I like lists. Ok, I LOVE lists. Grocery lists, to-do lists, supply lists... you name it. Well, with the end of the year I feel compelled to make a list of projects I want to get done. This past year I had one goal.

Keep the chickens alive.

If you've read any of my past posts you know that we have had very little success with chickens in the past few years. Well, early this year we purchased our new flock. Annnnnnd... we have lost a few, but we still have the majority of our girls! We've also go...
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Six months. Yep. That's how long it's been since I've peeked on here to blog. That's a long time.

I had the lofty idea that I would schedule a blogging time.

Yeahhhhh...

Is it ok to blame everything on Colt?

I didn't grade papers today.

It's Colt's fault.

I didn't wash the dishes.

Colt's fault.

The floor, um. it's dirty.

Colt.

Colt.

COLT.

But guess, what?! I think I'm getting the hang of this being tired, busy, and oh-so in love with that baby that it really doesn't matter.

Because it doesn't. Now, am I...
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I'm  teacher. As such, I sometimes get requests from my sweeties for homemade goodies. I have now taught six years and in each of those six years it never failed that I would get asked to bake brownies...

Well, I tried to bake brownies.

And failed.

Even with a box mix.

When Mister came along and we were dating I even attempted to make him some. I'm glad I tasted them first because if a man's heart is through his stomach, those brownies would have sent him running and we would not be where we are ...
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After Colt, that is.

You should see our garden. It is... well, it is...

covered in grass.

Last year I was all over that garden weeding and pruning and picking.

This year? Well... let me just say hats off to our ancestors who somehow managed their homes and gardens with 12 babies pulling on their aprons. It makes me ashamed of myself... and of my garden.

It isn't totally lost, at least. Mister has been on evening shift, which means in the mornings I can feed Colt, tuck him under Daddy's arm, and ...
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Last year, I didn't realize until it was too late what those nasty, purple, gooey spots on my car were. I thought they were a nuisance! It wasn't until closer inspection that I saw they were mulberries. Mmmm... mulberries... I remember my mama making mulberry cobbler out of those rich-tasting berries from the tree by the barn. Sadly, I let the berries go to waste last year except for one sandwich size Ziploc bag full.

This year, however, I was ready. I kept an eye out. Each day checking the g...
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And in Georgia, too! My nephew and I made a list last week of things we wanted to do this summer when he comes over. On that list was a snowball fight.

A snowball fight?

In summer?

In Georgia?

YES!

Holy cow. This. Was. Fun.

Like, ridiculous fun.

Like, I turned into a little kid again fun.

F. U. N.

So how do you make it snow in the summer in Georgia? We got two boxes of cornstarch and a can of cheap shaving cream. This little project cost us a whopping three bucks. It may have been the best three dolla...
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Since Mister and I have been married my nephew has gotten to come over a few times each week during the summer. When we lived in apartments we would enjoy the pool, Callaway, and pretty-much-whatever-he-wanted-to-do. That could be tie-dyeing shirts or, like yesterday, making a lady bug house. Don't get me started on that! If it works, I'll let you in on it!

This week marked our first day together for the summer of 2013. I was a little worried, since Colt is here, that he wouldn't have as good ...
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We have lived in our lovely home going on two years now. My pretty white kitchen is blessed with a pretty tile floor. Tile means grout. Grout means, "I'll get around to cleaning that one day..." Yeah. One day... when exactly is that, anyway?

For me, that day was Saturday. Saturday is the day I mop so I had the ridiculous idea that I would clean at least a section of the grout in the kitchen. I was afraid of it, to be honest. How exactly do you clean that stuff?

Enter Pinterest.

*smile*

Just say...
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No, it didn't break. I decided to take a page from my mama's playbook and let the sun and fresh air do the job. My mama always line dried our clothes (and she still hangs clothes out) way before it was the 'green' thing to do. We had a dryer, but it was meant for cold and rainy days. A few things prompted me to finally give our dryer a break:

1. The power bill. Need I say more?

2. My mama did it.

3. Why waste a perfectly good sunny day?

I don't know if it will truly make a difference, but I am an...
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If you know us or have been following my blog for any length of time, then you know that I haven't had the best luck with chickens. However, my middle name is stubborn. When it comes to those feathered creatures I am the Little Engine that Could. There is a difference between doing the same thing over again, though, and changing and learning from your mistakes.

I have changed. I have learned.

FOUR times.

Yes, Mister and I have gone through FOUR flocks. Ok, so maybe my middle name should be chick...
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Just not the kind you eat. Who knew that a mere three weeks after writing that last post, Colt would be here?! Yes, the little man was six weeks early and we were blessed to exeperience the roller coaster called the NICU.

Blessed? 
NICU?
How can those two words be in the same sentence together? 
My question is how could they not be?

We spent just shy of three weeks there and it is an experience I will never forget and one that I don't particularly know if I would want to forget. The nurses were f...
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Oi. It's been a while. This pregnancy thing takes a lot more out of me than I realized it would. I had grand ideas that I would be the WonderWoman of pregnant women. Yeah. And while I've managed to keep doing quite a bit, it's a lot slower, a lot less thorough, and, well, a lot less than whatever I was used to 7 months ago! So, I apologize for letting my blog take a backseat. There have been a ton of things I've wanted to post about: from my Christmas projects to the bread I've been making al...
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Psh. Who needs canned cream of mushroom soup? Not this girl! At least, not anymore. I found a soup recipe I really wanted to try out of my trusty Taste of Home Winning Recipes cookbook. I know, y'all are sick of hearing about that cookbook. Well, it's the best. I can't help it. 

Well, said soup called for two cans of cream of mushroom soup. I only had one. I had remembered seeing someone's pin on Pinterest about how to make your own "cream of anything" soup. So, I googled it. You can find the ...
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I love pallets. You can do practically anything with them as long as you've got an imagination. This past year I made a rabbit hutch, two shelves, and a milk stand using pallets that my Daddy saved for me. A month or so ago he brought me two HUGE pallets. I've been waiting for the day and time I've had enough energy to get out there to make something of at least one of them. 

Here's the one I wanted to work with.



This bad boy was about eight feet long... maybe, I forget the exact measurements. ...
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Three years ago we celebrated our first Christmas and New Years together. We were living in an apartment at the time, but it was spacious enough for us to have family and friends over. It was the first time I got to host a party and I wanted it to be perfect. I used a Martha Stewart menu and allrecipes.com for inspiration. That particular week there was a post on allrecipes about cream cheese stuffed penguins.

Yes, penguins.

Are you ready for cuteness on a toothpick?

Are you ready to completely ...
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First, good grannies, I can't believe it's been a whole month since I have blogged last! Eesh! It's not because I haven't thought about it. I have done plenty in the last month and blogging about it has been on the front of my mind the whole time... but with a bun in the oven, 14 kids to take care of at school, and the holidays, I've been pooped! Ok, I know those are all excuses, but still. 

One of the things I've been wanting to tell y'all about is an easy peasy recipe I found for hot chocola...
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Since finding out we were expecting, I've been paranoid about fumes. Smoke, bleach, cleaners, and bug spray. Especially bug spray. If it can KILL something and I can smell it, then what's it do to me?!

So, when our kitchen became overrun with ants this week, I was determined to find a better way to murderlize them than with Raid. The first day, we did use spray and they promptly came back the next day, marching right back to whatever it was their little antennae had found that was so tasty to ...
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For our anniversary Mister got me a sewing machine. I have wanted one for a while. Visions of dainty aprons, gingham hand towels, and perfect A-line skirts danced in my head. 

Well, our anniversary was in July annnnnd it's November. 

Yeah.

Today was the day, though. I planned on hemming up a maxi dress I had gotten since it is the perfect accessory for a baby bump. However, seeing as I am only 5' 1" tall, maxi dresses are not the ideal dress for my height, thus the need to hem it up. 

I sat down ...
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First, don't you love having a perfect blog post typed and click "post" only to have it disappear? Yeah, me either. Ok, just had to get that off my chest. It happened five minutes and 49 seconds ago and I haven't gotten over it.

Now, onto the good stuff. This recipe may not be fit for a king, but it is definitely one any man will love. It is one of Mister's absolute favorites. We call it The Blue Plate Special. I've made this twice in the last seven days. I know that sounds bad, but you have a...
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... is a cutie pie. Adorable. He is the king of puppy dog eyes. He's got a face that will make you melt...

And then he went and ate chicken number 15... or 16. We've lost count.

So, we finally had to resort to what all the old timers say is a no fail method of getting you dog to stop eating your chickens.

No, we didn't have to shoot him. Thank the LORD.

Fortunately, this time, we caught him right smack dab in the middle of attacking a chicken and it was still (barely) alive. Mister, knowing the l...
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In other words, an update:

This past weekend was a busy one in front of the twin cedars. It mostly involved scooping a lot of poop. And I mean A LOT. Almost five gallons of rabbit poop, ten gallons of a beautiful hay and goat poop mixture, and a nice ten gallon bucket of chicken poop. It's amazing what you get from two pygmies, nine chickens, and four little bunnies!

Don't let that make you queasy. Poop, like rain on a garden, is a fabulous thing! When an animal is well taken care of and its di...
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... a dull moment. Just when you think things are calm and settling down... the goat gets her head stuck in the gate. 

And then the dog decides to bite said goat on the ear while goat's head is stuck in said gate.

FUN!

You would think pygmies would have a harder time getting stuck in things because they're tiny. Not, Loretta. Like all goats, she believes the grass is greener and the leaves crunchier on the other side.

You still think that, Loretta?

Mmmhmm. Little miss sulked for THREE days after t...
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You know the saying, "Got your goat." You say it when you're upset about something or when something just isn't going right... or some one plays a trick on you. My goat was had today.

Remember my post about having been on Twin Cedars for a full year now? Yeah, I've got plenty to add to that list of things I've learned... I'll save it for year two. So, next September, be ready for another list! 

Today... today... today...

Can I tell y'all about today?

It started off fantastic. Perfect really. It's...
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It's officially fall and thus officially time to bring out my favorite kitchen appliance: the crock pot. This week, Mister and I were a little lazy and did not go grocery shopping. It's kind of hard to do when he starts evening shift since we know we won't be eating together anyway. So a grocery trip wasn't exactly necessary as we got used to the shift change again. 

The shift change, though, is another reason for the crock pot to make its re-entry into the kitchen scene. It's super easy for m...
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We have had the pleasure of seeing lots of family this past week and weekend. Not only have we got to see family from Missouri (including the sweetest little niece in the world who I got to see and kiss and squeeze for the first time), Mister's dad and step mom came to stay with us all the way from Minnesota! We had a great visit and were so happy that Mister's parents finally got to see our little homestead for the first time in person. 

So, since we had company, I wanted to fix a yummy break...
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Seriously? I. Have. Been. Pooped. Rather badly, too. Forgive me for not posting in so long. I just know you've all been DYING to know what I've been up to! Heehee. 

Truth is, I've been taking naps. Lots of them. In between naps, however, I do get some things done. This past week the little quail have been enjoying the new home I made for them. 

About a month ago at school someone was going to throw out an old bookshelf. Well, instead of taking up prime real estate at the local dump, I asked if ...
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We closed on our house on August 30, 2011. I remember getting those keys and Mister and I calling our family members to tell them the news... then I remember us feeling sick. "Did we just do the right thing?" "Are we going to regret this?" "Can we handle it?" 

Most first time homeowners/newlyweds (although I don't quite see us in the newlywed category anymore) opt for a low maintenance type of dwelling. We had that option. We stared it in the face. We almost chose it. But then we saw 6 acres. ...
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It's been a while... well, maybe only a week, but still. Y'all know how much I love my little blog so it naturally feels longer than that. I have been crazy tired. I mean, a nap a day tired. And naps are easy to take since Mister is on night shift. He's in the bed when I get home, so why not join him? Of course, this has its downside... such as the house being a wreck. A daily nap does not make the house cleaner. Figure that. 

Anyway, my title says applesauce. Back to the topic. This week my s...
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Remember about a month ago how everything I was making had zucchini in it? Well, since we planted our tomatoes late, we now have an abundance of those delicious, red beauties. Next to a zucchini, a fresh, garden tomato can't be beat!

I had a recipe for sausage stuffed tomatoes that I'd been hanging onto for a week or two. I really wanted to try it, but for some reason or another I just never got around to it... until today. I went out to the garden, found about ten medium-ish tomatoes, and ski...
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Maybe it is crazy to do all this stuff that Mister and I have been doing. Maybe growing your own food, preserving that same food you grew, butchering your own animals, and cooking all your own meals is crazy. But if it is, I really don't want to be sane. I guess the only difference between myself and the people who think it's crazy are the things we buy at the grocery store. 

This past week we added quite a few things to the Twin Cedars. 



Thanks to a former student of mine, her mama, and their ...
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I tried to make pie crust once... then twice... then a third and fourth time... Every time it was the hardest thing ever. How can something that only has three or four ingredients in it be so stinkin' hard to make!? 

Well, when my friend graciously gave me the recipe for her tomato pie and made the remark, "You can use a store bought pie crust, but something this good needs a homemade one..." I knew that I had to make my crust myself... again.

So, instead of using the same recipe I had (which w...
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Remember when I was complaining about the nasty ducks? What about when I shared how pleased I was with how well my chickens were growing?

Well, nasty ducks, growing chickens... meet The Incredible Mr. Fox. 

Need I say more? I went out Wednesday morning to Jessie's barking. Mister had already left for work so it was up to yours truly to see what the fuss was about. I thought she was just barking at her tennis ball which had been stuck in a bush somehow. However, when I went to give it to her she...
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It's been a crazy day. Work was great, but when I got home I soon realized we had reached a whole new level of crazy. The ducks... the ducks. The. ducks. are. disgusting. They're cute, don't get me wrong, but they have got to be the messiest creatures I have ever had to take care of. With that said, I would still rather clean duck poop than cat poop... just to clarify that there are still things nastier. I peeked over the brooder when I got home to see a soupy mess. They had splashed their wa...
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... is never bring an animal home you aren't prepared for. Right? How many times does that rule get broken? We broke it this past Friday when we brought home four young ducks from the auction. The lighting at an auction must be bad for a reason. That way, you can't tell exactly what you're getting. The ducks spent the night in a small rabbit hutch and come daylight, well, I saw exactly what I had bought. 

Those poor things looked rough. Really, that's an understatement. At least two had absolu...
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AH! I can't believe I've let a whole week slip by without blogging. Truth is, this week marked the first week back to school. And, let me tell you... it. has. been. busy. So much so that, I have to admit, I have been shamefully cranky. I don't know hay it's gotten me in such a tizzy. Maybe it's that I've never had this kind of responsibility. The end of this month will be our one year anniversary of being homeowners. We jumped head first into animals, building, gardening, and preserving and t...
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You may remember me talking about our fiasco with our nine chickens... You know, the flock that ran away the first day we were gone on vacation. Yeah. I'm still getting over that one. It made me so mad! But with each little flock we have had we have learned things. Lots of valuable things. So, I have big hopes for these girls we have now. We ordered these girls in the middle of June when we got back from our trip. MyPetChicken had a sale on Golden Buff chicks (aka Red Stars). They were sellin...
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This morning at 7:00 you would have found me on the front porch. From there I could see the girls (our Red Star chickens) lining up and tip toeing down their ramp ready to meet the sun. Loretta and Lynn (our pygmies) made their way out of their house, too, with plenty of quiet bleats, waiting to be noticed... and myself? Well, I was filling water balloons and putting them into the YETI until there wasn't room for more. Jessie Belle helped by chasing the water hose and trying to lap up any ext...
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