Outdoor Games

After 3 spring snow days in the past 2 weeks, I hope that Mother Nature has winter out of her system!!! The pigs, the cats, the Rosebud, and I are beyond ready for warm breezes, sunshine on our backs, and lots of outdoor farm fun. We have several projects in the works, and here is the first completed one….CORNHOLE!

I ordered unfinished cornhole boards from an Etsy seller because I knew that I wanted to add a little yard art via the boards. They were super easy to prep with a base coat of white exterior paint.

Shortly after this, we had a snowstorm, so I brought them inside for the next step. The cats decided that they made great forts because you know, everything belongs to the cats!!

Artist, Katie Daisy, is a huge inspiration for me right now. Her nature centered paintings are beautiful and perfectly capture the feeling that I want Rosebud Ranch to have. I received her Wildflower Workbook while I began painting these….excellent timing!! It solidified my decision to decorate the boards with colorful butterflies!

And the finished product. We are ready to play! Come on, spring!! 🌞🐞🐝🦋🌸🌼

 

Morty and Millie Are Home

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When we began pondering moving to our forever home several years ago, I dreamed of a place where we would have lots of freedom. The freedom to decorate the way I wanted inside and outside, to plant pollinator and wildflower gardens, to have as many cats as we wanted, to rescue unwanted chickens, and to adopt shelter pigs. So, when we found our little farm lot and learned that it was zoned agricultural (translation: you can do whatever you want!), I was ecstatic.

The first step in creating our animal haven was setting up a safe outdoor space and shed for the strays we cared for at our old house. I’ll blog about that later. And the second step was setting up a fenced in pig area and warm shelters. While that was in process, I contacted a potbellied pig rescue called Belly Brothers about a cute guy named Morty. The details about him are sketchy. All we really know is that he ended up in a rural county shelter. And thankfully, he was bailed out! I knew that we wanted to adopt two, so Morty’s foster mom integrated him with a 4 year old girl named Millie. She was very loved by a young girl who went into the Navy and could no longer care for her. The integration went beautifully….no fighting and they started sleeping together quickly. Morty and Millie were ready to go!

After weeks of rain and delays, our pig houses and fencing were complete!

I painted the sheds and we filled them with straw.

And Rosie happily tested them out! Click here for video:

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We decorated and had some seriously delicious vegan pig cupcakes when Morty and Millie arrived on March 17. It was such an exciting day!!!

They did some grazing and then took naps in the sun. And I fell in love immediately!

Look at those tummies!!

I still can’t believe that we have actually added two pigs to our family! It’s surreal. And  it’s wonderful. We are enjoying getting to know their personalities and food preferences. And I can tell you that they LOVE warm oatmeal on a cold, snowy day and cheerios in their treat toy on sunny days!

Check out this fun video:

I adore these pigs!! ❤🐖❤🐖

Who’s That Girl?

Last week while I was cooking dinner, I saw a cat frantically running around our fenced in cat area desperately trying to get in for some food. Who is that??? I’ve asked myself this question too many times to count over the years as new strays appear at our house.

As always, I pondered a plan while I watched the starving newcomer….. should I set a trap or approach her with food? I never want to scare them away. I decided to quietly carry the trap out, but as I gently spoke to her, she meowed and ran toward me as I cracked some canned food open. Poor little soul dove into the can as I carried her inside.

I set her up in our designated foster cat bathroom and let her eat to her heart’s content. That night she was soooooo excited for lots of attention and love, and finally passed out on my chest.

She loves standing on my back! Click for video:

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The next morning, she purred and rolled around on my lap sat in the sunshine. Total heartbreaker.

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I had her spayed and vaccinated, so she’s almost ready for her forever home! Look at that irresistible face!!! 💓💓💓

‘After the Rain” Paintbrush Installation

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I used to love walking into Anthropologie stores to see their super creative displays. Their approach to retail displays has always been so refreshing and exciting. While I haven’t been to one in a really long time, I still remember a particular installation that they did with old, used paintbrushes hanging from the ceiling. So, when we moved here I knew that I wanted to create some sort of unique art with discarded paintbrushes.

I often turn to eBay when I have an unusual need, and as usual, voila! I found exactly what I wanted. I “won” a box full of old paintbrushes.

It took me a few months to figure out exactly where I was going to put them and how to hang them. I lined them up, I measured, I stared at them, I pondered, I stared some more, and pondered even more…..

Finally, I decided to put them in our stairwell. I don’t live well with large, blank spaces. They scream at me to decorate them! And it makes a house much cozier and fun. The stairwell seemed like the perfect wide open, white wall to use. So, the first step was to hang them in a slightly wavy pattern above the railing.

The next part I dreaded a bit because I knew I’d have to use a level AND measure between each brush. This mama does not like to measure! I eyeball EVERYTHING. But I sucked it up and did what I needed to do.

I used two shades of neutral twine and connected the nails that the paintbrushes were hanging on to a nail above them. And then when I got to the last 7 paintbrushes I used hemp twine in rainbow colors and painted the brush bristles to match the twine. I’m now calling it “After the Rain” 🌧🌈.

My next house project is going to be wallpapering! I have big plans for pops of whimsical wallpaper throughout the house. Mustering up the nerve…and remembering that my mantra on art and decorating is, JUST DO IT!

 

Our Cats: The Baker’s Dozen

Brian and I have been rescuing and TNRing (trap, neuter, return) cats and kittens since 2005, so needless to say, we’ve had hundreds of cats come through our home in that time. And there are 13 that we currently call our own, 6 inside and 7 outside. They each have their own story which I will share over time. But today, I thought I’d go ahead and introduce you to the indoor portion of our crazy cat family.

When people ask what kind of cats we have, the answer is, “well, we have dumpster cats, warehouse cats, cafe cats, stockyard cats….a wide range of well traveled and diverse cats.” And oh, how we love them! ❤️

Mr. Tubbs aka Grubba

Beatrice aka Grumpy Bea, Queen Bea, Beabeabeabiddee

Boogie

Kookoo

Rooney aka Roon

Maisy

The Heart of the Home

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I thought I’d start my “house tour” with the spot that gets used the most….the kitchen. When we were designing the house, we knew that we wanted a bright, sunny, open concept but also needed it to feel cozy and warm. So, our kitchen is on the small side but it functions perfectly!

I had my heart set on open shelves with pipe brackets, and ended up having them match the island countertop. These pieces were made from reclaimed pine which was painted and then skip planed to give it that weathered appearance. I absolutely love this island top. It feels indestructible, and serves many purposes…..entertaining, crafting, planting, and of course, lots of chopping and food prep.

And yes, I’m not gonna lie, cats are allowed on the island 😻!!

Since we don’t have a lot of cabinet space, our walk in pantry was a must. It houses the typical pantry items as well as all of Rosie’s art supplies, the microwave, seasonal decor, and even a growing station for the seeds we are about to plant.

My favorite part of the kitchen is the view from the window. I can see the tree farm across the street, half a dozen horses grazing, our old leaning barn, and will soon be able to watch the pigs rooting around and Rosie playing in the “natural” play area that I’m gearing up to create. Soooooo much fun to come!

Portobello Mushroom Banh Mi

 

When Brian and I lived in Atlanta, we discovered the taste sensation that is the Vietnamese Banh Mi! Have you tried one of these delectable sandwiches? Well, you MUST. Seriously. We search them out whenever we travel because we have yet to discover any in Lexington. Fortunately, I ran across a vegetable version of the Banh Mi that even my meat eating husband enjoys. I originally found this as a vegetarian recipe on deliciouseveryday.com and have tweaked it a little to make it vegan.

For the next recipe that I share, I will make sure to snap a photo of Rosie, my sous chef, chopping the vegetables. She’s way better at knife skills them I am. Mama is known for her disastrous finger slicing 😬.

And while I am certainly not a wine connoisseur, I do recommend this lovely bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I’m a sucker for pretty labels, and this one is quite good with these scrumptious sandwiches.

Ok, without further adieu, my current favorite recipe!

INGREDIENTS

~2 packages of sliced portobello mushrooms

~8 tbs. soy sauce

~2 tbs. brown sugar

~2 tsp. grated ginger (I use the kind in the tube)

~ 3 tsp lemongrass (tube also)

 ~1 cup rice vinegar

~1/2 cup brown sugar

~2 carrots shredded

~1 daikon shredded (if you can’t find this, just carrots is equally good)

~vegan mayonnaise

~1 baguette cut into sections or 4 small baguettes

~cilantro

~1 cucumber diced

~Asian micro greens (optional)

~Sriracha (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the soy sauce, 2 tbs brown sugar, ginger, and lemongrass in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cut mushrooms into 1 inch pieces, place in bowl with marinade, and toss well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. While the mushrooms are marinating, make the pickled carrots and daikon. Place the rice vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and place over a medium low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then pour over the shredded carrots and daikon. Refrigerate while mushrooms are cooking. Before you assemble the sandwiches, squeeze excess vinegar from the carrot mixture.

3. Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the hot pan. Then add the mushrooms and marinade and cook for 10 min or so.

4. To assemble the bahn mi, slather lightly toasted baguettes with mayonnaise, top with mushrooms, cucumber, pickled carrots abs daikon, and cilantro. A Sriracha drizzle and microgreens are optional.

ENJOY! And if you have any leftovers, lunch will be ESPECIALLY delicious the next day.