Playing with the girls, and messing around in the kitchen!

      The weather has been cold and windy here since I wrote the last post! Not much going outside for me, except to feed the animals! The sun finally came out today so I took advantage of the somewhat warmer weather and walked. It's still rather windy, but bearable, much as the weather for March! Winterlynn and Riley were here on Friday with Win, spending the night. We had a good time and I took her home on Saturday.
      
      It's hard to believe that Easter Sunday is almost here! Where did March go, out with the wind? I am hosting Easter dinner here so I have a lot to do every day until then! But, it shouldn't be stressful since I know what I'm going to prepare and have things written down to do on certain days.

      I've been busy in the kitchen as usual, and I made Kombucha! It is a fermented tea that is full of probiotics, which are good for the immune system. I brewed it until it had the flavor I liked, and it tastes delicious! I started out with a store bought bottle and went from there. There are directions on the web if you google it. Or you can use the directions from Katie at Wellness Mama. I'm also about to brew my own ginger ale. I've had a ginger bug brewing for several days and am about to move to the next step with it. You can also google ginger bug if you want to find out more information on that. I used the information from A Life Unprocessed blogspot.

      Hope you all have a wonderful week and a Blessed Easter! Blessings from Bama!

The strips should have been latticed but I was in a hurry! This was a delicious Mexican chicken casserole!

Sleeping Beauty, trying to keep the light out of her eyes!

It's hard to hold a baby and take a photo at the same time!

Little 'mischief maker'!

Lemon pound cake made from lemons purchased for .99 at Aldi!

Barb-q chicken breasts that was used in calzones.

It is so delicious!

I used a homemade barb-q sauce that I won't make again. It was ok, just too vinegary.

Pouring up the Kombucha. See the scoby on top of the tea?

Was it Straight Line Winds, Or a TWISTER?

      Yesterday, the weatherman predicted that we were going to have some severe weather in the afternoon. One often wonders if the weatherman is going to get it right. He did. We got the strongest winds I've experienced yet! One minute Skylar is on the back porch telling me to come look, and by the time I could get out there and look, the wind picked up, rain started blowing, and it began to hail! I barely made it back in the house before the winds gusted so strong! I couldn't even close the door by myself, Skylar had to help close it! The hail continued to peck at the windows as the wind blew ever so severe! I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there and watched it! There were no tornado sirens, so we didn't get in the closet. The county was hit really hard but thankfully no one was killed! We still don't have power, so I'm writing this with generated power. There were trees all around completely blown over from the roots! Some took down power lines with them, thus the reason we  have no power. There were even power lines across the roads, which made traveling very hazardous! There are still places around here that are like that because the power company can only be in so many places at one time! I am thankful for the generator! I was able to wash a load of clothes and bake some cookies. Now I can finish the dinner I started yesterday when this all began. The weather got cold after the storm so we had cold noses during the night, but the rest of our bodies stayed warm under the covers. They even closed the schools today since there were so many power lines across the roads. Skylar was happy! I feel for people here, and in the North, who are experiencing power outages! At least we don't have snow to go along with it! I hope everyone reading this post is safe and warm and will continue to be so! Have a nice day!

My Dad holding one of his great-grand-daughters, Riley.

They love to give the goats a snack! Lulu was having a bad day!

Something's got to give!

Loving those smiles! We need to mow!

One day, it will be the real thing!

Sorry Rubi, but you terrorize the children too much, LOL!

Riley is enjoying the sunshine!

Lulu doesn't quite have the hang of it yet, but she's trying!

Riding in the hillbilly wagon again!

Going to haul the feed to the animals.

The bees are doing great! Their pollen sacks are full!

The girls LOVE to play in the sand better than anything! That's why when the power comes back on, I've got to vacuum!

Should little girls play with guns?

Aren't these the cutest things you've ever seen?

Big tree down beside our property.

Heavy limbs damaged the fence.

Another spot where a limb fell.

Boy, am I thankful for this thing!

I was trying to save on the generator, but next time I'll use the mixer! I do NOT like using this thing! It hurts my left hand!

The sun is so bright today! The blue tarp was over the picnic table!

It's a tangled mess, probably not repairable.

The nectarine tree has the most beautiful pink blooms and the sweetest fragrance!

Peach tree in foreground, plum tree in back.

I made two sheets of these delicious Starbuck's copycat oatmeal cookies!

The irises are blooming again!

I won this cookbook! From Brandi, the country cook!

Hillbilly Wagon, Playing with the Girls, and more English Muffins!

      Most people who don't live in the South, refer to us as "Hillbillies". I embrace that with humor! Thus, I named the ride: hillbilly wagon. It is just a lawnmower with a wagon attached, used for hauling manure, kids, and whatever else I need to move. The girls L-O-V-E-D it! Except for the little one. She's not strong enough to hold herself up because it knocks her around so easily. She didn't last long in there. She had fun watching her sister and cousin, however. The girls had so much fun here this past weekend, playing outside with bubbles, running, riding cars, hillbilly wagon, you name it! I'm so glad I have a place where they can play outside without fear of traffic and such! The weather was great for them, so it was good they got to play outside. They didn't even argue when it was time to come inside for their naps! They were so TIRED! They all went to sleep in the same room without playing! That's very unusual! I usually have to separate them! They left me exhausted, but in a good way! I think they're coming back this weekend! Oh boy, more hillbilly wagon rides!

      I have been recuperating these past few days and am battling a headache as I write this. It's not too bad, or I wouldn't be able to do this. I haven't had one of these in several months. I thought I wouldn't have any more, but oh well, part of the process, I guess. I have tried another recipe for English muffins, but they are more like a roll. They don't taste like an English muffin, but they are good, none the less. I will try until I find the right one.

      The weather is supposed to continue to get warmer as we head into the weekend. It's a very windy 52 today, but warming into upper 50's tomorrow. Hope the weather is nice where you are! Got to gather my eggs! They're giving me 3-4 eggs a day; that's a good thing! Have a nice week! Blessings from Bama!

They are having a blast with the bubbles!

Randy is having fun too!

Look at her face!

Time to eat, uncle Ran!

See-sawing!

Feeding the boys.

Push me Aunt FeFe!

They love running and driving the cars on the driveway!

Some beautiful daffodils.

Run, Ran is chasing us!

Little sister pushing big sister!

Rubi would love to get over to the kids!

Hop in, I'll take you for a ride!

Want to ride in the hillbilly wagon?

They love to play in the sand!

Layla is still in at this point.

The swing is safer for me!

Giving me the OK. 

Lots of places to store things on the new shelves Randy is installing!

Frosted cauliflower, yum!

Muffins in skillet.

The done muffins. This is the cookbook I got the recipe from.