Trisha's Southern Kitchen, take a bow...

I was making breakfast this morning, watching Trisha’s Southern Kitchen and her college age nephew and his friends were on the show.  She cooked for them and of course they loved what she made and were just wolfing it down.

One of the guys said that in his family when someone makes something really good to eat, the rest of the family tells them to “take a bow.”  I like that, what a great family tradition and it shows appreciation.

However, even though LC was watching the show with me, he didn’t tell me to take a bow for his sausage, eggs and toast.  Hmmmm, so I’m thinking he’s either just taking his breakfast for granted, or it wasn’t that good.  But I do think this is such a good idea, it’s those simple things, ladies.

Are you reading this LC? Hello!!!!!  

Men, Schmen!!!

Abby's a member of the horsey set...

With every age, grandchildren are a delight, and none more so than last weekend when Abby competed in her first horse show.   She was simply amazing, this little girl on this huge horse.  She was so excited, no fear, no nervous tummy, she just wanted to “do it."

Here’s her day in pictures, Mom and Dad were so proud of her and Grammie and P-Pa were front row center, cheering her on...

Little brother, Ben, giving her a big hug before we left for the show...

Her trainer from Windswept Farm, where she takes riding lessons, giving her instructions.

Not only do the horses have to be prepped, so do the riders.  They’re gathering her hair up into a show bun.

She looks darling, with her netting and sparkly barrette.

It’s time to attach her number and finish getting her ready.

All of the ladies from Windswept Farm love Miss A.  She has lots of help with the gloves.

It’s almost showtime, her trainer is giving her a leg up.

She’s checking her tack and making a few necessary adjustments to the stirrups for those short little legs.

And she’s off...

She controlled her horse so well, she was the youngest rider in the competition, riding without a lead line. You could just see the excitement in her face.  She walked, trotted, reversed her horse, it’s so shocking to see this little granddaughter do all of this.  When she came into the arena,  she came in at a gallop and Grammie’s heart was in her throat!

The judging is over and she is proud of placing.  She did so well, she’s only five years old.

This is our favorite photographer, the amazingly talented Adam Brennan, who volunteered to come and take pictures of her debut.  His photographs are below, the man has an amazing eye, and he had a wonderful little subject to work with.

 And finally, here’s a small video of her as she leaves the practice area for the arena...

 

 

 It was such a special day, and I count my blessings that I live close enough to be able to share in the memories…  You’re just the best, Abby Leigh!  Grammie is so proud of you...

 

Decor Steals Holstein Cow Head...

Okay, all you cow lovers, here’s my cow, Clover’s cousin on Decor Steals today.  She’s pricier than Clover, and larger, in fact she’s just huge! Half of the inventory is sold already, I must not be the only crazy cow lady out there.

In case your interested, here’s the click

Rembrandt Mouthwash, my find of the week...

Fluoride Mouthwash Designed for Superior Whitening

Deeply whitens & restores enamel

Try the first Whitening mouthwash on the market that actively restores and strengthens tooth enamel while visibly whitening teeth. Rembrandt® Deeply White™ + Peroxide Whitening Mouthwash is formulated with a rapid-release liquid peroxide that begins working on contact and has a fresh minty taste.

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I’ve been looking for a new mouthwash, so I went to Google for advice and this was the number one favorite.  I bought it, I like it, I feel the need to share.  

Reviews were excellent, it really does whiten your teeth.  And it makes sense, because you swish this around in your mouth for one minute, yes one full minute.  Then you can’t eat or drink for thirty minutes after you use it.

Now this isn’t for the faint of heart, the longer you leave this in your mouth the more it stings, and a minute is a long time to be swishing this around your teeth.  But think about it, it has peroxide, a minute is going to give it time to activate and get in all the crevices, it’s a good thing.  Of course when you spit it out, you’re foaming like a rabid dog, but it’s peroxide people, it’s going to foam.  And the taste, not bad, it’s minty, fresh, I’m thinking this is a winner.

It’s a bit pricey, I bought it at Walgreens for $9, but it really does whiten your teeth.

It can be hard to find and Amazon was selling it in multi-packs, so that was out because I didn’t want three bottles if I didn’t like it, so I went to Walgreen’s website, did a store locator for it to see which stores in my area had it in stock, before I started on a mission to track it down.

It’s so worth the money, It’s a great find, and you know I always share the good stuff.  ~ Jan

Setting Goals

I’ve never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. It’s just has never worked for me, but maybe there are alternatives.  My buddy, Ang, is setting a short term goal, she’s giving up seven foods for a month, coffee, tea, pizza, things she really likes, think of it as kind of a mini cleanse.

I’m making progress as well.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided to drastically cut my calories, even though I eat low carb, I need to shake it up a bit, so I’m eating 1000 calories daily through March 1st.  I’m determined to do this, it’s brutal, but it’s a sense of accomplishment to know that I’ve made the commitment and am sticking to it. I’m realistic, this isn’t sustainable long term, but it is doable for a few weeks.  

I realize I need extra calcium, but can’t remember to take it, I set a daily alarm on my phone as a reminder.  Just simple things, but sometimes I just don’t see beyond what’s in front of my face, and I’m really trying to make my life run smoother.  My short term memory is just kaput, as is most of my friends, so I'm really trying to implement workarounds so that I don’t forget.  Everybody says “make a list” and that’s a great idea, but not practical for everything. 

I’m on a mission to look for new goals, some of them just for one day.  Who knows, maybe some just for one hour.  I’m thinking that if I divide things I want to accomplish into small blocks of time instead of looking at the broader picture it will be more attainable.

So today, I’m setting a timer for fifteen minutes, I’m going to work on straightening my closet. Do I want to, of course not, I but I’m doing it.

So think about this ladies, it’s a good time of the year to accomplish some mini goals for yourself.  Maybe it’s something pleasurable, like sitting down and planning your spring garden, or starting some seeds like my friend Holly did.  Or maybe you’ve been putting off a doctor’s appointment, like I have been, I really need a visit to the optometrist for an eye exam, I’m going to just do it instead of procrastinating about it.

And that’s what’s happening in my world this morning,  and if I can plant a seed in just one of you, it’s worth the effort to blog about it. 

Make it a good day, ladies, I’m heading to the closet.  ~ Jan

My Decor Steals Cow...

 So yesterday hubby made the dreaded hole in the cabinet front.  It was quite an ordeal, I couldn’t decide if I wanted her higher or lower or centered, thank goodness he was patient, because he was only going to make one little hole, but, whew,  I got her in the right spot.  And whats the verdict, do I like her????  Do I???   Yep, I really do.  Now she did stare at me this morning when I was eating breakfast at the bar.  She was probably checking me out because I was eating bacon :)

Okay, so I’m a little overboard, that’s the way I role.  And yes, I know I have a lot of “stuff” on my counters, I like it that way.  

Now that we have all of that over with, let’s get on with her name, it’s a goodie.  Are you ready????

Ladies, meet... CLOVER 

Clover the cow, my kitchen bovine,  could it get any better than this?  But what do I do now for excitement?  Well, I will just wait every morning for 9am to see if that darned boxwood wreath is showing up on Decor Steals. Or I could get a life, but that’s pretty hard to do in January, so I’ll just go ahead and obsess over that wreath...

My Decor Steals Mounted Farmhouse Cow Head has Arrived!!!

When I bought her, she wasn’t the “Deal of the Day” or an “Extended Steal” - I just Googled “Decor Steals Cow Head” and she popped up.  Now it says “Sold Out”, maybe I got the last one, I think it was just meant to be.  Anyhoo, she came in the mail last night, hubby held her up to the cabinet and even he admitted she was cute.  That was quite an admission, considering he previously thought she was the ugliest thing he had ever seen.  Just wait ’til she has that boxwood wreath around her neck.  And this spring I’m going to deck her out in a forsythia wreath,  I even have an old cowbell that I’ve had for 30+ years to hang on her, if I can just find it.  And of course in the summer, she needs a pair of cat eyed shades.  I have great plans for this little cow.

And just look at the price, it was awesome.  Some lady is selling them on eBay,  she sold one last week for $75, plus $15 shipping.  $52 shipped to my door versus the $90 she got worked for me…. And no, I’m not going to sell her on eBay.  This one is a keeper, I may even cart her off with me to Shady Acres when the time comes...

Now that we have her, the tricky part is yet to come, because LC has to make a hole in the cabinet front.  Eeeks, neither of us are too thrilled about that, but it has to be done.  And her name, I came up with a great one.  Trust me, it’s a goodie.

So check back tomorrow, I’ll unveil my mounted bovine and her name.  

So excited ~ Jan

Budweiser Clydesdale Puppy Love Super Bowl 2014 Commercial

 

Was this the best Super Bowl Commercial of all time?  Seriously cute, but not the best ever, in my opinion.  A little trivia for you, it took eight puppies to make this commercial...

Billy The Rooster...

I’m ending my Down on the Farm Week with a repost from 2011.  This was so much fun, I’ll do it again, maybe a spring flower week, that would be something to look forward to in a few weeks.  ~ Jan

 This picture of me was taken when I was probably about three years old.

We had just moved to the country and Billy was mother’s pet rooster.  Some of my earliest memories are of Billy, he was a gentle soul that mother nurtured from a chick.  

She was an animal lover, always outside animals, though, we never had anything in the house except her canaries.  There were always dogs and cats to play with, chickens, too and the occasional white duck wandering around our yard, and obviously this rooster.

At the risk of sounding like Ma and Pa Kettle, I have to tell you about Billy and how I remember, to this day, him roosting on the back of our couch at night.

Mother was a clean freak, everything was always pristine in our house, but she loved this pet rooster and was afraid a fox would get into the chicken house and kill him, so every night she would spread layers of newspapers on the back of the couch, bring Billy inside and he would roost on the sofa.  I wish I could talk to her about this again, seeing this picture brought back such vivid memories because even though I was really young I remember Billy so well. She must have gotten up at the crack of dawn to let him outside, because no doubt he started crowing when the sun came up.

This must sound odd to you, but remember, it was a simple life, living in our little house by the ditch , and it seemed perfectly normal to have a rooster in our living room.  I told you earlier about  Aunt Idalene who always had baby pigs on her back porch, and how I used to feed them with a baby bottle, and I remember going to a great aunt’s house and she had baby chickens underneath her kitchen table, with chicken wire around the table legs so they couldn’t get out.

I know, that’s a bit much, but she was probably doing that to keep them warm. I remember thinking how awful it was, that old woman with all those baby chickens under the table.  But that aunt was a little bat shit crazy, too. She WAS Ma Kettle.

 

J-Lo's Diamond Ring

I do think this woman is gorgeous, and even though I’m not into cocktail rings at this age, I’m sure some of the younger readers are.  If you’re loving this ring and don’t have 1.2 mil laying around, you can get a knock-off at Lord & Taylor for $42.

Here’s the click, go for it...

Are you a farmer's wife, wear it proudly...

This cute t-shirt is on Zulily this morning for $12.99.  Even though I’m winding down my “Down on the Farm Week”  here on the dish, this is a stretch for me, LC has worn many hats but the closest thing he has come to farming is fussing about planting things in the garden.

But, this might just float your boat, if so, you can pick it up here...

Farm Journal Recipes...

 When I was a young girl, I would eagerly await the monthly issue of Farm Journal Magazine.  Not for the articles, but for the recipes.  I have always loved to cook, always loved cookbooks and the seed was planted at a young age with The Farm Journal.

They published cookbooks, too and Mother bought them because I was so fascinated with their recipes.   Unlike the featured recipes in McCalls or Good Housekeeping, they were “city” magazines, but Farm Journal was country cooking at it’s finest.  I think I still have one or two of these in my collection, someday I need to take them out and make an entire meal from them.

 I just looked online and sure enough, Farm Journal Magazine is still going.  The picture below is the cover for January, and of course it looks nothing like the magazine I remember.  Sadly, no recipes anymore either, and I have no interest in Farmers Sharing Local Gas Prices, or Cow Herd Expansion.  Sometimes I wish things could just be the way they were, but then, I wouldn’t be sitting here at my computer sharing my thoughts with the world on this cloudy Sunday morning in Heavensville, would I...  ~ Jan

Farms, I've been on a few...

 

A little nostalgia this Saturday morning of down on the farm week.  I actually wasn’t raised on a farm, we just lived in our little house by the ditch in the country.  Our livestock was nothing more than roosters, hens and the occasional pig that we would butcher.  However, mother’s large family, who lived just a few miles away, were all farmers so I spent much of of my childhood among farmers and their families.

It was a hard life, I have many memories of huge noon meals that my aunts prepared for the farm hands.  Everything was homemade, meals filled with several types of meat, vegetables, biscuits, cornbread and a plethora of cakes and pies daily.  Now that we are so “educated” about food and carb loading, I wonder how the men were productive after those huge noon meals.  

My Aunt Idalene often had runt piglets on her back porch, and I would feed them with a bottle.  They were adorable, as any baby is, rooting and squealing and sucking those bottles.  She milked cows and had a cream separator to separate the milk from the cream. My aunts all churned their own butter every week, too.  There were hen houses, I would be sent to gather the eggs, and inevitably I would not only step in chicken poop, but a hen would peck my hands when I tried to rob her of the eggs.  I’ve been flogged by mother hens and chased by mama pigs, because I was always trying to play with their babies.  

There were guineas, too, they laid little bird eggs that we would fry and eat. And canned meat, oh the canned meat, it was wonderful.  Grandma always canned her young chickens, “pullets”, so small that they would fit in a wide mouth quart Ball jar.  Canned sausage was a treat, but the best was the canned tenderloin.  It was indescribably delicious, with the juices made into gravy.  Oh, what I would give to have it just one more time.  

My grandparents lived in a house with no electricity, it wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it, my grandpa was just a stubborn old man and he refused to activate it.  Grandma had a “ice box” and I can still see my Uncle Gene bringing a block of ice in the house with ice tongs and putting it in the ice box so that she could cool her food.  Before the days of the ice box, she would lower food into her well in a bucket to keep it cool.  The gardens were always huge with seeds saved from year to year, and we always toured them on our weekly visits to see how things were growing.

Grandpa was a farmer, he farmed using a team of work horses, Bill and Joe, I can still see him harnessing up those horses and walking them through the fields.  He smoked a pipe and grew his own tobacco, he would sit on his back porch, forming the harvested tobacco into u-shaped twists, tying it with twine and lining them up on nails driven into the porch wall to dry.  Grandma always wore a bonnet when she went outside, and always had on an apron.  She would gather eggs and food from the garden, hoisting up that apron to make a carrier for her bounty.  

He and grandma raised ten children, five boys, five girls, and they all they knew was to work.  An evening out for them was harnessing up a wagon and going to church.  Grandpa drove a pickup truck, a 1949 Chevy, that my cousin Phyllis has now, rusty and parked in her farmyard, and she fills it with flowers in the summer.  It’s just beautiful, I need to get a picture from her to share.  I still remember the cracked, brown leather seats in that old truck and how much fun it was when he would load his dogs in the back of it and take the grandkids for a ride.

Those country roots run so deep, there is nothing in my  world better than a ride at dusk in the country in the summertime with the windows down, the familiar sounds and smells bring back so many wonderful memories.

Oh, the country life, it was and will always be the best...

 

 

The Egg and I

 

A city couple moves to the farm and it’s total mayhem.  I have always loved this movie, starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert, but the real stars are Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as Ma and Pa Kettle.  It’s an oldie, 1949, but oh is it ever a goodie.

Yes it’s hokey, but it’s so funny, it’s one of my all time favorites.  If you haven’t seen it and ever get the opportunity, watch it.

And that’s today’s pick for “Down on the Farm” week.

Sheep Planters

 

I got a Grandin Road catalog yesterday in the mail and fell in love with these planters.  They’re so whimsical, don’t you just love them?   The price ~ $139 each, yesterday they had a 25% off sale, it’s gone today, but it will be back.  If you sign up for their newsletters on their site they do give you free shipping, though.

Here are direct links to both sheep:

Sitting Sheep

Standing Sheep

Shake Your Tailfeathers...

 

I’m really enjoying being down on the farm this week.  Oh, those country roots run deep, you can take the girl outta the country, but...

Oh wait, I live in the country again, duh..

I’m so nostalgic in my old(er) age.  I look out my window at the horses in the pasture, watch the birds in the feeder, and it’s the most peaceful feeling.  And don’t even get me started on how much I love the creek and early morning rides on Milly, the golf cart, down to the woods with a steaming mug of coffee and sweet Maggie, my Yorkie, riding sidekick.  Sorry, I’m rambling.

So anyway, I have this really good friend, Jean, aka Hooverville, appropriately named because she lives in a really, really small town and we have had many “unusual”   day trips in our lifetime.  We also have pictures, so many pictures, most of which are totally unprintable, pictures only friends take of each other, and oh could we ever blackmail each other with them!   We roam the countryside, we’ve taken selfies everywhere  from cemeteries to cornfields, we get together and all of a sudden we’re twelve ten eight again.  We’ve been friends since we were toddlers, Jean is my link to childhood and the woman takes the most amazing photographs.

We were traveling the backroads in 2006, spotted these fowls, and she jumped out and grabbed these shots.  They’re some of my favorites, as I do love those roosters.  My dining room is full of them, they will go well with that new cow head, don’t you think?  Hey, it’s French Country, it’s not hokey, really it isn’t…  Well, that cow head may just be a tad too much, but hubby will learn to love her.  I’m naming her Clover, she’s a good thing.  Um hmmm, sure she is.  Decor Steals contacted me yesterday, she’s in stock and will be winging her way to Heavensville in the near future.  I’ll be sure and post pictures.  

Quit that eye rolling!  Quit . it . right . now !  She’s gonna be fantastic!!!

Savvy Southern Style

 

Okay, Dishers,  I’ve got a great new blog for you.  I found this recently, it’s called Savvy Southern Style, and it’s chocked full of all kinds of fun things, you will be drooling.

You can find it in my sidebar, and here’s a direct link  ~ Jan ~

Pioneer Woman's Wallpaper

Down on the farm week continues with a repeat of an old favorite.  These are Pioneer Woman’s cows, and it’s my all-time favorite wallpaper for my computers.  I take this down, put up something else, and before long, I’ve put it back up again.  Just something about these sweet little faces, I just love them.

If you’re a fan of cows and want the wallpaper, you can grab it from this link on Pioneer Woman’s Site.

Here ya go, install this and give yourself a smile every time you look at it... 

Praise The Lard...

 

It's down on the farm week here on the Dish. First a cow, now a pig. I saw this great tea towel last Saturday in Leiper's Fork.

I found it on line tonight and thought some of you might like it, too. Pretty cute, isn't it...

You can grab it here

 

Posted with Blogsy

Decor Steal's Mounted Cow Head

 

I’m a huge fan of Decor Steals, and this cow’s head has fascinated me everytime they’ve had it available.  It hasn’t been featured as their daily deal lately, but I was able to Google it, find it on their site and I ordered it this morning.  Whether it’s in stock and I’ll actually get it will be interesting, but I’ll keep you posted.

Hubby isn’t much of a fan of this cow yet, but I think she’s awesome and I’m already thinking about a name, Lily, Elsie, Bessie, Mootilda, and Cowpuccina to name a few.

And of course I need that boxwood wreath to go around her this summer, but I have to wait on that until it’s available again.

A little fun purchase for my kitchen in January, and I “think” I have the perfect spot.  Works for me...

If you’re not familiar with Decor Steals, they have a new “buy” every morning at 9am.  Here’s their link, click on the email icon in the top left corner and you can subscribe for their deals.  I’ve bought several things, the price is always good, always a cheap $5 flat rate for shipping and the quality has been great!  

Instant decorating on the cheap...

 

A few old books, some grosgrain ribbon, a ratty old envelope or two and you've got a cute accent area. Don't you love it? Deanna and I are watching The Fixer Upper this afternoon, it inspires me to greatness. Okay, greatness is a stretch, I'm going a little overboard, but it is such a cute idea,

I snapped this picture at Serenite Maison, a wonderful little shop in Leipers Fork this morning and can't wait to try this next to Daddy's old typewriter in my living room....

 

Posted with Blogsy

Purple Ball Heritage Jars for 2015

I’m such a fan of Ball Heritage Jars.  I bought the green as soon as they came out last year, in fact, I just bought more last week, these are limited editions, and once they’ve sold them all, they’re gone forever.

Loving this purple color.  You can preorder here - shipping is high, if you buy quarts and pints, it’s $15.  They should be arriving in the stores soon, though...

The Blizzard of '78

 

I remember this well, we lived in Northern Indiana, the boys were little, we had just moved into a new house, and the blizzard struck.

And did we all snuggle in and ride out the storm, light candles, pop corn and read books to the kids?  Oh, hell no, I fell down the stairs and broke my tailbone.  Poor LC had to bundle me and those poor little boys into his work truck and take me to the ER.  I remember how treacherous the roads were and how we wondered if we would make it home again.  But mostly I remember how much it hurt to try and sit on the toilette and stand back up again.

And that, dear readers, is my memory of the Blizzard of ’78.  Fascinating, huh... 

Vintage Spicy Meatball Commercial

 

How about a blast from the past this morning.  I haven’t seen this commercial in years and I laughed so hard...

The Fixer Upper, Season Two

My very favorite show returns tonight with a new season!

Just wanted you all to know, love this talented couple...

Reconditioning Cast Iron Skillets

 

 

My griddle skillet before hubby cleaned it

 

 

This is how it looks now, pretty amazing, isn’t it...

Yours truly, who abhored the thought of using cast iron for years, has rediscovered it again.  I blame it all on my mother, I think I got caught up in asserting my independence at an early age doing all things different than she did, when often she really did know best, and I carried it to the extreme for most of my adult life.  Not only did I shun cast iron, I also vetoed using Ball jars, but in the last five years, I’ve come to love, love love using Ball jars.  In fact, I just bought more green ones yesterday.  Green is best ever color for Ball jars, and it’s part of their Heritage Collection, it’s a limited supply, so if you’re a fan as well, scoop them up while you can still buy them to avoid paying major bucks later.

Here’s he link for the quart jars -

Here’s the link for the pints

But back to the cast iron and my reluctance to use it.  I had issues with everything sticking with cast iron and I just gave up.  No matter what I would cook, it would stick.  My sons, who are both great cooks and huge fans of cast iron (probably because of their grandmother’s influence) kept telling me, “Mom, never use dishwashing detergent on your skillets” but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that.  But finally the light dawned, and apparently my guys also know best, because since I quit using detergent, my now much used iron skillets are smooth as a baby’s bottom, and nothing sticks, not even eggs when I fry them.

But it was Ryan who gave me my ah-ha moment.  You have to preheat before you add anything, that’s the secret, if you get those skillets hot, and you’ve seasoned them, food just doesn’t stick.  I just pop them into the sink after I use them, fill with a bit of warm water, soak for just a couple of minutes, then scour with my nifty Lodge Scrub  Brush, a must have if you use cast iron,  and dry with a paper towel.  Yes, I know you want the link to the brush, too - here it is...

And now for the reconditioning.  The first step is to take  nasty, greasy, rusty skillets and put them in your oven, upside down,  on the cleaning cycle.  This can be a bit tricky if you don’t have an extra oven rack, because I’ve had bad luck in the past leaving racks in the oven, they warp and turn dull.  But I do have an extra rack that I use when I clean skillets in the oven, where it came from I have no idea, but I’m glad I have it.  After these skillets go through the cleaning cycle, everything is burnt off and you’re left with dry, rusty residue.  

The next step is to clean the rust off with fine steel wool and/or fine sandpaperr, then rinse and submerge in a solution of half vinegar, half water.  We bought disposable large foil roasting pans for this.  Soak for four hours, no longer, as you don’t want the acid to eat into the iron,  then rinse with water, let dry, rust will appear again, sand with sandpaper lightly, oil the skillets, inside and out with vegetable oil, and put in a preheated 350-400 degree oven, upside down on your middle oven rack, for 45 minutes.  Put a large cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch oil drips.  The next day repeat this oil/oven step.

Okay, you’ve read this and you’re thinking, that’s a lot of work.  It’s not that hard, well not for me it wasn’t, LC is the one who did it, I just took the pictures ;o)  It’s just a little labor intensive, but so worth it because you’re left with better than new skillets and if you heat your food before you cook it, and just soak briefly in water before you scrub them, they will just continue to get more seasoned.

My skillets are Lodge, the best ones are Griswalds, pre 1950.  You can still find them, usually in horrible condition, but that’s okay, the price may be right and you know the secret now to total restoration.