The Cottage on the Hill

Thanks to Suzanne at Not Quite Donna Reed , I was inspired to start making my own cakes again and putting my glass cake stand to use. I used a recipe in my 1956 The American Peoples Cookbook for banana cake and banana frosting, but as I tend to do, I altered it. I put in my food processor: 1 cup whole raw almonds (whirr the processor until the almonds turn into an almond flour) 1 cup arrowroot flour 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 brown-skinned bananas (removed from their peel, of course) 1/2 cup real maple syrup tbsp. molasses 2 eggs 1/4 cup plain full-fat yogurt (I didn't have buttermilk on hand) Blend it all well and I baked it in a cake pan at 350 degrees for I don't recall how long. I tend to ignore the clock and go by smell. I don't know how I do it, but when it smells done to me it usually is. For the frosting: Put in food processor: 1 brown-flecked banana 1/2 tsp. lemon ju...

Last week I was in a hurry, needed groceries, had two kiddos (one heading for a nap) and knew that Target doesn't sell cedar mothballs so I went to the Walmart Super Center. I bought the groceries on my list and made my usual dinners without diverting from the recipes and we all came to the same conclusion, "Yuck!" Today I opened the container of GV cottage cheese and took a taste. It was DISCUSTING without being rancid. I'd hate to waste it so I'm wondering if I could make some sort of cheesecake or something out of it. Otherwise it is unpalatable for lone consumption. And since when does cottage cheese need a laundry list of ingredients?! Ok, I admit, I'm spoiled by farm foods and better quality products. But my goodness, even Aldi's cottage cheese is 100 times better than GV! It is true. Once you've had the real deal there's no going back. The Parent's Choice diapers leak like a sieve. (I usually buy the Target ones.....yeah, I have...

After two days of brooding I am off the nest today. I love feeling more energetic, though I'm still sitting on my fanny in front of this computer! The weather has turned windy and COLD! It is temporary, though, the sun is shining and the lawn will need mowing soon! I love that the alfalfa field next door is greening up nicely and I see little baby leaves on the trees and shrubs! Soon dappled shade will cover the south side of my house and hopefully I'll get my hands on a rototiller so I can start my garden. Well, I suppose I ought to get my daughter down for her nap and put my energy to use.

When I was a young girl we had chickens and I always thought it was funny how cross the brooding hens looked. Today, I am pregnant and feeling just a broody as those hens. I'm trying not to let my brooding state affect me so but it seems I can't help it. After a few days of heavy activity, perhaps the brooding is a way to get me to just relax. I just hate that downer feeling! I've been singing hymns and trying to pray (my brain is all mushy and I'm having a hard time focusing) but I'm really just chalking it up to one of those pregnant moods. At least it is nice out today and I took the kiddos outside to play and enjoy the sun and warmth. As a treat, we got to see the neighbor and his granddaughter driving their pony around the field! There are so many benefits to living in the country!

Vincent Van Gogh You can buy this print at www.art.com After a bit of rainy weather we are having unusually warm weather for April and I'm thoroughly enjoying watching everything turn from brown to green!!

Madame Vigee-Lebrun and Her Daughter, Jeanne-Lucie-Louise (1780-1819) 1789 You can get this print at www.art.com A great deal of stress and worry was lifted off my shoulders when my husband made it clear that a perfectly neat home and stressed out wife and cranky kids were NOT what he wanted to come home to. He'd be much happier coming home to a happy wife and kids and just a clear path to his favorite chair where he receives the kisses and embraces of a wife, a son, a daughter and a 50 pound dog who thinks she's a lap dog. For some reason it was ingrained in me that a home isn't happy unless it is clean and tidy. Granted, a perpetually dirty and disorganized home can and does cause added stress, grief and even illness, it shouldn't be our number one goal to mop the kitchen floor every day while our children look to us for attention. My husband didn't marry a HOUSEKEEPER. He married a HOMEMAKER! My job is to make a home and that entails more than just outward ti...

I had read somewhere that lemon water is good for easing heartburn, but I just brushed it off. After all, I have a big container of fruit flavored tums to put the fire out during pregnancy. Then, I started getting sick in that I was sick of plain water and the tums were making me terribly nauseous-I mean viciously nauseous! So, I started drinking lemon water and fully expected the citrus to aggravate the heartburn I experience every pregnancy (and yes, I do give birth to children with full heads of hair). After all, orange juice brought on the burn. The opposite occured. I could eat nearly anything I normally would and not experience heartburn! So, the tums lay untouched and I am now a believer in lemon water. One glass every other day (and carefully not overdoing it and sleeping properly) have nearly completely eliminated my heartburn! This is especially comforting because of sugar issues I'm having during this pregnancy I have to eat before I go to bed or else I awaken i...