Cake Fun

"You can't have a birthday without a cake, Mom!" So said my four year old when she learned that my birthday might pass without a cake.  She insisted that we make a cake together but informed me that I shouldn't look at it while we made it or while I put it in the oven or while I put the icing on.  Why?  Because birthday cakes are supposed to be a surprise for the birthday person.

This tradition was started by my dad who did the cake decorating while we grew up.  We would wake up and run for the cold cellar in the basement to check out our cake, always a fun design; sometimes an animal shape or perhaps covered with little toy people playing in a park.  At some point my dad allowed me to help him with the cakes for the other kids and so my enjoyment of decorating birthday cakes began.

In our family the tradition has a little twist in that the birthday kid gets to pick out a cake from one of our books or give me an idea of what they would like.  We have had elephants, frogs, puppies, a beach, a carrot cake (not carrot-cake but a giant cake shaped like a carrot!), a castle, a couple of dolls and of course a tractor and even a manure spreader!  A couple of years ago I decided to try my hand at homemade fondant and have really enjoyed playing with it (Play-doh for adults!).

Here are some pics of cakes from over the years.....

The Carrot Cake

Tractor Cake

Beach Fun

Giant Cupcake

Doll, the dress matched a dress of Summer's

Train cake

Manure Spreader!

First attempt at fondant

Cupcake Racecar

Second attempt at fondant

Cupcake Owl

Running Shoe Cake

Kate and Jordyn's shared Ladybug Cake

Pregnant belly cake for my sister's baby shower

I am looking forward to making future cakes, lots of girly ones with four daughters!  But also some more farm vehicles and quite likely a train cake in August!!!  :-)

New House

We moved.

We are playing a little musical houses on the farm.  Jeff's parents built a new house, now we have moved into their old house, next Jeff's aunt will move into our old house and lastly, my sister and brother-in-law will move into her old house.
Lots of renovations are happening in each "old" house to make them "new".  We spent about a month remodeling, painting, and making this house ours.

It was a loooong month of packing up one house while working in the other house and being not quite sure where I should spend my time.  Jeff and his dad, cousin and uncle did all the work themselves, with some assistance from some of our friends.  And we hired out the painting which was probably what saved my sanity!!  We also were given many meals which were so appreciated!

We are enjoying the extra space we have (the dining table no longer has to be pushed over to the wall between meals) and the kids love running around the center of the house like wild things!

A few pics of the work we did in the kitchen and dinging room areas:

Summer removing wall paper border

before - computer nook and coat closet

during - one, big open space

after -pantry-  no doors yet, but functional

during - minus doors and awaiting paint

teal island

 
Jeff and Jed hanging doors

New Kitchen!!

Quiet Moments

January is swiftly passing by.  Why does time seem to speed up as we get older?  The days fly one after another and we rush from one moment to the next, trying to shorten our to do lists.

I had a quiet moment the other day.  I just sat and actually took note of my surroundings.  I marveled at the green of my kitchen, and how much I still love it two years later and realized that I will miss it when we move.  I sipped the hot tea in my Christmas mug and savored my breakfast while watching a heifer vie for a turn to stick her head out a partially open barn door.  Eager for a breath of fresh, cold air.  And then it began to snow, those huge, fluffy flakes, my favorite.  And I was so content to soak it all in.

Why is this moment of peace so remarkable?  We are told to "Be still and know that I am God."  Yet we rarely stop to seek Him, to see the beauty around us, to whisper thanks for all our blessings.

That is my goal for this year of our Lord, twenty-thirteen.  To have more quiet moments.  To really see the world and the people around me.  And to give thanks.  To live thanks.  And to teach my kids how to count their blessings.

Hello again

So it has been half a year since I have posted on here.  Wow!!  Time flies.

2012 is coming to an end, but not without the usual hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving and Christmas and all that they entail.  Programs, Christmas baking, carols, decorating, some more baking, excited children, hopefully snow!

I am thankful that December has come at last.  November was a long and difficult month, ushered in with two funerals of dear church members and ushered out with the passing of Jeff's Beppe.
A month of contrasts.  A wedding and three funerals (yes, I know that one was October 31st, but that's pretty much November!).  A couple united in marriage and two couples united in heaven.  Mourning the loss of loved ones yet rejoicing that they are with the Lord.  Delighted to visit with family that we haven't seen in a long time yet knowing the visits were due to death. 

Tears flowed.  Hugs were given all around. Whispered words of encouragement. Our Lord gives life and He takes it.  He is our life.  In Him we have a sure and certain future.  So we can smile through the tears.  We can laugh though we are sad.  We can rejoice in the Lord, giving thanks in all things, because we have Hope.
Beppe's house is quiet now during the day.  There is no car outside telling me which caregiver is here today, loving Beppe in her weakness and frailty.  Ministering to her every need.  There is no one there when I pop over to borrow or return things.

Time continues on, unmindful of our sorrows or joys.

And so we find ourselves in December.  Summer asks everyday if tonight is Christmas.  The children sing and play carols on the piano, bake special Christmas cookies, argue and bicker, tease and giggle.  Each day begins with a flurry of getting the three oldest off to school and ends with us all around the dinner table.   The hours between are filled with barn work for Jeff, housework and baking and mothering for me, math and reading and Christmas program practicing for the big kids.  The little girls spend their days playing, helping Mommy, napping and having tea parties.

Thanks to cousin Ana, we have some beautiful pictures from November:

Jeff and I at his cousin's wedding

                           

Daddy and his little girls

Troy

Kate

Emily

Jordyn

Summer

Today is.....

Day One of summer break for the goslings!  It is cool and breezy, but at least it's dry.  We have a few fun things planned so far for our holidays.  A camping trip, a visit to my family in Canada, watching Daddy play softball and probably numerous runs to Goodies for creemees (soft-serve ice cream).  And the high-light of the summer.....welcoming baby Gosliga in August when my sister finally pops!!

Day Three of life with a puppy.  We have a new family member, Rondo, a Weimaraner Lab mix.  He is cute and cuddly.  The kids have done a good job of taking care of him.  Hopefully he will outlast our previous pup who died tragically last July.  Pictures to follow, eventually.  (Yes, I have lost my marbles!) 

Day Six of a June challenge to track food, workouts and lose at least five pounds for a chance to win a prize.  I just heard about the challenge today, but have been tracking anyway, so I am good.  The challenge was issued by my dear friend Kim who is also my personal trainer, and in so many ways mentor and fellow "new-healthy-recipe-lover".  No pictures to follow!  :-)

Day Eleven of my 100 days of real food challenge.  So far, so great!!  I am enjoying this and it is becoming more and more natural to opt for the real stuff (fruits and veggies and whole wheat options,etc) and steer clear of the white stuff (sugar, flour, rice).  

Memorial Day and a New Challenge

Happy Memorial Day.

"They gave their tomorrows for our todays"  -- the quote on our float today.  One day a year is not often enough to remember the sacrifices made so we can live in freedom. 

 The goslings and I walked with our Christian school's float in the local parade.  Lovely time.  Hot.  Sunny.  Good company.  Candy...which I did not eat!

My "10 days of real food" eating challenge went very well.  I finished that a week or so ago and then took a few days "off" before beginning the biggie...100 days of real food.  Ack!  What have I done?!  Actually, it's going well so far, three days in, and I am enjoying the renewed commitment to eating healthier.

Today has been an interesting eating day, one of many that I am sure to come across between now and September 3rd-ish (97 days (or so) away and coincidentally my daughter's 11th birthday).  I packed myself almonds and dried fruit to eat for a light lunch but come lunch time...it was not very appealing.  Thankfully, we were at my dear sister's apartment and she had some plain Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and fresh fruit!  Yum!!  So refreshing.  Thanks, L.

I am looking forward to the challenges ahead...birthday parties, the Fourth, Goodies', camping.

I am also planning to make a few recipes for things I love that I want to eat, such as Barbecue Sauce!  Just have to make it myself so I can control the ingredients.  Also hoping to try making yogurt cheese so I can make a fantastic herb-garlic spread to enjoy with veggies. 

A normal day tomorrow, hooray, life has been extremely busy lately.....only four and a half more days til the goslings are set free for the summer!!   Crazy!! 
 

"10 Days of Real Food"

I was recently directed to check out a website called "100 Days of Real Food". (Thanks, Erin!!) I have since spent a fair amount of time on the site, reading recipes and posts.   In short, a family of four made a pledge to stop eating processed foods for 100 days.  This website tells their story and then goes on to offer lots more info and resources and also issues a challenge to take a 10 day pledge to eat only real food.

I took the pledge and am currently on day 5.  It has gone well.  My eating was already fairly cleaned up thanks to my visits with Kim and her encouragement to eat better.  So this was not a huge leap.  There have been a few things that I have said no to and also a recipe or two that I have laid aside for now.

I am leaning towards taking a 100 day pledge, I think that would present more of a challenge as that would take me through a number of holidays; Memorial Day, the Fourth, two family birthdays and some camping. (Kell - I will find a way to make "clean" hobo pies!!)  I really want clean-er eating to become normal, not just something I dabble in from time to time and I believe this pledge would really help cement that. 

As I keep playing with recipes I am finding that maple syrup really does an excellent job of sweetening things without changing the flavor drastically.  Yesterday and today I have been playing with chocolate no-bakes and have been really pleased with the results of making them with syrup instead of sugar!  Yum!

And strawberry rhubarb crisp with maple whipped cream ..... fantastic!!!   Can't wait to make it again, even my husband loved it!  I want to attempt to modify our favorite rhubarb pie recipe, but I'm not sure I am brave enough yet!

On a side note, I am reading an excellent book right now, "Gray Matter" by David Levy, MD and Joel Kirkpatrick.  If you can get your hands on it, read it!