National Peach Month

August is national peach month!

I thought I'd share some of our favorite recipes that use

delicious, fresh peaches.

Here they are, in no particular order. :-)

Peach Shortcake Cookies

Peaches and Cream Muffins

Peach Scones with Cinnamon Glaze

Farmhouse Peach Pie

Fresh Peach Galette

Peach Jam AND Peach Jelly

Peach Cobbler

Summertime Peach Smoothie

They're not babies anymore...

The kittens are 15 weeks old now and getting to be 

almost as big as their little momma. :-)

They supply us with hours of entertainment. :-)

Leche

Chupa

Chiclet

Momma Reeses

They think that my son's go kart is their own personal jungle gym.

And of course our tennis shoes still hold a special fascination to them. 

Ah, such a sweet, sweet face. :-)

{Th} read

This week I have two books I'm reading.

And they're my own books - not borrowed from the library or a friend. 

I can't even remember the last time I got a new book,

and in a week's time I got two. :-)

The first book was a gift from my secret sister at church.

In the note attached it said that it was one of her favorites.

I've finished the first two chapters and I am really enjoying it so far.

The setting is on a farm in 1931. :-)

Hidden Places by Lynn Anderson

The best part of this book, though, was the bookmark that came with it!

So pretty!  I just love it.

The other book I'm reading, I just got over the weekend, when we went to Houston.

I got to spend a few minutes in one of my favorite places to "window shop" -

Williams Sonoma. 

I just drool over everything in there.  

And, I also wonder what kind of folks can afford most of the stuff they sell.

On this visit I got a chuckle over a $20 jar of frosting.

$20!!  Granted it was cute packaging and it looked yummy, but still. ;-)

Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole

There are always a lot of really nice cookbooks to look at Williams Sonoma.

I spotted this book last fall and thumbed through it.

This time it was on a clearance rack for 1/2 price

so I snatched it right up. 

It's a memoir of chicken keeping with lots of recipes included.

I think I'm going to like it a lot!

As far as crafting goes - this week I started a blue baby blanket 

for a nephew due in late November.  

I've made this particular blanket before

and it is definitely a "thinking" project,

meaning it takes a lot of counting and full concentration.

I was a little unsure if I should tackle it right now

seeing that my lazy days of summer are swiftly coming to an end,

and I will be a busy girl as soon as school starts back.

But, you know what I did?

I looked at the pattern again.  The blanket is 229 rows long.

I simply divided the number of rows by the number of days I had to work on it 

in order to be finished by the end of November. 

 I quickly realized that even if I only knitted 3 rows a day 

I could still be finished with it by the middle of October! 

 Looking at it that way made it seem SO much more doable.  

And aren't so many things like that??

Something can seem so daunting when faced with the big picture,

but when you break it down and just do a little bit each day,

one foot in front of the other as they say,

all of a sudden it doesn't seem so bad.

Finishing a project, loosing 10 pounds, saving for a vacation, reading a book,

cleaning out a closet, etc...

It's all easier if you just break it down and take it one step at a time. 

So whatever you're facing right now, just put one foot in front of the other

and before you know it you'll reach your destination! :-)

And, isn't it the getting started part that is the hardest? ;-)

As all knitters know that is definitely the hardest part of knitting.

The first few rows are always tight and hard to knit,

but after you get going it's much easier. 

I would say that's probably true for most things...

Week of August 6th

He's still here...

Blake Shelton, that is,

the "accidental rooster"

who was named Miranda Lambert the 2nd 

until he started to crow. ;-)

Taylor Swift and Patsy Cline the 2nd are almost always right beside him.

They are a little pack of three and if I see one of them,
the other two are usually very close behind.

So far he hasn't turned mean.

In fact, he seems to be being bossed around 

right now by the Ameraucana, Carrie Underwood!

He is really getting big.  It's amazing how much bigger he is than the hens.

I do keep my eye on him, though.

I don't entirely trust him and 

I watch my back!

He's only a little bit crazy. ;-)

Menu Plan

Supper Menus
July 28th - August 2nd

Sunday
leftovers

Monday

mexican frito salad

Tuesday

spicy romano chicken

Wednesday

beef and broccoli stir fry

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
company over for pizza, salad, dessert and games

Saturday
leftovers

Menu Plan Monday

Update on the Baby Calf

The baby calf has been here a week today

and I am happy to say that he seems to be doing well.

He hasn't wanted to take a bottle with milk replacer,

but he is eating sweet feed happily.

Either on his own or of out of my hand. ;-)

He's drinking and sleeping well and learning to chew his cud.

I even heard him moo a little this afternoon!

He seems really interested in the other animals also.

He's always watching the chickens, LuLu and the dogs and cats.

It's so cute!

But, the most encouraging thing about his behavior 

is how hard it was to get this picture of me with him.

Last week I was petting and scratching him like you would a dog.

That worried Mr. H. because you really shouldn't be able to do that to a cow.

I told him it was because he was missing his Momma, 

that he was going to grow up really tame after being here with us, 

how I'm a cow whisperer, etc, etc! ;-) 

Well, it was really just because he was weak and not strong enough to show his displeasure.  Haha!  

I was so happy today when he was acting ornery, 

NOT wanting his picture made with me,

 and showing me just how much stronger he's gotten!  Yay! :-)

And he has a name now.

My daughter named him, "Uno" - the first cow. :-)

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