The Inadvertent Farmer

Snapshots from a VERY busy Week!

Countdown minus 2 days till the wedding...in my living room!

Two days to finish the bridesmaid dresses, clean the house, cook the food, pick up the tables, and decorate!

Here are a few snapshots from this week...

Sweet Girl's flower girl dress...I've done a lot of shirring this week!

No matter how busy the week is baby boy always manages to get dirty and need yet another bath!

Yet not matter how busy some of us are...

Some of us find time for a little gaming!

Hope you are all having a wonderful last sliver of 2010...I will be back as usual if I survive this weekend...

Which still remains to be seen!

 

We need a Silent Night, a Holy Night

This is a song that has again captured me Christmas season

It speaks directly to my heart.

My oft too over-busy, scrambling to get things done, last minute panicked heart.

And I suspect it will to yours too...

 

 

 

"I need a silent night a Holy night to hear an angel voice

Through the chaos and the noise I need a midnight clear

A little peace right here to end this crazy day with a silent night"

 

I hope you are taking the time to enjoy and be thankful for the blessing in your life...

And remember that God came down and showed up...in person.

Just because He loved us so much.

 

Now if that isn't a reason to be thankful I don't know what is!

Freaky Friday Llama Blossom

I was out one morning taking photos of daisies in the fog.

One of the llamas wondered over and got behind the flower!

Yes...a llama blossom in the mist!

That's ok...

Everyone needs something unexpected on a mist morning!

Have a great weekend,

The house is so quiet, the Frig is Dead!

My hubby has taken our two little ones on a little overnight adventure with some fellow homeschoolers.

I am enjoying the quiet and getting some gift wrapping done along with last minute decorating, sewing, and bill paying!

I am also waiting for the repair man to get here...

My frig is dead!

Nothing like having your refrigerator go out just before Christmas, ughhhh.

Don't ask me why I had a picture of the inside of my frig in my computer files.

I guess nothing is safe from my camera!

Note to self...

Before sharing pics of frig, clean it out first!

So how are you holiday preperations going?

 

 

Freaky Friday

Here is another installment of a strange, unique or otherwise weird photo(s).  Feel free to add a link in the comment section if you have one for today!

This is what happens when you try to give the pygmy goat some treats when the ornery camel is around.

He's pretty sure no one needs treats but him!

Notice the slobber...nice!

I you want to read the whole story here it is!

Thoughts and your Destiny

I am reading the book 'Power Thoughts' by Joyce Meyer.  It is full of great wisdom and scriptural advice on how our thoughts, or what we meditate on, effect our lives.

This is a quote at the beginning of one of the sections.

It blew me away.

So I had to share...

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

-Anonymous

So for today I will mediate on the lovely and beautiful blessings in my life.

I hope you will too.

Over the Moon advice!

I just want to say a big 'thanks' for all the wonderful, heartfelt and sometimes funny marriage advice for the wedding present for son #1 and his soon to be bride!

It is nice to know that there is so much wisdom out there...it truly gives me hope for the institution of marriage!

I am busy today sewing the flower girl's dress, putting the finishing touches on our Christmas decorations, homeschooling, running errands, and baking bread...

So with that I will leave you with this...

 

 

This was taken just after dawn a few weeks ago.  There was a morning mist, a clear blue sky...and the moon had not set yet.

Now of course all the fiery red leaves are gone, as is the blue sky...its been replaced by the winter long gray we mush endure around here...

Not that I'm complaining...no not me!

Your best Marriage Advice needed...

As you all know my oldest son is marrying his longtime girlfriend on New Year's Eve...in my yet to be cleaned living room!

I want to give them something personal and useful for their wedding...

A set of pots and pans is a little too boring, albeit useful, for me.

Lingerie is a little too personal and frankly just in bad taste from your future mother in law!

So I have come up with something on a completely different train of thought...

I want to compile my very best marriage/relationship advice that hubby and I have learned over the past 27 years and make it into a book.  I will add photos of the love birds throughout the past 6 years as well as some I've taken recently.

Then I will have it all printed into a book to give them on their wedding day!

Here is where I need your help...

I know that you guys have some very wise words for the soon-to-be-married couple.  Some advice you wish someone has given your the beginning of your relationship.

I will compile the very best pearls of wisdom you leave in the comment section and add it to the book.  

(I'll leave this post at the top of my blog for a couple of days so you will get a gentle reminder each time your visit.)

They will be laying the foundation for the rest of their lives. 

It would be great to send them off on their new adventure well armed with some of our hard earned wisdom...

Thanks everyone!

 

 

Chewy Oatmeal Butterscotch Chocolate Cookie Recipe

I published this recipe two years ago at exactly this time of year.  In the two years since I have shared this recipe I have gone vegan and tried to seriously cut back on sugar...but since its the holidays I thought I would indulge in a batch of these for the family.

I on the other hand will be chewing on a carrot dipped in tofu...

Ok, not really.

I certainly eat more than carrots and tofu.

The myth about vegans being skinny is just that, a myth...

Just ask my thighs!

*****

 

Since we all need more calories this holiday season...

Here is the recipe for my Chocolate Butterscotch Oatmeal Chewies...very yummy...very fattening.  So if your jeans don't fit after eating a few of these I don't want to hear about it cause I warned you all!

Ingredients...this can be halved if you don't want a huge batch, I have 5 kids so only huge batches are allowed!

• 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (so you can pretend these are healthy!)
• 1 1/2 Cups White Flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 Cups packed Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup White Sugar
• 2 Cups Butter softened (yes that is 4 cubes)
• 4 Large Eggs
• 4 TBSP Milk (you can use non fat if it makes you feel better)
• 1 TBSP Vanilla Extract
• 5 Cups Oats (I like old fashioned but if you like the quick its fine by me)
• 2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Cup Butterscotch Chips
• 1 -2 Cups Chopped Nuts (as always these are optional for you nut-haters)
• 1 Cup Raisins (again optional if you own a raisin hater like I do...but they are really better with raisins)

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients...flour baking soda and salt in small bowl

Cream the butter and sugars in large bowl until fluffy, beat in eggs, milk and vanilla.

Gradually add dry ingredients.

Stir in oats

Stir in yummy extras...chocolate chips (hey, no snitching), butterscotch chips, nuts, and raisins.

Now stir it all up into one big yummy mass!

You can either put all this dough into one big humongous pan for bar cookies and bake 'em for 30 - 35 minutes or you can do the more labor intensive drop cookies that depending on their size will take 10 - 15 minutes to bake (I make huge cookies so thus the longer baking time)

Now don't overcook these.  Take the drop cookies out when the centers are barely set, you want them to be chewy when cooled.  The center of the bar cookie pan is the same, barely set not firm and brown.

NOTE:  I was thinking that maybe dried cranberries would be good in these, their sprightly flavor might be a good contrast to all the sweetness, besides they would make for some pretty cookies.  If you try it let me know.

NOTE:  I have since tried them with dried cranberries and frankly they...ROCK!

 

 

Freaky Friday a New Photo Series

I'm starting a new photo series that will run throughout the winter months.

I'm calling it

Freaky Friday

It is a photo of something that is unique in either perspective or subject matter.

Sometimes like today it will be a single photo. Sometimes it will be a series of photos of something a little strange.

Here is today's photo...

This is the top of our aviary covered with icy snow at sunrise!

I know Friday's are slow in blogdom so if you want to join me on Fridays feel free to leave a link and a description of an interesting photo you have in the comment section.

Have a great Friday and enjoy this wonderful weekend in the midst of this holiday season!

 

A Poem about Snot...again

 

So here I am again...

"Hi"

"Anyone out there?"

"Testing, testing..."

"Is this thing on?"

*

I love my dear children...really I do.

But one of my children said...

"I'll share this with you!"

He sneezed in my face and blew snot on my cheek...

I'm destined for sickness the rest of the week.

I also must tell you,  it went in my mouth.

And from that moment on it all headed south....

 

So no witty banter or pictures of stuff.

My eyes are all watery, my throat is all rough.

My fingers are typing yet my mind is a haze...

Looks like it will be one of those days.

 

So goodbye dear readers I hope to get well.

To come back tomorrow with a story to tell.

Cause stories I've got of camels in trailers.

Of children in stores and grumpy retailers.

Of crafts we have done and recipes cooked

I've got lots of goodies...the whole week is booked!

 

So come back real soon to visit me please.

 I'll promise this oath...

On you I'll not sneeze!

*****

This is a poem I published exactly this time last year...

So I guess this is becoming a unwelcome yearly tradition!

Ughhhh!

I Cannot Eat while Spinning...Space Needle!

There is this little attraction in Seattle called the Space Needle (if you want to learn more here is Needle's very own website!)

It was built in 1962 to be the crown jewel of the World's Fair.

It is as tall as 4 Statues of Liberty!

Its foundation is 9550 tons.

It can withstand winds up to 200 mph by bowing 1 inch for every 10mph!  Thankfully this was not tested as I am extremely sensitive to motion and would have puked all over this lovely landmark.

Speaking of movement...the restaurant at the top spins 360 degrees around.  It give you an amazing view of Seattle and Pudget Sound.  It is also completely disconcerting.  You see the outside of the building doesn't rotate, the middle doesn't rotate, just the part that is the seating area, the ring-shaped platform on which you eat.

So as you are sitting there eating your roasted fresh, with hazel nut oil, green beans the walls seem to be moving (although they are not, you are), as does all the scenery outside.

At first one can just ignore the walls...

Then your two children decided to lean on the walls trying to see how long it would take to fall over because as their bodies are stationary,their feet are rotating on the platform under them.

Ughhh...

Completely mind blowing at 605 feet in the air...especially when you have issues anyway!

So much for lunch...

But the view was lovely.

And the ground under your feet when you get down has never felt so good.

Humans are not meant to eat high up in the air.

No, we should leave that to those creatures with wings.

And fewer phobias...