A Piece of Cake

Yesterday evening I noticed that the bunch of bananas I had left were finally looking perfectly ripe and that it was time to try a recipe I have had my eye on for awhile. The recipe, "Banana-Caramel Cake" calls for 6 ripe bananas, so it worked out perfectly that my bunch had 6 left in it. I worked on dinner (chicken enchiladas) at the same time as the cake and by dinner time both were ready. It had been the first time I had made my own caramel sauce, caramelized bananas, or worked with mascarpone cheese (the cake has "Mascarpone Frosting" on it), so I was quite happy when the cake turned out beautiful and tasty even by my own definition! An artist or cook is usually her/his worst critic and I definitely tend to be that. I didn't actually eat any of the cake until this morning and before having a bite I decided to take a picture to share with my blog readers:


The frosting wasn't too sweet and even after being refrigerated all night it was very smooth and creamy. The caramel sauce that was drizzled on top complimented the frosting with it's amber sweetness. The caramelized bananas in between the layers of cake were delicious. I would say this cake is, in fact, a success! :)

This Beautiful Week

It has been another full week of living! Last Sunday we went on a lovely, 8-hour-long drive in gorgeous low 40's weather. I was amazed to see bits of green grass coming up and small buds on trees in some areas of the countryside we drove through. In the area we live now we won't get to see that until May (normally) - I almost wonder if this year might be different. We've had a warm February for this area - mostly high 30's/low 4o's, although a few days even hit the low 50's! I'm thankful to be getting more daylight hours each day and plenty of warm sunshine to enjoy!

On Wednesday we kept real busy. I have been borrowing a van from a friend when Brad is away on business trips and we wanted to begin making it up to her by buying her a new windshield, so we had to take that into the town that is about 30 miles from here to get that done. It was supposed to take the glass shop half of a day to do the job. We knew we didn't have 6-hours-worth of things to do in town, so after doing our main grocery shopping we headed back home where Brad had to check up on some work related things and I needed to put the groceries away. Once we were done with that we headed out again to a town about 20 miles from here to get new tires on our new (used) vehicle (we decided a couple of weeks ago it was time for a second vehicle - one that would sit our family after the baby is born). After that errand was done we went back home where I had a few hours to get things done around the house while Brad worked. We were all kind of tired by the time we had to go back to pick up the van. Robby fell to sleep in his car seat on the way, in fact. So, when we got to the glass shop it was decided that I would pick up the van, go buy myself a new mop at the cleaning and restaurant supply place, then get the few things we needed from the grocery store (a different one from the one we had shopped at that morning). That ended up leading to my first two hours alone since Robby was born! I must admit, it was quite energizing. By the time I got back home I had enough energy to feel happy while getting all of my evening chores done. It was great!

The rest of the week was filled with just regular activities around here; schooling, cooking, baking, cleaning, etc.

I've been enjoying some of my favorite types of views this week - sunshine shining in a beautiful, wide open blue sky against the snowy white peaks of the nearby mountains. With the warmer temperatures we've been getting this month Ethan, Madeleine, and Robby have been spending several hours of each day outside playing (their idea, of course). I'm often surprised at how much they find to do out there! Also, Brad has been able to work with the new calves quite a bit as well as our big guys, Curly Sue and Little Bill. We'll be taking the big guys to a winter fair next week, which should be interesting (hopefully, I'll can get some good pictures to share!)

Lambs!

Apparently, Rambouillet sheep go into heat in the summer (most sheep/goats don't go into heat until cooler weather arrives). Both sheep and goats have a gestation period of five months. About two weeks ago we had two Rambouillet ewes give birth to twin girls (both ewes - we have four female lambs now). I was so thankful we were having a week or two of temperatures mainly in the 40's. Here are a few pictures of the cute new lambs:

The one on the right is making a funny face right there.

We have three more brown Rambouillet ewes and one white one who haven't lambed. I'm hoping they will wait for a warm day.

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day outside with my family. I had a good time getting to know one of our new brindle calves (still unnamed), helping with farm chores, and just being out in the sunshine. The calf I mentioned a moment ago is already doing great with the commands, "Giddup", "Whoa", and "Back". I had a good time walking him around our yard. He seemed to like me and I like just about anyone/anything that likes me, so we're good buds now. For some reason he was very curious about my jacket. He sniffed it thoroughly every time he got a chance. I kept wondering if maybe he smelled the bits of hay I was unable to clean out of my pockets or what! It was very cute, though.

My hubby is gone again on a business trip, but will be back in less than a week. I seem to miss him more each time he is gone. Still, I'm thankful he has work, especially in times like these when everyone knows multiple people who have or are about to lose their job. To avoid thinking about missing him I plan on taking this day and just having a good, relaxing, crafty day. I entered one of my cards in an online challenge the other day to see how many comments I get. Whoever get the most or the second most comments wins a prize (rubber stamps). I plan on entering something else in the challenge today (an Origami box I plan on making today). Here's the card already entered: Click Here. Most likely I won't even come close to winning, but it's fun trying anyway! :)

Well, I hope everyone is having a great week! I'm going to try to post a couple of more times this week. I have pictures I've wanted to share with all of you, but have to remember to bring my camera upstairs first.

Mistake

My update from yesterday, which I'm about to delete, was a mistake. The CPSC can't change the law, only Congress can, which they have not. Sorry about the misinformation! I still think folks should write to their congressmen and try to get this law changed. It's simply ridiculous for it to be illegal to sell used children's clothing. What the CPSC wrote would make more sense than the actual law that was passed. Since I'm deleting yesterday's post and not everyone may have read it, here's the mistake I'm talking about: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

The Newest Additions On Our Farm

This past Saturday the four Scottish Highland bull calves my hubby picked out were delivered to our little farm. These little guys will be trained to be a team of four oxen. The main difference between these guys and our 1 1/2-year-old bulls (Little Bill and Curly Sue) is that our first pair had been bottle babies - already used to humans. These new guys have been out in a field with their mamas for the first six months of their lives, which will make it slightly more challenging in the beginning. However, I have no doubt my husband will do a wonderful job and they'll be as tame as Little Bill and Curly Sue in no time at all. They've been here less than a week and they already seem to be getting used to me more (my hubby has been away on a business trip since the day after the calves got here). The calves acted like a bunch of rodeo bulls when being led out of the trailer they road here in. Here are a few pictures (we haven't named them yet):

The rancher we bought them from trying to lead one of the two brindle Scottish Highland calves we bought. That little guy gave a good fight. He was jumping and kicking up his heels for awhile! Part of the problem was the rancher giving the calf too much rope, so he couldn't keep the calf under control.

My husband working on leading the other brindle calf (brindle is the name of the color - a brown calf with blond highlights basically).

One of brindle calves getting to know Curly Sue.

Curly Sue (I'm still not into that poor ox's name, but I can't seem to get anyone to call him something more manly like Burly Boo) and Little Bill checking out the calves.

A brindle calf. He's a cutie.

One of the two black calves with a brindle going to check out the hay I gave them.

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

Have you heard about this? If you buy children's clothing, toys, or games at thrift stores, yard sales, or handmade ones from individuals on Etsy (or any other similar place) you'll want to be made aware of it. As of February 10, 2009 it will be illegal for thrift or resale shops to sell these items unless they test them for lead (something that would cost each business tens of thousands of dollars). It will also be illegal for you and me to sell our used children's clothing at yard sales or to sell handmade items for children under the age of 13. I'm not kidding. Here are some references: The Act Itself, A L.A. Times Article, and A MSN Article. Of course most used places won't be able to pay the tens of thousands of dollars it would take to test all of their children's clothing/toys/games, so legally they'll have to send all of those items to landfills. In these "live green" times you would think Congress wouldn't even consider passing a law like this and would come up with a more reasonable way to deal with the recalls and possible bits of lead in clothing or toys. This law will affect families all over our country. It will affect me! I wouldn't even consider buying snow pants for $20 and up for each child every winter when I could get them (like new) at a thrift store for $2-$4! I buy the majority of clothing for my children used. I buy underwear, socks, shoes/boots, and pajamas (due to I don't usually find used pajamas) new, but besides that I'm all for paying a whole lot less at a thrift store!

Living out in the country I don't go to many yard sales. They're so spread out it often doesn't make it worth driving the distance for the good deals. Still, I like the option of going to yard sales and getting a baby outfit, a child's shirt, or even a pair of pants for $0.25-$0.50! I have found all sorts of wonderful, stain-free clothing for all of my children with brand names like Gymboree, The Limited, The Gap, etc. for a quarter at a garage sale or $2 at a thrift store. These aren't junk clothes that should be taken to a landfill. I fully oppose this law and think we (all who care) should write our state congress and try to help them see how illogical this really is. What a waste. Even those without children should care about all that waste and all the businesses who will have to shut down due to this new law. It sounds like it will be difficult to enforce, but even so, a law like this should not be in place.