tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29396875385150508662024-03-13T14:36:24.438-06:00the Green Grass HouseCome along for the Zserdin family's journey though home schooling, DIY old house remodeling, work at home life and urban homesteading.Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-60236858390251886742023-10-02T10:43:00.003-06:002023-10-02T10:51:36.383-06:00Joy of Cooking Post - a recap of some faves this year<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYcrkDizHjKGJAOrfEONLns1JaONWJdYRyYXrr5x-OOY6iQ33i4RZtES5HKtK63U5xsFY_ZyqZsYR75E70U4JtixIbztRn699KD2Z_vJf_wlt5vU64YBY0FyWIe94ASEa-dksXB6ut93-ENzSX2ptEgSHGACkuAgXy9-AsCVJ65ry253IcmBaaLJx4VLr/s1000/fettucineparm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picutre shows plate of spinach fettucine, breaded chicken and tomato sauce with a side salad" border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYcrkDizHjKGJAOrfEONLns1JaONWJdYRyYXrr5x-OOY6iQ33i4RZtES5HKtK63U5xsFY_ZyqZsYR75E70U4JtixIbztRn699KD2Z_vJf_wlt5vU64YBY0FyWIe94ASEa-dksXB6ut93-ENzSX2ptEgSHGACkuAgXy9-AsCVJ65ry253IcmBaaLJx4VLr/w400-h300/fettucineparm.jpg" title="Baked Chicken, Spinach Fettucine and Fresh Tomato Sauce" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked Chicken, Spinach Fettucine and Fresh Tomato Sauce</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l_BbJcbr77B0m3s7WzuJSWjhSkkUN4jk_IDSdHI292-8Tvc2eqcdqQ1CZuk0l3ShOgpea6-6eFwAihDBPDPPJ929wNNRkdoYgLiR5lShuofvN3OQ7pTOfvJeO2LB2yPvh3e3MDe_ubRbSb09uKqBz3BqSqYcm1mwFYZhIZnHQ0EipQhp-XVux9T20C6Z/s1000/grogucookies.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture is a foil tray of sugar cookies shaped to look like Grogu" border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="1000" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l_BbJcbr77B0m3s7WzuJSWjhSkkUN4jk_IDSdHI292-8Tvc2eqcdqQ1CZuk0l3ShOgpea6-6eFwAihDBPDPPJ929wNNRkdoYgLiR5lShuofvN3OQ7pTOfvJeO2LB2yPvh3e3MDe_ubRbSb09uKqBz3BqSqYcm1mwFYZhIZnHQ0EipQhp-XVux9T20C6Z/w400-h205/grogucookies.jpg" title="Grogu Sugar Cookies" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grogu Sugar Cookies for May the Fourth<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYwY9ZRhyphenhyphenjPUt8BMfwM5wIPFzr7PRlb99ZpLUI4UCV97d27KNoDl4wwtiiXeMRGyg-4EYq662LFqK6P67DjUFfAR-6VOGaFho5SdB71BVAX1m8YtsewCG57oC9ZiaoqV5DHHT-0b3WELpAl0lAbrxt4fgB__1ArbiGUHhNFa1KipyZq9X-PVFBKodXx3D/s1500/nachos.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture shows a metal hot platter with nachos" border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1500" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYwY9ZRhyphenhyphenjPUt8BMfwM5wIPFzr7PRlb99ZpLUI4UCV97d27KNoDl4wwtiiXeMRGyg-4EYq662LFqK6P67DjUFfAR-6VOGaFho5SdB71BVAX1m8YtsewCG57oC9ZiaoqV5DHHT-0b3WELpAl0lAbrxt4fgB__1ArbiGUHhNFa1KipyZq9X-PVFBKodXx3D/w400-h281/nachos.jpg" title="Nachos for Alex's Birthday" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nachos for Alex's Birthday</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTAYU6BI5ryOzzTGMNq5bkeMstRa1GoLWqk-wUCsLefDWIrjcsMhVhYzEQMVKWTkbkmRao0PCmNQXut-zjCKncNkx1h8s-AJ4MC3DAfpc3qlsGx6YvTl0STYdWKWeAB64bQjGOw8k6AMfK6ANrOrsfzCJo5i5tm8xKmSwyAt0I2V1KK8mIRFNEjN4dsqS/s1500/pastaarugulachicken.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture shows a plate of panko crusted chicken, angel hair pasta and arugula sauce" border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1500" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTAYU6BI5ryOzzTGMNq5bkeMstRa1GoLWqk-wUCsLefDWIrjcsMhVhYzEQMVKWTkbkmRao0PCmNQXut-zjCKncNkx1h8s-AJ4MC3DAfpc3qlsGx6YvTl0STYdWKWeAB64bQjGOw8k6AMfK6ANrOrsfzCJo5i5tm8xKmSwyAt0I2V1KK8mIRFNEjN4dsqS/w400-h265/pastaarugulachicken.jpg" title="Panko Chicken, Angel Hair Pasta and Arugula" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panko Chicken, Angel Hair Pasta and Arugula</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqzm74031hoYbJkJpYi_718gkrcnwLGl0YSrSCm68tMl6lB_xf80Iv-SS77sdmSevGbbY6MLMQ5P_qtz0hwxzgAS0sOSWN3vr6YsEHq6Y22JSGWIwn449dnmQycn-vH2zAun6XwUJxzo3lnYoZEl0xnLUSbPAvzrOVpKD7NIO5oj1SIysgE-UtN3KlqZB/s1500/porktenderloinsproutstots.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture shows a platter of pork tenderloin surrounded by roasted potatoees and brussels sprouts" border="0" data-original-height="895" data-original-width="1500" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqzm74031hoYbJkJpYi_718gkrcnwLGl0YSrSCm68tMl6lB_xf80Iv-SS77sdmSevGbbY6MLMQ5P_qtz0hwxzgAS0sOSWN3vr6YsEHq6Y22JSGWIwn449dnmQycn-vH2zAun6XwUJxzo3lnYoZEl0xnLUSbPAvzrOVpKD7NIO5oj1SIysgE-UtN3KlqZB/w400-h239/porktenderloinsproutstots.jpg" title="Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOqg7IedPvDWoEwSoycYLF57e_f7RBDT9LFLPTUSSSKXQAO8y94NNu3gwYoCjBQ0jS6rd6QhsuRCDG9UI85C9yNF_HP_KvP6Zv_i00iNQ0yu9Lt8GVJLY7hCrpsPVoTIYiEWQvuyL5aIVOKYD8ZBg1rGhmAHOmgzlRCLAFa19lo09q9aSPQ6DmDNFsOTy/s1500/beetsaladc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture shows a dinner of roasted beet and feta salad, sausages and Colorado cherries" border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1500" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOqg7IedPvDWoEwSoycYLF57e_f7RBDT9LFLPTUSSSKXQAO8y94NNu3gwYoCjBQ0jS6rd6QhsuRCDG9UI85C9yNF_HP_KvP6Zv_i00iNQ0yu9Lt8GVJLY7hCrpsPVoTIYiEWQvuyL5aIVOKYD8ZBg1rGhmAHOmgzlRCLAFa19lo09q9aSPQ6DmDNFsOTy/w400-h195/beetsaladc.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted Beets and Feta with Mixed Greens<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-58935530572664011512023-09-01T19:26:00.021-06:002023-09-01T19:36:49.838-06:00Smokin' Southwest - Fast Pantry Nachos<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutprQtSg05dk49E1NDgwvDoAai1vO1W50OATO1PSpyFX48TJ5PCyTj6NuxgostKjM548yut4_DJoZubaGTjmulO9AaRu2YaQOGiTQ3IXdiQaOLTe_72gRdm1KzKfwBywXnEuJiVeyQeOQ8yR5uUA3XUomqA2TxqkVDV1EEgG9NMaFTuuORb_HSXjtSkmZ/s1773/fastpantrynachos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFJToK5iM3NZz5dpNiacINI4XSka2utXxpyRWNKGlbDKsKuFVrcjU7Budr0p4uAL8teCOHbfQt11H8_3qAOR3HYIYkYKhER-AY1IyMI0SMLf0ZRN5FL4XweZkKWypXfoN59GTzDw9JttpiIZKP0jWxsKoNr6VWMHO5LnptpEjdbEk5nGHBxkQYmVp5_HF/s1771/fastpantrynachos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1771" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFJToK5iM3NZz5dpNiacINI4XSka2utXxpyRWNKGlbDKsKuFVrcjU7Budr0p4uAL8teCOHbfQt11H8_3qAOR3HYIYkYKhER-AY1IyMI0SMLf0ZRN5FL4XweZkKWypXfoN59GTzDw9JttpiIZKP0jWxsKoNr6VWMHO5LnptpEjdbEk5nGHBxkQYmVp5_HF/s320/fastpantrynachos.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For those nights when the fridge stock is lacking, you can't be bothered to put any effort in at all and just really want to get to the part where you sit in front of the screen and watch something. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We take a couple trivets downstairs to our Den, put the baking sheet on them and dig in like the uncultured heathens we sometimes are, forks optional but nice when you get to the soggier chips in the middle at the end. <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlnBFNrfLmtPeBQG3YBCThN-IibRYuaxVPlhQ5vTHKjNayH4v7DwIOitSDwFOnVnZ5ifBpGFdDoZLEJovlyPbtdOLISsBAEEZf1CQvoDS9pSGBsT2aYtTm-h6wSu4OLNL5b8DzTAAsQWgXh_BKFHhY8CiAyZHgp0JewdO6P8o4tfYCq5dUvTekwbXCDZS/s1000/pantrynachos2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="1000" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlnBFNrfLmtPeBQG3YBCThN-IibRYuaxVPlhQ5vTHKjNayH4v7DwIOitSDwFOnVnZ5ifBpGFdDoZLEJovlyPbtdOLISsBAEEZf1CQvoDS9pSGBsT2aYtTm-h6wSu4OLNL5b8DzTAAsQWgXh_BKFHhY8CiAyZHgp0JewdO6P8o4tfYCq5dUvTekwbXCDZS/w400-h238/pantrynachos2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotisserie chicken from Costco, Rotel and Smokin' Southwest<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5emxVMvTQC0WvugAW4Tz3Yg_UA1Mu4up7qBE1w0NZVGXbKCiEgX-P9UKEVDZ4su3elMQx2swRgplSZDFoz6aRu4YOV_ugVstF3rPgmQudjCa9acv_5CqdiFJe3e2vkUjvX50PWLcnankYX_qvU0MX9YlU5d6ozlb-sssG3lRFt40qeiqu9m5SSsJy1qC/s1000/pantrynachos.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1000" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5emxVMvTQC0WvugAW4Tz3Yg_UA1Mu4up7qBE1w0NZVGXbKCiEgX-P9UKEVDZ4su3elMQx2swRgplSZDFoz6aRu4YOV_ugVstF3rPgmQudjCa9acv_5CqdiFJe3e2vkUjvX50PWLcnankYX_qvU0MX9YlU5d6ozlb-sssG3lRFt40qeiqu9m5SSsJy1qC/w400-h271/pantrynachos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why yes, that is a margarita.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-69757185148122865292023-08-28T19:02:00.000-06:002023-08-28T19:02:45.601-06:00<p>This is me.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguL4cLb7lBgU_BWphhvK6ZaIROjLbYBq5IYNzIIYTI40hTUt3fxGeYO_dTLwy3tEwpK6mgaCmTpbc0VROEzqdif9c2YvSMmfbePRzUz3zSO26jZAUepxuU6OPKMl_yvjROwWXGQXaR3p93-QFGh3g4rpMigkd6yPvwVYsv5QnrhcRlL8IyBhwhd-xghg/s1200/bez22.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1200" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguL4cLb7lBgU_BWphhvK6ZaIROjLbYBq5IYNzIIYTI40hTUt3fxGeYO_dTLwy3tEwpK6mgaCmTpbc0VROEzqdif9c2YvSMmfbePRzUz3zSO26jZAUepxuU6OPKMl_yvjROwWXGQXaR3p93-QFGh3g4rpMigkd6yPvwVYsv5QnrhcRlL8IyBhwhd-xghg/s320/bez22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p> Fifty years old! My generation abhorred being labeled, and yet applied them to ourselves and others with reckless abandon. Nerd, jock, stoner, freak, popular, dweeb...the list goes on and on. Of the many labels I have assigned myself in the last 25 years: wife, daughter, granddaughter, mother, driver, event planner, volunteer coordinator, homesteader, work at home business owner, cook, janitor, and a
myriad of other titles as needed, the largest over looming identity
has been sixteen years of identifying as a homeschooling mom. With the
graduation of my youngest on May 28th, that role has run its course. It
is so surreal to not be starting fall semester. It is beyond strange to not be
looking at curriculum or signing up for museum events or considering
what travel we might do that will also take us near someplace
interesting and educational. </p><p>Not that all learning stops, of course,
that will never be the case, but just that I'm not really responsible
for what it looks like going forward is giving me some very odd vibes.
I'm trying to be careful with myself and my known tendency to jump into
things before thinking or looking closely and not just jump from one
frying pan into a different fire. <i>Which also feels weird. </i>Oddly grown
up? It's only taken fifty years for me to consider self-limitations
before committing to whatever anyone asks from me. No real point on this
post, just ruminating a bit as I change profile pics and descriptions
in all these places on-line that have stayed the same for years before
because I had been the same for so long. The last three years have been
life-changing, most of the time not in any way that I would have liked
to be changed, but that is life itself - never predictable, always
turbulent, ride atop the waves or crash below them. </p><p>I know I say this every year, but maybe with my new-found grown-up-i-ness I will actually make it happen and post here more often. Maybe. At the very least one of the big things I want to do with my new free time (huzzah!) is get back into my shop more, so expect some bits about that, and hopefully I will have websites to share soon. </p><p>It is so much harder this second time around, in a weird way. When I started Flutterby Designs over 20 years ago, I knew nothing, and just jumped in with both feet and hands without much thought except that I wanted to work for myself so that my family could come first. I made an absolute ton of mistakes, but that central principle always came through, including when we put it on hiatus for the middle/high school years because something had to give and my work was the thing that could be sacrificed the easiest. </p><p>Now, trying to revive it is so much harder than I expected - there is so much more focus on on-line and social marketing - the last go around we were lucky to just have a website, as janky as it was, and a online shop that another work-at-home mom hosted. Luckily, no one expected perfection, we were just barely out of the days of geocity sites and a huge amount of my early business correspondence was done on AOL messenger. I still have a handful of AOL and MSN avatars I traded embroidery work for, created by one of the dozens of work-at-home moms I bonded with while typing one handed with a nursing babe on my lap. My first logo was clipart combined with Kristen ITC font and a little
half circle swoop that took me hours to make in MS Publisher and even
longer to make into a .gif using a free program one of those moms suggested. My first business cards required me taking the printed out and mocked up layout for them into the company that would be thermographing them in person, after establishing myself as a wholesale account with them. Everything was both much harder, and in some respects, so much easier. We didn't know how much we didn't know. To say that it was a different world doesn't really do justice to just HOW different it is. <br /></p>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-19521156000697074222022-07-15T15:42:00.006-06:002022-07-15T15:42:50.451-06:00It's mid-July already! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JXYB3viT1aRyUR29nw7aIjlK3kL5JDwGM3D7bm_-E6HFZL8fK0dJ0MKq1Uwp6tsseatsfgc3kIy9_Mf0uA8J-NV1wqivrCE4jpOCZB9VrJSmfyvvDMMACoy8Nmx35ekpiY50mCf1bGxbQpHEguyk9lPUPYyJ2hlFeMByrwBeNeWOsxO9F2cDMXw65Q/s2598/july1522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1959" data-original-width="2598" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JXYB3viT1aRyUR29nw7aIjlK3kL5JDwGM3D7bm_-E6HFZL8fK0dJ0MKq1Uwp6tsseatsfgc3kIy9_Mf0uA8J-NV1wqivrCE4jpOCZB9VrJSmfyvvDMMACoy8Nmx35ekpiY50mCf1bGxbQpHEguyk9lPUPYyJ2hlFeMByrwBeNeWOsxO9F2cDMXw65Q/w418-h315/july1522.jpg" width="418" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Tools of today's work! I have been having a blast coming up with spice mixes to offer up at Fleischer Farms' stand the last several weeks and finally remembered to snag a pic today. Slogging away on a website revamp, ordering packaging supplies, designing...it feels like I am slowly coming back to life. That which doesn't kill us, blah, blah, blah. There is a whole lot of truth to it anyway, and I hope the stronger part is true, too. Lots and lots of changes coming up in the next two months, I hope to get back in the habit of gabbing here more often to sort out my own thought processes. Bear with me, or absolutely feel free to scroll by and get just the tidbits you need! I will be sorting out recipes and other informational things into a better searchable format so if you don't need the ramblings of a middle-aged mama, you don't have to wade through them. Blessings! bz<br /></p>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-70236565902400656112022-05-18T17:45:00.002-06:002022-05-18T17:45:27.593-06:00Oh, I only *thought* I had outdone myself.<p>The last two and half years have been a whole thesaurus worth of words describing challenge. I have, several times, had part of an update typed up and then decided against posting it for a myriad of reasons.<br /></p><p>There have been many moments of heartache, anxiety, sorrow, fear and so much loss. Occasionally there have been moments of unexpected comfort and strength in spite of hardship. Even less often there have been chance moments of bittersweet joy. Truly happy moments have been in super short supply. Suffice to say, it's been <i>rough</i><i>. </i></p><p>Rather than dwell on what has been, what it has cost and what we have lost, I think a clean slate start is where my heart points. So, acknowledging that my last post left many things unfinished, and this one is leaving even more unsaid, let's go forward anyway! <i> </i><br /></p>Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-9738024859516464332020-04-09T14:52:00.000-06:002020-04-09T14:52:39.452-06:00I've outdone myselfI've outdone myself on length of time between posts this time. Nearly four years. Things have changed so much I'm not sure just an update would even do it justice. I suppose I can start, just for ease, with an update on the bullet points from my last (long ago) post. <br />
<ul>
<li>Sara will be turning 18 this year. I'm about to have an adult kiddo. It feels a bit surreal.</li>
<li>Alex is 9 inches taller than me. </li>
<li>The crazy-never-ending-eleven-year-and-counting-remodeling project
that is the Green Grass House in a nutshell still has an end in sight, but STILL isn't where we want it to be.</li>
<li>We are (sort of) still homeschooling but have scaled back homesteading, too. This statement gives me some pause, and will need some more thinking and fleshing out, in another post. </li>
</ul>
For the next two bullets we take a serious jog to the side, because so much has changed, just in the last four weeks. <br />
<ul>
<li>The family business, Roberts Sales, HAD grown by leaps and bounds
every year for several years running and kept David good and busy, but slowed down the last two years, and, in unrelated news, is currently closed. Yes, closed. </li>
<li>We currently have no fun things on our slate for this summer. In fact, we have no idea what summer will even look like at this point.</li>
</ul>
So, let's talk changes! If I would have had myself together, I might have posted a January update, like so many years in the past, but even if I had, it wouldn't look like life right now. Since March 13, we have been on a stay at home order (school systems), that was greatly increased on March 25 (Denver non-essential businesses) and again on March 26 (Jefferson County businesses). As of April 3, schools went to remote learning for the rest of the year. After seeing many folks suggest that keeping a journal of this time would be beneficial, or at least interesting historically, I decided to resurrect the ol' blog and chronicle things as they are . I'm going to start with a recap of the last few months on a world wide scale before delving back into what this means to our little homestead. Onward to the next post! Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-57151129422158928472016-06-11T16:15:00.000-06:002016-06-11T16:15:05.002-06:00So many updates!As always, I'm starting off apologizing for the long time between posts. And as always, I will try to be better, really I will :-) The short version of an update:<br />
<ul>
<li>I'm the mom of a teen now, Sara turned 13 in November!</li>
<li>Alex is less than a half inch shorter than me, and will probably pass me this summer (He's 11)</li>
<li>The crazy-never-ending-eight-years-and-counting-remodeling project that is the Green Grass House in a nutshell has an end in sight. </li>
<li>We are still homeschooling and homesteading, but have scaled back the work at home quite a bit to keep up with those other two!</li>
<li>The family business, Roberts Sales, has grown by leaps and bounds every year for four years running and keeps David good and busy for a good portion of the summer.</li>
<li>We have many fun things on our slate for this summer, and I hope to keep up here with sharing them with everyone! </li>
</ul>
Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-91285504052967144722015-01-20T15:12:00.000-07:002015-01-20T15:12:36.974-07:00New Classroom Pets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Awww, aren't they cute? This sweet little group of fishies was at the Foothills Animal Shelter last night when we went to look at ratties (hopefully another post - they are still on medical hold and Sara is about to explode waiting for the call to let us know if they are to be ours or not.). They were supposed to be feeders for a group of red-eared slider turtles that were brought in - the turtles got adopted out, these guys were left behind. I think they make a nice addition to the room here, and they are mesmerizing to watch (particularly for Alex, while he is supposed to be doing math *sigh*) </div>
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-83465266048679807162015-01-20T14:21:00.001-07:002015-01-20T14:21:29.204-07:00Check it out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Never thought I would see this day. Yes, that is both of them, reading, willingly. *happy tears* </div>
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-54240497244014433122015-01-07T16:21:00.001-07:002015-01-07T16:21:25.470-07:00Has it really been a year?Yep. It sure has. So add to the list of resolutions for 2015 - blogging a bit more frequently! Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-89279794314142058252014-01-16T20:13:00.003-07:002014-01-16T20:13:54.542-07:00Happy New Year (cough,cough, hack, hack)Fly by posting to welcome in 2014 - 16 days into it, mind you. Got a wretched cold, darn it. Kids are watching documentaries, we're calling it school for the day. The best of intentions and all that!! Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-67840238115944830782013-07-27T16:55:00.002-06:002013-07-27T16:55:56.245-06:00One of my favorite "rooms"Our back screen porch is one of my favorite rooms at the Green Grass House. It was here when we moved in and I like to picture fifty years of people enjoying a respite from the rain and summer sun, mosquitoes and Colorado winds in this cozy room. It got junked up early in the spring when we started on the basement remodel - what was supposed to be a few weeks of having boxes everywhere turned into months instead. The kids and I decided we needed it back and ended up with the perfect excuse when my cousins came into town from CA to visit. Nothing like a deadline to get you moving on clean up!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_UheHAFSQ0/UfRCkPH4snI/AAAAAAAAAvY/VSz_D_BOpto/s1600/screenporch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_UheHAFSQ0/UfRCkPH4snI/AAAAAAAAAvY/VSz_D_BOpto/s640/screenporch1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horsey chairs! These are vintage, from my grandparent's long ago basement set up. The windows above them transom up to leave half of this wall screened and open for summer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K73rXVtncps/UfRCnjOaqvI/AAAAAAAAAvg/cNCDxtCdg2s/s1600/screenporch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K73rXVtncps/UfRCnjOaqvI/AAAAAAAAAvg/cNCDxtCdg2s/s640/screenporch2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My folks' table and chairs - I grew up using these and love that we still get to enjoy family meals on them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rUu16ipV4dg/UfRCpBTHsYI/AAAAAAAAAvo/dbovYpjMS2Y/s1600/screenporch3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rUu16ipV4dg/UfRCpBTHsYI/AAAAAAAAAvo/dbovYpjMS2Y/s640/screenporch3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lovely bench from my mom's friend Sally - I believe it came from her mother in law? Found the cheery bright red wool pillows at World Market at end of season last year - yay! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3mZe-dZF5A/UfRC6i-uRVI/AAAAAAAAAvw/50lZpv9Vp-E/s1600/screenporch4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b3mZe-dZF5A/UfRC6i-uRVI/AAAAAAAAAvw/50lZpv9Vp-E/s640/screenporch4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sara's favorite spot out here - this big, squishy papasan chair is a great spot to curl up with a book! It was my brother's before it came our way - I just made a new cover for the big pillow my mom had already made for it. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DAmNdPnX3LM/UfRG3DsAozI/AAAAAAAAAwA/LuILpDkvbuY/s1600/screenporch5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DAmNdPnX3LM/UfRG3DsAozI/AAAAAAAAAwA/LuILpDkvbuY/s640/screenporch5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toy chest built by our neighbors and used by their kids for years before coming our way - full of outside games, blankets for chilly nights and hammocks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SiCRgh5zHA8/UfRG7A7piHI/AAAAAAAAAwI/hRqNOlprG44/s1600/screenporch6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SiCRgh5zHA8/UfRG7A7piHI/AAAAAAAAAwI/hRqNOlprG44/s640/screenporch6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandparents' wood burning stove - she cooked many meals on this for ranch hands, family and friends. We are going to pipe it in this fall and hope to keep the memories alive by baking in here ourselves. The cabinet next to it was here when we moved in, tucked back in the garage amidst the other random stuff. Check out the vintage apple press on top - hoping to put that to work this fall!! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25TWCVtYiEY/UfRG9T8-rdI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/l0L9AO7T51o/s1600/screenporch7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25TWCVtYiEY/UfRG9T8-rdI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/l0L9AO7T51o/s640/screenporch7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandparents' tete-a-tete - it was red wood once upon a time, we have had it for about 15 years now, through two moves and three sets of cushions. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E--Bg1Wh5AU/UfRG-_n8V1I/AAAAAAAAAwY/XUoxZx1Zt1o/s1600/screenporch8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E--Bg1Wh5AU/UfRG-_n8V1I/AAAAAAAAAwY/XUoxZx1Zt1o/s640/screenporch8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast set from our first house, with the tiny kitchen and no room for a full table. Little water stand came from my friend Kristy - we just tiled the top a week ago. Funky hutch was built by David for our first apartment - the base and counter are sides from a butcher board style desk that was being thrown away. Our first microwave just about filled that space on the counter LOL! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3jS4dmYIi0/UfRHARCKxyI/AAAAAAAAAwg/tcpJjIk8YFQ/s1600/screenporch9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3jS4dmYIi0/UfRHARCKxyI/AAAAAAAAAwg/tcpJjIk8YFQ/s640/screenporch9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabinets from my grandparents' kitchen remodel years ago. The corner was in the kitchen here, but we had to take it out to fit the bigger size of the '57 stove. Counter topped it two summers ago to make a lovely long buffet for parties here - we can fit all three chafing sets, or lots and lots of trays and platters. The cupboards have all the hand me down melamine that has come our way and lots of other outside entertaining goodies. Right now it is holding drying garlic.</td></tr>
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Nearly everything in
this room has come our way from someone else. In most cases, it was a
treasured piece from someone's past that just didn't quite fit their
lives anymore (my parents' table set, horsey chairs, neighbors' toy box) but were too loved to be given away. In some
cases, they are sweet curb dive finds or discarded things that we have chosen to make into something functional and fun. In one case, it came back to us the long way - the wood burning stove went to one of my cousins' in-laws when the old farm was sold. They used it and enjoyed it for many years, before remodeling the screen porch they had it in. Before moving it, they contacted my cousin to see if she wanted it back. She didn't, but bless her, she thought of us and our crazy little farmstead. A weekend drive to southeastern CO, a pleasant opportunity to reconnect with people we hadn't seen in years, a trailer and truck drive home to Lakewood and it was back in the family! <br />
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When I sit here in the quiet of a late evening or early morning I always feel like there are
whispers of so many life moments floating through the air. When I work in this room, gathering the tools for a project, drying a harvest, shaking off shoes or peeling off gloves from the garden, I feel like they are nodding in agreement that working is part of a full life. When my family is all together in here, listening to some vintage radio, reading or chatting, I feel like they just might be smiling in agreement that relaxation is part of life, too. When I have
the pleasure of sharing this room with friends and family, enjoying a
meal together or just chatting over a glass, I feel like those whispers have to be agreeing that sharing our lives with others is one of the best parts of life. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-djhYA0vyXFk/UfRHB00kLwI/AAAAAAAAAwo/tHZVttnsEb8/s1600/screenporch10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-djhYA0vyXFk/UfRHB00kLwI/AAAAAAAAAwo/tHZVttnsEb8/s640/screenporch10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reminder above the door before you head out into the "real world". </td></tr>
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Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-26512921887660504012013-07-27T15:41:00.001-06:002013-07-27T15:42:48.688-06:00July Garden Recap 2013A bit early, it isn't quite the end of July, but I have some time to kill today while I wait for a load of laundry to finish drying and that is a rare, rare thing so I'm taking advantage!<br />
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The Garden! Ahh, the garden. First time here to (more or less) plant the whole thing.<br />
Things we've learned so far:<br />
<ul>
<li>We planted too light. </li>
<li>Reseeding stuff that doesn't come in is necessary if you want a pretty, consistent garden look.</li>
<li>Straw does indeed contain weed seeds, however they are less horrible than the weeds we already had, so it has been totally worth it anyway. </li>
<li>Wet cedar fence board walkways are VERY slippery.</li>
<li>Shredded bark mulch hides grubs very well, but when you find them, the chickens love to munch them down.</li>
<li>A really good base tan from working outside doesn't mean you can't still get burned like a toasty little marshmallow the morning you decide not to bother with sunscreen.</li>
<li>Getting a yellow jacket stuck between your foot and the top of the too-big garden slogs you are wearing results in multiple little stings before you can think to yank off the shoe and throw it.</li>
<li>Ice on those little stings is a miracle worker!</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lq0fANvsKmk/UfQ4wjO-a2I/AAAAAAAAAuw/uuhbAEaHY7I/s1600/gardenaerialjuly2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lq0fANvsKmk/UfQ4wjO-a2I/AAAAAAAAAuw/uuhbAEaHY7I/s640/gardenaerialjuly2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aeriel view of the garden - Sara was kind enough to climb on the chicken coop to snag these for me!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wxGrB7Lx5g4/UfQ4x3TE0KI/AAAAAAAAAu4/qKAihUVDhIE/s640/gardenaerialjuly20132.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial of herb garden and our old cinder block shelves that have made two moves and been around for 15 years now!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_NKvVyhI_s/UfQ4uGZZYtI/AAAAAAAAAug/H6DuDUqxGKo/s1600/compostgardenbenchjuly2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_NKvVyhI_s/UfQ4uGZZYtI/AAAAAAAAAug/H6DuDUqxGKo/s640/compostgardenbenchjuly2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> My grandfather's hand me down garden bench and the compost piles (in
desperate need of a turning, watering and covering on two of them)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l58LnXjTmXY/UfQ41VIH7zI/AAAAAAAAAvI/Cjj9VSrSIXM/s1600/herbgardenjuly2013kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l58LnXjTmXY/UfQ41VIH7zI/AAAAAAAAAvI/Cjj9VSrSIXM/s640/herbgardenjuly2013kids.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ham-n-cheese balls posing for a picture in the herb garden. </td></tr>
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So far the harvest is...underwhelming...for the amount of work the kids and I have put in. A whole lot of the early summer was spent doing a lot of permanent work that took time, but doesn't result in harvest. The walkways. Fencing between the herb garden and veggie garden so we can do chicken rotation this fall/winter. Putting up the cinder block shelves and Sara's garden tire. Drip systems and other irrigation. All fabulous things that will mean much less work and an earlier start on planting next year (yay!) but set us back for getting stuff in this year (boo!).<br />
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So what have we gotten so far? Lots of lettuces of all sorts of varieties. A few tiny tomatoes. Even fewer tiny (but oh, so heavenly) strawberries. Even fewer cucumbers, but more are coming. Tonight - green and yellow beans! Herbs of several sorts - nearly all of my perennials made it back - our lovage is not happy, but it is there. We lost the sachet lavender (not a huge surprise, it is very borderline for our zone 4/5). I put in many new plants this spring, but that will be another post for another time because I would have to check the garden book to remember them all - we have 35+ varieties of herbs out there.<br />
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All in all - not a bad first year on here - particularly considering this has been nearly all the kids and me - David has been working 70+ hours a week for nearly three months now. We are lucky to see him at all some days! Again, a post for another time, but it has been a pretty stressful summer in that respect!<br />
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How does your garden grow? :-) Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-61215053268124874132013-06-24T12:29:00.000-06:002013-06-24T12:29:39.172-06:00Summer is kicking my hiney. What a season so far. David has been working at least 65 hours and often many more at the camper shop, so everything around the Green Grass House has landed on the kids and I so far this year. Whew! My aches have aches, and I keep thinking that SURELY with working this hard the scale should be showing some difference, but it isn't, so far. So, what have we been up to? <br />
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We planted this year - for the first time - the whole of our garden space. Tomatoes, pole beans, bush beans, potatoes, garlic, melons, squash, basil, leeks, peppers, lettuce and other things I'm forgetting right now. (Luckily it is all in the garden binder I have been working on - that will be another post, though...)<br />
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We curb surfed this rolling counter-cart thingie and are fixing it up to use for a FAC market idea I have buzzing around in my head. Maybe. Someday soon?<br />
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We had to tear apart our shower (the only shower in the house, mind you) because of rotting tiles and wall. We knew this when we moved in here, but really, really hoped it would be several years. It did make it five years from move in, but finally bit the dust seven weeks ago. Yes, I said seven weeks ago. What was supposed to be a one week or so project has morphed into one of those projects from hell that is still not done nearly two months later. Sigh. On the bright side, I have new-found appreciation for how much I really like showers after two months of tub bathing. :-)<br />
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We work with our two new adoptees quite a bit - they both had some rotten habits from before they came to us. Ruby, on the left, is a muttly little girl, theoretically boxer, but definitely not ALL boxer. She came from Fremont County Humane on foster transfer, but she's our first foster fail -she'll be here for the long haul. She is scared of many things but is getting better all the time. Chester is a boxer from Maxfund, he is mostly standard lunkhead boxer. They were both skinny little things (you could put fingers in between every rib on Chester - he was found hiding under a bush in a park in Denver) that are filling in nicely and just want to be near us all the time.<br />
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It isn't all work all the time - more posts later on that - for now I'm off to feed kids!<br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-65635886717629749962013-04-06T16:08:00.004-06:002022-03-17T18:36:02.291-06:00Asian Themed Chicken or Turkey Lettuce Wraps<p>EDIT 2022: More veggies, better descriptions and a card! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgk1yWJq23B-m6AMUzLMtTwDANv9d78b6WdQwK2XcG5OFVjEEL0ej-ukdf_-WZm85TuD9T9ARnGZWtwO-Ml57ILAzhojvhuPVYHJ_qhXCUCQvl54TEK-woyUGXhj8DXai6FizbKj8wpBKm33s1hliVmVagxU1a4T7jZNrM2b55PdELtseIOQL8qJ9p_A=s1779" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1779" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhgk1yWJq23B-m6AMUzLMtTwDANv9d78b6WdQwK2XcG5OFVjEEL0ej-ukdf_-WZm85TuD9T9ARnGZWtwO-Ml57ILAzhojvhuPVYHJ_qhXCUCQvl54TEK-woyUGXhj8DXai6FizbKj8wpBKm33s1hliVmVagxU1a4T7jZNrM2b55PdELtseIOQL8qJ9p_A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p> </p><p>FINALLY! I have a few spare minutes to start blogging up some of our favorite Green Grass House recipes.<br />
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<u>Asian Themed Chicken or Turkey Lettuce Wraps</u> were inspired a bit by Elephant Bar at Belmar in Lakewood. We like to
eat there, but it is in a decidedly hip little area that tends to look
at the kiddos and us like we are strange interlopers from the Nether.
That, combined with it being a little pricey and tough to get into a lot
of the time convinced us we needed to make our own - plus now we can
control exactly where our ingredients come from - extra bonus! <br />
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What you need for 4 fairly hefty servings:<br />
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3/4 cup sliced raw almonds<br />
2 tbsp. olive oil (or other high heat cooking oil if you prefer)<br />
2-3 stems of brocolli (yep, just the stalks - a great way to use them up!)<br />
1 pound ground turkey or chicken (we have done packaged, and ground at home, both work just fine)<br />
2 cloves of garlic (for normal people - we use 6, but we really, really love garlic around here)<br />
1 tbsp. sesame oil<br />
1 tbsp. soy sauce (feel free to use more to taste - I have to watch my salt intake so we go a little low on this)<br />
1 tbsp. mixed Asian blend sesame seed/sea salt *<br />
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* We had a lovely blend made by The Art of Spice that we used - it finally ran out and we had to recreate it ourselves - 1 part white sesame seed, 1/2 part black sesame seed, 1 part medium grind sea salt, 1 part Chinese 5 spice powder. If you don't want to go to the effort of making it, or if you can't find all of these, we carry it in our <a href="http://www.flutterbydesignsgifts.com/catalog.php?category=82" target="_blank">shop</a>, too. <br />
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Toast the almonds in a dry pan until crunchy and brown over high heat.<br />
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Set toasted almonds aside, turn heat down to medium and add turkey/chicken to your hot pan. If you are using low fat breast cuts, add a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking at this point. While meat is browning, turn your attention to the veggies.<br />
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Peel the tougher sides of brocolli off and coarsely dice them. Peel and thinly slice garlic cloves. <br />
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Add the brocolli and garlic to your pan, along with the rest of the olive oil if you didn't already add it all with your meat.<br />
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Cook, stirring frequently over medium high heat until veggies are softened and meat is well browned. <br />
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Reduce heat to low and add sesame oil, soy sauce and sesame/salt blend and stir well. </div>
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Serve with large leaf lettuce - iceberg is the kids' favorite, I'm partial to one of the butterhead varieties. Scoop spoonfuls into the middle of a leaf, roll it up sort of like a lettuce taco and munch away. It's messy, so eat over the plates, but oh, so good!<br />
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We sometimes use this as an "in front of the tv watching a movie dinner", too! This is Sara's setup, complete with little umbrellas in the water glasses and the Xbox remote primed for surfing Netflix. :-) <br />
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<br /> YUMMMM! <br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-79515827479221036412013-03-27T09:49:00.000-06:002013-03-28T09:52:11.920-06:00So, it happened yesterday...I turned 40. An event I anticipated would be heralded with some impressive celebrating and a hearty dose of grown up frolicking. Instead all I wanted to do was crawl in a cave and hide out until it blew over. What is wrong with me? I apologize in advance - this will be a different post from the usual here. I was raised that sharing your upsets, your heartbreaks, your sadness, your frustrations - all of these were not allowed. They just upset other people and that is a no-no of epic proportions. But...yet...here I go.<br />
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I had this idea in my head, one where 40 would be older, wiser, more in control. I would exude that confidence associated with people truly comfortable in their skin. I would have children that people wanted to be around. They would be the epitome of amazing homeschooled kids that would *prove* without a doubt that I was making the right choice for them. I would have a house that invited people in and made them want to be here. I would have a business that supported our family and our community. I would have a wonderful group of friends that stretched far and wide. I would be both cougar sexy and motherly. I would homestead, work, school, create, volunteer, nurture, inspire, change the world and do it in size 6 yoga pants and matching tiny tees. I would live up to at least some semblance of the overblown impossible ideals that are foisted upon women in my generation - the idea that you CAN have it all - that women for generations before us fought for us to be able to do ANYTHING.And you should do it all FABULOUSLY all the time. <br />
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You already know where this is going. Of course, that ideal is impossible. Of course I'm none of those things. Of course I'm not the only one that feels this way. Of course, I shouldn't let these feelings bog me down. And yet, it feels so...final. Like if I haven't gotten somewhere in the zip code of this ideal yet, there is no longer hope for it to happen. I'm overweight. I'm unhealthy and likely to kick off before my kids are grown if I can't fix that. Sexy isn't even in the running for an adjective in my descriptors. Size 6 was 17 years ago. My business continues to putter along - not supporting anyone, but taking time, energy and money. Our third home is in its fifth year of remodeling. Although doing it yourself is rewarding and cheaper, it takes so. darn. much. time. I have many, many acquaintances but few friends because I am a bad friend. My children, although delightful in so many ways, are frustrating...and frustrated. With me. With our chaotic life. Our schooling is sporadic - wonderful some days, not so much on others. Sara is starting into the pre-teen years of questioning - herself, me, the world as a whole. Alex has learning issues that make everything we work on...harder. <br />
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Then I start in on the self-doubt. Is it my fault he is that way? Something in the womb? Not enough stimulus in those first months? Not enough time together? Not enough intervention from outside sources? Do we work too much? Not enough? Why didn't we buy an easy house? Why do I volunteer with things that don't reward me back? Why can't I say no? Why don't I make friends easily? Why does my willpower suck? Am I ruining my children? Am I ruining me? Am I ruining EVERYTHING? <br />
<br />
I *know* without a doubt that I should stop my whining. There are so many people in the world, and in my immediate life, that have it tougher by a stretch. Friends with kids who are sick, so sick that their time here is limited in ways I can't imagine. Friends who are losing parents. Friends with financial struggles that make my business grumbles pale in comparison. People with a whole host of problems that leave my little whines in the dust. But then there are also the people that make my life look just as cruddy as it feels. Friends with the proverbial "world on a string". Marathon running moms with impressive jobs, amazing children, perfect homes and adoring husbands. Are they really all of that? Probably not. The fabulous (and horrifying) thing about the internet is you can be just about whatever you want. Pinterest the right things, post the right things, link to the right things - anyone can create the idea of a perfect life. I *know* this all in my head...but my heart is another matter. <br />
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So, what now? A little baring of the soul is good for a cathartic cleansing (and I know that so few people read this blog that it isn't really like I'm throwing everything out to the whole wide world - one of the few times I am grateful for not being a big time blogger type!). I suppose it is good that the first born perfectionist in me will not allow me to just wallow in this for too long. People might find out how lame I really am. Better get on it and fix that. Therein being one of the problems. How? If I was capable of "fixing" it, wouldn't I have already done so? Why aren't I willing to make changes that help myself...my family...my life? Is it really that hard to put my well being first? Or maybe that is the problem...I'm too selfish? And back to the doubting we go. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-41597641348658848402013-02-06T11:26:00.002-07:002013-02-06T11:26:27.325-07:00Where did January go????My pondering for the morning as I am getting co-ops squared away, invoicing people for the homeschool Valentine's Party, and being inundated with garden planning info - what the heck happened to my January? I know the answer,but it was still a shock to see February come up on the calender. We were flattened by the flu for nearly 10 days. Never has the whole family had one bug, all at the same time, that smooshed us with the ferocity of this year's respiratory influenza. Five days of that was spent with all of us hovering in the 100+ fever fog, watching crazy amounts of Dr. Who and Create TV and basically taking turns with who was most able to get up and stumble to get more ginger ale, soup, hot tea and ibuprofen. We're all good now, but losing that much time in our normal crazy and chaotic lives has wreaked some serious havoc on the The Green Grass House. We're behind on all sorts of stuff: school for sure, and work, sort of, although that is mostly caught up - just a couple more orders that came up during that time to wrap up. I start playing for a children's theater this week - something new to stretch my boundaries and wings a bit - that will wipe me off the slate here for the next 3 afternoon/evenings and all day Saturday. All in all, lots of funkiness happening this month and last!Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-23655603898761131172013-01-03T12:32:00.003-07:002013-01-03T12:32:42.496-07:00Cleaning up my interwebz...Got a wicked backache today and just really don't feel like doing much of anything productive...but really would feel like a big bum to call it a day at 10 am. Solution? Twiddle around on the web - fixing blog headers, finally publishing our Green Grass House Facebook page (yep, never got around to it after the big "cover and profile" pic changes many months ago), create logos, place product supply orders, lots of projects that I can sit on my behind to do :-) Bum children are taking full advantage of having a few more days of freedom before we get back into schooling - Sara is currently on Zoo Tycoon and Alex is Minecrafting. Did I mention a bum sort of day? Um...yep. Funniest find so far...I apparently REALLLY need to update the landing page we made years ago for a project that needed just one website for all the things we did: <a href="http://www.flutterbydesigns.net/zserdinfamily.htm" target="_blank">The Zserdin Family page</a> The thing is - I really like that picture, so maybe it will just stay that way - or I will dig up something current, too and leave both. Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-60762518040846546462013-01-02T16:38:00.002-07:002013-01-02T16:38:26.845-07:00Happy New Year 2013!It was a super low key New Year's Eve for us this year - made foo-foo appetizers with the kids for the four of us and played board games, watched a few episodes of Once Upon a Time and just barely made it to the ball drop - I think we were all in bed about 5 minutes after :-)<br />
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There is a theory that whatever you do on New Year's Day will set the precedent for your year - with this in mind we worked some, played some and created some. A little bit of house cleaning, and made a list for back to work on Wednesday. Made a gigantic batch of 40 breakfast burritos to freeze. Cleaned out and organized the spice cupboard and magnetic rack, cleaned the fridge out, made menus for the rest of the week and did lots of laundry. And best of the day, made a 5 gallon batch of mead! We burned the bad from last year, but have yet to make resolutions - I'm always so torn on those, in some ways they seem destined to fail and more appropriate to some of the other holidays that celebrate the turning of the wheel more distinctly. At any rate - probably tonight! Hope this finds all of you out there well and Blessed! Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-22462053580761132002012-08-28T14:11:00.000-06:002012-08-28T14:11:00.421-06:00Sort of Back to SchoolUsually this time of year I'm posting about our "Not Back to School" plans, as we fondly call it in the homeschooling community. This year marks a change for the Green Grass House - the kids are in school. At least a little. Maybe more than I am ready for. Yesterday was their first day at <a href="http://wwahomeschool.org/">WWA-HSC</a> - a one day a week enrichment to homeschooling offered by JeffCo at a church about 5 minutes from here. Sara has been buzzing with excitement for it for two weeks now - and she had a great first day. Alex has been quite a bit less enthusiastic, but did okay. It's mostly fun, things I can't easily do at home like theater, fitness, some art, science (which we do plenty of, but Sara always wants more) and even a cooking basics that Alex ended up in because his other choices were full. My hopes are that it will give us some structure, which is where I am always lacking - we do so much of our life based on deadlines and flying by the seat of our pants. I spent the day doing long-overdue office work (invoicing, billing, taxes, all the fun stuff ;) and making lessons plans for the next two weeks. <br />
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No nice sweet serious studious looking picture like all my friends are posting from my kids *sigh*.<br />
Peace Out, man! <br />
<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-29828852024302627932012-08-17T11:56:00.000-06:002012-08-17T12:01:50.362-06:00Some canning, some harvest...Yesterday at the Green Grass House... we got our first significant harvest out of the garden - three kinds of beans, a few little tomatoes, a few tiny carrots, cucumber and one ear of corn. Considering we have been anything but consistent about watering, weeding or feeding the garden, I'm thrilled we're getting anything! <br />
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The garlic we pulled a few weeks ago is done aging, so the kids are *supposed* to be peeling a bunch of it for canning. Sara thinks they look like little maces with their seeds heads so they keep battling with them instead. Goofballs! <br />
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These are not ours, but our fabulous neighbors across the street have been keeping us well supplied in summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers in exchange for fresh eggs from the girls. Wedges are soaking in an onion and salt water bath to get ready for canning up Italian herbed squash pickles for antipasto plates.<br />
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Peaches from Palisade - these were from our chicken feed supplier - she had two big boxes of "way too ripe to eat, must be jammed or canned soon" peaches we snagged for $15 when we picked up food for the feather butts Saturday. Just a light syrup canning here, nothing fancy. I still have jam from two years ago - we apparently don't eat near enough toast around here, so I went plain on these. <br />
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Finished for the night - 7 quarts of peaches, 6 pints of squash, about 1/10 of the garlic peeled - looks like I need to help out with that project a bit LOL! <br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-65393395182152177442012-08-15T13:30:00.003-06:002012-08-15T13:33:28.280-06:00Summer at Green Grass House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The coop's front door, which we never use anymore with the enclosed run
on the back. That mint there is absolutely full to the brim with fuzzy
bees - the kids have figured out how to sit very still and gently pet
the bees while they are busy gathering goodies off our herb garden.<br />
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One view of the messy garden - no where near what we had hoped and planned to have this year, but it's getting there, slowly but surely!<br />
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I had a chance to count recently - 32 varieties of herbs, culinary and medicinal, in our herb garden at this point. Elsewhere in the yard we have four more varieties of oregano, six types of lavender and seven mints.<br />
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HOPS!!! These bines are awesome, over 10 feet tall in two growing seasons, with cute little papery blossoms starting to ripen up - now to brew some beer!<br />
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Sassy pants Joe the Rooster is keeping an eye on me while I take this picture - several of the girls are behind him in the bark, hoses and periwinkle, dust bathing and enjoying the shade. Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-40631338203110444502011-08-29T16:27:00.000-06:002012-07-03T18:15:12.229-06:00Catching up - out and about...Occasionally we even leave TGGH to get out and about in the world!<br />
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Field trip with <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/cchf/">Common Ground Homeschoolers</a> to <a href="http://jeffco.us/openspace/openspace_T56_R14.htm">Lookout Mountain Nature Center</a> <br />
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Field trip with Common Ground to the <a href="http://www.butterflies.org/">Butterfly Pavilion </a><br />
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We love co-op classes - this one was a cake decorating class with Common Ground...<br />
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We went camping with some of the wonderful people from <a href="http://www.lakewooducc.com/">Lakewood UCC</a><br />
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<br />Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-33495171705199031322011-08-16T14:32:00.001-06:002011-08-16T14:35:37.467-06:00I really need to do this more often than every 6 months...So, here goes - massive catch up post! Since February, what all have we done around this crazy place? Well...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxeB_XudBfQ/Tkq4Gp2VKSI/AAAAAAAAAe0/veI6r3NKE8A/s1600/movingcoop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pxeB_XudBfQ/Tkq4Gp2VKSI/AAAAAAAAAe0/veI6r3NKE8A/s400/movingcoop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We moved the chicken coop forward about 4 feet so that we could add a fully enclosed day run on the back side because we lost 6 of our girls to fox during the spring.<br />
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We had our first ever "raised by mama hen" chick hatch on Mother's Day - dubbed Little Peep, she has grown into a feisty little pullet!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TVFItgsu8uw/TkrPEQanxhI/AAAAAAAAAfA/Ir6KbtVllC0/s1600/tuffshedwin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TVFItgsu8uw/TkrPEQanxhI/AAAAAAAAAfA/Ir6KbtVllC0/s400/tuffshedwin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> We won a loafing shed from Tuff Shed - how cool is that??<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwyzDYc_uzc/TkrRFTRPrXI/AAAAAAAAAfM/PUjJ9IJ04G4/s1600/NJonbench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwyzDYc_uzc/TkrRFTRPrXI/AAAAAAAAAfM/PUjJ9IJ04G4/s400/NJonbench.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>We added some new girls to the flock - Norwegian Jaerhorns - the group of them are inseparable, and like perching anywhere they can be all together.<br />
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We started on the basement remodel - sort of - and then entirely shelved it for the rest of the summer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yH0jek7ZrSg/TkrRn3AZz2I/AAAAAAAAAfU/XY5ytvAkjB4/s1600/hawkonfence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yH0jek7ZrSg/TkrRn3AZz2I/AAAAAAAAAfU/XY5ytvAkjB4/s320/hawkonfence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We had a visitor - the chickens were NOT impressed with him coming by so frequently - in this case, on the fence about 10 feet from the coop.<br />
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It wasn't all work, even though it seems like it sometimes...<br />
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Valentine's Day at our church<br />
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Orange cranberry, banana and chocolate chip pumpkin breads<br />
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Sometimes we even leave the house! More to follow...<br />
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Brendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2939687538515050866.post-24417630416700913292011-02-21T17:38:00.002-07:002011-08-29T16:29:15.341-06:00I am a wacky Urban Homesteader!Hey, a blog post from the Green Grass House - wouldn't you know, it takes drama and controversy to get me to set aside everything else going on and take the time to write up a post over here! So, for all my non-homestead crazy friends, here's the scoop - a family is Pasadena CA has decided that they are the only urban homesteaders of worth in our 2011 world. They trademarked "urban homestead" and "urban homesteading" and are trying to make it stick by going after authors, bloggers and organizations that use those words. Honestly, they probably would have gotten away with it for quite a while, too - but they made the mistake of kicking a big fat buzzing hornet's nest by having Facebook yank down a whole bunch of Urban Homestead oriented pages, including the one belonging to James and Irina at <a href="http://www.denverurbanhomesteading.com/">Denver Urban Homesteading</a> . Oooooo, boy, really, really glad I'm not in their shoes now because I have a feeling this is all not going to go the way they would like to see it go! I won't beleaguer it all here, partly because I'm supposed to be outside helping the boys and partly because I know I won't do it all justice, but if you are interested, here's the best place to go for more info: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Take-Back-Urban-Home-steadings/167527713295518">Take Back Urban Home-steading(s) on Facebook</a> - it has links to related sites, fantastic blog entries from everyone talking this up today and updates on where the legal battle will go from here.<br />
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So, what's my interest in this? Well, although we don't quite fit all of the narrow definition that the Dervaes' family, we are proud to call ourselves Urban Homesteaders. This crazy house and property with all of its time-intensive work is our labor of love, our livelihood and most of all, our HOME. David and I were chatting over coffee a few mornings ago about this whole thing and one of the firmest conclusions we came to was that there is no way anyone can define, limit or trademark something as broad and encompassing as "urban homesteading".<br />
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What is Urban Homesteading? Well, to some of our acquaintances in the heart of Denver, it is growing their own herbs, eating homemade vegan food, creating art and goods from recycled and upcycled items, buying wind power credits and biking instead of driving. To some of our friends on the fringes of the suburban/rural border it is growing the vast majority of their food, belonging to co-ops for the rest, purchasing cow shares and raising their own chickens and goats. For some of our suburban friends it is underground chicken raising, CSA delivery, solar power and motorcycle not car. For some the focus is on the health benefits of eating real food grown and raised by real people. For some it is on the sustainability of a lifestyle that gives back more than it takes. For some it is channeling grandparents and great-grandparents who were farmers as best as they can in a modern city environment. For most of us it tends towards home made, home grown, home baked, home cooked, home oriented.<br />
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</a></div>For us personally it is a little bit of all of these. To my family's continual surprise and amusement, our 60 year old farmhouse on a sweet little half acre is a little bit city and a little bit farm. We are five houses off one of the busier highways through Denver, complete with the never-ending street buzz that comes with it. Our 18 bantam chickens live in a coop that is 1/4 Craigslist, 1/4 big box store and 1/2 recycled and repurposed. They are foraging the garden area while I write this, making a gigantic muddy mess out of themselves. They can do that right now because the garden isn't in yet - on the slate for this spring is an asparagus bed and more grape vines for our wine making aspirations in addition to requests from friends who don't have space to garden but want to help here. I'm currently typing on my computer in the out building my fantastic dad and husband built from the ground up for my work at home business. Speaking of dad and the hubby, I can hear the bobcat skid steer they are using to make a level spot in the back yard for a loafing shed going in tomorrow (but that is another post all together!) to store some of the equipment we use here, and maybe, just maybe, goats in the future. My tiny funky storage celler downstairs has canned pears, spiced peach jam, pickled green tomatoes and dill pickles next to 50 pounds of flour and 25 pounds of pinto beans. I cook a mean potato breakfast dish in my grandmother's hand me down cast iron skillet with eggs laid by our hens. Ah, I could go on and on about the things we are trying to do, and all the things we want to do, and all the things we do completely wrong and all the things we should change and probably won't but I'll finish this for today with a few pictures of things that make me think of Urban Homesteads - oddly enough, not a single one of the things that comes to mind is related to a family's home in CA that I had never even heard of before this week :-)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wuoCuP_C_T0/TWMBAS0FEMI/AAAAAAAAAeE/ZfpfhEjhrzA/s1600/peachjam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wuoCuP_C_T0/TWMBAS0FEMI/AAAAAAAAAeE/ZfpfhEjhrzA/s320/peachjam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Peach jam - from yummy Palisade peaches bought from <a href="http://www.ripe2u.com/">Ripe 2 U</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ilmu52Af3pc/TWMBCh03BGI/AAAAAAAAAeI/91c-hVk60pY/s1600/chickensroof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ilmu52Af3pc/TWMBCh03BGI/AAAAAAAAAeI/91c-hVk60pY/s320/chickensroof.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> You think this slanted roof here is going to stop us from climbing on it? Nope!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi-uueZCZ6o/TWMBD7FmJiI/AAAAAAAAAeM/omwsK3E_6po/s1600/calzones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi-uueZCZ6o/TWMBD7FmJiI/AAAAAAAAAeM/omwsK3E_6po/s320/calzones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Biggest calzone we have ever made with fresh salads last summer<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ctoIZVAX3Vk/TWMBQW9VDNI/AAAAAAAAAeU/RzJ1N1XyztQ/s1600/herbgardengoingin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ctoIZVAX3Vk/TWMBQW9VDNI/AAAAAAAAAeU/RzJ1N1XyztQ/s320/herbgardengoingin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Putting in the flagstone patio last summer and a shot of the herb garden when it was still in the ground clearing stage<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxtLQHSisGg/TWMBK4PNqlI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/X24XAxgafDA/s1600/rubycounter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxtLQHSisGg/TWMBK4PNqlI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/X24XAxgafDA/s320/rubycounter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> And to finish up...if you leave the backdoor open to get some fresh air in the middle of winter on a warm day, you just might come in to the kitchen to find a visitor - one that thinks our coop is nicer than hersBrendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08480190201625539213noreply@blogger.com2