DRAW NEAR....

It should be obvious by now, that something is up, down on the farm. The blogging has been slooooow and almost burdensome. I have much on my heart, and I feel the Lord has called me to a season of "drawing near". I will continue to pop in on most of my dear blogging friends, and like someone I dearly love recently said...those of you closest to me know my phone number.
I'll be back!
Just can't say when.
Love,
Cindy

In Christ Alone

"IN CHRIST ALONE"..... The title says it all

Make sure you shut my music off to hear this incredible video clip.

Louie Giglio - Laminin

Make sure you shut the sound of my music before watching this incredible video clip!

MAY DAY! MAY DAY!

This is going to be a really strange story.
1st off, I met Cityfarmer Joy over 20 years ago. Joy had 3 children, Parisiennefarmgirl Ang, being the oldest. (far left)
6 years ago I met HomemakerAng (middle) at church. Kindred spirits at once, tho we are 20 years apart. (me being the elder, wiser woman...ha ha)
Joy knows HomemakerAng thru me, having introduced the two a few years ago during one of Joy's visits here.
They also hit it off.
And who wouldn't, for to know HomemakerAng is to love her.
Enter the blog world.
HomemakerAng and Parisiennefarmgirl Ang "met" via my blog interacting with Joy's blog.
Then the two Ang's had babies just 2 months apart last year.
Phone calls, e-mails, and more blogging, and they HAD to meet.
So...this weekend ParisAng and her hubby and children came to stay a couple days with HomemakerAng and her hubby and children.
And Farmboy and myself were fortunate enough to get all of them here for lunch today!

Here are the two dad's with their new babies.
ParisAng's hubby is on the left, HomemakerAng's man is on the right.

The babes holding hands.
Anybody here have anything against arranged marriages???

ParisAng's A. with HomemakerAng's Bud, down near the pond.

Cyn and ParisAng's darlin' girl.
I can so see why Joy just eats her up!!!

Way up there, ParisAng's oldest, inspecting the waterfall path.

Two of HomemakerAng's sweeties playing near the pond, with ParisAng's A.

We had an incredible visit, and I am so grateful to the Lord for bringing all of us together today!
The weather was pret' near perfect, and the fellowship was sweet.
Couldn't ask for a better May Day!

FIELD OF DREAMS

THIS is our lawn.
ha ha
NO...I'm NOT kidding.
Who can afford to sow grass on over an acre of weed.
So...we act like it is lawn, and mow it like it is lawn, and voila...
it is our lawn.

Kissing Dutch kids under Michael Buchner French Lilac...
Which is exactly where I would choose to kiss if I could stand under this tiny lilac.

My pseudo gate, keeping the hens off my front porch where they do hen-like things...
YOU know what I mean.
It's bad enough I track the stuff in myself, let alone having them dump it all over the porch

And today was just too nice a day NOT to do our sheets and pillowcases and line dry them.
Is there ANYTHING quite like the scent of line dried bed linens?

I can hardly wait to go to bed tonight!

Isn't the Lord good?
And all God's people said....
"AMEN"!!!

SPRING LUNCH or WHAT I SCARFED DOWN TODAY AT NOON

My lunches of late have consisted mainly of a salad of some sort, possibly with a bit of protein thrown in. Lots of romaine, cukes, red peppers, tomatoes, red onion , and today, a couple ounces of baked chicken breast, leftovers from yesterday.

I like a festive looking salad, don't you?
Lots of color....eye candy for the tummy.

And just this morning I came across this fabulous stir-fry spinach recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen, and just had to try it.

STIR-FRIED SPINACH WITH GARLIC AND PARMESAN

8 OZ BABY SPINACH (I USED MORE, MAYBE 10-12 OZ)
2 T OLIVE OIL
6-8 WHOLE GARLIC CLOVES (I SLICED IT, KALYN DOES NOT)
1-2 T FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE (IS THERE ANY OTHER KIND?...YES, I KNOW ALL ABOUT THE GREEN CAN...MY KIDS LOVE IT!)
FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER, TO TASTE

Use a large fry pan or wok for this. Heat pan for a minute over med-high heat, until it feels hot. Add olive oil and heat till shimmery., then add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until you can smell garlic. Do not let garlic brown as it becomes bitter. Remove garlic. Kalyn says to discard garlic, but I didn't. I added a bit to the finished dish, and lots to the afore mentioned salad. Do not try to kiss me tonight, unless you have eaten the same amt. of garlic. Fair enough?

Add spinach to hot, seasoned oil and immediately start to stir, lifting spinach from bottom of hot pan as it wilts and letting the uncooked spinach move to the bottom. Cook briefly, only until all spinach is hot and slightly wilted, maybe 2 minutes.

Remove spinach to serving plate. Sprinkle with parmesan and season with pepper. This is where I added a bunch of that sliced, cooked garlic I told you about.
Serve hot.

DISCLAIMER: Kalyn CLAIMS this serves two. I know for a fact, it does not. Barely served one.

POSTSCRIPT: This morning Farmboy told me I stunk like garlic last night. In fact, he said the whole bedroom stunk like garlic. (I ate a LOT of that garlic...like maybe 6 huge cloves worth!) Didn't stop him from smooching on me, tho. Forewarned is forearmed.

SPRUNG SPRING!

The lettuce beds...now how does one tell the weeds from the lettuce?

The perennial bed looks so forlorn, with just a bit of fresh growth here and there. It will really fill out after we toss in some sweet alyssum seeds in a few weeks!
And some snapdragons.
And some more Russian Sage.
And possibly another rosemary topiary.
And more alyssum.
And perhaps some cosmos.
LOTS of cosmos.
I think you get the picture!

My hens will take a nap just about anywhere!

Albie Darn I'm a Rooster, watching out for his harem.
"Are you lookin' at me?"

Grape Hyacinths... aaah...the sweet smell of spring!

When I bought this cement bunny, he had only one ear, and a piece of re-bar where the other ear used to be. Over the winter, someone has absconded the other ear. With only one ear, he had a bit of character...
Now...he just looks sad and forlorn.

Constance Spry rose bush.
I bought this when we 1st moved into the farm, over 6 years ago now.
My moms name was Constance, and I thought it a fitting rose for my garden.
She only blooms once, but she is spectacular and so very fragrant!

Chives.
An herbe garden is incomplete without them!

My ever faithful sage. It comes back year after year after year.
With absolutely no help from me.
Has anyone ever taken the leaves and fried them in butter till they are crispy like a potato chip?
Addicting.
Enough said.

What's growing in YOUR minds eye?