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| Isn't this a neat daisy? It is 2 stems & blooms fused and growing together. |
Spring is finally here in all of its rainy, blustery glory. We've had lots and lots of gray days lately, but we've also had a few beautiful sunny days. Sunny days are not to be squandered indoors. That said, its been mud boots on and everybody outside as much as possible.
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| My snappy purple flowered mud boots. Good for tromping. |
Being outside means that I am giving the chickens and rabbits a little extra care, getting gardens ready to go and hanging laundry out on the line. The first load of wash went out to dry in the breeze yesterday. Line dried sheets, my favorite!
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| Saturday's eggs in a pretty blue bowl. |
Yesterday Matt built me a cold frame YAY!!! I have been dreaming about one of these babies for YEARS. He just has to hinge the roof and put it on and then watch out. My trays of dirt are just waiting to have spinach, kale and leaf lettuce in them and under glass. (Hippie clue #1, I want to grow kale. in a cold frame.)
Last week, our local grocery store had tons of fresh produce on sale. I stocked the fridge with fresh button mushrooms, cilantro, spring onions, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, cucumbers and carrots. To be cooking with fresh ingredients is just so pretty and enjoyable to me. Its really kind of ridiculous how excited I got to make a big pan of eggs scrambled with fresh mushrooms, tiny chopped spring onions, red peppers and ham. Even more laughable is that the next night I used all those same vegetables plus some julienne cut carrots in a saute with kielbasa and served it over couscous. I've never made couscous before and it has kind of an exotic/earthy feel to it for me. (Hippie clue #2, I'm all jazzed over fresh veggies and tiny pasta.)
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| My couscous/sausage/veggie concoction with some of my canned peaches from last fall. |
Recently, I ordered a few essential oils. Just a handful of small bottles that seemed to be the most common. I've used them a little bit so far, but not much. I read that lavender oil and lemon oil are good for chapped skin, so I mixed some up with coconut oil and put it on my face hoping to get rid of a dry patch by my eye. And, I made some bedtime bath salts for the kids. We are big fans of "salt baths" around here. (Hippie clue #3, I am collecting essential oils.)
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| My tiny collection of essential oils. I'm pretty excited about these babies. |
I'm really trying to be mindful of what I put into my home. I try to buy the best quality food with the fewest ingredients as I can. I'm also pretty picky about cleaning products and plastics. I almost solely use glass food storage, plant-based cleaners, cloth napkins and non-paper plates/cups. I was proud of myself for finding a deal on granola cereal at the store last week. They also had a smokin' deal on pudding cups. I have not purchased these things in years. The kids have never had them before. I thought oh what a fun treat for Natalie's lunch and bought four packages. Then after I got them home I started to panic that I bought my children tiny bowls of poison. I got over it and let them eat it, but probably won't buy it again. (Hippie clues #4, 5 & 6 Plastic is pretty much banished from my kitchen. I bought granola cereal on purpose. And pudding made me panic.)
Have no fear, I'm not going to stop shaving my legs or anything like that. I have found as I have gotten older that I am very interested in the way our bodies respond to chemicals. I also like the challenge in finding out just how many things I can do for myself. Living in the country means that we can't run to the store for every little thing. I mean, I could, but then I'd just spend a lot of time driving which completely defeats the purpose. Hence, the quest to find what can we do on our own and what basic ingredients/tools will be most useful to us. So, I guess there's worse things. I'm ok with being a little out there...
