ALMOST As Good As Chocolate

Carob Cake:

3cups flour
2cups sugar
1/2cup carob powder
2tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
*mix all above ingredients very well, then add the following:
2tsp vanilla
2TBS lemon juice
2/3cup oil
2cups water (I used milk)
*mix well and bake in a greased pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees

A vegan friend of mine uses this for church potlucks and stuff. People think it's chocolate cake. No one could tell the difference. This is a great alternative for those who may be allergic to chocolate (my brother) and/or eggs (notice it doesn't contain either one), don't like the caffeine that chocolate contains, and/or for kids when you don't want to side effects that chocolate (caffeine) has on them. This is a fantastic recipe, delicious alternative to chocolate, and I'd highly recommend it for those who love to bake new things!

Thanks Courtney!

Eye Candy

Eye candy for the vintage/retro eye........

Modcloth

I Am A Prairie Girl

I've done some traveling. Not much comparable to most people nowadays, but I have seen many different places. However, in preparing to drive to Montana I found the excitement growing. I had never seen the mountains. I've flown over them, but never stopped to LOOK....never driven through. Heck, I had never gone farther west (by car) than the western boarder of Minnesota. I was excited. I was also prepared to absolutely LOVE the mountains......love them so much I just might want to find some way to move there.....find some possibility of making a life there. This was my thinking before even beginning our trip.

Again, I've grown up on the breathtaking beauty of the Minnesota lakes and seasons.

I've spent months by the ocean listening to the soothing sounds of the waves and winds as they hit the shore. I've traveled to Europe and witnessed the historic wonders of ancient Italy. And now I've seen the grandiose magnificance of the Montana Rockies.

But none of those....NONE of those stands close to the contentment and peace I find in the wide open prairies of the Dakotas. I know....many of you are thinking, "what???!...." There isn't anything particularly extraordinary about the prairie. And for many there probably isn't anything beautiful about them. But to me, there is a glorious peace and freedom in the open space......just land for as far as the eye can see.....nothing scary or threatening about it. Just land.....and wind......and sky. Yes. I DO love it here. The mountains and lakes and ocean and Europe....they are all beautiful and exquisite in their own way. But the prairie is where my heart is....the prairie is where my peace, contentment, freedom, and HOME are.

We Went For 3 And Came Home With 5

I posted a while back about our desire to have a hobby farm and our intent to purchase some alpacas. Well....we did it. This past week, John and I drove out to Montana to visit some wonderful new acquaintances Sarah and James Budd from Alpacas of Montana Ranch. Our intent was to bring home 3 alpacas that we have been looking at. We got there and were presented with a rather large (in number not price) package deal. It was hard to pass up. So we took it. We are now the proud owners of 5....YES 5 huacaya alpacas.

left to right: Luigi, Chester, Frederico (in front), Ike (black), Bonanza (in the back)

What the heck are we going to do with 5 alpacas, you say.

??? What do you think? ;-)

p.s. leave a comment with some suggestions and I just might make you something. ;-)

Newly Weds

John signed us up for possibly being premarriage sponsors. I said, "That's great but I think they probably need/want people who have been married longer than 6 years to do that." His response, "No. Actually, the priest said they'd love newlyweds to sign up for it because it would be a great ministry for them to together during those first few years of married life." John gave me this melting....smoldering look and continued, "I mean....we're still newlyweds. TO ME, we're still newlyweds." *sigh*

6 years, 4 babies, multiple deaths, multiple moves, sufficating stress.....and to him we are still newlyweds.

How sweet is that?!!!

Seeking Silence

Seeking silence to focus is about as acheivable as world peace. Seriously.....it is a beautiful concept that is likely to stay only an ideal rather than a reality (in my world). So what is my realtiy? My reality is better than silence. My reality is "Mom! I need you....Mom! I love you.....Mom! I need help... Mom! Can I have some tickles?...Mom!" My reality is dirty diapers, piles of laundry, a perpetually messy kitchen, shoes everywhere, crying, laughing, screaming. My reality is the opposite of silence. My realtiy right this second is a two year old girl who seems to think she doesn't need a nap and she is communicating this by screaming at the top of her lungs until she gets her way.....or passes out. Whichever comes first. How do I handle a screaming two year old with a trantrum (or someone acting like one)? I have to remember that I am the adult. I am the parent. And I have the final say. And so I am silent though the world around me is not.

Seasonal Love

A favorite meal option during these warm, fruitful garden seasons are the cold veggie salads. I love them. Love, love, love, love. For me, they serve the purpose of most anything....snack, full meal, side dish, heck....maybe even dessert. ;-) And, seeings how we have had above freezing weather for quite some time, I think that I could assume that perhaps the snow is gone for good (until fall) and that spring/summer dishes can be added to the menu. With that said, this afternoon I wallowed in the making of my most favorite summer veggie dish: BROCCOLI SALAD. Yum. Yum. Yum. I know this is probably nothing new for anyone who reads this blog. It is like chocolate chip cookies. Everyone makes their own variation of this salad. Mine variation isn't anything special......just a recipe I took from an old church cookbook I got as a bridal shower gift. (FYI: those church cookbooks are usually worth the small fee. They usual hold tried and true old family recipes and they are delicious!!!)

1 1/2 heads broccoli
1 cup chopped or sliced carrots
1 medium onion
2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cup sunflower nuts
1lb bacon....fried crispy and chopped in pieces (YUMMY)
dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise + 1/4 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons vinegar

mix the veggies
add the dressing
chill for a couple hours
ENJOY!

A Few Of My Absolutes...

Is there anyone else out there who thinks macaroni and cheese tastes better with shaped noodles?

There are some things in my world that just HAVE.TO.BE. For instance:

- my macaroni and cheese noodles must be shaped
- my oreo cookie cream must be white....NOT holiday colors like green, red, or pink. WHITE.
- spritz cookies taste the best when they are shaped like christmas trees, dyed green, and have sprinkles...no matter what time of year it is. ;-)
- molasses cookies are only edible (to me) when they are rolled and cut with an old Spam can
- Santa only comes on Christmas morning.......not Christmas Eve, not days before or after.....Christmas morning
- smiles and compliments are meant to be given no matter what type of mood you are in....it will most likely make you feel better. ;-)
- gifts and favors are meant to be given without expectation
- always return what you borrow
- loan only what you are willing to lose
- wedding anniversaries are meant to be celebrated and recognized (especially in this day and age)
- family members are meant to be cherished no matter how crazy, selfish, reserved, or annoying they can be
- piles of autumn leaves are meant to be jumped in before bagging and burning them
- don't be afraid to tell your siblings you love them or give them a hug....you never know if it will be the last (believe me)

- share yourself - your person, your time, your talents, your laughter and smiles with those who mean the most to you....

Just a few absolutes in my life......

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Another Beautiful Spring Day

So I have been a bit.....absent. The weather has just been so wonderful that I have a hard time spending any significant chunk of my day in front of the computer. And by the end of the day I am so darn exhausted that I fall asleep before I even hit the pillow. Gosh I love springtime!!!

For the past couple weeks every inch of my clothesline has been utilized every single second of our daylight hours. That means that I haven't turned my dryer on more than 2-3 times in two weeks. That means that our next electric bill will (God willing) reflect that. Yay. mmmm, yes......I am truly loving spring.