SpruceHill

Finally!

After a long rainy couple of days this afternoon the sun finally came out. It was so warm the kids were running around in shorts and I was able to walk around on the front porch with bare feet.

 

Finally, finally I found some daffodils.

 

 

 

We had a few hours of beautiful weather and then we had our first thunderstorm of the spring.

 

Complete with a rainbow!

thunderstorm and rainbow from Sarah S. on Vimeo.

Right before the storm the ponies were in rare form, anticipating the change in weather. It as fun to stand on the porch and watch them kick up their heels.

springtime bucking from Sarah S. on Vimeo.

Happy sunny Sunday!

Blondies

I have had a few requests for another recipe so I thought I would share one with you. This recipe is the best blondies recipe I have ever made. I got it from my cousin NAS, who is an excellent cook.

The ingredients

 

1/2 cup of butter

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

Soften butter and then add eggs and sugar, cream together.

 

 

 

 

Add salt

 

Baking powder

 

Vanilla

 

and flour, mix together well

 

Fold in chocolate chips

 

Put in a greased 9x11 baking dish, cook at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

 

Let cool serve by themselves or with Vanilla ice cream on top.

They are warm and chewy and delicious,enjoy! 

It's ok not to be ok.....

In the last couple of weeks I have had several conversations with some of my survivor friends, about not feeling like they are doing great. feeling not OK. What do you say when someone asks you how you are doing? Do you lie and say “I’m great!” or do you say “ well I am having trouble sleeping and I am having panic attacks and I think I might have lymphedema but I am not sure and….”  I have been feeling guilty about my issues with my anxiety. One of my friends said to me “It’s OK to take medication because of your anxiety you have had a rough year and you have been through a lot, give yourself a break!” It is very easy to feel bad about feeling bad. Not only does cancer take it’s toll on us physically but it takes a toll on us mentally too.

I was standing in my bathroom the other day thinking to myself, “Did this really happen to me? Did I really have breast cancer, and surgery and chemo?” It floors me sometimes. How in the heck did this happen? I was walking along one day and BAM! I have breast cancer. Who thinks that is going to happen to you? A healthy 41 year old Mom of three girls, nonsmoker, healthy eater (most of the time) in good physical shape. It’s really hard to wrap you brain around sometimes. I wonder if there is such a thing for cancer survivors to have post traumatic stress? I am thinking the answer to this is yes.

The point to my rambling is that I decided it is OK to have bad days, it’s OK to need medication if your are having anxiety, it’s OK to be scared and unsure. No one prepares you for having cancer, no one thinks it will happen to them. There is no book What to expect when your expecting cancer. There is no guidebook no instruction manual. We all just plug along on our own personal journeys.

How wonderful it is that we have each other though.

(I'm not saying that I am crashing and burning here, I am just saying it's ok to have a bad day)

Cross posted on Mothers With Cancer

Finding beauty in the simple things

 

amaryllis

“Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever...”

Isak Dinesen

 

All dressed up with no place to go

Yesterday was a really warm day, the kids were restless and were needing something to keep themselves busy. Hey Mom's out there do your children come up to you and say "Mom I am really bored, there is NOTHING to do!"

Well I solved that problem. The ponies needed a good spring grooming, there was hair flying everywhere! They are shedding like crazy like CRAZY I say!

 

Arial loves to be groomed. Think of it like a day at the spa. She really enjoys it and you can see the relaxation in her expression, it also make her lips twitch with pleasure.

 

It also gives me the perfect opportunity to take pictures of her while she is tied up. She is very patient with me while I do this. Though she does sometimes think my camera is a peppermint.

 

I just love her lips they are so cute and fuzzy! Kissable!

 

I just love her lashes, I wish I had long beautiful lashes like that!

 

Pampering is very exhausting! My goal was to pull her forelock,it has gotten very long this winter. When you pull a pony's forelock they yawn. It is uncontrollable, they do it the whole time, it's a bit contagious.

 

Whew excuse me I can't help myself.....*Yawn*

 

Not quite finished yet...... *yawn*

 

Feuw! Man I am sleepy!

 

Ok Done!

After I got her good and clean and brushed I gave her a BIG ear scratch and gave her some carrots for being such a good girl. (When you pull a horse's mane you actually pull the hair out. Arial does not like it much, I use a new special comb now that does not pull her hair out. She likes it much better!)

When I scratch her ears or give her a treat she does this.

 

Pure pleasure!

 

All dressed up with no place to go!