Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 52

Give Thanks Unto The Lord

Psalms 107:1 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.Thanksgiving is usually a quiet time around here. We have a big meal but the rest of the weekend is spent working on projects and hanging around the house. This year, we managed to convince some family to come for a visit and the house has been anything but quiet.
We had our traditional Thanksgiving meal and it was a lot more enjoyable having someone help prepare the food and clean up. I wasn't nearl...

Then and There

Let's begin by taking a smallish nap or two... -Winnie the PoohAt the start of Thanksgiving week school break, we wasted no time getting things done--we switched out the summer clothes for winter ones, sorted toys and cleaned rooms, filled the horse tank, did some laundry, cleaned out the chicken coop and while I was finishing up splitting the last of the wood, I looked up only to find Kate passed out on a nearby bench.

Sometimes, you need a nap right then and there.
(Ah, to be a child aga...

Hog Roast

Friday, we were working outside all day, washing the dog and finishing up winterizing the house, farm, and animals. Then, by Saturday morning, we were bundled up and lighting the wood burning stove for one of the first times of the season to stave off the cold. What better day to have a hog roast?? Jack cooking us eggs and bacon for breakfast on the smoker's griddle.Jack had been planning a hog roast get-together with friends from church and work for a while and though it was too cold to be ou...

Winterized

So much wood to split...With all this nice weather we've been having, I think I've been living in denial that winter is coming. But, seeing others' pictures of snow and the plummeting temperatures in the forecast, I decided I'd better take advantage of the good weather while it lasted and winterized. We mowed one last time, finished splitting (most of) the wood...
So much crushed limestone... ...fixed the footing in the horse's shed so it won't be so muddy and stocked up on animal fe...

Family Fun

Claire taking a turn splitting the wood.I feel like this whole summer, I played around like the grasshopper instead of worked like the ant. Sure, we had our share of projects completed but when I thought of the things that needed to be done before winter, like splitting wood and buying hay, I kept putting them off. Mercifully, we've been having a very mild autumn. I'm finally getting over some very persistent morning sickness and Jack has returned from a few months of intensive work travel. A...

Fall Family Photos

A few weekends ago, we met with our friend, Amy, to take some family pictures. Though I'm not particularly fond of taking photos of myself, taking family portraits is quickly becoming one of my favorite yearly goals.
We met at one of the oldest parks in Indianapolis on a very crisp--and when I say crisp, I mean freezing--fall morning. There were lots of cool structures, trees, and trails and there will literally dozens of other families doing the same thing as we were.
So, here are some of...

One Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

Though autumn doesn't quite feel like it's in full-swing yet--we've had 80 degree days and a lot of green leaves still--I'm not holding off on soup and bread for dinner. Here's a new one that we all enjoyed. Best of all--hardly any dishes to clean up!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (adjust according to desired taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper...

Beautiful October

Henry loves Halloween already!To say the month of October was over in a flash would be an understatement. The entire thirty-one days were jam packed with visitors, trips, Halloween fun, beautiful weather, and wonderful memories. Here's a recap of what we did: So many stripes...Halloween costume prep! Dabbling in acrylics. Overjoyed that Daddy's home from another work trip. A family and friends Halloween party, complete with a bonfire, homemade rootbeer, and ghost stories. Making new friends with a...

Horse Illustrated

Soooo awesome!!!An author friend pointed out some exciting news--Headed for the Win was named in Horse Illustrated magazine as one of the 25 Great Horse Reads. Talk about an honor! I started reading this magazine as teenager and now, they've made me feel like a genuine author. How fun! (Nevermind that it's supposed to be Headed for the Win, not Headed for the WIND, haha!)Click here to pick up your copy of Headed for the Win! And, you're in luck--the sequel, ...

Emergency Garlic Breadsticks

Soup season is in full swing and though I usually just slice up some of our half and half wheat bread, I was about out after making sandwiches all week. So, I found this yummy recipe that really was perfect when in a pinch--they were ready as soon as the soup was!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400...