This moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Via soulemama

Waiting

Just a little quick fun post for today.


We are waiting for the arrival of our chickens!  I am SO excited!  Hopefully by the end of this month we will have chickens running around here again.  I think we are better prepared this year so hopefully it won't be another bust!


The pictures below are last years flock, I am still a little bitter! 

Edith

Agnes and Edith

As our guys and dolls arrive I will post!  Can you guess the theme for names this year?  If you guessed famous Broadway musical characters you were right!  It will be fun to give them some completely unusual names like Elphaba (Wicked), Maria (West Side Story), Lulu (Caberet), Frenchy (Grease) and Roxie (Chicago) just to name a few!  

Why do we do what we do?

My father asked me the other day how it felt being a farmer’s wife.  "I don't know" I replied.  "You should ask the Hubs how he likes being a farmer’s husband."  He chuckled, partly, I think because he knew it was true and partly because he thinks we are crazy. He thinks chickens and gardens are for people who are crunchy. "Wait..... Now you want bees, ducks and goats?  Next you will go get a cow." he says.  All the while I am thinking to myself “Yes, isn't it great?  I wouldn't trade this for all the gold on earth."

Why do I do what I do?  Well, I love my family and want what is best for them.  No I am not really that crunchy, just kind of crunchy.  I like growing my own food.  I know exactly what is in it and where is comes from.  

We are stewards of the earth.  I love that my kids understand exactly where their food comes from and are learning how to cultivate and nurture the soil to grow food.  Not destroy it.  Having the knowledge that if you put this tiny seed in the ground, give it some water and sunlight it will grow is something everyone should have.  We are teaching them how precious everything on this earth is.  No one should be afraid of the dirt.  The girls need to smell it, feel it, see it, and taste it (well maybe not taste it literally).  Dirt is life, life is good.    

My family knows what fresh is, this was part of a living plant about 3 seconds ago.  Not the supermarkets version of trucked halfway around the country "fresh".  Supermarkets do have their place and I think it is wonderful how you can buy raspberries in December (totally guilty of this!) but knowing what fresh tastes like is something you cannot describe to someone, they have to experience it for themselves.     

Maybe we are crazy; summertime is the Hubs' busy season.  Maybe we are not, most other people are busy with vacation plans and what not.  But each year here on our little plot of land manages to be better than the last and what may look like chaos to an outsider probably is.  It just works for us and I think that is all that matters.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Via soulemama

Homemade Granola Bars

We LOVE granola bars at my house.  But I hate paying $4 or more for a box of 6 organic bars. So I decided I wanted to find a recipe I could make myself.  I went on a search for a great granola bar recipe and I found the best recipe over at Kitchen Stewardship. There were other recipes but they were just not what I was looking for.  Having small, sometimes very needy, children,  I need something healthy I can put together quickly and easily.  I also like the recipes to be somewhat forgiving.  This recipe fits the bill and come out perfect every. single. time. No matter how I mess it up.  

This is a great recipe for kids to help with.  My girls love to help me with anything I am cooking.  I just pull out the Kitchenaid and measure the ingredients. They pour it all in (with a little guidance from me), stir in whatever we are adding to it, and press it into the pan.  Did I mention this is such an easy recipe?

Granola Bars

GRANOLA BARS

4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups  whole wheat flour (or coconut flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp  vanilla 
1 cup butter, softened (or peanut butter tastes good too!)
1 cup honey

Add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, coconut, nuts.  (Our favorite combination is dark chocolate chips, almonds, dried cherries and shredded coconut!  YUM!)

Lightly butter a 9×13-inch pan.  In a large mixing bowl combine butter and honey first.  Add all ingredients except add-ins.  Beat until combined.  Fold in add-ins.  Press mixture into pan — Use your hands to really get it packed in there otherwise the bars will fall apart.  Bake at 325 degrees for 18-25 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into bars.  Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving. 

Sometimes we like the bars crunchy.  Just put the individual bars on a cookie sheet and bake in a 325 degree oven for 10-13 minutes.  Wait until they have cooled completely before devouring!

NOTE: The mix may feel dry and crumbly when you put it into the pan.  I resist the urge each time to add a small amount of water and they come out perfectly.  Make sure you press the mixture into the pan as much as you can, otherwise it will come out just as crumbly as when you put it into the pan.  I made the mistake of not pressing them into the pan at all.  Basically what you will have is clumpy granola, which is delicious, it just won't form into bars.  Yup been there, done that!

All of the ingredients are organic with the exception of the baking soda.  Sorry I just haven't felt the real need to make the switch yet.  If you know something I do not, please feel free to let me know!

This recipe for us makes about 15-20 bars, depending on how big you cut them. In our house the bars usually last us a little more than a week!   

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!  

This moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

April~ Seriously?

April, wow really?  In a mere month planting season will begin.  But where did the time go?  Yikes I had better get planting!

We had an unseasonably warm and virtually snowless winter here in New York.

What have we been doing in April?

I have been trying to get the Hubs to finish cleaning out the garage (in his defense it's been a long and slow process).  I have so many projects sitting in there I want to get finished! I got some wonderful bright yellow paint the other day to paint an outdoor coffee table and a children's rocking chair.

We were so patiently waiting for our chickens but found out they will not be ready until next month.  Which is fine, we are still trying to figure out names and we had to do some repairs to the coop.

We have tiny white strawberry flowers starting to pop up!  Hooray for strawberries!

I NEED to plant my tomatoes.  I wanted to start them 6 weeks before but I forgot to last week.  UGH I need to just DO IT!!

We have been hiking.  The Hubs loves hiking and apparently so does Little Bird.  I like to hike, if it is an easy hike.  Little Bug detests hiking.  Is it bad that we still carry our almost 5 year old in a backpack carrier?  Maybe but it is the only way we can enjoy our walks!

Little Bird had her first T-ball practice which went surprisingly well.  I was asked to be an assistant coach, I was not expecting to be that involved with the Little League organization but I will give it a shot.  If anything it will help me get to know some people who live in the area.

Oh, April.......Can I turn the furnace off or not?  Should I wear flip flops or sneakers?  Please make up your mind!