Name That Vegetable QUIZ

Okay, so rather than me putting your to sleep showing you all the great pictures of my garden I thought I'd test your SKILLZ and quiz you on how well you know your plants.

TO WHOMEVER GETS THE MOST OF THESE CORRECT GETS A SA-WEET $5 JAMBA CARD SENT TO YOU BY YOURS TRULY. (give me a break, times are tough ;)

If there is a tie then I you'll have to get together and split a large one (or if that won't work out maybe we'll do a tie-breaker). I guess we'll cross that bridge when if we come to it.

So here are the rules- (1) your answers must be your own. No calling your friend and being like, "Hey, can you check out this blog and look at the picture and tell me what it is and I'll split the booty with ya?" (2) Don't look up your answers on the internet because that is LAME-O. and (3) you must oooh and aahhhh and how beautiful my garden is.

Email your answers to me at hayburk1@yahoo.com by 9pm California time (PST?).

Okay without further ado, here is your quiz...

(1) Name this vegetable (if you don't know this one you may want to reconsider taking this quiz)

2) Name this vegetable (sorry for the sideways picture)

3) Name this fruit (hint: there's a bit one RIGHT THERE and they often grow in a "patch")

4)What are these plants going to grow?

5) What are these fruits? (or vegetables...I've never been convinced about this one)

6) What is this really old herb? (hence the flowering seeds on top) *BONUS- there is also a little tiny herb which looks more like a weed of another variety growing volunteer (I didn't plant it on purpose) to it's right. It's really strong smelling.

7) What is this other really old plant? (hint: really good chopped up in enchiladas)

8) Come the end of August we are going to have a billion and a half of these. What are they? And please come eat some.

9) Okay, this may be more difficult...What kind of tree is this little stinker hiding under?

10) (I think we're getting harder as we go...) We've tried to kill this crazy tree a couple times because it's in an inconvenient place and it wouldn't die. Now we are really grateful it didn't and it gives us yummy berries. What crazy tree is this?

11) Okay this one's too hard. It's butternut squash. Even I didn't know until today when I saw a little bitty one on there.

12) And finally, this tree gives yummy orangish-yellow fuzzy fruits. What is it?


Okay, there ya go. Good luck!

Other things in and around my garden that we have growing are cabbages, pear tree, plum trees, orange trees, tangelo tree, grapefruit tree, lemon tree, collards (dad's doing), casaba melon, canteloupe, honey dew, watermelon, tiger melon, and zucchini. They just aren't big enough to really see what they are yet.

HAPPY GARDENING TO YA.

You may have heard.
The California supreme court upheld Proposition 8.
I cannot tell you how relieved I am. I really am sad for those really good men and women who will not be able to get married. I understand why they are unhappy. But there are so many of them who don't only want their rights but to invade my rights as well. Well you know my feelings on the whole thing. Anyway, as I listened to last General Conference (April) and listened to this talk I couldn't help feeling that Elder Christofferson was talking right to me. Here's a part:

D. Todd Christofferson said:
Early Church leaders in this dispensation confirmed that adhering to the covenant path provides the reassurance we need in times of trial:
“It was [the knowledge that their course in life conformed to the will of God] that enabled the ancient saints to endure all their afflictions and persecutions, and to take … not only the spoiling of their goods, and the wasting of their substance, joyfully, but also to suffer death in its most horrid forms; knowing (not merely believing) that when this earthly house of their tabernacle was dissolved, they had a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Cor. 5:1.)” (Lectures on Faith [1985], 67).
They further pointed out that in offering whatever sacrifice God may require of us, we obtain the witness of the Spirit that our course is right and pleasing to God (see Lectures on Faith, 69–71). With that knowledge, our faith becomes unbounded, having the assurance that God will in due time turn every affliction to our gain. Some of you have been sustained by that faith as you have endured those who point fingers of scorn from the “great and spacious building” and cry, “Shame!” (see 1 Nephi 8:26–27), and you have stood firm with Peter and the Apostles of old, “rejoicing that [you] were counted worthy to suffer shame for [Christ’s] name” (Acts 5:41).

I know this isn't the end of anything but I hope we can stop the battle for a little bit.
In the meantime, anyone putting in a garden this year?

4

Can you believe how quickly 4 years goes by? (flashback May 2005)

Kids grow up way too fast. Just way WAY too fast.

Why can't they stay little longer?

Why can't I seem to cherish every little moment the way I'm supposed to?

I want to implant every memory in my brain to pull it up whenever I want to enjoy it. OOH! Maybe someone could get me a pensieve for my birthday. That's my birthday wish.

Well the inevitable happened and Carter turned 4 last weekend. It was too fun for me because I got to throw my first birthday party! (thank you, dollar store)

We had some friends over, played in the water, ate pizza, drank kool-aid, had cake and ice cream, and opened gifts. It was so fun and Carter loved it.

Being my first birthday party (i'm so glad he's only 4 and so he doesn't care about his cake) I don't have a lot of cake-making skills. As you can see from the following picture.

I had some extra frosting so I threw in a smiley face. One note to self- don't add sprinkles after writing on the cake. You could hardly see the writing so I used MORE extra frosting to write over Carter's name again. It really was a horrible-looking cake. Not bad tasting, though (Betty Crocker rules).

Carter's got lots of sweet gifts but this one "took the cake" (insert snorty giggle)

He also got a big-boy bike from parents and baby brother.

Then we got to go on our first big-boy bike-riding walk. Nolan was very envious. (psst...check out bigfoot's offspring there to the right of Spence. That kid's hair was everywhere. Carter even said, "Look at that girl's hair!")

Carter and Spence also got to go on the father and sons campout for the first time together. They had an awesome time and I got a little alone time with Nolan. We all enjoyed it but were also happily reunited today.

Sometimes I hate you, Blogger

There! I said it. And yes, I do feel better.
WHY must you give me all sorts of trouble? All I want is for you to publish for everyone else the way you look for me as I'm composing you. Is that too difficult?? Okay everyone, I have had it with this tonight and I'm just posting the way it is so you'll just have to scroll down a lot. Sorry about the annoyance. It wasn't me.
Okay, we've been back but who has time to post for like 3 days after they get back from vacation? Seriously, it takes me that long just to get all the clothes and crud put away.
As you may have read from a previous post we were vacationing in my hometown of Houston for a while. It is a major (unspecified) birthday for my Mom soon and we had a sweet family reunion in honor of her big day. We had an awesome time and did a ton of stuff. One of the first days I was there we went on a walk on a golf course by my brother's house and there was this cute little bird sitting on eggs right in the middle of the course. The kids loved it but were getting too close for comfort so the stupid bird was screaming at us and had absolutely the most annoying shriek ever.



































We hung out around my mom and dad's for a few more days and then all headed up to Artesian Lakes in Cleveland, Tx. We had two cabins right on the lakes and got to watch, feed, and annoy the animals below all from the convenience of the deck of our cabins.


































We saw birds, squirrels, turtles, an armadillo and most of all, these guys....


































And they were great entertainment for these guys....























And after a while we got bored with just looking at them so we fed the hotdogs, marshmallows, and perch (a small fish), strung and dangled on a vine. Then we saw some real action. This guy rocketed out of the water. It was awesome.
































The next morning we got picked up by a horse-drawn carraige to take us to a delicious buffet breakfast.



































And we saw a prehistoric turtle. Seriously, this thing was humongous (Texas-sized). Can you make out it's head? (It's grabbing the pole under us and it's nostrils are toward the top of the water.)
























Then we took some family pics.























And had a surprise b-day party for Gma.


































Next we were off to my parent's lake house in Longview, Tx. We went on boat rides, hung out at "the island", and sunk a few lures. Spencer caught a nice "rock bass" (i.e. an unidentified fish) with red eyes.


































And then back in the safety of Gma's house, Carter finally got to explore his curiosity of what it would be like to dress up like a fairy. And yet one more blackmail picture to add to the collection for future teenage Carter. (I'm RAKIN them in)

It Starts

Canned Apple Pie Filling (click for recipe)

You go, girl.

Love this. Sometimes it feels like no one has a backbone anymore and won't stand up against the "majority". I applaude you, Carrie Prejean and wish I could give you a hug.

Sunday pics

Easter Sunday was a bad day for pictures.
Church starts at 9 which is really pushin' it for me and I was singing in sacrament so I had to be 20 minutes early (which is really pushin' it for me).
But I had stalked these adorable church outfits at Target for weeks, I kid you not, waiting for them to go on sale. I went to Target (not to look for them, in particular) the day before Easter and there was a "price cut" sign where they were hanging. Ooohhhhh, goodie! So I casually walked over to where they were ( i wanted to sprint, elbowing other moms out of my way) and found that they were 1/2 off. $12.98 to be exact.
WAHOO!
PLUS, they had the exact sizes I needed.
What are the chances? Seriously!
I couldn't stop smiling as I thought about coming home and showing Spence and thinking about how adorable my kids would look the next day.
I must have looked like such an idiot.
I tried to hide my big ol' grin at first and then decided there wasn't any point and just smiled away. (and then I was really obnoxious and bragged to like 4 people, including the cashier, about the awesome deal i got)
Anyway, I was so excited to take pics of the boys in their outfits and as you alreay know that didn't work out, and after church was even worse than before (nap time- you understand).
So today I had 15 minutes until church.
I pinned up a sheet.
They ripped it down. twice.
I bribed them with marshmallows. Nolan doesn't understand bribes yet and was unhappy that he didn't get the marshmallow right then so he was in tears. (see below)
But I got a couple good ones and I'm so excited because I didn't even have to pay JCPenny to take pictures of my kids.
And they got to scarf marshmallows. Right before church. Maybe I'll re-think that one next time.

(After he dried up the tears. Isn't it amazing how fast they look normal again? I get spots all over my face that don't go away for like an hour.)