A Valentine For Him

Since my Valentine is so sweet, I feel he deserves some comfort.  He needs new house shoes so I picked out some good warm ones.  He mentions the electric blanket that he loved until Dottie chewed the cord in two when she was little.  Although, if I go with the blanket I think it would be better to get a throw instead of a queen size.  I don't think I would enjoy the heat on my side of the bed.  I get too hot at night for that, oh and this is about him not me.  I also am thinking of getting him a pair of sweat pants for lounge wear.  He has one pair of flannel pants and for comfort's sake I think he will enjoy an alternate to the flannel.  

We are planning a quiet evening at home with a couple of steaks and potatoes with brownies and ice cream smothered in chocolate sauce for dessert.  Using this recipe for the sauce of course!

Sweet Ideas for Holiday Parties

I've compiled a tiny list of easy recipes for holiday baking.  Any of these recipes would be perfect to take along to a party or get together this season in case you are asked to bring something along.

 

 

Coconut Goodies

 

Soda Cracker Fudge

 

Magic Cookie Bars

 

Brandied Chocolate Covered Cherries

 

Pecan Tea Cookies

 

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

 

My Favorite... Cake Mix Cookies

 

My For Real Favorite... Rolo Goodies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Sweet Kate Update

Oh our sweet little girl.  Katie Bird is growing like a weed!  I reckon they all do.  When we got her at seven weeks old she weighed three and a half pounds.  Friday, at ten weeks old, she was almost twelve pounds.  Not bad for just three weeks.  She also started going to work with Shaun and riding in his truck with him more.  She enjoys being a working girl!  On the job site, she got to meet and hang out with her buddy Opie who is a few weeks older than her, so she got to play a lot too.  Our friends also brought him over to play over the weekend.  Even though he is bigger than her she holds her own.  Must be from all her brothers and sisters.  She actually put herself to bed in her crate Saturday.  What a cutie. 

 

This is her first morning going with Shaun.

She must have got pretty comfortable in the truck.  By Thursday she was jumping from the front to backseat and looking out the windows.  Queen of the truck!

She gets along very well with the chickens.  She pecks right along with them.

Under cover Gardner and Katie Bug.

This is Opie.  Handsome fella huh?

Mean girl!  jk

Check out the karate chop from Opie.



Sweet Kate Update

I tell you what, this dog is probably going to be smarter than us!  Our sweet puppy, Thelma Kate (my furry friends have always had multiple names), is so smart and sweet.  She is still napping like a baby but her playing is getting more and more energetic and let me tell you... the girl is fast!  We will run and run in the yard and when I stop fast and say "heel" she does and waits for me to give her the command to go again.  She responds to her name now except when it is time to go somewhere like when it is time to go home from the day care and she doesn't want to leave.  Bless her heart.  She'll get the hang of how things go.  She also noticed a robin in the yard and went after it.  I think her eyesight is getting to where she can see further and further and tune in on certain things.  She follows us around like a good girl and goes outside by herself.  She stays on or around the porch.  She definitely knows she is home.  Her legs are getting long and her little paws are getting bigger.  She also has such fun with the day care kids in playing with them and helping them do little chores like putting up their nap pillows and blankets.  We gave her her nine week shots today and she was so good to let us.  It seems like she has been with us longer than just two weeks.  She is such a good girl and we are so lucky to have her.  The perfect little addition to our family and farm.

 

Sleepy baby.  She is going to outgrow this bed fast.

 She likes when she is finally allowed to wake them up.

 Helping with chores... kind of.

 Lovin.

 Sweetheart.  I love the water on her furry lips in this picture.

 Sharing a bit of breakfast.

 Waiting patiently.

 Raring up wanting another bite of Shaun's biscuit.

 Sometimes she sleeps with my boots on the front porch.



Sweet Kate Update

Our dear sweet puppy Thelma Kate is full of so much love and fun I just can't stand it.  It feels like she has been with us longer than just a week.  She is so smart and is progressing so fast.  This must be what it feels like to have a child and see what they do each day and the jitters I get to remember to tell Shaun when he gets home what she has done and learned that day.  Miss Kate spent three days this week at the day care with me and the kids who loved her!  At times it felt like I just had one more child there.  She would follow them out the door to play outside and lay under the table while we ate lunch.  She did nap a bit more then they did and wanted to wake them up before it was time!  I have taught her to sit already and by Wednesday she had her nerve up to climb the steps and the dc.  By Friday she came down the steps at home!  She's such a big girl.  She also helped me in the garden and really learned a good way to dig by spreading her back legs and using both front paws to launch dirt on me!  Now if we can just teach her to not poo in the house.  She will go outside but isn't asking at times.  She also chose to sleep on Shaun's boots in the living room the last two nights instead of in our bed.  We thought that would be harder to break than it was.  I think it is Shaun's snoring :)

This just makes me tear up... she's so stinkin cute.

Headed Our Way

Well folks... I have great news.  We have a puppy headed our way!  After trying to adopt a rescue dog that was two years old, and it not working out, we decided that we needed to start fresh with a puppy who will know us it's whole life.  Shaun has been looking for puppies and a dog for a couple of months now and Thursday I came across an add in the Tennessean-online.  I made a phone call and it turned out the lady was just one town over from us!  All of the other places were going to require a road trip.  This trip was only about fifteen minutes.  When we got there I was very relieved that it wasn't a puppy mill.  You just never know.  The couple had both parents there and they were extremely friendly and well mannered dogs.  We somehow picked which puppy we wanted from a litter of eleven!  Tough choice because all of the puppies were friendly and everywhere!  We chose a little girl with pretty standard markings of a Border Collie and she has the cutest freckles on her nose.  We get to pick her up in two weeks.  The agony of waiting!!! 

 

 

Rolly Poley Sweet Baby Girl.

 

We don't have a name for her yet and are open to suggestions!



Little Treats

Listen up y'all.  I am serious when I say that I am sharing this recipe for your own good.  It is so easy and sinful.. I mean delightful.  There are only three ingredients to this treat.  I only allow myself to make no more than a dozen, ok eighteen, or so, at a time because I will literally each all of them if I'm not careful. 

All you need is a bag of pretzels (not the stick kind), a bag of Rolos and some pecan halves.

I am suddenly wondering if I have posted this before.  I was probably hoggish last Christmas and didn't want to share.  Which generally happens when I make these. 

Lay out 12 or so pretzels on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Next unwrap 12 or so Rolos.  Enough to cover one Rolo per Pretzel.  Pop your pan into your preheated to 350 degrees oven for three minutes.  After three minutes, take them out and gently press a pecan half on each melty Rolo. 

You're gonna feel so hoggish over these that you'll be rootin' out from under the door!

I wish I had taken a picture of the results on a pretty Christmas plate but truth be known they didn't last that long.  I picked this recipe up from the Hugh McFartin' show last year during the recipe portion of the program that his wife does.  She talks so fast I had to run get a pencil to write it down before I forgot.  With so many ingredients and all.