The Inadvertent Farmer

How Did We Come to Have Camel?

Our church does a 'Journey to Bethlehem' live nativity each year.  Each season thousands of people pass through.  Each season people look forward to the live animals...especially the camel.

For years we had been renting a camel named Gizmo.  With the popularity of the nativity growing so rapidly we (the church) decided to purchase him.

This conversation happened over 10 years ago between myself and a friend who happened to be on the Journey to Bethlehem committee...

"Kim, this is Annette"

"Hey Annette"

"Have you heard that we're purchasing Gizmo the camel? In the long run its cheaper than renting him every year"

"I've heard you were buying him, congrats!"

"Well , we were are needing a place for him and we were all talking and thought of you"

Now I would have loved to be a fly on the wall of that meeting...Hmmm who can we get crazy enough to take a 1500+ pound 9 foot tall camel?  Ohhh lets call Kim!

Choking... "You're serious, a camel? You know I've been known to bring an animal or two home unannounced, but I think even I  better check with hubby first on this one."

"OK, just let me know, I think it would be fun to have a camel, your boys would love it!"

Hanging up the phone I imagined the conversation with my darling husband...

Yes honey I did say camel. 

Yes he would need some kind of shelter,

Yes I'm sure he eats a lot.

At least he doesn't have to be sheared, I don't think anyway. 

Yes I've also heard that camels spit.  

But Annette said it would be fun and the boys would love it!

No Annette won't be coming over and cleaning up after it!

Please...

I must say that I am married to a saint for not only did he let his crazy wife bring home a camel, but builds what we loving call the 'camel shed'.  It is a great building with windows,  salvaged glass door, metal roof and siding...much more than your typical shed.  He even decided to pour a concrete floor for ease of cleaning.  Yes camels poop ALOT!

Over the last decade we came to learn that this certain camel didn't spit, loved apples, adored pushing over fences and eating heirloom tomatoes and climbing roses.  He hated to be ridden, detested rain and snow, and didn't really love riding in his trailer.

He also had this great way with the girls...

All through highschool my boys would use the line 'hey baby, want to come see my camel?'.  Teenage girls would then come and line our fence with our boys grinning from ear to ear in the middle of them.  These girls took picture after picture with their phones to say that they had gotten to pet and feed a camel!

Yep who would have thought that owning a camel would have helped so much with my boys' social lives?

 

When Baby Boy gets to be a teenager I guess he'll have to attract the girls in the old-fashioned way...good looks and charm...no camel to break the ice and entice girls with!

He will be at a distinct disadvantage compared to his older brothers...

Well that is unless we decided to get another camel someday!

Honey?

Oh Sweet Hubby of mine.

Are you reading this?

Hello?

I know you can hear me...

 

Gizmo the Camel has Died

I have putting off this post since last week when I found Gizmo the camel dead underneath the giant fir tree up on the hill, his favorite place to sleep and take dust baths...his tree.

I have avoided coming here since his photos are everywhere...

It frankly has still not completely sunk in that my friend and nemesis Gizmo has died.

No more loooking out the window to see him staring in waiting for a handout.

No more yelling at him for pushing on the fences.

No more people showing up unexpectedly at our doorstep wanting to see the camel.

No more Gizmo adventures here on the blog...

So as a tribute to him I am going to be re-posting some of my favorite Gizmo stories throughout the next couple of weeks.

So come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all how I got a camel to begin with...

A day over ten years ago when life on the farm would never quite be the same!

 

Banana Coconut Vanilla Oatmeal...oh yeah!

I seem obsessed with two things lately...

Coconut

and Breakfast!

There just seems to be endless uses for coconut milk, coconut oil...and of course coconut!

Today we're going to partake in a warm bowl of deliciousness which combines not only my beloved coconut but also bananas and yummy vanilla, oh yeah baby!

First bring 2 Cups Coconut Milk beverage to a boil with 1 Cup Water and a sprinkling of Salt.

Then add your old-fashioned Rolled Oats...about 2 Cups (this will depend on how thick you want it)

Boil until your personal tenderness is achieved, I like mine quite chewy so only cook a few minutes.

Then add shredded unsweetened coconut (a handful or more depending on how much you like it), one very mashed banana, and a touch of vanilla (about 1/2 tsp or so).

Cover and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Top with banana slices, or banana yogurt, or anything that looks good!

Enjoy!

*****

And if you are wondering how I found all those wonderful flavors to combine...

Yep my very well used Flavor Bible...one of my most prized kitchen possessions, it seriously rocks, seriously.

( I do not get any $ from mentioning the Flavor Bible over and over again...I just really like it that much!)

Paging Noah

Yes I live in the Northwest...

Yes it rains here in the spring...

But DARN...

 

 

At least we have these lovelies...although they are not being visited by our bees as I have not supplied the little guys with raincoats and umbrellas, which is pretty much a must have at this point.

If you all see Noah, please have him send an ark our way!

 

Vigilante Justice and other Ramblings

Let's see...

Its still raining...don't even get me started.

I talked to the investigating officer on my CASA case and she says that they have not arrested anyone, and might not, due to lack of evidence.  Let me get this straight...a baby with two broken arms and a broken leg is not evidence enough...really?  Convene the firing squad is my first instinct if I was to be really honest with you all.  I am not usually into vigilante justice but it feels like better than no justice at all...

I'm working on my attitude...as from the above you can see why.

I have three costumes for the upcoming Easter performance this weekend and next that still need to be sewn...and I just cannot seem to make it up to my sewing machine.

I went to the eye doctor yesterday and was told I do not need glasses...guess I'll just keep on squinting!

I have run out of good ideas for dinner...completely out.

We got some of the garden rototilled but had to skip our Dave Ramsey class to do so...sorry Dave but gardening is a great way to save money!

My house is a wreck...but it would be unusual to be any other way.

I hate exercise...but that too would be unusual to be any other way...but I do it anyway.

We have decided not to go to Hawaii...it is just to crazy expensive, Dave would be proud.  We are going to Yosemite instead.

My older boys do not call their mama enough...then again that means nothing bad is happening in their lives and they do not need me...oh that is a double edged sword!

My new daughter-in-law calls me...I love her.

Baby Boy no longer wears a pull-ups to bed...I guess he is no longer a baby...don't even get me started!

That's it...that's all I've got.

What about you?  What's going on in your life?

Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Coconut Pancakes Recipe vegan or not

We are eating yesterday's breakfast for today's lunch!

We always try to have pancakes on Sunday mornings and yesterday I had a hankering for something new.  I searched the internet and found a couple recipes for Banana/Oatmeal pancakes, I combined and made some changes and in the worlds of my 8 year old "rock...these rock!"

Hubby who does not usually like banana pancakes ate two plates full!  They are fluffy and tender and quite honestly some of the best pancakes we've had in a long while!

Here is the recipe as I made it...

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (or egg replacer if going vegan)
• 2 cups coconut milk (or regular milk)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled (or vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 banana, mashed

Directions

1. Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour (I think you could use quick cooking oats and skip this step). Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk together (or use your blender) the egg, coconut milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the well mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes. If it is too thick for you liking at this point add a tad more milk
3. Heat a lightly oiled (I use coconut oil) griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter. Be careful not to overcook these as they seemed to do rather easily for me and also be diligent to keep your pan oiled as the bananas tended to make them stick.

As a side note I think these would be delicious with cinnamon or nutmeg, and also could be made most wonderful with blueberries. You could also up the coconut factor by adding shredded coconut!

So if you, like me, ever feel the need to mix it up a little at breakfast, I would highly recommend these yummy pancakes...your family will thank you!

Or growl at you...which in three year old boy world is the highest form of flattery!

 

Gardening 101 Growing Great Soil

Hey all...I'm over hanging out with Laurie the Tip Junkie discussing the oh so glamorous topic of soil!

So if you like mulch, manure, and worms come join me!

 

Chalkboard Paint and the Brawl

The following story it true but the names have been changed as to not embarrass the guilty...

A few years ago hubby, Sweet Girl and I (with baby boy in my belly) went on vacation.  While we were on vacation our sons ages 18, 20, and 22 were left home to attend high school and college under the watchful eye of their grandparents who lived next door.

Well... there was an unauthorized party that went on and a brawl broke out.  Two very large holes were punched in our front entryway wall. The sheetrock was trashed and my lovely wallpaper ruined.

I will not mention which son had this party as he knows who he is and how his brothers tried in vain to cover up the evidence before we got home...ahem.

OK, but what does this all have to do with chalkboard paint?

I'm getting to that I promise.  I looked at that wall for a couple of years waiting for said son to come back home (as he soon after moved out...a whole different story) to repair the wall.  Eventually he helped remove the old sheetrock and hang new.  But then what?

I could not longer get the same red wallpaper as it was about 15 year old.  I could not bring myself to strip it off the other three walls as I still loved it, so I was stuck with 3/4 of the entry wallpapered and the last wall just sheetrocked...

 

Finally I hit upon and idea...chalkboard paint!  I had seen it done on many a wall all over the internet, especially in children's rooms.

I love the stuff and have used it on jars, dressers, and cabinets...why not my entry wall?

Hubby was a little (ok a lot) skeptical of having such a weird thing as a chalkboard wall right inside the front door.

I considered black or green, the traditional chalkboard colors, but really wanted something that didn't scream chalkboard when you walked in. After some research I found that Home Depot carried a tintable chalkboard paint.   

I chose a dark red that matched the existing wallpaper.

 

The baby and I proceeded to put on 6 coats of the stuff!

 

When we were done painting hubby framed the wall with some very large chunky molding (baseboard molding)...thanks sweetie!

 

 
When you walk in...

 

Pretty red wall...no sheetrock, no primer, no HOLES!

 

But it seemed a little plain to me...so I picked out a font and decided to paint 'welcome!' on the wall

I tried really hard to get a picture of this but before I knew it my kids (big and little) had discovered the wall and it was quickly covered!

 

Of course I had high hopes that brilliant quotes and original poetry would cover my wall...

 

But alas reality conquers fantasy...again! 

What is so fun about this is that when we have visitors we have them sign our wall and leave messages, as you can see the photo shows birthday wishes to a particular little girl!

Chalkboard paint does not have to be relegated to just kids rooms or kitchens, it can be cool and classy enough for anywhere...even right inside your front door!

*****

As a side note, son that caused all this trouble has signed the wall and thinks it is way cooler than plain old wallpaper.  He believes that I should be thankful for the holes as they were the catalist for the whole makeover...maybe...maybe not...I will admit to nothing!

Another side note, Do no be surprised if you paint chalkboard paint on just one wall of your home and the three year old living in that home decides all the walls are fair game for chalk...just a heads up!

 

 

Sunflower Ninja Warriors

We finally pulled up the sunflower stalks from the kids maze, we're making room for the new tomato patch.

Of course my boy being a boy decided to use the stalks to challenge his sister to a sword fight...

 

Let the battle for world domination begin! 

 

 

Sweet Girl spent a lot of time smiling

 

 

 And ducking!

 

In the world of small boys being a Ninja Warrior is important business!

 


 

In our male dominated home I have seen sword fights with pencils,sticks, rulers, light sabers, swords, broom handles, and even straws....but this is a first!

Hmmmm I may have to plant more sunflowers to keep the Ninjas happy!

Who knew these lovely flowers were so versatile?

Tip Junkie and Chickens in OverDrive!

I'm excited to announce that I'm over haning out with Laurie at Tip Junkie starting a series on beginning a garden...

Organic Gardening From the Ground Up!

I would love it if you could come join me and encourage all those beginning gardeners out there!

******

I've got some very busy girls.

Chickens in overdrive...gotta love it!

Have a Happy Weekend All.