New Snack Love!

Good morning all! I am running on not much sleep and an extra glass of iced coffee this morning. My son woke up at 1130 last night crying and did not stop for almost an hour. Nothing wrong with him that I could see...I ended up having to rock him and sing him to sleep haha. He has never really been the kid that is soothed by the rocking chair. He is very squirmy, perhaps just unable to get comfy that way. I didn't give up last night though, my hubs had to be up at 430 so I wanted to make sure he got his sleep. I however did not...but that's one of my jobs as a stay at home mama. 

So even though I did not get much sleep, I decided since it was so nice out this morning I wanted to get a good walk/jog in. There is a nice breeze today and this morning it was not very sunny so it was the perfect temperature for me. I enjoyed my first iced coffee, put the babe in his stroller and probably did about a mile and a half. It got cut a little short because I happened to see a dang raccoon running back and forth across the road near my turn around spot! All set with that. Came back home, had breakfast, etc and decided to make something to snack on later. Unfortunately they are so good I am eating them right now, so I will have to make more after this post.

Today's snack item: Spinach Chips. Oh my gosh deliciousness. If you have had kale chips and enjoy them, then I suggest trying these because they are just as good for you and just as good. I do not always have kale on hand, but I do always have spinach. We use it in everything. Now I have another reason to eat it. Very simple to make  and like my last recipe post, you can use whatever you like here for spices. So here is spinach chips via photos....

This is everything you need!

Beautiful leaves...you want the big ones

Cover in the oil

Foil lined pan for the baking

Seasoning

Mix seasoning well into leaves

Bake em

End Product

 Here is the recipe a little more specific...

Ingredients: Tablespoon of olive oil, about 2 cups of big leaf spinach, and seasoning, (recipe I found called for Italian seasoning...I used spices I normally put in my home made sauce: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and parsley.) You can use whatever you like.

First thing you do is mix the spinach (if it is washed already, if not be sure to give it a good rinse) with the olive oil being careful not to tear the leaves. Then sprinkle your seasoning over the mix. When you are making your seasoning mix, it is all to taste. I love spices so I used a lot, trying to stay low on the salt however. Once it is all mixed , line your baking sheet with foil and place the leaves in a single layer on the pan. No over lapping or the leaves may stay soggy in areas. Bake in the oven 8-10 minutes. Just keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Voila! That is it. Take a bite and tell me those are not delicious. 

Spinach so good for you and if you are not much of a spinach eater, perhaps this is the trick to get you to include some into your diet. If you are an eater like myself...then this is just another awesome way to enjoy what we already love. After eating these I decided the next batch I make will include some Parmesan cheese in the seasoning mix, and use a tad bit less of the crushed red pepper. Some of those were a little "fiery" hahah.

Enjoy the day!

xo

Late Night Rant...

I'm not sure how many out there are paying attention to what is going on with GMOs and the labeling/not labeling issue happening in our country right now. The more I read the more furious I get. I cannot fathom that the USA is still on the list of Countries NOT singing into law that ALL labels on ALL products should show ALL ingredients! Why is this not law yet? Companies are too afraid of the revenue they will lose once consumers learn about all the bologna that is in their products. What scares me the most right now is baby care/food as well as shady organic brands! I tend to stay away from most junk food and processed items, those are items most guilty of containing artificial and modified ingredients...but when I am purchasing fruit, vegetables or dairy labeled "organic" I do not enjoy the idea that (#1) a larger corporation owns said organic brand, or (#2) that I am being fooled into thinking something is better for me when in all actuality it is no better than a conventional product! I wanted to share this photo: It shows a ton of the companies that are AGAINST GMO labeling in the United States.

 Here is a list from inspirationgreen.com of "organic" companies, owned by larger corporations also AGAINST the labeling....

 Organic (and some Natural) food brands owned by big corporations:


Coca-Cola -  Honest Tea,  Odwalla,  Simply Orange.

Cadbury -  Green and Black's Chocolate,  Nantucket Nectars.

ConAgra -  Alexia,  Hunt's Organic,  Lightlife (vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes like Smart Deli),  Orville Redenbacher's Organic.

General Mills - Cascadian Farms, Cheerios, Food Should Taste Good,  Larabar,  Muir Glen, Nature Valley.

Groupe Danone -  Stonyfield Farm.

Hershey’s -  Dagoba Chocolate.

Hain-Celestial - (partially owned by Heinz) Arrowhead Mills,  Bearitos,  Breadshop Cereals,  Casbah,  Celestial Seasonings,  DeBoles Pasta,  Earth's Best,  Ethnic Gourmet,  Garden of Eatin',  Gluten Free,  Greek God's,  Hain Pure,  Health Valley,  Imagine Soups,  Linda McCartney,  Maranatha nut butters,  Mountain Sun Juices,  Nile Spice Soup,  Rice Dream,  Sensible Portions,  ShariAnn's,  Soy Dream,  Terra Chips,  TofuTown,  Walnut Acres,  Westbrae Natural,  WestSoy,  Yves Meatless.

JM Smucker -  After the Fall,  R.W. Knudsen,  Santa Cruz Organic.

Kellogg -  Bear Naked,  Gardenburger,  Kashi,  Morningstar Farms,  Natural Touch,  Wholesome & Hearty. (Kashi cereals contain GMOs!) Kellogs uses genetically engineered sugar beets in its non-organic cereals.

Kraft -  Boca,  Back to Nature.

Mars/M&M -  Seeds of Change

Nestle -  Tribe Mediterranean Foods

Pepsi -  Dole,  Harvest Crunch,  Izze,  Naked Juice,  Ocean Spray,  Tazo,  Tostito's Organic, Tropicana.

Rich's -  Fresh Meadow

Unilever -  Ben & Jerry’s,  Knorr,  Salada


Personal Care:

Clorox -  Burt’s Bees.

Colgate-Palmolive -  Tom’s of Maine.

Hain Celestial -  Alba Botanica,  Avalon Organics,  Jason,  Orjene,  Queen Helene,  Zia.

Beer:

Anhueser Busch -   Stone Mill and Wild Hop.


Am I the only one whos mind is blown???  Now check this out....these are all countries that already have signed into law that all GMOs be shown on all labels....

http://justlabelit.org/right-to-know/labeling-around-the-world/?2014TakePart=


Why are we not on that list? When will people start caring? I do not like shadiness...and this is shady. PLEASE sign this petition and any others that you may come across...and do your research. We have a right to know what we are putting in and on our bodies and our childrens bodies. If you do one thing when you read this post, please follow the link, sign and share. Thank you!!!

http://justlabelit.org/take-action/

xo

Recipe Love and Share

I hope everyone had a great weekend! The weather here was perfect, and we spent every moment possible out doors. Saturday the hubs did a "canoe and brew" which is basically kayaking down a river with a bunch of people and sippin on beers while you do so. Sounds pretty fun right? While he was having his guy time, I spent some time at the in laws so the babe could visit his uncles and grandparents. Sunday we took Cameron to the park to use the splash pad (he loves to get wet) and the swings etc. Stopped at Fro-Yo World after for some refreshment, came home and grilled for dinner. Summer+grilling=perfection. I wanted to share the side dish I made to go with the meal. We made chicken kabobs, always a favorite...and then I made a Quinoa Summer Salad. I love Quinoa, my husband however is new to it and I try it in different things to see how he will like it best, if at all. I found the recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it a bit.

                                                     Quinoa Summer Salad (my way)

 I used one cup of un cooked Organic Quinoa...then cooked it obviously and set it aside to cool. For my veggies, I chose chopped organic tomatoes, corn, green onions, orange and red bell peppers, and garbanzo beans. If i had cucumbers and avocado on hand I would have thrown those in as well. I put all of this in a large bowl and tossed in the Quinoa. Mixed it all together so all the beautiful colors of vegetables were showing and then added in a little Italian dressing. I love Good Seasons dressing, it is the only Italian dressing in our home, and it tastes perfect on this dish!!! That's it! Like I said, super easy and very good for you. I am in fact eating it right now for lunch!

Here is the link to the original recipe, they use a different dressing here so if Italian is not your style perhaps you will enjoy that one instead:)

A few reasons to eat Quinoa: 

It is packed FULL of protein! 
It contains twice as much fiber as other grains
For those of you trying to avoid Gluten...its your lucky day! Quinoa is Gluten Free!

If you are looking for a side dish that is perfect for summer....this is it! You can add or substitute any vegetable you love!! 

Enjoy your day!!
xo

Product Review Thursday: Beech Nut Baby Naturals

Good morning! It has been a month or so since I did a product review, and I know that the last one was a baby food brand too. My son is eleven months old so I have had some time to go back and forth with baby food brands and find the ones that I really enjoy. In the beginning I made all of his first foods. I was given that awesome Baby Bullet so I used it as much as possible. Then as he got older I was seeing all these foods in the stores with 3 and 4 mixed fruits and vegetable that looked really fun! Things like pumpkin, apple, apricot and prunes...(an example) looked so good and I knew that I was never going to puree a pumpkin or prunes so it was easier to just buy the foods already made. Anyways I narrowed down my two favorite brands that are cost affordable and delicious. I do enjoy the Ella brand pouches, but they range from like 1.40-1.85 a pouch...no can do on our budget. Sprout Organics and the newest Beech Nut baby foods are the only two I purchase now. Granted, my son does eat things I cook for my husband and I...but I like to keep jars still as back up.  I mix jarred fruit with his yogurt, if he has oatmeal for breakfast I will mix it with a pouch or a jar, pouches are good for on the go snacks, and sometimes I will give him a jar of veggies with whatever he ate for dinner. Last night he ate two Perogies and cut up small veggies. I switch it up on him often.

Today I thought I would share why we love the new Beech Nut 100% Natural baby food. I actually found out about this new food via the Green Moms Meet website. I posted about this sampling earlier, but I believe it was more about the website then the actual baby food. So I was sent 20 Jars of food to sample with a few friends and their babies. Right off the bat, Beech Nut draws you in with their packaging. I hate to say I fell for the advertising...but I did. Besides the cute little boxes the food came in, the jars are adorable! They are still your typical 4.25oz jars of food, just cuter. Perfect for re using with things like your spices, or knick knacks, or if you work with children they are great for crafts. In my previous post you see I used one for a father day present I found on Beech Nuts Facebook page. Along with adorable packaging comes a wide variety of flavors, which is something I feel was lacking years ago. I have worked with kids for over 15 years and have fed my share of infants. The most you would see in the jar foods then was your typical apple, berry mix or just mixed fruit and just mixed vegetables. Companies are picking up on the interest of combining flavors you wouldn't normally consider, and children are digging it! In the photo you see the remaining jars of food I have at the moment, and just look at the flavor combos.

 For breakfast my son had his oatmeal mixed with a half jar of Pineapple, Orange and Banana. It is delicious. I of course try everything he eats. I could easily eat a jar of this for my own snacking. Not only is this a fun way to eat foods, but you are sneaking in some good for you vegetables that your baby may or may not eat in a solo food jar. I love Quinoa myself, and it is filled with fiber, I love that Beech Nut includes this in their baby foods. Who would have thought? Not me. They also continue to carry simple ingredients since there are still stages of food from 1-3. Stage 1 foods are single ingredients like just banana, just pears, just green beans etc...then as the stages go up so do the amount and type of foods in the jars. Now most of their 100% natural jarred foods say "JUST" on the label. Example, "Just Bartlett Pears" I eat mostly Organic in my house and usually fed the baby only organic as well. However, organic is costly and can not always be within the budget. I scour labels and when I looked for the ingredients in this particular brand it simply states "Just Bartlett Pears" So I emailed Beech Nut via Facebook and asked them what the preservative was that was not listed. There had to be one, there is a shelf life on these foods. What I got back as an answer was this... 


"Actually, our new foods don't have any preservatives in them. Using our new cooking method we like to call just gentle cooking, we essentially take out all the air to keep the freshness in. This is what allows us to have just the food and nothing else-and still have a good shelf life! When you see our jar of just honey crisp apples that's truly all it is. No water, no preservatives."

How incredibly wonderful is that! Now there are a few jars that do not have the "Just" on the front which means there is something else in the ingredients, however it IS listed. Sometimes it is lemon juice concentrate, or perhaps heavy cream ( like in the Zucchini/Quinoa jar) Now with all the Monsanto/GMO talk going on lately some of you may wonder if there are GMOs in this brand of food. You will be happy to know that Beechnut is working with the Non GMO project to achieve verification for their products. It takes time for things like that to happen, it is a process and I am confident that Beech Nut will be putting Non GMO on there labels in the near future. 

So as a mom who depends on healthy foods and products for her children, I am thrilled with this product and have had nothing but a positive experience. I will continue to give this to my child, as well as recommend to any new parent I know. I have in fact already turned a couple onto it. You cant wrong when the price is hardly ever over a dollar a jar. My local Stop and Shop/Walmart and Price Chopper often have these for sale as well and I stock up when I need to. I mean, do you need more proof than this?

For more information, head over to their Facebook page. If you have any questions they are very good about answering comments and messages. 

Enjoy!!

(all writings in this blog are of my own opinion and I receive no compensation from any company I review)

Blogger Profile "Surviving and Thriving on Pennies"

Hey everyone! So in an effort to switch up my writing topics, I decided to profile another blogger that I really enjoy. I have been following her for probably two years now, both on her blog and her Facebook page. I actually stumbled upon her just playing around online looking for coupons and deals on organic food items. Somehow she came up in a search, and I took a few minutes and gave her blog a once over. Turns out she shares many of the same passions and ideas that I do. She is all about living naturally, but doing it cost affordable which is also something I am interested in. The title of her blog is "Surviving and Thriving on Pennies." It is a great title also! If you are into saving money, then the title grabs at you, as it did me. Then you just decide if her topics are of interest.

She has a variety of posts, ranging from healthy recipes, to DIY projects, gardening topics, and much much more. I have enjoyed keeping up with what she writes about. For an example, here is a post that she put up back in April. I am sharing this particular one because a friend just brought me over a bunch of mint and I was not sure what I wanted to do with it:

http://survivingandthrivingonpennies.blogspot.com/2014/04/infused-simple-syrup.html

Basically this post is about using herbs to create a simple syrup, which you can then use for things like your own natural soda! This is so perfect, because I never buy soda, and if I do it is ginger ale. But I will admit, I do love an ice cold glass of cola! Especially when eating grinders or pizza. It just fits. I know it is not great for you and that is why I do not buy it. With this recipe, you make your syrup (as directed in her post) and then you can just add it to seltzer water. Voila! So, I think I will try this with the mint I was given. Perfect idea for a future blog post too.

Her Facebook page is constantly updated. She gets a little more personal here, sharing things about her husband and her children, which I enjoy reading because I have the same things in my life. Right now there are a lot of posts having to do with gardening, obviously because of the season. I always like to see how others format their gardens because we have one here ( a small "salad fixins" one) and sometimes I need a little advice on the best way to plant, what to plant near what, etc...)

Another thing that she talks a lot about which she is very passionate about is living as "green" as possible. She is very big on conserving energy wherever she can, recycling/reusing, staying away from plastic if possible, and using natural/chemical free products. From time to time you will see a recipe pop up so you can try it yourself. Obviously you need to share these interests in order to enjoy her social media sites, and if you do not, then they are not for you. I share....so I enjoy!

So, please click on the links above...they will take you blog side and to her Facebook. Have a look around and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do! I have learned some very interesting things from her, maybe you will too.

Product review post coming up a little later! 

xo

Weekend Round Up

Good morning! This weekend was incredibly busy around here, with the holiday and the beautiful weather. The last thing I wanted to do was sit at the computer. So I didn't! Sunday started with breakfast made for my husband followed by a couple gifts made by myself and my son. (Wink Wink). For years, I taught preschool at a few different child care centers and so I have many ideas for home made gifts in the back of the ole noggin. I really love the poem " Walk With Me Daddy" as a fathers day gift. I tear up reading it and it is not even for me! To make it I just painted my child's feet as he was sitting drinking his milk. Then I glued them to the paper and wrote out the poem. I had the frame lying around so I put it to use. My handwriting in the photo looks AWFUL because the paint was still a bit wet as I was writing and I was trying not to get my wrists in it. Oh well, perhaps it looks more like a child wrote it haha. The hubs liked it and that is what matters. It would be a perfect gift for a birthday or holiday as well. Link to poem here.

For the grandparents, we found a fun idea on the Beechnut Facebook page. The new little jars that their foods come in are adorable. I have been stocking up on them because they have been on sale and my son loves the fruit mixed with his yogurt. Anyways, there was a very easy grill rub recipe they posted. So we made the rub, put it inside the jar and attached a cute little tag. The saying read " A Home made Rub For A Grandpa Who Really "Smokes" The Competition." We put it inside a little gift bag and gave it along with a few other little gifts. It was a great way to utilize those jars! Recipe for rub here.

After opening gifts and breakfast, the hubs went with my father and brother and spent the day golfing, They were lucky to get such a beautiful day. My son and I spent that time with my mother, sister in law and my nephew. We played in the blow up pool for about an hour. Both boys love the water. It is nice when we can all get together, it does not happen often because we live two towns away and they all work full time. Pretty soon I will have a niece joining in on all the fun so we will definitely have to try to get together more often.

Monday dad had an unexpected day off so we went for a nice hike in the next town over. They have this great dam area with tons of trails. We took the two dogs and put the boy in the backpack and enjoyed some time with nature. It was a great weekend. I hope everyone else enjoyed theirs as much as we did!

xo

Happy Fathers Day!

Spending time with my loves today! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day!!!

Take the pledge!

If you head over to Woodstock Foods Facebook page they are offering a free packet of non GMO corn seeds with a 1$ off coupon attached. If you're anything like me, you love freebies and you HATE GMOs! I also love my vegetable garden. I have never planted corn before, so this will be fun! I already signed the pledge...so please take a moment and do the same!

Cold Brewed Iced Coffee pt. 2 (Happy Wednesday!)

Good Morning! I was pretty excited to wake up today and make my first glass of this iced coffee! I know, I have a problem...I am told quite often. So here is part two via photos:

   




As mentioned in the video...you can see if you look real close that after sitting for 24 hours, the coffee grounds have settled to the bottom of the jar.

  




Next step is to filter

You're left with nice ground-free coffee

  




Ready for tasting

  



  I followed the videos instructions as they were, so I used
Organic whole milk, 100% Pure maple syrup, and an icy cold glass

mmmm......

Final product...looks good doesn't it??

 So my thoughts after tasting? It is CERTAINLY different then the way I usually make my iced coffees. This is very tasty, if you like your coffee a little rich. It is not just cooling down hot brewed coffee. I only allowed myself this size glass because I was not sure about the caffeine effect. It reminded me right away of a Starbucks iced coffee. Theirs was always a little on the bold side. I would definitely make this again, however I have to admit...I will probably stick with my flavored creamer over using milk in my glass. Even the whole milk is not thick enough me, and though I am trying to be more cautious of what goes in my body...there are somethings you cant change and for me its my morning iced coffee. I like what I like and I will stick to it haha. I do think the idea of maple syrup as a sweetener is wonderful. (Obviously if I am using my creamer I would not add the syrup. I don't like super sweet coffee) The first time I learned of using maple syrup in coffee was at the Common Ground Fair in Maine. They are an ooober Organic themed fair that happens once a year. The focus is on Organic and Natural Living, Sustainability, and Eco Friendly everything...it is great!!! Anyhow, the first year my husband and I went was actually the first year they had coffee! They do not promote the idea of caffeine, but there must have been enough people asking for it that they finally allowed it. However...NO SUGAR. Maple Syrup or Agave was the only sweetener you were allowed.  I had to have my iced, so I tried it and it was very good!!!

I am enjoying my second glass as I type this. It is a little tedious to make and then wait for. I think it is worth the try though. So give it a go, and if you want to comment with your thoughts please do:) If you have your own recipe for a delicious iced coffee, PLEASE send them my way. I am always willing to experiment!!!

Until next post...thanks!

xo

Tuesday Top Five

 I decided today to keep it short with a top five rather than a top ten. Lately I have been using my Instagram account way more than Facebook. Maybe it is the simplicity of just a photo and caption. Either way, I wanted to share my five most favorite Instagram accounts to follow at the moment. Take a peek...as always feel free to share your own with me!

1. Coffeeloversmag : If you are like me and in absolute coffee love, then check out their instagram account. They post daily photos of mugs of coffee, sayings about coffee, photos of their cafe, etc. They are also on Pinterest. Click the link above to be taken to their website. 

2. Laurenconrad : I am just in love with her style. I am pretty sure I have talked about her before on here also. The images she posts are beautifully done. Always the prettiest and simplest colors. She posts things from her pet dog, to food, randoms she loves and items from her lines at Kohls. If I were to have a "women crush Wednesday" it would always be her.

3. Naturalhealthmag : This is an actual magazine I enjoy reading. I usually buy this one when I see a new one on the stands. I should just get a subscription I know haha. Their account is good for posting behind the scene footage of photo shoots, healthy sayings and recipes...staff photos and more. If you enjoy the magazine like I do, check out their account. 

4. Lovelifelessonsdaily : (No link yet) I love this account because it is always posting something uplifting and inspirational. I think it is nice to stop and think about things once in a while and the quotes they put up can definitely make you do just that. So if you're looking for that perfect quote to add to a post, or just some daily inspiration...check out their account.

5. Simplegreensmoothies : Their account is full of just that!!! All sorts of recipes for delicious looking healthy green smoothies. They are pretty good about posting one a day too. So get your blender, pick your fruits and veggies, check out their account and make your smoothie!!!

There you have it! My top five favorite Insta profiles. Have a splendid Tuesday and don't forget to check back tomorrow morning as I post my review of the Cold Brewed Iced Coffee!!!

xo

a Monday night posting

I hope everyone is having a nice start to their week. The weekend weather was wonderful here, but showers are in the forecast, seems to be the norm all of the sudden. Anyways, I am not sure if I have spoken about my love for iced coffee and everything that goes a long with it. I LOVE ICED COFFEE. I have tried to love hot coffee the way I love iced coffee and I can't do it. I mean, the smell of hot coffee is by far one of the best smells on Earth. My stomach however can not handle the hot. I don't know if it is because it is stronger or what...but it never has sat well. Perhaps the reason I can drink iced coffee like it's water is because eventually the ice cubes melt...adding water to the drink thus keeping the coffee from being as strong. Who knows. I have serious hot coffee envy during the winter. Sitting down with a mug of hot deliciousness, watching the news or playing on Pinterest seems so dang cozy! Not for me though, I'll take the cold with the cold haha. 

Point of post:

I am a member of a group on face book called "Green and Natural Living Lounge" and over the weekend someone posted a video from girlmeetsnourishment.com  on how to make a Cold Brewed Iced Coffee. I am sure most people who make their own at home do what I do, which is take left over coffee that was brewed, and put it in the fridge. My hubs brews a pot in the morning and I take whats left. However, I have seen many things on pinterest about trying it cold brewed. So far the way she does it here seems the easiest. I tried it out tonight and will post when I actually get to taste it! The only sad part about it, is that it sits for 24 hours...so I won't be able to test it out until Wednesday morning. So here is what I did...via photos. 

Here is all the gear you need: 

coffee of choice, fine ground (mine is nothing special, just my hubs Folgers roast...)

a 1/3 measuring cup to 1 cup of water ( I tripled the recipe so I used 3 cups water to 1 cup of coffee) 

coffee filter or two (she used 2, so I did as well)

strainer and your container.

  


First things first, measure out your coffee, pour into container and add the water

give it a good ole stir and let it sit about 10-15 minutes

  



after it has sat, stir again....look at that nice frothy top!

finally, cover it with saran wrap, a towel or in my case foil. 

let it sit for another 24 hours....this is the hard part














....and this is where I am at! If you want to watch the video tutorial, head over to her website and check it out. If you don't have time for that, then I'm sure this was easy enough to follow. I will post Wednesday morning when I go to make my first LARGE cup!!! 

Have a great night!!!

xo

Happy Tuesday

It has been so busy around here that I barely have time to eat let alone sit at the computer and type. My 10 month old is all over my house and I cant take my eyes off him. Gone are the days where I could plop him down with toys to play. Now he wants to pull himself up on everything, dump things out, etc...it been a bit hectic. Not only that, not sure about anyone else but my allergies have been outrageous the last few days. I am not much of a medicine taker, but daytime meds have been needed or I wouldn't be able to function. It is working its way out now I think, started with the eyes and nose...it is in the throat now. YUK.

Anyways, it is finally beginning to feel like spring here in Connecticut. We did get this wild and random storm about a week ago that brought nickel sized hail to town. It was one of those days where its beautifully sunny and hot, next thing you know the sky is dark and the wind is starting. This IN-conveniently happened right after I planted my vegetable garden. The picture there does not do it justice. Our tomato plants are still standing...how I do not know. The lettuce looks a little iffy, but that can always be replanted. Its best to rotate lettuce anyways so you continually have some. Besides that crazy day, it has been very pleasant here.

Our chickens are getting very big! The hubs fenced in a good sized area around the coop he built, so they have plenty of room to move. Our last group of chickens was not fenced in...which if we had the land we would probably do again, however they laid eggs in the strangest places and a lot of the time we could not find them....until months later....EEEEW. Probably about two more months before these ladies begin to lay. I cannot wait. My little one LOVES to go see the chickens. It is so funny because I believe this is his first word. All day long he says "DADADADADADAD". But I don't think he gets that "DA DA" is his daddy. He just makes noise. However, if I say to him, "Do you wanna go see the chickens?" He will reply back every time with the same sound that sounds JUST like "chicken".  You know you're from the country when your baby's first word is not mumma or daddy but a type of poultry.....! Hahahah.

I hope everyone is having a splendid Spring. If you are reading my blog posts thank you! I am obviously still new at this, but I love writing. It gives me something else to do while I stay home. Of course now that he is moving, we will see how often I can get posts up!

Enjoy the day!

xo