A Surprise in My Email!

What a way to start a day with a nice, hot, fresh cup of coffee!

I’ve been nominated as a recipient of the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by PioneerAnnie at Homesteading Roots.  How sweet of her!  Much appreciation and gratitude from me to PioneerAnnie for her kindness!  I’m happy she enjoys reading our updates of all the antics and on-goings around our place!

As I understand – I’m supposed to share 7 things about myself.

1.  I got in trouble for yelling back at a 3^rd Grade Teacher for trying to force me to write with my right hand.  I look back now – as an adult – and I see a woman that was jealous.  Ha!  But my Dad put the icing on the cake when he raised cane and made the school put me in another classroom – to be taught by Mrs. Hudson – whom had also been his 3^rd grade teacher!

2.  I never had Barbie Dolls or Baby Dolls as a little girl.  I was Tom-Boy through and through – even preferring to hang out with my uncles and my Dad when I became a teenager.  I’ve always learned something from the women in our family as I grew up down in Texas… “ Leave 3 or more women in a room for more than 3 hours and fur balls WILL begin flying! “  Stick around and it only feeds the frenzy enough for weaving an 8’ x 12’ rug.

But I do give the girls all the credit in the world for my deepest ( and heartbreaking unfulfilled ) wish of becoming a Veterinarian – and not a Nurse.  Somehow – that vision of me coming at one of them with a syringe in a hospital room was plenty of encouragement for sparing them from a moment in their life that could leave a permanent scar.  Love runs deeply, heh.

3.  I am forever wishing I had a couple of clones – and an extra 12 hours in every day.  But Our Lord – Himself – knows – give me a month of those blessings and I’d just be asking for more.

But I am grateful for the fact that He knows not 1 hour would be spent on flying fur balls.

Our first garden after buying our place – Spring 2009. The Cattle now own this space.

4.  Nothing pleases me more than cheating the grocery stores out of their profits – by learning to make it myself – from scratch.  I love raising our own animals for food – gardening – canning – freezing – baking – cooking – you name it!  I despise the chemicals they’re putting into packaged processed foods today – using the same names as they used back in the 1960’s – and calling it “ new and improved. “  It gives me reasons for additional prayers – asking God to bless “ Idjits “ with the Spirit of Discernment – and the will to refrain from wasting their money on man-made chemicals that God never saw reason to provide for their bodies.  “ Duhhh! “

My $75 Bargain Furniture Hunt!

5.  Every time I’ve attempted to set up our spare bedroom into a sewing / crafting room… somebody has moved in.  I’ve decided at the age of 53 ( and moving closer to Senility ) I’ve earned my right to revert in life and claim, “ It’s Mine! “  I have 1 more week to wait until the Queen Size Bed is carried down to the Basement!  And once again – whenever I am granted the wish of sitting on my butt for an entire day and choosing my own kind of funtime – I will scream like a wild woman at a Garth Brooks concert – and get busy with some Digital Scrapbooking!  But I’ve got a fabric stash going on right now – for a headful of whims – for which I seem to be unable to pick from to begin my fun in sewing – quilting – and other wonderful needlework projects!

No.  I will not be painting the walls black.

The Fall Scenery from Foothills Parkway.

6.  My most favorite escape is driving out to Cades Cove in The Great Smoky Mountains – or – driving up to Bald River Falls and the surrounding areas in Cherokee National Forest.  You could drive up to either on any given day – and you will never go home feeling like you saw the same thing twice.  The changing scenery is always something that grabs my heart!  The history is always something that humbles me with never-ending appreciation for those that first settled in East Tennessee.

7.  But always – all else in and of myself today comes after these beauties are tended to and led into contentment for enjoying each and every day of their lives!

( That might be 8 things.  Or 12.   I dunno.  I talk a lot. )

And now – it’s my turn – to select 15 Bloggers that I enjoy following for nominating this awesome award!

Jim and Mary at Old World Garden Farms – Every day they post, you can depend on finding such a clear and concise breakdown of the most valuable information pertaining to farming and gardening, especially for the small family version!

Anne Burkholder at Feed Yard Foodie – Wears as many hats as her husband!  This woman educates me.  She reminds me of how, too often, many people live in this country opening their mouths to ridicule before they look back and count how many people live on this whole planet, needing food for nourishment of their bodies.  She defends the efforts that are DOING something for the world, while others only do for themselves while griping about measures becoming necessary for feedlots to get the job done.  If there weren’t so many in the world to feed – she might not have a blog.  Perhaps we need to have a conversation about birth control, rather than complaining about rumors amid a few truths that many feedlots wish they didn’t even have to exercise.  Obviously, she and her family have guts and hearts to care enough.  I admire the challenges they rise up to meet on a daily basis, no matter what day of the week – no matter what kind of weather.

Cowboy Chisum’s Trail – I am a Mom!  How could I not be sucked in by this little Charmer!  He’s adorable!  And he’s one lucky kid, to have a Dad that takes the time to start him out early in a world that will teach him so many things helpful to the greatest foundation for a life!

Barrows Farm – is walking through their own experiences with their life on a Hobby Farm, taking time to educate others and share helpful hints, along the way.  Sometimes, the subject matter consists of issues most would never even think about!  And I’ll confess to my bias here, as they raise Irish Dexter Cattle, too!

Star Creek Country – Visiting their website and learning about their set-up had me yelling out loud.  ” Yes!  That’s EXACTLY what I have in mind! ”  I can’t wait to try her recipe for the fly spray!  They, too, raise Irish Dexter Cattle.  And I’m prolly gonna hound her when it comes time to training for milking.  She’ll be rolling her eyes.  Trust me.

Slow Money Farm – Talk about a hub for gathering in the social media world!  I LOVE keeping up with this lady – even on Twitter!  She is always in the thick of conversations that are so educational and enlightening, when it comes to all the variety there is to be found in growing and raising food for the table!  I just follow – sit back and soak up the learning like a sponge!  Great Networking Buddy!

Sonya May Hem – I love this woman’s sense of humor!  But more than that – I love the energy she has for incorporating cave-ins to children with her joys of sewing and other hobbies!

Chico Locker Sausage – These guys are absolutely awesome!  Talk about a Family Adventure!  I am familiar with Chico, after living up around Redding, CA for a few years!  Sorenson’s United Van Lines… Ugh.  Long story.  Anyway.  Chico State… Ohhh, yeah.  Perfect little College Town!  And this family plants its little piece of success smack in the middle of it all!  Ha!  But here’s the secret…. that’s how you roll with success, if you plan on networking with people that get together for a good time!  ” With a Meat Locker? ” – you say.   Well, of course!  Hey, those folks have to eat, too!  And they have a wonderful opportunity with being so close to such a great source for the best meat around!  Not only that, but they share lots of great information!

Bridger Vet Clinic – Great blog sharing the details of riding along with her brother, the Large Animal Veterinarian!  Photos and information can be found to be very helpful – even a stress reliever!

The Prospect of Bees – I am enjoying all the little tidbits of hefty information that I have found here!  There are 3 more ‘ big ‘ projects I want us to add to our ‘ Big Picture ‘ – and Beekeeping is one of those projects!  I love some of the details these folks share.  I keep finding myself thinking, ” I’ve never heard that before! ”

Very Berry Handmade – I love this blog!  She keeps things lively, mixing in a little personal life with a sense of humor and such!  But she THE cutest projects!  I love her special niche for choosing fabrics to mesh with one another!

Molles – For me, it’s like an escape!  I get to enjoy the fantasy through her experiences of living on a small farm in Southern France!  She’s a lucky girl!

Fence Post Diaries – The daily ongoings with just about every possible surprise in life…. and a farm!  Jill’s sense of humor is like a B-100 dose!  She shares an obvious knack required for hanging in there between fence wire and barns!

Stitched By Me – Oh, my goodness!  I love, love, LOVE the pure Magic she does with her quilting projects!

Wag ‘n Tales – Wag ‘n Tales is the wisdom and sweat shared by a farm wife that dredges through to fight the political manure created by falsehoods and false agendas – to stand up and defend what is right and good and healthy for every dinner table in this country.

I sure do feel special for receiving this special award!  I hope all these folks feel a little special today, as well!