Cinnamon Loaf

Here is that great and easy recipe for Cinnamon Loaf, we love it for breakfast.

CINNAMON  LOAF

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 1% buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk just until mixed.
2. Transfer half of the mixture to a 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar. Sprinkle three-fourths of mixture over batter. Top with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Road Trip

On Saturday afternoon HB came home from cutting the fields,and the temps were high in the 30's. He asked if we would like to go on a little road trip to friends of ours about 2 hours away, as he had to drop off a few things and pick up some stuff with the truck.
We were all pretty excited as it had been awhile since we did any trips together with the whole family since my Mother had gotten sick.( I always had to stay behind) So we packed up the cooler and headed out.
Jill decided to sit up front with Jerry and I while the other 2 sat in the back.

We were all pretty cozy. Jill loves her pick sunglasses.

 Jayne loves her Doritos chips.

Justin  sang most of the way.

Then after eating of that junk they all settled down and had so good games on their DS's.
I read a bit and talked to HB.
We had a really nice visit at our friends. They Dan always had the neatest stuff there. He is a big antique collector,and is always building new building to house his stuff in. We enjoy seeing whats new every time we get to go. Ann had a lovely bread that I got the recipe for and will share later this week.
After a little while we were back on the road again. Before leaving the city Dad promised the weeones a trip to DQ(dairy queen) for a treat.
Can you guess what color slushies the girls got?

We decided to take the old mine road home,which runs right through the middle of nowhere in the woods. It was so nice. We saw foxes,rabbits,and this deer.

It was so calm and tame it almost came right up to the truck.
After half way through we came across the spring falls where everyone comes to get good drinking spring water. We stopped so that the weeones could fill their bottles.

After playing in the water for a bit and cooling down , we drove a bit more.

We stopped one more time and the weeones ran around and burned off some of that sugar.

We headed on our way and came out at my in-laws for another visit. My mother in law is a green thumb as well,so we had a lovely visit and tour of the gardens. 

Jill went to her pond looking for her pet fish.

The girls loved playing in the flowers

Nanny's dog Willy was very happy to see everyone as well.

All in all we had another nice visit. The flowers are beautiful 

She even has a good sense of humor. 

We headed out towards home with the sun coming down and a truck full of tired weeoens. What a great day!

CONGRATS! to "One Crafty Mumma"

I want to say a big Congrats!!! to Mel over at http://melissagoodsell.typepad.com/ at the One crafty Mumma blog.
If you have not checked out her blog then your missing all the best that the blogging world has to offer. My girls and I enjoy reading it daily, from all the way on the other side of the world to us.
Mel has just won the 2011 kidspot 50 top bloggers.

You can get all the details of the awards at.http://www.kidspot.com.au/MySpot-Top-50-bloggers-2011-Top-50-Blogger-winner-and-rankings+5969+416+article.htm
I can't wait to see where she will be off to next and blogging about.

Summer Season Treats

The weather here has sure changed. Last week and up until Wednesday we had very hot and humid temps. High 30's and soooo very humid.
Then the air changed with 2 days of thunder and lighting storms,and a bit of rain.
It has cooled down without the humidity now,BUT!!!! it is coming back for tomorrow and the rest of the weekend. BONUS!!! It is also HB's weekend off. YEAH!!!!
A couple of weeks back HB had built a new set of stairs leading up to the pool deck. The old ones were steep,had no railing, and were in a bad place. But the new ones are perfect.

Great Job Hubby!!!! I had to just show them off.

With all the great warm weather the weeones are living in the pool. They are so much enjoying their Summer Vacation. They sleep till 10 or sometimes even later,have brunch made either outdoors or in the trailer. Then laze around and play outdoors in the PJ's then change into their Bathing suits and send their day in the pool. Eat late lunches,do some sort of craft around 2 and then back to the pool. WHAT A GREAT LIFE!!!!!
As for me I am enjoying my summer so far. Besides nice weather I am getting a lot done. I have been cleaning out my studio,the potting shed and am no working on finishing my back porch.
I am also lazing by the pool reading up on my favorite blogs, magazines,and getting ready to start a new book that Jayne got for me.
Yes Life is good right at the moment.
HB has begun the hay cutting for this year, and even though we have had such a late spring and with not so good weather until now the hay is ready for cutting and it is even a couple of weeks early.
He has just cut one field and is hoping to finish it up tomorrow.  Thus making it a busy next couple of weeks.
We took a couple of days and picked the 2 fields in front for Strawberries. We had a strawberry shortcake

MY GRANDMOTHER'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
2C. flour
4t. baking powder
4T.shortening
2T. sugar
1 egg
2/3cups of milk. Beat egg and mix in with milk.
Roll out on floured board about 1/2" thick. Bake in round pan. Put butter in between layers and bake for 20 mins.
Layer with strawberries mashed with a little sugar. then with whipped cream. Repeat and build.
Top with whole strawberries for a pretty finish.

 and I made some jam

. I also made 1 pie. I would like to get back out today to get some more. I also need to freeze more rhubarb before the rest goes to seed. I made a few crumbles for the freeze and 2 rolls as well. I also had a rhubarb roll for desert last evening. One of my families favorites.

RHUBARB ROLL
Mix together
2c. flour
2t. baking powder
1t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
add 1/2c. of milk mix together. roll out and spread butter on top of dough. Add 2 cups of finely chopped rhubarb, 3/4 cup of sugar, 3t. flour. roll up like jelly roll.and cut in pieces 1/2 " thick. place in pan. combine 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup of boiling  water and pour over roll. Bake 45 mins at 350.
Very good warmed for Breakfast( MY FAVORITE !!! growing up and still is.)
also very good with whipped cream on top for dessert.

It is so nice to see things going back into the freezer again. As it was just about empty from last seasons goodies.
Well I should  go and hang some laundry out on the line. (Another blessing to Summer)
Take care and I wish you all a great day!

For My Love Of Flowers

I have always enjoyed the beauty, colors, and completeness that flowers bring us. I have always found that a yard was not complete unless it had flowers growing. My Grandmother,Aunt and great Grandmother were and still for my Aunt, amazing Green Thumbs. I do believe that gene has carried on to me and will continue to carry on through my Children.
On my Birthday my Children picked me the cutest little wildflowers. I found them so cute and love them so much.

These are the little things I will remember forever.

As for my greenhouse everything is now out,and in the yard or garden. All the flowers I had stared this year from seed,did very well. I am super proud because we had such a slow start to Summer that everything just would not grow and fill out. But with a couple weeks of warmer temps and loads of sun they are where they should be.

These 2 are my favorite hanging baskets this year. The red ones are my favorite. I picked up 2 tiny little humming bird feeders at the dollarstore earlier this year and stuck one in here. The birds really love these and I am filling every few days.

They all have filled out so much. These were the 2 old deck boxes made out of slabs that HB made for me years ago when Jill was a baby, so that she would not fall through the bottom crack. They have rotted over the years and I thought I would have lost them this year. HB did some patch work and they are as good as new, but with the old rustic look that I am looking for. The only problem this year is that my shrubs are getting to high. (I never had my bleeding heart grow so big) I am already making changes for next year to move some of the bigger stuff around, and to take pieces off and stick them other places.

This is my odd window box. It is located on the side of the house off of a tiny window. I use this window in the winter to hang a large bird feeder from and a humming bird feeder in the Summer. I bought this window box in a yard sale for $2 a few years ago and stuck it here. I use my left overs every year to fill it. But it always seems to turn out really nice, no matter what I put in it.

Remember back this Spring when I was so excited to get out planting and adding a new bed to the front of the house after planting some petunias into the ground and adding a new bird bath,and Hb adding a fence to keep the dogs out of laying in it.  they looked so skimpy (In better words)  I thought they would never amount to anything.

THIS WAS BEFORE !!!!!!!!!

NOW LOOK AT THEM!!!!!!!!

They have grown so much! The Golden Glow that was in there also grew too!

My love for flowers goes a little further, as Jill has taken more of a green thumb this as well. All my children have always loved to work in the garden. From a very young age. They have all love to plant in the green house and help water daily and transplant. They all grow there own veggies,and the girls love flowers. But this year I noticed that Jill wants a little more as well. She has been by my side gardening from the time she was only a year old in the green house in her stroller, till now.
This year she planted a lot of plants and decided to start her own garden at the back of the house.
She has done very well for her first year, and I am sure she will expand more in the years to come.

These little stools were something I picked up in the "big garbage" on the side of the road. I had no idea what I would do with them, but just loves them. Jill knew what to use them for.She has also added her patio tomato   here as well.

She had planted more shrubs and a Mum  that was given to my Mother from a cousin while in the hospital. She dug out my old faries and placed them there too. She has the eye for this stuff.

Walking past here everyday to put Laundry on the line makes me smile. She reminds me so much of myself.

Newest Member to the Family

3 Saturday's ago we had the cutest little boy born here on the farm. HB got up to go to work and found thid new addition in the horse paddock.

His Name is Anchor. He weighed a ton as HB carried him into the barn that morning, as we were expecting rain.
Later he hot stuck between 2 boards and I had to lift him out, so Anchor is his name.

He keeps poor Charlotte his Mom very Busy.

There is never a dull moment here on the farm.

Our Camping Trip

We went Camping about 2 hours away for the Canada day weekend.We stayed at

Mount Carleton Provincial Park

http://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/product.aspx?pid=1373

 Our family and friends of ours. We took our trailers,and had a great weekend. It was hot on Saturday and we got to enjoy a lot of what the park had to offer.

The girls went swimming at there beach.

The views are amazing. The boats were all out as well in the lake.

The girls just could not stay out of the water.

Jayne had loads of fun being buried in the soft rocky ground by here friends.

A little boy next to us watched and decided he wanted to bury Justin as well.
To cute!
We all had a great time,and ate way to much.Can't wait to go again.