Strong Enough

Like I have said before, I enjoy reading and studying different cultures and religions. I have collected several books on Buddhism because my love for yoga had me in search of what everything about yoga meant. Yogis rely heavily on the Buddhist religion for their meditation practices and overall mental well being. When I get interested in something, I dive head first and want to learn everything about it. I feel the need to dig deeper and find the roots and inter-workings of that particular interest. I read books, I google, I subscribe to magazines... it gets pretty ridiculous at times. I can get consumed by it and it usually drives my husband crazy.



A couple of months ago I picked up "The Pema Chodron Collection" at a book store. This book is a collection from individuals that spent time with the Dalai Lama at one of his teachings. The Dalai Lama does these often to inform those interested about the Buddhist way of life. I am not a Buddhist expert but I never seem to be disappointed everytime I open a book on the religion. What I take away from the Dalai Lama's work is a realistic, simple and selfless point of view. I think that is something that everyone could benefit from eventhough you are devoted to another religion. It makes you realize that you can always give more of yourself. I have read several books by the Dalai Lama and his words are so pure and to the core of life. There is no fluff.



I haven't read a word of this book yet until the other day. I was sitting in bed on my laptop about to publish a blog about the reason why we go through hardships and why we experience pain. I felt the need to write a blog on this subject after getting back home from an unexpected trip to East Texas to visit my Mimi in the hospital. She was walking out of the grocery store when she was struck by a vehicle and was care flighted to East Texas Medical Center to undergo emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage.



I deleted the blog because it seemed like a sob story for myself when it was my Mimi going through probably the hardest thing she has gone through in her whole life. It wasn't my intention for it to sound that way, it's just my words weren't jiving. I closed my laptop screen and opened this book that has set on my bedside table for a couple of months and this was on the first page:



"There's a common misunderstanding among all human beings who have ever been born on the earth that the best way to live is to try to avoid pain and just try to get comfortable. You can see this even in insects and animals and birds. All of us are the same.



A much more interesting, kind, adventurous, and joyful approach to life is to begin to develop our curiosity, not caring whether the object of our inquisitiveness is bitter or sweet. To lead a life that goes beyond pettiness and prejudice and always wanting to make sure that everything turns out on our terms, to lead a more passionate, full, and delightful life than that, we must realize that we can endure a lot of pain and pleasure for the sake of finding out who we are and what this world is, how we tick and how our world ticks, how the whole thing just is. If we're committed to comfort at any cost, as soon as we come up against the least edge of pain, we're going to run; we'll never know what's beyond that particular barrier or wall or fearful thing. "



I wish that these were my words because this is exactly what I was trying to get across. We endure pain and hardships in our life to see what we are made of. These things don't kill us. We learn and gain strength from these moments and hopefully we pass along this strength to others around us. Nothing in this world happens to us because we aren't strong enough to make it through and see it to the other side.



Ever since I can remember remembering I can hear my Dad say, "The good Lord doesn't put anything on us that we can't handle." This statement has become more apparent these days. This is one of the truest statements to live by and remember when there are things in our lives that aren't going according to the "perfect plan".



We are strong enough for the pain. Period. It brings out the best in us.



Show the world what you are made of.



Love, Kaci

Make Your Own: Dishwasher Detergent

One of my first blog posts was on how to make your own dishwasher detergent. I am super happy to announce that I just ran out of that batch of dishwasher detergent this week!! :)

That is almost 6 whole months of dishwasher detergent from a little batch that costs me around $5. Before I could make another batch today, I had to use some Cascade that I had left in the cabinet and I will tell ya, it didn't work as well as my handmade concoction did. That makes me doubly super happy! :))

Have any of you out there tried the detergent?

Here is the recipe again just in case you missed it.

You Will Need:

-2 cups of Borax
-2 cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
-1 can of Lemi Shine
-1 cup of Kosher Salt
-20 drops of essential oils (I didn't do this last time but for my second batch, I added 20 drops of Lemongrass essential oil into the mix and the smell is wonderful. This step is optional, though.)

All you do is mix all of your ingredients in a large bowl and then pour into an air tight container.

Remember you will only need 1, yes just 1, tablespoon for each load of dishes. If you have a set of really nasty dishes, you can add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into the dishwasher for a pre rinse.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed saving money, having sparkling clean dishes for 6 months, and the clout that I made something myself that is totally awesome!! Those three things make my triply (if that's not a word, it is now) happy!!! :)))

Enjoy!
Kaci

Blog Share Sunday: Ramblings and Photos

Yes, I am aware that my "Blog Share Sunday" has become "Blog Share whatever day I discover a cool blog because I can't wait until Sunday to post it". I am going to try and stack up the blog shares for Sunday so I don't burn you out.  

On Pinterest the other day, I found this blog because I was looking at photography tutorials. I am doing all the research I can on DSLR cameras, photo editing and photgraphy techniques right now so I can make the best decision when I purchase my first DSLR camera in the hopefully near future. I think that getting a camera of that stature should be an informed, well thought out decision, especially for the money that you invest into it.

I'm not trying to become a professional photographer or anything, it is just that photography has always been a passion of mine. I want to have a nice camera around to capture the unforgettable moments in Blaze's life and let this hobby of mine grow into taking beautiful pictures of our lives. I just know the day I bring home my camera, that Clint is going to suggest I give up at least one of my other 76,097 hobbies. We will see about that.

There are so many times in our crazy life that I think to myself, "If I just had a good camera, this would be the prettiest picture." Lord knows that we go and do enough that I will never run out of subject matter.

The thing is, how does an individual go about learning this art? Sure I could go take classes at the local college but being a mom and having a full time job, makes it hard to make time for classes for a hobby. That is why I am so thankful for the internet, Pinterest, and other bloggers out there that are willing to share their knowledge with strangers for simply the love of photography. This is just one of many discoveries of photography blogs that are dripping with great information.

Ashley Sisk over at Ramblings and Photography is someone that is a self-taught photographer and she shares her knowledge with other photography bloggers in normal-people language and simple, how-to directions for us beginners. She also hosts fun photography challenges.

If photography is something that you are already in to or want to get in to, this blog is a great blog to follow. Go on over to her blog and subscribe by email to make sure you don't miss one single bit of great information. 

Enjoy!
-Kaci

Giveaway: 2012 Farmer's Almanac {Winner Announced}

Congratulations to Davida for winning the copy of Farmer's Almanac! Way to go, Davida!!!

My Granny swore by all of the good info inside the Farmer's Almanac. She used it as her guide while planting her garden, when to cut her hair, and I remember that she knew all of the zodiac signs and which characteristics coincided with each sign.

So because I love the Farmer's Almanac, I picked up a copy for one lucky winner. The winner will be picked at random with my new blog discovery, the true random number generator. You have several chances to add more entries to win:

1. Answer my question and comment on this blog:
      "Do you have any spring cleaning plans? What are they?"

2. "Like" Life As Kaci Knows It Facebook page and leave a comment that you "liked" it. If you already do, comment below that you do.

3. Share Life As Kaci Knows It Facebook page on your Facebook wall and comment below that you did.

There you have it. You can get up to 3 entries. Remember, the answers to the question aren't judged by how good your answer is, this is just for fun. This contest will start on Wednesday January the 18th and will end on Sunday January 22nd at 12 noon.

Good luck!!
-Kaci

Hunting Trip: 4 Aces Ranch

As promised, here are some pictures that came back with Clint, Clay and Colleen on their hunting trip this past week. Clay is Clint's boss and Colleen is Clay's wife.

 The 4 Aces Ranch is a 18,000 acre ranch that sprawls across South Texas. The ranch belongs to a customer of theirs. I only wish I could have gone and seen all there is to see. I am truely jealous! Enjoy these beautiful pictures and day dream that you are sitting on the porch gazing out at the sunset of this beautiful landscape.

The entrance to 4 Aces Ranch

A beautiful white tail buck hiding. Look at that rack!

Colleen with her trophy.

The whole crew.

Mama and baby Zebra. Love this picture. I think I need a Zebra.



This is overlooking just one half of the ranch!



Clay with his Axis buck.

Clint with his scraggly ol' mountain rams!

Country Life

I feel blessed that Blaze can grow up around agriculture and the cowboy way kind of life. In a time where there is so much hate and violence in this world, I love that we can retreat to a lifestyle that is pure and honest. I hope Blaze appreciates this one day. Here are a few cute pictures to share of the boys out roping the dummy.

Those blue eyes get me every time.

Daddy teaching Blaze how to spin to win.

Do we have a bull dogger on our hands?

Blaze has lots of "big brothers" to look up to. This is Noel. He
is a wonderful kid.

The best part of the country is the dirt!

I hope you guys can take time out of your day to remember and appreciate the simple things in life!

Love,
Kaci

Blog Share: Country Woman Magazine & Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

The other day we went to Cabela's to get Clint lots of ammo for the hunting trip that he went on this past weekend. (Pictures to follow soon. They are pretty amazing!) I like Cabela's because there is a sloo of things for Blaze and I to gander at while Clint is checking out the latest and greatest hunting equipment.

I haven't shared Clint's enthusiasm for wild game hunting yet for a couple of reasons. 

1. Anything that requires me to sit still and be quiet for longer than 10 minutes is not for me... unless I'm napping. Napping is so for me.

2. I would very much rather be sleeping at 4 o'clock in the morning when they get up to go hunt.

3. I like to shoot clay targets and bird hunting is fine but watching a large animal forced to meet his maker makes me sad. Yes I do understand hunting is necessary for the enviroment and yes I do understand population management is necessary too, but it still makes me sad. Unless they are wild hogs, those things are mean and taking over everywhere. I wouldn't mind shooting one of those. And maybe coyotes too because they kill stock and they get all mangy and get diseases and get mistaken for Chupacabras. (My Granbury people will undersand that one.) And probably bob cats too, they wouldn't bother me so much because they eat baby calves for a snack and then that makes me sad, so I would rather see a dead bob cat than a dead baby calf. But deer and such makes me sad. I think it's more of the stumble to their death that makes me sad.

4. I hate being cold and hunting season is in the dead of winter.

5. It's really hard to take a nap in a tree stand.

Now maybe I will come around to deer hunting one of these days but those are my excuses so far and I'm sticking to them.

Wow I veered so off track that I'm surprised my train is still chugging along... At Cabela's. Checking things out. Go...

That's when I stumble upon this magazine rack will all of these specialized publications. I had no idea there were so many different magazines out there. They have deer hunting magazines, rifle hunting magazine, bow hunting magazines, safari hunting magazines, fishing magazines, hunting dog magazines, water fowl magazines, country living magazines, organic living magazines, survival magazines, camping magazines... there were TONS of magazines!

What kind of people are out there that subscribe to these magazines that keep these publications in circulation?? Oh yeah, people like my husband.

I stood there in utter awe of the rack of different magazines. I saw one that caught my eye, "Country Woman Magazine". It had a lady with long brown hair holding a box of plants. So I flipped through a few pages to find the lady's article since I am interested in growing my own garden. It is her and her husband's business, Jere and Emilee Gettle. It was showcasing her their business from Mansfield, Missouri and they sell heirloom seeds. No, heirlooms are not just antiques desks and vanities passed down from generations but same concept. Heirloom seeds are seeds of fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, and herbs passed down through the generations. You should see all the glorious harvests.

They have a "pioneer town" on their property and along with the Baker Creek Seed Shop, they have an operating barn, restaurant, old-time mercantile, herbal apothecary, natural bakery, garden museum, blacksmith shop, two music barns, a western jail, a native rock oven, windmill and many breeds of historic poultry and livestock. To top it all off, there is no admission fee to visit. The Seed Shop is there business but the rest is the family's labor of love.

It is only 90 miles from Branson, and since Clint and I are planning a trip to Branson in the spring, you KNOW I will be making a pit stop at this place! I cannot wait!

So this blog share is for 2 things: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds where you can explore a very interesting site and follow and then Country Woman Magazine because this magazine is great. There are so many good articles about gardening, cooking, baking, crafting, farming... the list goes on.

I hope you check them out because I have sure enjoyed both of them.

Peace out,
Kaci

Make Your Own: Coasters

I like this project because I can customize them to whatever my little heart desires and its very inexpensive. You have less than 50 cents in one coaster.

I decided to print out on of my favorite pictures of Clint and Blaze. Blaze was 7 days old and it was his first trip to the barn. It was such a beautiful day. Clint is holding Blaze while they just went for a short walk horseback.

But you however can choose anything that you would like. I printed the picture out on a plain piece of paper, made sure the ink was dry and just cut it out. Or you can choose a decorative piece of paper. Your options are endless.

You Will Need:
- Modge Podge
- Paint Brush
- A Tile- I chose a 4x4 square tile but you can choose any tile you want. Smooth, textured, small, rectangle...
-  Picture or decorative piece of paper

Cut out your picture or decorative paper

Put a good coat of Modge Podge on the entire surface of your tile.

Coat the back of your picture or paper with Modge Podge.

Position your picture or paper on the tile. I made my picture a little
 small so it would kind of looked like it was framed. You might
need to press on your with a credit card or your hands
on yourpicture to get all of the air pockets out.



Coat that puppy! Too much is never enough. The Modge
Podge is an adhesive and a sealant so you won't
have to worry about water damage.

I have recently added a piece of felt to the back of the tile so it doesn't scratch furniture.

There you go! Have at it!

-Kaci

Mountain Rose Herbs; Make Your Own Lip Balm

Ok so I plan to make my own lip balm and showing you all what I come up with but I just had to share this blog that was in my inbox on Monday. It is too good not to share. I told you guys that Mountain Rose Herbs is amazing. The never cease to make me happy! Enjoy their blog post about how to make your own lip balm. If you haven't subscribed to their blog yet, you should. You can get there from here.


Over and out.
-Kaci


Craft Your Own Lip Balm




Homemade Lip Balm Alongside Dried Helichrysum Flowers and Rose Buds.






Lip balm is truly one of the easiest and most inexpensive products to create. Not only is crafting your own surprisingly simple, you’ll have full control over all of the ingredients and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re putting pure, natural, and organic elements on your lips!






Three recipes are listed below, but feel free to experiment and create your own! See our guide at the end for tips on making your own recipes.










Gorgeous Organic Nutmeg (Myristica fragans) from Sri Lanka.






Mandarin Nutmeg Lip BalmThis sweet, citrusy, and warming lip balm has just a hint of spice. Made with Mandarin and Nutmeg essential oils, Mango Butter, Sunflower oil, and other botanical ingredients.






1 Tablespoon Mango Butter


2 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil


1 Tablespoon Olive Oil


1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Beeswax


15 drops Mandarin Essential Oil


5 drops Nutmeg Essential Oil


A few drops of Vitamin E Oil (optional, but recommended)






Lip balm preparation: Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Place beeswax, butter, and oils in a small pot or glass Pyrex measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and butters have melted. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oils and Vitamin E Oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers. You can purchase lip balm tubes and jars, or you can reuse glass or plastic containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers. Your lip balm is finished! You can now add labels, ribbons, twine, or any other decorative elements. Makes approximately 1.5 oz of lip balm, enough to fill 10 lip balm tubes, 6 of our 1/4 oz plastic jars, or 3 1/2 oz tins or plastic jars.










Pure Essential Oils Steam Distilled from Freshly Harvested Botanicals.






Peppermint Cocoa Lip BalmA refreshing, cooling, and nourishing lip balm with Cocoa Butter and Peppermint for that quintessential fusion of chocolate and mint.






1 Tablespoon Cocoa Butter


2 Tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil


1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil


1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Beeswax


12-15 drops Peppermint Essential Oil


A few drops of Vitamin E Oil (optional, but recommended)






Lip balm preparation: Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Place beeswax, butter, and oils in a small pot or glass Pyrex measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and butters have melted. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oils and Vitamin E Oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers. You can purchase lip balm tubes and jars, or you can reuse glass or plastic containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers. Your lip balm is finished! You can now add labels, ribbons, twine, or any other decorative elements. Makes approximately 1.5 oz of lip balm, enough to fill 10 lip balm tubes, 6 of our 1/4 oz plastic jars, or 3 1/2 oz tins or plastic jars.










Chunks of Certified Organic and Fair Trade Virgin Coconut Oil. Yum!






Lime Coconut Lip BalmReminiscent of tropical places, this blend is perfect for warmer weather or for those who prefer a lightweight and glossy lip balm.






1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil


2 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil


1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Beeswax


15 drops Lime Peel Essential Oil


A few drops of Vitamin E Oil (optional, but recommended)






Lip balm preparation: Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Place beeswax and oils in a small pot or glass Pyrex measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax has melted. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oils and Vitamin E Oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers. You can purchase lip balm tubes and jars, or you can reuse glass or plastic containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers. Your lip balm is finished! You can now add labels, ribbons, twine, or any other decorative elements. Makes approximately 1.5 oz of lip balm, enough to fill 10 lip balm tubes, 6 of our 1/4 oz plastic jars, or 3 1/2 oz tins or plastic jars.






Experimenting with Lip BalmIt’s fun to concoct lip balm recipes using your favorite botanical ingredients and essential oils! As a general rule, use 3 parts of carrier oil to 1 part of beeswax (omit butters from your calculations since they are solid at room temperature). If you feel as though your lip balm is too soft, re-melt it and add more beeswax and if it is too hard, re-melt and add more oil. You can also adjust your recipes with the seasons: harder lip balms are better for warm summer weather and softer lip balms during cold fall and winter months. Add essential oils at your discretion, a general amount is 2 drops per container, but this varies depending upon the essential oil used. Less is better when it comes to essential oils; you don’t want to end up with lip balm that will sting or irritate your lips.






You can find all of the ingredients needed to make lip balm on our website: www.mountainroseherbs.com






Happy lip balm making!






~ irene

Blog Share: Shanty 2 Chic

I know that I have strayed from my blogging schedule lately. I knew better than to even try to kid myself that I would be so structured.

I have been in a blog collecting mood lately. I search for blogs to subscribe to and I have found there are some pretty amazing blogs out there with such good and fun information to share.

I am going to share this wonderful blog that I stumbled upon via Pinterest.

Shanty 2 Chic is a great blog that takes ideas from expensive decorating ideas like Pottery Barn and finds a way to make it herself very inexpensively with step by step, ever so easy instructions. She always has great ideas on her blog and hosts some great giveaways as well.

Check out Shanty 2 Chic and subscribe to her blog. You won't be disappointed. Promise.

-Kaci

Put Yourself First

Putting myself first is something I'm not too good at. That is probably the reason why I look in the mirror sometimes and see catepillars for eyebrows, cactus needles on my legs, and the extra 30 pounds of baby weight that has decided to set up camp on either butt cheek. And not to mention that I still sometimes where my favorite pair of maternity capris because of the elastic wasitband doesn't dig into my love handles. Yuck! Yep. I just said that.

I'm all about feeling good about yourself at any shape but this is all because a total lack of putting myself first, or even second. I'm not talking about neglecting your kids to get your coif just right, I'm talking about giving yourself the proper attention to make you feel good about yourself. It's not selfish. It's reasonable. It's also necessary. I believe that for you to take care of others like us women and mothers do, we must take care of ourselves first.

Don't we envy those moms we see out and about that have it all together and look beautiful?

I hate to keep talking about my weight loss journey but I'm going to. I could stop talking about it at any time. Promise. But it just proves my point. I'm about to start my 3rd week of Turbo Fire and Shakeology and the best feeling of all of this is giving myself the 30-55 minutes each day to myself. The feeling I have that the time is for me and to reflect on myself and grow as a person is priceless. Not to mention that people that are physically active are better equipped mentally to deal with the everyday stresses, they look younger, and of course the obvious health benefits.

It doesn't have to be workin on your fitness. Maybe you decide to give yourself 20 minutes each day to read a book, or pledge to have a massage once a month, or give yourself so much time a week to work on your favorite hobby.

You are better apt to take care of others at your maximum potential if you take care of yourself first.

That's my sermon for the day. Take care of yourself ladies and gentlemen! You will thank yourself later!

Peace & Blessings
-Kaci

Skillet Crab Dip

We went to Bass Pro Shop the other day (we seem to do that alot before and during hunting season) and ate at the restaurant there. For an appetizer we had crab dip and it was delish, so I decided to make my own.

Like my dutch oven, I have had my eye on this little mini skillet at HEB for quite some time but never really had a reason to get one. Well now I have a reason so I just picked one up the next time I went to HEB. It's pretty neat and perfect for my skillet crab dip. To be honest, I just threw ingredients together that sounded yummy. I really don't have exact measurements but the recipe below would be my educated guess... or maybe uneducated.... well it's just a guess!

Clint and I ate the whole skillet with tortilla chips for dinner one night.

Ingredients:

1 cup of crab meat

8 oz package of cream cheese- softened

1/2 cup mushrooms

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chives
1/4 cup purple onion
1/2 stalk of green onion
1/2 cup roma tomato
1 tbsp of garlic salt
1 tbsp of Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp milk

Step 1:

Cut your crab meat into little chunks. I like a chunk of good ol crab meat but you can cut yours more finely if you wish because it's your crab dip.

Step 2:

Cut your mushroom up. I like these chunky too.

Step 3:

Dice your roma tomato.

Step 4:

Chop up your chives from your green onion.

Step 5:

Chunk up your onions. If you haven't noticed I like everything chunky. I like to crunch down on a bite of good flavors and not minced up flavors.

Step 6:

Since your cream cheese has been sitting out this whole time, now is a good time to cut the block into squares. This helps you mix it up better.

Step 7:
Throw all of your ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Step 8:
Add 1/2 cup of cheese.

Step 9:
Add your Lawry's seasoned salt, garlic salt, salt and pepper.

Step 10:
Add your milk.

Step 11:
Stir all your ingredients.

Step 12:
Spoon ingredients into your skillet.

Step 13:
Put your other 1/2 of cheese and green onion on top.

Step 14:
Put in the oven for 20 minutes on 350 degrees.

Step 15:
Serve, devour and enjoy every milisecond of the wonderful flavors!


I hope you like this recipe! I LOVE it. It's amazing.

Love ya!
-Kaci

Kate's Birthday

I am WAY behind on posting blogs and pictures so I am doing a little clean up.

Last September, we went to our friend's place at the High Oak Ranch in Cranfills Gap to celebrate Kate's 2nd birthday.

The Cobb family are some of the sweetest people I know. They treat you like family from the moment you meet them. Scotty and Stef Cobb are the patriarch and matriarch of the family. Scotty is a mountain of a man with a kind demeanor. Stef is a firecracker and is someone to be admired. Her decorating style belongs in a magazine.

They have two daughters, Natalie and Tai. Natalie is married to Sean Koehler and Tai is married to John Klam. We know them because John shows team roping horses too and we have become good friends with the whole family. Sean and Natalie have a boy Kase and a girl Karson. John and Tai have a girl, Kate and baby boy Klam is on the way.

They all are such a pleasure to be around. You will be seeing more of them on this blog, especially when we go to their ranch in April for the annual branding. It is such a blast and their sprawling ranch is absolutely gorgeous. You can see the annual branding on their TV show "All Around Performance Horse"  on RFDTV. Check it out.

Here are some pictures from Kate's 2nd birthday Fiesta!

Pretty girl Kate and her friend waiting in line to have a go at the pinata!

Blaze thought the pinata was pretty cool.

Karson gave Blaze a pinata hat.

Blaze with his maracas and the gentlemen in the background.

Daddy and Blaze enjoying the festivities!

Blaze gathered up a pile of maracas!

Over and out!
-Kaci

I Think I Need A Donkey

I worked a roping on a working horse training ranch last Saturday. I arrived just after feeding time and spotted a cluster of colts and 2 donkeys munching down on a round bale. There was some time before the roping started for everyone to warm up their horses so I just walked over to the fence to watch the little bunch for a while. 

I was standing there minding my own business when this little miniature jack came cruising over to me. 

He stood there for a good 15 minutes just letting me love on him and scratch between his ears. What a little sweetheart! I wanted to load him up in my Durango and take him home.

I got a hee-haw and this face when I tried to walk away. Yep, I think I need a donkey!

-Kaci

Mardi Gras and King Cake

Alright kids, sit down in your seats, it's time for another history lesson. Today we are going to talk about the history of Mardi Gras and end it with the recipe for a King Cake.

Being a proud Cajun myself Mardi Gras is a wonderful time of celebration. Both sides of my family are from Louisiana. On my father's side, our ancestors came to Louisiana straight from Spain. I've often wondered why I feel a connection to Spain. I love the language, the culture, the beautiful scenery. I can't wait to visit there someday.

On my mother's side, my great-grandfather was a pilot in the military and after his service was satisfied, he opened an aviation business and limo service in New Orleans and it operated for many decades. He gave pilot lessons to thousands of people.

Have you ever been to New Orleans? Some consider it weird or gross, I consider it a wonderful part of our culture. The spirit, the celebrations, the music, the mixture of cultures, the magic, the street entertainers, the food, the whole embiance I consider to be very interesting.

I'm one of those people that like different. I like to study different cultures. I want to know why people believe in what they do and why they do what they do. I like to read about different religions. I wish I was a world traveler.

Now on to the history of Mardi Gras...

Most historians will say that ancient Romans probably kicked off the Mardi Gras celebrations. Their mid-February festival known as "Lupercalia" honored the god of Lupercus, alternately known as the god of fertility and the god of agriculture and pastoral shepherds. In either case, his party definitely had Mardi Gras-like qualities, including days of feasting and drinking. And a little enjoying the "pleasures of the flesh", probably too-- in fact, the term Carnival, often synonymous with Mardi Gras, is derived from the Latin expression meaning "farewell to the flesh."

Like most of the ancient Roman and Greek festivals, Lupercalia was adopted and adapted by the Church as a way of subtly converting the local pagans to Christianity. The carnival-like celebration of Lupercalia thus morphed into a last "fling" before the beginning of the Lenten period. lent refers to the 40 days of pertinence and purification celebrated between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. During Lent, the religiously faithful refrain from a number of indulgences of the "flesh", including eating meat.

What began as a Roman- based celebration quickly spread across the European continent. By medieval times, lords were hosting carnivals prior to the Lent in honor of the conscription of their new knights. Each region and country celebrated their own traditions, but all were indulgent. In England, for example, pancake feasts were served-- a tradition that lasts until today. Shrove Tuesday, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is widely known in the UK as "Pancake Tuesday" and is celebrated with pancake-eating competition and pancake races.

In France, this period of revelry before Lent was especially raucous. In fact, the term Mardi Gras is a French expression meaning "Fat Tuesday" -- likely referring to the indulgent nature of the pre-Lenten celebration. The name may have been more than just allegorical, however, ancient pagans often marked their fertility ritul by parading a fattened ox through the town before sacrificing it.

It was also the French who brought the celebration to America. Many historians believe the party crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1699, on the ship of a French explorer named Sieur d'Iberville. The Frenchmen landed in what is today Louisiana, just south of New Orleans, the heart of America's modern-day Mardi Gras celebrations. In fact, his landing is believedto have coincided with the French celebration of Mardi Gras, explaining his choice for his point of entry: Point du Mardi Gras.

Other historians, however, dispute the d'Iberville connection, contending that it was the early French settlers to Louisiana who introduced Mardi Grasto America. Regardless of the precise origin, Mardi Gras can clearly be attributed to a Franco-influence. By the mid 1820s, Mardi Gras was firmly rooted in the New Orleans culture. Today, the city's celebrations are considered one of America's biggest parties, with towns and cities throughout the Gulf Coast Region getting in on the fun.

Now isn't that interesting?

Now the King Cake history has a slightly different twist to it. On the Christian calendar, the 12th day after Christmas is celebrated as the date that the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby Jesus. This day, January 6, is known by several names, including "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day". The celebration of this event has evolved over the centuries, with each culture adding its own unique rituals. The New Orleans tradition, borrowing heavily from European influences, is believed to have begun in the 1870's. As part of this celebration, it is now traditional to bake a cake in honor of the three kings - the King Cake. King Cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the unity of faiths. Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors - purple representing justice, green representing faith, and gold representing power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is traditionally hidden inside each King Cake.

King Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• Filling:
• 4 ounces (half of a large block) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained, and patted dry on paper towels
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• .
• Cake:
• 2 rolls (total of 12 individual crescent rolls) refrigerated crescent rolls in the can
• .
• Icing:
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
• 3 to 4 Tablespoon (about) milk or cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Purple, green, and yellow colored sugar crystals or food coloring

Preparation:

Place cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until combined. Add pecan halves and pulse until pecans are chopped to about 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a pizza pan or baking sheet with butter-flavored vegetable oil.

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into triangles. Position triangles next to each other with the points toward the center, overlapping the long sides about 1/4-inch, forming a large round. Where the pieces overlap, press the seams together only in the center of each seam, leaving either ends of the seams unsealed so you can fold them up over the filling.

Spread the filling around in a ring covering the center sealed seam of each triangle.

Place a small plastic baby or dried bean somewhere in the filling. (The person who gets this piece will have good luck for the year.)

Fold the short side of each triangle toward the center just to the edge of the filling to cover. Then pull the point end of the triangles toward the outer rim of the pan to fully enclose the filling, tucking under the points. Lightly press the seams.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla until smooth. The consistency should be fairly thick, but still thin enough to slowly drip down the sides. Add more milk as necessary. Spoon the icing in a ring over the top of the King Cake and allow it to slowly drip down the sides.

To decorate for Mardi Gras, sprinkle wide stripes of purple, green, and yellow colored sugar crystals.

If you decide to make a King Cake, I want to see pictures!! Feel free to email them to me at kacijohnson@live.com and it might just show up on the blog along with mine!

 

Enjoy!

-Kaci

 

26. Learn to make all of my household cleaning items from scratch

I have hit the mother load!!! I have been following Mountain Rose Herbs website for a couple of months now. They are a company that sell all organic products such as herbs, essential oils, aromatherapy oils, bulk organic herbs & spices, teas, and bulk items to make candles, lotions and such. They are also a waste free production company. How cool is that?

In the future I want to make my own candles, lotions, lip balm and so on... Clint is really going to be happy with me. They are on the list of things to do so I can show you how to do them too. This website I have heard is the creme de la creme of suppliers for this sort of thing. Once taking a gander for the first time, I was hooked. This website is amazing! There is so much information to learn about herbs and green living.

Now, as you know, one of the things on my "things" list was to make all of my cleaning products from scratch. So one day I open my email to Mountain Rose Herbs blog post and BAM! This is an excerpt from the blog:

"Have you made a New Year’s resolution yet? Well, we’ve got a really good one for you! This year, resolve to make your home sparkling clean - with the power of herbs!"

Are they reading my mind? Should I be worried about this? Do I need to make myself a foil helmet so they can't read my thoughts? I will pull the reins back just a tad and just tell myself that it is a coincidence.

Anyways, I'm sure they won't mind that I share their recipes for the cleaning products with you. I encourage you to go to their website and subscribe to their blog because there is a wealth of good information coming from this great company!

Super Surface Spray• 16 oz. spray bottle
• 14 oz. – 1:1 solution of distilled white vinegar and water
• 7 drops of tea tree essential oil• 7 drops of lavender essential oil• 7 drops of lemon essential oil

Use this aromatic and disinfecting solution for cleaning kitchen counters, cabinets, refrigerator shelves, blinds, painted wood surfaces, painted walls, molding, fan blades, and more.

Herby Soft Scrub
• 12 oz glass jar with lid
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup castille soap
• 15 drops of antimicrobial essential oils like rosemary and sage

Mix well until you have a nice consistency like cake frosting. If you have leftovers, add 1 tsp vegetable glycerin to keep the blend nice and moist.

Antibacterial Soap Spray
• 16 oz spray bottle
• 14 oz. water or rosemary hydrosol
• 3 tbsp castille soap• 15 drops of tea tree essential oil• 15 drops of oregano essential oil

Use this cleaning spray to disinfect your bathroom surfaces. You can use the Super Surface Spray to rinse away any residue left behind by the castille soap.

Refreshing Linen Spray
• 16 oz. spray bottle
• 3 oz. unflavored vodka
• 12 drops lavender, ylang ylang, peppermint, orange or your favorite smelling essential oil
• 12 oz. organic hydrosol of your choice

Spray to refresh your mattress, pillows, bed linens, couches, and fabric covered chairs, or spritz clean winter blankets before storing for the year. Also makes a wonderful ironing spray!

Natural Lemon Furniture Polish
• 16 oz spray bottle
• 1 cup olive oil
• 25 drops pure lemon essential oil
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• fill remainder of the bottle with purified water

Shake well before each use. Spray onto your rag or directly onto furniture. Buff dry immediately.

Tropical Carpet Deodorizer
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 10 drops of lemongrass essential oil  per cup
• 10 drops of sweet orange essential oil per cup
• 10 drops of ginger essential oil  per cup

Mix together and sprinkle the aromatic blend onto your carpet, let sit for 30 minutes, and vacuum as normal. Wonderful mattress deodorizer, too!

Lemony Wood Floor Mop Formula
• 20 oz. spray bottle
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 tsp. vegetable glycerin
• 20 drops lemon essential oil
• Water

Spray, mop as usual, and quickly buff dry to protect your floors. They will be glossy and clean with a lovely lemon scent!

Mop-It-Up Formula
• small glass bottle
• 1/4 cup castille soap• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 20 drops of tea tree essential oil• 20 drops of sweet orange essential oil

This is the perfect liquid cleaner for tile floors, vinyl, or linoleum.  Mix the solution with 2 gallons of hot water and mop away the dirt and grime.


Thank you Mountain Rose Herbs for this wonderful information!

Hope you enjoy all the goodies!
Love,
Kaci