corn nuggets, snow, Irish Terriers

I'm baking corn nuggets for Sunday's PDGA [Dairy Goat Assoc in western NC] meeting at Spinning Spider.
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn drained
1/2 c sour cream
1 box of cornbread Jiffy mix
1 stick melted butter
2 beaten eggs (fresh from the girls)

350 degrees in a mini muffin pan for 45 minutes,
makes 2 batches

Blissi, our (spayed) female Irish Terrier.
Presently, 21 degrees outside, snowing sideways
because the cold winds are strong.
Looking out towards our driveway/goat path.

Brawn, our male (neutered) Irish Terrier.
The unfinished sunroom/ is a
propane-heated and air-conditioned doghouse,
complete with a doggie door to a fenced area
because you can't trust terriers around poultry and goats.

some goat pics

daughter and mother, Gabbi and SweetPea

daughter and mother, MariGold and Tulip

the backends of the bucks

pied guinea's

Rhubi

Cherry

Split-Pea Soup & Rick Bragg

I had a graving for Split-Pea Soup. Have I ever made it or had a good split-soup? No. After looking over recipes, I created what I thought I would like.

for color, oranges in my photo but not in soup

1 large crockpot

1 smoked hamhock

2 chopped sweet onions

1 pack of Knorr's Leek Soup

8 cups of water

some garlic

1 pack of shredded carrots

salt and pepper

1 pack of dried split peas (but don't use the flavoring packet). In the AM, throw all in and get crockpotting for a few hours. After a few hours, add some chopped russet potatoes. You want the peas to get to a creaminess consistancy, then dig in, delicious. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

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Sometime, kick back and listen to Rick Bragg

sincerely talk about what it means to be

southern

http://www.southernliving.com/community/rick-bragg-southern-journal-00417000073531/

click on the left-side titles

Rick always has the back page
of the Southern Living magazine.

Snack Time

saltine crackers

rug-hooking continues

waiting for my rug-hook frame to arrive so I can finish this one

so I started the Appalachian Mountains

Frame tilts to any position.

Frame rotates a full 360°.

Approx. 12" x 14" work area inside frame.

Stainless steel gripper-strips allow for easy positioning or repositioning of pattern.

Ball and wing nuts mechanism allows for ease of adjustment.

Quality workmanship.

Choice Red Oak with durable urethane satin finish.

goats and rug hooking

Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats

SweetPea, Cherry, Tulip, Marigold

Last year, we sold Gabbi (black, SweetPea's daughter) and Pansy (black and white, Tulip's daughter) to a family but the family had health issues to arise, and in the best interests of the goats, the family felt the 4 goats (including Pappy and Beau) should come back to us.  Also, they said that Gabbi never seemed to adjust there. She never was content to go out and just "pick" at her new home.  She's back to her ole self here. 

See the front width on Tulip? Dairy goat judges love it.
The last 2 years, Tulip has kidded with quads,
she is due approx April 1st.

Haven't bred Cali this year yet. She produces beautiful bucks but has never given us a doeling. We'll breed her approx April 1st for Fall Fairs, of course, I want a red girl just like her.

BarbaraJean had to get in the picture.

Did I tell ya I knitted myself a scarf? WaLa! very warm.

Haven't finished this hook rug yet because it has outgrown the hoop, and very thick, I need one of those expensive stands.

Started a new one.
I've found out that I don't like to rug hook heads or letters.
This head is awful, I spent hours on it, but will
have to tear it out and try again.
One good thing about rug hooking,

you can rip out a section you don't

like and start over.

Below are idea's for future hooked rugs.
I want to do the layered mountain look.
We live in the Blue Ridge Mountains,

and this is our visual around here.
Think I need different shades of blue.
Stay tuned.

Rug-Hooked Goat, Taco Soup, Snow

It's interesting what my vision was for my first hook-rug effort and now what I seeing. She was supposed to look like a superb show-quality Nigerian Dwarf doe, but yet she's turning out to look more like one of my Irish Terrier's.

Taco Soup recipe
1 pound ground meat (I use turkey and chuck)
1 large onion, chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
... 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
1 (16 ounce) can dark-red kidney beans
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (16 ounce) can Zesty-Chili-Style tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

Brown meat and onions. Add taco seasoning mix into meat. Add all other ingredients without draining into the large pot. Top with tortilla chips, sour cream, and zesty cheese. Makes a big pot, good stuff on a winter's day.

This is the top of our driveway/goat path before descending down a slope to the road. BarbaraJean and Jack think they hear something.

looking down on the inlaws house