I’ve Been Nominated For A Liebster Award!

We are so excited and honored. Thank you so much Taylor-Made Ranch Homestead for nominating us for the Liebster Award! 

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, here are the rules, write a blog post about the award in which you:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.

2. Display the award on your blog (by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.)

3. Answer 11 questions about yourself, (which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.)

4. Provide 11 random facts about yourself.

5. Nominate 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 200 followers.

6. Create a new list of questions for the your nominees to answer.

Here are 11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I am actually a twin (the youngest)  but I have eleven other siblings in heaven.
2. I love gardening, nothing beats the thrill of getting you hands dirty planting then pick those veggies you grew. Then getting to spend time as a family canning them. I love the hours spent working in the garden, just not so much the pulling of weeds in the middle of a southern summer. Hot and muggy. 
3. I was born in California but we moved when we were little and I have never been back. 
4.  This year is only my second year of blogging. 
5.  I HATE talking on the phone! Seriously if I can get out of it I will. Oh look the chickens are out! Which also means I don't have a cell phone (I tend to get some funny looks about that one)
6. I'm  home schooled and love it! 
7. I adore History (and I don't mean text book history). I love to read books by the people who were there not the stuff that has everything chopped out of except a name, date, and place. My favorite time periods are the American Revolution and World War Two (and yes that does include the music from World War Two. My grandma spoiled me with it! We can listen to that wonderful stuff for hours)
8. My dream job is owning a ranch (Shiloh) and working with troubled and abused kids. Which would combine my love of kids and animals (especially horses).
9. I have never been outside the U.S. but my sister has spoken with an English accent for as long as I can remember.
10. When my sister and I were little she thought she could fly (you can imagine her disappointment when she discovered she couldn't) 
11. I'm writing a book.

Here are my answers to the 11 questions asked by Taylor-Made Ranch Homestead:

1. Chili:  Beans or no beans? Beans always! We always make my Grandma's Chili, its so good! Mr. Cottage takes it to work with him and always brings extra for his friends so they can have some too with out arm wrestling him for his.
2. What’s your favorite quick dish to cook when it’s suppertime & nothing’s been planned? We usually make a simple soup or a pasta with home made sauce. My moms neighbor growing up was Italian and taught her how to make her sauce. Lets just say sauteing garlic is one of the best smells. 
3. Who gave you the biggest push to begin your blog? Our mom gave us the biggest push to start blogging, she is the one that came up with the name Rosevine Cottage Girls.
4. What’s you favorite leisure activity? Reading! We L-O-V-E reading!  My mom read to us from the time we were infants.
5. What’s the favorite post that you've written?  My favorite post would have to be either The Other Side Of The Waiting Room or one of my Shiloh posts 
6. What feature do you most admire in others? The feature I admire most in others is honesty, and the willingness to serve even when they know they are going to get there hands dirty. 
7. What was the best gift you ever received? The best gift I have received was when I became a Christian at 2 years old. It was right around Easter.
8. If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be and why? A photographic memory, so I could always remember what I read.
9. When you were in grade school, what did you want to be when you grew up? A veterinarian, I have always loved animals.  
10. What is your favorite charity?  Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch,
11. Do you have any tips for someone new to blogging? Always write what you know, and about what touches your heart. It never hurts to have someone else check your posts before posting them (My mom always helps me with that :) )

My Liebster Award Nominees

In no particular order here are my nominees.  I really enjoy reading their blogs & I hope you will too!  

1. The 'Blish
2. Harmless as Doves
3. Pressing Toward The Goal
4. Thankful Expressions 
5. It's The Little Things
6. My Wholesome Home 
7. A Heart For My Home
8. Twinkling Stars & Forget-Me-Not's
9. Westside Ropieckis 
10. The Least Of These
11. The Chicken Wire 

My Questions for my nominees:

1. Why do you write?
2. What and Who inspires you?
3. Who do you admire the most?
4. Where have you always wanted to go?
5. What gets you through the really tough times?
6. What is the most important lesson you have learned?
7. If you could give advice to yourself as a child what would it be?
8. Where is your favorite place to be?
9. What are some defining moments in your life that God has brought you through?
10. What is your passion? 
11. If you could go back in history and meet one person who would it be?

When The World Says No

When the world says the job is too big, too tough, that there is too much need to bother trying to throw back one starfish, won't it just wash right back up on the shore? Why bother even trying? It won't change anything. After all, you can't save the world. Does it sound familiar?

You know they are just trying to protect you because they love you and they just have your best at heart. But is it really the best? The truth is life is messy. Sometimes we are called to get our hands dirty. To pick up that starfish and take a chance. To look at the people who love us and are trying to protect you and say, "Its Ok, we got this". Sometimes He says "Yes" when the world says "No". He says "Go" when the world says "Stay". He says "Now" when the world says "Wait".

 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:35-40

Some people won't understand why. Some never will. Some will never see the ripple that the starfish makes when it hits the water instead they will see all the ones left. But that one will, and that ripple will grow. You know they do have a point... we can't save the world, but we can take a chance on one starfish at a time. Sure some may wash back up, but they will always remember that someone cared enough to take a chance.

Organic Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 Package Frozen Organic Peas
3 Smallish Organic Potatoes Diced
13 Organic Mini Carrots
6 Cups Organic Broth (or enough to cover veggies to simmer)
6 Baby Bella Mushrooms sauteed until tender
1 Medium Sweet Onion diced and sauteed until tender then added to a stock pot.
2 Stalks of Organic celery chopped and Sauteed until tender then added to a stock pot.
1 Teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
1 Shake Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Sage
2 Bay Leaves
For The Roux (thickener for the stew portion)
1/2 Cup Organic Unbleached White Flour
1/2 Cup Organic Milk
For the Mashed Potatoes
3-4 large baking potatoes (for Mashed Potatoes)
Butter to taste
Cream or milk
Celtic Sea Salt
Topping
Spanish Paprika (Optional)

Directions: 

Saute' your vegetables until tender, add to large stock pan with peas, diced potatoes, carrots, bone broth or chicken broth, and seasonings. Simmer together until vegetables are done. Meanwhile, boil your potatoes and make mashed potatoes (my sister always makes these because she makes killer mashed potatoes, the only problem is she as we put it "Takes her own Route" with it and doesn't measure. I will try to pin her down soon and make her measure everything she puts in it.) 

Make the roux (or thickener) We simply spooned a half of a mug of organic flour in and added our milk to the top.  Stir to get rid of clumps and make it all wet and then we add it to stew.  Make sure that you stir well as it thickens.  Add your stew mixture to the ramekins or oven safe bowls make sure not to drip on the side of your ramekins or oven safe bowls.  We let the mashed potatoes cool slightly and place in a gallon zipper bag.  Cut the tip off of one of the bottom corners of the zipper bags and with the zipper closed we pipe the potatoes in a circle around and around until the entire top of the pie is covered with potatoes.  It looks sort of like a little rose but if you don't want to do that you can always just spoon it on top. Sprinkle Paprika over the top. 

Bake at 350 until mashed potatoes are golden. Serve Hot.

Gardening Fun

Gardening is something we always look forward to in the spring here at the Cottage. Here is some of the layouts and designs that we have done here at the cottage. 

-Circular Garden-

This garden we did a few years ago but have since torn out. We used bender board and light and dark mulch to divide it into separate sections. With different colored flowers in each section.

-Recycled Water Fountain Garden- 

 

This water fountain broke a few years back so we have been trying to figure out what to with it. Mrs. Cottage suggested turning it into a planter. 

-Rock Fence Garden-

I love this garden layout. We just piled rocks onto each other to make a border around our bulb garden. 

-Simple Flower Bed-

This is another simple layout. We just made a simple single layer of rocks form a border. We bought a couple sets of outdoor lights and attached them to ropes and strung the ropes from tree to tree.

-Raised Beds-

These are out raised beds we use for our veggies. We added Cattle Panels in between the boxes for climbing vegetables. Check out our directions on how to build these boxes.

-Curved Flower Bed-

Another flower bed with a single layer of rocks as a barrier.

-The Gazebo Garden-

 

 

 

Re-Grow Your Lettuce and Other Veggies

Ever wonder what to do with your Lettuce stumps?  Mrs. Cottage started doing this a few years ago and it works really great. Just put it in a jar or cup add water so that the tip were the root use to make sure that it stays covered with water then after a couple of days put the part that was in the water into the ground. This one will be going out to our raised beds once the ground thaws enough to be able to dig a hole. This works with onions celery and I have heard you can do it with carrots too.