KEITH URBAN - EAT YOUR HEART OUT!

GINGERBREAD FOR MAMA ANT'S CRAVINGS

Here you go Mama Ant:

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves (I omit)

1/2 cup fancy molasses
1 large egg
1 tbsp white vinegar

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Beat butter in large bowl for 1 minute. Add next 7 ingredients. Beat well. Add molasses, egg and vinegar. Beat until smooth. Mixture will look slightly curdled. Add 1/2 of the flour. Beat well. Mix in remaining flour well. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours. (sorry not a great recipe if you're having a craving) Roll out 1 portion of dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. (if it starts to crack or stick weird, just add more flour to your board) Cut out with cookie cutters. Roll out scraps to cut more shapes. Repeat with remaining portion of dough. Arrange cookies about 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in 375 oven for about 8 minutes until edges start to brown. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. (yeah like that ever happens)

Enjoy!!

TIME FLIES

Rylee finally got her cast off! Yippee! Her arm was kinda disgusting underneath...a couple of blisters and a ton of peeling skin. She looked like a shedding anaconda. She's supposed to be wearing a splint thingy for the next month, but she's enjoying the freedom too much to put it on. I know she's feeling better because she's drawing with that arm again!

We headed north again right after getting the cast off - man oh man was it cold! Unbelievable! I guess we really are heading into winter weather...time to remove all of the summer gear - from outdoor toys to clothes...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Probably get hate mail for that comment!!! lol

I only have one Rylee story to relay this time: Ry had been playing outside at Grandma's for about half an hour undisturbed (remind me to check on her every 10 minutes) and when I went out to chat, I noticed that there was something on my car. I held my breath as I walked around it...there were random doodles and the alphabet scratched into the paint. There was no denying who had done it...she even left her name inscribed into my hood! Black CRV for sale: low mileage, custom trim.

NO MORE CAST:

SIDEWALK CHALK AT GRANDMA'S HOUSE:

CRAZY MOOSE DRAWING:

GRANDMA AND THE GIRLS:

THE CABIN:

LEAVES ARE TURNING:

GEESE ARE STILL AROUND:

BAKING BUDDIES

ONE nosedive off the chair and I had
TWO eager and happy helpers with only
THREE good hands to bake
FOUR pans of cookies
We were practicing our gingerbread recipe for Christmas!! This one makes super soft gingerbread cookies that are quite mild - not overly sweet either.

SCHOOLYARD CRYBABY

Well, it happened again...there I was standing at the school with tears flowing....5 year old crying her heart out for her mom. No, not MY 5 year old....Avon Lady's 5 year old. She calmly turned her back to the little one, pursed her Magenta Lips, clicked her high heel shoes and started walking....away...without a care in the world! Probably had a makeover to perform! Could have slapped her right upside the head with my big white sneaker.
You know me...I stayed to see if the little one was all right (from a distance - didn't want her to see me cry). Okay, the real reason I stayed at a distance was just in case Ry spotted me and started yelling at me to go home!!!

CABIN CAPERS

We headed up north to our cabin Friday morning...picking up Rylee from an overnighter with Lao Lao. It was a beautiful sunshiny day....leaves are turning and not a bug in sight! Perfect! The chitlins stayed with Grandma while Big Daddy and I took a bottle of wine to our favourite ridge and had some "big people" time. Man it's beautiful there!!
We stayed overnight at Grandma's and wouldn't yah know it, Rylee falls out of the single bed and cracks her noggin on the dresser....now on top of having a broken arm, she has a cut on the corner of her eye and on her eyebrow. Unbelievable!!
Saturday morning we got up and headed back to the cabin to go for a long walk and post our "no hunting" signs. So with spray paint in hand, hiker boots on feet, and Little Piddle squished into the baby backpack, we were off to walk the perimeter of our 100 acres.....

Just a thought...but why do I have to post "no trespassing/no hunting" signs on my property? It just doesn't make sense to me....if you don't OWN the property, why would you think you could just go onto it? That's like me heading to the city and setting up a tent on someone's front yard. Well, there wasn't a no trespassing sign posted. Like I said....it just doesn't make sense!!!!

Bellie girl sporting her new "do":


Trekking through the bush:


Rylee's all done walking NOWWWW:


Red dots...hmmph, I say trip wires and land mines...that ought to keep 'em off my land!!

IF......YOU JUST MIGHT BE A REDNECK

Listen, I grew up in a tiny pocket of inbred madness....I know allllll about rednecks. But really, this takes the cake....
Tell me, when, oh when, is it OKAY for the school crossing guard to graciously extend an offer to show my 5yr old her new false chompers? Hmmm? I ask you....and not once mind you, but twice in the same day.
I wish I was making this stuff up....
And tomorrow when we have to make the trek across the street, and she invites us to take a closer look while they're in her hand....I'm definitely moving....to Arkansas!