The Healing Power Of Country Living

NOTE: I did NOT take the above picture, nor is it a picture of this area.

I found a sign that I loved so much I had to buy it. It's an antique-looking wooden sign with vinyl letters that read:

"Garden...

There's magic in the dirt"

At first I just thought of it as a fun sign that fellow gardeners would appreciate, but as I thought of it I wondered: "Could there really be something to that?"

I wasn't jumping for joy when I realized we were going to be moving to the farm. I was very comfortable having a grocery store, gas station, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond on every corner. I poured my heart and soul into our home and the thought of moving, well honestly, made me angry. We knew, however, that there was no way to persue "the farming and land thing" from a distance, so we jumped right in with both feet (digging my heels in on MY part).

I can now say, however, that I AM softening up. There are little experiences that literally take my breath away and make me stop what I'm doing to think a little. As I look forward to the opportunities that are infront of us and realize JUST HOW MUCH we are being blessed and "guided" I realize that this IS having an amazing effect on our lives. My anger is healing....but that isn't the ONLY thing being healed.

It was last week as I was putting on lotion. Ben, realizing what I was doing, came up to me and raised both his elbows up to me so I could share my lotion with him as well. Out of habit I rubbed his elbows....and then it hit me and I froze.

"You're elbows; they're healed! Where is your Eczema?"

Ben has had horrible Eczema on his elbows since we met! Sometimes they have been so bad they have bled. After years of lotions, prescription creams, and home remedies we felt defeated. Hayden inherited "the curse" and we battled it with him for years. Now, after moving to the farm and (literally) forgetting about the Eczema, it has vanished. I spent the rest of the day checking and feeling Ben's elbows in amazement.

And then, we started to realize all the other ways our health has improved within the last six months. Hayden and I used to get sick every couple of months. We were always missing church and activities and I was starting to get a complex when friends would say we were "always getting sick" despite my clean house. I can say that NONE of us has been sick since we've been here. The pollution and congestion has been cleared out by fresh clean air and water that's been purified by nature.

We have a list of noticable health improvements: more energy, improved respiratory, calmer digestion, feelings of peace and contentment, feeling more gratitude, no more migrane headaches....I could write pages on this. We didn't even realize just how much we were dealing with until it started to go away.

Could there really be something to that?

Garden....There's Magic In The Dirt

Going "Home"

I like my camera.

But I've learned that it does NOT have an easy time taking ACTION shots.

We went to the rink....FINALLY.
Since then, Hayden has been asking me constantly, "Mommy, I go iks-kating?" THAT is going to be a FUN Kodak moment! (and I will share them with you, of course.)

I've been skating most of my life. No matter where I live or how different the area, the rink is like a familiar friend that never changes and always welcomes me back. Wherever I live, the ice feels like being home; A different home. My first home will always be with my family, but my second will always be the ice.

The session was great...and silent. The only sound I heard was my breath and the music coming from below my feet. I love listening to my blades scratching the ice.

Most of the pics were WAY TOO blurry, but here are a few highlights....

Ahh...I can feel the stress melting away

(For me: better than the Spa-can you believe it?)

This is a spin...I'm spinning in circles.
(It would take too long to TYPE an explaination of what this looks like in action, so I won't.)

I HAD to take a picture of THIS!
This means my spins were centered (that's GOOD)

Stretching out my back after a spill
"Ice Yoga, anyone?"

There is a joke with figure skaters and hockey players to "watch out for the blue line, it will trip you!"
(notice where the blue line is located.....hmmm.)

Some-Bunny Came To Visit

Every little girl has a special interest in the Disney princesses.

And who wouldn't?

Venturing out into the forest, small animals (from every corner of the woods) seem to want to be her best friend. She sings with the birds, dances with the owls, and snuggles with the deer. I loved the idea of that possibility when I was a little girl, but when I went out into our woodsy backyard, singing and twirling, the only natural life forms that seemed interested in following ME around were the flying knats.

I quickly gave up on coaxing the little creatures out of the forest.

A few days ago, however, I had a glimpse of what it may have been like to be a princess on a walk in the woods. Rabbits are everywhere on the farm. There are two kinds: Jackrabbits and Cottontails. Jackrabbits are annoying; they don't really do much except eat your crops and reproduce. Three Jackrabbits consume the same amount as one cow. Cottontails aren't much of a threat, however; they don't eat as much and they're just so cute.

We have two baby Cottontails hanging around the house. They are big enough to live independantly and have LOTS to eat around the yard. We are expecting them to stick around for a while.

"A dream is a WISH your heart makes......la la la la"
(music playing in the background.)

Happy Birthday, Baby!

"Hello, my Lover!" (guess the movie)

So, I put this bunch of pictures of you together and previewed it. Then, all of a sudden, I noticed a big lump burning in my throat and tears spilling out of my eyes. I love you SO much! You make me SO happy and I am grateful to have you in my life. It's always "quite the adventure" and I like it. I hope you know how much you mean to me. You are my rock, my hero, and my best friend.

I love you!

Happy Birthday!

Cowboy Hats: Function vs. Fashion

Everyone around here wears a cowboy hat. And I mean EVERYONE.

Have you ever seen the movie "City Slickers"? Billy Crystal's character decides (while shopping with buddies for "cowboy attire" before they start working on the guest ranch and driving cattle), that he is going to be true to himself and wear a baseball cap instead of the traditional cowboy hat.

For the movie trailer, click HERE. (but give it a couple minutes to download.)

By the way: There is one of those "Guest Ranches" not far up the highway from where we live. Sometimes when we drive in the wee hours of the morning, cattle will be standing on the road. I weave my way through their herd while honking my horn.

When I moved down here, I decided that the location of my home will not define me. For example: Just because I live on a farm does NOT mean that I am going to start wearing bib-overalls. I am not going to start changing my likes and interests just because of where I live....I am my own "me".

My husband agreed.

Which is why he initially always wore a baseball cap around the ranch. However, we learned a lesson quickly about hats. Although they are a trendy accessory in other parts of the country, down here people wear them for a reason, and it isn't in the name of "fashion".

Ben wore his cap for a week. After that time he was convinced to try a cowboy had by the horrible sunburn on his neck and the top of his ears. From the first day, he was instantly in love with his cowboy hat. There are two main reasons (that WE have discovered) which supports the idea that wearing a cowboy hat makes living on a Farm or Ranch more comfortable.

Protection: The design of a cowboy hat is meant to shade your face, neck, and tops of the ears from the sun, yet is curved up on the sides for shoulder clearance.

Comfort: The hat height has a function too. As your head sweats, the vents in the top of the hat breathe, creating a sort of "cooling system" for the top of your head (which therefore affects your body's overall temperature). This is also the reason why you see cowboys wearing bandanas around their necks (see picture above). Yes, it is true that you can use it to cover your face from wind and dust, but you can ALSO get the bandana wet with water. As it sits on the back of your neck it (once again) creates a cooling effect.

That's it.....
From now on, I'm wearing my cowboy hat to the beach!

"Movin' To The Country, Gonna Eat A Lot Of Peaches..."

There's just something about Fall....

It magically makes me want to "can" things and cook.

So, I am sharing yet ANOTHER recipe this Friday. Are you ready for another Crockpot Culinary Concoction? I LOVE my slow-cooker. I'm thinking about buying another one so that I can have two things going at the same time! What do you think? Especially since I have discovered you can make DESSERTS in the slow-cooker! Hello!

A year ago September I canned a bizillion peaches. Yummy. They have been quite the treat this year! But now I need to use them up since they have been on the shelf for a year. It's time to ROTATE!

I found this AWESOME recipe for Peach Cobbler....a peach cobbler cooked IN THE CROCKPOT!

HALLELUJAH! (Do you hear the music, like I do?)

I made this a couple of nights ago and it was scrumptious! Another HUGE hit with the fam!

Try it!
...and then tell us all how delicious it is.

* * * * *

*Note: This was actually a recipe for CHERRY cobbler, but I tweeked it to fit my "peaches" need.

"SUPER EASY PEACH COBBLER"

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 1/2-5 1/2 Hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

16-oz. can PEACHES (this is where I used my personally-canned peaches, but you can also use cherry pie filling)
1 3/4 Cups DRY CAKE MIX of your choice (I used yellow cake)
1 EGG
3 Tbsp EVAPORATED MILK
1/2 tsp. CINNAMON (I spilled a little more in and it was great)

1.) Lightly spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray

2.) Place fruit in slow cooker and cook on High 30 minutes.

3.) Meanwhile, mix together remaining ingredients in bowl until crumbly (mine had the consitancy of Play-doh). Spoon onto hot fruit in cooker.

4.) Cover and cook on LOW 2-5 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into center of topping comes out dry. (My crockpot is pretty large, so I cooked mine on HIGH the whole time. It turned out well-done on the perimeter and moist in the middle.)

5.) Serve warm or cooled.

Invasion Of The Bed-Snatcher!

Sometimes we jokingly refer to Hayden as "His Majesty". It is a term usually used when Hayden has special requests and preferences.

"I've cut the crust off the sandwich because His Majesty, the prince, has declared it so."

(At the zoo)"We are NOT going to see the tigers because His Majesty would like to see the elephants first."

"Does this PLEASE His Majesty?"

Now, keep in mind that this is just a joke. When it comes down to it Mom and Dad have the last word and boundaries are enforced. I don't think I'll be able to use the term "His Majesty" for much longer as I am not willing to encourage him getting a "big head" and maybe even using the term back on me!

So, last night since Ben was meeting with equipment dealers until late in the evening, I put Hayden to bed before he got home. I had checked on Hayden a few times and when Ben went into the room to "say good night to his boy" I decided to go too. I love seeing Hayden asleep....so peaceful. Not to mention, the ONLY time he sits still.

We entered the room, gently pulled back the covers, and....."HEY! Where is he?"

I started looking under the bed, while Ben tip-toed into our room. "I found him!" I heard echoing from the Master Bedroom.

I came in to see a bed that had been made THAT morning, now just a pile of pillows, sheets, and covers. Hayden had shoved all the pillows off onto the floor (except for one), situated himself right into the middle of the bed, and faded away into dreamland in our down-feather sanctuary.

I believe this pleases His Majesty!

AND, His Majesty was too sleepy to care when we hauled him back to his own bed.

We love this boy!

Who Needs A Phonebook When You Know Suzy?

I've mentioned before that this is a small town. I've referred to our little farming community as "Mayberry" on occasion. (For a reminder, click HERE.) Let me tell you again how funny this is to us city "transplants".

We have ONE mail deliverer. Her name is Suzy.

We received a post card a couple of weeks ago, from a local friend who lives in town.

We opened the front of the mailbox...
(Wait....you remember those, right? That's what everyone used before the US Postal Service started installing those neighborhood lock-and-key boxes for security. We don't have those here because nobody is going to go through your mail.)

So, we opened the front of the mailbox and found the postcard. We read the "Get Well Soon" wishes for Ben's arm to recover after his burn. "Oh, how nice," we both said. And then, Ben saw it first....

Where our address was supposed to be was a note which read: "Suzy...I don't know the Brannon's new address. Help."

Do you think Suzy had to look it up?

No.

Because we know Suzy. (Everyone does.) Suzy's son is our friend and her grandson is one of Hayden's buddies. But, that still wouldn't matter, because Suzy knows everyone in town...she KNOWS who's mail she's delivering.

Last week we had a package delivered to us from family in Alaska. A VERY large package. We found a slip in our mailbox and when Ben went to the Post Office at 5:15pm to pick it up he found a note taped to the Post Office door:

"Ben, I have your package in the back of my truck. Come by my house anytime tonight. Suzy"

I don't think I HAVE a phonebook for this town yet.

Does anyone?

(I don't even know if one exists!)

Lord of the Beans

You don't have to live in the country to enjoy a GOOD pot of beans!

In fact, everyone should be eating more beans. Unfortunately, most people under-estimate the health power of these little legumes. Did you know that there is new evidence to support the fact that including beans in you diet may reduce the risk of Heart Disease, Cancers, and Diabetes?

Plus, they're VERY inexpensive. When people joke about living on Ramen, they SHOULD be eating beans. SOOO good for you!

If you want to learn more, then click HERE.

I made a crock pot of beans for dinner yesterday; served with Fresh-Baked Bread and Honey Butter. Heaven! I'm trying out new crock pot bean recipes and this one was a big hit! They're a little sweet, a little tangy, and THE easiest "from scratch" dinner I have ever made! I couldn't wait to share it with you.

* * * * *

"Slow Cooker Baked Beans"

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 hours (after beans are soaked)
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

2 1/2 Cups DRY PINTO OR KIDNEY BEANS
2 1/2 qts water
4 Cups WATER
2 Cups PIZZA SAUCE (I used basic pasta sauce)
3 Tbsp sorghum MOLASSES (I didn't have molasses, so I used 3 Tbsp brown sugar)
2 tsp CHILI POWDER
2 tsp SALT
2 slices BACON, fried and crumbled optional (I used about 3 times this much, but you can leave it out for a vegetarian dish)

1.) Place dry beans in large pot. Cover with 2 1/1 qts water. Allow to soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain.
OR, for a quicker method, bring beans to a boil after covering with 2 1/2 qts water. Boil, covered, for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow beans to stand for 1 hour, covered. Drain.

2.) Place beans and 4 cups fresh water in slow cooker.

3.) Add remaining ingredients, stirring together well.

4.) Cook on LOW 6 hours, or until beans are tender. (I have a larger crock pot, so I had to cook mine on HIGH). Note: the crispy bacon becomes soft after cooking with the beans.

the end (wasn't that super easy?)

PS: If you want to serve it with cornbread, click HERE.

Got Milk?

What do you do when a new calf is born and an hour later still isn't eating? Well, you make a bottle, of course....which is what I did for the first time.

I thought it was cute watching three ranchers stumble into my kitchen in their loud, dirt-covered work boots, and ask for my help. My first response was, "Are you serious?"

However, now I can say that I know how to "make a bottle" for a newborn calf. Here's how:

1.) Pour a half-gallon of whole milk into a large glass bowl.
2.) Add an egg and mix with a wisk.
3.) Heat in the microwave (stirring occasionally) until lukewarm.

VOILA!

By the way: When we went back out to give the bottle to the calf, he was finally standing up and eating....Yay!

(I didn't have to wait long to get this picture.)

Friday Night 'Frights'

I haven't been to a small town Friday night football game since I was in high school myself.

We went to one on Friday night, and it was REALLY fun!

Well, I guess technically we went to one last week too, but didn't stay for long. Actually, nobody did.

We got everything together and drove to the high school. As we made our way to town, we noticed very low, very BLACK clouds coming from the mountains to the east, bringing with it another nasty case of lightning. The closer we got to the school, the faster the clouds seemed to move. We felt as though we were in a race to the field.

We paused after we pulled into the parking lot, the black clouds now right above us.

"Let's think about this," Ben started to say after a long moment of fearful silence in the car. "I don't think we should be sitting on metal seats, surrounded by big lights, during such a frightening storm." I agreed and we sat there for a minute to see what would happen.

For a little while we watched lightning dancing all around us and wondered why everyone was still warming-up on the field. We were suprised when we watched the teams line up for kick-off.

Aaaaaaaaaand........BOOM!

Just as the players began the game and started smashing into each other, an enormous bolt of piercing white lit up the entire sky and all the lights (on the field AND parking lot) went black. Within seconds, all the players came running off the field and into the locker room.

We sat in the car for 30 minutes, watching the electricity in the air and swaying as the powerful wind rocked our car back and forth, back and forth. Eventually, the game was canceled and we all went home.

Did you know:
Ben was the Quarterback of his high school football team and, from what I hear, was extremely good. You know what else was really good? Seeing his cool hair-do in his high school athletic photos.

I was a VERY shy and quiet, studious girl in high school and always secretly dreamed of being cool enough to date the Quarterback. Funny how that worked out.

Back To School

In the movie "You've Got Mail" Tom Hanks' character describes the effect that the fall season has on him. He says it makes him "want to buy school supplies."

The first time I heard that, I realized right away that it has the exact same effect on ME and, OH, how I would love to receive "a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils" from my sweetheart, too! (Few people would appreciate THAT bouquet, you know.)

I'm not in elementary school anymore, nor do I have children in school yet, so what did I do this year about all that Back To School excitement? What did I do to channel that energy?

A home improvement project, of course.

All summer, I spied the Pottery Barn Kids catalog, and especially coveted the Schoolhouse Bookshelf. However, I refused to pay over $300 a PIECE (once you add tax, shipping, and the over-sized delivery fees)! Especially since I wanted at least TWO. It doesn't matter what my budget is...I will ALWAYS try to find a deal.

What to do, what to do?

I sketched one, planned my pattern, took the measurements, and visited Home Depot. I really wish I would have taken pictures of the process, but I didn't realize this was going to end up as a blog entry! Bottom Line: I made two, slightly bigger than the catalog (3 1/2'W x 4'H) for under $100 total! I have a feeling I will be making two more in the future.

What do you think?