Best EVER! Peach Pie Recipe

I'm going to share a secret with you all. It is a secret I have harbored since I was in high school when I worked part-time as a house keeper/companion for a dear old lady named Agnes. I learned a lot working for Agnes things like sweeping carpets (I had always called it vacuuming), what a davenport was etc... but my most favorite thing to do with her was bake. And she kindly shared her many wonderful recipes with me, some in written form, and some I had inscribe somewhere in my scattered brain only to resurface much later at random but very appropriate moments.  This peach pie recipe is no exception. I remembered all of the albeit simple but forgotten ingredients, just as a case of the most delicious, sweet, tender peaches you ever tasted were dropped off at the ranch earlier this week.  I guess they don't call Georgia the peach state for nothin'.

So here it is the easiest FRESH NO BAKE PEACH PIE recipe.
(Oh, and even my husband who does not care for fruit pies likes this one.)  


Ingredients:
One pre-made pie crust - regular, gram cracker, short bread - there all good
1 cup Sugar
3 heaping Table Spoons Corn Starch
1 3oz package peach jello (I know, I know this is a no, no ingredient, but we're indulging here)
1 Cup Water

3-4 cups peeled and sliced peaches

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan mix sugar, corn starch and Peach Jello. Add Water. Cook on med/high heat stirring constantly. Cook mixture until it comes to a low boil. Continue cooking, until mixture forms a very thick bubbling gel. Remove from heat and cool 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and slice peaches. Fold Peaches into gel mixture. Fill Pie Crust. Chill completely. Serve with whip cream or ice cream.

P.S. You can also use this recipe to make a very nice Strawberry pie. Just change out the fruit and Jello flavor.

Enjoy :o)

This Moment - Gold Mine Mountain

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 


(And this moment was a few weeks ago, but it is a favorite place that we visit often. "Gold Mine Mountain" is really a Mica deposit, and on a sunny day it sparkles like gold on the red rock.)

  

The Snake

We haven't seen him in a couple of weeks, and yesterday I had the passing thought that maybe he had moved on. But, this morning on our walk, there he was in all his 24-30inch glory. We stopped to look at him and I got brave and snapped a quick photo, of course at this point he decided it was time to depart to his lair in the rocks (Which was fine by me.)

 
Now my question is still: What is he?
He definitely has a pronounced head of the more diamond shape variety. But, in all the research I've done I still can't conclusively say 100% for sure he is or is not a Water Moccasin (a.k.a. Cotton Mouth)
I suppose as snakes go he is rather beautiful, but his scale pattern is unique enough I just can't really say for sure what he is. At this point we err on the side of caution and presume he or I suppose she is a young Water Moccasin.

So, here is my invitation, feel free to share this post around to any and all snake savvy friends. Perhaps we can get some help in identifying him as friend or foe.

Oh, and for all the Grandma's out there, I want to ASSURE You we were not this close to him. he was a good 8-10feet down the creek bank. Zoom lenses and creative cropping are what bring him in for this close view.

On Fathers Day

This fathers day Kyle and I will be 870 miles from our dads. We love our fathers and are so grateful for the life lessons they taught us and the love and discipline they faithfully applied in their years of raising us.
 So, Dad (Ron & Nick) if your reading this, thank you for be our dads. We love you!

Closer to home, I  want to take a moment to honor Kyle the father of my children Colton, Alex.
~
Did you know there is a deeper reason as to why we have chosen the ranching lifestyle? We are not doing this because of Kyle's dream of being a "cowboy". We are not doing it for money. We are not even doing it for the adventure of saying we did it. Though those are all factors, the reason we do this, and live this way is for our family.

It is no secret that when Kyle and I got married we made no plans for a family. Children just were not in the picture. But, God saw the void in our plans and graciously gave us Colton. At the time of Colton's birth I had been working full time and was the primary breadwinner as Kyle built his farrier business. I was heartbroken at the thought of leavingg my baby to go back to work even though we had the best grandmas to care for him. As I neared the end of my maternity leave, one day Kyle got up, got dressed and informed me he was going to go find a job. I was so surprised by this and honestly skeptical that one could just go out and get a job. But, sure enough God provided and Kyle returned that day with a job. Thus releasing me of the pressure to return to work full time.
God knew what he was doing when he gave Kyle that job at a local dairy. It opened our eyes to a lifestyle we thought was dead and gave us the vision for how we wanted to raise our family.

You see that little part time job at VerHage Dairy and Kyle's business as a professional horse shoer turned out to be so special because it allowed, not only for me to stay home and care for Colton. It made it possible for us to be a much bigger part of Kyle's life. When Kyle worked at the dairy, he was up early every morning to go milk, but was almost always home by 10am, which let him spend some time with Colton before heading off to shoeing appointments. The schedule of a horseshoer varies greatly, but because of this and the flexibility we could often ride along with him to appointments. Even at the dairy, we were welcome to come watch him work, and we often did if he was working a night shift or doing something special.
Through this experience we realized that we could have a lifestyle that would keep us together and allow our son(s) to receive a very important gift. They could learn not only about being close with their family, but they could also literally watch their father work.

Today, so many fathers have to leave to go to work, precious time is lost and few children even know or truly understand what it takes for bread to be on their table. While we understand and respect this is often a necessity. We can't help that we were drawn to an older simpler lifestyle, where from early on the children work alongside their parents. We truly feel this is the best way for us to teach our boys work ethic, responsibility, and how to be ...men.

This desire to impart our values in a very kinesthetic manner led us to further pursue a lifestyle that not only made ends meat, and was something that Kyle enjoyed (after all if you are going to bring in the bacon, why not try to have a little fun too.) but allowed us the flexibility to still be a part of Kyle's work. Ranching seemed to be our next best option.  Once again God blessed us with a wonderful job opportunity in Montana. The Hatches fully embraced our family and supported our desire to work closely together. Colton loved beging able to go out irrigating with Kyle, or feeding in the tractor. Even Alex (from a few weeks old) and I got in on the act from time to time.

And still when we had to move back to Michigan, God faithfully provided jobs that even though the opportunities where much more limited we still got to see Kyle work.

I don't know how much Colton and Alex are really absorbing through all this but I can tell you this, They know their daddy works, works hard, and they have a pretty good idea what he does.

Once again we are blessed with a job, that though Kyle works long hard hours we still are able to observe him working and occasionally help him.

And though Colton has plans to be a paleontologist, super hero, police man, cowboy, bull rider. He will also tell you that he wants to be just like his dad.
And Alex... Well, if dad has a rope, he wants one too. And I can't think of a better person for these boys to look up to.

So, Kyle if you read this, I just hope you know how much we all love you and appreciate the sacrifices you make and time you spend with us, you are so important to these boys and to me.

Plow Boy

The events of this week have been pretty low key, not too many exciting events to write about...at least for me and the boys. We have just enjoyed our routine of morning walks, house work, a little helping Kyle in the corrals and play time. Oh, and a couple midwife appointments - but, that's another story.
For Kyle on the other hand... Well, he had plenty to do.
The first part of the week was occupied by two days of very welcomed rain. And once the down pour stopped it was time to hit the fields.
This ranch, just like any other has one main concern - having enough grass for the cattle that graze it. However, the distinguishing feature down here is that it means making grass, as opposed to just growing it.
It appears that there will be a fair amount of the summer season spent plowing and seeding or re-seeding pastures. Because of the mild climate, the goal is to NOT have to feed hay. In fact if you do need to feed hay it is likely to be in the summer months because of drought not because of winter weather conditions.
Also, apparently because of the soil conditions (the soil here is a very hard clay.) and because this area is naturally very dense forest.  There are very few natural pasture lands.

So, now that the rain has freed up the clay, Kyle and Wayne have spent most of their working (& waking) hours plowing fields for pasture. Admittedly plowing is not Kyle's favorite job, but the cows need grass, and more urgently than ever since the boss has increased the herd by 40 cows.

(Kyle and Co-worker Wayne discuss where to go from here.)

These fields (I don't really know how many acres, but its a lot!) will likely be planted with Bermuda grass which is a perennial grass that tolerates the heat better. Other pastures have been planted with a type of Rye for the chillier winter months.    

Thankfully this last rain & barring a break down, the last portion of plowing should be able to be completed today sometime. Overall this project has been going on for the past month or so, in spurts for as long as the ground stayed wet enough to do it. When it is very dry the clay is too hard for the plow to turn the soil over. Instead it would just cut useless grooves. 

And even though this section of plowing is almost finished, the work is not. Post plowing, then the fields will need to be rolled and finally planted, then lots of prayer for rain, and after the rain...On to the next section, I guess.   

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Fresh off the needles- at least that's what they say

This post is not so much about life on the ranch, and yet it kind of is. By now you know we are expecting a little bundle of joy in August. And as things go, I find myself doing a bit of nesting here and there. Most notably described as this overwhelming urge to knit and sew.

Now, please understand I am very much a NOVICE knitter. In fact I can count all of my projects on one hand, dish clothes (I have made lots of these), one hat and one very simple child's sweater (which the child intended had outgrown by its completion.) these projects have spanned the course of the last, oh 5+ years. Because of this track record it may surprise you to know that I actually love knitting. Its more of a patience and attention span issue as to why I have not done more of it, or expanded my project list.

Anyway, out here without many of my past common distractions, such as ... TV, driving places, and visiting with people of the in person human variety etc... I find that I have a wee bit more time to devote attention to such projects, along with this moderately intense urge to make something for this new babe.

So, here it is my first test project, fresh off the needles:
What is it? A wool soaker (a.k.a.  A wool diaper cover)

and yes I am aware I am having a girl. 

But begone stereotypes. I just love this pale blue Merino wool. It is so soft and light. I will admit that I originally purchased it to make Alex a soaker, but it will work for the little miss too. 

In case you are wondering I found the free pattern on Ravelry. 

And once I did the math (read algebraic expression) to figure the gauging -- because, though I am a novice knitter, I like some adventure and want to use what I have, even if it is not the correct needle or yarn size-- it really was a pretty simple pattern to follow. I will say, that I might try to make another in the next larger size, and maybe adjust for a slightly higher rise.

At the moment however, I have my eye on another project, and I think I just might have enough yarn to pull it off too...I'll let you know how it turns out.