I Am My Cowboy's Sweetheart!

I almost didn't post this. While I was writing I quit editing for public consumption and just let my heart spill onto the page. It became a love letter to my Cowboy.
I spent the last week trying to figure out if I should edit it (and what parts get cut?) Or write something completely different for a V-day post. But then I got thinking, when Cowboy and I were courting I said so many times how I wanted to shout from the rooftops how much I loved him! Well, here's my chance, I'm taking it!
Cowboy, I LOVE YOU!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAYwYscqXJQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I AM My Cowboy's Sweetheart
Ever hear the song I WANNA BE A COWBOY'S SWEETHEART? Its a song that I've loved since I first heard it and you know something? In a lot of ways it (and many other daydreams) has come true for me!

First off, I have my Cowboy!
I haven't learned to rope yet. I keep telling Cowboy that he has to teach me before Bubba learns to walk
I do ride, and Cowboy is teaching me to be a better rider (when we have time to play with the horses)
I've ridden through the plains of Saskatchewan, but I have yet to see a desert.
I love hearing the coyotes and watching the sunset, GOD is an amazing artist!
I AM My Cowboy's sweetheart and it's the life I love the best!

There's nothing like the feeling of flying on a horse's back! Camping out under the stars....
Mmm yeah definitely my kind of good time!

And yknow, there's more than the song lyrics. There's my dream of living on a ranch (check) raising my children (one so far) but most importantly having a GODly man as my husband.
Its hard to believe how many things that were on my "wishlist" that GOD supplied and surpassed!
I wanted a Christian first and foremost (check)
A man who was both strong and gentle (check)
A man who loved children (check)
A man who loved animals (and could he please be a Cowboy? (Surpassed!)
A man strong enough to be the leader of our home, while still allowing me to be his partner (check)
Boy it'd be nice if he played guitar... (wish fulfilled!)
...and maybe sing? (Yup!)
YOU wouldn't let him be tall and good looking ...would you? (Yes again!)

I LOVE YOU COWBOY!!!

Things To Thrill A Mother's Heart

-seeing my son reach out to hold his Daddy's hand
- how Bubba's face lights up when Cowboy walks in the door
- hearing laughter of Daddy and son while I fix dinner.
- watching Bubba do everything he can to get to his Dad, because after all, unless he's hungry Daddy is his favorite person!
- seeing the look on my husband's face as he watches his firstborn child. It makes me so grateful that GOD allowed me to be a part of giving Cowboy this gift! I love being a mother, and someday I hope we have a daughter but there's something special about a man having a son. Maybe its old fashioned, but we're an old fashioned kind of couple.

Don't Throw Out That Pot Of Rice!

So the other night I was making rice to go with some stirfried veggies I was making. I got distracted and let the rice go dry and burn. You shoulda seen Cowboy's face when I took that pot of rice and dropped it in a sink of cold water!
You see when I was young I listened multiple times to my mom pass on a trick SHE learned from a veteran missionary wife! Drop that entire pot of rice into cold water and it stops the rice that hasn't burnt yet from cooking (burning) further and rescues the rice (and the cook!)

Since I hate waiting for rice to cook, and I tend to get distracted easily, I'm VERY glad for this trick! I hope it helps you!

Cooking Radishes?

They say you learn something new every day, well I learned something new today!
I bought radishes to use in salads. Well I used the other salad ingredients and still had several radishes left. I didn't know what to do with them as I'm not fond of radishes on their own. Cowboy suggested stirfrying them, I'd never heard of cooking radishes but Cowboy generally has good advice wherever he gives it!
So I did some googling for recipes and found this blog : http://www.cleancuisineandmore.com/how-to-cook-radishes/
Now I can't say I exactly FOLLOWED her recipe... more used it as a suggestion.
I sliced the radishes and threw them in the pan with peanut oil. I added some minced garlic, chopped an onion and fried it all up. Once the radishes and onions were soft I added the rice and corn that I had cooked separately. (I find the rice tastes better if I cook veggies with it)

If I do this again I probably would pepper it a bit, maybe use Olive oil rather than peanut maybe play with spices a bit as the radishes cook down to more of a sweet taste than anything.

Dirty Cast Iron Pans + Eggshells = ....

For some reason I have extra energy this afternoon and Bubba is content to sit in his chair and watch so I'm taking advantage of it! I've got bread baking, beans cooking, my dishes are (almost) caught up and I'm gonna spend some time shining my cast iron pans!
Those of you who follow me on Facebook might remember me posting this photo a few years back but I thought I'd share it again with complete instructions. This is one of my favorite LifeHacks, I do most of my cooking with Cast Iron and if you know many people who use cast iron you'll know we don't like to use soap unless absolutely necessary, as soap would remove the "cure" on the pan.
So that means we need to get creative with our cleaning! This is the easiest way I've found to clean my pans.

I save my eggshells; first I wash the eggwhite off under the tap, sometimes I strip the membrane from the inside of the shell sometimes I don't, the only difference it makes is that the shell is more fragile without it. If you're going to store the shells for future use make sure they're completely dry (I may or may not have had to throw away moldy egg shells that weren't dried properly) if you're using them right away just dry them for an hour or so, until they're not sticky.

Scrape as much gunk out of the pan as possible, just like you would for normal washing. Put enough hot water in the pan to cover the bottom. Take 1 to 2 complete shells and crush them in the pan. Take your wet rag or sponge, capture some of the shell and use it to scrub the pan.
Once the pan is satisfactorily cleaned, toss the shells, rinse and dry the pan and give it a light coating of oil and you're done!

What's your favorite kitchen cleaning tip?

Catchin Fillies

Catchin Fillies
A poem by My Cowboy, back in 2009
Find Cowboy on Twitter @Cowboy_America
Art by Tim Cox

Catchin Fillies

I had an epiphany as I woke to the morning sun,
I know now what it is that's stealin all my fun.
Twernt an ornery mustang, or rope that quit laying right,
Its durn chasin fillies what's been keeping me up at night.

Oh it ain't that I can't find'm, or git'm out on the town,
Its teachin'm to ground tie that always leaves me with a frown.
Now I knowed some shiny fillies,
What trotted with their tail in air,
But caint find one I'd trust with the herd,
and that would always treat me fair.

Like catching good horses, I'd say its about the game,
Now that I understand this deal, I only have me to blame.
You caint go runnin at their head, with loop that they can hear and see,
You gotta stand in the middle of the pen,
And say "easy now, come here to me"

Soon they quit trottin the rail, and lookin out over the fence,
They break'r down in a walk, then stop; and look at you intense.
Standin with lead in plain sight, they'll mosey over your way.
Cause somewhere in'atwixt them ears they need ya at tha end of the day.

If ya go easy, with a slow and gentle hand,
Somehow inside they know; you're their man,
They'll come close enough to smell your breath, and look you in the eye,
And if that first touch is done correct,
They'll be with you til they die.

What's the moral of the story, what is it I'm really tryin to advance,
Well it ain't the loop you throw that gets' m caught, somehow its the stance!!!

*Copyright 2009 Flyin W Productions All Rights Reserved*

My Brush Is Like New!

Wow! I had given up on finding a way to get the lint off the bristles of my brush but decided to Google it again because who wants to spend an hour picking lint off Each. Individual. Bristle. ? LOL
Well I found this hack on a few webpages and decided to try their trick and to my surprise, it worked!

Remove hair from your brush. Fill you bathroom sink half full with hot water, add a squirt of shampoo and some white vinegar. Stir that up and drop the brush in to soak for 15 minutes or so. Scrub with a nail brush or other long bristled brush. Rinse brush and leave upside down on a clean towel to dry.

Guess it just goes to show, never give up on finding a Life Hack for your current chore!

What are some of your favorite #LifeHacks?