My Baby Is A Year Old

My sweet baby Daphne that is! ;)

It's hard to believe she is already a year old. She is starting to look more grown up and her beard is coming in but she can still act like such a kid sometimes, like when she is chewing on my apron while I'm trying to take her picture! I wanted to get a picture of her with the other two goats so you could see how big she is but she wouldn't leave my side. At least I know she likes me! LOL!!

She is such a little stinker. She has been watching the "big girls" try to open the door to the milking shed...

Luckily, there is a latch up high where nogoat can reach it. You can see in the last picture that she actually has the door open. We used to lock the door with a key but I accidentally left the key in the lock one day and one of them broke it off. Jerry's horse, Paco, will even open the door if it isn't latched, which is rather disconcerting if I'm in there trying to milk Madeline.

Since it is her birthday, Daphne gets a little treat...

"A PEANUT, maaa, for ME?!? I wish it was my birthday EVERY day!!"

Linking up with the Rurality Blog Hop and Farmgirl Friday.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch - 02/26/2013

I'm joining Patrice at Everyday Ruralty for Chats on the Farmhouse Porch this week. What a fun idea, thanks Patrice!! :) 

1. Is there a room in your home that you'd like to redecorate or remodel?

My KITCHEN!! It is just waaayy too small, especially with my little bakery business. 

2. Did you watch the Oscars?  

No. It's funny, though, Jerry didn't want to watch but I had to look up all the winners for him the next morning on the internet! LOL!!

  3. How many pair of blue jeans do you own?  

Ten...but I can only fit into three pair right now. (sigh)

 

4. What was your favorite toy as a child?

 

I had a stuffed purple bunny that I got for Easter one year, I LOVED that bunny! :)

  5. If you could visit a country in Europe, which would you choose?  

Ireland...no, wait, Russia...no, wait, Ireland...no, wait...

 

If you would like to sit and Chat on the Farmhouse Porch with us go visit Patrice and link up!! :)

Stitchin' Kitchen Chickens

My kitchen is slowly being taken over by chicken decor. :)

We were at the neighbors' awhile back and I saw an embroidered chicken picture that I really liked because of the way it was mounted with chicken wire behind it. Hers said something about raising kids is like being pecked to death by a chicken. Hmmm...

Well, I wanted one of my own (sans saying) so I figured I'd better get to stitchin'! I used part of a pattern that I got from Peace Creek Collections a couple of years ago, it is for a tea towel and the name of the pattern is Lilly & Her Chicks. I just used Lilly this time. After stitching, I frayed the edges of the cloth to give it more of a rustic look and mounted the completed embroidery in a frame with a black background and added a piece of old chicken wire. Heaven knows, we sure have a lot of THAT laying around! ;)

I'm linking up with the new Creative Blog Hop at Dolly's Designs. Thanks Dolly!

Here is the dish towel I did a couple of years ago so that you can see the whole pattern. I haven't ever used the towel, I just hang it on the oven door for decoration! I think I'll start using it...

 

Five Facts Friday - 02/22/2013

1.  I won one of the door prizes for the Boost My Blog Party hosted by Nancy and Lisa last week! YAY!! This sweet, handmade heart tag is waaay too nice to go on our big ol' outside dog Buddy so I put it on my keychain where I can enjoy it. Thanks ladies for hosting the party, I discovered a LOT of wonderful new blogs to follow and picked up some wonderful new Followers too! :)

2.  I won some other lovely prizes on recent blog giveaways that I need to mention...some heirloom tomato seeds from Kateri, two lovely bars of goat milk soap from Millie, a beautiful metal sculpture cross to hang from Michelle and some handmade soap from Michaele. (Edited to add) AND a beautiful colored pencil drawing from TexWisGirl of a sweet little nuthatch! I also received an unexpected Christmas package from Kristina, a Pay-It-Forward package from Susan and a handpainted tile from Marie. Thank you all and I'm sorry I'm so late in acknowledging some of you. Blogging buddies are the BEST!! :)

3.  It has snowed three times in the last two weeks here! The storm this past Wednesday gave us almost six inches of snow, the most we have seen in the eight years we have lived here. The moisture is always welcome!

4.  Our cat, Ruby, snores. Sometimes so loudly that I can hear her in the other room! ;)

5.  I'm still getting almost three quarts of milk a day from my goat. It will be two years at the end of March since she kidded. I guess I'll just keep milking her until she starts to dry up! I hate buying milk from the store.

Kale with Sausage and Beans

Last week, I had a lovely bunch of kale from the Farmer's Market to use up and some spicy Italian sausage. I thought about making Sausage Potato Kale soup but Jerry was about "souped out" for awhile.

I did a search on the internet for ideas and came across this recipe from one of my favorite sites, Simply Recipes. I did make a couple of changes to the original recipe. I used spicy Italian sausage and I substituted some leftover pinto beans for the white beans, since that was what I had on hand. I also added some mushrooms. Wow, this dish is simple, quick and full of flavor!! The above picture is actually some leftovers that I had for breakfast the next morning with a poached egg on top, YUM! :)

Kale with Sausage and Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound bulk spicy Italian sausage
1 onion, sliced thin
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I love baby Bellas)
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 pound kale, remove center rib and roughly chop leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups cooked pinto beans
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and mushrooms. Cook until the edges of the onions start to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the kale, sprinkle with salt, then add the chicken stock. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 or 3 minutes to wilt down the kale. Uncover, mix well and add the beans. Cover again and turn the heat to low. Cook for another 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Down Home Blog Hop, Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Texture Tuesday - 02/19/2013

For Texture Tuesday this week, Kim asked us to use at least one of the textures from her new Downtown Collection. I used Cora for the pink and Sybil to lighten it up a bit. I also added one of Bonnie's Vintage Manuscript textures just because I really like them! Jerry bought me these tulips for Valentine's Day just so I'd have some flowers to photograph. Isn't he sweet? I sure am having fun "playing" with photos. :)
Also linking up with P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Five Facts Friday - 02/15/2013

I thought I would join in on the fun of 5 Facts Friday this week, mainly because I can't think of anything to post about!! ;)

1.  At age 54, I'm still a sucker for a cute, stuffed Teddy Bear and have more than I want to admit to.

2.  I can't decide whether or not to plant a garden this year. Being at the Farmer's Market every week selling baked goods, I can buy, or barter for, whatever I want.

3.  Some days, I spend waaayyy too much time on the computer in BlogLand.

4.  One of my favorite TV shows happens to be Swamp People (don't judge me). The new season premiered last night. :)

5.  I'm really glad the 2012 DA14 asteroid didn't hit us today! LOL!!

Valentine's Day Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! These beautiful cookies are really easy to make and assemble but give the impression that you worked on them for hours. ;) This is my P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday entry.

I used my favorite Brown Sugar Shortbread cookie recipe, cut out rounds and then cut out a heart shape in half of the cookies for the tops. After baking, when they are completely cool, liberally dust the tops with powdered sugar. Spread some (homemade) strawberry jam on the bottom cookies and then add the cut-out tops. Jerry is a serious chocoholic and he couldn't quit eating these. With the rich shortbread cookie and the sweet jam, they are a special treat for your Valentine any day of the year. Of course, you can use any cut-out cookie recipe, or even refrigerated cookie dough, and any jam for the filling to make them your own! :)

Because Jerry is such a chocoholic, I also made a batch of Dark Chocolate Cherry cookies. Oh, by the way, make sure you really read the label when buying the dried cherries. I accidentally bought a bag of cherry juice infused Craisins! Hmmm...no wonder they were so cheap. They do have a very good cherry taste though! LOL!!

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups Baking Mix
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 10-ounce bag dark chocolate chips
1 5-ounce bag dried cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add Baking Mix and cocoa; mix well. Stir in dark chocolate chips and dried cherries; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

I'm joining Lisa and Nancy for the Valentine's Day Boost My Blog Party! I'm also linking up with What I Am Eating and Farmgirl Friday.

Tuesday's Tails - 2/12/2013

We have a small herd of mule deer that wanders through quite often. I photographed this young buck out the kitchen window last week.

See ya' later little fella! :)

Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

I surely do enjoy baking and cooking and creating new recipes! I usually start with a recipe that I find somewhere and change things to use what I have on hand and what we like to eat. I found this recipe for Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder last week and thought it sounded like something we would really like. I cut down the recipe, since there are only the two of us, and changed some of the ingredients. I have been making a Potato Corn Chowder for years using white potatoes and Cajun seasonings but this recipe is soooo much better!

Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

1 large sweet potato, roasted and cubed
2 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cups frozen corn, thawed (I use this awesome recipe from dr. momi)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup half & half (I use half goat milk/half heavy cream)

Roast sweet potato, wrapped in foil, in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until done. Let cool; peel and cut into cubes.
In a large saucepan, melt butter, then add shallot and cook for about five minutes until soft. Add corn, thyme, marjoram, chipotle powder and cumin; cook and stir for another few minutes. Add chicken stock and sweet potato; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash up the sweet potato a bit. Stir in half & half and heat through being careful not to let it boil.

Sharing with The Country Homemaker Hop, Down Home Blog Hop and Rurality Blog Hop.

Photo Art Friday - Abstract

For Photo Art Friday this week, Bonnie challenged us to create a composite (collaged) piece of ABSTRACT photo art. We were to utilize at least two of her backgrounds/textures and one or two additional images, preferably our own. This was certainly a challenge for me as I don't normally do this kind of "art!" I gotta say, I'm really, really pleased with how it turned out! :)

Here are the elements I used. All editing was done in Photoshop Elements 11.

This is also my P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday submission and I will be linking up with Weekly Top Shot.

Wearing Aprons

I don't have a real extensive apron collection. The red one with the rooster was my dad's, he ran the Senior Nutrition Site and one of the ladies made the apron for him to wear while serving lunches. The denim one on the left Jerry just bought for me this past weekend. It has the Bisbee Farmer's Market logo on it and I'm going to start wearing it at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays. The second one from the right was the apron I made when I first started reading MaryJanesFarm magazine and participating in the forums. The second one from the left is a MaryJane pattern called the harvest apron. The entire yellow panel is a large pocket. I LOVE it! The one in the middle is my favorite apron though, and it is the one I have been wearing at the Farmer's Market for a couple of years. I even had to patch one of the pockets because I wore a hole in it carrying quarters in it! LOL!!

Since I now have a new apron for the Farmer's Market, I have started wearing my old favorite here at home for my baking and housework. There was a wonderful post floating around awhile back on Hillbilly Housewife entitled Apron Evangelism but, sadly, the link no longer exists. I was able to come up with a couple of quotes from the original article on other sites.

"One day Maggie, in the midst of a couple of vexing household/parenting issues, asked her mother for advice. Her mother told her she needed "a uniform or costume which would reassure myself and others of my intention and status in the home....It would remind me of my duties, inspire me to greater levels of cleanliness...and reaffirm my authority."

"Boy howdy, was I in for a surprise. In the mirror I saw a vision of the homemaker I have always strived to become staring back at me. Her cheery face glistened in the sunshine. Her hair tied up neatly in a bun looked authoritative and compassionate all at the same time. The apron covered several figure flaws and accentuated the fertile curves of the woman I saw in the mirror. This woman had purpose. She had status. She had clout. I stood there, contemplating the wonder of the homemaker that shone through my image in the mirror. “This is who I want to be” I told myself. “This is the Keeper of the home, with a capital ‘K’. ”

One of the issues I had with wearing an apron was where to store them so that I could get to them easily. Oh, and actually remembering to put one on!! ;) I just don't have any space on the walls in the kitchen for hooks so I got one of those over-the-door hooks and put it on the laundry room door so my aprons are now easily accessible.

How about you? Do you wear an apron? Do you think it helps to validate your position as the Keeper of the home to yourself and others?

Sharing with The Country Homemaker Hop, the Down Home Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, the Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest and the new Rurality Blog Hop with Madge at The View From Right Here.

Photo Art Friday - Minimalist

For Photo Art Friday this week, Bonnie gave us the optional theme of Minimalist. I really like the way this came out. :) Also sharing with Weekly Top Shot.

Edited with Bonnie's Vintage Vellum at Soft Light 100% and The Little Things at Soft Light 50%.