Beef and Bean Wedges ... or Pizza?

I just did a post on how to cook grass-fed beef. It is a different animal! The ground beef is AWESOME. Though a drier meat without the fat developed from feed lot grains (all genetically modified unless organic beef), the ground beef can be used in all recipes. For hamburgers I hate to adulterate too much since the beef flavor is exceptional, but they are drier, so I've started adding a few tablespoons of melted butter (organic or pastured) to a pound of meat.

Beef and Bean ... Pizza?

Last night I made up a recipe we liked. It's a keeper and a very easy quick meal.

BEEF AND BEAN WEDGES
1# of ground beef
1 15oz can of spiced beans (I used Annie's refried beans with green chilies)
1/2 cup Masa Harina
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
Juice from 1 lime

Mix this together well, spread and press flat and even on a pizza pan 12-14". Bake at 375 degrees 15-20 minutes till beef no longer is pink. Sprinkle on 1/4#, about 1 cup, of pepper jack cheese and bake another few minutes. I wanted it to brown a bit, so broiled it. Then add some chopped green onion and tomatoes and serve. We ate it with a salad.


A recipe I found that gave me the idea probably used regular beans. When it suggested 'spiced', I thought of the refried beans I keep stocked for quick bean tostadas. The recipe also used a cup of a cornbread mix. I don't keep mixes in my pantry since I cook from scratch. So what to use . . . Sticking with the Mexican theme of the beans I decided on the Masa Harina. I suppose you could use cornmeal. Most mixes also include some flour and baking powder, and of coarse shortening. I bet fresh or frozen corn could be good too (tho it'll give off some liquid, maybe requiring a bit longer cooking. A dollop of homemade yogurt could be good on top when serving.

Shared at: Dandelion House, Six Sisters Stuff, Frugally Sustainable, Food Renegade, Simple Lives Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Real Food Wednesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Monday Mania

Cooking Grass-Fed Beef/ Meats

Elk jumping our fence - what we've eaten for over 20 years

We bought part of a cow. Because of last years heat and drought many farmers, including our raw milk dairy, have had/ are having to butcher more animals due to lack of feed or excessive feed costs. Like our dairy, in over 100 years of farming, this is the first year they've had to buy feed, bringing it in from Canada. As a result, they've invested in hydroponic growing of grains like barley. Not many out there doing it, so few to talk with and learn from.

Grass-fed beef is another animal! I tried grilling a rib-eye steak as I'd occasionally do with typical beef . . . Boy was that tough! and I'd not even cooked it well-done. For twenty years our main meat source was elk along with some venison. Now THAT is grass-fed meat. Grass-fed meats are higher in omega-3 fatty acids.

In grass-fed meat animals there's no marbling of fat. The "inter-muscular fat", acts as an insulator during the cooking process helping to keep natural meat juices from cooking away. There's no fat to absorb the heat. It will therefore cook faster, like 30% less time, than regularly processed meat, and is easily overcooked, especially when using the dry heat method of cooking. Moist heat cooking is the easy way to cook meat - pretty forgiving. Searing the meat for dry heat cooking is a must, to help hold in juices. Cooking at lower temps is best too.

Another technique we've found for quality cuts of meat that I'd want to quick cook is marinating it overnight, or aging it in the fridge a few days. Choose marinating ingredients that won't mask the wonderful beef flavor! Like your favorite Italian salad dressing is a good marinade. Lemon juice, wine, beer and vinegar work.

Slow cooking is the best. Once it's defrosted (not in the microwave which further dries it out) put 1/2" of liquid (water, wine, broth ...) in a crock pot or covered oven roast pan, put in the meat and season. Cook on low for 7 hours or 325 degree oven (or slow-cooker high for 3 hours or 375 degree oven), then add veggies and cook another hour to roast them.

The front of the animal is the tastiest meat, but definitely needs the slow moist heat method. Hamburgers from grinding the chuck are the best! The back of the animal is leaner and in grass-fed animals really needs extra care in cooking.

Christmas Time with Family

My boys came for Christmas. Travis and Sarah with their two munchkins stayed for several days. Our wood stove keeps the chill off our great room when cloudy cold. Emery really liked keeping it stoked and our home's mass was quite warm!

Travis in the rocking chair reading

Emery stoking the fire

Little Scout was not feeling well, but pretty cheerful in spite. I stayed home with her one evening as everyone else went to downtown Denver's Zoo lights. Travis took some great pictures with his new camera!

Scout leaning in to hug me, her Oma

Dawson and Splarah silhouetted and Monte framed by the elk antlers

Splarah and Dawson looking at their breath

Dawson and Splarah made their Nephew and Niece some pretty cool Christmas presents: a "lappy" for Emery that has magnet closures for the wood laptop as well as the "pad" chalk cover, along with a cloth carrying case; and then a vacuum.

Chalkboard "Lappy" with magnetic closures

Carved to resemble a Mac

Vacuum

Scout loves her vacuum!

Emery loves to sit and color

Scout playing with the crayons too

Emery loved sledding this year

My back deck

Our Home

Sunrise

Elk in our meadow

Fermented Onions and More

Fermenting Veggies, Red Onions, Cranberry Relish, Beets, and Pear sauce for dehydrating as a 'leather'

Did more ferments. I LOVE the veggie mixture for putting on a platter with some homemade dips. The first time I tried this was for Thanksgiving - only fermenting them a couple days. I thought they'd get soggy over time, but they don't. The ones I jarred up in smaller jars and put in my cold cellar are still crispy nice . . . And such wonderful flavor! So I did it again for the Holiday get-togethers, which always need more wholesome veggies available! as well as that taste variance over all the sweets (which I don't eat much of tho they are around).

I already posted about the Cranberry-Orange-Apple Relish. This is my third batch this season, and will probably do more till no more fresh cranberries are in the store. I mostly use it mornings with my dairy kefir or homemade yogurt, soaked and dried walnuts, shredded coconut, and sometimes adding a bit of my soaked and dried cold cereal (all recipes posted here).

I love beets and decided to keep making this version - sliced beets - over the kvass recipes. I still drink the brine. And I'm really excited about the red onions. I'm going to be adding them to all sorts of things. Like on salads, in egg and chicken salads, sandwiches . . . I do use whey in most of my ferments. I've read of using other starters or none at all. I have access to liquid whey whenever I want it. It's very nutritious, and I've not found any undesirable texture or taste! And I've not made an official brine either. I typically put all the ingredients in a large bowl and sprinkle on the salt I'd use if making a brine and keep stirring and tossing, to start the process before jarring up in my Pickl-It jars, and adding the water amount to cover.

Monte just mixed up some special canned tuna I got from I Love Blue Sea (and will keep getting cases from them - it's THE best!) with my cultured homemade mayo and the fermented zucchini with poblano chilies I kept making at the end of summer - serving it with my homemade sourdough gouda cheese crackers. SO GOOD!

Childermas - Holy Innocents Remembered

This is the day Matthew 2:16-18 is remembered. The wise men came asking about the baby born "King of the Jews". Warned by an angel, they did not return to tell Herod where they had found Jesus. Herod, in jealous fear, slaughtered many male children in his attempt to get rid of Jesus. Thus the beginning of the choice for mankind: for or against Jesus.

Matthew quotes Jeremiah, "...a voice was heard...sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children." Have you ever really thought of this piece of the Christmas story? Many artists have pondered it, so that it's depicted in many paintings and stories. (The pictures here are by Giovanni, Giotto, and Ruebens.)

Joseph was warned in a dream to flee this slaughter and escape to Egypt. I have a book we read every year by Madeline L'Engle called Dance in the Desert. It imagines the Holy Family traveling in a caravan to Egypt, and one night all creation comes to pay homage to their Creator. The pictures are beautiful, of toddler Jesus and various animals. The caravan men have knives ready but Mary always says, "Wait".

All cultures throughout time have the stain of innocent, unwanted children. On this day we can think of children all over the world who suffer innumerable forms of violence which threatens their lives. We can pray for our children and the world.

"Today we celebrate the heavenly birthday of these children whom the world caused to be born unto an eternally blessed life rather than that from their mothers' womb, for they attained the grace of everlasting life before the enjoyment of the present ... For already at the beginning of their lives they pass on. The end of the present life is for them the beginning of glory. These then, whom Herod's cruelty tore as sucklings from their mothers' bosom, are justly hailed as 'infant martyr flowers'; they were the Church's first blossoms, matured by the frost of persecution during the cold winter of unbelief."
-- St Augustine

It's Peter Pan Day!

Starting in 1904 in England, everyone would wake up on this day and say "Peter Pan. We get to go see Peter Pan today!" The tradition of the play went on for years.

That's why Peter Pan movies periodically come out in December. The movie "Finding Neverland" came out for the 100th year anniversary in 2004.

I've been a Peter Pan fan for several decades now. There's a message there that was a part of my pursuit that eventually led to my experiencing of God in a deep way.

I started with recognizing things missing in my life. I had become so rational, so "adultish". I wanted to regain my sense of wonder. So I started down a path of pursuing what it meant to be childlike.

My favorite Peter Pan movie is Spielberg's 1991 "Hook". The setting is Christmas, so he knew of the tradition of Peter Pan at Christmas time when families are gathered together seeking entertainment.

It's an "adultish" Peter in the movie. Grandma Wendy invited the family to England. Peter is forever on his cell phone. His wife is frustrated. His kids are enamoured with Wendy and the nursery window and are full of anticipation.

Grandma Wendy finally has to get in Peter's face and ask, "What do you remember of your story Peter?" Peter had forgotten his story. He didn't know who he was!

The rest of the story, since Captain Hook stole away his children, has Peter relearning how to be childlike to win back the hearts of his children. He had to relearn how to play, how to fly!

That too was my quest. Who was I really?

Watch the movie "Hook".

Watch "Finding Neverland" (with Johnny Depp!). It is so close to the real JM Barrie story in that it tells us why he wrote Peter Pan. Barrie wrote many stories inspired by his mother's Scottish highland tales. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Barrie saying, "I am a capable artist; but it begins to look to me as if you are a man of genius. Take care of yourself for my sake. It's a devilish hard thing for a man who writes so many novels as I do, that I should get so few to read. And I can read yours, and I love them."

In the movie you meet the family of boys who inspired the lost boys (the movie shows these boys' father as already dead, though in real life, Barrie nursed him through his illness.) When the Davies boys met Barrie, they said they'd found a childlike adult in the midst of stodgy Victorian England.

There's a line in the book that's central to Barrie's vision. Over the years his vision had been watered down, thinking it too dark for families. It's - "To die will be an awfully big adventure." This line is the heart of the story (as too in many stories, including the Gospel).

It's a looking for something good out of something tragic. Tolkein calls this 'eucatastrophy' - a victory of good over evil, but with a price to be paid - a redemptive sacrifice. So when faced with the possibility of drowning in Mermaid's Lagoon, Peter is going to make it an adventure.

Hmmm ... "to die will be an adventure"... Doesn't Jesus ask me to come to him as a child? and to die to self? and that in dying there's true life/living?!

Shared at: Monday Mania

The 12 Days of Christmas / Boxing Day

So, do you think Christmas is over? No, Advent is over. It's now the season of the 12 Days of Christmas. You can think of the song if you want to, and there are interpretations of it floating around on the internet. I gave an interpretation if you click on December 2007.

But we are now building to Epiphany, January 6 - recognizing the coming of the Magi, Middle Easterners following a star, or a sign in the sky - do you know your sky? There was a phenomena in the sky with three planets close together: Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. This is why the Magi traveled.

But Christmas is really all year. Christmas is all about Incarnation. "Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." This is incarnational living, day-to-day, moment-by-moment, abiding in God. Not cautious, but extravagant living!

December 26 is known as Boxing Day. Does 'Boxing Day' come from the need to rid the house of empty boxes the day after Christmas? In Britain it has always been a day for remembering the people who work for us. Boxes are often left out in places or people carrying them, asking for donations, much like we have the Salvation Army bell ringers at stores. But gifts are given to employees and boxes of food are given to the needy.

Also on December 26 in 1223, Francis Assisi assembled the first live nativity scene in Greccio, Italy.

I'll write more as the days progress . . . 

Potato Sausage

Monte showing Emery the potato sausage mixture!

Though we could buy potato sausage at a meat market, we've been making it since we got married in 1975. It's our Christmas tradition food, along with Scandinavian Fruit Soup and Rice Pudding.

I have a meat grinder attachment for my Bosch Kitchen Machine and a sausage stuffer attachment. Before that I had a KitchenAid and a meat grinder for it too. Before that, how funny ... I still laugh! we scrunched up the casings on an angel-food cake pan center, and tried stuffing the meat mixture thru that tube. It was not easy and a mess!

Usually we grind the meat ourselves too, because then we have control over the fat amount and the kind of fat. For years we did it with elk, but now we don't have any elk or venison. I grind the onion first and then the potatoes, because the onion mixed with potatoes helps keep them from turning brown.

The meat casings we use are hog, and we get them at the meat market. Some stores have them in the freezer compartment. The casings are in salt and need to be soaked in warm water first. Then we like to put an end under the faucet and run water thru them to rinse the salt out. After grinding and mixing everything together the sausage stuffer attachment is put on and the casings are pulled over it - they end up sort of bunched up. Then run the meat mixture thru to start stuffing the casings. We have a cookie sheet with sides under the machine to catch the sausage. We always bag up extra sausage in Ziplock bags and freeze.

4 lbs meat
4 lbs potatoes
1 onion
1 1/2 tsp pepper
7 tsp salt
(1/2 tsp allspice - optional)

So grind all this and mix together well and stuff the casings. Boil and then simmer whatever you're wanting to eat in salted water, to cover, for about an hour. We cut up sections and have on a serving platter. I eat the casing's, and others don't, but yes, they are edible. Monte likes to eat his sausage in his doppa i grytan, Swedish meat and veggie soup.

Leftover, we like to saute it in a skillet for breakfast, or sliced and heated (or cold) for sandwiches.

Fruit Soup

Scandinavian Fruit Soup

When I was dating Monte and he told me about fruit soup, I thought it sounded awful. But now it's my favorite Christmas food and I make a big pot so we have leftovers and plenty for serving at all sorts of get-togethers during the holidays. Here is my fruit soup recipe:

Fruit Soup Ingredients

FRUIT SOUP
12 oz bag of pitted dried prunes, cut them up
1 c raisins or currants
1 c cut up dried apricots
1 c cut up dried apples
1 c cranberries
1 c dried cherries, dark sweet or sour
10 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves (put in a little mesh basket or cheesecloth)
slices of lemon

Bring this to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add 6-7 Tbs tapioca to grape juice to soak a bit before adding to the soup. I eventually pour in a whole jug (32 oz) of unsweetened grape juice. This needs to simmer a bit more for the tapioca to cook and thicken.

It's good both warm and cold. I like it room temp. We love to eat it with cream. It's great with ice cream. It's good with aebleskivers and pancakes and rice pudding ...

Genealogy of Jesus and Women

So many Jewish genealogies begin with Abraham. Abraham is the father of many nations, not just Isaac and Israel. He was before the law. I like that he was justified by simply believing in God.

When I sit with the Matthew 1 scripture, I see that four women are listed in Jesus' genealogy. Historic Israel is very patriarchal, male-oriented. Genealogies never list women. And if you were a woman, your security was in bearing children and your continuity was in a son.

By God's wanting women in the list is a wake-up call to pay attention, because these are human points of God's intervention. Israel practiced exclusion of peoples whereas here God shows His initiative of inclusion. As I read between the lines and try walking in their shoes I fall in love with God more.

Tamar was a Canaanite. Hebrew law said that if your husband died without an heir you were to be given to the brother, so a seed/heir of the tribe/family could carry on. Since her father-in-law refused to follow through, she took things into her own hands, producing twins from the father-in-law. Read the story. For the first time in both the Joseph and Tamar stories Judah acknowledged his wrong. He claimed the twin sons as legally his. It's as if Tamar with the son Perez (which means "a break in the wall") created the transition for Judah to become the patriarch the Lord called him to be.

Rahab was an alien prostitute who displayed faith in God from hearing the stories that preceded the Israelites' coming. Her desire was beyond her, but to preservation for her family. She married Salmon and had Boaz. I'm imagining: being brought up by a foreigner who has to learn the faith from scratch and maybe interjecting a bit of her own pagan background into the stories. It all seems a bit scandalous, yet God blessed their union with sons. God's grace is for all.

Ruth has more 'story' in the Bible to actually read. She was a Moabite, who were hated by the Jews. Her ancestry goes back to Lot and the incestuous union with his daughter. Yet God blessed that with a son. (Conception & birth was all a mystery totally attributed to God.) God's hospitality is not decided by blood, birth, race or nationality. Ruth and Boaz seem to have healed the family tree that pre-dates the law.

Then there's Bathsheba. Adultery. I've come to maybe even call it rape. I remember a story told about a King that loved a maiden. He didn't want to force his desire of marriage because he'd always wonder if she really loved him. So he cast aside his king stuff and became a pauper so he could woo her love. That's the Jesus story. David's story is so opposite. How could she say "No" to the king!

These stories Jesus heard over and over again as a boy growing up. Much of what we find in the eyes of Jesus must first have been in the eyes of Mary. In both of their eyes was what they both believed about God - a co-believing. All these women made themselves available to God just as they were - they were real. We do not have to leave behind who we are in order to receive God's acceptance. God desires all of who we are - not perfection. Our redemption and transformation depends more on our response to God's love and desire for us.

You can see these women's stories in all the people Jesus reached out to. We still have Tamars, Rahabs, Ruths, and Bathshebas today. God still loves them and desires to redeem their stories and embrace them.

St Lucia Day

Felted St Lucia

Because of our Swedish heritage, we've celebrated St Lucia day for years. Tradition has the oldest daughter wear a candle wreath on her head and serve breakfast treats in bed.

St Lucia

Lucia, or Lucy, means "light." Lucia was born in the third century in Sicily of Greek parentage. She was brought up Christian by her mother in times of great persecution. Lucia had been betrothed to a pagan. With her mother's permission she gave her dowry away to persons in need. Her betrothed was furious and denounced her as a Christian. She was martyred in 304, still clinging to her faith in Christ. Lucia held the Light of Christ for all to see in the cultural darkness.

The Scandinavians really celebrate her day. At this time of year the sun barely makes it over the horizon, so they hold great festivals of lights. It is believed her story reached them through missionary Vikings, and was strengthened by a legend:

In the Middle Ages there was a famine in Sweden, "Varmland." Just when the starving people were giving up hope, a huge ship appeared. The boat contained food, and clothes. They saw a maiden in white with a glowing crown and long golden hair at the ship's helm. Once the cargo was unloaded the ship vanished. They believe the maiden to be Santa Lucia.

Lucia Buns

I used to always make something ahead, like Lucia buns or muffins, and had the coffee pot ready to push the on-button. We also talked of possibilities the kids could do for themselves like hot cocoa. Then Heather, and Travis could "surprise" us in the morning.

After reading Matt 5:14-16, sing "This Little Light of Mine." You could read Matt 10:26-33 to connect with Lucia standing in her faith even to the point of death. It killed her body but not her soul. I also think of Jesus' parable of the 10 bridesmaids who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five were prepared, awake and aware to see the bridegroom.

If we're turned in on ourselves, we cannot reflect the light of God's likeness. But if we're awake and aware in Jesus, we can see God in our midst in our daily lives and reflect His image to those we come in contact with.

Knit Vest and Felted Decoration

I knit my daughter a vest for Christmas gifting.

Vest I knit for my daughter

 I also needle felted over styrofoam forms for a decoration.

Needlefelted wool over styrofoam shapes

Got gifts wrapped and boxed and shipped.

Textile Christmas

Luminous Wool Felted Ornaments

This year I'm decorating with a nature and textile theme. I've left most of my decor in the box. I have lots of felted ornaments I meant to sell and decided to keep them for my tree. I have way more than the three shown. I'll post my textile tree later.

Felted Ornaments

Textile Ornaments and Knitted "light" garland

I also have made felt wreaths for years and am finishing up one for ME this year.

Wool Felt Wreath in the works

Wet felting over styrofoam first

In the process of making all these I've learned some things. When using styrofoam for needlefelting over you do not want the smooth styrofoam. It's got to be the rough kind. And rather than needling it all on, I start with wet felt process first, then needle on the details. I have posts on this.

My last post had other textile giftings I make - preferring Handmade!

On the subject of felting and gifting, I also periodically knit booties to felt. The pattern did not come with a ribbed cuff. I had to knit this on after the booties were felted. Without this cuff the booties fall off!!! I've been a MOPS Mentor going on thirteen years now, so new babies are in my world.

"Soap in a Sweater", Felted Booties, Needle-felted wool face needing a body!

I teach felting classes. I love to teach and like using this blog for tutorials.

Sock Earrings and other Giftings

My hand-knit sock earrings

We like most of our giftings to be handmade. Most of my friends have my sock earrings. I've posted about them before. I started knitting these years ago and every year pull out the pattern, needles and yarns and make more. I am now deplete of my stock and need to make more. Monte just gave my last ones to friends of his. Needles? They are like toothpicks, probably actually thinner! I guess I should offer to make these for anyone wanting to buy some.

Varieties I've tried knitting over the years - sticking moreso with those on the right.

Handwoven dishtowels and Handknit dishcloth.

One of my weaving looms is set up with the same colorings in this picture for dishtowels that match the dishcloths I knit (how-to here). The weave structure is set up for the very absorbant towel on the right. I'll often give a set along with my homemade soap.

This year I've made so much Healthy Cold Cereal via Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist, I'm making up a bunch to jar up with pretty cloth tops and include the recipe.

Monte's made the Grandkids homemade blocks, varying the sizes, including some tree branch pieces. These sets are quite expensive if you were to buy them. They are asking for more, and have specified the sizes they want more of. Our kids often built structures to the ceiling over and over and the grandkids are carrying on the tradition. I've added wooden train tracks and trains to my Grandmother "wood" toy bin. I like building upon quality sets, including Lego, rather than a wide variety of toys. Now that there's girls, I'll be adding some wood furniture and people and animals to this bin. Can't wait to make "handmades" with them too!

Handwoven hot pads

My kids always wove my potholders, but now I have to make my own. They have always been my favorite, preferring their size. Dawson wove so many once that he stitched together for a rug.

Every Fall I used to take the kids to a large craft store and look around for ideas they could work on for giftings. I used to read aloud to them a lot and I always liked them to be busy handcrafting or drawing. I even let them carve in the house!

One of my journals with a felted decor

We also made handmade books for giftings. I'll still occasionally do that for journaling. I used to have the kids tell me their dreams  and write them out myself when they were little. Eventually they wrote their own stories and we'd make books. I used to make my brother and sister handmade books all the time when they were little. Illustrating them too. The Grandparents still have the books they gave them.

Knitted toy for the Grandkids

I like knitting them hats and toys. I have a monkey pattern, boy and girl, along with clothes that I periodically keep adding to. Both the older grandboys have a monkey with pajamas and robe. I need to now make girl monkeys (next year) and more clothes.

Hand-dyed hat, socks, and t-shirt for kids

Men's dyed T-sh

I'm also very set up to dye stuff easily. When my kids were born I often dyed second-hand clothes in darker, brighter colors - all pastel back then, which I hated. Whenever I'm tired of something I'll redye it - like one of my bathrobes has been dyed three times. I'm always now dyeing T-shirts with matching bamboo socks for everyone. One Christmas everyone got dyed canvas aprons. Now my kids have taken off with a technique I taught them - painting or spraying over a stencil dark T-shirts with bleach (outside of coarse - and wash right away so doesn't eat the fiber). In fact, Dawson gets cheap shirts and bleaches a design and a resale shop buys them or gives him store credit. I order my dyes and dyeables from Dharma Trading Company. They have GREAT tutorials and lots of gifting ideas!

My boys with their wives showing us their bleach-dyed t-shirts

Best of all . . . A lot of these doings, meaning "think handmade" is caught moreso than taught! Dawson and Splarah kinda copied (I'll post another post with the picture of mine - it's probably back in the Dec Archives) my 'bean-bag" creche - wanting to make one for her Mom. I LOVE it!!!!!!

Nativity Scene made by my Dawson and Splarah for her mom

My next post will have some felt stuff.


Shared with: Spain In Iowa, Sustainable Eats, My Cultured Palate, Real Food Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Monday Mania, Homestead Barn Hop, Pin Meme, Or So She Says, Six Sister's Stuff