sweat and weeds

Ugghh, I overly planted this year... I admit it. I can't keep up. This is my first year gardening with no artificial chemicals. I thought I would be able to keep up with the weeds with my hoe and my hands but it didn't work. I know that I should have put newspaper down and then straw or hay on top but I don't get the paper anymore and I spent so much time planning what I was going to plant that the time came to plant and I hadn't made any arrangements to get papers. Big Mistake.... Our yard is so beautiful. I have been blessed with the most beautiful Bermuda grass ever. I can dig a big hole in the yard and after a few days it is completely covered back up with grass. The down side.... It takes over the garden that quick too. Next year I will spend most of my time planning for the newspaper and possibly do some more manageable raised beds. I tried to get my old greenhouses cleaned out this year to grow my tomatoes in but that didn't get done all the way either because they were full of poison ivy and I got covered from head to toe in the process. I grew up pulling weeds in my dad's wholesale nursery business but I promise you have never seen the weeds like I have in my garden. I have just decided to keep the parts where there are veggies hoed out and let the rest grow up. If you come to visit beware that it isn't beautiful but I am still growing some great veggies.

It is has been like 550 degrees here lately with 125% humidity. I go out to feed the cows and chickens in the morning and then start working in the garden. For days on end I have been completely soaked in sweat when I am done. I will be glad to get started on my fall garden.

Trip to South Pittsburg

I had a wonderful day today. My garden is overwhelming right now, I have a cob playhouse in the works, cabinets to stain and install in my basement and numerous other projects going on so when my husand said he needed to go to South Pittsburg on this beautiful Saturday I wasn't quite sure I wanted to. Then he told me that Lodge Cast Iron is made in South Pittsburg and they have an outlet. Clear my calendar for the day, I am on my way to S. Pittsburg. It is about 1 1/2 hours from my house and we had to stop and pick up tractor parts and the new weed eaters so I was good and ready to shop when we arrived. It is a wonderland in there. I mostly use cast iron but don't have a huge collection. We go camping a lot at the mountain house and we use my dad's huge assortment of gigantic skillets and dutch ovens, but I would like to have my own. I cook on cast iron because I am worried about the coatings that are used on cookware these days, I am kind of a survivalist and I need to be prepared to cook on the fire when I need to, and I love to clean my skillets and keep them nice and seasoned. They retain heat well and are so much easier to cook in. Ohh yeah, and they keep your biceps pumped up!!!! Today I just bought a deep skillet/pot with a lid that doubles as a skillet and a 5 quart Dutch oven (I am planning on making lots of bread to freeze) . I would have bought more but it turns out my husband wanted me to use my money to pay instead of his and since I am soooo cheap I went and put some stuff back. When I returned to the counter to pay he had already payed for my things. How sweet!!!! If only I could have picked out more. I will continue adding to my collection over the years! We also stopped at Hammer's! I love that store. It is mostly work wear and household items that are irregulars or discontinued or something. I got my youngest daughter some new overalls and sweatshirt jackets for school. She starts kindergarten in a few weeks.
I am back home and back to the grind stone for now......

Old blog

I started a blog awhile back called Go Sara. At that time in my life I was totally focused on getting my body back to what it previously was before my third daughter. I am in the process of designing a plus sized clothing line from organic materials and this is still one of my goals, but God is moving me in a new direction that has brought me total PEACE for the first time in my life. Go Sara focused on, Guess Who? ME..... I have taught aerobics, trained women in weight lifting, and taught folks how to lose weight for many years.. I taught them about the power within themselves and how they could do anything. I blogged about writing on my hand everyday the words "Go Sara" with a sharpie so that I would be reminded of my own power to shape my destiny. Well, guess what? I am wrong. Yes, I am a strong woman... Yes, I am can do anything... but NOT alone. I have always been a Christian and am in fact, an elder in my Church. Over the past year God has shown me the way he wants me to live (more about all that later) and great peace has come from that. It is truly amazing. So, now I am starting a new blog. A blog about farming my land, trying to become self sufficient (so I don't have to go to the grocery store), my relationship with my creator, and my family. I am not the best writer, but I am excited to share my experiences and excited to read about yours.