Birthday at the Farm and Thank You!

First of all I want to thank everyone for the wonderful well wishes for my birthday. I'm beginning to wonder if I want to celebrate at all. The only changes I am noticing are MORE gray hairs sprouting out of my head and these days I can't seem to catch up. It's like someone poured fertilizer on my head. Ugh! :) What causes gray hairs anyway? I hear it's stress but I'm not sure if that's true. If anyone knows, let me in on it.

The farm my girlfriend and I visited was Geercrest Farms in Silverton, Oregon. The day was perfect and the drive was breathtaking. Geercrest is a working and educational farm open to the public for volunteering. They have also opened up their farm to educating grade school children...how to grow and pick vegetables and teach them how to make wonderful meals out of the vegetables. When we were there a group of kids were cooking away in the farmhouse kitchen...some standing on stools because they were too short to reach the counter. I wish I would have gotten a picture of that but there was alot going on inside and I didn't want to disturb. :)

The pictures are kind of going backwards but oh well. If you've noticed, in my old age I'm less and less of a perfectionist. These days it's more like, eh, close enough. Here's a wonderful view from an adorable little restaurant we ate at for lunch in Silverton. It sat right on the river. I mean how much more relaxing can one get?

Here's my best friend Susan, checking the coop for eggs.

Isn't this Peony just gorgeous?

Mr. Handsome Rooster and his current girlfriend. :)

I caught the owner chopping some wood in the back.

I love this window. This picture was actually taken from the porch looking in. There's a little kitchen sink outside...isn't that cool? I can easily see myself doing dishes on a hot summer night here.

Susan getting ready to go into the chicken coop! I'm sure farmers don't usually have a big smile on their faces when they have to do this everyday. Lol!

Mr. Handsome Rooster insisted I take a picture of just him. He was a bit conceited.

Befriending some baby goats.

I'm getting ready to steal some eggs too and I'm oh so happy about it! :)

Finding more furry friends.

A lone Oak tree.

They heard us coming and were so hospitable they ran to greet us!

Why hello there!

The old farmhouse. I believe it dates back to mid to late 1800's.

Eggshells the kids just cracked for cooking.

Seven, count them, seven eggs and we only came out with a few scars from the pecking attacks! We were so proud of ourselves.

Now this brings back childhood memories of mine. :)

Another furry friend. :)

Baby goats. Aren't they just adorable?

Egg laying in progress. Do not disturb.

Freshly picked celery. Look at those stalks!

Here are some artsy black and white photos I took. :)

Believe it or not, I still have more but I didn't want the post to get too long. I had such a great time that day. We also ran into a place called the Oregon Gardens. 140 or so (I may be wrong on that number) acres of gardens! We are planning to go back and hike some of those acres so I'll leave that for another post. I'll share some of the rest of my farm pictures in another post. :)

Denim, pearls and lace...gotta love it.

So I was driving in the car the other day going to meet a friend for lunch and I looked down and noticed...man, I love my outfit today. Okay, that sounded just a little conceited but I loved the combination and had to snap a picture. Who can deny denim, pearls and lace as a combination.

Oh and the bracelet I am wearing is one that I made. I was going to setup my Etsy shop and put it in the store but my girlfriend already bought it!

If you see any trash in the background whatsoever in my car, I didn't do it.

P.S. I was parked while I took these pictures. ;)

My Niece is a Star!

Hi all. Just making this a quick post because I am so, soooooo behind on posting. LIFE! That's all I have to say about that. :) Hope all of you are well and wonderful since I have not even been around to visit.

Anyway, my niece, Paris, is officially a star! Well, at least I think she is. She's is in the 2011 Toyota Sienna commercial that is now airing on The National Geographic channel. I'm so proud of her! I'm always proud of her because she has such wonderful talent...she's a ballerina, an equestrian, a piano player, an actress, great with animals since she has her own dog walking and sitting business and the list goes on! I'm so proud to be her aunt!

Here's the commercial! There's a great close-up spot of her smiling in the car. :) Actually this link will take you directly to YouTube to view it. It seems to be cut-off on the right when I post it here. :(

Click here



I am making life slow down as of this weekend so I can concentrate on my blog and visiting you all. The weather is FINALLY coming around to sunny! I will soon post my award I received (haven't forgotten that) and my farm pictures.

Love to you all!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep....43 years ago today I was born to my mother and father with lots of black monkey hair and a scream no one can compare with. Lol! Yea, yea, yea, I know I chose Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen as my song. I'm allowed to pretend on my birthday. ;)


You will never guess what I am doing today. I am going to work on a farm! Yes, a real life farm. My girlfriend and I are going to Geercrest Farm. I wanted to experience real life farm work so we volunteered to help out and learn and, of course, have a little fun. I can't wait to get dirty!

Will take pictures and post later! Have a great day all!

Cilantro Rice

My cilantro is growing like crazy so I HAD to make something really quick. I don't know how much quicker you can get than this. Great side dish for any summer meal. There are so many other fabulous cilantro rice dishes, some add lime, some add chiles. I just needed something quick so this is very simple!

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups packed cilantro leaves (about 3 ounces)
3 medium garlic cloves
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
2 cups long-grain white rice (or brown rice)
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions

Combine two cups of rice with chicken broth and chopped garlic cloves and yellow onion. Bring to boil and turn to simmer for about 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed completely. Fluff rice when done and add chopped cilantro and a dash of kosher salt. Mix well. Rice will begin to take on flavor of cilantro while it's still hot.








I had my cilantro rice with organic turkey ham and yes, that is mayonnaise on the side. I love dipping my ham in mayonnaise. Is that strange? My, look at all that ham on my plate. I must have been really hungry, lol!

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend. I also hope you were all able to take a moment to thank all our brave soldiers who made a huge sacrifice for all of us and the freedom that we have today. xoxo

Lazy...Sleepy...Saturday

I just couldn't pass up posting these pictures from this afternoon. It was definitely a lazy afternoon here today.

Dreaming of fish flakes and catnip...

I told you to keep your ears clean....men! Good thing you have me around to keep you clean Quincy.

All that cleaning pooped me out...

Some big fat orange cat took over my box. :( I'll just lay over here in the corner then, fine.

And that's what lazy Saturday's are all about. Hope you're all having a great weekend. :)

Playing around....

With jewelry, that is. :) I'm experimenting right now. Maybe I will sell? Maybe not. Here are my three "simple" creations so far.

Oh and ignore the trash in the background. In one of my ADD moments I was in the middle of taking trash out then realized I had to drop everything to take pictures. Typical me. Lol!

I should have made this a little more clear. There's a heart, a key in the back and a smaller heart on this chain. :) Could my shirt be anymore low cut? I do have a TANK TOP peaking through...that is not my bra. Lol!

This one should be worn with a more elegant look, say perhaps a long-sleeve elegant fitted black tee or maybe a simple black spaghetti strap dress?

Hmmm..I may change to a thinner satin black ribbon or even a satin cream ribbon.

More posts to come (and faster). I need to catch up! I also got another award, yay! I'll share soon. :)

Walking Bentley

This weekend was so beautiful. Actually, the last few days have been gorgeous, gorgeous! My new best friend is the sun. :) Aside from the sun, one of my wonderful girlfriend's, Sue, is unfortunately going through chemotherapy right now for breast cancer. Sue has been such a trooper through all her treatments and hospital stays. I truly admire her courage, strength and kind heartedness. The last week or so I offered to help out whenever possible and that included WALKING BENTLEY. Yep, Bentley, Sue's adorable and so-full-of-energy Goldendoodle. Recently we took an invigorating walk through her neighborhood. Bentley got out and I got to spy the beautiful houses along blossomed tree-lined streets. We both had a great time and I got some energy out of Bentley. Lol!

I had to take a picture of this tree. Look at those pink blossoms....so refreshing to see bright spring colors.

Yes Bentley, that's the UPS man. I'll protect you!

The neighborhood that Sue lives in is an older area with one of my favorite style of home, the bungalow.

Yes Bentley, keep going.


Picture time! You mind well Bentley! Good boy!

I do have to tell you all a funny story. When I got Sue home from the hospital (along with Bentley who was being watched by our friend Susan), we got Bentley inside and as I was unloading the car I heard Sue scream for Bentley. He had gotten out! I took off running after him, lol. Unfortunately the neighbor had their front door wide open and in goes Bentley, dashing in at full speed then a few seconds later I hear a woman SHRIEK! Out comes Bentley running as fast as he can. Lol! I'm sure the woman was shocked to see a huge white ball of fur diving into the front door but hey, in my book, you leave your front door open, it's an invitation to all creatures. Lol! Long story short, I was able to get him safely home where he was mildly scolded. How can you scold a cutie like that? Lol!

On a final note, if you can all say a prayer for Sue, I would be ever so grateful. She's doing wonderful through her treatments but it's never easy. Thank you, thank you! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and enjoying Spring!

I have a new food obsession

They're green, small, crunchy and salty. They're teeny tiny but they can be so addicting!

You can tell how many times I've reached for these. :)

What's your snack obsession of the moment?

A Visit from Mom!

About a week ago my mom came to visit and we had such a great time together! In fact, it's not often I can find someone to swish away to a few antique stores and, of course, girly clothes shopping. Lol!

My favorite antique stomping grounds around my area is called Aurora. Aurora was founded in 1856 by Dr. William Keil who was a Prussian tailor and self-styled physician. He named the city after his daughter Aurora Mills. You can read more about the history of Aurora here

http://www.auroracolony.com/History.htm.

Here's a couple of pictures we took in Aurora. The area is so quaint. I've decided I would really enjoy living in any "old town" in any city. :)

Here's my beautiful mom! :) The flowers were in bloom in Aurora and Spring was definitely in the air.

Notice I'm standing next to "Treasure" sign. :) Lol!

The next day we found ourselves in the antique market in Portland called Monticello Antique Marketplace...one of the best in town!

Mom is discovering some treasures...

I spied a mirror and sneaked a picture of myself.

Here's a picture of just me and mom. I love her so much and she really made my week when she came up to have some fun, mother, daughter time! Thanks, mom!! I already miss you. So does Emma. Lol! Emma loved my mom.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. If you can believe this, I have a Spring project coming up. Very cheap and I had all the materials right here at home! xoxo

A True Pioneer Woman.

Hope you all had a great weekend! My mother came for a four day visit and we had such great fun. Having family visit has done wonders for my blues. Once I get all the pictures from mom I will be posting about our visit. :)

This post, however, is about a truly entertaining and inspiring lady I watch on YouTube. Her name is Nancy and her channel on YouTube is called Nancy Today. I find myself chuckling alot while watching Nancy. She is one true pioneer woman and although I laugh at some of her videos, the information she provides really is great information! Whether she's throwing a batch of twelve dozen cookies in the oven or sitting in one of her homemade teepee's (yes, I said teepee) while building a roaring bonfire inside or taking you along on a ride to the grocery store to educate you on how to shop cheaply, she really is fun to watch. Here are just a few videos that I really love! Take note, she is no nonsense. Seriously! If her house is a mess you just have to deal with it. Lol! I also love the crazy and adorable hats she wears. I think she makes most of them. I love 'em too! Enjoy!

Baking bread while talking about soap making. :)



Work free garden.



Making a gallon of instant oatmeal.



I am hooked on Nancy's videos. She will even take you on her travels! I believe she's in Athens, Georgia right now. Hope you all get a chance to watch her if you're at all interested. I get such a great kick out of her and she always leaves me smiling. :)

Fresh Start

“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning...”

Quote by Joseph Priestley

I love this part of Spring. :) Hopefully my vegetables and herbs will flourish for some wonderful, savory homemade meals.