It was 'chick' day at the feed store yesterday.
I picked up our meat birds and laying hens and turkeys.
Yes...turkeys! Five little baby turkeys.
They waddle.
And they have extra long legs.
Lydia snapped a few pictures.
They are all hanging out in the house because it's a little too chilly outside.
CHEEP. CHEEP.
Brenda
Hello and Welcome! We are the Dwyer Family. We farm in the beautiful Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada. We are a Christian, Roman Catholic family with five children. We own and operate 'Dwyer's Farmhouse'. It's a farm vacation get-a-way place. Our guests stay in a farmhouse and experience a working farm. I hope you enjoy following along with our adventures.....there is never a dull moment here! This is our farm story....
Thursday 29 May 2014
Tuesday 27 May 2014
A Camera Shy Chick
Jack's hens have been at it again this year.
Sittin' on eggs.
And now a few of them have actually hatched.
This one is a little camera shy.
Brenda
Sittin' on eggs.
And now a few of them have actually hatched.
This one is a little camera shy.
Brenda
Monday 26 May 2014
The Dress....17 Years Later
We celebrated our wedding anniversary on the weekend.
Of course it involved food....every celebration involves food! We didn't go out....I'd much rather stay home...the food is much better! We barbequed T-bone steaks and had a delicious supper with the kids. And for dessert, I bought a tub of Moosetrack's ice cream from Tracey's in town. So so good!
But Lydia calls it "Moose hunting" ice cream for some reason....
I surprised the girls when I came downstairs wearing my wedding dress. It still fits....after 17 years and 5 babies! Woot woot!
They were so thrilled....and I didn't realized that they had never actually seen my dress before....only in photos! They wanted to know HOW I managed to get it so dirty....it's pretty filthy! I never got it cleaned after....because I knew that I would never need it again!
Sophie loved all the buttons up the back....and she wanted to do them all up!
We had a little fun on the lawn and I shared with them some stories about my dress.
I had insisted on a very plain dress. When I went shopping most of dresses in the shops were covered in bead work and sequins and huge bows. I remember the look on the lady's face when I asked for a plain dress....she said...."I think we have one." And yes....they had ONE....the only one. Of course she made me try on others but I wanted the plain one.
My mother insisted that I have a super long train....that wasn't my idea. I had a seamstress put special loops and hooks in the back so that it could all be bustled up after the Mass....and that worked well during the afternoon and supper BUT as soon as we squared danced for the first dance those loops and hooks all got pulled out and I was left with a very long train again. Luckily, one of our guests had some old fashioned diaper pins and she managed to get my trained pinned up.....so I could get through the reception!
I was so glad that I got the dress out for the girls. We created some more good memories.
Brenda
Of course it involved food....every celebration involves food! We didn't go out....I'd much rather stay home...the food is much better! We barbequed T-bone steaks and had a delicious supper with the kids. And for dessert, I bought a tub of Moosetrack's ice cream from Tracey's in town. So so good!
But Lydia calls it "Moose hunting" ice cream for some reason....
I surprised the girls when I came downstairs wearing my wedding dress. It still fits....after 17 years and 5 babies! Woot woot!
They were so thrilled....and I didn't realized that they had never actually seen my dress before....only in photos! They wanted to know HOW I managed to get it so dirty....it's pretty filthy! I never got it cleaned after....because I knew that I would never need it again!
Sophie loved all the buttons up the back....and she wanted to do them all up!
We had a little fun on the lawn and I shared with them some stories about my dress.
I had insisted on a very plain dress. When I went shopping most of dresses in the shops were covered in bead work and sequins and huge bows. I remember the look on the lady's face when I asked for a plain dress....she said...."I think we have one." And yes....they had ONE....the only one. Of course she made me try on others but I wanted the plain one.
My mother insisted that I have a super long train....that wasn't my idea. I had a seamstress put special loops and hooks in the back so that it could all be bustled up after the Mass....and that worked well during the afternoon and supper BUT as soon as we squared danced for the first dance those loops and hooks all got pulled out and I was left with a very long train again. Luckily, one of our guests had some old fashioned diaper pins and she managed to get my trained pinned up.....so I could get through the reception!
I was so glad that I got the dress out for the girls. We created some more good memories.
Brenda
Saturday 24 May 2014
Thursday 22 May 2014
Jack's Confirmation
We celebrated Jack's Confirmation last night.
It was a beautiful celebration with 26 young candidates.
I made the cake.
Brenda
It was a beautiful celebration with 26 young candidates.
I made the cake.
Brenda
Tuesday 20 May 2014
Planting the Garden
We planted some of the garden on Monday.
Onions, lettuce, carrots and many, many rows of potatoes.
Sophie and Lydia became the official 'potato packers'.
They walked...ran...danced....up and down the rows of sowed potatoes.
They certainly made the potato planting more exciting.
When we were nearly finished, Jack mentioned that he had already killed a potato bug.
WHAT?!
The bugs came before we even planted the potatoes.
Uuuuuggg.
Brenda
Onions, lettuce, carrots and many, many rows of potatoes.
Sophie and Lydia became the official 'potato packers'.
They walked...ran...danced....up and down the rows of sowed potatoes.
They certainly made the potato planting more exciting.
When we were nearly finished, Jack mentioned that he had already killed a potato bug.
WHAT?!
The bugs came before we even planted the potatoes.
Uuuuuggg.
Brenda
Monday 19 May 2014
The River Run
We went down to the river to watch the 'River Run' yesterday.
It's a May long weekend tradition.
It's been going on for years....probably over 25.
It's a day to float down the river on a homemade raft or a boat or a canoe....sort of like a parade.
It's a day to visit.
Brenda
It's a May long weekend tradition.
It's been going on for years....probably over 25.
It's a day to float down the river on a homemade raft or a boat or a canoe....sort of like a parade.
It's a day to visit.
Brenda
Friday 16 May 2014
Pigs in Mud Cake
I had a request to make a 'Pigs in Mud Cake' for a birthday this week. I was so excited! I have always wanted to make this....but just never really had a reason to make one.
I made the pigs out of rolled fondant....and they are swimming in a layer of chocolate ganache.
It was actually quite easy to make.
Now Jack wants me to make one for us. He said that I can't be making things for other people without testing it out on us first.
Brenda
I made the pigs out of rolled fondant....and they are swimming in a layer of chocolate ganache.
It was actually quite easy to make.
Now Jack wants me to make one for us. He said that I can't be making things for other people without testing it out on us first.
Brenda
Wednesday 14 May 2014
New Neighbours
My kids have always loved to sit and count cars on the road.
It's a game.
The county road is two fields away....far enough that my kids have always been able to go outside without me worrying about traffic....but close enough that we can see the traffic on the road.
It all started when Johanna, Grady and Jack were small and they needed some entertainment....while I got some housework done. I would make them a chart with 'car', 'truck', 'motorcycle', 'delivery truck', 'bike', 'tractor'....etc . And they would put a tally mark every time something went down the road.
They loved doing this.
I would even make them graph their results sometimes and then ask them questions about the graph....ie. how many more cars than trucks were on the road today?
They were doing math, social studies, marketing research, art and reading without even knowing it. I was a such sneaky homeschooling mom!
They taught Sophie and Lydia this 'game' a couple of years ago....and they love it too! On the first warm day this spring, Sophie was busy making a chart, sitting outside and counting cars again.
A couple of days ago, Lydia came running into the house all excited. She said that she needed to add one more thing to the chart! There is now something on our road that has never been recorded in the years before.
A few weeks ago, a few families of Orthodox Mennonites bought some farms around Douglas and they have moved in. We see them travelling on the county road in their buggies quite frequently.
It's a sight to be seen.
Their way of life fascinates me. It's like they are living 'back in time'.
They live without electricity or plumbing in their homes.
It really makes me think....and wonder just how they do it....especially when I open my hydro bill.
Brenda
It's a game.
The county road is two fields away....far enough that my kids have always been able to go outside without me worrying about traffic....but close enough that we can see the traffic on the road.
It all started when Johanna, Grady and Jack were small and they needed some entertainment....while I got some housework done. I would make them a chart with 'car', 'truck', 'motorcycle', 'delivery truck', 'bike', 'tractor'....etc . And they would put a tally mark every time something went down the road.
They loved doing this.
I would even make them graph their results sometimes and then ask them questions about the graph....ie. how many more cars than trucks were on the road today?
They were doing math, social studies, marketing research, art and reading without even knowing it. I was a such sneaky homeschooling mom!
They taught Sophie and Lydia this 'game' a couple of years ago....and they love it too! On the first warm day this spring, Sophie was busy making a chart, sitting outside and counting cars again.
A couple of days ago, Lydia came running into the house all excited. She said that she needed to add one more thing to the chart! There is now something on our road that has never been recorded in the years before.
A few weeks ago, a few families of Orthodox Mennonites bought some farms around Douglas and they have moved in. We see them travelling on the county road in their buggies quite frequently.
It's a sight to be seen.
Their way of life fascinates me. It's like they are living 'back in time'.
They live without electricity or plumbing in their homes.
It really makes me think....and wonder just how they do it....especially when I open my hydro bill.
Brenda
Thursday 8 May 2014
A Birthday Cake for Anne
Saturday was a busy cake decorating day.
I made two First Communion cakes and then I had a birthday cake to make for Anne.
Anne is an Irish Catholic who loves anything celtic.
So I started with a celtic cross. I just traced it on with a toothpick.
Filled it in green and smoothed it out with a wet, hot knife.
Then piped the trim along the edge.
Added the yellow 'swirls'.
And yellow lines along the trim.
I just randomly started putting flowers on the cake.
Then I made snacks and drinks for the girls. They were getting impatient....they wanted to decorate some cupcakes and I told them that they could use all my leftover buttercream.....WHEN I WAS DONE!
I finished up Anne's cake....
And then they did their decorating....this is the look of a little face that has been eating buttercream all day.....
Could her eyes get any bigger?
Sophie and Lydia are really good with the piping bags....and they are very creative. They've had years of experience......living in this house of cake and buttercream!
Brenda
I made two First Communion cakes and then I had a birthday cake to make for Anne.
Anne is an Irish Catholic who loves anything celtic.
So I started with a celtic cross. I just traced it on with a toothpick.
Filled it in green and smoothed it out with a wet, hot knife.
Then piped the trim along the edge.
Added the yellow 'swirls'.
And yellow lines along the trim.
I just randomly started putting flowers on the cake.
Then I made snacks and drinks for the girls. They were getting impatient....they wanted to decorate some cupcakes and I told them that they could use all my leftover buttercream.....WHEN I WAS DONE!
I finished up Anne's cake....
And then they did their decorating....this is the look of a little face that has been eating buttercream all day.....
Could her eyes get any bigger?
Sophie and Lydia are really good with the piping bags....and they are very creative. They've had years of experience......living in this house of cake and buttercream!
Brenda
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