So busy cooking, no time to write

I had hoped to find time to write each Monday but as you can see it is Wednesday and my first time to settle in for the week.  I have been so busy cooking, playing with the chickens and Lydia the Barn Cat, I have had no time to write.  Of course, I can't leave out work, reading, having tea, conversations with Tommy & Bennett and playing with our dog, Hank either.  But - one of my favorite times on the farm is the sunrise each morning.  Today is was such a slow rise that it seemed to be hiding behind the tree line just poking a bit of glow out through the bare limbs.  I love to stand outside of the barn and just watch the morning appear.
Lydia the Barn Cat continues to stretch her borders.  She has now found her a comfy spot right on the back deck! So much for living at the barn full-time.  The oddest part of adopting a barn cat is the fact that prior to bringing her home we had not seen a cat anywhere on the farm or even in the area.  In the past month we have seen 4 cats and they have all found there way to the backporch!  Maybe we have adopted a partying cat....

This weeks challenge in the kitchen has been creating a whole wheat sourdough bread starter.  I have been "feeding" it for 5 days now.  Yesterday, I used some of the cast-off to make Sourdough Banana Pancakes (so tasty).  After much searching I found a recipe that uses no yeast and tonight started the "sponge" process.  I'm not sure I have the patience for sourdough bread but we will see how it tastes before I make my final decision.  The Oatmeal Sandwich bread I made on Monday was a nice balance of sweet and nutty.  We used it for sandwich's, hamburgers and toast! Tommy joined in on the cooking this past Sunday evening and made whole wheat crackers.  Another item we can mark off of the grocery list.
Still to do this week is gathering a soil sample where we have our new garden space.  It is about 25 x 50 give or take.  I am going to work on the layout this winter...
Highlight of the day...I received my order of organic vanilla beans from Mountain Rose Herbs.  Tommy is buying me some Kentucky Bourbon tomorrow and then let the vanilla "cooking" begin.  I also ordered some organic lemon essential oil for making Lemon Sugar Scrub.
On the agenda for the weekend is a trip to a local farm to buy some meat for the month and trimming the evergreens to begin making wreaths for the doors and windows.  Tommy and I are planning our Christmas decor for the house and the barn!

...time to snuggle up to a cup of Roobios and my new Mountain Rose Herbs catalog