Hey...Don't have a Cow, have a ton of them

Found on theelliotthomestead.com

I mean fill every nook and cranny with a picture or a figurine or an actual Cow itself if you can!

This girl right here, I am such a sucker for Cows and absolutely LOVE that they are trending right now....

Seriously the Owls are cute and one of my baby's favorite animals, and Deer... I mean who doesn't love Deer? I love Deer as much as the next person but the one I adore the one that melts my heart is the Cow!

   

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                Found on etsy.com

 

Look at those big ole sweet eyes... They are adorable!

I love how large and in charge they are. You never hear of a Cow being insecure about how big they are, they just strut their stuff across the field like it's nobody's business. 

          

           Found on dailypainters.com

                                                                  

And a Bull...    Have you ever met a Bull?  I have, I met a bull while I was trying to take pictures of a baby calf and maybe got a little too close.

Let me just tell you, they are fiercely protective of their women and children.  He let me know real quick that I was not in the right place... of course innocent little me just turned to my Hubby (who by the was safely behind the fence at the other end of the pasture)  and yelled "You hear that? He's making a weird sound".  My ever so patient husband kindly implied that maybe I should slowly and calmly start backing away from the angry Bull and his young.  

Whew...that could have ended badly, good thing I wasn't wearing any red :)

This is a beautiful painting that one of my sweet friends made for my Birthday! I get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I look at it, it reminds me of those baby calfs you see in the mountains with all the crazy fluffy hair.  I wish I could reach into the painting and give it squeeze. 

She is such a talented lady and I am so excited to have some of her art to sell at an upcoming Holiday Market.

*Angela*

Tomatoes to last all winter

The tomatoes have taken over my garden!  Really that's no surprise since the eager little plants tend to quickly out grow their designated area and spill over to smother whatever else is too close to their radius.  This year they took out one of my peppers :(   

Luckily that means my eager little plants are producing way too many tomatoes for us to eat in one season, and that means I get to gather the girls and have a good old fashioned canning party! 

Now some of you may be thinking "that sounds crazy, we have grocery stores with canned tomatoes already in them" and you would be right.  I could run to the store and pick up a couple cans of pre packaged tomatoes for a couple of dollars and be back home in 15 minutes. 

But you know what... I like my little bit of crazy.  

It makes me slow down and take time to soak it all in.  It reminds me of how life should be, not always rushing around trying to get everything done as quickly as possible in the most convenient way.

Sometimes life should take five hours in a hot kitchen with the doors and windows thrown open on a hot summer day in the south.  Sometimes it should be the craziness of kids and dogs running in and out of the house with free reign while four women can talk about God and life, sip wine, and openly breastfeed a newborn with no shame, all while elbows deep in tomatoes. 

Sometimes life needs to be simple again.

*Angela*

Vintage Finds ~ Test tube holder

 I get so excited when I come across the perfect solution to a problem and let me tell you, when there are toddlers involved crayons are always a problem.  The cardboard boxes they come in get destroyed in a matter of seconds due to tiny little hands with super human strength ripping them apart to find just the right color of who knows what for the pony's pretty tail.  

I was on the hunt for something durable that I could leave out with easy access for the little and something that would allow her to be able to see and grab her color of choice without having to dig for it or leave crayons all over the table which eventually roll off and snap in half.

 This chippy old test tube holder fit the bill.  The grid is just big enough for jumbo crayons to fit right in and is easy for little toddler hands to get them in and out. 

 I also love that the length of it is long enough to share without friends fighting over the same crayon.

So keep and open mind the next time your at the flea market, vintage finds can make some really cool storage and organization solutions.

*Angela*

11 Years Ago

I married the coolest guy I know. 

Over a decade later, I'm amazed and in awe that I could possibly love him more 

than when he was a drummer in a band with my heart in his hand.  

*Angela*

Knock off art ~ an easy DIY

 As I was wandering down isle after isle of pure paradise at my local Home Goods I could barely keep my hands to myself.  I am definitely one of those tangible people,  

I have to touch all the things!  

My mother used to get so annoyed with me when I was young, everywhere we went she would let out an exasperated "put your hands on your belly" (embarrassed to say, I actually use that with my own handsy girl now).

By the time I get to that last isle, I realize that I can no longer afford all of the beautiful things that have graced my shopping cart.  Luckily it is easy to separate out the impulse buys, from the "I really have been looking for this" buys,  and then always the "well, I'm sure I can make something like this" buys.  Thankfully that is exactly the category this little beauty fell into.

 At $17.00 it's worth it to at least try and make it on my own.

As silly as it sounds, the "I love you more" battle is pretty constant in my family.  Not sure if we really do think we love each other more than the other or if it's just a battle of who gets the last words. Either way, this simple frame really struck a nerve with me. 

To create my own I gathered some supplies and got started. 

you will need: picture frame, paper with your saying printed as "mirror image", paint, and paint brush.

 Step 1:

Take everything out of your picture frame, you really only need to keep the glass to put back in. 

Step 2:

Lay your paper down, and cover it with the glass.  

Step 3:

Paint over the letters on top of the glass. 

This will let you end up with the paint on the back of glass once it's back in it's frame. 

Step 4:

Once the paint is dry, put it back in its frame and be sure to fold the tabs back down to secure.  If your frame doesn't have the small tabs like these it would be a good idea to run a line of hot glue around the frame and place the glass on top of that.  

I used an Ivory color paint so that it would stand out against our dark blue walls.  I love seeing it every morning while getting ready to start my day.

 *Angela*

A little Valentine Love

 Cupid came early this year....

 We have been so fortunate to be surrounded with an amazing group of friends in our area, these are friends that we have come to love like family, friends that you can pop over unexpected and sit on the kitchen floor drinking wine and eating cake together,  friends that realize they can not do this life thing wholly on their own and may ask you to come over and help clean their toilets, friends that trust enough to share their deepest secrets and fears.  Friends that will love, clothe, and feed you if you need it.  We are so grateful to have friends like these and hope that our children can grow up together and start that bond at an early age.  

To give these wonderful people a little break from the daily grind and some alone time, I hosted a Valentine party for the kiddos with some help from a very brave friend.  

We had eight little young ins ranging from one year to almost five running wild around this house,  it is nearly impossible to keep eight toddlers occupied at the same time (God bless preschool teachers)!

What worked out best was Peter Pan and a their own little buckets of Valentines Trail Mix.

Seriously this stuff is sooo good,  I've been eating the left overs for a few days now. 

Hope everyone gets a little extra lovin this weekend ;)

*Angela*

Family bathroom gets a makeover ~

You guys remember that brown bathroom that I posted about (here) a while back, the one that I loved how it looked bathed in candle light and bubbles,  so relaxing and calm and adult.  Well with a toddler running around like a crazy person that just wasn't practical anymore.  

 

This bathroom is our only downstairs bath and is located in the hall between the living room and our bedroom, which means that not only does it need to look pretty and clean for our guests, but it also needs to serve a practical purpose for hubby and I. 

 I love having these tea towels in here instead of the normal hand towels, it makes the room feel more like a part of the rest of the house.

Even 'little bit' can come in here and wash up (mostly) on her own.

We've really enjoyed having a fresh new bathroom that functions well for the whole family.

Thanks for stopping by. 

*Angela*