Living SoGaNoFla

This guy....

2011-07-22T16:41:00.000-04:00

Meet my brother's dog, Marlin. He's named after the firearm, not the fish!

He is absolutely the sweetest pit bull I've ever met. But, bless his heart, he doesn't have the best luck in the world. Let me explain.....

About a month ago we had some very much needed rain. It came in the form of what I would swear was a mini hurricane. We lost giant limbs out of two pecan trees, and lightening hit our biggest. My in-laws (The People Across the Pond) had a live oak completely uprooted. It hailed, it set the woods on fire and it knocked the power out for hours.

Back to Marlin. My brother works second shift and came home shortly after everything simmered down. He knew about the bad storm, so he went to check on his pup. Marlin wasn't in his pen.... his pen wasn't even there! It was laying on the ground about 50 feet from where it had originally been, dismantled and nearly destroyed. He still hasn't found the dog house that was inside of it. Sure that Marlin had gone to safety with our dogs in the in-laws shed, he went inside and to bed. The next morning, our pups were home, but Marlin still had not shown up. That afternoon when he and his wife rode around the ponds surveying the damage. That's when he heard it.... a tiny, distant yelp. "That sounds like a dog in a dam," he thought. Sure enough, there he was, in the damn dam overflow of the middle pond. (If you look at the header picture, their house is now in the opening on the far right. The middle pond is behind where the picture was taken, about the same distance away. It's FAR.) He was alive, but barely. Will had to crawl in with Marlin to be able to pull him out. Poor thing had tried and tried to climb his way out, filing down his nails to the quick and turning his pads into hamburger meat. He recovered surprisingly fast!

Fast forward about three weeks.

While at work, I got a text from my brother. "How many wasp stings does it take to kill a 75 pound dog??" Dear Lord.....

Jami and I frantically searched the internet. Not surprisingly, we could only find something on how to treat one or two stings... not what Marlin was facing. The best thing? Benadryl and baking soda. And lots of it!!

I wouldn't think twice about saying that homeboy had a good 100+ stings all over his body. His ears and under his chin were the worst. I don't have a picture of it (I really didn't want to take one), but I'm sure you can imagine. I didn't think it was wasps, though. Will hadn't actually seen what stung Marlin, and I had a better guess. Bees! The farmers have bee hives scattered through the fields around here. There's a huge pile of them right across the road from our house. My sister-in-law and I drove over to check them out and, sure enough, one of them looked to be slightly tipped over. We didn't get too close to really check it out, but I'm sure that's where they came from.

The swelling didn't last long, but he's got polka dot skin! He almost looks like something out of a circus show. Not really funny, but we have to smile about it now. :)

Less than a week later, Marlin went missing again, still sporting his polka dot, mange-looking skin. The doggie police got him! He's back at home now. I can only imagine what they were thinking was wrong with him! On top of the stings, he was covered in fleas when he got home! Poor fella!

Maybe this time he's learned his lesson. I kinda doubt it!

So, the next time you think you've got it bad.... remember sweet 'ole Marlin. It could be worse!

Baby Chickens!!

2011-04-29T17:02:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Jami had to stay home from work due to a bad case of poison ivy all over his hands (it would later spread to almost every inch of his body). He and I carpool to work everyday and he's the type that as soon as we get off he doesn't want to do anything but head straight for the house. We were getting low on pup food, so I took the opportunity to run across town to Tractor Supply and pick some up. Of course, it was right in the middle of their Chick Days and they had just gotten a shipment in that morning. I puttered over to the bins and laid eyes on 8 adorable little bantam chickens! I didn't go there expecting to come home with chickens. Really, I didn't, but I already had my brooder set up and there were only the eight left in the bin, so in my cart they went!

Aren't they just the cutest?!

The black one in the top left corner and the two blond chickens have feathered feet. My gut tells me the blonds are Buff Cochins and the other may be a Silver or Golden Laced Cochin. One of the chipmunk looking biddies has greenish feet and legs so I'm thinking an Americauna. Really, I have no idea what kinds they are! They're almost 4 weeks now and are getting a lot of feathers in, so soon I'll post a picture at Back Yard Chickens to get some help identifying them. Of course I'll post a picture and my findings here, too!

In March, I placed and order for Buckeye and Delaware chickens, but their hatch date isn't until June 1. I picked the Buckeyes and let my niece choose a breed for her to raise. I'm super pleased with her choice as these will both be suitable for eggs and meat. I'm still unsure of my capabilities to cull a chicken that I've raised from a baby, though I am certain I can clean it once the deed has been done. Jami and I have an agreement.... he does the dirty work and I'll do the rest. Sounds pretty good to me!

The coop is almost completed and I cannot wait to show it to you! The only things we've had to purchase for it is a couple of boxes of nails and some wire. It's definitely not the prettiest thing, but I'm betting my chickens will think it's the most magnificent home ever!

Hen Nest Box Giveway at Life on a Southern Farm!

2011-04-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

We've been busy building a chicken coop from used materials we've found in our yard, our parents, and the old paintball field! Just in time, too, because yesterday I came home to find one of my biddies piddling around my spare room!! They're only about 4 weeks old, but already they're trying to fly around and this little one was able to get out of the cardboard box I've been using as the brooder! The only things we lack on the coop is building the door for the run and putting in some nest boxes.

For the boxes, we have some blue, plastic Pepsi crates (the ones the truck brings the 20oz. bottles to the jiffy stores in) that will be screwed into the interior walls of the hen house. Not pretty, but free and practical! BUT, a favorite blog of mine is having a giveaway for a two hole, metal hen box that they make on their farm!! I would love to win this myself, but I also want to tell you about it so that you can get in the running as well!! Head over to Life on a Southern Farm (Yes! They're in Georgia, too!!!) and enter to win one of these gorgeous boxes! If you're into farm living at all, I suggest you follow their wonderful blog, too!

Happy Easter... Lilies!

2011-04-22T16:13:00.001-04:00

Every year as the end of March rolls around, a beautiful sight begins to unfold in the ditches along these Southern roads.....

The Easter Lilies, as we've always called them, are a sure sign that the Earth has awakened and Spring is finally here! According to information I've found, the common name for Zephyranthes atamasca is Rain Lily, but that's not what we call them, nor have I ever heard someone refer to them as such.

You can read more about these beautiful flowers here.

PS.

Have you ever looked at the new growth on pine trees around this time of year? Way up at the top, the new growth forms a cross all over the tops of the trees. Do they know Easter is right around the corner?

PPS.
Happy Earth Day!!!

Spring Seed Order

2011-03-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

I finally got off of my butt and ordered my vegetable seeds on Valentines day! After looking through catalog after catalog, I decided to go with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. They are based out of Central Virginia and specialize in varieties that are adapted to my neck of the woods. There were so many selections of each vegetable with tantalizing descriptions, it made it so very difficult for me to decide which I would get! It literally took me a month of going through the catalog, researching the plants needs and putting together a simple garden layout to finally commit to the varieties I chose. I think I will be quite satisfied!

The tomato and various pepper seeds have already been started in the greenhouse, while the rest will be directly sewn in the garden. Our last average frost date is (depending on where you look) anywhere from March 1 through March 14. The garden is ready to go now, but to be safe I won't be putting my seeds out for around another 2 weeks. The anticipation is killing me! In the mean time I'll be reorganizing my greenhouse and dreaming of a luscious garden!

So, would you like to know what I will be growing? Of course!

Hungarian Italian Paste Tomato - I don't eat tomatoes straight, but wanted to grow some. I LOVE a good tomato sauce, however, so I hope to be putting up lots this Summer!
Chinese Five Color Pepper - My step-grandmother used to have these growing all around her yard. At dinner time, she would pick a dish and eat them straight out of the bowl! I don't know how they didn't burn the ever loving life out of her mouth, but she made them look so good! Mostly, I got this variety for the nostalgia and beauty, but I'm also excited to see how a pepper sauce will taste.
Jalapeño Pepper - My brother goes through gallon size jars of these like there ain't no tomorrow... we're kinda fond of them, too! We also eat the rear end out of Banana Peppers, so I got some of those as well. Last year I grew a hot banana pepper. I really liked those, but didn't want to grow two varieties of the same pepper.
Alabama Red Okra - I have a new fondness for fried okra and it grows like weeds in the Deep South! This variety is said to be excellent fried and will add a little color to the garden with its red tips.
Zipper Cream Pea - Jami's favorite pea. 'Nough said!
Henderson Bush Lima Bean - My favorite veggie. 'Nough said!
Tennessee Red Valencia Peanut - I LOVE boiled peanuts! In the Summer, I'm pretty much the peanut lady... I'll make them almost every weekend, especially if we're going canoeing. There's nothing better than floating down the river and washing boiled peanuts down with an ice cold beer! If you've never had or heard of boiled peanuts, I highly suggest you try them! It's a true Southern Heritage food. This is a brand new venture for me and I'll probably not be able to grow nearly all that I will eat this Summer, but I think it will be something fun to try!
Seminole Pumpkin - This variety has been grown in Florida for hundreds of years, but is quickly becoming an endangered food. After reading a bit about the Seminole Pumpkin, I knew I had to grow it.
Midewiwan Sacred Tobacco - According to the description on SESE's website, the dried leaves are good for making an insecticide. I'd heard of this method before and decided to give it a try since I was already ordering seeds. The tobacco will have to be grown in a seperate place in the yard, so I hope if nothing else, it will be a pretty plant!
Cherokee Cornfield Pole Bean, Stowells Evergreen Sweet Corn, and Waltham Butternut Squash all chosen to build a Three Sisters Garden. This will be my first foray into companion planting! I love how the three veggies work off of each other. The corn and beans were an easy choice, but the squash was another story! After trying out a few different winter squash varieties, we chose the butternut for its sweet taste and good storage ability.

I also picked up the book Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth, which I have been wanting for over a year now! I can say that my expectations were exceeded!! Taking the leap and buying a bunch of seeds can be a bit pricey, but well worth it if I can turn that one purchase into a lifetime's worth of seeds. Another step in our mission to become more self sufficient!

What will you be growing in your garden this year? Be it in the ground or just in your head!

Baby it's cold outside!

2011-01-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

And a husky just can't handle the cold.... right? Hello?

She's so spoiled :)

30/30 Hooping, Week 1 Wrap Up

2011-01-20T14:34:00.001-05:00

I've been doing amazingly well at this challenge so far! I'm keeping a little journal of my progress and the amount of time that I'm spending hooping. Here's what I've got for the first week:

Day 1, Saturday 1/8/11
Hooped with Megan and Lazer Friday night into Saturday morning, focusing mostly on isolation's and vertical waist hooping, for 2 1/2 hours. Did sporadic hooping Saturday afternoon adding up to 35 minutes.

Day 2, Sunday 1/9/11
So very sore from the Friday night/Saturday morning session that I had to again break it down into 5 minute intervals. Just barely made it to 30 minutes!

Day 3, Monday 1/10/11
Hooped 40 minutes solid, mixing it up. Tried the one leg hooping... definitely need to practice that a lot more! Got me a little scrape on the leg from it :) Jami played Telepath's 30 Minute Mix for me. I think it may be the best song to do a 30 minute hoop jam to!

Day 4, Tuesday 1/11/11
Focused solely on my arms for a solid 30 minutes. Getting better at isolations! My muscles are starting to handle the cat eye, but it's going to take a hell of a lot of practice to get good at them.

Day 5, Wednesday 1/12/11
Hooped for about 40 minutes, only waist hooping the "wrong way" (meaning the hoop is going counter-clockwise instead of my natural clockwise. I am the only hooper that I personally know who spins it this direction!) I remember now how hard it was to keep the hoop up and going in the beginning!! I think I'm going to have a shiny new bruise on the ole hip bone.

Day 6, Thursday 1/13/11
Free styled for somewhere around 1 hour and 45 minutes!! It's definitely getting easier to hoop for such a long time, but I am taking short 1-2 minute breaks when I need liquids or the potty :) Left hip does have a nice bruise from yesterday. I feel like a newbie again! LOL!

Day 7, Friday 1/14/11
*I waited too long to write this day down and now I don't remember exactly what all I did!*
Hooped for 30 minutes. Did a lot of hip hooping the "wrong way" and free styled.

Total: 460 minutes baby! Of course that does included the 2 1/2 hours from late Friday into the wee hours of Saturday :-P but I'm counting those too dad gum it!

About three months ago I weighed in at 132 lbs. With only sporadic hooping, I went down to 120 before starting this challenge. Keep in mind that I just barely hit the 5' mark so I'm not scrawny by any means! I haven't weighed myself since (I don't own a scale ;-) ), nor have I measured any inches, but I can definitely tell that my body is already toning up and, really, that's all that matters!

Update:
I did keep up with this challenge all the way up to the 3rd week of it! After that third week rolled around, though, life kicked in with a glorious bang! Our afternoons and weekends were filled with preperations for an event we were hosting in one of our back fields on February 12th, Love Fest! I had no idea how much work goes into something like that. We ended up with two DJ's, two acoustic sets, and 5 bands playing!! So, although I wasn't able to get in a full 30 minutes of hooping everyday, my hoop didn't got without at least getting picked up for 5 or so minutes for a little stress relief :) I did learn that 30 minutes of hooping every day is not quite as feasable as I had thought it would be and to not beat myself up when I go for a few days without even looking at a hoop! It was fun and I will probably try it again when Winter rolls around, but I need to take it one day at a time first!

Social Thursday

2011-01-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

Instead of trying to find a specific song to share today, I'm just gonna give you a new artist to explore for yourself!

We first heard of Toubab Krewe this past November at the Bear Creek Music Festival. They blew our socks off! Their sound is something I've never heard before. It is amazing! Even cooler is that their record label is National Geographic Records. I didn't know there was such a thing!

Check 'em out. They're on tour right now, too!

Another visit to O'Tooles Organic Herb Farm

2011-01-13T11:43:00.000-05:00

Back in the beginning of December, my mother-in-law, best friend and I made another trip to Madison, Fl to visit O'Tooles once again. The mission for this trip was to see a soap making demonstration with the owner of Magnolia Hill Soap. She was running a bit late that morning, so we decided to browse the greenhouses. There are two large greenhouses, one containing mostly herbs and the other veggies.

I can't tell you how tempting it is to just pick and eat! Ha!

There were also a few vendors on the grounds (it was open house at the farm), so after browsing the greenhouses we stepped outside to check them out. It was early morning and they were just beginning to set up, so there were only a handful that we could visit. One of them was the local Dreaming Cow Creamery from Pavo, Ga. We spoke with one of the owners, Kyle Wehner, and learned about their sustainable practices on their farm and got to sample their more than delicious yogurt.

We then stopped over to visit the Golden's who run Golden Acres Ranch in Monticello, Fl. Bobbie and Fred are a lovely couple and are very happy to share any information they have with you. They raise goats (you can order their meats) and have a huge lot of mayhaw trees. We got to sample some of their homemade mayhaw jelly and the absolute best cranberry sauce/jelly in the entire world! Mayhaws are more of a southern thing, so if you've never hear of them, I would seriously suggest you find yourself some! To me, it is the best jelly you can get, hands down.

We spent a good bit of time talking with each of these vendors... so much so that we totally missed the soap making demonstration! We walked up just as she was packing. We did get to speak with Marge, the owner, for a few minutes, but didn't want to take up too much of her time since she had just gotten through answering those same questions. I picked up a couple of bars of soap and some calendula salve. The soaps are amazing and I have been using the salve as a moisturizer.

Back in the greenhouses, I discovered a method of seed starting that I hadn't even considered yet.

Previously, I have been starting my seeds in a tray with individual cells. The cells on each are pretty small and it takes a little bit of convincing to get the seedling out without damage. I imagine just a little scoop in a tray like this will release the little seedlings with no harm and make for easier planting in the ground or larger pots. If I can ever decide what seeds and which catalog to get them from, I'll be doing my Spring greenhouse seed starting just like this!

This was our last trip to the farm for a little while as she takes a break in January and reopens for the weekends in March. I'll go back then to get some plants that I only want a couple of and not have to worry with starting difficult seeds!

Are you planning a garden for the Spring? How about having a small container garden? You can squeeze in a veggie, herb, or two even in the smallest of places!

Creamed Collards

2011-01-11T14:42:00.001-05:00

I just recently, as in about 2 months ago, started eating collard greens. Growing up my brother was always a huge fan of them, but I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole! I finally tried them at my grandpa's birthday celebration with a little pepper sauce sprinkled on top (the way my brother fixed his). Yum! Then came New Years. This year I wanted to cook our dinner at home, including all the traditional New Year's meal foods. The only problem was I had never even watched someone cook greens in my entire life! Off to the web I went and found the perfect recipe on Nourished Kitchen. Collard greens soaked in heavy cream?! I almost drooled on the keyboard when I saw the beautiful pictures! My husband doesn't like greens and I thought that making this recipe may actually get him to try them. Not only did he, but he had seconds AND I had to cook another round to fill us and our 2 friends up! Try this, you won't be disappointed!

Creamed Collards
Slightly changed from the original recipe found at Nourished Kitchen

* 2 Tbsp Butter
* 1/2 yellow onion, diced
* 1 bunch collard greens
* 1 cup heavy cream

Wash collards and remove stems. Tear or chop the leaves into small sizes. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium to medium/high heat. Add the onions and cook until slightly caramelized. Toss the collards into the pan, adding as much as you can at a time, letting that slightly wilt, then repeat until all of the collards have been added. Cook until the collards are well wilted, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the heavy cream and simmer about 6 minutes until the cream is largely reduced. Serve hot and sprinkle a little salt on top!

The main difference in my recipe is the amount of collards used. One bunch, to me, seemed like plenty for the one cup of heavy cream. Maybe that's just the Southern Girl in me! I also increased the cooking time. This could be because the author from Nourished Kitchen is in the Mountains and I am below sea level. Adjust this recipe to your own taste. I don't think you could really go wrong!

The 30/30 Hoop Challenge

2011-01-11T13:42:00.000-05:00

Last week Rayna McInturf, a most awesome hooper, announced a challenge on Hooping.org. Starting on the 8th, you commit to hooping for at leat 30 minutes everyday for 30 days. This is just the thing I need to motivate me to reach one of my New Year's goals! One thing that really stuck out to me in Rayna's article was this: "It takes the human brain almost exactly 21 days to develop a new habit and after about a month it should feel harder not to do the activity."

So far I have been doing great with hooping well over 30 minutes solid everyday except Sunday, when I was so sore from the hours of hooping on Saturday that I had to break up the practice to a few minutes at a time! I've recruited several of my friends, and although we aren't posting to Hooping.org, we'll have our own prize at the end of our personal challenges: a wonderful sense of accomplishment from committing and sticking to something, a more toned body, and the ablility to kick ass on the hoop!

The 30/30 Challenge doesn't have to be about hooping, though! Think of something you'd like to do, maybe a New Years Goal you really want to commit to. Turn it into your own personal challenge!

Me and my neice at the Wanee Festival this past Spring, just as my hooping obsession was taking off

Bar stools make me giggle?

2011-01-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

My brother is about to finish up his upstairs bar room and I was looking at getting him some bar stools. I came across these and had a little laugh to myself! How funny is that?!?

Hoya Carnosa Krinkle Curl

2011-01-07T11:51:00.002-05:00

There's not much blooming around the house here lately. In fact, I can't think of anything other than my orchid that just started blooming! Oh, I can't wait for Spring!

About a month ago I uploaded some pictures of my Hindu Rope Hoya to photobucket and forgot all about it. So to help brighten the dreary days of Winter and make us long for warm weather all the more, I'm breaking out those old photos.

On several gardening forums I've read about people having big trouble getting their hoyas to bloom. To me, the hoya is one of the easiest, low maintince plants to grow. Maybe they're trying too hard, as mine seem to do best with a little neglect!

Hoyas like bright, indirect light and well drained soil. I keep mine hanging in a western facing window, with white blinds that usually stay shut. On occasion, and more so in the winter, I will open the blinds for a few hours to let a little extra light in. The soil is a fast draining mix, similar to what you would use for an orchid, with a sphagnum moss and light soil mixture. Hoyas like to be root bound so if you get a new plant you probably won't need to repot it for some time; mine's been in the same pot for 4 years! I water it about once a week, sometimes less frequently, judging by the weight of the pot and the top of the soil. It seems mine do best when I let the soil get almost all the way dry and then slowly add water, saturating the soil. If you live in a dry climate, it's probably a good idea to mist your plant regularly as well.

The plant itself is beautiful, but the main reason I like hoyas so much is the beautiful and yummy smelling blooms!! They bloom from Spring to mid Fall here, but colder areas will have a slightly shorter growing season. The blooms can be born on new stem growth, or on older stubs where flowers have previously bloomed. The following picture an example of the latter.

It only takes a few days for the flowers to open after you see them appear. The little round buds you see in the above photo will start to take on a glossy, ballooned star shape and begin to spread apart into an umbrella.

The petals then begin to fold back, showcasing the "inside" of the flower.

The center "star" is glossy, while the outer has a furry look! This is when you'll be able to really smell them. To me, they smell just like chocolate, but I've heard some people think they stink! What?!? You do have to get close to the bloom to smell their fragrance, though. As the bloom ages, the smell with get fainter, until you really can't smell it at all. For me, the blooms usually last around 2 weeks from start to finish.

This evergreen houseplant truly is beautiful and I highly recommend it! Treated properly, it will bring happiness to you for years! And, it is super easy to propagate from cuttings and air layering!

Update: Two days after posting this my I noticed a flower bud just starting to form on my hoya. The entire process of budding, flowering and finally the blooms falling off lasted until February 25!

Resolutions or Goals?

2010-12-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

Ah, New Years! The time when many people are making their resolutions to lose weight, excercise more, do this, do that.... By the end of Spring it seems like almost everyone who made those resolutions have completely forgotten about them or have just given up!

In the past couple of weeks the thought of making a good New Years resolution has been crossing my mind. The idea of making and keeping a resolution sounds grand, but I myself have never managed to keep that idea going into action. Why is this?

According to Wikipedia, 52% of people in a study felt confindent that they would follow through with thier resolution, but only 12% actually did it.

It seems we set our minds on the finished product, over looking the actions that will get us there.

The term "New Years Resolution" does absolutely nothing for me anymore. Too many times have I said "I am really going to follow through with it this time" only to bail on my plans when the end result seems too far away. This year I am not resolving to do a damn thing. Instead, I will be setting myself realistic goals. Mmmmmm! There's the word!!

I belive that in order for you to achieve your goals, you have to take baby steps all the way and do things that are appealing to you. So you want to lose weight? Why? Will it make you happier? Make you feel better? Ok, then consider the things you can do that won't focus solely on your weight. Have a goal to incorporate more nourishing foods into your diet, make time in the morning to simply walk around the yard observing what you see. Simple things will lead you to your goal a whole lot better than focusing solely on the finished product. Isn't it true that if you weigh yourself every day you will get disheartend when the scale is not so nice to you? So why put yourself through that?

I'm not saying don't set big goals- not at all! Go as big as you want! Get your big ideas and commit to them, then step back and break it down into do-able sizes and set yourself a time line. It seems like waaaay too much work when you have everything sitting in front of you, but if you were to break it down into monthly goals, it's not so daunting.

A couple of my goals for the comming year....

Put more home grown food on our table. This means I will be working toward building beds, testing different types of veggies, learning to save seeds....
Become a better hooper. Learning a new trick at least every two weeks, practicing for a solid hour or two at least once a week, getting together with the girls more...
Pulling myself out of debt. Learning to use what I have, cutting out disposables, growing more of our own foods...

See how one thing kind of leads to another? Small simple goals, at least for me, are best! Think about how you can take some of the pressure off of your resolutions simply by making small goals for yourself instead!

And have a super fantastic New Year!!!

Twas the Night Before Yuletide

2010-12-20T16:06:00.000-05:00

Twas the night before Yuletide and all through the glen
Not a creature was stirring, not a fox, not a hen.
A mantle of snow shone brightly that night
As it lay on the ground, reflecting moonlight.
The faeries were nestled all snug in their trees,
Unmindful of flurries and a chilly north breeze.
The elves and the gnomes were down in their burrows,
Sleeping like babes in their soft earthen furrows.
When low! The earth moved with a thunderous quake,
Causing chairs to fall over and dishes to break.
The Little Folk scrambled to get on their feet
Then raced to the river where they usually meet.
“What happened?” they wondered, they questioned, they probed,
As they shivered in night clothes, some bare-armed, some robed.
“What caused the earth’s shudder? What caused her to shiver?”
They all spoke at once as they stood by the river.
Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a shining gold light in the shape of a sphere.
It blinked and it twinkled, it winked like an eye,
Then it flew straight up and was lost in the sky.
Before they could murmur, before they could bustle,
There emerged from the crowd, with a swish and a rustle,
A stately old crone with her hand on a cane,
Resplendent in green with a flowing white mane.
As she passed by them the old crone’s perfume,
Smelling of meadows and flowers abloom,
Made each of the fey folk think of the spring
When the earth wakes from slumber and the birds start to sing.
“My name is Gaia,” the old crone proclaimed
in a voice that at once was both wild and tamed,
“I’ve come to remind you, for you seem to forget,
that Yule is the time of re-birth, and yet…”
“I see no hearth fires, hear no music, no bells,
The air isn’t filled with rich fragrant smells
Of baking and roasting, and simmering stews,
Of cider that’s mulled or other hot brews.”
“There aren’t any children at play in the snow,
Or houses lit up by candles’ glow.
Have you forgotten, my children, the fun
Of celebrating the rebirth of the sun?”
She looked at the fey folk, her eyes going round,
As they shuffled their feet and stared at the ground.
Then she smiled the smile that brings light to the day,
“Come, my children,” she said, “Let’s play.”
They gathered the mistletoe, gathered the holly,
Threw off the drab and drew on the jolly.
They lit a big bonfire, and they danced and they sang.
They brought out the bells and clapped when they rang.
They strung lights on the trees, and bows, oh so merry,
In colors of cranberry, bayberry, cherry.
They built giant snowmen and adorned them with hats,
Then surrounded them with snow birds, and snow cats and bats.
Then just before dawn, at the end of their fest,
Before they went homeward to seek out their rest,
The fey folk they gathered ‘round their favorite oak tree
And welcomed the sun ‘neath the tree’s finery.
They were just reaching home when it suddenly came,
The gold light returned like an arrow-shot flame.
It lit on the tree top where they could see from afar
The golden-like sphere turned into a star.
The old crone just smiled at the beautiful sight,
“Happy Yuletide, my children,” she whispered. “Good night.”

By C.C. Wiliford

I hope you all have a Blessed Yule and don't forget to try to get up to see the Total Lunar Eclipse! It's the first one to occur on the Winter Solstice since 1638!

Social Thursday!

2010-12-02T17:05:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to pick this little practice back up and Lynn, with her Song Friday, has inspired me to do just that!

I have a song stuck in my head for a few days now. If you like a little jazz, sax and banjo in your life, you'll love Béla Fleck and the Flecktones! Béla Fleck is one of the world's most renowned banjo players and the band is AMAZING! My sister-in-law says it sounds like elevator music, though. :P I say it's ultra relaxing and at the same time it makes you want to get your groove on!

The song I'd like to share today is very deep and moving. I hope you get something out of it!

Sojourn of Arjuna Lyrics
So Arjuna and Krishna you know they're hanging out on the battlefield
Arjuna is like tired of war, he's trying to get out of this battle
so Krishna drops a little science on him, he says you know it's the way of
spiritual growth
a man must go forth from where he stands
he cannot jump to the absolute, he must evolve toward it (can you hear that)
Krishna says at any given moment in time we are what we are
Arjuna we have to accept the consequences of being ourselves
and only through this acceptance can we begin to evolve further
we may select the battleground but we cannot avoid the battle

so Krishna tells Arjuna it follows therefore that every action under certain
circumstances and for certain people may actually be a stepping stone to
spiritual growth

Arjuna is to do the best he knows
in order to pass beyond that best to better
how can we prescribe our neighbors to be perfect
when it is so hard to know our own heart
the pacifist must respect Arjuna
Arjuna must respect the pacifist
both are going toward the same goal
if they are really sincere
there's an underlying solidarity between them
which can be expressed
each one follows without compromise the path upon which he finds himself
for we can only help others to do their duty
by doing what we ourselves believe to be right
it is the one supremely social act.

so Kirshna's reply to Arjuna occupies the rest of the story
it deals not only with Arjuna's immediate personal problem
but the whole nature of action
the meaning of life
and the aims for which man must struggle here on earth
at the end of the conversation Arjuna has changed his mind
he's ready to fight, he's ready to go ahead on
it is the way of spiritual growth
a man must go forward from where he stands
he cannot jump to the absolute
and the battle begins...

Be sure to check out Song Friday with the Family of Movers, too!

Buzz Buzz!

2010-12-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

Can you see the bee's nest?

Find it? It's waaaay up in the tree!

Here, I'll help you out...

Our friend Cooter showed us this nest several months ago, when these pictures were taken. The bees enjoyed their home for quite some time, but have now moved on or at least we saw no sign of them. Hopefully they just left to find more food or warmth!

The Farm Tour

2010-11-30T14:14:00.002-05:00

Do you remember that I was going on a Farm Tour? And that I said I'd post an update when I got back? I'm kinda slacking on that one! I wanted to wait until I had some pictures to share :)

Our first stop was at O'Tooles Organic Herb Farm where we met B, the owner.

Jami, B, and our friends Megan and Joey

Mrs. B took us on a walking tour around the grounds and into the "Secret Gardens". There she pointed out flowers to us, gave tips on working in your own garden and showed us the Labyrinth. She also says that there are fairies in her gardens.... I love this lady!

Echinacea

Looks like Plumbago to me, but I've never seen it in pink before!

Help!

Dahlia

Me in front of the Labyrinth. You can see an aerial photo on the farm's website.
We gathered around and listened as she talked about how the farm looked in the old days and about making the labyrinth on one of her favorite pieces of land. After her husband and soul mate passed, she built it in his honor. Her story brought tears to more than one eye!

You can see the design in the this photo.

How can you not feel at total peace reading these words?!
(You can click on this picture, or any other, to see a larger version)

I like to think her husband sits in this chair as he watches over her in the garden :)

The farm also has a shiitake mushroom grow house, but it was not in use when we were there. We did get the run down on how it works, though!

The room is under complete shade with a shade cloth over the top to prevent sun and yard debris from dropping in.

Oak trees, mainly red or white, are chosen and cut from the forest. They are used for about 3 years before they are replaced with new logs. Holes are then bored into the logs and the spores are brushed inside where they will grow to maturity. You can see where the last crop were grown. I'd like to see this in action one day!

There were also two large greenhouses on the property to show the entire process of plant propagation and offering them for sale. Once I got in there, taking pictures went by the wayside! I was much too excited and had my hands way too full to be bothered with taking photos! We managed to get a serious loot of plants!

In no particular order....

DeCicco Broccoli
Nassturium (Tropaeolum)
Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)
Bird's Eye Pepper
Bay Tree
Spinach
Collards
Bright Lights Chard
Radicchio (Cichorium intybus)
Rue (Rute graveolens)
Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Stevia (rebaudiana)
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Kentucky Colonel Mint (mentha spicata)
St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys)

We spent so much time wandering around the gardens that we only made it to one other farm, Deep Roots Meat. We didn't take the tour there since Jami grew with cows and the rest of us has spent a lot of time around cow farms.... that and we had to wait about an hour until the next tour started. We did get some of their fabulous forage fed beef! My it's tasty!!

O'Tooles is having an open house this weekend with several workshops. My mother-in-law and I are planning to go to the soap making workshop with Magnolia Hill Soap Co. We've both been wanting to learn how to make soap for quite some time now, so we're very, very excited about this! And hey, I may even pick up a few more plants! Hehe!

I'll leave you today with a sweet picture of our friends under the Loquat tree.

Fun fact: I married these guys :)

3rd Annual North Florida & South Georgia Farm Tour

2010-10-22T12:16:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow Jami and I are going to the 3rd Annual North Florida & South Georgia Farm Tour! I can't believe we've never heard of this until now and to be honest, I can't even remember how I found out about it. I'm extremely excited!

The farm tour is being hosted by the New Leaf Market, a cooperatively owned grocery store in Tallahassee, FL. I've only been there once, about a year ago, as it's a good 2 hour drive from my home. It's a wonderful place, chock full of organic and natural grocery items, bulk goods, and herbal supplements. I wish there was a place like this near home! The Farm Tour consists of 36 local farms opening their doors, sharing their knowledge and offering their goods for sale. This is an ultra exciting opportunity to see how these farms work and to pick the brains of those who run them! There are also several workshops you can attend for free or a small price (the highest I've seen was a whopping $5!).

Our main focus on this trip is to visit O'Tooles Organic Herb Farm in Madison, FL. There we will enjoy their vegetable, butterfly and secret gardens, have the opportunity to purchase fall plants, organic gardening supplies and herbal products, and most excitingly visit their two greenhouses and a shade house!!! The greenhouses will be showing the entire process of propagation from plating seeds and making cuttings to mature plants ready to go! There is also a labyrinth the owner built in memory of her husband. How sweet is that?!? It is said to "bring peace and harmony to all who walk its healing path." Oh yea, I'll be walking it a few times!

Time permitting, we'd also like to visit a few other farms in the area....
Deep Roots Meats in Greenville, Fl is an all grass fed, antibiotic/grain/hormone-free angus beef farm. They will be selling their beef products.
Kurtz & Sons Dairy, LLC in Live Oak, Fl is "an all pasture family dairy farm that harvests fresh Florida sunshine as fresh milk, meat and eggs." I love the way these people think. "In cooperation with Mother Nature” is the most healthful, safe and rewarding way to grow any crop, whether it is livestock, wildlife or children. We always believe that the way we produce food makes a difference in us, our livestock, our soil and our environment. Here we celebrate each season of the year as each brings its own changes to our practices and our products. With our farm tours we intend to share these ideas and give our visitors an experience that cannot be found at the theme parks and zoos."

If you are in the area, know someone who is, or just want to check out all the different farms, check it out go here!

I plan on soaking up lots of yummy information, taking lots of pictures, and hopefully I'll be able to video some of the grounds and lectures. If I can talk a sweet friend into uploading them for me I'll share next week! Either way I'm sure I'll have lots to tell :)

Are there any exciting things going on in your area this weekend?

Trying my hand at garlic

2010-10-19T12:19:00.000-04:00

Late last fall I came across an article on growing garlic that really peaked my interest. When I started looking for bulbs it was late October and everyone was sold out!  The Northern folks probably already had their garlic in the ground for weeks before I even though about ordering. Generally speaking, garlic grows better in cooler areas as the bulbs should be planted in the Fall when soil temperature is at least down to 60*. The bulbs need plenty of chilling hours before Spring to be able to form. We don't have a whole lot of cold weather and that makes me a little worried!  I have found several local farmers who are growing garlic with great success, though, so I do have hope!

This year I was a little more prepared and started looking through seed catalogs. The garlic you get from the grocery store is usually sprayed with an anti-sprouting chemical and is probably grown with nasty pesticides!!   My first choice was to order from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange because I was planning on getting other seeds along with the garlic bulbs. I decided to to nix the seeds to be able to focus more on the garlic and began searching for individuals offering bulbs for sale. I hopped on one of my favorite websites, Local Harvest and found Bobbette's Naturally Grown Produce, a certified naturally grown small farm out of Liberty, KY.   I purchased  a softneck artichoke variety called Inchelium Red and Heirloom Cherokee, a hardneck variety. I'm looking forward to seeing which will do the best for me!

For the bed I tilled up a 6 1/2' x 6 1/2' bed in a sunny spot and used old fence posts for the edges. I added in top soil and mushroom compost, then tilled again to incorporate the different soils together. Our soil is pretty sandy and drains well, but I wanted to add more organic matter.   My garlic has already made it in (I ordered on Tuesday and got it on Friday!!) but I am waiting for cooler weather to put it in the ground... it's been in the mid 80's all week. After planting I will add a heavy coat of mulch to keep the weeds at bay and then fish emulsion for fertilizer in the Spring. Wish me luck!!! :)

New addition to the Family!

2010-10-13T13:07:00.002-04:00

Some of you may remember our sweet girl Maia

Maia, taken March 8, 2009 1 year 9 months old

She's been with us for a little over 3 years now! Our neighbors (the in-laws) had a little Wire Haired Dachshund named Lucky. He and Maia were the best, most unlikely friends ever. The mornings usually had Maia over at Lucky's house, then mid-day they would each go back to their own house for a nap. Lucky would come visit our side of the pond in the evenings. Then suddenly the visiting stopped. Lucky was missing. To this day no one has any idea what happened or where he ventured off to. He was an old soul. Not too terribly old for a typical Dachshund (we guessed somewhere around 8), but for a little outdoors man who'd been bit by a snake twice in his life, it probably was about his time to go. Jami and I used to (and still do) joke about his voice if he could talk- Clint Eastwood from Grand Torino! If you've seen the movie you should totally understand him! In the weeks to follow Maia moped around not really wanting to play, just mourn the loss of her beloved best friend.

Jami and I had casually talked about getting another dog so that Maia wouldn't be alone all day, but hadn't agreed on it yet. I was checking out Craigs List one afternoon and came across an add for a seven month old pure bred husky. For free. The awesome part is that she had already been fixed! It only took four hours of me begging Jami to agree for me to call and check it out. I figured that she would be gone for sure. Nope! The owners still had her and were ecstatic to know we had another husky. It was a young couple with a 4 year old daughter. The mom is a paramedic and the dad a firefighter, each working 24 hour shifts making no true time for puppy love. Bless their hearts... they were heart broken to have to give her up, but knew it was for the best. We picked her up two days later.... and man is she a big dog!!

Luna, take September 17, two months after she came home

We changed her name from Shasta to Luna, never calling her by her "old home" name. We didn't particularly like 'Shasta' and since she was brand new to us and our world she transitioned to her new name wonderfully.

It took Maia a little while to get used to having another dog actually living at her home and getting lovin' from her humans. Now they play, fight and share like sisters!

Maia (3) and Luna (10 months). Taken the same day as the above photo. Luna is already taller than Maia! Hopefully I'll have a better comparison picture, but with my limited uploading ability, this is all I've got for now!

Huskies are wonderful creatures for those who have the time and space for them. They are incredibly intelligent and loving. They're not, however, good for a guard dog unless you count the fear people get just from their wolf-like looks! The biggest reaction you'll probably get out of them is a little head roll or a request for a petting. You'll hardly ever hear one of them barking either. They do howl on occasion, but for my pups, that's almost as rare as the barking. That's good for me! If you hear one of them, you know something is going on!

I haven't shampoo'd my hair in 2 months...

2010-10-08T17:03:00.000-04:00

And it feels pretty good! Let me go ahead and say that yes, I am actually washing my hair. I just haven't used a drop of your typical shampoo or conditioner. About a year ago I became interested in going "no 'poo" for a number of reasons. My hair is down to the top of my butt and I would breeze through a bottle of shampoo/conditioner in no time. Getting to a place that will recycle the bottles is next to impossible since my small county doesn't have a plastics bin, though they do make up for it with other things! The county next door where you go for all your other needs requires you to pay $100/year for a dumping permit that includes access to the recycle yard. Rediculous, huh? We're also on septic and well water systems so we try to be even more concious of what we're pouring down the drain. Then there was the dandruff. Terrible, itchy dandruff. It's been a battle I've been loosing since sometime in my teens, but this year it seems to have gotten even worse. I could wash my hair and within 30 minutes, scalp still wet, the itching would start. I've tried the high dollar, super powerful stuff but even that wouldn't get rid of it! So one day I finally broke down and started the process of returning my hair back to its natural state, forgoing all of the "wonder" products for the straight basics- baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

My timing for this journey probably wasn't the best in the world; smack dab in the middle of the hot, humid Southern Summer. But as long as I had been toying with the idea and had just used the last of my shampoo, it seemed like the perfect place to start. I already had everything I needed in the house to get started.

My hair had been washed with shampoo and conditioner for over 25 years, my natural oils were never left to do the job they're supposed to do. Every morning I washed away my hair's sebum only to replace it with heavy, fake crap. I'd done a good bit of reading on the matter and had some information printed out in my bathroom. I started with the general suggestion: 1 TBSP baking soda to 1 cup of water and the same with the apple cider vinegar. I did double my batches since I have such long hair. The first few weeks weren't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Your hair has to go through a "detox" period where it can become pretty greasy looking. Mine lasted a couple of weeks and was only bad enough for me to put my hair in a ponytail on the second and third days after, washing twice a week.

I noticed when I applied the apple cider vinegar it felt a little heavy on my hair, but was sure that everything would be fine after the wash. I have pretty heavy water, too, so I chalked up the film feeling to that. Two weeks ago as I was doing more research I noticed that some were using plain old white vinegar so I decided to give it a try. Wow! I could tell a difference as soon as I poured the mixture on my hair! My hair is now softer than ever and combing wet hair is much easier than it was with the ACV.

My hair still seems to be in the trasition stage somewhat, but it's getting better every time I wash it! I still only was every 2-3 days depending on what I've got going on (if I want to wear a ponytail or not) and haven't seen the first bit of dandruff on my head or my shoulders (pun kinda intended). If your brave enough to forgo the "normal" hair washing routine, I'd definitely so go for it!! I'll be updating on my experiences :)

PS.
My hair is board straight and pretty thin, although there's a whole lot of it! I'd like to hear from someone with a different hair type who's using this method and how their experience is/was!

Social Thursday!

2010-04-22T16:52:00.002-04:00

I swear one of these days I'll have time to post something interesting! As of now I can no longer post pictures from work, either, but I will give an update on the happenings of soGAnoFLA :)

Here's yet another artist I had the pleasure of seeing- two nights in a row- last weekend. Widespread is definitely my all time favorite band and this is *one* of their best songs in my opinion. (I say one.... meaning out of about 20 cuz you know I can't narrow it down!)

Social Thursday- Few days late and several dollars short

2010-04-19T14:11:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the delay in Social Thursday! I have a really good reason, though.... I was at the Wanee Festival from Tuesday afternoon until Sunday. In a tent. Talk about good times!! I figured even though it's waaaay late, I'd still share some music. Particle was one of the bands that played on Thursday. We'd never heard of them until we looked at the line up a few weeks ago, but have fallen in love! Click here and pick out a song!

Social Thursday!

2010-04-08T16:22:00.003-04:00

I'd like to apologize for the long absence of posts! We've changed companies at work and are in the process of getting a lot of things changed as well. I've been swamped!! Ah, but it's Social Thursday!! Let me give a little background on this.....

Once upon a time Jami and I lived in a little bitty apartment in town. (Ever seen Fried Green Tomatoes? It's the town where they held court in the movie- wasn't actually filmed there, but if you've seen it you know the town I'm talking about!) We deemed Thursdays as the day to get out, go hang with friends and be social.... no matter how hectic the week has been! As busy and hectic as my days are at work lately, it only makes sense to carry out that tradition with you, too. So Lovies, since we can't actually hang out, I've got the next best thing.... sharing music! Love it!! I'm going to try to make this a habit. Every Thursday I'll post a song to share with you and it would be awesome if you left me a comment (or made your own post!) of a song/band that you're digging at the moment :)

I've had this song in my head for weeks now. Donna the Buffalo is an amazing band and they've been around nearly as long as I have! And no, there's no one named Donna There is someone named Tara Nevins and shes AWESOME!!! Go ahead and look her up.... you'll be amazed at all the instruments she plays!

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach

Spring is Comming!

2010-03-01T13:31:00.000-05:00

This beautiful Narcissus greeted me home Wednesday afternoon! It's the first bloom of Spring for us and there are several more about to come out.
You can see how the flower buds start in this picture. These are probably my favorite flowers! I love how big the trumpets are. They're bulbs and I've never had to move or mess with them since the day they were planted- very easy to grow.

The amaryllis' are starting to shows leaves again. You can see where the last frost got the tip of one leaf as it first came up! They'll start to grow the stems and bloom in about a month or so. These, too, are bulbs and again I do nothing to them. Ever. Well, I may push some mulch over the tops, but that's it. I don't have the time to mess with and store bulbs anyway!

The rose bushes are even starting to push out new leaves! This is probably due to the temperature reaching the 70's this weekend. They'll get a good trimming in the next weeks. The roses, narcissus and amaryllis are in the same bed.

My orchid that lives in the kitchen is also blooming!! I took this picture on Feb 24, just as it was starting to open. You can see the start of other flowers that will come out in the next few weeks.

This picture was taken four days later. The yellow really comes out after the flower opens. Treated right, the blooms will stay for a whopping four months!

A few weeks ago I took a walk around the yard and noticed some pretty interesting things!

This is a common cooter (yes, that's really what they're called) I found by the road in the front yard. He wasn't very timid at all and let me walk right up on him without tucking his head for cover!

The only draw back to having these little guys in the ponds is what they eat.... fish! While they are mostly vegetarian, they are known to eat a good deal of minnows and other small aquatic animals.

Our century plants have wintered over perfectly! We have these on the corners of our property lines as living markers. Let's just pretend that I've already cleaned up around this little guy.... They've even started throwing off babies! This plant has a total of five so far. They send shoots off through the roots.
Century plants got their name as they are said to only bloom once in 100 years. The mature plant sends up a shoot as tall as power lines with a bouquet of flowers at the very tip top. Once the plant flowers it's purpose is done and the plant dies. This is why it sends out many babies throughout its life. We found this century along the side of the road about a year back. By the way, I'm 5' tall!

This is our largest of six pecan trees we have in the yard. The girth of this thing is amazing! Did you know that, generally speaking, pecan trees produce pecans every other year? Sure they drop a few pecans every fall, but you'll get about five times as much on the good year. The gray stuff encompassing the tree is Spanish Moss. It's an air plant (in the bromilead family) that hangs from the limbs of trees. Since we're surrounded by water and have abundant wind, this stuff is everywhere! It seems to show no real preference to what kind of tree it's in around here- we have it in pecans, dogwoods, pines, oaks and any other tree it happens to blow into... even our fig! You can use this moss for all sorts of things from crafts to bedding. If you do happen to go moss collecting, I'd like to give you a warning first! When pulling it out of the trees, be careful for bats and snakes! If you just pull it off of the ground you should still be careful for those, but mostly you'll want to watch out for red bugs (chiggers)!! You won't really be able to see them, but give it a few minutes and you'll definitely be able to feel them!!

Even more things are beginning to come out now, so stick around for more adventures!

What do you having going on around you?

Oppose the release of genetically modified Alfalfa!

2010-02-23T15:17:00.000-05:00

The following is taken from the web page of the Western Organization of Resource Councils.

"In its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), issued on December 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) claims that there is no evidence that consumers care about genetically modified (GM) alfalfa.

Furthermore, USDA has completely dismissed the fact that GM contamination will threaten farmers domestic and export markets and organic dairy and meat products. USDA’s preliminary determination is to once again deregulate GM alfalfa without any limitations or protections for farmers, consumers or the environment."

You can read the entire article on the WORC website here and if you'd like to give the USDA an idea of just how much you do care (and I oh so hope you do!) you can do that here. GMO plants just do not belong on our earth!

My Very First Blog Award!

2010-02-19T16:06:00.000-05:00

Barb over at The Big Red Barn was lovely enough to pass this award over to little 'ole me! If you've never visited Barb and Steve you should definately check them out. They're currently living in Illinois during the week and in Wisconsin on most weekends to work on their farm. It's one of my favorite blogs!

The rules of accepting this award are:

Put the logo on the sidebar or within a post

Pass the award on to 12 blogger's who brighten your day

Link to the nominees within your post

Let the nominees know they received this award by commenting on their blog

Link back to the person who gave you this award, as a way of showing your appreciation for being appreciated.

So here are the blogs I think worthy of this award!!

3 Flat Acres This blog and The Big Red Barn are a lot alike!

Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity

Cage Free Family
Down---to---Earth
Moon Dreamer
My Year On The Grill
Octoberfarm
Simple Green Frugal Co-Op
Tales of My Impoverishment
The Organic Sister
Wisdom of the Moon
Walk Slowly Live Wildly

I'm so very happy to be able to share this award with these lovely people. They are all truely amazing blogs and I HIGHLY suggest you see what they are all about for yourself! There are a few other blogs I thought worthy of this award.... but they've already gotten it!

Another Giveaway from All Natural Mama!

2010-02-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

Penny is at it again! This time she's giving away a 2-pack of handmade paper bookmarks with embedded organic lettuce seed! Be sure to check it out!!

Outdoor Kindergarden

2010-02-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

I just watched this video on outdoor schooling and I feel like I should watch it again. This is really one of the best ideas I have ever seen! One thing that scares me about having children is the public school system. When/if the time comes, I would love to be able to home school my little one(s). Even though I don't have children of my own I am just disgusted with how kids are treated and the methods that are used to teach. Did you know that a lot of schools are taking away P.E.?? Kids need to be outside. They should be outside. I would put my child in an outdoor school a thousand times over! We should really adopt this and make it the norm. I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I did!! It's really that wonderful.

The owner of the video has embedding disabled, so you will have to hop over to YouTube and watch it there.

What I've been up to

2010-02-10T12:40:00.000-05:00

I've made several things lately, but for some reason just haven't taken the time to share! All of these things are/were for swaps.

Oh and Smittenheart... if you're looking at this CLOSE THIS SCREEN NOW!!!! :)

This scarf is made with cotton music note fabric and corduroy. I was an angel in a swap for a girl that lives in Nova Scotia. It's not warm enough for her to wear now, but I think it will be a nice accessory in the cooler Spring months. It's about 6' long! I also made her a tie-dye polymer clay incense holder and an ocean themed bookmark, but I can't find those pictures! Oh, and that's neighbor Ted, my model! LOL!

I'm also just finishing up a Frugal Living Swap over at Craftster. I've sent, but my partner hasn't received so I hope this doesn't spoil it for her!! Not only are most people trying to be frugal, but also going a bit "green" in the process. It's funny how those two are so intertwined! These are some washable paper towels, rags or can even be used as place mats. There's four of them, 12x12 each.

I also made 16 (I think that was the final count!) washable napkins. My partner has two young boys and I thought they would like the bright colors and fun veggies on these! Along with the napkins is a matching picnic blanket inspired by a post at Sew Mama Sew! The pockets I'm holding out are for small rocks (or something with a little weight) to keep the blanket from flying up in the breeze. I have no idea just how big it is... I think I used a yard and a half of the fabric.

I also decided to make her an apron to inspire home cooked meals! In a house full of boys, pink is a welcome break, so I took that and ran with it. I had a pattern from Vanilla House Designs that I had never attempted and thought this the best opportunity. It's their Friday Night Apron, modeled by my co-worker (and yes, this picture has made it to more places than just here!!)

I sure hope it fits her better than it does him!! LMAO!!

Somehow I missed turning this picture around, but it at least shows the detail of the pretty, pretty fabric. The colors are much truer than in the first picture.

I was also in a bookmark swap, but I don't have pictures of the metal or cross stitch bookmarks that I made. This is the one I got in return!
This is the photo of my little puppy that my partner used for inspiration. Doesn't it look just like her?!

Last day for a giveaway at All Natural Mama!

2010-02-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

Like cooking with cast iron? Want to try it out? Then head over to All Natural Mama's blog and sign up for her giveaway of an Emerilware 12-inch cast-iron skillet! I love mine and wouldn't mind having another one.... or another five! Do be sure to check out the rest of her blog, too. It's one of my favorites!

Migrating Guests

2010-02-03T15:47:00.000-05:00

I caught these two guys in our field on December 27, 2009. Sandhill cranes are large birds that live in open grasslands, meadows, and wetlands. Mating pairs stay together with their young in tow, so I'm guessing these guys are empty nesters! They feed mostly on seeds and grain but will occasionally indulge themselves in small insects.

We see them migrating in large flocks each year, but oddly enough we had never before seen them settling down in one of our ponds. The photo below, courtesy of Ohio.gov's Department of Natural Resources, shows the tracking of a female Sandhill Crane on her journey back to the North. The red line goes directly over our house. This must be a normal route for the cranes as we see thousands upon thousands passing through on any given day during the migrating season!

I took a video of their call on my digital camera. It's crappy visual quality (I was afraid they would be gone by the time I found our video camera) but the sound of their call is pure.

Have you seen Sandhill Cranes in your area?

Neo-Pagans Get Worship Circle at Air Force Academy

2010-02-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

I won't try to re-write the story- the reporters have done a good enough job for me! I think this is just too cool and wanted to share just in case some haven't seen the report yet. My boss actually brought this to my attention a few minutes ago. He promptly followed his statement with "That's bullshit!" *sigh* Sadly the only thing I felt like saying back to him was that everyone deserves to worship in their own way... I don't want to start a pissing match. I feel that it's a wonderful thing and one more step forward for everyone- pagan or not- who has been discriminated against because of their religious views!

Here's the link to the FOX News article, but you can do a search and read many of them.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584500,00.html?test=latestnews

Sunn Spotting

2009-12-29T16:08:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago the hubbs and I stopped by a grocery store in the next town and saw this amazing contraption Really, is this not the coolest little car you've ever seen?!?

A one-seater with a top speed of 25mph. Totally customizable!
Solar powered with the batteries at the very front of the vehicleYou can find out more about these here.

Dinner and Vanilla Extract

2009-12-23T16:43:00.000-05:00

Last night Jami fried up some deer back strap (something like a pork tenderloin) that he or his dad harvested. If you fix this, be sure to get all of the white parts off, it's really tough.

While he was busy making dinner, I got busy making the vanilla extract.

Bottles ready for a hot bath.

I have a small pressure cooker that I do all of my canning in. You don't have to have the big guns to can!

All of the directions I found said to use kitchen scissors to cut the beans. I found a razor knife to be much, much easier.

This is what happens when you have hard water (and a silly husband!).

But, with a little vinegar it's good as gold!

All labled and ready to go! I really like how this turned out.

I'm off now until Monday! I hope you all have the loveliest Christmas possible!!!

The Yule Meal

2009-12-22T15:58:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Blessed Yule and it was as relaxing as my night was! We came home to a beautiful sunset.....and Jami got to use his new present to grill the best Large Mouth Bass I have ever tasted! This is just before going on the grill. It was caught in our back pond and is seasoned with lots of basil, and a pinch each of cayenne pepper and Lawry's Seasoned Salt.

Of course we had to have cheese grits with it!! A good 'ole SaGaNoFla Yule feast!

The makings for a big 'ole weight gain!

2009-12-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

Things have been pretty busy around the Old Homestead here lately between the normal routine and getting ready for Christmas. I really haven't felt like battling the crowds and the traffic to find that "perfect" store bought piece of crap that just so happened to be marketed right. Plus I flat out don't have the money to spend. So the hubbs and I put our heads together to figure out something the two of us could make in a one size fits all. Cookies!! Everybody loves fresh, home baked cookies, right? I haven't sat down and figured out the exact price of each, but considering that we had a lot of the ingredients stock piled in the pantry, it's not very much. I paid $1 per tin at the Dollar Tree and spent somewhere around $30 at the grocery store (hitting sales, of course!). We're expecting to get 1 1/2 - 2 dozen mixed cookies in each tin. The adults (16) have a slightly larger tin than the kids (only 2). We've been making the batter, balling up the dough, and freezing it so the baking will go smooth sailing. We're also making vanilla extract for the ladies of the family. Our bottles just came in yesterday, so we'll be getting on top of that tonight!

We're making at least one batch of each cookie, most of them making between 3 and 4 dozen cookies per batch.

The List:
Snickerdoodles
Pecan Pie Cookies
Tie-Dye Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Thins
Pinwheels
Oreo Cookies (not the store bought!)
Chocolate Crackle
Oreo Balls (doesn't require baking!)
Shortbread Thumbprint with blackberry jelly (homemade from the back yard!)

These are the ingredients for the Hazelnut thins. Nutella is soooo good!!
For our coffee lover friends I'm making chocolate covered coffee beans that are peppermint flavored and am toying with making them Fudgy Cappuccino cookies, but we'll see how time is going. I'll try to get some recipes posted of some of these soon.

My little helper complete with his pet beer!

My friend came over Sunday night to make some cookies of her own. We did the tie-dye sugar cookies, which was good since I wanted to try them first! It took a little while to do them, but they turned out great!

Cookies Cooling

This one was my favorite!
We finished up at about 11:30 that night with more than a couple of glasses of rum and coke... all in all it was a good night!

Share those Recipes!

2009-12-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

Greetings to everyone coming over from Domestic Witch's blog and to everyone else as well! I'm just a simple girl with simple ideas living a simple country life and this year I'm going to have a very simple Christmas with many Home Crafted Holiday gifts!

What better way to say that you care than by sitting down and really spending time on a special gift for those you love? An even better way to say you care is to say it with food!!! Every now and again we gather at our bestfriend's house or they come to ours to throw down in the kitchen. We're always asking each other for the recipe to this or that, what spices we keep on hand, etc. With that in mind, I've decided to make her a recipe box and fill it with all of my favorite recipes including some family recipes! Not only is this a great gift, but if you play your cards right it can be very easy on the pocket, too!

Forgive me if this is not written in the best fashion! This is the first tutorial type thing I've ever done!! I'm also doing my box with a woodburner. There are many other decorating possibilities like painting, decoupaging or just using a pre-decorated box. Go with what you know!

To start, you'll need some very simple and basic supplies:

Pencil (use one that has been dulled down a little)

Wood burner (this is Jami's from when he was little! It doesn't have to be fancy)

Acrylic sealer (or whatever sealant you prefer)

Blank recipe cards or index cards

Dividers

Wooden recipe box

I bought a ready-to-go recipe box from Michaels that had the dividers inside for $2 ($1.20 if you use the 40% off coupon!!) If you're feeling real crafty and like scrapbooking, you could make your own dividers out of paper. I, however, do not feel that spunky!

First, you'll need to decide what you'd like to burn onto the lid. Cut out a piece of paper that is approximately the same size as the lid and write your message. Place the paper on the lid and, using the pencil, trace it being sure to press hard enough so that it leaves an indention in the wood. Of course you can always write straight on the box itself. The indentions will sort of guide the tip of your wood burner making straighter lines (trust me on that!).

When the burner is hot enough (I usually let mine heat for around ten minutes to be good and sure), begin tracing the letters or image with a slow hand, pressing down slightly. You don't want to press with too much force or it will dig down into the wood and when you move it will be very likely to get off track. That being said, you also don't want to press too lightly. Find that happy medium!

After you're done with the burning, get a damp rag and wipe the whole box, inside and out, and let it dry. Next you can spray on a couple of coats of sealer. I put several coats, letting each one dry before adding the next, so that any food splatters will wipe off with ease.

Add your recipes and Viola! A wonderfully personal gift! I think I will be adding a few cookie cutters or something small in the back of the box since it's pretty big. Oh, maybe some herb mixtures?!

Here's what I spent on this project. I'm sure the prices will vary depending on where you're at, but this will give you a good idea of what you're looking at!

Box from Hobby Lobby: $4.99

Recipe Cards: $1.00 per pack of 20 (I bought 3)

Dividers: $2.00 with box

A whopping $10.00 without using any of those fabulous coupons! If you use index cards and make your own dividers you can get by real cheap!! I get the coupons emailed to me and can print as many as I want. Time willing, I'll use one, take my buy to the car and go back in to use another one! Shhh.... don't tell! That puts me at about $7.82 before taxes having used coupons for the wooden box and the box with the dividers.

Here's a favorite Holiday recipe of mine that I'd to share with you to get you started! It's a wonderful Fruit Cake recipe my mom gave me. Now, don't be shy and say you don't like fruit cake... I promise that with this one you will!

Fruit Cake

What you'll need:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups dried fruit
lemon juice
1 gallon whiskey

Sample the whiskey to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality. Pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large, fluffy bowl. Add 1 tsp sugar and beat again. Make sure the whiskey is still okay. Cry another tup. Turn off the mixer. Break 2 legs and add to the bowl and chunk in the cup of fried druit. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drew scriver. Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity. Next, shift 2 cups of salt – or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey. Now shift the lemon juish and strain your nuts. Add one tableschpoon of sugar or shometing. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degreesh or whatever. Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whishkey again. Go to bed. Who the hell likes fruit cake anyway?!

I told you that you would like it!

Thanks for stopping by and if you don't mind, leave me a hello note! I love meeting new people!

Home Crafted Holidays!

2009-12-07T16:59:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I will be featured on Domestic Witch's blog for a Home Crafted Holiday gift idea! If you stop by early my post may not be up quite yet as I don't get to work until 8! If it's not up, stop back by a little later and it will be up!!

Thanks for your patience! :)

I'm slow.... it's not on Tuesday, it's Wednesday that I will be on it!!

Monkey Bread

2009-12-07T16:45:00.001-05:00

Have I mentioned that I LOVE cinnamon?!?!

What you'll need:

4 cans biscuits
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon to 1 cup sugar. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Place cinnamon-sugar in a bag; place biscuit pieces in the bag and shake until well coated. Dump into a Bundt pan. Melt margarine; add 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix until well blended; pour over biscuits. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350* or until browned.

These are soooo delicious!!

Conch Chi Chi's

2009-12-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

What you'll need:

Pineapple juice
Coco Lopez (Creme of coconut)
Kahlua
Vodka

Into blender put: 1 shot pineapple juice, 1 shot coconut creme, 1/2 shot Kahlua, 1/2 shot vodka. Blend until smooth.

Mudslides

2009-12-07T16:39:00.000-05:00

Well, dang.... my mouth is already watering!!

What you'll need:

Vodka vanilla vodka is best
Kahlua
Bailey's Irish Creme
Half & Half
Chocolate Syrup
Reddi Whip

Into blender put: 1 shot vodka, 1 shot Kahlua, 2 shots Bailey's, splash of half and half, 1 cup ice. Blend until smooth. Make designs on inside of a glass with the chocolate syrup. Pour in drink. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with syrup. Top with a cherry or strawberry.

Just what I've always wanted!

2009-12-07T12:46:00.000-05:00

If I'm looking for a sure fire way to relax, piddling with plants works like a charm. My favorite job ever was working for a local plant nursery. I never dreaded having to get out of my cozy bed to work in the hot summer sun or to freeze my tushie off in the Winter. Never did I tire of waiting on customers with endless questions. "I don't know what it's called, but I saw it in the mall parking lot." "Can you tell me what this is growing on my beloved roses?" "I'm no good at this, could you make a list of things that would work in my yard?" No question ever went without a good answer. It felt good sharing plant knowledge with people. I'd have to say that I learned more at the nursery than I did at any other job, possibly all of them combined. If I'm riding with someone, my eyes are constantly darting from yard to yard naming off the plants in my head. This is an excellent way to keep everything fresh and even to learn new plants!

I would love nothing more than to be able to pack up my things at this job and run back to the nursery! The sad thing is, that unless something miraculous happens in the plant world, I would never be able to survive on the wages that they pay. So, thanks to my daddy (whom I'm pretty well convinced is the best dad in the entire world) I now have that favorite job right outside my backdoor!!

I somehow neglected to take a picture of the outside, so this is from the manufacturers website!

She's slightly used (about 6 months worth) by my cousin's ex-wife (another plant enthusiast!). My dad and I have been trying to get this off of him for somewhere around a year and dad finally scored with an extremely reasonable trade! It's bigger than this picture makes it look with it being 12' deep and 10' wide. I'm not too sure on the height of it, but I'm 5'0" and can barely reach to hang a pot from the rafters! The outside is made of fiberglass that will have to be replaced over the years. The frame itself is constructed of galvanized steel which, to put it in Jami's words, will be there longer than we want it to :)

This is the inside of the green house, taken standing just outside the door. You can see how well the frame was built and the old plant hanging gives you a little perspective of the height of the structure. The built in selves are about a foot deep and go around both sides and the back. They're covered with wood which is OK for now, but when they're reading to go I think I'll cover it with something like chicken wire to allow the water to flow from the pots easier. I can also add a fan in the little square on the top middle of the back wall for more air flow if needed during our hot summers. Jami's dad was nice enough to haul in some clay/dirt and level the ground underneath. Since it doesn't have a floor in it, he also brought some old conveyor belt to put down so I won't be in the mud. He's such a nice pa-in-law; he also plowed the garden for me!

Looking out of the door you can see the bed liners we repurposed as bottom shelves. The footers on this thing have it raised up about 5" from the ground so there's an air flow around the entire bottom of it. By placing the pieces of bed liner from tailgates it totally blocks the air and makes for some mighty fine shelving.... even if it doesn't look the prettiest. For the front and rear open spots, we've temporarily placed boards to block wind. Of course I've already been told about 5 times that they will rot away in no time, but they're from an old deck that a friend tore down so I really don't give a flip if they do or not! I've got plenty more stashed out back! You can also see where it's wired up (the horizontal line running from by the door to the window). It's got the switch for the heat lamp (you can see that in the previous picture) and an electrical socket with a water proof cover.

This is looking to the other side of the door. You can see the gap I was talking about very well. This side also has wood blocking the wind for now because I have my pots sitting in the corner and a shelving unit with cover for my fertilizers and such in front of them. The black hose is a soaker hose that will probably come down since it doesn't allow for optimum watering. I don't suggest watering your potted plants this way (putting down a soaker hose in a flower bed is great, though) because not all of your plants are going to need the same amount of water at the same time. It's best to get a watering wand and water your plants as needed.

We moved in the outdoor plants this past Saturday as our first real cold weather came in that night (yea, the first frost for us was in December this year and it got down to 32*.... very chilly for us!!). I checked the temperature around 10am and it was holding a steady 70* inside the building! I'll definitely be planting some seeds early this year!!

Fake Cinnamon Rolls

2009-10-30T10:16:00.001-04:00

I just love the way cinnamon smells, especially cinnamon rolls! This is my moms recipe- she would have these on the counter almost non-stop when I was little. They're terribly easy to make and will hold their smell for quite some time!

What you'll need:

4 cups plain flour
2 cups salt
Water (no specific amount)
Ground cinnamon
A couple of sticks cinnamon to garnish

Mix flour and salt. Add water- a little at a time- until it looks like cookie dough. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up and slice about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300* for 2-2 1/2 hours. Spray tops with non-stick cooking spray the last 30 minutes of baking to brown. Let cool. Place rolls in a decorative basket and garnish with the sticks of cinnamon.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

Witches Brew

2009-10-28T16:07:00.000-04:00

I'm sure there are a gazillion recipes for this, but I figured I'd post it as a substitute for the one planned! I bring to you the ever popular,

Witches Brew

You'll Need:

1 12oz container of frozen limeaid, thawed
1 qt lime sherbet, slightly thawed
1 liter ginger ale (chilled)
liquor if you choose to spike the punch (if so, stick the bottle in the freezer a few hours prior)

Simply mix all of the ingredients in your serving bowl! I like how the sherbet gives it foam on the top!

True to form...

2009-10-28T15:34:00.000-04:00

I forgot to pick up the recipe that I was going to share with you today! I'd hate to guess at it and you try it tonight only to fail miserably, so I'll get two up tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll rack my brain and see if I can come up with another one for today!

Giveaway Straight From Salem!

2009-10-27T14:37:00.000-04:00

If you're not a follower of Octoberfarm you should really check that blog out! There's all kinds of recipes, Fall stuff and a little tour of her travels around Salem, Ma!!! I've always wanted to go there, and she's somewhat satisfied my desires! At least for now! Coolest thing? She's doing a Halloween giveaway featuring items that she picked up on her last visit to Salem!
Enter for your chance to win.... unless you want to make my odds a little better!! :)

Eating Kitty Litter?!

2009-10-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

Yes! I said eating Kitty Litter! Well, not actual kitty litter, of course, but a cake that looks so much like the real thing I've had people refuse to eat it! I first made this cake a few years ago for a Halloween party and it's been a regular at my house every year since. I've even had a couple of requests for birthday cakes! Enough hooblah, on with the cake!!

Note: This image is courtesy of a Google image search. My poor home computer is still not in proper working order and I don't want to do any more than necessary to it, so you'll probably see more of this!

What you'll need:

Plastic kitty litter pan (I used the large one from the dollar store)
Litter Scoop (again from the dollar store. I think both cost about $3)
1 box Spice Cake mix
1 box White or Yellow cake mix
1 package vanilla sandwich cookies (NOT oreos, the ones with white icing and cookie)
Green sugar crystal sprinkles
Tootsie Rolls (the long ones work best)

You may want line the pan, but I usually don't do this. Just depends on what you want. I don't have cats so the liner is just an extra expense to me! Also, some recipes call for vanilla pudding added to the mix. I don't do this step either, though I did try it once. I made the cake ahead and by the time it was ready to be eaten, the pudding had made the cookies soggy. Blah!

Bake the cakes according to the instructions on the box. Meanwhile, in a food processor (or a zip lock with a big 'ole hammer!) crumble the cookies. Once the cakes have cooled, crumble them up with your fingers and mix the two cakes and about half of the cookies together. Spread into the litter box. Sprinkle the rest of the cookie crumbs over the top of the cake then top with the sprinkles to resemble the crystals in kitty litter. Next is the fun part! On a microwave safe dish, heat the tootsie rolls, a couple at a time, until they are pliable. Shape them into turd form and place around in the litter. I like to stick one on the scooper itself and have one hanging on the edge like the poor kitty had the runs! Be sure to get a little of the cake onto some of the tootsie rolls so that it looks like it's been a while since it was cleaned! Sudden thought: I wonder how those mini snicker bars would work with this? Hmm, I'll have to try that out next time! If you do, let me know it works out! You can put some news paper, or whatever you think makes it look genuine, under neath the pan.... just make sure your kitty knows the difference!! Enjoy!!

Since inventory has been done and work has finally slowed down, I will try and post at least one of my Halloween recipes these next couple of days! I'm so sad I've missed out on the festivities until now!!

The Garbage Patch

2009-09-03T15:54:00.000-04:00

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bp2.blogger.com/_sdNVcwnRE8o/R9AaBc3zUWI/AAAAAAAAAd8/NFdmyo-Fd9w/s400/garbagepatch.jpg&imgrefurl=http://butimawizard.blogspot.com/2008/03/pacific-ocean-garbage-patch-twice-size.html&usg=__BOkbh2CPbiuLLUCx5SvCTCGXm-o=&h=299&w=400&sz=24&hl=en&start=29&um=1&tbnid=X3OyORmmKHTdmM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgarbage%2Bpatch%2Bpacific%2Bocean%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address%26rlz%3D1I7SUNA_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20%26um%3D1

http://www.core77.com/blog/education/tragedy_at_sea_vbstv_sails_to_the_garbage_patch_10117.asp

Mother Earth is Cyring

2009-09-03T10:49:00.000-04:00

This photo of a glacier was taken on July 16 in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway by Michael Nolan.

Quick note to swap partners!!!

2009-09-02T16:29:00.000-04:00

For some reason I can't get onto Craftster.org.... I try to load the page and it goes to a white screen for ever then finally has two sentences written across the screen basically saying it cannot load the page. ??? I've never seen a message like this before... it's not like the ones internet explorer give. Ah.... try again later.....

CrockPot recipes out the rear!

2009-09-01T15:22:00.000-04:00

I somehow stumbled upon this blog today and man, am I glad I did!! Thought it would be nice to share. It's got everything from appetizers, soups, and gluten free!

A Year of Slow Cooking

EDIT: I remembered where I found it! Hippie Witch's Blog!! Check her out if ya haven't yet!

Back from Vacation and Unscathed by the storm!

2009-08-27T16:47:00.000-04:00

Since I don't have a whole lot going on in the crafting sector right now (at least that I can talk about) I'm going to take you on a little tour of our vacation! I'm going to do this in segments since I have a crap ton of pictures and learned a lot of interesting things while there! Enjoy!

We made it to Puerto Rico on Saturday, August 15 just as I was starting to get sick! Don't worry, I doped myself up with Vitamin C and was able to head it off pretty well (Emergen-C is a wonderful thing to keep on hand!). The main thing we were worried about was if we would have to come home early because of the storm headed our way. The first couple of nights were spend on the far East coast of Puerto Rico in Fajardo... right where that storm was headed! Luckily for us it took a turn and headed farther North than expected! It actually only rained on us one day the entire week!

So... on to the lovely pictures!! I have a copy of our friends pictures and will hopefully remember to bring them in with me- she's got a lovely camera ;)

This was the hubb's first time flying and he was just a bit nervous! I was a bit congested and looking like poo. I can't tell you how afraid I was that someone would think I had the dreaded swine flu and tell me I couldn't get on that flight!! I had it all worked out, though, and decided I would suffocate before I started hacking and coughing in the airport or on that plane!

These are the coffee-holic friends we went with Chelsea and Kevin. You know how you get tired of being around some people within a day or so? Not these two! They're such sweeties. Jami and Kevin have been friends since the womb and he's the guy that married us!

And here's little Lyle all ready and anxious to go. He was super stoked about getting to go to an island! This was just before taking off at the Atlanta Airport which, by the way, is the busiest airport in the world!

As we started getting over the Atlantic Ocean, my dear husband started freaking (only minor). I think the realization that we were not only in the air, but out in the middle of the ocean, got to him just a little!

So here's the fix- an ice cold Heineken in his very own coozie!

Once we landed, got our luggage and the car it was time to get some grub! I had read about the food in Puerto Rico and about the many food stand along the roads, but I was truely blown away at the number of them! They are literally on every corner and every where in between. The majority of them are nothing more than what you would see at a BBQ cookoff! Something like this (note: this is just a reference picture found by a google search) They would have their trucks backed up to the tent to sit on and the open grill cooking anything from pinchos (kabobs) to lechón asado (whole pigs on a rotisserie). The other half is tiny outdoor resuarants with minimal seating. This type of roadside food was the first thing we tried. Just East of San Juan we stopped at Fat Boys, where we plunged into the Puerto Rican culture. As we walked up Fat Boy and both of his parents were sitting on the patio deep in conversation. As soon as they saw they had customers they all stood, smiling ear to ear. I have never felt so welcomed into a place before! His parents spoke very, very little broken English and he had about as much knowledge of English as I do Spanish. We managed to communicate very well despite the language barrier. He was extrememly patient and friendly with us as we asked 21 questions about everything on the small menu. He even gave us samples of several things so we would know better about what we were ordering (which, apparently, is a very common thing down there!).
If only I could remember the names of the food we ate there!! We all had tostones (plantains deep fried, then mashed, then deep fried again- they use these as we do french fries) as a side with our meals. Kevin and I had pork tenderloin seasoned with something amazing (he wouldn't give his secret away to my little grill master), Jami had pork sausage, and Chelsea had some sort of steak. We all sampled each others plates and agreed that this was a meal fit for royalty!

Starting at the center, clockwise: mine, Chealsea's, Kevin's and Jami's.

It's also strange is that the canned drinks only come in 10 oz cans instead of the 12 oz I'm used to!

More to come in the next installment!!

3 years and counting! Ah, wedded bliss!

2009-08-12T12:23:00.000-04:00

So, seeing as how this is a wonderful day for me and I'm stuck at work for it, I figured I'd write a mushy little entry! The hubbs and I have been married for 3 years as of today... and we haven't killed each other yet! Ha!

Let me give you a piece of history of us.... way back when (I was in 7th grade and he was in 9th) he was my little sweetheart. We were "going together" through Christmas time and he gave me a sweet little locket in which he put the cutest little picture of himself! In return I gave him a necklace with an eagle (well get back to this later). Anyhoot, like most young puppy loves, we eventually broke up, but I still watched for him around campus and in the halls... just pining away! I eventually moved back to my hometown (which really, wasn't a move at all... 20 miles) and lost all contact with him. Several years later I ran into his sister at her work and we chatted a bit. "See that girl over there?" she said. "That's Jami's fiance." AH! My poor little heart was just as broken as if she had said that the day after we broke up!! Oh, well, it was just a little kiddie crush.

One day I was cleaning up my junk and came across that little locket. I opened it and stared at the little picture for a while. Then I remembered his sister telling me he was engaged to be married. I threw the locket away. Now here's the killer. One month later- I shit you not, one month- I saw him at a bar in town. I was standing in the ever long line to the ladies room and out he walked from the men's room. He looked right at me.
"Jami.... is that you??"
"Yea, Jenna???"
"Aren't you married?" I wanted to go ahead and get this question RIGHT out of the way!!
"Nope!" ALLLLLRIGHT!!!!!!!! I'm sure he could see the excitement in my eyes! He was even better looking than I had remembered! Those bright blue eyes, that yummy tan skin. Oh, I could eat him up! As for that engagement... she apparently had some super snakes and he had broken up with her shortly after I had talked with his sister.

Sooo.... he said to find him when I came back out and that I did! I grabbed another drink and went on the prowl. We hung out the entire rest of the night, and he took me home. I *accidentally* left my hat in the backseat of his car so that he would have to call me the next day to get it. ;) We've been inseparable ever since!!!

Oh, and that necklace I gave him... his mom found it a few just a few weeks ago and it's hanging from our truck's rear view mirror. We car pool with it everyday! Man I love that guy.

And just to make this a wee more mushy, here's a picture from the best day of our lives!!

We'll be leaving for a week vacation this Friday. Kind of a mix between an anniversary vacation and a couples vacation! See that guy behind us in the picture? That's Jami's best friend who married us (no, he's no preacher of any sort!) and who we're going on vacation with! Many, many pictures to come!

Garden Bounty

2009-07-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

I decided to try a garden this year, one project that's been on the list of things to do for quite some time! My pa-in-law came over and plowed up about 3/4 of an acre - waaaay more than any noob needs. Needless to say, I didn't plant the whole thing. I did plant about 40 eggplants (they were leftovers from the farmers next door. Do you know they throw the extras away?!? Ridiculous!!), 20 okra, 16 baby lima beans, 30-something cow peas, 16 black eyed peas, and about 40 English peas. I started all but the eggplants and okra from seed. Since we have very very rich soil (old cow pasture) I decided to try it without putting any fertilizer down. Things are going pretty dang good considering, but I am definitely going to put down some organic chicken fertilizer next time to get those big bushy plants! Also, the only pesticides I've put on them is Safer Soap and when the little buggies wouldn't go down with thatTriple Action +. The Safer is good for organic gardening, though I don't think you can technically call it organic, and the Triple Action+ is a lot more gentle on Big Mamma than other products out there. TA+ is also excellent for when you're not real sure what the problem is as it is a fungicide, miticide and insecticide in one!! (The Safer Soap is for the bugs only) Don't have anything on hand but noticed you've got bugs? Break out the sprayer and a little of you kitchen dish soap! Add a smidge of the soap to the water and spray, spray, spray. It'll make the leafs slippery and taste bad. Of course when you can get something a little better to spray on them, this is just a quick fix. You can also add the soap to whatever you're spraying on them to make it stick better! We used that method a whole lot at the nursery.... with 17 acres and 3 giant greenhouses those critters'll give you a run for your money!

These pictures are from a few weeks ago, but I don't have any more recent ones on my computer! Ignore the grass that's everywhere... I just can not keep it out! I'm devising a plan for next time, so maybe it won't be so much of a problem.

These are the cow peas

Baby Lima Beans

Okra

Eggplant (these aren't quite ready for picking in this picture, but they sure are now!! My Granny's already came and raided my garden since she's not doing such a big one this year! LOL!!)

I picked this basket of goodies right after I took the pictures! Mmmmmmm!!!

And since we were on the topic of gardening, my mom started her first garden this year, too, so for Mother's Day I made her a gathering apron. Sorry, no action shots, but take my word, she loved it!!

Isn't this just the cutest fabric?

Michaels Cake Decorating Classes on Sale!!

2009-07-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

About two years ago I took the Wilton Cake Decorating Classes at Michaels here in Valdosta. They were really fun (it probably helps that I knew my instructor!) and I did learn a good bit from them. Each class consisted of four 2 hour sessions, once a week. I took Course 1,2 & 3, but we did leave out the fondant part of course 3 since time was of the essence. Anywho, they've got them on sale again!! Each classes normal price was $30 with a 40% discount which made them only $18 per class!! Remember this was two years ago and the cost may differ for each region/store. You can also use the coupons in the circular (or print them off the website) for the kits you will need for each class. Those vary in price from around $15-$25.... $9-$15 with the discount. If you're going to be doing any cake decorating, taking the class or not, I would seriously suggest you buy these kits for your supplies. You'll end up with a crap load of tips, some bags, fondant tools and a whole lot of other goodies for a fraction of what it would cost to buy them individually! The only draw back? You don't get the instructional books with them (you get these when you take the classes). Michaels- at least not our Michaels- doesn't sell these to the open public, but I have seen them on a Hobby Lobby shelf before. Be sure to get the coupons for those, too!! If you're interested in learing more, you can go to the website here. Oh, and if you have PBS Knowledge there's a really cool cake decorating show to watch Bake, Decorate, Celebrate!. Happy Decorating!!!

So I've been away for a bit....

2009-07-23T15:56:00.000-04:00

Things have been ridiculously busy at work for the past month or so and I haven't had time to do crap. We lost 2 people from an already short crew, got some new help who just this morning wrecked a truck, and have all new upper management who doesn't seem to know much about the business. On top of that we've had to have the transmission in the Jeep rebuilt, signed up for a trip to Puerto Rico (that's in the middle of August, 3 days after our 3 year anniversary!!), had to pass on the trip to my Family Reunion in Dalonega, Ga, found my cards that were supposed to go out a month ago in a work truck (can't get a man to do anything and now I'm wondering if I should send them out or say fuck it from embarrassment- I haven't even checked that thread), fixed some minor things on the truck, lost one of our snakes (she passed- not just lost in the house!!) and my brother and sister-in-law have started their house behind us. I'm thinking about stealing some of those ideas Danni had over at The Whimsical Cottage for clearing out some of the negativity in and around the house. It's been a wee bit stressful for us here lately, but I've finally got a slow day at work today!! Can't wait for that week off!!

I received a package from Tero in the Hippy Swap at Craftster and hope to get those posted today or tomorrow. We'll see how that goes! I also have some pictures from the Disposable Camera swap that need to be put up on here as well. I did get those onto Craftster today. My package to Tero is out, but she hasn't received yet, so I won't talk about that just yet! I also still have a WIP that will be sent at a later date. I'd hope everything would come in on time to send it along with the first package, but it didn't and it's taking me longer than anticipated! I kept out a few extras to include in the second package so that it won't look so shabby! :)

My Little Visitor is still here and is going to go to Puerto Rico with us, too! Arti (my little guy) is in China right now. Annnd I have let myself sign up for yet another swap, but it's a Camper's swap and who could resist that?? I haven't started on her stuff yet (it's only 4 points however you want to make them), but I do have my ducks in a row and probably should start sometime soon!

Ah, I'm off to see if I can get some stuff loaded in this last 40 minutes of work...

Brewing a concoction

2009-06-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to make something to help Jami with his psoriasis. I think this mix is going to be pretty darn good for it and I can probably use it on other things as well. I've had the herbs steeping in olive oil in a western window for almost 2 weeks now. I'm about ready to make my stuff, all I need is bees wax. I'm not going to elaborate on this because I may send some in a swap package and I'd hate to spoil the whole surprise!

Been Busy!

2009-06-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

Lyle and I finished making the jelly last week and it turned out better than I could have imagined!! I managed to delete the the pictures off of my camera before I put them on my work computer, so I don't have a pic of the finished product! Believe me, though.... it's beautiful!

Jami, me and Cooter went riding around this weekend and I showed him the Old Jail in Jasper.

He had no idea it was even there, much less that they still have the noose hanging in the window! This is the top window of the building. I imagine they would let the town watch as the criminal was punished.

As for Lyle's adventures this week, we took him riding on the 4-wheeler. I think he really enjoyed that!

Lyle also discovered a funky vine flower on the fence row- a passion flower. He wanted to get close to see all the neat little layers of it.

Makin' Jelly!

2009-06-10T16:32:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday I spent a very hot, very sweaty two hours picking blackberries. They're so plentiful this year! I'm sure it's a combination of all the rain we've been getting and the run off from the crop fields next door. Whatever it is, it's working! I ended up with a 9x13 casserole dish plum full of them, so we're making jelly! It's my first time making it, so keep your fingers crossed that we don't botch it!

I had a little helper cooking the berries. His name is Lyle and he's from Colorado. He's my Little Visitor from a swap over at Craftster.org and he'll be here until September. I think he's really getting into this!

Here we're sorting out the berries and getting them ready for the pot. We've already thoroughly washed them.

Lyle mashing the berries to get all the juicy goodness out of them (just before we let the pot boil over...ooops!!) Tonight we're gonna get on top of making the jelly.... dad gum it! We've been busy this week!

All signed up and ready to go!

2009-06-09T11:39:00.000-04:00

This blog has been started as a place to showcase things me and the hubby make and things I do for swaps at Craftster.org! Sure, they'll be a lot of rambling and other things too!

Bare with me here.... I've never done this before so there's sure to be a lot of mistakes and changes!