merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Eve on the farm, not a creature is stirring...

the hustle & bustle are past, 

and in the background Bing, Frank, and Dean are singing us Christmas wishes while we enjoy the warmth of a crackling fire.

But don't think we're snoozing just yet,

there's excitement in the air and shared whispers of secret surprises!

And so tonight, we're wishing you all the best on this Christmas Eve; may you be blessed with the warmth of family & friends and know the true joys of the Christmas season.

happy December!

photo credit

Secret surprises, home-baked cookies, fragrant evergreens, holly berries,
cold winds whistling around the old farmhouse,
snowflakes & snowbirds...

Yes, welcome December...a sweet time when the finest gifts
and greatest joys come from the heart.

oh yes, ballet IS a sport!

Happy Monday...Today I'm tiding up from the holiday weekend and can now allow myself to enjoy Christmas carols without guilt. Tony Bennett is crooning in the background...ahhh, toss in some Bing Crosby then Andy Williams and I'm in heaven!

Today's thought is this...

YES, ballet IS a sport! Oh I know, that's certainly up for debate with many; they, in my humble opinion, are wrong. After the past several weeks it is crystal clear to me there is no debate needed...and while not competitive (unless the internal struggle counts) ballet is absolutely as grueling for the dancers as football is for anyone who's donned football pads.

For the past several weeks, I've had the opportunity to join my daughter in rehearsals for The Nutcracker ballet. While she's been working to perfect ballet positions I would never attempt, I've been portraying adult Clara and practicing narration while the dancers rehearse. 

Thanksgiving week it all came to life as they had dress rehearsals and moved into the 89 year-old historic theater. The exquisite costumes, beautiful backgrounds, and amazing dancing were accompanied by extremely long days. These dancers, ages 8 to 18, who have been rehearsing since September, run through the complete production twice on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for a total of 11 hours. Friday, the first day of the show, they put in a 10-hour day, then after the last show (where they've been in the theater already since noon, they'll then spend 2 to 3 additional hours packing props, costumes, and cleaning the theater, only to reverse the process back at the ballet studio. Another day of around 8 hours.

I've watched with amazement while these dancers go through the process from learning the choreography, executing the steps to coincide with music, then slipping into and changing costumes all the while giving us a breathtaking performance. (Did I mention many are doing homework in any free time they can find?) 

Sitting on stage as the narrator I could see behind the scenes...the 14 second Sugar Plum quick change my daughter was entrusted to make happen, the last-minute choreography changes, and the adjustments in narration as I was walking toward the stage. Stress-free: No. And yet these young dancers gave their hearts each time they waited for the curtain to rise.

Their heart-felt thanks to an audience that praised the dancers with standing ovations and lifted their tired spirits...we never saw the aching muscles, worn pointe shoes, and the feeling of stress through their beaming smiles.

And so yes, ballet is a sport, I've seen it for myself. And if we need any other vindication, Webster's Dictionary tells us so:

"An activity involving physical exertion and skill...for entertainment."

And what entertainment it was...I was thrilled to be so close to the process!

simple country pleasures...

Sparkling cold weather, sunrises tinted with rose and peach, orange-red bittersweet, and flocks of birds at the feeder...the days are exquisite and such a gift.  We enjoy every one, a blessed relief after the heat and humidity of a long summer. Even on a gray day with drizzly rain, November is the deepening of the year, and a quiet day spent reading and warming my toes by a crackling fire is a reason to give thanks.

This year, like so many of you, I've tried to slow down...to simplify...to make home a haven from the worries of the world. Not easy in an energy-charged life with teens...and yet, advice to
"...enjoy the season you are in." continues to ring in my mind.

Last year, on Christmas Eve day, I ran to the local convenience store...I don't remember why...tape, milk, bread, something I'd forgotten. And as I left, I noticed they had stocked the shelves with Valentine's Day candy. Sigh...

"Nature has its rhythms and its harmonies.
We would do well to fit ourselves as best we can with those cycles
rather than frantically throwing ourselves against them.
Be calm, be patient, be happy with the season you are in."

-Jeffrey R. Holland

And so, as we begin this holiday season, let's make every effort to truly ENJOY this time of year. When you find a minute, read this post by farmgirl Rebekah Teal...she absolutely made me stop in my tracks and take stock. 

Here's a little snippet of her wisdom, just to get you thinking...

News flash!

Christmas is not a competition...

Of how decorated your house is.

Of how perfectly perfect your gifts are.

Of how busy your days and nights are.

Of how much baking you do.

Of how many homemade gifts you can crank out.

Of how beautiful your family is (or appears to be).

Let's all. Just. STOP.

Wise words...make time to appreciate each day and the joy waiting to be discovered, be thankful for sweet memories, and look forward to a lovely future.

And NO Christmas music until next Friday!

merry Hallowe'en!

source:

Here's to plump pumpkins

and pint-size imposters...
cowboys & superheroes, pirates & princesses

Time to store up memories!

October magic...a joyously busy time.

October has ushered in the harvest season...and with that she has flung a brilliantly colored cloak across the fields, valleys, and woods. 

A week ago I decided it was time to put the garden to bed, and I spent the afternoon picking the last of the peppers (who this year have refused to stop sharing their bounty!) and removed spent plants, then tilled the garden under. Except for the row of peppers...I just couldn't! They still have blooms, and if the weather is just right, we may yet harvest more.  While I was working the sun was bright and hot, it felt like a summer's afternoon, but that night a chill set in, and yesterday morning we had our first heavy frost, waking up to a temperature of 24 degrees. Brrr.

When October comes, I feel beset with busyness. It's such a happy time...the 
temperatures are cooler, the colors are glorious, and the nesting instinct has intensified. I can get more done without the humidity of summer, so I'm tackling chores as the days go by. Quilts are dancing on the clothesline, the porch has been swept and the rugs shaken.  It's also time to tuck the honeybees in for winter...this week the feeders need to come off, and soon the hives will be wrapped to keep them as safe and warm as possible. 

The last of the corn surrounding our farm has been harvested, and in the distance I can hear the corn dryers hard at work.

Wild bittersweet grows along a fence in a neighboring field, so I've come home with armfuls that have found spots both inside and out...mantels, cupboards, vintage buckets, and next to plump pumpkins are curly vines of dazzling orange berries that brighten the days.

It's my favorite month, in my favorite season. For me, a time like no other.

Sweet country life...simple country pleasures. October is the autumn idyll.

bread recipe you have to try!

Today's post is short & sweet...

You can whip up the start to a wonderful loaf of homemade bread in about 5 minutes...

This recipe (thank you for sharing the original!) is oh-so simple and wonderful! And in 8 hours (yes 8 hours...but we all have enough to keep us busy, so time will fly!) you'll be enjoying warm, butter-topped slices of this:

I won't spend any more time telling you how easy this is to make, or how your family & friends will think you picked it up at an artisan bakery, or how you will BEAM with pride when you serve it. What are you waiting for? Let's get going!

Ingredients:

3 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. salt
1 t. active dry yeast
1-1/2 c. water (110 to 115 degrees)

Whisk together the first three ingredients; add water and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; set aside 8 hours.

When ready to bake, heat oven to 450 degrees, place a 6-quart Dutch oven, covered, into oven and set timer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove plastic wrap from dough, gently punch down and turn dough out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. Flour hands and shape dough into a ball; sprinkle top lightly with flour. Set aside while Dutch oven is heating...30 minutes.

Remove Dutch oven from oven, and using parchment, lift dough and place it, keeping parchment underneath, into the Dutch oven. Cover Dutch oven and bake 45 minutes; remove lid and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven, lift loaf from Dutch oven and place on a rack to cool.

I'm not going to tell you to wait until it's cool to slice it...that would be silly. Wait until it's cool enough to carefully slice, then top with oodles of real butter. Yum! 

farmgirl photo...

An October sunrise...

it's that time...

Join me for a walk around the farm this week, I'm feeling very...

goldenrod in bloom...the last big hurrah for honeybee winter food storage

hot sun streaming down on the fields...

garden bounty ready to become homemade pasta sauce...

the juiciest, sweetest pears...our first big harvest from this tree!

apples...ready for apple butter!

lovely blooms...these will dry beautifully

the crunch of leaves underfoot...

and the true sign of harvest time!

The soybeans are in...the fields are strangely empty. And while the corn isn't quite ready yet, it won't be long. With days and days of temperatures hitting 90 degrees, I'm looking forward to a break in the weather...a break the local news has promised will be coming tomorrow!

Like so many of you, we're on the doorstep of my favorite time of year; Fall! A time of harvest moons, crisp apple cider, the scent of woodsmoke, and sweater weather! October will bring more Farm Flicks (bonfires, hayrides, and outdoor movies) with friends, along with a Glamping night with best girlfriends (we call ourselves the Domestic Goddesses!)

Ahhh, a time of busyness, but a time to feel oh-so...

superheroes!

The world is filled with images of superheroes right now...

Captain America, Ironman, Spiderman, but here's something to think about...

Moms, you are heroes...and what you do matters! I love this quote from Susan Branch...

"You need to know that you are the fairies that run ahead
and make everything magical,
because you know that even the smallest of things can be special.
And you need to know that what you do is nothing short of heroic."

Hats off to Pink Tractor for sharing this photo with the world...enough said!

"just a housewife..."

I stumbled upon this photo one day while wandering through Pinterest...
ah, yes...how addictive! How inspiring! 

I love looking at photos from days past...lovely shadows, vintage dishes, a thoughtful expression. What is she gazing at through the window?

But what stopped me cold, was the comment posted underneath the photo...

Photo Source

"I would have liked to be 'just' a housewife."

It made me sad...made me stop...made me be grateful. I remember reading once that someone else is dreaming of what you already have.

Oh yes, I've done the 9-5. In a past life, I was the Sr. Book Editor for a cookbook publishing company.

Several years ago, many of us arrived to find that the company, in an effort to restructure, had made cuts in the staff. I was one of those, along with a great group of creative folks, who found themselves looking for a fresh start. Alas, cookbook editor jobs are few and far between, even more so in our little part of the Midwest. And one where I could work from home...that was impossible to find. 

But, as we say, "Life is Good." I began chasing a writing dream with my "free" time, I substitute teach at a terrific elementary school, and I bake for our local farmers' market grocery.

I'm here for the kids whenever they need me (as well as the chickens and goats) and hubby is supportive of my farmgirl wannabe dreams (except for the milk cow...he won't budge on that!) 

Someday soon I'll share my feelings on what I've learned along the way...no, you can't have it all, at least not at the same time, anyway. And oh, yes, what to say to those ladies who ask,
"What DO you do all day? Are you ever going back to work?"

I often think of this quote by Jeffrey R. Holland

 "Nature has its rhythms and its harmonies.
We would do well to fit ourselves as best we can with those cycles
rather than frantically throwing ourselves against them.
Be calm, be patient, be happy with the season you are in."

Each day I try to remember that motherhood never ends, but childhood does...be happy with the season I am in. Wise words indeed.

Yep...it's a way of life!

Goat Wrangling

Hoof Trimming

Garden Weeding

Stall Shoveling

Coop Cleaning

Photo Credit:

confetti salsa!

My friend Peggy shared this recipe with me Wednesday...since then, I've made it 4 times!
It's called green tomatillo salsa, but looks like a happy toss of confetti to me!

Now here's the thing, there's no "right" or "wrong" to this recipe...and there are no specific amounts for ingredients.

Don't let that worry you...it WILL taste great no matter what you do!  Peggy chops her ingredients in a hand chopper so they're small and the result is a salsa that's much more sauce-like...yummy.

I like my salsa more (isn't there a better word than "chunky?!) substantial. So mine is less salsa-like and probably qualifies as more of a side-dish...is that a problem? It's fine with me! Anyway, I simply chopped mine by hand quickly because I couldn't wait to enjoy it.

So here you are, the recipe straight from Peggy. Ingredients are in a quantity order...for example lots of tomatillos, not so much cilantro. From the photo you'll see I love red onion...out of proportion to the recipe below, but this is yours to enjoy, so make it anyway you like! I'm going to add some avocado next time.

Peggy’s Salsa

tomatillos, peeled and chopped (lots!)

red onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

jalapeño pepper, chopped (amount to taste)

cilantro, chopped (to taste)

salt (to taste)

lime juice (to taste)

Combine all in a bowl, grab a bag of tortilla chips, get ready to be happy!

farmgirl photo...

Honeybee in the Tomato Soup...coneflower, that is!

I love the striking color of this variety...so glad I found it!

farmgirl phone photos...

I try to keep my camera handy, it seems there's always something that just needs to be saved for the memories...old barns with chippy paint, glorious flower gardens, centuries old farmhouses, and regional eye-catchers like the hundreds of wind turbines we came across on our last road trip...they seemed to fill the fields for miles. 

However; there are times I just run out the door and don't bring my camera along...those are the days I see the most beautiful sights, and I'm left with only my phone camera. Ugh...and so it goes.

Such was the case last week...this sunset was so beautiful that my daughter and I just had to pull the truck off to the side of the road and really enjoy it. The shape of the clouds, the intense colors, the dramatic shadows...no photo trickery here, this is what we actually saw. And yet, the camera couldn't capture all of the beauty we saw with our own eyes.

I'm sorry to say, all I had was my phone, but I snapped some pictures anyway and wanted to share them.

(At least I didn't run out the door without my phone...which happens more than I'd like to admit!)

apples + apples = applesauce!

This week is applesauce week here on the farm. Our Yellow Transparent apple tree is loaded with apples, and they're ready to pick.

NOW!

To be honest, it takes longer to pick, peel, and slice apples than to turn them into applesauce, and there are two really easy ways to make applesauce...no more keeping watch over them while stirring on top of the stove for hours.

One...pull out your handy slow cooker, it just couldn't be easier!

Slow Cooker Applesauce

10 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 c. water
1/2 to 1 c. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker; stir to blend. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or high setting 3 to 4 hours.

OR...

Electric Pressure Cooker Applesauce

8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 cinnamon stick

Combine all ingredients into the inner pot, close the vent, and press STEAM/CANNING button and set it at 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, slide the steam release valve and allow the steam to escape, remove the lid.

Now yes, I do have an "old-fashioned" slow cooker, BUT this was made in an Power Cooker brand electric pressure cooker my family gifted me with at Christmas. 

And if yours isn't a Power Cooker, no matter which brand of pressure cooker you own, you'll find oodles of applesauce recipes online.

No electric pressure cooker? The slow cooker works perfectly as well...it gives you not time to slip outside to do a bit of gardening, curl up with a favorite book, or wrangle a few goats for hoof trimming! (see what we have planned?)

What to do with all your yummy applesauce? Well, it freezes perfectly, so once it's cooled, simply spoon it into freezer containers.  

Or, preserve jars for yourself as well as to share with your family & friends. I'll be spooning extra applesauce into jars and canning them...ready in only 15 minutes!

Enjoy the day, friends!

a day to pause and reflect...

"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations

to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,

to obey his will, to be grateful for His benefits,

and humbly to implore His protection and favor."

~George Washington
October 3, 1789

chimney for the cute little house!

As promised, here's a better look at the chimney for the sweet little house in my previous post...

and wait until you get a close-up look at the exterior detail...

wow...

beautiful!

gorgeous!

This is the OUTSIDE of the chimney...amazing!

Next post I'll share a few more details...the windows and door are lovely, too.
(Okay, did I say I would move there in an instant?!)

Happy Friday!

Farmgirl photo...

love.

Love.

LOVE!

I'll tell you more about this soon!

Smoke house?

Summer kitchen?

Doesn't matter...I'd move right in in a heartbeat!

And wait till you see a close-up of the exterior fireplace...amazing.

happy Fathers' Day!

Here's to steaks on the grill, strawberry pie, and an afternoon nap!

Thanks for all you do!

farmgirl photo...peony in bloom

all the buzz...

It's that time of year...bee time!

Checking hives.

Chasing swarms.

Trying to keep the smoker, well...smoking!

But today is the best part...extracting!  Ahhh, the wonderful fragrance of honey paired with sticky fingers (which absolutely require licking, mmmm!) and dreams of honey drizzled over slices of warm, homemade bread. Yum!

And so today's post is short and sweet...my, oh my, befriend the bees!

As you plan your gardens this spring, give a little corner to bee-friendly plants...

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/wordpressdotcom/

It's oh-so easy to sprinkle a few seeds in a garden corner, a container, or even plan a whole bee-friendly garden!  

You'll be rewarded with beautiful blooms to cut and share, and you'll find your veggie garden or fruit trees will benefit as well...yep, it's a win-win!

Let me know what you plant and share your stories!

Happy Friday, friends!

happy Mothers' Day!

For all the selfless giving, tucking in, goodnight kisses,
and a million other things

Happy Mothers' Day!