Happy Spring!

Chickies and Ducklings - what a racket they make!  They are cute though.  I took this photo 2 days ago, and when I got them food and water this morning, they seemed so much bigger already!  The chicks have reached that strange stage where they have feathers and fuzz - and neither one looks like they should be on their little bodies!  This year, we'll be clipping the ducks wings so they won't fly away.  Our last batch of mallards left as soon as they could.  A farm is a crazy place.

Congratulations Hayleigh!

Hayleigh came in first place at the middle school's Math Expo!  Way to go Hayleigh!  She and her project are expected at Appalachian College in April.

The Weather...very peculiar!

One of the things I have learned since moving to North Carolina is that no one ever "remembers the weather being this _______ before."  You can fill in the blank with "hot", "cold", "wet", "dry", "windy", "foggy", "humid"...etc, etc.... Well, now that we've lived here 15+ years, I can say "I never remember a winter being this wet".  Honestly.  I really don't.  The ground is saturated.  The driveway is a muddy mess.  The pastures have puddles in them that don't go away.  The ponds are filled to the brim.  I'm not really complaining - I know that in the summer, we'll be saying "I never remember it being this dry before".

Another Problem

This one is easier to spot...but this one is ALL OVER THE PLACE!! (and yes, Brandee - the photo in the previous post shows a broken fence post.  Or, it's rotted - we've had SO MUCH rain!)

I've been posting a lot of card sets over on my embellishment kit blog.  I would love it if my cards could find new homes!

Can You Spot the Problem?

Every spring, the farm needs a little "sprucing up". Here's a test for you. Can you see what's wrong in this photo?

FLAN

Here's the recipe I used for the Valentine's dinner last Saturday night: 1 cup sugar 6 large eggs (room temp) 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ounce cream cheese (room temp) Preheat oven to 350°F. Select 2 oven safe containers, one that can easily fit inside the other. The large one will be used for a water bath and the smaller one is what you will cook the flan in. Fill the larger container a little less than half way with water and place in the cold oven to heat up while you prepare the caramel and the custard. (Bain Marie) In a large pan over medium high heat, use a wooden spoon to caramelize the sugar until it turns a light golden brown. (do not stop stirring - this process will happen suddenly!) While still hot, pour the melted sugar into the smaller container, swirling it around until the entire bottom is covered then set aside. In a blender add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Open up the oven where you have placed the water bath and then place the small pan with the caramel inside the large water bath pan. Pour the custard into the pan being careful not to splash it. Bake for 30- 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center passes a toothpick test. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack. You may invert this onto a large serving dish with lip (the caramel sauce will be runny) or just serve it out of the container you cooked it in. I topped the flan with whipped cream and some dulce de leche. YUM!

Soccer Already??

Ethan and Dallin played in the CSA Adidas Cup this past weekend. Yes, it was cold, but not as cold as it could've been. (CSA is the new club that formed when CSC - our old club, merged with SCSA) Ethan is in his last season of club ball - it's strange to think about that! Ethan's team won the tournament and Dallin's team were finalists. Baby Emmy is just so darn cute and is doing so many things! She's learning how to roll over and she plays with toys. She'll be starting fruits and vegetables soon - can't wait to see her reaction! I am starting to 'spring clean' my papercrafting things - if you live locally, please let me know if you'd like to purchase some handmade cards and gift tags! I have dozens - and they are priced less than **llmark! If you are not local and would like to see them, please comment here, or email me and we can work something out.