Houston, We Have an Egg!

Our first egg! Excuse the fuzziness, I stuck my arm in the coop to take it. I found it Wednesdayafternoon when I let the girls out. I did the usual, " I guess that I should take a look." Surprise! An egg. I did a happy dance all of the way back into the house to get the camera.

Later in the afternoon I decided that I should take a look around to see if there were eggs anywhere else around the yard. Sure enough, I found a clutch of eggs in the claw foot tub. The claw foot tub also happened to be Lydia's new favorite spot.

Here are all five of the her pretty eggs. We are so proud of Lydia. Five eggs means that she had been laying for five days or so. I checked the eggs to make sure that they were good. To test an egg you can put it in a glass of water. If it floats, it is bad. The sinkers win. Every egg sunk. Ya-hoo! Normally I don't know that I will wash the eggs. If you don't wash the eggs they can stay unrefrigerated for 7-10 days. They have a natural coating called a bloom that keeps bacteria out.

I am so excited to have fresh eggs of our own. Did you know that by the time eggs arrive at your local grocery store that they are an average of one month old? Just think about how long we let them sit in our own fridges after we buy them. I am so happy for my fresh eggs.

And look how pretty fresh eggs are. Here is another fuzzy picture. It is hard to take a photo of an egg yolk. I wanted you to see how rich and almost orange it is. That is a free range egg! A deep color is a good sign of good nutrition. Let me tell you, it was yummy! It will still take awhile to get used to getting breakfast from our pets. It's not something that we are used to.

Thank you Lydia for the delicious eggs! She laid anther one today in the nesting box in the hen house! Go Lydia. What a smart girl you are. Thanks to my sister for this amazing photo of Lydia. Isn't she stunning?

And not to be left out ~ Atta Girl sitting on the handrail of our back steps. They like to sit there and look into the house. Atta Girl, will you be our next egg layer?

Mixed Emotions

Tonight I sit here with mixed emotions. Ok, mostly sad. I have been waiting to address it, but tonight is the night. I have spoken of my 94 year old neighbor on here many times before. I love her with all of my heart. She has been there my whole life. She saw my Momma's belly swollen with me, my first steps, scraped knees, and waved across the fence to me on my wedding day. We often sat and rocked and talked about food, the neighborhood and what God was up to. Her bible was always open- always. She is the most amazing prayer warrior that I know. If you need prayer you call her!

Two weeks ago Mrs. Williams took the plunge and moved outside of Mobile with her youngest daughter. To see the boxes packed up broke my heart. When I hugged her neck and she said, " I love you" just like she always does I almost lost it. We didn't say goodbye, but that we'd talk soon. Well, now I am losing it. I miss her terribly. We are watching over her house. And it is SO empty without her there.

She is doing well at her daughter's, eating more and gaining strength. I am so glad. I have called three times to check on her and just might call her every night from here on out. It just seems right. She has so much wisdom to share- she never drove, still wears only dresses, picked cotton for much of her life, hated to clean and cook but loved to eat and work outside. Oh, how I miss that woman! God be with her.

My emotions are mixed tonight because her great grandson and his wife will be moving into her house for awhile. They will fix it up a bit in exchange for staying there while they look for a place to buy. They are very nice, young, seem hard working. But they are not Mrs. Williams.

Change is good. It will be good to have someone next door. But will they pray for me? Check to see if we are at home? Ask me to come fix the t.v. or stove? Bake Dave a cake for mowing the lawn? Or shove $2 in your hand for taking her to the store or the doctor? Oh, what fond memories I have. I know that the new neighbors will be good too.

For goodness sakes Kara! She hasn't gone to heaven just to Alabama! It sure does feel like I have lost her though. Kind of like a big chunk of my heart is missing and aching still in place all at the same time. I miss her. I think that a trip to Alabama will be coming along here soon. We'll see how long I can wait.

For now it is off to bed with a book, some prayers for my friends and a special one for Mrs. Williams, thanking God to have her in my life.

Oh My Lands, This is Good!

Ok, so I bought some Swiss Chard last week at the farmers market. Absolutely beautiful. No clue what I would do with it. Poor chard. It sat in the fridge for a week. Today I had the will to cook it and thought about putting it on pizza. Sounds crazy, I know. I googled chard recipes. Tons of them out there! I settled on this one from Angel Valley Organic Farm in Jonestown, TX. You have to try this!!!! Lucky me I planted chard with my fall veggies. So excited!

For once, I followed the recipe pretty much as is.. It is tricky to get it on the hot pizza stone. Try flipping it over onto a cutting board then carefully flipping it onto the hot stone. So worth it! Excellent with some red wine. Yum...I am off to relax and enjoy this delicious meal.

Chard Pizza

Pizza dough:

4-1/2 tablespoons hot water

4-1/2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

pinch of sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached white flour

Combine the hot water and the milk. Add yeast and sugar, and stir to dissolve the yeast. Mix in the olive oil and whole wheat flour. Gradually add the white flour, stirring to make a soft dough – the dough should be a little moist. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface (I use whole wheat flour for this) and knead it for about 5 minutes. Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a warm, damp towel and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes or so.

Pizza topping:

1 bunch chard (or any other greens of choice), roughly chopped

1 small red or yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

handful of chopped pecans or walnuts

balsamic or red wine vinegar to taste

salt

olive oil for sautéing

4-5 ounces white cheddar or mozzarella cheese, grated

While pizza dough is rising, place pizza stone in a 500 degree oven, and warm it for 20 minutes. In the meantime, sauté onion in olive oil until it begins to soften. Stir in chard, handfuls at a time, and cook it all until wilted. Season to taste with salt and vinegar. After dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface, and place it on a well-floured pizza peel or back side of a metal pizza pan. Distribute all but a few tablespoons of the cheese over the dough. Cover with the greens mixture, the chopped garlic, the pecans, and then the rest of the cheese. Slide the pizza onto the warmed pizza stone and bake in 500 degree oven for about 11 minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned.

No Time!

Where does the time go! I have so much to talk about and no time to talk about it.

Our anniversary came and went with a trip to Chattanooga. It was wonderfully relaxing. Pictures to come...

My birthday came and went with some small celebratory dinners and sweet sentiments from Dave, friends and family.

We lost one of our new chickens. Brown Chicken was very shy. Something gobbled her up during the night. She had gotten confused and gone to bed outside of the coop. Everyone else seems to be coping well. I choose to believe that she is in chicken heaven roaming the green fields. The new white chicken has been watching out for the little ones. We have named her Lydia. The other small chicken has yet to be named. Any suggestions?

I am having a Narimon party tonight and I am so excited. I am excited to educate people about the scope of human trafficking and prostitution. I am excited to see so many friends and family. Are you coming?

Gotta run! The day ahead is long and I have much to do. I promise to write and post pictures soon.

Birthday Wishes

It is almost that time of year again~my birthday. It snuck up on me quickly this year. October is a seriously busy month, especially this year. There is just so much going on. I am finding this year that my desires are changing. I mean, what I want or need.

Honestly, there aren't many needs in our life. For that, I am grateful. I do have some desires. I have decided this year to invest in our life. I have asked the family for fruit trees to plant in the backyard. I would love to have a small orchard. For now, 3-4 trees will do.

I have a wish list up on amazon. You can access it by looking up my name or email address. I like to look at people's lists out of pure curiosity. What do other people desire? Do we have the same desires? I have a ton of cook books listed, bird feeders, books, calendars, movies, a grain mill, etc. Mostly stuff for life or enjoyment of life. My guilty pleasures are the movies and a watch.

Do you have a list? What is on it? Desires, needs?

My birthday isn't until next week. I am wishing for good times with great friends. I can't imagine anything better for my birthday. I think that is a desire and a need!

You're Invited

You're Invited to a jewelry party! I have handed out many invitations, but failed to get any in the mail. So, here is your invitation. This is a Narimon jewelry party. Here is a bit about Narimon~

You know that dream where you stand naked in front of a crowd of people? You feel dumb, ashamed. You have no dignity. You wake up glad it was only a nightmare.

Now imagine having that same dream every night.

Now imagine that it is not a dream, but real.

This is life for many thousands of Thai women and girls, who one way or another have been forced into showing and selling their bodies.

Now imagine that someone comes along and hands you the most beautiful garment you have ever seen. You put it on, it fits perfectly. You hold your head up, feeling once again that you are someone.

This is Narimon, the women's product division of Servantworks. Narimon products are handmade by women and girls who either once were forced to sell their dignity, or by their situation were at high risk to do so. Now they not only have work, but they make something they can be proud of. They begin to understand, some for the first time, that they are valuable beyond measure.

There was once a time when people knew who made the goods they purchased--the baker, the shoemaker, the blacksmith, the milkman, the tailor, etc. They weren't just goods, they represented relationships. When you bought a suit, you knew you helped John feed his family. In today's superstore world, things are just things. Something might bear the a famous name, but it's actually designed by an unnamed employee and made by someone else in a huge factory.

Narimon products are made with quality in mind, not charity. Each product is personally signed by its creator. When you buy a Narimon product, you know that you have helped a woman find her dignity.

Want to support the cause? Join us October 19th from 5-7pm. I'll have a few good eats and drinks and we will shop! The jewelry will be there, no catalog orders. Come get your Christmas shopping on and feel good about your spending. You are helping someone!

Leave me a comment if you want to come. Please include your email address or a way that I can contact you with directions. All are welcome! If you live out of town consider hosting your own Narimon party!

What You can do to Make a Difference

After reading Not For Sale, I wanted to know what I can do to make a difference. I found Wellspring for Living. They are a great organization. A representative actually came out and spoke to our FCA at school. They did a fantastic job and the students really paid attention.

In November they are having a 5k and 10k to raise money and awareness. I have decided to walk the 5k with some friends and students. Others are going to join us and run it. Want to join us? Click on the "Stop Injustice Run" to register. Under group name type in Marietta High School FCA. Also take a minute to get acquainted with Wellspring for Living. I think that you will be impressed with what they are doing. I am hoping for 12 or more people to join our group. Will you?