Banana Bread

 We have been having some internet issues the last few days...sorry for the delay.

I had some bananas that were getting a little too ripe for our taste so you know what that means....

Banana Bread!


This recipe is really good and easy. It is out of a church recipe book. I don't even know where it came from! I think the book belonged to my mom and somehow ended up at my house when I got married!

I was given these cute mini loaf pans from my MIL!

It is so yummy and moist! What a good way to use up bananas!

I'm on spring break this week...I'm hoping to get some sewing done!

Confession...

I have a confession to make...it is a lover affair that I have with...FABRIC!!!

Oh my goodness, I could just buy tons of it!! The colors are intoxicating all organized like a rainbow!!

However, I have control over this passion of mine...instead of buying tons I just buy a little at a time.

The other day I took a trip to Jo-Ann's and this is what I brought home..

Soft, comfy flannel..it's my favorite. All the flannel was on sale for $2.49/yd. 

 I have like 6 friends who are expecting baby girls over  the next few months so I will be making some baby things! I love the doughnut fabric. I would totally want that for myself!!

Do you have any confessions or secret obsessions or not so secret obsessions?

(mine is definitely not a secret)

Happy Weekend

Sarah Beth

Farm Kitchen...

I added a new recipe to the Farm Kitchen page!

Go check it out!!

Visitors

We had some visitors yesterday...

We also had a pair of ducks!! Maybe we'll have babies!!

I picked these yesterday..Brought a little spring into the house!

Love me some canning jars!

This blue jar my lover found on a job sight berried in the ground!

I have had these windows sitting in my barn for awhile now and I think I am going to hang them in the living room above my couch...all three of them side by side...what do you think??

I love old things!

I have been cleaning my house today..I love taking care of my home...I believe that is the way God intended it! I'm so thankful that He has given me a home to take care of. I am so blessed!!

I will be adding some new recipes to the Farm Kitchen page this week so check back.

Missing Chickens and Stuff

It's official....Spring is here!! My daffodils are blooming and the temperature is rising.

It has been so nice outside. It has been warm enough to have the windows open some.

I had them open today when this thunder storm came rolling in. You could smell the rain. It was wonderful!

I love the way my house smells in the spring and summer! 

Now it is raining while the sun is shining. (yes dad it is possible)

Here is my menu for the week for those of you who are interested...not sure that there are many of you who are, but anyway....

Mon- Chicken and Noodles (because we didn't eat this last week)

Tue- Hamburgers and Mac n' Cheese green beans

Wed- Spaghetti and Meatballs garlic bread

Thurs- MIL birthday doing my part with Corn Casserole and Homemade Bread

Fri-Potato Soup - I might add sausage to it this time?!?! ( This will carry us through the weekend)

I am linking up to Homestead Revival   

for this...

Now, on to some bad news....I saved it for last....over the past two weeks I have been mysteriously missing chickens. I have lost 5 and am not sure what is getting them.

My chickens are Free Range and so they are outside roaming the premises all day. They have been doing this for two years now without any problems. I would hate to fence them in but I just might have to for their sake!! Bummer....I 'll keep you posted...

Here is a glimpse of me, in my favorite outfit, bluejeans, sweatshirt and boots, standing in my living room. We acquired this giant mirror that attaches to a dresser and it is hanging out in the living room until I decide what to do with it.  The kitchen is of to the right where the sun is trying to come in. The tight stairway is off to the left..more on that another day...

That's all for now. 

Sarah Beth

I Feel Spring

Spring is coming!!!

I had my windows open today!! It felt so good to have the warm breeze blowing in the house!

Corner of My Home....Mud Room Part 2

I have a few more pictures I wanted to add to yesterdays post about my mud room.

Hope you like them!

This little table sits next to the door going outside. 

The water pump is connected to an old cistern that is underneath our back deck outside the door.

It doesn't work...bummer I know! I want to cut it off but just haven't done it. I'm not sure what to do with it so it has just been hanging out.

This picture is a poster from the hatchery where we get our chickens. It is a little faded and looks pretty neat with all the pictures of the varieties of chickens they offer.

Corner of My Home....Mud Room

Here is a peak at our Mud Room...I believe this to be the most used and abused room in all the house!

I love this room and think I would go insane without it due to all the dirt that my lover brings in!

I love this bench. It was in the pump house at my parents and when dad decided to clean it out I got the bench! The enamel bowl has our hats and gloves it it.

You could probably guess which pair are mine...I love me some cowboy boots!!

I have shelves with wood pegs on both sides of the window. This is where I have a lot of my enamel ware displayed.

This is the corner cupboard that I love! 

The mud room was the first room we completely remodeled. We tore everything out but the floor. It was gray, the walls were pink, and the trim burgundy. It was lovely...not really. 

When I told my love that I wanted to paint the floor RED he was not totally on board with the idea but I eventually talked him into it and we love it!!

Menu for the Week

Hello All - I hope the weekend treated everyone well. 

I mentioned last week about how I plan my menu for the week and I also mentioned this free Download. 

So here is my menu for the week. I may not fix these meals in this order but I have every thing on hand for all of these meals this week.

Mon-Chicken Tortilla and Mexican Rice

Tue- Roast, Potatoes and Carrots in the crock pot

Wed- Beef BBQ Sandwiches, tater tots, Green Beans

Thur-Roasted Chicken breast with Herb butter and Roasted potatoes

Fri-Chicken and Noodles

Sat- Grilled Hamburgers

I don't have these recipes on the blog yet but if you are interested let me know!

Also, I am linking up to Homestead Revival

Corner of My Home....Bedroom

Here is a little glimpse of my bedroom. Last year we painted and stripped the window trim. I love the wall color. It is a green that is so bright and cheery!

Love this old window..the patina is great! It hangs above our bed..

This chair sits in the corner. It is hiding an ugly filing cabinet. 

I don't have curtains in my bedroom because I can't decide what I want and haven't found any that I like. I will probably make some but I just can't decide.

This little stool is the extent of my reupholstering skills...I think its kinda cute.

I have all my perfume on an old cake stand that my mom bought at a yard sell. I thought it was very feminine looking with the flowers on it.

 

This is my night stand. The lamps came from Lowes on clearance for $6. They were an ugly beige and burgundy color and we spray painted them white. I tend to paint my finger nails while I'm laying in bed...hence the nail polish. I love this picture of me and my love. It was taken about six years ago!

Corner of My Home....Bathroom

Hello all - I woke up this morning to an inch of snow on the ground!! What in the world...Spring begins on Sunday so I guess the good Lord had to get one more snow in before the sun came back out. The snow was gone by 3pm. 

Like most of you, I too am ready for spring and all the prettiness that comes with it. So I went to the dollar store and bought some fake flowers. I know fake flowers...but I am really in need for some spring prettiness and the real ones are expensive and they don't last long. 

So I wanted to share with all of you a corner of my home. This is what I did with the flowers...

About four years ago we gutted the bathroom and remodeled it. There was a blue bath tub, Blue tile on the walls, gold sink and vanity, and gold linoleum floor. One morning I woke to a huge crash while my lover was in the shower...the wall fell in on him....cue bathroom remodel.

We are very happy with how it turned out! It's the nicest room in the house!

A friend of ours is an awesome cabinet maker. I drew him a picture of what I had in mind and he made it just like I envisioned it.

The baskets underneath are old freezer baskets. This bathroom is small and there is no closet for storage, so the baskets work great for towels and toilet paper.

The sink top matches the bath tub. It is cultured marble.

This sink looks so shiny!!! Trust me, its not!! It's due for a good cleaning..

I love using old mason jars for stuff like cotton balls! 

The hooks are from Hobby Lobby Clearance..gotta love things that cost $3! The little basket holds the q-tips.

The mirror was made by my FIL. We use the actual mirror that was there and then I described a frame I had seen in a shaker style furniture store and he did a great job. It is super heavy though. 

And this is me..without makeup...saying "have a great weekend"!!!

Organizing

So, I had some more thoughts on how I organize some of my paper work/filing and I thought I would share.

We all have that necessary paper that we get in the mail every month, bills, tax documents, receipts, warranties and so on. We have to keep these messy papers, but what to do with them?...

This is what I use...

These are expandable folders - 13 file. They are about $5 each. I use one for our personal bills and such and one for the business receipts, invoices and tax documents. They work great.

For our personal bills - I divide everything by the month which seems to work well.

For the Business we have 12 different categories that we divide the receipts into. At the end of the year I take all the receipts and put them into a spread sheet on Excel. By this time the folder is bulging and I can barely close it! I love being organized!   

Now I just have to find a place to put all these expandable folders when I'm done with them...

This may give you the idea that every part of my house is in complete order.....not true. I have some kitchen drawers that are screaming out at me to be organized!!

Oh, I almost forgot.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY big brother!!! I love you so much. You are a great friend to me and my love!! 

For those of you who do not have a big brother, I am sorry. Your missing out!

It's been a busy few days around here!! 

I'm super excited! I went to target today and saved $23.13 just with my coupons!!! It totally rocks!!

I'm not what you would call a "coupon-er" but I try and get the Sunday paper and cut out the ones in there. I also have a few I get on line. Then when everything falls into place perfectly....I save money! Gotta love it!

Ok, so last week sometime my friend who will be known as "Flantastic" asked me if I had a weekly menu plan...I try and have one. It goes a little like this....

I have a Monthly/Weekly planner and usually Sunday evening I sit down and think about what I want to fix for the up coming week and what is going on that week. I write down on my planner each dinner meal on a day of the week. For instance...

Monday - Pot Roast, potatoes and carrots

Tuesday - Penne alla Betsy with homemade rolls

Wednesday - Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup

Thursday - Mom's House ( we don't eat there every week for those of you who were wondering)

Friday - Vegetable soup

I decide what to fix according to what I have to do that day. Wednesday I pick something easy and quick because we have church that night. Tuesday a new recipe and homemade bread because I'm home most of the day. You get the picture..

Monday is my grocery day. I love having the store to myself in the morning and getting to know the faces that work there! I'm a very routine kinda person. It makes life easier.

When I am planning my menu I am also thinking about what goes in each meal. I try to use some of the ingredients more than once in a week. Like green pepper. If I know something will only take half a pepper, I try and make something on a different night that will also take green pepper. That way I am making the most of what I buy and not being wasteful. 

As for Saturday and Sunday, they are usually up in the air. Saturday is when I will fix a good breakfast and then we will go see family a lot of times. Sunday afternoon we either go to one of our parents or out to lunch. Sunday night I always try and keep something easy on hand to fix. Last week it was casadillas (Did I spell that right?). I have a casadilla maker and I used left over chicken and cheese with salsa and sour cream. Pretty yummy and really easy. The weekends are when I try and use leftovers.

Homestead Revival has this free download for a menu planner.Check it out!

I may have to expound on this menu plan idea....

there is so much to say...

If you need a new recipe to try for this week go to the Farm Kitchen page and it might give you an idea. I'm always trying different things. Tonight it is "Penne Alla Betsy" from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. I love pasta! It's my favorite...I am also making no-knead dinner rolls. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Check It Out

My SIL is having a fabulous giveaway over at her cute blog vanhook and co. 

I'm hoping I will win!!

I'll be back later to post more!! 

Have a great day Friends!!!

Story of My Life

I think we need to diversify our wardrobes....

Can you tell which ones are his? 

Its only the two of us in the house and yet Laundry is still the story of my life! I don't mind though, I actually kinda like doing laundry.

How about you? Take it or leave it?

Favorite Things Friday....

So, I know this is Favorite Things Friday, however every Friday is to much pressure and takes the fun out of it. So maybe I will do it once a month. That being said....this is one of my favorite things....organizing!! Or rather having things be organized. The fun part is when it is all nice and neat. Not the part of sorting and purging.

I love to cook and am always looking at new recipes. Tearing them out of magazines, printing them off the internet, copying them from a cooking show, calling my mom. I love to try new recipes! However when you have been saving all these pieces of paper forever and you use a lot of them, but they are stashed in a corner somewhere or box, it is hard to find anything. A few years ago i decided to put all of these loose papers in a three ring binder with page protectors. I seperated them into different categories, breakfast, bread, soup, main course, side dish, dessert, drinks, pasta. This worked great and I loved it.

I put tabs to separate the categories.

A few years down the road.....a new pile and stash of loose papers. I didn't have any page protectors but I did have a binder. So I just hole punched all the loose recipes and added them in. 

I now have enough for two binders

This one is solely dedicated to desserts!!

It is such a great feeling when you get all your stuff organized and in a designated space! Love It!!

I also like to wright on the recipe whether or not we liked it!

That way I know I have made it before and if it is worth making again! This works well. Try it!