BAM!! Just Like That!

And...Bam!  Just like that my firstborn son turned 16 this week.  It was a day that arrived way too soon for me.  The two of us got to go on a date in the middle of the day to a local Brazilian steakhouse with an amazing salad bar of fresh greens, fruits, cheeses, and meats that are such a delight for the eyes as well as the taste buds.  A favorite was the Brazilian lemonade.  I am going to work on this recipe and see if we can enjoy some of it at  home this summer.  I'll post the recipe when I get it just right.  He was kind enough to pause for a quick shot here before we went inside.  I can't believe the amazing, capable young man he has become.  Sniff!

 Since it is still somewhat cool we are spending more of our days inside than we like to.  That does afford me some guilty pleasure time to spend with my embroidery machine though on fun projects.  Here are a couple pillows that I personalized for the girls beds to give their room a little more flair.  Both pillows are amazing thrift store finds that I knew would be perfect.

See you around the homestead soon!

-Melissa

Lazy Days of Summer

Chief chicken chaser on his way to find "his" chicken.

Here chicken, chicken...where are you?

Our silkies safe from hawks in the run.

Girls in the sandbox which - I am surprised to say - has not become a chicken dust bath ;-)

While the kids enjoy some time off from school and we don't have a lot of gardening or harvesting to do they love to play in the sandbox and Mama loves to play in her garden box!  This is one of my raised beds that is really having a bit of trouble this year.  Just a week ago it was FILLED with dense, thick foliage on the squash and tomatoes.  Now, just rot remains in most of the bed.  I have decided that with all of the rain we get here in the summers there was simply not enough air circulation to keep the leaves dry.  Hindsight tells me that I should prune the squash leaves and tomatoes heavily.  Lesson learned.

The nice thing about my raised beds though has been that the chickens do not get in them much at all.  They are much more concerned with pecking and scratching the ground than in digging up my raised bed plants.  The powdery mildew in this bed has been a constant battle.  With the abundance of rain and poor air flow due to density, this is one battle I have lost for sure.  Oh well, it's all part of Dixie Living, right?





See you around the Homestead,
-Melissa

Amazing Overnight Blueberry French Toast Breakfast Bake

Blueberries oh how I love thee...
This was not always the case for me.  Many blueberry seasons came and went with no heed, summer berry salads were passed over due to their inclusion of blueberries, even blueberry muffins were a big. fat. nope!
Then I read and read again of the wonders of these dark, super food berries.  These nutritional dynamos that were loaded with antioxidants and anthocyanins, and I just HAD to give them another chance.  Enter my favorite breakfast to save the day...my beloved friend French Toast.  But wouldn't those dark little berries ruin everything?
I was overjoyed with the flavor combination of cream cheese with the berries amidst crispy, tasty mounds of delicious sourdough bread.  Could it get any better?  Oh yes, yes, yes it could and it did!!  The second time I made this scrumptious delight I decided to include the Blueberry Sauce.  Allow me to add: Mind. Blown.
Taste for yourself and see.  Even with a family of 8 one pan is more than adequate for this overnight breakfast delight.  You will thank yourself again and again in the morning. This is also a perfect dish to prepare when entertaining overnight guests.

Now updated with recipe video here:

Ingredients:

12 Slices stale French Bread

12 Eggs

2 Cups Milk

1 T. Vanilla Extract

1/3 Cup Maple Syrup

2 8oz Pkg. Cream Cheese

1-2 Cups Fresh Blueberries

2 T. Cornstarch

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Water

Your children and husband will lavish you with praises while you reply it is no big deal.  After all, you are the mom.  By the way, could we please stop saying I’m JUST a mom? We are so much more than merely moms. We are chosen by God’s to be His child. We are treasured, dearly loved, and bought with a price. It is not right for us to belittle that which our God holds so precious. Isn't it a privilege that we are Mamas, enabled to carry a life, and blessed with a sacred job to do.

Melissa

Anticipating Spring with Homestead Skills

"For as the earth brings forth her bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to SPRING forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. --Psalm 61:11

Don't these look fun? I had a customer put in an order for some embellished jeans and I knew these would be just right. I can just imagine her 5 year old hopping about in these.


There is a hand-drawn carrot that I've placed on top of the patchwork applique. I finished them with a simple zig-zag stitch so they'll fray just the right amount to complete the shabby look of these sweet springtime jeans. The double ruffles are extra full and feature a pink jelly bean fabric and the bottom layer repeats the polka dot from the carrot fabric above.

Needless to say, once my little girl saw these she wanted some too but I sent her to get the mailing envelopes instead. We didn't even have to visit the post office, just click, print, and set them in the mailbox. We discussed the verse above and the application it has for her letting righteousness and praise spring forth and she began singing. Her cheerfulness got me in the creative mode again and this is what I am currently working on...

I didn't want to leave her feeling too sad so I let her have some input into what I am working on now. Can you guess what these are going to be? I'll post again when they are finished.  Homestead life is about skills.  Sewing happens to be one I enjoy.  Sometimes it is simply utilitarian, but often I get to use my sewing skills to create beauty and fun.  How about you?

Enjoying Dixie Living,

Melissa