The 2011 Flashback Series: Wine-a-versary

Oct 7th 2011:

In October 2006 my friends and I took our moms up to Traverse City for a girl's weekend to celebrate my up coming wedding. In October 2011 my friends and I took our moms up to Traverse City for a girl's weekend to celebrate the 5th anniversary of that girl's weekend.

The weather was perfect, the food was delicious and it was great to get away with my favorite girls.

2006

We found a great cabin to stay at on vrbo.com. It was on a quite little lake and the colors were gorgeous. Nickie, Kathy, my mom and her friend Carol got there in time to go downtown for dinner. We ate at the North Peak Brewing Company and walked around town a little.

Saturday afternoon we headed up Old Mission Peninsula in search of food and wine. On the way up just by looking at the website and reading about their farm to table concept we decided to eat at the Boathouse Restaurant. The food was amazing! After lunch we stopped at a few wineries but decided standing in the lines and paying $5 a stop for 4 tastes was not worth it. We stopped at a little grocery store, grabbed stuff to make pizzas for dinner and each picked a bottle of wine. We had a fun night!

Sunday was the last day for most everyone (Nickie and I stayed an extra day). We spent the morning on the lake, the afternoon walking and riding bikes and just relaxing. After everyone left Nickie and I headed out to find an adventure (and food of course). We luckily ended up in Glen Arbor at Blu. We sat next to a couple who are regulars there and had wonderful conversation with our fabulous food. After a bottle of wine, salads, and our dinners we looked at the desert menu and talked about how full we were when out came THREE deserts that the couple we sat next to ordered for us. They said "we could not let you leave without trying these". I could not move after that!

The 2011 Flashback Series: Mia's Quiche

Sept 19th 2011:

Mia loves to cook and Gabriel loves to help Mia do anything. They made a spinach quiche for dinner and OH BOY was it good. Her first pie crust turned out great. She said "Mom, I don't know why you are so scared of making crust."

The 2011 Flashback Series: Preschool

Sept 7th 2011:

This was Gabriel's first day of preschool! After taking too long to sign him up for the preschool program at the elementary school I was thinking about working with him at home on school stuff for the year. I did some research and found a curriculum that I liked and was all set. Then I heard the preschool that Mia went to had an opening and we signed him up! I am so glad we did because he loves it.

The 2011 Flashback Series: Eggs

Aug 29th 2011:

After four months of feeding our chickens they finally fed us. The morning I found our first egg I was so excited. Yes, it was broken because the chick who laid it was on the roost and not in the nesting box where she should have been but it was something! After a few soft-shelled, a few more broken and even a shell-less egg we finally had our first dozen cute little eggs! Because we are sharing this "adventure in chickens" with Ron & Chloe we took them to their house and made a very yummy omelet.

The 2011 Flashback Series: Vacation O'Connor

July 24th 2011:

We had a great vacation this summer with Mike's family! Grandma and Papa rented a beautiful house in Horton Bay right next door to Kathy's sister's cottage and invited the whole family to come up. We did miss Mike's sister Molly and his brother Patrick and family but we sure had a ton of fun with Uncle Bob and Uncle Brian, Aunt Wendy, Grace & Emma (they live in Connecticut so we don't get to see them enough). Our friend Amanda also came with her two girls to spend her Birthday with us. Kathy's two sisters Mary Ann & Debbie were up then too.

I have so many pictures it is hard to pick what ones to put up...

Uncle Bob & Gabriel

Smile Mia!

Mia after her turn tubing

Grace & Olivia

Uncle Bob & Uncle Brian

Mike with his farmer hat

Gabriel did great kayaking

Jumping off the dock

Emma, Grace & Gabriel relaxing in the hammock

cousins and mini-golf

Gabriel knows how to do it!

Aunt Deb jumping in the bouncy castle with the kids

Aunt Wendy & me!

On top of a super fun week we came home to a wallpaper free living room & bathroom thanks to Chloe who stayed to dog/chicken/duck/house-sit.

The 2011 Flashback Series: Bike Riding

July 14th 2011:

We had a great summer around here. With the garden, ducks, chickens and just hanging out in the yard. Gabriel spent a lot of time on his bike. I decided to get out the sidewalk chalk and make him a "road" to follow around the drive way. Anytime we do this it entertains him for so long that I can sit drink coffee and read.

The 2011 Flashback Series: Cake Contest

June 22nd 2011:

In my March issue of Hobby Farm Home Magazine they announced that for their 5th anniversary there was going to be a contest for readers to submit their favorite cake recipe using farm-based ingredients. Sounds like fun to me. So I came up with a recipe to enter into the "Best Vegetable-based Cake" category. Pumpkin Cake with Whipped Maple Frosting. I had Cori test it out before I sent it in. She made it and took it to work and said that everyone loved it.

I didn't get selected as a winner but I was thrilled to get an email from the assistant editor telling me: "we loved it too much to keep it to ourselves and felt it deserved honorable mention. That's why we've included it in a special online slideshow of our favorite entries."

You can see the slideshow on the website here.

And here is the recipe...

Cake

• 2 cups cake flour
  
• 2 tsp. baking powder
  
• 2 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  
• 1¼ cups oil
  
• 1½ cups sugar
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 3 cups shredded cooking pumpkin or butternut squash

Frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
  
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into medium-sized mixing bowl.

In large mixing bowl, cream oil, sugar and eggs. Add pumpkin, and mix well. Add dry ingredients gradually, stirring until just mixed.

Pour batter into greased 9- by 13-inch baking pan or two greased 9-inch round pans. Bake 40 to 50 minutes for sheet cake or 35 to 40 minutes for round cakes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before inverting onto wire rack. Let cool completely before icing.

Frosting

Beat together cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth.

In chilled mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add to cream cheese mixture and beat until desired consistency is reached.

The 2011 Flashback Series: So Many Tomatoes

June 4th 2011:

The past few years Chloe has started a whole lot of tomato plants. She sells them to support her gardening habit and this year Mike wanted to take home all the ones she didn't sell. It was a little cramped in the van getting them there but we did have lots for canning and freezing.

this is the trellis Mike made to support all the tomatoes

The 2011 Flashback Series: Paris

April 23rd 2011:

Mike had yet another trip to Paris (and sometime back in April I mentioned that I was going with him this time). He arrived ON Easter Sunday and no one was going to be in the office that Monday so he asked if I wanted to come along, and I went. All I had on my "must do when I am in Paris for two short days" list was walk around and take a ton of pictures. And that is just what we did.

I have a lot more pictures in my facebook album all about this trip.

The 2011 Flashback Series: Early Birthday Gift

March 3rd 2011:

I have been hinting to Mike for years that I would like a sewing machine... sometime. Well now I have one. We went to JoAnn's and picked out my birthday present a little early. I am glad we did because I got to make Papa O a birthday gift, before I even had my birthday.

I also have made a few other small projects. Maybe some day I can make Mia's wedding dress like my mom did for me.

pants for Gabriel out of one of Mike's Drupal shirts

an apron for Mia out of an old ripped shirt she had

a shower curtain from a ripped sheet

a backpack for Gabriel (that he now takes to preschool)

someday...

The 2011 Flashback Series: A Boy and His Papa

January 12th 2011:

Don came to plow the driveway after a big snow and Gabriel helped drive the tractor with his "Papa coat" (The Carhartt Don & Kathy got him that looks just like Don's). It was so cute I just had to take pictures.

He came in and said, "Momma, Papa helped me with the snow."