On the Farm, May 5th 2014

We've made so much progress over the past two weeks!  Still so much to do, but we're crossing big things off the lists now.  :-)  The peacocks are loving that big new run, there on the right.  The bunnies are outside in the new hutch, on the left.  I love the new herb bed, with the Inuksuk in the middle, and the raised bed gardens are all doing well.

 

We pulled out the clothesline poles, and moved them.  Then I painted them blue.  And added little rock beds around them, planting french lavendar around each pole.

We hauled in a load of river rock for around the chairs and pond.

 

 We put in an herb bed, then I decided it looked unbalanced, and put in a butterfly bed as well.

This will be the butterfly garden

Our oldest built this Inuksuk a couple of years ago.  It was in an odd location, where you never saw it, in another yard..  we moved it back here where I can see it all the time. 

The horse pasture was looking sparse - Dan had oats planted into it this week.

 Bubba is moved to the front pasture with the other cows, and we moved Mickey down here now too - so there are 6 cows out front.  Milo is still in the back yard (he still gets milk once a day) and Wendell is in the center island pen.

 Still too young for his pretty tail - but next year when it grows in, he'll have plenty of room to display it, here in his new pen.

Betsy, Enjoying the impromptu pond in the pasture, after a heavy rainstorm.

Still lots to do here - but the pond is officially running!  I found all of this pond, including the filters and everything, alongside the road with a free sign on it.  I can't believe it all works!  The pump is the old well pump from here on the farm.

The new bunny hutch isn't pretty - but the bunnies love it, and I love not having to carry a dog kennel in and out of the house every morning and evening!  Olaf runs up and down that ramp nonstop - he loves it.  PB prefers to sit up in the boxes with the hay.

If you Like The Stephanie Plum Novels, Try:

If you like the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich,  try these series:

The Lexi Carmichael Series By Julie Moffet

Slash & Ranger just might be related, they are so similar...  but the books have a slightly more serious story line/tone overall.  

The Spellman Files By Lisa Lutz

Where the Lexi Carmichael series has all the love life problems of the Plum series, it has none of the family eccentricities.  The Spellman Files is the opposite - there is no real love life story line at all, but it has plenty of family characters, and co-owners of Spellman Investigations, that will keep you in stitches.

Agatha Raisin Series By M. C. Beaton

I think of Agatha as an older, classier, British, Stephanie Plum.  After retiring from her own advertising agency, she retires to an English village and eventually becomes a PI.  Her love life is just as disastrous, although not as vividly described, as Stephanie's as well.

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https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/p/reading.html

This Week On The Farm 4/28

One of our spring projects is to enlarge the chicken coop run.  We haven't started yet.  Soon.

 

Bubba (cow) is almost recovered and ready to move back to the front pasture with the other cows.  We need to start introducing Kase to the other horses here on the farm.  Kase (rescue horse) has some rainrot yet, but mostly you wouldn't realize he was half starved to death just a few months ago - he is doing great.

The barn cats - we only have 2 cats here.  (And that's enough!)

Mickey is getting big - it's about time to move him down to the front pasture with the big cows.

 

The "ring" of pasture right outside the upper shed.  What a mess.

Todays eggs

The peacocks, still waiting for their new shelter to be built...

Are The Eggs Fresh? Graphic.

I saw this in a facebook post, I have no idea where it came from..  but it's a cute graphic to show you how to tell how fresh the eggs in your fridge (or nesting box!) are:

What Are You Reading 4/28/14

It's that day of the week where I add 20 more books to my "To Read" list, thanks to memes like this.  :-)

Did you know Agatha Christie wrote under the name Mary Westcott in her younger years?  I learned that here: http://youmeandacupofteablog.blogspot.com/2014/04/its-monday-life-school-and-pursuit-of.html

I'm currently reading:

For Inspiration

The Women Of Duck Commander

Although I love the women, and love their stories, I find this very hard to read.  I think it could have benefited from a better editor.  It does make me want to read Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil though...  (I just finished the Believing God study by Beth Moore, and was not ready for anything too heavy right now.  I'm still working through the bible in a year at youversion, and we're doing He Speaks To Me by Priscilla Shirer in sunday school  - I've already read that before, it's very good.  I'm doing the Abiding Love study with #HelloMornings too - but that's not really reading, and it's a super light easy study.)

For Education:

Colossus  - The Hoover Dam & The Making of the American Century

I just finished Longitude the other day and picked this for my next historical read..  I'm not far enough in to know how good it is.  Longitude was excellent.

Loaded on my phone but haven't started yet:

For fun:

recommended by a friend, these are similar in tone, I think, to the Stephanie Plum series?  We'll see...

description from goodreads- 

I'm Lexi Carmichael, geek extraordinaire. I spend my days stopping computer hackers at the National Security Agency. My nights? Those I spend avoiding my mother and eating cereal for dinner. Even though I work for a top-secret agency, I've never been in an exciting car chase, sipped a stirred (not shaken) martini, or shot a poison dart from an umbrella.

Until today, that is, when two gun-toting thugs popped up in my life and my best friend disappeared. So, I've enlisted the help of the Zimmerman twins—the reclusive architects of America's most sensitive electronic networks—to help me navigate a bewildering maze of leads to find her.

Along the way, my path collides with a sexy government agent and a rich, handsome lawyer, both of whom seem to have the hots for me. Hacking, espionage, sexy spy-men—it's a geek girl's dream come true. If it weren't for those gun-toting thugs...

For Farm:

Barnheart  by Jenna Woginrich

copied from goodreads:Whether they’re about raising chickens or herding sheep, the tales of Jenna Woginrich have caught the imagination of thousands of young homesteaders. As she learns traditional farming skills by trial and error, Woginrich records her offbeat observations and poignant moments with honesty, humility, and humor.

In BarnHeart, she lands at a small rented farm and struggles to find her place in a reserved rural community filled with working farmers who are scraping by and wealthy vacation-home owners with fancy barns that never house livestock. Although her barnheart ; a term Woginrich coins to describe her state of longing for a farm of her own — never subsides, she makes do on her rented farmstead, caring for her sheep, chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, a goat, and a turkey, until relationships sour and she’s abruptly forced to leave. Where will she and her animals go? Will she finally be able to afford the farm she always dreamed of?

Even when dealing with cranky neighbors, small-town politics, and the loneliness that comes with running a farm on her own, Woginrich never loses her sense of humor. Readers will recognize themselves and find inspiration in this appealing story of longing and striving for a more authentic life

See My Empty Shelf Challenge Here:

http://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2014/01/empty-shelf-challenge.html

Menu Plan Monday 4/28/14

Monday - 

Soup & Sandwiches

(Using up assorted leftovers)

Tuesday- 

Trying a new recipe- 

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti , rolls, salad

(It's buffalo chicken dip served over pasta)

Wednesday - 

Pork Picata, mac & cheese, salad

Thursday - 

Grilled chicken sandwiches, on ciabatta bread, salad

Friday - 

Home Made Calzones

With No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake Bites for Dessert

Saturday - 

Grill night.  Hamburgs, hotdogs, chicken, pineapple

Sunday - 

Turkey, Mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, rolls, strawberry jam

Last week when I cleaned out the freezer and pantry, I made note of any meals I saw that I could make with the ingredients on hand.  I posted a list on the freezer - 

Crockpot Stroganoff

We've been really busy this spring.  In addition to the farm, the kids are doing both track AND drama, and football practices have already begun, in addition to cheer banquets, fundraisers...  this is a season for us, and one we're enjoying immensely, even if it is a bit chaotic.  We're very aware that in two years all of our kids will have graduated high school and our lives will be very different, so were enjoying every minute of this season while it's here.

I'm so thankful for my crock pot.  I almost always have more time in the mornings - it's the afternoons that are super busy.  Last week I threw stroganoff in the crock pot, and it was sooooooo good.  I prefer it this way.  It gave the flavors all day to meld together, and the meat tenderized.  It's much better than making it "fresh" in the evening!

Of course I never measure for stuff like this - so this is my "recipe" followed by a revised Betty Crocker version that gives those of you who need numbers a guideline to work with.  :-)

Crockpot Stroganoff

Beef.  Either leftover roast, or my beef cubes, or a roast cut into strips... Whatever you have, or whatever is on sale.  :-)  Brown with some Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper., dump in crock pot.

Mushrooms, sliced & sauteed in butter, salt, and garlic 
A sweet onion,  sliced & sauteed in butter, salt, and garlic 
Dump in crock pot on top of meat.

Beef broth (I love the Tones Beef Base)
A container of sour cream
If this looks good enough to you, dump it in the crock pot.

If you like your broth a little thicker, whisk in some flour - maybe 1/4 of a cup - before putting in the crockpot.  Not too much.  It will thicken as it cooks, and you do not want paste.  A dash of cornstarch would work too.

Cook on low.  

That's it!  At supper time all I had to do was make some pasta and a vegetable.



Tones Beef Base.  I use this, and the chicken, a LOT in my kitchen.  I get them at Sams club, the containers last a long time.

The Betty Crocker Version
(For those of you who like measurements in their recipes)
1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin steak, 1/2 inch thick
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (2 1/2 cups)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups Progresso® beef flavored broth (from 32-ounce carton)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips.
Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender; remove from skillet.
Cook beef in same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Stir remaining 1/2 cup broth into flour; stir into beef mixture. Add onion mixture; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.

Makes 6 servings