So much for an early Spring....

We have had just enough mild weather lately to make me excited about the arrival of Spring, so you can imagine how I felt this morning when I woke up to this....
However, not one to be defeated by a little snow, I'm spending the day looking through all my seed catalogues and planning this years' garden. I have high hopes for our usual staples of green beans and corn, but I'm also itching to try something different and unique, like the beautiful heirloom pumpkins and squash from Baker Creek Seed Company. I also want to try my hand at a small indoor greenhouse, which will be something new for me and Hubby.
I would love hearing about any of your experiences with heirloom plants and vegetables, or even greenhouse tips as well. Lord knows, I need the wisdom of someone more experienced than me!

Lookee what I got!

A special delivery came for me today packaged up so pretty....


A Snoot of my very own from Sweetnellie!

To say I have coveted Trish's beautiful little creations is an understatement around here. Every time she came out with something new in her ETSY shoppe, I would tell Hubby that one day I would have to own one, and bless his heart, he could do nothing but smile at me with that look of " what in the world is a snoot..." Well, the day I saw Imogen Poots, I knew she and I were destined to be together. I showed her picture to Hubby on several occasions, (hint, hint, HINT!) so this is my Valentine from him. (Notice the little red heart? gush, squeal) She's quite the little country girl with her quilted flowery dress and red knitted cap. Yep, I think we're going to be quite a pair.

If only...

I‘m reminded today of how, in spite of our best efforts, we will sometimes have to live our lives with regrets. My very best friend’s mother passed away early this morning, which is painfully close to the same time of year I lost my own mother 3 years ago. I will always remember my last visit with my friend’s Mom a couple of weeks ago- I hadn’t been able to see my friend to give her a birthday card, so I left it with her Mom and told her to give it to my friend the next time she saw her. (Just another way God works things out- I would have missed seeing her one last time.) We sat on the couch for a while, talking about all the things we usually talked about; chickens, the weather, babies, and dogs. Then I stood up, told her I’d better be going because I had a few more errands to run, hugged her, and said goodbye.
And now she’s gone.
And today, I can't help but think: if only I would have known that was the last time I'd talk to her, I would have stayed a little longer. If only I would have known I would never see her again, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry.
If only….

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which was planted; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…”
Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 2, 4

Love is in the air...sort of

Well, I hope this post finds you planning a special evening with your sweetie. Just in time for this romantic day, I am coming down with something that is turning me into a sneezing, hacking, mucous factory. I can already hear how my evening will go..."Nod toodite huddee, I hab a cobe." On the other hand, there is plenty of romance going on around the henhouse with our romeo rooster, Hamburger, who is making love to all the ladies with his usual fervor. (To those of you who have never had chickens, roosters have only one real purpose in life, and that is to impregnate hens at an alarming rate that borders on insanity.) While I was feeding everybody this morning, I didn't catch any whiffs of cologne on the old boy, and none of the hens were showing off boxes of chocolates to each other, but he did have that look in his eyes. (I also think I heard Rod Stewart's "Do ya think I'm Sexy" coming from somewhere....)
I am going to bake a cake for Hubby for Valentine's Day- the recipe I have is called a Butterfinger cake, but you may know it by something else. It has the all the right elements; gooey chocolate and whipped cream. Hmmm... maybe this night won't be a bust after all.

Butterfinger Cake
1 dark chocolate cake mix of your choice and ingredients as needed to mix cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 12 oz container whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream topping
1 large Butterfinger candy bar for the topping
(or 2 bars-depending on how much you like Butterfingers)

Directions: Prepare cake according to package directions in a 9x13 inch pan. When you remove cake from the oven, punch holes in cake (use a fork or the handle of a wooden spoon), spoon sweetened condensed milk evenly over cake. Cool, cover and allow to stand overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, crush the candy bar fairly fine. Ice cake heavily with whipped topping. Drizzle caramel and chocolate lightly over cake, then sprinkle with candy crumbs.
Keep any left-over cake (which is unlikely) in the refrigerator.

The Girls have got it goin' on!

Well, as you can see, there are some sore bottoms around here lately. We had an extremely hot and dry summer last year, which seemed to take it's toll on everybody-especially the hens. There were a few months late in the year where we were getting NO eggs at all. We had all but given up on our older hens, but when last years' hatchlings got all their egg-laying parts in gear, the older girls took notice. The newbies were showing them up, and I heard there were rumours going around the henhouse about the chicken recipe in my latest issue of "Taste of Home". Not only have the old gals got it going on, their eggs seem to be bigger than they used to be. Show-offs.

Comfort. Food.

Having lived my entire life in the South, I know a little bit about comfort food. Chicken 'n dumplins, creamed corn, sweet potato casserole with brown sugar being the main ingredient; you get the point. This is my favorite morning comfort food: homemade biscuits, topped off with butter and honey from my Daddy's bees. My dear Mother gave me many pearls of wisdom down through the years, but none as important than this one... "butter makes everything better." This is the rule I live by. As you can see, I make quite possibly the ugliest biscuits ever, (I cut them in half so you couldn't see the tops) but it doesn't matter- they don't last long enough around here to be judged on pretty.

Warming up the fingers....

I haven't been sewing much lately... seemed like after the holidays there were a million things to do around here. My poor little sewing machine was looking pretty lonesome. (and dusty.) Then, I found a little Annie pattern I had ordered a few months back. She was so cute, I put everything on hold one rainy day to make one. Instead of tea-dying the fabric and making her prim-looking as the pattern called for, I kept her clean and made a little "Sunday Best" dress. Now that I have my fingers warmed up to sew, I will hopefully have some items for sale in my "ETSY" shop soon. Stay tuned.....