Tuesday Spotlight: Duck Fart

This week's special is Duck Fart. Don't let the name turn you off; the soap and moisturizer smell like orange and vanilla. The Bean created this soap and moisturizer when she was eight, and everything bodily function was considered hilarious. Not much has changed in the last eight years. Although she is now a sophisticated, almost sixteen-year-old, bodily functions continue to be quite funny. If I'm being transparent, at the ripe old age of fifty-two, bodily functions continue to be funny. I know it is rather low-brow humor, but funny is funny.

This week, exclusively on the website, you can save 25% on Duck Fart soap and moisturizer. As always, no promo code is needed to save on the weekly special. The discount is applied at checkout. As a gentle reminder, today is the last day to save 20% sitewide, excluding the weekly special, merch, and subscription boxes. Now is an excellent time to stock up on well-loved favorites, try something new, or purchase affordable gifts for upcoming holidays that will be here sooner than we think.

On this lovely September day, stay safe, be smart, and enjoy the savings. It's okay to giggle over funny noises and keep washing your hands.

Click To Save On Duck Fart

Happy Labor Day

The girls enjoying a slow morning

It has been a blissfully slow morning here at the farm, dear reader. I slept in until 7:30 and drank two cups of pumpkin spice coffee. My bib overall-wearing buddy slept until 8:30; The Bean is still in bed. I enjoy these rare, slow mornings more than you can imagine. My big red canine BFF is not stirring or bouncing at the door for our morning walk. I was tempted to grant this day a holiday from writing, but alas, I gave in to duty. So, here I sit, listening to my grumpy geese clamor for their breakfast, and the chickens are clucking on the porch...sigh. They really need to find a new place to hang out. Once I write my morning thoughts, I will quietly slip out the door to feed and water my birds, walk my dog, gather eggs, and hang out with my goats for a bit before continuing with my latest farm project; more about that later.

It was an eventful weekend. Friday was spent preparing for the Ligonier Country Market. Saturday was spent at the market, and the evening was spent at the Indiana County Fair. Yesterday, my dear Cindy girl went to her new home in Greensburg, and today, I will continue painting my downstairs. If it weren't for having a teenager, I would have spent all my spare time at home. Although my daughter is very responsible and closer to sixteen than not, I don't feel comfortable dropping her off at the fairgrounds to run around willy-nilly. I would never think of embarrassing her with my presence (said with sarcasm), but I feel better knowing that I am within range if she needs anything. So, The Bibbed Wonder and I lurked in dark corners and made ourselves scarce while she ran around with friends.

I haven't been to the Indiana County Fair in years. Saturday night was enough fair time to last me several more years. I am not a fair goer. The smell of greasy food, manure, and bodies that need to be washed is a bit overwhelming. The crowd is a bit too intense for my liking. Inevitably, there is a group of rough-housing tweens running around like idiots bumping into people. I just can't. I know I sound like a grump. However, after being up at three in the morning, spending the day at the market, coming home to unload from the market, and taking care of everyone, I feel as if I have put in two days of work in twelve hours. Unfortunately, my daughter thinks she needs to have a social life...sigh...so to the fair we went. Seeing my girl smile, listening to her tell me about her evening before I went to bed, and knowing she "had the best time ever!" was worth all the discomfort and yawns.

Yesterday, we spent a few hours with a lovely young couple who are just starting to embrace the self-sufficiency lifestyle. Abigail and Dylan came to meet our sweet goat, Cindy. The Bibbed Wonder is once again on a tangent about lowering our goat population, and he declared that Cindy had to go. Abigail and Dylan are growing their herd of dairy goats for personal use. Cindy was exactly what they were looking for. After speaking with "the kids" for a few hours, I felt confident Cindy would be in good hands and have a wonderful home. Abigail and Dylan loaded Cindy into the back of their SUV and took her home. She did amazingly well on the ride home. Abigail informed me this morning that Cindy follows her around the farm and happily grazes in the pasture. I am happy she is helping "the kids" grow their herd and expand their dream.

Today, I will continue to paint my piano room and hallway. I finally have a clear vision for our farmhouse. It has only taken me a decade-plus to reach this point, but I am taking one room at a time and reimagining it into something that will make me happy. When we moved into the farmhouse a decade ago, I painted everything cream-colored, took down the curtains to display my dad's beautiful cherry trim, and called it done. At that time, the move was more than a bit overwhelming; ties with my family were deteriorating at a fast pace, my health was at risk, and the stress of life had reached record-high levels. I feel as though I have spent the last decade in a fog I am just beginning to emerge from with some clarity.

I have spent the last several months deciding how to make small changes to our home so that it feels more like me and less like living in my mother's house. I am painting the walls a lovely medium grey-sage green. I am painting bookshelves a lovely deep green color and incorporating some natural wood antique pieces to tie in the old with the new. I am finally adding new curtains, rugs, and pillows to blend it seamlessly. Eventually, the dining room and kitchen will be painted the same grey-sage green, and the cabinetry will be painted the same dark green. I am excited about the changes. The Bibbed Wonder, not so much. The man does not do well with change at all.

One of my passions has always been interior design. I would have majored in interior design if I had not gone to school for English education. I have always enjoyed transforming a space and using what I have on hand rather than buying cheaply made new productions. They don't make furniture the way they used to, and I appreciate the history, story, and quality of antique pieces. I prefer long-standing, classic looks over trendy ones. Eventually, we will overhaul the farmhouse interior and exterior. However, I refuse to live through another major remodel and will only remodel when we have reconfigured the springhouse into a guesthouse. A major remodel is years down the road. Instead, I will work within the framework of our home, reinvent the overall feel, and make it cozy and more functional for our family. I will take pictures throughout the process and share them on the blog. My adult ADHD makes for some good writing material... insert a wink.

There is never a dull moment when one loves what they do or has hair-brained ideas upon which one acts. It's all about perspective. On this lovely holiday Monday, stay safe, be smart, enjoy your day, happy Labor Day, and keep washing your hands.

Foodie Friday: Chocolate Croissant Casserole

We begin the new school year with a lot of hype. I make a big production about new school supplies, school clothes, and The Bean's new schedule. I try to make the first day of school memorable with a big breakfast that my daughter enjoys. In the past, it was pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. As she has grown in taste and sophistication, she has discovered she enjoys chocolate croissants from Starbucks. Perhaps it is because she views everything from Starbucks as cool and trendy, but my reluctant eater is willing to try new things if it is on Starbucks' menu.

Keeping with the chocolate croissant idea, I made a chocolate croissant casserole for her big breakfast on her first day of school. I found this recipe on the website Plain Chicken. This recipe includes everything she enjoys: chocolate, croissants, and cream cheese. What I liked about the recipe is that it could be made the night before, popped in the oven when I awakened, and ready in forty minutes. My favorite human bean enjoyed a hot, sit-down breakfast with her parents, and we sent her off to school with a full belly and a smile.

Chocolate Croissant Casserole

Ingredients:

1 10-13 ounce package bakery croissants

1 10-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/3 cups of sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups of milk

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

-Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish with butter

-Tear croissants into bite-size pieces and layer into the prepared baking dish

-Sprinkle with chocolate chips

-In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth

-Pour the cream cheese mixture over the croissants

-Cover and place in the refrigerator

-Allow to set for 20 minutes or overnight

-Bake in a preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until the center is set

-Serve warm

To add protein, I served it with sausage links. To create a cafe experience, I also made a sweet cup of coffee for my favorite kid. She appreciated the gesture, which added a celebratory vibe to what could have been a stressful morning. It's the little things that make one feel special and loved. I don't believe anyone is more loved than my girl. She is worth every ounce of effort.

This recipe would be excellent for a Christmas morning breakfast or brunch with friends and family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. On this steamy summer day, stay safe, be smart, celebrate the small things, make those you love feel appreciated, and keep washing your hands.