Update On Clayton

So I spoke with TOT today at about 1pm just before she went in to see Clayton. He was supposed to move out of ICU today but those plans have been shelved due to the concern over the fractured skull and intra-cranial bleeding. He is awake and off the respirator though which is fabulous news, and has already shown an interest in riding that 4-wheeler again. I am going to mail TOT a FOR SALE sign if you know what I mean. It will read:

FOR SALE~~Slightly used 4-wheeler
For info call:
555-uh-uh-boy

I will let you all know as soon as I get more news. TOT is exhausted I'm sure, but her daughters and grandson are there with her for support. Let's all keep up the prayers and positive thoughts as they seem to be working! Thanks to all of you who have left comments and who are keeping them in your prayers.

Hugs,
Shelley

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Pray For Clayton

This morning, as I opened my blog to check on new posts I received horrible news that my friend Theresa of Time Worn Interiors son has been seriously injured in a 4-wheeler accident. She is flying to Texas to be with him today and I know right now she must be in a million pieces. I have experienced having a child injured in another state and felt the helpless desperation to be with him but had to deal with getting there first. Please pray for Clayton to recover and for God to wrap his arms around TOT and her family and give them strength.

Father God,
I am praying for the recovery of Clayton and for my friend Theresa to feel my love and strength around her at this impossibly difficult time. Give her the ability to put this in your hands and to know that you are with her at all times. I pray this in Jesus name.
Amen.

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Continuous Harvest

Commercial GreenhousesAugust 29, 2009The idea of growing edible plants indoors is not a new one. Archaeological excavations of Pompeii (79 AD) uncovered the remains of early greenhouses so they have been in use since at least that time if not earlier. The ancient Romans ensured the survival of vegetables and grapes by using greenhouses to protect produce from in-climate weather. They were the

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My 100th Follower!

So another milestone has been achieved at SWEET PEA. Stefanie of ROSE PETALS AND RUST blog became my 100th follower!! Thanks Stefanie! I think it only fitting to send a little sumthin' sumthin' her way to mark the moment don't you? So, dear Stefanie I'm sending a thank you package to you on Friday and I hope you'll be pleased. It's a secret what I'm sending so as not to ruin the surprise. Be sure and check out ROSE PETALS AND RUST BLOG to see what she got!

Hugs to Stefanie and all my fabulous Followers, I appreciate you more than you know!

Shelley

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Today in My Garden

I was anxious to get out and check the garden today after a day and half of rain. The garden weathered the rainy weather well with only a couple of the Sweet Millions tomatoes splitting. Given the amount of rain that fell I was quite surprised. There were a few tomatoes, peppers and peas ready for picking as well. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about the decreased levels of bees,

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WHITE WEDNESDAY

patina (n.) the sheen on any surface, produced by age and use.













texture (n.) a structure of inter-woven fibers or other elements.

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Heinz 1439 Tomato

Tomatoes are likely the first choice of any vegetable grown in home gardens and for good reason. Homegrown tomatoes are the best tasting tomatoes you can ever eat! They are simply the best fresh picked from the vine, still warm with the sun's kiss and moments away from a sandwich or salad. Most home gardeners will grow more than one variety of tomatoes usually chosen for a particular use.

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Summer Drive

This is one of my favorite fields in the valley. I drove by it on my way up to a nearby lake this morning. It's very peaceful out here.

Less than a minute after taking this picture however, I was harassed by a few wasps. I decided to jump back in the car to get away from them but unfortunately, they jumped in with me.

Better yet, they were in my pants leg. Knowing the inevitable, I swatted at them. I felt the sting and that's when I jumped out of the car and pulled down my pants. In fact, I went further than that and took them off altogether.

Standing in the middle of the road with no pants on, I realized yet another luxury of living in the country. You may take your pants off anywhere you like without much fear that there will be witnesses.

Here's a familiar scene around here. The orchards are almost ready to harvest. The white boxes you see stacked will soon be filled with several varieties of ripe pears and apples. And you'll be glad to know that during this stop, I managed to keep my pants on.

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Tomato Hornworm

There have been several reports of late blight hitting tomato plants in the northeastern US states. Some home gardeners have reported late blight within 100 km of us as well so I have been on high alert watching for any signs. I am be especially careful to remove any damaged vegetation from both the plants and soil level. While I have had minor damage due to the storms that went through so far

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Garden Bounty

This blog focuses on what grows in my garden so it isn't often that you get to see how I use some of my garden goodies. Today I thought I would share a couple of ways we use garden goodies. If you would like to see more ways we use the garden produce, please visit my cooking blog.Summer Garden SaladWe eat some type of salad almost daily year round so really look forward to fresh, home grown

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Crabapple Tree

It can be both frustrating and fascinating when you move into a home where you haven't planted the vegetation. In some cases recognizing the vegetation is quite easy but in other cases you may not know what is planted where until you do careful observation beginning in the spring. This is the situation we found ourselves in since moving here in 2007.Crabapple BlossomsWe have three gorgeous

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Family Vacation #1

Greetings from Cairo! I just had to share these pictures:

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Let's Talk Tomatoes

Heinz 1439August 19, 2009I think everyone growing a vegetable garden grows at least one tomato plant! Home grown tomatoes freshly picked and still warm from the sun's kisses are really a gardener's delight. They make wonderful summer sandwiches and salads as well as a wide variety of sauces. The best part is one tomato plant can easily gift you with upwards of 40 mouthwatering tomatoes! Our

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WHITE WEDNESDAY~~FRENCH LINENS

WHITE WEDNESDAY takes us to the land of French monogrammed linens this time. I have an addiction to these works of art and have a nice collection going (sorry not for sale--mine all mine). I am especially fond of the sheet that bears the monogram S and R, as those are the initials of Mr. Sweet Pea and I. Have you ever felt the weight and texture of an antique linen or hemp sheet? There's nothing like it ladies. And the monograms? Don't get me started...

In addition to my antique linen collection I also have an affinity for anything made from old linens, anything with a ruffle and anything made from high quality linen fabric. Hence the pillow collection featuring linen pillows from Carolyn Westbrook Home (used to carry these in my shop), a pillow made from vintage nightgowns that says Home Sweet Home, a pillow I made from an old linen corset bag, and my beloved ruffled shower curtain from none other than ANTHROPOLOGIE. Enjoy...

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Garden Resident

Albino Toad Close-UpAugust 15, 2009I posted earlier on my albino toad garden visitor (more here). At that time he really liked hanging out by the garden gnomes and he still does likely because they are in the shade most of the day. For the past few days he has been hanging out in the garden as well. I think he has learned I will do him no harm as he will sit posing for pictures and he no

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City Chickens

We live in rural area on waterfront property on a small, dead-end road with about 20 other families which basically forms a very small, tight-knit community. We have neighbours on both sides but none to the front or back. Most here have vegetable gardens but there are a few that don't. This spring one of the families set up things to raise chickens. Now if you were to see the location and the

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Privilege

What an absolute gift it is to be a mom!

Just this morning, I was playing "I Spy Eagle Eye" with our three oldest kiddos. And it was incredible! Our five-year-old is like a madman at this game... he tears into it and has found his match and dinged the bell before I even get a chance to glance down at my card. And I know that that sounds like an exaggeration; let me assure you that it is not. As he did this time and time and time and time again (this was the first time I'd played with him, though I'd heard Doug and our oldest son previously rave about his skills), I was awestruck. I don't know what he's going to be... a drafting engineer? An architect? An artist or graphic designer? A lawyer with a mind for catching the slightest detail? Some kind of skilled worker who can quickly assess what's wrong with an engine, pipes, or structure and solve the problem? I don't know. But this I know: as long as God allows it, I'll get to watch him grow up... and one day, I'll find out what God's grand scheme for this kid is.

For now, I get to get my tail kicked in "I Spy Eagle Eye" and marvel at the design of this young mind, and store up all these things in my heart, waiting to see how they will materialize. What an absolute PRIVILEGE.

[We leave for Cairo this evening, so I'll see ya when I see ya.]

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Urban Farming Detroit, Michigan Edgeton Community Garden

In many intercity communities there is vacant land from buildings being torn down. Some enterprising individuals have taken it upon themselves to establish community gardens as a way to help themselves and others in the community. W.D.Gardner (alias) of eastside Detroit, Michigan is one such individual. He is trying to establish gardens in his community in the hopes of providing food for his

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Truck Farm - Episode 2

Episode 1 of the Truck Farm showed a novel idea of growing a garden in the back of an old pick-up truck. This episode dealt with the issues of drainage and soil mixture. Episode 2 shows how much produce can actually be grown in a small space. I love the idea of using solar power to power a camera to take pictures of the hourly changes in the garden!Assuming an older Dodge truck bed is about the

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The Flower Farm

Hubby came to the flower farm with me last night. How cute is that?



The flower farm is surrounded by rows upon rows of orchards. Set amongst the orchards are two acres of glorious flower fields. The photo above was taken in the dahlia patch, which consists of six long rows of every dahlia variety you can imagine.



This is the back entrance to the flower farm house, a pristine Dutch Colonial that is now operated by our local historical society. Indoors, a local winery gives tastings and shares the history of the house and farm. Let me just say, that I want to move in and play house here!



It was cute to watch hubby walk around and say things like, "how about a purple one?" We had only one pair of pruners so I did all of the cutting. Hubby made his visit more of a nature walk and it was really sweet to watch. It reminded me of that poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay that goes:

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.



The flower farm is such a nurturing place to go. To see so many flowers blooming in abundance offers the biggest case of warm fuzzies. It's also exciting to go home and fill your house with so many beautiful flowers. Our excursion to the farm provided us with four beautiful bouquets of dahlias. The cost: $10.

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