Painting our green bike pink. . .
Watching our garden grow from this:
to this! Notice the tiny tomatoes in her hand. And also notice the huge zucchini and squash in the background. Here’s my problem. I don’t like squash very much and each plant has about 30 buds. So just send me you address and I’ll send you some squash! 
Pretty much kidding! I don’t know why I planted squash – it just seemed like everyone always talks about squash in their garden and I wanted to fit it. . .
Putting up an above ground pool. I’m not really doing much as my oldest son and hubby had already tilled the ground once. I just wanted to try it!
Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my life with you! If you have any suggestions for squash that don’t involve squash casserole let me know! I hope you all have a great weekend. Diane
One of the things I discovered last year with my OVER abundance of yellow squash and zucchini was to shred it up and put it in muffins. It made them moist and gave a small hint of sweetness instead of sugar.
.-= Jules – Big Girl Bombshell´s last blog ..Victory begins at Home =-.
cut in half, de-seed, a pinch of salt, 425 until roasted. sautee onion and garlic, add roasted squash and water. salt/pepper and curry powder if you want–Roasted Curry Soup.
Or cut into chunks. toss w/ EVOO and s/p roast at 425 for about an hour–Roasted Squash as a side.
Mashed?
Twice baked squash–instead of potatoes?
.-= Michelle @ Eatingjourney´s last blog ..Saturday Song “Steer” =-.
Wow your garden really grew. Can’t wait to see pics of dishes you prepared with your own vegetables.
No luck here – squash is a food that no one in my house likes. I look at the recipes and think, “oh, that sounds good!” but I’m never happy with the results!
Stacy
It looks GREAT !!! If it is summer squash, you can roast it( nice with tomatoes, onions and mushrooms roasted at the same time) , in ratatouille( tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, onions and basil) toss it in any marinara sauce recipe, chop it and add to veggie omlettes, eat it raw in salads and even turn it into pickles( just follow the recipe for cucumber pickles). You can hollow it out and fill it with a meat or vegetable filling to make zucchini boats, grate it and use it in pancakes, muffins and breads. Yellow summer squash and zucchinis are pretty interchangeable.And I want to break this to you gently, but with that number of zucchini plants , in about 4 weeks you are going to be looking to literally place bags of the stuff on people’s porches in the middle of the night, ring the bell and run( zucchini produce at an unbelievable rate and go from small to monster zeppelin size overnight if not picked, and they hide under the leaves). Clear out a lot of freezer space to hold the bounty, find several garden less friends, give it away as party gifts for any and every event you attend this summer and find a food pantry that accepts donations of home grown produce.You will have enough for all of these- I kid you not
.-= Diane´s last blog ..A new friend, a new pizza and weigh in =-.
Diane – now I’m scared! My daughter just told me our local food bank just started taking fresh vegetables. I hope they don’t ban squash as everyone looks to get rid of theirs!!
Squash makes an excellent replacement for pumpkin in baked goods! I don’t like pumpkin all that much, so I always steam and mash up squash to put in muffins, loafs, pancakes and oatmeal
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Homemade Scones and an Awkward Flashback =-.
Nothing t say really, but “pure envy” — on many levels. The yard, the smiling and participating kids, the organic growth — all good. You appear to have a very real, very nice life. It’s families like yours that give America hope.
That’s such a nice thing to say. Honestly, I feel 100% blessed.
Busy times are your house! I envy your garden. I have one lonely tomato plant in a pot on my patio but I am excited about it!
I like to dice zucchini sauté in a small amount of olive oil, add minced fresh garlic and at the end sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Delicious!
Also you can oven roast it with red and green peppers and onions. Yum!
Look at that garden! So jealous
.-= Lori (Finding Radiance)´s last blog ..What’s blooming and paper weights =-.
I wish we had the plot of land to do that kind of garden. It looks like a blast.
I love grilled squash with lemon. Gives it a nice char.
Or you can trick yourself and add it to pasta sauce to bulk it up with veggies. I do that all the time and Hunni and guests don’t notice.
.-= Cynthia (It All Changes)´s last blog ..Oh the things you find =-.
What a beautiful garden!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Month Ends- New Begins =-.
Looks like the beginnings of a great summer!
mmm squash!! send me some! hehe 
.-= tj´s last blog ..Friday Night In Pictures…. =-.
What wonderful pics & a beautiful family!!!! You and hubby have done good!!!!! Love the abundance of land too. None of that in my area!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Saturday Funnies =-.
Our tomatoes are at exactly the same stage. And our peach trees produced a crazy abundance…so my kitchen is peach-central…with all of the cutting, washing, slicing, feezing, going on. Loving summer!!
.-= Kate´s last blog ..Harsh, but True? =-.
Zucchini bread, zucchini cake. And, I often grate a zucchini to stretch out and ‘nutrify’ my spaghetti sauce.
.-= Tish´s last blog ..Temptation =-.
You sure have been busy, I wondered why no blog entry from you yesterday…see I miss you when you don’t post, but you did pop around and leave me a comment, so thanks for giving me a little bit of time in your hectic day.
Your little boy is adorable, I forget you have such a little one running around as they alone are such handfuls.
Thanks for sharing part of your day with me…mine is so boring compared to yours.
Roasted squash soup! Yum.
Fabulous pictures, I agree life seems good at your house! Regarding the squash (and other garden vegetables), here’s one of my favorite salads: lightly cooked & rinsed corn kernels (frozen or fresh), thinly sliced carrots, thinly sliced zucchini, small tomatoes (halved), chopped green pepper, chopped red onion, black olives, capers. Toss with a homemade vinegrette dressing made with both lemon juice and vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, fresh tarragon leaves and a bit of cayenne if you like. Toss salad with dressing and let it rest in frig for a couple of hours. It’s very beautiful and it travels well. If you want a more detailed recipe, you can email me and I’ll scan and send. It’s very flexible – sometimes I add a little lettuce or chopped spinach leaves for color.
That’s all wonderful, Diane!! Just come on over and get me started on a few projects, OK?
.-= Dr. J´s last blog ..Lab Notes: Marijuana Smoker Gets Workers’ Compensation; Protein for Breakfast Curbs Teens’ Hunger =-.
Extreme bike makeover, hunh? I would love to see the final product.
That is the cutest little plant with the blue shirt on — such an adorable picture.
Hope you’re having a great weekend too.
.-= ‘Drea´s last blog ..Are You A Hustler? =-.
I LOVE zucchini and use it a lot!
You can look at some of my recipes, here:
http://lobsterandfishsticks.com/?s=zucchini
be sure to page back through the first set of recipes to catch them all!
.-= Pam´s last blog ..Food Pic Friday =-.
Two of my faves are spicy, creamy zucchini soup and zucchini lasagna, which is basically swapping out zucchini thinly sliced for the noodles and assembling the same way – I have gotten rave reviews from that from everyone who’s tried it, including the kids!
.-= Pam´s last blog ..Food Pic Friday =-.
Your garden looks awesome! Have you ever tried to roast the squash? Drizzle with olive oil add some fresh minced garlic, mix with hands to coat all and roast at about 400 til golden. I also love roasted asparagus.
.-= cindy´s last blog ..WILD RUN =-.
Looks like lots of fun!
I like squash, but don’t have any exceptional recipes. What kind is it? We like it grilled or sauteed with onions and different bell peppers. 
.-= Leah´s last blog ..Weigh-In … Summer Challenge – HA! =-.
WOW Diane! Your garden really has grown. We have come to realize that one squash plant is more than enough for our family.
One option you may not have thought of though is eating the blossoms. Although not all of these are real healthy, you might find a way to eat them here that would work for you: five ways to eat squash blossoms. Or you could mix them with soup or put the blossoms in a salad. I bet google could give you many more ideas too.
Thanks for sharing this part of your life Diane! Your garden looks fabulous!!!
.-= Carla´s last blog ..A beautiful walk =-.
beautiful family and great garden! here are 2 of my favorite recipes: Quick Mediterranean squash salad (eat warm or cold with wholewheat bread):saute 2 chopped onions with oil-spray, add some fresh ground garlic, add 8 squash, greated and squeezed out of water. saute for a few minutes until lightly browned. Add 100 grams (0.22 pounds) of tomato paste, 1 tbsp paprika, some salt and black pepper and stir for a few more minutes. add 2 eggs,beaten, and mix quickly (to prevent from turning into an omelet). serve warm or cold. i love it even better on the next day.
thanx!
zucchini Antipasto: slice to “fingers” or round thick slices (no need to peel), put on a non-stick paper, spray with olive-oil spray (or use 1-2 tsp olive oil), add kosher salt, ground black pepper and fresh Rosemary/thyme/basil.also recommended to throw in there a few garlic cloves (peeld but not chopped). heat oven to at least 400 (200 Celsius). recommended to turn to “grill” mode for the last 5 minutes.
hope this helps even a drop of how much you are helping me in my journey
What a nice chunk o land. I would kill to have room for a garden.
.-= Joe´s last blog ..Teaching your kids about exercise – Creating a legacy of healthy living. =-.
zucchini is my noodles. I very lightly steam it (or roast it) with mushrooms and onions and then eat it with spaghetti sauce.
.-= vickie´s last blog ..Done things =-.
woo – you guys have been busy!! Can’t wait to see the ‘after’ on the bike!
.-= fittingbackin´s last blog ..Two Book Reviews, 7.5 Miles, SATC 2, Book Club =-.
I love to make stuffed squash flowers! Sort of like a stuffed pepper with cheeses and hot peppers or meat. Then you can dip in egg and bread crumbs and fry. Super yummy!
My family is not crazy about squash either.. but, My favorite is yellow summer squash microwaved until a little soft and then add butter and cheese and put in the toaster oven until it is melted.. yummy!
So smart putting straw down to keep weeds down. I got lazy and skipped the straw the one year I put a big garden in and the weeds won
I love the lifesnippets and kinda miss the days when THAT was my blogging.
all about the lifesnippets.
.-= Miz´s last blog ..New Two Fit Chicks podcast. =-.
Hi Diane,
John sent me this link to the photos and its great to see you all doing well- we miss you in Tallahassee! It’s blueberry time and several of us went picking this weekend. I remember you introducing us to the strawberry place near Thomasville. Take care! Denise