It is Thanksgiving Day. For the original occupants of this land, the
Native Americans, it means something different, and that we have to
remember also... For the rest of us, we were raised from babies to
acknowledge what we are thankful for on this day. Family. Friends. The
roof over our head, the food that nourishes our body, and the love that
surrounds us. I try to be mindful of it all, and I am thankful for the
ability to be self aware. To be able to look at things I've said and
done, sometimes hurtful to others, most of the time, not, and to
move forward and learn from the good and the bad. I wish to start this
post with my personal thanks, and then I will share what has been
happening in my world since I last posted (it has been a while!)...
I
am thankful for the love and support from my family every single day I
have been in this world. My mom has always been my number one fan, no
matter what it was I was pursuing. My brother has been the sweetest, and
most loyal brother any gal could ask for and always hands me the truth
(sometimes it is not what I want to hear, but nonetheless it helps me
grow). He was my rock last year after our dad passed away, and together
we were able to rise from the ashes of a very difficult year and form a
closer relationship with our little sister, and now the three of us are
closer than we ever were. I learned last year what growth was all about.
It requires discomfort. It requires you to look past differences. It
ain't easy, but nothing worth having ever is. Anyway, I am thankful for
the pain; it helped me feel more alive than I ever have felt. I am
thankful for the tears, because they allowed me to take advantage of the
support and love that family, friends, and even strangers had to offer.
I am thankful for the darkness, because I came through it and was able
to see the beautiful light. I am thankful for the unconditional love
that those around me extend every single day....and last but certainly
not least, I am so very thankful for the man that makes my heart swell
every day. My Christian. This week marks our 17th year together, and I
am thankful for the growth, love, and perspective I have gained from
sharing life with him all these years. <3
....annnnnd now, the catch up:
It
has been a while, yes, and a lot has been happening behind the
scenes.... I will start with the not-so-great things that have happened
since I last posted:
Eddie had a bout of some stomach
issues, but this morning as I type, he has been back to normal for about
a week now! We have been in a drought for MONTHS and the hay shortage
has been causing a little bit of anxiety, but luckily I have managed to
keep enough to keep all the farm critters fed, but hay is an expense I
have not really had in the past because of all the land I have, so the
cost of feeding the animals this year has been a little painful to my
wallet... then, yesterday I had to have the septic tank pumped...
ahhhh... and then the last bit of news from the farm is that I spotted
the skunk! It apparently lives right next door to the fox den! Speaking
of the fox, that thing has some major control OR Pancha and the fox have
some kind of agreement because Pancha STILL hangs out solo right next
to the fox den now for the last two years.... My sweet little one-eyed
oblivious Pancha girl....
Now, I wanna share some of the good stuff!
I have put my etsy store on vacation, and will be having a lot of really cool things this weekend and next weekend at the 'fox and the forest'
holiday market booths in both Arnoldsville, GA and at the Indie South
Holiday Hoorah in Athens (the weekend of Dec. 3rd)! I will be alongside
other ladies from the 'fox and the forest'
collective of female camaraderie and support! If you want to come out
and find gifts for pretty much any lady in your life, I will be at the
booth with a little bit of everything! Vintage clothing, handmade
jewelry, locally blended & small batch teas, handmade organic, fair
trade skincare products, small batch chocolates, and even locally made
pickled heavenly goodness!!
I am probably gonna
slowly start clearing out the vintage clothing store and then start
working on my own closet. I have too much stuff and it has completely
taken over my creative space. As most of you know, Christian and I live
in a pretty small house, and lucky for me, he hasn't really minded all
of my creative ventures spilling over into pretty much every empty
corner of our 900 square foot house! He is more patient than I would
have been able to be...ha! So anyway, in ridding my space of clutter, I
will be able to have our living space be for just that, and the loft
will once again be mine for playing, creating, and sewing!
I
may try to list a few things here for local pickup, but will also pull
some of the best things this weekend to have at the Indie South fair...
I
hope everyone has a delightful time with family and friends today. I am
having lunch at my grandma's house with my family, then heading over to
a local community center to help out with a Thanksgiving dinner for
locals with no family. Think about that before you
go picking a fight today with family (or friends) over anything EVER -
not just today, but everyday! If you are lucky enough to have family,
then realize that, and think about all those that do not. I have been a
sh!# stirrer myself about certain things (and I am really trying hard to
better myself in this department), but if we only surround ourselves
with those that agree with us, when do we ever grow? Seriously. Stand up for each other. Love one another, even when that isn't what you are receiving. This is how love spreads. Be thankful for what you do have.
xoxo
-s
11.24.2016
11.06.2016
Weekend Snapshots...
What a beautiful and much needed weekend escape to the beach! It all started with a Friday night run to the feed store to get all the essentials.....
...then the instructions for feeding while I was away.... Yeah, I am a little OCD about the animals routines, but this little detail, I learned a few weeks ago from a friend while I was tending to their animals in their absence... pretty neat!
...and then off to the beach it was! All set with a matching set of cheap sunglasses and off we go!
I am so lucky to have THE BEST sister-in-law!! The three of us hadn't been together on the beach in SIX YEARS - and my brother drove us all down, so napping and laughing and no attention to the road was really nice!
..and how could we resist a little photoshoot in the midst of this beauty?!?!?
I also got to snag about an hour with my beach bunny bestie.... This time last year mom and I were at the same beach attending her wedding!
...then we took a little tour of this place....
Read all about the history HERE
I was in awe so much that after the first few pics, I didn't take anymore.. bummer. But the history here is CRAZY!!
...then after a short and fun getaway.....
I was back home to reality. Coming home to a sunset like this wasn't too shabby, either ;)
They were all glad to have me back and said Christian did a great job tending to them while I was gone!
...and of course, my Eddie Bear couldn't get enough attention upon my return.... Well, I am off to bed - Hello, new week!
xoxo
-s
11.02.2016
catch up snapshots....
I mentioned yesterday when doing the catchup 'sweet stuff' post, that I had been involved in a few projects which has kept me a little busier than normal.... well, later this week, I will update you all on that. For now, here are a few snapshots from the last week and weekend:
new dress from Indie South store in Normaltown!
...nature finds...
....and then there was this last minute idea to dress up for Halloween.... Doralee Rhodes showed up to work ... Bahahaha!
....and just LOOK AT CHAMP!! He hit the senior pup lotto with his new family!!
...fortunes....
Here is Pancha.... Always hanging out right next to the fox's den. She worries me by doing this, but the fox has had it's den over there for two years and counting. I am assuming they have an agreement by now, because with her limited sight (having just one eye and all), and the fact that she is still around AND walking so close to it's home, it really is a miracle she's still around.
new dress from Indie South store in Normaltown!
...nature finds...
....and then there was this last minute idea to dress up for Halloween.... Doralee Rhodes showed up to work ... Bahahaha!
....and just LOOK AT CHAMP!! He hit the senior pup lotto with his new family!!
...fortunes....
Here is Pancha.... Always hanging out right next to the fox's den. She worries me by doing this, but the fox has had it's den over there for two years and counting. I am assuming they have an agreement by now, because with her limited sight (having just one eye and all), and the fact that she is still around AND walking so close to it's home, it really is a miracle she's still around.
11.01.2016
Sunday Sweet Stuff on Tuesday!! Hello, November!
Eeeeeeeeek! It is November!! I have been so busy with a few new projects, that I got a little sidetracked here on the blog!
Well, now I am back and I will start November off by catching you up with yet another pecan pie-ish recipe! I didn't get around to posting this yesterday, so here is the 'Sweet Stuff Sunday' recipe:
mini-muffin-pan pecan pies...
You will need a mini muffin pan for this recipe. I used a ceramic coated non-stick pan, and my little pies popped right out with no problem.
For the crust, you can either use a store-bought, but this recipe is really easy, and I use it for all my pie needs!
For the crust:
1 C flour
1 stick of butter
1/4 C milk
For the filling:
1/3 C karo syrup
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp melted butter
1/2 C chopped pecans
First preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
We are gonna make the crust first..
Put your flour in a large bowl and grate the butter into it, while fluffing it with a fork every now and again to make sure the butter doesn't clump too much. IF it does, just cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter thing... after the butter and flour mixture are pretty much incorporated, add jusssssst enough milk to make it all stick together. Then roll out, thin as a normal pie crust, and cut out little circles for your muffin pan. I used a small glass to cut my mini crusts...
press the circles gently into your muffin pan - I was only able to get 16 mini crusts out of my dough comfortably....
pop in the oven to bake the shells just a bit, and while you are doing that, whip up your filling....
In a medium bowl, mix the karo syrup, sugar, egg, vanilla, and melted butter together, and then take your shells out of the oven....
place a bit of pecan in each shell.....
and then put a spoonfull of your gooey mixture on top.
Pop in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until they look this delectable!
....annnnnnnnd ENJOY! I barely let mine even cool before devouring!
Well, now I am back and I will start November off by catching you up with yet another pecan pie-ish recipe! I didn't get around to posting this yesterday, so here is the 'Sweet Stuff Sunday' recipe:
mini-muffin-pan pecan pies...
You will need a mini muffin pan for this recipe. I used a ceramic coated non-stick pan, and my little pies popped right out with no problem.
For the crust, you can either use a store-bought, but this recipe is really easy, and I use it for all my pie needs!
For the crust:
1 C flour
1 stick of butter
1/4 C milk
For the filling:
1/3 C karo syrup
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp melted butter
1/2 C chopped pecans
First preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
We are gonna make the crust first..
Put your flour in a large bowl and grate the butter into it, while fluffing it with a fork every now and again to make sure the butter doesn't clump too much. IF it does, just cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter thing... after the butter and flour mixture are pretty much incorporated, add jusssssst enough milk to make it all stick together. Then roll out, thin as a normal pie crust, and cut out little circles for your muffin pan. I used a small glass to cut my mini crusts...
press the circles gently into your muffin pan - I was only able to get 16 mini crusts out of my dough comfortably....
pop in the oven to bake the shells just a bit, and while you are doing that, whip up your filling....
In a medium bowl, mix the karo syrup, sugar, egg, vanilla, and melted butter together, and then take your shells out of the oven....
place a bit of pecan in each shell.....
and then put a spoonfull of your gooey mixture on top.
Pop in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until they look this delectable!
....annnnnnnnd ENJOY! I barely let mine even cool before devouring!
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