Friday's Favorites

Decided to make Fridays the day I share some of my favorite bloggers posts. I enjoy reading all the posts but some just make me want to share with everyone. Here are my favorite for this week. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

I always get a laugh when I visit Notes From the Trenches but Chris really put a smile on my face with this post!

Maria over at Dirt Under My Nails is always so busy and seems to get so much done it makes me jealous. They are building their own home and its going to be beautiful!

Melody got me hooked on Because I Said So and I always leave laughing after visiting Dawn.

Here is one time that sticking out your tongue is not only okay but really cute! Kansas Milkmaid has a way with her camera.

Jewels wrote a beautiful post about her new granddaughter. Her daughter in law surprised everyone (including herself) by having the baby at home.


These are just a few of my favorites this week. There were so many I enjoyed the photos, the advice, the story or just enjoyed reading about their day. So go see if you like them too, bet you will!

Today I hit the floor running. Had to finish up several soap orders, feed, water, milk, then deliver a couple of local wholesale soap orders. I love Gillis Hill Farm ! It is a very large farm down the road from me besides selling fresh veggies has the best homemade ice cream with homemade waffle cones in the world! Their ice cream shop is inside the original old home. They have tours where you can see how a farm operates right down to curing tobacco and sawing trees into lumber at their antique sawmill. They have been selling my soaps in their shop for a couple months now and I am surprised how well they are doing. From there I had to go to Lake Rim Lawn and Garden to drop off another order. They have been selling my soaps for almost 4 months and keeping me busy. Lake Rim is a feed store that has been here forever and been handed down generation to generation. I walk in they know right away if I am there to deliver soap or purchase alfalfa for the goats. They know everyone by name and what they do or where they have been before they get there. A very small town farm store that I love! After leaving there I headed back home to do some laundry. Yes, I really do have a washer and dryer but I am serious when I say William and I really want to live the simple life. Its hard work but at the end of the day I am very blessed to be able to live this wonderful life. We are working on getting as back to basic living as possible. We are in the researching stage of solar power so we can supply our own electric power. I know that's not really part of simple living but I need my computer for my soap business and I am guilty of running the air conditioners when the temps are in the 100's. But anyway this is how I choose to do laundry. Its relaxing to me. While I am cranking the hand wringer I think back to growing up and my mother having a wringer washer and watching her wash clothes. My Grandma Messer used a wash tub and wash board for a little of my childhood. I remember her filling the washtub on Saturday night for bath time. It does take a little longer but the clothes sure look cleaner and smell so fresh! I did have to use store bought laundry detergent today. I am out of my homemade but will be making more tonight.

I went to get the rest of the dirty clothes to find that they had become a bed for a very tired baby kitty.
I am being nice and waiting till in the morning to do these so baby kitty can have a good sleep. Meanwhile I have to clean up the kitchen, feed, water, milk, lock the animals up for the night. I let the goats out today. When I walked over to the neighbors to check on her dogs injury to its foot, the goats stood at the fence and cried "mom". I am not suppose to be on the other side of the fence. Had to hunt eggs this afternoon as the hens decided to lay everywhere. One laid a egg in a chair on the porch (the part not screened in). One decided to lay one in a artificial flower stand. Several went way under the boat so I had to crawl to get them. Tomorrow I am going to be mean and let all the animals stay in their pens instead of roaming around. I bet I will have some very mad animals at the end of the day! Hope your day was filled with blessings!

My daughter Melody has started blogging again! With 5 kids, husband and work she always has something to write about. Stop by for a visit and I promise you will leave with a smile on your face or wet pants from laughing. Time for me to get back to my washtubs and finish laundry. Will be back later with some tidbits and photos. Have a blessed one!

Isn't it beautiful! I am talking about the raindrops. LOL We had a wonderful thunder shower this afternoon and the geese, ducks and myself enjoyed every drop. Priscilla has bumble foot and I have been doctoring it and its getting better but I still bandage it after cleansing and putting on the antibiotics. She doesn't bother the bandage but walking feels funny to her. She takes a step and then looks at her foot to see whats different. Momma Kitty and Baby Kitty enjoyed having a hen on the porch with them for a little while.

Priscilla is safely back in her private hospital pen. She enjoys the attention and just sits still while I take care of her foot. Bud is doing great. He doesn't even try to get out of his pen when you open the door. Think his traveling fever broke!

Been a busy day around the homestead. William was able to come home this afternoon as he doesn't have to be in Kansas City till Friday. We washed his semi, played with the goats, and had a chat with Bud. He also helped me with laundry as I was washing in the washtubs and using the handcrank wringer. Didn't take long with the two of us. Getting ready to go out for a light supper as we are both too tired to cook. We want to get a early start tomorrow on cutting more firewood before he has to leave tomorrow afternoon. It was in the 90's but not too humid so wasn't too uncomfortable working outside. Got the leak fixed in the motorhome so I will finish cleaning it tomorrow and take some pictures.

We aren't working near as hard as hillbilly2b is. They are coming along real good on their home. Rosie has a great post today. Gotta run. Everyone have a blessed evening!

Count Your Blessings Monday

Time again for Marci's Count Your Blessings Monday. Today I am very blessed for the rain. Late last night we had a nice heavy steady rain. I sat out on the porch in my pj's drinking a cup of hot chocolate enjoying the sound on the tin roof. This morning another shower of rain came in . Its nowhere near what we need but it was a blessing to see puddles, to see raindrops falling from the leaves on the trees. Today the air conditioners are turned off. The doors and windows are open. The high today will only be 88F and I am counting my blessings! What blessings are you counting?

Vacation is Over

After running away from home in April Bud decided it was time to come home. We thought he had gone to the swamp and when it turned cold wouldn't make it. I was surprised when my neighbor called to tell me Bud was outside their turkey pen. I brought him home and he actually seems to be smiling. William thinks Bud checked his calendar and saw the days were getting shorter so it was time to head back home. Whatever the reason Bud is back home!

William is on his way to Baltimore but did get to stop by the house last night. I fixed stir fried steak and it was good! We took the goats for a walk down the driveway before he had to head out this morning. I got all the pens raked and cleaned some of the water buckets before it got too hot. Another in the 100's day. Sure can't wait for fall to arrive. Have a blessed weekend!

A Day in Pictures

What are you laughing at? I think I have pretty hair!

Quick, Hide and maybe she will go away

Now is our chance! She left the keys in the ignition.

Medicine? I don't have a boo boo on my nose, you need your glasses!Make sure you put that medicine on Whiskers and not me

If it taste good you can give it to me!

I promise not to be bad again. Please let me out of time out. Please, I'll be good.

Why did you put my daddy in time out?

I want my daddy. Are you going to make him stay in there forever?

He does look kinda sorry and pitiful. Go on, let him out.
Good grief, he has only been in there for 5 minutes! I say make him stay in time out till I finish eating.

I Won!

Wow! I have entered alot of give aways but this is the first time I ever won. Thank you Connie! And the best thing of all is everything has to do with chocolate! I just love chocolate!

Do you want to know why I named this chick Einstein?

When the chick hatched several hens were pecking it really badly. It had a hole in its head and I thought it wouldn't make it. I moved it and Sister to their own pen. The chick is doing great except for part of its top being off on the side. Sister is now sitting on more eggs so Einstein will be moving out soon.

I am back and you didn't even know I was gone. Yesterday right after lunch the phone and computer lines were out. Seems the road crew mowing along the road drove slap over the phonebox and cut the line for the whole neighborhood. It was fixed around 8:30 last night but then my computer went crazy. cd drawer kept open and closing over and over. I kept getting AOL when I don't even have AOL on my computer. Then half of my keyboard stopped working. Of course that was the half that I needed to type in my password for email and for blogging. Ran a virus scan and fixed everything but the keyboard. Had to go out this morning for a new one. Couldn't mail my soap orders as I couldn't get the addresses off the computer. That plus a head cold has me very grouchy. Hopefully today is a better day.

Went out to give fresh water a few minutes ago. Guess Juliet's feet got hot following her boyfriend around. She was standing in her water cooling her feet

Killer was pitching a fit so I went to see what was wrong. Seems like Snow White decided to take over sitting on Killers eggs and Killer wasn't happy.I had to get Snow White off the nest which made her very very unhappy with me. She tried her best to bite my legs and was she ever mad when she couldn't

Meanwhile Killer was happy back on her eggs

Meanwhile John Henry the rooster got too close to Ethel, Fred the turkey's girlfriend which caused a big fight. Fred's chest feathers were just starting to come back from the last fight but at least this time Fred won. Don't think John Henry will be messing with Fred anymore.Dolly's babies are already running around. One was enjoying the sunshine with its mom.

If you want a good laugh or a good prank to pull on your hubby you need to pop over to Perri's and see what she was up to!

I know I posted a link to Notes from a Cottage Industry yesterday but she has a awesome ideal for your guestroom. A way to personalize for each person.

Kansas Milkmaid amazes me everytime I stop by. This lady does it all!

Rosa found a awesome magazine and it has some of our blog neighbors in it! Rosa is also redoing her kitchen. I am waiting to see how it goes and how long it takes before I finally break down and let Wayne start on mine. Thank goodness she is sharing each step so I can be prepared.

Hope everyone is having a blessed day!

As you are visiting the blog neighborhood please stop by Amy's over at Queen's Edge Farm. She lost her dad Sunday night. He stopped to help another vehicle on the side of the road and was killed in a freak accident. Amy is a very frugal, talented homesteading mom. Let her know she is in your thoughts and prayers.


Over at Notes from a Cottage Industry you can get some really beautiful but inexpensive ideals for weddings, showers, and see her beautifully decorated home.

Meggie from Life's Free Treats takes us on a fun trip down memory lane. I just love fairs!

Joni from My Piece of Heaven has a bird with a attitude post with photos!

Today has been a hot, humid day. I took my neighbor Vicki to the doctor today. Made a french potato salad for Women's Circle meeting tonight. Mostly spent the day keeping the animals in cold drinking water and working inside. Just a quiet day around the homestead.

It's Monday and time for Marci's Count Your Blessings Monday.

Today the blessing I am thankful for is the weather. Yes, its very hot and humid but there are no wild fires destroying my home or land. No, there hasn't been any rain in weeks but there is no hurricane taking my family or home away. There are no earthquakes, no floods, no tornado's, so whats to complain about? I think everyone going through any of the above would take the heat and drought we are in and feel very blessed. What blessings are you thankful for today?

Killer is sitting on eggs again. She always picks the nesting box that all the hens like laying eggs in. Each day I have to reach under her to get the fresh eggs out and make sure her eggs are still marked. Each day Killer uses her beak to grab some skin on my hand and not only bite but twist the skin as hard as she can. She leaves blood blisters on my hand. Thus the name Killer. She seems to have forgotten the day she got into a fight with another hen. The day she let me doctor and pet her. The day she sat in my lap and took a nap. I think I am going to wear a pair of gloves tomorrow and see what she does.

Fred seems to think the air conditioner in the living room window is talking to him. He stands under the a/c and gobbles at it. Ethel just follows him wherever he goes and doesn't seem to think its strange he talks to air conditioners. I chase him away from the a/c and go get Juliet.
She was standing outside the handyman's back door waiting on him to come out so she could follow him around and drool. And as I am walking her back home Fred is back talking to the air conditioner. I sure can't ever say its boring around here! Do you see all the leaves on the ground? They have been falling for weeks. They aren't suppose to be falling yet. They are suppose stay green on the trees until fall and then change colors before falling.Where have our seasons gone?

Goodbye Cabin

Today I took down the cabin the grands had built this spring. Stacked the wood and wondered if they would build the same cabin next year, something different or will they be too old to even want to build anything. William made the logs out of landscape timbers. Their first use was as a watergarden. There were 3 levels with a small waterfall at the top, pond in the middle and a flower garden on the bottom level. When we moved here we never seemed to have time to put it back together. During Christmas break 2005 Quintin and Gabby found the stack and ask if they could use them to build something.

They worked hard for 2 days getting their cabin just right. Of course there was a few disagreements over where and how to build it. They stuck with it and were so proud of their Crawford Cabin!

Then their cousins came down and not to be outdone they took it apart and rebuilt it.... exactly the same way. The only thing is they almost caught the woods on fire with their campfire. (they didn't rake the dried leaves away from the firepit.Woody, Hope, Zack and Julie enjoy supper around their campfire. Then came spring break of this year and after checking out all the new animals they wanted to get started on the cabin. This time they moved it closer to the house. They were so close to the back steps I had to get them to move it back alittle so we could use the steps. I think they may have watched too many scary movies before building this time.

Woody was helping Zack put down some plastic over the straw as they had plans on spending the night in their cabin.

Woody, Hope, Zack, and Julie trying out their cabin before dark.

The last campfire of the year. The last eating s'mores and telling ghost stories. The secrets the walls of the cabin held. The jokes, the stories, the tears, the laughter that was shared by cousins inside that little cabin are all done for another year. Here's hoping the next school break will bring the grands together working on the cabin as they share stories, memories and laughter. Lots of laughter.

Mary from Fireflies and Frogs has tagged me to list ten things I like about myself. Though it took me all afternoon I think I finally have ten.
1. My faith. I like that I am not ashamed of my faith and good or bad days I am blessed.
2. Being able to understand my animals. I know its strange but 9 out of 10 times when one of my animals makes a noise I know what they are trying to tell me they need or just want.
3. That I am a "cool" grandma (according to Zack) even when I wake them up to do chores.
4. That I am losing weight though not as fast as I would like but I am losing and feeling good.
5. My relationship with my daughters. We can talk about anything with each other. I can have a friend relationship without losing the mother/daughter one.
6. My love of farm work. I might grumble about having to get up early but I love feeding, milking and talking to the animals first thing each morning.
7. That I can actually make soap. I am not a talented person so finding something I can do that others actually enjoy makes me feel very good.
8. My love of reading. I can read 24/7. I love all types of books.
9. Being a friend. I am not one to collect friends just to have them. I take friendship seriously. If a friend needs something I want them to know I am there for them no matter what.
10. My desire to live life simply. I never thought I would want the hardwork of countrylife but I love it and am proud of every step I take to getting back to the basic way of living.

I am not sure who has been tagged and who hasn't but if you do this please leave me a comment so I can read your list of things you like about yourself.
Have a great weekend and don't forget to count those blessings!

Thank You Connie!

What a nice surprise I found in my mailbox today! Connie sent me a beautiful windchime and I am betting this crafty, talented lady made it herself. Connie thank you so much. You are always doing and giving to others in so many ways. I don't know how you find the time to do all you do. I am so blessed to have you as a blog neighbor and a friend. The gift of the windchime is just an extra bonus. I went out and sat on my back porch and though there wasn't any wind I enjoyed just looking at the sun hitting all the colors. I was always taught what goes around comes around so you should be covered up in wonderful blessings. Thank you again for thinking of me and I will think of you everytime I am on my back porch (which will be all the time!)

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Juliet(pea hen) has decided she is in love with the handyman. He has been putting lattice around the bottom of the porch and she has been standing right there with him. If he goes to the tool shed she follows him. If he walks home for something she follows him and waits outside his door for him to come out and then follows him back here. When I went out this afternoon to water I didn't see her. Then I heard her "honking" from outside the handyman's door. She was waiting for him to come out but he was home for the day. I had to walk her back home and close her up in her pen. Just goes to show nothing is normal around here

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It is finally cooling off so I am going out to sit on my back porch. Enjoy my windchime and listen to the animals settling in for the night.

Thieves!

These innocent looking boys are thieves I tell you! I thought I was being smart by getting up super early and taking them by surprise. I was able to get Diva's milk for a few mornings but the little fellows are smarter than the average Nubian. They listen for the sound of the milk bucket. You can go out anytime you want and if they don't see or hear the milk bucket they just stand at the fence looking at you all nice and innocent. But if you happen to make a noise with the bucket or let them see you carrying it then they knock down and stomp anything in their way to get to Diva before I do.
They will be 3 months old the 21st so their nursing days are numbered. I just have to be patient and then all the milk will be mine!!

On a different note, homemakerang is working rings around me with all her canning, freezing, and pickling. This wouldn't be so bad but she is pregnant and homeschooling, gardening while doing all this too! I can't wait to read about her checkbook going in the drop box at the library. I just love Sophie's birthday pictures but the video of her sleeping noises really cracked me up. I just love Peggy's post about aprons. My blog friends and neighbors are really busy these days but I am sure enjoying reading whats going on in their part of the neighborhood.