Some cooler weather this week!

      After experiencing 60 and 70 degrees over the weekend, we are at 47 today. That's quite a difference! Especially since it's quite breezy! I don't care for cold wind blowing at my face or body! I do like the sun shining on my back, however! The weather inside is beautiful! We have lots of windows that let in the sun and its warmth, which is good in winter; not so much in summer.
I'm thankful we have a table in such a room where I can have the laptop. As I sit, I can look outside and see the chickens on one side, and the goats on the other side. The sun is streaming in and the warmth of it is amazing! I send you sun to melt your snow, if you have it on the ground. That would be nice if I could!

      I'm finally seeing some changes in my body from exercising! Not a lot, mind you, but a little. Which is better than none! I would hate to know that I've done all this in vain! I am enjoying all the different things I'm trying. I actually over-did something this week and am suffering from a very sore shoulder. I was really trying to lift myself up doing the chin-ups. I also did Turkish get-ups the same day. The next day I did kettle-bell swings. I think the combination is what got my shoulder. I will have to re-evaluate my routine and see what changes I can make to avoid this, or any other injury. My knee also gets a little squeaky when I do  squats and other exercises that utilize the bending of my knee. I may just stick strictly to the re-bounder. The more I read about it, the more I realize that's really all I need to do! It's hard to believe that I don't actually need to work out with weights when using the re-bounder! I still would like to accomplish an unassisted pull-up, but not at the expense of my shoulder! I will keep you updated as to my routine changes. Another thing, I've cut down on my food intake. And I'm not hungry! I read where the re-bounder will decrease your appetite. Just bounce five minutes before a meal and the rise in blood sugar level will decrease your appetite! I did that unknowingly yesterday, then I read the book that came with the re-bounder and it happened again today! All I had for lunch yesterday was my green juice and I didn't eat much dinner later! I just wasn't hungry yesterday! Today I was aware of what I was doing and still I'm not very hungry. I had my juice and a small piece of bread. I'm satisfied as of this writing. I hope this continues! I seem to be doing my workout about lunch time, so hopefully it will.

      I'm thinking about making some changes in the garden. The strawberries are very thin this year, so I'm going to pull them out and put in a couple of blueberry bushes. The mice, or some kind of rodent, always beat me to them. We're hoping to put up goat fencing down the hill opposite from the girls. That will leave their yard vacant. I don't have enough raised beds to plant everything I want, so I'm going to let Randy till that spot and make a traditional garden there. I hope to plant beans, squash, watermelons, etc. there. I will keep you updated as to our projects. 

      I hope ya'll are staying warm and keeping your chin up! Winter is almost over! Spring will be here soon! I hope that for you, especially if you're in the 'vortex'! Have a nice weekend! Blessings from Bama!

The weather was so nice the girls enjoyed swinging!

Little sister copying big sister.

I love daffodils!

Red tips blooming!

The greenhouse up and anchored down! I can hardly wait to put plants in it!

We have so much wind, there's no sense in setting it up right now.

Future garden spot?

Hand-held quiches!

Yummy picnic bread!

Last week snowstorm, this week Thunderstorm?

      That's what the weatherman says! I didn't check to see if it's on the radar before writing this post, so I guess you'll find out next week! Just a few hours after I published the last post, it began to snow! I was so surprised! We got several inches, but it melted before lunch the next day. I hope we don't get the storms they are predicting! They could be severe! The temps have been very warm this week: mostly in the sixties. I think it got to seventy today! I've been outside working in the flower beds some. Poor Rubi dug holes and left debris everywhere! It's a mess, but it's getting better. 

      My seeds are germinating that I sowed after writing the last post. Not all of them have, but quite a few. I'm thankful to see them come up! I hope they all do. Do you have any idea why some don't? I think I'll throw the seed packs away that don't and buy more next year. Randy put up a small greenhouse that I'll put the plants in as soon as they're big enough. Sure hope it doesn't get blown away in the winds tonight! I don't like night-time thunderstorms! It's quite scary to wake up in the middle of the night to tornado sirens! We get up to see if it's coming this way so we'll know whether or not to duck and cover! Most of the time we don't have to get in our safe place. Hopefully, no one else will either!

      It's hard to believe the weekend is almost here! I've gotten a lot accomplished this week, but still, where did the week go? I'm hoping the girls (Goats) are in the process of becoming Mommas! I guess we won't know for sure for a couple of months! At least they are all getting along pretty good! I thought I would never get more eggs! Today there were five, but one was crushed. I'm so happy to get more eggs! I love them scrambled where a sausage patty was cooked! That's my favorite breakfast these days!

      Thanks for stopping by and reading. I always appreciate your time here and I especially appreciate your comments! Have a great weekend! Blessings from Bama!

What we looked out to the next morning!

A few of the girls braving the snow.

It seemed thicker this time.

Even the goats didn't seem to mind. I guess cause the temps were beginning to climb at this time.

The day I sowed our seeds.

The ciabata rolls I made. They were delicious made into a sandwich!

Our little Valentine baby!

Gonna rub some lotion on uncle Randy's feet!

Little cuties!

These three are such characters! Yasmine has lost another front tooth since this photo!

A Valentine's card for uncle Randy.

What the temps have been this week.

Cleaning out the flower bed.

Can you believe this mess?

Daffodils about to bloom! I saw some in bloom earlier this week, just a ways down the road.

I've been looking for a recipe for a good vegetable soup. I found it in this Weight Loss Magic Soup!

Winn and Riley were here today. The sun was shining brightly for a little while.

It's hard to catch her still.

The seedlings today.

Only a few here are sprouting.

They Predicted a Winter Storm, But all we Got is RAIN!

      The kids have been out of school for two days, all on account of....rain! The temps just didn't get cold enough for snow, sleet, or ice. I'm glad! It's nice to have another break from the everyday routine. The guys stayed home yesterday, but have gone to work today. The temp is 32 and could get messy after dark. But it should warm into the forties tomorrow. Hopefully, they'll get home before it 'could' freeze!

      I don't have any photos of snow or the girls, but I do have a few photos. I have been busy baking, just in case the power went out. And laundry. I thought I wouldn't have as much to do today, but I should have known better. I decided to grind some pork into Italian sausage for Spaghetti later this evening. I will do that when I finish this. I also didn't get my seeds planted yesterday, so I will do that when I finish this. I will show photos in the next post. The girls are coming Friday, so I will have photos of them as well.

      Hopefully, this post will find all you my wonderful readers, safe, inside, and warm! I don't go outside when it's all messy and raining and cold! I take that back; except to gather eggs. Randy has been feeding the animals before he goes to work. The hens have been laying about three a day, and I have been enjoying eating them and using them to cook with.

      Next week, I hope to be able to be outside a lot! The temps are suppose to climb into the sixties! Wow! Spring! I won't know where to start! One thing for sure: walking! I have missed walking outside, so much! My other exercises are working good for me, but I really miss my walk. Hope to hear from ya'll soon! Blessings from Bama!

Yummy granola!

My husband can fix just about anything! He noticed water in the floor around the door of the freezer, and had me to remove most everything from it. Then he went to work. It was a long, tough job, and I helped. 

Thick layers of ice that had to be removed from the bottom of the freezer.

He really gets 'into' his work!

The day the boys went to live with the girls, for while.

Checking each other out.

Ran is opening and emptying the flour we ordered from Amazon. It was shipped just like this. No bag or anything! Even the UPS guy was surprised it wan't in some kind of bag. Imagine the mess if it had gotten punctured!

The reason we use this flour: non GMO. It's Wheat Montana, an excellent brand!

Valentine cake for Randy!

Brownies for Skylar!

Biscuits!

A second tray!

Jim Lahey's ciabatta bread in the making. Two containers of pita bread.

Pita bread. Made almost exactly like tortillas, just cooked in the oven.

February, a time for Love!

      I love the month of February! Every day during the month of February, I'm reminded that God loves me and wants me to love others. Even more than I already do! Focusing on love keeps my mind off of the weather as much. Since February began, we've had rain and clouds. I don't like cold, dreary weather! So instead I focus on how to be a better wife and Mom. I do this by deliberately trying to remember what I read in the Bible that day, and numerous other things. One of the things I've been doing lately is browsing Facebook and blogs for new, healthier, and budget friendly recipes. I've tried a couple this week that were pretty good. I'm not sure if they're 'keepers', but maybe. The first recipe I made was from Budget Bites called Yakisoba. It is homemade but utilizes ramen noodles. I don't care for ramen noodles, but the rest of the recipe was very good. Skylar said it needed something and Randy said it was O.K. I probably won't fix it again. The other recipe I made was tomato bisque from 100 days of real food. It is good; I just wished I hadn't put the cream in the whole pot. I'm not loving the flavor. Maybe it will be better tomorrow. It felt so good going down on this 30 something degree day! I'm also trying to show some love in the housekeeping department. I'm making sure things are getting placed in the proper place instead of cluttering up the house. I've cleaned out closets and drawers and have bags ready to go to the thrift store. I've sold my bread machine, but don't worry, I've go two more! A little at a time, and I already feel good about what I'm doing! Guess I'm loving on myself a little too! 

      I'm also being diligent about exercise. I really miss walking outside because that helps me more than anything. I did get to walk with Ran Sunday since it was 64 degrees! I'm rebounding and doing all those other things like kettlebell swings, Turkish get-ups, burpees, attempting pull-ups and sissy push-ups, etc. I hope to see results soon. I am trying to modify my diet to make it conducive for weight loss, but I get the munchies at night! I always want to crunch on something! How do I conquer that? If you have any advice, please let me know. 

      I've added a Facbook button to the blog but it doesn't take you to my page. It's like I had to create a new Facebook page to do this. My Facebook page is in my name: Felecia Cofield. You can click on the page on the right if you want, and in the meantime, I'll see if I can change that. If you have any information that can help, please let me know. I really do like Facebook and write on there several times each day. That way ya'll can keep up with what's happening at the moment! Thanks for reading the blog, and don't forget to show some 'love' this month! Blessings from Bama!

January 28th, Winterlynn's birthday!

Side front where the boys are.

Our dogs have to be right with us.

Side in back. The snow looks really deep here.

Animal tracks going down the hill. I think they were rabbit tracks.

The road in front of our house.

Lovely sunset!

Cooking flour tortillas.

Delicious!

Randy caught me in motion.

A beautiful sunny day for a beautiful girl. The clutter before some 'love'.

Tomato bisque soup.