January Snow Pictures

♥ Ashley

January Snow

What a week we have had here on the farm and in the Northwest! Saturday we awoke to snow!! I have been dreading the weather forecast because I would really like to have those 3 day weekends in February and May (where we have our built in snow days) AND I really like the date that my school district chose for the last day of School. Everybody knows that you have to make up snow days and if you can't fit them into the school year then you have to add on days at the end of the year...BOOOO!! Luckily we had a 3 day weekend with the celebration and memory of Martin Luther King JR Day and the melting of snow. But then the snow started falling again on Tuesday. We were lucky enough to have a 2 hour delay...now THOSE I will NOT complain about. Give me as many 2 hour delays as you like just as long as we don't have to make up snow days. I was fortunate to get a substitute job on Tuesday, but since the snow kept falling they decided to cancel school on Wednesday....I lost my sub job that day and WILL NOT get paid for it!! BUMMER!! But safety first. With the addition of like 8 inches of snow I finally got into this whole "Snow Day Thing" and was then hoping for the rest of the week off, since I work on Thursday and Friday anyway, I will still get paid!

The snow was fun. Our power went out and we spent the night at Thomas's parents warm powered house. And in the morning all the snow had frozen to ICE. Meaning that we had an ICE STORM on our hands people. I will admit that the tree branches look so cool with an inch of ice surrounding them...but all that weight takes a toll on those poor trees and plants. After a few hours we got up the nerve to drive home, since we found out our power was back on. Shortly after we left, transformers were blowing left and right, trees were cracking and falling, and then a phone call from Deanna (the MIL) 3 trees in their front yard came down and the neighbors were over with the chainsaw. I felt terrible, then got nervous about some of our trees. When we arrived home all looked well. The snowball trees were laden with ice, I got into the house and looked out the back things were good....until I noticed the GIANT branch on our patio. Our beloved Maple had lost a quarter of its volume due to the ice!! Thomas and I immediately got to work with shovels hitting the ice off the Maple, Dogwood, Lilacs and Redbud trees in our back yard. Then out to the front to help out my dear little Birthday Birch trees in the front as well as the Snowball trees.

Now I sit here with the temperature rising and watching chunks of ice falling off the snowballs, and the ice dripping off the branches. Not all of this winter storm was terrible. Sakari our beautiful Husky LOVES the snow!! She was having a ball everyday (until the ice storm) running around out in the COLD SNOW!! She only wanted to come into the house to get a drink of water and then back out she wanted to go! Cooper too enjoyed the snow, hopping like a bunny to stay on top of the snow since it went almost to his neck in places. Enjoy the snow.


I am thinking of changing the name of my blog: "Life On The Farm" or "Life on the Parsons
Farm" let me know what you think in the comments section!


♥ Ashley

Feeding Time!

[recipe] Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Today I made Chicken Tortilla Soup from the Everyday Food magazine by Martha Stewart. Due to my time commitment I didn't make the WHOLE recipe, meaning that I didn't make the Chicken Soup Base. It was a pretty good soup. I would be interested in trying a different Tortilla Soup next time to see the difference. Changes/Additions I made are in Orange font. We served our soup with rolls.

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup diced tomatoes with liquid (from a 15-ounce can)
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• Chicken Soup Base (10 cups broth and 4 cups shredded chicken)
• 3 boxes of Free Range Chicken Broth equals about 12 cups
• 1 roasted chicken cut into pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced I used about 3 avocados
• 2 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled (1/3 cup)/ Shredded Cheddar and Jack Cheese
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can corn, rinsed
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced (did not use)
• Lime wedges, for serving (did not use)
• Tappatio hot sauce, for serving
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Sour Cream, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes and liquid, and chili powder and cook until most of liquid is evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Add beans, corn, and cayenne pepper. I also added the chicken at this point.
3. Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss tortilla strips with 2 teaspoons oil. Bake until crisp and golden, 8 minutes, tossing halfway through.
   
4. Divide chicken, avocado, cheese, cilantro, and scallion among six bowls; top with broth and tortilla strips. Serve with lime wedges and Sour Cream.

Enjoy!!

♥ Ashley

bummer

so we went to go check out an adoption agency yesterday. none too thrilled over here. i was really hoping that this would be the place. but we just didn't "feel it" ya know? so i guess that is a good thing because at least we know that we do not want to go through them. its just frustrating. i feel discouraged. i was really hoping that this would be the place. but apparently its not. at least we both agree on this. i think what i am learning is the discouraging factor is the timeline for everything. i know that it is going to take a while. its just annoying. i mean we have already waited 3 years and the thought of waiting another 2 years to get matched up with a birth mom or an infant is just really disappointing. but i know that we need it to possibly be that long to find the perfect match or at least the best match for us. it all makes sense, its just frustrating after you have been waiting so long to find out that you have to wait even longer. i feel this way not just for me but for others who go through this process as well. i just pray that GOD continues to guide us in the right direction. that HE gives us peace and comfort. that HE lets us know that the reason there is only one set of footprints is because HE is carrying us through this journey. i know that HE is. i know that HE always will. i just pray that we find "the agency" and that we get through "the hoops" and get "chosen" and the process gets "finalized" quickly.

your thoughts and advice are welcome. please share.

♥ ashley

[recipe] Monday Night Dinner

Thought I would share the meal I made tonight (with the help of dear hubby!). I like my steak plain, by plain I mean Johnny's Seasoning Salt and fresh ground pepper. I also like myself a thin cut bone in Rib-eye, why thin cut?? because they are more consistent and easier to cook in my opinion. Add some Brewer Brown Rice and YUMM!!

Sorry no pictures...didn't last long enough on the plate!!

So here is what I do.

For the Steak:

my choice of steak: thin cut bone in rib eye.
Johnny's seasoning salt
fresh ground pepper

take meat out of package, dry off with paper towels, and start seasoning each side generously with the salt and pepper. Flip over and season the other side. Set aside for at least 20 minutes to "marinate" and bring up to room temperature for more consistent cooking.

After 20 minutes, heat a skillet on the medium high-high heat with about 1 tablespoon butter. Wait until skillet is super hot (so that when you put your meat on it sizzles and will create a good sear/crust to keep in the juices) lay the meat down on one side. Cook for 3 minutes on each side and you have a medium-medium rare piece of meat. let rest about 5 minutes to redistribute the juices. Delish!

For the Brewer Brown Rice:

This is a recipe I got from my mom, not sure where exactly it came from but I will attribute it to her, because I want to. It is SUPER easy and everyone's favorite after they try it. (its my favorite with some baked chicken gravy!!)

1 1/2 cups white rice (I like a sticky rice but does well with a long grain)
1 can Beef Consume (has to be consume) - Campbells
1 can French Onion - Campbells
1/2 stick butter

Preheat oven to 425.
Spray baking dish with Pam or non stick spray. Pour in the rice and then both cans of soup, top with the butter. Cover the dish and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Take out of oven, stir up and enjoy!!

♥ Ashley

Epiphany

Epiphany is "an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity"

Epiphany is on the 6th of January and is celebrated as the feast of the Wise Men.

Today's Scripture Readings*
[Psalm 46, 97 [Isaiah 49:1-7] [Revelation 21:22-27] [Matthew 2:14-21]

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♥ Ashley

Twelve Drummers Drumming

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me "Twelve Drummers Drumming":

Twelve Drummers Drumming
The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.Daily Scripture Readings*
[Psalms 2, 110:1-7] [Jonah 2:2-9] [Ephesians 6:10-20] [John 11:17-44]via

♥ Ashley

Eleven Pipers Piping

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me "Eleven Pipers Piping":

Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.Daily Scripture Readings*
[Psalms 66, 67] [Prov 2:1-15] [Col 3:12-17] [John 6:41-47]
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♥ Ashley

Diaper Cake

Last weekend my MIL, Deanna, hosted a baby shower for my Cousin-In-Law. She was visiting from Nebraska, so we needed to take advantage of her trip "home". It was a lovely shower and I really enjoyed helping Deanna with the festivities. I think I have found a new calling....Event Planning. It was so fun decorating her house for the shower and getting the table all ready. I also helped out with the menu: I made Cream of Carrot Soup and Savory Butterhorns (I posted those recipes in December 2011 so go ahead and scroll back to my previous posts) and Deanna made delicious Egg Salad Sandwiches with Parsons Farm Fresh Eggs!!!

Now for the reason for this post. I made my FIRST diaper cake, I say first because I hope to make more!! It was so fun!! Keep reading for the tutorial.


First you will need about 70 of these little guys (whichever size you deem appropriate):

Then you will need to make them look like this (using rubber bands):
And a variety of ribbon (the colors of the shower theme in various widths):
My favorite part the Prizes!!! (washcloths, rattles, a bottle, passies, booties, bibs, teethers, etc):
Then you start assembling, using a bottle for the center, add about 7 diaper rolls around the bottle and rubber band to hold. Do a second row around the first and rubber band to hold. If you want do a third row and secure with a large rubber band, then cover up the rubber band with a pretty ribbon or two (make sure to fill in with some of the Prizes):


Repeat with the second layer of the "cake", except this time only using two rows of diapers (make sure to include the Prizes):

Repeat for the third layer, using only ONE row of diapers, wrap with a pretty bow or two and add a topper:
Close ups of all the Prizes:I think it turned out pretty good for my first one! I have learned some new techniques while making this cake. All in all it took about 2 hours. The best part was that my mom was able to see it. I have to admit though, I forgot to add the Prizes in at the beginning, so I already had it put together when I realized I needed to stick in the washcloths and bib. The booties were fairly easy to stick in with the ribbons but I would not recommend using one of those freezable teethers...too heavy for the ribbon. And if you couldn't tell by the color scheme CIL is having a Boy!!!

It was really fun to make and therapeutic rolling all of those diapers. I hope that when Thomas and I are given the blessing of a child that I will get one of these at my shower!!

Enjoy!!

♥ Ashley

Ten Lords A Leaping

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me "Ten Lords A Leaping":

Ten Lords A-leaping
The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

Daily Scripture Readings*
[Psalm 68] [1 Kings 19:9-18] [Eph 4:17-32] [John 6:15-27]
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♥ Ashley

Nine Ladies Dancing

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me "Nine Ladies Dancing":

Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)Daily Scripture Readings*
[Psalm 34] [1 Kings 19:1-8] [Eph 4:1-16] [John 6:1-14]
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♥ Ashley

[recipe] Happy New Year!! and Enchiladas

Hello my readers (if there are any at all). I hope that you are enjoying the 12 Days of Christmas posts I am doing.

Well it is the New Year. I cannot believe that we are already at 2012, man they say that time goes by quickly as you get older and they are NOT lying. I think that 2011 was filled with so many things that made me live month to month just trying to survive they all sorta meshed together, as I was in a "Fog" most of the time. I hope that this year goes by in a way where I can really slow down, enjoy and appreciate the day to day.

I am not big on New Year's resolutions because they do seem so hard to stick to. (I do most of the time participate in "Lent" even though I am not Catholic.) But one of my goals this year is to do push-ups everyday. My plan is to do 10 push-ups everyday for the month of January and then add an additional 5 each month so that hopefully by December I will be doing 65 push-ups everyday. But lets start small and stick to 10 for the month of January.

Also, Thomas and I have started the tradition of a New Years Day enchilada feast. We started it last year and are hoping that it continues and grows each year. Since Christmas landed on a Sunday, there was no Soup Sunday and that New Years was on a Sunday, there was no Soup Sunday today. But I do have a recipe to share and that is for the Enchilada's that I made. They are a recipe I got from my Momala so they will continue to be very special to me (I have added my spin to it -- see the Orange additions)

Ingredients:

3 cups of Rotisserie Chicken (shredded)
1 4 oz can of Green Chiles (chopped)
1 7 oz can of Green Chile Salsa
1 small can Medium Enchilada Sauce
2 cups Grated Jack Cheese + extra for topping
3/4 tsp Salt and Pepper
2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1 large can Mild Enchilada Sauce
18 Tortillas

Directions:

1. Pre-Heat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl combine chicken, green chiles, green chile salsa, cheese and small can enchilada sauce. In a separate bowl whisk together cream, salt/pepper, and large can of enchilada sauce.

2. Warm tortillas in the microwave (to soften). Then dip tortilla in the cream/sauce mixture and place into a greased baking dish. Add 1/4 cup (give or take) of the chicken mixture and roll the tortilla up, placing seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until you run out of room or tortillas. (you may need a second or third baking dish). Once all tortillas are in the dish, pour over the rest of the cream/sauce mixture. Top the enchiladas with extra cheese.

3. Place enchiladas in the upper half of the oven for 30 minutes or until warmed all the way through. Serve with Sour Cream, Guacamole, Spanish Rice and Beans (refried, black, or pinto). YUM!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I hope to post a new recipe every Sunday for the year. We will see how I do. (don't hold your breath!)

♥ Ashley


I have almost finished all of my intimate postings on my other page of this blog. You can find it on the right hand side bar under My Infertility Journey. I have felt a great sense of peace and relief since writing these posts.

Eight Maids A Milking

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me "Eight Maids of Milking":

Eight Maids A-milking
The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)Daily Scripture Readings*
[Psalm 66, 67 [Proverbs 2:1-15] [Colossians 3:12-17 [John 6:41-47]
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♥ Ashley

Seven Swans A Swimming

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me "Seven Swans a Swimming":

Seven Swans A-swimming
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

Daily Scripture Readings*
[Psalms 46, 48] [1 Kings 3:5-14] [James 4:13-17; 5:7-11] [John 5:1-15]
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♥ Ashley

Six Geese A Laying

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me "Six Geese a Laying":

Six Geese A-laying
The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).Daily Scripture Readings*
[Psalm 20, 21] [1 Kings 17:17-24] [3 John 1-15] [John 4:46-54]
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♥ Ashley