The Needle in a Haystack

A Busy Day @ End of the Road

Chris gave the chickens some extra room...

..and with that task complete we went to pick up our chick order.

The one in the bowl is Sue and the one directly in front is Dan.  The others are in various states of naming... 

  Here is a picture of part of the seedlings I transplanted into larger cups.  I am not thrilled with the foam cups but seedling pots are on the list for the fall purchase.

WWe have 37 of the 38 Roma tomato seedlings that were hardy enough for transfer.  Today we started cucumbers , greenpeppers and cayennes  We have started weathering off the seedlings and they will hit the ground the week after Easter.

I had to do a bit of weeding in the sugar snaps... easy to do witht he mulch

Dinner tonight was Farmers Breakfast; sausage, potatoes and eggs...

Tonight I am working on a Babushka to wear in the garden  it works up quickly...

he LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

have a fine day..all day long

Because he can......

  We are very blessed in our  bread labors these days to have time to explore things we are interested in  pursuing. I happen to be plunged into sewing, seedlings and perfecting baked beans ( yes my dear Mom in law... no more cans!!)... Chris has been planting, mulching..... and making charcoal... Why?  His answer " beacuse I can".

  Blacksmithing is something he has been reading up on for a few years since we went to an Ag fair with some friend sof ours and saw a demo.  He is now taking the steps to set up a forge  over the next year, study with some local smiths and try his hand at some iron works himself.  I am excited for him!  such a useful skill to have!

  The above picture is simply a large pot with oak pieces in and rocks on top with a hot fire underneath. For a first try the out come was great! 

   Our goals for this week:

   1. Make a video  on constructing a hndmade pvc water pump.

   2. start pepper seedlings ( tomatoes are doing great and should be moved to bigger pots next week!)

   3. Dehydrate carrots  to add to soups etc this year.

   4.  I got an order for 8 custom napkins with a strawberry design on them... I am very excited about this project.

   5.  mulch the onions

   6.  try adding dandelion greens to a stir fry

    7.  Continue crocheting bunnies for nursing home bingo

    8.   attempt first baked bean recipe

     9.  Weenie Roast teaching Taylor how to use a flint and steel.. ( yes I will take pictures!!)

    10.  Begin a couple potato towers....

  Hands to work...hearts to God...and have a fine day...all day long!

The Weekend March 9-11

 Besides spending the whole weekend working at the shoppe... here are the other things that filled in the blanks

1. Received the book " Our Sun Heated Green House by Helen and Scott Nearing ( began reading)

2. started a batch of keifer grains ( milk)
3. Continued burning down a brush pile for ash for the garden
4. Made pizza in the outdoor pizza oven again
5. Bought seeds for this week's planting
6. Constructed a pvc hand pump for the well  to use in the event power goes out
7. Bought 2 bamboo fishing poles with bobbers , line and hooks
8. Placed the order for 6 lbs of homemade sausage to be delivered next week

9.  Dinner with Mom and dad in law... always fun!

10. Continued work on an afghan I am making for a couple special someones.

Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ,
that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. 2 Thess 3:   12

Hand to work... hearts to God... and have a fine day...all day long!

Feb 21, 2012... Date night

We got lots of small projects done around here today, spent a bit of time on auctions for the business...and some times getting dinner and snacks planned for our date night ( which we did at home).

 Chris tried his meat searing techniques on a chuck roast.... I would call that a fail... chucks require a slow cooking to tenderize and lossen the fibers... disappointing with a 12.00 piece of meat.

  I tried this  Soft Pretzel Bites recipe from Making Memories for us it was fail . The baking soda taste was really strong...AND I learned a very hard lesson  about baking soda and aluminum pans, I might have ruined this one.. I am not sure... but I do know I am going to start collecting stainless pieces... I know of two folks who have tried this recipe and loved it, so I am not sure if it was the pan..or some other operator error... I ended up tossing them and making chex mix instead.

   Despite our cooking failures, the movie we had picked was awesome!  You can stream it for free off the internet or buy the DVD...  We watched it off the internet projected on the TV.... both of us enjoyed it so much.  Back to Eden , is a true story of gardening God's way, quick, easy sustainable. We had studied this method for a few months now and this movie pushed us over the top to give it a try. We will certainly be keeping you up to date on the " no till " method of gardening.

   Matthew 6:19-20

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . .

..makes you wonder how much "stuff' we really need..

  Think about it...and have a fine day...all day long!

Feb 16,2012

Another busy day around The End of the Road.   After breakfast we headed out to a tree and vine pruning demo provided free of charge by a local Ag agent.  I can not recommend using your local extension office for free or almost free classes. We really enjoyed getting to know some new folks and learned a bunch too.

Peach and Apple tree pruning

 Grape vines ( and yes, this helped make our decision to plant grapes this year)

raspberries, blueberries and figs.

Thanks to Robert and Mary Jane for allowing us at their farm!

It started rainy just as we were leaving  so we were able to do a bit more cleaning ont he spare room.... 3 box loads for the local women's shelter. The room is really coming together.... a nice visit with my friend Shelley and it was time to fix dinner.

Chris decided to cook again... its a new sport of his I could get use to! Tonights menu... homemade chili cheese fries

 We found this fry maker at the market for 3.00... sturdy and well made it did the job perfectly!

The insides were tender... the outside crispy!

I was not idle!  A friend at the shoppe gave us this recipe for Microwave Bread and Butter Pickles...  easy and delicious!

 Billy's Microwave Bread and Butter Pickles

  2 sliced cucumbers

  1 onion ( sliced)

  1 1/2 cup sugar

  1 cup distilled vinegar

   1t  mustard seed

   1t salt

   1/2 t celery seed

   1/2  tumeric

 Place all ingredients in a microwave bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes

stir and microwave for another 4 minutes

stir, microwave 2 more minutes then pour into sterile jar ..allow to cool and stick into fridge. They are ready to eat when cooled.

...these are delicious!

 

"Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20

..have a fine day...all day long!

Feb 14, 2012

We had an awesome Valentines Day... busy , but great.

Along with planting 100 onion sets, gracoery shopping, delivering a computer, laundry, general sweeping, and animal care....

  our Valentines present to each other...was this

.. an outdoor pizza oven.   Our goal was to not spend more then 20.00 on the whole project and after a scavenge hunt around the property  we came in right at the 20.00.

We had originally found the plans at Garden Fork TV. This guy has so many great ideas and this one was at the top of our list.

we used the top to an old stand that was behind the shed

 We built an insulated well house with our pump enclosed so the old well enclosure worked wonders as a stand.... it was a two man job..

...and now a picture of where I crawled to retrieve the bricks left over from the old pony barn that was on the property when we moved here.. I braved spiders, dirt, and  a gaggle of slugs...not to mention there was some sort of unidentified scat under there... racoon? skunk? velocoraptor?

 Anyhow.. we then began layering brick

We did not have an old bedframe and could not find one at the local dump or resale store so we ended up at Tractor Supply and bought some angle iron...

some of our bricks had holes in them so we had to turn them sides ways on top to hold in the heat..

and there you have it...! We are christening it tomorrow with a pizzapaloza... I can't wait!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1Corinthians 13:4

Have a fine day......all day long

 

 

Feb 7,2012

  So, Chris and I really have been trying to eat more locally , so when our CSA had a run on turnips we decided to try a turnip soup recipe that sounded like it had potential.  I must confess neither one of us has ever eaten a turnip to our knowledge, but we were willing to give it a try. I roasted the garlic ( I can tell you I am in love with warm roasted garlic on toast), chopped the onions nad turnips... added the chicken stock and simmered away... the turnip tops went into a pot with a ham chunk ( Chris does like turnip greens).... and I made up a loaf of an herb bread.............and we waited.............

    We prayed, we tasted... we headed to the fridge and immediately fried up a pound of bacon....

a delightful healthy turnip soup....not so much....

  The bread was really good though!

GARLIC HERB BREAD

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

I made mine in the bread machine...

So dinner tonight was homemade bread, turnip greens and bacon...

not as healthy as I had hoped...

We are going to try roasting the turnips next... if that doesn't cut it... turnips are just off the list... at least we tried.

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt. Colossians 4:6

Have a fine day..all day long!

Feb 6, 2012

...

The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community."  Bonhoffer

 This  quote stuck with me today as we visited a friend in the hospital and then attended a funeral for the husband of another friend.  When Chris accepted the call to pastor the tiny congregation at the Market, we knew it couls never be about us.... the only agenda we were given ...1) preach the gospel... 2) love the people... and I must say we do both. They are our family, and we cry and laugh with them... good times and bad... beacause that is what family does.

  And speaking of family, one of my cousins  was just diagnosed with breast cancer... , being far away is tough because  we all feel like we want to do SOMETHING... but its comforting to know we can pray... and that is the best SOMETHING!

  Despite how tired I was I headed out to sewing group... and I was sure glad I did... such a lively, fun bunch of ladies... and I was able to finish up Cadence's Valentines dress... bad picture.......... but you get the idea!

I think she will be the hit of her preschool party!

For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37

 

... absolutely!... and have a fine day... all day long!

Jan. 10th, 2012

..The shoppe was extra busy this weekend. Sunday's usually take a bunch out of us with church service and then the usual Sunday crowd.   This Sunday after church I attended the funeral for the mother of a fellow vendor at the market. I have never seen so many folks in my life! I also had never experienced a funeral where they had flower bearers. A group of women chosen by the family to walk in front of the family into the church. I was asked if I would do this.  Honored... humbled.. totally new experince..

  I was just drained by the time we both got home and very thankful for the gift of cabbage and homemade sausage that were given to us that afternoon.   I haven't tasted sausage that good in ages! 

 

  Monday we had errands in Durham, I came home and paked away all the Christmas stuff, and headed out again.  I had crocheted another batch of baby things for the NICU at Wake Med in Raleigh were my oldest spent his first days of life over 30 years ago. They took such great care of them I try and thank them each year with some of my crocheted things. I pray for each baby and their family who will recieve the items.  I know how hard it is to have a wee one all connected to tubes and wires.  I was fortunate that Josh's friend Christy works at Wake Med so it saved a trip for me having to hand deliver them.

  After that stop I went to my first sewing class at the local community college.  I can tell this is going to be so much fun! The ladies are just the sweetest and I know it will be like a big hen party on Monday nights. I already have my first project to work on ready to go .

  No new projects for my 15 crazies.  I still want to start 15 but the not finishing part is hitting me in the OCD department so I am finishing up a couple of things before I do something new.

  Bible reading is going strong though. starting Gen 27 tomorrow and finishing up chapter 8 in Matt. I woke up so grumpy this a.m. and knew that the thing I needed was some Bible time....

Crystal's book came out today!  Check it out...  Next week I will be offering a give away of her book so stay tuned... It is a MUST have...

  Chris started us on a work out plan along with our bike riding today.  After much research he chose convict conditioning  I am not entirely sure what Chris thinks we need to condition for but I do know that the more I exercise the less my artiritis flairs and for me that is worth going into convict mode over.

    I had a great hour long phone visit with my Grams, I think we covered and solved most of the worlds problems..as always..

  Thought I would share our Bible verse for today.... its a keeper:

1Thess 5:17

pray continually....

..and have a fine day... all day long!

Tamale Traditions

In a corner of our market there is a wonderful Hispanic family that sells fruits, vegetables and other products for the local Hispanic community.  I love shopping there! Many times I will try new fruits and veggies and am in awe of preparations and products.

...This past weekend as we enjoyed the holiday festivites at the market they graciously shared their Christmas tradition with us........... handmade tamales!  I have ordered tamales at the local Mexican resturant but let me tell you, they barely compare to these handmade treats made for us.

  Each bundle contained cheese, pork or chicken with a VERY hot pepper contained in a corn meal pouch... There were red and green ones... with a salsa or a mole sauce.   Delicious! 

  The second traditions they shared with us was roasted corn on the cob spread with mayo, sprinkled with chese & chili powder.....

  I must confess I prefered the tamales... but what a blessing to be able to experience first hand a tradition from another culture... Thank you so much!

  I read up on the tradition of the tamales HERE .

and here is an article on how to make tamales.

 

Tomorrow begins our 7 days of festivites. Except for a tad bit of cooking and wrapping I do believe we have nothing to do but enjoy.....

               what traditions do you have for the holidays?