Where does the time go ?

My busy weekend in pictures.

                                                      Side garden is in for the season.

                                                    Teepee for the green beans.

                                                       Working on my flower beds.

                           Using a tip from pintrest.  Vinegar and dawn to get rid of soap scum.

                            Homemade laundry soap, dish soap and Fabric softener for Abigail .

                                         Tony teaching Rick how to dress a turkey.

                                               Lip balm and  Foot moisturizer.

                                           Finishing quilt for Abagail's new baby boy.

                                                      Making new chicken roost .

      Sand box under roost makes it easy to scoop out.  The white box is for sweeping out the floor. Just sweep in box and deposit into compose.

                            Added rebar to my clothes line so the wind doesn't tip it over.

                                Trying to finish wash. But it just keeps replenishing it's self.

                       Strawberry pie from a recipe off of My Simple Country Living blog.

                                                               Made more Homemade bacon.

                                               First out door fire of the season .

                                                 Patio uncovered and ready for summer .

                      Steak, shrimp,stuffed potatoes, grilled zucchini, and garlic bread .  YUM!!! And can't forget the wine.

Just a quick note

Thank you everyone for your kind words. Just wanted to let you know I am still here. No men in white coats have come to take me away. The husband and kid are still breathing. At no time were the cops called. The animals were not given to new homes. All in all I made it thru with out collateral damage.  A hot bath and a good night sleep did wonders. Or was it that bottle of wine?

YES I am whining and moaning

 I was woken up late last night by my husband dog whining at our bedroom door.  Honey your dog is whining. You might want to see what's wrong. At which he rolls over and pulling the cover off me. She's fine. She just wants in the room.  It which point I grab the cover back and ask if he wants me to let her in. No, she is ok where she is at.  Great this from a man that can sleep thru a tornado. Needless to say, all night long I was woken up by whining and scratching at the door.
Morning breaks with soft sunlight shining thru the sliding glass doors. Right into my eyes.Nothing like being blinded in the early morning hours.  I throw the covers over my head already felling the bad day coming on. Thru the covers I hear ." You ready to get up. " Sure I am always ready to get up after 3 hours sleep. Ok Michelle take a deep breath.
 After breakfast I walked outside to find the yard hadn't been cleaned up from the dogs for a couple of days. So I started doing it. ( The point here is, this is my husband job. ) Did I get a thank you  NO. I got ," There's a spot over there you missed.
Asked my husband a question and instead of just answering it. I get the run around version. Don't you just love those types of conversations.
 My daughter  always starts her laundry but leaves it for Mom to finish. This time when I removed it from the washer there were 5 dryer sheets with it. When I asked her about it she told me it was in the basket with her dirty clothes. What is going on in that head of her's. Went  to get our clothes off the line only to find the wind had blown my portable clothes line down. Two loads of clean laundry laying in the dirt. Don't you just love having to redo wash?
At this point I need to calm down. The best place to do that is in my garden. You won't believe what I found out there. That damn squirrel ate the tops off all my lettuce. I swear he is taunting us. He sits at the edge of the yard and just laugh at us. We have tried several times to trap him. He's to damn smart for his own good.
Just read thru what I have written so far. I am acting like that whinny person that drives me crazy. So I'll stop right here, before your ears start bleeding.
I see a glass of wine in my future. Hope your having a great day. Someone needs to.

My daughter just handed me my sneakers. One tip before I go. Never tell your child that they are in charge of making sure you work out. It's like giving them permission to torture you.


    

The Good the Bad and the Ugly.

I have seen many post out there that have started  with the line " 1O things you may not know about me." I thought this was a great idea. But they seem to only talk about the good things. Not that, that's wrong . It's just not me. With me you get the whole package. So for your pleasure. Here is the Good the Bad and the Ugly.
 THE GOOD
1) My friends are very important to me. Good times or bad I will stand by them. Even if their wrong I will stand by them. That doesn't mean I won't tell them their wrong.
2)  God and Family is everything to me. I take my job of raising good and respectful kids  very seriously. My kids will never have to wonder if they are loved.
3) I love to cook. I am always learning how to make as many things from scratch as I can.
4) I love crafts of any kind. I do ceramics,stain glass, quilts, needle work, and yarn work. Finished projects is another story.
5) I will always be there if you need me rain or shine.  Sleet and ice we may need to talk about it.
6) I love to travel. I have been to all the states but Hawaii (3/4 of them I have lived in. )
7) I am a military grand daughter, brat, bride, and proud of it.
8) I garden and have chickens ( Ok that you might know.)
9) I am married to an American Indian. Who grew up on a cattle ranch on the reservation.
10) I love life! I will always find the joy in things.

THE BAD
1)I can never say no. My BFF says I should say no at least once a year.
2) I can talk your ear off.
3) I laugh when I am nerves. Which can be awkward.
4) I make my kids get me coffee. They hate it.That doesn't mean it will change.I have to torture them some how.
5) I have to put myself on restriction from TV or I will sit and watch it all day. Laptop is a close second.
6) My daughter joined the Air force .I am very proud of her. The bad is, she got hit with chemicals. She will have nerve damage for the rest of her life. The good, is she still has a great out look on life.
7) My grand babies live several states a way. So I don't get to see then very often.
8) I am VERY SPOILED!. My husband has no one to blame but himself.
9)I love my cats. And some times they come first. I have a rule in my house. If you have a cat on your lap, then everyone else has to get you what you need. The cat doesn't get moved. Yes, I know I am a little crazy. Maybe this should go on the Ugly. Still debating.
10) On nights I don't want to cook, Your choice are eat out, you cook it, or you starve. It's that simple.

THE UGLY
1) I am right. I can be wrong, but you have to prove it first.
2) Patience. Whats that word?
3) I can not be controlled . Tell me NO and it's already done.
4) Don't ask my advise .You will get it. Ok, maybe sometimes when you didn't ask.
5) I have no Tact. No really, I don't carry that gene.
6) Don't ask if you don't want the truth. If that dress makes you fat. Believe me I will tell you. Wait a minute? I could put that one on the good list, then again maybe not.
7) I use my womanly charm to get what I want from my husband. Hey, if it works why change it.
8) I have a big mouth. I also have foot in mouth disease.
9) Sarcasm is not my middle name. It is my first name.
10) Would I change any of these things. Probably not.

Dreams of a guest bedroom

 I so wanted this lamp for my guest bedroom. It was $300 dollars. Had to go home and think about it. Decided to go back and get it. Only to find it had been sold.  That will teach me not to hesitate next time.

I saw this at the Pioneer Village Museum . The whole place is set up like a little town. I am hoping my talented husband can recreate it for me. It would look great in the door way.

Sorry the picture is bad. I saw this 2 years ago for $345. I felt it wasn't worth that amount. So I walked away. But the lamp never left my thoughts. I was so happy to see it again for $135. Needless to say it went home with me. I have always wanted a Victorian guest bedroom. I have the bedroom set and vintage pictures in storage .  I just need my hanging oil lamp  and rugs. Oh, There is one more thing. The last child to move out of her room. 

Weekend with Heidi and Jerry

 We had a great weekend with Heidi and Jerry. We found some great things at several yard sales. Heidi arranged for all of us to volunteer at a Jazz festival . It was so much fun and it saved us 45 dollars a person. You can't beat a  deals like that.

All we had to do was make sure everyone had a badge and answer any questions. This picture was our view of the stage. Every one had a great time listening to the different performers.
 Sunday morning we headed out to get Heidi's new babies. It was a four hour trip there that seemed like an hour and a half. When you have two gabby friends in a vehicle together time just fly.

 

These are her new little babies. They are so sweet and friendly, and I fell in love with both of them. Heidi and I are trying to talk my husband into letting me have a few goats.With luck I will have my own set of babies by next spring.

 

 This little one really stole my heart. After letting me feed him, he curled up against my chest and went to sleep. He was so soft and warm that I couldn't bring myself to put him down.

 This is Heidi's mother- in- law. She has to be one of the sweetest people out there.She just makes me smile even with out saying a word.

 I also met Jerry's sister and brother-in-law I have never been so warmly welcomed as I was by his family. I am looking forward to seeing them again in June . Heidi and I will be returning to show her new babies at the fair.

                                                         Have a great weekend

Things I forgot .

I couldn't wait to be able to hang clothes out on the line. I was in such a hurry to do this, that I forgot a few things.

1)Never hang towels on the line. Not only will they take off the water after you shower ,but a layer of skin as well.

2) Shirts made from cotton will need ironed. If you hate ironing, use dryer.

3) Crawling into a bed made with crisp air dried sheets ( Heavenly) .

4) With dogs, I have to clean the yard before I can hang clothes.

5) Jeans don't shrink when dried on the line. 

6) My cats will try to get out as I bring in clothes.

Am I going to keep hanging clothes outside ? You Bet! I love the smell of air dried clothes. The pros so out weight the cons. I do have to confess. I rewashed my towels and dried them in the dryer. What can I say. I love my skin where it is.

Fruit Salad with orange and vanilla syrup

I made this salad for my Ladies Church Luncheon. It turned out to be a big hit. I saw this on "The Pioneer Woman" on Food Network.  Perfect for a summertime meal.

                                                       Ree's Fruit Salad
4 pints Strawberries ( sliced )
2 pints Blueberries
2 cup green seedless grapes ( cut in half )
2 cup red seedless grapes ( cut in half )
 Mint leaves ( optional )
  GLAZE
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
juice and zest of one orange
insides of one vanilla bean
Add water, sugar ,juice, and zest in a sauce pan. Slice your vanilla bean lengthwise, scraping out the seeds and add to the saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil ,then lower heat to a slow simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes to let it  thicken . While your sauce is cooling mix your berries together. Once the sauce is cool add to berries and place in frig for at lest 30 minutes .  Add mint leaves to  the top of the salad .

 I added a pint of raspberries to mine and used a Cara Cara orange.   This was so good that I made a second batch for my husband to take to the guys at work.

Bubbling Dish Soap

WARNING: This is not totally homemade .

I found a homemade dish soap that worked great, only problem was no bubbles. I am a big bubbles girl. I know they don't do anything to help  clean the dishes.  But on those cold days,there is nothing better then sticking your hands into a hot sink full of bubbles.

I tested this dish soap for a week before posting it. I wanted to make sure it would work as well as the store bought. I am happy to say it does.

                                           My own bubbling dish soap

2 cups water

2 tablespoons of moisturizing shampoo ( I used VO5 that I got at the dollar store )

1 tablespoon Borox

1 tablespoon Baking Soda

1 tablespoon Vinagar

3 tablespoon Dawn dish soap.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. Using a funnel  pour into a large empty dish soap bottle .
 The original recipe  calls for clear shampoo. I used moisturizing shampoo since I like the way it makes my hands feel. I added Dawn to the recipe for my bubbles. You could probably use just one tablespoon of Dawn since it makes so many  bubbles.

Using 3 tables spoons of Dawn add 12.4 cents a bottle. Using 2 tablespoon adds 8.2 cents. Without the Dawn your dish soap will run about 9 cents a bottle.With 3 tablespoons of Dawn it's 21.4 cents for 20 fluid ozs of dish soap. I can handle that.  Now that the trail period is over I am going to try it with only 2 tablespoon of Dawn since I get so many bubbles.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake.

I love this cake. I have finally found the recipe of my dreams. I saw it on the food channel and had to try it. SO GLAD I DID.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Butter cream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.
Chocolate Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.



Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Flavors and Flowers

This and that

                                      Homemade bread makes the house smell so good.

       Made biscuits and gravy for breakfest out of our homemade sausage and Candy's biscuit mix.

 Putting oil in a jelly mason jar makes it a lot easier when having to use measuring spoons.

                Rick made me a beautiful noddle drying rack. Think he might be hinting?

 Best made from scratch chocolate cake  I have ever made. And I have tried a lot of different recipes.

 I surprised my husband by making him English Muffins while he was at work. He loves them.

                                       I love it when my bread  dough rises so nicely.

                                      The girls loved the warm weather we have been having.

                                                 Have a great weekend  everyone.

Tiffany's solo flight

This is my fly girl Tiffany. We are so proud of her as well as working and going to college ,she is taking flying lessons. She did her first solo flight on Sunday. She is working on getting her private Glider pilot license.  These planes have no engine so it's all up to her. Plus this would be the first time flying with out her instructor. So there will be a wieght diffents she has to compensate for. Add a in coming storm to that and you had a nerves Mom.  I was so proud to see her souring up there.
 She is working towards becoming  a helicopter pilot for the Fire Department as well as adding a single engine pilot licenes to her belt.

     
 

They have a tradition of dowsing you with water on your first solo flight. Poor Tiff it was a cold and windy day. But nothing could interfere with how elated she was that day.