lately...

And all of a sudden...it's Thursday. Those mushrooms up there were in my side yard a few weeks ago. They grew out of an old pecan tree stump. I thought they were beautiful. They even inspired the folk tale I had to write for my Children's Lit class...The Man in the Mushroom. It was really lame...but fun to write, nonetheless.

I stopped at the library on Monday to pick up a book I had placed on hold, This Life Is In Your Hands by Melissa Coleman. Her parent's were mentored by the well known Nearing's of homesteading fame. So far the book is OK...interesting...but for some reason I'm having a hard time with her writing style. I can't pinpoint what it is...I'll give it some more time.

Whenever I go to the library I make a quick scan of the New Arrivals. I came across Homesteading in the 21st Century by George Nash and Jane Waterman that I snatched up. I was glad that I did. It's an interesting and informative read that feels more like you are sitting at their kitchen table (or maybe a picnic table in the middle of the garden) sipping something tasty and talking about the good life. What I really appreciate about this book is that they write about their many mistakes, in hopes that we will learn from them.

Last week I put chef salad on the dinner menu. I am not a fan of ranch dressing, at least not bottled. So I decided to try a homemade recipe I found on...come on, say it with me...Pinterest! As usual, I modified it a bit. The recipe calls for chives (which I'm sure would be better) but since I didn't have any and really didn't want to go to the store, I minced a scallion and called it good. And I will say...it really was good! It was the perfect compliment to the chef salad. Better yet, the whole family loved it! Before dinner I could tell nobody was really sold on the whole "salad only for dinner" bandwagon. But I added some garlic bread and lots of meat and cheese and hard-boiled eggs and they are new found believers.

Last week I made an enchilada soup somewhat on a whim. I loosely followed this recipe (I used cut up corn tortillas instead of masa harina and grated sharp cheddar instead of Velveeta) and it turned out SO GOOD. Even the family liked it. Yes, my family that claims to not be big fans of soup. But this one got the thumbs up, or shall I say, spoons up, by all. (I was actually in bed crying while they ate it because my nerve was pinched and they each went out of their way to come into my room, bowl of soup in hand, to tell me it was delicious. Gotta love that. I said thank you...and then continued to cry :)

Remember I told you I let the girls out to free-range a bit on Sunday? Well, someone laid an egg on Monday. I haven't had a brown egg in...months! I let them free-range yesterday for a bit, too. I wonder if there's another brown egg for me? I'll let you know...

Alrighty...I suppose I should get moving. I want to watch this today while I catch up on mounds of laundry.

Thinking of you today (yes, you)...and praying that all is well in your corner of the world.