Grass Gauge

A photo to put a smile on your face......

Two months ago, after summers' long drought, this very same photo was brown, burnt up grass. Today, with some rain, the winter grass in the corral is back to green.

It's Friday again and the first month of the year is almost over. Today is Project Day...with the fun starting in a couple of hours.

I bought a new apple tree to plant, a rain barrel to be installed, seeds to be started in the greenhouse, and another dead tree will be coming down. It looks like the list may be too long.

Wish you were here to help. There is a free lunch included and plenty of tea and conversation.

Meggie Mac

Down Time

I'm taking a little break today...

Meggie Mac

My Truck and Me

The stress of everyday living just melts away when I can take my truck on the back roads in my small world known as "home".

Together, with me behind the steering wheel, we have reached a milestone in the trucks' life. Together we have reached the 200,000 mile mark as you can see in the photo!

The Dodge has been relatively free of problems because of the maintenance it is given. A couple of years ago, the truck endured a 4-day ice storm. Last summer it had many days of driving in over 100 degrees with a couple of days topping out at 107.  And, it still kept on "truck'n".

When I took on the life in the country, it quickly became apparent how valuable a truck would be. Oh, I know, you can put 1 small square bale of hay in the trunk of a car. I have tried it. But, what a mess it will make. I'm not sure you can ever get all the hay bits out of the carpet.

And, how about all those bags of feed for chickens, goats, sheep, cats,

and the occasional baby calf.

A truck is also needed to carry lumber for all the projects on the farm like new raised garden beds.

As far as it's looks, I can't complain about the paint job either. Except for a few dings, it still cleans up nicely.

Let's raise our glass today for a toast to my faithful companion, the truck, and another 200,000 miles!

Meggie Mac

Church in the Country

Saturday afternoon I wanted to get away from the farm for a few hours. I decided I would visit one of the 20 painted churches in Texas that is located only a few miles from the farmhouse.




It is located in an unincorporated community that is mainly comprised of the church, a KJT Hall, a small store, and twenty or so residences.

A closer look....the steeple

the windows

The Church doors are unlocked each day for the parish members and visitors.

When you first go inside, your eyes instinctively look up. The entire ceiling is hand stenciled in various shades of rose pink and earthy greens on top of a soft pink background.

The delicate work also continues on all the surfaces of the walls.

I hope you have enjoyed the tour of one of our beautiful churches in Texas. Don't forget to click on the photos to see them in more detail.

Meggie Mac

Ooops!

Only in my kitchen? I thought it might be the laugh you need for Monday.

I've gone through child birth 3 times, had 3 teenagers in high school at the same time, and now I'm a grandmother. I should be able to handle this.

So, after careful consideration, I dumped the other half out of the pan, let it cool a little, and flipped it on top of the bottom half. Then, I added a generous sprinkling of organic powdered sugar.

Not perfect...but who needs perfection!

Meggie Mac

Least Favorite Chore

                                   It all starts with a pair of boots.

Yesterday was Friday Project Day. I had put it off as long as I could......Cleaning the Chicken Pens.
                                                                                                        

So the first thing I did was let the girls out to play.

Then I gathered my tools and supplies to clean the water containers.

                                  "Hey, you guys are having all the fun".

                          I believe someone has decided to have a dust bath!

Everything I cleaned out of the chicken yard was mixed in with my new compost pile.

The nesting boxes are hung from the outside of the chicken house to make it easy to gather eggs.

It also makes it easier to put fresh hay inside for a nice place to lay an egg.

Spreading fresh wood shavings completes the chore. Now, doesn't that look nice?

Well, after a few hours of work, I'm thinking it wasn't such a bad chore......remembering what I get in return for keeping a happy chicken house!

Meggie Mac

No Sew Afghan

Fleece no sew projects are fun and stress releasing. From start to finish, this 48" x 63" afghan took me about 3 1/2 hours to complete. It is a surprise gift for someone at work. Yellow is her favorite color.

If you are interested in making one, go to this page and check out the more detailed instructions.

I wanted the afghan to be large enough to snuggle under while watching TV or reading a book. I purchased 1 3/4 yds each of a print and a coordinating solid color. If you are making it for a small child, adjust the size to fit.

I laid my pieces of fabric on the bed and pinned the 2 together. Then I trimmed away the fabric finished edges making both pieces of fabric the same size.

Just follow the photos....

At all 4 corners, cut out a 4" square of fabric if making a 4" fringe.

I start by tying several strips on each corner to hold everything in place. Make the double knots secure, but not tight.

I also kept my ruler close by to occasionally check the 4" length of the strips I was cutting. Remember it doesn't need to be exact.

I got so excited about the success of this project that I made one for my daughter.

Maybe I need to make myself one too!
Meggie Mac