On Cloud Nine~~~

Since our beagle dog died last month we have been trying to decide, when and what kind of dog we will get next! We all talked and decided we would get 2 dogs next time....maybe next December or some time in the spring.

We were thinking to get either a pair if Pocket Beagles or a Pocket Beagle and a Border Collie!

Over the fourth of July weekend I decided to "just browse" the Humane Society website.
OK you can stop laughing now! What was I thinking would really happen?
Needless to say I found a female 7 month old Pocket Beagle and a male Border Collie/Aussie mix up for adoption.
We waited a few days, then headed down to the pound only to find we missed the Beagle by 1 hour! She was still there on hold.....someone else got her! Drat!
But there was a bonus waiting for us when got down there.....a approx. 3 year old pure bred Border Collie had just arrived!
We were eager to visit with him in a room to see if "he was the one"!!!!!  We were told we'd need to wait for him to have a behavior assessment done first. The earliest it could be done was Thursday (today). So we drove home......to wait!

We got the call at 5pm tonight~ The dog passed his behavior assessment!!!!!
 We are going to visit with him tomorrow and if he passes our family assessment we will bring "Jasper" home with us!
The gal on the phone asked if we have ever owned a Border Collie?
I told her No, but I have read up on and know people who own Border Collies.
They all have many kids and love their "herding" dog!
 She did asked the ages of my children and after I told her she replied, it is noted here that this dog is not a good match for families with children under 4. (the dog was licking my soon to be 3 year old daughters hands the day we first saw the dog!) HHHUUMMM????

Olivia (almost 3) keeps asking when we are bring her dogie home!
I took pictures of "Jasper" so I could show them to hubby.
I put "Jasper" as our screen saver......so we can imagine him here!

I told the gal....I have done my research about the breed and my son Nick (11 on Aug 1) will be enrolled in a dog training class with the dog. The pound gives a $50.00 rebate after completing a obedience course. Nick also might take 4H to do agility training with the new dog.
We plan to get a Border Collie regardless and we sure hope that he is the one!

The lady recanted, saying, I do think this dog will be a good match as it sounds like you fully understand the breed. I told her that I want to visit with the dog in a visiting room with all my kiddos,walk the dog on a leash and take him out into the play yard for a while before making a final decision out the dog!

Does he chase the kids?
Does he nip or bite while trying to herd?
What is his energy level?
Does he pulled when walked?
How does he react to other dogs when out of his kennel?
What is the over all temperament of this dog?

If the dog passes my test, then we will have ourselves a new dog!
Keep us in your prayers if you would. We will be disappointed if this dog does not pass MY test but do know there are other dogs out there.
We are in love with this dog but its hard know a dogs true colors with a chain link kennel between us!
I sure hope and pray he passed my test!

Ann at Eight Acres, if you are reading this what can you share with me about the breed?
I seem to recall that you have a Border Collie of some sort?

I'll keep you posted as to what happens tomorrow!

Peace and Love,
Georgiann

Scary To Think.........

....that while we were off at the lake on the 3 and 4th of July, our house could have gone up in flames!
It was not until the 5th of July when I had my friend/neighbor over for a evening cup of tea on my back porch. As we were coming out to sit and watch the kiddos play on the sports court my neighbor asks.... So whats with the fire here?
Paying only 1/2 attention, trying to get out the door without spillin' my hot tea, not even seeing what she was talking about. I said, I don't know?
She (Debbie) said, looks like some one was playing with matches?!
Only then do I look over at what she was asking me about and to my horror, my picket gate piece I use as decoration on my patio by the back door was very burnt! As was my favorite pink garden clog.....melted~ along with what ever else I had sitting out by the back door?

Our kiddos decided it would be fun to play detective.  They looked for and wrote down clues to how and what might have started the fire.
Since we did not light off fire works......and from the clues found, we surmise it was....

Coronal Mustard with the candle stick in the conservatory!

All kidding aside,
From clues collected by the kids, we all think the fire started from a stray mortar shell shot off by the people on the road behind our house. My tea drinking neighbor friend was around for the 4th concurred, there were people on the back road lighting off fire works.

Our house could have burnt down!

 We were back home late that night. We could have been asleep inside. I was sssooo tired that night as we got home late both the 3rd and 4th of July! I could have slept right through any smoldering fire!
God was certainly watching over us! I am very thankful!

There was about $150.00 in damage.  A few thing by the back door that got totally burned.... I don't even remember what all was there.
I'm glad the radio my son had plugged in was not damaged. Being it was plugged in could have caused a secondary electrical fire that would have burned the house down!

Life is precious and can change for better or worse in just seconds without notice!
 Don't take things for granted!

I am thankful that the damage was minimal and that no one was hurt!

Fire works are dangerous and well.....

I pray everyone had a safe holiday!

Peace and Love,

Georgiann

Baseball~Boats and BBQ's

This weekend was busy with 5 baseball games for my oldest son. Mixed in with a BBQ/Party at the lake on July 3rd, followed by me bringing a hot dinner over to feed 13 people to the same friends house the next night (July4) It was a no fuss dinner. A large brown sack of hot baked potatoes, a pan of skinless,boneless chicken breast and thighs topped with BBQ sauce and 9 ears of oven roasted corn.
All hot from my oven and ready to eat upon my arrival!
For dessert we had a bag of white yogurt covered pretzels.

After a quick 4th of July dinner both our families (minus our Jacob...who was at a friend house) loaded onto our boats to go watch the firework show the lake puts on! It was like wrap around fire works!
When the real show started up the fireworks were right above our boat!

As most of you out there know after a busy weekend with a large family.....the house is usually a mess on Monday! Though it is really Tuesday, this is my Monday!

So I'm off to clean and tidy!

I pray you all had a safe weekend!

For the most part we did......but last night while out on my back patio sipping tea with my neighbor we discovered what could have been a holiday disaster!

Stay tuned....I hope to post tomorrow what we found!

Can you guess what it was?

Peace and Love

Georgiann

Delighted~

This year many of us gardeners no matter were we live have had a hard time with mother nature.
The result is having a poorly growing veggie garden!  With much rain and gray days here in the Pacific Northwest many seeds and such rotted in the ground or did not get the sun required! Most of my garden plants are only 6 inches tall! Many plants did not even pop though the ground!
I still have hope....but am braced for a garden with little or no harvest of peppers,tomatoes,
egg plant, corn, beans and peas! Oh lets not forget, carrots,beets, and radishes!

That does not sound like delight you might say?  

Well, that part of my gardening experience has been quite discouraging to say the least!
But being a girl who likes to look at the positive side of things......was over joyed to see cauliflower heads forming on my brassicas plants! I have been harvesting my broccoli for the past few months and thought my cauliflower was not going to produce this year due to the weather?
 My body exploded with excitement at the sight of the somewhat large heads of white cauliflower growing in the depths of the huge leaves! I was on a natural high!
Seeing my plants grow into food for my family makes my heart flutter!

                              I find such beauty in the curves of the plants

and the sweet delicate look to the flowers that leaves me in awe of Gods handy work!

Most of the veggies pictured below are cold weather plants (in the brassicas family), I planted them from starts I bought/planted back in March!

Pictured from top to bottom: Purple cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower,

strawberries, zucchini (green) zucchini (yellow)

dill and chamomile patch

Swiss chard and red leaf lettuce bed

my carrots,beets and radishes are not doing well they were planted in the same bed!

My potatoes and onions are doing well as are most of my herbs with the exception of my basil...

I have had to replace it 3 times!

What did you plant this year?

How well is your garden growing?

~Peace and Love~

Georgiann

How To Steep Loose Leaf Tea~

The tea I made this morning was a Thai Chai.
Its a black tea full of spice!
I added organic vanilla soy Silk and a squirt of organic agave nectar!

Measure 1 teaspoon of loose tea and put it in a glass container with pour spout!
I do have a tea medal tea ball but find I get better use of my tea leaves (they have better contact with the water) when I just let them float in the water freely...then strain the leaves out! Cramming tea into the ball would not allow the tea to give you its all!
Pour hot (not boiling) water over tea leaves. (boiling water will burn your tea!
Let steep for 3-4 minutes.
Pour steeped tea through a bamboo or medal strainer and into your cup or mug! Enjoy!

You can get several steepings from your tea leaves.....so save them for your afternoon tea!
You would not want to save them for another day, as they might mold!

Water temperature and steep times very depending on the kind of tea you are making!
If your water is to hot or you steep to long, you end up with a bitter tasting cup of tea.
Yucko~

Note: loose leaf tea should be stored in a cool dark place. Not in plastic bags as seen in the picture.
I need to transfer my teas into another container. Medal containers are preferred storage vessel, as glass lets light in. Never put tea bags or loose teas in the freezer in the hopes to "keep your tea fresh"....the moisture will cause molding. Just have a tea party with lots of friends and serve it all up!

Peace and Love,
Georgiann