Yesterday afternoon Jacob and Ethan came to me and said, “We’re going up the road to ask Mr. G if we can help him in his garden. Dad told us to.” They had even changed into clean clothes. They looked healthy, happy, and handsome. I said, “Okay!” and they went outside, opened up the garage, said, “See you later!” to Caleb, and rode off on their bikes.
They came back a little bit later. “He told us to come back in half an hour. He’s eating lunch right now.”
Grace overheard and INSISTED that she was going, too.
Mr. G is our neighbor up the road and he is a tall, lean, spry older man. (I know that he has great grandchildren but I am not sure how old he really is. I’m guessing mid to late 60’s). He and his wife go to Florida all winter long and recently came back. Every year Mr. G plants a big garden and sells the produce. Last year my children helped him for the first time and have such good memories.
In due time, the three of them rode off again, and about an hour and a half later, I heard them come back and we all went out on the porch, and leaned over the railing to watch the chickens as they excitedly talked about their time in the garden.
“Mr. G has a planter now, it looks sort of like a bicycle and it plants peas. We just had to cover them up with dirt.”
“We planted 2 long rows of onions!”
“We saw a toad. Mr. G said he likes having toads in his garden because they eat the bugs. We named him Onion. Mr. G liked that name.”
“Mr. G says Holy Mackerel. While we were there he said, ‘Holy Mackerel you have all grown so tall!'”
“We told him that you were having another baby and he asked if it would be a girl and we said yes and he was happy.”
“He told us that it would have taken him 3 hours to plant all these onions. He said the older you get the harder the work is. In two weeks it will be time to plant A LOT more stuff and he wants us to come back.”
While they were all happily talking and chattering they sipped on ice cold Pepsi that Mr. G had given them after their work. Jacob told me that at first, Mr. G had handed him a Bud Light. Jacob looked at it and said, “Is this a Pepsi?” Mr. G did a double take and said, “Holy Mackerel! I would be in a big trouble if I let you have that!” From what I understand, the cans were similar. Oh, we laughed and laughed when Jacob told us about it.
They came back with a big bag of nice rhubarb for me and I clapped my hands. I love rosy red rhubarb in the springtime and using those certain recipes that only get used once a year.
I dug out a community cookbook (from the Hospital Guild) that Rich’s Grandma gave me years ago and started looking through it. I found a recipe that I had not tried before: Easy Rhubarb Pie, and I had all the ingredients for it. Then I noticed that it was the recipe that Rich’s own Grandma had submitted. It was fun making something that I knew was a family recipe.
Easy Rhubarb Pie
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 T. butter, chilled
1 egg, beaten
2 T. milk
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 inch pie plate. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. (I did not sift). Cut in butter. Add egg and milk and mix thoroughly. This makes the crust. Press onto bottom and sides of the pie plate.
Filling:
4 cups diced rhubarb
1 (3 oz) strawberry jello
Arrange rhubarb in pie shell. Sprinkle with the Jello.
Crumb topping:
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix together, sprinkle over top of pie. Bake for 50 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.
I made two pies and we ate one whole pie after dinner last night. All EIGHT of us liked it and that is unusual! So, I know it’s a keeper.
Just a couple more pictures:
George, our rooster, makes us laugh. He stands tall and proud and watches over his flock so attentively. Yesterday they were digging and taking dustbaths under George’s supervision. He paced one way.
And then the other way.
And then he moved on behind and got dust in his face.
The children cleaned out the coop yesterday and took the ipod with them. They said that the chickens loved the music, especially one certain song that they apparently played over and over.
Also, yesterday, I received a lovely gift:
I was sitting on the porch with the children and Ethan came out with chocolate covered strawberries for me that he made himself with melted chocolate chips. They were finger lickin’ good and I felt loved.
Well, my blogging time is up. My children are all awake and it’s time for breakfast now, and then a trip to the OB later on…….
Enjoy your day!
Love~Shanda
Good to be Home 
We used to have a ton of rhubarb growing in our yard. I’m not a fan of it, even though my husband does like various baked rhubarb desserts. I didn’t want to keep it growing, I wasn’t using it. My grandparents had just moved into a new house and were happy to take it and transplant it into their yard. It’s doing wonderful, and every year she brings my husband a strawberry rhubarb pie to eat. It’s on the top shelf of my refrigerator right now, half eaten! Your pies look pretty! Hope you have a good appt. today. =)
Mmm, rhubarb. I have a fantastic recipe for rhubarb crisp my mom passed to me. It’s great, because I can also adapt it to make strawberry-rhubarb crisp. My husband’s not a fan of a lot of sweet things, so he prefers the plain rhubarb, and if I’m ever baking something for anyone else in the family I add the strawberries for extra sweetness and everyone is happy!
yum rhubarb. every year for as long as i can remember my mom has grown rhubarb and we usually make a crumble out of it. sooo good. i love its tartness. i pray that your trip to the OB is good. praying that Sarah continues to grow healthy and strong and that you are able to find some time to rest. so awesome to hear about the kids helping the neighbor out and being able to have that time with them. my friend once baby sat for some people at church and when they came home she said she wasn’t feeling so well so she’s head home. she commented to them that she’s really liked the new lemonade that they had and when they questioned her they found out that she had had two bottles…it was hard liqour but she didn’t know that ‘hard lemonade” was not the usual kind she drank. sometimes i guess its hard to figure out unless you read the bottle. good ting your son asked it would have been a bit of a surprise for him…
SO SO cool that they get to help Mr “Holy mackerel!” guy, my brothers and I worked on a farm for a few summers and it was some of the best memories! ( I had the job of throwing hay bails up into the old truck).I have never ever eaten rhubarb, I am not sure how that is possible, but its true.How you are baking two pies with six kids and very pregnant with #7 is beyond me! I am impressed!
Oh, don’t you love when the dad send the boys off looking for work? My boys were sent over to help their grandpa rake hay this week. They were so happy!
how wonderful! I love the color red.. looks so pretty too… how sweet to have your children bring you something to eat just because… enjoy your day and hope all goes well at your OB appt.
Rhubarb, YUM!! Just part of the spring rite of passage…along with asparagas;). That pie recipe sounds delicious. thanks for sharing.
YUM! I want to taste your pies ~ Hope you have a wonderful day my sister ~
The pies are beautiful! Gotta love the red!You must make a strawberry rhubarb pie …. or two or three! They are a favorite in our house!Why not grow your own rhubarb? I used to go out an grab a stalk and eat it raw when I was a kid. It is sour…but I like sour.Have a wonderful day, Shanda.
I adore rhubarb. I have a recipe that calls for brown bread, butter, sugar and rhubarb baked together and served with ice cream… YUMMM!!Love your pictures!!
I’m going to be thinking “Holy mackerel” all day long. Funny!
I’m going to have to find some rhubarb and see what its like. I dont think I’ve ever had it. It looks like red celery…..I think- I shall try your recipe. :)Hope your feeling well!!! Love, Cass
Those pies look Delish!!
That is the most beautiful chicken I have ever seen. He almost doesn’t seem real! I love rhubard!!!! I’ve tried to grow it, but it doesn’t grow well in my yard due to earwigs!!! Ick!
I think it is a super-great experience for your kids to help your neighbor with his garden! And the fresh rhubarb is just icing on the cake. Yum! When our rhubarb is ready to use, I will have to refer back to this recipe. Looks so yummy! Your rooster is handsome. I’m sure he (and all your chickens) provide much entertainment. Hope your ob appt goes well. Have a great day, and don’t forget to rest.
Loved the “Bud Light” story! That was a close one! Whew!
yum! this reminds me of my grandma who raised her own rhubarb and would make pies~ i never really liked the taste 😉 but loved the smell of them baking!!!!hope you’re doing good.. getting lots of rest. not too much longer before baby S. arrives!
Good luck at your appt, hope it went well. Your stories made me laugh.
That is so very cute! I love the “holy mackerel!” parts..hee heeOh my, your pie looks divine! I have never had rhubarb pie before, it makes me want to try it!
Oh Shanda… You make me smile… I am in love with your family more and more with each and every post. How wonderful of your MiL to stay so long and give you and Rich some much needed time together… Your memory of Rich pulling the car around made ME cry! LOL I hope you sleep well and had a good report at the doctors today. (((HUGS)))!!
What a great day! And the pie looks good 🙂
I have memories of my great grandmother making strawberries and rhubard. Yum!
Holy Mackerel that rhubarb seems easy to make! (actually, wondering here . . . is there anything about mackerel that’s holy?!)