Sunshiney Sunday

Oh what a beautiful day outside here in MI!!  It is actually 42.4 outside and sunshiney!!  WOO HOO!! bout time for this.   So today I have done some farm chores like cleaning out the chicken's egg layin crates, cleaned up a bit of branches that were laying round the yard, keep in mind there is still alot ! of snow out there so not too much grass showin yet.  ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Last sunday we went out to hubby's grandparents house for a visit.  It was nice to just sit and chit chat.  Look at their little girl "precious" she is such a cutie pie and full of princessness for sure!! not one bit spoiled!! LOL right!!  I love visiting and hearing the stories grandparents are notorious for telling us.  When we are kids you really dont seem to pay that close attention I think but now the stories have lots of meaning to them.  You never get that time back ya know. 
I spent most of this afternoon painting a sign for a dear friend of mine Dave from Young Earth Farm in Decatur MI, he is a character.  He raises happy very well taken care of meat animals with NO chemicals or hormones.  So he wanted a sign that he can have standing at markets with a cow, pig and chicken on it.   As soon as it is done I will share it with yall it really looks cute. 
I hope yall are enjoyin your day as much as I am!!
Talk more soon!!
~!HUGS~!
Darlene 

Bronson Market Kalamazoo MI

10-2 today at Bronson Hospital!!  In the skyway cafe!! Stop on by for awesome goodies!
I have alot of cookies, muffins, breads, and cakes!! 
Have a happy happy friday!
~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

I am in a magazine!!

I am in the april/may issue of COUNTRY WOMAN!!  Well my spring chickens are!  I submitted them months ago for a quick and easy craft to make.  They have complete instructions and pattern in the mag.  This should be out sometime in march on the store shelves.  Just had to share it here!!   And I get this magazine and LOVE IT!~ so it is pretty
Exciting!! for me!~!

 ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

New pages

HERE:S MORE CARISSA!!!    I did up a couple of new pages of my niece, LOOK at those darling rosey cheeks!! so what else to name a page but Rosey Cheeks!!   Made some layered paper flowers for around the pic and also cut up a paper doiley 1/2 on top and bottom corners, added some ribbons and of couce paper flourishes! That has got to be my favo die, flourishes!!  The pic just blends in so nice with all the pinks around her.  In this pic her mommy is holding her up said she loves it.  So that was the inspiration for Up higher page!~!  I stamped some flowers along the bottom of my page using a brown chalk pad, I love the softness chalk adds to a page.  The letters are painted and sanded chipboard, a bit of pink cut out ribbon I found at Michaels and done!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Cakes and Breds

Streusel topped apple cake

YUMMY!! and boy did the kitchen smell homey and sweet while these were baking!!

I will post the recipe for this tonight when I get back home for yall.   It is sure worth making!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Lemon poppyseed muffins with some of my "farmgirl bling".  A lemon flavored glaze get drizzeled ontop of these yummy muffins.  Gosh I think we are gonna have one with dinner tonight they look so good!  Made some banana nut bread, with and without nuts so I added some "bling" to the no nut loaves to tell the difference.     I did get some mixes made up for todays baking and also did up more scones and a batch of cookies that are in fridge waiting for me to roll them out.  That was about it yesterday so today is the main baking day to get everything done!!

Enjoy your wed yall!!

Tomorrow Dave (young earth farm)  and I will be bringing lots of goodies to Allegan for our csa drop!!! Stop on by the farm maket parking lot between 11am and 2 pm.  FRIDAY IS KALAMAZOO WINTER MARKET DAY AT BRONSON so hope to see yall there!!

~~HUGS~~

Darlene

New cookies

I have had lots of requests for healty things to offer at markets so my friend brought with one of her recipes and it  made some awesome soft n chewy whole grain oatmeal raisin cookies.   I plumped up the golden raisins, believe me when u do this reserve the water you simmer the raisins it!! IT is delicious!!! I never knew this tip!!  So used some of that in the mix instead of the milk that was called for. 

I also added some wheat germ, a tiny bit of organic corn meal, which actually has a nice little crunch, raw chopped walnuts and rolled and quick oats in these.  Actually they are really good too!! I was gonna top them with a bit of my "farmgirl bling" but really it is not necessary.

Baked only for 11 min they are nice and golden with a bit of crunch edge but really overall I really like the texture of them! and nice taste too.

Made up some more espresso cookies that will be sandwiched with some yummy espresso cream filling.

And these atually turned out good, a new soft sugar cookie!!  I added some cardamom for flavor and it is very subtle and nice an soft too!! They didnt spread out much so we did smoosh em down a bit with a fork and criss cross pattern.  I forgot to take a pic of finished ones but will while i am at kitchen in the am..

So also made more of my peanut peanut butter cream filled whoopie pies and cranberry pecan lemon sandwich cookies but they are patiently waiting all tucked in a container for me to make the filling and sandwich them on wed.  That was about it today. 

Have a great evening yall!!

~~HUGS~~

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Happy Baking day~

Well I have a dear friend that is gonna help me bake today, with both markets this week and for some reason I have somewhere to be each day this week but today I figured a bit of help would be much needed!!!  Right now I have about 6 orders to get out so those will be priority on the list of baking which is lemon poppyseed muffins, peanut peanut butter whoppie pies, cheese scones, (made in freezer just have to bake off) cranberry pecan sandwich cookies, espresso sandwich cookies and I really really want to make a new sandwich cookie today too!!! a bit of a hint on a new one >>>> chocolate cream!! 

I did work on a baby book this am that also has to be shipped out asap so that should get finished up tonight.  Oh and did a couple of new layouts of my niece Carissa.  I seen this pic and just HAD to do something with it!~~ LOL  so Rosey Cheeks is the title of this lo. 

  ~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

I love doing layered paper flowers and there are plenty on this page.  A paper doily is cut and added underneath the photo, some brown and pink polka dots flourishes, (love those flourishes!!) and a bit of ribbon accents.  The letter were cut from polka dotted paper using my accucut!! finally gettin some time to play with the letter fonts I got awhile ago.  And then just used a couple of different sized punches for the flowers along with some painted chipboard cut outs.

Well that is about it to share today sorry but I really gotta get myself ready to head over to the kitchen since it is already after 7am!!   So with that I wish yall a happy happy sunshine filled first of March!!! 

~HUGS~

Darlene