Happy Birthday Baby

Daughter Jay is 21 years old today!


I've tried for several weeks to make words "BIG" enough to say all that I want to say... I don't think there are words that *BIG* in any language.  In the end, I wrote some private (but not *BIG* enough) words to her.


So, I decided to post some pictures here... but I'll just say this: 


I am in awe of my daughter!


I am so very proud!


I am so very grateful... so *very* *very* grateful! 


Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Jay!

Barn Tour

Dad and Joyce are attending a horse show in Arizona this week.  Therefore, I've got ranch duty... It's not what you think; it's a pretty cushy job.  Take for instance the barn... I've heard people say "I could happily live it that barn!". I agree, the barn dwellers are a happy bunch!

The stalls are all occupied; though Dad only has one horse in this barn at the moment... making that job a breeze.  The rest of the barn is leased, and takes care of itself.

Come on in; I'll show you around:

The tack room

more tack

shower stall

grooming stall

wash room and unfinished stable office

Most horses get hay pellets, but there's an area for hay.

upper storage for buggies

indoor riding arena

 
Here she is; my charge (Fontina).

mmmmm grain!

She's got hay, grain, water, clean bedding, warm coat... happy horse!


And now for the neighbors:

Bye guys!  See you at noon!

Now for some snow shoveling and wood splitting... it finally stopped snowing!

Have a great day!


Update:  this post has been submitted to Farm Friend Friday: http://www.verdefarm.com/2011/02/farm-friend-friday-4-muscovy.html

Drake

Drake!  Were have you been Buddy!  Don't worry Drake, I won't tell your mommy you snuck off to visit!  ***Dara, you're not reading this, are you?***


I bet you'd like a snack!

Drake used to be Dad's dog.  When I came to Dad's ranch, Sadie (a sweet black lab) and Drake already lived here.  They were *very* well fed and Drake was *very* large (the pictures don't really show his size). 


Michael tells the story of coming into the kitchen, beckoned there by wonderful cooking smells:


Michael: What do you have cooking, Dad?


Dad: chicken and rice


Michael: dinner sure smells good


Dad: that's not dinner... that's for my pups!


Well, the story went something like that... the pups were well loved and well fed!


During the fourth of July weekend (of 2009), Drake saw tents in the yard of the neighboring farm and went to investigate... Drake found kids!  Actually, Drake found boys!  His boys! He adopted those boys... and the rest of the family. He couldn't be coaxed back after that... and once everyone came to accept it his way, he started visiting again!  


We love his visits and he knows it!  I guess you could call it "dog sharing". Drake just sharin' the love! I sure wish I could have snapped a picture of him pushing his way into the house and jumping up on Dad's lap!  It all happened so fast!  And Drake is *not* a lap dog!

Drake sometimes sticks around to help me with chores...

Here he is as a puppy (with Dad):

Here he is at his home:

Linked from Dara's Blog

Isn't that the cutest!

National Pie Day and Boiling Water Pie Crust

First thing this morning I learned that today is National Pie Day!  Typically, I'm less than excited about new holidays that I've never heard of... but you don't have to convince me to put National Pie Day on my Calendar!

Last summer, while visiting my sweet sister-in-law in Minnesota, I copied a boiling water pie crust recipe out of an Amish cookbook (I know, It totally breaks all of the rules of pie baking)!.  I can't believe it has taken me this long to get to it... but it *is* National Pie Day!  So here I go...

First, Dad is letting me use his beautiful wood biscuit bowl that belonged to Granny... and also reminded me that Joyce (his wife) is the world's best pie maker.  I didn't need reminding, as her pastries and other baked goodies are unforgettable! Scrumptious! However, it *is* National Pie Day and Joyce isn't here... so we'll soldier on and Dad says he'll try a piece. So, check back for the official pie judging results!

Granny's Biscuit Bowl

This is where I'm at now... I'll and let you know how it turns out!  Happy National Pie Day!

Note: I've already found (Googled) another boiling water pie crust recipe that I think I'll like better for mobile use.  I'll have more experimenting to do before I find *the* recipe.  I've always made my pie crusts in the traditional (cold) way.  But I'd like to find a "road friendly" approach.  I'll post my final recipe at some later date.

Goodbye Hospital; Goodbye Arizona

If you look right over here ------------------------------------------>

You'll see a link to our Vantramps blog, where Mike has made a "State of the Vantramps address" ;), letting everyone know where things stand with the hospital visit and such.

Since the post to the right will change shortly, here is the link to the post I refer to:

http://www.vantramps.com/2010/12/im-outa-there.html

Thank you to everyone who sent prayers and kind wishes!

A Vanstead Christmas Wish

The night before, the night before Christmas

The rains have passed and Taj has been cooling her heels... um, I mean *drying* her *wheels* in the hospital parking lot. 

Pixie Perfect Christmas

Silent Night?

No worries... all is well and it's still a "Pixie Perfect Holiday"! ~grin~

The Post of Christmas Past

Vansteading is also about family (as it is with any home)... 
Yesterday we stood in line at the Post Office in Quartzsite AZ to mail our cards and packages. Other than Bocephus (a sock monkey) dressed up in a Santa suit, there haven't been many signs of Christmas.  But my thoughts still turn to the Christmas' of the past.  I scan through pages of online photo folders and I can't find the pictures I want to post (see future post, re: 2011 goals).  I copy a few of the first Christmas photos I came across... and my mind wanders back in time:

There were new Christmas eve jammies, Christmas trees, sledding, and a Christmas puppy.

There was the sprinkling of reindeer food, making of gingerbread houses, the leaving of cookies and milk.  There were many, *MANY* toys...

 and MOUNTAINS of debt. lol

There was always a flurry of activity!

There was singing, and Christmas shows.... 

and regrets. 

Maybe less time spent stressing about gift giving and more precious time cuddled with my children reading stories...  Yes, I wish I'd done some things differently.

But there was LOVE.  There was, is, and will always be LOVE!

Canning Chicken

Written night before last:
We made it to the Flying J truck stop in Brunswick, GA before stopping for the night.  A few minutes ago, I learned that my son had just returned to base at Kings Bay, GA after being on his boat (submarine) for months.  It turns out, I'm only about a half hour from him tonight!  Welcome home Son!


Now: 
We were able to see Zach for a few minutes yesterday. Today is my birthday... and we'll spend the day with "she who gave birth to me" ;).   We're in Sebastian Florida at my mom's house.  Yay! 

__________________________

Canning Chicken

Also written night before last: I decided to make Chicken Alfredo over pasta tonight.  Before we left Washington, I pressure canned half pint jars of boneless chicken breast (using the raw pack method).  For an easy meal, I added it to some Alfredo sauce. It was wonderful!  The best part is that I know exactly what's in it... just chicken!

I first learned about canning chicken from a Wendy Dewitt YouTube video (part 6 in the series... I think): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33bovjbt8nk.  She also has a pdf called Everything Under The Sun that has some great information.


Before you can anything, it's a good idea to check the latest USDA guidelines to make sure you're canning safely.  Consult your pressure canner manual for the specific times and further recommendations. 


One further recommendation:
After doing a ton of research, we decided this was the only pressure canner for us:
Our Pressure Cooker/Canner.  I'll have a lot more information to share about this canner in other posts!  Our pressure canner fits under the bed and I store our dry goods in it... so it isn't really taking up additional space.

An Oral History

Yesterday we spent several hours with Michael's granny.  One of the goals of this trip was to explore family history.  I recorded the oral history (video) that lasted several hours.  It turned out better than I could have imagined.  She is a beautiful woman!  She talked about the life she knew as a child, growing up in a sharecropper family in the 1920s.  


The interview will continue today.  We can learn so much from the older members of our families.