Nesting??? (A tour of new my sewing studio)

I think this impulse of mine to clean and organize has something to do with the appearance of these.

Daffodils… Hooray!

It’s official – I have spring fever. We’ve been extremely blessed with temps in the mid-70’s for the last couple of weeks. I’ve been soaking up sunshine and airing out the house with all of the windows open. Ahhhh… It’s so nice. In other news, I’m scheduled for surgery on Monday. M-O-N-D-A-Y! I’ve been cleaning and organizing like a mad woman knowing I’ll be very much handicapped for weeks. Somebody should tell my bones it’s almost Spring, for crying out loud! They don’t have permission to misbehave this time of year. I’m yearning to get my hands dirty. But, that’ll have to wait. This time, my new neurosurgeon will be using bone from my hip to give my neck some extra help with the mending process. I’m hoping this will be my last surgery. Enough of that… would you like a peak at my new sewing studio?

I’m not quite finished with it, but I’m happy with how it’s looking so far. The paint color is Faded Ink by Martha Stewart. I adore the color for these walls.

I pulled out my favorite fabrics from my stash for display (and hopefully some inspiration.)There’s so many projects I’ve been wanting to tackle, but my neck hasn’t been cooperative. I’m optimistic that’ll change soon.

If you don’t yet have one of these nifty storage caddies, go out right now and get one. They’re perfect for holding sewing notions and patterns. The best part? I can roll it right over to where I need it. Bliss.

I love looking at everything all organized and color coded. It brings me joy.

It’s all about the simple things people.

This little gem has wheels, too. I am a blessed seamstress.

The bottom shelf holds all of my knitting needles, and the black cabinets hold my children’s art supplies.

Wonder of wonders, I actually enjoy sitting here again! This space has been in disarray for months.

I don’t know why I waited so long to do this…

Oh wait, that’s right. My neck. But now that I know they’ll be fixing me up Monday, I figured it didn’t matter if I wiggled something out of place!

I adore old mason jars. They’re wonderful for storing so many things.

I actually use them to store dry food goods as well. (With new lids, of course.)

If I happen to be sitting here, I most certainly have Pandora blaring. Coldplay radio. Give it a listen.

First up when I get my neck in working order is this precious memory game. That Alicia Paulson is one crafty chic!

I highly recommend Stitched in Time if you enjoy sewing for your family. Love it.

Before I let you slip away, I just have to show off this bench and shelf my sweetheart made for me.

Isn’t it wonderful? I think so. And best of all, we now have a proper place for our shoes and coats.

(And a temporary place to put sleeping bags until they make it to our weekend backyard campout.)

I could never be a vegetarian

… and this is why. Oh-so-yummy, grass-fed, locally raised beef. Enough said.

Not only does it taste divine, but I also believe grass-fed meat (bone broth and butter in particular) has many health benefits. That’s not to say that we eat a large slab of meat at every meal. I’m also very frugal, and steak is a rare treat. We enjoy beans and locally grown organic produce in abundance. I make just about everything we eat from scratch. Yes, it takes up a good portion of my day, but I look at is as an investment in our health. I use my crockpot on the days I lack inspiration (or energy). It just feels right for me to be in the kitchen. I mill my own grain into flour, and I’m sure to soak all grains (and nuts and beans) before we consume them. We drive a considerable distance to obtain raw milk. I could go on and on about nourishing food and traditional food preparation methods, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that I really wish we’d been eating this way all along. Maybe then I wouldn’t have Crohn’s disease (DO NOT click if you are faint of heart!)… or be suffering with degenerative discs in my neck… or need 2 more cervical spine surgeries. Ugh! Enough looking back. I’m moving forward these days. I’ve been eating this way for a little over a year now. My digestive system is healthier than it’s been in a long time. We regenerate our bones at the rate of 20% per year. The way I see it, if I keep eating nourishing foods, in 5 years I can have new, nourished, healthy bones! Allow me to be a blessing to you – take my advice: get your own copy of Nourishing Traditions. Please don’t wait until you are sick to think about what you are putting into your mouth. My grandmother always told me, “You are what you eat.” And that’s the truth, my friends. “When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.” ~Psalm 128:2 (NKJV)

Putting up peaches the easy way

This is a post I meant to write a couple of months ago. Sigh.

At the end of the summer a dear friend gifted me with a half-bushel of local peaches – talk about a good gift!

I feel so blessed to live in Alabama where we have access to a wide variety of local food year round.

I’m trying my hand at a fall/winter garden this year, and I’m longing for broccoli, turnips, and spinach!

Our weather is just now cooperating and accommodating to cool season veggies.

But, back to the peaches… these are soooo good!

I really meant to get a batch of preserves made, but it didn’t happen.

I have a feeling that my family won’t mind all the winter cobblers we’ll be having when there’s no more fresh fruit.

The freezer is stocked!

A busy season (and I’m still here!)

I’ve had an incredibly busy season around here the past few weeks. Actually, I quite literally bitten off more than I could chew!

I’ve been teaching a bible study, attending another, substituting for Daniel’s class, planting my fall garden, learning to cook without gluten (more on that later), and trying to maintain my sanity while keeping up with all of my usual chores… WHEW! I’m still here. Tired, but here.

I must tell you that I feel incredibly blessed. I have wonderful friends and family (thank you to those who asked about me!), a little homestead in the making, and access to good nourishing food – truly a blessing.

Last week, one of our girls laid a gigantic egg (look at the top middle photo above) that had a double yolk. It was destined to become an egg and cheese sandwich. So, so delicious. And, I’ve been absolutely delighted to find out that giving up gluten didn’t mean I had to give up bread.

I was frightened at even the thought! We LOVE brownies, muffins, and bread. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

I’m now soaking ALL my grains (even though they’re gluten-free) and it’s made a tremendous difference. Before, I would soak if I remembered to, but not always. (Shame.) I just didn’t understand how truly important and necessary the process was. And I’ve been sick not realizing that it could be SO EASILY remedied. Now, I’m meticulous in the kitchen. It’s made a difference in my health. You can read about preparing nourishing foods here. (Do yourself a favor and check out the link.)

I’m making bread (I’ll be trying sourdough with gluten free grains this week) and crackers and yes, BROWNIES! All with gluten-free grains. It wasn’t as hard as I imagined it would be, and I’ll be sharing my new favorite recipes with you soon. I’ve long loved lacto-fermented veggies such as sauerkraut, but now I’m learning to enjoy kefir (thanks Diane!) and kombucha as healthy additions to my diet. I feel better than I have in a very long time.

Here on the homestead, life is good. God has blessed us with a few fall tomatoes (with more vegetables forthcoming), fun times spent together in the great outdoors (now that it’s finally cooled off a little!), and hope for the future. Did I mention we’ll be getting goats soon? Oh, my goodness!

Another last…

It’s watermelon this time. I noticed today that the majority of my last few posts dealt with lasts.

The last of the tomatoes, the last bit of summer vacation, the last harvest.

Well, we enjoyed our last watermelon this week. And it was so very sweet and delicious!

With plenty of seeds for spitting… and saving.

I preserved them the way my Papa showed me how:

Let the seeds sit in a bowl of water until the seeds sink and the pulp floats.

Pour off the pulpy water and rinse the seeds.

Then, let them sit on a cloth until thoroughly dry.

I let mine sit on the counter for a few days before I transfer them to a labeled and dated envelope.

These are next year’s Sugar Baby Icebox Watermelons.

They certainly lived up to their name… Super sweet and small enough to fit in the fridge!

We all agreed that this was the perfect size watermelon for us. Perfect for the 3 of us (the hubs does not eat watermelon – I know, the horror!) to share on a hot summer afternoon.

The last heirloom tomatoes of the season

This has been a difficult gardening year for us. We’ve only had a few significant rainfalls all summer. Once a month just doesn’t cut the mustard in a large garden.

And the record breaking heat (in an area already known for tremendous heat and humidity) has made it nearly impossible to coax sustenance from the ground. But with lots and lots of watering, we were able to enjoy a few varieties of tomatoes, eggplants, okra, zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, an abundance of peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, and lemon cucumbers. The corn was a complete and utter bust, but we did get a few peas and beans.

Knowing that this was it from my garden, I wanted to really taste the veggies. We actually enjoyed this meal a few weeks ago, but I haven’t forgotten how utterly delicious it was… I opted to roast the veggies right on top of chicken tenderloins with just a bit of EVOO, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. I almost always choose the simple over the complicated. Popped in the oven for half an hour at 425 degrees amounted to absolute dinner perfection. I particularly enjoyed all the flavors together… Green Zebra, Cherokee Purple, Gold Medal, Jubilee Yellow, Homestead, and Brandywine tomatoes… eggplant… zucchini… yellow squash… Cajun bell peppers… Sigh.

There’s nothing quite like eating homegrown produce.

Pickling Lemon Cucumbers – spears and slices

I’ve been a busy woman lately. The lemon cucumbers have been prolific around here…

And aren’t they gorgeous all quartered, salted, and ready to be pickled?

I thought so.

I chose another recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving:

Pick-a-Vegetable Dill Pickles (page 16) for all of you who might have the book or be interested in what this beautiful goodness actually is…

Garlic, jalapeño, red bell pepper, and dill seeds. It smelled heavenly!

Yeah, this makes mama happy.

And while I was busy in the kitchen, my sweet boy was out picking figs. Fig preserves, anyone?

These are the slices – absolutely perfect for a sandwich, if I do say so myself.

Just look at that big guy up there! Most laid flat, but I wanted you to see this one.

They are admittedly a little seedy, but I didn’t let that stop me. Nobody is perfect.

And these are the spears… or wedges, is more like it.

These are the most beautiful pickles I’ve ever canned. Lemon cucumber dill pickles – a new favorite is born.

There’s just something about those stripes that does it for me.

And just so you know, the figs are beyond delicious… words fail me. Fig preserves will be happening soon.

In case you’re wondering how I keep my littlest one entertained while I can…

We have lots and lots of puzzles…

And lots and lots of breaks!