Girls' Night In

What happens when the big kids go out to the movies with Dad? Girls' Night In! My eight-year-old daughter and I get to do girlie stuff, like color pony pictures, do our hair and paint our nails. We might even watch a movie in our jammies.

I love nights like this. It's a chance to spend time with just my little girl. She's always lots of fun, but there's something special about having time for just the two of us. She is full of laughter and great ideas and she's growing up so fast. I need to treasure these moments.

Best Idea I've Had Lately

Sometimes my ideas work and sometimes they don't. This one is a winner. I've had vacation scrapbook supplies sitting around for months. Okay, years. My perfectionist tendencies kept me from starting. You know how that goes-if I can't do it perfectly, why start?

Time to get over it! To be frank, it wasn't going to be perfect anyway. So, here's the idea--turn the children loose with photos, scrapbook paper, glue sticks and stickers. The only rule is that they have to leave room to label who's who and where they are.

It looks like, in less than an hour, our 2008 Grand Cayman trip will finally be documented in a finished scrapbook! These scrapbook pages won't impress the experts, but I'm thrilled to pieces and they will mean more to us in the future than any "perfect" page I could create.

Have you had any great ideas lately?

Fried Chicken

When I was a little girl, my favorite meal was anything, as long as it included my mom's fried chicken. When asked what I wanted for my birthday supper, I always asked for fried chicken. I have wanted to make her chicken for most of my adult life, but I failed to get her instructions before her death in 2003.

Figuring that my mother and her sister both learned to cook from my grandmother, I asked my aunt for her recipe. She kind of laughed and said that there's not much too it, it just takes a while. Here's what she told me-- flour chicken (I added a bit of salt and pepper) and brown in oil on high heat. Then, turn down the heat, put the lid on the pan and simmer for about an hour. Finally, take off the lid and turn the heat back up to crisp. That's it!

And it is heaven on a plate!

It's all about perspective

This is my family room floor.  Yes, that's subfloor.  No, it's not a new decorating trend.  The toilet in the kids' bathroom overfilled, probably for a few hours and damaged the carpet in one bedroom and the wood floors in the hall and family room.  The vinyl in the bathroom had to come up so the floor could be completely dried. We'll also need to replace the cabinet due to water damage at its base.

On the upside, I get to update the bathroom and have my wood floors refinished.  As my sister-in-law says, "Is anybody in the hospital?  Is anybody in jail?  If the answer to both of those questions is 'no', it's not that bad."

It's all about perspective.

Easiest Cake Recipe EVER!

My friend Karan suggested this recipe to me and it's brilliant!  It has only two ingredients and they may already be in your pantry.  This cake is super moist and has almost as many variations as there are cooks.  Here's what you do--thoroughly mix a boxed cake mix with a can of pie filling, pour into a 13x9 inch pan that you've sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes (check for "doneness" with a toothpick at 30-35 minutes).  That's it.  No, really.  That's it.

I made mine with devil's food cake mix and cherry pie filling, but I've also made one with spice cake mix and apple pie filling.  My daughter said it tasted like fall!  I'd also like to try lemon cake with lemon pie filling.

I'd love to hear your ideas for other combinations.  What do you think- lemon cake and blueberry filling?

Wordless Wednesday--Feather on My Floor

My Morning Routine

My morning routine is getting a bit of a rhythm to it these days. I try to get out of the house as early as I can since it heats up quickly. Abby is my companion for chores, although she can be fickle. Today my son came out and she left me to get a rub down from him.
First on the list is feeding and watering the chickens. I head to the coop and say good morning to the girls. There are 19 others, but these two ladies posed nicely for me this morning. The first one is a Rhode Island Red (RIR). The one below that is a black sex-link, which is a RIR cross. They both are reliable layers of large brown eggs.Here's the waterer, waiting at the faucet to be filled. Later, I'll turn on the sprinkler to keep the chickens cool while it's so very hot outside. Chickens can't take the extreme heat. Last summer, we lost two on one day, so this year I'm determined to keep them cool. Next, I move on the the goat pasture. There's a shocking lack of goats there. For now, I just refill Abby's water and food bowls. But as soon as the goats' shelter is built, there will be more chores to do up here.Last, I water my container plants outside. The lantana is enjoying the hot weather, both in containers and in the butterfly garden. At least somebody likes the heat!


Do you have a morning routine?

So glad to be home...

It was a nice vacation. Really. I love the beach and, living in South Carolina, some very nice beaches are within a 2-4 hour drive. Last week, we went to the Grand Strand (SC coast, from Little River to Georgetown) and had a great time. The water was still to cold for me, but my children loved it, jumping waves and trying out a boogie board.
On the days when the weather didn't cooperate for beach time, we went to Broadway at the Beach, a shopping center/attraction a few miles inland. There are specialty shops, restaurants, and attractions for families. There's an IMAX theatre, traditional movie theatre, WonderWorks (children's museum), mini-golf and MagiQuest (a sort of walk through video game). The attractions themselves can be pricey, but there's no charge just to walk through and window shop.

We ate lots of seafood, walked on the beach, built sand castles and had as much fun as we could stand at Broadway at the Beach. So, it was a nice vacation. Really. But I am so glad to be home.

Look, Mom! Shiny teeth!

We headed into the city today for an appointment with the dentist. The children and I all had our teeth cleaned and (drum roll, please)...no cavities! Yay!

The mudroom is getting close to the finishing touches. The trim work is almost done and the floors still need tile, but that's about it. I can hardly wait!

Visitor in our yard Wednesday

This handsome guy strolled through our yard yesterday morning. I had gone into the kitchen for a second cup of coffee and looked out the window to see this huge turkey standing just at the edge of the driveway. He walked slowly along the edge of the drive and down the other side. As he turned a corner, I noticed a female a little way ahead. Well, it is spring.

It's Chicken Run All Over Again!!

I went out to visit with the girls a little while ago. We have 22 chickens who live in a coop out back, with a fenced yard where they can scratch around. They have been falling down on the egg-laying job lately. I'm hoping that they will pick up the pace once the days get longer.

Anyway, here they are, gathering around and hoping for a treat. Sorry, ladies, I don't have anything right now.

This is a view of the back of the coop and their yard. See that hole in the back corner? I think they're trying to tunnel out.

We're not going to eat you, honest! Just lay some eggs!!

Jinx the Cat Came Home!

Our outside cat, Jinx, was on the front porch this morning. That wouldn't be unusual except that we hadn't seen her since last Thursday. I thought she was gone forever. I will have a better day today, knowing she will be staring at me through the window when she's not busy stalking mice in the woods. Rodents, beware. Jinx is back!