Tooth Cake

Loosing your first tooth as a child is a right of passage to becoming a big kid. Our oldest son refused to turn six years old because he had not lost a tooth yet. Hence the beginning of a new family tradition, the tooth cake. Connor was so elated when his first tooth popped out that we celebrated by baking a cake. Logan lost his first tooth over the weekend while we were visiting family out of town. The first thing that had to be done when we returned home was make a tooth cake.

I want to share this particular cake recipe. My Aunt Lori gave the recipe to my mother sometime in the 1970's. I think she clipped it from a magazine or newspaper and since then it has been THE CHOCOLATE CAKE of our lives!

Scotch Chocolate Cake

1/2 c. butter or margarine

1/2 c. crisco

1 c. water

4 heaping TBS cocoa powder

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 c buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

Melt butter, crisco, and water in a saucepan. Add cocoa powder and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat.

Place sugar and flour in mix-master bowl. Add cocoa mixture and beat well. Add remaining vanilla and eggs mixing well. Dissolve soda in buttermilk and add to batter. Beat until blended stopping to scrape down sides of bowl.

Pour batter into greased and floured 9x13 inch pan and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Test with toothpick or cake tester. Remove from oven and allow to cool before icing.

This cake is perfect enough that it doesn't need icing. We often just sprinkle it with powdered sugar and eat it warm with a glass of cold milk. ENJOY!

Be Humble

I have said more than once that I often feel God put me on this earth to make those around me feel better about themselves. In a nut shell I'm a walking bumble. This quote was on the bottom of a forwarded email I received and it sums up perfectly how I feel about myself.

"I like flaws and feel more comfortable around people who have them. I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions."

~Augusten Burroughs

Opening Day - Dove Season

Yesterday was opening day of Dove Season. The boys decked out in their camo the second they got their homework done. They jumped in the truck with their dad and headed out to find their grandfather for an evening of hunting, on a school night no less!

Boys and Babies

Today is the first day of school. Connor is entering second grade and Logan is off to kindergarten, which is breaking my heart. Both boys had mixed emotions of excitement and nerves this morning. As much as I want to keep them under my wing, life just keeps coming. I have been thinking a lot lately of the lines from one of our favorite books We're Going on a Bear Hunt. We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We've Got To Go Through It!

So off they go......

AND THEN......

I guess God wanted to make sure I didn't have too much time on my hands. James and I came home from taking the boys to their first day of school and went to take care of the milk cows. Look who was waiting for us, a beautiful baby girl.

Summer Visitors

Over the summer months James and I have had the joy of seeing a few wild turkey hens and poults in the pasture in front of our house. Until today the sightings have been few and always very early in the morning. However, this afternoon at nearly three o'clock we had a flock of about thirty visitors pass through our yard. These beauties leisurely tootled around the house while James and I stood on the porch, sometimes less than 25 yards away snapping pictures. What a blessing to have a few unexpected moments to observe these beautiful birds. It filled us with gratitude to live in an area where they make their home.

49th Annual Peach Jamboree

The third full weekend of every June our local community hosts the Stonewall Peach Jamboree. This is the first year we've had the privilege to attended as locals.

Connor road on the Boy Scout float in the parade. He also entered the peach pie contest. He didn't win a ribbon, but his pies were gorgeous for an eight year old who did the work himself - down to the homemade crust!


Both boys participated in the Mutton Busting at the rodeo. It was their first experience with the sport. Logan had the 4th high score out of the 25 kids (of all ages) that he road against. Connor also ran is heart out in the calf scramble.

I entered peach preserves and won with the family peach preserve recipe. I can't really take credit for the win since it's a family recipe that was handed down from my great-grandmother.

It is so wonderful to live in a small community!

The Mighty Hunter

Obituary

This morning at 6:32 a.m. Arnie A. Armadillo went to be with his maker. He encountered enemy fire while digging holes in the yard of a Texas Hill Country farmhouse. He will not be survived by any children and will not be missed. Arnie was proceeded in death this week by three rather large scorpions.

Rest in Peace.

War. It's War at my house. Armadillos and Scorpions are on my hit list. I am not a mighty hunter. My weapon of choice is to holler for my husband or boys and let them do the killing. I'm admittedly scared of bugs with stingers and pinchers, don't particularly care for snakes, and have a strong distaste for anything that digs in my yard or tries to kill my chickens. My guys have been gone the past few days so the killing has fallen on my shoulders. This morning I looked out my kitchen window to find a cute little armadillo digging up my yard. I saw red, got the .22 and went hunting. Happy Friday!