Cheesecake and Cam's birthday

Cam's birthday supper: homemade pizza, salad and bakes potatoes.

Skor cheesecake and Oreo cheesecake cupcakes.

Skor cheesecake recipe:

Cam is 12!!!

D and C playing soccer.

Birthday fire in the backyard...sorry the flash made Cam look like a Zombie.

Kevin and Cam

Time lapse video

https://youtu.be/kdpMQlhtIv0

It's all because of a towel

Pavlova

I made the whipped cream by simply beating whipping cream (35%). The fruit on top is frozen raspberries, but you can use any fruit. The tartness of the raspberries was delicious with the creamy sweetness of the pavlova and whipped cream...heavenly! 

You can see the recipe better here:

Homemade ice cream

I love it when I make something for the first time and it actually turns out the way I expect. This ice cream turned out exactly the way I wanted it...amazing!

My garden 2016

 

I LOVE the Narcissus!

The red tulips are huge and BEAUTIFUL and are actually Darcy's. There are five other groupings of them around the yard and the pops of red look amazing. 

Rhodendron (I think)

There's Darcy with another one of the red tulips groupings.

Marigolds I grew from last year's seeds.

I keep a path mowed in this garden so the kids can climb the tree.

Jack in the Pulpit

Inside the bails of straw I have a hygrangea I have been trying to grow for 3 years. It is short. But has leaves...here's hoping. Also in there I allow milkweed to grow (for the monarchs) and I planted the Cheerios wildflower seeds for the bees.

Crocuses

May 2016:

My tomatoe plants

A resident in my wild flower garden.

Another friend.

Top left: Darcy's garden, right beside her playhouse. She has tomatoes, broccoli, lillies, pansies, and some other flowers.

Bottom left: mowing the hay, I mean, grass. Little garden around the gate. 

Top and bottom right: garden visitors.

Middle right: wildflower garden

COTTAGE:

Cottage garden with path beside bunk house

Turtle head 

Asters by the lake

Fox gloves

I am a little obsessed with the foxgloves.

Bees in my hydrangeas.

Perfect little fairy spot.

A bee in the Solidago by the lake. not everyone likes this plant, also known as Golden Rod, but it is a lovely and beneficial native species. Many think Solidago (Golden Rod) causes allergies auch as hay fever, when in fact it is actually Ragweed. 

Don't blame Golden Rod:

http://www.mnn.com/health/allergies/stories/dear-allergy-sufferers-dont-blame-goldenrod