Yippee it’s Burpee time!
Y’all know what time it is? Yes, it’s still winter, but …… this is the time to start thinking about starting those seeds for planting this spring. The hubs and I have started taking inventory of which seeds we need to replenish, making plans on what we are and aren’t going to grow this year, how and when we are going to plant, well, you know, all that good stuff.
This is what we bought last year. We tried a few new items last year and quickly learned they do not do well in our soil. So, we are marking off Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower and Broccoli. We are also marking off Sweet Banana Peppers and replacing them with Pepperoncini and Jalapeno; they seem to sell better at the Farmers Market.
And here is a comprehensive, well maybe not comprehensive, but a list, of what we will be adding to our other list. Notice some things have been marked out; that’s because we already have these seeds on hand so no need to buy more.
I would like to companion plant this year but the hubs thinks it’s too much trouble. What do y’all think? Should we? If you think yes then please help me convince him by leaving a comment and I’ll make sure and read it to him! Thanks Y’all.
Also, if you have any questions about seeds or gardening just ask. We will be glad to answer your questions to the best of our knowledge.
Okay, now get out and get to planning and get ready for planting!
God Bless,
Dana
Merry CHRISTmas
Luke 2:8-14
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
While we are visiting with family, filling our bellies with great food and opening presents lets not forget to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, giving HIM thanks for everything.
HE IS THE REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!
We at Southern Gals Cook want to wish everyone very MERRY CHRISTMAS!
What am I preparing today, you ask?
Deep Fried Turkey (actually hubby did this), mashed potatoes, corn, dumplins, fresh homemade yeast rolls and peanut butter fudge.
What’s going on your table today?
GOD BLESS
SGC
Garden Planning 101
Proverbs 31:16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 
This weekend, South Central Kentucky was beautiful! With the threat of a late frost behind us {hopefully}, we took advantage of the 75 degree weather and planted our garden.
I LOVE to garden and am always eager to teach others what I have learned in my short time as a gardener.
Over the last few years I have made it a goal to learn and apply something new each season. This garden season, I wanted to learn as much as I could about companion planting. I want my family’s food to be chemical free so I want to do everything I can to prevent pests and diseases as naturally as possible. With the knowledge that I acquired over the winter, I set about planning out my garden.
Here are a few tips!
1- Decide what you would like to grow. After reviewing last year’s gardening notes, my husband and I decided that we definitely wanted to grow more this year. Not only did we want to grow more corn than last year, but we also wanted to grow other veggies that we didn’t before. I also knew that I wanted to companion plant by incorporating pest-deterring flowers, as well as careful plant placement. If you are new to gardening, start by choosing a few things that you and your family like to eat and go from there.
2- Consider your garden space. Once you know what you want to grow and how much space you have to work with, you can start to put a plan together. Remember that plants have different real estate needs. Some plants need to be trellised while some don’t. Squash plants need about a 2-3 ft circumference, while a bush bean plant may only need a foot of space to thrive. You can find out that information on the back of a seed packet. But y’all, even if you have 50 acres, if this is your first garden, start small. Take time and learn as you go. Gardens are hard work. If you invest too much time and money into something you don’t know a lot about, you could easily become discouraged and give up. Even a small garden can produce a lot of food!
My Family’s Garden Spot
3- Educate yourself on what plants work well together. I scoured the internet for hours learning as much as I could about what garden plants are beneficial to each other. I found many companion planting graphs and charts on Pinterest, but some of them were missing things I wanted to grow, like okra and radishes. So I ended up doing a search online that looked like this– “okra+companion+planting”. I used the information that I got to map out my garden.
I’m kind of a geek and loved making this map.
Some of you that are more experienced, may see some ways that I could have done this better, and if you do please let me know! I am a sponge when it comes to learning about this stuff. I did take a lot of time carefully deciding the best way to utilize the space and grouping “companions” together. Bonus: I’ve always heard that to detract rabbits, you needed something shiny and moving in the garden. Some people string up pie tins around the perimeter of their garden. I decided to make row markers with wooden stakes and shiny duct tape. I’ll let you know if it works. We have A LOT of rabbits.
4- Get to work! A dear, sweet friend {cough cough Dana’s hubby cough cough} broke up our garden for us with his big tractor. Since we didn’t plant for a couple of weeks, we had to go back over it with our new-to-us tiller. My little lady was sick with strep throat and had to stay in the air conditioning while my husband, son, and I got to work. Bo, our Bagel {beagle-basset mix}, supervised close by. Since my hubby is recovering from a medical ordeal that I don’t care to get into, he only did what his energy would allow. My son is eight– need I say more? Otherwise, this would have been a major family involved effort. I pray that as the weeks pass by, everyone will be recovered and can help with the upkeep, harvest, and preservation of the garden.
Hoeing crooked-but-mostly-straightish rows
My two favorite guys planting corn.
PJ carefully placing corn seeds a hand-width apart.
Bo is making sure I stay on task and that the rabbits stay away.
I know this was brief, but it really isn’t that complicated. It just takes some homework and planning. We welcome any questions you all may have about gardening. We don’t know everything, but together we know a lot! HAHA! Happy Planting! 
We linked up with:
Farm Fresh Goat’s Milk Soap: What is it?
Do you have acne, blackheads, eczema, psoriasis, dry or oily skin, dandruff, dark spots, athlete’s feet, rough cracked hands/feet, diaper rash, or any type of problem skin?
Do you have pets, babies, children, farmers, deer hunters or mechanics in your life?
Do you hate mosquito, gnats, bees, wasp, or any other pesky insect?
Or, do you just like to smell really fresh?
If you answered YES to any or all questions than I have the perfect soap for any YES answer!
It’s a little something called Goat’s Milk Soap. Here are a few things you should know ……
Farm Fresh Goat Milk Soap Facts
- Aids in treating acne, reducing skin inflammation, and soothes dry skin.
- Goat’s milk soap is less allergenic than synthetically loaded commercial soaps.
- Helps reduce wrinkles.
- Goat’s milk soap has alpha-hydroxy acids that soften the skin.
- Goat’s milk is the closest to the PH level of the human skin and helps protect the skin from bacteria and chemicals.
- Goat’s milk is loaded with vitamins and nutrients.
- Goat milk soaps are mild and safe for use on all skin types and conditions.
- Goat’s milk consists of natural emollients and triglycerides that act as natural moisturizers.
- Cleopatra was known for her natural beauty and amazing skin. Her secret was bathing in goat’s milk.
- Each bar of Candace and Kids goat’s milk soap is approximately 35% goat’s milk. We do not use any water. The liquid in our handmade batches is 100% fresh goat’s milk.
Important Facts about Candace and Kids Soaps
- All of the liquid in the bars is 100% farm fresh goat’s milk. We do not use water. You may see a white substance on top of our bars. This is “soap dust” and is proof that we use goat’s milk in our batches. It will wash away after first use.
- Made of saponified olive oil, unrefined shea butter, palm oil, soy oil and coconut oil.
- “Pure” is the base bar. It is made of approximately 35% goat’s milk and the above oils.
- The colorants in the bars are All Natural. We do not use any dyes, etc….
- Several bars have botanicals. They are “wildcrafted” which means they are grown in the wild without chemicals and pesticides.
- All bars cure for at least six weeks before they are polished, wrapped and sold. The bars are nice and hard. They will last approximately twice as long as a traditional bar of soap.
- The soaps are shampoo bars too. They lather and condition well.
- Each bar contains Vitamin E which is a natural preservative. This is an important ingredient in soap making. Due to the amount of Vitamin E in each bar, it doesn’t matter if the bar is used immediately or a year from purchasing, the consumer will still get the skin benefits and aromatherapy.
- The corrugated wrapper is made of recycled cardboard. The labels are printed on recycled paper with recycled ink.
I use the Charcoal bar daily as a facial cleanser. It’s less expensive than other OTC cleansers and last longer. My skin has never looked better!
I also have rough dry scaly hands, especially in the winter time. The goat’s milk soap helps to keep my hands healed and smooth.
My hunter use the camo or camo and dirt soap to bathe in before heading out to the woods so they will smell like the woods. Ya have to fool those deer ya know!
I work a lot outside, especially in the garden and the bugs aggravate me to death. The Buzz Away soap helps to keep bugs (mainly mosquito’s) at bay. I don’t bathe in it, I just simply swipe it behind my knees, the bends of me elbows, behind my ears, basically anywhere there’s a pulse point. Amazing stuff, really works.
Are you ready to soothe that acne, eczema, athlete’s feet, rough cracked hands/feet or soothe your babies diaper rash the all natural way?
If you answered YES then follow this link, shop around to find the best soaps to fit your needs.
http://www.candaceandkidssoapcompany.com/?Click=523
Let me know how you love it, because I know you will:)
Dana
So God Made A Lineman; Unsung Heroes
Genesis 1:3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
In 1752 Ben Franklin tied a key to a kite string during a storm and proved that static electricity and lightning were the same. His correct understanding of the nature of electricity paved the way for the future.
Eventually, electricity would find its way into homes all across the world. And with that there would be a need for someone to bring this wonderful invention into these homes.
Therefore, God made a Journey Lineman!
And on a great day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need someone to supply electricity to homes.” So God made a Lineman.
I need someone willing to leave the warmth of his bed in the middle of the night, climb a pole, handle 7200 volts of electricity and risk his life to restore power to those without.” So God made a Lineman
“I need someone with arms strong enough to pull wire into the air, yet gentle enough to hold his family when he returns home. Someone who comes home hungry but works tirelessly to feed his family and take care of his livestock before he feeds himself.” So God made a Lineman
God said, “I need someone willing to stay in his hooks all night during a storm, repair a cross arm, replace a pole, change a transformer; someone to work in extreme heat to frigidly cold temperatures. Someone who can deal with natural disasters, yet still attend to everyday tasks. Someone who can use a digger truck and a skid-steer loader to get through the mud.” So God made a Lineman.
God had to have someone willing to ride the line at double speed to quickly troubleshoot problems and remove hazards from the lines. Someone who has steady footing and the strength to lift as much as 100 pounds while climbing a pole. So God made a Lineman.
God said, “I need someone who knows the importance of safety. Someone who will not cut corners. Someone willing to wear his rubber gloves and rubber sleeves for protection. Someone that knows one wrong move could cost him his life and possibly the life of a friend. Someone who can trust, lead, support and pray for his Lineman brothers.” So God made a Lineman.
“God needed someone who would pull a family together with the soft strong bonds of loving, caring, sharing and prayer, who would laugh and then sigh, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life ‘doing what Dad does.'” So God made a Lineman.
I am so proud of my Journeyman Lineman.
And at the end of the day I know God looks down on him with a smile and says,” Job well done!”
With the temperatures at sub-zero please support your local Lineman.
If you see them tirelessly working to restore power in your community please show your thanks by offering them a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Or, even a warm meal.
Most of the time these guys have worked many, many hours without food or something hot to drink, I know they will appreciate the thought!
God Bless ALL the Lineman and THANK YOU for doing what you do!
Dana
southerngalscook.com 
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