Where Did September Go????

     I have to say SORRY.....I have no idea where September went.  I was so very busy harvesting, taking care of animals, getting ready for 2 trips, I just did not have the time to write.  I do have to admit that my computer went on the blink for about 3 weeks and I did not have a back-up plan, and mysteriously one day I turned it on and it fixed itself...(Isn't that scary?)  I was overjoyed to have it back and not to have to spend a penny having it repaired.  Thank you Lord, You are so good to me.
     Well, are you dying to know what has kept me busy.  Homesteading of course.  Let me just tell you, it IS a full time job.  The rewards far outweigh the trials and pains you encounter on a day to day basis, but this is NOT for the faint of heart.  I have harvested so many pounds of peppers that I have lost track of how many bags I have in the freezer.  They will come in handy for pizza, making salsa, spaghetti and chili in the (hopefully) cold winter to come.  I gathered probably the most beautiful bunch today.  These are just my bell peppers and sweet bananas, the jalapenos I will get tomorrow, I plan on making some salsa tomorrow and want them fresh from the garden.  With a lot of luck, they will bloom and continue growing till frost.  My plants were hardy through all the rainy summer we had, and look better and stronger everyday. 

     I am continuing to pick the largest peppers and leave the smaller ones to grow and by doing this once a week, they are having time to grow really large.  We have stuffed so many, I think my hubby is growing tired of them.  So the question arises, "What to do with all these peppers?"  Well I am a southern girl and southern girls like cheese...now....some of you are wondering what cheese has to do with peppers.  I remembered a Christmas party I went to last year and there was a block of cream cheese on a platter with this green stuff running all over it.  I tried to stay away from it cause it looked....well....not as beautiful as the other dishes, however, it was flying off the platter very quickly and I decided I must try this before it disappears and leaves me regretful.  It was this creamy, cool, sweetness with a flash of spice, the yummiest I have ever had on a cracker.  I was in love!!!  So now armed to the brim with loads of peppers, I knew I MUST have pepper jelly for this years party appearances.  You absolutely have to know, it does not smell good, nor taste that good while cooking..(this is free advice)..but the product you come away with is outstanding poured over cream cheese and served with crackers. 

     Enough about peppers, what else has been going on.  Well, sadly we sold two of our beef calves.  Winter is coming, that means less grass for the ones we will be eating ourselves.  We have kept one for next years beef and one for the following.  We will pray God provides replacements for what we will consume.  I just want to be honest, next winter can wait as long as it likes, it will be sad when Brown Cow goes.
     The ladies have been slowing down on production, I cannot tell you how I hate having to feed 25 hens and get 2-5 eggs a day.  Some of those ladies have seen their last summer.  In the meantime, we are trying to cook the eggs while we have them cause I do realize that soon enough they will stop laying when they all enter molt...ugh.  
     The goats have been well, which is a blessing in itself.  Geez it is hard to keep them happy and healthy.  I wish we had acres upon acres of pasture, but it is acres and acres of woods.  I do enjoy it and am blessed, but we have 2 choices, clear out some more land, or move them in the front yard (Guess which one I refuse to do..LOL).
     I have truly enjoyed the last few weeks we FINALLY took a family vacation 3 weeks back.  It was so enjoyable to not have to worry about the farm.  I have, with out a doubt, the best friend who took care of my girls while I was absent and milked for me.  We went to see several shows while on our trip, which is something we usually cannot do with a family of 7.  We just planned out our trip differently this year so we could take advantage of some discounts.  I also took a day trip with some good friends and just got back last week from a relaxing weekend with 8 sweet ladies.  Break is over until next year, with Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching.  It was so sweet to just enjoy being....I love the mountains, I love to ride through with the windows rolled down and the crisp smell of autumn in the air.  It is a sensation I will never get over, and I try to relive as often as I can.  I want my kids to appreciate it, the beauty God has created around us, the smells, the colors, the sounds.
     The sounds....I hear them outside now, with their dad, enjoying precious time together making a campfire and setting up their tents. Just like heaven to them. It is such a fun, innocent moment in their lives, and a great way to spend Friday night.  Then reality hits and the door opens, and there stands hubby with our littlest screaming (he obviously does not care that he is keeping everyone up talking) and now has been ousted from the party outside.  So to the tub for a scrub and a cup of juice to make everything better.  He will be glad he slept in his own bed tonight.