Hiding Out in Winter

It has been a long while since I have written. I think it's the cold air. As soon as it started to creep in I locked myself inside with some knitting needles and cup of hot tea and have been knitting and baking in all my spare moments.  I have finally even mastered a simple white loaf that I make every few days from The Simple Dollar blog.  The girls in the coop should be laying anyday now and are no longer little peeps but instead big fat feathery ladies.  My garden has been resting as everything I hoped to grow through winter has died with the exception of a pea plant that seems to be hanging on for dear life.  I however have been composting and fertilizing and am excited about the return in spring. 

Still hiding till it's warmer Merry Christmas to all...

Updates on the Flock

The chickens have gotten a lot bigger and sadly we lost one:( It didn't die but one morning I went out to check on Ellie and she had grown even more over night her awkwardness replaced with really colorful feathers and she came running over and her beak was all goofy looking.  she had something called crossed beak, or scissor beak.  I did a bit of research and everything said she should be fine just make sure she's eating well and so on.  Well a few days ago, I went out to feed the girls some carrot tops and poor Ellie couldn't grab them.  She had for a few days been pecking at the feeder constantly and so I sat and watched her and she basically got a little food every five or six pecks and managed to spill all the rest of the feed on the ground.  When I let the girls out to free range Ellie stayed in and pecked at her feed and then the next morning she ran straight to the feeder and started her routine.  I finally decided that I had to replace her as I couldn't have her throwing feed everywhere and it's important to me that my chickens free range and she couldn't pick up anything with her beak.  So... I called the feed store where I got her and took her back they have some layers they keep in the back to sell eggs so he put her in with them to see how she does.  I then called my friend over at East Central Ministries as they are raising pullets to sell and I checked to see if they could sell me one early.  They told me to come by and take my pick so yesterday I went and picked up my new barred rock she is probably about a month older but has been doing great with the other girls. Asher named her Kala Polka Dot hope she lives up to that name.

Molly the Leghorn (I think) & Kala Polka Dot the new Barred Rock

I also have been taking the hens to various schools around town and talking to the kids about them.  They love it and the girls do pretty well. I really only take Annie or Duffie as they seem to be the most social of the bunch.  Today I got to go to Ash's preschool for show and tell.  Fun was had by all and I learned that preschoolers have a very short attention span.

Annie the Buff Orphington hoping for a special treat.

Last but not least we have been getting awesome little salad tomatoes from the garden and today we ate our first zucchini. For winter, I planted a ton of salad and peas and one managed to pop up where I did not plant it (weird the goings on when I am not watching) and I noticed a few salad sprouts so hopefully they make it this time.

Drowning in Pears

We have been drowning in bartlett pears all this month and I had said earlier I would share a bit about canning them so here it is.  First I will talk about harvest time.  We didn't think we would get very many pears due to the fact our tree had fire blight (probably because I didn't get the leaves cleaned up right away from last year). Fireblight is not a friend to your tree and does effect your fruit production.  However our tree still produced a ton.  We harvested over three days and since we didn't spray our trees for worms most of our pears were mostly baking pears.  I sliced a lot of them and canned them in a light syrup, some of them I mashed and made something similar to applesauce but we will call it pear jelly, and I also made my first liquer.

First, pears straight off the tree are gross... they need to age a bit...harvest your pears before they are soft and stick them in the fridge for a day, then put them in a paper bag for about 3-4 days and your pears will be aged to perfection.  (you can now put them back in the fridge till you are ready to use them)

To prepare you jars get them together and sterilize them either in your dishwasher or boiling water for 10 minutes.  Put your little self-sealing lids in warm water to soften the rubbery part. The ring lid doesn't  really matter as long as it still screws onto the jar well.

To make basic canned pears:

Take as many pears as you want and wash them, peel them, core them, you can cut them in halves or quarters.

I think I did about 4 cups for my first test batch but do as many as you feel like doing. Sprinkle the pears with the juice of two lemons to add acidity and keep them from browning.

To make the light syrup: lightly boil 6 cups of water and add 2 cups of sugar to the boiling water.

Now add the pears to the water for about 5 minutes (this is the hot pack method, some people just pour the liquid over the pears in the jars).  After 5 minutes scoop out the pears and add them to your prepared jars then pour the liquid into each jar about a half inch from the top of the jar. then put your new lid on and seal the jar snugly but not too tight.

Now I processed the jars in a water bath which is basically a big pot with boiling water that I place the jars in. The water should cover the jar tops by one inch for about 20 minutes.  I don't have a pressure canner and so I use this method.  Processing times vary but altitude and jar sizes though so do a quick search before you take my word for it;)

To make what I call pear jelly: (basically because that's what i meant to make.)

Take as many pears as you want and wash them, peel them, core them, you can cut them in halves or quarters.I probably cut about 6 cups of pears. then I put them in a large pot, sprinkled them with about 2 TBS of lemon juice and simmered them for about 20 minutes. 

When they are soft put them in a blender and blend into sauce. You could take what you have so far and can it like this.

I wanted to make jelly so I needed to add more sugar. So I put what was left back in the pot and I knew from the blender I had 4 cups of pear so I always add 3/4 sugar to fruit for jam. So I added 3 cups of sugar to the pot. Now bring up the heat to medium and stir (babysit it) till it starts to get thick and seem to stick to the spoon.  Usually about 15 minutes.  I test by placing a plate in the freezer and dripping the jam onto to it till it isn't runny on the plate.

When the jelly is no longer runny it is ready to can.  Pour it into your prepared jars and seal it and process the same as before.

I don't think the finished product is actually pear jelly but it's darn tasty and I have been using it as jelly on my toast and it's spectacular.

To make pear liqueur: I haven't tasted this yet as it's still brewing but it smells amazing.

Drop the following in a wide mouth half gallon jar.

1/2 lb of pears sliced

1 1/2 cups of vodka

1 pinch of cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 pinch of cloves

2 coriander seeds

Seal the jar and steep for three weeks. Strain and filter. Taste and adjust flavor by adding fruit or sugar syrup (below).

Steep another 3-4 weeks, strain. Ready to use! This yields about 1.5 pints of liqueur.

Make a syrup by adding 1 cup of sugar to 1/2 cup of boiling water. boil together for about 5 minutes till the sugar dissolves.It must be cool before adding it to the jar.

Giving Pears to friends:  Another great way to use up your pears is to give them to friends.  A friend of mine made me some pear baklava with the pears I gifted her and I recieved many fun things in trade for the pears I gifted my neighbors with.  Anyway these are just a few ideas or how I have used my abundance I didn't expect this year!

Food Delivery Day

Today we received our first delivery from Los Poblanos CSA.  I had been told many things and we often buy their produce at the farmers market so I figured I should check it out.  I would tell you about the awesomeness I found online at their site but you should really discover it's greatness yourself.  I will say we will be saving money on produce and are now able to order almost all our food at one place and have it delivered to our home!  Anyway My fridge is full of freshness from the farm and there are only two things I had never seen before.  I will post later about what they are and how I can use them.

On a much sadder note my poor pumpkins seem to be dying and I can't figure out why.  I also found out today Los Poblanos does a u pick pumpkins which is pretty cool.

Anyway made some chai mix this morning so I enjoyed a nice hot cup of chai while I fed the girls some carrot tops...a little known fact is: if you store your carrots in the fridge with the tops on they will drain the carrots of nutrients and so the carrots don't last as long. So chop those tops off and feed them to your chickens!

Ash Eru

Well, I was inside blogging when Alf notified me I should check on Ash.

The kids are not allowed to play on the rocks in front of the chickens cause the rocks get pushed down and we have to re-rake till we move them.  So Ash made a sign and decided to protect the chickens from the falling rocks.  The sign translated is supposed to let Aislin know she is not allowed on the rocks.

Goings on around the Stead

So it's been awhile but I finally have a computer and thus I am able to write a bit more and update you all on everything that has been going on lately.
So since I left you last we have built our little coop in the backyard completely from things that we found or received for free from fellow freecyclers.  We had hoped to have a big coop raising party but then we realized we had no money to throw a party and so we decided to wait another week which would have been fine but apparently chickens are sort of like mutants when it comes to growing.  So we went out to check them Sunday morning and found they had all like doubled in size so we had to act fast.
They are enjoying there new digs though and I think it came out just fine for a free coop;)

The garden is doing very well.  We have a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes ready for harvest I have been harvesting pears all week and will be canning a lot of them for the winter.  I will post some info about canning when I start the process since I don't have a pressure canner I will be using the water bath pressure method which is just fine for acidic foods or even foods you add a bit of citric acid to. Overall as the weather is starting to turn a bit I realize that the garden experience this spring and summer has been mostly good.  I have learned a ton.  I now know when is the best time to plant tomatoes.  How to effectively burn a tomato plant to death,  How quickly squash bugs will eat your little squash plant, The awesomeness of the praying mantis, How to effectively freeze a tomato plant, Birds love seeds, birds are smarter than you think, Bees are our friends, good soil is the trick to growing anything, Albuquerque soil mostly sucks.

All together I killed garlic, a potato, 2 large tomato plants and a squash plant, some strawberries, and tons of beans and peas. I later realized something was eating them from underground (still unsolved).

I realized that those cool little snails are my hugest enemy and now pay Ash 5 cents for every one he finds.

Chickens are good for your health I wake up with the sun every morning to let them out and feed them and suddenly I have all this time to enjoy my garden and the nice breezy grey of the morning when I can read my bible or just enjoy the silence.  I have learned that the garden is frozen in the morning like it did all this hard work through the night and is taking in a deep breathe or praise for it's life. The chickens have helped me enjoy that and soon they will help me enjoy a fresh egg with it!

Oh the beauty or creation just passes us by way too much!

Finally with the Chickens!!

So we have been putting off getting chickens because we had hoped to be moving to Kentucky and then all our plans changed and we are staying here in Albuquerque and so I am moving forward with all my Kentucky plans here. So the first thing on my list was get the garden going which I have started and is slowing creeping over the whole yard I will take pics next time.  Alf actually suggested we get rid of our front lawn and plant veggies that is how much I have converted him to my crazy ways!! The second thing that needed to happen was chicken so we went this weekend and got our nice little flock of five.  They are in the super cute stage still and we are all having a blast watching them do their little chicken things like trying to fly and fighting over invisible things and straw.

I also finished my first self watering container and am planning a larger one very soon.  I am hoping to start the master gardener course here but am looking at the application and it is slightly intimidating so I will keep you posted.

I haven't been posting as much since Alfy has been doing webwork and currently has the run of the computer but he will be getting a work computer and I will be getting old betsy.  So I will post a ton more. I have so many things to talk about but for now just wanted to let you know what was up:)

Color Kits

I hate finding little bits of crayons in the bottom of my purse so I made this first little color kit as I've been wanting something to keep in my purse that would keep together the kids crayons. I figured it would be cool to add a little space for a small notepad or book and so I left a little spot for a small moleskin or other cute pad.  Anyway it folds up nicely and protects my stuff from the kiddos coloring items and protects the crayons from my purse.

On a completely different note, our house has been on the market for 110 days and I am now hoping since we waited this long we will be around for the cherries and peaches.  My spinach is growing quite nicely and I hung out some lavender to dry earlier today.  Maybe to make some little sachets:)

Fun Fabrics for pillows

Pillows are a great project for any beginner seamstress!  You can't go wrong with fun fabrics and if you don't have money for fabric look around your house for old sweaters, window treatments, sheets, and any other type of fun print you can find.  I even fill my pillows sometimes with scrap fabrics I save from my various projects.

 I have been helping my new friend L with getting her house looking hip and fun.  It has been great because I haven't been able to do too much with my house since everything needs to look neutral. She has similar style so I feel it's like an outlet for me to help her.  Anyway these are the fun pillows I finished for her in the commercials for the Lost finale.  Anyway can't wait to make more.

Sewing some more

Just finished a cute little bedspread and pillow for Aislin's bed.  I have been wanting to get this stuff done so her room looks a little more put together and so I am glad to say it is done.  I used scrap fabric for almost the whole thing. I found the fun top fabric at the flea market for a steal.  I hope that I have enough left to make a small dress.

Cherry Trees... learning the hard way.

I have been absolutely enthralled with progress of the cherry tree.  Watching it bloom and shed flowers and then little cherries appearing has been exciting. So.. today when I went out and saw my little cherry babies on the ground I was a little freaked out.  I pulled out my iphone and began the search for what was wrong with my beautiful tree. I discovered I have borers which basically suck and are hard to get rid off.  This does explain why the peach tree in the front yard was having a hard time when we moved in and why my cherry tree looked a little sad near the end of spring last year.  Anyway I rushed to the store and got some spray and put Alf to work right away.  We cut off the dead looking parts of the tree and sprayed it down.  We also sprayed the little peach tree out front which has some peaches coming out so hopefully we can keep them both alive.  We still will get a good batch of cherries this year ( or someone will) just not enough to feed the entire block:)

The Wonderful World of Toothpaste

I had mentioned making toothpaste in one of my previous blogs so I thought I should give you an update and share the recipe.  This recipe is not good it is actually awesome.  I will not use store bought toothpaste again.  Alf actually brought a  good size tube of fancy paste home from his parents house and it totally pales in comparison.  This toothpaste is whitening my teeth, and keeping them feeling shiny like when you get your teeth cleaned at the dentist and it leaves your mouth minty fresh.  So try it.

Toothpaste Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
4 tsp vegetable glycerin ( can me found at whole foods in the skincare area)
4+ drops of peppermint oil ( add the oil to taste )
2 packets or splenda or sweetener of choice.

Mix all ingredients to a paste-like consistency. store in an airtight container.
That's it.

I have mine in a little tupperware in the bathroom.
Alf says he prefers it over the other toothpaste too so I have to gives little experiment an A+.

Happy Mother's Day to me.

I don't think I have had as much fun on Mother's Day.  At first I thought our plans to skip church were not really gonna work in my favor as every mom knows Mothers day is the one guaranteed day of the year for flowers.  Alf laughed at me when he realized my only reason for wanting to go to church was a free flower.  Well anyway I have been wanting to go to the museum for awhile as it's free on Sundays and we always have had church so we went to the Albuquerque museum ( which is the art museum here).  It was pretty cool to see and then we topped it off with some Doghouse hot dogs.  All day Ash kept telling me it was my day and I could have whatever I wanted.  Alf got me some flowers and took on dinner and bedtimes.  It was a great day.  Ash said he likes getting to go special places everyday and wants to know what we are doing tomorrow.

Zoo Day!

We have been wanting to take a trip to the zoo so we all loaded in the car this morning and headed over.  It was slightly chilly which was perfect as there was not a million people there.  We dragged along our nephew and Alf took the day off so there was fun had by all.

Whooo Are You.

Sewing is by far an essential skill to any homesteader and I think if you can't sew at least a little you are really lacking a wonderful skill.  I enjoy sewing as it gives me a creative outlet but also serves in very practical ways.  I like to challenge myself and my next big challenge is definitely a summer dress for Ais.  The only trick to sewing for me is getting it done with the kids doing something else as the machine is just way too exciting and they hang there little heads over my machine, and chatter, and constantly want to touch. Since I have no desire to explain how my kids finger is now stuck in my sewing machine to the doctor. I try to plan out my sewing time.
Anyway, I have been wanting to get some sewing done and didn't have time to take on the dress but I wanted an owl to add to my decor.  So I drew out a little pattern and sewed him up.  I think he came out looking pretty cute.  I let Ash take care of him but he has been warned not to go "all Boy" on him as he is delicate.  he has been watching over the fish.

The clothesline and fresh flowers

Today has been nice and bright.  I went out to check on the flowers and decided to decorate a bit with them.  We have a lot of lavender in our yard and I think it should be used so after reading how to cut it and a million ways to use it. After arranging a nice vase full of fresh flowers I went to check laundry and since I was washing some blankets I thought it would be better to use the line to dry.  Last time I used the line I couldn't figure out how to keep it from sagging.  So I found the metal poles and set it up and then it still sagged. Finally I put the cord around the little circle on the metal line holder and that seemed to work great the blankets are outside blowing in the wind.  I can't wait to try our some lavender recipes... yes you can cook with lavender.

I have conquered butter!

I have been wanting to try to make butter and haven't had the time till today.  Today is cinco de mayo but I had butter on my mind and nothing was going to change that.  I had some cream in the fridge that was going to go to waste if it wasn't used up soon.  I poured it into a mason jar capped it and let it sit all day.  In the evening I grabbed it off the counter and went to watch some tv.  I gently shook it while I watched, I wanted to relax not concentrate too much.  The cream sloshed back and forth for the first half of the show I wondered if I was doing it right.  It got nice and thick and started to coat the inside of the jar.  I wondered if it was ready but instead I kept shaking and suddenly I heard a thud.  Well just like that it separated into butter and buttermilk.  I shook a little more and then headed to the kitchen opened the jar and inside was my butter!  I strained out the buttermilk with cheesecloth and then rinsed the butter with water.  Kneaded it a little and got nice and buttery then put it into a little butter tub.  I of course toasted some bread and shared some with everyone.  It was so easy I will probably never buy butter again.  I like that I can salt it, or add any flavors I like and know I made it!

Liquid Hand Soap Recipe

I made some hand soap today since I had some glycerin I bought to make toothpaste yesterday (which came out great), I figured I would go ahead and make some handsoap since we needed some and well I had the time. So here is part of the batch. I think it came out well.

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1 bar of soap or soap scraps you have on hand

7 cups water

1 TBS glycerin

1 TBS honey

peppermint oil

lavender oil

1. Grate the bar of soap.

2. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a blender with the grated soap and set it on “whip.”

3. Add 1 TBS of glycerin, 1 TBS honey, 7 drops of peppermint oil, and 7 drops of lavender oil. Stir.

4. Let the mixture cool for 15 or 20 minutes and then “whip” it again.

5. Add cold water until the mixture measures 6 cups total.

6. Whip the mixture again.

7. Pour the mixture into a storage container without the lid and let it cool.

8. Fill a pump dispenser with your soap. Be sure to shake well before using.

The cherry tree and the apricot tree are sprouting pretty little fruities!

I made toothpaste today. I will post the recipe some other day. Today however I found things in the garden and wanted to share.

The Playground Concert

I have been working on a concert to raise money for a playground at East Central Ministries and tonight was the night. It was fun to say the least. We had a great crowd and raised a little bit to add to the puzzle and we also got a good list of volunteers to add to building day. I got to share the stage with a young local named Jenny Gonzales whose voice is like silk. Then I played a set and we finished the night with the Albuquerque Boys Choir who topped off the night with bango, pvc pipes, accordion, kazoos and more. I loved every bit of it. Thank You to everyone who pitched in to make this happen! If you'd like to help with the building or funding of this project please email me.

Here is ECM's website: www.eastcentralministries.org

In Memory of what would have been

Well, I have been wanting to post about the exciting things that have been going on outside our window. Some morning doves had been hanging around and I couldn't figure out why until I looked a little closer and there was a mommy bird in her nest waiting. Ever since the discovery we have been keeping the blinds closed to give some privacy and only peeked here and there. I have to say morning doves can be a bit annoying in the morning but I was excited about getting to see some little babies out our window.

Well today was the windiest day ever and I watched as the couple tried to last but after about an hour of the wind blowing I noticed the mommy was gone and then I spotted the couple near the nest but not on it. Like the were discussing what they should do. I went out to check and see if I could block the nest some how from the wind but when I looked into the tree. The nest had fallen and I couldn't see if there were eggs as the nest fell over the wall. Anyway they hung around for awhile into the night but by the morning they had gone. I was so sad as they were a little bit of excitement in my day and yet my piece of nature was taken out by nature.

What's in the garden

Well I got some more plants today from East Central Ministries since the weather has been wacky I've been keeping them in but I hope to plant in a few days. So our current plant lineup is:

tons of Lavender

Peppermint

Chocolate peppermint

lilac pepper

jalapeno pepper

garlic

patio tomato

strawberries

a larger tomato

some sad spinach and bok choy

that's just the edibles not counting the fruit trees and flowers that are popping up:)

I know we will miss out on most of this but I feel great passing it on.

Best buddies

One of the teachers at my daughters school brings eggs for the kids to watch hatch every year. Ducks and chickens have been popping up every few days this month. The kids love to visit before we head out of school so I snapped this little guy snuggled up with his buddy.

Haircuts, Crackers, Salsa, and Pizza and it's Earth Day

Today Alf finally got to be home, He brought his mom over and I finally gave them both much needed haircuts. I have been wanting to copy some great salsa we got at the store. I will post the recipe if my hubby gives me the thumbs up on the copy. I then made another batch of crackers and some amazing homemade pizza. Then I headed to the couch for my vampire show cause I am totally into that right now.

Alf asked me what I did to celebrate earth day today and I have to say I have celebrated better today over every year of my life. I bought a new mint plant for the garden, made everything from scratch, composted, recycled and filled up the trash can after about a week which is pretty good for a family of four. I will also count enjoying the rain because the rain means I don't have to water for a couple days which is also loving the earth a little more:) Mostly for me it was exciting to look back and see how many steps we have taken to be a little bit lighter on our planet and community.

Yeah for crafty April !!

Today I felt very ambitious so I hopped out of bed and started a new project. I have hated Ash's room because after I painted for the move it all just blends together so I figured I could add some color by painting his dresser. I found some fun blue paint and ended up with a nice splash of color. I also packed a ton of stuff and cleaned but I am more proud of this:

Happy Birthday to me

I asked for three things for my birthday.

1. a bottle of wine

2. an organic chocolate bar

3. my house to sell

I got the first two and my hubby also surprised my with a book I have been wanting.

The house still hasn't sold but I have more time to enjoy it I guess.

I'm not afraid of bees anymore... today anyway

Today was a beautiful day, one of those that makes me rethink moving. The air was fresh and light and the garden is starting to get little hints of green. The Cherry tree is just gorgeous and has been blooming this week. Today when I went out to water the garden I heard the tree buzzing. Tons of honey bees were working on getting our tree ready for harvest. I for the first time, felt a little respect for those hard working bees. I told Alfy that I was no longer afraid of bees and I wanted to stay he laughed. I guess he knows it will wear off in a day or two.

Cheese and Crackers

By far our favorite family snacking treat is cheese and crackers but I hate buying crackers every other week especially because the healthier are pretty pricey. So today I figured I would try to make some myself. First, they are organic whole wheat blend and second, the batch was huge and they taste great. By far the simplest recipe I've made in awhile. The recipe is extremely forgiving and flexible which is why I liked it so much.

I only use organic ingredients so assume that in this recipe:

Simply Organic Crackers

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a medium bowl stir together the flours, and salt. Pour in veggie oil and water and mix till blended ( I add some italian spices and a touch of garlic salt)

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough as thin as possible - no thicker than 1/8 in. Place dough on an ungreased baking sheet, and mark squares out with a pizza cutter but don't cut through. Prick each cracker with a fork a few times, and sprinkle with salt ( I also sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven, or until crisp and light brown. Baking time may be different depending on how thin your crackers are.

When cool, remove from baking sheet, and separate into individual crackers.

Original Recipe By Ray Anne

Open MIC... an excuse to try some local brew

My Misty friend has been plugging a great local brewery, Hallenbrick Brewery, down the street from me for awhile and I woke up today with a desire to play music so I figured why not try it out on their open mic night. I hear their home brew is amazing but they were out so I just tried a local pale ale and it was pretty tasty. The place was packed and I learned how to play Shuffleboard which I guess prepares me for playing with my old hubby when we have to move to an old people community in the next few years.

Anyway I had fun getting out of the house.

Real Easter Eggs!!

We got a special delivery this morning from my dad who has recently gotten the hook-up on eggs. Since I can't really get chickens till we move I have had to succumb to buying overpriced organic local farm eggs. I do feel good about eating them but conflicted knowing it would be easy to get my own eggs everyday if we weren't moving. Anyway this morning we went to visit my dad's church and he asked me if I could take his eggs and keep them in my fridge so I went in to get them and there on his desk was a whole coffee container full of beautiful colored eggs!! Someone from his church supplies some local growers markets with eggs and has adopted my dad into his egg stash family. My dad was surprised at my excitement and told me I could take as many as I would use. I did leave some for him even though I would use them all. Anyway it was exciting to get such a great gift on easter. In return I took one of my sangria experiments over for easter lunch and it was delicious! Everyone else agreed, although they will not be commenting on the organic, no hormone, hotdogs I brought as well;)

Citrus Sangria Recipe ( the pic is what was left after lunch )

1 Bottle of cheap Chardonney your hubby gifted you ( or similar white wine)

2/3 cup white sugar

3 oranges

1 lemon

1 lime

1/2 liter club soda

The night before, Pour wine into a large pitcher. Cut lime and lemon and orange into wedges an squeeze the juice into the wine and drop wedges into the pitcher(try to take out seeds if possible). Add sugar. Put into fridge to sit overnight. When you are ready to serve add the club soda and serve over ice. If you want it sweeter you can use ginger ale instead of the club soda. Enjoy:)

Farmers Market Bonus Day

The Los Ranchos Growers Market had a special St. Patty's day celebration and the kids and I were not gonna miss it. They were even selling chickens which we had to drool over and bypass because we can't get any till we move. We did get some "wild" mushrooms and some plants a tomato, bok choy, garlic and spinach. We hope these will make it to the garden but it's still pretty cold out so we will have to give them extra love. The garlic, I am sure, will do just fine.