Quick Takes • The Early Edition

Seven snippets of life right now, too short for a blog post, too long for Facebook...

1. This whole "fresh eggs" deal with the chickens is awesome. Two of the hens are laying each day - one is still holding out. Thomas loves to go out to the Eglu in the morning and see the chickens, feed them some veggies, and check for eggs. One morning, we picked up a just-laid egg that was still warm, and he couldn't figure it out. I ordered a clear egg container for the fridge, and I love seeing it filled with light blue eggs. Thinking scrambled + bacon + extra sharp white cheddar this morning.
2. Started planning out the garden for the summer. Our yard needs a major overhaul, so I'm walking the fine balance of ambitious + manageable. Thinking of 2 4x4 planting beds + room for raspberries to start growing for next year. And a big herb garden on the deck. I could honestly look through seed catalogs for hours. Seriously, who am I?
3. I never thought I'd have a vegetable garden. Beyond french fries, baked potatoes, and tomatoes (in the form of ketchup), I didn't eat vegetables until I went to college. Things have definitely changed!
4. The kitchen has been busy around here. Most of the meals we have are made from scratch - which has given me the chance to truly control the amount of sodium that we eat. I always make a little more than just what we need, so lunch is made for the next day as well. Lots of baked fish, root veggies, and trying out new recipes to use up random things before they go bad. Loving Allrecipes right now!
5. Made shredded chicken + chicken broth this week. Chicken quarters were 49 cents per pound, so I picked up about 10 lbs. Simply de-skinned the chicken, and threw it all into two big slow cookers. After 7 hours on low, the chicken meat was falling off the bone. I removed the rest of the meat, threw the carcass back in the crock pot, added water + veggies + spices, and slow cooked for 10 hours more. Made 8 cups of incredibly yummy chicken broth that's now frozen and filed away in the freezer. Yum. Used a bit of the chicken for taco night the other night. Perhaps nachos today?
6. Skype has been awesome. Jonathan will Skype home on his lunch, or Mom will check in during the morning. Thomas loves seeing people on the screen talking to him and is mesmerized by them. I can't believe I didn't start Skyping earlier.
7. Have noticed great results from our dishwasher lately. Realized that it was because I started using up the Electrasol powder that had been underneath the sink. God knows how many years ago that Jonathan bought it. When I asked him about how he picked it, his response? "If it's good enough for the Jetsons, it's good enough for me!" Indeed, that's how he picked it out.
   
   
8. Saturday bonus for Grammy Sandy!
   I love this simple clip of Thomas. This is his favorite thing right now, and we adore watching him do it. NONONONO!