New Chicks!

Welcome home to our newest babies! These Golden Stars hatched on March 22. We got them at three-weeks old (nice, they didn't need much heat lamp this time of year)! Meet Sophia, Dorothy, Blanch, and Rose! 💖 

We did have to remove Sophia from the group as she was more than a little mean & aggressively pecking and feather pulling on the other girls. We doctored up the scabs, boo-boos, and even a bloody tail with blue antibacterial / antibiotic ointment on the three sweet girls. 

The babies have moved into the small Starter Coop in the backyard and this weekend we will move the little coop next to the big coop so all the birds can begin getting to know another. (Sophia may be free-ranging if she doesn't get her act together!)

They are 23 days old in the pictures shown here and as of today, are five-weeks old! 

Ramsey Farms Ranch Dressing

Since Sonja asked for it, here is my Ramsey Farms Ranch Dressing recipe! Like all my recipes, it's really very easy to make! (I don't have time for fancy, hard-to-get ingredients or time consuming processes!) It'll taste even better if you grow your own dill and herbs! ❤💗 Farmer Chris won't touch bottled ranch dressing from the store anymore and there have been threats of eating it from the jar with a spoon! It's great on salads, for fresh veggies, even pizza crust or whatever you can put it on to eat it! It's that good! 😋

Ramsey Farms Ranch Dressing

Makes about one pint - mix it all up in a pint size mason jar. We save the plastic mayo lids to wash and use to close up the jars. Will keep in the fridge until the expiration date of your sour cream. This is a great base recipe, you can add your own ingredients, spices, herbs to get the flavor you like best. Be cautious about how much garlic you use, otherwise you'll be up all night with heartburn! You can find my original post of this recipe here. Thanks to The Pioneer Woman for the foundation for this recipe! 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (real) mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream* (see below for how to make your own quick sour cream!)
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp+ sugar
• salt to taste
• dill (fresh or dry), to taste (I use about 1 tsp fresh or 2 tsp dry)
• a splash of buttermilk* (or lemon juice or vinegar) (I use about 2 tsp of the sour cream liquid mentioned in the sour cream recipe below)
• other herbs I use interchangeably: parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, chives
• Optional: paprika and or hot pepper flakes and or cayenne pepper and or hot sauce

Directions

1. Mince your garlic and chop the herbs very finely. 
2. Mix the garlic, sugar, salt, herbs into the mayonnaise. Stir well.
3. Taste frequently and adjust seasonings as desired.
4. Add the sour cream; mix very well.
5. Chill for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours for best results. 
6. Thin with buttermilk (or vinegar) or milk if needed.
7. Eat and enjoy!!

Make Your Own Sour Cream

This makes a thinner cream than the weird gelatinous stuff in a plastic carton from the store, but it gives a much more authentic flavor to your dressing! We very rarely buy the sour cream in the store anymore since this is just so easy to whip up in a minute and feels healthier to me without the additives. 

1. In a glass mason jar, add one cup milk. (Note the milk's expiration date, this is when your ranch dressing expires too.)
2. Add 1/4 cup white vinegar.
3. Place in coolest part of the fridge for 20+ minutes.
4. This makes approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sour cream.
5. Scoop the cream of the top to add to your dressing!
6. The liquid that is left in the jar can be used as buttermilk!

You can check out all the recipes on my blog here! 

"One's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." ~Henry Miller

The Pre-Spring Herb Garden

The bare herb garden ready for spring and new seeds. You can see the lemon balm, cilantro, some dill, the thyme and the tea tree (in the middle).

The biggest ant hill you've ever seen moved in right smack dab in the middle of the chocolate mint plant! What you see there is grits - yes, dry grits - coating the entire mound. Within just a few days, the ants were gone!

The view from the other side. Thyme, cilantro, dill, the tea plant in front of the lemon balm then at the far end the chocolate mint topped with grits.

Spring officially starts tomorrow morning at 5:28! We will celebrate!

Just $100

“It’s just $100”'

A friend of mine shared with me that they spent well over $100 on taking all the kids to see a major new film at the movie theater a few weeks ago.

$100?! I wish you could see the look on my face?! 

They enjoy going to movies and work hard for their money and it is certainly their business and their prerogative with what they with their money, I would use that in many different ways simple because going to the movies is not something I really enjoy doing.

Let’s just for pretend sakes, say we put $100 in an interest bearing savings account at my local credit union (it pays 0.75% APY) and just for fun we add another $100 to the account every year. It would take nine years but eventually you’d have over $1,000! For me, that seems way more fun than lugging a bunch of little children to sit through a long movie in a theater! 

Okay now take your same $100 and put it in that same savings account and let’s say instead of going out to eat or getting my nails done or whatever I can sacrifice, I put an extra $100 a month in that same account! It’d take ten years, but you’d have more than $12,500 in that account!

Put that $100 in an investment with a 7% rate of return, contribute $100 a month for ten years and you’ll wind up with more than $17, 000!

Live and enjoy life, but be sure you’re preparing for the future. It’ll be here quicker than you realize. It may be just $100, but through diligence and discipline you can turn that $100 into a great deal more while teaching your children the importance of steady plodding for investing in their futures.

"Steady plodding brings prosperity" Proverbs 21:5 (TLB)

All of The Best in One Place!

You may have just read our Top Blog Posts of 2016 so if you want a quick glimpse at all the annual favorites, here are the links to the four Top Blog Posts of the Year articles!

• Top Posts of 2016
• Top Posts of 2015
• Top Posts of 2014
• Top Posts of 2013

Don't forget to visit the Facebook page for tons of pictures, check out our Recipes page for all the recipes I've posted on the blog, and be sure to see the DIY Bath & Body Products page for articles and how-to's for making your own healthy, all natural products. 

Thanks! Be sure you get outside and take note of the changes around you in nature! Spring's coming!! Just 19 more days! :)

The Best Blog Posts of 2016

The Highest Rated Articles for 2016

I can't believe it's nearly March! Again! Time sure does seem to fly these days. Now is as good a time as any to look back at 2016 to reflect on what was in order to see just where it is we're going. Last year was our 2nd full year here in our little farm in South Georgia and the year of the chicken! Farmer Chris built that incredible chicken coop for our flock of six girls - Big Bird, Laverne, Shirley, Loner, Pretty, and Baby Bird. All the ladies started laying in late August / early September! We even experienced a mini molt with a few of them. I haven't bought eggs since August and that is awesome!

It gets more and more challenging to come up with content for the blog and have functional internet to post it! As a family without an iPhone by choice, we don't walk around with a camera in our hands to document every detail of our lives as it appears many people do (just scroll through your Facebook feed). We bake breads, cook meals from scratch, feed chickens, collect eggs, craft handmade items, manufacture soaps and shampoos, plow fields or plant nearly every day of the year. I'd love to hear from my readers - each post has a comment box at the bottom of the page - please feel free to leave comments, ask questions, let me know what you'd like to see or learn about!

Our little blog has had more than 5,000 since it's launch in late 2013!! Nearly 2,000 visitors stopped by to visit this website in 2016 alone! Wow! Thanks for the visits! Most of our readers are in the US, but also people in Russia, France, Portugal, and Germany have read our posts. I'd love to hear from more of you about what information you'd like to see more of on The Simple Life. If you see a blog post you just love, feel free to share it with your friends - don't keep it a secret! ☺

Here are the Top 5 blog posts from The Simple Life in 2016!

Ranked by Google based on the # of visitors. Be sure to check out each article & share your faves!

#5...Mmmmm! In Georgia, pecans are king so if ya got 'em, eat 'em! This post with photos and the recipe for my Georgia Butter Pecan Cookies got a lot of attention. Make these and you will too!

#4...The first peak of the 2016 garden was Garlic stems popping up! We learned a lot of growing garlic last year and in fact, planted the 2017 crop in late October of 2016 for a May - July 2017 harvest. The current garlic has been up and green stemmed for many months by now! 

#3...Canning! The first day of summer included a quick update about the chicken coop, harvesting potatoes and other delicious produce from the garden, and my canning work and plans. This year we sure hope to do even more canning! And we still have beautiful preserved veggies in jars to eat - the pantry is full but the cache is dwindling. 

#2...Our second most viewed article from 2016 is one of my personal favorites! Childhood Creeks captured images of our son (photo cred to my sweet friend & pro photographer, Dallas of Freckles Photography). A great memoir of those carefree summer days of childhood playing outside - a good read if I do say so myself!

And the top #1, most read post out of all the articles posted in 2016...

A Slow Paced Life outlines the beauty of a slower life spent outside, in the garden, in the woods, with less connection to technology and less hustle and bustle and fewer trips all over God's creation in the car. From my perspective, we live in a culture that glorifies busyness (and of course telling everyone all about on all the social media outlets). There is benefit and refreshment in slowing down, listening to the quiet of your own heartbeat, holding hands with the one you love, building something with your own two hands, watching the clouds, and just reflecting and thinking introspectively. Just slow it down, enjoy the moments, it'll all go by too quickly and it isn't a race to the finish line. ❤

The Top Three Blog Articles of All Time!

Because The Simple Life blog has been live on the internet for more than three years now, I like to take a look and see the top articles of all time! Here ya go:

#3...Cold Frame, published over time during the first months of 2014, this article won top post awards in 2014 and 2015. It's a pictorial review of Farmer Chris's building, installing, planting, and growing in a cold frame at the NC house. It is such a great project to help extend your growing season if you live somewhere with colder temperatures! Check it out and if you have a cold frame or similar project, I'd love to see it! Share in the comments at the bottom of this article.

#2...Childhood Creeks was one of our 2016 top five posts. Includes some beautiful photos from Dallas at Freckles Photography and a reminder of how our kids need to put down the digital devices and go outside to play. You only get this one chance to be a kid!

And the #1 all time most read blog post from The Simple Life is...

A Slow Paced Life, published here in 2016, beat out previous year's top posts. It's one of my all time favorites as well. A heartfelt, personal article lauding the slower paced country life. No matter where you live you can find a way to slow it down, stop rushing, and find a more satisfying way of life.

Please be sure to check out all this year's winners by clicking the link provided in the article (above). If you enjoy our blog, be sure to follow us so you don't miss anything and also use the comment boxes following every blog post to let us know what you like, what you want to see more of, and if you have questions, suggestions, comments, whatever - we'd just love to hear from you. 

Thanks for stopping by! ~Ramsey

Hang On...Spring's on the Way!

It's been warming up for a few weeks. I can hear birds singing before the sun rises. Farmers have tilled their land. Many seeds have been planted. A great deal of seedlings have emerged from the soil. Trees are budding! The Spring Equinox begins about 6:48 am on March 20 this year in the Northern Hemisphere. Just 24 more days until the official first day of Spring! REJOICE!

Farmer Chris has planted a good deal of the early crops. So far we can see the potatoes, snow peas, lettuce, carrots, spinach, radishes, green onions, and the stems of our "We Ain't In Vidalia" Ramsey Farms sweet yellow onions have all made their way from the soil to push through and face the sun!

Potato Seedlings 2/13/17

Check out our Facebook page for a cute video showing the newly emerged seedlings and plants and more!

Remember to put a smile on your face and love everyone you meet today! Your's may be the only kindness they receive or see all day. 💗💗

We All Need a Good Listener!

I am working on a new post as well as our Top 2016 blog wrap up! It has been so hectic around here with work, weather, kids' sports and school, and Farmer Chris is up in the far fields right this very minute planting potatoes!!! 

But in the meanwhile, thought my loyal readers, friends, and blog subscribers would enjoy this laugh! I do talk to my chickens and dogs, don't you chat with your pets?! Every living being just wants to connect with another. 😁

Lemons

Wow! Already 2017 is here! Where has the time gone?!? We have been so busy around here with Christmas and the kids being out of school and the new year and this incredible crazy weather. It was winter for about three days - got down in the 20s actually! Then it went back to summer and has been in the mid-80s most days for the past couple weeks.

I've got my Best of 2016 blog stats prepped and ready to go, just haven't been able to make time to write it up! My company has been booming with business of late - which is great, but doesn't give me much time for all the other things I enjoy. So as soon as I get time for a breath, I'll be back writing up a storm here on the blog and showing you all the awesome things we've got going on here. It is tator planting time, you know!

Until then I just wanted to share this photo of one of our meyer lemons. We have harvested five that were on the little sapling and there is one more still ripening. I protected the tree and the one lemon from any frost by covering the cage around the tree with a sheet on those three nights of temps in the low 30's / upper 20's. Although a mature meyer lemon tree can withstand temperatures of 22 degrees Fahrenheit.

Isn't it a beauty?! Oh my goodness and they smell and TASTE so delicious!

Enjoy your new year and check back soon for new posts! ~Ramsey

You Cannot Reap, If You Do Not Sow

You cannot reap if you do not sow. Autumn in Georgia. Harvest time. Thanksgiving. So thankful for the life we have, the earth, the river, the warm sun, the pine trees, and blue skies as far as the eye can see. Peace, love, laughter and contentment. There is nothing better that we can reap while we're here on this planet.

Desperately Seeking Rain

Remember the post about Childhood Creeks? Go check it out to remind yourselves of the creek filled to capacity with flowing waters that our son enjoyed playing and splashing in. Go on, look!

Now this is what that very same creek looks like right now:

Drought is taking its toll all over the US. We haven't had rain since early October. The North Carolina and the north Georgia mountains have more than 15,000 acres in flames. We are praying for those people, homes, animals, even the trees. Some hundred+ years of vegetation burned to ash. I pray for the lives and safety of the firefighters attempting to battle these blazes.

Staring at the dry, empty creekbed brought to mind times in my life in which I experienced a drought. No maybe not a personal lack of rain, but a dry spell of life.

Life is meant to be lived abundantly with great relish, celebration, and thanksgiving. It's so easy to live so fast, in such a rush and give so much of ourselves away to work / career, education, church, organizations, friends, family, even to our own children that we find that we have nothing left for ourselves. Where did that other me go? You know the fun, spirited, creative girl with dreams of grandeur and a wild side?

We get so busy with the routine, to–do list, and errands and what we think we should be doing, that we can easily lose track of those little things that bring fulfillment to our lives. Sometimes we must make the time to nurture our inner child, our internal dreamer, and remember all those things that ignite our spirit and soul. 

What was the name of your imaginary friend as a child? When was the last time you lost hours of time doing something you enjoy? When is the last time you played? When is the last time you laughed so hard you fell out of your chair?

Don't let the world dictate what's important to you. Avoid the traps that throw you off track or make you forget those old dreams. It’s difficult to put these things into action. If you aren't intentional about doing these things for yourself, no one else is going to remind you. The kids aren't going to say "hey mom, take some time off of doing all those fantastic things for me...you go on and do something nice for yourself." Nope they will not say that (ever).

Purposefully set aside some time for yourself. Go on a picnic, run wild with your dogs, go find secret gardens or mysterious caves in your backyard, build a treehouse, climb a tree, seek solitude among rocks and trees in a wilderness or state park, go camping, wish on a star, eat cake, watch the leaves glisten in the sunlight, read in your favorite spot, get to know yourself, revive your inner dreams, wishes, and childhood ambitions. Remember who you were, who you wanted to be, and bring that back into who you are and have become. Harness the dreams you may have set aside or forgotten to inspire a life less busy, a life less empty, a life less dry. 

Invest in yourself to find your life's balance. The rains will fall again on the earth, in the mountains, into the creek just like your cup of life can be refilled with love, laughter, light and harmony. We can't be our best to those little kids, bosses, spouses, friends, PTA...unless we balance our lives to live with abundance and joy and remember the wishes and dreams of our authentic selves.

I'm thankful for the balance, the peace, the contentment in my life and the people in it who inspire me to be the best me I can be and that includes knowing who I am, what I need, and what my life means in my terms so that I can be the best in all my roles. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Cheers,

Ramsey

Like this one? Here's some other posts I think you might enjoy too:

• Childhood Creeks (yeah, read it again! It's good!) 😊
• Slow Pace of Life
• Teamwork
• Farm Heart
• Take Time to Smell the Basil

Georgia Butter Pecan Cookies

It's Georgia. There are a bazillion pecan trees around here and most everyone has tons of shelled nuts in the freezer. (Stop. Nuts in freezer. Hahahaha! Back to our regularly schedule programming.) So what better way to use some of the delicious pecans I had riding out in my freezer?! These are a perfectly delectable autumn treat (or winter, spring, summer! ha!) I bet these would be awesome with a big ol' bowl of butter pecan ice cream?!

Georgia Butter Pecan Cookies

Yield: About 5 dozen | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Bake Time: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups finely chopped pecans
• Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Mix flour and salt; set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add molasses; mix until well blended.
3. Gradually add flour / salt mixture into butter mixture; mix well. Stir chopped pecans into dough.
   
4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet(s). *I love my silicon baking mats!
5. Press a half a pecan into some or all of the cookies if you like. (See photo.)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.
7. Dust or roll warm cookies in powdered sugar.

This recipe adapted from the Southern Living cookbook (1982 annual edition) from Varniece R. Warren from Hermitage, Arkansas.

Check out all the recipes on this blog here!

What is Temporary Will Fade Away

Y'all the sun rose this morning just as it did yesterday and a billion days before that. I am no different than I was yesterday; are you? The world isn't even any different. The sky is still blue, the grass is still green, the chickens are still laying eggs, and God is still in charge of this motley little planet. 

The world needs less fear, anger, and hate and more love, kindness, friendship, and compliments. Forget the election. Be sure you smile, laugh with your friends, hug your children, bring lunch to someone at your office, give out a McDonald's card to a homeless person, call or visit someone who may be lonely, sit on a river bank and breathe in fresh air.

Nothing is different; nothing has changed. Tomorrow the sun will rise again just like it will (hopefully) another few billion times.

-I've read the end of the book! Good triumphs over evil every time! Be good to others & be nice to yourself, Ramsey

If you enjoyed this post, check out a few of my favorites:  Childhood Creeks, Teamwork, Shelling Peas, Success, Refocus & Reprioritize

Take Time to Stop & Smell the Basil

Stop & Smell the Basil

Life is terribly fast and short. We live in a society that pushes us to rush through the days. I read humorous posts about friends running themselves ragged to work, hauling kids from lessons to practices to games to parties and appointments and activities or school, running errands, handling life, feeding the dogs, shopping. A life in which we spend two or three or more precious hours of our lives sitting in traffic on an interstate going nowhere - just to get home from work. Every. Day. (Include that time in your salary per hour and see what that does to your calculations!)

It seems we don't value our quiet time, our personal time, down time, and relaxation time anymore. It appears that we must go, do, conquer, and post it on Facebook for the world to applaud our busy hamster wheel accomplishments. How does all this rushing and running and being pulled in multiple directions all at one time help us?

If you’re feeling stressed, busy, harried, anxious, frazzled, exhausted, rundown or just plain ol’ tired. Stop for a minute. Take a deep breath. We usually feel those things when our life is out of balance. If you aren’t taking time to nurture yourself, care for yourself, rest, relax, rejuvenate or simply enjoy yourself and laugh for a little bit. Then stop what you’re doing, whatever else you have to do today – do you really HAVE to do it? (Yes? Okay well continue on, but come back when you’re done with that.)

As women, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends – as women we tend to care take for everyone else. All the time. The thing is if you never take care of your own self then you won’t be able to take care of those other people who count on you – the kids, spouses, clients, bosses, family, friends in our lives. What does the flight attendant tell us on the plane (do you pay attention to that boring lifesaving stuff?!) You have to put the oxygen mask on your face before you can help those around you.

Set an appointment with yourself. Take a time out or schedule a day or an hour later this week to just sit and smell some metaphorical flowers, go for a walk, dig in a garden, stroll through a cornfield or a nature trail, sit under a tree, perch in your backyard, lay back at gaze at the clouds or cuddle up and watch the stars, go for a bike ride or walk the dog. Write a poem, sing a song, do a dance, hum a little tune. Whatever. Put down your phone, turn it off, and spend an hour with you, yourself, and you! Take some me, myself, and I time to reconnect with the person you’ll spend your entire eternity with: You.

Be your best YOU & be nice to yourself,
Ramsey

Big Chickens Lay Big Eggs

We are so blessed with eggs here at the farm! Not only do we have plenty for ourselves, we get to give or sell some to our neighbors too. 

The picture with three eggs shows (from left to right) a white store-bought egg, a Big Bird egg, and another of one of our girls' eggs - very typical of the normal medium-sized brown egg we get daily. Except from Big Bird.


This big girl weighs in at more than 13 pounds of chicken meat. Her feet are huge! She towers over most of the black birds and seems to eat non-stop. 

And she's our only hen to have laid the mythical double-yoker! In fact, she's given us a few of them. Our seven-year-old son thinks it's incredible and declared that he only wants to eat Big Bird eggs from now on. Yeah. Okay. Sure. 


Every hen has a fairly distinct egg shell pattern and egg shape. They are quirky in that they like to lay their egg in the same place day after day. Loner Bird still lays her eggs in a little nest she remakes each day on the floor inside the coop. The other girls all have their favorite nest box. 

Each egg is facinating and unique - a tiny organic work of art. They are beautiful. And delicious! It's so exciting to grow your own food and raise animals that provide more food for our family!

Get on out there & find what excites you, ignites your spirit, awakens your passion! Live life as though it may end soon - because it might! Live your own life, don't worry with what other people say or think you should do. Live your best life. Be your best YOU! 

Love, 
Ramsey

Living. Learning.

Today as I celebrate a milestone birthday, I reflect on a few of the things I've learned that I think are important. (This is my original work.)

Never listen to or worry about what other people say about you. Just be you and live your life in the way you know you should. Always use good manners, be kind, smile, say hello. Be bold. Don’t rush or be in a hurry. Always be nice, especially and most importantly be nice to yourself. Work hard. Laugh out loud. Smile. Laugh lines are golden. You are valuable. Dance like a fool. Sing a silly song. Walk in the woods. Play. Pray. Eat the cake and buy the shoes. Save and invest. Laugh loudly. Realize it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from every one of them. Time will go by super fast. Forgive. Forgive yourself. Avoid people who don’t make you feel good about you. Go on hikes and picnics. Go fishin’. Splash in a creek. Build a tree stand. Disconnect. Go outside. Star gaze. The world is way bigger than just little ol’ you.

Keep on Shining,

Ramsey

October Popsicles

I realize it's autumn and that most of the civilized world has broken out their furry boots, sweaters, and scarves to rush out for pumpkin spice coffees, pumpkin patching, and romantic walks through a falling rainbow of leaves. Meanwhile, in south Georgia, there are some brown leaves falling off the trees and I do smell a hint of campfire in the air. AND it's a crisp 90 to 100 degrees outside during the day! Too hot for lattê, too chilly for the pool. What's a girl to do? Make popsicles of course! I recommend that you do try this at home!

BANANA POPSICLES

yield: 6 to 8 popsicles

prep time: 5 minutes

total time: 5 hours

Banana Popsicles recipe made with fresh bananas and only four ingredients!

INGREDIENTS:

1½ cups milk
2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree on medium speed until completely smooth.

2. Divide the mixture evenly between popsicle molds and insert popsicle sticks. Freeze for 4 to 5 hours before serving.

Check out all the recipes on this blog here!

Pears!

 My sweet friend and neighbor, Teresa and I ventured over to the next county to pick pears at her mother-in-law's house in late August. We picked about 55 or 60 pounds of pears, which doesn't sound like much, but wound up giving me a fulltime project for the next week or two.

Gorgeous homegrown pears

Makes me think of marble or granite. Edible artwork!

Pears peeled and ready for slicing & coring

Pear peels used for pear vinegar and feeding to the chickens as treats

Canned Pears in light syrup!

We made about sixteen 8-ounce jelly jars of pear butter

Put up about 18 pints & 7 quarts of canned pears

The pear butter has been a huge hit. My son will even eat it directly from the jar if you don't watch out! The canned pears look absolutely perfect. I cannot wait to have "fresh" pears this fall and winter and into next year for making pear-cheddar cobbler, poached or braised pears, pears flambèed in rum, pear salad, pear cinnamon oatmeal, pear pan cake, pear butter spice cake, or just plain ol' pears warmed and buttered or just cold, straight from the jar!

Do you have a favorite pear recipe?! Please share in the comments below.

“Don’t shake the tree when the pears fall off themselves.” ~ Slovakian proverb

Eggs! Glorious Eggs!

So you know I was super duper nerdy excited when my hens finally started laying eggs! And of course I took a ton of pictures of the first dozen! :) We found the first eggs on August 27. Loner Bird must have started laying on August 25, on the floor in the coop, so we didn't find them until that third day. Happened to be sitting by the coop, drinking coffee, watching the chickens do...well do chickeny things. We heard a bunch of weird noises in the corner of the coop including a scratching or tapping noise. Loner was the only bird in the coop. Upon opening the coop this is what we found...

And every day since then...

The girls produce an egg a day! 

A hen will take a day off every now & then, but we usually get 5 or 6 a day.

 Including huge double-yokers like this one from Big Bird! 

 Our eggs are way healthier than store-bought eggs. Our chickens eat a healthy diet - no chemicals, no hormones, no junk food! 

 White egg (from the grocery store) shown for size comparison.

 As you can well imagine, we've been eating lots of eggs lately! Quiche, frittata, breakfast casserole, cakes, breads, and my son's favorite, eggs in a basket! Where you cut out a hole from a thick slice of homemade bread, toast your bread a little on both sides in a buttered pan, then crack an egg into the cutout. Fry until set, flip, cook for a minute until your preferred taste. Voila! 

Pretty Bird and Baby Bird take a little stroll. These two girls are solid layers - rarely taking a day off since they started laying at the end of August.

We love our chickens and it's just so awesome that these beautiful sweet creatures also give us food daily! Best animals in the world! Everybody should consider owning chickens!

Check out all the photos of our chickens here and see the fantastic, super deluxe chicken cottage that my Farmer Chris designed and built right here!

Enjoy your day and remember that if you're in a storm right now, there are always blue skies & sunshine just beyond the clouds!! ~Ramsey