Martha Stewart was in my kitchen

Ever have one of those moments when 6 o'clock rolls around and you realize you forgot to prepare for dinner and you have 12 hungry eyeballs staring you down?

Yeah..that was me.

Refrigerator soup to the rescue! You know...the empty the fridge and don't' tell anyone you did it kinda soup.

Wanna know what I did? It comes out GREAT every.time.

If you have left over veggies, meat and spagetti sauce...then it's Martha Stewart like nobody's business.

I had some small containers of:

~wild rice
~corn
~potatoes
~3 hamburgers
~spagetti
~cubed chicken

I tossed them all into the pot. Added some water. 2T garlic and herb seasonings. 1 T salt. 1/2 bulb crushed garlic. 1 can of diced tomatoes. And viola! We had soup!

It was amazing!

A little garlic bread, salad and our refrigerator soup and I became Martha Stewart!

Now...shhhh...the family thinks this is some pre-planned, well thought out soup that just seems to appear once a month.

It's our secret...don't disappoint me and tell!

What kind of creations do you come up with?

It was unpopular, but she did it anyway

I sit here reflecting on the upcoming Mother's Day and I am overwhelmed by gratitude.

I am a product of the 60's...nuf said.

When it was unpopular and uncomfortable to be different, and many girls were aborting their unwanted pregnancies, a young lady, at age 17, decided to take responsibility for her actions and carry the child in her womb. Frightened, facing an unknown future....she chose to nurture the one in her womb. That child was me. I am ever so thankful that she chose to "keep" me in a day and age when freedom of choice was prevalent.

Barely outside of childhood herself she nurtured, she wept, she laughed, she prayed that this child would be healthy, vibrant and destined for greatness.

Mom~this is for you.

You have been a force in my life that has had ripple effects into many future generations.

Thank you for life.

Thank you for your nurturing spirit.

Thank you for the years of sacrifice as I drained your bank account with my gymnastics.

Thank you for TV dinners and Hormel Chili.

Thank you for always believing that I could be ANYTHING I put my heart and soul to.

Thank you for challenging me to always become more and never settle for the status quo.

Thank you for always displaying what a lady should inspire to.

Thank you for teaching me to be resilient in the face of struggle.

Thank you for teaching me that sometimes you have to give up to go up.

I am so glad God decided to give you to me. I couldn't have EVER asked for a better mother, friend, and confidant.

I am who I am today because of who you have always been.

May this year bring you peace and serenity that sings like a sweet and soft jazz song.

Love you mom and Happy Mother's Days~San

Growing up in a blogging world

Blogging has become a way of life around here. Farmhouse Fashionista and Farmhouse Baker have added pen to their thoughts. Some rambling, some convictions, some just plain 'ole country life with a tire swing and 4-wheeler.

Swing on over to their side of the world and leave them some love.

Farmhouse Fashionista has her own blog

My own Farmhouse Fashionista has begun her own blog.

Check it out here: Fashionable Inspirations ~where modesty and fashion become friends

I want dirt!

Dirt, worms, earth, soil, seed catalogs spread all over the floor. It's been one of those kinda afternoons....you know that kind that has you hunkering to get out in the dirt and get, well, dirty.

I spent last week, in my walking boot and short sleeves digging around in my friend's garden. We staked and raked, planned and planted. We (okay, she) started her seeds in her seedling pots. She even made me one flat of heirloom tomatoes! We scratched our heads as we fussed and moaned over crop rotation.

But, really...it was divine. I love having my hands in the dirt. Almost as much as I love dancing....almost.

The weather was right up there with peanut butter and chocolate kisses.

The weather here at home isn't quite all peanut butter and chocolate kisses, but rather kinda more like mudpie. Sigh*

As I look out our living room window today I hear our 40x60 garden wooing me, telling me it's hungry for seed and I mentally go over what will go where. I spent the latter part of today going through seed catalogs, gardening books and my own country garden journal. Do you have a journal that you keep your last year's notes in?

I opened mine today and jumped with delight that I remembered to write down at the end of last season what we did, what worked and didn't, and what we needed more of. Really...I don't need anymore jalapeño peppers! One can only make so much salsa! Seriously!

This year I've decided that I really need to put a crop rotation into effect. This is no small task when you don't really want to move the large area of corn. Whaddya you think? Should I move it? It's about a 20x40 area. And really...it's in the best area of the land. 

Well, even if we don't move the corn we will still need to address the crops rotating. No need to invite the bugs back year after year.

We are toying with black cloth and straw in the walkways this year as well. Really tired of all the weeding. This worked really well in my friends garden last year...she said she had almost no weeds at all. That's what I'm talking' about!





Looks like potatoes, spinach, lettuce, peas, melons, onions, and garlic may hit the scene soon.

I can already smell the dirt.

Heavenly.

Our week on Huckelberry's Farm

It was a week to remember! It's actually been a winter to remember! Phew!

After 5 weeks of being away from my husband and son we were finally going to be together again. We headed north from our beachy winter wonderland of sand, sun and sea to one of our favorite places on earth.....Ranch Shekinah.

We had planned on just two days there with one overnight stay. We were really anxious to get home. However, God had other plans.

Read here to hear more about it......

Jumping off the moon!

I know you've been waiting to see the Hanukkah pics. I know that I said I would post them. But really....I don't have the patience to get them from the Baker's computer and transport them to here and then upload them all.

Sorry....can't do it. Way.too.painful.

So, if you wanna see them. Go here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=536122152 and look at the pics.

I know. Lame. Sorry.

Just the way it is....

Life has been way busy.

Coming back from Success School found me with a crazy focus on my business.

And...it's paid off.

We jumped.We shook.We took off.

When this pay period is over I will tell you how much it's paid off. It's quite the jump!

So...there you go.

Living full....

Farmhouse Chicks