Just another Day on the Farm

Cold Coffee Intro

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

Ok, I admit it, I love tim’s Ice Cap and I adore MD’s Cold Coffee.. there I said it.. what I don’t like the price.. and I really don’t like the cups and straws..

However, I have been so bad at allowing this to be “town treat” I will just get a small one or I will only get one when I already had a trip planned.. like its something to be proud of that I don’t drive to town when I REALLY want a massive Ice Cap.. (for none Canadian, its a coffee slushie, creamy cold, milky and coffee.. its sweet)

I have over the years made coffee, cooled it and put it in the fridge and its close.. not really close enough.. Yes it was cold.. but it was not “cold coffee from town”

Haha.. I went to town for some needed supplies yesterday and hubby said.. Tim’s and I was like.. nope.. I will make myself a cold coffee when I get home!

Turns out that missing “something” is that GOOD cold coffee is brewed cold.. ok, maybe you all knew this.. but I did not.. I thought cold coffee was hot brewed and then made cold..

Nope.. Nope..

Not the good stuff..

Tupperware came out with a cold coffee carafe brew system and I got on sample pricing.. and I love this thing.. I can get a number of my friends who know me in person to back me on this..

I did not get my item for free for posting this, I paid my own hard earned cash to buy it and my review is mine and mine alone.. However if you click on the link above and choose to buy anything from my link.. then yes, I will earn a small commission from you doing so.. per the legal notice required on these things..

I tend to load my coffee because I don’t like the bitterness of coffee.. so I need a crazy amount of sugar to get it to that.. this is amazing stage..

However cold brew coffee does not have that acid bite to it.. and so I have been able to cut my sugar down a lot.. this is a good thing.. I think it would take me a bit to go no sugar, even when mixed with the whole milk, which of course have natural sugar in it.

Add in some of the good flavours you can add to these and who needs town.. I have to limit how many a day I drink and I for sure have to limit how late in the day, as cold brew coffee is TWICE the caffeine.. which is awesome in the morning and So NO after about 5 pm..

I love serving this up to friends and getting the look of Cold Fancy Coffee drinks until they have that first sip or two and then Bam.. they are hooked! lol

I have plans to figure out how much it costs to make a average coffee and report back.. but I know its so much cheaper then in town.. but I need to do some research on different prices on what different ones offer.

There are some fun recipes both to make in the coffee itself an for making homemade creamers.. I will share a few fun fall ones, as I plan on trying some different ones.

Do you like Cold Brew Coffee? Where is your favorite place to get that coffee treat? Do you make it at home to keep costs down? I was so pleased and surprised to say no thanks to my costly in town treat.. knowing that I could make something as good if not better at home..

Posted in At the kitchen table | 9 Comments

The Fire Runs on..

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I am having a bit of a off day.. tired.. headache.. just a mental fog to a point..

So here is my latest painting so that I am keeping up on my post a day.. I hope to feel better after a nap.. perhaps I will post again then..

Ps.. hubby is out picking all our plums.. they are so ready.. perfectly balance of sweet with a hit of tart.. lip smacking good…

Posted in Painting | 1 Comment

Ferrier – Saddle and such..

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

It was the Ferrier Day yesterday, I headed out the door 30 min early to give a little extra work time with Bojangles.. he has been fussy on his one back leg since I got him.. I can pick it but he has never liked it messed with..

Warming him up and stretches does help in this regards.. I have had him vet checked.. and I have certain ways to help him limber up on this.. if he was in heavy work (which he will never be here) then I would need to consider getting him chiro once a month if he was going steady and showing signs of needing it..

I have had my vet check him a couple times when she is here as it was noted on his “first” check up and so we track it..

Their feet are all done up for the fall and I am hoping to do a mix of ground work, and some riding.. I loved smelling like horse.. I need to spend time with them.. and they need and want to spend time with their people..

Speaking of riding, I had hubby haul out my good leather saddle.. it had been placed in storage.. and I am both happy and NOT about how it came out of storage.. It needs a good scrub with saddle soap and a good oiling/leather treatment..

This area does not allow cats in it, I did not want to risk the cats being able to mark the leather or sit on it even with the cover.. but that meant that it turns out that I have a tip of a strap that clearly had mice nibbling.. at least it not the main saddle.. its the part that was hanging done that would have had some nice salt on that leather..

I need to crawl up into my saddle and go for a ride with my boy! It does not need in anyway to be long or fancy..

I just want to feel that sway.. that movement, to see the world from horseback.. I am craving it.. I need to trim out the bridle paths, the boys have been pasture puffs other then some pony rides this year..

winter lead to injury which lead to timbit.. all of which meant.. No riding! I don’t regret the choice of no riding.. It was very much the right call.. and of course there is a part of me that just starts crying that I am still not banned from it.. but those tears come and go all the time, day and night.. I just let them flow, I stop and cry, I try and let myself have that moment, that minute to greave and feel… then I breath! and start again..

The farm, the world just keeps on going forward.. always forward.. sometimes with me pushing forward.. focus forward.. other times dragging me kicking and screaming.. just depends on the moment..

There goes those tears again…

Breathe!

However this fall.. I am hoping to change that.. still I am not sure I can lift my saddle.. I will need to do reps with it.. I am so weak in many ways.. but I am allowed to start my physio in a more intense way again now.

My fitbit is on and I am starting to work hard at taking the pounds that went on over the past five months back off!

And with that.. I am going back at it.. take care and talk soon my friends..

Posted in draft horse | 1 Comment

A little winter challange..

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I adore my landscapes and trees..

and working on color..

but i have given myself two challanges..

paint my backyard birds..

and learn to paint my purrpts and hounds..

these are my starting photo.. if i paint one a week.. hopefully by spring i will have some lovely ones..

Posted in Painting | 3 Comments

Its ok to turtle..

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

It’s ok to pull in..

It’s ok to get quiet..

It’s ok to seek calmness..

It’s ok to withdraw…

It’s ok to take time answering..

It’s ok to unplug when you want to do so..

It’s ok to turtle..

to have a shell

to have a place to retreat to

to go slow

to peer

to pause

Posted in Life moves on daily | 6 Comments

Enjoy every moment..

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

It was always a huge gamble and risk in regards to little timbit.. The odds were never in favor of us getting our donut.. This was the last photo I have while expecting.. and I like it very much.. It will be a bitter-sweet photo for many years to come for me..

Thank you to everyone who has prayed and sent best wishes.. I am grateful beyond words for all your support..

Posted in Life moves on daily | 26 Comments

Zucchini Fruit with Pinnapple

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I love this, for full recipes please read this page on making mock pinnapple..

Otherwise, enjoy the photo of the process! so so good, the extra juice was made into a amazing jelly!

Peeling, chopping, cooking and then getting to have the last bit as a amazing treat! Love, Love this recipe that use’s up those nice big Zucchini and turns it into amazing canned winter fruit of the highest quality!

While I still adore this tradional way of making this fruit, I have since come across two fun ways to use it..

One : add a package of your favorite flavoured jello.. and turn the fruit into a different flavour.. raspberry or cherry or blueberry.. you get the idea!

Two: take the flavoured colored fruit out and dry it down into zucchini gummy’s.. so good.. adults and kids alike love it!

Posted in Canning | Tagged Dried Mock gummies make with zucchini, Flavoured colored zucchini fruit, mock pinnapple made from Zucchini | 1 Comment

Painting : “Hidden”

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

I really enjoyed this painting.. I started with the plan to do some background washes to prepare for future paintings but this one decided it needed to come out..

I will admit that I already have it framed (I used one I already had) and up on the wall.. This was very! hard to get a good photo of, but its the best I can do.. the real painting has more green tones to the blueish area’s in the photo..

I did get to show it off this weekend to a few friends and everyone that has seen it in person has just loved it.. I hope you will enjoy seeing it on your Monday viewing!

Posted in Painting | 4 Comments

Paintings… Learning Curve..

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

So I did a few more paintings where I was working this and that as I was remembering how to do things..

I have given myself the challenge of learning how to paint a dog and cat in a mix of both real and funky.. this is a huge challenge for me.. as I want to keep working on it till I can paint my own dogs and cats from the farm..

Till I get better at it.. I will share my colorful bird for the moment.. Like most people that paint.. I like some parts better then others and I would like to do this one again now that I remembered how to do some things while painting this one..

I really like the eye on this bird!

Posted in At the kitchen table, Painting | 2 Comments

Camo Soap

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Just another day on the farm

As most folks know I have been making Cold Process soaps for many years now.. This soap loaf is so lovely on many fronts. It is made with my favorite blend of oils.. its an nice harder bar of soap..

I was teaching how to make soap that day and so I let the student pick the colors of the soap to blend and put together.. we ended up with a very funky three tone camo soap!

This is a plant based infused soap as well.. the main oil was warm temp infused with Golden rod flowers and leaves to give a added bonus to this soap in terms of giving a skin boosting salve to it..

I am looking forward to making a number of different batches of soap this week.. More on that soon..

On to all the things happening on this busy sunday..

Hope all my readers and friends on the east coast are doing well and made it though the storm with little to no damage.. If you are willing.. please consider dropping me a quick. all good once you get power back!