~Pretty Disasters~

Some days you can describe all the happenings between storms, and children, and animals, and everything else, with a quick photo of the one tulip that survived all the above, and actually managed to bloom, just to be plucked by the hands of a toddler, which apparently travels faster than the speed of a yelled, "NOOOOOO."

Pretty Disasters and all.  <3

~Emily

~Spring~

I think Spring has finally arrived!  After months and months of the hardest winter I've ever known, I can't seem to turn my face away from the warmth of the sun, and the freshness of the spring rains.  

I don't ever want to see a snow flake again. 

Honestly, I don't even want to be inside at all.  Except to clean.  Because I have spring fever.  And everything has to be clean!

And everything should smell like flowers... without the pollen.  But I'm not complaining because pollen is way better than ice.  

But you can keep the ticks, because apparently the winter of doom didn't slow them down one bit.  

Happy Spring!!!!

~Emily

~Flowers~

I've had a few ask if those "drawings" I had been sharing were really mine.  Or if I had gotten the paper pre-drawn at a store.  So just for the heck of it today I'm sharing a drawing I just finished, in steps, as it happened, and as I remembered to actually take photos.  ;)  I'll let the photos talk for themselves.  ~Emily

Breaking Ground

We began this weekend to break ground on the new garden.  The old garden finally was turning up black dirt, and awesome veggies... but it was in the middle of the jungle, and filled with snakes, and rocks... and no one was willing to suit up just to watch me chase copper heads with a pitch fork.  (Including me)  So our huge front yard, with nothing but lawn and weeds, and dead Mimosa trees, is finally being turned into something useful.

The budget is still extremely tight for this whole project.  In the dream world, I'd have that white picket fence, raised cedar beds, and all of the trimmings.  In the real world we're pinching pennies for chicken wire, and breaking blisters to hand till the sod.  I'm just happy to have my fingers in the dirt once more, especially after such a horrid winter.  And I'm even happier to not have the company of so many snakes and rocks, especially the snakes.

It's exciting to see your land transform, to see things improve.  To know that so much hard work will pay off in the end.  Seeing the kids learn, and experience, and grow with the land.  I'm a hopeless romantic, who watches way too many episodes of Little House on the Prairie.  

Now to figure out a schedule for everything on my plate.  (Without drinking 3 pots of coffee everyday)

~Emily

Pumpkin Bread ~ Recipe

First thing is first.  Do not try to be an amazing food blogger photographer during tornadoes.  Also, don't set out to take amazing photos, while there's tornadoes, with your toddler helping, while your husband needs six loaves of your amazing bread ASAP.

Once you accept all those facts, then accept that this recipe is probably one of the unhealthiest recipes you'll ever read in your life... then you'll be ready for this amazingly easy, cake like treat.

Ready?

~Pumpkin Bread~

• 3 cups sugar

• 1 cup oil

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 small can, pumpkin

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 4 eggs

• 1 tsp nutmeg

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 2/3 cup water 

• 3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325*
Mix everything together in a large bowl until smooth.  Coat your bread pans with oil, non-stick spray, or the like.  Pour evenly into 2 large bread pans, or 3 smaller bread pans, and bake at 325* for one hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.  I've also used muffin pans, start checking your muffins at around 15- 20 minutes.  Let the bread cool fully before storing.

And there you go.  Piece of cake, or pie... or bread.  

~Emily