Maiden Voyage

Well my kiddos decided to build a "raft". They used several unconventional items and even got into my fabric stash.

Yes, those are feed buckets!

I think I'm raising little engineers. With the help of his younger sister my son built it using his own tools. I'm so proud of them for being so creative.

My daughters side took on a little water. But she didn't seem to mind. Thanks goodness it was a warm day!





We also got to see a snake in the water. YIKES! And yes my daughter high tailed it out of the water!






My son on the other hand stayed right in and decided to throw rocks!





After the 3 hour tour we stopped by my parents' neighbors and got a new baby calf. Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen? He will be a week old on Thursday so we will now be bottle feeding, again.






Oh the things I do for my kids......I must be losing my mind. : )

Furry Friends

Let me introduce you all of our furry friends........this is Barkley. He was our first pet and I guess you could say "we left the gate open" after we got him.



Next are our ducks. They were a great addition to our farm and have never left the back yard. They love our pond and are lots of fun to watch from the kitchen window.

This is Kipper, Kody and Brownie. Our goats and bunny. We got the bunny for Easter last year and Kipper and Kody were born on Easter 2008 and then given to us after just after their birth. It was a huge challenge bottle feeding them for a month!

This is Bessie and Velvet. They are angus beef cattle and were a gift to the kids from their grandfather. They have grown like crazy and are hopefully going to be mommies next spring.

This is another picture of Brownie resting after his photo shoot for an Easter advertisement in a local magazine.

These are our sheep Angel and Snow. They are "hair sheep" but obviously were bred with a non-hair sheep as all of their fleece did not fall off and we will have to have them sheered!

This is Nanny McPhee (we couldn't resist). She was given to us after having been sick and we nursed her back to health. She is very happy "fighting" with the sheep. They have a great time!

Madeline "Maddie" is one of our Llamas. She's other wise known as "Miss Attitude". She is 19 years old and loves to roll around in the dirt.

This is Maddie's sister Gracie. She is very gentle and likes to be led around the field.....when you can catch her!

I hope I haven't forgotten anyone.....oh wait we do have a new bunny-Beatrix. We just got her last week and we are hoping she and Brownie will hit it off if you know what I mean!#?

Scrap-tabulous!!!!!

Well how can I ever thank him????? My dear, sweet, wonderful husband put the finishing touches on my scrap/craft/sewing/painting room!!!! It is sooo wonderful!!!!! I can hardly believe that all of my stuff will be accessible and I won't have to go from room to room looking for it.

Isn't it funny the things that make us happy as an adult. For me it's a new washing machine or a shiny new stainless refrigerator.

For my son who decided to make a list of the things he "wants", it's monkey glue (aka-gorilla glue), a saw (not the electric kind), a level, wood........wait this looks like the list my hubby took to Home Depot, like father like son. : )

On the other hand my daughter was blissfully happy to know that she can keep her scrapbooking supplies in the cabinet with mine and even asked me if we could scrapbook tomorrow instead of "doing school".

We bought the bottom 4 door cabinet at a local cabinet shop along with the counter top. Dh built the rounded cabinet for the side and the top cabinets. He also built a chalk-board to cover the ugly electric panel.

And to think that all of the wood for the top shelves was just sitting in Home Depot yesterday minding it's own business. I have to hand it to him he really whipped it together in a flash.

I LOVE IT!

Great Sundays

Isn't Sunday one of the best days of the week? Sometimes there's time for a nap, many times there's time for a nice drive in the country and there's always time to spend with family and friends.

Today after church my kids enjoyed a ride in their paddle boat and played in their forts in the woods. My husband enjoyed watching football all day...his favorite past-time! It's been a great weekend for football for him because all of his teams won.

As for me, after enjoying a wonderful worship service at our church I got to steal and hour for a nap and then be complemented on cooking a great meal. A favorite at our house; steak, potatoes, green beans and garlic bread. My husband said the potatoes were the best he'd ever had! And my daughter said, "Hey Mommy you should put the recipe on your blog".

So here you go:

Smashed Potatoes

2 large baking potatoes

dash sea salt

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 to 1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter (only the real stuff here)

bacon bits for top

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain off water, return to pot and mash potatoes. Add milk, butter, sour cream, cheese (reserving some for topping) and salt while stirring over low heat. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon. Place in oven on 350 for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This is my very simple version of smashed potatoes and could be done with new potatoes as well but my picky, picky husband doesn't like new potatoes!!

Wow, my first blog post, this needs to be good to keep you interested. So......let's start with building on the good. What does that mean anyway and why did I choose that for the title of my blog?

I love quotes. An author that I love recommends keeping a journal of them. "Building on the good that you have instead of dwelling on what you don't have or can't do",(author unknown) is one of my favorites so far and since I don't always recognize the good in my life (even though it is abundant) I thought if I picked that for a title it would remind me and all of those that read this that there really is a lot of good in all of our lives.

Have you stopped and taken the time to see, really see, the good in your life today? Do it.....you'll be glad you did. Then, take a moment to thank God, so He who gives all can rejoice with you.