"Our Extended Family"

Just a few shots of our animal family. The sheep are so happy to be out and about. Each year when they are put to pasture, it seems so "lonely" around the barn because each time we entered the door all you could hear was "baa, baaaaa" , now there is just silence. There is something about that feeling that I can't put my finger on....






Our Pet....he is growing like a hop..... Bottle feeding is agreeing with him, for sure...

Gardening

There is an old saying that goes "time flies when you are having fun" and even though this type of work is back-breaking, Yes, time does fly...

We have completed our Main vegetable garden and here are a few photos to show you what it looks like right now:







Then there is my flower garden and while I am not a" green thumb" person, I feel obligated to work on it nevertheless. These photos are just the beginning and hopefully, as time goes by, I can show some improvement. Of course, that depends largely on the weather which has not been co-operating with us over the past number of weeks. Today is the second sunny day that we have had since May....

My two sisters-in-law bought me these two tan colored garden lights when they came for a visit. Aren't they adorable??? Naturally, I had to shop around and found the little white guy..





Then there is my Inukshuk next to my bleeding heart. I think a solar light or two is needed here. I am in the process, so a lot needs to be done yet.

Remember when I told you that I would post a picture of a "BARREL" of flowers that I have done over the years. I truly love it. I fill the top with Petunia Waves and poke Regular Petunias in the holes in the side. This is what it looked like at some point last summer..

...

Happy Gardening to All of you good people who dare to take on such a task.. to lots of people it is considered "therapy". My therapy is hooking mats and right now, it seems I cannot get to it. Part of the reason is that at night time, I am "head over heels" into watching the HOCKEY games....

Carrot Recipes

These are the two recipes for those delicious Carrot Cakes that I promised some time ago...Sorry it took so long...Enjoy!!!

Moist Carrot Cake:

Ingredients

* 4 eggs

* 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

* 2 cups white sugar

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 2 cups all-purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons baking soda

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 3 cups grated carrots

* 1 cup chopped pecans

*

* 1/2 cup butter, softened

* 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

* 4 cups confectioners' sugar

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Surprise Carrot Cake Recipe

* 12-16 Servings

* Prep: 25 min. Bake: 55 min.

25 55 80

Ingredients

* 3 cups shredded carrots

* 1-3/4 cups sugar

* 1 cup vegetable oil

* 3 eggs

* 2 cups all-purpose flour

* 2 teaspoons baking soda

* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 cup chopped pecans

*

FILLING:

* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

* 1/4 cup sugar

* 1 egg

*

FROSTING:

* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

* 1/4 cup butter, softened

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

* In a large bowl, beat the carrots, sugar, oil and eggs until well blended. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into carrot mixture until blended. Stir in the pecans. Pour 3 cups batter into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan.

* In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg. Spoon over batter. Top with remaining batter.

* Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

* For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar until smooth. Frost cake. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 12-16 serv

"Hanging Quilts to Dry"

Finally finished my "Hanging Quilts to Dry" Mat. This will be the last large one for a while as there are just too many other things to do.

I hope my rendition of quilts are not an insult to our Great Quilters out there. As you can see, my measurements are "Way" off...Measuring is not a thing I like to do.... :) I did enjoy hooking it, of course, and have others in my mind that I will get to eventually.





I am pleased to say that a piece of my work relating to "Ireland" has been accepted to be submitted to "The Five Island Gallery" in Tors Cove, NL. to be juried. Maybe I will be lucky enough to have it displayed there. Cross your fingers for me and my friend, Paula, whose blog is "Newfoundland Original Hooked Rugs", who also was accepted for an entry.

This is the one I submitted to our very own "Devon House" for a display named "BLUE". I know many of you have already seen it, but for those who haven't, I hope you enjoy seeing it. It is very meaningful to me.





Last, but not least, for today is to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of my followers. I notice a few more have decided to join. Very pleased...

Yesterday's Pleasures

Yes, I enjoy baking and cooking so much that it is indeed a "pleasure" for me...Lots of hours went into this what I am about to show you, but with so much carrots left from last years' crop that I decided to do some baking and freezing....

The first thing in the morning began with "putting bread to rise" as my Mother called it, meaning, of course, making homemade bread...
And this is the end result:



Now, we in Newfoundland can't make bread without having toutons (fried dough) for lunch...Smothered in Molasses, of course...

Then I proceeded to making those carrot muffins:


Then on to a new recipe for me which turned out to be the most moist carrot cake that I have made. Found the recipe on the internet, of course:




Then, I made my favorite, "Surprise Carrot Cake" which contains cream cheese...it is just so delicious and freezes well...




Last, but not least, I topped my day off with a glass of Homemade Blueberry Wine...yep, made by my hubby and & I from blueberries that we picked with our own hands.... :) We have made every kind of wine possible from scratch, rhubarb, bakeapple, cranberries, partridgeberries, parsnips, etc...



Now, isn't that the largest amount of pictures in one post!!!!!

Willing to share my cake recipes......

"NEGLECTFUL ANNE"

Where does "time" go??? I am ashamed that it has been so long between posts. Last Friday I needed to bottle more "marinated carrots" because we still have plenty of fresh carrots left from last season and doesn't want them to spoil.....'waste not, want not', as the saying goes. There is a long process involved in making those carrots. First to cut up all the veggies that goes into the batch.....



Then continue to adding the liquids....




Finally, the result... 14-500ml. jars




Now, when I am canning, my kitchen is in quite an upheavel and I always hope that no one arrives when I am in the midst of it.... :) Lo and Behold!! just as I had the first pot washed(out of about three) and umpteen other bowls, containers, etc., around, my good friend, Melaine (Wooly Hooker at http://woollyhooker.blogspot.com/) dropped by. I was mortified but passed it off and she and I had a great rug hooking chat and a nice' cuppa 'Tetley tea... Melaine saves some used clothing for me but this time had a precious piece of Wool material that she couldn't use...shucks, am I ever lucky!! beautiful purple....plain and plaid...I can just envision it being used in my next Mummers Mat....Thanks a bunch, Melaine!!! She has a lovely blog and you should visit if you have some spare time....Unfortunately, I don't know what that word means...

I have been hooking but one of my Mats cannot be shown right now because I am doing it in the hope that I may have it entered into a Gallery Show...As soon as I can, I will post a picture...

Can't leave without showing you all a picture of our beautiful babies....lambs, that is....they are all doing quite well...just one being bottle fed...




Tomorrow, it is MORE marinated carrots...Groan!!!!!

Exciting Times!!!!

Just HAVE to share this picture of Beauty with you this morning. After some complications, here is what a Young Momma produced...The very first for her....Poor dear....We may have to raise two on milk replacement with a baby bottle but who is complaining? Not me...Hope she does well with those.
As you can see, they had just come into the world and hadn't been cleaned....