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Country Ribs & Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2012-01-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

Honey Mustard BBQ Country Ribs

Place 3 1/2 pounds of country style pork ribs into crock pot. Slice 1 onion into wedge and place on top of meat. Chop 2 celery stalks and add to crock pot. In a bowl combine 1 cup of barbeque sauce and 8 ounces of honey mustard. Mix and pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

2012-01-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

Here is another pumpkin recipe. I finally used up the one can of pumpkin I had. I managed to make waffles, cake, and now muffins with that one can. I always halve baking recipes since Steve and I don't need to eat 12 muffins!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
recipe adapted from a Taste of Home recipe

Ingredients:
For Batter:

3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
10 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For Topping
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin cups. In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl combine pumpkin and milk. In a large bowl, mix/beat butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Turn mixer to low and alternate adding flour mixture and pumpkin mixture. Beat to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Brush melted butter on the top of the muffin. Dip muffin into the cinnamon sugar.

Let muffins cool and then enjoy!

Rico wishes he could get a muffin too.

Baking with Pumpkin

2012-01-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

After Thanksgiving canned pumpkin was on clearance so I bought a few cans. We had a sweet tooth around here so I used some of it up.

I made these yummy pumpkin waffles using this recipe. Pumpkin waffles are a great start to the morning. I made extras to freeze that can be put into the toaster for a fast breakfast.

I also made this simple yet delicious pumpkin pie cake. It uses cake mix as the topping. Here's the recipe.

Cuties.

2012-01-26T04:49:00.000-08:00

Linen Closet Organization

2012-01-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

Our house is small and we lack storage. We've been trying to come up with easy and affordable storage solutions.

I saw this on Pinterest and knew it would be perfect for our tiny linen closet.

I bought ours at Target for $9 (I think). I wanted a clear one but this was all they had. I put all our toiletries in it which cleared up a shelf inside the closet for towels.

We're now looking for a large wooden dresser to use as our TV stand. We can store all the blankets in the drawers.

that fog

2012-01-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

the first snow

2012-01-23T04:44:00.000-08:00

Here in Maryland we usually have a lot of snow by now, but not this year. The only time it snowed was the day after Halloween. That was unusual. It started snowing very late Friday night and into Saturday morning. I was not happy about this snow. Saturday was my friend's wedding and I was the photographer! The snow had me nervous but in the end everything worked out just fine.

The dogs are loving the snow.

The birds do not. Pizza wouldn't come out.

I shoveled the chicken run and called the hens out. Freddy came out but then quickly turned around and went back inside.

I am loving the snow because we have a half day at work today!

Ravens Pancakes

2012-01-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

Steve is a huge Ravens fan. I only care because he does. To get in the spirit I made him some purple Ravens pancakes with black sprinkles in the morning.

Lucy & Rico Snugglin

2012-01-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

I love these two.

Chicken Coop Inspiration

2012-01-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

In the spring I want to fix up our coop. My dad built the coop in August. The coop is awesome and pretty much done but the run needs a lot of work. We ran out of time (the little chicks became not so little) & money so the run was put up quickly. We made a small run and used plastic netting for the fencing. In the spring I want to finish the coop by adding the windows, trim, and paint. We also need to set up proper roosting space and a storage area inside. I want to extend the run and add hardware cloth and a full sized door to it.

Here are a few coops I am inspired by. These were saved to my computer so I'm not sure where they came from. There are more on my pinterest.

Easy Tomato-Apricot Chicken

2012-01-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

I love this recipe because it is so easy to make but special and delicious.

Start by seasoning chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in a very large skillet with hot oil (1 Tablespoon). Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until browned.

While waiting for the chicken to brown, use your kitchen shears to cut up dried apricots. You will need about 1/2 cup.

When both sides of the chicken have browned, add the apricots, 1 teaspoon of garlic, and a 15 oz can of Italian stewed tomatoes.

Stir the mixture together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink).

Then enjoy!

Honeyed Peanut Butter Waffles

2012-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

These are so yummy. Anything with honey and peanut butter will win me over. When I made this recipe I cut it in half since there are only two of us and it still worked great. The recipe below will make 6 waffles.

In a medium sized bowl combine 1 3/4 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In a food processor or blender add 1/4 cup of melted butter, 6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter and 2 teaspoons of honey. Blend until smooth.

Add 2 cups of milk and 2 eggs and blend for 1 minute.

Add peanut butter mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combine.

Pour about 3/4 cup of batter onto your greased waffle iron. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
Serve with bananas and maple syrup.

Weekend Thrift Shopping

2012-01-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

I love a bargain. I spent Saturday in a neighboring town scouring their thrift and discount stores. I went to: Community Aid, Aldi, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby, Ross, and Goodwill. Then today, Sunday, I went to two Goodwill stores and a consignment shop. I had a few goals: find a vintage makeup case for my mom for her birthday (no luck) and to find some things for the chicken coop. Here is what I found:

A gigantic pot for canning - $5 (!)

This awesome adjustable screen to create a window on the chicken coop - $2

Books for work. I'd like to do a chicken theme and bring in one of the hens. The kids would love that. $2

These are from Hobby Lobby - love that place. Tin was 50% off so I got both for $5. I will be putting the star on the coop door and the hook on the outside wall.

A little pitcher for $1 and a divided dish for $2

A cute little barrel shot glass for Steve - $1

This adorable tiny rocking chair for $11 at a consignment shop. Will be photographing the babies & toddlers on it.

This awesome small vintage suitcase for $3. I have one very similar but in olive that belonged to my Grandmother.

Roaming Free

2012-01-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Our fence was completed! My dad does tree work and at one of his jobs his client had chain link fencing he wanted to get rid of. My dad immediately told him we wanted it. We got everything for free! All we paid for was a rental fee for the post digger and cement. We got our entire backyard fenced for $75!

On December 31st my dad, brother, and husband put in all the holes for the posts and cemented them.

The dogs watched and we're hopefully just as excited about the fencing. On January 5th they added the top of the fencing and then on the 6th they added all the chain link fencing. The dogs are so happy and I'm glad they aren't running through the house anymore. I'm also thankful I won't be walking two dogs at night in the winter!

happy hens

2012-01-06T17:29:00.000-08:00

The hens are loving the absence of Newman. They all go in at night now. Before Elaine wouldn't go in because the roosters would attack her. They all roost together now. Poor Elaine was never allowed on the roost when we had roosters.

Fred continues to lay her egg in the center nest box during the day.

Freddy now lays her egg in the corner of the coop. Her first egg was in the nesting box so I'm not sure why the change of spot. Until I figure out how to change her location, I added a box with bedding so she has a safer spot for her egg.

I hope to clean the coop this weekend and fix up some things. It will be easier to work in there without the mean roosters!

Goodbye Newman

2012-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Our last rooster, Newman, went to auction today. I was out in the coop at 6:45 this morning chasing him around. Chickens are fast and I am a bit scared of the roosters. Our one rooster would attack me anytime he saw me. Newman wasn't up for being mean but he wouldn't let me get him. I finally grabbed him and his wings started flapping and I was soon covered in pine chips and dust. After 15 minutes of chasing from one side of the coop to the other, he tired out and laid down. I scooped him up, put him in the box, and left a note for Steve to take him to auction.

This is Newman at 3 days old. So cute.

I came home from work at 4:30 and hear happy hens singing in the coop. They're also glad all the boys are gone!

Now I have to beat this cold weather. Their water is freezing and I had my first frozen & cracked egg.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T07:03:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed celebrating the New Year with friends. 2011 was a good year and I believe 2012 will be even better.

Eggs for Waffles

2011-12-30T11:34:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most people make scrambled eggs or something similar with the first eggs their hens lay. Not us. We made waffles. Steve gave me a waffle maker for Christmas and we had been craving waffles, but we had no eggs in the house. Well then our hens starting to lay and we saved the first two eggs for our waffles.

Steve watched as I cracked open the eggs and laughed when I got excited about the bright orange yolk.

Then I whisked them up and oohed and aahed over the orange yolk again.

Then I added 2 cups flour, 1 3/4 cups milk,1/2 cup oil, 1 tablespoon sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a dash of salt. I whisked the ingredients together until just blended.

Rico has become my sous chef. He follows and watches me while I'm in the kitchen.

Then I put 3/4 cup of the batter onto the waffle maker and let it go for 5-6 minutes. I kept making them until all the batter was used up. Then it was time to eat. I put blueberry & maple syrup on them and dusted the waffles with powdered sugar. yum.

I ate half before I was too full to finish. They were tasty. I'm sure it was the eggs.

Lucy & Rico

2011-12-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

Lucy and Rico love to play with each other, but that's where it ends. Rico enjoys Lucy more than Lucy enjoys Rico. He will want to lay with her or lick her. She will freeze up or growl (and sometimes bite) at him. He takes her toys and she takes his. We're trying our best to make them best friends. We know it will be an adjustment and we're making sure Lucy is getting extra attention. She was here for six months with our full attention. Now she has to share the attention and she isn't liking it. However, today she cuddled up with Rico & I on the couch. It's improvement and we're happy.

And then this happened:

They're spooning. Aw.

And then she saw I caught her being nice and jumped up.

Another egg!

2011-12-29T11:33:00.001-08:00

Finding an egg in the nest box just doesn't get old.

spying on chickens

2011-12-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

Now that the hen(s) are laying eggs, I have been excited to go out and get my egg from the nest box. I've also been anxious to find out who is laying these eggs. Yesterday I went out to spy. Here is what I saw at 10:30 am:

All the hens and rooster roosting on the perch.

I went back out at 2pm and found this:

There was Fred the hen in the nest box! Then I realized Newman the rooster had his head sticking in there watching her.

Side note: this setup is only temporary. We'll be adding a perch outside the nesting boxes, but my dad had this laying around when we realized we needed to start using the boxes.

Fred laid a smaller and browner egg than the one we got yesterday. The eggs were laid by two different hens or they look different since it's their first eggs. We shall see what I find today or tomorrow.

Cheap Vintage Art

2011-12-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

These two framed prints cost me a grand total of $25. I bought the frames at Target for $10 each and they came matted. Each vintage print is from here and you can download them for free. I printed them at Walgreens as an 8x10 for $2.50 (with coupon). Now I need to see what else I can find at The Graphics Fairy and print more!

A surprise in the nest box

2011-12-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

Each night I take the dogs out and close the chicken coop door. Then I peek inside to make sure they are all inside and okay. Tonight I decided to peek through the nesting box door. When I opened it up I was pretty surprised to find a big egg sitting in the center box! It's the first egg laid by our hens. I congratulated the hens and quickly brought it in and put it in the new egg basket! Then I sent a text to loved ones and posted it on facebook. It's a big deal after all.

Now I need to figure out who laid the egg. I'm thinking it's either Fred or Freddy since they are older.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed time spent with family, friends, and the dogs. Merry Christmas.

DIY Canvas Art with Letter Stickers

2011-12-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

When I saw this on Pinterest I was smitten. I love the song and had to make one for myself.

Here's how I did it...

Materials Needed:
Canvas - I used a 12" x 16" from Michaels
Acyrlic Paint - I used Gold and Brown
Letter Stickers - I used "COLORBOK Alphabet Stickers in Marshmallow Block" from Joann Fabric

First I applied a thin layer of gold on the canvas where the letters would be. I used a sponge brush to get a thin and even layer of paint.

Next I cut out the letters from the sticker sheet and placed them on the canvas. I wanted to make sure all my letters were correct before sticking them to the canvas. After I made sure I had the stickers where I wanted them, I peeled them off and put them on the canvas. When all the stickers were on, I flipped the canvas over and pressed the canvas to the table to make sure the stickers were adhered totally.

Next I painted a brown and black mixture over the entire canvas, covering the letters. I also added a few brushstrokes of gold. After two layers of paint were applied, I carefully peeled off the stickers. I would pinch the middle of the sticker and pull it up to avoid touching the paint.

All done!

Mr. Ronnie "Pinky" Rico

2011-12-23T18:30:00.000-08:00

This handsome fella joined our family today. We adopted him from a lady who rescued him. He's a big guy but a big baby. He and Lucy are enjoying playing together but are still figuring out who is in charge. He's slowly settling in and showing us what he's all about. His former name was Pinky and we've named him Rico. He gets called both and is okay with it.

Gingerbread Cheesecake Cups

2011-12-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

I saw these on Pinterest and decided to make them for our annual Christmas ugly sweater party. They were yummy. You can find the recipe here. I made my gingerbread dough using this recipe instead of buying the Pillsbury dough and it worked really well.

Ugly Sweater Party

2011-12-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

Lucy's ready.

Mint Oreo Truffles

2011-12-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
A bag of Mint Oreos
4oz of Cream Cheese
A bag of White Chocolate Chips

Steps:
1. Put oreos into a sealable baggie and crush them using a rolling pin. You could also use a food processor.
2. Add crushed oreo to a bowl with cream cheese. Mix them together until well blended. Using your hands seems to work the best.
3. Roll the mixture into 1" balls. Place on a wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes.
4. While the balls are freezing, melt the white chocolate. I use a double boiler.
5. Dip or roll the balls through the white chocolate and place back on the cookie sheet to cool. Add sprinkles.

those sneaky roosters

2011-12-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Ethel, George, and Puddy

I knew for sure we had two roosters. One acted like a typical rooster. Puddy was mean and attacked me any chance he got. The other, Ethel, was huge and looked like a rooster. I also saw him crowing several times. The crowing got to be pretty ridiculous. Some nights he would start at MIDNIGHT and crow on and off til about 8:30am. The coop is right next to our bedroom windows. We lost a lot of sleep. I decided it was time to take them to the auction. The crowing was irritating and I was tired to being attacked by a grouchy rooster. Last Thursday my dad came to take them. Drop of times at the livestock auction are during my work hours so my dad said he would take them. My father and my brother had Puddy and Ethel in the box and in the truck. They were about to leave when they heard crowing from the coop! Turns out little George the hen was actually George the rooster and he was the one doing all the crowing! My dad didn't want to take him without my approval so he left all three roosters. We put up with crowing for another week since the auction is only on Thursdays. Yesterday my dad came and got Ethel, Puddy, and George.

This morning Steve and I are in the kitchen and we heard it. Crowing! I hoped it was the neighbor's rooster, but nope. Our hen Newman is also a rooster! Now we have to put up with one more rooster for a week. Now we're down to only four hens. I'll use the money made by selling the roosters to buy new hens.

Hopefully Newman will be more quiet since his competition is gone. I'd enjoy a full nights sleep.

December

2011-12-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight when I got home from work I cooked dinner and laid on the couch with Lucy. We, yea she watches tv too, watched Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too and then The Santa Clause. I wrapped a few presents while Lucy nosed around in the bags and wrapping paper. I went down into the basement and brought up the decoration boxes. To get the decorations started, I hung our stockings on the fireplace and wrapped them in the cranberry garland. Steve and I plan on doing all our decorating on Saturday. I've been looking forward to it all week.

I may not love, or even like, winter weather but I do love the holidays.

diy laundry detergent

2011-12-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

I saw some homemade laundry detergent recipes on pinterest that looked really easy and cheap. We were almost out of detergent so it was the perfect time to make some.

Here are the things you will need to buy. I bought all of mine at the grocery store.
4 pounds of Baking Soda (found in the baking aisle)
4 lb 12 oz box of Borax (found in the detergent aisle)

55 oz box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (found in the detergent aisle)

3 bars of Fels-naptha soap (normally found in the detergent aisle but I found mine with regular bath bar soap)

A container for storage. I used one of Steve's empty 5 pound protein powder containers. Anything with a lid that will hold everything should work.

First you will need to grate all three bars of soap. This is the only difficult part of the detergent making process. My arm got tired and numb halfway through. I tried to use my food processor but the soap just got jammed. But, I still haven't figured out that machine so maybe you will have better luck...

Next dump all the ingredients together and stir them up. I put everything into a trash bag, shook it up, and then poured it into the container.

So far I have done a load of dish towels and rags, a load of my clothes and bath towels with this detergent. It does a great job of getting everything clean. It does not leave a scent so if you like a strong scent on your laundry you can use a fabric softener with it.

DIY Scrapbook Paper & Canvas Art

2011-11-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

This photo from pinterest was my inspiration. Here are my canvases:

I painted four 8" x 10" canvases gold using acrylic paint. I applied a layer of mod podge to each canvas and put the scrapbook paper on top. Then I flipped them over and trimmed the excess paper using an x-acto knife. I flipped them back over and used a credit card to smooth the paper over the canvas. After drying I painted the edges gold using a large dry brush and gold acrylic paint. When the paint was dry I applied Mod Podge all over the canvas.

Now they are hanging in our living room. These are so simple & fun to make!

Lived Happily Canvas DIY

2011-11-27T15:34:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by these two photos on pinterest and created my own canvas for our master bedroom. Here is mine:

Tutorial below:

Materials:
Canvas - I used a 12" x 16" from Michaels
Acrylic Paints - I used three different colors
Sponge Brush
Stencil - mine is from Michaels
Paint Brush
White Matte Puffy Paint
Printer
Wax Paper
Mod Podge

Directions:
I created my letters first so they would have plenty of time to dry. Type your words and then print them on regular paper. Tape the paper to your table so it does not move while you are working. Lay a piece of wax paper on top - do not tape it down. Use the puffy paint to draw over your letters. Here is a more detailed tutorial and where I got the directions.

While letters are drying, paint an even coat over your canvas using a sponge brush. Remember to paint the sides. Let it dry and then add a second coat. Allow to completely dry. A hair dryer works well to speed up the process.

Lay your stencil on the canvas. Dip your brush (a large round brush) into the paint and dab the brush on a paper towel a few times. This will remove excess paint. Dab the brush onto your stencil. Repeat this process until you have a pattern all over your canvas that you like. You may need to clean the back of the stencil during painting. I alternated two different gold paints on mine. Let it dry completely.

When your letters are completely dry peel them off. I laid mine in order on the table. I lined a ruler against the bottom of my canvas so I could get a straight line to start laying out the letters. Apply a layer of Mod Podge using a brush. Start adding your puffy paint letters on top of the mod podge working from bottom to top.

When you are happy with your letters placement, add a final coat of Mod Podge to the entire front of your canvas. Let dry and then hang in a pretty place.

Shop Local

2011-11-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

Today is Shop Small Business Day and Steve and I did just that. He normally works Saturday so it was great having him home and going shopping.

We started the day by going to SERRV for their overstock sale. I bought a few Christmas presents and a pear ornament for our tree. Then we went down town to all the local shops. We visited a book shop, thrift store (where we got two awesome ugly Christmas sweaters for our party), used furniture store, ate bagels, and visited some other local shops. Then we headed to the local feed store to get sunflower seeds for the peacock and chicken feed. We did end up at the mall but bought some things from the local shops in there.

Now I think I'll take a nap before going out tonight to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. Did you shop local today?

sprinkled pancakes

2011-11-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

A great way to start a Saturday morning.

Spiced Pear Apple Sauce

2011-11-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I also made some pear apple sauce using this recipe. I had a lot of pears and apples that needed to be used so I doubled the recipe. My husband really liked it. I would prefer it to be sweeter. I buy all our produce from a local market and they currently have a lot of pears on the 2nd grade shelf, which means they are a lot cheaper, so I might go buy another basket and try another recipe.

baking banana bread

2011-11-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I baked one loaf and eight mini loaves using a recipe from a local orchard & restaurant. Warm banana bread with cream cheese & a mug of coffee is perfect for these chilly autumn mornings.

Pizza the Peacock

2011-11-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

We have this peacock named Pizza. He was born here when I was in elementary school and I named him Pizza. My grandmother loved peacocks so my father got her a male and a female. They had babies and Pizza was the only survivor after an animal attacked the coop. He's pretty old, at least fifteen but probably older. Since we moved into the house and inherited him, we have been trying to find him a peahen for company. We've gone to the livestock auction and I've looked online but we haven't had any luck. Hopefully we will find him a lady friend soon.

He and Ethel didn't really care for each other.

the field in fall

2011-11-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

the view from our field on a cold and cloudy autumn evening.
our large field is on top of a hill behind our house.
the farm in the center of the photo is directly across the street from our house.

Ethel the Rooster

2011-11-21T17:51:00.000-08:00

Ethel is our biggest rooster. He was named before we knew if we had a hen or rooster. He is very calm and non aggressive, unlike our other rooster, but he crows all morning and is an escape artist. I had him in with the peacock and he found a tiny hole in the fencing. He jumped through it and went running & flying to the woods. Steve warned me earlier and kept telling me not to let him escape. Ethel has ran around our property three prior times and he's only been outside in the coop for a few months. He has had many people chasing after him. Well, Ethel is running through the woods and we're trying everything we can do to catch him. Steve needed to leave for work so I told him to go. I'm standing in the woods when my parents drive up. They look at me funny and wonder why I'm standing in the woods with sticks in my hair & thorns all over my clothes. Once they see Ethel, my dad runs after the bird and chases him to the barn. My dad grabs Ethel's leg and the chase is finally over, an hour and half later. Ethel will not be exploring anymore. He's staying put.

Lucy in the field

2011-11-20T17:35:00.000-08:00