Just how cute are these!
Makes me want to whip out my jewelry making kit!
Bet the tween granddaughters would love a cupcake or ice cream cone bracelet/earring set!!!
Sweetest Charms (Around the World)
Sweetest Charms
Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products
www.countrymeadowltd.com
This week has been exhausting!
It’s been 8-10 years since we have had a puppy and I had forgotten just how much time it takes to potty train! We are getting there though…only one accident yesturday!
We have had Brodie only two weeks but I swear he has doubled in size!!!
I’m going to have a very busy weekend and upcoming week.
We have a wedding to go to and Mother’s Day on Sunday.
I have a show next weekend and TONS of soap to package so I will be concentrating on that.
Iron Man II
Brian – The Movie Guy – gave Iron Man II rave reviews!
Hubs and I liked the first one and will be buying the second one once it’s out on dvd. I’m not one to see movies in the theater…too much to do and so little time. We still have two movies we bought a few weeks ago that we have not had the time to sit down and watch….this weekend doesn’t look good either!
A Few Links:
2 cases of drug-resistant TB in Snohomish County
Starbucks sued over ‘unreasonably hot’ tea
Apparently someone doesn’t realize hot means….well..hot!
Children’s Tylenol recall: FDA slams factory conditions
And lastly….
Happy Mother’s Day!
Brodie May 2010
For some reason Brodie likes it on the OTHER side of the garden fence. Give him another month and he will be too big to squeeze through!
Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products
www.countrymeadowltd.com
Feds OK first U.S. offshore wind farm
By JAY LINDSAY
Associated Press
BOSTON – A whole new way of generating electricity in the U.S. drew a big step closer to reality Wednesday, and it could look like this: 130 windmills, 440 feet tall, rising from the ocean a few miles off Cape Cod.
After more than eight years of lawsuits and government reviews, the Obama administration cleared the way for the nation’s first offshore wind farm.
“We are beginning a new direction in our nation’s energy future,” U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar declared in announcing his approval of the $2 billion Cape Wind project, which would finally allow the U.S. to join the list of major countries that are producing electricity from sea breezes.
The project has faced intense opposition from environmentalists, an Indian tribe and some residents, including the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who warned that the windmills could mar the ocean view. They would be visible from the Kennedy compound at Hyannis Port.
Salazar said the project’s developers can protect local culture and beauty while expanding the nation’s supply of renewable energy.
The developers are hoping to begin construction this year and start generating power by late 2012 — provided the venture isn’t stopped by further lawsuits.
Members of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Martha’s Vineyard have vowed to go to court, saying the project would interfere with sacred rituals and desecrate long-submerged tribal burial sites. Other groups said they would sue immediately.
“It’s far from over,” Cape Cod resident Audra Parker of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. “Nantucket Sound needs to be off limits to Cape Wind and any other industrial development.”
Salazar said the project had been exhaustively analyzed and added: “This is the final decision of the United States of America. We are very confident we will be able to uphold the decision against legal challenges.”
Green jobs promised
The windmills would be about five miles off Cape Cod at their closest point to land and 14 miles off Nantucket at the greatest distance. According to simulations done for Cape Wind, on a clear day the turbines would look as if they were about a half-inch tall on the horizon at the nearest point and appear as specks from Nantucket.
The costs will be covered with private funding as well as potentially millions in federal stimulus money and tax credits. Cape Wind is negotiating to sell the electricity generated to a local utility.
Cape Wind eventually hopes to supply three-quarters of the power on Cape Cod, which has about 225,000 residents. Cape Wind officials say it will provide green jobs and a reliable domestic energy source.
The announcement came after a pair of deadly disasters earlier this month in West Virginia and the Gulf of Mexico illustrated the risks in extracting oil and coal to meet the country’s energy needs.
Advocates are hoping Cape Wind can jump-start the entire U.S. offshore wind industry.
America has the world’s largest onshore wind industry but lags behind other countries in offshore electric generation because of high upfront costs, heavy regulation and technological challenges.
Denmark installed the world’s first offshore wind turbine 20 years ago. China has built a commercial wind farm off Shanghai and plans several other projects. The Netherlands also has offshore turbines.
Major U.S. projects are on the drawing board for the waters off New Jersey, Delaware and Texas. The U.S. Department of Energy envisions offshore wind farms accounting for 4 percent of the country’s electric generating capacity by 2030.
Wrong place?
Kennedy, who loved to sail the waters off Cape Cod, fought Cape Wind until the weeks before his death last summer, calling it a special-interest giveaway that could harm the ocean vista. Others say it could interfere with air and sea traffic and endanger birds and other wildlife.
The lead federal agency reviewing the project, the Minerals Management Service, issued a report last year saying the project poses no major environmental problems.
Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., whose district includes Cape Cod, warned that the project will raise the region’s power costs, disrupt an ocean sanctuary and set back the wind-power industry, all to benefit a private developer.
“Cape Wind is the first offshore wind farm to be built in the wrong place, in the wrong way, stimulating the wrong economies,” Delahunt said Wednesday.
Home to some of the best-known beaches in the Northeast, Cape Cod has long been a destination for summer vacations and is famous for its small towns, colonial-era fishing villages and weathered, gray-shingled homes in its namesake architectural style.
Earlier this month, a federal panel, the Advisory Council on Historic Properties urged Salazar to reject the wind farm, saying it would have destructive effects on the view from dozens of historic sites.
Salazar said he worried that if the project were killed for such reasons, then no offshore wind farms would be possible on the Eastern Seaboard.
Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products
www.countrymeadowltd.com
Get Out Your Dessert Bowls! 9 Tempting Spoonable Dessert Recipes
Custard, pudding, parfaits, and mousse: All these delicious, decadent desserts can be eaten with a spoon, served in a bowl, and dressed up or down. Perfect for all occasions and many ingredients, what’s not to love? Here, FoodandWine.com has found eight sophisticated, spoonable desserts including chocolate pots de crème, banana pudding, bread pudding, and even Italian zabaglione — and they’re easy enough for everyone to try.
What could be better than Banana Pudding??!!
Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble
From Food & Wine
David Guas remembers this comforting dessert from the buffet spreads at family events. (Recipe adapted from DamGoodSweet.)
Ingredients
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup(s) cornstarch
1/2 cup(s) sugar
2 teaspoon(s) sugar
Salt
2 cup(s) whole milk
3 tablespoon(s) banana liqueur, optional
2 tablespoon(s) cold unsalted butter
1 tablespoon(s) melted butter
2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
15 vanilla wafer cookies, coarsely ground
1/4 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
2 bananas, coarsely chopped
Directions
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cornstarch, the 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Gradually whisk the milk into the egg yolks until smooth. Transfer the pudding mixture to the saucepan and add the banana liqueur. Cook over moderate heat, whisking, until the pudding is thick, about 3 minutes. Scrape the pudding into a bowl and whisk in the cold butter and vanilla. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the wafers, cinnamon, the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir in the melted butter. Spread the crumble on the prepared baking sheet; bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool.
Spoon the chopped bananas into bowls. Top with the pudding, sprinkle with the crumble, and serve right away.
Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products
www.countrymeadowltd.com
Here are a couple of toys from Busy Bird that our Umbrella Cockatoo loves!
Unfortunately Busy Bird has made it so their pictures can’t be copied so I can’t post them here (too bad for them as I’m trying to promote them!!!).
So here are the direct links:
Double Spoon & Wood Chimes #372
Various sized and colored chunks of hard wood are hung on thick nickel-plated chain ending with a bell. Hanging from both ends of the hard ribbon wood log are stainless steel spoons. Providing a variety of wood pieces for your bird to splinter and spoons and bell to chime. Design measures approximately 12″ long x 6″ wide. Colors and parts may vary slightly. Link for hanging is included.
Lemon (our U2) loves this one and it’s refillable!
Once he chews all of the wood blocks I simply replace them and he can start all over!
Chew Mania #144
This large toy is refillable! Shred rings, natural soft wood slices, colorful wood rectangles, natural hardwood coins and durable plastic, textured links will give your bird lots of beak exercise! All colored wood is colored by our company with FDA approved bird-safe coloring. A great toy for African Greys, Cockatoos, Amazons & Macaws!
Design measures approximately 16″H x 6″W. Colors and parts may vary. Link for hanging is included.
Again Lemon love this one and it is refillable.
Make sure you order toy parts from Busy Bird as you will need them to repair, revamp and create your own unique parrot toys!
Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products
www.countrymeadowltd.com
Country Meadow has been in business for over ten years and in that time we have received numerous requests for both monetary and product donations.
While we appreciate the interest in our company and products we simply cannot honor all donation requests and have found it necessary to post our donation policy:
Each year we receive numerous requests for both monetary and product donations to benefit a wide range of charities, clubs and organizations.
While we appreciate the interest in our company and products we simply cannot honor each request and have the following donation policy:
Country Meadow Ltd. donates to a chosen handful of local charities that benefit animals and children.
Country Meadow Ltd. donates on a regular basis by providing micro-loans through Kiva (www.kiva.org).
Country Meadow Ltd. supports the Red Cross.
Again, we thank you for your interest in our company and appreciate your support in our choice in supporting the above organizations.
We don’t want or mean to offend anyone but we, like you, have a budget to follow and have already chosen our ‘charities’ that are meaningful to us and close to our heart!
Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products
www.countrymeadowltd.com
