Friday, December 30, 2011

Canned goods total 2011

Spicy pickled green beans with cauliflower

Chicken (turkey) stock

Zucchini pickles

Half gallon jars of CircleFive marinara sauce

We did a lot of canning this year but I hope to can even more next year.

Marinara- 185 pints
Pomegranate sauce- 1 half pint and eight 4 oz jars
Demi glace- twenty two 4 oz jars
Bloodymary mix- 6 and a half pints
Zucchini pickles- 8 pints
Spicy pickled green beans with cauliflower- 7 quarts
Chicken and turkey stock- 50 pints ish...I didn't keep a log in the beginning of the year.

Stay tuned for our next years goals...
and have a Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Saved seed totals for 2011

We are still (and will always be) learning how to garden, this was our first year attempting to save seeds. These are the variety's we saved this year:

Green bell pepper 1/16 oz
Yellow sweet pepper 1/16 oz
Sunflower 8 3/8 oz
Melon 1/2 oz
Mohawk tobacco 3 1/8 oz
Celosia and other wildflowers 3/8 oz
Pumpkin 1/4 oz
Missouri Bill's pole beans 1/2 oz
Black garbanzo beans 7/8 oz
Holstein bush beans 1/2 oz
West African millet 1/2 oz
Sorghum 1/2 oz
Artichoke 1/4 oz

We will see how well we did when we start planting...next year we are planning on trying to learn more about saving seeds and hopefully save more variety's of things we grow. We just received The Heirloom Life Gardener: The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally and I cannot wait to read it. I hope it helps us push ourselves farther into the lifestyle we love living. Book review coming. Happy New Year!

Some of our Missouri Bill's pole beans

Monday, December 26, 2011

Harvest Monday 12/20-12/26 2011

Kale, Swiss chard, and spinach

Salad greens...claytonia, red romaine, deer tongue lettuce, and mache.

The last harvest Monday of 2011! We just got home and un-packed the car. I of course came in a started writing. :)

We harvested only a bit this week since we left to spend time with family for the holiday. The weekend was wonderful and relaxing and we scored some awesome loot. We received a bee keeping book and heirloom gardening book, along with a bunch of other fun stuff...plus seeds! We also received a flip video camera...so you can look forward to how to videos! We will be hosting Christmas next year, so the planning starts now...

We are linking up with Daphne's Dandelions...go check out what others around the world are harvesting.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Favorite things...winter


I am a cold weather person. I have always loved it way more than the heat. I love getting all bundled up.

Watching Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer
The holidays...Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day and my birthday
Knitting by a warm toasty fire
Getting a Christmas tree and decorating the house
Spending time with family
Making homemade Christmas presents

The other day the doctor and I where bored and couldn't figure out what we used to do with all our time...then we realized that we used to be in the garden all the time. Fall/winter gardening is so much less work. :)

Happy Holiday's from Team Dean. :)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Harvest Monday 12/13-12/19 2011

Frosty flowers

The first pea!

An onion popping up under the straw

We didn't harvest much this week, just salad greens and eggs. I have been saving our chard, kale and spinach for a special meal. Yesterday I made sage cheese and ricotta cheese. Tonight I will be making lasagna with the fresh ricotta, chard, kale and spinach for dinner with a close friend. Have a happy Holiday weekend and...

Happy Harvest Monday! We are linking up with Daphne's Dandelions, a place to check out what others around the world are harvesting.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Handmade Christmas 2011

Faux cable legwarmers for my niece (ViolaStitchStudio)

Earflap hat for my nephew (ViolaStitchStudio)

Every year we make homemade Christmas presents for friends and family. We always try to add to it and make it bigger and better each year.

This year we are giving (all handmade and from our own garden):

Homemade marinara (regular, pesto, and spicy)
Thai/Genovese Basil Pesto
Bloodymary mix
Spicy pickled green beans (recipe coming)
Zucchini pickles (recipe coming)
Demi glace, a french Mother sauce that takes over 36 hours of cooking, made with local ingredients
Pomegranate sauce, from pomegranates from our lovely neighbors.
Croutons, made with homemade bread
Cookies
Peppermint lotion
Dried Pink Lady apples from Noble Orchard's in Paradise CA

We are also making butter and chive/sage cheese to take with us for Christmas dinner. We also usually add a few local items we love:

Massa Organic's Brown rice
Tin Roof Bakery and Cafe Bread
Vita style chicobag

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Our Chirstmas Tree

This years Christmas tree, a rosemary plant.

Last years Christmas tree

Last year we decided on getting a little rosemary tree as our Christmas tree. I wanted something to make the house smell of Christmas and wanted the little guy to have the fun of decorating. We always spend Christmas out of town so it doesn't make a lot of since to get a big tree. We love this idea because you get to plant a tree instead of cut one down! Plus you will always have rosemary. We get an ornament every year to add to our collection and this year we got a chicken.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Thanksgiving feast 2011

Better late than never...
Top left- corn, edamame, and sun dried tomato (from the garden) salsa.
Top Right- stuffing
Bottom left- Mashed parsnips and potatoes
Bottom right- Green beans from the garden (recipe below)
Photo by Mike Z
Everything...including the homemade chive/sage cheese, crusty beer rolls and the Cornish game hens we raised.
Photo by Mike Z
The Cornish game hens wrapped in bacon.
Photo by Mike Z

Candied pumpkin, with candied pumpkin seeds, dehydrated vanilla beans and creme fraiche.


Home made raw butter
Chicken stock from the leftover bones.

Thanksgiving is a time to bring in close friends and family to share a little something to show an appreciation for their friendship and help throughout the year. This year we hosted a renegade Thanksgiving, we invited those who had no place to go. This turned out to be one of the most satisfying Thanksgivings in recent history. The true meaning of Thanksgiving is to celebrate the harvest and bring the community together...that is what we celebrated this year.

Firstly, our plan was to use our own garden and poultry as the base for our modest feast. We planned ahead and saved some of our late summer crop. Believe it or not, freezing things like beans doesn't ruin them. They tasted like we had just made the harvest. That was the whole point; to give back to our little community with things that we spent the year nurturing, whether it be plant or fowl.

Without question the most difficult part was dressing the Cornish cross breeds. Leaving the skin on didn't work out so we skinned them. As a result I thought they would dry while roasting, but we solved that problem by flattening out bacon and wrapping the entire bird in it. We actually cut them in half, and the portion size was perfect. I believe in making each apart of the dish separately. So the stuffing and sides were not cooked with the birds.

We took the opportunity to use The One-Block Feast, by Sunset Magazine to influence the candied pumpkin desert, the creme fraiche, butter and cheese. We already shared the recipes for the mashed parsnips and potatoesCornish game hens and corn salsa on the blog.

So I've decided to let you in on an old German secret for presenting green beans...a staple during the holidays.

Steam the beans until just about perfect. Place in a saute pan with butter and finely chopped garlic. Saute until the garlic is moments from turning color, then crack saltine crackers over the entire dish and saute until some of the crackers looked toasted and golden brown. You only need to season with pepper if desired, the salt is in the crackers. This is always the first dish we run out of . It is a major hit.


The master chef (the Doctor) getting everyones plates ready.
Photo by Mike Z

Monday, December 12, 2011

Harvest Monday 12/6-12/12 2011

one little borage flower
We had lots of salads this week. We also had one with tomatoes! Crazy, they did not taste very good but they still gave us nutrition. Any more that ripen will go to the girls (chickens). We are still getting 4 eggs a day and I hope that continues. I cannot wait for our root veggies to be ready along with brassicas. We picked up 2 lbs of apples from the farmers market this weekend from our favorite apple farm that is only 15.5 miles from our house. We love there pink lady apples and get them every year to give as part of our Christmas gift. We are really lucky where we live because we can get almost everything locally.

Happy Harvest Monday! We are linking up with Daphne's dandelions, a place to check out what others around the world are harvesting.


Salad greens, a mix of claytonia, mache, red romaine, deertongue lettuce and chives

Some cherry tomatoes from our volunteer plant that is still producing

Friday, December 9, 2011

A great gift idea for anyone...a chicobag!

Sorry we have been a bit absent on the blog, we have been very busy creating our home made Christmas present that we make every year for family. I finally finished two of the big projects and now I will have time to write about them and all the other stuff I have been waiting to write about...
I use the messenger style as my purse!

The messenger style is really the perfect mom purse. It has a hook for you keys right at the height to unlock any door with a kid on your hip. It has two side pockets, I use one for my sunglasses and the other to store two vita chicobags. It has one small pocket on the inside (its what you fold it up into), which I use for my cell phone. It has a large outside pocket that zips that is perfect for wallet, chap stick, and receipts. Then there is the big, huge pocket that can fit all the kid stuff you need! Diaper, wipes, books, snacks, extra clothes, toys, another Sweet Repeats chicobag...the list goes on and on. Hey and guess what its made of recycled materials and folds into a little pouch if need be!

I also really love the new Vita's, mostly because you can fit so much in them and they actually stay on your shoulder but also for all the other awesome reasons I love Chicobags. One thing I don't like is trying to use self check out with them...you have to set all your stuff to be weighed and then bag it after. I feel like the stores should be able to fix this problem pretty easily...its all about weight so just let me weigh my bags prior and then I could bag right into them. Some day I'm sure they will fix it! :)

PS: They make great gift wrap!
Chicobag.com

Monday, December 5, 2011

Harvest Monday 11/29-12/5 2011

Medium sized artichoke
We are still waiting patiently on our root veggies, garlic, onions, peas (I don't really expect to get much, maybe just seeds for spring), and brassicas. We were very surprised by the little artichoke and there is another even smaller one that we are trying to let grow a little more. We ate lots of salads this week along with eggs. I had an extra dozen eggs and posted to try and get rid of them. We now have a friend who wants to buy 2 dozen eggs a month! I'm excited about this because we really want to provide for more than just our family...this is the first step in the right direction.
We are linking up with daphnes dandelions for harvest monday!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Harvest Monday 11/22-11/28 2011

Not much to write about from this week. We were very busy making Thanksgiving dinner and only really harvested herbs for the meal and eggs. We were trying to let the lettuces have a chance to grow a little and this week will be full of salads and greens. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and I will be writing about it sometime this week. We hope you all enjoyed your holiday!

We are linking up with daphne's dandelions, so go check out other harvests from the past week! :)

Friday, November 25, 2011

Black friday deals! This one goes through monday!



Sseko Designs just introduced the Pleated Clutch! They are beautifully handmade purses...I can't decide which one to get! On top of that they are offering 20% off all sandals and straps til Monday! Here is your chance to be apart of their growing story...wear it or carry it with you!

If you can't decide what to get the special gal in your life...get them a Sseko Designs gift certificate!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The perfect gift for any gal...


Us gals love shoes and these ones are for a good cause. These sandals are comfy, cute and can be changed up for any occasion...plus they help women. Check out all the different strap colors they have! The Stocking Stuffer Package is $65 and it comes with the soles and 3 pairs of straps...plus exchanges are free! If you need something under $65 just shop Sseko Designs.

Check out some of my other posts about my favorite shoes ever...

Every sandal has story...

Just few awesome things about Sseko's

30 days 30 way Sseko Sandal Challenge

30 days 30 ways Sseko Sandal Challenge the Beginning, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Finished

As you can see, I'm a bit obsessed and once you read the story you will be too! Check out what is coming on Nov. 25th...vimeo!

PS: I feel the need to share that I am not sponsored or paid to talk about Sseko's. I just simply love them and am inspired by their story.

How to make refried beans: updated

Refried Beans. A staple in our home and a personal favorite. We used to buy canned, thinking they were inexpensive. Then I started making them at home and the difference in overall price is astonishing, and worth the few minutes of work it takes to prepare them. The taste is amazing compared to store bought...they taste like something, not just paste.

The following is my recommendation for excellent refried beans.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried pink beans (any bean will work, if you use pintos expect the refried beans to look grey)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
salt
1/2 cup bacon grease (you can also use lard, we just prefer the taste of bacon grease, so we save all our bacon grease. We also use it to make masa for tamales instead of lard)

Here is how to do it:

Cook the pinto beans in a crock pot until the are very tender. We soak ours overnight first, then rinse, drain and place in the crockpot with water. Reserve the cooking liquid in order to make adjustments to your final product.

In a large skillet, heat your bacon grease on medium heat until rendered and hot. Then add your finely diced onion and your finely chopped garlic.

This is important. Add the salt now. I usually use a couple of teaspoons at least. This helps to bring out the juices in the onion and garlic without browning them. Don't let them brown. When they are translucent and extremely aromatic, add the cooked pintos with a slotted spoon. Stir constantly.  Then add the reserved cooking liquid in order to bring it to a good consistency. You will know how much liquid to add after you start smashing them with a potato smasher.

Turn the heat down and continue to make adjustments. Smash as much or as little as you prefer. I like mine chunky. You also need to taste to see if the salt content is right on.

Bon Appetite!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Harvest Monday 11/15-11/21 2011

Little green pumpkin
We did not harvest much this week. I finally pulled this pumpkin and we are hoping it will still ripen up in the window sill. We of course had more salads this week, a mix of chard, kale, red romaine and deertongue lettuce. I forgot to mention last week that we harvested some tomatoes...they will be the last of this year because we finally pulled down the last 20 tomato plants this week. Pretty amazing to still have tomatoes in Nov. Our girls are giving us 4 eggs a day almost every day and on Saturday, my favorite girl South layed two eggs in one day. We are really looking forward to this coming week...Thanksgivings on Thursday! We had family in town this past weekend and family coming on Wednesday. I love the holidays!

We are linking us with Daphne's dandelions for harvest Monday! Have a great holiday week(end)!

Our peas are starting to get flowers...maybe to late?

Saturday, November 19, 2011

I love my lil' South (a chicken)

Just pulled South's (our chicken we never thought would make it when she was a chick) second egg of the day...I love her so much! Yes she can be a brat but I can't help but love her...I guess I really am a momma!

This is a pic of her nesting area...no one else is allowed. I am now starting to think that maybe she is in charge, head of the pecking order. As you can see it is under the nesting box. :)

My favorite, South. A pretty tight fit...but I guess that's the way she likes it.

Oh and here is the new style nesting box with West in it. All our girls, except South are laying in it now. As you can see it is an old tub with the front cut out.

We are planning a chicken share., you commit to 1-2 chickens and receive said amt of eggs each week. Let us know if you are interested and close to where we live? One chicken would be about 6 eggs a week

We can start girls in Feb, which means 6-7 months til eggs but we almost always have extra eggs from our current girls. The eggs are so much better...its amazing.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Latest update on keeping our girls

So the doctor just got off the phone with the code enforcers office...

Someone (most likely the college students behind us) called saying we had a rooster! Once we explained that we have them as pets for our son and that they are all girls, who are laying eggs, she cancelled the case! We let her know that we would be happy for her to come out and check to make sure there is no rooster if for some reason someone else complains.

Sorry for the drama I caused...I was just so worried and simply could not wait til monday to start researching. I also wanted to be as prepared as possible in case we did have to fight!

Thank you for all your support and our family is thankful for this to be over!

Harvest Monday 11/8-11/14 2011

lots of oregano, set out to dry

four eggs a day pretty much every day
We also had salad this week from the garden a few times, a mix of red romaine, deertongue lettuce, red kale, and claytonia. The swiss chard is coming back nicely since its weird unidentified disease. We also harvest herbs for all our dinners straight out of the garden every night. Our mache is finally almost big enough to harvest a bit, I cannot wait to have some of it. We have one pumpkin still on the vine and I am holding off as long as I can to harvest it.

I posted a few days ago about how we were told by the county we have 30 days to get rid of our girls. I have been on forums and talking with neighbors trying to find a way around it. This morning I make the call to the county to find out exactly what are options are. We have a back up plan for our girls but I want to fight as hard as we an to keep them here with us. We have a neighbor (she is awesome and gave us a half gallon of raw milk, making butter and cheese today)  around the corner who can keep them with her girls for awhile if we need her to but I hope we don't get to that point.

It is really frustrating because our landlord is happy with them, our neighbors are happy and they are a part of our family. We are not allowed any other animals as pets but were allowed to get chickens so to us they are a pet. It will be hard to explain to the little guy (2.5 years old) where his little girls are. If anyone has any advice, it will be much appreciated. click for the latest update on keeping our girls

We are linking up with daphnes dandelions for Harvest Monday. It is were people from all over the world share their harvest from the week.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Help us keep our girls...

We just received a notice from the county (Butte county) informing us that we are in violation of county code for having chickens. Our neighbors are okay with them and so is our landlord. If we were in city limits we would be able to get a permit for them but since we are outside we thought we thought were in the clear. I guess we are considered residential, so we are not allowed to have poultry. We have 30 days to get rid of the girls.

Please if you have any helpful information or ideas on how to combat this, we would greatly appreciate your help. Comment on the post or email me at violastitchstudio@live.com.

Ugh...one more thing to deal with. What harm can backyard chickens really be!?

Friday, November 11, 2011

Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes Recipe

Mashed potatoes, a year round blessing but an important part of any Thanksgiving meal. This year we have chosen to make an addition of parsnips to our potatoes for a number of reasons:

They are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, they are also high in folic acid and potassium. Even better the light hint of apple shines through the potatoes making them a surprise for everyone.

Cook them separately. I like to boil the potatoes cut up in small pieces with the skin on.

The parsnips need to be peeled, cut into small pieces and STEAMED. Make sure they are tender enough to mash with the potatoes. Steaming them, instead of boiling, will help retain their medicinal qualities.

When both are done and HOT, I mix them and smash them. The ratio is 1 medium parsnip to 1 large Russet potato. I slowly add a bit of heavy cream and lightly salted butter.

There is nothing better on this earth.

I do not like smooth potatoes, I like them smashed.  If you like then smooth then you will have to mill both the potatoes and parsnips with a rice miller and then follow your heart with the rest of the process.

If you have a favorite way to process your mashed potatoes...do it, just make the addition of parsnips as I have outlined and its all good!

I will post another article on phenomenal gravy to add to this.

Bon Appetit.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A preview for Thanksgiving



After having gone through the process of dressing our Cornish Game Hens we decided to do a Pre-Thanksgiving run on our meal and this is an outline of what we did.

Stuffing a bird and cooking it is not only difficult but can be dangerous, so we decided to take a different approach for the meal we prepare for our actual Thanksgiving Day meal. Looking at the photo you see we stuffed then wrapped the buttered hen in bacon. I am going to outline a different way to do it. The following are the things we used to make our wonderful tester for the Holidays:

1 Cornish Hen cut in Half
Bacon rolled very thin inside a plastic bag to cover the hens completely
Chicken stock to help with the cooking and retention of moisture

For the filling, which we did separately, we used the following:

Fresh sweet corn cut off the cob uncooked
Finely diced yellow onions
Sliced carrots
Garlic
Paprika
Oregano
Plenty of sage (this makes a huge difference in the over all flavor profile of the dish) we used about 10 leaves

How did we do it?

Here we go...
We proceeded with preparation as follows:

Cut the hen in half lengthwise.
Bathe in butter.
Salt and pepper the hen.
Wrap in very thin bacon or, as I said, roll the bacon between plastic and carefully peel off and wrap the hen with it.

Cook the two halves in a nice dish, something you can present it with. I like to cook at a fairly high heat 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 min. Internal temp 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Now the hens are done.

During the cooking process you have plenty of time to make your festive veggie salsa with the ingredients above. I like to saute the carrots first in a mixture of butter and high quality olive oil. Once they come close to tender, the rest goes in, save for the sage which will be the last to add. The mixture will then be hot enough to bring the oils in the sage out and really marry with the rest of the vegetables. The same goes for the oregano and the paprika.

Beets.  Beets.  Beets...

Boil them until tender. Peel and if small enough serve whole with just a taste of the stem still attached. It's very Haut Cuisine to leave these attached and they taste wonderful. I don't actually suggest spicing them. I like them plain, but olive oil of high quality in a small amount does wonders.

Salt potatoes are small red potatoes that are boiled in HEAVILY salted water. When they come out of the pot the skins are covered with crystallized salt. You should always serve these with HOT drawn butter.

Now you can assemble the dish by placing your hot veggie stuffing in the center of the plate, resting the bird on top of part of it and dressing the rest of the plate with the beets and potatoes with drawn butter over them.

The reality of raising your own fowl brings about taste and texture and portion sizing. We chose our smallest hen weighing in at 2lbs 3/8 oz. It fed my wife, my son and myself. We also made stock with the carcass. (I'll write about that and sauces later). Tender, Juicy, Delicious. Absolutely fabulous and better than any hen I have ever purchased. So there you go...it does pay off to do it yourself.

Bon Appetit!

If you have any questions about this recipe or amounts please feel free to comment or email us.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Harvest Monday 11/1-11/7 2011

I did not take any harvest pictures this week...so here is a picture of one of the raised beds.
This raised bed has swiss chard, dragon carrots, red kale, spinach, parsnips, claytonia, mache, red romaine, beets, and deertongue lettuce. Along with a few random volunteers of garlic and onions.

We had salad all week from the garden, a mix of whatever was ready from the raised bed. Our first planting of root veggies never came up so our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th are a bit behind and will not be ready for awhile. Our swiss chard has something weird going on with it and I read through all our books to try and figure it out but I couldn't quite pinpoint it. So I just cut the bad away and I hope the new baby leaves will come back strong and provide for us soon.

We "harvested" 6 cornish cross birds this week and all four of our laying girls are laying. We are getting about 2-4 eggs a day now, which is awesome! Please send me any fun egg recipes or let me know if you want eggs (if you are near me, of course)!

We also built a "hoop" house (blog post to come) for the raised bed pictured and the rest currently have tarps over them at night. So far I feel like the fall/winter garden is going pretty well, especially since this is our first try! I am really loving it a lot more than I thought I would...there is something about eating out of your own backyard. I never want to stop...it is so enjoyable.

We are linking up with daphnes dandelions for Harvest Monday!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Halloween style

Super Grover and Daddy at Treat Street downtown

I want more candy (even if I don't really get what is going on right now).

The other option...I do love chickens!
We had fun this Halloween because the little guy was finally old enough to kind of understand what was going on. I made him a Super Grover costume as requested and my mom sent him a chicken suit. He loved the chicken suit so much that I figured that is what he would end up wearing but he decided to be Super Grover to my surprise! I was happy because it actually took quite a lot of work to create the helmet (which he wears as much as possible now).

We all went to Treat Street downtown (craziness) and got a little candy (we only did one block since he so little). After it got dark we also went to three of our neighbors houses...I threw together a gypsy costume and the doctor dressed as a fat chef. We had a lot of fun and I can't image how next year will be. I hope you all had a great Halloween. We are linking up with mama loves papa for Small Style!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

My style (has changed)...

I am a lover of all fashion. To me it is art...crazy...different...beautiful...artistic expression. Before the little guy came into my life I dressed very differently. I had my own style...a bit of the latest trend and a bit of my own desire. I still keep my own style but have a hard time wanting to spend a lot of time (or money) putting together the perfect outfit knowing that most of the time the garden, the girls (chickens) and the grocery store are the only ones who will ever see it.

I still try to pull myself together and most days (at least when its not blazing hot) I add a little of my own style to my daily attire. I still keep up with all the latest fashion...I'm a bit addicted. I often find myself checking out glamour.com or Lulus.com late at night...just seeing what is new (especially the shoes).

There is something to it that some people do not understand. Yes it is just clothes but it is also someones soul...maybe that seems silly and I can understand why. Some how it still entices me...draws me in...

Most days I admit I wear mens undershirts (the tank top style) layered under other shirts with basic jeans and boots or flats. I love hats and scarves...during the fall/winter/spring I wear them as much as I can. Fall is my favorite season to get up and get dressed...sounds silly but I feel like I can layer it all on and have a style of my own again.

All I can say is I love all artistic expression...


I'm inspired by the 20's

along with 60's Mod a la Twiggy

I also love my jeffrey campbell's
...I almost never buy shoes anymore but when I do get to splurge, I go with a pair of Jeffery's. They fit and I can wear them for over 8 hours...standing. Is that not every woman's dream...fab shoes that you can wear without your feet hating you forever? PS: I have this same pair in off-white toe, charcoal (where the rusty brown is), Silver (where the gold is) and mustard (where the dark blackish grey is)...are you jealous?

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Super Grover Costume Part 2: Finished

The Cape!

As you can see I ran out of yarn, Gnar doesn't notice it. :)

All finished and just in time for Halloween.

The little guy was not at all interesting in wearing the helmet until I had the cape finished. I don't really know why but now he is wearing the helmet as much as possible. It is all done and I got it finished the day before Halloween...perfect timing. Now onto the next project...

Winners for our first giveaway!

As promised the first winner with the almost (well pretty much) correct guess is...

Emily from greens and jeans!

We "sun" dried some cherry tomatoes and late at night I turned off the oven and just left them. The next day my hubby (the doctor) pre-heated the oven...a few minutes later...well we all know what happened. :)

We promised a second winner and random.org tells us its...

#3-they look like elderberries to me. I'm liking you on facebook and I'd like to come see your homestead sometime soon-Claire (by the way Claire...we would love for you to come and see our homestead too!)

We loved all the guesses...so much fun! Winners: please email me at violastitchstudio@live.com with your address! If the winners do not contact me within a week, I will choose a new winner. (I emailed you both) :)

Monday, October 31, 2011

Harvest Monday 10/25-10/31 2011

Kale, spinach, deertongue and red romaine lettuce salad. We had 3-4 this week.

More tomatoes

Happy Halloween everyone! We have been eating salads all week long trying to eat from the backyard instead of buying from the store. We are still getting tomatoes but they are taking a long time to really ripen and we end up losing a lot of them before they are ready. I think we will be able to make one or two more batch of sauce. Our awesome neighbors brought us a whole bucket of pomegrantes and we will be making something out of them later this week.

In other news, yesterday I found 4 eggs in the chicken coop! Two of them were in the new nesting box we put in and the other two were where they normally are, where South and West always lay. So this means we probably have all four girls laying. I was lazy the last few days about getting eggs, so it may be that the day before I didn't check the nesting box and we only have three girls laying. I guess we will find out later today! :)

Don't forget to enter our first giveaway (free seeds). Today is the last day to enter and all you need to do is take a guess!

We are linking up with daphnes dandelions for Harvest Monday!
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