Cattle For Sale

Happy Sunday evening! 

Hope you've all had a relaxing and/or productive weekend.  Whichever you prefer.

I saw this photo in the September edition of Country Sampler.  I'm not usually one for stuff THIS primitive but the sign on the wall caught my attention. 

 

We don't have pigs anymore but, hey, we've got some cattle around. 

Here's how it went...

Found the perfect rough-sawn board in the barn.  Spray painted it black.  Did a reverse stencil thingy-thing.  Cut out the letters on the Cricut and used spray adhesive to stick them on the board.  The edge is masking tape.

Spray painted the whole thing with white paint.

It wasn't perfect when I took the letters and tape off...but that's the way we want it now, don't we?

I abused it with the sander and rubbed a coat of "Early American" stain over the whole thing.

The result is a vintage-been-on-a-fencepost-for-30-years look.

I'm STILL squealing with delight when I walk through the dining room

. 

My cowgirl model likes it too.

Later Taters-

Becky

Wanted: Desk

Well...I needed another desk for the office. 

{Actually, just another flat surface to pile papers on.}

So, I went to Goodwill.

For $20.00 I came home with this solid wood table.

See the fun stuff painted around the edge? 

  

The cat thought it a perfect place to take an afternoon bath.

Then...

...I kicked the cat off...

... sanded the heck out of the top...

...painted the base black...

...re stained the top...

...distressed the base...

...and waxed the whole thing with clear wax.

Unfortunately, all the fun edge painting had to go.  No time for pickiness.  The kids would be home in an hour!

AND - I actually tried to stage something.

Not bad for a rookie!

{I used the sedum because the dog laid in it and broke all the stems off!}

{No decorating/staging knowledge used for that one.}

I read somewhere (regarding children and homemaking)-

"Do ONE thing everyday that 'they' can't undo."

If you're a mom, you definitely know what this means...and how good this feels!

Becky

Sam

The new guy in the barnyard...

Sam 

Our new-to-us 12 year-old quarterhorse gelding.

He has the perfect head and a gentle eye.

He has power steering.

He likes kids.

He has no fears.

Best of all...

He's got a great big butt!

Happy Trails!

Becky

The First Born Cooks

#1 competed in the State Fair 4-H Special Foods Contest.  This is where said 4-Her has to prepare a dish in front of a judge.  Prepare a place setting in front of a judge, and answer nutrition infornmation questions in front of a judge. 

It's all very picky and very tedious.  He did a great job and received a purple ribbon.

The kid loves to cook... his mother, not so much.

To help him get rid of the nerves, I took it upon myself to irritate him.

He's in 4th grade now and a bit too "grown-up" for picture taking and silly antics.  So, I told him that if he didn't smile for the camera, I was going to sing at the top of my lungs in front of him and about 200 of his peers...

He's trying not to smile.

Setting the table.

I let him take my picture!

Bored sisters. 

 #2 {on the left}is like,

"Go ahead let her sing.  Maybe they'll kick us out and we can go to the midway."

Here's what he prepared:

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Super BLT Club Pockets

1/2 cup crispy bacon crumbles

2 cups shredded lettuce

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. turkey breast, coarsely chopped

1 Roma tomato, thin sliced

1/3 cup light ranch salad dressing

6 pita pockets (use the "super soft" kind - easier for kids to eat)

Leaf lettuce for garnish, if desired

Toss together all ingredients except the pita bread.  Spoon 1/6 of the mixture into each pocket.  Add leaf lettuce and serve promptly.

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Dinner is served!

Becky

State Fair Cookies

After chores and homework this evening,  #1 made his sugar cookies for the state fair coming up this weekend.  These are the best darn sugar cookies you will ever have in your entire life.  My Aunt Joyce included this recipe in one of the family cook books.

It's a very simple recipe and makes A LOT OF COOKIES. 

After the 4-Her found three matching 2 inch cookies in the two dozen that HE baked, Mom finished baking the rest.  Needless to say, they got noticeably bigger when I took on baking duties... can you relate?  This is why some incredibly intelligent woman came up with putting all the batter/dough into a 9x13 and calling them "bars"- not enough time to wash babies, feed babies, clean the toilets, school the children, AND make 124 - 2 inch cookies!

I digress...

 A fancy shmancy 4-H baking tip:

Use your "small scoop" from Pampered Chef to measure just the right amount of dough to make the necessary 2 inch cookie.  {My "scoops" were closer to baseball size when #1 wasn't looking.}

One fact remains - no one should take baking advice from me!  The one and only year that I baked in my 10 years of 4-H, I received a white ribbon on my corn muffins.  In case you aren't familiar with

4-H, that's the worst place an exhibitor can receive.  It's right there above "Participant"!

On with the show...

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Quilters Sugar Cookies 

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/4  tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

5 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cream of tartar 

Preheat oven to 350. 

Cream together butter, sugar, oil, salt, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix well. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Gradually add flour mixture to first mixture.  Mix well. Form dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll balls in a pie pan of sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass drinking glass.  Bake 10 minutes or until set.  Store in an air tight container. 

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Strikingly delicious-looking, aren't they!

The "special" ones are in this bowl.

Do you think this will stop them?

The answer is NO! 

They're hidden now.

Go bake with your kids.

Blessings- B

Have a Seat

More about the "Little Red House"...

Here's the "project/thinkin'/workin'/snackin'/chattin' table. 

Many brilliant ideas are congered up right here and it's NEVER this clean.  {None of these photos are staged - obviously.  Showin' ya how it is.}  Notice the chairs?

This is what they looked like when I brought them home from the Habitat Restore.

For some reason the early-twenty-something-college-student-volunteer-worker thought they were ugly.  Little did she know that my mom would have killed for these chairs when I was in high school!!  Worked to my benefit - they were priced at $10 each and I bought them all for $35.  She mumbled something like "oh please, get those disgusting things out of here".  I felt judged.

But with $10 slipcovers from Sure-Fit I think they are smashing. 

That'll fix Suzie's little red wagon! 

Sidebar:  Here's a pic of the ceiling.  It's galvanized tin barn siding/roofing.  I think it's super cool and I kinda love the picture.

Sidebar #2:  Here's another pic of the felt board with the "new" project pieces on display.  I'm only including this because I like the looks of that pumpkiny orange color with black.  Happy moment.

Sidebar#3:  Kids are back in school.  These 2 photos crack me up.  The first - the big fourth grade brother is not happy about being requested to put his arms around his sisters.  {Makes me a bit sad, also}

The second- it looks like Woody the Newfoundland is going to eat the girls!  However, I know inside he's big ole dog head he's thinkin', "thank goodness these two drama queens are going back to school!"  Dorks.

Blessings- B

Creation Station

Here's where we create:

This was an old house turned grainery turned barn turned wildlife habitat.  We had our contractor make it into this beautiful "little red house" {that's what we call it - still looking for a fun name - feel free to share an idea}.  It's about 24 x 24.

When we have company, it's perfect for a guest house.

However, most days it's a mess due to our creative urges.

The kids and I put together a felt board last year to help in piecing quilts.  This one is a 3 feet by 4 feet piece of 1/4 inch plywood (cheap stuff).  Cover the wood with spray adhesive and then cover with black felt.

Most fabrics cling nicely to the felt.  It allows a space to arrange and rearrange until one is satisfied.  Of course, I'm never really satisfied with my quilts.  Like right now I see part of this quilt that should have been shuffled a bit.  I bet you see it to!

As far as the missing square at the top... all children have been interrogated and given immunity if the square shows up on the table when Mom isn't looking.  No success so far.  I'm guessing the 2 year-old has it in one of her purses and she's not talking.

Blessings- B