband's Gardens....Come See!

Before you start reading or skimming this post, let me just suggest that you click the photos to enlarge. It'll make you feel like you are actually standing beside me in Northern Mexico! The resolution they make on cameras these days is amazing!

WordFUL Wednesday- for those of us who can't keep our mouth closed about our photography!

Today, I'm bragging on my husband again. Look what I get to see when I sit on my front porch...


(The vast expanse between the gate and the flower bed is part of our circular carport, which hasn't yet been filled with gravel.)

...and once I walk out the front gate...


...and closer...


...still close...


...close again...


...and close another time



(It appears that all of my attempts at creative photography include having a large single (usualy blurry) flower to the right of the subject.)

...and from above...


And what's better, look at all of the beautiful butterflies who love to frequent these zinnias...



I sometimes feel like I live in a wonderland! And a couple more things...

John has ingeniously incorporated many vegetables and fruit trees into the landscaping. Look at how lovely these decorative giant gourds are as they climb the wrought iron fence around our front porch...


(The sunflowers add an awesome quaint country touch, don't you think?)

If you like sunflowers, here's some more!




And one last thing...the herb garden he planted for me, photographed from the balcony right outside our kitchen door...


We go out almost daily to harvest basil, mint, rosemary, lemon thyme, dill and even edible nasturtium flowers, which can be used in salads and other dishes, of which I will post a recipe next week!

Thanks so much for taking this tour with me! I swear, I have the best husband EVER!

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