Update

First, the garden update. The peas have been ripped out, and will not be replaced for an attempt at a fall crop. I have been picking around 4-5 ripe tomatoes out of the garden every day, and DD is keeping up with them. She eats them sliced or in sandwiches constantly. The cabbages are doing great despite bugs doing their best to eat them before I can. I cooked two cabbages last night with ham, and oh was it good! This is the first year I have grown cabbages, and I was very pleased with the flavor. Definitely a keeper for next year. I let the zukes go too long between picking, and they are now huge. I will have to get creative with ways of cooking them up so that I can get them out of my way. Dad finally went out and "found" my cukes, and some are huge as well. I hope I can salvage these monsters for some fridge pickles. Dad had tried to help me out by picking the beans, bless his heart, and he brought to my attention today that the peppers "just won't grow". I started to laugh and explained that we chose a smaller variety this year due to space constraints. This is as big as those poor peppers can grow! So now I have several of them, and plan to chop and freeze them for use in the winter when I really crave them in all my food. I also have quite a few banana peppers to deal with. That one plant is really putting them out! The beans are not getting enough air, and so with the rains and dampness we have had this week, they are getting rusty and mildew-y.

note to self for next year: Make more room between rows! Even if it means fewer plants!

Dad has agreed to double the size of the garden for next year, as we tend to choose plants that need more room and this year it is a jungle in there. It is nearly impossible to weed, due to the tiny space. Our squash have wandered all the way over to the tomato plants and are assisting the heavily fruited plants in pulling down the cages. I will have to invent something taller and stronger for next year.

I have put the plans for the indoor veggies on hold for this year, in consideration of the need for baby space. Drat, the hubby wins! I will be making it a priority for the next winter, though. I am disappointed that all my plans will not be working out as I planned, but am trying to keep perspective. Any small step forward is still progress, and I have been making that every year.

While looking for photos of my DD's 7th birthday at my folks' place, I found so many pictures that I had forgotten I took when I lived there. My favorites so far are the pics of her first time eating corn on the cob at a little over a year old. She is holding the cob in her mouth much the way Bugs Bunny nibbles his carrot and has this look of mischief in her eyes that is totally precious. I remember wondering at the time if the actual cob would hurt her if she managed to eat a piece of that. With all the pics that I want to get copies of, I probably have $50 or $60 worth already, and still no photos of her 7th birthday! DH is going to kill me. Well, I will just do it in small chunks over a few months, not all at once.

It's off to work tonight again and I am feeling resentful. I have so many other things I would prefer to be doing. As I am becoming better at this money management thing, my job has become more and more of a nuisance. I can't wait to be debt free so I can just give it all up!