Camping prep, some more

Next up for camp prep is the food. That is a long list of junk food that needs to be picked up and then a few items of healthy things to make me feel a little better about all the junk. No camping does not have to give freedom to this sort of thing but it does. A bit of junk food while camping just makes for some fun times.

How can you not roast marshmallows over and open fire? So needless to say I won't be bothering to write out a list here of what all we bring just cause I think I might be a bit embarrassed. But I will show you the granola I made to have as a snack or breakfast.


If you follow me on instagram you will have already seen hints at the fact that I like to use old jars to store things that do not in any way pertain to what is inside. Case in point. Nescafe jar full of cereal. Yum!!


I haven't made this stuff in so long and had forgotten how much I like it.

I got the recipe from somewhere on the world wide web but that was long before I kept close track to these things and so I have no link to the original. If this is your recipe I apologize for "stealing" it. I did make a few changes so I guess that gives a bit of freedom to re-post it here.

Here's what I've got.

6 cups Oatmeal
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax seed (I grind half of them and leave half of them whole)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds and almonds

Here's where I change things as I go. I found the original recipe a little too sweet for me so it is a to taste sort of deal.

2 cups brown sugar.
       I use 1cup and then add some light mollasses and honey, even a bit of real maple syrup.
       In the end my sweetner might add up to 1 and 1/2 cups. Could use even less next time.
1 cup butter
       again changed this to about 3/4 cups
 1 tsp salt

 Whether I add the next two depends on my mood that day. Sometimes just one sometimes none of them.
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla.

Mix all dry ingrediants together
Heat to just bubbling the sugar/sweetner of choice and butter. Add remaining ing. to that.
Add the hot syrup to the dry ingerdiants.
Let stand for ten minutes.
Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes stirring in between in a 300 degree oven.

Wow that get's complicated, hey?  It's really not that bad it is fairly free to changes. You can do what ever you want in the end and that's what makes for all the words I just typed out.

There you have granola for any time of day or night. Next up, make some homemade yogurt to eat it with. YUM!!

Canning in full force

Canning, pickling, jamming. These are all good words that I am learning to take part in this year. I have done it a little in the past bust this year I am determined to make better use of my garden and the lovely gardens I am able to share in. Yesterday I got Tomatoes done. I got alot more than I had hoped would come from my gatherings.



Ten full jars and one half. Yay!!

Harvest started and then has been put on hold for over a week now by the rain. Suzie and I took a ride in the combine with Paul and I of course didn't have my camera with me. But I'll just say she was adorable standing in the big glass window watching the canola being eaten up by the big machine. Her little dirty nose sure was cute too.











Then I decided on one of the nice days, before the rain came in, to treat Suzie and I to a fancy picnic. The most fancy part being Suzie all dressed up.


Peanut butter and honey for her, Tuna for me.







She fell on the gravel walk way and promptly ripped her great little tights. Then I promptly remembered why I don't usually bother with them. But it was fun for a day.


This year the oaks are going to give off some acorns. Last year I looked all over the farm, not a single fresh acorn. I guess some years they do and some they don't?


And now the weather has cooled and fall is really bringing it on. I wouldn't mind too much if it wasn't for all the rain. At this point we could do with out.

Suzie and her blue jean eyes



Paul brought home a small riding mower for our yard. It is so small it only has one blade instead of the duel that most tractors have. Of course this is a dump runner so it is also a bit of a fix-it project.


And Life goes on and on. The seasons fading slowly and smoothly one into the next so that the leaves always seem to catch you by surprise when they actually start to fall. There are trees out there with no leaves on them already. I didn't even really notice them starting to change. It passes by so quickly and smoothly I can never seem to be ready. But no matters, I just grasp hold of what I did see and catch onto and enjoy it really quick before it too is gone. I love this life.

Straw-baby

Well here it is, the long awaited season of you pick. You pick when you want and for how long you want. You also pick as much or little as you want. You pick whether it is a family affair or a trip out alone. Here is what we picked.


A family outing. Sweet Summer. Sweet strawberries. Sweet loves.

Sweet Suzie fell asleep in the car as we drove to the Grand Valley you pick. And this is when the wagon showed us that it was in our lives for more than just Suzie. It came along and carried our sweet sleeping Suzie all down the row of strawberries. Her little feet hanging out the end. Of course I didn't have the camera at that point. We took advantage of the calm to pick as many berries as we could. When She awoke she shared in our joy of the harvest.





"Ummy, Apple." "no sweet heart that is a strawberrie" "Strawbee"

A wagon full of good things.







I love the fact that the farm uses straw around the berry plants to hold back the weeds and hold in the moisture. Why wouldn't they? Are strawberries even aloud to be called that if they aren't surrounded by straw?

These berries were the largest yet. We have gone for three years in a row now and I believe this was the best year. Suzie has been to every picking, just in different forms. The first was in my belly, taking up my energy as best she could. Making it hard to bend over and pick. The second was carried on my back. Again taking energy and making it awkward.

This year she made it easy. She slept. She awoke happy. She got in on the fun. I adore the fact that she is a part of our lives. That this little person goes with us and lives life with us.



Sink full of clean strawberries.



The jam that turned into syrup. It is an ice-cream topper. Pancakes, Angel food cakes, Yogurt flavour. This may end up being one of the best mistakes yet.

These days become busier. I knew I would be busy with the harvest this year. I have decided to to take part in as much of the canning and freezing as I may. Little did I know that Suzie would become more active. I didn't realise she could get busier. I call her "handsy". I call her crazy. She doesn't care what I call her all she knows is that she wants a hand in everything I am doing.
She has learnt to find joy in hyper. In running back and forth from one nothing to the other. Her activity oriented life has done one thing. It has allowed for earlier bed times. I like having the evening to relax. Now I just need to learn to do just that. I'm off to practice that now.

Fathers Day Fun

Sunday morning, fathers day morning. Why did I wake up at 7:00 a.m. and not fall back asleep? Suzie has been sleeping in till almost 8:00 a.m. every morning and most often when she does wake, I am up with a start. The first thing I do is jump out of bed, grab the girl, stumble down stairs and put her on the potty. Once that is done I wake up. Not yesterday. Nope, I was like a little girl again. I was so excited about the morning plans. I had mixed up a batch of butterhorns the night before and I couldn't help thinking how much Paul would enjoy them. I lay in bed for about an hour planning timings and what we would have with them.



My heart swells when I bake for my man, I love to bake for someone who enjoys it so much. I love to bake for someone, period. When on my own I would bake and it would sit. Yes of course I would eat some of it but it was no where near the same.


Suzie helped too, I don't have any pictures of the ones she pocked, but she had a hand in the process.


And she waited with pearls on while they were in the oven.




We had bacon and eggs.



Once breakfast was ready Suzie and I went up stairs to get the daddy of the house. All the way up I had Suzie saying "Dadda, I ov you". And then when we opened the bedroom door she stopped. Silly little girl. Paul woke up with a headache so we let him sleep in till everything was ready.



We spent the morning relaxing and just hanging out as a family. Then we got to work.
On fathers day 2010 the fence was finished. The amazing daddy of the home got it done. Suzie now has a yard sized play pen. The only problem now are the mosquitoes that could fly off with her. As you can see in some of the earlier pictures they have already tried. All those red bumps on her legs are bites. As Paul's dad said later, he was sure he had seen one so big it had fur. If last year was easy for lack of them this year has already more than made up for it.

After we were finished with the fence here at home we went to Paul's parents place for a Fathers day/birthday party. There are three birthdays in the month of June on Paul's side.



The plan was to eat out side but as I said earlier, MOSQUITOES!!


So we went in. For supper we had the most amazing steak. There are no pictures for as I said it was most amazing.



For dessert the Kroekers made Ice Cream. Or in Suzie's word "cream". It is an extremely fascinating process. Suzie wanted to see all the action. So from one Aunt to the other she watched.








This is a family affair. Everyone has a part, even if your part is to watch, or try to visit over the extreme, incessant noise that the ice cream maker makes.









Paul's brother and sister and his brothers daughter. Ross, Mandi, and Jordynn.



Jordynn is quite the gal that's for sure. Suzie and her have such a blast running around the house chasing each other and making loud noises together.


The finished product. Ice cream and Saskatoon's. OH MY WORD!!


This was again a wonderful day. Some hard work in the morning, outside while fighting mosquitoes. Eating yummy food and spending time with the dads.

I love this life. My dreams have come true. I longed for a man that would love me and our children. Paul is that man. I cannot express how loving he is. His heart is full. It is apparent that his love is known and returned by our sweet little lady. Her last words while she was falling asleep in my arms where "cream,...dadda, Dadda!" and no more than half a minute later her eyes were shut and her body sighed gently in my arms. A most glorious ending to a wonderful day.