A Simple Day, A Wonderful Weekend

My Beautiful Bean and Her Handsome Pook-A-Dook

Welcome to a glorious Monday, dear reader. The weather is absolutely perfect in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and I love it. This weekend was a blur of activity for our family. The Bean and her boyfriend, Pook-A-Dook, attended their first prom on Friday night. I know I might be slightly biased, however, I believe they were quite possibly the most lovely couple at the dance. Austin looked like a genuine gentleman, and my girl looked like a princess. After a bit of an anxiety attack about walking in the Grand March, my girl could settle down, breathe, relax, and enjoy herself. Both kids text me more than I feel two kids should text any adult during a prom, but I take it as a win that they keep me in the loop. They both came home smiling with stories to marvel at and make us laugh. One more milestone is now in the books. Sigh.

Saturday, we spent the weekend with family. Eric's brother was in from out East, and we celebrated Mother's Day with GB. Dinner and visiting were as exciting as it got, but it was the best way to celebrate a lady we adore. GB ended her evening by playing cards with two of her four granddaughters. Thank goodness, The Bean can play board games with her grandmother because she would never have experienced competitive board games with her boring old mom. I hate board games; I always have. I grudgingly play when asked, but when GB is around, I get a free pass. This is yet another reflection of how unfun I genuinely am.

On Sunday, we began my Mother's Day celebration with breakfast at my favorite restaurant, Krause's Cafe. We then made an impromptu visit to the farm swap at Tractor Supply. I was gifted two black silkie chickens as part of my Mother's Day gift. So, yes, fancier chickens are now in my little coop. Eric is beginning to question my sanity when it comes to birds. If I had my dream chicken coop built, I would have come home with a trio of white cochins. I love cochins! Unfortunately, I don't have my dream coop built, and must keep my breeds separated. As I develop my cochin empire, there will be a dream coop and fill the farm with fancy chickens, grumpy geese, swans, and peafowl.

We ended the day by bathing seven of the goats. My geriatric nannies are all showing signs of a fungal infection, so they needed to get treatment. The weather was beautiful and perfect for bathing them. Although the girls did not view their spa day as relaxing, I believe they feel much better, and I am hopeful they will begin to heal. I also think they feel much better after having all that dry skin, loose hair, and dirt removed. Everyone feels better after a good bath, even a goat. The Bibbed Wonder, who is truly the best, jumped in and helped me bathe the girls. Of course, I have a process of how it should be done, which was far more extensive than he believed necessary, but he complied and followed my lead.

Miss Fuschia, aka Lil' Black Being Rinsed

We began by brushing them well to loosen all the dead skin and dirt. We then rinsed them with warm water and bathed them with our pet soap to remove as much grime as possible. After rinsing away the soap, we lathered them with an antifungal shampoo and had to let it set for twenty minutes. We rinsed away the antifungal shampoo, followed by another washing with our pet soap. The girls then got toweled off and were allowed to dry. Lastly, we slathered them with a sulfur-smelling medicinal ointment and let them return to their beloved herd and green pasture.

My poor Mama Boo has the absolute worst case of fungal infection. Her hair is very patchy, and her skin is dry. My poor old girl is showing her age. She is so skinny, her hair is a mess, and she has developed a monkey jaw in her old age, where her lower jaw juts out past her upper jaw, and she moves a little slower. This last surprise pregnancy did her no favors. Once she is no longer producing milk, I believe her body weight will increase considerably, but until then, so much is going into producing milk that her weight will probably remain low. She and my favorite girl, Big Red, go into a private stall and eat alone to their little hearts' content every morning, noon, and night. They have earned the right not to compete with the younger girls for feed. Although everyone has access to as much as they can eat, there is always much pushing and shoving regarding the grain. My five original girls deserve to be spoiled. All my girls deserve to be spoiled, but I have an extra soft spot for my five original girls. They deserve a soft retirement.

We ended the day exhausted, a little sore, and very satisfied. It was good to complete a big task and take care of my sweet ladies. I spent my day doing what I love, taking care of my animals, with the people I love. It was a simple, quiet day filled with everything that made me happy: my husband and daughter, farm, animals, fancy chickens, a good book, and good coffee. I was also gifted a new pair of barn boots, a Gilmore Girls t-shirt, a new mirror for my kitchen remodel, and fancy chickens. It might seem simple to most, but to me, it was perfection. Most importantly, I felt loved.

I hope you, too, had a good weekend filled with everything that makes you happy, whatever that may look like. Most importantly, I hope you felt loved and appreciated. On this beautiful, summer-like day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy what makes you happy, and keep washing your hands.

Foodie Friday: Italian Chicken Sandwiches

This week, my husband informed me he has been without nicotine or red meat for three weeks. This is a grossly inaccurate statement. He has been without nicotine for two weeks and red meat for one. He stood before me, forcing his hands to tremor in an overly exaggerated manner to show me just how badly his withdrawal symptoms are affecting him. Sigh, he is a lot. Although he seems to be past the wanting to murder me stage of nicotine withdrawal, his moods can turn on a dime. He does a lot of mumbling to himself, which could possibly land him in a shallow grave after meeting a most untimely death, probably caused by blunt force trauma to his perfect little bald head. However, despite his mood swings and unnecessary theatrics, I am quite proud of him for breaking such an unhealthy habit. I must also remember that he has given up smoking upon my request. So, exercising monumental patience is a necessary requirement for me.

As for not having red meat for a week, it has not been intentional. I have just created a weekly menu that happens to be based on chicken. I must be transparent: With his commitment to breaking his smoking habit, I am also trying to instill a better diet for us all. I am buying more fruit and placing it washed in bowls on the counter so it is an easy grab. I'm creating veggie trays with dips from Broken Locust as a midday snack, and I am baking or making homemade sweet treats for when he and The Bean have a sugar attack. As an unannounced reward for quitting smoking, I made him no-bake cookies.

Rather than making cheeseburgers, which we frequently have, I made broiled Italian chicken sandwiches on grilled brioche buns, with pesto, provolone cheese, bibb lettuce, and fresh tomatoes. Served with a fresh salad and homemade fries, it was a delightful meal with a lower fat content. Despite his complaints about it not being a burger, The Bibbed Wonder declared it a great sandwich and ate four.

This sandwich idea is pretty straightforward. I took thinly sliced chicken breasts, pounded them even thinner, placed them in a Ziploc bag, and marinated them overnight in Zesty Italian salad dressing. I then broiled them in the oven because we don't yet have our grill set up for grilling season. I broiled them on each side for five to six minutes. While the chicken was broiling, I brushed olive oil on the bottoms of the brioche buns and grilled them on a flat griddle on the stove. I then brushed each bun top with DeLallo's pesto. Before removing the chicken from the broiler, I topped each breast with a slice of provolone cheese and allowed it to melt and get slightly brown. The chicken was placed atop the bun, then topped with lettuce and tomato.

It's not a complicated recipe, dear reader, but it was delicious and easy. It all came together in under thirty minutes, which is greatly appreciated during our busy season. It was something a bit different than a cheeseburger and slightly healthier. However, tonight, while our baby girl is attending her first prom, I have offered to take my nicotine-free buddy out for a good old-fashioned cheeseburger at a restaurant of his choice, as long as it isn't fast food. With two weeks off his pipe, I think he deserves a cheeseburger. Also, it might make him a little more pleasant; it certainly can't hurt. Sigh.

On this overcast and chilly Friday, stay safe, be smart, enjoy good food, make better choices when you can, reward yourself for wins, and keep washing your hands.

A Whirlwind Of A Week

Happy Thursday, dear reader. As we move through the week, I am looking ahead to a jam-packed weekend. The Bean will attend her first prom with her boyfriend, Pook-A-Dook, this weekend. Prom preparation activities begin this afternoon. Right after school, The Bean has a nail appointment. Going against my better judgment, I am allowing her to get a full set of acrylic nails, which she has been begging for for years. In the past, I, too, have had my fair share of acrylic nails, and it always ends in disaster. However, for this special occasion, I will allow it and probably chalk it up to lessons that must be learned the hard way.

Tomorrow, all the students attending the prom must also attend a pre-prom meeting at the school, requiring them to go in until 10:30 to get credit for the day. My daughter is fretting that she won't have enough time to get ready. Sigh, I remember those days. Although I am quite certain six hours is more than enough time to have her cleaned, coiffed, and coutured, the time crunch is something to fuss about. She has a hair appointment with the Magical Mandy to get her hair done in the late morning. I will be running to hair appointments, picking up flowers, and practicing my lady-in-waiting skills/peasant servant skills to aid my princess in getting ready for the big night. I will be sure to share pictures in Monday's blog post.

The rest of the weekend will be spent celebrating Mother's Day. Saturday, we celebrate with the GB (GramBarb is spoken in all one word as quickly as possible). Before our outing with GB, I want nothing more for Mother's Day than The Bean to help me bathe my goats. Considering they are mothers too, they deserve a bit of pampering. After all, we can't do what we do without our lovely herd of mothers. This will likely be a two-day event by the time we wrangle everyone, drag them kicking and screaming to the garage, and bathe them in the driveway using warm water from the faucet in the garage. The girls must be washed with an antifungal shampoo to treat their rain rot. However, while they are already being bathed, I will create a moisturizing sugar scrub for their udders, shave their udders and the extra-long hair on their legs, and finish with a good slathering of unscented moisturizer on their udders for added protection. They will also be treated with antifungal medicine and have their feet examined for necessary trimming. I would love a spa day, but the girls consider it more torture than relaxing. Hopefully, by the time the process is complete, they will feel better and look better. I want this fungal issue resolved.

So, dear reader, that will be my Mother's Day weekend. I wish you all a weekend filled with whatever makes you happy: caring for your family, performing a spa day on your fur babies, or perhaps lounging with a good book. Whatever it is, and whoever you care for, your efforts make you a mother to someone, so embrace and enjoy the day.

On this lovely, sunny Thursday, stay safe, be smart, celebrate however you want to, thank you for caring for your family, whether it has two feet or four, know you make a difference, and your efforts are appreciated, and of course, wash your hands.