Tracks

of wild life At The Farm

Where will your tracks lead this year?

Happy New Year

Bread Pudding...

Dar's Stuffings posted a wonderful recipe for Bread Pudding with her mom's amazing sauce.  I've never made bread pudding because Mom just always made Cold Biscuit Cobblers with what ever fruit we had.  I thought I would give it a try.

Dar forget to tell me I must be attentive.  Directions were to cook one hour or when the a knife inserted comes out clean.  Simple, right?  Not for me.  I had a hour, the kitchen was good so back to my repairs and redesigns.

TWO HOURS later Hubby asks What's cooking in the oven.  I ran screaming as if the sprinting would turn back the clock.  Poor Bread.

Here's my poor pitiful bread pudding.  I didn't have raisins so I just had plain cinnamon bread pudding.

I panicked.  I have ruined it!  I had saved the ends of many home made loaves to create something and now I have killed their chance to live again!

A sign of a good cook, I think, is the ability to make everyone think it is supposed to come out this way.  Butter works to soften the outer crust of homemade bread so I tried that.  Nope didn't work.  So I carefully removed all the crusty pieces, cut them into small pieces and buried them in a bowl of cool whip.  That worked, I have small soft DARK squares of cinnamony goodness. 

The remaining loaf was iced with Dar's Mom's glaze.  It just didn't look right so I flipped the bread top to bottom.  Oh, the bottom was beautiful,  Sooooooo I iced that side with coconut caramel icing glaze.  

Result:  Every one loved it.  The cook's reputation was saved.  I have created a new recipe, Gail's Burnt Offerings.

Wish For The New Year:  Even when you mess up, may you always be creative enough to fix it...and learn a lesson in the fixing.

Happy New Year!

2012...Thank You

I thank you for your kind words and thoughts about my previous post.  It was something, as painful as it was, that I seemed compelled to do, be it attributed to a crazy mind or a big heart, it was difficult.  It was not something I did lightly.  There's were months of thought, gallons of tears, and much research that went into this decision.  It was not for me.  It was for my beauties, my dolls, my horses, that I made this decision, and for the children that will be touched by their presence, guided by their gentleness, and loved by my big babies.

The equine director was grateful for the gift since they had more children than mounts.  He was impressed with their beauty, their skills and their gentleness.  I have an open invitation to visit any time.

I was not here when they left...I could not handle that, it is even difficult now to write about it. I still cry. I apologize for not answering each kind and supportive comment individually.  I want to thank each and every one for your prayers, your kind words, and your support.  It only enforced my belief that blogdom is full of kind people and dear friends...thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The thought came to me in my emptiness that there would be no more At The Farm or Familiar Spirit but there is still a farm with many animals and livestock and much living to share.

May 2012 be a blessed year for all of us.

The Things I Hope To Do

My resolutions

I shall be myself.

I will love the land and treat her kindly.

I will enjoy each day as if it were my last.

I will surround myself with people I love.

I will vote for someone else next time.

I will place my faith where it belongs.

I will wash fewer dishes and take more walks.

I will ride!

To all my blogger friends, I hope this is the best year ever.  I wish you happiness and health.  I thank you for sharing your life and helping me realize, however it may seem sometimes, that I am not alone...in my thoughts, in my actions, in this life.

Thank you for being there for me and with me.  Thank you for laughing and making me think I wrote something worth reading.  Thank you for giving me courage to post pictures of myself, giving me freedom to speak, and the confidence that I can do any thing.

Happy, happy New Year to you all!!!!!!!!!

Weeping Softly

Weeping softly

I mourned

Things that could have been

But never were.

Weeping softly

I mourned

People that were

and can never be again.

Weeping softly

I mourned

The in betweens of time

that will never return.

Weeping softly

I mourned....

Written by me.

Happy New Year!