tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44543620347927835742024-03-13T15:39:11.274-07:00Homegrown LivingHomegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-88268836367062942192012-01-26T08:12:00.000-08:002012-01-26T08:16:48.006-08:00Scratch & Peck | Homegrown Living | Shelby, TexasWell, I guess I lied. Back on January 9th, I proclaimed that my New Year's resolution was to blog at least twice a week....dang, January isn't even over yet and I already bombed out on that resolution. Maybe it's better if I don't make a resolution :) <br />
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Last week, the lovely and talented Senior Editor at Texas LIVE Magazine, Natalie Lacy Lange posted about her backyard beauties on her fun and informative blog - <a href="http://www.theshadyacre.com/" target="_blank">The Shady Acre</a>. So I was inspired to blog about some excitement we had with our chickens a couple of weeks ago. <br />
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We became the proud parents of new furry feathered chicks! Our chickens have hatched their eggs before, but these have been really fun - because they are descendants of our flock of "big" chickens. When we first started out on the journey as chicken owners, we had 3 bantam partridge variety hens and 2 bantam roosters. <br />
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Bantam means that it is a small variety and the chickens won't weigh more than about 2lbs. They also lay small brown eggs. <br />
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We (Brad) were kind of freaked out by the smallish eggs, so we decided after we'd gotten the hang of chicken farming, we'd add some large varieties to our family. Our local general store has a great selection of baby chicks in the spring time. So we went in, picked four varieties that produce large eggs and got two of each and crossed our fingers that we didn't have any roosters in the mix. The chicks are "supposed" to all be hens, but it's not always the case. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1aOuH7-EOUdJLUGGXRdKNCsyBCF6_5V5nWj9JU_AUQIb_hn6gfMOz6_P_7Jscap3o5UCJXfBckVpx9JLEcz6uc01FnFZRV45XZ9m8cFDkA92waGyxWR44OJ1yziTgvt24sDpcy1IeZ41/s1600/new+chicks1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1aOuH7-EOUdJLUGGXRdKNCsyBCF6_5V5nWj9JU_AUQIb_hn6gfMOz6_P_7Jscap3o5UCJXfBckVpx9JLEcz6uc01FnFZRV45XZ9m8cFDkA92waGyxWR44OJ1yziTgvt24sDpcy1IeZ41/s640/new+chicks1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
We ended up getting Red Leghorns, White Leghorns, Light Brahmas and Silver Gray Dorkings. Thankfully, only one out of that whole group ended up being a rooster...meet Big Mix! His deep crow can be heard from a mile away! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAhoaNhwE-hBTrqwesfSqgkintR-YiIGNvoMftQRgUxeEXpj3VLkVhVidwrLArFrUglD6E6t_oyRMRT76Q0ped6X1HWtfEhOBab5Jhu_bHgQ624in1yJaZtETn9pbOI9a4t96v8JNOZkW/s1600/new+chicks3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAhoaNhwE-hBTrqwesfSqgkintR-YiIGNvoMftQRgUxeEXpj3VLkVhVidwrLArFrUglD6E6t_oyRMRT76Q0ped6X1HWtfEhOBab5Jhu_bHgQ624in1yJaZtETn9pbOI9a4t96v8JNOZkW/s640/new+chicks3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
His counterpart Chloe died over the summer - we're still not sure what happened, but we're thinking she was egg-bound.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69DsS56q3q8rfIKXM1SE9RIEbJh28ArAc8OLf2lCxSLkn7ZYZ6tv4Rc5VQO_FCjS8ny0esD1VWi37t6rnHmS6gjq4eDy7k98tPdRPkQabtyXYIPb9XsQqZPtFoG4ztYTIBRpuKVGg-tUg/s1600/old+chicks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69DsS56q3q8rfIKXM1SE9RIEbJh28ArAc8OLf2lCxSLkn7ZYZ6tv4Rc5VQO_FCjS8ny0esD1VWi37t6rnHmS6gjq4eDy7k98tPdRPkQabtyXYIPb9XsQqZPtFoG4ztYTIBRpuKVGg-tUg/s640/old+chicks2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Meet Felipe (aka Dorothy Zbornak from the Golden Girls) - she's a hen - but for the longest time thought she was a rooster - hence the name Felipe lol. <br />
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Her counterpart who didn't really have a name for yet was killed by some varmit this summer too.<br />
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Meet Henny & Penny our Red Leghorns & Flip & Flop our White Leghorns<br />
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This group of "big" chickens lay eggs that are big and plentiful. Brad said that when winter came we may not get any eggs. Their production has slowed down, but we still get 3-4 a day from them. <br />
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One of our "little" chickens is the Mama of the entire group. It doesn't matter if it's her small eggs or big eggs, you can count on her to sit. We noticed that she started sitting on a group of eggs and we decided to let her keep at it and see what would happen. The night before they hatched, Brad put some of the eggs up to his ear and could hear them chirping, so we knew something would happen in the next few hours. I went out to the coop the next morning and found 5 furry little cuties. Here they are 2 weeks later!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcf_ePC0PCyo2nmS9K0b640_M-XivG_qWwdfUA3gdy4VBDsVFH7xojFGjmtszhiZwPUdLKJref3o82CL3t7kOUhNOhCKFoLDpQweflPBFi9nCgzUxunJDDmxIZFBRU63Cs4WeK-MWPSwr9/s1600/old+chicks4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcf_ePC0PCyo2nmS9K0b640_M-XivG_qWwdfUA3gdy4VBDsVFH7xojFGjmtszhiZwPUdLKJref3o82CL3t7kOUhNOhCKFoLDpQweflPBFi9nCgzUxunJDDmxIZFBRU63Cs4WeK-MWPSwr9/s640/old+chicks4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
They've already started getting their wing feathers and Mama is doing her job showing them how to scratch for food and is busy keeping them in line. Stay tuned to see their growth as I will be documenting their transition into "big" chickens! <br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-36537077218310530852012-01-09T12:45:00.000-08:002012-01-09T12:52:01.941-08:00DIY No-Sew Scarf | Shelby, TXIf you were wondering if the Homegrown Living blog was dead - I'm here to say, it's alive and soon to be kickin! Late last year I was consumed with commercial photography and writing/blogging and severely neglected my own blogs. So since it's 2012 and it's January - the month of a million New Year's resolutions - I've resolved to blog more ....like at LEAST twice a week! <br />
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Raise your hand if you have been bitten by the <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> bug? About a month ago, I wanted to see why everyone was SO "Pinterested" in it...and would you know, joining is by invitation only!! What a snobbish website, was my first thought ....and then I was getting upset because it took FOREVER to finally get my invitation. But once I logged on - I've been totally in love! <br />
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I've come across a zillion neat ideas, but today for some reason, I was moved to try the DIY No-Sew Scarf. The tutorial I'm going to give today is just one of the many styles you can make. Check out this neat blogger and all the ways she makes hers at <a href="http://www.thediydish.com/2011/02/make-an-infinity-scarf-kim-shows-the-how-to-on-studio-5/" target="_blank">The DIY Dish</a>.<br />
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I was really surprised at how easy and virtually cost-free this project was. All you need is a t-shirt and some scissors - yes, that's it! You don't have to run out and buy a new shirt either. It can be an old shirt, maybe one with a stain on it that you only wear when you're slumming around the house. Or you could even pick up a shirt at Goodwill or any other thrift store for less than $1.<br />
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So here we go:<br />
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Pick out a solid color or pattern that you like. It's best to use a shirt that's XL or 2X, depending on how much length you want. For children - using a shirt that's the same size as what they generally wear is perfect.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmz3XfN6UyRsa85PIY0SLDLuq6n73iviJQKUllTb5Gj7BLjgXsKR-Esl8pBM4GorZ17m3c6wKbdx7K2rpf2RPmsLzHdfqofuzd2eO0OjFihSFmNSGvNAneB6qBS_HdlZKOEygMVTYb0oF/s1600/tshirt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmz3XfN6UyRsa85PIY0SLDLuq6n73iviJQKUllTb5Gj7BLjgXsKR-Esl8pBM4GorZ17m3c6wKbdx7K2rpf2RPmsLzHdfqofuzd2eO0OjFihSFmNSGvNAneB6qBS_HdlZKOEygMVTYb0oF/s640/tshirt1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Next cut off the hem at the bottom of the shirt. You don't have to worry about making a perfectly straight line or if it's jagged - the fabric will curl up later in the process.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YCC1dpvRm7RwUp7op4Aq6YkwK7GDX3L7nVGEMQcBuADb_6mHvYgR2PGtRoevjq4WdB9AEJL_H8ZZYmnLHJ0bULDYJIeQ3FruNPSl5PnBuqTC3aevXPeOJC1uXjBb54RuOoCNiUgWXpbc/s1600/tshirt6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YCC1dpvRm7RwUp7op4Aq6YkwK7GDX3L7nVGEMQcBuADb_6mHvYgR2PGtRoevjq4WdB9AEJL_H8ZZYmnLHJ0bULDYJIeQ3FruNPSl5PnBuqTC3aevXPeOJC1uXjBb54RuOoCNiUgWXpbc/s640/tshirt6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Now cut the shirt right at the armpit area. Once again, do not worry about making perfect cuts.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGeCq17tpsz1zS3qYTKdJWFlJ-qQGNkZSFT6wS7g0TZi_mUF7uNrDWqNPFVZ9fA-mYaR9_PTeXZ7JA1Nm9pTjcNnJks_42lalCgUocJ3o0twCjDp-vlAW1IGqoX8msLJQdZ8I7AWMawtO/s1600/tshirt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGeCq17tpsz1zS3qYTKdJWFlJ-qQGNkZSFT6wS7g0TZi_mUF7uNrDWqNPFVZ9fA-mYaR9_PTeXZ7JA1Nm9pTjcNnJks_42lalCgUocJ3o0twCjDp-vlAW1IGqoX8msLJQdZ8I7AWMawtO/s640/tshirt2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now you will have a square band of fabric. Have your trusty assistant stretch the t-shirt material for you like this!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhMKDFGPXMMBifvXO0dvl6C8EJKAJjOgK6owEMeAYpTA3Jxw-8xzQXZr9p1axZChDLBilE37UrpyYfgAtvuUaResBMgfghSPksCTa8hASfQ-nn2voWYFVCYeIIDYb9a_zp-9N7R8NMaK-/s1600/tshirt3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhMKDFGPXMMBifvXO0dvl6C8EJKAJjOgK6owEMeAYpTA3Jxw-8xzQXZr9p1axZChDLBilE37UrpyYfgAtvuUaResBMgfghSPksCTa8hASfQ-nn2voWYFVCYeIIDYb9a_zp-9N7R8NMaK-/s640/tshirt3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fCoOZm79cCZa__zFh8-HLTUu4R0yLxMi5C3MPJub5VgpPqg5zP84_oQGogpYfVPSnSmyxXwGEUvSWlf7kfF2jNWkIWMGrE0sCwngcONp8bUkuMiDls2RVqKE-w4q3UuNHQQ8rGjNSwzd/s1600/tshirt4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fCoOZm79cCZa__zFh8-HLTUu4R0yLxMi5C3MPJub5VgpPqg5zP84_oQGogpYfVPSnSmyxXwGEUvSWlf7kfF2jNWkIWMGrE0sCwngcONp8bUkuMiDls2RVqKE-w4q3UuNHQQ8rGjNSwzd/s640/tshirt4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Next you will cut strips on each side of the fabric like this. The cuts don't have to be uniform - this is really a no-brainer.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODquO4Z9WEoyqjHuBF4c7MblR8peR41cUP4KTPGiHT_1gV0wWSQryVkD90dDTw3nKm7GKJNh_u38yR0fGJBgDoN6qAizGK1HN4Schq7lkx0W0kPAeyfy85NLllx2N3OZaDmfd_uYc_Z25/s1600/tshirt5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODquO4Z9WEoyqjHuBF4c7MblR8peR41cUP4KTPGiHT_1gV0wWSQryVkD90dDTw3nKm7GKJNh_u38yR0fGJBgDoN6qAizGK1HN4Schq7lkx0W0kPAeyfy85NLllx2N3OZaDmfd_uYc_Z25/s640/tshirt5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_OrVDqc1RuCjYLGyOMJfRU0vu7kdTntJa4xT8mgC9wpIsrlAVl-4peDsLlOMG4Vr9ISMWcsTB5W2DyI7cpvcNlKUePUkzp4G0ONWGNknoi6-xx8nbBv-tgGpEOQNalb-qKg1vroRpZK9/s1600/tshirt8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_OrVDqc1RuCjYLGyOMJfRU0vu7kdTntJa4xT8mgC9wpIsrlAVl-4peDsLlOMG4Vr9ISMWcsTB5W2DyI7cpvcNlKUePUkzp4G0ONWGNknoi6-xx8nbBv-tgGpEOQNalb-qKg1vroRpZK9/s640/tshirt8.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After you have cut strips on both sides, take each strip and pull on it so that the fabric pieces will curl up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQCTvi0_bEAFwnhW1HQMucRvZuycaUTt6QouFsJJJCoepCHEg5A5Qzgu2MJG-gtsTETG12tTpmu4lEOUPRlACOGk6ugSGFe8GQFYHm5bz1OWqHfYMlrw1O7PuO6AdG-FZucxStMhtLJbl/s1600/tshirt9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQCTvi0_bEAFwnhW1HQMucRvZuycaUTt6QouFsJJJCoepCHEg5A5Qzgu2MJG-gtsTETG12tTpmu4lEOUPRlACOGk6ugSGFe8GQFYHm5bz1OWqHfYMlrw1O7PuO6AdG-FZucxStMhtLJbl/s640/tshirt9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And voila! You have a funky and unique scarf to add to your wardrobe this winter (or any season). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6Lqu84WJ8iFcW9Zqcajiaxwh3IwsdL20V97OaOmtVLyNwj7gb2ccT1jOztPG_8G2het9UfO-yDfYtgSdvLw3YnG5vJjVSdfpUGNCEORkpW2CokUSFBbI2pW4qqrZIru9l6xQFSgyeBUs/s1600/tshirt10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6Lqu84WJ8iFcW9Zqcajiaxwh3IwsdL20V97OaOmtVLyNwj7gb2ccT1jOztPG_8G2het9UfO-yDfYtgSdvLw3YnG5vJjVSdfpUGNCEORkpW2CokUSFBbI2pW4qqrZIru9l6xQFSgyeBUs/s640/tshirt10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Had I known how to make these things before Christmas, I would have made one for every person I know. Oh well, maybe next year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's the one I made this morning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OIDKz1Kbnji8SbRRtckdX_9DmlCicCg0zGYEwDrT8ED59QCUfrmkYn0FS-lCUMRCo9UVYwRitaX6Y7hrnHNebeHeXRoZgD6yZQEkdmg2xVOMfZXE6kXkyaQwJL1M8cwZJTCHI9IbdtUt/s1600/tshirt11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OIDKz1Kbnji8SbRRtckdX_9DmlCicCg0zGYEwDrT8ED59QCUfrmkYn0FS-lCUMRCo9UVYwRitaX6Y7hrnHNebeHeXRoZgD6yZQEkdmg2xVOMfZXE6kXkyaQwJL1M8cwZJTCHI9IbdtUt/s640/tshirt11.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Since my shirt was bigger than a 2X it was a little longer, so I used some of the excess t-shirt material that I cut off to tie the scarf in the middle. All I did was tie it in a bow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-0AC1e4DVPYnRTTR7TKMxz5uwF_rhivg_XiphFyF7IYYaE8x8hSuOfvvQnegVJxDh_7yxFnIHKxN3JvAbvNPTKpJNKwlTBBNk6DWsC0ly68W6iLN7VwTKdhyphenhyphenEmVP5OvcshaI9iIBHrV-/s1600/tshirt12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-0AC1e4DVPYnRTTR7TKMxz5uwF_rhivg_XiphFyF7IYYaE8x8hSuOfvvQnegVJxDh_7yxFnIHKxN3JvAbvNPTKpJNKwlTBBNk6DWsC0ly68W6iLN7VwTKdhyphenhyphenEmVP5OvcshaI9iIBHrV-/s640/tshirt12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now was that easy or what? T-shirts will no longer be safe in my house! Happy cutting!</div><br />
<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-57237834579245805462011-10-30T16:19:00.000-07:002011-10-30T16:19:37.998-07:00Birdhouse Fun | Homegrown LivingLast weekend we actually had a Sunday that wasn't filled with a million things to do or places to go, so Brad and Addyson decided to enjoy the cooler weather outside and do an Addy & Daddy project. They put together a birdhouse kit from Home Depot. If you have a child ranging from 4-7, this would be a great thing to do together. <br />
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Brad had to help Addyson figure out the best way to hammer in all the nails...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_2meG3ANNc7tkZi03fMJNlF6g1QxWY7AfD_ShI2JhU0p8C81qwuJYSxxH-NvkZUmUBCuT_m8TkGl7XQY7rsiOFL8A6UMV59EVBYphsWw9hyphenhyphensTukA4_d7HcR3zuNQN7ghcm_W7muurkiX/s1600/blog10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_2meG3ANNc7tkZi03fMJNlF6g1QxWY7AfD_ShI2JhU0p8C81qwuJYSxxH-NvkZUmUBCuT_m8TkGl7XQY7rsiOFL8A6UMV59EVBYphsWw9hyphenhyphensTukA4_d7HcR3zuNQN7ghcm_W7muurkiX/s640/blog10.jpg" width="426" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gfdCxKBelS-xYu1rgGPZ7s5hRroNEjXtB3cQsjNha3MUBc_xQxzdiTP-nrMV359X2Zkf6NoWYX4Fkyt-_3ADn8uz34YCd0Msvv2CFFHNyt-PuqCX_f6Kl6WTmw3yXcWZbDDOkOfl8Zvt/s1600/bird1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gfdCxKBelS-xYu1rgGPZ7s5hRroNEjXtB3cQsjNha3MUBc_xQxzdiTP-nrMV359X2Zkf6NoWYX4Fkyt-_3ADn8uz34YCd0Msvv2CFFHNyt-PuqCX_f6Kl6WTmw3yXcWZbDDOkOfl8Zvt/s640/bird1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and then there was learning how to follow instructions! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OsQFdZgXNAIU4lVpHkzeAKHq3IpW-el3hdfk1_1AT5wAfcpnGCXD1GLOLCoq5LSU9YrG8GitO43GMXGDF452FTqYT9f6lQ-QwSfVfkVXScA3uoGKJnLYccU_ZHtMmSGascGXcSluprma/s1600/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OsQFdZgXNAIU4lVpHkzeAKHq3IpW-el3hdfk1_1AT5wAfcpnGCXD1GLOLCoq5LSU9YrG8GitO43GMXGDF452FTqYT9f6lQ-QwSfVfkVXScA3uoGKJnLYccU_ZHtMmSGascGXcSluprma/s640/blog4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> That's a hard one around this place :)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E_MTyi2i64J6RS-W5hgIzupFaMl31frUBV_-GcOOEDZ8sYTcteo17uLzHyLzWA9xAB1Mv2WlR56x7NjX5igzWIMr4di701EIwa3AJqm94kbEMcQdIYukuwBQswAXKsZQaOMye5OyPiJE/s1600/blog9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E_MTyi2i64J6RS-W5hgIzupFaMl31frUBV_-GcOOEDZ8sYTcteo17uLzHyLzWA9xAB1Mv2WlR56x7NjX5igzWIMr4di701EIwa3AJqm94kbEMcQdIYukuwBQswAXKsZQaOMye5OyPiJE/s640/blog9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMPfmpzXgaZ9SgfdsRJv8xpSsooO82CvFuFNlWMU5BK8F425TW2aHY1QkWgvXthz-9ikt28GZn9OP0_2Q6ZvrOCCXOyHy88i2qjrpJRd0j8rRyIr59zMFdrS6o_5xBd8KIr2IvvMGQfw7/s1600/bird2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMPfmpzXgaZ9SgfdsRJv8xpSsooO82CvFuFNlWMU5BK8F425TW2aHY1QkWgvXthz-9ikt28GZn9OP0_2Q6ZvrOCCXOyHy88i2qjrpJRd0j8rRyIr59zMFdrS6o_5xBd8KIr2IvvMGQfw7/s640/bird2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TWhDke32kJQIlhtXIOx527L1MbGOL21vMn3n-DyYMeS0u2ocE-8k8iYls3RuKc9_f_OB4AY_3iqUC4meD37JG6PsRIPSGXp6AoacV6TI8xvz_LK44UNAMhgQy2zspBZornmfXN2ykuhg/s1600/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TWhDke32kJQIlhtXIOx527L1MbGOL21vMn3n-DyYMeS0u2ocE-8k8iYls3RuKc9_f_OB4AY_3iqUC4meD37JG6PsRIPSGXp6AoacV6TI8xvz_LK44UNAMhgQy2zspBZornmfXN2ykuhg/s640/blog5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This little doll knows her way around tools apparently! Look at her screwdriving technique :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOBg753zcRT1TlLrxW9gKjjl74HvqnIsgHUSDtUsWMf9AnJpsXeJzwRlAXJGh9qM5Y9uuO9kzJpm_97qn5p6L43vaIVhD7MRMWxEQKEhlPezSXDUqzvL4UlNjWCDlN8Mrqjng9GGzUCxD/s1600/bird3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOBg753zcRT1TlLrxW9gKjjl74HvqnIsgHUSDtUsWMf9AnJpsXeJzwRlAXJGh9qM5Y9uuO9kzJpm_97qn5p6L43vaIVhD7MRMWxEQKEhlPezSXDUqzvL4UlNjWCDlN8Mrqjng9GGzUCxD/s640/bird3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpjCR-M5KR14Fk6s82cYWBywSXnXl6ftZykTA8EIMQP51KZzFEO40ipfH0fQctvAE7W9etpNieytQN0lT5wqNuP3MeLeCjxImjGyBVUdy0fUW0TK4RDlHOXb09QdDb5rVkncQ0tSL387N/s1600/blog7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpjCR-M5KR14Fk6s82cYWBywSXnXl6ftZykTA8EIMQP51KZzFEO40ipfH0fQctvAE7W9etpNieytQN0lT5wqNuP3MeLeCjxImjGyBVUdy0fUW0TK4RDlHOXb09QdDb5rVkncQ0tSL387N/s640/blog7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After lots of hard work, laughter and sticking out her tongue, the finished product was ready for some little birds to enjoy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQwr2IMktZdGl5RFKqeZd1lq7HWaaYC7Y-u2sFcui_cf0I0BNzP7A8t52TFQS3RMpFMBhhOmTPgt5MYHtsxFe-PjbEeQXA2yrkl0nwp6Jp_S47v_X777u0yOJQ6HaBfeTlxv1TYj2BkoT/s1600/blog11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQwr2IMktZdGl5RFKqeZd1lq7HWaaYC7Y-u2sFcui_cf0I0BNzP7A8t52TFQS3RMpFMBhhOmTPgt5MYHtsxFe-PjbEeQXA2yrkl0nwp6Jp_S47v_X777u0yOJQ6HaBfeTlxv1TYj2BkoT/s640/blog11.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQwr2IMktZdGl5RFKqeZd1lq7HWaaYC7Y-u2sFcui_cf0I0BNzP7A8t52TFQS3RMpFMBhhOmTPgt5MYHtsxFe-PjbEeQXA2yrkl0nwp6Jp_S47v_X777u0yOJQ6HaBfeTlxv1TYj2BkoT/s1600/blog11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYR6o6BnvaWz3TusZohtr8VJUh4iwYLswESfAK2MlvmEqMHasZFurjx02bC4PTJVLTLBxyxFG9pTgrbiIaJt0ylDGvTaYV5UjtTOy8677hGwF3sZoD9hYIZSRpAxZ8i4lKAdDHIH-Yq8x/s1600/blog8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYR6o6BnvaWz3TusZohtr8VJUh4iwYLswESfAK2MlvmEqMHasZFurjx02bC4PTJVLTLBxyxFG9pTgrbiIaJt0ylDGvTaYV5UjtTOy8677hGwF3sZoD9hYIZSRpAxZ8i4lKAdDHIH-Yq8x/s640/blog8.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
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Well, there aren't actually any birds enjoying it at the moment. It's now a new decoration in Addyson's room!<br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-23486716450846029902011-10-04T20:16:00.000-07:002011-10-04T20:16:03.874-07:00Professional Lemonade Maker | Austin County, TX Photographer<div class="MsoNormal">Hello friends – it’s been way too long. Life has been crazy lately, to say the least. I cannot believe it’s been over 4 months since my last <a href="http://homegrown-living.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-salsa-shelby-tx-food.html">blog post</a>. That’s just not acceptable. But I’m back and that’s all that matters right? So you’re probably wondering, what in the world has been going on in these crazy past 4 months? Well, a lot…. A few days after my last blog post, I took a job cleaning a bed & breakfast – yeah, you read that right – no need to have your eyes checked. Sometimes in life, we’re presented with lemons and we are just forced to make lemonade – for real! Since leaving <a href="http://homegrown-photo.blogspot.com/2010/08/freebird-brenham-tx-photographer.html">corporate hell</a>, I’ve tried like everything to find a “regular” job out here in the country. Problem is, you have to know the secret password or at least know someone to even get them to look at your resume - even if you're totally awesome and have mad skills like me! lol So when the cleaning job came along, I knew I had to take it or we were going to be eating <a href="http://homegrown-living.blogspot.com/2011/02/got-chicken.html">eggs</a> by candlelight, if you know what I mean. A few weeks after starting that job, I was presented with an opportunity to work in an office – for 4 hours a week….yeah, you read that right too…kind of ridiculous right? Well, it was a step in the right direction and they promised my hours would increase – so what did I have to lose? Well, the hours did increase and I was up to working 8 hours a week, when suddenly, all the praying I had been doing finally paid off. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">You see back in June, I inquired about a blogging/photography gig for a magazine/website, you may have heard of it or seen it <a href="http://southcentral.texaslivenetwork.com/">Texas LIVE Magazine</a> – sounds right up my alley, right? Well, of course I was completely excited and ready to start yesterday – but just like everything else in my life – I had to wait. Finally close to the end of August, I got the call. They wanted to sign me on with a 5 week contract! I was so excited – my dream was finally coming true – I could take pictures….blog…go to work where I wasn’t required to scrub a toilet – and the best thing, they were going to pay me for it. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would get paid to blog and take pictures. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course with any media job, they had me hit the road running and my first assignment was pretty large and I was feeling pretty overwhelmed - trying to juggle cleaning a B&B, working at the office, completing my blog article assignments – and still be a mom and wife. These past 5 weeks have been really tough, but I have had some amazing encounters and opportunities. I was talking to Brad about this last week of my contract and we decided it was pretty hilarious. You see, last Monday, I was among some great bloggers at a <a href="http://southcentral.texaslivenetwork.com/2011/09/30/bloggers-luncheon-benefitting-dwell-with-dignity-2/">Blogger’s Luncheon being held at The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell </a>(you know, the Shabby Chic Queen) as part of the <a href="http://www.antiqueweekend.com/">Antiques Week</a> festivities. I was there with our <a href="http://www.theshadyacre.com/">Senior Editor Natalie</a> covering this event and it was absolutely wonderful. I got to sit right next to Rachel Ashwell for a few minutes at our table – and she was a lovely woman – but a couple days later – I was cleaning toilets and making beds at the B&B. My life is very much an oxymoron these days to say the least – but it has been a wild ride!<br />
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P.S. - Be on the look out for the next Lil Miss Austin County Fair Winner - Addyson just entered this year, so I'm excited to see how she does!<br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-31351514817453062912011-05-26T07:53:00.000-07:002011-05-26T07:53:59.292-07:00Homemade Salsa | Shelby, TX Food PhotographerLately our garden has been overflowing with vegetables. As much as I would love to eat every single tomato that I pick, that's just not possible. So....I've decided to start making salsa so that we can enjoy the tomatoes throughout the year. Brad and I LOVE salsa! In fact, it's one of the ways we judge if a mexican restaurant is going to be good or not. Salsa is the first indicator. So when I decided I wanted to make salsa, I wanted it to taste as good or even better than what we like at our favorite mexican restaurants. <br />
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I searched all over the web and there are a million recipes, but I wanted to have something that was my own. I took a little from here and a little from there and came up with a perfect mixture for 2 thumbs up salsa! When Brad tasted it for the first time, his eyes got really big and I got a thumbs up....the quart that I put up in the fridge last Wednesday is almost gone as I sit here and type this today. So I was urged to hurry and make some more pronto! So enough talking, here's how I did it:<br />
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First, you want to make sure to use good and ripe tomatoes. You can get them from the grocery store produce section, but really - those tomatoes HAVE NO TASTE! So you would be better off going to a farmers market or your neighbors garden and getting some. When I was growing up on my grandparents tomato farm - the perfect tomatoes for this recipe were called "canners". They're super red and ripe and very tender. You'll also start off with some of the usual salsa ingredients here:<br />
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Wash your tomatoes thoroughly and plunge them a few at a time into simmering hot water for 1 minute.<br />
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Then after 1 minute submerge in an ice cold water bath. This will make the tomato skins come off very easily, sometimes it will already start falling off without your help.<br />
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Next, you will want to roughly chop the rest of the ingredients. Here's a little tidbit of info I learned recently from <a href="http://www.pauladeen.com/">Paula Deen</a>. When I used to chop bell pepper, I always sliced off the top by the stem and threw it away. Well, Paula said that you can push the stem out and use the rest of the top! All you do is use your finger to push the stem through - what a great way to use ALL of your bell pepper!<br />
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This salsa has a really mild heat factor - with a nice jalepeno flavor. This is because I remove all the seeds and membrane from the jalepenos. However, if you're a lover of fire hot salsa, then please leave all the seeds in there - you're brave :)<br />
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Then you will process these ingredients in a food processor or blender. I don't own a food processor - even though I think it would be really nice to have, I really have no extra room for that - so I just use a blender. If you decide to use your blender too, make sure to take some of your skinned tomatoes and blend them up first so that there is liquid to help move the other stuff around. If not your blender will start smoking and you'll end up with a crazy mess - trust me! :) Please remember - only use a FEW of the tomatoes for this - the remaining tomatoes will need to be set aside.<br />
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After chopping your tomatoes, place them in a pot and then pour in your blended mixture of veggies. This mixture will look frothy and pink and you're going to think you really screwed up.<br />
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Don't worry - this is EXACTLY what you're looking for - pink/frothy = good!<br />
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Stir the veggie puree mix and the chopped tomatoes and add your vinegar and salt. Since I made those pickles last week and have this huge box of canning/pickling salt, that's the kind I use. <br />
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However, if you don't have that, just use regular iodized salt - it'll be fine.<br />
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Bring to a boil. Then, turn your heat to low and put a lid on the pot and simmer for 20 mins. You'll notice at the end of 20 minutes, all the bubbly frothy stuff will be gone. Turn off the heat and add the chopped cilantro and stir. <br />
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At this point, you will want to taste the salsa to see if it needs more salt for your taste preference. Now, you can start canning as usual or you can let the mixture cool and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks - or you can cool the mixture and place in ziploc bags and store in the freezer. This is a really easy option. Make sure to use sandwich sized bags and you'll have a perfect serving amount for a group of 3-4 to snack on or have with dinner. When you're ready to use it, just throw the frozen bag in the fridge overnight or for a few hours and it's ready to eat. Muy Delicioso!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Homemade Salsa</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><!--StartFragment--> <div class="MsoNormal">2 quarts of ripe tomatoes</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 medium bell pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 jalepenos</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 medium onion</div><div class="MsoNormal">4 garlic cloves</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ c vinegar</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 Tbsp salt (use more to your salt preference)</div><div class="MsoNormal">¼ c cilantro chopped</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Please make sure to use ripe tomatoes – sometimes referred to as “canners” at your local farmers market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are very red and tender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wash tomatoes so that they are free from any dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then peel tomatoes by dropping them into simmering water for 1 minute and then immediately immerse into an ice cold water bath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skin should fall off easily.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the meantime, use a food processor or blender to chop the bell pepper, jalapenos, onion and garlic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If using a blender, make sure to put a few tomatoes in the bottom and puree them so that there will be liquid to move the other ingredients around in the blender.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do not put all tomatoes in the food processor or blender – cube the remaining tomatoes and put them in a pot with the ingredients that you chopped in the food processor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add vinegar and salt and bring to a boil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first the mixture will look frothy and pink – you are on the right track – this is good. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn burner to low and simmer with a lid for 20 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn off heat and add chopped cilantro and stir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taste to see if any additional salt is needed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is now ready to eat, or you can put it in a quart jar and can it based on the Ball Book of Canning or you can cool the mixture down and keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another option is to let it cool and freeze it in a Ziploc bag – then when you’re ready to use it, place the bag in the refrigerator to thaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enjoy!</div><!--EndFragment--> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-91729006231928329782011-05-17T10:50:00.000-07:002011-05-20T07:41:20.938-07:00Homegrown Dill Pickles | Shelby, TXWhen Brad and I planted our garden this year, I was totally excited about having homegrown tomatoes - there is nothing better. And if you don't believe me, do a blind taste test with one from your local grocery store and one out of your garden or from a farmer's market - you'll fall over!<br />
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Anyway, the second most exciting thing about having our garden was having pickling cucumbers. These are cucumbers made especially for pickling - and I really love them un-pickled in salads too - they have a different flavor from regular old cucumbers! <br />
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We discovered our first cucumbers in the garden last week and I was immediately ready to pickle them. I just finished my second batch this morning and decided I would share the recipe and process with you - do you understand how lucky you are right now? Well, after you try this and eat one - you will!<br />
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First you start with pickling cucumbers from your garden - or if you don't have a garden, you can pick them up at the grocery store or a local farmers market. <br />
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And of course since these are DILL pickles, you will need some fresh dill. Now, you can use the fresh dill that's found in the produce section next to all the other herbs, but to really make these good, you'll want to find some of the dill that has started to seed...it looks like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IHgkANFPyskdr9tLHKQxl5d_0Oj9vBvAFTO0IFFiZxJ3E-6ifvh3W2PuSattPvyVgwFLXo2vLWIV3gwKMBz4atkQsz-YcYekYZmcpyrFECB7Yryi04hPKUrUkhvO49-SLOsthdc1jk_d/s1600/pickles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IHgkANFPyskdr9tLHKQxl5d_0Oj9vBvAFTO0IFFiZxJ3E-6ifvh3W2PuSattPvyVgwFLXo2vLWIV3gwKMBz4atkQsz-YcYekYZmcpyrFECB7Yryi04hPKUrUkhvO49-SLOsthdc1jk_d/s640/pickles2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Some other ingredients that are good to help flavor the pickles are garlic, onion and some type of pepper, whether it be jalepenos or these red peppers (they look pretty in the jar):<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSblw_pkCZn4E2frg65HBLb_Hliz4NUHaNYCcykyL3MJ3bazTH0WOVrVrj6iq565tRjoFuwYUbkCTkSoTeqWWQcgk8RSaEwFOPJKq_iHVGGJ5qgDK7-_Xj9S9CQwqO2fxcQ9w8ravaZI8/s1600/pickles3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSblw_pkCZn4E2frg65HBLb_Hliz4NUHaNYCcykyL3MJ3bazTH0WOVrVrj6iq565tRjoFuwYUbkCTkSoTeqWWQcgk8RSaEwFOPJKq_iHVGGJ5qgDK7-_Xj9S9CQwqO2fxcQ9w8ravaZI8/s640/pickles3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Once you have all your ingredients, you'll want to decide how you want your pickles - sliced, spears or whole. This depends on the size of your pickles. My mother in law always has the perfect sized little whole pickles. Mine on the other hand where rather rotund this year, so I had to spear them and slice them. I did get a few of those cute little crooked suckers though. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXrKdFgmSGQsoayA38JzUwL_8UK2pfDWxU9GSoBnz7fWIBF6KyPobtvPAdKykUjlo5ktlBVPjN3aBGUcWNekrWVbSo_2qpaUdVXRh-121_EWMy5rZUAxhwUdwmSNmF_Ku0rzyjya9u8Yt/s1600/pickles11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXrKdFgmSGQsoayA38JzUwL_8UK2pfDWxU9GSoBnz7fWIBF6KyPobtvPAdKykUjlo5ktlBVPjN3aBGUcWNekrWVbSo_2qpaUdVXRh-121_EWMy5rZUAxhwUdwmSNmF_Ku0rzyjya9u8Yt/s640/pickles11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
One very important tip that you will want to follow is to make sure to cut off the ends of the pickle. If you leave the ends on, it will cause the pickles to turn soft and bitter. So please - listen up here!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrxoRy-Ny24sR73O392lO4wWWAVSW0iLIf4M7aeJETtODqlDWGhZfVtbWr7YGKUwsJHpPbKZN0ViyW3iEmvOXyu3nwXK3OdH2nct5Wlho0D4FiVIRj5RhU_iOEMmGhkeemnH65ero3Aj0/s1600/pickles10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrxoRy-Ny24sR73O392lO4wWWAVSW0iLIf4M7aeJETtODqlDWGhZfVtbWr7YGKUwsJHpPbKZN0ViyW3iEmvOXyu3nwXK3OdH2nct5Wlho0D4FiVIRj5RhU_iOEMmGhkeemnH65ero3Aj0/s640/pickles10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The next important thing is your jar. I'm using quart mason jars that you can pick up at the local grocery store. These jars come with new lids and rings. <br />
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However, you can use quart jars that you already have on hand, but you'll want to make sure to buy NEW LIDS. This is very important because anyone who has canned before knows that lids can only be used once or they WILL NOT seal.<br />
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I wash my jars and then put them in hot water on the stove for several minutes so that they get sterilized. I also throw in the lids to sterilize too. <br />
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Once your jars have been sterilized and all your ingredients are chopped up and ready to go, you can start putting everything in the jars. I start out with a stem of dill, a couple garlic cloves, a few slices of jalapeno or red pepper and maybe a few onion slices<br />
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Then I start packing in the pickles. You'll want to make sure you're packing them in there a snug as you can - there's no sense in wasting a bunch of jars because you were afraid to strong arm your pickles!<br />
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Then, as you're building you can add more garlic, dill, onion, etc so that the flavor is defined for the pickles at the top of the jar too. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny25Ntc95CDW-M1eYftlSsyJdHnLlyCOH46YwynjpttfxZAuvSdnq7e7j26cY2NRnzI6oT2yEI1wY4GJXv2WIijC6vEdlH6Ha6lu8Aownt0GZWui7Oa_qb8eRT30wNPU8g5pK73wy1IC_/s1600/pickles7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny25Ntc95CDW-M1eYftlSsyJdHnLlyCOH46YwynjpttfxZAuvSdnq7e7j26cY2NRnzI6oT2yEI1wY4GJXv2WIijC6vEdlH6Ha6lu8Aownt0GZWui7Oa_qb8eRT30wNPU8g5pK73wy1IC_/s640/pickles7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Once you're all done packing in everything, you'll want to pour boiling hot water over all the ingredients in the pickle jar until it fills to the top. Let the water sit for 5 minutes. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOPfHZfuzwZGas2h4tuHmtCzp6vEBTGkwkFErJIDEY0Zzdw-nzjj4KYyTzdIYExyCRDo_CFV4aIEYVRqZlkEN6CxAzIXSp6z20ULXohdJU7tLd-hVhtPY_P1lfE4S-MKl6vVpFsOryzb7/s1600/pickles8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOPfHZfuzwZGas2h4tuHmtCzp6vEBTGkwkFErJIDEY0Zzdw-nzjj4KYyTzdIYExyCRDo_CFV4aIEYVRqZlkEN6CxAzIXSp6z20ULXohdJU7tLd-hVhtPY_P1lfE4S-MKl6vVpFsOryzb7/s640/pickles8.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Once the 5 minutes is up, you will want to drain the hot water from the jar. If your ingredients are packed nice and snug, nothing should fall out when you pour out the water. However, if you want to be on the safe side you can hold a wide slotted spatula over the mouth of the jar to hold in everything. Oh yeah, and make sure to wear an oven mitt when you hold that jar - it will be HOT!<br />
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After you've poured out all the water, you will want to then pour in the hot brine mixture (recipe below). Make sure to leave about 1/2 of head room at the top of the jar, but also make sure that the brine mixture has covered everything in the jar. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0y9j7hXMP0Z0rZYqSzenl_vYe1Av_ONGx00nEA7HQLsb7DbuKikLpngar6iMJVmFyN2WRVwtPi355SZmh6-QV4wGh_DtpzCnuHpcbA7RdhQU7O-LJ8rRYaDtFEEgGMxBAOm2NzOKhhhR/s1600/pickles9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0y9j7hXMP0Z0rZYqSzenl_vYe1Av_ONGx00nEA7HQLsb7DbuKikLpngar6iMJVmFyN2WRVwtPi355SZmh6-QV4wGh_DtpzCnuHpcbA7RdhQU7O-LJ8rRYaDtFEEgGMxBAOm2NzOKhhhR/s640/pickles9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Then, wipe the mouth of the jar with a towel and place the clean lid on the jar and twist on the ring. Now, don't twist the ring tight at this time. Twist the ring just until you have a little tightness - once the lids have popped and you know a seal has been created, then you can tighten down the ring. <br />
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Let the jars sit on the counter until the lids have sealed. You'll know this has happened once you hear a "pop" from the lids. If you press the lid and it clicks, your jar has not sealed. Once all jars have sealed and cooled - store jars in the refrigerator. Then you will need to wait 3-4 weeks before eating so that the brine and all the other flavorful ingredients can work their magic. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN_o1zF4QcpLTDiiB_c1DZskXnCWm7FnPQXaM7T9dflZ0IAyX-jbFXbOhn1vXX9HIEvKBUQGPy3hYKJITAc0oVICdaJQyNv2ExbDWAa5mw752SY798V6DRsuStQJDF2qKnTUuE8NQmc3z/s1600/pickles12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN_o1zF4QcpLTDiiB_c1DZskXnCWm7FnPQXaM7T9dflZ0IAyX-jbFXbOhn1vXX9HIEvKBUQGPy3hYKJITAc0oVICdaJQyNv2ExbDWAa5mw752SY798V6DRsuStQJDF2qKnTUuE8NQmc3z/s640/pickles12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Homestyle Dill Pickles</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Brine:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 quarts water</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 quart grain vinegar (should be 9% acidity)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup pickling salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bring ingredients to a boil. While liquids come to a boil, prepare jars and stuff with fresh dill, garlic cloves, hot peppers and pickles. Pour boiling hot tap water over the ingredients in the jar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Drain off hot water. Once brine comes to a boil, pour brine over ingredients in the jar, making sure to cover everything. Make sure to leave 1/2" head room at the top of jar. Wipe mouth of jar clean and place a new lid on the jar. Place ring on loosely until jar has sealed by "popping". Pickles will be ready in 3-4 weeks. Please keep pickles refrigerated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Any unused brine can be kept in the refrigerator until another use. Please make sure to store in a plastic or glass container. </div><br />
So there you go - beautiful homegrown dill pickles - made to your specifications with your own two hands! Enjoy :)<br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-51959983323215905912011-04-26T08:12:00.000-07:002011-04-26T08:12:48.365-07:00Easter, Water Balloons and Chicken Coop SurprisesHellllllooooooo!!!! Anybody still out there???? Yes, I know it's been ages since my last post here, approximately 1 month ago today. We've been so busy around here - with tax time, Easter and new ventures - there hasn't been a dull moment!<br />
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This Easter was one of the best ever - great times with family we hadn't seen in a long time and lots of fun! Including a water balloon fight and a game of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hammerschlagen">Hammerschlagen</a> where my mother-in-law put all the Voelkel men to shame - it's definitely a game that we will continue to play at family functions :)<br />
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Yesterday we received a late Easter present from the Easter bunny - or well, Easter Chicken, I guess you would say :) You see, our chickens have been laying eggs for a while now, but we haven't had the chance to eat the eggs because they've been on medicated feed. They were about to be off that feed when we decided to purchase some chicks (now officially called the McNuggets and they will be featured in a post of their own very soon!) from our local feed store over a month ago - and then when we integrated the chicks in the coop with the older chickens, the older chickens began eating medicated feed too. So all this time, there have been some hens sitting on a bunch of eggs. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2dpYZiCqIS4KZ80kswLnbmRLaU9H2F1P7FagRs7QIeUSoBiCQg9AJwR4_skR3-8I-eGzoZ7EopygKN9k-WD6FMvdWzChruC7AJ_3DW3zZezkw05_KrtSsYiTTjgYLEr_qQOYFyubzs2D/s1600/blog3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2dpYZiCqIS4KZ80kswLnbmRLaU9H2F1P7FagRs7QIeUSoBiCQg9AJwR4_skR3-8I-eGzoZ7EopygKN9k-WD6FMvdWzChruC7AJ_3DW3zZezkw05_KrtSsYiTTjgYLEr_qQOYFyubzs2D/s640/blog3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
They take turns sitting while the other goes and eats - and we haven't really thought much of it. We figured they were going to be good mothering hens - so we've just let the eggs stay in - plus, if you've ever tried to pry a sitting hen away from her eggs - she'll peck you pretty good! So yesterday Brad was ready with a stick to try to pry these hens out of the hen box. We wanted to get those eggs out and be able to start fresh....well, what do you know - look what he found!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrmwR_hU3qvX1tpnX96YctmTlU_GmfnxKdrGbjWRwU3pjlJ64Fa0gXl3q4iCCZaRPgbJrLnOAK0-I7mIR0rt_ULFN7SQaI_DJkwpG30g3KhTC-ysdhmK4ISrxK5Ds0b-s3WoS1teJUBX0/s1600/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrmwR_hU3qvX1tpnX96YctmTlU_GmfnxKdrGbjWRwU3pjlJ64Fa0gXl3q4iCCZaRPgbJrLnOAK0-I7mIR0rt_ULFN7SQaI_DJkwpG30g3KhTC-ysdhmK4ISrxK5Ds0b-s3WoS1teJUBX0/s640/blog1.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrmwR_hU3qvX1tpnX96YctmTlU_GmfnxKdrGbjWRwU3pjlJ64Fa0gXl3q4iCCZaRPgbJrLnOAK0-I7mIR0rt_ULFN7SQaI_DJkwpG30g3KhTC-ysdhmK4ISrxK5Ds0b-s3WoS1teJUBX0/s1600/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhoOMzXpuc53X23fbisuda0cf4tSChEeI5Gg6TErj3YLjWEm6AdWBXHNxVy9tYhCLvEWU28_MOqprHpsecFxlTl3uvf0eedjSQ_dZodWGCjar3jWCLiMxGURz2gVaz7X5zRzgznR8EQX2/s1600/blog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhoOMzXpuc53X23fbisuda0cf4tSChEeI5Gg6TErj3YLjWEm6AdWBXHNxVy9tYhCLvEWU28_MOqprHpsecFxlTl3uvf0eedjSQ_dZodWGCjar3jWCLiMxGURz2gVaz7X5zRzgznR8EQX2/s640/blog2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
That's right - these baby chicks had just hatched, either Sunday evening or Monday morning. They're so cute and just about as big as a large cotton ball. We scratched our heads and wondered what in the world should we do. So we decided to remove one of the hens and her chicks and put them together and leave the other hen to finish hatching the remaining eggs. We thought, oh, there looks to be about 4 or 5 chicks in there - but to our shock, when the first hen was removed - there were TEN!!!!!! <br />
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Now the momma and her chicks are staying comfortably on our porch in a dog kennel with fluffy shavings where she's teaching them to peck feed and drink water. <br />
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And since I was out in the chicken coop yesterday with my camera, I decided to show you the progress of our garden - remember, way back when we had seedlings growing in our <a href="http://homegrown-living.blogspot.com/2011/02/as-garden-grows-part-i.html">house</a>? Well, here's what some of the plants look like today.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Sweet corn </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8XmJLj3Pj4_dBt17eA0YGCPlRIpcdLL3Og4BxfWwFovXzQoHAJwADqHQN__dB3lXx88pEKCyLE2PdjA4Oh_9LarYv_gQffVI7ZxbVNZyBEe_gzCCMg-v9oBPJJbWBE8aI7HXI4aFjdbe/s1600/blog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8XmJLj3Pj4_dBt17eA0YGCPlRIpcdLL3Og4BxfWwFovXzQoHAJwADqHQN__dB3lXx88pEKCyLE2PdjA4Oh_9LarYv_gQffVI7ZxbVNZyBEe_gzCCMg-v9oBPJJbWBE8aI7HXI4aFjdbe/s640/blog4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yellow Squash</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7ONJer_92BGlmZ3gIIcAM1jQ-SCR0JsHYNWj7POgybXJs3qv-OgxrBYUMaDmzch6hEq8SoKalMoEyTy9BpNp40xKlfxLM-4k3QMp2fwR_xIJhZxSRCxQnLopq4cO3nuRDdl1ymyOnMJ4/s1600/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7ONJer_92BGlmZ3gIIcAM1jQ-SCR0JsHYNWj7POgybXJs3qv-OgxrBYUMaDmzch6hEq8SoKalMoEyTy9BpNp40xKlfxLM-4k3QMp2fwR_xIJhZxSRCxQnLopq4cO3nuRDdl1ymyOnMJ4/s640/blog1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">I can't wait for those tomatoes to start turning red so I can eat them! The unique smell of the tomato plants immediately takes me back to being a little girl on my grandparents farm. </div><div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntMzN_XOANiDBRlq-MWhIGSzORM27WW7_h8Jnv2TgWrNjbJ1sFPxEtSkBVkVBitiDry6rej_Qf02-yLe9ih4BjTubULTgUy7BrCrRommHcBoaxdRyl_lF9M-9Ek801Qh6i3Y_fNEAYXZQ/s1600/blog6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntMzN_XOANiDBRlq-MWhIGSzORM27WW7_h8Jnv2TgWrNjbJ1sFPxEtSkBVkVBitiDry6rej_Qf02-yLe9ih4BjTubULTgUy7BrCrRommHcBoaxdRyl_lF9M-9Ek801Qh6i3Y_fNEAYXZQ/s640/blog6.jpg" width="426" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbn3RgHaOO_v8xOq9feSkLMVJFs5aXI9q_9xPPEZEJF78WltbforpJS1ARELlbM0I-cctzSOAU37_ig7dwZxk7bymKO6ZaougveTFHm2TNCnagLkDMFBSULxcwcdOYl_fezei32vIcSqu/s1600/blog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbn3RgHaOO_v8xOq9feSkLMVJFs5aXI9q_9xPPEZEJF78WltbforpJS1ARELlbM0I-cctzSOAU37_ig7dwZxk7bymKO6ZaougveTFHm2TNCnagLkDMFBSULxcwcdOYl_fezei32vIcSqu/s640/blog5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-25878275670316331562011-03-24T07:37:00.000-07:002011-03-24T07:43:37.883-07:00You Complete Me | Homegrown Living, Shelby, TXRemodeling our 1860's farmhouse was definitely a learning experience, hardwork, nerve wracking and an emotional rollercoaster. However, it has been so exciting knowing that we were able to pull it off and we're still alive to talk about it! We have been so pleased with how the renovations turned out, but there's been something desperately missing - landscaping! The outside of the house has looked so pretty with it's new siding and fresh paint, but it just hasn't looked complete. Kinda like putting on full makeup but leaving out the mascara or lipstick....it's just not right! <br />
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So this past weekend while Addyson was having some fun at MeMe's over spring break, Brad and shifted it into high gear and created flowerbeds where they didn't previously exist and put up some gutters too.<br />
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Here's some before shots:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnVvjF8_0PiYD0tVbe0XJrEjYjQdiW8VzFQx4QCQydIPmS9sSI6cTy9Fxevdjid3OdfB-R34Z9UhifL6DaL-QnVs4ly3_HU_dISQ-fF3xspFXRcxzZ6eckavzkOIECHUkCpNXvxBOQUB3/s1600/blog11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnVvjF8_0PiYD0tVbe0XJrEjYjQdiW8VzFQx4QCQydIPmS9sSI6cTy9Fxevdjid3OdfB-R34Z9UhifL6DaL-QnVs4ly3_HU_dISQ-fF3xspFXRcxzZ6eckavzkOIECHUkCpNXvxBOQUB3/s640/blog11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Totally pathetic right? <br />
And there was never a flower bed on this other side of the steps. I think that's kinda weird - I'm sort of a freak about symmetry!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobfZSoxgFIfTVc_xdra6UUrjmJFg90jjJZ1eyJGv2t3vpYZ18C1ox9DD_KeRPtcU7P7CWT7UFZi_7PfwJtalaywvd_vKpAlT-30yusc7rFZWmPBGkLgRggWT-20UlQgSGoG2kvf-4bAMO/s1600/blog12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobfZSoxgFIfTVc_xdra6UUrjmJFg90jjJZ1eyJGv2t3vpYZ18C1ox9DD_KeRPtcU7P7CWT7UFZi_7PfwJtalaywvd_vKpAlT-30yusc7rFZWmPBGkLgRggWT-20UlQgSGoG2kvf-4bAMO/s640/blog12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Well now, we've got some symmetry - and some color other than dirt!! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkmy1jxAi0wKB5V3j5CkOByOQwVOBHoPKf-AuUMAHXsrn-NRjlItcvA5HYEwWvZ7vr_I5-8uOMx7DoKQhTrK7slw7tfgcaK4RCaYmuWsMGBgzMSh0NHI7qSWHId_6G4pI49MJ-VtHkr5N/s1600/blog15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkmy1jxAi0wKB5V3j5CkOByOQwVOBHoPKf-AuUMAHXsrn-NRjlItcvA5HYEwWvZ7vr_I5-8uOMx7DoKQhTrK7slw7tfgcaK4RCaYmuWsMGBgzMSh0NHI7qSWHId_6G4pI49MJ-VtHkr5N/s1600/blog15.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We still have a lot of work to do. But it's come a long way baby! Now our mission is to get grass back in the front yard. All the trucks and workers and construction that happened just killed all the grass. So maybe one of these days there will be some lush green grass. For now though, I'm happy with some green in the flowerbeds!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXqzLuyPLHSjtvL8cQaDtGggVSni5x2EK2sFyW4q7PeEgB-R_mCU1QDcyce1Jw9u0dhFbKkB5IOxKzxZ5NIQ9RuS5n7DLoEvtuMX_q1b4cpxWB1ATcTJV4J_9qiIjg1LdmPZee6iEc1zF/s1600/blog17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXqzLuyPLHSjtvL8cQaDtGggVSni5x2EK2sFyW4q7PeEgB-R_mCU1QDcyce1Jw9u0dhFbKkB5IOxKzxZ5NIQ9RuS5n7DLoEvtuMX_q1b4cpxWB1ATcTJV4J_9qiIjg1LdmPZee6iEc1zF/s640/blog17.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
And look what else just sprouted up in our yard...our first rose! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJcQC4zpDpYPkX-6udHBeA9N9KJOIEUt6GWVFhGshhGZuAeozPzoGvoYCWnIGquFmVJT5P0dADeSbZzevLwdqG0Pq30iI5l3m7ZrkCtB86cdkeww_QYIVmUWi4GJ_Xdyrjz76JBLcku48/s1600/blog16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJcQC4zpDpYPkX-6udHBeA9N9KJOIEUt6GWVFhGshhGZuAeozPzoGvoYCWnIGquFmVJT5P0dADeSbZzevLwdqG0Pq30iI5l3m7ZrkCtB86cdkeww_QYIVmUWi4GJ_Xdyrjz76JBLcku48/s640/blog16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
These rose bushes have been on the property for ages and I cut them all back just a few weeks ago. After the hard freeze we had this winter, I just knew that they weren't coming back, but I was pleasantly surprised! Happy Spring Y'all!<br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-10783050746759376132011-03-03T08:37:00.000-08:002011-03-03T08:43:39.528-08:00The Junk Has Almost Landed!<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I can't believe the calendar says it's already March! But even if we didn't have a calendar, you can sure tell it's spring - all the baby calves popping up everywhere, the once brown grass is turning green and tiny buds are emerging everywhere we look. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sorry, this is no calf...it's Homer trying to figure out if he's one of them (I think so!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfVTiAIxMQSNjvuNDcJ5s-IePRbpJq5zAXIFZwC83If6t1FtTX6BXyXrjVv_Oj6OaDgR_19UVGpOkFRoOe5eCsror60YjGPyFxQfOkCls0sojkiU2bBnIV3qoyIBboO7zYtzD59ACJwah/s1600/homer12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfVTiAIxMQSNjvuNDcJ5s-IePRbpJq5zAXIFZwC83If6t1FtTX6BXyXrjVv_Oj6OaDgR_19UVGpOkFRoOe5eCsror60YjGPyFxQfOkCls0sojkiU2bBnIV3qoyIBboO7zYtzD59ACJwah/s640/homer12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">One other glaring clue that it's March is when the sleepy little town of Warrenton, just a few miles up the road from us starts stirring. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BxujNSbTcgq4cKRZ2djImIHezS4Yid6fUxRhfXknYvTJcp5GBUo5nfLsmmU-gi1lGdZ3dG-suX4-Z76OKsAHu2sQx6h-5TlToYtU2ijdPifHydzSTcYXGMmoICPEcy4FEN56wHu31OLn/s1600/warrenton+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BxujNSbTcgq4cKRZ2djImIHezS4Yid6fUxRhfXknYvTJcp5GBUo5nfLsmmU-gi1lGdZ3dG-suX4-Z76OKsAHu2sQx6h-5TlToYtU2ijdPifHydzSTcYXGMmoICPEcy4FEN56wHu31OLn/s400/warrenton+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo credit: AntiqueWeekend.com</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">That's right, <a href="http://www.antiqueweekend.com/">Antiques Weekend</a> is only a couple of weeks away. We've already noticed the cow-pastures-turned-vendor-spaces have started to emerge. No, they're not setup yet, but the land owners are out getting things ready for the massive event. If you're reading this and don't know what in the world I'm talking about - you must read <a href="http://www.showdaily.us/">THIS!</a> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNBtSXFpqoNmTJjbTo0l9hLk7giXLcuk3UtCOABJWneEWJiwDzLrzYiYm-3aBjcDIJGlcTrXoK4UY-8tp8cWp5jI1gXONXpknsPzy6eS8-Ly125HMMkSr576UhRJTTxGjrfhL4JWpzCd4/s1600/warrenton+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNBtSXFpqoNmTJjbTo0l9hLk7giXLcuk3UtCOABJWneEWJiwDzLrzYiYm-3aBjcDIJGlcTrXoK4UY-8tp8cWp5jI1gXONXpknsPzy6eS8-Ly125HMMkSr576UhRJTTxGjrfhL4JWpzCd4/s400/warrenton+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo credit: AntiqueWeekend.com</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And since Antiques Weekend = Junk, that can only mean that <a href="http://www.junkgypsyblog.com/">The Junk Gypsy Co</a> will be coming to town. They are Junk Rockstars and their booth is always packed with customers searching for that perfect piece of jewelry or t-shirt to feed their soul. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkk5ZVrvK8blNgduLLyU5KnqJPbPKgvoj3opTDFOwNVtzOxtm4iuEqvKgeUO9oBjmCBZOYkbT_aAsVI5LDfo4nIXumMAQ8c3nO-s-qnrWVJLStV-rrhUTECNPZpj2xhuEEQB32CRZF4aK/s1600/gypsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkk5ZVrvK8blNgduLLyU5KnqJPbPKgvoj3opTDFOwNVtzOxtm4iuEqvKgeUO9oBjmCBZOYkbT_aAsVI5LDfo4nIXumMAQ8c3nO-s-qnrWVJLStV-rrhUTECNPZpj2xhuEEQB32CRZF4aK/s640/gypsy.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo credit: Gypsyville.com</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Brad and I were SO.EXCITED. to find out that these awesome ladies are going to be our new neighbors! That's right, they've purchased some land in Round Top, just 8 miles up the road from us and will be opening their retail shop there. Kind makes me feel like I live in the Hollywood Hills and Julie Roberts just moved in next door...not really, but you know what I mean :)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So mark your calendars and make the journey to Antiques Weekend, you won't regret it! There's a little something for everyone and you're sure to make some new friends too :) If you plan on staying for a couple of days and need a place to rest your head - check out <a href="http://www.theshelby.net/">The Shelby Inn</a>. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">They've still got a couple of spaces available, so don't wait too long to make your reservation. If you call, tell them Britney sent you!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Happy Junkin Y'all!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-75499778542562000312011-02-25T07:53:00.000-08:002011-02-25T07:53:33.420-08:00Got Chicken?It's been 2 weeks since we brought our chickens home and today we decided it was time to let them venture out of the coop. They are doing great, but watching them go in and out of the coop has just reminded us just how dumb chickens are. This one is confused about how to get back in!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tVhXbnbpCCo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Happy Friday Everyone - Eat More Chicken!<br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-8409193667221888312011-02-24T05:52:00.000-08:002011-02-24T05:52:03.837-08:00As The Garden Grows - Part IThe past few days we've noticed greener pastures and flower buds popping up everywhere. This can only mean one thing....Spring is here! This Spring has seemed like it would never come - with all the freezing temps and SNOW, who would have thought we'd see that! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0lYQ9eJDj4L-lGSBx1-kuA0vKAO2PWrdjZKGFTmNHmCgh-LfJySDAiH3xftGb8YvGc7vAR4zDIuysk6ZdG9spAjb66ryJ8AfYQz83DZwt6XT-YbtpnQrmjIg8gAVEqzsSDsrrbQEoBs7/s1600/garden1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0lYQ9eJDj4L-lGSBx1-kuA0vKAO2PWrdjZKGFTmNHmCgh-LfJySDAiH3xftGb8YvGc7vAR4zDIuysk6ZdG9spAjb66ryJ8AfYQz83DZwt6XT-YbtpnQrmjIg8gAVEqzsSDsrrbQEoBs7/s640/garden1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Another reason we've been antsy is because we've been working on our vegetable garden and can't wait to get our hands dirty!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA3l3m06XDSJzAPXmCFDYfXWRJo9yUaBLRXRKFEcMDgyoOBVquPddW1E2yTW5KVn3B75cEUYHxrv0as7eXIqsA3KUOacCR-fkrYg6MTvivdwk95jzmxNck64tA6oFO_kQpQAApzBZPT82/s1600/garden10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA3l3m06XDSJzAPXmCFDYfXWRJo9yUaBLRXRKFEcMDgyoOBVquPddW1E2yTW5KVn3B75cEUYHxrv0as7eXIqsA3KUOacCR-fkrYg6MTvivdwk95jzmxNck64tA6oFO_kQpQAApzBZPT82/s640/garden10.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
You see, we tried to have a garden back when we lived in Cypress - in a highly deed-restricted neighborhood - and it was a HUGE.FLOP! So now that we've got plenty of room to get the tractor in there to spread some compost and really get the dirt nice and fluffy, we're crossing our fingers that things work out a little better this go round!<br />
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During the last cold snap we had when the temps got down to 17, we decided to make the most of the cabin fever and get our indoor greenhouse contraption setup and plant some seeds. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6jTMa6w98lfs17pyPEHHzblxmHqCDkDeuyJop2mulW3eO0UpPVz65zGsb17GuDd2PePV8n4ftR3kfQf3X9qacEe4b9W0HLJbBl1CP8vnanPpBny40GLCKFyNpXLAyxmbvZ50pc0we28O/s1600/garden8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5m-Qd_dDV_AClvJPXj_wV9nRWU3f86tx4BEgxipgwOdktm6ScjQdOAg-2TqqMZl8wEwWFq05Du3Vnpd8eDZGq2M-l-4jHGqZMZ7K7JUa_8Yl1gqRjSSfhZXFO8ECFSs92QzOcdgR9jwB/s1600/garden7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5m-Qd_dDV_AClvJPXj_wV9nRWU3f86tx4BEgxipgwOdktm6ScjQdOAg-2TqqMZl8wEwWFq05Du3Vnpd8eDZGq2M-l-4jHGqZMZ7K7JUa_8Yl1gqRjSSfhZXFO8ECFSs92QzOcdgR9jwB/s640/garden7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We decided to use this setup by Burpee under Brad's homemade grow light :) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUygxMSHP7WEzNLBcSBorAJtACg1RouuCdP9KhuV39slHq6wUJ5S6SHa1WS6E3uKChcwSJ1TSnSSzycROYZQWqgT4iWsND1s040bt7qCxnS481H3ALtiTI5YnzlDLhF4DpWZWKAtQeW3Kg/s1600/garden5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUygxMSHP7WEzNLBcSBorAJtACg1RouuCdP9KhuV39slHq6wUJ5S6SHa1WS6E3uKChcwSJ1TSnSSzycROYZQWqgT4iWsND1s040bt7qCxnS481H3ALtiTI5YnzlDLhF4DpWZWKAtQeW3Kg/s640/garden5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We decided to use these trays because they were self-watering, came with dehydrated dirt (this was so cool to watch the dirt GROW) and it had the lid that would soon create the perfect humid environment for the little seeds.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uM8XsBTMBcdUNnHjWFcuTfoEbXsmqls2tk5P8vAJOUZzbMJCV43yFnEshKJNibMDSr8JVegHXHkZUNmzCptpMaFp9RVklUdv3xnMHy-Iq3zFzvpNKA2r3d2CVwW7gby2_xhpPmOi-raF/s1600/garden4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uM8XsBTMBcdUNnHjWFcuTfoEbXsmqls2tk5P8vAJOUZzbMJCV43yFnEshKJNibMDSr8JVegHXHkZUNmzCptpMaFp9RVklUdv3xnMHy-Iq3zFzvpNKA2r3d2CVwW7gby2_xhpPmOi-raF/s640/garden4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>These are just a few of the veggies that we're trying out this year.<br />
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I'm super excited and hopeful for the tomatoes to produce. Growing up on my grandparent's tomato farm has made me quite the tomato snob...no tomato at the grocery store can even compare with the homegrown variety.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEULj5DyMqYLoK7DgcXZhj4V2V9DIxbzylVHmLGlxhBkt-ugERCblLgeSTTC0pG5NuxgWqpQQnhdWFQmKOiLBEwoOy0c6D90L9bA6HfS2ejo2sHBWEZnE2zD0tI5sL1k1_nwsxa_hN-sx/s1600/garden9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEULj5DyMqYLoK7DgcXZhj4V2V9DIxbzylVHmLGlxhBkt-ugERCblLgeSTTC0pG5NuxgWqpQQnhdWFQmKOiLBEwoOy0c6D90L9bA6HfS2ejo2sHBWEZnE2zD0tI5sL1k1_nwsxa_hN-sx/s640/garden9.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
So after about a week of living under the grow light, we had some little sprouts! It's been so fun watching these grow and Addyson was especially excited to see how these seeds have turned into this...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudA9YTqnGaAdVZRwwJdpQ62mPrBhtDnSHNxNcAGcifnbUEVZ_dEZwlKePQ7mvKMAV6USua8v4hRmcToNEz2jDmZn1ImzhdqUn8Igt0XBkldtwTiFbdL6ObkdH4jNPc9ovge8PSt9eixXc/s1600/Seeds4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudA9YTqnGaAdVZRwwJdpQ62mPrBhtDnSHNxNcAGcifnbUEVZ_dEZwlKePQ7mvKMAV6USua8v4hRmcToNEz2jDmZn1ImzhdqUn8Igt0XBkldtwTiFbdL6ObkdH4jNPc9ovge8PSt9eixXc/s640/Seeds4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
....and now THIS!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9udoTCxBi7RwB5TBIQuTaVNGkBLweKvncj1044qzaN_WFEm7S7X0vDbTucBjPOvUUgpApUB8TPad4z6IB36zJq0CxxCbo9RZ7vuUMcvwZegA76v9B0Xin-5HtbtrNMvQdJJ3Y5D4bL3tK/s1600/garden12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9udoTCxBi7RwB5TBIQuTaVNGkBLweKvncj1044qzaN_WFEm7S7X0vDbTucBjPOvUUgpApUB8TPad4z6IB36zJq0CxxCbo9RZ7vuUMcvwZegA76v9B0Xin-5HtbtrNMvQdJJ3Y5D4bL3tK/s640/garden12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">As you can see we're busting at the seams with these plants and we're planning on putting them in the ground VERY soon, probably like this weekend! So stay tuned for Part 2 of "As the Garden Grows"!</div><br />
<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4454362034792783574.post-30738686856282489862011-02-21T19:09:00.000-08:002011-02-22T13:08:05.752-08:00Starry Skies and Apple PiesWelcome to the country! We are Brad and Britney - in May 2010 we traded the hustle and bustle of the city for the starry skies of the country and we haven't looked back! Follow us on our journey as we learn to live the simple life and hopefully you'll learn a few things along the way too. Our goal is to teach our daughter that life isn't measured by the amount of material things that you acquire, but instead, the relationships that you build and dreams that you chase. <br />
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Layla Palmer at <a href="http://theletteredcottage.net/">The Lettered Cottage</a> really was the inspiration Britney needed to take the leap. It was because of <a href="http://theletteredcottage.net/?p=646">this blog post</a> and the video that it contained that moved her to act - NOW.<br />
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We hope that you will enjoy following our blog and that we inspire YOU! We promise to have a little bit for everyone. So stay tuned for posts coming up this week that include raising chickens, country life and more!<br />
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Get up to the minute info on new blog posts by clicking on the Follow button over there on the right side of this page :)<br />
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Y'all come back now, ya hear?!<br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/brit583/signature.png" />Homegrown Livinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10588035724682281788noreply@blogger.com3