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Friday, April 5, 2013

Baby Goats!

I had seen a sign advertising Eggs for Sale for a few months now at a farm near my house (it is only 2.5 km  from us).  Today I finally went for the first time to pick up some brown eggs (I eat eggs and drink milk during Lent since I'm still nursing).  When I arrived they told me that a goat had given birth just 1 and half hours earlier and said I could come meet the two new kids. 
Here are the nice chickens who lay eggs for me to buy
I got to pet the little guy!  I also got to see their two horses, chickens (about 100), geese (maybe a dozen of them), cow (named Daisy), dogs, and cat.  I'm so happy to find a farm so close to my house!!  They just moved here last June and actually are from the US like me!  They had a farm in Illinois before coming to Ottawa (to be closer to grandchildren).


 

We got a new bike trailer to use with Liza this summer!  I'm so excited about it!  It is from Wike and is made in Guelph, Ont.  There are so many great bike trails by our house since our neighborhood is surrounded by the Greenbelt (also the reason why we have a farm so close by even though we live in a really suburban neighborhood).

Cooking wise, I don't have much to say... nothing gourmet or exciting at least.  Andrey loves instant oatmeal packets and I usually keep buying them even though I don't like to since they are so processed and full of unnecessary stuff.  This week, I figured out a solution.  I got Quaker Minute oats and mixed in:  dried fruit, coconut sugar, chopped almonds, shredded coconut, and chocolate chips.  I put in all in a big container with a scoop.  We prepare them just like instant oats with boiling water.  They take a little longer to absorb the water, but taste great!  I think this is a more cost effective and healthier (not healthy though) option to the instant packets.

Another yummy thing I made was a creative oil-free pasta dish.  I cut up avocados, tomatoes, and artichokes (from a can) and mixed in minced garlic, dried herbs, and a little salt.  I mixed it up like a salad and put it in our dishes then added cooked spaghetti on top, adding a little of the cooking water as well.  We had it with pine nuts on top.  It was so good!  It was so good that I don't even have a photo since we finished it so fast tonight.  We are not super strict about xerophagy days during Lent although we try to keep Wednesday and Friday oil-free.

This weekend will be busy as our bishop is coming and we have a full schedule of services.  The youth in our parish are putting on a fundraising luncheon on Sunday (the reason the bishop is in town this weekend) to raise money for the orphanage of the Ascension Monastery in Molnitza, Ukraine.  There are some great videos on Youtube about it. Unfortunately they are in Russian, but are still interesting to watch even if you don't understand the language:

Forpost - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_EN3kk-uiI
About Patriarch Kyrill's visit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiPDdBveePM

Well, I'd better be getting to bed!

5 comments:

elizabeth said...

Yay for the farm.... :)

The video is with English subtitles.... Google forepost English and you may find it.... I Linked to it on my blog a few weeks ago or so :)

Your meals sound wonderful and way to go on the homemade instant oatmeal!!!

Mary said...

I didn't realize that about the subtitles... I haven't watched it since last year.

I am so happy about the farm! I came straight home after going there forgetting I still had errands to run (I just wanted to tell Andrey all about it!).

Martha said...

Cute goat and chickens. How much are a dozen eggs?
That bike trailer will be wonderful! I think we gave ours to Susanna. I remember worrying when Rob left for Iraq that I'd have to stop our bike rides...we had a babyseat on each of our bikes then, until he got me a trailer as a present! I learned a new word, xerophagy...thank you. ♥ I hope you have a wonderful busy weekend at church.

Heather said...

Hi Mary!~
Well first of all, I am happy to report that you have won the print in my Easter giveaway on my blog! :D just email me your mailing address and I will send that to you!~ (my email is audreyeclectic at gmail.com

And second...ahh! Baby goats! I love little goats...their eyes! and their sweet little faces! This farm sounds like a great place to buy fresh and local. Also really like your idea of homemade instant oatmeal. I think I need to try that idea for my own family!~

Mary said...

Thank you, Heather!! I will email you. I'm so excited to win the print! It is so lovely! <3

Martha, the eggs are $4 a dozen... not cheap, but definitely worth supporting my neighborhood farmer! They'll have vegetables, herbs, and goat milk soap later on in the year. They also have goose eggs $4 for a half dozen. I'll probably try those sometime as well.