Oh my goodness...

Howdy..I am still alive and kicking.. bet you all wondered I am sure, and probably thought this blog was dead and buried..well, I actually thought so too..ha..but you know..writing is therapy sometimes..and here I am at this old blog of mine..looking around at it and thinking..I need to get back to it, and get back to brightening others days through the pages of this blog. So..here I am.., and I am going to try to keep posting here from time to time..sharing,caring,and little by little brightening up someone else's day along the way..I hope anyhow.:)

oh gosh..I have not been on here in a long time friends. I think it is mostly because I, like many others got sucked into the facebook vortex,but here I am. I wanted to say for the record..it is not I that has diabetes..it is my son that was diagnosed with it in January. (I had a comment where someone mistakenly thought that it was I that had it) my son was diagnosed with type 1. ok...well I / we have been doing well. Adjusting to our new home. I/ we have been planting blueberries,some of the plants from lowes and home depot and the master gardeners show here in marion county last spring on the blueberry bushes for those who may have wondered where we got them from. Also put in 6 raised beds 5 of them 8 feet by 4 feet beds and 1 recently built about 8 fort by 8 foot that will soon hold about 100 iris bulbs.busy putting in a rose garden and  other plants around the new homestead and adjusting to the type 1 diabetes journey. I am glad that school is out for a little while...we home school,but still a break is good from that also. I just wanted to stop by and check in with everyone and say "hey there..I'm still around" :)  if any of you here would like to add me on your facebook friends list please feel free to. (http://www.facebook.com/tina.wilson.1257)I post a lot of my photo work over there. (the photo below is not mine,but I thought it was beautiful.)

 I'll try to remember to stop in here from time to time too.

Reopened my vintage finds shop...

I have decided to reopen my vintage finds site on etsy. You may find it here:
 www.gardengoosegifts.etsy.com

copyright T.Wilson 2012/Small Town Living

 Currently I have some really cute Vintage Valentines available as well as vintage photos, a vintage purse and more. I'll be posting some vintage gloves,more vintage beaded purses and vintage hankies soon, along with even more fun finds. You never know what you will find. I very much enjoy being on the look out for items that are really fun to decorate with and that add a special touch to your decor.
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I saw my first robin the other day! Which means Spring is definitely right around the corner..can't wait to get started on our Spring garden.
 nothing like fresh from the garden lettuces and green beans.:)
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Wishing you all a lovely day!
 ~The Garden Goose!~

Oh my..here she is...

Wow! time flies when life gets busy doesn't it? I did not realize until today that this poor blog had been neglected so. Almost a year since I have visited its pages and written something about my day, my gardening dreams,my family's plans,and hopes,etc. Wow!

 Well, the last year has been an adventure..some good things, some not so good things. The not so good things are in the past and I leave most of them there where they belong. 

  As many of you have seen we purchased a new to us home in Central Florida in December 2010. We love it! It is much larger than the home we had in North Florida and we have an acre and 1/2 to have fun on. A virtual blank slate the yard is...as the former owners really did not do a thing here for about 3 yrs the house sat empty..so the yard needed much in the way of clean up and tree and debris removal. We accomplished that this past year with several trees out and underbrush removed and hauled out. 

  I've managed to plant about 6-7 blueberry bushes,8 grape vines,and 3 blackberry vines, 2 figs in the back yard. We also have planted some ferns and jasmine, and a few other things. 5  eight foot by 4 foot raised beds were built right outside the back patio/porch area and I have grown bush beans,carrots,lettuces, and more. One raised bed is full of strawberry plants.

  I have so many plans yet for the backyard..garden beds that I will create and things that I intend to plant here.

 Yesterday I sowed seeds for about 16 different wildflower varieties in our front yard where we had a new drain field put in..when the drain field was put in we also had some top soil brought in and spread over the area, so I had a pretty big area of bare ground waiting for something to be done with it..now I merely add the sprinkler to the area from time to time after I raked it smooth and scattered thousands of seeds...and I cross my fingers..and maybe even my toes too..and wait. I really really hope that the seeds that were sown will grow.

  Since being in this house we have also: had the master bedroom floors redone with wood flooring. Had the master bathroom redone with tile flooring. Painted master bedroom. Painted one of the bedrooms and added a wood laminate flooring. Added a succulent,cactus areas to the back patio by removing bricks on patio area and utilizing the removed bricks to create a garden walkway in backyard. Created a large garden bed in back yard with some ferns and a large urn planter. Created mulched pathways between all of the raised beds near patio and have nearly completed a brick pathway alongside the raised beds near the back porch area.

 As you can read...many projects have been done along the way.

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I have also managed to get some photography projects going along the way too! I approached a couple of lifestyle magazines in our area and they have been working with me on a few freelance projects from time to time. A great way to get out there and learn about my new town and to meet some nice folks along the way, and to build up my portfolio.  Fun! Fun!

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 and for the not so fun... our New Year was ushered in with some really not fun adventure..we had to make an unexpected trip to the ER with our son on New Year's day..we thought he had a bad stomach bug, but bad went to worse and it wasn't a stomach bug after all..it was diabetic ketoacidosis! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ketoacidosis) So there we were blaring down the highway at 85 miles an hour in the back of an ambulance to get to Shand's Children's Hospital. We spent 2 full days in the PICU to get things stabilized..and our new "normal" now involves 2 insulin shots 2 times a day and blood sugar checks 4 times a day at a minimum..and a very regimented meal time and snack time schedule. We now know what living with type 1 diabetes looks like. Our journey on this road has officially begun. Our son is now doing very well, he managed to gain back all of the weight that he had lost due to dehydration that occurs within about 24 hours with this..and wound up gaining the weight lost and then some. He looks like a healthy little boy again! Thank goodness! The thing the dr's told us is most parents find out that their children have type 1 this way..it mimics the symptoms of a stomach bug..vomiting and tiredness, but then drops into a state of being very thirsty and having to urinate a lot, and then into weakness, then lethargic, then become unaware of surroundings..it happens very quickly and is very scary.We had no idea that he was diabetic as thus far no one in  either of our families has this. We have agreed to have the remaining family members tested for research purposes at Shand's and to make sure no one else in the family has it. Typically children have a 1/300 chance of getting Type 1 diabetes, but if a child has a sibling with type 1 diabetes their risk rises to a 1/20 chance.  So..this is now our new "normal". We have gotten used to testing blood daily. I've become a pro in the last 3 weeks at giving shots. I report almost daily to the dr's with blood sugar levels..this daily reporting will ease once things have stabilized and we get more learning under our belts. My days rotate around things like meal times,blood sugar numbers, and carbohydrate counts now and making healthy meals and snacks.And we make frequent trips over to Shand's for diabetes clinic education. Still so very much to learn along the way.

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So..I am also working on de cluttering..when son and I were at the hospital ...my husband bless his heart..and my oldest dd redid my son's bedroom completely.. ripped out carpet and installed a laminate wood look flooring, removed all of the clutter in his room,replaced bedding with new and painted the walls and trim work, and decorated the room like a professional interior decorator would have and based the decor on one of my son's favorite video games. it looks awesome and I told my husband that with our bedroom looking brand new and clutter free now and my son's bedroom looking brand new and clutter free that I am going to just let him come in and decorate the house for me..remove all of the clutter and stuff that we truly do not need and create peaceful and serene rooms. My/our life needs that now.

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 I have started listing  vintage things from my collections and finds in my Garden Goose Gifts shop again. If any of you are interested you can see them at www.gardengoosegifts.etsy.com There will be lots of fun things listed in the days to come.

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 I also am planning our spring garden. I'll be planting my garden on February 14th with lots of the seeds that I have available in my garden shop online. If you are in need of terrific heirloom garden seeds I have them available at www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com

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Well..that's the latest at the moment. I will strive to write here a bit more often now. Thanks for stopping by! Always so nice to have you visit.

 ~The Garden Goose!~

For a long time... we've "been there and done that"

Before I had ever heard the Dervaes name ( in fact I had only heard about them about a year ago) urban homesteading(o.k. I guess I better put a big TM here) has been in my family's blood for quite a very long time.
My grandfather and grandmother were farmers in Idaho and in fact my grandfather was quite the envy of folks as they'd come to see his garden from miles around. He used to garden by the moon signs I was told. And my grandmother..I get my love of simpler living from her...she used to can loads of vegetables and had lots and lots of shelves full of canned items that they had grown stored in their basement. In fact my grandparents later moved to Washington and had a restaurant where they would serve such things as cantaloupe and watermelons to their customers(with a scoop of ice cream included)
  Then when my grandfather passed away my grandmother came to live with us, and the farming tradition didn't stop just because we lived in various towns/city limits.
  Nope..in fact they kept on pretty steady all through my growing up years. We'd have things like home made bread and noodles. We even collectively planted gardens in our backyards. Granny would can vegetables and I'd sneak into the jars of home made butter pickles.
 One year my dad and I rescued 200 baby chickens from a alligator farm and  raised the chickens in our backyard. Giving some away for free to the local community and maintaining a flock for ourselves to gather eggs from, and for my granny to prepare chicken dinners with.

 Yes, even one time we lived on the main street of Arcadia, FL and had a flock of chickens free ranging  in our yard. And my granny and dad decided to cull a few of the chickens. Yep, they did so right in the heart of the city..set up their chicken butchering station on the side of the yard and we enjoyed chicken dinner later.
 I honestly can say..nope the Dervaes have nothing on us and our lifestyle. We had already "been there and done that" for quite some time.
 I am a 3rd generation urban farmer if you will.
I've had chickens and ducks in the heart of the city, and ever since I've been a wee girl I have had a heart for the land and for growing things.
In fact my home now qualifies for homestead exemption. If the government deems my property as a homestead then surely when I farm in the city limits that makes me an urban homesteader/farmer.(insert big TM mark here too...gosh that looks silly but I guess "they" say we have to do it, but TM is my initials anyhow so maybe I should trademark the TM..huh? yah I like the sounds of that..ha)

My grandmother and I 

 Well, yep..I've been there and done that for a long time now. And in fact  I'm still doing it. I have been proud of the sore muscles I have garnered just this week alone as I plant blueberry trees, planted radishes and lettuces, started seeds on my kitchen counter, sowed pea and bean seeds and more.
 Yes, its in my blood and has been for a very long time.
  ~The Garden Goose!~

Southeastern Youth Fair/High School Rodeo

Before the action began.

Overseeing the cows

The Anthem and a word of prayer start the events

This was the goat tying event. The competitors in this event were all girls. One girl managed to tie the goat in 11 seconds flat. This is done by running full speed on a horse, then jumping off the running horse, running full speed on foot to where the goat is staked in the middle of the arena, then proceeding to get the goat down on its back so that both the front legs and back legs can be tethered all together. No animals are hurt during this although it may look like it. They get up and run away just fine afterwards. 

Goat tying event

Calf tying event. Riders have to lasso the calf then jump down and proceed to do the same thing that is done in the goat event. Calf must be laying down and all legs tethered.

Tossing the hands out to the side like this signifies that your task is complete.

The calf that refused to be caught. It circled the arena several times before they managed to shoo this one into the proper area. It was a beautiful calf too. In fact the prettiest one of the evening. A beautiful white color. Folks behind me were saying.".that calf looks like a ghost nearly."

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Inviting you...

To follow my new blog that features my children's photography at:

http://gigglesandgaloshes.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much!
 I hope to feature not only my latest photo sessions, but also to highlight etsy artisans that create children's photo props. (hats, headbands, bloomers, dresses, scarves, etc.) And to also feature the occasional photography book review.

If you create things such as crocheted or knitted hats, or other lovely items that could serve as photo props for children's photography, do get in touch with me. I'd love to help promote your business, and to help each other via networking across blogland.

( p.s. If you've stopped by for the OWOH feature post/you'll find that just below, scroll down a wee bit ..thanks.)