Simple and Rustic

I started this little project planning on decorating the log with some pine, berries or ribbon. It didn't end that way!     You will need tea light candles, a piece of log, a drill, 1 1/2 inch drill bit. We don't have birch trees in our area so I chose to use a piece of sycamore log. Any piece of log will do. 
  This is a very simple project. Just drill as many candles holes as you would like. I chose 3 for the length of log I was using. Drill your holes 1/2 inch deep or as deep as the tea lights candles you are using.
  Insert your tea lights candles. Make sure your log doesn't roll around so you don't spill candle wax everywhere while the candles are burning. My log had a naturally flat side otherwise you can hot glue a couple of small sticks or twigs along the bottom to keep it from rolling.
  In the end, I left it plain and simple and I think it fits right in.

Cute as a Button!

I think we've settled on the name Radar!
He just wants to know if you think he looks like his daddy??

I am so in love with this little guy!

Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year 
from our house to yours!

He Is Finally Here!!!

On Thanksgiving Day!!!     Meet (insert baby donkey's name here!)      He doesn't have a name yet but he's here!!

First I had Dimple, then I searched high and low for 10 months for a black jennet and finally found Sarah.

I feel like I have waited a lifetime for this little guy.
 
But it was worth the wait! Any name suggestions?

Trail Cams

We have several different trail cams up on our farm.  Just a few of the bucks running around here. We had 4 different boys working this scrape but this was the biggest one.  

Day shot of a big boy.

And a night shot of the same big boy.

These little guys need to learn to get along!  We have numerous pictures of them fighting.

Another big boy at the feeder.  Rack is taller but not as wide.

This is what you get when you mess with the big boys. 

Blaze Orange and Camo Time

It's that time of year again!  Guess what we've been doing?  

This is Jake's second year of hunting.  He got his button buck last year and he killed a doe Tuesday evening.  He's let several bucks walk right on by.  He says he's waiting for "THE BIG ONE!"
He's so serious about his hunting.

Most of the time anyway!  You have to have a little fun while you're out there waiting!!

 

HAPPY HUNTING to all you fellow hunters!

My Lil' Smokie Sauce

I am the Lil' Smokie Queen!  Ay least my family thinks so.  I'm always expected to bring the Lil' Smokies to any and all family get-togethers.  There's an awful fuss if I don't!   There's a quite a bit of mixing for the sauce so I decided to can some tonight.  I always make 4 pounds (actually it's not quite 4 pounds now since the packages are 13 ounces instead of 16 ounces like they used to be!

Anyway, a quart of sauce makes 4 pounds packages of Lil' Smokies.

I prefer the Hillshire Farm Beef Lil' Smokies, but any of them will work.  I always make the recipe x 4 for my crock-pot of Smokies.

This is the basic recipe for 1 package of Smokies.

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 package Lil' Smokies  Mix ingredients, add Smokies and cook in Crock-pot until Lil' Smokies are plump and tender.

For canning, I did the recipe x 16 just because that's how much ketchup I had stored in the pantry. I use Heinz, I'm picky about my ketchup!  Mine made 5 quarts of sauce.

Sauce for Canning (makes 5 quarts)
16 cups ketchup
4 cups brown sugar
32 tsp soy sauce (2/3 cup)
32 tsp Dijon mustard (2/3 cup)
16 tbsp white vinegar (1 cup)
2 tsp garlic powder

Slowly bring to a slow bubbling boil, stirring occasionally.  Once boiling, have hot jar, lids and bands waiting.  Pour sauce into hot jars, adjust lids and bands and process in boiling water bath (canner) for 20 minutes.  Remove jars of sauce from canner and let cool.  Check seals on top of lids after cooling.  Just add this sauce to your Smokies in the Crock-Pot when you're ready to cook them and turn it on!  All the work is done for you.  This sauce can be used for lots of different recipes or as a barbeque sauce for grilling, etc.  Hope you enjoy it!

Just Peachy

My boys love their jam! I'm milking a goat again so that means homemade yogurt which means using my homemade jam as the "fruit-on-the-bottom"! Peach is one of their favorites. I have a new iPad and have downloaded the bloggin' apps that should simplify this bloggers life for posting more often. We shall see how that goes! Here's my first iPad bloggin' photo!    To can peach jam, you need:   Jars, lids and bands  Peaches  5 1/2 cups sugar  1 pkg Sure-Jell 1 Tbs. butter  2 Tbsp. lemon juice  Peel and finely chop peaches to equal 4 cups. Add peaches, Sure-Jell, lemon juice and butter to a large pot. Bring to a rapid rolling boil. Add sugar. Have hot jars and bands/lids ready and waiting. Bring mixture to a rapid rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Allow to boil for 1 minute while stirring. Remove from heat. Pour into hot jars, wipe rims of jars, adjust lids and bands. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from hot water bath to a towel on the counter and let cool for 24 hours before moving.   ENJOY!

Camping with the Boys

Luke wanted to have a sleep-over camp out for his 6th birthday so that's what we did.   I set up the tent and filled up the fire pit!  We roasted hot dogs and made Smore's. I had four very excited little boys!  They were all so brave.....even when we heard howling, bumping and screeching during the night! We got up the next day and went fishing!

Doesn't get any better than that! Well, unless you count watching a dog eat a fish!
Boys think things like that are cool!

Camping at the Lake

He's found something,


Wonder what it could possibly be?


He's bringing it to me!


He looks quite proud of whatever he's found!


Awwww, it's a little green caterpillar!



We had a great weekend camping at Land Between the Lakes! Now back to the "real" world!

Fancy Talkin' Zippo

My new boy will be coming home tomorrow! Fancy Talkin' Zippo is his registered name, but to us he's Charlie! We're not too fancy around this farm!

I am so excited! I'll post more photos of him getting to know the girls when he gets here.

Amish Cookbook Winner

And the winner is....drum roll please....
Osage Bluff Quilter
Please use the "contact me" link in the right sidebar to email me your mailing address and I will get your cookbook in the mail!
I hope you enjoy it!

Hop on board with the Google Friend Connect or Facebook! When I get 500 followers on GFC or 200 on FB, I'll have a G.R.I.T. magazine (1-year subscription) give away! Go invite your friends!

Share A Site

I found a site this morning that I might just be hooked on! I rarely make a post just to share a site but here goes!

It's called Instructables.

Right now I am hung up in the Gardening section!

If you have a site you love and want to share, post it in the comments!

Amish Cookbook Give Away!

I haven't had a give away in ages!

Big, thick, 360-page, Amish cookbook I picked up while shopping at the Amish Trading Post last Friday.

I got one for you too! Be a follower and leave me a comment to enter! I'll post the random winner on Friday morning about 9:00!Good luck!!

Incubator Time Again

And it's all filled up!


Banties, full-sized chickens and TURKENS!


Why I think I need turkens is a mystery to me, but I'm hoping they hatch!

Dirt Cat

We are often asked how Dirt Cat got his name....


When we got him 5 years ago, he would curl up in my flower pots and sleep....


My oldest son said he was like dirt in the pot....


Five years later....We still have a Dirt Cat!

Cowboy Boots and HDR

I've been playing with my new camera and some HDR (high dynamic range) software.


Tell me what you think!


Spring is almost here and I am so ready to get outside with my Canon and really try it out!

Riding Lizzy

Spent the day riding with my little sister. She hadn't been on a horse in years and I didn't even get a photo of her, but she got one of me and Lizzy.

I'll get one of her next weekend. We had a great time and she has already decided she needs a horse now. I bought another horse last week. His name is Charlie and he'll be coming home soon!!

Gorgeous Day

Yesterday was perfect!


We had 70-degree weather


and beautiful sunshine!


All enjoyed from the back of a horse!


My kind of day!

Don't Forget Our Feathered Friends

It's cold and snowy here. Don't forget to feed the birds.


They love this suet recipe. I make the big squares for slicing in my soap mold and put them in my homemade suet feeders.

You may even see a fight or two over this stuff.


"It's MINE! Step away from the suet log!"

While the Cardinals fight, the Downy Woodpecker and Titmouse sneak in for a little snack.


At least they get along!


And then old Mr. Blue Jay crashes the party and runs everyone off. He's the law enforcement of the backyard!


Someone has to watch out for the little "Goldfinch" people!


And this guy refuses to do the job today. He has other places to be!