Good Morning!

It takes sleeping with gusto to get hair like this in the morning.

Absolute Deliciousness...

I used some more of that rhubarb that's been sitting in my fridge tonight to make a cake. It is scrumptious!

It's all crusty on top, gooy-rhubarby on bottom and with a little ice cream and a cup of tea, it just hits the spot. I tried to take a pic, but it's one of those things where a picture just doesn't do it justice, if ya know what I mean.

If you have rhubarb, (and don't have a diet, cuz honestly, this will ruin any diet) this is highly recommended! And you know, heck with the diet, make some anyway! (Oh, and Joan, I'll bring you some if you come 'pishen with me!heh)

Rhubarb Cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup packed brown sugar

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter or margarine and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. In another bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, soda, and salt. Add sifted ingredients alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture.
3. Toss rhubarb with 1 tablespoon flour, and stir into batter. Spoon batter into buttered 9 x 13 inch pan, and smooth the surface.
4. Blend together 1/4 cup butter or margarine, cinnamon, and brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over batter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

The recipe came from here. I've found quite a few good ones at this site, although you do have to sift through the submissions a little.

The welcoming committee...

at our house. It's hilarious. When I've come up the driveway the last few days all 16 ladies and the one dude in our bunch come running. Peep-cluck-adolescent rooster squawking away. Sorta like "you're home, you're home, we've missed you!" Then Elsa tries to give 'em lovin' right back...

It's good to feel appreciated...even if it's just by chickens!

Potpourri

I've got nothing, so here's a little of everything!

• It's been a rainy week. Full of 5-pair-of-pants-per-kid-days. That keeps the laundry amoeba well fed.
• And makes me glad I make my own laundry soap. It's cheap! (thanks, Jan for the recipe.)
  
• Last week, my FIL had a 1000 lb radiator dropped upon his foot at work. It's broke. In 5 places.
  
• So last night, Oliver and I made him an apple pie.
• They say over-working pastry is bad for it, that it makes it tough. Does separating it into "one, two, tree...seven, nine" pieces, then losing those pieces in the flour count?
• No matter, the pie was well enjoyed and brought smiles to his face!
  
• Our garden is progressing! We now have 240 feet of pea plants, 240 feet of beans...
• And the fence is 1/3 of the way done...now if only the deer don't find the goods before it's finished.
  
• I stopped by my Gma-I-L's to get some rhubarb today. And came home with every.single.stock.in.the.bush. That's just the way she operates.
  
• We'll be eating lots of rhubarb.
• Oliver told me the other day "mom, my legs were talking to me." when he woke up from his nap. When I asked what they said, he replied, "I don't know." and went on his merry way. hoooboy.
  
• I'm currently at work. A night shift they didn't ask me about. And one they didn't tell the client about. What would you do if arrive at work at 11 o'clock at night on that unwanted night shift and the house you're expecting to welcome you with open arms and big smiles cuz they're gonna get a good night sleep while you take care of their little boy is dark, completely dark?
• I almost turned around and ran for the hills, right back to bed. But I didn't. And the mom was happy to see me...once she decided I wasn't a burglar.

Sweet dreams, all you lucky, sleeping people out there!

Welcome to mosquito central.

They're everywhere.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Gone Fishin'

Fishin' has been a favorite pastime of these two all spring. Never mind if there's no water, they'll fish in the dirt, the trees, whatever is handy.



So yesterday, when Eric and Papa were headed out fishing in the boat, this boy jumped right in. Unsuspecting fisherboy that he is, he couldn't believe it when they actually caught a fish.

The story went something like this:
"What is that?"
"A fish"
"But what IS that?"
"It's a fish, Oliver, that's what we're fishing for."
Thinks a bit.

And the light bulb moment.
"Oooooohhhhhh! A fish!!"

And here he thought you just threw that bobber out there for fun. Who would of thunk it had a purpose? That's him with the sunny he 'caught.' Meaning he reeled it in. I'm wondering just how long we'll get away with not putting a hook on his line...


And Elsa thought, "Hey, cool, a 'pish!' No way am I gonna hold that wiggly thing!"


Guess what we're having for lunch today?

My Morning Drive

Lately, my morning drive to work has been absolutely gorgeous. Sun rising, crisp, misty-foggy-clear beautifulness. If only I actually left with time to stop for more photo opportunities.

The neighboring family, frolicking in the morning fog.

Sunbeams through the tree

Twice a week I drive 70 miles to the north west of home. The further I go, the more expansive and stretching the fields are. Check out the beautiful rolling hills of the road. Gorgeous.

The local wildlife, with their newest additions, scrambling to get away from the scary camera lady.

Ahhh.

It all makes me want to become a real morning person. The kind that gets up this early every day.

Oliverisims

"It nice out now, mom. The trees aren't wiggly anymore. I can go outside now!"

Heehee.

Dadgum those wiggly tree days. What's a boy s'posed to do?

Hungy!

How is it that this one little belly can pack away more groceries than her brother and mother combined? It's ridiculous.

Just over a week ago, she was battling a bad ear infection, and it seemed like she just hadn't been happy since then. I was beginning to wonder if some foods were bothering her, she was endlessly "Hungy, hungy HUNGY!!!" Today I've been feeding her every time she's asked (she had double servings of everything for lunch, and since then has had crackers, pears, raisins and right now, goldfish. And it's only 4:00), rather than making her "wait til snack time" or "Sorry, you've gotta wait till supper." Whatdayaknow, this afternoon she's been nothing but smiles.

Oops. Guess it takes lots of groceries to keep that little potbelly happy.

Flowers, Chickens and Gardens

Last night I revived what was left of the flowers from the wedding by mixing them with lilacs.
They don't really have anything to do with this post, but aren't they pretty?

This weekend really kicked off summer around our house. My hubby actually put sawmill and other projects on the back burner and got some of our own work done on Saturday, then spent Sunday at our family cabin relaxing and fishing. (A rarity; sometimes I think that man doesn't know how to relax!)


Monday, I turned our chickens loose for the first time. What an adventure.


Did I ever show you our chicken aquarium? When the chicks outgrew the Rubbermaid tub they were living in, I rigged up this structure. (The actual coop is still a work in progress.) We acquired a pile of the old freezer doors from the local grocery store when they moved into their new location. We intend to construct a greenhouse out of them by next spring for growing seedlings in. Being freezer doors, they're well insulated and should do an awesome job.

Anyhow, their current job is being walls for a chicken room in our shed. Two sides of the room are doors, one end is plywood, and the other is a tub on end to create a more protected space. The great fun is that you can watch them from the outside, just like an aquarium. Although it drives the dog nuts, the kids love it!

So, back to yesterday. I opened the door and let the chickens out to roam. The kids were enthused, to say the least.


I finally had to get them to sit out of the way to keep from chasing the poor things right back where they came from.

It took them a while to quit peeking and actually come out and explore. I don't think they made it more than 20 feet from the shed all day. What brave little souls.

Oh, and speaking of that dog, Sam- I see some long days chained up in his future...at least until he decides the chickens don't look like lunch...

And then there was the garden. We're growing our own this summer, rather than going in on my in-law's down the road at the neighbors. It'll be close. Handy to run out to. We're excited about that. Prep started with plowing (this picture is actually at the hay field Eric's doing this summer... but it's the one picture of plowing I have. Ha.)

Then discing, raking, cleaning, measuring and marking rows.

And planting.

We borrowed the neighbor's seeder, and boy, is that thing slick. Up and down those 120 foot (yes, 120 foot. My husband is enthusiastic.) rows a few times and the start of it was planted. We've still got to do the mounded stuff; melons, that sort of thing. Thursday. I hope.

Gardens, chickens, beautiful days at the cabin. It's gonna be a good summer.