When Inconveniences are Blessings in Disguise

I was feeling put out yesterday because of a minor inconvenience that threw my whole schedule for the afternoon off kilter.  Then the Lord served me a reminder that sometimes I need to trust his plan - I narrowly missed not one but two serious accidents on the freeway in an area I have to pass through every afternoon.  The first happened just a couple of minutes before I went through - first responders were just arriving and the man looked seriously hurt but according to news reports will be OK.  The second happened a few minutes behind me as the traffic backed up due to the first accident - that one ended up being an 8 vehicle pileup but, thankfully, no one was injured.  Had I been traveling this area at my normal time of day, there is a great possibility that I could have been in that pileup.  Had I not sat so long at the stoplight that seemed to take so long I might have been in the first accident.  My great-grandmother liked to tell us a lot of stories about trusting "The Master's Hand" and I guess he felt that I needed a reminder yesterday.  So today through my frustrations I will trust that He has a plan and a reason.

Renewal!

This weekend was all about renewal.  I have a renewed spirit after spending the day on Saturday at the horse expo (and a birthday party).  I got to see Sharon Camarillo and Donna Irvin give an excellent barrel racing clinic.  Donna has the long hair on the left and Sharon is on the palomino standing broadside.

My kids were both so good and fascinated that we were at the expo from 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.!  The Princess has horse fever for sure and Little Man thought the cowboy mounted shooting was very exciting. Sunday as we recovered from the time change we went to a local favorite diner for a leisurely breakfast and grocery shopped and bought seeds to start. The weather was beautiful so we all took a walk in the woods to scout for shed antlers and other treasures. I managed to scavenge a mossy branch, some broken pottery, a couple glass bottles and Little Man found a turkey feather!   While the kids napped I spent some time brushing the mud off my own brumbies (yes, "The Man from Snowy River" is one of my all time favorites!) and the Mr. took the first cruise of the year on his motorcycle.  This morning there is a fresh rain and a little Claritin was needed as things are starting to turn green. What a great weekend and I'm ready to dig in to all the spring projects!

Happy Friday!

Looking forward to the Michigan Horse Expo this weekend and getting some new riding clothes - can you tell I need them! LOL  Hoping to work in a ride (or at least a bath for the muddy critters!) this weekend as its forecast to hit 60 degrees.  Also looking forward to seeing the grass this green again soon as I woke up to a dusting of snow this morning.  Mother Nature seems to be conflicted this year... 

Inspiration

I love this quote I just read from football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice:

"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't."

Godiva Spirits House Party Package Arrived!

I am always so thrilled when another great House Party package arrives and today it was supplies for my Godiva Spirits Party! We will have a blast sampling drinks and desserts made with the Godiva Spirits and Liquers. I'll be sharing recipes and pics after the party at the end of the month.

Kid-Friendly Veggie Garden Plans

All the plant and seed catalogs are coming out and I love to spend the evening curled up thumbing through them and dreaming big about how spectacular my veggie garden will be (and how this will be the year I conquer the weeds and slugs...I did say dream big, right?!).  A book I love with some great ideas on how to make veggie gardening exciting and stimulating for kids is "Roots, Shoot, Buckets and Boots" by Sharon Lovejoy.  Not only does it have great garden plans but it really is a kid-friendly read with ideas for experiments and wonderful illustrations.  I really want to tackle the sunflower/morning glory house plans this year and I'm planning a variation on their tepee idea with pole beans and moonflowers.  She has lots of specific veggie seed suggestions for plants that are easy for kids to grow and give fun learning opportunities throughout the summer.  My kids love to learn about all the things that show up in our garden and even the neighbor boys have been overcome with curiousity and I had 3 extra "helpers" to squish tomato hornworms and dig carrots last summer.  They were so excited every time to take home produce for dinner that they had helped me plant in the spring - and I felt just as rewarded by their excitement!

Rustic Cheesy Potato Soup

This is a great weeknight soup because its fast but satisfying. 

Melt one stick of butter in a large pot. Finely dice 1 medium onion and add to the pot with a dash of salt and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile shred 4 medium potatoes. Add 4 tablespoon flour to the pot and mix well. Then add 2 cups of chicken stock and simmer until flour is absorbed. Add 6 cups of milk. Add shredded potatoes and simmer about 10 minutes until potatoes soften. Add 3 cups shredded cheese or velveta and stir until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of zesty seasoning salt. Yum!

Cupcake Wars Inspired Triple Cherry Cupcake

It became apparent that my daughter and I were watching too much Cupcake Wars and similar shows when I asked her what kind of cupcakes she would like to take to school for her birthday treat.  Her answer:  Cherry-filled with pink cherry whipped frosting and a fondant cherry and cherry leaves on top.  Not as easy as I was hoping for...but hey I'm always up for a good challenge. 

So I started with a basic vanilla cake mix and made the batter following the directions.  I filled designer black and white cupcake liners about 1/3 with the batter.  Then I used canned cherry pie filling by carefully spooning out just 2-3 cherries with as little of the gel as I could and placing them in the center of the batter.  Topped with more batter - just enough to cover the cherries and seal the edges.  I baked these in the oven according to the cake directions - I had thought they would take longer with the extra moisture from the filling but because the filling doesn't have to cook the time ended up being the same as normal cupcakes.  While these cooled I used premade whipped buttercream frosting and whipped in red food coloring and cherry extract until I reached a satisfactory color and flavor.  To finish, my daughter drained maraschino cherries on a paper towel overnight.  (To her credit she took sympathy on me and compromised about the fondant cherries.)  On our way out the door in the morning all the cupcakes were topped with a maraschino cherry and a few "pearl" sprinkles.  Very tasty and impressive to look at and they really were easy to put together.  These would be great for an adult party or for Valentine's Day.

Meet the Critters

Often referred to as "our other kids" or "the zoo"...  This little guy is our Alpine goat "Christmas" who arrived in the barn on Christmas morning via the magic of Santa...

The man in charge "Apollo" our chocolate lab-springer spaniel who patrols the yard,

keeps the deer and other unwanteds out of my veggie garden, 

and generally makes sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. 

The new guy "Topper" - my beautiful Morgan-Arab cross gelding. 

We are having a lot of fun getting to know each other.

 Best cat ever "Marble" who keeps the mice and mole population under control and has so patiently tolerated the kids learning how to properly pick up and carry a cat...

 Don't let the angle fool you - this guy is not as big as he would like to be - miniature pony "Earl".

 And the sweetest little girl "Artemis" full sister to Apollo and best babysitter.



Spring is in the Air!

Its only March 1st but spring has been in the air here in Michigan for a while.  We've had mostly mild temps with a few intermittent cold, snowy days broken up by days like today that are nearly 40 degrees.  This weekend its supposed to reach 50 - around here that is shorts and flip flop weather for sure!  The birds are twittering, the buds have been forming on the lilacs for a while, the critters are basking in the sunshine (and of course rolling in the mud!).  Any day now I expect that first crocus to fight its way through the piles of leaves warming my flower beds. 

And with those first signs of spring comes the urge to throw up the windows and clean and purge.  Lots of friends posting on FaceBook about taking loads of outgrown clothes and toys to Goodwill today.  If you are looking for some ideas on how to get in the spring cleaning mode check out my Spring into Action Organizational Party.  Its a fun casual way to get together with friends for a quick Saturday lunch and get motivated to spring clean.  And if you want some more great tips on cleaning and organizing FlyLady will boggle your mind!  Boot the kids outside to play, crank up your favorite tunes, toss open the windows, roll up your sleeves and go!