Independence Farms

A little view of the farm this morning

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:21:00 +0000

This is our coop and the enclosed run. The girls stay in here for part of the day, usually until everyone has eaten and laid their eggs. Right now there is nothing for them to forage in the yard, but they LOVE the yard: it has lots of dirt for them to dust in, plus they can get into the barrels where the fruit trees are planted. Also, they can follow me around and harass me for treats. When there is no green stuff growing they get fresh greens from me (cilantro is a huge hit). At the top of this photo you can see the mini coop that my husband built for the sparrows.

In the foreground is the baby chicks grow out pen.

The garden thus far. There are 8 4x4 raised beds and one rain gutter planter (we're going to add two maybe three more down and then three more across with three more down... total of 90 feet of grow space). The gutter has green onions. The beds have, starting with the left side: onions, peas, broccoli, strawberries, iceberg lettuce, napa cabbage, green and red cabbage, spinach, carrots and radishes. The right side has onions, swiss chard, blackberries, brussel sprouts, romaine lettuce, broccoli, napa cabbages and potatoes.

Thunder, our eight week old Silver Laced Wyandotte. Marigold a white Easter Egger is in the background.

4 of our eggs, the left row are New Hampshire eggs, the right row are Cuckoo Marans. I collected four more eggs this morning.

linked here:

http://www.oursimplefarm.com" target="_blank">http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z439/shockfamilyfarm/farmgirl12.jpg

Holistic Squidhttp://holisticsquid.com/party-wave-wednesday-4-03-13/

Gratutious Photos of Cute Chickens Post

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:10:00 +0000

We have four 8 week old baby chicks living outside in their converted brooder box. My husband took off the top, made it a door and added a run. Pretty ingenious! This gives them access to the great outdoors in a safe way, while letting the big girls get used to them before they all live together.

We have 2 White Easter Eggers and 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes. One SLW is a boy, so we're going to keep him as long as we can, and hope that the old "forgiveness is easier to get than permission" axiom holds true and the neighbors won't mind some crowing. We had two of our Cuckoo Marans end up being boys and we rehomed them. (I do not know if they ended up as "dinner guests" but I don't think they did) There is a strong possibility that one of the EEs is also a boy. I hope not because two roosters are harder to live with than one and I *really* want blue eggs. Hard to get eggs out of a rooster.

One week old

3 weeks old

4 weeks old

Outside meeting the big girls at 7 weeks old.

linked here:

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Welcome to the new blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:48:00 +0000

Same URL, different name. Same me.

I've been thinking about changing over for a while now. I've felt I've said just about everything that made sense for Mama Fasha and wanted to focus more on where we are now. A postage stamp sized farm in the Los Angeles desert.

I'll still post photos, I'll still (maybe) do book reviews, I'll still have a lot of me, but not so much the random postings of yore. (and I haven't changed the template because I still really like this one and I am no good HTMLing on my own, so for now, it stays.) (Oh and the name of our little farm might change still because I'm having a hard time deciding. See, nothing much has changed!).

So, Independence Farms. We're trying to grow about 75% of our produce this year. We have 5 laying hens, one more about to start, 4 baby chicks. Independence is all about freedom. I want our family to be as free as possible from worry over where our food comes from. From wonders about what exactly is in our food. From worries about food shortages. I want our family to be as healthy as they can be. I want them to have the knowledge to grow their own foods when they grow up in case they *need* to. Independence from Monsanto and the like. Independence from spiking food prices, etc.

You get the idea.

So, after many months of blog silence, I'm back and will be making the rounds to various other blogs in my backness. I hope you all join me here!

Meanwhile: Chicken video (our chickens, enjoying my flowers (all of these are now gone, with the exception of the spearmint). You also get a glimpse of my Gigantor dog)

Also if you get a chance, please check out the shopping link. Freedom isn't free y'all ;)

Linked to Homestead Barn Hop

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Coop tour and another harsh dose of reality

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 04:19:00 +0000

I've been meaning to post the photos of the coop and run, but before I do that.... I lost another bird. Fiona. She was my biggest, prettiest New Hampshire and for the life of me I can't figure out what happened. This was so much more puzzling than Fern if for no other reason than she just seemed, literally, the picture of health.

It was another case of noticing she was missing and going to find her laying there, listless. When I picked her up, she was much more responsive than Fern had been and I held out much hope that maybe something 'normal' was going on with her (her symptoms all went with being eggbound, even though she hadn't begun to lay. I hoped and hoped that maybe she was just getting ready to and was feeling all out of sorts because of it). I checked her out top to bottom and nothing, at all, seemed amiss. At. All.

I put her back in the coop and went to investigate online. Went back 30 minutes later and the end was definitely near. Brought her inside in time for her to seizure and die while I held her. I'm still processing all that happened. I called the place where we got her and told the lady there everything and she said it seemed like everything I did was just right and that sometimes, for no reason, chickens just go. She thought maybe she had a stroke. Devastating when you feel that (no matter what anyone has said) that you could have done something. Yes, just a chicken, but when you have a small backyard flock (and our flock is housed literally 7 feet from our living room window), you notice when one is missing and it's sad. Sadly, this is the reality: sometimes, no matter what we do, our animals die, even the ones that seem 100% healthy.

*sigh*

Here is the coop and the run. My husband (and kids) really worked hard to make this what I wanted for the chickens and I can't say enough how awesome I think it is. Perfect for us and the chickens. They seem pretty happy so that is the main thing right?

Goodbye Fiona :(

Goodbye little Fern, hello new girls...

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Well it's only been two months since I last posted, but who's counting?

We are all thoroughly enjoying our chickens, though I've already suffered my first poultry loss, and *of course* it was my favorite little bird, Fern. She was truly a sweet little chicken, and she passed away about 7 weeks after we got them (right after Thanksgiving). She never grew like the other girls, though she ate constantly. She was the first out the door in the mornings, always the first to greet me, always let us hold her. She'd climb into the treat pan and literally hand the treats out to the other chickens. After she was gone the other girls looked a little confused the first time I brought out the treats! She never could get on to the roost by herself, so Ben or I would always lift her up at night. Well, every night, without fail, there would be one or two girls waiting right next to her until we put her up, and then they'd fly up to join her. Always a different girl too.

Anyway, the afternoon she passed, I went out to check on the girls and she didn't come out. I had her favorite treat (green apple) so I looked inside the coop and called her name. She turned her head to look at me, but didn't get up and I knew something sad was going on. I got her out and held her for about 30 minutes. She wouldn't take her treat or water, couldn't really stand, so I held her in the sunshine and pet and loved on her. Just when I decided I would get the carrier and take her inside for a while, she put her head back against me and died. (and 2 weeks later I'm still crying as I write this). My husband said she was simply waiting for me to come get her so she could say goodbye. Who knew you could get so attached to a little chicken?

Fern

Fern looking like a partridge

Fern

My husband wanted to run out and get me another one but really, can't replace Fern! I resisted: I didn't really have the heart to get more just then, and I didn't want the drama involved in introducing new chicks to a flock. My husband's thinking was: it would help get my mind off of Fern and since the others were still fairly young (13/14 weeks) that it might be easier to add someone new.

He managed to talk me into it ;) So we headed out to the same ranch we got the others from and I picked out three little New Hampshire Reds (9/10 weeks old). I tried to tell my Honey that it wouldn't be pretty, that there really was such a thing as a pecking order but he didn't truly believe me until we brought them in and the bigger NHRs went after them! But really, it was only one afternoon of hard pecking and tail feather pulling (I was there to supervise). After that, the next couple days were very very windy and I barracaded the little ones under the coop so they were out of the wind and could get to their food and water. The big girls could see them, but not get to them. They all slept in the coop together at night. Now two weeks later we're at the place where everyone is together, there is only occasional pecking (though the new ones do 'freeze' sometimes when one of the 'meaner' girls comes by, but within a few seconds, they are all eating together.) and some running up to say 'boo!'. Of course that is still happening with "everyone" so it's not just a new girl issue. I've noticed my Marans really like the new little ones, and they hang with them during the day.

Stella with new Ruby, Belle and Snow

Snow and Ruby

Belle

Stella

In other news, they've been out to free range a few evenings now and they all LOVE IT. It's hysterical to watch them, they go a little nuts and run around like crazy. There isn't a lot of stuff to range, it's mainly dirt in the backyard but they love the blackberry bush, and they love new places to dust bathe. The 'babies' found the compost pile and had a lot of fun with that. So, while we've already had the sad, we have happy too. Welcome to the world of farm animals!

Linked to:

http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2012/12/barn-hop-91.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/Clever-Chicks-Blog-Hop-12.html
http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/12/farm-girl-friday-blog-fest-12.html
http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/2012/12/simple-lives-thursday-125/
http://www.oursimplefarm.com/2012/12/5-days-of-homemade-food-gifts-and-link.html

We've joined the chicken club!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:53:00 +0000

After an entire summer of building (well ok, a lot of the summer was not spent building this), the chicken coop is complete and... we have chickens!!

We purchased 8 seven-week old pullets from a local ranch: 4 Cuckoo Marans and 4 New Hampshire Reds. 7 have names, 1 not yet. (edit: her name is Stella)

We're really getting such a kick out of them, I can't even begin to tell you. They are fun! Work, but fun! The kids just adore them and the Reds are really friendly. The Marans are sort of dorks, but they're still fun to watch. Ian and I dug up some grubs for them yesterday, even though I know they really aren't quite at the place where they can eat them. I wanted them to start experiencing new and fun foods, and getting used to not just eating crumbles. The Reds really don't know what to do with them, but the Marans do, especially the biggest girl. I tossed one into the coop with them and she grabbed it, and took it off away from everyone. Only, they all followed her, and so for a few minutes I got a good show of her running around with the grub in her beak and her sisters running after her trying to peck it out of her beak. It was funnier than I thought it'd be.(edit: they are all eating the grubs now and it's hysterical to watch)

I love how, even though they were not living in a run or coop when we bought them, they pretty much figured out how to be little chickens as soon as they were let loose: dust bathing, scratching, pecking, running around trying to figure out who is going to be boss (I have already placed my wager on "Enox" the smallest of the Marans. Ian's name choice btw). Yesterday and today they've spent more time in their coop as there has been a bit of a wind, and they don't have *all* their feathers yet. But they know to go in there to get out of the wind, so that's pretty smart!

And nothing is better for getting little boys up early than to go and let the chickens out of the coop. I never thought they'd be that happy about getting up at dawn but they are. This morning we were headed out and I forgot their food and water (I am keeping it in the house at night to discourage any critters) so I told the boys to wait. But no, when I came out, Connor and Ian had unlocked the main run, and unlocked and opened the coop door and the girls were already making their way down the ramp!

And let me tell you about this coop: my husband did an AMAZING job on it! I just love it!! Ben and Leah were getting rather tired of helping (they didn't complain, they just weren't crazy about it all of the time), I think mainly because it seemed to be taking a long time, they weren't really sure that we'd ever actually get the chickens and they thought they probably didn't like chickens. (But then the chickens arrived and they totally think they're "pretty cool" and both of them go out to visit them in their run). I am so tickled with this coop, he made it just the way I wanted, added his own innovated touches, and well, it is just super cool. We have small details to finish, and little decorative things I want to add, but that'll come. For now, it couldn't be better. I plan on keeping the girls enclosed in their run until they're a few weeks older and then they'll get introduced to the garden and the compost pile and all that fun stuff.

One more thing that cracks me up: they self-segregate. When we got them, they, along with other fellow chicks, were in a cage all together. Several cages, sorted by age. But these 8 were together, probably another 6 in there with them. All together. Once they got here, the Marans grouped together and the Reds grouped together and that is how they stay, unless they're eating or sleeping, then they'll all hang together. It is SO WEIRD. No matter where they are, they are in these two groups.

Fern

Fiona

Rose, Georgia, Haw (Connor's choice), Fern, chickenwithoutaname, Enox, Sunny and Fiona

I just love this photo so much!

Gotta admit, chicken butts are sorta cute!

Georgia

Grub-on-a-stick anyone?

Not the best photo, but it shows how cute the front of the hen house is. I have more shots on my phone that I'll use for a coop tour later. Yes, that is one of my kids underneath the coop, wrangling chickens.

Linked to:

linked to:

http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/2012/10/simple-lives-thursday-118/

What I've been doing

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:10:00 +0000

To be honest: I've been dealing with a fairly intense depression.

I know the basic root of it, and am trying to "fix" it, but that has been causing more stress and agitation and depression. I've tried not to burden my family in anyway; kids don't need to deal with that, and it's mainly my own doing anyway. Some of it is economic, some of it is just me.

So, it's been hard to write. I used to joke that my Irish always came out in me because I could write, and write well, when I was miserable and/or drinking. Well, I haven't "drank" in 11 years and misery doesn't always produce positive fruits. And misery is really too strong a word. I am not miserable. I am depressed. I have a wonderful husband (who has a great, steady job), I have wonderful kids, I have a home to live in, a car to drive (only one at the moment. My husband's transmission went out in June and we absolutely do not have the money to get it repaired. So we get more quality time together as 3 days a week I am driving him to work!). I have plenty of food to eat and clothes to wear. My kids are loved, fed, entertained and educated. So, for the truly important things, I have no misery and no complaint.

It's been really hard to just get involved with other things. I haven't written. I haven't been reading as much (it's an off and on thing) and when I do read, I get totally wrapped up in it, so I have to temper my time with it.

However, things are getting done. My husband and the older two kids have done an amazing job with the chicken coop and it is just about 2 steps away from being ready for chickens. Very exciting! I've been doing lots with the garden, I planted more seeds for fall/winter crops. Of course I had just planted an entire 4 x4 bed with chard and broccoli and my dog got in and dug it all up. *sigh*. I finally built myself a compost bin (4 discarded pallets lashed together). That was such a big deal for me and I don't why! I have figured out that I can add 4 more full size beds and 2 half size to the garden area and really hope that we can get that done for this fall/winter.

So, that's what I've been doing.

What we did today

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:13:00 +0000

We are fortunate to live in the same town where NASA has a plant that built the space shuttles. Today was the final flight of the last shuttle, the Endeavour. (well it's already had it's final "space" flight). It's going to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Today it got loaded up on it's 747 and all of Southern California (with a quick side trip to San Francisco) got a awesome flyover. We got to see it first though, so, you know, we rock. It flew very very low over it's birthplant and we got to be very close. I got chills from it, which really surprised me. It was cool to be part of history like this.

I did not take this last photo. Some one else did (their son is in the middle here) and kindly emailed it to us.

First Day of School 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:35:00 +0000

Today my last baby entered school. Yes he had Pre-K last year but it was only one morning a week. Now it's 5 days a week until noon. He's grown so fast, it just doesn't seem possible that he's a Kindergartener now! Waaahhh!

Ian proclaimed that Second Grade was "really not that different from First Grade" and Connor was miffed that when they left the classroom and lined up to go somewhere, he "thought it was going to be someplace special, but it was only bathroom break!"

That's my boy.

The candy bar and note are from our Pastor. Connor got a Rice Krispie treat instead of candy. I'm pretty sure their teachers were *thrilled* at the idea of all that sugar!

At least *someone* at his table had the right idea for the Pledge!

He was so proud he got picked to help with the song!

Renovations....

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:12:00 +0000

Changing out the look around here.... I like it so far but can't figure out how to have my sidebar ads and buttons to actually show up!

Stay tuned.....

So yeah....

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 04:53:00 +0000

It's been consistently over 100 degrees here for the last two weeks. What that means is that while I have an air conditioner, and it's been on (and I am not looking forward to that bill), it has been too hot for my lazy self to think up a blog post. (Not to mention that I really don't think any of my followers actually do follow me, though I'd love to be wrong about this.)

So what, if anything, new/exciting/blogworthy enough to post has been happening here?

Um.

Ok, well....

Yes! Ok! We ate actual corn from the actual garden and lo, it was goooooooooooood. Straight from the garden, no cooking at all. It was the sweetest corn we've ever had. So. Good. Couldn't get Ian to eat it to save his life, so oh well, his loss. I was more than happy to have his share. We had a watermelon from the garden too and lo, it was not good. *sigh*. All indicators were that it *would* be good (thump test, underside test, existing bee stings and plug test... all passes). But it wasn't. At all.

The chicken coop, after an extended break, is much closer to being completed. The run is framed, the walls are on, the nest box is attached (though not finished). We should have chickens in there by, oh, next year I'm thinking.

We bought three fruit trees (2 nectarines and an apricot) and a weeping willow for the front yard, all for $9.97 each. Home Depot is having an Arbor Day sale, even though Arbor Day is in September.

We have the AAA Affliate for the Houston Astros here in our town and on Friday, for the first time since moving here 8 years ago, we went to one of their games. (with our Sunday School class). UM. Yes. Well, it's really obvious that no one goes there to watch the game. However it was full of local, hometown types of fun things, little on field things between the innings and whatnot. We scored two home runs (our only scores) and afterward there was a collection basket going around for the guys that hit them. Cute!

My honey looks so good here.

My incredibly cute boys with the team mascot, Kaboom

In other news, I made chocolate chip cookies today, with white flour and no flax seed or anything else remotely healthy in them (except for the free-range, pastured eggs) and didn't feel guilty at all.

Garden Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:47:00 +0000

I'm not posting one gazillion photos today because there is nothing drastically different from last week. I ate all the blackberries that ripened (soooooooo gooooooood) and didn't get a photo. I have cantaloupe (or is it cucumbers? I already forgot what I planted) coming up in the bare spot in the front yard planter (by the beans and zucchini, and all the flowers). Lots of baby watermelons, but none that I found that were big enough to really photograph, though the watermelon is a mess of vines so there is probably one that's pretty big hiding underneath.

The corn is the real news. After all my griping about it's non-growth, I have silk on all the big stalks! Whoohoo!

I have no idea what this is. I've never grown this type of corn before and so I'm totally lost.

Linked to:

Victory Garden update, now with colorful commentary:

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 02:45:00 +0000

Linked to Homestead Blog Carnival

Click here

Getting cooped up this summer

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:03:00 +0000

The chicken coop is finally started! My dear husband and 14yr old son got it all framed this weekend, with the roof and two sides attached. It's taking a bit longer than my honey thought it would, and I am SICK TO DEATH of Lowe's and Home Depot, but it's started! It's in the yard! It looks awesome so far! It's actually happening! Whoo!!

Framing hath begun!

Crazy chickens in the coop

Floor in and roof on

Daddy's helper hammering on the walls

Painting the roof white to deflect the intense heat we get here

Linked to Homestead Revival and Homestead Blog Carnival

It's coming together finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:51:00 +0000

Well, things are starting to look up here with our little Victory Garden. There are still some empty spaces that need to be filled up, but there is a big change from last week. (go here, here and here for the past three weeks of this year's garden).

Tomatoes are definitely the winners so far. They are just exploding! They're followed closely by the hot peppers, which are the only things we've actually eaten from the garden so far. The beans are FINALLY coming up, though there is a huge empty space in the box with the corn, so I've got to plug something else in there. Radishes are making a bit of a show too. The watermelon plants are growing nicely with flowers on a couple of them. The eggplant has blossoms too. Finally got the three fruit trees in barrels and they look really nice. I have one barrel that has a potato plant and onions that I can't get the dog to leave alone. I am seriously considering mouse traps. There are still only 6 4x4 boxes, I haven't been able to get another one built but I did have 2 bags of soil left over from transplanting the trees, so I made them into planters :) One with zucchini seeds (one plant) and the remainder of the radish seeds, the other with beans. No photos yet, unless you want to see photos of soil bags.

In other news (and another post) the chicken coop is getting built! My husband and 14yr old went to work on it this weekend, and it looks sooooooooooo good.

Here are a ton of photos, please excuse the blurriness of some. I took them very late in the day with my phone and they aren't the greatest.

Tomatoes! They're everywhere!

Hot peppers

Tomato bed with rogue corn in the gravel path

Bean bed, finally with beans!

Eggplants and potatoes

Corn bed with big empty space.

Watermelons and edamame

eggplant blossom

pepper bed

Transplanted fruit trees. You can almost see the apple tree from last year on the right, in the white bucket. The blackberry bush is between the middle and right trees. 2 pears, 2 apples.

Grapes

Linked to Homestead Revival, Tuesday Garden Party, Homestead Blog Carnival and Simple Lives Thursday.

Victory Garden seed skirmishes

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:48:00 +0000

I think I have decided that I will not be purchasing the "Seeds of Change" seeds again. While I have literally planted an entire packet into each box, I still am only seeing a few sprouts for all of the seeds planted (including radishes. Who never has *radishes* come up???). I really have never had this sort of luck with seeds before so I am disappointed. But things *are* starting to come up so while they may have won this skirmish, the battle is not lost.

(none of that made sense, I was trying to tie in with the "victory" theme.)

Anyhoo I am seeing a bit of progress. The tomatoes are just WOW doing great. As are the potatoes that I didn't plant but volunteered from last year. So, that's something. And we did eat three little hot peppers from the garden last night with our dinner.

I still haven't been able to get new containers for the fruit trees and I really need to get a move on with that. I'm looking for wooden 1/2 barrels like I have some things in already. They look nice when arranged neatly and ultimately I want them lining the back wall with my mini-orchard in them. The ground here is so bad for fruit trees and so HARD, plus I can keep them small and manageable this way too.

Here's some updated garden photos, all taken with my phone (because it's so much easier than lugging my big camera around).

If you look closely at the center of this photo, you can see an emerging tomato. Not sure if it's the first, but it's the first I've seen.

Hot peppers are doing great!

This photo cracks me up. In the center is the strawberry plant. To the right is, I believe, a purple podded bean plant from last year. At the bottom are two corn plants. To the left are two pole beans. I didn't have pole beans planted in this section last year. The rest of this box was planted with corn, twice and I have maybe 7 plants coming up. I also stuck some garlic in there.

The three watermelon plants. The plants in the middle are leftover edamame from last year.

These are the potato plants that keep coming up on their own. Upper right is one of the eggplant. I planted beans and radishes in there too. See them? No? Me either.

My helpers! Connor is watering the tomatoes. I really need three more cages for the tomatoes because they are exploding!

Linked to Tuesday Garden Party
Morris Tribe's Homesteader Blog Carnival Simple Lives Thursday

Breakfast of Champions

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Everyone has a smoothie recipe it seems and I am no different. This is my favorite breakfast and favorite snack. And two of my kids love this too (am having a hard time getting my little guys to drink smoothies at all, even if I call them 'shakes'. They are very picky. But I have time on my side :) )

Breakfast of Champions Smoothie (I totally just named it that!)

1 banana
1 cup frozen mixed fruit (strawberries, cherries, blueberries and pomegranate seeds)
1 cup kefir
2 cups whole organic milk (raw when I have it)
1 tablespoon Trader Joe's "Very Green" powder
3 tablespoons coconut oil

Blend until smooth! So yummy! I like mine smooth, not choppy or slushy. My husband likes the slushy type so I have to add ice to his and chop it more. Either way, it's yummy and the fruit makes it sweet so I never add any other sweeteners (which sort of defeat the purpose anyway).

Enjoy!

Simple Lives Thursday

Dinner for 6

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:10:00 +0000

With two kids out on their own and one basically out (home mainly to sleep and wash his clothes) diinner is getting pared down. Of course I still cook for a lot because I've been doing it for 18 years so it's rather a habit by now.

Last nights dinner was very very simple but very very good. Chicken cooked in the crockpot on high for 5 hours then broiled for 5 minutes to get a pretty skin. I cut the chicken in half, squeezed lemon juice over the skin and then liberally seasoned both sides (skin side and meat/bone side) with paprika, coarse sea salt, garlic powder and freshly ground lemon pepper. The chicken literally was falling apart as I took it out of the crock pot.

The side was rice (I do half and half white and brown as I transistion everyone to brown) with grated zucchini (about two cups worth), cooked in homemade chicken stock. I currently have chicken stock simmering in the same crockpot I used for dinner.

How yummy does that look?

Linking up with Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

Fat Tuesday Scratch Cooking Tuesdays

Victory Garden 2012 update #1

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 05:51:00 +0000

Flower on the black berry bush

grapevine

The only thing I planted here this year was the onions (now flowering). The other plants are sunflowers and morning glories from last year.

2 pear trees, 2 apple trees (the one in the white container is from last year and it definitely looks more decimated but those are all new leaves. There is a sage plant in there with it as I hear it chases away aphids). There is also an Australian lilac that needs to be planted. The two pallet parts are to lay out where I think I'm going to put my compost pile. The cute kid is there strictly for looks.

The potatos are leftovers from last year. The eggplants seem to be doing well. The artichoke, well, *choked* so it's no more. I have bush beans planted there also, not coming up yet.

Here are the three watermelons (and the petunia). The other seedlings are leftover soybeans from last year. I've also planted bush beans here.

This bed was completely planted with bush beans. You can see what's coming up. I've replanted so we'll see what happens.

This one was all corn, with the exception of the strawberry (which is flowering). Again, you can see what's coming up. I've replanted here too. Oh and there is at least one bush bean from last year.

Ah tomatoes. At least they're cooperating! And there are a couple sunflowers from last year too.

All of my seeds this year are 'Seeds of Change' organic seed that I bought from WalMart. This is the first year I've used them and so far I am not happy with them. I'm hoping for some sudden crazy growth spurt. *sigh*. The plants that are doing the best are actually 'volunteers' from last year and the tomatoes that I bought as seedlings. I am anxious to get more beds in, start my compost pile, get more trees (and get them in containers) and get my chickens. We're planning on layers and meat birds. I'm also thinking of ducks (once we get sod in because they are so messy). Dwarf bunnies for Ben and Leah to raise and sell. And I reeeeeeeeeeeally want a pig. (for meat not for a pet). But that might be another year or two, I don't know if my husband is as down with that as I am. But I have ways of persuasion........

Linking up with Simple Lives Thursdays, Homestead Revival Barn Hop Tuesday Garden Party

Ben's 8th grade graduation

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 26 May 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Ben graduated from 8th grade last night! Can't believe he's now a high-schooler! It was a bittersweet time because his very best friend (with who's Mother I am best friends with) left right after to move to Nebraska (ok they left at 3:30 this morning) for two years (Dad is military). So so so hard for the boys, especially the one moving, everyone is going to miss this kid, let me tell you! Another of his buddies is moving in a couple weeks back to El Salvador (folks are missionaries there). So, lots of transitions for him to make.

They had the awards ceremony yesterday morning, Ian received Honor Roll for two quarters (he had all A's and one B) and Principal's Roll for two quarters (all A's), and the Eagle award for Wisdom.

Very very proud of both of my sons!

Godly Young Men

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:14:00 +0000

tonight at church, the Baptist best bud trifecta

These are Godly Young Men. These are young men who love the Lord, who desire to serve Him. These are diligent young men, who lift each other up and encourage their friends in the Lord. These are young men who will be Godly Husbands and Fathers some day. They love and respect their Mothers (always important). They honor and respect their Dads. They have good and Christ honoring goals for themselves. (and yes, these are young men who have fun and laugh at things that only boys get, and like to shoot things and blow things up, but they have an innocence still that I pray stays with them for a long long time). I am proud of these young men and thankful that one of them belongs to me!

And the winner is.....

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:16:00 +0000

The Mariners! And also, the Diamondbacks! (Ben's team, but he wouldn't let me get a decent photo). Two years running, the league champions! Whoo!

Mother's Day 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:59:00 +0000

We were blessed to have my Dear Husband's family come to visit for the day. We had a great time visiting and eating some yummy food. It was a very very perfect Mother's Day!

Victory Garden 2012: the beginning!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:50:00 +0000

The homemade fence.

The garden from the front yard. These boxes were plain until this evening when I stained all 6 of them. (something I've wanted to do for a couple of years now!) I love the way they look!

Victory gardens were traditionally grown to bolster up food supplies for both the military and folks at home during WW2. Given today's economic and social climate, I think we're in a food war and so I've elected to call my yearly gardens "Victory" gardens. Victory over GMO's and the FDA and high grocery bills and high health costs. So this is the beginning of my 2012 garden. Last year at this time I had just moved into this house and it took this long to get things started. I figured this year I would have everything started by the end of March/beginning of April.

But then, I got a dog.

Samson is the most wonderful dog ever, but he does love to use my garden boxes as either beds, digging practice or litter boxes. Not great. So, I knew I'd need a fence but I didn't have the means to pay for materials.

Enter our neighbor. He does landscaping and he blessed us with the lumber, including fence pieces, from a clients playhouse that he had to tear down. My sweet husband put up a fence and built a gate for me from the free lumber. Such a difference! So I was able to plant the same time he was building. Our neighbor also blessed us with a couple tons (literally) of gravel, from another client. I put some in our front yard planters (what a HUGE difference it made!) and the rest is going around the garden boxes for asthetic reasons and for drainage. It's really hard to see it in the photos as it blends in with the dirt, but it's around four of the boxes. I still have a ton of gravel in my driveway, eventually I will have at least 4 more boxes, and the gravel will be all around them all. It looks so neat and clean up close.

I feel SO MUCH BETTER having the fence up and some food planted.

So far:

1 4x4 box with 9 tomato plants
1 4x4 box with nothing yet, but will have bush beans (once I clear out all the cutworm larva!)
1 4x4 box with 1 rogue potato plant (sprang up from a missed potato last year), 2 eggplants and 1 artichoke. Something else will go in, I don't know what yet.
1 4x4 box with 1 strawberry plant, the rest has been planted with corn seed.
1 4x4 box with 9 pepper plants
1 4x4 box with 3 watermelon plants (and one petunia)

elsewhere:
1 strawberry plant,
spearmint
1 potato plant
1 onion plant gone to seed
2 apple trees (one from last year)
2 pear trees (just bought)
1 grapevine
1 blackberry bush.

Linked to Tuesday Garden Party , Homestead Revival's Barn Hop , Simple Living Wednesdays , Simple Lives Thursdays

Connor is 5!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:16:00 +0000

The birthday boy enjoying a fun time this afternoon with some of his best buddies.

My baby is 1/2 a decade old! It's so hard to wrap my head around that! My last baby! Every day he gets sweeter, funnier and more lovable. I cherish each moment with him, not only because he's the last and time is so fleeting with our children, but because I am SO THANKFUL every day for the blessing of this child. I read blogs of Moms whose precious precious babies are in heaven without them and my heart aches. Every day, each moment of every day, I remember that I am blessed that I have mine here to hold and kiss and love and yes, even scold and get exasperated with. Thank you Lord for this child, for all of my children.