We moved to Queen Creek, Arizona in 2004 and purchased our first home. We were attracted to this part of the Valley because of the rural heritage of the area. When we first moved here, there wasn't any traffic or stop lights. The following housing boom brought many more neighbors to the area. Although traffic has increased and big box stores have replaced the cotton and corn fields, we still love it here.

When we chose our property, we fell in love with the house plans and the extra large back yard. It was perfect for our growing family. I envisioned many happy hours spent in a garden with my children playing nearby.

Eventually, our passion for fresh food and good home cooking merged with our joy of gardening and resulted in our own little experiment to raise and grow a little of our own food. We enjoy working the garden, planting and harvesting as a family and taking care of our animals. We gather fresh eggs every morning and will soon enjoy turkey and chicken that we have raised ourselves. We try to incorporate everything we grow into our meal plans; with my husband's wonderful cooking skills and my love for baking, we enjoy everything and savor the knowledge that that our hard work pays off. No, I am not Martha Stewart (nor do I claim to be) and my husband is not a chef, but we have fun together and enjoy our blessings.

The growing seasons in Arizona vary and right now our winter garden is in. Fall is a wonderful time of year in the garden! Although we didn't grow any pumpkins we did visit Apple Annie's in Willcox and bought some huge pumpkins for Halloween and made some delicious pumpkin bread.

We encourage you to also try growing a little of your own food. You never know what is possible until you try. There are many web sites out there that have great information about how to get started. Another positive of gardening is that it is a great stress reliever and gives our family something to do together that everyone enjoys. We have found that by turning towards peaceful, simple living, we can overcome alot of challenges in today's hectic world. We strive to teach our children good, old fashioned values and the importance of having a place of peace and well being. There will always be storms in life, and some people will always say and do cruel things, but there is also good in the world and if you believe in yourself, forgive and look for the good in others, you will overcome.

We hope that you enjoy the stories, artwork and recipes. We enourage you to pursue your own hopes, dreams and passions. Write about them and share them with the world!

Thank you for visitng Crosby Country! Come back soon!

Bridgette, Mark & family

Contact us at: 480.987.9256 or via email at bridgette@crosbycountry.com.