T-Shirts

Here are some of the T-shirt designs printed 100% cotton T-shirts

The Creative Side

I came across this picture today... I had to pause. These are my four children 8 years ago. Where did time go? I love this picture and remember the day. We were a young family with no idea of how fast time flies. Pictured David is 12, Jesse is 11, Domenic is 6, and Julia is 3. I keep trying to arrange for that family picture and have a memory to treasure for years to come...I am going to stop wasting time and snap a candid picture next time they are all over for dinner. I have been trying to find ways of preserving memories one of my favorite is pillows. It may be a favorite old t-shirt, a crisp dress shirt or a sports jersey; make it a toss pillow. Keep your memories out where you can see them, not packed neatly in a box marked "keepsake".




An Apron made from a man's shirt.
His Shirt Pillows Made from Mens Shirts.

Domestic Goddess or Disaster?

I had taken on a very domestic weekend this week and I knew the outcome was either going to be Domestic Goddess or Disaster. I was to make turkey broth. I had 30 lbs of turkey bones thawed in the fridge. I had planned 5 batches of broth. I was hoping for 20 litres of beautiful organic broth to preserve in mason jars. Out of nowhere I came down with a head cold; headaches and congestion. Sleep being all that wanted. I could not let this weekend turn in to a disaster! The first two batches of broth were on the go. I manage to get two done friday night. They were cooling in the fridge. Saturday was a write off and I knew I was heading toward complete domestic disaster! My husband, Robert, was questioning the already made broth and I was not quite smelling the sour note he spoke of. It came Sunday morning I could no longer avoid the disaster brewing in the kitchen. After empting the fridge and finally breathing clear enough and willing to admit defeat...there is no way to recover from it until you admit it! I cleared everything out of fridge the Robert and Domenic disposed of the remnants and I used that bottle of toxic cleaner that remains in my house for such emergencies and it sterilzed my kitchen.

Hetia the Goddess of House & Home rescued me on this bright Sunday morning. I took two chickens from the freezer and set out to meet my goal of perserving my broth. I ended up with 10 litres perservered, a pot of Chicken and Dumplings, a ChickenPot Pie, and Chicken Salad. I was taken back this weekend to the comforts of winter. My gentle reminder to not go so fast. There are few more winter memories to make and days to enjoy. It is only on a winter day you can enjoy the scent of chicken broth simmering on the stove.

Chicken Stock

Whole Heritage Chicken 4-5 lbs

2 Cups Carrots cut in 2" pieces

2 Cups Celery cut in 2" pieces

2 onions halved

2 cloves of garlic

whole peppercorns

Thyme

Parsley

Salt

1 Put whole chicken and vegetables into a large stock pot and cover with cold water.

2 Add spices

3 Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to bring the stock to barely a simmer.

4 Simmer uncovered at least 4 hours, occassionally skimming off the foam that comes to the surface.

5 Remove the bones and strain the stock through cheese cloth.

Don't forget to taste the broth and adjust seasonings.

To preserve bring broth back to a boil. Pour into hot sterilized jars tighten rings and turn back a quarter turn and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes make sure the jars are covered in water.

Ready Set Go all is in the Pot

It smells like winter in here today.

Success 10 beautiful organic liters of chicken broth!

Kefir~For Your Health

Kefir is pronounced keh f é-er [as in keh in kettle, and fear].

Kefir, the miracle food, is known as a superb probiotic source. With rich probiotic content, it automatically has a positive effect on our bodies. Kefir is a fermented milk drink. The word kefir is said to have originated from the Turkish word "Keif" which means "good feeling".

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that consists of either cow, goat or sheep milk mixed with kefir granules. These granules contain good bacteria and yeasts, along with proteins, lipids and sugars. The resulting product is a tart drink similar to yogurt, yet provides a whole host of extra benefits that yogurt doesn't have.

Puts your body in balance

Kefir is a complete food that balances the body. Like yoghurt, it contains benficial bacteria that cleanses the intestinal tract. However, it contains even more of the probiotic bacteria than yoghurt.

It also helps to colonize the intestinal bacteria and contains good yeasts that help to penetrate the intestinal wall. This penetration not only eliminates any so-called "bad yeasts" present, but also guards against parasites and helps to promote good digestion.

Kefir has been shown to reduce flatulence and reduces the symptoms of many digestive disorders. It helps to promote the immune systems of individuals,and contains a whole host of other proteins and essential amino acids for health. One of these is Tryptophan, which is known for its calming effect on the nervous system. Calcium and magnesium are abundant in kefir, as well, and these are well known nervous system boosters.

Engery, immunity and longevity.

Other nutritional benefits include phosphorus, a well known mineral that helps break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats, as well as promoting cellular growth, health and energy and also is rich in vitamins B1, B12, K and biotin. All these vitamins are implicated with promoting liver, kidney and nervous system health. They are also connected to relieving many skin disorders, providing energy and promoting longevity. This could be important to those who suffer immunodeficient diseases and the elderly. Kefir has been shown to guard against illnesses such as cancer, chronic fatigue and herpes and due to its nutritious nature, has been shown to decrease food cravings in many individuals, by balancing blood sugar.

How to enjoy Kefir…

shake me...

drink me...

love me...

be healthy...

feel good...

be happy!

We are so excited about the Kefir grains, as a family of four we are making and consuming six cups a day and we have been feeling good! We love Smoothies made with Kefir. We are looking at the cheese recipes, using Kefir as the starter. Our affair with Kefir has just begun so look for updates and recipes using kefir. True Kefir grain is hard to come by, unless you know someone who is growing the grain...you're in luck...If you want some grain I can share with you.

Banana and strawberry kefir smoothie I small ripe banana 6 ripe strawberries 1 cup Kefir Chop the fruit and place all ingredients in blender and mix for 10 seconds Alternative soft fruits could be raspberries, blueberries or kiwis, nectarines or peaches in any combination you like! Chocolate Kefir smoothie 1 Cup Kefir 1 tbs raw cocoa powder 1 tbs agave nectar or honey sprinkling of raw cacao nibs This is great for chocolate lovers and delicious.

“If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck”

Yes, it's a duck. A Muscovy Duck. Our ducks were 4 months old when we got them last July. The ducks are very enjoyable to watch whether they are grazing the lawn for bugs, wading in the creek or scrambling for the bread being thrown as a treat. They seem so fluid in their movements. When you hold a Muscovy Duck they feel just like they look soft as a pillow. Our ducks vary in colours including; black, chocolate, blue, barred and white. We have First Place Blue Ribbon Black Muscovy Ducks; "Black Bob" and "Tanya" both took 1st Place in their class at the Coombs County Fair last August. The ducks know home and like to graze our 4 acres and some times they wander down the drive way following a trail of puddles. Our ducks have always been getting into trouble. Before we clipped their wings they had taken to flying up on top of the roof and roosting. You grow tired of climbing on the roof every day to retrieve 9 ducks pretty quick so we had a wing clipping celebration. It is much easier to catch a duck that can't fly.

This is a perfect spot to sit and relax. The sound of the running water in the creek and it is a favorite water hole for the ducks. One of the first things I did when we moved in was put this chair down by the creek.

Belle and Cocoa

Black Bob
Black Bob and Tanya's Ribbons from the Coombs Fair.
Muscovy Ducks are easy to care for. They are natural breeders and take care of their own ducklings. Tanya has built a nest under this saw horse. She is setting on about 8-10 eggs from what we can see with out disturbing the nest. It takes 35 to 37 days for the eggs to hatch. We are expecting little duckling around March 14th.

Could it be...Spring?

I know it is not quite spring and according to the ground hogs across the country we are going to have six more weeks of winter. This February I have found myself looking for signs of spring and have been awe struck and left breathless at times. Nature is stirring ... tiny buds of green on the fruit trees, new growth in the flower bed and look there ... another tiny crocus! The sun was shining and I cleared out the old and cleaned one flower bed. I trimmed a lilac bush...I can't wait till spring and be surrounded by lilacs. I grew up with a large lilac bush and can be taken back to a warm spring night with the scent of lilac drifting in the open windows. Not to mention the mason jars filled with lilacs on every surface in the house. It was the magical Lilac weeks that said spring is here. In my adult life I had a chance to relive the magical lilac spring; the year my mother sold the house I cut every bloom off that lilac bush, or at least as many as could fit in my car. Every surface in my house had lilacs in a mason jar and I delivered a jar to all my friends. I just can't wait for spring. This Lilac bush is out side Julia's window, so she too will have childhood memories of drifting off to sleep on a cloud of lilacs.

New Buds on a Fruit Tree
The green seems so fresh and alive...spring
This tiny crocus has no idea that spring is not yet arrived...anxious like the rest of us!
The Lilac Bush knows we are going to have to wait for spring.
I am watching and waiting for spring, and those magical couple of lilac weeks that will come in the spring.

One Chicken Away From Being The Crazy Chicken Lady!

Today was a beautiful sunny day and it was nice to spend some time watching the chickens. Here are a few of the hens and roosters here on The Thibaudeau Family Farm:

Chantecler Hen

Chantecler Rooster " Fog Horn"

Chantecler is the only Canadian Heritage Chicken, developed in Quebec, it is a dual purpose bird with an flat comb which make it a very cold hardy chicken. We have 5 Hens and 2 Roosters. We will breed the Chantecler. Ours are wild and roost in the trees at night. They were always the last breed to go into the coop at night.

Jersey Giant Rooster " Lenny"
Jersey Giants are a very large but gentle Heritage Breed Chicken. We have 8 hens and 2 roosters. We will breed the Jersey Giants. Lenny was one of the first Roosters to crow.

Red Rock Rooster "D Rock"
Red Rock Hen
Red Rock Hen "Medea"
Red Rock is a cross between Heritage Breeds Plymouth Bared Rock and Rhode Island Reds. We got 26 on July 10th as week old chicks. D Rock was the only Rooster mixed in with the layers. Domenic named him D Rock on his first day here. The Black Red Rock is standard of most of the Red Rock "Medea has unusual colouring.

Isa Browns "Ruby" is centered

Isa Brown is a commercial layer chicken and we have 12 that we rescued and The Crazy Chicken Lady loves these gentle girls.

Americana (Blue Egg Layer) "The Bearded Lady"
We have 6 Americanas 5 Blue and 1 Black. They are my blue egg layers. Not seeing too many eggs from these girls yet.

Silver Laced Wyandott Hen
We have two Silver Laced hens. This breed is very skidish and do not like to be handled, but they are a very pretty bird.

Chantecler Rooster
Robert and "Brutus"
Crazy Chicken Lady "Suzanne" with "Ruby"
Now you have met some of our chickens. We are expecting to add some different breeds including Buff Orpintons, Rhode Island Reds and more Americanas as day old chick in April.

This Little Piggy Went to Market!

The Thibaudeau Family Farms went to their first Farms Swap and Market. It is a new market in Qualicum, combining both a live animal bird swap with a Farmers Market. We decided not to bring any live birds for sale this first time out. We did bring Heritage Eggs, Fresh Frozen Heritage Chickens, Turkey Breasts. I also brought my Farm Fresh T-shirts and signs. T-shirts are a hit. Following are a few of the designs. I am going to work on some more designs for the launch of summer markets. The Top 3 T-shirts for this first market were; "Cock of the walk", "She thinks my tractor's sexy" and "It's OK to be different".

We also sold some signs and I took a couple custom requests. I kind of felt like city meets country, but that could just be me. I am happy with the first market experience and now I am excited to get to the next one before Easter.