Tuesday 30 June 2015

A Weekend of Cake

It was a weekend of cake.

I got home from the farmers' market on Friday night and I did this one.  An anniversary cake.


Yes...that's the inside of the fridge.  I had already put it in the fridge and I forgot to take a photo and then I didn't feel like taking it back out.

Then Saturday morning I did this one.  A baptism cake.


And then this one.  A sweet sixteen cake.


It was my first 'official' rolled fondant cake.  I really didn't know what I was doing...thank goodness for youtube.  I kneaded in the colours of teal, blue and green and I got this...


I love these swirls....


And for some reason there is purple in there....not sure how that came about but I like it!

Then there was this one.  The 100th Anniversary of 4-H in Ontario cake.


They also needed cupcakes.  But I was a little exhausted by then so I got Johanna to ice them.


We loaded them all in the truck early Sunday morning.  Grady and Johanna were in the back...each holding large cakes and then Jack and I were in the front surrounded by cupcakes.  The things I make my children do....they are so good to put up with me and all my caking.

Anyways, Johanna from the backseat says that one of those cupcakes does not look good enough.


And Jack says...which one?...Because I can take care of that for you.

I didn't stay for the party but this is how they cut the cake....


I love this woman.  4-H people are crazy fun.

Brenda

Sunday 28 June 2015

It's SUMMER!

It's SUMMER!!

Grady had a birthday.  He turned 16.  And that's crazy. 

His friends had a party for him...in OUR garage.  There were about 30 of them.  And that was a little crazy.


Do you see that Baby Alive doll that Lydia is holding?  She is the first child of mine to play with a doll.  That doll is so annoying.  It comes alive and talks to us when Lydia goes to bed every night.  It's creepy.  Terry says that its got its days and nights mixed up.  We talk about it like it's a real baby.  It's so ridiculous.  We asked Lydia what to do with her when she wakes up and she says to kiss her.  But we don't want to do that.

Sophie cleaned out her desk on the second last day of school.


I had all my questions answered.  All those questions that I had at the beginning of the school year.


Terry asked me about a month ago when the last day of school was and I told him that I had no idea because they don't give out school calendars anymore.  Guess what.  They do.  Only Sophie brought hers home on the second last day of school.


I think that the teachers think that I'm a little 'spacey'....I don't seem to know what is going on....but really I don't know what's going on.  until the second last day of school. 


Sophie did have another excellent year at school.  She received 'the most co-operative' student award in her class.  You obviously don't need to bring home any newsletters to your mother to get this award.

I've been baking for the farmers' market and the boys have been bringing in the hay.  I think they have 2300 square bales in the barn.  I didn't manage to get any photos of them loading and unloading....because I was baking.  But I did get photos of this.  They had finished the hay and then they hitched up Pearl and scuffled the potatoes.


There's my three favourite guys. 


I love it when they scuffle the potatoes.

You can't see it but their pant pockets are full of hay.  Handfuls.  I actually take their pants outside and empty the pockets out there before I put them in the washing machine.

But that's okay.  Because it's summer.

Brenda

Wednesday 17 June 2015

And I Had My Pyjamas On.

Saturday morning.  4 a.m.  The alarms go off....Johanna and Grady had to milk.  Terry said he would take them.

I tried to go back to sleep...and I think I did.  I got up at 5 and made Terry and Jack a lunch.  They were heading up to Ruby to help saw some lumber for the day.  They left and I went back to bed....but Sophie was awake so she crawled into bed with me.'

The next thing I knew it was 6 and I figured I may as well get up because the kids would soon being calling...needing to be picked up at the milk barn.

I was busy chatting with Sophie and I didn't bother to get dressed.  They called and I just put on a fleece over my pyjamas and drove down to get them.  I had gone in my pjs before....no big deal.

When we got home I was just lazing around....trying to figure out my day and what I was going to do first.  I hadn't even gotten around to eating breakfast when the phone rang.

THE COWS ARE OUT ON THE COUNTY ROAD.

I asked Grady if I could just run upstairs and change...but he said 'THE COWS ARE ON THE ROAD!  WE NEED TO GO NOW!'

We always just fly into panic mode when the cows are out.

I ran out the door and took off in the truck with Grady.

And I had my pyjamas on.

When we arrived, a neighbour had gotten them off the road and into a small fenced in area.  But to get them all the way back home we needed help.  We called for my dad and my brother.  Plus there were two neighbours.  There were 5 men and me trying to figure out the best way to get these cows back home.

And I had my pyjamas on.

As we were chatting a large duck came and circled above us and tried to land on the roof of the neighbours' house.  It was so bizarre.  Ducks don't land on buildings. 

We talked about how we were going to do this...and where we were going to place ourselves.

I decided to stand in a spot where the fence was down....and help 'guide' them down the road.  We didn't want them going off the road and out into the fields...fields that didn't belong to us.  I took my spot and then I waited for them to get the cattle out of the fenced area and onto the road.

But the cows wouldn't come.  They tried chasing around them with a 4 wheeler and then Grady tried with a pail of feed.  I heard him shaking the pail...but he wasn't calling them...and they weren't paying any attention to him.  I decided that something had to be done....we had to get these cows moving.

I walked to where Grady was and I told him to call them.  But he just handed me the pail and said 'You do it.'  He was fed up.

And I had my pyjamas on.

I took the pail and I shook it and I called them.  And it wasn't long until I had the whole herd coming at me.  I let the first cow have a taste of the feed in the pail and then I started to walk.  As fast as I could walk....I had them all right behind me. 

And as we came out onto the road a truck was driving towards us.  He wasn't expecting me.  By this time I was running and the herd was coming with me.

And I had my pyjamas on.

And he stopped his truck and he started backing up.  Because there was an entire herd of cattle coming at him....and a crazy lady in her pyjamas.

The cattle all started running and they all passed me and then Grady came by with the 4 wheeler and my brother picked me up in the truck.

And I jumped in.  And the cows went right down the road and right back to their field that they were suppose to be in.

When we arrived back home, Sophie and Lydia met me at the door...they were SO excited.  MOM YOU MISSED IT.  A DUCK CAME AND LANDED ON THE HORSE STABLE ROOF.  IT WAS SO FUNNY.  AND WE TOOK A PICTURE.  LOOK.


And then Johanna looked at me like I was crazy and said MOM...YOU WENT YOUR PYJAMAS?!

Yes.

I had my pyjamas on.

Brenda



Tuesday 9 June 2015

The Pioneer School

Sophie's class had a day at the Pioneer School last week.

We pretended it was 1899.

She needed an outfit.


I wanted to braid her hair....but she said NO.



And she needed a lunch pail of some kind.  I phoned my dad and he had this wooden lunch box with a leather strap.  I'm not sure why he painted it silver.  Maybe it was metal on the outside...but the inside was wood.


Anyways, Sophie said it was ridiculously heavy.  And it was.


We were suppose to make an authentic lunch from 1899.  I was excited about this.  I was going to make homemade buns.  and cookies.  But then we got notice that no home baking was permitted because there is a child with a peanut allergy.  They suggested that we pack some sticks of rhubarb and some sugar.  uuummm.  She didn't really like that idea.

So she got a sandwich...with store bought bread.  Some popcorn.  Some rice crackers.  Yogurt and granola.  Water in a mason jar.  Yes...we failed with the authentic lunch.

But she had a really fun day.  They used slates and tried using ink wells.  There was even a music lesson.  It was held just down the road in a one room school house that locals have refurbished to be 1899.


Brenda

Wednesday 3 June 2015

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD Sheep!

Those sneeky sheep are always getting out!

We go over in the morning and they are out in the hay field.  And it doesn't matter how well you think you have the fence fixed....they find a way to get through!

Jack will go across and as soon as they see him they know....they are being BAD.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!

And they need to get back in to where they are suppose to be!









This new little one arrived yesterday morning.  We are at 32 lambs now!  It's been a very good year!


Brenda