Sprouting Success!

I can now add mung beans and garbonzo beans to my sprouting abilities.  I want to make stir fry with the mung beans.  Can't wait to try them.  Not sure what we will do with the garbanzos but I am sure we can find something.

Sprouting sprouts

Sprouting has been giving great for the last year as long as I stick with lentils, alfalfa, radishes, and broccoli.  I have tried chia, an utter fail.  Red clover had a very low sprouting percentage.  We have replaced the lettuce in our sandwiches with sprouts.  We eat them as snacks.  I have also started hiding them in cooking and although funny when you find them they don't seem to change the taste of the meal.  They are definately helping us get more veggies in our lives.  

Trapper Jane

Our dear Trapper Jane had a rough night last night.  Even though we thought we were losing her in January of 2012 it is still so hard when it seems we are losing her again.  I love how much borrowed time we have had with her but when I think it's ending it is just awful.  Last night she either hurt her back again or had a stroke.  I am still not sure.  She wouldn't let us touch her for most of the night.  I finally got a muzzle to give her some medicine and we moved her to her bed.  This morning she was all tail wags and walking carefully.  We will see when her next hard day comes our way.

Simple? Or too busy life

This week I am back to full-time as a veterinarian.  I fear this will complicate my goal of a simple life for our family.  I have been making strides both inside our home and outside of it to simplify.  All our cleaners are now homemade or natural.  The garden is becoming more organic and more heirloom crops.  I find myself brainstorming on new foods for us to grow next spring.

Mary Janes Farm has been a big help through it all.  I just applied for my 42nd badge.  I love working on the badges as they teach me new things that I haven't thought of before.  The farmgirls on the forum are a big help too.  They offer up such great advice.

Hopefully I can continue on my quest to simplify our life while working a little more.

Furloughed isn't all that fun

Blogging and indoor activities took a back seat to fun this summer.  Gardening, camping, exploring, showing the girls are beautiful world were all more important.  Now going into week three of government shutdown I find myself becoming more domestic indoors.  Since we know my dear husband will get paid someday it isn't all that concerning but paying bills is a little less enjoyable.

When I first heard of the shutdown I started thinking what this would mean to our family.  What I have found is it means trying to spend a little less everywhere.  The grocery store has not seen me as often.  My once a week trip there has become every two weeks.  The luxury of buying bread seemed like a luxury so I am back to baking.  Milk and cheese definite musts but enjoying the fresh home canned food is too.  What started out as teasing my husband that I made more money the him now has gotten a little less funny for me.  Borrowing from the savings account to pay bills did that.

Overalls guess I am glad the shutdown is going on because it has helped me plunge back into saving with vigor rather than the easy going saving I was doing.  Mary Janes Farm is seeing a lot more of me this week.  I love my household cleaners I started last year but it looks like a floor cleaner may just get added to the mix and maybe a hand soap too.

Laundry Can be fun

This weekend I decided to spruce up the dingy, messy laundry room.  A little face lift to make things a little more bright.  The room has been functional the last seven years we have lived here but not enjoyable.  As I am the one who spends the most time in the room I decided to make it a little more pleasant for me time spent there.  First it got a good clean out then a clean up.  Washing walls and getting cobwebs down.  Then a nice lavender paint job.  After the painting was finished the various bookshelves got relocated to balance the room better and maybe spread out the congestion.  Next up is a few more items on the walls.  I found two yellow metal trays that will be great on the walls to hold magnets and papers I need to keep track of.  I also plan to hang up a few aprons in a decorative fashion and a skirt for the laundry sink.  Last but certainly not least a new door of some kind.  The current door definatley leaves something to be desired.

I also moved forward with homemade safe cleaners and made a window cleaner that seems to work just great without a bunch of chemicals.  I also have now made ten feed bag totes and hope to make an even dozen to fulfill the final requirement for my going green shopping badge with Mary Jane's Farm.  I really do enjoy learning all the skills needed to complete these badges.

Now for indoor work

I pulled the last of the carrots and onions this weekend. Today I am preparing the carrots for blanching and freezing. The onions for drying. The last of the tomatoes are red and ready to eat. I actually had someone track me down to have me make his wife some feedbag totes.  I have four bags I need to make up for me and some friends and his two.  I am planning on gifting them all and using the gifts for my reusable bag swap for a badge for Mary Jane's Farm.

My Christmas present for my family is really coming along.  It has taken quite a bit of effort but I think they will all enjoy it.  It is so nice to be able to make something for them to show my appreciation for them and our lives together.

I also plan on having a tea party on Saturday for my daughters and their friend. It will be our trial run and if they have lots of fun as I suspect they will we will start planning a larger affair.