Baby Chicks and a green house.

So I have not updated the blog lately, spring seems to be a very busies time of year around here. For easter we got five bamtom chicks, that have grown there feathers and are going to be transferred to the hen house to night. Hopefully all goes well.
There is lots coming up in the garden, pees, spinach, chard, radishes, onions, carrots, and lots of strawberry plants. Also the raspberry bush has leaves. We got lots of blooms on our creey trees and the apercott, so hopfully they will frut a little this year. I do not have high hopes, since this is just there first full year. I will still be reling on frinds with over abundances this year for jam.
But the really big news, and I mean really big... Jeremy is building a green house. I was under the impression it would be a hoop over one bed, but no it is larger than our bed room, and has three beds inside. Ya' the man has no small dreams.
I hope to have some pitchers up of all the new soon.
Till than Happy planting..
-p.s. there are last baby plants all over my kitchen table and in the window of my bed room. (It is my only south facing window)

Vegetable Companion Chart

Bush Beans	Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Lettuce, Pea, Radish, Strawberry, Savory, Tansy, Marigold	Onion
Pole Beans	Carrots, Corn Cucumber, Eggplant, Lettuce, Pea, Radish, Savory, Tansy	Beets, Onion
Beets	Bush Beans, Cabbage, Onion, Sage
Cabbage Family	Bush Beans, Beets, Celery, Onions, Tomato, All Strong Herbs, Marigold, Nasturtium	Strawberry
Carrots	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Peas, Radish, Tomato, Sage	Dill
Celery	Bush Beans, Cabbage, Onion, Spinach, Tomato
Corn	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Cucumber, Melons, Peas, Squash	Tomato
Cucumbers	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Corn, Lettuce, Onions, Peas, Radish, Marigold, Nasturtium, Savory	No Strong Herbs
Eggplant	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Spinach
Lettuce	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Cucumbers, Onion, Radish, Strawberries
Melons	Corn, Nasturtium, Radish
Onion	Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Lettuce, Pepper, Squash, Strawberries, Tomato, Savory	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Peas
Parsley	Tomato
Peas	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Corn Cucumber, Radish, Turnips	Onion
Pepper	Onion
Radish	Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Cucumber, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Squash	Hyssop
Spinach	Celery, Eggplant, Cauliflower
Squash	Corn, Onion, Radish
Strawberry	Bush Beans, Lettuce, Onion, Spinach	Cabbage
Tomato	Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Onion, Mint	Corn, Fennel

Above is a chart of companyon planting, or plant that if planted together are benafficula. This is really helpfull if you are planting in small space gardens. Happy Planting!!

Some life

Wearing both Cassy and Wyatt in the sling.

Baby wearing,

Wyatt playing so hard he passed out.


Me as a fairy birth day queen.

So I have a seven Year old..

Yes it is true, my daughter is seven, and that makes me a mother of a child who will be out of the house in eleven years. But I am not looking ford to that.
Mothering my daughter has been the biggest challenge in my life to date. She and I are very much a like, and this brings out the worst of my demons.
I was 23 years old when she was born, and way to self centred to healthy give the way you have to to a newborn, and thus this is how our relationship began. She a very strong willed, adventures, loving, passionate child. Never meeting a stranger, always exploring the world. and I tried to do my best, and I do the best I can at the time. I just hope we will be friends when she is grown, and can for give me for my short comings.
At the age of seven she is a power house of energy. She loves to perform, has an eminence imagination. She is always making up her own plays, songs, and performing them. Just the other day she was singing a song in the car that went "I can sing this song over and over agen, over agen, over agen" and so it went. I was to say the lest very annoying, but it just made me smile, and laugh.
I hope the sprite to create never leaves this child. I love her so much, and I really hope I can glide her with out killing her spirit. There are so many times in her life, I just do not have a clue on what to say or do.

We had a princes party. It rocked with a pink princess B-day cake and all.

What is art?

What is art? Every one of my advanced level class in collage stared with this question from the professor. And a round robin of bubbling answers wold fallow from the class. We might argue a little, say art is the definition of space and form as it imposed it self on the world. Or Art is an artist interpretation of the world around her. (Yeas I am so bold of a feminist to use her) There would never be a definitive answer. We live in a post modern world, art is or can be any thing, or nothing. I graduated in May of 2002. I guess the new art movement is post 9/11.
I would stumble around this question. I believe it is the same as, who is god? Or what is the meaning of life? The answer in only the answer to who is answering it, and everyone wants a answer.
My four year old told me the other day.. “Mommy you are and artist because you sew pretty things on your sewing machine.” It made my hart smile
I am an artist, one who used to wild a torch and hammer on steal, than turned mother. I have not picked up a torch in 7 years. But do I look at the world any differently? Well of course I do, no one should live seven years with out changing a perspective or two. That would be sad.
I am an artist because I approach the world in a way that interprets it, and spits some thing back out. I wield cloth and cake batter now instead of bronze or steal. I experiment on dinner, birthday cakes, my kids (for better or worse) to see what will happen. I live in constant cayuse, and love it. I experiences the place and space I call home, and learn from it.
What is art?
Art is what is left, once someone has lived, and not just breathed. Art can be felting or as lasting as stone. (By the way the Greek bronze would still be hear had the Romans not melted them down, inferior Romans, made there statues out of marble, it cracks, and is pores, bad for a peninsula where it rains)
I may be draw three pitchers on quality paper a year. Last year I can think of two. I am pretty critical of the fact that I am not “in the art world” so to speak. I stared a juried art show three years ago, that has yet to decline a piece because it get so little work.
So what is art? I am one of throws people who still believes art is beautiful. But it does not have to be refined. It can and offend is sad. Art can make a statement, about the world, or just it's self. Thank you Mr. Polick.
Yet when I sit down in my studio, and let all the random things around me come together in to some shape. Siting there in the sunshine with no interruptions, I tap in to the god with in, and out comes something new, the world has not seen. And my four year old, call it art. So maybe I am an artist?

Sick Days Soup

As a kid I would fake sick just to stay home. I hated school. There are lots of reasons for that, most I still harbor as someones els fault, yet we are all responsible for our own happiness in life. Mine was just found at home, drawing.

Sick days now are just more work, often my day is still going on, just in a has of cold fog. I log a way at the task at hand, falling behind and dreaming of sleep.

When I kids stay home from school, they miss school. I would love to say this is my doing. Only my kids are responsible for our own happiness, just as I am.

My daughter is home with a fervor and cough, the same one that both the boy have gone throw. The baby is staring to be better after a bout with tow ear infections on top of a cold that make you cough up a lung. I am grateful this is only the second full fledge illness of school year. Lat week you would have not seen me puttering around the house, it was a being much more akin to a crazy person. There is nothing that makes you worry more than a baby with a fervor that will not brake. And what did all this worry do, well it did not heal a sick kid. But It did let the same cold in. Ya' I doped my iron gard of immunity, and the cold set it.

So what do I do on sick day.. Make a big pot of chilly

Sick Day Chilly

2 cans diced green chillies in juice

2 cans Black Beens with liquid

2 cans Garbanzo Beens with liquid

1 onion diced

4 cloves garlic minced

4 stalks of celery chopped

4-5 carrots chopped

1 can corn

½ red bell pepper diced

½ green bell pepper diced

2 cans diced tomatoes in juice

1 2/3 cups TVP

1 tsp cumin powder

4 tsp mild chilly powder

4 tab. Olive oil

1 cup water

Heat oil in a large soup pot.

Cook the onions, garlic, and chills in the the oil till tender, add spices.

Add diced veggies and cook down slightly.

Add all caned beens and veggies, TVP, and water.

Bring to a light boil and turn down to a simmer.

Let simmer for 15 to 20 mints, till veggies are tender.

I serve mine with grated cheese.

This is a large batch, and can be halved if you wish. I like making a lot, so it can be 2-3meals. Less work for me when I am feeling down. You can make this with dry beens, they are cheeper and less wast, but I take a few short cuts when I am sick.

To your health.

P.S. my daughters favourite food when sick is miso.

Food Inc.

I can not say enuf about this movie.. If you eat food or know someone who does pleas watch this movie.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Peas Pleas

Yes another amazing day of weather in the garden!!

So to day I planted peas, and hope to plant more tomorrow.

I planted sweet snap peas.

They are a claiming plant that likes to be planted close together. So I put some tomato cages in the ground and plant peas in a circle around the bottom.

You do not need to work the ground to plant pees, and often are the first thing to go in, in the spring. It has been so warme that I did work our triangle bed, added ash, calcium and a good helping of peat moss. We had issues last year of needing more calcium in the soil. This bed being only a year old, needed more loam. I like to find three to four worms in my soil every time I turn it with the fork. If I do not more organic material goes in. Here in our little part of the world we have lost of clay, so the more the merrier when it comes to adding to the soil.

Happy planting!

Frist Planting of 2010

Today with the high of 55 degrees F, my yard called. It also called to Jeremy who has spent 5h at it also, parly brcaus he feels better, after spending two full days in bed with a cold.
Jeremy has raked the yard, turned over all the beds, turned over the compost, and a lot of little clean up.
I focused my energy on my long north west bed, it is fully thawed. The huge benefit of raised beds is that they heat up faster in the spring and stay warmer longer in the fall.

To day I planted
Radish
Bulls Blood Beets
Arugula
Lettuces Mix
Spinach
Carrots

I hope to be be harvesting my own salad in late March.
Happy Planting!!

Brestfeeding info.

This is a really great sight..
http://www.kellymom.com/index.html

My family

I would love to say my family is my greatest creation, but truly they are my greatest gift. Jeremy and I have been together for 9 years. We have three kids, and work daily on loving one another so are children will know how to love a spouse.

Some of my favourite pitchers.


My oldest Boy.

My favorit of the baby and I.



My daughter.



This is us in late summer,

Meal of the day...

Myacopa Beans, Brown rice and steamed Broccoli

Some friends have asked me to post some of the meals I plan for our mostly vegetarian family.
I try to sear clear of tarns fat, hydrated oils, high fructose corn yucky, and most food additives. But i am not a saint, and we are cheese lovers... So here it goes..

Our meal to day is very simple

2 cups of Myacopa Beans , cooked in the presser cooker
2 cups of brown rice, cooked in the rice cooker
A large crown of broccoli, cut in to pices and lightly steemed

and a salad..
baby spring mix (the large box from CostCo)
a handful of pine nuts
grated carroty and beet
and sugar snap pees

Dressing
2 tablespoons ovil oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon brags apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, garlic power to taste
-pore over the salad and toss
-I serve the beans on the rice with Bragg amino acids and the broccoli on the side..

Sunday Gradatiued list...

I am great full today for

1) My amazing husband
2) A healthy family
3) The ability to laugh at my self
4) The adventure of raising a family
5) A sweet baby who sleeps.

May this be a marvellous Sunday, and a beautiful week.
Namaste

Child ID Temporary Safety Tattoos to prevent lost kids :: SafetyTat

Child ID Temporary Safety Tattoos to prevent lost kids :: SafetyTat

Posted using ShareThis

Smoothy Pleas

Ever wonder how to keep your family in tip top shape with out forcing veggies in them all day long. This is the genius of the smoothly. A usually pleasing kid friendly food that is easy to hid really nutrient packed foods in.

My recipe
One hand full of frozen spinach, kale, or other dark green
1 can of pineapple chunks, with juice
1 cup frozen blue berries
1 to 1 and half cups of frozen strawberries

Blend in a blender (we have vita mix, that is way worth the money)
This makes 4 servings

I know you are thinking Yuck! Spinach or Kale... But the Blue berries completely hid it.

Try it.. Your kids will love it, and they are eating there veggies..
To your Health..

Lets Plant

New Year new Seed Cataloges

It is the New Year, 2010... And we need to change how we say that to twenty ten..

Well with the year comes the birth of January and lots of seed catalogue in the mail. Yes as you sit snuggled inside with a hot cup of tea, it is time to plan the garden.. Oh so much fun!!

I am so excited to pick out the new verity of seeds and plant to try this year. I am also begin after 5 years if gardening, (4 in Twin Falls) to understand how we eat, and thus what to grow.

This year for instances I will be growing a hybrid Roman tomato. Something I am usually aposed to. As a rule you should always uses open-pollinated organic seeds. Heirlooms if you can find them.

It is key to seed saying that you have open-pollinating plants, if not the seed you collect will not grow or the plant will not produce seeds at all. If you mix open-pollinated plants with non than you risk having your plants cross pollinate loss the seed from them also. So if you who would like to have seed from your best plants, that are hardy and grew well in the little micro-climate of your garden, that is the way to go.

And where do I get the seeds you ask? (Who am I kidding, I only have 2 readers..I will wright, maybe they will come) These are my top four... Of course in order of favourite..

#1 Territorial Seed Company (this catalogue is so helpful, it has the most info. on each plant veritay of any I have found. Keep it you will references it all the time.)


#2 Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (largest collection of heirloom seed on the plant)


#3 Seed Savers Exchange (all organic)


#4 Irish Eyes ( a younger farm from the North West, lots of cool potatoes!)


I hope this is helpful to all of you.. And Happy Planing to plant!!

Oh.. get your seeds order soon, as supplies will start to run out the 1st of Feb.