Inspired Tuesday ~ May 27th

Hello people! This weekend was super fun for me, we stayed home for the holiday but I had two amazing friends come over on Sunday so it was of course lots of fun :)

Desirae:

Happy Tuesday!

I am so sorry I missed last week. Life kind of just got busy.. and well you know how that happens.

Due to June being super busy for me ( my mom is coming to visit for a couple of weeks!!) I won't be doing any features with Inspired Tuesday in June. I love you all, and you all write beautiful posts, I just may not be able to visit all of you over the next month, but I will try my best.

And with that, on to this weeks free printable:

You can download this from HERE.


What is Inspired Tuesday?

Each Tuesday Not So Ugly Ducklings hosts Inspired Tuesday along with two awesome co-hosts Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly, where we offer up a free printable with some encouraging words.

Me and my co-hosts believe that any post written can inspired someone else, whether it is a personal story, a photography, a recipe.. whatever, so I invite everyone to link up their posts no matter the topic.

The rules are simple:

1) Follow Not So Ugly Ducklings, Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly  in any way of your choosing.
2) Follow this weeks featured blog(s).

3) It would be nice if you added the Inspired Tuesday button to your post, or even just a link back to the link-up.
4) Try to visit others and be inspired!

That's it.

Here is the button if you would like it:

<div align="center"><a href="http://notsouglyducklings.blogspot.com/" title="Not So Ugly Ducklings"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh540/sommerfugldesign/inspired-tuesday-button_zpsa22cc19f.png" width="150" alt="Inspired Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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SHS 5.25.13.

First off can I just say how good it feels to be back doing the hunt after 3 whole weeks? I know I don't need an excuse but I still have one. My excuse is: I have had soccer tournaments for the past 3 weeks and while I have attempted to get all the prompts I didn't. Actually I did last week I just never got around to editing them, or posting them or doing anything with them. Anyway I want to scream, and shout, and let it all out (if you know what song that is you get points). Picture time :)

Some of you know that the family went on a bit of a vacation earlier this month. Our first vacation in 5 whole years. And we already have another one planned for late July, we are going to Colorado! Anyway when we were on this mini vacation we went to Devil's Lake State Park. OH MY GORGEOUS AWESOMENESS IT WAS SO COOL. I actually misplaced my camera a few days before we left home and I haven't seen it since... SO that means I brought along the video camera that takes really bad pictures and proceeded to take like 300 bad pictures. But I might be able to share some of the semi good ones. P.S. That means I have had the pleasure of using my big sisters big pretty Canon camera :)

Vacation

At first after I made them I absolutely loved them and ate like 5 of them. And after that I couldn't bring myself to eat any? I felt like they were way way too sugary. But if you want you can see the recipe here

Food

First of all I took this picture with my cell phone so that means this is an AMAZING picture since it came out so well. Meet Lucy one of our new born baby goats :)

Sound

If this wall isn't full of textures I don't know what is. The other side of this wall is the garden that is full of veggies. 

Texture

Anything means a chick silhouette, right? If that is true then I rock at guessing that sort of thing. I have no clue what chick this is but I know she/he made for a good model :) You can see some chick pictures from earlier this week here. 

Anything

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Some Kind of Fruit Tree

Uno: I went outside at 9:00am and came in around 9:00pm. That is 12 whole hours outside actually working on the chicken pen, cutting the grass with scissors (yes I wanted to mow the lawn so bad I was using scissors. Not having a mower will do that to a person), watching twin baby girls (goats) be born, being a crazy person, and watching chicks be chicks.

Dos: I took this picture last weekend, all of the flowers are gone now and won't be back for like, a year. It depends on if Spring decides to be late again or not. I also have no idea what kind of fruit come from this tree. 

Tres: I love breaking sunglasses. I laid down on my all time favorites last weekend and started flipping out. I ended up missing them so much that I went back to the store where I got them and got an identical pair, for $2.50 more then I originally got them for. BOOO!

Quatro: I could go on and on about how happy I am that we are FINALLY building the chicken pen. I mean I have been waiting so long! I knew what I wanted to do but we never got supplies until last weekend. But yay for finally starting! Pictures coming sometime in the next 10 years!

Sinco: What were you like when you were 13? You may not be able to tell but I am seriously CRAZY, WEIRD and QUIRKY. Remember earlier in this post when I said  was cutting the lawn with scissors? That is just an example.

Floral Love

Favorite Photo Friday

Friday Photo Journal

Random 5 Friday

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They're all growed up! A is for Alissa and Alanna

Yes these first two pictures are the same chick! They grow up SO fast its unbelievable. In the first picture she is a week old, and in the second picture she is a month and two weeks old.

Now I will try to turn a super long story into a semi short one:

Me and one of my best friends are absolutely crazy and come up with some creepy and crazy things. I had the awesome idea to tell her that we named the baby goat that was born just that day after her (hint: I didn't really.) and she was like "What?! I am so honored!" Then I was kind of like oh...well I didn't really name a goat after her but she thinks that I did so what do I do since the goat already has a name? Name a chick after her of course! So I named my favorite chick after her and that was that. Meet Alissa!

 An adorable buff orpington! She is so small still so she can squeeze through all of the little cracks, that basically means that she is the naughtiest!

Since I am so creative with coming up with new names for animals I decided to name this one Alanna after a 6 year old hen that I had since they look so much alike.

And once again, I re-used an old name. We had a awesome rooster who only lived to be a year or so old named Petey and this little guy looks a lot like he did so that is his name! He is also one of the very unfortunate roosters who never come out of their awkward stage.

I love flashbacks seeing how much they have grown! Soon(ish) I will most likely be selling all of the roosters and just keeping the hens.

Little Things Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Ready To Waltz

Alphabe Thursday

Thirsty For Comments

Thankful Thursday

P.S. We finally started building the chicken coop today! I am so so excited to finally be starting this project. I will have one main coop which will be bigger and then since I am so obsessed with having a really pretty coop with some really cool architecture we will be building a really small one to put in a pasture or something :)

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Fudgy Vanilla Brownies

Hola! I found this recipe on Kristen Duke's website a few days ago and immediately wanted to make them but I didn't have a couple of the ingredients so I had to wait a couple days until we went to the store. But when we did get the ingredients it was too hot for me too cook since we don't have air conditioning but today was the perfect day! It is rainy and 60(ish) outside and I obviously wouldn't be going outside so I made them. Then I took pictures of them. Then I ate 3 or 4.

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1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Grease and flour jelly roll pan (15×10).

3. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder; set aside. 

4. In small sauce pan combine butter and heavy whipping cream, bring to boil stirring occasionally. 

5. Add flour mixture, stirring to combine. 

6. Stir in sour cream, eggs and almond extract, pour into pan. 

7. Bake 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

8. Let Cool.

9. Make frosting. 

10. Spread warm cake with butter frosting

ENJOY!

Your Best Weekly
Whats Cookin' Wednesday
Whats In Your Kitchen Wednesday

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Chipping + I have failed

I haven't posted since Thursday... I totally told myself that I was going to post everyday last week and I was off to a good start, I posted 3 whole days in a row but then I got lazy again. SO for like 3 weeks I have been a lazy blogger barely posting...oops? Oh yeah and I have officially skipped 3 whole weeks of scavenger hunt sunday. I actually took all of the pictures I needed for this last week but since I was in the middle of another soccer tournament I never ever got around to it. I was going to post it yesterday but then...I didn't. But, I will do it this week. I have to or else it will be an all time fail.

This was one of my pictures for the hunt as the prompt was 'fence' which obviously this was perfect for.

Textured with Kim Klassen's Sybil

Texture Tuesday

Tuesday Muse

Sweet Shot Tuesday

Tones On Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

Tuesday Around The World

The Happiness Project

So I think I have a recipe for tomorrows post, chocolate pancakes I think, and they just happen to be vegan. Even though I'm not into vegan stuff. But I will post this week! Everyday! I think!

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Flowers with Different Angles

So tonight we went to a neighbors house me for a flower photo shoot for big sis to give a goat medicine and lil' sis just for fun. And then we ended up staying for hours grilling, eating, taking pictures and ended up having a ton of fun and it gave me the opportunity to get some fabulous photos and so here they are :)

I ended up getting pictures of the same flower from different angles and loved it for some reason so take a look at this...

From regular level, and from below.

From slightly above, and from way upside down and tilted back.

Up close, and far away. Some of the photos I got of the lilac buds got some amazing bokeh. So don't be surprised if more lilac photos come your way!

And then this one just for fun. I love this one. The super light almost white purple really caught my eye and then the other one fading into the background.

Now listen, these are only 7 of almost 300 pictures so I plan on doing a few posts with just pictures.

Little Things Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Imperfect Prose

Floral Love
Ready To Waltz

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Lemon Pull Apart Bread = YUM

I have proof from my whole family that this is the best thing I have ever baked. So I would say take my word for it and go make this yourself because it is AMAZING. They like it more then I did but if I think its amazing and they like it more then I do it must be pretty awesome. ENJOY!

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Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In saucepan or microwave safe dish, 
heat milk and butter until warm (120° - 130°F; butter does not have to be completely melted).
Add liquids to flour mixture. Add vanilla. Blend at low speed until moistened. 
Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
Switch to the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough, adding more or less flour as needed. 
Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place about 15 minutes.
While the dough is resting, make the lemon sugar filling. Mix the sugar and lemon zest.
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan, and line with parchment or foil, 
leaving a 1-inch overhang on each long side; butter paper. (For easy removal of the bread from the pan.)
Punch down the dough. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 20? x 12? rectangle. 
Spread the butter evenly over the dough with a rubber spatula or pastry brush.
Cut dough in to five strips, each about 12? by 4? with a pizza cutter.
Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon sugar over the first buttered rectangle. 
Top it with a second rectangle, sprinkling that one with 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon sugar as well. 
Continue to top with rectangles and sprinkle, so you have a stack of five 12? by 4? rectangles, all buttered and topped with lemon sugar.
Cut the stack into 6 rectangles (each should be 4? by 2?) 
Carefully transfer the rectangles of dough into the loaf pan, cut edges up, side by side. 
You might have some extra room around the edges but the bread will rise and expand during baking. 
Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until puffy, 30 to 50 minutes. 
When you gently press the dough with your finger, the indentation should stay.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the loaf is golden brown. Cover the top with foil if it's browning too quickly. 
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
While bread is cooling, make the lemon icing. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
Use the parchment paper to help remove the loaf from the pan. 
Flip the loaf over onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, then flip onto another rack so that it’s right side up.
Drizzle icing over bread. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Whats Cookin' Wednesday
Whats in Your Kitchen Wednesday

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A Hint Of Color + An Interview With Scarlett





Here I am writing this...and I am seriously considering letting little Scarly write this post for me because I don't really feel like writing it, and because I think it would kind of awesome to have her do that. So I am going to try and have a conversation with her and I will type it all out so you guys can either laugh at it in either a good way or a bad way, your choice.

 

Me: Scarly, why are you throwing kitchen utensils around the kitchen?

S: Bobby bitz! Aht. Deb da dey! Boop! *screams*

 

Me: Scarly, why did you just stick your tounge out at me?

S: Woah! Gravel! Va voo. Da me.

 

 

 

Me: Scarly, why do you like Dora?

S: Mm. Bee. DORA!!! Uh oh.

 

Me: Scarly! Where are you going? Don't play with those rubber fishies that have hooks on them!

S: Mm bat de do de do baba time. Ooh way way, ooh way way. *gurgle*

A bay ty. Wha?

 

Thank you Scarly for that...wonderful...and charming...interview. Yes you can go play with the dora toys now.

 

Whew, now that thats over I can officially catch up on my 836 blogs that I haven't barely read in a week. Or i could just go outside...and do something since its actually warm out.

 

Texture Tuesday

Tuesday Muse

Sweet Shot Tuesday

Tones On Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

Tuesday Around The World

The Happiness Project

 



 

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Inspired Tuesday May 15th + 12 of 12!

For those of you who don't know what 12 of 12 is here is a little explanation: On the 12th day of every month you take a picture every hour for 12 hours and then share them (or not) wherever you want! I personally think it is lots of fun and so I'm glad Megan inspired me to do it! Here is my day at a soccer tournament in picture form...

1. Starting out the day with some sunny but very cold weather :)

2. Soccer warm ups for one of two teams.

3. Half time for my game, we tied 1-1.

4. On the way to another field to watch another game and do a little babysitting!

5. Going to eat before championship game.

6. Warming up for championship game.

7. Some after game love with a best friend opponent, 

they won 3--1! Can you guess whether I'm in green or red?

8. Some after game ice cream.

9. Grocery shopping for mothers day dinner.

10. I don't like asparagus but this is my picture for this hour!

11. Finally eating! We made some awesome burgers and got tater puffs.

12. Strawberries for dessert because I didn't have enough energy to make cookies.

Linking up with:
Gina and Tamar

First up we have Cathie from Toddlers Through Preschool. Last week she blogged about a book she reads to the kids and some fun activities to do with it. I really enjoyed this post because this particular book (Jamberry) is one of the only English books that I read to my kids on a regular basis. It is one of our favorite reads. Be sure to stop by Cathie's blog and leave her some comment love.

Next up we have Bethany from Before, During and After and she blogged about doing Crossfit during pregnancy. I kind of has to say, that is crazy! But in a good way. I say good for her, and very inspiring post! Seriously, go check out this post!

And  on to this weeks free printable:

You can download it by clicking here.

What is Inspired Tuesday?

Each Tuesday Not So Ugly Ducklings hosts Inspired Tuesday along with two awesome co-hosts Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly, where we offer up a free printable with some encouraging words.

Me and my co-hosts believe that any post written can inspired someone else, whether it is a personal story, a photography, a recipe.. whatever, so I invite everyone to link up their posts no matter the topic.

The rules are simple:

1) Follow Not So Ugly Ducklings, Dawn's Disaster and Peanut Butter and Jelly  in any way of your choosing.

2) Follow this weeks featured blog(s).

3) It would be nice if you added the Inspired Tuesday button to your post, or even just a link back to the link-up.

4) Try to visit others and be inspired!

That's it.

Here is the button if you would like it:

<div align="center"><a href="http://notsouglyducklings.blogspot.com/" title="Not So Ugly Ducklings"><img src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh540/sommerfugldesign/inspired-tuesday-button_zpsa22cc19f.png" width="150" alt="Inspired Tuesday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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Vacation Flowers :)

No words today... I got back from my mini vacation today and played a soccer game (I scored 4 goals!) and now I have to go sleep sleep sleep because I have to wake up really early for the team I am the officially unofficial assistant coach of :) So are a few flower pictures that I took...

I figured it would be totally cool to use my sunglasses as a picture tint :)

Nurture Spring

Favorite Photo Friday

Friday Photo Journal
Floral Love

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