what a lovely eve'n

we invited some long time family friends over for dinner.

somehow it was just the inspiration i needed for clearing the

last of the christmas hanger~on~ers i hadn't put away yet.

it also inspired me to try a new recipe i have been wanting

to make...pistachio poppy bread.

it turned out to be yummy and very delicious.

my hubby made a raspberry crumble cake.

sometimes i am resistant to bringing out the next seasons

decor because i love looking and remembering all the

memories made in the last season but it is february...time

to move on from christmas.

nandina berries in a hobnob pale pink vase set in a wooden pedestal

bowl with marble red hearts made the centerpiece on the dining room table.

a vintage square cloth laid diagonal with frames in hot pink, white and black placed flat

with various things that remind me of love...like hearts, flowers, birds, butterflies, & candles.

my oldest daughter rachel and her family were there too.

with help from most everyone we had a lovely meal and

lots of good conversation.

the kids had their own table with candy hearts candle,

gingham heart doilies and hearts, flowers, and button confetti.

it's always great when you have good friends over and you

can just relax and eat and laugh and talk.

we were celebrating the beauty of family and friends.

i haven't been able to throw away a couple of

my lovely white pumpkins from thanksgiving...so i

dressed them up with hearts and a ribbon.

february is definitely the month for all things to do with LOVE.

happy february, happy valentine's, happy love month.

flown by

january has been a blurr.

busy with life and taking down christmas...cleaning out junk...celebrating birthdays...reorganizing spaces...cooking like crazy...trying new things....doing research on the internet.

gardening in january is pretty nill but thoughts about what to do have

been at an all time high. it gets pretty ugly around here in january.

it makes you think about doing all kinds of things.

one of those things that have been going around in our heads for a few years is that we want to raise our own sheep. so i have been reading everything i can find online about being a shepherd. after much research and disscussions on which breed we thought best suited our needs....we have decided on, and this is a mouthful, olde english babydoll southdown miniature sheep.

i have found some great info online at sheep 101 ~ http://www.sheep101.info/index.html

• (Olde English) Babydoll Southdown
  
  The Olde English Babydoll Southdown is a miniature variety of the Southdown breed. The Southdown breed of sheep originated in the Southdown hills of Sussex County, England. It is one of the oldest purebred sheep breeds in the world. Southdowns were imported to the United States in the early 1800's. The 1960's saw increased importation of the larger New Zealand Southdown to upscale the American Southdown.
  
  Around 1990, small flocks of the original smaller Southdowns were rediscovered and labeled Olde English Babydoll Miniature Sheep to differentiate them from the larger modern breed. This miniature sheep is only 19 to 23 inches tall. Babydolls usually have off white wool with cinnamon or gray faces and legs. Currently people raise these docile sheep for their wool, as pets, and grass trimmers perfect for today's smaller acreage farms.

  Breed categories: medium wool, novelty, meat

my hubby and i wanted a rare breed, of good stock and hardy. there are a lot of breeds out there with many great qualities but this is the one we have decided on.

we are starting with one ram, two ewes and a whether(a neutered male).

the ewes we are getting haven't been born but are due in march and we will

get them in may sometime. i found a ram just born on january 15th that is available and so arrangements have been made to get "mc gruber."

we will pick him up in the middle of march from

sweetwater creek ranch

just outside of atlanta, ga.

he is quite adorable.

we are preparing for his arrival and are very happy to be adding

raising sheep to our little dash home farm.

this is both exciting and scary since we are new to this adventure.

so i will continue to read and discover how to raise sheep.

happy winter days.

my take...

on italian mac & cheese. but oh so much better for you.

one box spelt pasta(10 ounces)...i used vita~spelt angel hair.

4/5 scallions...thinly sliced...i did them in about 3 inch sections...sliced longways.

3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

4 eggs...i used organic

3 tbsps of evoo...extra virgin olive oil

2 pinches of hungarian hot paprika( this is a key ingredient...at least in my opinion)

a dash of lawry's garlic salt

a dash of herbes de provence or basil

kosher salt...i used grey sea salta(esprit du sel...flavourful grey sea salt...island of re')

cracked pepper...season to taste

directions

1. cook spelt according to the package directions.

2. in the meantime, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.

saute' the scallions, seasoned with the paprika for several

minutes...making them tender but not to brown. 3 or 4 minutes.

3. whisk the eggs with the half a cup grated parmesan cheese(saving the extra for later)

and salt in a bowl; next add them to the skillet with the spelt and the herbs de provence.

using a pasta spoon, toss gently together until the eggs are lightly cooked.

4. serve immediately with cracked pepper, extra grated parmesan cheese on top and cuban bread.

5. enjoy!

pasta spoon.

this was simple...quick....delicious.

happy january.

life is a vapor...live in each moment.

like most of you these last several weeks have been a flurry of

preparations...activities...decorating...wrapping...cleaning...cooking.

our lives our full.

it has been a glorious year...new births...new schools...new endeavors.

here's to you and all you have dreamed...done...planned...and accomplished.

abbey far right as a baby mouse

in nutcracker.

i value all of you as inspirations for your lives well worth living.

i look forward to this new year...it will be a wonder to see

what all we can bring about in this next 365 days we have.

my family is and has always been my first priority.

our house was full to the brim over the holidays...and i love that.

friends gathered.

love, gifts, memories were shared.

it was a wondrous time to spend together.

i love watching the dynamics of all the different relationships.

and personalities coming together and interacting.

it is not always all smiles but that's family.

that's our family.

for good.

for bad.

for always.

merry new year to all.