Hen and Chicks

* fun at the beach I *

My oh my!  We are on vacation for quite a bit and having the best time.   I tried to post some pictures, but we are currently using dial-up on the laptop and speedy or efficient it is NOT!  So, I'll have to describe where we are instead of simply posting some gorgeous photos.

Let's see - We've been collecting interesting shells and rocks, we've seen a sea otter, cormorants and pelicans, crabs, porpoises and today a spouting whale; building sand castles, going for walks and just sitting and taking in the beauty of the waves and the limitless horizon.  We're at the Beach!  And the biggest blessing is that we get to stay here for a month!

The house we're in is just beautiful with GORGEOUS antiques and a perfect view of the beach for miles.  I've rearranged the furniture to all face the large windows and have set up my own little craft corner with my stamping stuff and sewing machine/ironing board so I can craft and enjoy the incomparable view. 

My in-laws were able to come and stay for a few nights, and my Mom is coming tomorrow for DS3's birthday - she'll stay with us a few days, too.

Daughter has been chasing the lizards (Bluebellies) that like to sun and hide on the steps leading down to the beach.  DS2 has been building sand fortresses, DS3 is finding interesting things and identifying birds, and DH has been keeping everyone busy digging for the clams that he finds!

I left the house for the first time today (our seventh day here) to go into town; went to the post office to mail some birthday cards.  While there we stopped at a little thrift shop and I found a set of 5 satin covered hangars, three sweet floral pillowcases, and daughter got a little red box (she has a HUGE thing for boxes and crates and baskets!) all for only $2.00.  Can't get better than that!

We are planning on getting up early in the morning because it will be a minus tide (very low tide) and to see the eclipse.  I think I'll make DS3's birthday cake tonight - that way I don't have to worry about it tomorrow.

And when I'm able, I'll find some WiFi and load up some pictures!

* playmobil fun: defending the castle *

To be continued .   .   .   .   .   .

* delicous-good-for-you-whole-grain-no-flour-pancakes *

If you have not already heard of her -- then please allow me to introduce you to the lovely and multi-talented Mrs. Sue Gregg!  (Cheers heard in background ;-)

I was handed a free little cookbook at the last homeschool convention (Her cookbooks are on my Really-Wish-I-Had list so I was browsing the table to see if any were on sale!) and I've been thrilled with the recipes and ideas that are inside.

Her specialty is taking delicious recipes, and making them healthier.  But not just healthier - her goal is for food to be good-for-you AND great tasting!  "If it's healthy but no one will eat it, then what good does it do?" she says (my paraphrase)

So, this morning I tried the first recipe in the book -- well, actually I did it last night.  You see the key is soaking.  Allowing your grains to soak all day (for dinner) or overnight (for breakfast the next morning) in some buttermilk or whey (the liquid that you drain from good quality, plain yogurt.)  This breaks down the phytates (phytic acid) in the grains and not only makes it easier to digest, but makes the vitamins and proteins more available for you to absorb.

Back to the recipe:  Last night I put some buttermilk in the blender, and added rolled oats, brown rice, cracked wheat and millet.    I mixed it (in the blender on a good, high/chop speed), let it sit overnight, and this morning simply added an egg, some baking soda and salt.  Voila!  My pancake batter was done!

And you know the best part?  It was really good!  They had a nice, subtle flavor to them and with a light drizzle of warmed honey on top - they were perfect!

Here's the recipe for Blender Batter Waffles/Pancakes.  Follow the links at the bottom of the page (Continue Lesson #1 >> ) for LOTS of great information on Ingredients and Methods, the Two Stage Process, Nutritional Benefits, a Comparison of Nutritional Values, and More!!

Please visit Mrs. Gregg at SueGregg.com for a refreshing waterfall of information about her, her cookbooks, and healthy recipes that take you by the hand, step-by-step, for great results!

And for some extra nutritional information, read these two great entries about "Phytates and the Two-Stage Process" as well as Mrs. Gregg's review of the book Nourishing Traditions.

* stampin' up! fun, 2 *

  These are the two projects that daughter and I made at friend's Stampin' Up! party last night.

An elegant looking card using a new set, Baroque Motif, and some of the new colors - River Rock and Groovy Guava - and some pretty sparkly gem centers!

The other is a bookmark made with a large paper clip (4 inches), another new color - Purely Pomegranate - and the fun, new scallop punch.

* wild, summer stamping fun *

Can you guess what I did this week?

I was feeling summer-ish -- or very much looking forward to our time at the beach in a few weeks!! -- and so I chose Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise and Kraft paper for this fresh card that I lifted from my friend.  The flower is from Delight in Life with the Dots-N-Daisies background stamp.  (Stamp sets and colors are from Stampin' Up!)

Then I wanted to send a card to a little friend that we are going to be seeing soon, and so made a set of these (from an idea on SplitcoastStampers.com) :

a Kraft paper base card with a stamp from Little Pieces in white; Pumpkin, Olive and Brocade Blue paper and inks with the adorable animals from the Wild About You set.   Then I used the flower punch with Kraft paper centers and the (very uneven) stitching around the edges was done by hand using the Chocolate Chip Marker.

After such a long time without doing anything creative, it felt wonderful to make these!

And tonight more stamping fun:  a friend is having her Stampin' Birthday Party!!

* a sad feathered goodbye *

Yesterday was a sad day at our house -- or truthfully it was a sad night before,too.  The reason?  We've decided it was time for our chickens to find a new home. 

Now these are not just ordinary chickens, you understand.  These are loved pets that just happen to also give us some eggs.  When they were chicks they were on the table during schooltime and would run across math books and handwriting pages to everyone's delight.  We watched their feathers come in and loved to see how they changed day to day.  Their first trip outside in the real grass - scratching in the dirt - eating bugs and seeds - laying in the sun.

~~

Daughter's hen, Sammie, was particularly spoiled.  She was loved and petted and carried in the sling and wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled with.  Daughter could even gently and carefully lay her down on her back and she would stay there - not moving - just laying with her feet up in the air.  (One of the funniest things you ever saw!)

~~

Now don't let anyone ever tell you that chickens are just chickens.  I can honestly say that this girl and this hen really enjoyed each other.

So why is it time for a new home?  Well, we are suburbanites.  Not such a big yard and, in all frankness, an abundance of pets.  None of this would be so bad except that when husband and sons were building our chicken house three years ago, they started it on the patio -- the only flat, paved surface in our yard.   They got a great start and were on a roll.  On such a roll that only when it was nearly finished and way too heavy to move did they remember that it wasn't going to stay on the patio.   But, stay it did.  Now, after three years, husband has decided that he would like to have his patio back, and so would I.

We made up a flyer to post at the feed store and hoped that we could find someone to take them who would let them be chickens, doing what chickens do -- and not become a main dish with dumplings!  We should have known that the Lord would have something sweeter in mind.   You see, we also ended up giving away our two little Parakeets and the wonderful family who took them told some friends about our lovely chickens!  So now our chickens are happily adopted into a large homeschooling family who lives on some land where they can live out their chicken lives and we can go and visit them whenever we would like.

Which didn't really make daughter any more cheerful when it came time to say "Goodbye."