Backyard Farmgals

I took this photo of my youngest farmhand holding a tiny egg.  After I took it, I couldn't stop thinking.  Our children have the whole world in their hands right at this moment.  That little egg has the potential to change his whole world, it can teach him about life, about caring, about love, about dreams and opportunity.  As they grow, we hope our children have every opportunity to explore, learn, grow, and find themselves in this world. The question came to my mind: how do I keep my children holding all of these opportunities in their hands?  The world can be a tough place where dreams can crumble and doors shut out opportunity.  How do we help our children keep hope and learn to maneuver around these obstacles that will come in their lives?  The answer is different for each child. Over many years, I have decided that one way I can help my boys hold the world in their hands is to give them a broad point of view.  We take our children eve...

How many of you have heard about a chicken tractor?  If you are not in the know, it is a marvelous idea: a mobile home for chickens that you can move around a yard (large or small), giving your chickens opportunity to range without wandering far off.    We have seventy chickens at the farm.  With so many girls, we occasionally get an injured or picked on bird.  These girls need a sanctuary away from the pecking order that can become vicious and eventually deadly for a chicken that isn't quite normal.  These girls that need a little extra TLC end up in my backyard.  If they can rehabilitate they are eventually moved back to the farm.  We have a few that can't go back, and they become permanent residents.  We have a blind chicken named Helen and a chick with hip dysplasia named Dot.  These two girls will stay here forever.  I have a small yard, 0.25-acre, and these rehab girls make a marvelous mess of my little plot.  We als...

Weezer... helper goat and knowledgable pruning specialist If you haven't started your spring pruning, there is no time like this weekend to get busy with it.  I am taking an arboriculture class and have been thrust into the fiery furnace of pruning so to speak.  We were given an assignment to prune five different types of woody plants and take pictures.  We had to spend a total of 10 hours, which ended up being a lot of trees for me because I do have some experience.  I thought I would share what I did as well as pictures for those of you who feel like I did a few years ago, not knowing where to start. There are some general rules to follow.  With fruit trees, I alway start with water sprouts.  They are those horrible long vertical shoots that come back year after year.  While I am pruning water sprouts, I am looking for anything dead, diseased, or broken.  All of these things I prune out as I go. I prune out any suckers at the base of the t...

The girls in my 'hood are all abuzz with clean eating.  We mostly eat very clean, minus the occasional dessert here and there.  We also have been mostly sugar free for the last 10 years.  I say mostly because one: I love chocolate, and two: I really, really love chocolate, and three: I really love to bake.  It's terrible!  I have good days and weeks and then I have a particularly stressful week and the chocolate resurfaces or I get the itch to bake something divine, and I dive in.  Then I have to start all over.  It's a battle... I thought I would share a healthy recipe that has been a staple in our family for years.  This is loosely based on Ina Garten's Chinese Chicken Salad.  I modified it years ago to clean it up and my family instantly fell in love.  My kids gobble this like they haven't eaten in weeks.  Clean plates, full bellies, and a happy mama (in fact, I couldn't even photograph this without little hands sneakin...

Everyday this little munchkin and I have the same conversation, it goes like this: Me: What do you want for lunch? Munchkin: Noodles. Me: You had noodles yesterday, what else can I make you? Munchkin: Noodles. Me: How about a sandwich? Munchkin: Noodles (long pause of thoughtful silence)... with butter. On and on it goes until I can change his mind or I give in and do the mom walk of shame to find noodles.  With so much demand for noodles over the years, I have learned to up the ante so to speak.  I have been spiking his noodle bowl with whole grains, seeds, and oodles of veggies, so much that I don't mind joining in the noodle mania every now and then. There really is no recipe that I follow.  Into the skillet goes a little dab of butter along with whatever veggies happen to be residing in the fridge that day.  I love green zucchini and broccoli, and mushrooms are always good.  A few cherry tomatoes and some herbs go a long way.  Ther...

You all know by now that I have a seriously (un)healthy addiction to succulents.  I love their fat little leaves and stems.  I love how they hold onto water and find a way to thrive where it would seem impossible.  I especially love their texture... it is scrumptious!  They make me happy.  I recently re-potted my succulent pot in my kitchen and thought I would give you all a little eye candy to drool at. I approached this planting with a go big or go home attitude.  I used 4-inch plants instead of the usual 2-inch ones that I love.  I was going for big texture and big effect, and it worked, even in my skinny succulent pot that I love so much.  This planting was more about gracefully crowding the pot.  Succulents don't grow quickly, so crowding isn't really a huge problem.  I got into some height with the planting as well, which was fun and unexpected. But enough words... you get the idea!  

I [heart] Valentine's Day.  It's one extra chance to tell everyone that I love exactly how much I love them.  I have been busy getting my Valentine's ready for my little farmhands, my cute hubby, and my mama (because I love my mama too) and I thought I would share them with you.  They are the best combination of dirt and love... This year I thought I would get a little crafty.  I haven't been working nearly as much as I usually do, and it has given me some time to get my creative juices flowing again.  When I am busy or stressed, my creativity seems to be the first thing to go.  I recently read that when you are healthy, your creativity flows in what ever form of creativity you have.  Mine is with paper, fabric, and soil.  I love texture, things that my fingers get sensation from.  I have been feeling really creative since Christmas, so I must be bursting with health, right?!? I searched the internet for drawings and woodblo...