UNIQUE GIFT THAT INSPIRES A NEW ADVENTURE

I never posted about this, lost track of the pictures and when I found them the other day, I thought I'd share.  For my birthday, one of my coworkers gave me a bag filled with all my favorite healthy snacks.  That was really sweet.  Then, at the bottom of the bag, I saw this...

A carton of a 1/2 dozen eggs (in an awesomely decorated carton I might add).  I laughed and said "yeah, in this day and age, eggs can be a great gift for sure!"

Then she said to open up the carton and see them!

Whoa!  REAL farm fresh eggs she got when she went out of town to visit some relatives in the country.  

They are from different varieties of hens, almost like real Easter eggs, ha.  I really loved the olive green one and 2nd Man liked the speckled one.

Of course, they were delicious and the yolks were deep orange color and just beautiful.  

As fate would have it, we went to Tractor Supply shortly thereafter and they had their semi-annual baby chicks for sale.  We must have stood there staring at them for fifteen minutes and on the ride home, decided that it was time to start going down that path toward chicken ownership and egg gathering.

For example, these are the varieties they had.  We will have to do our research on best breeds for our climate, which have an easy temperament, etc. We figured three seemed like a good number.  That would provide about a dozen eggs a week (in a good laying season of course).  Enough to use for baking/cooking and giving away to friends/coworkers.

Then, we went to YouTube and down that rabbit hole, or should we say, down that chicken coop hole, ha, and watched a ton of videos!

So many ideas out there but we like the look of something like this.  Definitely will have to be red with white trim but maybe a walk-in style would be better.

We are of course, still getting ideas, and while it won't be this year obviously, our goal is to plan it now, get it all figured out ahead of time and next year, we may finally have some chickens out here on the farm.

First up: location/location/location, ha.

We have several great books in our library of gardening and farm books so we're reading now and learning what we can.

 

GOOD FOOD AND DARWIN SUNDAY

For those who missed it, check out yesterday's post for a bonus Darwin picture, ha.  We have used the arils from our lone, homegrown pomegranate a few times.

Made some grilled salmon over couscous and veggies and just scattered some on top.  It was a nice pop of sweet/tart flavor.

I work from home on Wednesdays and Darwin just had to be up on the desk to see what was going on.  So I lifted him up and he roamed around a bit.  Look at that face.  Sigh.

OK this was just too cute.  He was sleeping under a blanket and buried himself down in there but left his legs sticking out.  He is definitely...

#livinghisbestlife

SATURDAY HELLO AND BONUS DARWIN

Sunrise out here at the farm.

We love a fiery sky (morning or evening).

Babygirl didn't get her visit yesterday.  Since we're taking her to SNAP (a local spay and neuter program that works with feral cats), we had to make an appointment but it's kind of a lotto of getting in.  We got in but then one of the vets on duty was out and they had to reschedule appointments for people that were scheduled for Friday morning drop offs.  It will be next week, probably Friday again.  

Today is just a relaxing day.  We've had some things to do least week, our first year warranty check up for the house, a few things they had to check and people in and out checking things.

I like to do some preparing for us in September (National Preparedness Month) but missed it this year because of, well, Darwin, ha.  Now that we have the space for it, whether it is some medicine to have back up for, or paper towels/toilet paper, or food for the pantry, we just want to be ready for both hurricane season and now, Winter freezes, where our power might be out for a period of days.  More on that in an upcoming post.  Might go get some stuff out of the barn and sort through it and/or I'm toying with the idea of a final mow of the season.  Might put that off a bit longer. 

We know y'all like to see kitty pics so here's a bonus...

Darwin hopes your weekend is off to a great start because his sure is!

WHOLE FRUIT MARGARITA

We've received a few emails asking about our margaritas that we make.  We LOVE them.

They were originally done by the Vitamix company.  We would seem them demonstrated on TV when they were selling the mixers.  We've had our Vitamix for years and we love it.  How we have never tried this before I don't know, but we are glad we finally did.

It couldn't be any simpler.  Tequila (a good brand), Cointreau (the orange liquor), a sweetener (you can use honey, we use agave syrup since the agave plant also makes the tequila, somehow seems appropriate, ha), and then a single lemon, lime, and orange, all peeled.  Oh, and ice of course!

Whole Fruit Margarita:

(the smaller container version)

1/2 orange, peel removed

1/2 lemon, peel removed

1/2 lime, peel removed

1/3 cup Tequila

1/4 cup Cointreau (orange liqueur)

3 Tbsp honey or agave

3 cups ice cubes (fill pitcher to top). 

Now our Vitamix has the smaller pitcher so this version is the smaller batch.  The larger Vitamix container is made for the whole fruit, just double everything.

Pour in the liquids and drop in the fruit.

Add three (or four, just up to the top) cups of ice...

Give it all a whiz for about 45 seconds, or until it looks thick and done.  On a Vitamix, it will have the signature swirl look like this and make a different sound once it reaches the point.

Pour it into some salt rimmed margarita glasses...

And enjoy!

We love a good margarita and this is a good one.

GOOD FOOD AND BABYGIRL AND DARWIN SUNDAY

 Recently when it was a bit chilly, we decided to have one of our favorite cool/cold weather meals...

Pozole!  This was pozole verde (green).  It's a Mexican pork stew made with tomatillos and poblano peppers and hominy.  It's simmered for a couple of hours and then you ladle it into bowls and it is topped with the traditional toppings of onions, cilantro, cabbage and radish.  Oh and our whole fruit margaritas!

Many of you have asked about Babygirl and here she is!!  She was helping me in the garage when I was putting stuff up in the attic because it was so cool.  At one point, she climbed two steps of the ladder.  I wish I had my phone handy it was so cute.

Here's a closeup!  She's still our sweet outdoor girl.  And this week, Friday if we can get an appointment for then, she is going in to be spayed.  We will keep her on the back screened in porch for a few days so that she can recover.  Have already bought a disposable litter pan and we already have her food.  We'll make sure she is taken care of and she'll get better and never have to worry about going through pregnancy again.  Once Darwin is a little bigger and he is vaccinated (she will get vaccinated as well), we might let them meet and see how she is with him.

Speaking of..

Look at this face.  Gosh he's so cute. This was him on my chest, passed out, not a care in the world.

And when he's not on us sleeping, he's curled up on a blanket.  It's funny, when he curls up, he looks so tiny.  But he's getting bigger by the day. 

Here's a bonus picture:

Sigh.  We're attached, no turning back now!*

*as if that was ever an option, HA!

#livinghisbestlife

WE HAVE A POMEGRANATE

You might remember when we posted about a lone pomegranate that we had on our tree/bush.  I've been babying it for a few months and recently, I checked on it and realized...

...it was time to harvest it!

As I went to get it, it fell off.  It was definitely time, ha.  I read that you cut off the blossom end and from what else I learned, you can keep them like this in the fridge for a month or so.  

So excited to have a pomegranate tree that might actually produce them.  Of course, we'll need more than one a season, LOL!

And at almost $5 for four ounces of them, it would definitely be worth it.  We haven't split ours open yet, waiting to figure out how we want to use it.  I know with a bunch we could make juice or something but for one, with probably about 5 or 6 ounces of seeds inside, we want to find just the right dish for it.

GUEST ROOM TOUR

Thought we'd share some inside pics from time to time (warning, lots of pics ahead!). 

Today, the guest room.

Now with what might be perceived as the masculine energy/vibe of the rest of the house has (though we try to soften where we can), we figured the guest room could be softer and comforting in its decor.

It also honors our moms and grandmothers.  My mom loved pinks, 2nd Man's mom loved yellows, and our grandmothers all loved flowers.  Even "Ma", who we bought the land and old house from, had a room in her first house she called the "Spring room" because it was decorated with flowers and soft colors to be welcoming like the first flowers of Spring.

We figured this could all be a great inspiration...

Here's the door in the hallway.

What lies behind?

The guest room!

We were able to use a lot of the furniture from the old farmhouse and move some other stuff we've had into here.  The bedframe was perfect here.  We love it.  A vintage yellow chenille bedspread, a wonderful afghan and the two bears made of quilt pieces.  It all just seems like home and it's always belonged together.

Regular readers have seen these pieces: this artificial rose bush my Mom found somewhere once upon a time, it's SO pretty and realistic.  Also a favorite really old music box and a vintage department store display head that my mom loved.  By the way, that box with the flowers has notes sent to us by blog friends.

Random thing, these beaded chain pulls on the ceiling fan are such a great sparkly touch in the room as they pick up on the colors from various items in the room and when the sun hits just right, they sparkle.  Just noticed how the purple one mimics the painting.

On the other side some more neat items, retro clock, a vintage bunny and a French book and then the focal point: this wonderful and very old lamp that belonged to a great great aunt in the family.  It's called a "parlor lamp" or also a "boudoir lamp" (we like the latter, ha).

The closet doors.

Next to the closet and right as you come in, is this spot.  Beneath my grandmother's favorite painting is this cabinet, a new addition.  We needed something that fit that space and had the same distressed look. 

Bonus points for new added storage space in the drawer & cabinet.

To top it off, some old books, this wonderful vintage rooster/hen set that we use as bookends, a vase with flowers for some color and a bowl given to us for a housewarming at our first house by a very dear former coworker who has since passed away.

At the foot of the bed is the Cedar Hope Chest you all have seen before, given to my parents for their 25th anniversary.  More storage AND a place to sit!

As you turn to the other side, we hung a mirror and this item that some of you may know about.  It's a rug/blanket beater.  We thought it would be fun to hang there as a conversation piece. Oh, and a cane with a pink depression glass topper.

This cabinet was in our apartment, and we used it to store our enameled cast iron cookware.  It wouldn't fit in our new kitchen, but it DOES fit perfectly in the guest room.  Right now, it's not very organized (just unloading things into there that will belong) but eventually it will contain my herbal items and dried flowers and supplies for making all sorts of fun things.  Think of it as a 'future apothecary cabinet'.  

On top, we created this vignette of items.  Flowers we had at the old house, a vase that has dried roses from my dad's funeral, a vintage needlepoint sewing case from 2nd Man's family, a candle (LED of course for safety) and a vintage suitcase that is decoupaged with all sorts of Victorian images.  Bonus points for storage since it's still a functioning suitcase.

Had this strand of funky fabric chickens with small bells on each end that we found at a store several years ago.  It just somehow seemed appropriate and adds some more lively pops of color.

In the last corner, some more prints and the last piece of furniture we were waiting for...

...this chair.  We wanted a comfy chair that fit in the corner to sit in and read a book or just have a 'moment of Zen', ha.  We found it online after much searching for exactly what we wanted; an off-white background with a floral pattern in pinks and yellows and greens.  It's perfect.  We draped a crocheted afghan over it and called it complete.

Little details, like this rise and shine reminder on a bedpost corner...

...and behind the door, we put this as a surprise when the door is closed.  We found it at a thrift store a few years ago.  It is a very detailed needlepoint that someone put a lot of love and time into.  We couldn't let it disappear forever.  We have no idea who did it, most likely they have long since passed, but their work will live on in our house.  "To love and be loved is the greatest joy on earth..."  We couldn't agree more.

Come and sit a spell...life is good and peaceful out here... 😊

GOOD FOOD AND DARWIN SUNDAY

Hey hey!  Another week has gone by.  Can't believe we're almost in November.

Sometimes, when we just want a lite lunch or dinner, we have our own little charcuterie tray with whatever we have on hand.  I know at two of the grocery stores I frequent, they have a basket in their cheese department with the bits and small pieces for "$5.00 and under".  We figure it's a great way for a) portion control and b) to explore different cheeses without paying the expensive price (good if we don't like one).  

I bought three on this day and put it together with some crackers, sunflower seeds, dates, pickles, jam and turkey bacon.  So yummy!  In this case, we loved all three of these, 2nd Man said the lemon/honey would be amazing with a lemon shrimp pasta dish.

And time for DARWIN!

Look at that face. Yeah, we're hooked.

He's growing up fast!  6 weeks old now.  Still on the bottle but we're trying to transition.  We still remind ourselves that being a preemie, he's about a week behind normal development.  We like to say that he's thinking "but I'm just a baby....."

#livinghisbestlife

PUTTING UP MEATLOAF

 Recently, we posted about our meatloaf and that we had cooked it a while ago and put up for future use.  Thought we'd share that.

2nd Man made his meatloaf recipe, we use ground turkey, chicken and pork mixed with a lot of minced veggies and seasonings.  So yummy.  In this case he made four.  We shaped them and put them on the sheet pans and topped them with turkey bacon.

We love that we decided to have the double ovens and this is another win.  We had both going, two in each.  Original plan was microwave at the top and oven at the bottom, but we moved the microwave into the island so we could go ahead and get double ovens.

Watch out Thanksgiving!

We cooked them for about 40 minutes to get the bacon crispy and then we coated it with ketchup and popped them back in until a temp probe showed the meat was fully cooked and done.

After they were done, we took them out and let them cool.  All that was left at that point was to slice them up and portion them out.

We did some packages with four slices and some with two.  Lastly, we put what we call the "butt ends" into separate packages.  This gives us meals (four slices two each), sandwiches (two slices for a couple of sandwiches) and a couple of "we're hungry but don't want to eat a lot before dinner" snacks (the butt ends).

Then we popped them in the freezer and have ready to go food for a few months.