The Country Belle

Orange Slices for Sweet Tea

2014-03-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

Southerners love their sweet tea. I am no exception. A few years ago, however, I decided to make some dietary changes when my homeopathic physician told me I needed to give up black tea. That was blasphemy, but I found a way around it with iced green tea that works for me. While I was making changes, I decided to swap out white granulated sugar, instead using half Stevia and half turbinado (raw, unprocessed) sugar. Today, I can't tell the difference from my old brew, and I have grown partial to this new, improved version of iced tea.

I have always loved lemon slices in my tea, but I happened upon a different idea one day when I had an overflow of oranges in my produce bin. Orange slices! They are delicious and sweet in tea, great if you're craving something on the sweeter side instead of the tangier, lemony side.

Y'all know I drink my lemon straight up anyway. I don't really need the extra slices in my water or tea glass.

Recently, I have been receiving loads of oranges in my produce co-op basket each week, so I have returned to using oranges for a bit.

A nice change. Give this a try. Now is a great time to find oranges at a good price in the grocery store.

Happy day to you!
TCB

Chili and Beans for a Cold Day

2014-02-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

One of my son's favorite foods is a pot of chili and beans. I'm happy to oblige him when the weather is cold. This past weekend, he traveled with his Boy Scout troop on a campout adventure and somewhere during that time away, I received a message that he would love chili when he made it home on Sunday afternoon. So, being a softie Mama, I made chili for him.

Here's his favorite recipe:

Chili & Beans

Ingredients

2 lb. ground beef or venison
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp. paprika
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 (32 oz.) carton of beef broth
24 oz. tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chiles, undrained

Brown beef/venison and onion in a large stockpot over medium heat. Drain grease and return all to pot.

Add dry spices - chili powder, cumin, red pepper, and paprika - and stir well.

Add tomato paste - stir well over the heat for about one minute until combined.

Add all the remaining ingredients. Bring them to a boil, then reduce temperature to simmer, cover pot, and cook for about 2 hours until thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to ensure contents don't dry out.

This is great with cornbread, oyster crackers, or corn chips (a favorite in my house). Grate sharp cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese and slice green onions as toppers.

Until next time,
TCB

How to Cook Collard Greens

2014-02-25T11:24:00.000-05:00

I think some ways of Southern cooking are a dying art. One of the dishes that often intimidates people is collard greens. What do you do with a vegetable with huge, green leaves that isn't salad-ready? Some may have tasted collard greens that are bitter, and it turned them off for good.

Cooking collard greens isn't difficult, and the result can always be delicious with the right mix of sour (vinegar) and sweet (sugar).

First, wash the leaves in cold, running water to get all the dirt and grit off of them. No need to dry them; you soon will be putting them in a pot with liquid.

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to gather:

2 1/2 - 3 lbs. collard greens

7-8 thick-cut bacon slices, sliced in half vertically and then chopped into smaller pieces

1/2-3/4 lb. chopped ham (I use packaged diced ham)

2 small sweet onions, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 to 3 (32 oz.) containers of low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2-3/4 tsp. pepper

First, choose 8-10 collard green leaves. Stack them and roll them. Slice the roll so you end up with "strips" of greens. Discard the toughest end stalks, but don't worry about leaving some of the smaller pieces of stalk with the leaves. They will soften when cooking. Continue this process until you have chopped all the greens.

Next, cook bacon pieces in a large stockpot over medium heat until almost done. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and ham bits and cook for another minute.

Stir in all the remaining ingredients. At first, the greens may seem to overflow the pot. Give them a few minutes and they will wilt and fit easily into the pot.

Cook them for about 2 hours. Enjoy!

Greens are great with pork tenderloin or squash casserole (plus more sides than I can list!).

Love,

TCB

Pork Tenderloin

Country Squash Casserole

The South is not Made for Snow (and Neither are its Inhabitants)

2014-02-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had a 3-inch snow in South Carolina. If you're from the Northeast or Midwest, please stop snickering now. The South shuts down when it snows. We like it that way. No work. No school. No snowplows. Get the picture?

Happy really loved the beautiful snowfall. Can you see her?

It's a good thing her tongue is pink.

One snowfall per winter is a tremendous accomplishment for South Carolina. We actually only achieve it every 8.2 years. Or something like that.

Two weeks later, the sky is at it again.

This was yesterday. A layer of ice, overlaid with a couple of inches of snow.

But today - Let's just say we are quaking in our boots around this house. We're preparing for a full onslaught of ice, "The biggest ice storm in a decade," the meteorologists say. I say, bring on the flashlights, generator, and bathtub full of water. I was in this very house a decade ago when the last ice storm hit. Even I was disgusted by my 4-day-old yoga pants and showerless aroma. Ever slept in mittens, a ski jacket, and a wool ski hat?

This year, I have a full-fledged Boy Scout living under my roof. No, he won't save me from power outages, but I have been rooting through his footlocker of heavy duty sleeping bags, headlamps, lanterns, and MREs.

Happy is exhausted just thinking about it.

(What? Never seen a dog play with a rubber chicken?)

Fingers crossed. Power on.

See you soon.
Love,
TCB

Dogs Love Snow Ice Cream, Too

2014-02-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

A snow day in the South is something special. We had one a week ago. It was our first snow in three years.

The little man in our house enjoyed snow ice cream.

Happy did, too.

But apparently only slightly less than she enjoyed running in the weird, cold, white stuff.

She slept for hours later.

It's all gone now. Only took 2 days - the beauty of the South. Now we are looking forward to spring planting! We're crazy that way.

Love,
TCB

Country Squash Casserole

2014-01-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

Vegetables are usually the healthiest addition to the supper menu at our house. Roasted or steamed and seasoned, they help balance out a Southern meal. Sometimes, I like to get a little crazy with our vegetable sides and make them into a casserole like the main course. It's a trick most Southern mama-cooks have developed.

Here's a recipe to get you started. Squash is delicious homegrown in the summer, but what you can buy in the store now tastes just as delicious in this easy casserole side dish.

Country Squash Casserole

Ingredients:
2 c. cooked yellow squash
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. bread crumbs
1 tsp. sea salt
pepper to taste

This one is simple, y'all. Wash, slice, and boil the squash in a small boiler until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Mash the squash with a potato masher.

Add all the remaining ingredients.

Mix well and pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the casserole begins to brown around the edges and slightly on top.

This is one way you may be able to convince your little ones (or larger, picky ones) to give squash a try.

Happy day!
TCB

Keeping Chickens Warm

2014-01-22T06:30:00.000-05:00

Even though we live in the South, there is occasionally a stretch of winter days where the weather is unseasonably cold. When it falls to the 20s and below, I turn on the heat lamp in the chicken coop. If you have added backyard chickens to your home site and you live in the South, you may not have given much thought about how to keep chickens warm. After all, it's rarely cold enough to worry about the lower temps. In the spirit of sharing information, I've rounded up some good articles on maintaining chickens in the colder days of winter. I hope you learn something new from them.

Caring for Chickens in Winter

Keeping Chickens Healthy in Cold Weather

Winter Care for Chickens

Happy Roosting during this cold snap!

Love,
TCB

Related Articles:
A Real Organic Egg
Double-Yolk Egg
Strangers in my Backyard

Cookie Time

2014-01-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

When you want a cookie, you are willing to do whatever it takes to score the reward.

Hug it out.

Perform tricks for treats.

Happy Hump Day!

Love,
TCB

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

2013-12-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

I just quickly peeked at the page views on The Country Belle blog, and I see you all like to learn about new recipes as much as I like cooking them. My recipes veer 180 degrees from each other. They either fall into the delectable Southern put-some-meat-on-my-bones dishes or healthy remove-the-fat-from-my-rumpus recipes. The following recipe falls into the first category, but when you taste it, you'll want to slap your mama. (Not really. DO NOT tell your mama The Country Belle said to slap her.)

This recipe came from my mother-in-law, which she posted in a church cookbook. Do you own a Southern church ladies' cookbook? I think maybe I own 30 by now. If you don't have one, go get yourself one immediately. They contain some of the finest Southern cooking around.

I've just put together a progressive photo montage of the recipe. See how better it looks with each photo?

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients:
2 onions, chopped
1 med green bell pepper, chopped
2 1/2 lbs. of ground beef
2 cans tomato soup
1 jar stuffed olives
1 lb. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. thin spaghetti, cooked
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

Brown the onions and pepper in olive oil in a medium-hot, large non-stick skillet. Add ground beef, salt, and pepper and cook until meat is browned. Drain. Add tomato soup, 2 soup cans of water, and olive juice to the skillet. (If you enjoy olives, you can slice them and add to the sauce at this point. My family is totally adverse to olives, but adding the juice is a necessity for great flavor). Simmer until the mixture thickens, about 30-35 minutes. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti according to package directions and drain. Put it in the bottom of two greased 13x9 inch casserole dishes (or one larger casserole dish). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Next, turn off the heat under the skillet and add the Worcestershire sauce and cheese. Stir until it melts. Divide the meat sauce evenly between the two casserole dishes, layering it over the spaghetti. Top each casserole with a can of cream of mushroom soup. (Hint: Stir the soup in the can until it is easily spreadable over the meat sauce). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

If you want to save a casserole for the future, you can freeze or refrigerate it before you add the mushroom soup. Bring it to room temperature and add the mushroom soup right before baking.

Baked spaghetti casserole is great for the holidays when you have a big crowd coming to your house to eat.

Merry Christmas!
TCB

Double-Yolk Egg

2013-12-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how large my hens' organic eggs are compared to those I've purchased in the store labeled "large." But sometimes the size changes.

Recently, we added three new hens to the flock. They were only 4 months old when we brought them back to our coop from the breeder, so we knew it would be a few weeks before they could lay eggs. Most hens start laying about 6 months old, and we prefer to purchase them when they are close to that age instead of when they are still in the fragile chick stage of life. This week was the first time any of them laid an egg, and as you can see, it sometimes takes a while for their systems to kick into production mode.

See how little one of the new chicken's eggs is on the left? The one on the right is a little larger, but not nearly as big as the older hens' eggs. That will change in time, I feel sure, as it did with the original hens' production.

Most mornings, I eat eggs for breakfast. I thought I'd crack open both of these this morning since one was so tiny. But no need. See what I found in the larger egg?

Twins!

First time I have ever seen this. Have you?

Happy Day!
TCB

No Childish Antics: Leave Christ in the Story

2013-12-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I wrote a devotional for my church's Advent devotion book. Since I had a four-year-old son at the time (and he had a closely competitive four-year-old cousin), I had the perfect, true story to use as background for my writing. A relative reminded me of the story during a recent gathering, so I thought I'd share the Christmas story with you:

Leave Christ in the Story

It has become a Christmas Eve tradition to read the story of Jesus’ birth at our annual family gathering. Since we had two energetic four-year-old boys at last year’s celebration, I decided to tweak our tradition a bit and read the Christmas story from a preschool book. This was a special book to the boys; it was a lift-the-flap book. As many of you know who have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews of your own, lift-a-flap stories and the surprises that await little fingers under the flap are extra special.

We made our way through several pages of the book, each boy taking a turn lifting a flap to reveal the angel Gabriel and animals in the stable. When we got to the flap that lifted to reveal the baby Jesus in the manger, a small tussle broke out between the two boys vying to see who could lift this flap. In the struggle, they both grasped the baby Jesus cutout and ripped him right from Mary’s arms! How ironic. Inadvertently, these boys had removed baby Jesus entirely from the “Christmas Story.”

Oops

How many times have we done the same thing during this most festive time of year? In our mad rush to buy gifts for others and juggle our schedules to attend every Christmas party, we often rip God’s real gift to us right out of our celebrations. Let us remember Jesus’ words in John 10:28 – “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” And that is the most wonderful gift of all. We must be ever careful to leave God’s precious gift to us in all of our holiday celebrations.

With love,

TCB

Happy's Shaming Day

2013-12-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about the new book (and website) Dog Shaming?

Since we have sooooooo many shameful days around The Country Belle's house (comes with animal territory), I thought I'd share just one mugshot today.

I keep telling her it's gross and she should stop.

I forbid her to kiss me anymore.

Happy day!

Love,
TCB

Southern Cornbread Dressing

2013-11-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I have pulled together Mama's recipe for cornbread dressing. Since I am not making it for this year's family feast, I do not have photographs. But what you need to know is that this is not some hoity-toity stuffing with apples and walnuts and such and such. It is simply Southern cornbread dressing with lots of sage, and it is divine.

Mama's Southern Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients:
2 pones* of cornbread** (made a day earlier), crumbled
Stick of butter
1 onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped (optional)
one can of cream of chicken soup
chicken broth or chicken stock
pepper (to taste)
2-3 Tbsp. dried sage

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the onions and celery until soft and translucent.

Put the crumbled cornbread in a large mixing bowl and add the cooked onion mixture, sage, pepper, cream of chicken soup, and enough chicken stock to give it the consistency of the uncooked cornbread you prepared a day earlier (sort of like a lumpy cake mix). You don't want it too runny, but it shouldn't be super thick either.

Pour the dressing into a 9x13 pan and bake it for 40-45 minutes or until it begins to brown and is no longer "jiggly" in the middle (use a knife to check).

This is excellent with your choice of gravy and cranberry sauce or relish.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

TCB

* If you're not Southern and the word "pone" is freaking you out, fear not. It simply means a "loaf" of cornbread.

**If you don't have your own cornbread recipe, see this post for mine.

Composting

2013-11-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

I am thankful I am able to waste less.

I started composting a couple of years ago, and it has enabled me to keep many food and paper items out of the trash can and ultimately out of the landfill.

Here's one day's worth of compost material. If I'm throwing it away, and it's not right for the chickens to eat, it makes wonderful compost after a few months for my vegetable and flower beds.

By living in the country and having a little space to move around, I feel I must compost to be responsible to Mother Earth. Composting doesn't take much space, and you can compost even in a small backyard. With the right mix of materials, there should be no odor at all. I talk about the proper ratio in this previous post.

Think outside vegetable and fruit peels. Used tea bags and coffee grounds (including the paper filters) make good additions to a compost bin. Flowering shrubs such as azaleas and camellias love the acidity they add to the soil when fully decomposed.

Composting always sounded so difficult to me before, but I have found it is an easy way to live "greenly" and improve my flower beds at the same time. And since it's November, it almost time to rake all the dried leaves from the ground and add them to the bin. By spring, it will all turn into black magic.

Hope you are inspired to do your part, too. It's a cinch!

Love,
TCB

Winter is Ideal for Composting

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

2013-11-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

As you may remember, I'm writing about thankfulness in every post this month. I am thankful for so many blessings, but today I'm writing about a food item that I was not thankful for at all when I was a child.

I wished Brussels sprouts would disappear from the earth. My mother used to make me eat them, and I would choke two down at the beginning of the supper meal at which they were served so I could enjoy the rest of my food in peace. My dear brother, Mark, however, would try to hide them. There was the napkin trick and the beneath-the-mashed-potatoes trick. We didn't have a dog inside to snatch the detestable food from his hand, so he had to make the best use of his criminal mind using leftover food and dishes on the supper table.

I was never thankful for Brussels sprouts. It wasn't your cooking, Mom, they just tasted nasty to a 10-year-old's taste buds.

Wouldn't you know last week in my produce co-op basket was a pretty little crop of Brussels sprouts? My son said, "Yea! Brussels sprouts," and I will admit I looked at my precious bundle like he had two heads. I decided right then and there I would find a way to cook them so I could somewhat enjoy them. Wasting is not allowed!

So here's what I tried. I must say, particularly because it is the month of thankfulness, I am grateful for this new recipe that may be the beginning of my new relationship with Brussels sprouts.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

fresh Brussels sprouts heads (about 2 cups)
sea salt
black pepper
olive oil
4 slices of bacon, diced
balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. (After all, who wants to wash a mess of a pan later?) Toss the Brussels sprouts with enough olive oil to coat them and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the diced bacon. It will look like this.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the sprouts are beginning to turn golden brown, stirring them every 10 minutes during the cooking process.

When you remove them from the oven, sprinkle lightly with balsamic vinegar. The finished dish will look like this.

I may actually smile if Brussels sprouts show up in my produce co-op basket again this week.

Watch out, Mark! I may be bringing this dish for Thanksgiving dinner, and there will be no mashed potatoes serving as handy hiding places.

Love,
TCB

Flyday Dieting

2013-11-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for Happy.

Even if a diet is in order. She has traded chew bones for celery so she can eat lots on Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Flyday!

Love,
TCB

In Gratitude

2013-11-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

One of the themes of my blog is living life simply. In order to live simply, I believe it's necessary to live gratefully. Gratefulness makes you joyful for what you have, regardless of how simple or inconsequential that particular thing may seem to the outside world.

I hope I live gratefully every day, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to focus this month on just a handful of people and things for which I'm grateful.

This first one is a given:

My immediate family (fish not included). I'm thankful for the fish, but they're not part of my immediate family. Oh, forget it. Just know I am thankful each day for each family member, even those not pictured above.

I'm also thankful for something I've had a very long time:

This Bible is my favorite for a couple of reasons. First, it was the only thing I got from my grandfather's house when he passed away. I was 10 years old, and this has been a treasured Bible since then. On the intro page, my grandfather's name is written, followed by my (maiden) name underneath. He never wrote in it, but I could tell it had been well used. It looks a little shabby now, and I have written and highlighted all over it. I loved it when I was 10 because I could understand its story-like conversational tone when I couldn't make heads or tails of what King James meant. Now, I love it because it helps my son understand the Word a little better than other translations.

I would love to hear what you're most thankful for in the Comments section below.

In gratefulness,
TCB

Halloween Hunting

2013-10-31T08:34:00.002-04:00

Hunting Dog. Ready for trick-or-treatin'.

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Love,

TCB

My New Best Friend is a Vacuum

2013-10-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

Happy brings happiness into our lives...

... and LOTS of hair.

I could vacuum every day and still have white hair covering the floor. Therein lies the problem: if vacuuming were quick and easy, I would do it every day and everything would be a little less hairy. But draping the vacuum hose over my arm to bring it downstairs every day along with the attachments is too much work. Even though I have a central vacuum system, the hose takes up too much space to have one upstairs and downstairs, so I "share" between floors. Which means vacuuming downstairs - where the dog lives - is burdensome enough that I don't want it to be an everyday task.

So here's my savior:

A super small and lightweight stick vacuum - with removable handheld vacuum - for the first floor. Plugged into the wall, this Electrolux Ergorapido is so light I can vacuum with one hand. It swivels around so I can reach in all sorts of (hairy) places and makes my chores so much faster. Now I can bring out the big guns once per week and use this quick, "lick and a promise" solution daily.

The instructions say it should "only be used by adults." Bologna. Hogwash. Nonsense. It fits perfectly into the hand of my 11-year-old.

Perfectomundo!

I'd highly recommend this product.*

Love,
TCB

*No one paid me anything to say this. That's too bad.

Country Life

2013-10-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

We love living in a rural setting, but it's not always glamorous. Having a piece of land means a few extra chores have to be done outside when you'd rather be chillin' inside (like you might be able to living in a condo!). Hmmmm......

Time to spray some caterpillars who have tented in the trees before they emerge and eat ALL my flowers.

If you want a tree chopped and moved out of the way and you're not old enough to operate a chainsaw, here's how to get it done.

Sometimes you need to burn stuff. Not everyone calls this work.

Even with all the extra work, we wouldn't trade it for anything.

This weekend, I'm determined to do the final trimming of all the landscape plants and bushes around the house. Wish me luck. My sore arms will need it.

Love,
TCB

Iced Vanilla Lattes - The Champion Mom's Drink

2013-10-22T06:30:00.000-04:00

I love my iced coffee, but I don't always love the steep price tag associated with purchasing one at a coffee shop. Plus, as y'all know, I'm not really that close to a coffee shop that I can run out for a morning latte. It's too far and takes too much time. Plus, school lessons await. Hungry chickens are cackling. A hungry dog is begging. A *starving* cat is scratching furiously at the garage door. My writing assignments for clients are calling me for some personal one-on-one time.

So I have learned to make my own version of an iced vanilla latte - only healthier. This one uses a natural, organic sweetener and is dairy-free. I have read about and used lots of others' recipes for iced lattes, but some of the ingredients - while super friendly to my taste buds - were not so friendly to my waist line. So here's my "healthy" latte for a real kick in the morning. I like to make it in a Tervis tumbler with a lid and built-in straw. No sweat rings on my table, y'all, and the ice lasts as long as I want to nurse my drink.

Homemade Iced Vanilla Latte

7-8 oz. of cold brewed coffee*
splash of almond-coconut milk
unsweetened vanilla almond milk
organic raw honey
sugar-free vanilla syrup
ice cubes

Put a heaping tablespoon (or an amount to your liking) of organic raw honey in a 16-oz. cup.

Since organic raw honey is solid at room temperature, I pop the cup into the microwave for 10 seconds to melt it.

Add a tablespoon of sugar-free vanilla syrup. I found mine at Sam's Club.

Fill up the cup about halfway with cold brewed coffee. I have jars of cold-brewed coffee just waiting in my refrigerator.

Stir the honey to dissolve into the coffee. Add a heaping dose of ice cubes, then a splash of almond-coconut milk.

Fill up the remainder of the glass with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

You are finished!

Now I can tackle math class! Or write like nobody's business!

Love,
TCB

* I use a very large, commercial-grade stainless steel mixing bowl and pour in a full bag of ground coffee, your brand of choice. I enjoy using the "donut store" coffee. Then I add 32 cups of cold water, mix, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit on the counter about 12-16 hours to cold brew. Next, I pour it into mason jars with lids and store in the refrigerator (as long as three weeks) until I need it for lattes.

What I'm Reading Now

2013-10-17T06:30:00.000-04:00

From time to time and when the mood hits me, I write about what I'm reading. I do it for no reason in particular, mostly because I like to see what others are reading and I'm assuming I'm not much different from everyone else. Maybe they want to see what I'm reading, in case it's something they want to check out also.

1. My Delicious Life with Paula Deen. Told through her husband's vantage point, the book provides a glimpse into Michael Groover's courtship with Paula, with some pretty darn good recipes from his files thrown in as a bonus.

2. The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. Good reading for a parent with children of any age. It's the third time I've read it. I'm reading it again because of the next book on the list.

3. How to Talk Confidently with Your Child about Sex. Do I have to do this? Bring me Stormie Omartian's book to get me through it.

Happy reading.

Love,
TCB

What I'm Reading in May
What I'm Reading in September

Homeschool Freebie in South Carolina

2013-10-16T06:30:00.000-04:00

Here's something I found out when I took my son to see the natural history, science, and other historical exhibits at the SC State Museum.

It's free to both homeschool educators and homeschool students! I had no idea. I just had to show a teacher i.d., which I fulfilled with my HSLDA card (or SCHEA card would work, too).

Super cool! Thought I'd pass it along to those in our state who, like me, are in the dark.

Love,
TCB

Flyday Relaxation

2013-10-11T14:54:00.003-04:00

It's Friday, friends!

Stretch out and relax.

Love,
TCB

Here's a REAL Organic Egg

2013-10-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

Here's my organic, home-fed chicken egg on the left, and the grocery store's "organic, vegetarian-fed" chicken egg on the right.

My egg can beat up your egg. Just sayin'.

Is that like birthing a baby with a big head?

Nothing can beat homegrown with a little love.

Love,
TCB

The Country Belle

Orange Slices for Sweet Tea

Chili and Beans for a Cold Day

Chili & Beans

Ingredients

How to Cook Collard Greens

The South is not Made for Snow (and Neither are its Inhabitants)

Dogs Love Snow Ice Cream, Too

Country Squash Casserole

Country Squash Casserole

Keeping Chickens Warm

Cookie Time

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

Double-Yolk Egg

No Childish Antics: Leave Christ in the Story

Happy's Shaming Day

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Mama's Southern Cornbread Dressing

Composting

Related Posts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Related Thanksgiving food posts:

Flyday Dieting

In Gratitude

Halloween Hunting

My New Best Friend is a Vacuum

Country Life

Iced Vanilla Lattes - The Champion Mom's Drink

Homemade Iced Vanilla Latte

What I'm Reading Now

Related Posts:

Homeschool Freebie in South Carolina

Flyday Relaxation

Here's a REAL Organic Egg