Tuesday, May 14, 2013

It's all good!

Last week found us really busy with some fun time mixed in.

It was the Marine's birthday.  Grandson helped his Uncle open his gifts.



 We couldn't wrap this one!  The Marine's Bichon was stolen several years ago.  We finally decided to replace him.  We got him a Rat Terrier.  The Marine has named her "Baby".

 She loves to stand up and push the swivel chair in the Marine's room and make it go round and round.
 I think she is going to make a good companion dog for him.






The weather finally cooperated for the Marine to have his beach day so off we went.  Our niece held on to him while we 
went down the bumpy road.

This year we went to Sharky's.  The Marine enjoyed a few sips of a frozen strawberry daiquiri. 


 I didn't have the camera with the group shot but there were 10 family and friends who joined us.



 Earlier, we harvested our first honey from one of our hives.   First you uncap the wax.
 The frames are placed in the extractor and then spun.





 The beautiful golden stuff begins to flow.  I am giving away a jar of this sweet goodness next Saturday.  You can go to Our First Blog Giveaway to put your name in the hat.

The week ended with a beautiful bouquet of roses from the Marine, a sweet card from my daughter-in-law and  calls from my daughter and younger son.  I hope all of you Mom's had a great day as well.





18 comments:

  1. Mamma - it looks like you had a great week! and the Marine, too! i am glad that he has a new "baby" to be a companion to him. "baby" sure is cute. so is the Marine, your grandson, Papa (man, i love his hair!), your neice...and you look like a movie star in that hat! that honey looks amazing - i can't believe that you just started bee-keeping! you seem like an expert already! i am glad that you got such beautiful roses - you deserve them! Happy Belated Mother's Day to you, Mamma!

    your friend,
    kymber

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    1. Thank you sweet kymber...harvesting the honey was amazing. We actually got our first bees last year on the Marines birthday so we have been beekeepers for 1 year now. How are your bees? We have had such a great week. Now it's time to buckle down and get some real work done!

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  2. Looks like things are going well for you! The honey looks great, is that a 5 gallon bucket? If so, you got a ton of honey. Happy belated B-day to the Marine. Any gardening this year?

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    1. A really great week K. That is a five gallon bucket. It just looks full. There is a screen that fits in the top of the bucket that filters out the little bits of wax. We got a little over 2 gallons from 8 frames. I was thrilled and it is so good. It would have been a bit more if I could have had the extractor in a warm room. After we moved the extractor to the apiary for the bees to clean up, another pint or two ran down the sides and collected in the bottom. I would have taken it but the love bugs found it and they were caught all in the honey still clinging to the extractor. At least we wiped out a small population of those nasty things!

      Garden is underway. I'll post on it soon. Have fun with your time off from school!

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    2. 2 gallons is a good chunk of the yearly stockpile set by the LDS. Now for some of those wonderful recipes of yours for the honey!

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    3. K...there are several recipes in the back of one of my bee books I am itching to try. I'll post the recipes as soon as I make something. Our first honey taste was on buttermilk waffles. I made the buttermilk from our fresh goat milk...It was delish!

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  3. Cute Birthday Dog for the Marine. I hope the become great friends. Belated Happy Birthday, Marine!!

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    1. Thanks MM...We are having a ton of fun with a new puppy in the house. He had his Bichon for 15 years and we still miss him. Thanks for the birthday wishes!

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  4. Oh mama! what a beautiful week you all had. I hope the Marine had a wonderful birthday.
    I hope he enjoyed that Daquiri because it sure looked good.

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    1. Thanks Glock Mom...We did have a great week, now it is time to get some serious work done before it gets too hot. The Daiquiri was good...The Marine share it with me! Hope you and your family are doing well!

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  5. So nice you got to have a good day at the beach with the family. The dog will be a great companion for the marine and playing with the chair should be fun entertainment for him. Enjoy all that honey.

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    1. It was fun TL..We should do it more often but the stars and planets all have to align for us to pull off an outing! The honey is great. I made buttermilk (from our goat milk)waffles and we had the honey instead of syrup...It was yummy! The puppy is a hoot!

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  6. Nice looking honey. Rat Terriers are so much fun my mom has one and they are a hoot I don't think they ever stop moving.

    Glad you had such a wonderful week.

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    1. PP...It was fun harvesting that honey...I can't wait until there is more. I love seeing those jars on the shelf! I don't think I have ever been around a Rat Terrier before but you are right ...they are a hoot and smart as a whip.

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  7. I kept bees for a few years. That's goooooooood stuff!

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    1. GS...I am enjoying beekeeping very much and the honey is a big plus!

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  8. Mamma Bear,

    I love all of your pictures of the Marine on his Birthday.
    You can see it in his eyes how happy he is with family,
    his new puppy, and all the gifts. Baby is a great new addition for the Marine. She will keep him a busy.

    A beach day, oh how I miss those days. There's no beaches here to really just relax at. I loved going to the beach and just relaxing under an umbrella. The smell of the fresh salt water, the sand at your feet and the slight breeze just makes you feel so relaxed and refreshed at the same time. An outing at the beach with a daiquiri is the best medicine a person can ask for.

    Wow, I had no idea of the process you use to harvest the honey from the hive. I'm slowly learning. Out of the one hive, you had that much honey?

    Give the Marine a big hug from an Oklahoma friend.
    Take care, sending hugs to the entire family.
    Sandy

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    1. Sweet Sandy...We had such a good time this past week and the weather was perfect for the Marine's beach day. It was relaxing. I left all of the adults on the deck with the Marine and walked to the shores edge with my great niece and nephew. The water still felt cold but it was wonderful to dip my toes in it. After a few minutes all of my garden stains were washed away and I had pretty clean toenails...bahahaha I really need to wear socks and shoes while gardening but I guess I am really a country girl at heart. I don't like shoes or gloves and if I start out with them they are soon tossed to the side.

      Yep...all of that honey came out of one hive and it wasn't completely full so I was one happy Mamma Bear!

      We feel your hugs! You and Bulldog Man have a great week and hugs right back at ya!

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