Well we are in another blizzard storm watch!  Its been snowing all morning and we are supposed to get anywhere from 6-10 inches today thru tomorrow night.  ITs feb we usually get a storm in feb or two so nothing out of the ordinary here.  The wind is strong and its cold!!  BRRRR!! 
Spring is coming!  Cant wait!! spring time means babies!! baby chicks and who knows what else we will have.  LOL

I made a batch of lavender goats milk soap with some shea butter mixed in.  Smells so yummy!!

Letting it dry out before packaging for market.  I want to try some rosemary citrus and maybe lemongrass.

My lavender shortbread cookies!!  SO yummy and smell so nice!!

These are my espresso cream filled espresso cookie pies!!  These are a big hit at market with espresso powder in the cookie and in the cream filling.  Nice jolt to get the day going~ LOL  I am sipping on a cup of vanilla cappacino right now! yumm!!

So thought I would share what we did this summer.  My x has an old smoker house on the property, they used to smoke whole hogs there back in the day, one of the sections of garage was actually a butcher shop.  So we decided to get some meats and try it out.

We bought, chicken legs, whole pork loins, ribs, beef roasts, beef ribs and pork butts. 

This is the ribs just out of the smoker, we cut up onions, and fresh garlic and our mix of a bbq rub.  OH these were the best!!!  We did do some marinade on the chicken and the roasts using apple juice, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and some dried herbs.  WOW! it was sooo good, we kept checking on it and added wood, smoked chips, and charcoal.  Started at 8am and were finished in time for supper around 7pm.  It was so delish, we had suppers all week from this and gave some to daughter in law and her family and a friend.  We even did it 2 more times a month later.  Its pretty large so kind of a waste to do just a little.

Well I am off to work on some canvas paintings I am doing, well altering a bit too!  will share pics as soon as they are done and ready to sell.

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY YALL!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Hey yall!! WOW we are in a thaw right now, go from 8 degrees this am to 50 tomorrow!!  Believe me I am not complaining!!  I am so over winter and snow!  And it has been a very mild winter here too!! but ready for spring and to get out and dig in the dirt and play!! 

Thought I would share a few pics of what I am making.  We are in winter market in South Haven and that is every sat from 10-2 at the Church Of Epiphany on Erie street.  We do get a good attendance and have something for everyone.  Here is a pic of my Grandma Rose's chocolate swirl babka!!  Oh my it smells heavenly and is so yummy!  Babka is one of my favo sweet yeast breads and with cinnamon and chocolate.... what more needs to be said!  It's delish!

Along with another favo of mine is my chocolate espresso coconut biscotti!!  It has espresso chocolate chips, coconut, coconut liquor'!!  YUMMY also! 

These were an experiment, love making new things!!  I made a tortilla soup and while cutting up all the veggies I roasted some extra for these taco crostadas topped with queso cheese. 

After baking them I made a cilantro lime sauce to give it a bit of punch!! Fresh cilantro, fresh lime zest and juice, sour cream, fresh jalapeno, and some salt and olive oil and oh my!! A customer said he could drink the sauce it was so good!  HMMMM maybe I should make some sauces to sell at market huh!!

And here's a pic this fall of my sweet Rosie May!!  She is such a doll baby, one day last summer I was wore out from working many hours and just beat I sat down against a bale of hay in the barn and she laid down next to me, the next thing I knew it was 2 hours later and she was sleeping with her head on my lap.  We both took a nice nap!! 

These are my famous and oh so popular spinach n cheese crostadas, I have to make them every week people love them!!

An Mr Boopie Woopie Boo!!  Barney aka Billy playing last summer with a new toy mommy bought him.  He loves them so much but they only last a few minutes, like so many others he is a destroyer of toys! LOL (their daddy gets mad but I love to watch my boys play and have fun for a few minutes with new toys!! LOL )

This is JAX, hes a doll baby, not used to one so small but he fits right in with everyone else and runs around the chickens, which they are all bigger than him so its funny. 

Mr Boss, aka Mr Naughty pants! LOL still a little doll!!  Love these guys!!

And Bruno!! he's a honey bunny!!  Look at that sweet face! 

Oh my kiddos!!  they are all little angels!!

And the alpacas are doing good they are getting along just fine on the farm.  I will take pics of them and post them soon.  It's funny of all the things I get them stinkers they only and I mean only will eat fresh carrots!!  I buy them organic carrots when I get my produce for market and they love them!! 

Hope you have a great night I will be back soon!! 

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

hey yall!! Wow we have had snow snow and more snow here!! but its pretty and It hasn't been all that bad this winter.  So winter market is going well we are at Church of Epiphany now in South Haven and have 7 vendors coming and hoping to have a couple more join us.   I have been working on new items and getting things ready for regular market which is may and will be here before you know it. 
I also started a Go Fund Me campaign to purchase a large mixer.  Its so much time to make my breads, and biscotti and muffins with my kitchen aide but it can be done just in several small batches, so I am going to try this to help purchase a 20 quart mixer and cut down a lot of time to make new things.  Here is a link to my campaign if your interested in taking a peek.  Also let me know what you think of it and if its worded good.  I'm not very good at that part!! LOL   
Be back soon!!  HAve a wonderful night
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Hey yall!!!  WOW cant believe Christmas is over already!!  and the new year is almost here!!  2016!  I hope yall had a most blessed memorable Christmas, ours was very nice!  We spent one day with my family and then then next with my beaus family and then Christmas night I got to spend time with my precious boys at my exs house!  We had fun!!   The alpacas, my horse, goats and all the feathered kids got special treats and they enjoyed them.  Its funny how the alpacas only and I mean only like carrots!!   We got them all kinds of fresh produce and nope not having any of it!! nothing but carrots!  Oh well they enjoyed plenty of them.  
I am on to making new things and will post pics, more altered jewelry and I have been painting and altering canvas's and having fun with them,  my goals for next year are to create more and also be more inventive with my baked creations for markets!  LOL we shall see I only say those 2 things because life gets so hectic and crazy once summer comes I wanted to be at least a bit realistic!!  LOL
We got a blast of winter yesterday!!  3 inches in some places of sleet and ice.  It dropped down to 26 degrees and it came all day and we also had up to 50 mph winds come thru so many people are with out power, I am glad we didn't loose ours!!  So winter is here and I have a feeling its staying!   but then again you never know our winter thus far has been glorious!! yes I know what yall are thinking how much this country gal loves the snow but it actually has been nice not having it!!  I have a feeling are going to get blasted in jan and feb but really that is fine then it can be spring!! 

I am off to get some of my craft supplies organizied!! LOL I bought several clear plastic totes in various sizes and emptied my desk, counters off to start off the new year fresh and being more productive!!  And we got a trailer full of pallets to play with! happy happy happy.
Have a great week!!  Be back soon!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~!

Hey all I am back!!  So here was an experiment with my crostadas.   I made a south western filling of black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots and spices then baked that with a big of queso cheese and once cooled topped it with a homemade cilantro lime dressing.  Oh my goodness this was delish!!   

 Some cranberry pistachio biscotti topped with white chocolate. 

While I was out in Holland last week it rained and then the sun came out and we ended up with a double rainbow!!  So pretty!!

Hope yall have a good sunday, I am off to clean out barn and then hope to get some signs painted today for a craft show this week in Allegan MI  

HUGS

Hey yall!!  WE are at our new location for market today.  Inside my friends shop in South Haven at FARMHOUSE CHIC gifts, gourmet, and décor shop.

 So heres my sweet baby!!  Barney, he loves his stuffed animals and is soooo cute, he cries while sucking on the piggies of them?  He has done this since he was a little baby. 

So here is one of the tables set up with produce inside the store.  We have lots of great fresh produce to offer.

JoAnn explaining about her naturally raised pork, chicken, duck meat they sell. 

We also have plenty of samples out and will have each sat til Christmas.  Yummy dips, breads, jams, maple syrup, and cookies. 
So now that I have figured out how to add my photos from my phone here we go!! Be prepared I take a lot of pics! LOL

So here is Auntie Missy with my baby!!  Shes a good Autie to my boys!! 

Another pic of inside the shop today.  Missy is the owner of shop too

And here's Maverick!!  hes a cutie pie and his hair is soooooooo stinkin soft

This is Becca shes a sweetie too.

And Boss Man LOL one of our bostons.  Hes the clown of them all~!

  And the baby again. 

The girls Rosie (Heavens Angel)  the cream colored one and Rebecca the tan one.  They are both sweeties!! 

The black one who we haven't quite named yet.  I like Jet since hes solid black but not sure yet. 

And heres one of our first Curly hes a doll!!  Its funny how these guys eat only and I mean only grass and hay and sweet feed.  But this guy eats ONLY baby sweet carrots no one else will eat any of them though. I bought a bunch of produce for all the animals for thanksgiving and they wouldn't touch anything  picky picky picky little things. 

chocolate drizzled almond biscotti

Homemade bagels

Gluten Free chocolate hazelnut cookies

red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese filling

some caramel dipped, chocolate dipped pretzels topped with chopped pecans  so yummy!!  I love dipping pretzels in peanut butter or caramel and chocolate and oh sooooo good!! 

And I have been busy painting my snowmen signs again!!  will have more finished tomorrow!!  Been busy and its taking more time to do them.  Geeze we need a few more hours in the day!! LOL

So that's it for today!!  I will be back soon as I am excited to be able to post back on here and with pics!! WOO HOO!! 

HAve a wonderful weekend!!

hugs

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Cold n windy day

WOW what a cold n windy day we are having in sw mi today!  50 mph winds and let me tell you they are that if not more!  My mom and I went to see the lighthouse and beach in south haven and traffic was backed up!!  There was a long line to get down to the beach so we stayed ontop the cliff and watched the waves crash against the lighthouse.  It was crazy!!  I dont think I have ever seen such huge waves coming in.  Scary too! 
So I am excited to hopefully be able to share some pics of the alpacas with you.  I picked up the proper cords to download from my phone and tablet onto my laptop so we will see what happens now!! I did say hopefully I can figure this out!



LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~