Choo - Choo and it is The Hodgepodge

 

Once upon a time we took my mom on a train for Mother's Day Brunch.

 Me and my mom.

Choo - Choo

Can you hear the train coming? 

No matter if you can or if you cannot, it is Wednesday and it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. How do you define beauty? 

 

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.

St. Augustine

 

  2. Have you ever taken a trip by train? If so where did you go and what did you think of the experience? If not do you have any desire to do so? Where would you like to go? (You might find inspiration here-The Best Train Trips in The World)

 

Our family took a day trip on a train. We treated my mom to a Mother's Day Brunch on the train. It was a fun day. I am sharing some photos of the day below. 

 

Me and my husband... our first year of marriage.

 

 

 

My mom. All the mom's were given corsages as they boarded the train.

 

 

 

Enjoying our brunch as we choo choo along.

 

 

 

3. Shell shocked, bombshell, bandshell, shellacking, in a nutshell, walking on eggshells...choose one and tell us why you chose it, or how it relates to your life in some way currently.

 
  Shell shocked by the current comments regarding September 11, 2001.

 

  4. Tacos, pistachios, oysters, clams, eggs...your favorite food on the list that comes in/with a shell? 

 

I do enjoy eggs. I have an egg everyday for breakfast. They never get old for me. Yum!

I also enjoy tacos, but I do not usually eat them with a shell. 

 

  5. Are birthdays a big deal in your house? Is your own birthday a big deal in some way? Elaborate. 

 

Oh yes, birthdays are a big deal. We are to be sure to gather for birthdays. It might not be on the day, but we will get together at some point to celebrate.

 My birthday is a big deal to me. My birthday is 12/12. With that 12 is my favorite number. And my 12/12/2012 birthday was VERY special. I felt very loved by family and friends on 12/12/12.

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

September, the month you get to enjoy all the hard work you put in during the garden season. We made salsa this weekend with some of our bounty.  

 

 

 

 

Joy List Monday

 Joy List Monday

 ♥ a weekly ritual ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 

 

 ♥ my friend Kitty inspired me to make a tomato tart

♥ harvesting herbs, peppers and tomato from the garden

 

 

♥ decorating for autumn

 ♥ pulling out my favorite decorations

 

 

♥ turning the air conditioner off

♥ opening the windows and letting the fresh autumn air in

 

 

 

♥ autumn evenings are coming in earlier and earlier 

 ♥ enjoying twinkle lights and candles to light the evening

 

 

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

 ♥

Carla

  

 

 

This and That

 

Hello Friends,

A bit of this and that today to catch up a bit from the month of August.

Fresh salads for dinner have been what is on the menu a many a night. It is great to go out and pick your meal in the backyard, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.

 

Finding white sweet corn at the farmers market. We usually only find the bi color sweet corn. Another favorite is all yellow sweet corn. 

Do you have a favorite sweet corn? 

 

Speaking of sweet corn.. how do you like to eat yours? Butter and salt?

 

Dark was setting in early this particular evening. I decided to light the candles for dinner. I started to smell something burning. My candles were just close enough to burn the flowers in the bouquet I made. OPE!

 

We met our boys for fish fry at a place along the Chippewa River. We had to wait for our table, we enjoyed the setting sun and river as we waited.

 

 

Farmer Market

 

 

We stopped by our local farmer market to pick up some goodness we do not grow or we are still waiting to ripen for harvest. 

 

 

Ground cherries, do you like them? In the photo they are the things you see that have what look like paper on them. You pop them out of the paper husk and you eat a sweet surprise. 

 

 

We do not grow sweet corn. This year we needed to freeze corn. We have a farm just down the road from our village that has sweet corn for sale. And it is delicious.

Do you have a favorite goody you like to get at the farmer market?

 

 

Garden Time in July

 

 

Hello Friends, 

July is waving goodbye, already, golly this year is flying by. It is time to take a tour of what is going on here at The Little Garden That Could.

The above photo is a miniature tomato plant I have in the greenhouse. It is called Tiny Tim. It has been giving us tomatoes since July 4th. Thank you, Tiny Tim. 

 

 

I quickly snapped a photo of this yellow Dahlia and picked it for a bouquet. The pest pressure has really picked up in the heat and humidity that we are having.

 

 

Hello Gardener's, what is causing this on my Fuchsia? The flower blossom gets nice and big. Just when it is ready to open, it turns brown? Is this some type of blossom rot?

 

 

Water drops on one of my favorite lily. I love taking photos of water drops on plants. 

 

 

The sunlight dancing in the garden is another favorite time I like to take photos. The sun is dancing on my dill patch. 

 

 

Beans and more beans. I pickled the first crop of beans. Yum, cannot wait to try them.

 

 

The raspberry patch is having a fantastic year. We have been busy freezing the berries for winter eating.

 

 

See that fella, that is the pest pressure I was talking about. Nasty old beetles.

If you can help me with what is going on with my Fuchsia I would appreciate your advice.

 

 ♥

Carla 

Pumpkin Carving Party 2025

 

My husband used my dad's carving tools to write "We're Having A Good Time" into the pumpkin.

 

Hello Friends, we enjoyed another fun pumpkin carving party with our family. My parents grew all the pumpkins. They have gotten very good at pumpkin growing. We had a fantastic selection of pumpkins to choose from to create our 2025 pumpkin masterpieces.

 

I used a little basket to make a hat for this pumpkin.

 

I found a little basket and white bird in a stash of my craft items. The pumpkin I picked out did not have a stem on top,so this idea worked perfect to add the straw hat and bird.. raven. I painted the white bird, black, to make it a raven.

 

 

The pumpkin party crew, and Ernie too.

 

My husband and I created this one together.

My husband and I created this chicken pumpkin. We used chicken wire for the inside to give it a true chicken coop look. 

More creative ideas, does this one look like an owl to you?

 

 

 And now for the pumpkins all aglow.  

 

Happy Halloween to you! 

September

 Brewing, fermenting, rising, bubbling, kneading, stewing, simmering, aging, curing, growing, sprouting... a working kitchen is alive with verbs.

Jill Winger

 

♥

Carla

This and That

 

 

Hello Friends, a little of this and that to share with you today. 

We will start with flowers.

 

"Never live faster than your guardian angels can fly"

Susan Branch

 

I harvested our first batch of fresh lettuce.

 

 

 "I seek quiet joys."

John Clare 

 

Shug asked me to take a photo of the Osprey nest that I shared in my post from last week... in case you missed the post click here to read about our local Ospreys.

Look up at the stadium lights.  

 

"Blessed are the happiness makers!"

Henry Ward Beecher

 

Meet us in Narrows Park

We enjoyed a picnic with some of my past coworkers and volunteers from DAYBREAK. 

 

"Fun is Good."

Susan Branch 

 

 

Each morning a load of culverts have been unloaded for a big project that will be happening in our village. 

 

" Life is either a great adventure or nothing."

Helen Keller

 

 I started this begonia from seed...  I cannot believe the size of it.

 

Have a great week my friends. 

I will be on an adventure... be back soon.

♥

 Carla