Around The House And Gardens & What's up

This month has been a full speed ahead hectic, emotional, traumatic, crazy month...My Father-In-Law has Alzheimer's and has taken a downward turn.  My Mother-In-Law can no longer take care of him in their home.  So we had to make the very hard decision to place him in a nursing home. 

Eeeeks...I never knew how traumatic that would be.  Especially for my Mom-In-Law and for myself as well to a lesser degree.  It felt as if we were abandoning him, although we knew that it was the best decision for Him and Her.  Many tears later we are getting used to it.  It still doesn't seem right that he isn't sitting in his recliner when we go to visit.

Then many, many other things have happened at the same time.  Trying to me, but trying for you to read, so I'll spare you.  Hopefully I'm on the other side of hard and it'll get easier.

The girls went back to school today...so...I made them this cute froggie couple with cauliflower clouds, Cheddar flowers, and tomato cherries....

Talia's is a little different with cheese and ham roll ups on a bed of lettuce since she "doesn't like" cauliflower.  I still put a little piece in case she wanted to try it.  The bottom tier was filled with satsumas and pecans.  The cauliflower and satsumas were grown by neighbors.  The pecans, tomatoes, and lettuce I grew myself.  The ham was from a local company.  So the only things I don't know were it came from is the rice and cheddar. 

Supposedly it's best to eat local first, then organic, then otherwise if you choose.

The pecan crop isn't so hot this year.  Usually it's every other year and last year was bumper.  My Mom's trees are doing pretty well though.  So I'm scrounging every single pecan I can to make Praline or Sugared pecans.

Delicious yummy praline coated pecans cooling and waiting....

to be weighed and placed in....

six ounce bags....

to sell at my neighbor's Farmers Market.  I make 30 bags at a time and it seems I'm barely home and she's sold out.  That's how yummy they are.  If you use a candy thermometer they come out perfect every time.  I actually let the coating mixture get a couple of degrees above soft boil to make sure they get hard.  The recipe is HERE.  I posted it a few years ago.

Today's harvest:  carrots, Thai winged beans, habanero peppers, tomatoes, green beans, tennis ball lettuce (seed I got from Thomas Jefferson Heritage Festival at Monticello), and eggplant.

Love this tennis ball lettuce ....  soo sweet....My friend told me that someone told her it was too late to plant in this area...ha!  Here's proof.  This is the best time ever to plant around here!

Everything washed up and ready for the fridge...all except the tomatoes.  They go on the counter top to finish ripening.  Love these food grade storage containers for veggies in the fridge.  The veggies last perfectly in them.  But they are too yummy to last long.