Agriculture?

   As many of you may know Matt is the agriculturalist in our family. Although I did grow up having a love for gardening, Matt's love and knowledge has really surpassed my own. Matt's is not only just a love for agriculture but more of an obsession. A calling in life if you will. It's funny to see peoples reactions when they ask Matt, more of a surfer than a farmer,what his degree is because he doesn't quite fit the part for an agriculture student.

   But although Matt has never lived on a farm, let alone work on one, he has more knowledge about farming techniques and practices than anyone I know! Matt, bless his heart, has kind of an obsessive personality and when he has an interest in something he cannot help but learn everything possible about that subject. Food and sleep become second and third on the list to his obsessions. At times I have wondered how Matt would make it in this industry not having the knowledge and background that most people in this field do, but to be honest I think it is to his advantage. Matt has not be indoctrinated to believe that there is only one way to agriculture. Matt has spent hours and hours on studying alternative and sustainable practices to agriculture, please ask him about it because he would love to talk your ear off about it. (Love You Babe).
   Well, with this whole new obsession of his, and with his new decision to stay in Logan and farm rather than go to North Carolina, we are looking at a fun and plentiful summer. This week Matt and I dug up our square foot garden and are preparing it to plant radishes, peas, lettuce, arugula, onions and spinach this week. We also look forward to in a few weeks planting beets, carrots, swiss chard, tomatos, beans and everything else you can imagine. Basically Matt and I are going to see how sustainable we can be. We are going to plant a garden and try to live as exclusively off of that as we can. Matt has already drawn up plans to turn our greenhouse into a chicken coop:

Stay tuned to see what the Landlord says. I think it is really cool what Matt does and I think in the near future agriculture is going to take a huge turn and become a much bigger priority. With the economy the way it is and gas prices where they are I really do believe that becoming more self reliant is a MUST! I agree with, I believe it was President Benson, that everyone should have a garden. It's amazing the money that it has saved Matt and I in years past to have a garden. Not only does it save money but it is so fulfilling to be able to go out and pick the fruits of your labor. Matt and I also look forward to learning ways to preserve produce throughout the winter through bottling, pickling and even a potato cellar. If you are feeling overwhelmed by gardening and don't know where to start, start by thinking of what vegetables you eat on a regular basis. Then go to any local store that sells seeds or plants and ask someone there! If you are worried about not having enough space google urban farming or intercity gardening. It is so popular right now! Take all of your green waste and table scraps and compost them for richer soil. I'm just saying, there is so much we can do and it can be really fun. Feel free to contact me or Matt with any questions or ideas! Also check out Matt's blog at www.alternativeag.blogspot.com. He is always updating it with fun ideas and agricultural ideas. Remember, just like Matt you don't have to be a farmer to grow anything. Good luck!

Oh and randomly for those that care, here are some updated pictures of our little family:

 Lillie with her cousin Greyson

My Newest Project!!!

 So I really have never been much of a sewer except for the last six months when I got a sewing machine. Like I said in one of my earlier posts, my first real project was Lillie's baby bedding and that was super ambitious of me! After months of toiling after the bedding I realized that I really started to like sewing. Maybe this could actually be a hobby of mine! A few weeks ago both Joann Fabrics and Hobby Lobby had their patterns on sale for $0.99 and I couldn't pass that up! I bought a few patterns for Lillie that I thought I would try. I even found a really cute dress for me, but when we were in the check out line I got so scared of the idea of making myself something that I gave it to the cashier and told her I didn't want it. I'm a baby I know! I figured that a baby is easy cause it doesn't have to be some form fitting dress. Anyway, maybe someday I'll get brave. So I bought this pattern:

Last week we finally bought the fabric and I finished it today! It was actually pretty easy and a lot of fun! So this is what I made, Lillie's Easter dress:

I'm super excited cause I think it turned out really cute, and Lillie seems to like it! Anyway, YAY for sewing and I think that if there is anyone out there that is scared of sewing, just do what I did, TRY IT! Oh and here is a preview of my next project:

Updates

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I promise that I really am committed to blogging and I will not go this long again. I know that if I do not update it regularly people will stop reading it. To be honest, I am not sure if anyone does, but I am hoping! So everything is good with us. We blessed Lillie on the 20th. Thank you everyone who came it really meant a lot to us! Lillie is getting so big and is so much fun! Matt and I get more obsessed with her everyday and still sometimes fight over who gets to hold her. haha. She is talking and squealing and smiling constantly. We love her so much and are so blessed. Please enjoy pictures of the James Gang's last few weeks:

Cooking

When we first got married the extent of my cooking was cereal, pancakes, and maybe spaghetti. I didn't know how to cook and I honestly don't know if I had much of a desire. Fortunately for us Matt was, and still is, a great cook and would usually enjoy doing it. Cooking with Matt can be both a positive and negative experience. On the positive side it was a fun activity for us to do together, to spend time together. On the other hand, Matt is super bossy in the kitchen and was sometimes a little mean.(Ever seen Hell's Kitchen? That's what it was like at the James house).Well as Matt started to get more busy and was back in school I got so sick of eating the same food every week so I made a goal to cook more. I knew that someday I would have to grow up and be more of a homemaker anyway so why not start now? I was first inspired at my last job Spring Creek Middle School. We would take the class down to the library at least once a week to look at books. I always found myself gravitating to the delicious picture of food on the Cooking Light Magazine and looking at it wishing I could cook that, or at least eat that. Well lucky for me the school was having a magazine drive weeks later. I decided it would be good for me to have a magazine to help motivate me in the kitchen. I was so excited when I got my first edition in the mail!! Everything looked so tasty! It took me a few months to get the courage to actually make something but I finally did and I had a good time doing it! I have cooked several things from my Cooking Light Magazine, some delicious and others kind of bland. I thought it would be fun to share with you my cooking experiences and the recipes that I have enjoyed. Here is a few that Matt and I both liked and would definitely make again!

Chicken Verde Stew with Hominy

2 Anaheim chiles

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos

1/4 C finely chopped cilantro

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (but maybe put in a little less)

1 tsp dried oregano

2 C chicken broth

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 C finely chopped onion

1/2 C chopped carrots

1/2 C chopped celery

1/2 C chopped red bell pepper

3 Tb flour

4 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 lb chicken

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 (29 oz) can golden hominy rinsed and drained (in ethnic/mexican aisle at store)

Sour Cream

So I am just going to tell you in a nut shell:

Halve, stem, and seed the chiles and put them skin side up on a foiled cookie sheet in the oven on broil. Broil for 5 minutes until kind of black. Then put them in a paper bag for 15 minutes. This helps to get the skins off. Skin them. Put tomatillos in the broiler too for 14 minutes, until black. (it's ok if they are gooey like boogers) Turn them once. Combine chiles, tomatillos, 1/4 C cilantro, cumin, oregano and 1 C broth into blender. Blend until smooth. In large saucepan over med/high heat put 2 tsp olive oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper. Saute. Stir in flour and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute. Put mixture into large bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add 2 tsp oil to pan. saute and then add vege mixture. Combine with 1 C broth and tomatillo sauce and hominy. Let boil and reduce heat. Let simmer for about 45 minutes. Put tons of delicious sour cream on top and eat with tortilla chips! YUM!

It might sound complicated but we thought it was way worth it! I hope you enjoy!

Turkey Meatball Reuben Subs

(Forgot to take a picture so this is from the magazine)

2 tsp paprika, divided

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp minced garlic

black pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 ground red pepper (pepper flakes)

1 lb ground turkey

Sub rolls

Package coleslaw

Swiss Cheese Slices

Preheat broiler. Compine 1 1/2 tsp paprika and all other spices with turkey. Shape into about 16 meatballs. Place meatballs on cookie sheet for about 8 minutes, turn once. Cut rolls and hollow them out a little bit. Combine coleslaw and 1/2 tsp paprika. Put meatballs on sub and cheese on top. Put back in broiler until cheese is melted. Top with coleslaw. So amazing and way easy! Took me maybe 15-20 minutes. We loved it and look forward to eating them again!

So try these recipes and let me know what you think! It's fun to try something new I promise....

The Baby Room

So I am not sure if I would consider myself a crafty person but I have definitely come a long way! It all started on my birthday when Matt bought me a sewing machine and insisted that since I was becoming a mom I need to tap into my more feminine motherly instincts. I really had felt certain that I was born without the crafty gene but once I got started it became a lot of fun! So after I got my sewing machine I practiced on a tiny baby skirt just to make sure I remembered how to do it. Then I became way overly ambitious and had my first project be the baby bedding! I am not sure if any of you feel the way I do but I hate all of the prepackaged bedroom sets that you can buy. I don't know, I am just not that into the butterfly, ladybug, hot pink theme. So while I was shopping around at Hobby Lobby I found the most adorable fabric! That's how I got sucked into this project in the first place. I had to have it. I love how Lillie's room is not your traditional out of a magazine room. Most of the things in it Matt and I did ourselves and on an amazingly low budget!! Here is the bedding:

This is the quilt. I also did a bed skirt but still need to do the bumpers.

Another thing that I love and that is pretty popular these days are vinyl trees put in rooms and baby rooms. Well if you have ever shopped for them they usually cost between $80-$100. Well I don't have that kind of money so Matt and I decided that instead of buying one, why not just find the one that we like online and then use a projector to shine it on the wall and trace it. Then we used the left over fabric for the leaves and used the small acrylic paint for the trunk. So this adorable tree cost maybe $1.50:

So Matt and I are kind of into the Shabby Chic sort of look but didn't want to spend a ton of money on a cute chandelier so we decided to make one instead. We went to the DI, bought the most ghetto brass chandelier and spray painted it pink. We then attached our own little jewels on it. The chandelier cost maybe $15 because the beads were kind of expensive. 

The next thing I really wanted were some cute picture frames that had her cute newborn photos in them. Well picture frames can be expensive! Especially the ones I liked were like ten dollars each! So I went to the DI instead (you will soon figure out that the DI is my favorite store) and bought five really ugly frames, but with cool designs, for a dollar each. Then I spray painted them white, and thanks to my crafty friend Nikki Haslam, I put a black glaze over it to give it an antiquey look. They turned out adorable! And probably only cost $20 or less. 

This pink picture frame I did as well with the left over pink spray paint from the chandelier. The picture is a picture of Matt's Great Grandma Lillie. I thought it was appropriate to have her in the room since Lillie was named after her.

Oh and the glider stool I found at the DI and just reupholstered it. It cost $8.

Anyway, the room was a lot of fun and ended up being well under $100 for everything. I love bargains and I am starting to love turning old ghetto things into cute things. So hopefully I will do more so stay tuned!

Oh and just for fun, here is a few pictures of my adorable daughter all dressed up for church: