Just pictures of some of the blooms currently happening here on the farm, along with a mama kitty. Peace!
Front Yard Is Evolving
We spend alot of time working on projects in the back – the vegie gardens, animal pens, studio, etc.. We realized that we’ve neglected the front as far as new plants go. I have a vision of this amazing ornamental garden. Full of interesting textures, colors, shapes, and height. So we planted some of that. It’s a start anyway…
Esperanza surrounded by Ornamental Purple Peppers:
Close-up of the Esperanza and Purple peppers:
Purple Peppers:
Yellow Peppers:
So Sorry It’s Been Awhile
We’ve had to weather a personal storm. I want to thank everyone who has been such a support to us during this time. Pregnancy loss is hard, but there are constant reminders to me that life keeps happening. I look forward to wading through these emotions and coming to a place of healing. Thank you everyone who has extended themselves and offered support. We truly appreciate each and every one of you…
Life really does continue:
This Lemon Cypress was sent to me by the most amazing group of mamas. We all had babies in the fall of 2005 and have stayed close ever since through the miracle of message boards and the internet. Some of us have met in person, some talk almost daily (hi Bridgette!), and all of us support each other emotionally. I received this tree yesterday with the most beautiful poem and words of love and support from these women. Thank you Tree Mamas!
My Amaranth…I didn’t think it was going to grow…but it did.
Jason’s Pride of Barbados that finally sprouted. This is very exciting as we now have 2 sprouts!
Our Confederate Jasmine that is growing up the post on our front porch. We planted this last year and are thrilled that it bloomed this year. It smells so heavenly.
Who can’t smile around kittens?
Lola’s drawing…she wanted to draw how she felt last week during the hardest part of it all. So first she was sad, then she was mad, now she is happy again. 5 year olds have such wisdom. I’m learning so much from this one right now.
Again, thank you everyone who has been there for us…many blessings and peace!
No Garden Pics Today
As the batteries on my camera are dead. Haha! But we did manage to get the chicken wire up for the beans and peas to crawl up this weekend. Our vegies are coming up nicely as well. I transplanted the tomato starts into pots out by the greenhouse and they seem to be doing quite well! I will keep a few in the larger pots and transplant the rest into the garden as soon as they are about 4 inches tall or so with a few more mature leaves…right now they are just getting their mature leaves and are only about 2 inches tall..;) The baby chicks are feathering nicely and are now living with the Showgirl hen in a separate part of the coop. They are liking the larger space so far!
We had a busy weekend of gardening, family, soccer, bbqing and dinner with friends. It was actually a very full and fun weekend. We needed it.
Here are pics from Lola’s soccer game that her Papa took! 
And here is a recipe that my darling mother-in-law sent me today from My Recipes that I’m dying to make:
Garden Minestrone
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups chopped yellow squash
3 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
4 cups chopped tomato, divided
3 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta (very short tube-shaped macaroni)
1 (15.5-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
Preparation:
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in squash, zucchini, carrot, and corn; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
Place 3 cups tomato and 1 can broth in a blender; process until smooth. Add tomato mixture to pan; return pan to heat. Stir in remaining 1 cup tomato and remaining 2 cans broth; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
Add pasta and beans to pan; cook 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Ladle soup into individual bowls; top with cheese. Garnish with coarsely ground black pepper, if desired.
Oh that looks so heavenly!! I can’t wait. Peace!
Cookies!
So we baked cookies today…here’s during:
Fortunately the after turned out pretty good!
Also, a few things growing on the farm:
Our Little Farmgirl Turned 5
I can’t believe how much time as flown by, but our little farmgirl has turned a corner and is now an official kid. She had a birthday party on Sunday, and everyone seemed to have a blast! Jason barbequed the chickens he processed and they came out terrific. The pictures tell the story, so please enjoy!
Grandma and Papa got her new bedding, which she loves!
And we got her a turntable and records, which she hasn’t stopped messing with. She wants to “scratch” like a DJ! HA! So here is DJ LAmLo at the table! Happy Birthday beautiful farmgirl.
New Life On The Farm
On Saturday the girls and I went to our local feedstore, Paleface Feed, to get feed and participate in an Easter egg hunt they were holding for the kids. The girls had a blast scrambling around, looking for eggs. And I have to say, that group of kids were some of the most polite. All of them were giving eggs to the little kids who couldn’t find them fast enough, making sure that everyone had some in their buckets. Some of the eggs had candy inside along with coupons. This is what the girls got with their coupons:
We also traded one of the Showgirls for this handsome fellow:
Jason has named him Upgraydd…If you’ve ever seen the movie, Idiocracy, you’ll get the name. HA!
Flags!
Our little farmgirl, Lola, is turning 5 on the 24th. Her party is the day before and I’ve been working on getting everything ready for it. Seems like the time is just flying by. I think, “I always have tomorrow…”, but somehow I always run out of “tomorrows”! Anyway, these are the flags I worked on all weekend for decorations. After the party they will be strung around the girls’ room and play room. This is just one strand of 7. The idea came from Daria over at glittergoods. Check her out, she’s got some great ideas! Happy Sunday!
Tomato Goodness
Some of the 50 sprouts we have going in the kitchen window. These are mainly heirlooms – Summer Feast, Black Brandywine, Chianti, and Rainbow Harvest. Can’t wait!
Springtime!
So you probably noticed a bit of a change around here. I decided with the evidence of Spring’s residency, to brighten things up. We are having a clear, warm, gorgeous day! Here is evidence of all the color and newness that is popping up on our little farm. Enjoy and happy Spring!
