Family Hoosier Cabinet

When my parents got married and bought their first house, it came with an old hoosier cabinet. Somehow, the cabinet made its way to my grandmother's house, where it stayed for many years. When one of my older brothers got married, the cabinet traveled to his new home. I had my eye on it for a very long time, and my brother passed it down to me when my husband and I bought our first home.

Decorated for Christmas :)

I simply adore the fact that it was passed down through the family and eventually found its way to me. To make it even more special, my grandma gave me lots of treasures to fill the cabinet.

This is my favorite piece of furniture and everyone who sees it seems to fall in love with it as well. I have always been one for antiques and vintage items over anything new, so this is such a treasured piece. I think it's so special when the items you surround yourself with have a deep, personal history. I'm so nostalgic and love to imagine my grandmother using the cabinet and china in her day. I often wonder how many times she washed these dishes and replaced them in the cabinet after a long, tiring, but hopefully happy day.

Do you have any treasured hand-me-downs in your home?

~Tammy

Shared with Thursday Favorite Things, Home Sweet Home, Farmhouse Style Blog Hop 

Feathered Friend Friday

Welcome to our series "Feathered Friend Friday." Every Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.         

When we ordered our first flock of chickens over three years ago, David was the one spearheading the process. I wasn't all that into it (I know, hard to believe, right?!) and he was really excited, so I let him take control. He decided it would be fun to get eight different breeds so we would have a varied flock and a colorful egg basket.

One of our original eight named Jobin is a Delaware, which is a cross between a Barred Plymouth Rock and a New Hampshire Red. The breed was created in 1940 by George Ellis of Delaware (hence, the name) with the aim of maximizing meat value. The Delaware was actually a very popular broiler chicken up until the mid-1950's when it was eclipsed by the White Cornish Rock cross. Since then it has steadily declined in popularity and today the Delaware is considered a critically endangered breed in danger of extinction.

As far as egg production goes, Jobin lays fairly well, usually 3-4 large, pinkish-brown eggs per week. Personality wise, she is so cool and laid-back. It might sound strange to say a chicken is cool and laid-back, but Jobin really is! She just goes with the flow and nothing seems to faze her. She is actually David's favorite out of all the chickens because of her personality and how she always chats with him when he goes out for a visit. If he is working on something outside, she is sure to be right there beside him clucking sweetly as if asking what he's up to.

She also happens to be my grandma's favorite of our flock because of the black spots around her neck. Grandma says, "It looks like she is wearing a necklace!"

It makes me sad to think that the Delaware could be extinct one day because Jobin has been such a great member of our flock. Hopefully other chicken keepers will be interested in saving the breed and maybe one day the Delaware will make a comeback. If you are thinking about getting chickens, I'd definitely recommend adding some Delawares to your flock. I think you'll love them!

~Tammy

Shared with Camera Critters, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Down Home Blog Hop, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Weekly Top Shot

Easy Cobbler

About a month ago I was catching up with my grandma over the phone, and she told me about an easy cobbler recipe she received from her sister's 95 year old neighbor, Evelyn. Grandma raved, "Tammy, this cobbler is delicious. You won't believe how easy it is. You put the ingredients for the crust on the bottom and the fruit on top, and the crust bubbles up during cooking."

The next couple times I talked to her, she brought it up again, just in case it didn't sink in how great this cobbler was. Last week I went to her house for lunch and she made peach cobbler for dessert using Evelyn's recipe. I finally understood what she was raving about all this time! I decided I had to try this one out myself.

Easy Cobbler
by Evelyn McCubben

Ingredients:
1 stick melted butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 t salt
2 t baking powder
2/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)
1+ cup sliced peaches (I used frozen peaches from this summer, thawed) or other fruit of your choice with liquid (canned fruit also works if you don't have fresh or frozen)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix butter, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and milk in a bowl until just combined. Pour mixture into your pan (an 8x8 baking dish works well).
3. Spoon the fruit on top with any liquid and bake until the crust has bubbled to the top and is a golden brown color, about 40-45 minutes.

Since peach cobbler is just about my favorite thing in the world, I was so happy to find a really easy recipe. It only took me about five minutes to prepare and get in the oven. Waiting is the hardest part! Towards the end of cooking the delicious aroma fills the air and you can almost taste that first bite. The wait is hard, but oh so worth it.

~Tammy

Shared with Home Sweet Home, Tutorials Tips And Tidbits, Creative Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop, Homespun Christmas, Sweet Saturday, On The Menu Monday, Mix It Up Monday, Tweak It Tuesday, Hearth & Soul Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Baking

Clearing The Camera

Here are some recent photos I've taken that I wanted to share. Go here if you'd like to see more photo posts.

Finally got an egg basket!

Fitz loves lazy days.

Foggy sunrise in the woods.

Sunny day with Baby.

I think Fitz looks like a kitten in this photo. I love it because I didn't get to see him as a kitten.

Jasper is conked out!

I can't say no to Duchess when she looks at me with her puppy dog eyes.

We had a torrential downpour last night and the creeks were overflowing.

Wanted to get a cool bokeh shot with the lights. Finally figured it out!

Hope you've enjoyed a slice of our homestead.

~Tammy

Shared with Weekly Top Shot