A Page from Dr Suess.

Today there is a foot of snow. It looks like I live in who-ville. I am nestled into a secluded mountain town, the Christmas lights twinkling and the snow on the ground is the purest of white. All the little chimneys are smoking and the kids are running around down the middle of the street with their toboggans and touques.
It is also my friends birthday today. I woke up this morning and thought what an awesome day for a birthday. For reals. It is beautiful and there are still snowflakes falling. She and another friend came for lunch. We had soup and buns and salad and veggies and dip and apple crisp. What is better than apple crisp and warm soup on a wintry birthday? I think Nothing. I had such a wonderful time visiting and laughing and eating. There is something so homey and familiar and comforting about good friends and warm food when it is cold and snowy. Today has been perfect. My dishes aren't done. There are toys from heck to breakfast and yet I am so happy.
Happy birthday friend.

When Nature Calls

"Ellie, what's this?"

"I dunno, Lucy, lets ask Dad!"

"DAD", both in unison.

"What?"

"What IS this?"

"Bear poop" said VERY casually.

 {SCREAM}

and run away.

And to think we live IN the wilderness

Cheesecake and Self-Control?

All I can think about is cheesecake.

It's horrible.

and delicious.....

mmm so delicious.

I had never made a cheesecake (baked) before but Ellie wanted a chocolate chip cheesecake for her birthday (which I know was a while ago but today I thought about that cheesecake and I wanted some).

I'm trying this thing...

it's called self-control.

It SUCKS.

BUT

 for those of you who don't do crazy things

like tell yourself that you don't NEED cheesecake

then here's the recipe.

It's awesome.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Ingredients

-1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
-1/3 cup white sugar
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/3 cup butter, melted
-3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
-1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
-3 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cocoa. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Set crust aside.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk; beat well. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat on medium speed until smooth. Toss 1/3 of the miniature chocolate chips with the 1 teaspoon flour to coat (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Mix into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour. Turn off oven (do not open oven door) and leave the cake in the oven to cool in the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate before removing sides of pan. Keep cake refrigerated until time to serve.

homesick

We went "home" for Thanksgiving.

Sometimes I get really homesick.

I miss walking outside and seeing my ponies.

I miss the smell of my horse

(well maybe not mine)

I miss giving my kids the oppertunities I got.

The girls had such a good time riding all day with dad.

I think their Dad had a super good time.

I could barely get him in for dinner.

 Ellie and Lucy on Booger

 Ellie and Dusty lettin' him eat.

 Ellie and Booger

Lucy and Elliot

(like the deer off Open Season)

Perfect as a Pear

This is the first year I've ever canned solo.

It's been pretty awesome.

My storage room actually looks like a storage room.

I've done

Peaches

Peach jam

Strawberry jam

Pears

and I have a box of apples sitting in my living room.

I really had a good time.

My kids have too.

My house is DESTROYED.

Why clean when mom is so clearly distracted.

The mess has been worth it.

 Aren't Pears so Pretty Jarred?

I wanted to put them around my house as decoration.

They made my kitchen seem so kitcheny

Penny isn't a huge fan of canning (yet) but by the time we did pears she at least knew that this was her spot and that she wasn't getting held. Peaches were a LONG LOUD process.

Pears

My syrup recipe is:

1 cup of sugar to 5 cups of water.

I hot packed my pears.

They are perfect 

they don't taste like they've been drowning in syrup.

 and it's just enough sugar to keep them from getting all dirty (brown)

Just putting it out there

28 days until my Christmas Tree goes up. Pretty excited.

Penny. & .Sweater

Yarn: Baby Bamboo.



Dance like No One is Watching

Our town was offering ballet and jazz classes. I signed both of them up and they were so so excited. I got Ellie all of her ballet stuff and THEN found out that the classes got cancelled. Needless to say we are all a little disappointed BUT 45 minutes is just too far to drive for classes this year. Maybe next year. I think that maybe we'll just dress up and pretend for now....



From Woolfs to Bears

I think I'm ready to switch species.

Who wouldn't want to eat as much as possible and then sleep all winter?

Yep.

I am going to be a bear

My cubs agree.

Harvest Ball

This is one of the videos I took of the girls at the Harvest Ball. It was super fun and they were ecstatic to be able to get dressed up in their finery and go dancing. We had to stay almost until pumpkin hour!

That is Lucy and Dusty enjoying the treats found at the ice-cream bar!

Ellie in her ball gown.
I am pretty sure that she had the "bestest most perfectest ball EVER!"
I know cause she told me.