Noelle likes Good Food

I hope everyone survived the Second Winter Storm of 2014! Chris and I got blissfully snowed in for 4 days. We cleaned our garage, and got lots of work done with school, preparing for a presentation, and professional learning. We also slept in, cuddled and ate lots of good food. I felt so good after those 4 days that it made me realize I should allow myself to rest more. Or, to put it better. I realized I should have more focus, and less distraction. To fully work when I need to work, and then fully rest and allow myself to enjoy a movie with Chris or few minutes of extra sleep before the days starts. I have always been a driven person, and working hard has never been a problem. Maybe I should shift my focus a little, give rest a chance, and learn to fully enjoy each moment without worrying about the next. It is true that the simplest things are often the hardest.  I really liked this 'working from home' scenario. Especially with such a great view. *wink wink* Besides ...

So, in case you guys didn't think I was weird enough with making soup out of beef neck-bones , washing my hair with coconut milk and aloe vera gel , and using magnesium oil as my deodorant... then this will surely convince you of my craziness. Like I have said before, I get my  pasture raised beef from a local farmer. You can check out their website here . They are wonderful people and truly care about their animals and their profession. Recently they saved some beef fat for me to render into tallow.  Yep, that's right. I rendered huge chunks of beef fat into tallow, and I eat it, and it is delicious.  I admit that in the middle of the process, I thought to myself, what the heck did I get myself into?? But, I found a rhythm and in the end it was totally worth it. I will walk you through the process.  Intimidating? Yes.  I had to look at it from all angles. Then I just had to cut off a piece and jump in.  I took little chunks a...

I have wonderful news!! Two weeks ago, Chris and bought a house! We looked for 3 years and it was more than worth it to wait for this beauty. I am so excited to show off our new place to my faithful readers :).  When house hunting, we really wanted to stay in the same location and this house is literally on the same street we lived while we were renting. It is true, miracles happen :). My Dad and brothers, and Chris' sister and Dad and some friends came out to help us move. We ate chicken soup and grilled cheese as our first meal in the new home. I can't even describe the feeling! I will probably show way too many pictures of my new kitchen but I love spending time there. This is our first breakfast together in our new home. We love eating together and looking out the window. A few days ago Chris hung the our prized stained glass window that my Grandfather made and also hung our fruit basket. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better :)....