Soccer Season Has Arrived

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized Comment

This season, both girls are playing and we are all very excited.  Their first games were this past Saturday, however Lola’s early morning game was rained out.  Xiola’s was scheduled for later and when game time rolled around, it was sunny and perfect for the little one’s very first game ever.  And boy did she play!  She has benefited from watching her sister all these years, and it showed on the field.  Four goals and alot of pride in herself that day!  We were all so proud of her as well and so excited at her accomplishments. In the car on the way to lunch to celebrate she exclaimed, “That felt good out there!!!”  We are looking forward to watching her continue to grow with the game and build her confidence. 

Both the girls are going to have great seasons this Spring!  It’s good to get back to the routine. 

What events are you looking forward to this Spring?  Peace!

(Photos courtesy of my dear in-laws.)

March Already?

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 1 Comment

This year is threatening to fly by.  I am watching the new growth appear in plants awakening from their Winter dormancy, was able to get several thing planted in the veggie beds, and even purchased two varieties of apple trees (Golden Delicious and Mollie’s Delicious) and two varieties of pears (Shinko and La Conte).  Will be getting those in the ground in the next couple of weeks.  I know they won’t produce for years, but I am still looking forward to that day anyway! 

My citrus seemed to have made it through the cold.  The Meyer’s lemon looked to be a goner, however there were still a couple good, green leaves and branches buried in all the mulch.  I pruned the frozen bits and this morning noticed flower buds on one of the tiny branches that survived!  I have no idea how these will produce, but life is there and I hope that means it will grow strong and sturdy in the coming months.  Same with the thornless lime in the back.  Top froze, even when quadruple covered…but the mulch saved the lower level so there are new bits of growth already happening.  Might not produce again this year, but as long as it lives I am happy!

Salvias are showing where they scattered their seeds.  Black and Blue coming up all over along with the Coral.  I’m hoping the Red survived as well.  I love digging under the mulch of leaves we put out and seeing all the new green making it’s way to the light. 

Tomatoes are sitting on the windowsill waiting for the night temps to rise a bit more so they can find their homes in the ground.  This year we are doing the yellow pears again along with Cherokee Purples, Brandywines, Better Boys, and Celebrity.  I’m waiting impatiently for Basil to be available and am looking forward to grilled pizza topped with fresh toms and Basil….a little pesto and goat cheese and yum!

How does your garden grow?  Peace!

Natural Life Gives A Gift

Published on: by catballou24 Category:mothering magazine Comment

In the wake of the current economic situation our country has been facing, many businesses have had to close their doors and/or re-invent themselves.  Mothering Magazine is one such business.  Mothering was first published in 1976 by Addie Vorys Eavenson who was inspired by the birth of her first child.  At the time, there were little known resources for new parents who wanted to birth and parent as naturally as possible, and absolutely no publications were available on this topic.  So Addie did it herself.  The first issue of Mothering was put together in the summer of 1976 by members of the Montrose Natural Childbirth Class and other volunteers at the old Fort Smith Saloon, in Ridgway, Colorado.  I’m betting these people never dreamed what this little publication would become or how many lives it would touch.  In 1979, Addie chose to sell the magazine and the founders of Natural Life Magazine were in the front running.  When that deal fell through, Peggy O’Mara stepped in and became owner.  She had been an editor with them in the first couple years and is still involved with the magazine and online community today.

I have always given a gift subscription to my circle of new parents, having discovered Mothering in 1989, 2 years after the birth of my first child.  I was befriending and helping out our local midwife and saw this magazine in her home one day as I was helping to catalog her library of birthing books.  I was hooked from the moment I opened it up and have rarely been without a subscription since.  So, when I received advance news (I am a moderator on their forums – MDC), that Mothering was going to have to cease publishing, I was very sad for all those who would never get the opportunity to enjoy this amazing resource in it’s original format.  However, Peggy and the crew have seen what a huge web presence Mothering Dot Com has become and so have vowed to keep the dream alive in cyberspace.  They will continue providing information and articles on natural parenting, as well as host the ever growing forums for parenting discussions.  MDC is down, but not out!

While Mothering is stepping up their web presence and will no longer be a magazine, in the publishing world it is customary for another publication to step up and fulfill reader’s subscriptions when a magazine goes out of print.  Natural Life Magazine has found it’s way back into the Mothering fold and is giving a wonderful gift to all who have loved Mothering by offering to fulfill all outstanding print subscriptions.  “Natural Life will fulfill Mothering subscriptions beginning with their May/June 2011 issue. If, for example, two issues remain on your subscription to Mothering, you will receive the next two issues of Natural Life.” (Mothering.com) 

This will be a perfect way to say goodbye to a magazine that has changed and enriched so many lives.  Natural Life has been associated with Mothering for years, so I hope that all those who are saddened about the cease in publication of Mothering, can find solace in another amazing publication.  Thank you Natural Life!  And it’s never goodbye to Mothering Magazine, only see you later…..

Peace!

Spring Is In The Air

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Life 1 Comment

And that means the Spring veggie beds need tending to!  Yesterday I was able to get them fertilized with organic fertilizer and coffee grounds, and even got some things in the ground that will be able to withstand one more frost, should the weather choose to grow cold again.  This past week we’ve been in the mid 70’s and the garden is starting to show some signs of life once again. 

I would love to get another couple raised beds in place this weekend, so will be raiding the lumber yard and bribing Jason with Uncle Billy’s beer to get a truck load of dirt.  Hopefully he won’t balk at that idea! 

I picked up 4 fruit trees to plant as well.  2 varieties of apple (Mollie’s Delicious and Granny Smith), and 2 varieties of pears (Shinko and La Conte).  It will take several years to see fruit, but that’s okay!  I missed out on betting bare root plums and peaches however.  Next year.  I also want to do blackberries along the back fence.  Slowly but surely we will see our dreams come true here.  The girls are already dreaming of the day when they can go out in the back and pick their own apples for a snack or pie!

Also on the agenda for this weekend, brewing!  We have started to do home brew and it’s in full swing here.  Tomorrow the first batch will be bottled, a black IPA.  We will do 2 batches next – a pale ale and a toasted coconut porter…yum!!  The IPA will not be ready for another 4 weeks, but the pale will be ready in 2 weeks as we are going to keg that one.   We’ll bottle the coconut porter as well, and another pale will be brewed in a couple weeks.  The idea is to have a couple kegs of home brew ready at all times, and the craftier brews will be in bottles.  I am actually getting ready to order rhyzomes for hops, so eventually we’ll have our own hops going into the recipes.  We got all the equipment at Austin Home Brew Supply, so are keeping it as local as possible until we can actually produce some of our own ingredients from the homestead.  Exciting?  Why yes!!

With the brewing in full swing, Jason is motivated to start work on the “Beer Garden”.  Another huge project, but we have alot of help and support for sure!  Basically we will be adding a covered porch/outdoor kitchen onto the back of our studio with counters and cabinets, a sitting bar and table.  That will be where the brewing magic will eventually happen.  A cob oven will be built in that area as well.  Long term project for sure!  But if you don’t dream big, you might as well just not dream at all. 

So Spring is bring alot of motivation and we are really looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this year with it all. 

Let the fun begin!  Peace!

New E-Course Available

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized Comment

I am very interested in nutrition.  Good food and nutrition is one of the driving forces behind AmLo Farms.  So I am very pleased to have been asked to help promote a new E-Course from Nourished Kitchen called, “Get Cultured!  How to Ferment Anything.”

It has only been in modern times that we as a society don’t eat as much fermented food anymore.  With preservatives added to most foods found on the grocery shelf, fermenting is quickly becoming a thing of the past.  But preparing foods in this manner not only preserves the food for up to 8 months in your refrigerator, it also provides specific nutritional balance to your digestive system, which in turn keeps your body working as efficiently as it can.

The book, Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, is a great starting point.  It advocates getting us back in balance through traditional eating.  Yes, meat is advocated as is the ever important fermentation of foods, including grains.  There are many sites which provide specific information about this way of eating.  A couple of them are:

The Family Homestead
Weston A. Price Foundation Wiki

And one of my favorite sites, Cheeselave, has listed 8 Reasons to Eat Fermented Foods.

I won’t go into the details here on the actual process, the sites above provide great information on all of that.  I would like to encourage anyone who is interested in learning the process in depth to check out this new E-Course Nourishing Kitchen is offering.  It is an in depth series of classes that will literally change your life.  Classes begin March 4th with registration ending Februrary 28th.  You can sign up here for the entire series ($149) or individual classes ($20). 

See for yourself the benefits and healing aspects of even adding just a few fermented foods to your diet.

Hope you enjoy!  Peace!

Snow!

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 3 Comments

We woke up to a Winter wonderland in our hood.  The girls were out before the sun was even fully up and the beautiful silence that comes with snow was blissful.  The only sound breaking it was the girls happy laughter.  Today is no school for the FarmGirl, no work for the man and no extra kids for me until possibly later, but probably not.  The roads are icy and here in Austin, no one is prepared to drive on them.  We get so few days like this. 

Hope you all are staying warm and enjoying your Winter weather.  All those in the North, stay safe!

Peace!

Baby It’s Cold Out There!

Published on: by catballou24 Category:weather Comment
 Current temp on front porch at 10:45 am with a windchill at about 8 degrees.
 Forecast

I know there are many in the North and East who are socked in with snow and crazy freezing temps, but here in Austin we are not used to it getting below the occasional 28 degrees in the Winter.  Last night was an exception however!  We got down to about 16 with the windchill at -5 degrees here at the lake.  We definitely had to batten down the hatches.  The animals hunkered down out of the wind, we boxed in the chickens by putting a tarp on the exposed side of the coop and putting up a large piece of plywood against the door to keep the wind out.  They also get a light in there all day and night while this cold spell lasts.  Propane guys are coming out today as well just to be safe.  I covered every vulnerable plant with triple sheets and blankets, but am afraid some of my potted plants couldn’t weather the cold even under the porch and 3 blankets.  I brought in the ones looking worse for wear and am just crossing my fingers they will snap back.  It isn’t looking good.  The citrus trees had so much mulch and I covered them with every heavy sheet and blanket I could spare, they looked alright this morning.  we’ll see if they make it through though, I’m crossing my fingers as there isn’t much more I can do for them.  I even added Christmas lights to the most vulnerable one. 

Today is a good day for soup, baking and just hunkering down with a movie and a cup of tea with my girl.  FarmGirl was irritated with the amount of layers I had her put on for the short trek to the bus stop this morning, it’s literally across our little street.  But as soon as we walked outside she was grateful for it all! 

Yes baby it’s cold out there!  Hope everyone is staying warm and all those in the blizzard zones are safe and sound!  Peace my friends!