Today was a HAPPY day.

Well, gosh shucks darn, yes it was my day today.

42 - ouch!

I bring it up really because it was a HUGE day of firsts!

It was the first time Derek has baked a cake for me - for my birthday or any day for that matter.

It was the first time Cassia assisted in baking a cake for my birthday or any day for that matter.

It was the first time Cassia got to lick something good off of the beaters.

Did you do that? Lick the beaters? I did - great memories.

So, although it was my birthday I really just wanted to brag about Derek and Cassia!

Well, I guess ASSISTING is a stretch - let's just say she assisted with cleaning up!

Ya just gotta laugh at that!

My chocolate cake - but I am sharing. We have lots for just the three of us so if you are in the neighbourhood in the next few days PLEASE stop in for some!

Interestingly, while Derek and Cassia were sitting at the table last night while I was making dinner - by the way Derek and Cassia made my cake yesterday afternoon (guess Derek wanted to start early in case all was lost!) - I overhead Derek talking to Cassia about her birthday cake which will be required in a few weeks. I say - interesting - because to know me is to know that each year - ok - for the LAST two years I have agonized for weeks prior to Cassia's birthday about how I am going to do her cake. It's a bit of a thing with me. Anyway, Derek starts asking Cassia what cake she wants and suggests a 'pink bunny' - hmmm - I look over and give Derek the look - as in WHAT ARE YOU GETTING ME INTO?! kind of look. Imagine my surprise when Derek says - 'it will be easy - I'll do it'. This from the guy who just baked his first cake in AT LEAST ten years and probably many more. 

This should be good - I guess it will be worth it for the entertainment value alone watching Derek make  cake into a bunny. I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to be part of it some how! Stay tuned on that one.

The best thing about today was that each time Cassia remembered is was my birthday throughout the day - so every hour or so - she said 'Happy Birthday Mom'! Now doesn't that just beat all! AND if that wasn't enough she serenaded me while eating her cake tonight. I'm glad that I was quick enough to ask her to sing it again so that I could get it on tape. Here it is - don't mind that she is eating as she sings!

Just a few days ago I had a HUGE trip down memory lane as one of the ladies I follow on Pinterest pinned a whole bunch of toys I used to have as a kid. It was pretty neat to see them all again. There was the exact easy bake oven......

Probably where my FIRST chocolate cake came from...

and the record player with plastic records.......

and the view master.

I did have to take a second look at the title of her pin board - Vintage Toys - ugh - my toys are vintage!

And so starts the month of May - a HAPPY month for our family - well for me really I guess. My birthday - mother's day in a few days and Cassia's 3rd birthday closer to the end of the month. 

On another note - NO - the header above is not the final header for our blog. I just really needed a temporary header to break from the old one. I was having trouble visualizing the new with the old still in place. These are the colours I would like to use and was trying them on. I was also trying the font - it is interesting to me and not one that I thought I would choose. However, I don't think it will stick - I have a few other ideas I'm working on. 

The temporary header also helps me get my butt in gear with the redesign. I realized that I started spending a whole lot of my time looking at other designs - it was legit - I WAS looking for ideas and inspiration - BUT I was getting pretty hooked on JUST looking and looking and looking at other sites. Funny how the hours just go by! 

AND on another note - tonight's post was to be about alkaline water....but the hours got away on me - again. So, next post will be about alkaline water - pretty interesting stuff!

Cheers,

Teresa

Today's Interesting Link: WoW! Check out Kevin and Ruth - they are in Chicago! And sharing lots of great pictures. I can only dream of doing an architectural tour of downtown Chicago. While you are there, please vote for them and their goal to travel to Australia.

to Merritt BC and back again

I know, I know, not too long ago I went on with my spiel about not posting travel pictures. Well, I didn't mean NO travel pictures, just not as many. 

So here is our trip to Merritt the other day. It really is a beautiful drive and I thought I'd share.

I am not sure if I have mentioned this previously, but when we are here at the park we only shop twice a month - they are HUGE shopping trips but they happen very infrequently.

The main reason for this is that the larger grocery stores are either 1 or 2 hours away - one way. We try to stick to the 1 hour which is Merritt - but it isn't a big city and so a few times each summer we do the 2 hour marathon. They are always very LONG and frustrating days because we get up and eat breakfast, sometimes do a bit of work, get organized for the trip, drive, shop, drive, get dinner ready and go back to work. It really bites when it is the 2 hour drive because 4 hours of the day are already taken up.

Of course I do shop locally here in Lytton. And you should too! Shop local that is.... Those business owners NEED your business. On the other hand, I can't do ALL of our shopping at the local grocery store. Prices are not competitive. I do get the flyer once a week and will buy the things we need that are on sale. I will also shop local for things we do need - such as milk - if it is all we need at the moment - no sense driving all that way for a jug of milk. Although in the summer fresh produce is plentiful at the Lytton Farmer's Market and from a few fruit stands just north of Spences Bridge.

Last Monday we went to Merritt to stock up for the next two weeks.

Our first stop was the Nicola Valley Meat Market. Every time we drove by this business last year we thought that we should stop and shop. But we thought to ourselves - oh - but the meat will be more expensive - more then we can afford. By the last shopping trip last year we DID stop in because they suddenly had a JERKY sign out front. BOY, did we wish we had stopped sooner. Wouldn't you know they had lots of great stuff - including Dutch products - I'm of dutch ancestory by the way - and all kinds of beef, pork and chicken. AND at good prices - in some instances - lower then the grocery store! 

This year we have decided to do ALL of our meat shopping here - well - anytime we go to Merritt for groceries anyway.

Better to eat less of the good meat then the other way around - right?!

It was also a nice day to stop and sit a moment before continuing on to the grocery store in town.

The barn across the street from the meat market. 

Now on our return home I took this picture of the local restaurant - the Hitch 'N' Post. A really good restaurant - sometimes we stop for an early dinner on the way home - but not today.

A view of the quickly rising Nicola River. The Nicola comes through Merritt and then feeds into the Thompson River  - the river that goes past Gold Pan and Skihist.

We stopped to take a picture of the Kumsheen Rafting Resort training.

The highway we take from Spences Bridge to Merritt and back again is the #8.

Back in 2005/2006 when we moved off of Vancouver Island we thought to buy this place.

We would have had our own bridge, 2 houses, 1 garage with truck and tractor, 1 shop and lots of lots of land and fruit trees. It was a good deal at the time but still a bit much for us...

L O V E the rock along the drive.

A neat sky that day....

Yup - we get rattlesnakes up here in Canada.

Just getting into Spences Bridge and another train.

Here, you can listen to the train that day....

Canadian Pacific Railroad.

To took a detour into Spences Bridge and found this beautiful crab apple tree in bloom - amazing isn't it?

Looking south down the Thompson River.

Every time we drive by this building we think about the potential it has with a whole lotta money! Imagine large windows which are south facing and a warehouse/loft layout inside.

Left to Skihist - Right to Cache Creek.

Along the way we crossed paths with the Rocky Mountaineer.

The rock that I have been showing frequently. The water is definitely rising - it won't be long until it is almost completely submerged.

That's it for this post. I can't believe I've FINALLY gotten this far. I started on it this afternoon but then it was dinner time and off to work. I have been trying to work on it now but the internet connection is really really slow. 

So - I will call it a night.

I hope you enjoyed the picture of our area here and where we spend our summer.

Cheers,

Teresa

Today's Interesting Link: I wasn't sure what to link tonight but thought I would show you this website. I was trying to find the website for Hilltop Gardens, the fruit stand we will visit in a few months, alas they don't have one. Here is a link to the local watering hole in Spences Bridge called the Log Cabin - they have some GREAT ariel shots of this area I thought you would enjoy.

Sunday Cook - Sweet Potato Pecan Loaf

Today, being Sunday, means another recipe day.

I'm happy to be making Sweet Potato Pecan Loaf today, something we have sadly lived without since last summer. I hope you make it because it is lovely and a great way to get all that beta carotene goodness of sweet potatoes.

This recipe also comes from Parents Canada magazine - I really scored with that issue - right?! - and a great way to  'sneak' veggies in for kids. When Cassia was a baby she couldn't eat enough mashed sweet potatoes. Sadly she won't even give them a chance right now - except this way.

So here we go....

Sweet Potato Pecan Loaf


1 loaf or 12 muffins


1 cup          all purpose flour
1 cup          whole wheat flour
1 cup          packed brown sugar
2 tsp.          baking powder
1/2 tsp.       salt
3/4 cup      milk
1/4 cup      canola oil
1                large egg
                  grated zest of an orange (optional) I find 1 orange a bit much and use 1/2 to 3/4 of it
1                packed cup coarsely grated peeled sweet potato
1/2 cup      chopped pecans or walnuts - or no nuts at all


Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan or spray it with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl whisk together the milk, oil, egg and orange zest. 

While I was doing this - Derek and Cassia were planting some seeds.

Cassia was a busy girl because then she ran in to help me.

They say that kids are more likely to eat things they had a hand in preparing - we'll seeeeee......

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the grated sweet potato and stir just until combined; gently stir in the pecans. 

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the bread is golden and the top is springy to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. I baked ours for about 45 mins - like I said our oven is a bit too hot.

If you choose to make muffins - divide the batter among 12 greased or paper lined muffin cups and bake 400F for 20 - 30 minutes.

And the finished product. Yummm - just had a piece myself. The orange is a really nice addition - it is actually more like an orange loaf then sweet potato.

I notice that stats were down on our Cookie Sunday post - not sure if that is because it was a Sunday (being that most people have other things to do on Sundays then read blogs) or because food isn't all that popular....on our blog anyway.

No matter, I'll continue for myself and all of you out there that like to learn new recipes and such. Last weeks cookies and this loaf are the frugal way to go - better to bake your own then pay the prices in the stores right?

I had to laugh the other day reading Kelsi's article Living Simply can easily Become Complicated on Cheeky Bums Blog (a VERY good blog by the way). So true - right?! It takes time and effort to live simply and frugally, particularly if that means making things yourself which I like to do. It's not for everyone - you have to enjoy it to do it.

And no .... not everything on Sundays will be healthy stuff! Although Derek and I like to eat healthy and have really concentrated on it since Cassia came into our world, I'll be trying some great summer treats as well.

Half the time I think we are working to eat healthy to make up for the rest of the time when we aren't! Chips and fried food anyone? We L O V E them.

Well - I hope you enjoy the loaf! Let me know how you like it if you make it - ok.

On another note - I've been thinking hard on the blog redesign. I think I have my style pinned down to rugged - beauty or country - urban. With that in mind I'm searching for inspiration ..... one step closer.

Thanks for tuning in!

Teresa

Today's Interesting Link: If you are interested in food and nutrition, here is a good link for you called Food Renegade. Lots of good reading material there and information you may not be aware of - like why you should replace your protein powder with gelatin, or the dangers of soy, for instance.

Change is good.

Not to long ago I realized that our blog had gotten a little off course.

Last fall when I set it up and spent about two weeks (no joke!) thinking about the PERFECT name for it I thought about what I wanted it to be about and what I wanted to say. Thus the name

a life made simple

No pics to go with this post so I thought I'd show you how the park looks these days - it is greening up fast. It is one of the best times because the Saskatoon Berry bushes are in full bloom. Derek and Cassia go for a hike after dinner when I go to work - these are some pics from a recent evening.

A close up of the flowers. It won't be long until much of our free time is spent picking and then freezing the saskatoon berries.

I realized that we had, over the previous couple of years, really pared down our lives. We had downloaded A LOT of our stuff and we had stopped buying new stuff to replace it. We were also consciously making choices about our life and how we wanted to live it. As a result - a life MADE simple - seemed to make so much sense to me. My very first post on this blog was in fact about this topic.

With this blog I wanted to tell, teach, and maybe even inspire, others about living simply - living with less but living good. Living on a fairly small budget but making it work.

Obviously I am learning as I go. 

I also wanted the blog to be about our travels since our winter travels make up a large part of our lives. But it wasn't ever meant to be a 'RV blog' or JUST about our travels.

Unfortunately, what I realized when I returned home was that I ended up spending much more time this winter sharing our travels and less about the living simple part - HOW we actually make it work to live on less.

The balsamroot arrow leaf flower is prolific at this time of year.

To a certain extent this will naturally take place because we are not traveling for the next 5 months at least. I'll need to think of something to write about! On the other hand, I am going to consciously work on writing about simple living topics. Since simply also means frugal, I'll be writing about ways to live frugally. I am certainly not alone in writing about this topic - simple and frugal orientated blogs abound - but I am happy to be part of the group and have no problem referencing from others writing on a similar topic. I learn the greatest things from other blogs. As you probably know, because I link it often, one of my favourite go to blogs is Frugally Sustainable - but there are many many others.

I am also a very interested person - I am very interested in many topics, most of which I would like to blog about. This list includes but isn't limited to: RV travel (of course!), but all travel, parenting, health and nutrition, cooking and baking, the natural environment, homemaking, crafts and DIY, design, gardening of all sorts (flowers, veggies, fruit and herbs), natural homemade products (cleaning and beauty), and dare I say on and on. I am also an avid reader and would somehow like to incorporate that as well.

Now - I KNOW I can't possibly blog about all of those - but I can and will - when they involve living simply. After all, simple living is about our lives and our lives include a wide range of topics - don't they?

ALSO


When I set the blog up the design reflected our travels as well. The header was of course based on travel signage - road traveling and working at a campground means that we look at this type of symbolic signage A LOT.

So - with a slight realignment of the topic I'm going to also redesign the 'look' of the blog as well.

And I'd better do it fast!

I figure I have only about the month of May before things really start to get crazy around here. And if the weather is good for the long weekend it means I have until before then. A whole lotta pressure! Particularly since I have a really really really really hard time designing for myself.

For some reason I can usually clearly see how others should brand themselves or their business but get a total blank on myself.

Sure, I know what I like but there in lies the problem. I like too much. I like vintage, I like modern and pretty much everything in between.

I also love to study fonts and typography and have a similar problem. I like vintage, I like modern and pretty much everything in between.

And colour - LOVE colour. Although I am much more selective about colour. I realized the other day when I looked at my colour board on pinterest - I generally pin similar colour combos.

A wild clematis deep in the forest.

Originally I thought that the blog should be simply designed - you know - sleek and minimal - staying with the theme. But does it need to be so? Not sure - I see some others that have a little more going on and I like those also....

So - we'll see!

Anyway, I'm just glad I got that off my chest. I suppose it isn't the most interesting blog post ever but one I definitely felt I needed to do, especially for all of you that have been following since the beginning or for awhile now. I wanted to let you know that changes were ahead.

One day you may arrive here things will sound and look a little different.

Cassia is getting pretty good at climbing the downed trees - ha ha - looks like Roofous said to Cassia 'you first'!

Dad sometimes has a hard time keeping up I hear.

I hope ya'll weren't too attached to the rounded corners! They are the first casualty. It just takes too much time and so I thought - well let's ditch those now!

Ahhhhh - that feels better!

By the way - I'm also going to drop the Adsense ads - can you believe that since I signed up back in October we have made 4¢! Crazy! But I may try BlogHer since I was invited and it works a little differently.

Thanks for checking in - feel free to drop me a line!

Teresa

Today's Interesting Link: Here's another good article that my sis sent me further confirming that we are doing the right thing by Cassia - getting her out in nature A LOT. Research is showing that Girls who play in the dirt grow up healthier.  Interesting.