"Would ya?"

"Could ya would ya ain't ya gonna if I asked you would ya wanna"

buy one of these cute grain sacks turned chic tote?

Background: Our neighbor contacted my Mom about the large pile o' grain bags she has to see if I would be interested in making reusable bags out of them.  Cool idea, huh? 
My sister-in-law, Liza, is a seamstress {I am not!}, so she and I made a prototype to give it a whirl. 
What do you think? 

Would ya wanna buy one? 

Here are the grain sacks {this general livestock sack is really cute}:

Give us some feedback as quick as you can as we may be scheduling our sewing day for this weekend! 
Do you like the red handles or would black be better?

$10 and one of the bags could be yours! 

Save the grain sacks from the Dumpster! :)

End of August Update

Hold onto your hats, this is a long post/update.  I divided the pictures into three sections {kids, farm, and house} to help organize it, but it is still obscenely long!  Venture forward if you must... :)

1. Pictures of the little nuts playing

Peyton takes after his Grampy and loves the dryer vent {the very same spot my dad sat under as a kid!}.

Jules enjoying some blackberries on our walk. 

2. Farm Pictures

The guys have been putting in very long hours, nightfall doesn't even stop them!

3. Home Pictures

Do some cupboards make you smile when you open them? 

The new peanut butter Snickers make me smile, too.  I have a 3-every-day rule with chocolate.:)

These Popsicles make the kids smile.  I love that they are so healthy.  I made them with Greek yogurt, banana, blueberries, raspberries, a touch of honey, and one scoop of my "healthy mix".

Healthy mix consists of: powdered kelp, brewers yeast, flax seed, and wheat germ.

I found these cute bags at Winco in the summer clearance section and put the R and horse on them.  They are nice for taking to the pond, etc.

David and I got away for a date night in the middle of harvest thanks to my sister's organization and gentle prodding!:)  She came to the farm and watched the nuts while we got away for dinner; we had such a good time.  Leave it to a girl who is nine months pregnant to make it happen.:)  Thank you, Rich & Leah!!

Recent portraits of the little nuts {I should probably ask JCPenney if I can share!}

New summer pictures for the frames before summer is over! :)

I tried to make some cute rubber gloves for myself, but still need to finish this project.  I was having trouble with the pleats and had to walk away/dig a hole! :)

In the process of cleaning out my candle cupboard for a garage sale, I put some forgotten candle holders to use by making cake stands out of them with glass plates.  My sis-in-law did this for their wedding reception and I thought they were so pretty. 

The candle cupboard is also the doily cupboard, so I put all my doilies to use as a table runner {tacked them together with thread}.  I saw the idea a while back and loved it.

Making jam is usually a winter project, but for some reason I decided to empty out my berries from the freezer and make 55+ pints of jam... yikes!  I have plenty for gifts now! :)

That is a little of what we have been up to! 

Good night and God bless!

Goodbye, Hadiah!

This week we said goodbye to our Arabian gelding, Hadiah {Hadiah means "gift"}.  My parents bought him when I was twelve, and had him for seventeen years.  He was rightly named, a couple from our church won him in a drawing at a computer store. :) After my parents bought him, I began taking riding lessons at the barn where was boarded, and thus it began.  I was introduced to amazing trainers, the world of reigning and horse shows, and very importantly, a discipline/hobby, I could pursue during those awkward junior high years. 

Hadiah was full of spunk and personality and was about as smart as they come.  He was so well-trained, it got to where all I had to do was shift my weight in the saddle or go to pick up the reigns, and he was doing it.  I had the pleasure of giving a handful of sweet little girls riding lessons on him a few years back, and he was always so gentle and good for them.  My mom had a very special spot in her heart and he knew it. :)   

His health has been deteriorating and the vet did not have a good prognosis for him, so he was put down this week.
We are sad and will miss you, Hadiah!  You were a good boy!  I am pulling on my boots this week to ride.  It has been too long.

A couple pictures of pictures of him and I... 

my trainer, Hadiah, and I 

No-need-to-go-to-town-Spaghetti-with-Roasted-Zucchini

Gotta love recipes that don't require a trip to town, just a few steps outside!  I made it last night and it is definitely worth making again!  I love zucchini and it was really light, but very flavorful, too!  Come and get zucchini if you don't have any!:)

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, sliced
olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
zest of 1/2 of a lemon
1 1/2 tsp butter
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
6 oz spaghetti
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450.  Place zucchini on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast 10-15 minutes, stirring once.
2. Saute onions over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and stir in zucchini and lemon.
3. Melt butter and stir in bread crumbs until lightly browned.  Add mint. 
4. Cook pasta 9 minutes, reserve 1/4 cup water.  Add olives.  Bring to a boil.  Sprinkle with cheese and dive in.

Feed my Soul & Dig a Hole

A couple thoughts...


I've been thinking lately about how I am feeding my soul.  When the days are long or when they're tough right out of the chute, what do I turn to, how do I feed my soul?  When I receive the worst of news or I'm feeling a little lonely, do I reach for a Lindor truffle or the phone?  Do I look for an encouraging e-mail/blog comment or maybe just a little "me time"?   There are so many "good" things , but what is best?  The answer is simple, but not always chosen... CHRIST ALONE!   I don't want to feed my soul with fluff, or turn to anyone/anything, besides Christ!  My mindset is transformed, I am renewed as I offer up my sacrifice of praise, rock out to worship music with the little nuts or meditae on His word.  I will tell you this, He never disappoints me, He comes and feeds my soul!


Dig a Hole.  Wisdom from Nanny.  My mom shared this wisdom from Nanny with me when I was telling her about trying to keep up with our large garden and/or not getting some leftovers used up.  She said sometimes you just have to dig a hole to keep peace.  Isn't this so true?  You can apply this philosophy to forgiveness and so many other things in life, don't beat yourself up, move on, and Dig a Hole! :)

I plan to be back soon with pictures and a bunch of other "miscellaneous"!   

Fair, Food, J.Crew, & Pictures

Hey!  Are you enjoying your summer?  It is finally here; oh sweet 80 degree days.  I tried to stay away from blogging, honestly, but like a moth to the flame, a dog to its vomit, Peyton to blueberries, I am back here blogging.  I can't help it, if I'm going to do it, I have to keep it somewhat consistent, one of my character flaws/traits! :)

According to my husband, I am not only consistent, but you can liken me to... a laxative.  Uh-huh.  He gave me the sweetest compliment, "Baby {he didn't actually say baby, but inserting for effect}, you are like a laxative, you get things moving.".  Say what??!! 

I stirred the pot/ got things moving with some of our business dealings, so that was his original way of telling me, "good job!".  David!  It was a week for compliments because the little man told me, "Mama, I like your toes, I like your eyes, I like your whole body."  I must keep him around!     

Now, pictures...

The little man asleep after coming to bed with us one night. 

It seems we end up rescuing quite a few critters from our window wells; this year we've rescued a baby robin multiple times and then this "ginormous" bullfrog.  Paytay carried him around for a while before releasing him in the blueberry field.

I have been picking lots of blueberries, filling orders, and I'm thankful for the opportunity, albeit unconventional, to earn money. We are on the 2nd picking of the Dukes now, and you can still put in your orders.

It seems like we hardly go to town, but we did make it in for the Fair and the kids were smitten with all the animals.  For me, the most memorable part was standing up to nurse Julia in a sweltering outhouse- gee sh, the things we do, huh?! :-)

Moving quickly to food...

I really love these chicken salad sandwiches in the summer; yum!

A nice no-cook recipe for summertime!

We consumed the last of our strawberries.

Did you know you can freeze your leftover whipped cream?  You simply line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, pour it in mounds onto the lined baking sheet, freeze, and transfer to an airtight container.  Thaw it for about 5 minutes before you want to use it. 

The good stuff, when you need it, without the mess!

Popum and Nanny came down for a visit and she made a scrumptious chocolate cake.  Must get the recipe to make and share!

Nanny taught me this trick and it works great.  If you're like me and don't own a salad spinner {you know, it is just one more thing to store}, you can wrap your lettuce in a dish towel, take it outside and spin around.  The kids thought it was pretty entertaining, but it does the trick!

I've snapped a few father son pictures lately.

My dad and oldest brother, Zach working together:

David and his dad putting a roof on the play structure:

Daddy & Paytay making Paytay fly

Baby Jules

The little nuts in the garden- O holding up a carrot for me to see..

Let me introduce you to my J.Crew wannabe watch.  I need to wear a watch.  I don't carry my cell phone around, so a watch is a must.  I love the J.Crew watches, but not the price.  My mom had the idea to pick up a Timex watch {you can find them most anywhere} and buy the J.Crew band to go on it.  You can snag the J.Crew watch bands, on sale, starting at $6.99-- cheap!  What other jewelry do you need besides earrings and a cute watch?!
The J.Crew Timex watches sell for between $100-$200.  

Daddy + the slip 'n slide= soap and mega-speed.  Daddy drenched the slide with dish soap,

then their bottoms! :)

Look who's also on the move! 

She began crawling and acts like she just might stand up and start walking; the little nut has balance!  She pulls up onto everything and has already got some bumps and bruises to prove it.

She is irresistible, I tell you!

One of the first things she did, upon gaining mobility, was crawl into her closet and examine her shoes.

I found her asleep like this one evening.

Bye!