Thunderwolf Ranch

Roast Beef Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Spinach Salad with Nectarines & Raspberries

Cherry Refrigerator Cookies

Cherry Refrigerator Cookies
A very festive cookie, especially if you use both the red and green candied cherries.

1 c Unsalted Margarine
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t Vanilla
2 3/4 c Flour
1 t Sodium Free Baking Powder
1/4 t Sodium Free Baking Soda
1/8 t Cinnamon
1 c Candied Cherries, Chopped
1/2 c Walnuts, Chopped

Cream margarine and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir together dry ingredients and add to mixture. Stir in cherries and nuts. Form into rolls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper and chill overnight. Slice 1/4 inch thick. Place on baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 60 Servings

Per Serving:
85 Calories
1 g Protein
4 g Total Fat
1 g Saturated Fat
1 g Polyunsaturated Fat
2 g Monounsaturated Fat
12 g Carbohydrates
0.2 g Fiber
4 mg Sodium
34 mg Potassium
0 mg Cholesterol

Primitive decor suggestions for my kitchen re-decorating/re-modeling project, please read and comment.

Fireproof the movie.. a MUST see!

Wonderful 4th Weekend

Direct my footsteps according to your word. Psalm 119:133

Well, I was right, this last week was crazy busy!!  The first couple of days I tried to make sure laundry and regular stuff was done up.  Wednesday I started baking some quick breads, Thursday I did muffins and more quick breads, Friday I made pies and hubby got the cinnamon rolls started and I finished them.  Wow, that sounds so easy..........but it was a lot of work actually.  I wanted extra baked for Saturday's Farmers Market as it usually is a good one for us.  There was a car and tractor show downtown that morning along with the dog contest, baby show and other activities on the 4th.  July 4th is a big celebration in our little town every year.  One of the high school classes has a pancake feed in the morning, so that seemed to cut down on my cinnamon roll sales.  I sold out of pies, had some bread left and rolls.   But all in all it ended up being a good day for us.

I made cookies for the cookie contest.....but didn't win anything this year.  A couple years ago, Mom won first and I won 3rd out of 35 entries!

After Market we went home and started working on our float for the parade on Saturday evening.  We had quite a bit done, but needed to get it finished up.  Everything went smoothly and we got to town and set up in plenty of time.  We got honorable mention.......which would actually be 4th place, but we were surprised with a $25 prize even for that!  The theme was fairy tales, our float was The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  We made a bridge out of palets and had 3 of our goats on the float.  A friend of ours dressed up as the troll and did a great job!!!  I haven't downloaded pictures yet, but will try to post soon.  It was a lot of fun to do, and people enjoyed the goats.

We rushed the goats home and went back for the fireworks at the park.  It was a really nice display and there were tons of people there. 

Friday evening our church hosted a free bbq, it was the first time to have this event, but will not be the last.  It was an amazing evening.   We provided the hot dogs and hamburgers and everyone brought a side dish.  After the meal there was a Christian band outdoors, with homemade ice cream following the music and then fireworks at dark.  It was for our whole community and there was a great turn out, guessing over 200 people!   I worked really hard to make sure I finished my baking early that day so we could go and it worked out fine.  I made a couple of cakes after we got home.

The most wonderful thing about the weekend was the weather.......there was a threat of rain all weekend, but it didn't rain at all!  It was cloudy and very comfortable, in the 80's ............we so enjoyed it and appreciate it after the heat wave  last week!!  God is Good in All Things!

Tomorrow starts a new week, back to somewhat of a regular schedule around here.  I really hope we can get some fence put up so the goats can have a new area to be moved to.  Also need to worm the does and some kids.

Oh, one more thing to share.  A farmer friend called a week ago and had run into some turkey nests while swathing alfalfa, he wanted to know if I had any hens setting.  I had two, so we ran over and got the eggs and put them under the hens.  On Friday morning 9 had hatched out of 11 eggs in one nest!  The other nest has 11 eggs also, but no way to know how long that hen had been setting, so we will see if they hatch too.  The little ones seem to be doing great.

Country Blessings,

Marilyn~at Heritage Hill Homestead

Our 4th of July In Canada

We were blessed to be able to skip across the border and spend the day with family. Benjamin was baptized by his dad with their old church family. We hadn't seen them in a year since their move to Norther AB. It was a great day with much to rejoice about. Unfortunately,Andrew and Jonathon could not be there.



This is like our 10th attempt at a good family picture... Michael, Peter, Vickie, Rainbow, Benjamin...oh, wait... where is Isaac?
Found him!



Really into gymnastics. This guy doesn't walk... he leaps over everything...cars, couches, walls....




girl cousins!



Rainbow being Rainbow and her mom.

I got the compliment of the day. You can only appreciate it if you know how it feels to be three weeks from turning 40. I'm feeling old!!! So we were sitting there chowing on all the goodies when this lady who didn't know us casually asks... "Are all you gals sisters?" The girls nod.  I smile and say, "Yup, those are my girls!"  This weird look crosses her face and she does a double take... "Wait, I thought you were one of the sisters! I thought you were the older sister."  
Sure. Whatever you say! I'm feeling younger already.
Steve and Michael were sitting there laughing... and Vanessa pipes up. "Well, just a few minutes ago while you were sitting with Michael, I overheard someone asking if you were Michael's girlfriend!!"

Michael is 27. He needs a girlfriend closer to his age, don't you think so? He's awfully good looking and the most like Steve of all the bunch... but I like being his aunt. And being a good aunt I'm praying the Lord will find him a sweet, godly wife.

We got back over the border at 10:30. Just in time for the fireworks on the river. In fact the jolly border patrol rushed us through so we wouldn't miss anything. Nice guy. They aren't all...

Green Bean field

    It is the day after the 4th of July. here, it's a big celebration of fire works, picnics and get-togethers. That's what neighbors, family and I did yesterday. But today is quiet. I finished setting up my granddaughter's pool in the back yard, checked for blueberries (five today!), raspberries (one...sigh) and green beans. While there wasn't much fruit, there were certainly enough green beans to provide me with tonight's dinner! Cooked with onions, of course...my very most favorite way to have green beans!

My love affair with green beans started long ago. I was in high school reading something about Walden and his philosophy developed while working in a green bean field. My teacher challenged us to work in a green bean field...and being the type of kid I was, I took that to heart. While there were no fields to be had around my house, that didn't stop me from buying a pack of green bean seeds (Blue Lake bush), preparing a small spot in the side yard and planting green beans. (My reasoning was that a little was as good as a whole...LOL)

Now, I'm not exactly sure what I was supposed to learn from the experience. I was only 14. As far as philosophy went, I never did get it - even after taking classes forced upon me for a college degree. As far as I was concerned, philosophy and Latin belonged in the same place - a good garbage dump.

While I worked away, weeding my little patch of green beans that summer, I did marvel at how easy it was to grow green beans. I marveled as tiny green shoots became large plants, eventually forming flowers and then tiny seed pods. Those pods grew long and fat and I picked them to show mom. Now whether she showed me how to cook them or I simply cooked them myself is lost to my memory. But I remember eating that first plate of green beans. Oh, was there anything better on the face of the earth than fresh picked and cooked green beans?

As for gleaning the beauty of nature as I worked under a summer sun or listening to birds - all that was lost on me. But the beauty of a plate full of green beans - now THAT was something to behold! And even better! To eat!

When summer was ended, that same teacher stood before us to continue her lessons in American Literature. She asked who had worked in a green bean field. Not sure that my little patch would qualify if push came to shove, I still raised my hand and nodded to her question. Even at 14, the look on her face wasn't lost on me. Her mouth fell open and she mouthed, 'Really?'

'Yes,' I nodded in return.

'What did you learn?' she asked.

Now, I wasn't prepared for THAT question. What did I learn? Dare I tell her that I loved fresh green beans far better than those canned things that mom bought at the A&P? Of, should I play it 'cool' and simply shrug or say something about growing green beans from seed was a piece of cake? Or that weeds were a REAL pain in the butt to pull - unless it was after a new rainfall and the ground was damp?

I don't remember what my answer was - or even if I gave an answer at all. But every spring, I await with eagerness for the ground to warm enough to begin the green bean patch. I plant the seeds, trying different ones as time has progressed. I'm not overly fond of 'red' pole beans, but Kentucky pole beans are quite heavy producers. I've looked at Chinese long pods, but keep forgetting to buy the seeds. I've marveled at wrinkly pods that other people get into growing. But my all time favorite remains, and likely always will remain, the simple Blue Lake bush beans I planted as a kid long ago.

Today, as the day before, as I picked, I couldn't help but remember that summer long ago. Somehow, I connect with that school girl and grow astounded at how easy it is to grow green beans! And I'm impressed that they add nitrogen to the soil - making the next year's garden even better. There's no wrong to green beans, in my humble opinion.

But maybe that's what Walden and my teacher was looking for - trying to teach. That a green bean field, like a religion, is a personal experience. That it can lead us into new ways of thinking and give us a different perspective on life and living.....

SOS = Save our Salsa