The past few days have been a flurry of packing, preparing and digging out from under the first real snowfall of the year.
The blizzard only dropped a foot of snow but it manged to close Ivy’s school for two days and even John had a day and a half at home.
We are all excited to have a white Christmas this year!
Hope your holidays are wonderful with or without snow!
I think the full title says it all:
The Tipsy Baker
What it doesn’t say is that the stories of the efforts that went into this book are entertaining enough to be a book by themselves!
Make it or buy it? Do you know how to make a book? Me neither. Buy it.
Hassle: Minimal. In fact here is a to link help you out: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Bread-Buy-Butter-Shouldnt/dp/1451605889/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353794791&sr=8-1&keywords=make+the+bread+buy+the+butter
Cost Comparison: The cost of the ingredients required to replicate these recipes alone would certainly make buying the book cheaper. Once you factor in goats and chickens it’s a no brainer.
Would I recommend it? Yes, we’ve happily made a handful of the recipes and it’s been the only cookbook we’ve read out loud together!
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Changing Seasons
Here in Southern Wisconsin, we were in the midst of changing seasons from fall to winter when we landed smack in the middle of the dreaded fifth season of the year. For those of you lucky enough to have no idea what I’m talking about let me fill you in on the mud season.
Mud season has the obnoxious habit of sneaking around twice a year, first it shows up right when you are hoping for spring. It bogs down everything, get everywhere and right when you are just about ready to throttle the next person (clearly one with no dogs/kids/big yards/small farms/ducks/chickens/gravel driveway) who talks about what lovely weather we are having spring is here for good.
Then again just when we get a snowfall and are dreaming of white Christmases it rears it’s big ole muddy head again. Snow one day, sun the next and we end up with muddy slop everywhere. I love living where the seasons change but sometimes the actual changing of the seasons leaves a bit to be desired – bring on the cold!
It’s true that Trip’s feet are suspiciously clean for a mud season picture. Let me assure you that it was just a fluke and I’ve got the muddy prints all over the floor to prove it!
Time spent getting ready (almost!) one year old before putting her out to play with oldest sister: 10 min.
Time spent dressing three year old before putting her out to play with other sisters: 3 min.
Time Mom spent dressing self: 1 min.
Time Mom spent outside before one year old started crying from cold hands: .2 seconds
Time spent cleaning up winter clothes and bathing freezing children: 30 min.
Baby wearing in winter: Priceless!
Kids, they take a perfectly good life and provide all sorts of perspective.
They cure you of selfishness, refute that silly fallacy that you need eight hours of sleep to function and keep you humble.
Ivy: Wow Mom, your butt covers the whole hole on the toilet! (Put that at reason number 634 I need to get a better lock on the bathroom door.)
Clara: “Who that? That not Dad, that boy handsome!”
Kids- keeping us humble since 2007.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections
Jane and I tested out the baby wearing “coat” I made for our upcoming bird hunting trip to Kansas in the yard today. While we were out I took the opportunity to find a few reflections. It was trickier than I thought, where is a good puddle when you need one?!?
As for the “coat” I have to tell you that I followed these directions: http://walkingwithdancers.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-make-baby-wearing-coat.html and it was super easy.
Really easy.
We are talking one cut easy.
Did I mention I didn’t even have to sew anything?
It should also be mentioned that it’s worth checking out the “coat” from the tutorial just because it is so much cuter than mine.
Possibly it’s because she wasn’t going for the blaze orange look!
Sad to report the only snow we have so far is the stuff falling on my blog!
Back in April I went to the first rodeo I’d been to since I was a little kid and I loved it! I loved it so much that I wrote an entire post about things I loved about the rodeo. Then it got lost in the shuffle before it was posted. I found it tonight and thought I’d share
10 Things I loved about the rodeo.
1) Salute to the Veterans -The night started by recognizing all veterans and active duty military at the rodeo and there were a lot of them!
2) The Star Spangled Banner – I think it’s possible I haven’t been to an event that started with the national anthem since the last swim meet I was at. This was the real deal too, a sing along Star Spangled Banner complete with cowboy hats off and hands on hearts. Hard to do less than the best when you’ve just discovered that your surrounded by men and woman who fought for our country
3)Prayer- A prayer is a fairly unusual way to start out an event but those rodeo boys were about to fall off bulls that wanted to grind them into a bloody pulp. Whatever your religious beliefs I’m thinking that you can’t fault the guys for a bit of a prayer before they start hitting the ground. I say pray away boys, pray away, and may God save your little broken bodies.
4) The Flying Onie – Otherwise known as steer wrestling. Man jumps off running horse onto 600 pound steer and wrestles it to the ground. Now that’s entertainment!
5) Personal Responsibility – Would you like to ride a bull with nothing more than chaps and a cowboy hat on? Go right ahead. Would you like to suit up a bit more? Perhaps wear a helmet? Even better. Either way it’s riders choice.
6)Nachos- I have no idea what the cheese sauce on those things is made of, but I really, really love it.
7) Losing- That would be what it’s called when despite your best efforts all you walk away with is a bunch of applause, bruises, and maybe even a broken hand. When your calf doesn’t play fair, your bronco doesn’t buck hard enough and your horse slides in the dirt and there are no do overs. Don’t get me started on the everyone’s-a-winner way of thinking.
8) Two bison and a one armed man riding a mule on top of a live stock trailer – There’s really not much else to say about that.
9) Bull Fighters – Those guys are amazing, and nuts. Really nuts. They run fast too. It’s possible I’m still in awe.
10) A night out with just one daughter – Thanks to John, Ivy and I were able to have some fun together without any interfering little sisters!
Looking back I think it’s possible that perhaps the reason I loved the Rodeo was that it exemplified many of the best parts of the good ole’ U. S. of A. And when the Rodeo is back in town this spring we’ll be there maybe we’ll see you in the nacho line!
A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Behind the Willows 