Creations of a Country-Farm Girl

It's that time for the hummingbird's return to Northern Michigan. I had one swarming around my red plant in the window, so I mixed up a batch of nectar. It's much cheaper that buying pre-made stuff in the store and it doesn't require much to make it! Ingredients: 1/4 cup white sugar 2 cups water Directions: Bring water to a boil in a covered pot. Remove from heat, add sugar and stir to dissolve completely. Allow time to cool completely before adding it to your feeder. If you add it when it's too hot, you may melt your feeder!

My sister works for a guy who's sister races barrel horses. Well this morning one gave birth to a Cremello colt. She called to tell me about it and mentioned taking a photo of my daughter with the new baby. That was all she had to say! We went over in and instant! We took some time petting and talking to Mama horse so she would feel comfortable with us. And this is what we captured! He was only a couple hours old and if we would waited until he was much older, we may not have gotten any photos. This was a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity and my daughter and I will cherish this forever! Her bedroom is cowgirl themed, so this will match perfectly. We also got one of Mama and baby horse with Auntie and my daughter.

Once again, it’s that time of the year again… Time to make a homemade Christmas gift for our annual exchange! My family is ‘outdoorsy’ and the gift needs to remain gender neutral. After looking through the internet for ideas, I decided on two things I could pair together. Today I decided to tackle the first project… Bottle cap coasters. Materials (for one coaster): 9 Bottle Caps 6 Eye pins Hammer Nail Board Black Felt             I purchased a package of 315 eye pins from Wal-Mart for $4 and 9”x12” sheet of black felt from Michaels for 30 cents. One sheet fit 6 coasters with a little left over.                                Directions: 1.        Collect 9 bottle caps you want to use in your coaster. And arrange as you...

This is what I decided to pair with my bottle cap coasters. It fit the theme and seemed simple to make. Materials: Empty whiskey bottle (I used the smallest half-pint size) Soap dispenser                                  Liquid yellow soap            Clear spray paint Double sided tape Scrap paper     I’m not a whiskey drinker and don’t know anyone who is… So I bought the whiskey, emptied it into another container so others could enjoy it on Christmas day! But if you know someone who has the bottle already, it will help save on cost. The dispenser is actually a shampoo dispenser that I got from Sally Beauty Supply for $2.00.   I bought the big 40oz bottle of soap for $3.00 so I could use the left over in my soap dispensers at home....

This year the other side of my family also decided to do a gender neutral homemade gift exchange. The pressure is on!! I was unable to make it to the Christmas celebration last year, so this would be my first year participating. This side of the family made a lot of baked goods and smaller type gift items, so it’s not quite as high pressure as the other side of my family. I decide to make these glitter covered clothes pins that could be used as chip clips. Materials: Clothes pins                                        $1.00 Glitter                                             ...

Every Christmas I get numerous Christmas cards from family and friends. They are nice and thoughtful, but every year I don’t know what to do with them. It is impossible to save them all, but it is also such a waste to throw them away. So I give them new life by creating them into gift tags! They are very simple or you can make them more detailed, depending on how crafty you want to get! It’s a good project for the kids too.   Materials:   Old Christmas cards Scissors Stencils (I use cookie cutters) Glue stick (Optional) Colored paper (Optional) Ribbon (Optional) Hole punch (Optional) Directions: 1.        Start by spitting the cards in half. Remove the part with the writing and throw away (or recycle!) 2.        Choose what design you want from the picture of the card. Some cards have definite pictures with lines you can simply cut and follow and others may have options for more...

My daughter had her first photo session today, courtesy of her Aunt Megan :) It took longer than planned but I love how they turned out!

I decided to try and make my own laundry soap. There are so many different recipes out there; it took me a while to decide on one. I chose this one for the fact is that it is powder, so it takes up less room and seemed easier to make than a liquid version. This version also claims to last a year, so saving time is also a great perk. All the ingredients can be purchased at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle, but you can also find these things at most any grocery store. Listed are the size and price of each item. Ingredients: 1 box (3lb, 7oz) Super Washing Soda        $3.29 1 box (4lb, 12oz) Borax powder                  $3.49 1 box (4lb) Pure Baking Soda                       $2.24 1 jar (1.3lb) OxyClean           ...

Today my husband and I are getting maternity pictures taken. I am 28 weeks along in the pregnancy and expecting a little baby girl (Who's name is being kept a secret!) I am very excited to be shooting with this new photographer and can't wait to post some pictures from our session! Here are a few of the photos taken by KK Photography in Cuba City, WI.  

So I decided to do a little cooking instead of crafting... This recipe was made on the fly when goulash was on the menu, but forgot the hamburger. It's since become a family favorite!     Ingredients: 1 - 8oz block of cheddar cheese (Any maybe used, but cheddar works best) 1 - 16oz box of macaroni (Or any other pasta of your choice) 1 - 46oz can of tomato juice Onion powder Garlic salt Directions: Cook pasta al dente to package directions; drain. Add tomato juice (You may not use it all, depending on how 'soupy' you want it) Cube cheese and add to pot. Heat mixture over low heat. Add onion powder and garlic salt to  taste. You may use minced onion or garlic as well. Heat until cheese is melted and serve. Enjoy! It's very quick and easy!

Each year for Christmas, my family does a 'homemade' gift exchange. It's a lot of fun, but it can also be a challenge. The gift must be gender neutral, which usually isn't a problem. The issue is that I am from a family of builders and construction workers, so I have to compete with my uncles making mailboxes, bird houses, shelves and other such awesome gifts! So I put my brain to work (with the help of pinterest!) We all share a common interest of the outdoors and everyone has the same last name, as Grandma had 6 boys and I am the only married girl grandchild. So this is what I came up with... This is not the 'Final' picture as I forgot to take one! The only major change was that I trimmed the tafata even with the top of the E. It was easy and simple and I thought it looked good. Well my family loved it and I got many compliments! My Grandma was the one who ended up with it and it was hanging on her door the next day! :) Here is what I used: Wreath $5...

I love the holiday! I was unable to go out this year and participate in the festivities,  so I thought I would share a picture of Halloween past... This is my Mom and Sister as 'Assault & Battery' The idea actually came from my classmate and mom put the idea into action. Did I mention she is good at what she does?? :) They won 2nd place in the contest they entered.

One of our chickens laid her first egg! Broken and in the feed dish, they will learn eventually... Let the egg laying begin!

I tried a new recipe tonight... Broccoli Chicken Casserole 5 Tablespoons Butter 1 Onion, diced 1 20oz Package frozen broccoli, thawed 10 3/4oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 Whole rotisserie chicken, shredded 2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 cup milk Salt and Pepper 1 6oz Package Stove-Top stuffing Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of dish with 3 tablespoons of butter. In a large bowl beat milk and soup, combine onion, broccoli, chicken, 1 cup cheese, garlic and 1/2 package stuffing. Spread into dish. Melt remaining butter over remaining stuffing, mix and then spread on top of casserole. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese prior to removing from oven.

While shopping at Easter this spring, my husband talked me in to buying some baby chicks. I am not a chicken person, especially roosters. But the thought of raising our own eggs and having garden fertilizer appealed to me. So we got 6 hens and a rooster. We had an old chicken coop on the farm, however the nesting boxes were not in it. After looking at how much they cost (approximately $25 and up depending on how elaborate you want to get) I decided to put my shop skills to use and make my own. I looked at a few different plans online and decided on this one because of the low cost and we had the materials on hand. Materials: 5 gallon bucket with snap on lid Drill Utility knife Drywall screws 2x4’s 2x6’s Directions: I used a bucket that contained drywall plaster; it’s a little shorter than a regular 5 gallon bucket and they fit in our coop better. It was clean and had a good fitting lid. I removed the handle and lid first. I then cut one lid so approximately 1/3 r...

Has anyone ever been to a NASCAR race when it is blazing hot in the stands? Yeah me too. Often I would bring a bathing suit top to wear and keep cool. Well I decided to make one that also supported my favorite driver, Denny Hamlin #11. This could be done with most any bathing suit top, mine just happened to be on clearance for $1! He drives the Fed Ex car and the colors are black, purple and orange. So I also purchased black and purple ribbon, along with a lanyard with his name and number on it. My top also had multi colored beads. I used black and purple nail polish to paint these beads. Unless your top has these, you don’t need to do this. Materials I used: Swim suit top                      Ribbon                               ...