Tomato Soup

Awhile back, I posted this Tomato Soup recipe. It's a good one, don't get me wrong. How could anything with cream cheese be bad? Ahem, well, let's just say that sometimes one may find the need for something a bit...lighter. Enter this lovely gem from Kelly at The Nourishing Home. If you have never visited her site, please do. Her food is tasty AND healthy.

I had serious doubts about this recipe, only because I am particular about the taste of my tomato products. I shouldn't have worried. Everything of hers that I have made has turned out really good.  Please check this recipe out. It is sooooo good for the cold days ahead. She says that the soup gets better the following day so save any leftovers. That phrase "save leftovers" always makes me laugh because I have a teenaged boy and leftovers are not something that we have. I cook and he consumes.  EVERYTHING! It's kind of  "our thing". This soup was no different. After he had the last little bit in the pot, he stuck his finger in and licked more out. That is why it is so important to me to make the healthiest food with the best ingredients. If he is going to eat like a linebacker, then the food needs to nourish him. Hence, we love the Nourished Home. You will too.

Salisbury Steak

Man, I have been eating some good food lately. I can't take the credit for this recipe, though. This one is strictly Pioneer Woman. Don't you just love her??! I have been a fan of hers since way before her first cookbook came out.

This recipe is very old school and oh so good. I made up a big batch of the meat and froze it in little loaves. It freezes beautifully (uncooked) by the way. Since Ree always has a great tutorial with her recipes, I will not try and recreate it here. Check it out here. Trust me, this is one recipe you will want to save to make over and over again. Hubby really loved the gravy and now wants me to make that my default meat gravy. The twins loved it, too. My girl actually passed up dessert to have another steak. She doesn't do that very often so, if she turns down pumpkin pie for more salisbury steak, the recipe is a keeper.

I would have taken a picture of how mine turned out but I was half way through eating when I realized I should have taken a picture. I spared you the half-scarfed food pic. You're welcome. Anyway, it looked exactly like Pioneer Woman's did. Honest.

Make this recipe. You will NOT be disappointed!

Coconut Flour Muffins

I have an uncle who has some "digestive system issues" so they are exploring a gluten free diet.  So, being the wonderful, loving niece that I am (pretty sure I can hear them groaning all the way up here)I decided to do a little experimenting with gluten free flours.

This recipe uses coconut flour that I bought from Tropical Traditions. The recipe actually comes from Laura at Heavenly Homemakers so you can pop over there to see the recipe itself. I made them this morning and they were pretty good. Now, if you are looking for something that tastes like it is made with regular wheat flour, this isn't it. However, they are very tasty. There are some things that I will do differently next time. First of all, as soon as you mix the batter, immediately pour it into a greased muffin pan. I let it sit for a minute on the counter and it kind of glopped up a bit. I also made the mistake of using muffin liners instead of just greasing the muffin tin and they stuck to the paper pretty bad. Note to self-pay attention to the recipe!

All in all, these were a good thing and I will recommend them to my uncle. When I bought the flour, Tropical Traditions was having a sale on it, 2 lbs. for $10. I don't know if this is a good price or not as I have never bought any before but I have noticed that a lot of the recipes using it only call for a small amount so I am hoping it will last for awhile.

Home

Such a wonderful word...h o m e. The one place I am always wanted. Mainly because the others here are hungry and want me to feed them. BUT, they want me. I'll take it when I can. Nothing makes me more grateful for home then when I am gone for a time. Doesn't have to be a long time, either. I am grateful for home whether I am gone for days or just a few minutes to check the mailbox. I love home. I love the people at home. I love the animals at home. I never want to leave again. Well, maybe for Disney...but not for awhile yet.

We got on the interstate to come home at 6:45 yesterday morning. It was a loooooong trip. I only got a few hours of sleep the night before so I was really struggling to wake up. Didn't help that the twins were in the back all cuddled up in blankets and pillows snoozing, or that my mom, in the passenger seat, was snoring THE ENTIRE WAY HOME!!!! The only time she woke up was when we stopped for potty breaks or food. Other than that she was snoring. Well, more like snortiling. It is a strange sound, I won't try and explain it.

We finally pulled in the drive at 4pm. I barely got the truck in park before I ran to the house and hugged my hubby. I swore to him I would never go ANYWHERE without him ever again. Then I asked him to accompany me to the bathroom so I wouldn't be without him. He declined. He did, however, have dinner waiting on us; Steak, rice, corn/peas and pumpkin pie. He was so proud of himself because he made the pies (yes, he made 3) all on his own. They were good, too! I didn't care what he made, I was just so happy to be where I could have my own food. For the last week, I have really struggled with the food. We had to eat out a lot (yuck!) and I know I gained weight. It was hard to try and eat like I normally do because everything in restaurants is so commercially prepared. They use processed salt in their shakers. They use hydrogenated oils in their cooking. Their meat isn't grass fed or pastured. Their fruits and veggies aren't grown locally OR organically. I really sound like a food snob, don't I?  I hate eating out. I used to love it. Back when I didn't know or care where my food came from. Funny how, when you learn what happens to your food before it gets to your plate, you become very critical of anything you didn't prepare yourself. Not that I am a better cook than professionally trained chefs but I know where my beef came from. I visited the farm. I know where my eggs come from. They still have a feather or two on them from my coop. I know where my veggies come from. I picked off all kinds of nasty bug invaders from the vines and bushes myself.

Anyway, I survived and now I am back to my comfortable routine. Have you heard, Christmas is coming???!!!!!! Four weeks from today is Christmas Eve. FOUR WEEKS!!!!! There is decorating to do, food to make, gifts to buy....AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! Okay, take a breath.....ahhhhhhh. I can do this. I will do this. At least most of it. As soon as I figure out how to install the referral link, I will share with you my secret to getting paid for Christmas shopping. Yes, folks, I get paid to Christmas shop. Actually, any kind of online shopping I get paid to do. Sound intriguing? Stay tuned!

Florida Happenings

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and survived Black Friday. I surely enjoyed both days.  Turkey Day dinner was held at my aunt Chris' house this year. I LOVE it when my mom's family all get together. We eat, we talk, we catch up on gossip, we laugh, we make innappropriate sounds at the funniest moments....That's how ya'll celebrate too, right? Right? No?

This is my cousin, Kevin, making his best pie ever, otherwise known as chocolate pie. Now, this isn't just any ordinary pie. No, Kevin takes the time to use REAL ingredients AND he made his own real whipped cream! Boy, it was good! This kid's got it all. He's a gentleman, he cooks and he's just about as cute as he can be. Sorry ladies, he's taken though. Just wanted to point him out so you single ladies know there are still young men being raised right!

Here is the finished creation. I didn't get my phone out quick enough to snap the pic before my uncle stole a piece.

The spread...need I say more? Oh my gosh! It was all soooooo good. I wait all year for my mom's cranberry salad. My aunt surprised us with my grandma's Taffy Apple Salad. Tastes just like eating a carmel apple. I'll be sharing the recipe for that soon. We had lots of drama with the turkey. Seems ole Tom decided to fake my aunt out about being done. She roasted him all morning and checked the temp and it showed he was done. She turned the roaster down to keep him warm and, when she went back to check on him, the meat temp had dropped like 15 degrees. After much conferring, we started roasting the sucker again.  Luckily, he cooked completely in the next 45 minutes. Then it came time to carve that bad boy. All you could hear was crickets chirpping when she asked for volunteers. Not one male family member was brave enough, so yours truly was the official carver for the evening. Not much different than when I carve a chicken up, just way more meat! The turkey was perfect as was everything else. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore then we ate a bit more. We talked about the upcoming wedding, the upcoming births, the people who couldn't be there, the past, the future. We laughed until we were crying at the mishaps of my cousins and their pets. We compared notes on menopause (who's going through it, who's survived it and who's doing her best to just avoid it), men, birthing (the words vaginal and vagina were used more than any of the men would have liked), sore backs and aching knees.

Even though hubby and my dad couldn't be here, I wouldn't have changed one minute of it for the world. I got to spend some awesome time with people that I love so very much but hardly get to see anymore.  They are the most amazing, loving, hilarious, kind hearted, goofy and wonderful people so here's my little tribute to them:
To Chris, Brad and Kevin-thank you for opening up your home to all of us and providing us with excellent grub and even better memories.
To Jimmy and Cindy-thank you for making the trek down from Gainesville and spending some wonderful time with all of us even though you are in the final stages of planning your daughter's wedding that will take place tomorrow!
To Angie and Steph-I love you two so incredibly much! Thank you for making sure we had a place to stay (and goodie bags in our room!), the free movie passes and the great pumpkin pie (which I never got a piece of!). But mostly for making me laugh so hard I was sure I was gonna pee myself at some point.
To Jan and Dennis-Thank you for the laughs (and that incredibly dry humor uncle D!)Those stories are the best remedies for ANYTHING that ails you.
To Kelsey-My other redneck Barbie. Thank you for being our nation's protector you bad a$$ Marine!
I love you, kid!
To Jennifer, AJ and Maddy-Thank you for being there and sharing that precious little girl with us. Cannot wait for baby number 2 to come along!
To Jason- You are almost (one more day) an official family member. You fit right in and we are glad you are here!
And last but not least to my grandpa- One of the most amazing people that will ever walk this earth. Thank you for providing this family for me. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for being you because no one can compare to you!

Enough mush!

Tomorrow is the big wedding day and then we leave EARLY Sunday morning to drive (UUUGGGHHHH!!!!)back home. I may take a few days off from blogging to spend a little time with the hubs:)

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite holiday. Okay, it's in the top 2! It involves two of my very favorite things, food and family. There is not much else that can top that combo. The only thing that could make this any better is if my hubby could be here. He couldn't come because he couldn't get away from work Friday and Saturday. So he has been at home taking care of the farm for us...and hunting. Lots and lots of uninterrupted hunting!

The trip down wasn't too bad until we got just south of Sarasota and there was an accident that brought traffic to a dead stop for an hour. Good thing we gassed up and emptied the bladders before that! However, I told hubby that anymore trips to SW Florida would be done on a plane! Ten hours trapped in a vehicle was more than enough!

Yesterday, we spent the day at my aunt's house getting some of the dinner prep done. My mom made 2 cottage cheese pies (It doesn't taste anything like cottage cheese once it is done!), cranberry salad (I wait all year for this stuff!) and stuffing. I showed my aunt how to make bread but I don't know how much she was able to absorb because we were kind of running her around asking where is this, where is that. Today, we are showing up a few hours before dinner to finish getting everything prepped and begin the massive cooking and eating fest! My Aunt Chris is very brave taking on the responsibility of feeding this crew. We know how to put away some grub!

This year, we have a little extra surprise. My sweet cousin Stephanie is getting married on Saturday. I love weddings! Steph and her older sister, Angie, are the closest things I have to sisters and I love them both so much! I am so glad Steph found someone who loves her and treats her so well. Now, we just need to find someone for Ang!

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without remembering all that I have to be thankful for. I am thankful that I have a God who loves me as imperfect as I am.  I am so thankful for my husband and children. My life would be so empty and lonely without them. I am thankful for the best family and friends a person could ever hope for. I am thankful that I get to live in the best country on Earth. I am thankful for my awesome church family. I am thankful for all of you that are reading. Life is so good. Not perfect, but really, really good!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sorry posts have been a little non existent light the last few weeks. We have been in the thick of pecan picking season. I tried very hard to get most of what has fallen picked up before the leaves started their annual migration to the ground but they are now all over the yard, making the nuts extremely hard to see. Hubs is looking into getting a walk behind harvester to pick up the nuts but, sheesh, those things aren't cheap! He reasons that we will pay for it in 2 years with the extra nuts we will be collecting. We should be getting about 1000 lbs. of nuts per tree but we collect far less than that handpicking.

The trees are positively LOADED this year! I was smart enough to get the grass mowed just before the nuts started falling. Last year, I didn't do so good. The nuts were all caught in the grass and it made picking even more tedious than it usually is. This year, the grass was mowed and lots of nuts fell before the leaves really started falling so the early picking wasn't too bad.

Speaking of leaves, my poor pool pump has been working overtime trying to keep the leaves skimmed and out of the pool. That, of course, means I am sticking my nice warm hand into frigid water to clean out the skimmer basket multiple times a day! Thank goodness the 2 trees next to the pool are almost bare. Next year, there will be a cover on that pool! Live and learn.

Next week, the kids, my mom and I head to Florida for Thanksgiving. My cousin is getting married the following Saturday so we will spend the holidays with my mom's family. Hubby doesn't think he will be able to get down there for Thanksgiving but he will be there for the wedding. I hate spending the holidays without him. His business is slow right before Thanksgiving but all you-know-what breaks loose that Friday and he doesn't want to leave our oldest son to handle it himself. I do miss Thanksgiving with that part of my family, though. We all lived so close together when we lived in Florida. We spent all holidays together and it was just wonderful. My in laws really don't make a Thanksgiving meal so hubby and my dad will probably go to Cracker Barrel for dinner. Isn't that sad??? If my aunt wasn't counting on me and mom to do a lot of the cooking, I would just spend the holiday at home and leave with hubby on Friday night to head to Florida. I REALLY am not looking forward to that drive. Nine hours! I am the WORST person to be cooped up in a car with. I am a bad rider. I get bored easily even though I bring books, magazines and craft projects, I am waaaayyyyy too antsy to sit still for that kind of time. I won't even get into how many times we have to stop because I have the tinest bladder! The fact that I am driving only improves it by a little. I don't like driving, either. I wish my family would all just move closer! But no. They all want to stay 550 miles away! Something about "they have always lived there" and "it's our home". Yada, yada, yada. I REALLY wanted to fly but we waited too long to try and do flight arrangements. Plus, 4 round trip tickets would have been out of the budget this month. However, and it's a big however, I will get to see my grandpa and my aunts, uncles and cousins that I desperately miss so, for them, I will make the journey.

These next few weeks will be soooooo busy! Once I get back from Florida, it is full on work to get our church prepared for Breakfast With Santa. It is a project that my UMW group does every Christmas for the children in the community. They come and have breakfast, get their picture taken with Santa and then they get to shop in our Secret Santa Shop and buy things for their family. Nothing costs over $5 so they can usually buy for everyone they want. Our ladies are so crafty and they really come up with beautiful items for the kids to purchase. Then we wrap them up for them so they can put them under the tree without having to do anything. The kids do all this shopping without their parents. Our youth help the kids pick things out and keep track of how much they have spent so moms and dads get a chance to shop in our Bake Shop. It is a lot of fun for the kids but it is a tremendous amount of work leading up to it. Then, right after that, we have our UMW Christmas dinner. After that, it is work, work, work in choir to get ready for our Christmas Program. There will be multiple EXTRA rehearsals on top of our regular Wednesday night rehearsals and, since the Youth Choir will be singing with the Adult Choir, my kids will be going to most of those rehearsals with me. That will probably mean multiple meals out....Yuck! Hopefully, I can minimize those. I DESPISE eating out in our tiny town. Once our main Christmas Program is done, we still have a secondary one on the Sunday before Christmas. We will have an orchestra playing with us so we will have some practices for that, too. Then, of course, there will be the mad dash to get the house all ready for Christmas, the presents bought and wrapped (emphasis on bought!). Plus, did I mention our remodeling will likely start right after Thanksgiving so it will be finished by Christmas? Yes, because all that other stuff wasn't enough, I will have my house destroyed for several weeks. For someone who is OCD like me when it comes to cleaning, this will be torture!
But you know what? I love it. I really do. I always get mad at myself for scheduling too much stuff but I have a serious problem with down time. I always feel that if I am just sitting around, I am not being productive and I just can't enjoy myself. I think, secretly, I like the busyness. It keeps me out of trouble, that's for sure. Maybe I am just weird. Yeah, we will go with weird.

On the chicken front, we had several girls go into full molt because someone didn't make provisions for artificial light in the coop. I won't mention who that was but she had a real good reason. There is no electricity anywhere near the coop. I checked into getting some solar lights but, at this time of year, that expense is out of the question. So my set up is this. Two very long extension cords, a light fixture and a timer. It ain't pretty by no means but it works for now. We were down to several days with no eggs and I finally realized that several chickens were looking a little "feather bare". Once we got the light up. We started getting 2 eggs each day. Then it went up to 4. I noticed, recently, that 2 of the hens were completely outfitted with new plumage and our egg production went up to 6 eggs a day. We are now up to 6-8 each day so that means that only 2 are yet to begin laying again. What a relief! I lost all my (very small) income from egg sales for months. I even had to resort to buying a supply of eggs from the store. GASP! Hopefully, we will get back on track really soon and be back up to full production. Chickens are really easy to manage but there are some things that will totally throw them off. Reduced daylight hours is a biggie. They really need 14-16 hours of daylight to keep laying so we set the timer to come on 3 hours before sunrise and, voila, eggs! If you have experienced a decrease in production, this could be a cause.

So what's happening on your homefront. Are you crazy busy (and loving every minute of it) or have you found the secret to getting it all done without pulling out your hair? I'd love to hear it!

Happy Veteran's Day!!!

Happy Veteran's Day to all sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines! We take for granted, daily, the rights many have fought and died to give us. For your sacrifice, I humbly honor you.

We had such a nice service in church today. Our pastor had all veterans stand up (him included as he was in the Navy). It was so nice to be able to look each of them in the eye and give them honor with our applause.  I sent my grandpa and email today, thanking him for being brave enough, all those years ago, to join the Navy during WWII. He hates talking on the phone or I would have called him:-)Today, I pray for my cousin, Kelsey, who is a proud Marine and my uncle Steve, who served in the Army during Vietnam and still is affected by what he endured. I pray for my husband's uncle Donald who was just diagnosed Friday with being infected with Agent Orange during Vietnam. He has had health problems off and on for several decades and he now has his answer.

Today I pray for all the families who sent their loved ones off to serve, never to return. They made the supreme sacrifice for me and no amount of praise will ever be enough to thank them for that.
If you know a vet, please shake their hand and tell them Thank You. If you are out to dinner and see a vet, buy his meal.  It is the very least we can do for those who have done so much.

Our pastor ended his sermon with some very wise words in lieu of all the election bruhaha. He said that we are all so aware of and against any type of bullying of our children, but some adults take to bullying on the internet, without a second thought, because they have friends with different opinions and they just can't handle it. So many people think it is okay to belittle anyone who doesn't view things exactly the way they do. Then he said the best.line.ever.  "My God is a mighty God and if the election didn't go the way He planned, don't you think He could have changed it?"
I have never loved a line so much in all my life!! It doesn't matter who anyone voted for. What matters is that we act like adults and provide a model for our children to follow. We get angry when they fuss about not getting their way but don't think twice about threatening people when we aren't getting our way.

Yes, my God is a mighty God. His hand is directing everything. Thank goodness because us humans would muck it up beyond repair! After all, we should be more concerned with the Kingdom of God than with the Kingdom of the United States....

Baked Ham Sandwiches

I was browsing around on Satan's site Pinterest the other day and I came across this recipe from Recipe Schmessipie for baked ham sandwiches. What really got my attention was the fact that it was made with those King's Hawaiian dinner rolls.  You know the ones. Yes, those wonderful little morsels of sweetness. We use the big round loaves in church for communion and everyone always hopes the pastor will break off a big piece for them, me included!
Anyway, this recipe uses the dinner rolls and it is so yummy!

I am NOT a photographer and I don't claim to be. Just happy my thumb isn't in the shot!

INGREDIENTS

1 Pkg. King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls (12 pack)
1 lb. Deli Ham
6-8 Slices Cheese (I used shredded Swiss and Cheddar b/c  I haven't sliced my cheese yet!)
1 1/2 Sticks Butter (I used just 1 and it was still scrumptious)
3 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 Tsp. Worchestershire Sauce
3 Tsp. Poppy Seeds
1 Onion, Chopped (I only used 1/4 onion b/c my girl doesn't like them too much. It was fine)

Preheat oven to 350. In a saucepan, add the butter, mustard, wochestershire, poppy seeds and onion and stir around until butter is melted. Let simmer while you cut the whole pack of rolls in half, horizontally. You want to leave the bottoms all attached to each other and the tops all attached to each other. Grease a 9x13 pan and put the bottom of the rolls in it. Layer on the ham and cheese. Pour about 1/3 of the butter mixture over the ham and cheese. Put the tops of the buns back on and pour the rest of the butter mixture over the top. Smear it around so everything gets covered. Cover the pan and bake for about 15-20 until everything is hot and melty. Enjoy

These were really good but the men in my life complained that I didn't make enough. That is a very common complaint around here lately!!!

Sharing at The Prairie Homestead

Post Election

I love America. I love that I am an American. I love that I had the right to go to the polls yesterday and cast my ballot. My voice was able to be heard. That is something that a great many people on this planet are unable to do. So, this morning, I was so disheartened to hear of a post on Facebook made by my husband's cousin's wife. I do not have Facebook any longer specifically because people will post the dumbest things and I was tired of seeing it. This person chose to make a few statements that have really ticked me off the longer I think about them.

Her first statement was "I am embarrassed to be an American." WHAT???  I have a cousin in the Marines, a grandfather who was in the Navy and numerous uncles who were in the Army.  They sacrificed so that we all could have the freedoms we take for granted. I am NEVER embarrassed to be an American and I am appalled at anyone who would say they are. My immediate response to her was that if she doesn't like our political process, maybe she should find a country more to her liking...say Cuba. I'll will bet she would just LOVE dictators! I did refrain from actually typing that response on Facebook (my daughter has an account and she was the one pointing it out to me). I only voiced my opinion to those near me in the kitchen!

Her 2nd moment of stupidity came in this post- "Anyone who voted for Obama, let me know so I can delete you as a friend. You are all terrorists as far as I am concerned."

Yeah, I know. Who anyone votes for is no one else's business but their own. I have many friends (and family members) who have political views that differ from my own but I respect their right to their own opinion. My daughter typed a response to her- "You can go ahead and delete me and I think ur crazy for posting this stuff on Facebook." Yes, she is her mother's daughter. She was much nicer than I ever would have been. (she gets that from her dad, thank goodness!)

Her 3rd moment of stupidity came in response to my daughter's comment. "You have no right to an opinion. You are like, 12." I heard my daughter furiously typing on her computer the following response "I have my opinion just like you have yours. I am not going to change it to make anyone happy. BTW-I'm 13." Yep, I let her post it. She was respectful, correct and courageous as far as I am concerned. She stood up to a family member and defended her beliefs just as she has been raised to.

I guess I should be grateful because this provided an opportunity for one of those "teachable moments" everyone talks about. We talked about tolerance and respect. We talked about our political process and how a democracy really works. We also talked about how some things shouldn't be posted on Facebook or the internet period because you can't take it back. It will always be there for the world to see.

I read a beautiful post from Shaye over at The Elliot Homestead, reminding us all that our true leader is God, not a politician. Our salvation and rescue will come from Him, not Washington, DC. While we must respect the office of the President of the United States, we must also remember who it is we truly serve." A nation divided against itself cannot stand." (I think I got the jist of that quote!)How true that is!
Peace to you all and let the healing begin.....

Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

Just popping in for a quick update on some frosting I made for the twins' birthday cake. I would much rather make their cakes then to have a grocery store do it.

I found this yummy recipe on Pinterest. It's called Ms. Humble's Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and it is soooooo delightful!

Don't know why they wanted red, white and blue...They are Fall babies!

INGREDIENTS

16 Oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Heavy Cream, very cold.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Set aside.
In another bowl, whip the cream to nearly stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined.
That's it. That's all you do.

What makes this frosting so great is that it isn't overly sweet because the cream cuts the sweetness of the powdered sugar a bit.

This recipe makes a generous amount of frosting. I made a 13x9 cake and this frosted it and provided a bunch for decoration. You could easily halve the recipe...unless you are like me and eat half of it before it ever gets near the cake!

Sharing at The Prairie Homestead

Happy Birthday Twins!!!

Today is the 13th anniversary of one of the best days of my life. My twins are officially teenagers today!!! At this time, 13 years ago, I was on my way to the doctor's office with what I was positive was gas. My husband wasn't convinced of the whole gas explanation as the "gas pains" were coming every 2 minutes! We weren't expecting it to be labor as I was only 26 weeks along. But labor it was.

After trying to stop the labor for 7 hours, my little girl decided that she had had enough womb time and was ready for the world. At 8:38 pm, my precious little girl was born weighing 1 lb. 9.5 oz. and was 13 1/4 inches long. At 8:39, her brother followed (to this day he doesn't like her going anywhere without him!) He was a hefty 1 lb. 14 oz. and was 13 3/4 inches long. Thankfully, the Lord blessed us with 2 children who, for the most part, only needed to grow a bit before they came home. After 70 days, a few blood transfusions and very few touch-and-go situations, our babies came home weighing 4.5 lbs (my boy) and 4 lbs. They were supposed to stay in the NICU until they reached 5 lbs. but the doctor's all said that they were doing very well and could come home. After 70 days of having to see an empty nursery, it was finally filled with two very small, squirmy babies...and life has never been the same since!

We never planned for them to be our last children, but God had other plans for us. While sometimes I am blue for the children we may have had, I will always be grateful for the 2 we got to have.

Life with twins is hectic, noisy, busy, messy, tiring, uplifting and fun. There is no place I would rather be than right here on our farm with the 2 best kids in the world.

So, in honor of their birthday, here are some random facts about them.

MY GIRL

1.  She is a redneck Barbie-Loves to wear dresses and climb trees...at the same time!

2.  She loves ALL animals. She saved a baby mouse from the cats and nursed it back to health.

3.  She is a "meatatarian". She loves any and all meat, especially bacon. Her other nickname is the baconnator!
4. She hates shellfish.

5. She loves to sing and wants to be a singer when she grows up.

6. She's a leftie.

7. She doesn't like to read.

8. She loves to bake anything sweet.

9. She loves that she is "older" than her brother...even if it is only by a minute!

10. She is the most exquisite little girl, in my opinion, and I love her dearly!

MY BOY

1. Is a video game champion player.

2. Is incredibly smart.

3. Says the funniest things with a dead pan face. He has quite a sense of humor.

4. Loves to read...anything!

5. Has a wonderful imagination.

6. He makes the best spaghetti sauce.

7. Loves to drink coffee in the morning.

8. Eats all.the.time.

9. Is almost as tall as his daddy.

10. Is the most amazing little man I have ever known, and I love him more than life itself.

So, there are just a few things that make them...THEM.

Because we usually don't make a huge deal out of birthdays, we decided that we would get them something very special for their 13th birthday gifts.

They first gift, they got a few weeks before their birthdays. Mainly because daddy couldn't wait to get them and wanted to use them.
Here is present #1;

Looks pretty excited doesn't he?



Redneck Barbie rides again!



Daddy reasons that they can use these on the farm.  I think daddy just wanted them and needed an excuse to buy them! I do have to say, they are pretty fun to ride. I told hubs that next year, we needed to get some for us!

Present # 2 isn't as big and flashy but I think it will get more of a work out than the 4 wheelers. We bought them their own iPhones. They have been sharing a little basic flip phone and it just wasn't working. My girl ALWAYS has the phone because she is the one who texts everybody. My boy is unhappy with that arrangement, not because he wants to use the phone, he just likes having it in his pocket. Go figure...
Here are a few pictures of them:

Wearing daddy's socks and boots. She was a daddy's girl from the beginning.
 

Baby boy was a water baby from the beginning

Angel Baby



First summer in GA

Loving on Chelsea



First fishing lesson with Daddy
 



Their first camo

 

They sure have come along way in 13 years!