T H E T H I R S T

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Learning the Beat

It's a Gene Vincent kind of Sunday, while we work at a rhythmic pace that has finally found a beat in our home. With a list from here to Montana of things all important needing to be done, it can be pretty overwelming at times. Project Kitchen has been bumped up from important to immediate due to our serious need for homecooked meals. Among the many projects, we have learned that some things can simply wait. Even a five minute chill to sneak a chick snuggle or lay out on the floor to play froggie with Dane - a break away to take in the beauty of now is very much needed. Being the organized animal that I am, it's a driving desire to get everything in order and place my checks alongside to-do lists. Owning a farm is more complex than that - I see new life emerge at every angle - the pastures that I am slowly preparing for garden and livestock, the baby chicks that I swear grow cuter each day, and my sweet Dane on her potty training adventure -  it reminds me to be patient with the process.

 
 
 

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: A Joyful Welcome

They have arrived! We recieved the call from our post office early this morning and our chickie dreams rolled into a reality - they are actually here! We're doing just what we set out to do! After all, this whole chicken thing is the reason we started looking for more room in the first place. You could say they are a big catalyst for our new life changes.

Monday morning, William and I set out to the barn and in just a few hours knocked out a simple chicken brooder. By the way, when there's THIS much to accomplish, we find ourselves chanting silly phrases like "knock it out", "get r done" and "bust it out". We used a quick sketch for reference and only eliminated one part of the design, which was the legs - we needed it to be the perfect peeking height for Dane and curious pups.

 

 
 
All 25 Araucauna chicks (green/blue egg layers) and one mystery free chick are healthy and happy in their brooder that is sitting poolside (what a life!). We are all finding excuses to go outside and hold them despite the deleriously warm weather. Just one question...is it wierd bring baby chicks into your bed?

* All photos by Rose E Martin www.rosemartinphoto.com  and many more to come on our flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/onblonde/

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Expanding the Brood

 

 

 

 
 
 In one month, we've expanded our family from two and a half, to  now four solid adults, one toddler and ten dogs. Without this "army of Martins", our journey from there to here wouldnt be possible. We have miraculuously remedied a pool from black to crystal blue, mended fences that seemed to be hanging by a thread, painted every single nook and cranny a perfect shade of white, sanded stairs and floors to our hearts content and far beyond, removed every switchplate cover and tossed it in the trash with incredible zest and even tromped through weeds as tall as ourselves with sheer fear of what creatures may be lurking about.  It is this sort of cleansing that has brought us all to laugh at one another and cry out of exhaustion, it has given us great and memorable foundation for what we now call "home".

In this house that we call home, there are stars above us, brighter than Ive ever seen before. I can hear roosters crowing in the distance, and if you wake up just early enough, you may find bunnies hopping around the garden. I've always been a country girl at heart. Despite my love for high heels and eyeliner, I've never been afraid to get down right filthy in doing a hard job - especially when it involves animals. It's the natural evolution of my life that I am here, at this place doing these things with many four legged creatures by my side. It does dawn on me from time to time that the very passions I had as a child have made a full circle comeback into my life - farming, natural medicine and animal loving.

While we are all living amongst tall mounds of boxes and unfinished moldings, I can see little vignettes emerging here and there. They are pieces that remind us where we've been and what we love, like parts to a puzzle. It is incredibly typical of us to be so unsettled yet our chickens are arriving tomorrow. Yes, all 26 of them - again the brood expands! I find myself in total awe of just how much can be accomplished in a single day, all made by family.

love mama

*photography by Rose E Martin Photography www.rosemartinphoto.com

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Busy Bees

There hasn't been much time to update with words, but we've been taking snapshots all along the way HERE. Join us on this journey?

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Take a walk with me

 
 
  
 
If the rain will fall and the grass will rise, Lord knows the beauty of that this land will become. Today, we closed on the farm, and less than thirty days away from stepping on this property and planting our love and dreams in it's soil.

 

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Old into New

 
We're excited to have a feature of Dane's old room in the Australian baby design blog Baby Space. You can check it out HERE. Meanwhile, we've been doing some major weekend thrifting for the new place.  
The end of season is the perfect time to find great deals on incredible furniture around here. On saturdays, I get together with a couple of friends and we visit the local Goodwill's, yard sales and furniture thrift stores. There is something so special about collecting second-hand furniture piece -by-piece. It's the driving around and the whole experience of getting together with friends that builds a story behind each chair and picture on the wall or a coffee mug find by a dear friend that exclaims "it's so you!".  It's the glassware we didn't buy in order to afford the bench I almost left behind, that makes it so special. Every drawer that was taken out and held during a story told with mounds of laughter is all a part of the new space that will be our home.

 

 
Then there are things that you bring home which are full of history and suprise, like layers of colors from trends past and perfectly preserved wood underneath it all. This chair came with a vanity and headboard - all painted the brightest  turquoise of the sea. I began to strip the paint, but in the middle of the process I wiped it all down and decided to let all the layers come through. The continuation of history grows from there with each scuff and scrape all imprinted in this simple wood chair.

 
 
 

THE THIRST { Martin Famliy Blog } :: Live Streaming Sweetness

Mama Hummingbird is keeping her eggs warm. Can't wait to see them hatch!

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Someday Soon

There's only so may times that you can promise a farm to an almost two-year-old. We look at our books and you tube how-to's , our seed catalogs and various farming blogs, but there comes a time when I have have to stop saying "soon baby" and just take a trip to the petting zoo. We packed into the car on Sunday morning and drove outto Lion Country Safari - known as one of the first drive-through animal parks, along with a walk through amusement park and petting zoo. We played with the goats and admired the birds. The most impressive attraction of all, was the giraffe exhibit. I think I was more enthralled by the opportunity to feed a giraffe than Dane, though she has mentioned it's large tongue several times since...

 
 
 
 
 

  
  
 This whole waiting process brings an old childhood book to my mind. The title, I can't recall but the story is about a young boy named Billy. Billy desperately wants a pony, and each time he asks his parents, they respond to him by saying "maybe someday Billy". It's a story about patience, which is something that we are all trying to keep in mind during these last few weeks of working through the details of getting into the farm. "Not a single moment sooner or later will it happen", says my mother-in-law. Wise woman she is.

 

TH THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Super Natural Every Day

 
I've been a long time fan of Heidi Swanson and her magical kitchen abilities. Heidi is author of the blog 101 Cookbooks, where she tests recipes from other cookbooks, as well as her own recipes that she's testing out. Her 2007 release Super Natural Cooking has been a go-to book in my kitchen for years, but whats more is that it's an inspirational book that reads like a perfectly edited journal  - lacking any rambling. I've read it in bed a number of times and I can certainly attest to the delicous dreams that ensue!

Super Natural Cooking was Heidi's introduction to creating meals with natural ingredients as well as super foods. She offers a helpful guide to making the switch of pantry items - whole grains, natural sweeteners and cooking oils - in the beginning of the book. At the top of each recipe Heidi delivers a quick story on her experience with the recipe or a tip on increasing the success of the meal.

 
SUPER NATURAL EVERY DAY has been in the works for the past few years and was released just last month. The concept behind SNED is a collection of recipes that Heidi has incorporated into her regular rotation of cooking, with a focus on her tried and true meals - some that have been featured on her blog over the years and perfected for the book. Heidi is what I call a "food scientist". She dares to mix combinations of foods together in some of the strangest ways, and when combined, the reactions are simply divine! I'll admit, there are a few recipes that had me doubting...White beans and cabbage....warmed..together? It works though, it's amazing. Heidi has an impeccable ability to serve comforting home style meals that are healthy in disguise.

I notice a theme in her cooking, which is that Heidi is incredibly aware of texture and it shines through in nearly every recipe. I'm fond of the fact that most of her recipes have simple and few ingredients. But it's the combinations that are so unique and flavor-full. I get the distinct feeling that each and every recipe has been tried a thousand different ways to perfection. 

 
Aside from the food there are the photographs. Ahh yes, the photographs. Heidi is also one of the most talented food photographers of today. Again, what strikes me are the combinations of photos that create a mood for each recipe. A list of my favorite recipes from SUPER NATURAL EVERY DAY....

 Open-Face Egg Sandwich  +  Mixed Melon Bowl  +  Wild Rice Casserole  +  Baked Oatmeal  +  Granola

 

All photographs from www.HeidiSwanson.com and www.101cookbooks.com

 

THE THIRST { Martin Family Blog } :: Weekend In Pictures

 
 
 
 
Summer is here, my friends! We are soaking up the warmth and planning our upcoming projects, while enjoying the brightest colors of the season and popsicles to boot!