The Smell of Spring

About two weeks ago, I was out working in the yard when I got a good whiff of freshly turned soil! Ahh, I love that smell. So I looked over in the field, and there was my husband, plowing up the garden. (He loves his tractor!)

We have a huge garden, so it takes a while to get the garden prepped and planted. We spent that entire weekend planting onions, potatoes, and peas-Oh my! Also in the ground are a variety of lettuces and radishes as well as green beens.

Planting a garden in the spring is exciting. It takes a lot of work and patience as you wait to realize the fruits of your labor...but oh so worth it!

This Week hubby planted some corn. So now that the bulk of the garden is in, we'll work on all the other stuff that gets planted later like tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, cukes, and more.

We had a few rain showers this week and guess what?.......

...little sprigs of green are popping up everywhere....radishes, onions, lettuce and beans.

My "Lucky Man" This picture reminds me of a song I refer to as

My husband's theme song by country singer Montgomery Gentry.

Lucky Man

I have days where I hate my job,

This little town and the whole world too

And last sunday when the bengals lost

Lord it put me in a bad mood

I have moments when I curse the rain

Then complain when the suns too hot

I look around at what everyone has

And I forget about all I've got

[chorus]

But I know Im a lucky man

Gods given me a pretty fair hand

Got a house and piece of land

A few dollars in a coffee can

My old trucks still runnin' good

My tickers tickin like they say it should

I've got supper in the oven

A good woman's lovin

And one more day to be my little kids dad

Lord knows I'm a lucky man

Got some friends that would be here fast

I could call em any time of day

Got a brother who's got my back

Got a momma who I swears a saint

Got a brand new rod and reel

Got a full week off this year

Dad had a close call last spring

It's a miracle he's still here

My old trucks still runnin' good

My tickers tickin like they say it should

I got supper in the oven

A good womans lovin'

And even my bad days aint that bad

Yeah I'm a lucky man

I'm a lucky, lucky man

To hear Lucky Man

Chicken Noodle Soup

Remember the extra chicken and broth from the corn soup? Today I took it from the freezer and made homemade noodle soup-with homemade noodles. Though I use a recipe for the noodles, the soup just kinda gets thrown together in the pot.

First, I made the noodles, rolled them out, and cut them into the desired size. These have to be made several hours ahead of time to allow the noodle to dry out a bit. (recipe below)

Just like the corn soup, I begin by sauteing some onion, celery, even a little garlic. Then add the broth and some pretty carrots.

Bring broth to a boil and add noodles a few at a time. If more broth is needed, some kind of ready to use broth can be added. Cook until tender, and add the chicken pieces, and a few spices....salt, pepper and parsley. Anything you choose to add desired flavor. Simmer just a bit longer.

ENJOY!

Homemade Noodles

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbl. milk

1 c. sifted flour

Combine egg, salt and milk. Add flour a little at a time, enough to make stiff dough. Roll very thin on floured surface. Let stand 20 minutes. Roll up loosely. Slice 1/4 inch wide. Unroll, Spread out and let dry 2 hours.

*I often use half whole wheat, half regular flour with no problem.

*Cutting noodles with a pizza cutter works well!

Have a great Day!

Tammy

Crazy Birds

The birds that call our neighborhood home have been very busy creating a place to raise their young. This year, several robins have chosen some crazy places to build their homes. This nest was built on top of a ladder that hangs in the overhead of my potting shed.

Another nest was constructed on the front porch on the top of my spring wreath. Everytime the door opens, she flies off. But if I'm really quiet, I can peek out at her through the beveled glass of the door.

I was even lucky enough to sneak a picture of her future family!

Sweet!

Have a great day! And take time to enjoy God's Glorious Creation!

Tammy

Chicken Update

As of today, we have 31 chickens! If you remember, we bought 9 chicks at our local farm supply store- 6 sex link, (3 red, 3 black) and 3 polish chicks (2 buff and 1 white crested black). Then we incubated 24 eggs, hatching 16 chicks. And I also bought 6 Aracauna chicks. Now I'm wondering what I am going to do with all those chickens! Although once we can identify which chicks are roosters we can thin the flock.

Check out chicken scrapbook pages I posted at http://www.scrapbookflair.com/.

Who knew chickens could be so cute. My husband and I just hover around the coop mesmerized by their every move. They are so entertaining. It's amazing to me that no one had to teach them to be chickens. They just do it. They scratch, and go through the motions of taking a dust bath. They even practice sparring with one another. And now I'm looking forward to hearing those little roosters crow.

Have a great day.....hope it's something to crow about!

Tammy

Enjoying Spring

Spring is the season of renewal and rebirth. And I love it! It reminds me of the newness we find in Christ. With Him, the old man is gone and the new man emerges.



Evidence of spring is popping up all over the yard.

Corinthians 15:22
........everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.

Easter Surprise

A Pennsylvania Treat

My aunt recently had surgery and was sent home to her hubby's care. And since he's not much of a cook, I thought I would make her some soup. A pot of good home cooked soup fixes everything don't ya know. We live in the heart of Central Pennsylvania-AKA Amish Country. Around here, there's nothing better than a pot of chicken corn soup; it's a Pennsylvania favorite. During the summer months, when the corn crop is fresh, you can find a corn soup stand at every fair. But today, I'll be using corn I froze last summer that is still very sweet and yummy.

I don't use a recipe to make chicken corn soup. I just cook it up with some basic

ingredients. I start by cooking

off chickens in the pressure cooker to get my chicken base. On this particular day, I used 2 chickens. This gave me plenty of broth and extra chicken for in the freezer to use in another chicken dish on another day.

To make my broth

more flavorful,
I add chopped garlic

and a little celery.

Saute some chopped onion, and celery until slightly tender

Add the chicken broth...

And the corn...

And chicken....

Now here is where I make this soup my own. I add herbs...lots of herbs. If I make this soup in the summer, I go around my herb garden and snip off the herbs I want for the soup. But since I don't have any fresh herbs, I used those that I had dried last fall. Many folks add chopped hard boiled eggs and rivels to their soup. My family doesn't particularly care for those additions. So I add the herbs for added color and flavor.

Today, I added some basil, rosemary, sage, and parsley. Then I threw in a few bay leaves for good luck. (salt and pepper too!)

Stir and simmer until all vegetables are cooked

and flavors are married.

There's nothing left to do but....Enjoy!!

.