OK! you had me laughing till I thought I would wet my pants! Thinking of you and Cowboy and the bird feeder! GREAT POST-thanks for the comic relief- we are getting ready to leave our comfort zone and head to Kansas City for the the Hereford Junior National Expo with 4 head of cattle- Thanks for providing me with a few minutes of laughter to ease the pre-trip panic! 🙂

Thank you for sharing this with us! I haven’t been on a horse in 35 years, my best friend from high school still rides almost daily. We live about two hours from each other now, and she’s always telling me to come up and ride anytime I want … well, I want to, but I’m terrified! And I used to ride all the time, so I can imagine how you must have felt … thanks for giving me courage … I may just take her up on her offer now next time I’m up that way!

You are a brave girl and I know you gave your family a wonderful day and memory. I bought my first horse at 53 and now I am 59. I ride five days a week and my horse is my best friend.
He is ever faithful to carry me on a trail or ride like the wind in my big arena. I understand why people are afraid of them because of size and speed. I too, was very afraid of them until my son wanted a horse. He has been riding since he was eleven and now at eighteen is a competitor in the sport of Eventing. I bought a horse for myself so we could ride together and I wanted to challenge myself. I have never been in better shape physically or more at
peace because of my horse. He is happy because he is cared for and has a purpose. I am blessed because he takes me to places I have never been.
Thank you for your post and you gave your family a beautiful day !! It just could be the start of a beautiful thing!

This was too funny! I have been out of my comfort zone for a couple of weeks. It is a long story but I have made friends with an Amish family that live in apple creek ohio, about an hour from me. I have since learned how to milk a goat, feed a horse, (flat handed of course, don’t ask) and watched a the wife baked 9 blackberry pies before seven am while I was still on my first cup of coffee. With eight children, five boys, who work on the farm and plow with as horse she assured me that the pies might last two days.
They also invited me to an all Amish auction, a sea of white caps, blue dresses and straw hats. Thank goodness I wore a longish blue jumper and white blouse instead of crop pants which would have been my first choice. The family never ate a regular meal all day…just homemade ice cream which was delicious but I could hear the calories and cholesteral courseing through my veins by the end of the day. I never saw so many quilts in one place in my life, so may horses, or buggies, or so many hard working honest people in my life. I felt like a slug. At the end of the day we went back to their house and six lines of laundry had been done and on the life…done by a 15 year old with a hand operated wringer washer. As I helped her fold clothes off the line she told me of her dreams, to find a good hardworking man, to have many children and a home of her own. I thought about this alot on my way home and looked at my life. 44 years as a nurse, working my way up to management, two college degrees, serving as a Pastor, and always striving to be more than I perceive myself to be. Discontent over trivial things in life, fear of the future, and always looking for the next thing to add to our happiness and then at them. This girl sang as she took in the laundry, the family laughed together on the front porch, and not an unkind word, foul laungage, or sign of impatience with the other was heard either at home or at the auction. There life is not simple or easy, they work hard pray hard, and love each other hard. By our standards they seem backwards, simple, disconnected to the world. But after spending the day with them I found myself, not wanting to be amish, but to examine what my world is, how I live and what is really important. The whole day was out of my comfort zone but somehow I think that it is my fault that it is. Perhaps we all have much to learn from those that have chosen a simpler understanding of life and let that simplicity not control but affect how and why we exist in society.

Thanks everybody!! I’m not quite as sore this morning-thank goodness!
I’ve put up the results of the Farmgirl Horse Survey at http://www.rebekahteal.com. What fun! Here’s the link. I’ll keep the stats and respones current, so join in if you haven’t already.
Mary, the roof is the Evergreen Blend. I adore it!

WOW- I love your blog and the comments just as much.

Aurelie- I live in centerburg and have an Amish farrier, as I also quilt- I love to see their work and think that spending more time with the Amish wld be just amazing.

HORSES- I have been riding since i was 10. And was completely horse crazy before that. I finally realized my dream of having them in the backyard when I was married to a very amazing husband who GOT what it means- which also means he gets BIG toys. While I ride hunters and dont really compete- we are active in 4H and my daughter drives our dartmoore pony. You shld try DRIVING. It is a blast and you get to go along with a friend. You can jsut do pleasure driving- not the wild combined driving that they have in the Olympics. We have 3 horses at home now. They are a huge part of my life and dont take much time. We just put up hay and that isnt my favorite part- but it sure does smell like heaven.

Love the green roof….good choice.

Now riding a horse would be waaaay out of my comfort zone.

Spoke at a memorial a few days ago, guess that would
be my most recent "out of my comfort zone" experience.

I am starting a quilt. This one is "taught" at my local quilt store. The pattern is Merry Little Christmas and is by Crab-apple Hill. Part of it is traced (and until now I did not know that you do not need a light box to trace a drawing on fabric) and colored with Crayolas with the wax ironed in.

I am also taking my grandchildren to my local library for the summer reading program, the library offers a reading program for adults too. (May I recommend The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter.) And in the afternoons, I am taking them swimming in the municipal pool.

These activities may seem somewhat laid back, but I am retired. Still learning but definitely retired.

Ah summer – unfortunately there has been a lot of bad weather already so the garden has been planted completely – twice – and oh the flowers have been beat up badly – BUT – always the faithful optimistic farm girl – it will come back and look beautiful for the local Garden Tour in July of which my garden is listed. Had a garage sale – the grand children contributed – did real well and now they want to spend their earnings – that will be fun. We have plans to do as much FUN as possible – visit family & friends – look for bugs, bird watch & read about the birds.
Ah the love of God to give us all this nature to enjoy.

My daughter, who is also my best friend, and I are so looking forward to the Women of the Wild West/Farmgirls on the Loose Road Trip. The "Kickoff" is officially set for next week, June 29th at the home of Farmgirl Michelle in Baggs, WY.
We will be experiencing the pleasure of meeting up with Farmgirls all along the way, camping together, sitting around the campfire . . . and I intend to laugh until I cry as often as I can.
The official "Finale" for this road trip will be a TEA PARTY at MaryJanes Farm in Moscow. What a treat that will be!!! Some of us will be staying at the Farm B&B . . and I look forward to a long, relaxing soak in one of those outdoor tubs!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh . . .
The best part? Taking this trip with my only daughter, Robin . . enjoying our friendship and our farmgirl-ness, meeting new friends and building relationships. I’m so very thankful for the opportunity!!!!!
CJ

Ah, summer. Time to sit on the porch and drink sun tea and enjoy the cats sniffing the air outside. I’ll read and crochet and quilt and smell the amazing things growing in the garden. I’ll eat fresh food and enjoy my husband and family. Since in Minnesota it seems like the day after the state fair (end of August)is Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For now, let go, and dream. Enjoy farmgirls. Bonnie

I live in California where folks seem to think it’s always summer but truly it’s not. We have been in the 90s and dry this week but I have paid attention to you, my cold wintered sisters….Iced tea is a comfort and a necessity when one lives in a coastal desert. My tomatoes and herbs and lettuces are growing on my patio and I’m happy this solstice. It’s a new season to explore.

Summer began on Monday with mushroom hunting in the mountains nearby, cooked over a campfire and s’mores for dessert. Yesterday summer was found out in the pasture with a patch of daises after following a deer around. It’s in the kitchen today with iced tea brewing in the sunny window and the goat’s milk I milked from our goat this morning churning itself into ice cream. It’s our first summer on our little farm and we’re making the most of it!

summer so far it has been alot of rain here in Indiana but the garden is starting to grow. I notice how the lighting bugs or fire flys what ever you call them are lighting up the night skies and my cats are dancing around to try to catch them. I can remember catching them and putting them in jars letting them glow like christmas lights. I guess sitting on the swing with a glass of tea will be one of my favorite thing to do this summer.

Kirsten Deane, do you live anywhere near the Frances Wisebart Jacobs Park?
It is such a small world, I thought I’d ask.

Happiness is a two-year-old boy and the toy tractor he just received for his birthday. 🙂

Right now, today, what brings me happiness is sitting on the beach with my husband and our daughter (who turns 20 tomorrow), just enjoying each other and the beauty of God’s creation. 🙂

Happiness is knowing the world will keep turning and the sun will come up tomorrow regardless of what happened today; and going to my parents house and just looking at nature after surviving this rat-infested city 😉

Just finished reading your post. I’ve got gardening in my blood, from my grandfathers on both sides. Unfortunately, I lost one when I was only 9, and the other just 3 years ago. But I learned early on how special it is to plant a garden, weed it, water it, watch it grow with so many delightful offerings, and then harvest. A lot of work, to be sure, but the rewards are immense. I feel such peace when I’m in my garden. I’m on vacation right now, but still wondering if my strawberries have finished, wondering if my herbs survived the heat wave I heard we had last week, and, anticipating planting the veggies we temporarily potted so a family member could water them for us at their house. I’ll have much weeding to do before I can plant them.

Thanks for sharing. A garden definitely can make one very happy.

Happiness is having a MaryJaneFarmgirl mention my garden and blog on your post. Giddy. Really. My hubs does so much of the work in the garden I cannot take a lot of credit for how pretty he keeps it. He is a worker and I just try to keep up with him half the time. But he is one of those mostly happy people and keeps me feeling younger than I am. And my grandchildren make me happier than I think possible when they are about. What a wonderful post I will have to go read your happiness quotes. And the water faucet what a smart man you have, just perfect!

Off the top of my head- homeschooling my kids. A close second, how they say thank you, even for things like driving them to music class or taekwondo.

Spending quality time with my man
Laughing with friends/family
Being creative..whether it’s attempting to arrange some flowers or herbs in a vase, making a jam, a new recipe, thinking of ways to save money, sewing, knitting, gardening…anything creative.

Cindy Bee

Happiness = my kids, their music, a daughter who graduated with honors, listening to the music my kids play, a son that was hired fulltime and a boyfriend that makes a world of difference in my life and to take a ride on the motorcycle. Yeah, right now that is happiness to me.

happiness is finally having running water to a small bathroom sink and toilet in my 190 year young home that I just bought and am trying to make livable! No more driving to the corner gas station!!!!!

Happiness is teaching my 5 year old great-grandaughter to enjoy gardening & nature as much as I do. It is also watching her plant her flowers & vegetables with her pink gloves & pink sunhat on as well as using her pink gardening tools. After gardening we sit & have a glass of tea & cookies while she’s sitting in her little pink lawnchair & sipping tea out of her pink glass. It doesn’t get any better than that. I also bought her a gardening book for children so that when she’s not actually gardening, she’s reading & dreaming about gardening — just like Grandma.

what makes me happy? good question. I guess there are alot of things some day it is a just sitting in the swing just swinging.I too like the smell of dirt when it is just turned and fresh cut hay but the first tomato still warm with the salt shaker can bring a smile too.

Living on a farm makes me happy, always… But today as I mowed the pasture on my new Kabota…I was happy to see that I was winning my battle on the cheat grass…less each year. And the ‘good’ grass was thicker and taller this year… that is what made me happy today 🙂

a sunshiney day, a gentle breeze through the window, little kids giggling, holding hands, sheets dried on the clothesline….

Smack-dab what I was looinkg for-ty!

I have been having a blast lately making Farmgirl related items. I have made a set of Farmgirl notecards, a recipe box and a chicken notebook. What fun My mind is going a mile a minute
You can see them at http://www.dreamingofspringtime.etsy.com
Thanks

I spent some time with my PC’s scanner & scanned favorite recipes from cookbooks on the shelves that I rarely used (there are some books that have just a few yet I keep the whole book for some reason!). This allowed me to print the recipes I love & use and give away the cookbooks that I don’t use and that take up a lot of space … felt good to accomplish, more of my favorites are now behind plastic protector sheets in my recipe binder & got me more organized too!

For 25 years I’ve been paid for my creativity (I guess that makes me a psuedo professional). I’ve always felt that creativity as a label is unfairly hoarded and gets mooshed down into an ittybitty box, The result is sorta like when Cinderella’s big-footed sister tries to make the tiny glass slipper fit and her big ole foot pops it off. Creativity is a huge category and it will NOT fit into a stingey little box!! People that design satellite communications systems are creative, as are researchers that work on curing diseases. All the people that work on how to make our lives safer are creative troubleshooters. Chefs are creative as is any cook that enjoys the art and likes to experiment. Creative thought is like the air we breath, it is everywhere and in everyone. Dealing with Life demands it. Some of it is work related, some it falls under the heading of "just for fun"…hobby therapy. Anyone who works in the arts (and crafts) will tell you that even though they enjoy their job, it is a job and it feels like work. A friend of mine has been a career medical illustrator (surgeon’s manuals); her hobby is also art, but it is much more playful and fanciful. She jokes that her ‘job’ is to draw bones & innards. Another friend is a newspaper owner and she is a creative machine that has a weekly deadline. Parents that take the time to enrich their childrens lives with family traditions, outings, and just how to do things in everyday life are 110% 24/7 creative!

Well anyway, I second your thoughts…everyone is creative. We all have bellybuttons and we all have a creative soul. If you don’t think so, you’re probably not looking in the right place. If you let yourself see that part of you, you’re on the verge of really widening your life by turning your inner child loose. Being fearless in self exploration is, in my opinion, the key that turns the lock. :o) Shery

I’ve been working on a new wall hanginmg for my shop. That’s my officially creative thing. I also love to readaloud to my kiddos and I change my voice around for the different characters. I made bread. Lots of ways to see being creative. Thanks for the reminder Rebekah!

I am cleaning bathrooms today- does that count?

Creativity in the last couple of days…..hmmmmm

Took pictures of my gardens explosion because it’s so lovely right now.
Took pictures of my dog and hubs
Completed a few blog posts
Almost finished sewing a skirt
Organized my craft room
Put a few items on freecycle and now the ‘stuff’ is out of my house and to someone that needs/wants it.
Decided on a few dinner menus for the upcoming beginning of summer weekend. (so excited)
Also decided on a new drinky-poo for the start of the weekend…;)

Wow, that’s quite a list and I think it is really creative because it involves thinking differently and doing differently. LOVE THAT!
Have a great day!
Julie

Fantasitc topic Rebekah! CREATIVITY! You said it, Life is Creative;life is ART! I believe we are made to be creative, to be problem solvers and express our creativity in just about everything we do! Artists of LIFE! Creativity doesn’t just belong to artists. It lives and breathes within each of us! I was fortunate to work in the creative industry of hairdressing for 18 years,followed by 12 years of homeschooling where I’ve learned to stretch my creative wings even further as a mother and facilitator of learning for our two home grown kids. All along I’ve tried my hand an many artsy endeavors. Sewing, painting furniture,home decor, gardening and photography and now writing my HOME ARTS blog Dandelion House and the MJFbeachblog too! Life is a wonderful creative journey! We just need to stay open so we can " recieve " our own creative messages then just go for it!

Here’s my list of creativity for this week:

1) Write my next blog for the mjfbeachblog
2) Now that the rain has stopped I can assemble my two raised garden beds.
3) Set up temperary " housing " for my newest batch of 8 Auracaunas outside while hubby finishes the run! I used a dog fence, a dog crate and a tarp! Not the prettiest arrangement but it will do in a pinch until the full set up is finished!
4)Added Verbena and Catmint to my perennial garden.
5)Researched how to get rid of a very unwanted woodchuck that has taken up residence under our shed and all but eaten my elephant sized hollyhock down to the nubbins!
( anyone know how to get rid of a woodchuck)?

HELP!

Great post Rebekah! Loved it!
Deb

I made several meals this week using some of the vegetables from the garden I planted earlier this year!

Yes, I am a creative person, and over the last few years I have had to re-evaluate my idea of an artist! It’s not just someone who paints pictures or creates sculptures or makes music. Anyone who creates is an artist! I loved your post because it really reflected how I feel about the topic.

I am a papercrafter, primarily making cards and tags. It makes me happy to sit at my work table and make things. You can find my blog here >>> http://camelliacottagedesigns.blogspot.com/ and I hope you will leave me a comment if you visit!

Love reading your blog, your fellow Georgia girl,

Becky Garrison
Chapter Leader Sunshine Sisters Farmgirls
Cumming, Georgia

This is Renaisance Fair season and I just finished the last Elizabethan costume,I hope:)

I haven’t done this yet, but I have an idea.
MaryJane’s latest magazine had dish-drainer quilts. Way cool. I have two queen size pillow cases, which have lost their twins and I have been thinking of putting batting into the closed, plain end, sewing/ironing it in place and then flipping the fancy open end over, so the border of the pillow case is somewhat off center. Yes, the quilt will be thicker at that point but the dish-drainer will straddle the bulk.
If you haven’t seen MaryJane’s idea check it out. I have been using old bath towels with worn out selvages and fringe on the sides. Worse still I keep washing and drying these old towels, wasting water and natural gas. MJ shows off her quilts on skirt hangers, economical and e-cological at the same time.

Thank you Rebekah for inspiring us (and teal is my favorite color).
We (hubs and I) are being creative with our on-going hummingbird/butterfly gardens in our yard by adding a few more native perennials and continuing our wildscape garden, hope to be done someday so we can sit back and enjoy them. Found a really neat site and purchased some great plants, almostedenplants.com (hope I can add that in my message).

Hold out for the autograph of James Taylor, it can happen. Plan for it, envision it. A few years ago I had the chance to see The Moody Blues in concert in Tahoe and so wanted to meet my favorite of the group, Justin Hayward but did not know how this could happen. I had to wait a while for the box office to open to get my ticket so I window shopped in the mini mall behind the theatre and ventured into a book store and low and behold there was none other than Mr. Hayward himself. He was so nice and such a gentleman, we chatted and I got his autograph. The concert that PM was a blast! Believe it and it will come true.

In this day of computers, all you have to do is pick a recipe, like "French Onion SOUP". Type in your browser and ask for picture guide or video guide, and instantly on your computer you can watch pictures OR video of the recipes being made (as though you were standing at their shoulder).

I am blessed to have a husband that loves to cook and he is very good at it. When it comes to throwing ingredients in a pan he knows just what to choose, no cookbooks needed. My passion is baking and I consider myself a successful baker. I have turned my passion into a business with baking wholesome organic treats for our canine companions. http://www.CanineConfections.com However, when I do venture into the kitchen to cook on top of the stove I use the ‘America’s Test Kitchen’ TV Show Cookbook. These are recipes that they have perfected by repeating them many many times until the outcome is just perfect. So, you know if you follow the directions you can rest assured the outcome will be a success. They cover everything from the basics to the perfect French omelet. As a bonus, there is information on tools of the trade to make cooking simpler. I highly recommend it and wish you the best.

I had very little experience in the kitchen and our cleaning lady gave me Better Homes and Gardens binder style cookbook and another person gave me Betty Crocker, they are terrific for the beginner and have all the info you need to start. From that point I have collected nearly 1,000 cookbooks and now with the computer I am reducing the load!!!! I read cookbooks like novels and the vintage ones are the BEST!!!

Just learning to cook? If you want to start cooking right away, I’d start with the Jamie Oliver suggestions but add "The America’s Test Kitchen" cookbook and "The Joy of Cooking". Both give you references to herbs, spices, grains and various other things you might not find in a basic cookbook. These two will explain the difference between long grain and short grain rice and which is better in what recipe!

Betty Crocker has been my go to cookbook since I married 31 years ago. It’s the best for actual cooking instructions. Now, if you just want great recipes I would go with any of Paula Deen’s cookbooks. Her recipes are fantastic. Good luck to the bride! Blessings!

Mrs. Wilkes’ Boardinghouse Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from Her Savannah Table [Hardcover] by Sema Wilkes—I bought this for a friend from Michigan for a Christmas gift because of her dream of coming to see Savannah, GA. The locals in Savannah say this is the place one needs to go when visiting historic Savannah. But the book…once I received it…I checked it out before sending the gift to our friend and I fell in love with it!!! I so wished I had this book when I first married 30 years before. My hubby would not have had to suffer through my dislike of cooking or trial and error cooking. The book is basic cooking, but you can use "organic" in the place of some suggested ingredients. (You can use olive oil in the place of some of her suggested ingredients and the recipes still taste great, even better to me since I prefer organic.) I just wished I had this cookbook when I was young since my Mom passed away when I was very young. This business woman from Savannah could probably cook almost as good as my Mom. It also costs less than $20.00 which is rare for a cookbook!
Reba

Love your blog, Rebeka!! And your daddy’s roses! When I got married 35 years ago I got the most wonderful present and cook book entitled, "Brides Eye-View Of Cooking" by Elise Maclay. I don’t even know if you can get it any more. But I still remember how much I loved it and used it and studied it as a young and so-in-love bride. I still pull it out today and use some of the tried and true receipts. Just looking at the cover makes me smile and remember…..Whether it’s still published or not is not really important, but what is, is I hope this soon to be bride finds a cook book that will fill her with just as much excitement and hope for cooking and making a new life with the man she loves as this book did me. And I’m so grateful that all these years later, I’m still loving and cooking for my husband, grown children and grand kids!! Blessings to you and her, Cate Tuten

My all time favorite cookbooks are Favorite Recipes From Quilters by Louise Stoltfuz (It’s like being at a church social with everyone’s tried and true recipes!) and the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, for general information about everything. I also enjoy the Christmas Recipies From Quilters too. Of course, having a husband that was raised in the restaurant business and loves to cook doesn’t hurt either!

I had that red and white cookbook when my kids were small! They all still talk about it today, and they’re in their twenties and thirties. In fact, I think I gave the whole book to one of my daughters, at her request.

These days, I get a lot of recipes online. I use a lot of Cooking Light recipes. I have an entire shelf of cookbooks, and I use all of them. No favorites really, but the books that get the most use are The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison, and that great Italian cookbook, Silver Spoon. And I LOVE Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking. It’s not really a cookbook, but it’s a wealth of knowledge on food, and it’s fun to read, too!

I really wonder if one can learn to cook from a book. It can only be learned by doing. Yes, use a recipe and follow it, but be prepared for a little uncertainty, and perhaps some iffy results until you get the hang of it.

The best way to learn to cook? In the kitchen, with someone who knows how, preferably someone you love. Know someone who gets giddy at the opportunity to cook something? Get in there with them! Watch and imitate. Improvise. Have fun.

I love Southernplate by Christy Jordan. I have many cookbooks. I collect them. I have used recipes here and there. I mostly cook a little of this and that. But Christy Jordan’s cookbook is full of southern homestyle recipes from family and friends and stories to go with each. The recipes are yummy as well as making you feel a part of the tradition of southern family. : )

Ree Drummond’s cook bokk THE PIONEER WOMAN. It has great recipes and great pictures in it. Highly recommended.

I probably have over 100 cookbooks which I love looking through for special recipes or a good read. But I have to say that for my fall back book, I always reach for my Betty Crocker cookbook which is coming out of it’s binding, has had liquids spilled over it and is hanging together by a thead.

I recommend Americas Test Kitchen family cookbook. It explains why you need to do certain things while cooking, and what happens if you don’t. I have given it as a gift to all of my friends when the get engaged and they all love it. I also love Ree Drumonds The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Very simple easy to follow steps. Out of my entire collection of cookbooks (and there are a lot) These are the ones I always turn to. Plus Ree has a wonderful website that she is always updating. Her whiskey cream sauce you want to eat plain. Enjoy!

I had one cookbook when I moved out on my own. It was a Betty Crocker Cookbook. I had all the simple everyday recipes that I could use and then I depended on recipes given to me by friends after a sampling of something they had made. And of coarse any info I would need to make it happen right. I would agree with some of the other commenters here that the Pioneer Women’s Cookbook is a good one. Even at 50-something it is great to have the step by step pictures of something you have never made before or something you have made but has always flopped. To this day I cannot make a decent batch of fried chicken. My mother always made great fried chicken for picnics but she never wanted anyone hanging around in the kitchen so I do not know how she made it. I bought a new iron skillet and hubs says he is going to try his hand at it himself. Thanks for all the new cookbook ideas!

I am loving The Pioneer Woamn Cooks. Easy recipes to follow, great food and wonderful pictures to help you out. Also, I have 4 sons and a husband and this food will make any man and woman very happy!!!!!!!

I have always loved cookbooks, read many while learning what we liked to eat. We still experiment in the kitchen. Since our children are raised and on their own, it is usually okay if dinner takes a bit of time to get on the table. We can linger over our meal, visit, talk about our day and discuss tomorrow.
The best advice I can give a new bride, is try. Try the recipe that sounds good, if you like the ingredients it amy turn out wonderful. Time, take time to read the recipe, ask questions if you don’t know the ingredients or term. Experiment with the seasonings. Make notes, about the recipe and food in the margins, Likes and Dislikes, too much of sage, we like more pepper. Relax and have fun!
If she is as lucky as I was her new husband will eat what she has cooked, and not choke too much. He is still eating when I cook some 35 years later. We laugh about my first attempt at baking powder biscuits, fried chicken, and a few other items that have been disasters over the years. AND we will try a new recipe any day of the year.

FOR THE BEGINNING CHEF!

My 12 year old son loves to cook. He wanted his own cookbook so he could make dinner without any help. I searched and found "Better Homes and Garden Anyone Can Cook, step by step recipes just for you". It is great with clear pictures and recipes categorized by difficulty. Not sure the difference between minced and diced, it shows you. This is a great cookbook to learn the terminology and basics before moving onto classics such as "Joy of Cooking" and even the "Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book" which assume you know basic cooking terms and techniques.

Tonight my son made Blackberry glazed pork for dinner.

Congratulations and happy cooking.

My most cherished cookbook it my great grandma’s 1940 red checked Better Homes and Garden cookbook. I use it still. It has some great recipes.

I learned to cook from my mother, she taught me how to cook a whole Thanksgiving meal, I cooked my first Thanksgiving meal all by myself, only asking for advice if I got stumped, at the age of 16. Oh sure I took home ec, but only thing I really remembering making is tomato soup spice cake and catching a frozen loaf of bread on fire in a microwave for I forgot to take off the bead tie! Hey it was 1983 and I never used a microwave till than…haha!

I save recipes all the time I fine online, I am kind of obsessed with saving recipes! I also have my grandma’s metal card box, it has great hand written recipes in her hand writing, and since she passed away I love to just look at her hand writing. And my oldest cookbook is Watkins Cook Book, published in 1938.

Congratulations of getting married. Its a GOOD thing, marriage that is. You need to get the book SOUTHERN PLATE or go to the website. The southern girl that wrote this book could teach anyone to cook. She is pratical, funny, and shows step by step. Look her up. Christy is her name, I subscribe to her newsletter.

Although I’ve become quite the collector of cookbooks over the years, I didn’t learn how to cook from one. And though I have a family full of great cooks, the most important lessons came from my grandmother. Her recipes seem to forever be missing an ingredient, or a measurement, or a detail (such as oven temp). But by spending a little time in the kitchen with her, I learned that the missing elements become obvious once you learn to trust your instincts and to cook with…you got it!..LOVE! Most of my cooking these days is simply an experiment. I see what I’ve got, and throw it together. An exact replica of each meal I make is nearly impossible to recreate, because I don’t remember how much of something I used. I just added more until it smelled and tasted good. And I can’t seem to leave a recipe alone. I’m forever adding something or tweaking something to my liking.

As for my go-to cookbooks…I have an antique store find that I grab when I’m in doubt about the basics. It’s called For the Bride, and sadly it’s out of print. (I’ve tried finding copies for gifts, to no avail) I also fall back on my Gooseberry Patch collection, local organization fund-raiser books, and recipes from The Fence Post publication. The reason for this is that they have simple ingredients, simple directions, and they’ve been tried and proven by women through the generations. They’re generally the recipes that are quick and easy to make at the end of a long day, they seldom require an ingredient that isn’t a staple in the kitchen, and if a woman has shared the recipe because their family loves it then mine is likely to love it too.

Luckily for my husband I had an old Betty Crocker cookbook that was my go- to book for years. Near the top of my favorites list now, (besides Edna Lewis of course), is The Cook and Gardener by Amanda Hesser. A delightful read!

I didn’t start cooking until I was about 35 and into my second marriage. My husband taught me the basics. A friend introduced me to Sundays at Moosewood and that book really got me interested and I have loved cooking since. Another favorite is Chocolate and Zucchini, a lovely little book with lots of great recipes and great taste hits. I love reading and cooking from Julia Child’s books, too. My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris is another favorite. I have a couple of bookshelves of cookbooks now and really enjoy reading and experimenting in the kitchen.

I have been married for almost 25 years and I am still using my Betty Crocker cook book! It is sitting on my counter and is used often just for ingredients! (I usually don’t measure!) My other favorite is a book that was made for me and it included all the favorite receipes from all my favorite people! It is priceless!!
Good luck and just enjoy your kitchen!!

I work in a library. When folks ask about cookbooks for someone who knows "nothing" about cooking I suggest they visit the Children/Young Adult floor. There they will find many basic recipes for everything to making scrambled eggs to spaghetti. There are also books with recipes from different cultures for those who want to try couscous, hummus etc.
I always tell new cooks "If you can read you can cook!"

I would reccommend she go to youtube and check out the cooking video tutorials which anyone can learn to cook by. There are some excellent videos that show step by step what to do and how to prepare a meal or just one dish.

Oh, this is a tough one. We had a Brun for a while – the kind that you set up the night before, and in the morning it turns on, grinds the beans, and makes the coffee. It was wonderful.

Until the night I poured the water into it and all the water promptly came out the bottom all over the counter. Mind you, the coffeemaker was less than one year old. And not cheap.

No more Bruns.

So? We’re using a Mr. Coffee. Now, I’m with you – I buy top-of-the-line, fair-trade, organic coffee. No supermarket stuff. No Starbucks. GOOD coffee, only, thank you. But I’m content to make it my Mr. Coffee coffeemaker. It seems to be okay.

If you find out about a better one, that doesn’t cost a fortune, I’d love to know.

I am on my second Cuisinart. It is a great quality and the first one lasted 5 years, so I replaced with the same one. Basic, simple coffee maker, $79.00. I am fortunate to live in St. Louis where we have a local coffee company, Thomas! Divine coffee. My husband travels around the world and continues to bring me coffee from many places, but nothing compares to the perfect cup of Thomas.

Tea was my choice of drink until I married my husband and was introduced to a family of coffee drinkers who looked cross eyed at tea. I converted over. Now I am a coffaholic and love a great cup of coffee almost before I open my eyes in the morning.
We have had almost every coffee maker on the market and now have a gevalia coffee maker…….. eh, its ok but not great. But to tell the truth, when my husband makes the coffee. it is pretty close to great.

We have gone through many coffee makers….we had a Krups…but the one we had didn’t automatically turn off, and so if we weren’t drinking as much we ended up with burnt coffee because no one actually remembers to turn things off at my house. We have used Mr. Coffee, Gevalia and my new personal favorite a Cuisenart. Makes really good coffee, can set it to brew the night before and turns off after an hour. Did I mention it makes really good coffee. My daughter actually makes the best coffee in the house….don’t know why, she doesn’t even really drink it, but her cup of coffee is always smooth and perfect…must be a gift. I actually like Folgers columbian pretty well…we make it strong…no sense in having a cup of coffee if you can’t taste the coffee. I like the fresh ground also, but I broke my grinder… sad day!

This is an easy one for me. I love the Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200. The coffee is delicious and HOT. My only negative is that you must be careful pouring in the water. it’s very narrow.

I also, if you can believe this , love to put an old fashion top of the stove pot on for coffee. I don’t know why more people don’t take the time to do once in awhile. It is just soooo good. The smell of the coffee throughout the house is so nice.

I just love coffee too!!

Like Darlene we have a Mr Coffee. My husband and I have a growing contest about who makes the BEST coffee. Of course, I know it’s me. I like it STRONG. I bought a coffee press years ago and recently started using it. I put the tea kettle on while I feed the girls(cats) then put in the amount of coffee for my cup (4) scoops coffee. Pour the boiling water in the bottom over the grounds, stir gently, steep 4 minutes and push down the press, which pushes down the grounds and up the beautiful strong coffee. Perfect every time. Since I know how much coffee my favorite cup holds (8 oz.) I use 8 oz. H20 to 4 scoops coffee. It really is easy. As for Hubby, he likes the Mr Coffee. I just am not fit to be around before my coffee, which I savor. Good luck in your search. Thanks for sharing, bad coffee is just BBBaaaaaaadddddddd!

Since I like to do whatever my grandmother did, I brew my coffee in a stainless steel, stove-top perculator that I have had since 1979. I grind the beans and use 1/2 cup for every 10 cups of water. Once the perking starts, I perk it for 1 minute per cup. After it’s done and has settled a few minutes, I pour it into a pump thermos to stay warm for most of the morning. We relish our morning coffee, so it’s usually gone before the coffee starts to cool in the thermos.

We’re snobs over here, and we only use The Almighty French Press. Pour in the (coarse) grounds, boiling water, steep 4-5 minutes, push the strainer down, and pour. You can get large ones that make multiple cups. I know it’s a far cry from automatic, but it’s easy, saps zero electricity, is completely portable and very long-lasting, and OH BOY does it make good coffee. Just my two cents!

I got rid of ALL my coffee makers, from the antique percolator to every modern one I had and bought a French Press. I’ve been making single cup expresso drips for me. I had hot water if it is too strong. A little cream and sugar and I’ve got One Good Cup of Coffee… I buy off brand expresso. There is one that makes great Vietnamese coffee in an orange can from New Orleans… (buy at Asian markets) …"cafe du monde" they are online too. Then there is a mexican one in a yellow can… We’ve been having fun experimenting… Every now and again I’ll throw the expresso over ice after mixing it with condensed milk… yum! Good luck!

When I made coffee, I made it with a Melitta drip thing. I have a couple of the individual sized filter holders, and I think one bigger one. I’ve had to cut back on caffeine, so it’s green tea for me now. Yeah, there’s decaf. sigh. BUt it was so simple. Put quite a lot of ground coffee in the filter, add hot water the correct way,and there you are. Coffee. It’s so simple. And you can adjust how strong you want it and add things like cinnamon. Or pepper. Or whatever. I go for Melitta every time. And I don’t know how to use coffee makers. They are a mystery.

WHAT!!!!!?????? So far I’ve read that no one uses a Keurig? I am on my second machine (the first died due to owner neglect and large amounts of limestone in our water). I buy Green Mountain Coffee from VT and will drink a hot fresh cup morning, noon and night. And any other chance I get. Yes, the coffee is more expensive this way, and yes, there doesnt seem to be a way to recycle the little K cups. But this is darn near my only indulgence. I take it with me everywhere- camping, cattle shows, etc. I would be in a sorry state without it….:)

I am a coffee snob. Water is #1. Has to be clean water that is filtered if it is not from our own well.

Then fair trade whole beans, freshly ground. And I only use two types of coffee makers. French press or a Chemex.

I am currently a French Press coffee drinker. We began using a French Press when I got disgusted with yet another burner that died on our drip coffee maker. That was about 10 years ago. We’ve never turned back. The only drip coffee maker I would use if I didn’t use my French Press would be a Gevalia Automatic Drip Coffeemaker. It’s in my firm opion that the Swedes excel when it comes to making coffee. Heaven in a cup!

Keurig only for me thank you.

I am currently using a non-electric stovetop percolater to brew my coffee. The house smells wonderful and the coffee is hot! No fancy bells and whistles, just good coffee.

Coffee that is a deep subject for me. I grew up with a swedish father who as far as I can remember never was with out a cup of coffee in his hand. The smell of coffee brewing is
heavenly to me and it makes me feel all is right with the world! I have gone thru so many
coffee makers and have yet found the perfect one. Currently I am using a Black And Decker.
My coffee must be strong to the point where I cannot see thru it, like mud and cream and sugar to top it off. Coffee is at the top of the list for comfort food or drink for me!!

Glad to read so many posts on makers. Our Black and Decker recently died after 4 years so glad to get a lot of feedback. Right now I’ve pulled out the cheap one we kept in the camper and the coffee tastes about the same as the B & D. It’s easier to fill, too. The B & D had a narrow reserve well that was hard to fill (have plenty of towels ready!) and it was hard to keep the moisture from giving a ‘musty’ flavor to the coffee after awhile, even after cleaning it repeatedly with a vinegar solution. I’m going to look into the favorites listed in your blog comments. We do grind our own beans and use cold, filtered water, of course. One thing I like to do, especially in the fall, is to sprinkle some cinnamon into the coffee grounds. Gives a nice cozy flavor.
Thanks again!!

A French Press is really the only way to go. I always buy an organic, dark Sumatra or French Roast. Grind right before pouring near boiling water over the grounds. Stir gently with chopsticks and let it settle for 4 minutes. Push down plunger and enjoy. I won’t go back to auto-makers. The leftover coffee is great for iced beverages or make ice cubes for iced coffee.

For everyday use I have a Keurig and love it. I have several other machines and love using them. We have a Cappuccino/Espresso machine,a Mr. Coffee, a french press and a variety of stove top and electric percolators. I drink coffee and tea like others drink soda. I enjoy all flavors and at all times of the day. Each process has its pros and cons. With the Keurig and a "My K Cup" I can have my own fresh ground coffee which is nice also. My advice is to try different ones and see which is the right one for you.

I’ve seen a few people post about the Keurig and that is the one that I’m going to rave about. I love it, even though if you buy the prepackaged Kcups it seems to be a lot of wasted plastic :-/ which is why I use the little refillable k-cup (can’t remember what it’s called) and just buy the bagged coffee. I have the smaller Keurig so it takes about 3 minutes longer than the larger sizes (which like your bunn keep the water hot from what I can tell) But it works for me and I don’t think I’ll have another coffee maker again.

My favorite way to brew up a cup of joe is with a good old fashion percolator. I like to use a dark roast from Green Mountain or Seattle’s Best. For years this was the only way I made coffee. I loved the flavor plus I could hide it away in the cabinet when it wasn’t in use. I have since acquired a Keurig because of my husbands early before 5am departures to work. It’s a great convenience when you’re in a hurry. So when I’m in a hurry or feeling extra extra lazy I use my Keurig. Each cup is perfect no doubt! One of my favorites for the K-cup is Tully’s Kona or the Caribou.

This machine is especially great for single coffee drinkers. No waisting a pot. I bought one for my mom as a gift when I found out she was going instant. My dad had quit drinking coffee and she didn’t want to make a pot just for her. I couldn’t stand the thought of her missing out on a good cup of coffee. She loves hers and uses it every day.

So, Rebekah, after renewing the "coffee rebellion" of 2011, will you be making a NEW choice for yourself? Please let us know.

About making coffee…each ingredient, the water AND the coffee make the completed victory drink. I am serious about coffee. I use a plain coffee drip and have used several, $15 to $25 in price, but no certain one do I like better.

I seem to make the same tasting coffee by using the same water system Starbucks uses, and it is one of Starbucks’ successes to maintaing the same taste in their coffees anywhere in the USA. I have a water system that softens and then an osmosis. My coffee is always the same as each flavor matches the Starbucks coffee I buy. I do use other brands, but not many, as we like Starbucks. Every new person to visit me thinks I have brought brewed coffee home.
As long as the pot is clean and has only been used for coffee, the only thing I think that is better, is to use a coffee maker with stainless steel internal parts, keeping the coffee from any chance of flavor change.

I hope this helps. If I am away from home, I like to take a few gallons with me or buy good water elsewhere. As you can understand, I am serious about a good cup of coffee and the water system was not cheap.

I think you should name the copperhead Penny.

I was LOL when I read about Jake and Cake! When I read the post before this one, I was thinking…’she’d miss Jake if he were gone.’ I think I’m right!

My patch of ground. We live in town on a double lot with the cutest potting shed my husband built for me, a pond, a veggie garden, a hammock stand, beehives, and it’s all a park like setting and we have the best neighbors. And guess what. We’re moving. I’m packing. We are building a house in the country and moving in this summer. We planned on living here forever…until….my husband found this land in the country. He never looked for land until I one day said, "no more airedales (critters)" He wanted a dozen. I said you find a place in the country and you can have as many as you want. I didn’t mean it. Not really. And yes, I’m the one that said "what’s one more." Seriously? I said that? And I was just wondering about your pound puppy the other day. Mine has been wanting a new home….maybe not on purpose…but he sure does act like he wants a new home!

Cindy Bee

How about Salazar….he was a bad dude! Rather poisonous in his dealings with the Muggleworld (if your a Harry Potter fan)
I have 3 acres…and a very small patch of brushy wood area. I do keep a garden…trying a modified raised bed version this year…digging the paths out and using the top soil to raise the gardening area and then mulching the dickens out of the paths with newspaper and maiden grass cuttings. We shall see. I also have 4 dwarf nigerian goats…whom I love and are completely worthless, 3 Hens and a Rooster..who earn their keep…well the girls do..and I just got 4 more chicks to add to the mix. I would highly recommend Chickens for snake control. They won’t mess with the big ones..but they eat the little ones..and they would take care of those lawn worms. Great pest control…or Guineas, although they are much flightier. Snakes are fine in their place..but I certainly would not want the under my porch.

Years ago when I lived in the country we would find hundreds of baby snakes in our window wells in the spring. We would scoop them out & watch them wiggle their way to the woods (we also had a woods behind our house). Can’t say that I was sorry to see them go.
I currently live in the city on a normal city-sized lot which is not large enough for all that I want to plant. Last year I pulled all of the grass out of the backyard, which is fenced, and put in 3 raised beds in addition to the regular garden that I already had. I also have lots of flowers/lilac bushes/2 blueberry bushes & rhubarb,a patio & a fire pit. I grew so many veggies that I still have veggies (canned & frozen)from last year. The only unwanted critters I have are squirrels & they are pests! Last year they ate every stalk of corn right down to the ground, stalk & all. Since we fenced the yard we no longer get the rabbits we used to get. We get lots of birds which I thoroughly enjoy. In addition we have our resident critters, two cats; Tiger & Leo. It’s not a showplace by any means but it is my own little piece of heaven on earth.
My friend says it is so peaceful that she could stay here for the rest of her life! My only wish is that I could have chickens and bees – it’s ok with our city but I don’t have enough room. Maybe someday………

My bit of earth has lots of potential too! It’s actually starting to look better too, now that we’ve been here a few years. The previous owners of this house mowed the lawn, and that was about it. The owner before them was a prolific gardener and remnants from her gardens are there, but in pretty sad shape. I’ve added two perenial flower beds, but there are still some large patches that need some attention. I also have a raised bed garden for my veggies. Lots of fun!

We have 10 acres of which at least 7 is wooded. Our garden is out on the back ten. I would not have put it there but the previous owners did and I think I understand why since living here. We have a lot of sand and I am finding it hard to grow veges around the house area. So I make the walk back through the woods to our garden. Kinda a pain if you just want one cucumber and one tomato though. We have been here three years and every year I try to plant some different flowers to find out what works best here. We have a dozen chickens but I want more. We also have snakes, squirrels, hawks, fox, deer and chipmunks that we do battle with. But if they are not being destructive they are sure sweet to watch except the snakes. Like you I do not want them dead but I do not want them in the flower bed I am working in. And each year at least one sends me back to the house and making circles around that particular area for days. As always I find your writing puts a smile on my face!

Well, Rebekah, as for the snake’s name, I think ALL snakes should be named ‘GoAwaySnake!’ Enough said on that topic! :o)

Anyway, From what I hear, we live in the same region, and our Camellia Cottage is on an almost 3/4 acre lot in a subdivision. We are surrounded by hardwoods and one lone pine way back behind the house. The back yard is shady and full of native plants left by the birds . . . wild ginger, woods violets, a cute new baby spruce that is about 10" tall, mulberry bushes, wild strawberries (and not the weed kind!), solomons seal, hearts a bursting and much more. We pretty much leave that as wild as we can for our bird habitat. The front yard is sodded, but has several large islands, the largest of which I call ‘Hawaii’ (get it, big island, Hawaii, etc.?) In these islands I have lilacs, Chinese snowballs, hydrangeas, lavendar, rosemary, buddleia, garden phlox, monarda, sweet rocket, roses, iris, shasta daisies, camellias, heuchera, foxgloves and much more . . . whatever I can find a space for, I’ve got it!

As for the sweet shrub, this past weekend we were camping at Shady Grove Campground on our beloved Lake Lanier. On Saturday morning I exited the tent to see a gorgeous sun peeking above the hill to our east. I threw on my robe, grabbed the camera, and high-tailed it toward the sun! It was beautiful, and I got some great pictures. As I turned to head back to our campsite, I was greeted with an amazing sight . . . beautiful pink native azaleas (aka wild honeysuckles) in various stages of blooms. They were amazing. I just stood there and took in the fragrance. And took pictures! Then I started back on my way, and there they were . . . sweet shrubs in abundance . . . so once again, smelling the sweet blooms, and taking more pictures. It was such a magical way to start my day!

Loved reading about your yard! Becky G. Chapter Leader, Sunshine Sisters Farmgirls

hi,I am in a bad mood about mine,after paying farmer money to culitvate,he said,that I have a layer of rock under my gartden spot,and that the spot I had picked won,t be good for vegtables at all.So,now,I have to hire a back hoe operator to clear brush for another spot.It is turning expensive just for a garden.Daddy and I are arguing now,coz,I plowed up his hayfield and he lost a whole bale of hay because of me!It is quite comical really!So,grass seed has to be planted back into the spot I plowed now so he will hush.I am tired tonight lol!Have a great day!blessed be,carol Branum Lamar MO.

Hi Rebecca, your posts are so much fun!
We have 40 acres in the north central hills of Idaho. Our log home sits at the top of 12 acres that use to be for haying. We have all the critters you have and everything has to be fenced. I love the elk, deer, snow shoe bunnies & turkeys and they will eat anything when hungry, even banana peels! I use to be the very same way about snakes, too many close encounters with the poisonous ones while growing up in southern OK. We have garter snakes that live under our front steps and praise the LORD we don’t have poisonous snakes on this side of the lake, attitude thing. From my husband I’ve learned to identify snakes and not harm the good ones even thought they still make me jump when I see them. I’m thinking naming a poisonous snake makes it a friend, you’ll be talking to it instead of running or whacking it! Spend your time with Jake and Cake. TOO FUN! I’ve never heard of the Carolina Sweet Shrub–pretty! And like you I love the woods! Ours is mostly evergreen but lots of shrubs that have beautiful white blooms! My favorite past time is looking for nature treasures and taking pictures! Snags are great! Love all your pictures!Keep on keeping us entertained!!!

Hi Rebekah, I agree with Cindy on a name for the copperhead. Penny is a great name. I think we have copperheads here in E Tenn, had them back in Central TX along with Coral snakes, pretty but poisonous.
Several years ago my sister gave me a cutting of Carolina Allspice. She lived in S MS and it grew all over her backyard. I potted it and took it back to TX and then moved it to TN two years ago and finally planted it in my yard. It has never bloomed and this spring it is covered in buds. Sister says the blooms will smell like grape jelly when they open. Your pics look just like my plant, leaves and buds. After almost two years here, our yard and land is taking on a beautiful look with our landscaping of hummingbird and butterfly shrubs that we have added. I want to add a Silverbell tree to the lower acreage this year.
Love your photos and stories of your place.
Enjoy the outdoors…. isn’t it beautiful?

Well the plumber came to clear the clog that keeps coming back between the house and the sewer and decided that we needed a new clean-out in the front yard. My yard is now graced with a square mound of dirt with some pvc sticking up from the mound. While I’m waiting for the soil to settle etc., I think about what could be there sometime in the future. I’d like a rose garden, but I suppose the plumber might actually have to get to his clean out.

We’re excited to be starting our own smallish garden this spring. My two girls and I are not however looking forward to running into Cake and his friends. In Ga we have plenty of the poisonous varieties. Any advice on how to make Cake not want to hang out around the freshly planted veggies?
Lovely trees photos!

I would probably name the Copperhead – GONE – not like end it but like take it somewhere else – I know I know snakes are good for the gardens, woods, environment BUT for some reason they and I see no need to be in each others space. Oh enough of that. Thanks for the name for dead trees – I live in a new developing area and some people have had trees die and we are not allowed to leave them in our front yard – SO I have them in my backyard and the birds, creatures love them. I put out pine cones with peanut butter and food in the winter and hang little tins of food in the summer, sometimes the Snags look alive because of all the activity on them. Not quite time, in my area, for me to be in God’s healing earth but I am ready to plant with all my self started seedlings growing quickly. Thanks again for ‘Snags’ and love your writings.

I’m with Joan. The copperhead would definitely be GONE. I don’t do snakes very well. I can coexist with green garden snakes fine. However, coming home Wednesday afternoon to find a 6′ black snake slithering across the floor as the garage door lifted was a bit much. It was either a king snake or a rat snake…so I knew it was a good snake. It was allowed to live.

I parked at the end of the driveway and took the dog for a walk while said snake finished slithering away to it’s next destination.

Hello Rebekah!
That darned Jake! How about if you call the animal patrol and have them come and… well, you know… um…. take him away! I can’t stand for you to go through another garden season dodging Jake the Snake! He’s sucking the joy right out of your gardening mo jo!

On to gardening and farmgirlin’ matters. Your peas are looking great! We are certainly behind you here in when to plant outdoors…the last of our snow melted last week, and I just uncovered my flower beds yesterday. I’ll place my seed order today for a few veggies, and I’m ordering a yellow Lady Banks Rose to climb over one side of my Hen House! We are also going to add two raised beds here and at the cottage…
I have found several homesteading websites lately that might be useful to emerging farmgirls…

http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/ Amy does a Homesteading Barn Hop with three other bloggers every Monday.

I host a Farmgirl Friday blog hop each week ( it’s still open for those who want to join in this week) where farmgirls can flaunt their farmgirl spirit in blogland…Your list would make a great entry when it’s finished! http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com/2011/03/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-2.html

You asked what had me saying Seriously lately? When it snowed on the first day of spring… I’m sure I uttered that word several times!!!

Happy Gardening,
Seriously…
Deb

I have a rooster….DiNozzio, and he is beautiful…but he has decided I am competition. He tries to sneak attack me when I go out to feed him and his harem, or when I am gardening, with a shovel in my hand. And I really do say…SERIOUSLY, You have got to be kidding me…you are going to sneak attack me with a shovel in my hand.
Every day….as I throw out food…SERIOUSLY…you are kidding me..you are going to jump at me when I am giving treats. SERIOUSLY????? SO your post made me laugh!

These are so SERIOUSLY funny! Keep ’em coming!
Hey, I put up the links I have so far on http://www.rebekahteal.com.

Take a look and let me know about others you use, love, rely on, enjoy…..

Hey Rebekah,
Don’t get rid of Jake the snake. If he is the kind of snake I think he is from the pic, he keeps the other types of snakes away. So even though he is big and scary he is doing you a service. Seriously,no kidding.

Ok….LOVE the story of the Seriously lady. But I bet you see her on another trail this season. My hubs did a 5K for the PHillies…if you missed that post….
Snakes…I always think about Indian Jones saying ‘Snakes, why’d they have to be snakes’ (he hated snakes)

I’m surprised Oreo is not in more trouble.

You need a Garden God Gnome or something..haha..I’m a want to be gardener (i.e. lazy girl). But I promised Cindy Bee I would grow something. So I will.

Our daffodils are up but that’s about it. Actually it’s supposed to snow on Friday – Opening Day for my beloved Phillies.
Come on Spring!

Hi Rebekah, I can’t believe that you are actually planting already. We still have 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground here in NH and a Winter Storm Watch for the weekend … bummer. I am SO ready for digging in the earth! However, I am right there with you when it comes to snakes … my ultimate nemesis! At least I am safe while the snow is on the ground! I am afraid of NOTHING in this world, except snakes! I am a total outdoors farmgirl, except when it comes to them. My phobia even makes it hard for me to look at a picture of one in a book. I have tried hypnosis, positive affirmations, help from friends who like them, but nothing works. In the 5th grade I had a wonderful teacher who had snakes in our classroom and I actually liked them back then. She used to let me put a big black snake named George (our class mascot) around my neck! I can’t imagine that now … or how it became such a phobia with me, but I understand completely how you feel Rebekah! Good luck!!

Hi Becka,How ru today?I am doin fine.Don,t kill the snake.Daddy never kills a black snake coz they kill the rattlesnakes!Have u ever seen a rattler and a blacksnake fight?It is unbelieveable Seriously!I hate rattlers and have a morbid fear of them and all snakes,but,at least I do know that a black snake is my friend!They can bite,but,I won,t die from their bite,so just say HI Jake!,If u have barn cats,they will keep your mice population down,and that will keep the snake population down some,if we get an over population of snakes,I will have daddy kill a few of them,but,not all coz their his friends.Believe me daddy and I have had actually arguments over this,coz sometimes I do getoverwhelmed,Seriously!lol,no kiddin! Love ya and have a blessed day!themofarmersdaughter.blogspot.com,its still too muddy here,bye for now,carol branum

I used to have a terrible time being around snakes. I would find one when I walked out our back door and I couldn’t go out for the rest of the day. My husband would pick it up with a shovel and take it further back in our woods and then some times I would have nightmares about it. One day we were in a local park and there was a petting zoo taking place. You guessed it – one was a snake. I stood there for a LONG time and finally walked up and petted it. I thought my pounding heart was going to come out of my chest. Afterwards, I stood looking at it again for a long time. After that, I would force myself to just watch when I saw a snake – after I came back to the ground from when I first came upon one. I can’t believe how different I am now around a snake. I still don’t like them but I can deal with them so much better. Now when I see one in our yard, I usually name it and tell hubby to just it where it is. It took a while but it worked for me!

Excellent! Seriously!

This is a fantastic idea! I think this will catch on more and more all over the US!

Thanks so much for the information on locally grown online farmer’s markets. I went to the website and was very happy to find one for the area we will be moving to soon! Fabulous!

Hi Rebekah!
What a great post! Lovin’ all your green goods and the tip to finding a local CSA too…We have great farmers markets here along the New England Coast… but the snow just melted for heavens sakes… It will be a while before they are in full swing!

If you are in a beach mood come see me on the Shoreline today! I’m a fellow MJFfarmgirl blogger from the BEACH!
http://bfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/

Beach Blessings,
Deb

Hi Becka,love the thoughts,gotta tell ya I love the photo of the fourleaf clover,I need to get one for myself,daddy finds me clovers all of the time in the Spring,I have never found one myself,as for the uncool stuff,I never realized that I was old and uncool untill last xmas when my neice who works for Ralph Lauren on the east coast came home with pointed toe cowboy boots on,man did I feel old in my pink round toes.Then my sis walked in with a new pair of pointed toes too,and I felt like the out of date old lady.lol.can,t wait till Spring,too wet to plow here.Have a great day,blessed be,Carol Branum

Just had to say how much I love your writing!!

Hi Rebekah:
The fireball story is great! It goes really well with the hair!!! Do you keep your wedding pictures out so that when someone is having a bad day: turn the page and S-M-I-L-E!
i am so glad that you are NOT perfect! You just made my day; i needed that!!!

The summer of my 15th birthday I had a huge crush on a 17 year old boy…he had a wonderful tan—golden hair and blue eyes….just made my heart throb!! Of course I could not date yet—so we settled for his visits to our home. But this summer our wonderful small town of 1000 people—most of which were farmers—had a carnival visit the main street of our town. With a ferriswheel and everything. My heart throb asked me to go with him, my mother said yes!! My boyfriend delivered papers, so he had a litle money–and we went for a ride on that glorious ferris wheel!! When we stopped at the very top, we stole a kiss!! What fun..that was 47 years ago…

No, I don’t remember my first kiss either. Inauspicious at best I guess! I am soooo jealous that you can plant now, we are under at least a foot of snow here and planting is very, very far away. Wish I could send a picture!

Ah, that kiss that started the best 20 years, one month, 19 days and counting of my life.

LOL! Your story brought tears to my eyes, like it often does. But this time because I’m laughing so hard! I love your blogs. They never fail to brighten my day. I’ll take a wish for my love life since you’re talking about kisses. Thanks in advance!

First kiss? Absolutely! I was 15 attending a birthday party with a group of 17 & 18 year-olds (because my cousin took me with her). They said we would play, "Spin The Bottle". We formed a circle and sat on the floor. I saw that when the bottle pointed to YOU, the couple stepped just around an OPEN doorway and quickly returned? The cutest guy there spun the bottle toward me and reached out his hand. We walked around the doorway and he gave me one of the sweetest kisses I received all my life. BTW, we never dated but have kept in touch all these years. He and I are 71 years old now. I just got an email from him the other day. I think I’ll ask him if he remembers that kiss — Do I dare?…Naw, I don’t think so. If you put something in print on the internet it could be edited or copied and changed, so I’ll just keep my little private memory.

My first kiss? There are so many first kissses to choose from that I am suddenly thinking perhaps I was a bit more free wheeling then I ever realized: There was that first kiss on my cheek from a boy in second grade who asked me to marry him. There was that first kiss on my lips from another boy in the same second grade class who was my dancing partner for our St. Patty’s Day Concert who embellished the end of our number by planting a big kiss on my lips. Then there were the games of kissing chase when I transferred to public school in 4th grade. There were a few kisses from boys at summer camp dances out on the porch under the stars. In my heart though I have always counted my first real kiss to be the one on my eighth grade trip to Washington DC. There were about 100 students from my junior high class and 6 boys from the eighth grade class at St. Andre’s (a local catholic school) who went on the trip. I lost my voice on our second day there and couldn’t join in the crazy antics of my usual crowd. Somehow I found myself tagging along with the 6 boys from St. Andre’s (several of whom I knew from my days at St. Mary’s and 1 I knew from all my summers spent running track and field thru parks and rec). They were all thoguhtful, considerate, funny and very interesting. By the end of our week there one of them became my first boyfriend and when we had our first kiss I saw fireworks. I felt the fireworks all over again when we were old enough to go on real dates in our junior year of high school. Thank you for the wonderful walk down memory lane!

You know, Rebekah looks more like a china doll than a "real" girl

GREAT read! Top to bottom.

My first kiss…1966 I think. Happened at night, out in front of the community center in our little "Cowboy Hooterville" here in Wyoming. Friday night roller skating. I was 12, he was too. He was visiting relatives in town. His name, I kid you not, was Wyatt Earp. He said he was related to the famous law man and was named after him. I did NOT kiss him. He kissed ME. That was back when forward girls were nonexistant (as far as I knew). I didn’t know anyone my age who had ever kissed or been kissed before. He even kissed me on the lips! That was all that came of my first kiss, but it sure left an impression. We roller-skated together and then parted company. He was dreamy I thought and it didn’t hurt any that he had such a cool name.

I miss big hair too! And shoulder pads!
I still have "kinda" big hair – it’s ok I live in Texas 🙂

!! *sigh* My first kiss was in San Diego and it was a British guy "in the states" for a Tae Kwon Do tournament. Random! He was cute, his name was Douglas – he went home and sent me one letter but, alas, that was it. And, since it was pre-facebook, we did not keep in touch.