The Crunchy Mamacita

February Photo Challenge- Days 22-26

2012-02-25T20:46:00.000-06:00

Day 22- where you work

The dairy farm.

Day 23- your shoes

Day 24- inside your bathroom closet

A mess.

Day 25- green

Day 26- night

I know today is the 25th but I took this tonight so I'm using it for tomorrow's photo since I won't have time to post it tomorrow.

I love it when this happens...

2012-02-24T20:57:00.000-06:00

So peaceful.

February Photo Challenge- Catch Up

2012-02-21T14:53:00.000-06:00

Day 14- heart

One of the boy's valentines they received from a friend, laying on the floor of course.

Day 15- phone

Day 16- something new

New vases from Ikea for the new house.

Day 17- time

Day 18- drink

Wine.....

Day 19- something you hate to do

Run out of coffee in my mug :(

Day 20- handwriting

I am a list maker as you can tell. Jimmy was laughing at me the other day because I had "make list" written on my to do list! Oh, and my handwriting is much neater on paper.

Day 21- a fave photo of you

I don't have any fave photos of myself that I have taken, so here is one of my favorite photos that my friend Sharalee Stephens took at River's homebirth. She captured such a beautiful moment. It was hot July afternoon with the sun shining through my west bedroom window. I had just naturally birthed my third boy at home after two previous cesareans. I knew all along I could do it, that my body was strong and was not broken. It was such a wonderful experience!

Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner

2012-02-20T08:25:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to commenter #81! Cat, you are the winner of the vintage necklace from Shabby Apple! I'll be in touch with you soon. Thank you so much to everyone who entered!!!

Pear Cake

2012-02-17T09:31:00.000-06:00

Get over to The Sweet Spot and check out my delicious cake!

Also, my Shabby Apple Vintage Jewelry Giveaway ends tomorrow so you still have time to enter if you haven't already!

February Photo Challenge- Days 11, 12, 13

2012-02-13T14:08:00.000-06:00

Okay so I got behind, I told you that would happen. My boys have all been sick, blahh :( Anyways, I have still been taking photos so here they are.

Day 11- makes you happy

Lennon taking a nap makes me a VERY happy mama!

Day 12- inside your closet

Cramped, unorganized, yep that's my closet. Looking forward to having one twice this size in the new house.

Day 13- blue

This picture doesn't even capture how beautifully blue River's eyes are.

February Photo Challenge- Day 10

2012-02-10T21:15:00.001-06:00

Day 10- self portrait

Me and River today, I couldn't pick my favorite :)

February Photo Challenge- Day 9

2012-02-09T20:03:00.000-06:00

Day 9- front door

I guess you could say we have four front doors in the new house. We are about two weeks away from moving in so we are trying to wrap up about 5 different projects before it is livable. It will be nowhere near done but at least we can get moved in and we will get to see Jimmy a little more :)

Other pics from today; Jimmy working on getting the water heater installed, which he sliced his finger open doing the other night. See the big bandage on his finger, he had to get it stitched up in the ER.

This is the view out of our east door. I love living in the country!

February Photo Challenge- Day 8

2012-02-08T20:11:00.000-06:00

Day 8- sun

We barely saw the sun today through the clouds. It looks like winter may finally be arriving here in Oklahoma after weeks of upper 50s and 60s. We miss the moisture but I could really get used to these mild winters after the hellacious one we had last year. Even though it's an iPhone pic, there's something about this photo that makes me really like it.

February Photo Challenge- Day 7

2012-02-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

Day 7- button

Lennon loves his Pa and his Pa wears nothing but overalls, all day, everyday. So my mom got Lennon a pair just like Pa's and he wears them almost daily.

Black Magic Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

2012-02-07T11:00:00.001-06:00

Proceed with caution!!! I think this cake is called magic because you will magically gain 10 pounds just by looking at it! Don't worry though, it's totally worth it :) I've been making a lot of healthy desserts lately like the Garbanzo Bean Gluten Free Chocolate Cake and the Paleo Apple Blueberry Pie so I figured I deserved a naughty dessert. It's all about balance right??

I borrowed the Black Magic Cake recipe from My Baking Addition but used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Now I like chocolate but I'm not a death by chocolate kind of girl so I knew I wanted a white frosting for my cake. I got the idea for the white chocolate buttercream icing from Sugary Sweets but changed it up a little too. This cake is so AMAZING and I can't wait to make it again for Lennon's third birthday next month! The search is over, this is definitely my new go to chocolate cake recipe.

For any new visitors, please check out my new food blog, The Sweet Spot, where I'll be posting all of my recipes from now on. I hope you'll become a follower!

Cake
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans. Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter evenly in prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.

Icing
1 c. butter, softened
12 oz. white chocolate, melted
3 c. powdered sugar
3-4 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter and add melted white chocolate. Beat until creamy then add remaining ingredients and mix for a couple of minutes.

Put a generous amount of icing on top of the first cake layer and spread from the middle outwards (push your icing, don't pull it, to prevent getting cake crumblies in it). Put the next cake layer on and ice the top then the sides. Decorate it however you would like. I pressed white chocolate chips around the sides of mine. Then get yourself a tall glass of milk ready because you're going to need it!

Check out all the other great chocolate cake recipes below from this month's challenge and click here to see where else I'll be linking up today.

February Photo Challenge- Day 6

2012-02-06T20:49:00.000-06:00

Day 6- dinner

Cheesy baked spaghetti cups for dinner tonight.

Shabby Apple GIVEAWAY!!!--Giveaway Closed--

2012-02-06T08:00:00.011-06:00

I'm sure most of you have heard of Shabby Apple by now and if you've never been to their website you have to check it out! Everything is SO cute and unique. If I had a life outside of my house, the farm, playdates, and the grocery store I would live in their women's dresses and the next time I'm pregnant would someone please buy me a Shabby Apple maternity dress?? They even have little girl dresses!

My favorite thing of all is Shabby Apple's vintage jewelry. Lucky for me and you, that is what I get to give away! You wouldn't believe how long it took me to pick which piece was my favorite but I finally decided on The Mad Hatter's Time Keeper. I LOVE it and I will be so jealous of the lucky reader who wins it!

HOW TO ENTER
Leave a separate comment for each one that you do, the more comments the more chances to enter!
1. Go to Shabby Apple's Facebook page and "Like" it.
2. Follow The Crunchy Mamacita via Google Friend Connect.
3. "Like" The Crunchy Mamacita's Facebook page.
4. Tweet about this giveaway using a link to this blog post.
5. Post a link to this giveaway on your own Facebook page and tell your friends to come over and follow the entry directions to win this awesome vintage necklace!

This giveaway is open to US residents only meaning you must have a US shipping address. The winner will be chosen using Random.org on February 18. Be sure and check back to see if you've won! If you want me to contact you then please leave your email adress in your comment.

Visit the Shabby Apple in the next 30 days and enter the code crunchymamacita10off to receive 10% off.

February Photo Challenge- Days 4 and 5

2012-02-05T15:12:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, February 4- a stranger

I didn't take any photos of a stranger yesterday. This is a picture of me and Lennon at the zoo the other day. You may be wondering why I would post a picture of my child when I'm supposed to be talking about someone I don't know. Well, Lennon is an odd little character and there are moments when he feels a stranger to me. I don't even really know how to explain him. Difficult is probably a good word to use. This is not saying anything bad against him. It's not his problem, he's just easily misunderstood and it is "difficult" to connect with him and understand him. I guess this is what make him feel like a stranger sometimes. I sort of love him for this though because he is very similar to me. I also don't easily connect with other people and have always felt like a bit of a stranger myself. So it is up to me to get to know my beautiful little boy better everyday and understand his strange little self :)

Today, February 5- 10am

I was up at the new house cleaning today at 10am. This is my new double oven that I am giddy over! You have no idea how excited I am to be able to bake an entire batch of cookies at one time!!! I'm going to need more cookie sheets and no more having to turn things half way through baking because my current, very old, oven bakes hotter on one side. I may have to start a bakery out of my house!

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

2012-02-04T20:48:00.001-06:00

Get over to The Sweet Spot and take a look!

February Photo Challenge- Day 3

2012-02-03T18:22:00.002-06:00

February 3- hands

My moisture starved hands doodling a note card.

February Photo a Day Challenge

2012-02-02T21:59:00.000-06:00

I'm going to *try* to keep up with this challenge this month. I'm can't promise I'll post everyday but hopefully I can keep up with the photos each day and post them when I can.

Yesterday, February 1- your view today

We had an amazing day at the zoo with our unschooling friends. The boys loved feeding the birds! So thankful I can wake up on a Wednesday and think, "this is a great day to go to the zoo," get on our little facebook unschooling village and ask if anyone else wants to go, then meet up with three other awesome families and spend all day just hanging out playing at the zoo. I think we saw two animals then the kids spent the rest of the time just playing. I LOVE the freedom of our unschooling life!

Today, February 2- words

A tapestry hanging over my rocking chair. Terrible lighting but it is 10 o'clock at night!

Cookie Dough Truffles

2012-02-01T20:17:00.000-06:00

Get over to The Sweet Spot and check these babies out!!!

Steak and Potato Pizza

2012-01-29T15:35:00.000-06:00

Get over to The Sweet Spot and check it out!

Our first attempt at solids

2012-01-26T22:18:00.000-06:00

River turned 6 months old last week so I figured maybe it's time to give solids a try. Tonight was the first go at it. I think it's safe to say he still prefers mama's milk!

Here are some more pics from tonight. I try my hardest to cherish these sweet babydoll looks.......

before he turns into this!

New recipe on my new blog

2012-01-25T19:35:00.002-06:00

Mini breakfast muffins!

Head over to my new food blog, The Sweet Spot, and check out the recipe for these Banana Orange Oat Muffins. They are delicious! I hope you'll become a follower and if you host a link party PLEASE link up your party to my Link Party page, thank you!!!

Unschooling days

2012-01-23T12:53:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know me personally, we are unschoolers. Most people have never heard that term so here is an excerpt from the Freedom to Learn blog at Psychology Today.

"Defined most simply, unschooling is not schooling. Unschoolers do not send their children to school and they do not do at home the kinds of things that are done at school. More specifically, they do not establish a curriculum for their children, they do not require their children to do particular assignments for the purpose of education, and they do not test their children to measure progress. Instead, they allow their children freedom to pursue their own interests and to learn, in their own ways, what they need to know to follow those interests. They also, in various ways, provide an environmental context and environmental support for the child's learning. Life and learning do not occur in a vacuum; they occur in the context of a cultural environment, and unschooling parents help define and bring the child into contact with that environment.

All in all, unschoolers have a view of education that is 180 degrees different from that of our standard system of schooling. They believe that education is something that children (and people of all ages) do for themselves, not something done to them, and they believe that education is a normal part of all of life, not something separate from life that occurs at special times in special places."

On beautiful days like this, I'm so thankful my kids are outside digging in the dirt rather than sitting behind a desk in school. I cherish our freedom!

My new food blog!

2012-01-22T21:01:00.000-06:00

I've decided to start a blog devoted to food!

You see, I really love to bake but as you know it can get expensive. I've been trying to think of a way I can support my baking addiction without putting advertising on my personal blog. I just can't stand to see a corporate ad next to a picture of one of my sweet children. I've kept this blog ad free and I will continue to do so. Soooo, my new blog will have ads (ugh, I feel like I'm selling out to the corporate evils of the world but I must get over that) and I will also be accepting sponsors (this part I don't mind because it help other bloggers).

My new blog, The Sweet Spot, is still under construction but I've already added a few of my favorite recipes. I am using a cool new website called Recipage to organize my recipes so please check out my new recipe index. I'll be hosting a weekly link party soon too. I really hope you will check it out and become a follower!

Our Ikea kitchen in the works

2012-01-22T20:16:00.002-06:00

We are doing an Ikea kitchen in our new house. We went down last Monday to get it. We live 3 hours away from the closest store so it was an all day event!

I don't think we could have fit anything else in our car! The front seat was packed.

The third row seat was packed.

The trailer was packed.

Sweet River played in the seat the whole time we loaded up. I'm so thankful for a happy baby!

Here is the video of my silly husband unloading the boxes into the house the next day.

Today we began assembly, fun, fun!

I'm just so ready for it all to be done!

6 months already?!?

2012-01-20T08:00:00.002-06:00

Wow, I can't believe it's already been 6 months since Rivers birth! You know how everyone has that "happiest day of their life" day? Maybe it's your wedding day or the birth of your first child. It's not like you've never been or will never be that happy again, it's just the day that really sticks out in your mind and changes your life forever. Well the day River was born was that day for me. It was the day that I had been waiting for my whole life, the day I stood at the top of the mountain I had been wanting to climb for so long. If you don't know my story, then you can watch the video here.

Anyways, here I was 6 months ago today, in my bedroom, sitting on a birthing stool at the foot of my bed, holding my third little boy, umbilical cord still attached.

And here I am today with my sweet baby River, still savoring every precious moment of his existence :)

Sour Cream Lemon Cookies with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

2012-01-19T05:55:00.003-06:00

I have to admit, I cheated a little bit on this one, shhh don't tell! The recipe I used called for sour cream but I used organic nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead because in my house that is our healthy substitution for sour cream. I was a little scared the cookies wouldn't bake up the same but they did and they were AWESOME!!! I also cut the sugar down by 1/2 a cup because I knew the frosting would be plenty sweet and boy was it! I can't wait to try this lemon frosting on cupcakes and other things, it's so perfectly tart and sweet. The cookies are unbelievably soft and cake-like. The two were went perfect with each other!

Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp lemon extract
1 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), room temperature
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Mix bottom 4 dry ingredients together in medium bowl and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon extract and mix well.
Stir in sour cream, once mixed stir in dry ingredient mixture.
Dough will be sticky. Drop by tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes.

Frosting
3/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
yellow food coloring optional

In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla extract, and food coloring, mix well.

Wouldn't these be adorable at a baby shower?!

Check out some other great recipes using lemons and sour cream in the Improv party below and click here to see where else I'll be linking up today.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-17T18:17:00.000-06:00

Paleo Apple Blueberry Pie

2012-01-11T20:32:00.001-06:00

Healthy pie, can it really be true? Yes! We had a potluck brunch at our house today with our unschooling friends and this is one of the things I made. If your not familiar with the Paleo diet, here is how Wikipedia defines it, "Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils."

Adapted from HMN's cookbook, Many Paths, One Journey to Health.

Ingredients
2 c. dates
1 c. nuts (I used almonds but I have used pecans before)
5 sm. organic apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 c. frozen organic blueberries
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c. maple syrup (you could also use honey)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Process dates and nuts in a food processor until they form a smooth oily dough. Press firmly into a pie plate. Mix apples, blueberries, cinnamon, and maple syrup in a bowl then pour into crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T09:38:00.000-06:00

Okay maybe one just one word *HANDSOME*

Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake

2012-01-08T11:08:00.000-06:00

This cake is gluten free. We don't have any food allergies in my family thankfully but I'm always willing to try new and healthy recipes. I will admit I was a little skeptical of this recipe, garbanzo beans in cake, could this really taste good? YES, it actually did! I mean, it's no Chocolate Yum Yum Cake but it's definitely a good and healthy substitute for brownies and will for sure fill your chocolate craving. My husband was shocked when I told him that it was made with garbanzo beans and I didn't dare tell my kids!

Recipe adapted from Holistic Moms Network cookbook.
Ingredients
1 (12 oz.) pkg of high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 eggs (farm fresh is always best!)
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Pour into a greased 9-inch round pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool thoroughly and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Pinterest Friday

2012-01-06T19:14:00.000-06:00

Wow this week got away from me, is it Friday already? Here are my favorite pins from this week.

The Quiet Lion shows us how to make this adorable necklace.

My Byrd House has a tutorial for these useful scrappy hot pads. Just in time because mine are in their last days!

I love this sign in WordWhipped's Etsy shop. I'm using it for inspiration to make a similar one for the boys' new bathroom.

This mobile from Pottery Barn is super cute and would be so easy to make.

YUM, YUM, YUM!!! Thank you Annie's Eats for introducing me to heaven! I can't wait to make this lemon cheesecake cheese ball, my waistline says otherwise but oh well :)

Have a great weekend! I'm actually looking forward to Monday because we are driving down to Texas for our first ever IKEA shopping trip. So excited!!!

The cream of tarter mystery

2012-01-04T08:00:00.005-06:00

So what the heck is cream of tarter? I don't know how many times I've wondered this as I leveled off a teaspoon of cream of tarter and dumped it into my dry ingredients for baking. Well today was the day that I solved this mystery thanks to the handy, informative internet!

Also known as potassium bitartrate, cream of tarter is a natural substance made from the crystalized sediment that is left in the barrels after the wine making process, which explains its tart taste!

Uses for cream of tarter:

As a cleaner when mixed with vinegar.
Stabilize egg whites and increase their volume and heat tolerance.
Reduce discoloration in boiled vegetables when added to water.
Mix with baking soda to make baking powder.
Stabilize whipped cream after it has been whipped.
Prevents the crystallization of sugar.

Interesting, I know!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

Santa is good!

2012-01-03T09:22:00.000-06:00

Santa really knows what my boys like! Here are their favorite gifts, which just so happen to be my favorites too!

Jude, 6 1/2 years old: Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100. Jude loves experimenting with electricity and I love hearing him talk about photo resisters, circuits, and capacitors with daddy :) This kit is so easy to use with simple instructions for over 100 electronic projects. We will definitely be buying him the more advanced kits in the future as his knowledge grows.

Lennon, 2 3/4 years old: Melissa & Doug Sandwich-Making Set & Melissa & Doug Cutting Food Box. The wooden pieces are held together by little pieces of velcro. We have had so much fun ordering up and making different meals in their play kitchen!

River, 5 months old: Green Sprouts Organic Cool Soothing Teether. The ring is held on by a velcro loop so you can take it off and cool it in the fridge. Such a good idea!

Goals for 2012

2012-01-01T18:55:00.000-06:00

Here are some goals, in no particular order, that I will be working towards in 2012.

Learn to knit or crochet, I can't decide which. What would you recommend??
Finish the Playful Parenting book and be more playful and patient with my boys.
Sit down and spend more time learning with Jude. Ever since River was born we haven't been reading a lot together and I would like for this to change.
Build a clothesline at the new house and quit using my dryer so much.
Start making my own butter and yogurt with the raw milk from our dairy.
Make enough stuff to have a booth at a craft show.
Get all the rooms complete in our new house.
Build raised beds and trellises for gardening.
Plant trees and landscape the new house.
Install rain barrels and grey water system at the new house.
Eat a bigger variety of vegetables and find a way to get my kids to eat them too (this will be tough!).
Start making my own laundry detergent.

All of that shouldn't be too hard! Another thing that I will be doing this month is hosting my first blog giveaway! The Shabby Apple contacted me and asked if I would like giveaway a piece of their jewelry. Have you seen their jewelry? It's beautiful, of course I would want to do this! So stay tuned for more details about that to come in the near future. HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone and thank you SOOOOO much for reading my blog!!!

A beautiful day at the dairy

2011-12-30T22:19:00.000-06:00

Thought you might like to see some pictures from the dairy today :)

I don't really like waking up at 5:30 am every day but I do enjoy the sunrises.

I'd rather wear dirty jeans and rubber boots to work everyday than have to dress up!

Our dairy barn where we milk twice a day seven days a week and yes, we drink our own raw (unpasteurized) milk.

This is what we call "the pit" where we milk the cows. If you'll notice, the floor is recessed where we stand so the cows are at eye level. This makes it to where we don't have to bend down to put the milkers on the cows. We milk 12 at a time, 6 on each side.

The cows that have just been milked are walking back out into the pasture.

Love this view to the east. It always looks so pretty in the evening when the sun is setting in the west.

I love this picture!

The newest member on the farm, just born today.

Happy Friday!

2011-12-23T12:34:00.000-06:00

I don't have Pinterest Friday for you today. I've been too busy playing with my boys and helping with the new house to blog lately but I promise I will be back soon! I hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful Christmas or whatever else you celebrate :)

How sweet

2011-12-17T09:20:00.000-06:00

My sweet baby River flipping me the bird.

Perhaps he doesn't enjoy me in his face with my camera taking 500 pictures, making stupid sounds trying to get him to smile for 30 minutes.

What a stinker :)

Pinterest Friday

2011-12-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

It's Friday and that means it's time for fun Pinterest finds for the week!

What a great idea, scrapbook paper under an alphabet stencil! Check out the tutorial at Visual Meringue.

I want to make some of these cute little charms from PolymerClayWeb. So cute!

I love these hand towels at The Creamer Chronicles! Head over there and get the free pattern. I can't wait to make some to match the kitchen in our new house!

I made Bakerella's Mini Maple Pancakes Muffins for breakfast the other day and they were so delicious! I used half whole wheat flour and frozen organic blueberries instead of chocolate chips and my boys gobbled them up like crazy! You really must try this recipe. It was so easy and MUCH less time consuming than cooking pancakes.

I need to make a dessert to go with this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting that my mouth is watering for right now! Get the recipe at Savory Sweet Life. I wish I could decorate cakes like her!

Eggnog Cranberry Pound Cake

2011-12-15T05:55:00.012-06:00

Eggnog Cranberry Pound Cake
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbs brandy

1 pkg (16.25 oz) yellow cake mix
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 eggs
1/2 coconut oil
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup eggnog

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bundt cake pan.

Soak dried cranberries in 2 Tbs brandy for at least 15 minutes.

Mix cake mix, pudding mix, and nutmeg. Mix in remaining ingredients in order mixing well after each one. Stir in soaked cranberries. Pour into prepared bundt cake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn onto cake plate and cool completely before glazing.

Eggnog Cream Cheese Glaze
2 Tbs butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese
1 tsp brandy (you could use vanilla extract instead)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
4-5 Tbs eggnog

Beat first 4 ingredients. Mix in powdered sugar. Add eggnog until desired consistency. Pour over cooled cake.

Click here to see where else I'll be linking up today :)

quote of the day

2011-12-11T12:17:00.000-06:00

Melt-In-Your Mouth Shortbread

2011-12-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

My family is crazy for shortbread and this is my go-to no-fuss shortbread recipe. It is soft, buttery, not overly sweet, and goes perfect with coffee or tea.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread

2 cups butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream butter thoroughly. Add vanilla or almond extract then slowly add sugar and mix well. Sift together flour and cornstarch, add to butter mixture and mix well. Press into an ungreased jelly roll pan (11x15").

Bake for 30 minutes. Cut shortbread into pieces while it is still warm. Enjoy!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt

2011-12-07T11:00:00.000-06:00

Easy to make, delicious, chewy, chocolatey, addictive, mouth-watering, yep that pretty much sums up this fudge! And really, what isn't good with Nutella in it?! I found the recipe at Cookin' Canuck and she has lots of other great looking recipes that I pinned as well!

In my husband's words, "This is the best fudge I have ever eaten!" The texture is perfect, not hard and powdery like some fudges that I have eaten. The sea salt gives it a nice crunch and an unexpected taste sensation. I've seen other sweet recipes with sea salt but this was my first one to make. I love it! And when I say it was easy to make I really mean it! Six ingredients and a prep and cook time of about 10 minutes. This would make a great Christmas gift treat!

Chocolate Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz high quality semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella, room temperature
3 Tbs butter, room temperature cut up into small pieces
Course sea salt to sprinkle on top

Line 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper leaving a couple of inches sticking up on each side (so you can lift the chilled fudge out of the pan).

In the top of a double boiler (you can use a glass bowl on top of a pan with water in the bottom), mix all the ingredients except the sea salt. Your water in the bottom pan should be just below the top pan or glass bowl. Gently simmer the water and stir the mixture until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5-7 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into the lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle with sea salt and gently press the sea salt down into the fudge so that it won't fall off once the fudge is chilled. Refrigerate until the fudge is firm, at least two hours.

Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the fudge out of the pan. Cut the fudge into 3/4 inch pieces. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Please check out the other great recipes in this challenge and don't forget to vote for your favorite! Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

I'm still here, just busy and under the weather :(

2011-12-04T14:43:00.002-06:00

The title pretty much explains my recent absence from my blog but I promise to be back soon! Here is silly a picture of my littlest love I wanted to share :)

Meatless Monday- Hearty Corn Chowder

2011-11-28T08:00:00.002-06:00

Mmmm, this soup will warm your tummy! It's creamy and full of flavor. The red skinned potatoes, bright yellow corn, and green celery give it nice color and the chewy sourdough crouton and melted cheese make it even more delish!

Recipe adapted from Don't Panic More Dinner's in the Freezer.

Hearty Corn Chowder
1/4 butter, melted
6 Tbs onions, chopped
3/4 cup celery, diced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or water)
2 cups red potatoes, cubed
3 cups frozen kernel corn
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbs flour
1 quart half-and-half
shredded cheese for garnish

Sauté onions and celery in butter until tender. Add broth, potatoes, corn, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1 cup of the half-and-half. Stir into soup then add remaining half-and-half. Cook until soup reaches your desired thickness, stirring frequently. Top soup with cheese.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Wheat Germ Whole Wheat Pancakes

2011-11-23T08:00:00.001-06:00

Wheat Germ Whole Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups buttermilk

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Mix eggs, applesauce, and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Stir in baking soda, wheat germ, salt, and flour; mix just until blended. Cook on a lightly oiled pan over medium heat until brown on both sides.

Serve with maple syrup NOT pancake syrup! The first two ingredients of pancake syrup are corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup which means that is most of what your consuming when you eat it. Yuck!

To freeze them, lay the pancakes out flat on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. Once the pancakes are frozen you can put them all together in a freezer bag and pop them back in the freezer for a quick and easy breakfast another morning :)

Today in pictures

2011-11-22T19:50:00.001-06:00

Lennon packing some dangerous heat.

Jude informed me that this was his periodic table of elements phone (made out of magnets).

Gotta love mohawks in the bathtub.

Lennon picking his nose.

Then trying to wipe it on me.

Then trying to make up for it by being cute :)

Someone help me, I have a serious baking addiction. I made these delicious snickerdoodles today.

Orange Fluff

2011-11-21T08:39:00.000-06:00

In case you missed my guest post over at Mom's Crazy Cooking last week here it is!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. In my family, it seems like everyone brings at least one main dish and one dessert so it is like a heavenly buffet of southern down home cooking! And every year when everyone is calling each other to see who's bringing what, you can be sure that someone is bringing the pink stuff! Well move over pink stuff, there's a new fluff in town! The formal name is Buttermilk Salad but I think Orange Fluff sounds tastier :)

INGREDIENTS
1 quart of buttermilk
2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant vanilla pudding
1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple, drained
4 tsp orange jello mix
1 (16 oz) container of whipped topping (Cool Whip)
1 (8 oz) package of miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS
In a very large bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients with a whisk and mix well. Sprinkle the jello over the mixture and mix well. Fold in whipped topping and marshmallows. (NEVER vigorously stir whipped topping because it will get runny!) Chill in the refrigerator.

Please try this recipe, you will not be sorry! I know it sounds a little strange with all that buttermilk but I promise you it tastes amazing. I must warn you though, it is VERY addicting!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Pinterest Friday- Quilts!

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm going to make the boys quilts for their beds in our new house so I've been on Pinterest this week in search of cute designs. Here are my favorites.

and I love her straight line quilting on this one

Raggedy Owl

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend :)

New house stuff

2011-11-17T15:28:00.000-06:00

We are finally getting closer to being done building our new house. I'm now feeling the rush to decide on paint colors and interior details. This is the fabric I picked out last night for Lennon's quilt. It will be my jumping off point to decide on colors for his bedroom. I'm still not sure what color I want to paint his walls. He's 2 1/2 years old so I want something that will grow with him. What are your suggestions??

I bought this shower curtain at Target for the boys/main bathroom and I'm painting both of the bathrooms gray.

I used to love decorating and I couldn't wait to build a house and decorate it. At this stage in my life though, that kind of stuff isn't really that important to me. I actually feel very bad that while I'm deciding what colors to paint my house there are families who don't even have a house to live in. We aren't the kind of people that try to keep up with the Jones'. We have worked very hard and saved for a long time to build this house and stay debt free. My husband has done almost all the work himself and this is the house and homestead where we will raise our children and spend the rest of our lives. So, while I do feel bad for being just another American consumer with my first world dilemmas such as what lights to hang over my island, I will try to put the guilt aside and be thankful and happy for what I have :)

Fudge face

2011-11-16T15:18:00.000-06:00

Lennon LOVES to help me cook, especially sweet stuff! Mainly because when I'm done he gets to "ick the poon" in his words :) Yesterday I cooked up some DELICIOUS fudge that I'll be sharing the recipe for in next month's blog challenge. I can't wait for you to see it!

I got a blog award today!

2011-11-16T14:38:00.000-06:00

Wahoo! I'm feeling mighty special today because I received a blog award from the amazing Ashton at Something Swanky. If you are on a diet do not go to her blog, hee hee, just kidding! Go over there right now and drool over her beautiful, mouth-watering desserts!

So here are the rules for receiving this blog:
1. Tell 7 things about yourself
2. Pass this award on to 15 other bloggers

I'm guessing I only have about 15 more minutes until my littles wake up from their naps so I'm cut it down to five on each thing.

5 things about me
1. My favorite band is Pink Floyd. So no, despite my oldest boys' names being Jude and Lennon, the Beatles are not my favorite band! They are near the top of my list though :)
2. The only time I am idle is when I am asleep. I can't just do nothing. I can hardly sit through a movie.
3. I wish I could take the farm we live on (my parent's old homestead) and start a commune. That sounds weird I know.
4. I am SO not girly. I do not wear makeup, I hate getting ready, and I don't care if I am in style or not.
5. I wear my pajamas all day long unless I go somewhere. If I do go somewhere, I put my pajamas back on as soon as I get home.

5 amazing blogs
It was hard picking just 5 but these are the ones I've been visiting a lot lately :)
A Creative Princess
Chef In Training
Creating My Way to Success
Embellishing Life
Sugar Bee Crafts

Thanks again Ashton!

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes

2011-11-16T09:08:00.000-06:00

What a perfect breakfast for this sunny crisp fall morning! I found this recipe over at Making Life Delicious and the only thing I changed was I used coconut oil instead of canola. I was in a hurry and didn't think to do it but you could sub WW flour for half of the all-purpose and I'm sure they would still be excellent. Pumpkin pie meets pancakes, yummy!

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
3 Tbs coconut oil (or other oil)

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the last four ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir until just combined.

Oil your hot pan or griddle and pour batter on using either a 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup. cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Makes about 9 pancakes. Serve with real maple syrup.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Guest posting today

2011-11-15T12:00:00.005-06:00

Hi! I'm guest posting on two different blogs today so go check them out!

I'm sharing a recipe for this delicious Thanksgiving dessert over at Mom's Crazy Cooking.

I'm also over at {Nifty Thrifty Things} talking about some of my favorite projects so hop on over and take a look :)

Meatless Monday- French Onion Soup

2011-11-14T08:55:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh, this soup was SOOOOO delicious! This was the first time I've ever eaten french onion soup but Jimmy has had it many times before and he said this was by far the best he's ever had. I made it a couple of weeks ago and I am making it again today to use up the rest of the beautiful locally homegrown onions that were given to me. My mouth is watering just thinking about it and I can't wait until dinner time!

I'm not going to type out the recipe because I'm short on time today so just click on the link to view it.

Tyler Florence's French Onion Soup Recipe

I actually stuck to the exact recipe for this one and did not make any changes. I will tell you that the $8 per pound Gruyere cheese is totally worth the price!

Scrapbook Sunday

2011-11-13T15:33:00.000-06:00

Another old one from the "Me" album.

We have all girls on my mom's side of the family. She has two sisters and they all have girls, very pretty girls! I was the first one to introduce the craziness of boys into the family! I'm the one in the yellow tank top holding the drink.

quote of the day

2011-11-12T14:40:00.000-06:00

Children reinvent your world for you. -Susan Sarandon

River has become a thumbsucker. He is so sweet!!!

Jumbo 3-Chip Cookies!

2011-11-12T09:00:00.002-06:00

In case you missed my guest post at Something Swanky last week, here is a recipe for the most amazing cookies!

I was craving cookies the other day and I just happened to have three different kinds of morsels in my fridge. I knew immediately which cookies I would be making, one of my favorites! You have to try these delicious cookies!!! You will love me for it :)

Recipe adapted from a Nestle Collection cookbook.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup Reeses peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine first three dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in the 3 different morsels reserving some for topping the cookies. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop by level 1/4 cup measure 2 inces apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for two minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

I don't know about you all but this is my kind of cookie!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Pinterest Friday

2011-11-11T09:43:00.000-06:00

So glad it's Friday! My husband is off work today and we are headed out to shop for lighting and appliances for our new house. So fun! Well it's fun until I see the price tags ;) I need to get my butt out from in front of this computer and get ready so here we go with my favorite Pinterest finds this week.

I LOVE this Maxi dress from A Small Snippet! She gives a great tutorial for making it.

Are these fingerless mittens not the cutest thing?? Check out how she makes them at Tousled Day.

I love this easy to make wall art at The Style Files. Think of the possibilities! I will definitely use this idea in my new craft room.

I am all about meatless meals and this Rustic Tomato Tart from Lick The Bowl Good looks like a winner!

I had no idea that the Olive Garden had recipes on there website! I can't wait to make some super fattening fettuccine alfredo, yummmmy :)

quote of the day and more on unschooling

2011-11-10T22:24:00.000-06:00

We were at the playground the other day and there was a mother there with her four girls. I overheard her tell her girls that they were going to be leaving in five minutes. Kuddos to her for giving her children time to transition because no child appreciates being ripped away from a playground without warning! They were obviously homeschooled because it was 11 am on a week day and they were not in public school and I heard the oldest girl, who looked to be about 9 or 10, ask her mother if she had to do English and math when they got home. The mother said yes and named off the other subjects they were going to study, the little girl groaned. They were still discussing it as they were leaving and right before the girl got into their van to leave I heard her exclaim that she hated school.

THIS is the difference between unschooling and homeschooling. We do not have school at home. We do not have a curriculum in which we study certain subjects everyday. Yes, my six year old knows how to read and do math but he didn't learn these things by us forcing him to sit down and study. We talk, he asks a LOT of questions, we read books, we watch a lot of science shows on Netflix, we go on nature walks, we work on the farm, we live life together and discuss it along the way.

Here is a question that I have heard many times- How do you know that he knows everything he should at age six and aren't you afraid you're going to leave something out or forget to teach him something? First of all, I am not his teacher. I am his mother and I trust that he will learn everything he needs to know with my guidance. I'm not sure who said it but this quote has always stuck in my mind, "Everything you've been taught is someone else's thought...Go ahead and create your own." I don't think it's important for him to memorize a bunch of crap in a text book and I certainly don't care about some standard list of things that a six year old should know. He is not standard, he is unique. He doesn't know how to tie his shoes but he can tell you what a black hole in space is or how a hearing aid is made. In fact, as I'm typing this at 10 o'clock tonight I can hear him in the other room telling his daddy about how it's not right for people in China to have to work for such little pay.

Anyways, I'm a firm believer that we should trust our children. If they "hate" school how much are they really going to learn there? Children will learn things when they are ready and when they need to. How much do you actually remember from school? I've learned more with Jude in the past few years than I did in all of my elementary education!

Snickerdoodle Cups with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing

2011-11-08T08:00:00.006-06:00

I had originally made these for a blog challenge but the blogger who was hosting is not blogging anymore so there is no challenge but I still wanted to share this recipe. The ingredients for the challenge were pumpkin and cream cheese. Of course the first thing that comes to my mind is pumpkin cheesecake, yum! I wanted to do something different though, something with pumpkin cream cheese icing, double yum!! It seems like cookie cups have been popping up all over blog land lately, probably because they are adorable and who can resist a cookie with icing?? Not me! So I had the the icing figured out but what kind of cookie was I going to make? Why snickerdoodles of course!

Snickerdoodle cups

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbs white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease mini muffin pan.

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Mix in eggs one at a time blending well after each. Add vanilla and mix. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, 1 Tbs cinnamon, cram of tartar, and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture.

Combine the 3 Tbs sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Shape the dough into walnut sized balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place dough balls in the mini muffin pan.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for one minute then take a 1 tsp measuring spoon and make an indention in each cookie. Let cool in pan for 5 more minutes before transferring the cookie to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing

4 oz cream cheese

1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree

4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Mix cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth and creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and spices. Mix well. Pipe onto cookie cups and get ready to have your sweet tooth fulfilled!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Homemade Room Spray

2011-11-08T08:00:00.004-06:00

I don't know anyone who doesn't want their house to smell good! I want my house to smell fresh, not like artificial vanilla or tropical flowers, and I certainly do not want the dangerous chemicals that go along with conventional air fresheners. I love the natural smell of essential oils so I made some room spray for my bathroom the other day and I am loving it!

Recipe (4 oz)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vodka (the cheap stuff of course!)

10 drops lavender essential oil

8 drops grapefruit essential oil

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a 4 oz spray bottle.

I got my bottles through Frontier Natural Products. I hot glued on a piece of burlap then tied a ribbon around it. These would make great little gifts! I found this website with other recipes for different scent combinations that I can't wait to try!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Mud puddles

2011-11-07T23:12:00.001-06:00

Wow we've had some crazy weather here in Oklahoma today! Earthquakes, tornadoes, and flooding all in the same day. After we survived the hottest summer EVER with an extreme drought we are just glad to have 60 degree weather and a puddle on the ground!

Not sure what Lennon is playing with and I'm pretty sure I don't want to know!

Shoes on the wrong feet.

I believe that is a rotten potato that he found in the compost pile, nice :)

Rustic Cheesy Mashed Red Potatoes

2011-11-07T11:00:00.016-06:00

It's that time of the month again! Time for The Ultimate Crazy Cooking Challenge over at Mom's Crazy Cooking. This month's theme is mashed potatoes. I found a great recipe at Cook Like James for Rustic Mashed Red Bliss Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Chives. Of course I couldn't help making a few adjustments to the original recipe :)

Ingredients

2 pounds of red potatoes (organic is always best when it come to root veggies)
1 tsp sea salt
1 bay leaf
4 Tbs. butter, melted
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbs. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk (I use raw milk)
1/4 cup green onion tops, sliced, reserving some for garnishing
1/4 cup parmesan, finely grated
8 oz. provolone cheese, grated
Cracked black pepper

Directions
1. Wash potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Do NOT peel. Place potatoes in a large pan and cover with 1 inch of cold water. Add salt and bay leaf. Boil until fork tender. Drain potatoes and discard bay leaf. Return potatoes to hot pan and let stand for 5 minutes uncovered.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. This part you can do by hand or in a mixer (I used my Kitchen Aid mixer). Mix melted butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Stir in Greek yogurt, milk, and chives. Reserve 1/4 cup of provolone cheese and set aside. Add remaining provolone cheese and cooked potatoes to the cream cheese mixture. Mix until your mashed potatoes are your desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky!

4. Place mashed potatoes in a baking dish or you can use 8 medium sized porcelain ramekins like I did. Top with remaining provolone and parmesan cheeses. If you are using ramekins, place them on a cookie sheet. Bake mashed potatoes for 10- 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. I took mine out of the oven and placed them in the broiler for a minute to brown the cheese. Garnish with green onions and enjoy!

Yummmy, what a lovely dinner! If you like this recipe, PLEASE vote for me, I'm #5 :) All you have to do is click "Like" by my recipe below in the link party.

Scrapbook Sunday

2011-11-06T09:56:00.000-06:00

I didn't have time to scrapbook this week so this is an old page. I have a scrapbook that is just pictures of me. No, I'm not narcissistic, in fact I'm pretty much the opposite! I'm not in a lot of pictures because I'm usually the one taking the photos so I have this scrapbook of myself for my kids. I want them to remember that I really was young at one time!

I was 21 in this picture and we had just gotten married there in Jamaica. It's hard for me to believe how fast the last seven years have gone by!

Guest posting today

2011-11-05T09:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday! I'm guest posting today at Something Swanky so hop on over and check out these cookies!

Bathtime

2011-11-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

River getting a bath by his amazing daddy last night :)

Meatless Monday- Recipes

2011-10-31T11:49:00.000-05:00

We been eating a lot of meatless meals lately but none of which are anything fancy or spectacular enough that I would want to share pictures or recipes. You know, just quick and easy things like homemade macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and cheese quesadillas (we love cheese, can you tell?). I usually receive comments from my husband like, "This would be really good with meat," to which I reply, "Your healthy body will thank me later!" So anyway, today I thought I would share some recipes that I have pinned onto my Meatless Meals board. I can't wait to try some of them!

Check out Martha Stewart for lots of meatless Thanksgiving recipes including one for this delicious looking Roasted-Parsnip Bread Pudding.

Lick The Bowl Good has my mouth watering with this Rustic Tomato Tart!

Another one from Martha Stewart, her list of quick and easy meatless meals looks like it has some really yummy recipes like this Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Parsley, and Breadcrumbs.

My dad's friend gave him a cardboard box full of homegrown onions, jackpot! The first ting I did was search the internet for an amazing French Onion Soup recipe. This one from Tyler Florence looks delicious! I will be making it today and I don't think I'll hear any complaints from the hubby about this meal :)

Scrapbook Sunday

2011-10-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

I'm always interested in the creative process of artists, crafters, and designers when they are making something so I thought it would be fun to walk you through mine :)

First, I printed the picture I wanted to use and found a quote on the internet that I wanted to use with it. I mounted the picture on a piece of white card stock.

Second, I decided that I wanted the picture to tuck inside the corner of the blue paper so I traced the outer edge of part of the design with my exacto knife then distressed it with a course file. I trimmed the blue paper down and distressed the top and bottom edges.

Next I went to my drawer with all the baby and little boy stickers and embellishments for inspiration.

This is what I came up with, a sticker and some little metal baby hand embellishments..

I typed up my quote in Word on landscape format, making sure to position it correctly on the page. I had to trim my 12"x12" paper to fit through my printer so I cut it to 8.5"x12" then printed my quote onto it.

Next, I put a few pieces of tape on to hold the paper together. Then I turned it over and adhered the blue paper and picture to the yellow paper.

I put the sticker on another sheet of paper and tore around the edges. I doodled a frame around the sticker and up the left side of the photo.

This is what I had so far but I knew it needed more.

I added some brads to the top and doodled a little more on the page. I like my pages pretty simple and this one felt complete.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Pinterest Friday

2011-10-28T07:52:00.000-05:00

Where did October go?? I can't believe it's already the last Friday of the month! Pinterest was full of good things this week, here are my favorites.

Living with Punks has a great tutorial on how to square up your fabric. I needed this! I'm still a beginner when it comes to sewing and there are still so many things I have to learn.

This necklace is so cute and looks fairly easy to make. Check out the tutorial at ECAB.

This pallet bed may the only thing we can afford to make after we get done building our house! That's okay though because I love it :)

I LOVE shortbread cookies!!! Actually, I can't think of many cookies that I don't love but shortbread cookies are some of my favorites. I can't wait to try these lemon shortbread squares at mybricole.

Okay, is your mouth watering yet because mine is! I am drooling over these Reese's cheesecake brownies from Pib & Ebby.

Have a great weekend :)

A good day :)

2011-10-26T20:56:00.000-05:00

Today was a good day. Hung out with some unschooling friends this morning then came home, painted, and watched a show about salt on How Stuff Works (we love Netflix!). I've been reading Playful Parenting and things seem to be getting a little easier with Lennon. I'm only about 30 pages into it but I would totally recommend this book to parents! Lennon's behavior makes a lot more sense to me now and I feel like I am able to be a better mommy to him. We still have our bad moments when we are both overly frustrated with each other but things really are getting better, yay! Anyways, I just wanted to share some pictures I took today of my beautiful boys :)

Jude said he was making blood vessels, gross!

I love pictures like this when it looks like they are actually getting along. Yeah, that moment didn't last too long!

Sweet baby River napped peacefully the whole time.

Upcycled canvas tote

2011-10-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

I was at Michael's a few months ago strolling down the clearance isle (which I should never do!) and I found this cute iron on transfer.. I thought to myself, it's only $1.50, surely I could find something to do with it! So I bought it and stashed it away in my craft room.

I have been working on a doodling tutorial for my blog and I needed a craft to demonstrate how cute it is to doodle on fabric. I dug this old canvas tote that I used to carry my college text books with out of the closet and then I remembered the transfer. PERFECT!!!

I washed and dried the canvas tote. I then proceeded for almost 30 minutes to iron out the wrinkles. As you can see, I never succeeded!

I gave up on trying to get the wrinkles out and ironed the transfer on.

Next I doodled several different borders around the image with a black paint pen.

I love the way it turned out!

Scrapbook Sunday

2011-10-23T15:10:00.002-05:00

Every Sunday I am going to start sharing my favorite scrapbook pages with you, old ones and new ones. This is an old one.

Pinterest Friday

2011-10-21T08:00:00.065-05:00

Happy Friday! Here are my favorite pins of the week.

Lemon poppyseed pancakes, YES PLEASE!!! This recipe from Picky Cook looks super easy and delicious. I will definitely be making these soon!

I may finally learn how to knit with the help of the awesome tutorial videos at Wool and the Gang.

I love cake stands, they are so chic and vintage looking! Check out The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle where she shows you how to make your own.

I am in love with this sandbox from Great Little Trading Co. Good thing my husband is a carpenter because I want one built into our new deck!

Another reason I'm glad I have a handy husband! I will be doing all raised beds and vertical gardening when we get moved into our new house. You can read more about vertical gardening at Veggie Gardener.

Absolutely :)

Have a great weekend!

Apple Strudel Muffins

2011-10-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Mmmmm, these muffins are perfect for fall! I even made a healthier version of the original recipe at allrecipes.com and they were still great. I can only imagine what the full fat, all white flour version would taste like!

Ingredients
Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples

Topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup quick outs
1 tbs whole wheat flour
1/tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 Tbs butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

Mix the first five ingredients of the topping in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Mix the first six ingredients for the muffins together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat butter, applesauce, sugar, and eggs together until smooth. Stir in vanilla and chopped apple. Gradually add flour mixture and mix until combined. Spoon into prepared muffin pan.

Sprinkle the topping mixture over the tops of each muffin.

Bake 18-20 minutes in a preheated oven. Allow to cool 5 minutes before removing them from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Create a home recycling center

2011-10-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

Creating a home recycling center is easy.

1. Locate where your home’s recycling center will be. Obviously the kitchen is the best spot because this is where most of the waste is generated. However, if your house is anything like mine you have hardly any room to spare in the kitchen! If that is the case, look for other spaces where you can make a little extra room like the laundry/utility room or maybe a corner in the garage. Just make sure it is accessible enough that you will not be deterred from using it.

2. Select your recycling containers. You will need to go to your local recycling center and check out what all they take and figure out how many bins you will need for sorted items. Remember, not all recyclables are created equal! Plastic items will have a number on the bottom and some recycling centers only take certain numbers (if you are wondering what those numbers mean, click here to find out). Best Green Home Tips shows some attractive recycling bins. I love this set of four recycling bags from Design Within Reach.

3. Make recycling easy. Involve the kids and put fun, easy to understand labels on your bins. Check out these free printable labels at Jinerup.

If your looking for more chic recycling labels, check the ones out at Poppytalk.

This is our home recycling center in our utility room. It's nothing fancy but it works! I like to keep the heaviest (paper) bin on the bottom. On the very top is a container that I put all of our used up batteries and printer cartridges in.

Meatless Monday- Avocado Hummus

2011-10-17T09:00:00.006-05:00

This is one of my favorite lunches to eat when I am at home. Usually Jimmy is the hummus maker in the family but I made this avocado hummus the other day and it was awesome!

Avocado Hummus
1 avocado, pitted and chopped
1 cup chick peas/garbanzo beans, drained
1 1/2 tsp. tahini paste
2 Tbs. plain greek yogurt
2 tsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp chili sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste

Throw everything into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy with raw organic vegetables, pita chips, or spread it on a sandwich. It's delicious however you eat it and so healthy for you!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

What happened to my newborn??

2011-10-15T19:14:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my baby River will be 3 months old in a couple of days!

Notice the drool. Now look very close at his bottom gums and you will see a white spot. A tooth!!! What happened to my newborn?? Time is going by way too fast :(

Pinterest Friday

2011-10-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

It's Pinterest Friday again! If you would like to follow me on Pinerest just click on the red Pinterest widget on the side of my blog. I didn't have time to do a lot of pinning this week but what I did find is pretty good :)

I LOVE snickerdoodles! They are definitely in the top three for my favorite types of cookies. Recipe Girl's pumpkin snickerdoodles look like a fun and tasty fall treat. I will definitely be making these soon!

I want to make these eco-friendly candles for Christmas gifts. Not saying I'll ever get around to it but it's a nice thought! You can check out the tutorial at Ruffled.

This cooler weather has me in the quilt making mood. I love this one from MiaDolce Originals.

And this one from Make Life Sweet.

The funniest thing I found on Pinterest this week would have to be this picture! I know the language is a bit offensive to some people but the words go perfect with the look on the dog's face and I still laugh when I look at it :)

quote of the day and more on unschooling

2011-10-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

“Children do not need to be made to learn to be better, told what to do or shown how. If they are given access to enough of the world, they will see clearly enough what things are truly important to themselves and to others, and they will make for themselves a better path into that world then anyone else could make for them” ~John Holt

We had a beautiful day at the park today playing and going on a nature walk with our homeschool friends. I'm so thankful for days like this. Days without schedules. Picnics in the park. Hanging out with like-minded friends. Swinging. Exploring. Being there to enjoy life's moments with my boys :)

Meatless Monday- Quinoa Burgers w/ Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

2011-10-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

Quinoa Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Quinoa burgers from Eating Well Living Thin
Ingredients
2 rounded cups cooked quinoa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Colby Jack because that's what I had in my fridge)
1 medium carrot finely grated or 1 cup grated zucchini, squeezed
3 eggs
3 Tbs all-purpose flour (you may need to add a little more if they will not hold together, I did)
2 green onions, sliced, including white parts
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Olive oil for frying

Directions
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for the olive oil. Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Make 1/2 inch thick patties from about 1/4 cup of the quinoa mixture- they will be sticky! Fry about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

While the looks of my patties paled in comparison to the gorgeous burgers at Eating Well Living Thin, they were still pretty good! I sliced up some avocado and drizzled Sriracha hot chili sauce over mine. I almost always have plain greek yogurt in the fridge because we use it in place of sour cream but I was out when I made these. They would have been awesome with a scoop of that on top! The next time I make these I will add more cumin and garlic powder for more flavor.

Roasted garlic cauliflower from allrecipes.com.
Ingredients
2 Tbs minced garlic
3 Tbs olive oil
1 large head of cauliflower, separated into flowerets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs minced fresh parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix all ingredients in a large casserole dish (allrecipes says to do this in a large resealable bag but I think it's unnecessary and wasteful). Place casserole dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes (maybe longer if you want them a little more tender) stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan and parsley. Broil 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Click here to where I'll be linking up today.

Glimpses of the new house

2011-10-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

We hung sheet rock in the new house today. I learned that a 12 foot piece of sheet rock is WAY heavier than you would think! I like the hard work though, hopefully it will help me shed this baby weight! I'm just glad I'm not pregnant anymore and I can finally start helping Jimmy build the house. He has pretty much done everything himself with a little help from our friends.

This is looking down the front of the house from the living room to what will soon be our kitchen, it will all be completely open. We are keeping the beautiful gray concrete floors.

This is the hallway which separates the living area from the bedrooms and bathrooms.

His and hers master closet, yes please! I can't wait to have more than three feet of closet space to myself!

The boys have already claimed their rooms.

The makeshift nursery.

The two littles hanging out at the new house while we worked today.

quote of the day and more on unschooling

2011-10-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

"Everything you've been taught is someone else's thought... Go ahead and create your own."

I found this quote today but it didn't say who it was by. I was thinking about how true this is and how unschooling opens up an environment for children to constantly create their own thoughts. Yes, it's important to explore other peoples' thoughts and ideas but it's more important to create your own. With unschooling there is so much freedom to think.

I see it in Jude, the unhindered ability to come up with his own ideas and think outside the box. For instance, we just had a book fest with our unschooling group where the kids were encouraged to come up with some sort of little project to tell the other kids what their favorite book is. I asked Jude what he wanted to do. His first idea was to make his own book to show the other children, which he proceeded to tell me about in a very long drawn out daydreamy kind of way. When I was in school I would never have thought to make my own book. I would have done exactly what the teacher said to do in a way that would please him or her so that I would get a good grade.

The ease at which Jude can come up with creative ideas and different ways of doing things always amazes me. I wonder if I was once that way as a child, if years of public school and following directions just took it out of me. I'm just now, in my late twenties, beginning to realize that I don't have to do things according to other people's expectations.

Our world is changing. We need to be raising children who can think creatively and solve problems. Life does not have multiple choice answers so why should education?

Reeses-Stuffed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-07T11:00:00.006-05:00

Yes you read it right, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies stuffed with Reeses Cups!!! Go ahead, wipe the drool off your mouth now and scroll down to see how to make these sinful little (or I should say BIG) treats.

The Crazy cooking Challenge this month over at Mom's Crazy Cooking is chocolate chip cookies. I was a little bummed at first because my own recipe makes some pretty awesome chocolate chip cookies and I thought it was going to be hard finding another recipe on someone's blog that could stand up against mine. I was SO happy when I found this recipe at Recipe Girl! It is a totally different spin on chocolate chip cookies and come on, how can you resist a cookie with a yummy surprise in the middle??

Reeses-Stuffed Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
12-16 full-sized Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together first 4 ingredients. Add egg and and continues to mix until light and fluffy.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to wet mixture and stir together just until ingredients are incorporated. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
4. Plan for baking 6-8 cookies per large cookie sheet. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and place it on your cookie sheet.

Use a sugared fork to make a criss-cross on the top of the dough to smash it down a bit. Top with a Reeses Cup.

Top with another heaping tablespoon of dough.

Use a sugared fork to criss-cross the top making sure the dough covers most of the PB cup. Put a few extra chocolate chips on top to make it look pretty once baked.

5. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and almost set. Cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.

This recipe made 16 cookies for me. Recipe Girl says that these cookies freeze well.

I should warn you, do not make these cookies unless you have a big glass of milk to wash them down because they are rich! Please don't forget to vote for your favorite chocolate chip cookies recipe below :)

If you like this recipe please vote for me below, I'm number 4 :)

Pinterest Friday

2011-10-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

Already Friday again!?!? Here are my favorite Pinterest finds this week.

These Post-it Note presents from Paper Wings are so cute and such a clever idea!

Learn how to do three different embroidery stitches at The Purl Bee.

I LOVE this craft, the possibilities are endless! Check out the tutorial at Ucreate.

I will be making this pesto vegetarian lasagna very soon! Check out the recipe at bethenny.com.

These pumpkin pillows from Kraft Foods look dangerously good! The worst part is that I have everything in my fridge right now to make these :)

Thanks for reading Pinterest Friday and if you would like to follow me on Pinterest just click on the red Pinterest widget on the right side of my blog page :)

Pumpkin Ginger Muffins

2011-09-30T15:41:00.000-05:00

These muffins were so moist and yummy! The recipe is adapted from a Pumpkin Ginger Cupcake recipe at allrecipes.com.

Pumpkin Ginger Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant butterscotch pudding mix
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup finely chopped crystalized ginger

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin cups.

Whisk together first 10 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each one. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated. Pour into prepared muffin cups.

Bake about 20 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then cool completely on wire rack.

You could top these with a cream cheese icing but they are so good they don't really need it. I garnished mine with some big slices of the crystalized ginger. I made the original recipe a little healthier by using half whole wheat flour and by using applesauce in place of half of the butter. Next time I make these I think I will cut the sugar down by half a cup as well. They are plenty sweet and perfect for fall :)

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Pinterest Friday

2011-09-30T14:36:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh, where has the time gone??? Last week we were so busy with homeschool field trips, park days, and play dates that I didn't have a chance to do Pinterest Friday. This week I've been busy cooking my butt off because I got a new cookbook about cooking lots of food at once and freezing it so you always have meals in the freezer. I'll be sharing more about my freezer meals later! Anyway I just sat down at my computer today and it dawned on me that it's already Friday again. Since I haven't had time to do any pinning this week I'll just share some of my past favorites.

These quilted patchwork bibs are adorable from Sew She Sews.

I love felt! These ornaments from Bugs and Fishes look super easy to make and are so cute!

I've been making lots of stuff with cheese tortellini lately. This recipe from Turbo Chef looks quick, easy, and tasty.

Speaking of freezer meals, Simple Organized Living has a great post about which foods are freezable.

And I have to throw this one in here :)

Have a great Friday!

Cloth diaper wipe solution

2011-09-25T11:20:00.000-05:00

We have used cloth diapers with all three of our boys but have always used disposable wipes (chlorine and alcohol free of course). Our newest little baby River gets an irritated bottom when we use disposable wipes so we have been using cloth wipes (baby washcloths) and a homemade diaper wipe solution.

Here is the recipe I used.
1 Tbs. apricot oil (almond or olive oil would also work)
1 Tbs. liquid castile soap (I used Dr. Bronner's)
2 drops tea tree essential oil
1 drop lavender essential oil
1 cup water

Add the oils to the water then stir in soap. I store my solution in a container and dip my cloths wipes in it as needed. You could also put it in a spray bottle and spray your wipes. The solution needs to be changed weekly so it doesn't get musty or mildewy.

Here is a great website for lots of different cloth wipe solution recipes, http://www.zany-zebra.com/cloth-wipe-solution.shtml.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

quote of the day

2011-09-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule. ~Frederick W. Robertson

My boys have enough eyelashes for 10 people!

My little goldy locks :)

I LOVE these pictures of the boys playing in the sandbox.

Yay! My heirloom winter squash seedlings have sprouted!!!

quote of the day and more on unschooling

2011-09-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

“All I am saying can be summed up in two words: Trust Children. Nothing could be more simple, or more difficult. Difficult because to trust children we must first learn to trust ourselves, and most of us were taught as children that we could not be trusted.” - John Holt

Another beautiful day at home! Okay I admit, not every moment was entirely beautiful (like the meltdowns over sharing and when Jude threw Lennon out of the back of their battery powered car into a mud puddle) but for the most part it was a nice day :)

I love these beautiful boys :)

Meatless Monday

2011-09-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

It's Meatless Monday again! Here is a light and healthy meal with recipes adapted from the Holistic Moms Network cookbook called Many Paths, One Journey to Health.

Grilled Cheese with Spinach and Tomato Sauce
2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz.) crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 lb. spinach, stems removed and leaves shredded

8 thin slices of bread
4 slices of fresh mozzarella
4 slices of provolone

Cook onions in 2 Tbs of oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, salt, and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add spinach and simmer for about 5 minutes longer or until spinach wilts and sauce thickens. Cover and keep warm.

Assemble grilled cheese sandwiches and cook in a little bit of butter or olive oil on each side until browned.

Use spinach and tomato sauce for dipping or simply pour it over your sandwich and eat it with a fork!

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
3-4 sweet potatoes or yams, sliced into fries
1 Tbs. olive oil or toasted sesame oil
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. maple syrup
2 tsp. cinnamon
Coarse sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put sliced potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle on the rest of the ingredients and toss until evenly coated. Spread out coated fries in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes tossing every 10 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your fries.

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Pinterest Friday

2011-09-16T08:00:00.024-05:00

Like I've said before, I love Pinterest! I become totally entranced, my eyes glaze over staring at the computer screen and I find myself slouching in my chair, scrolling though all the awesomeness forgetting about the laundry that needs to be folded in the other room! It's a nice mental vacation from all the chaos in my house :) I've decided to start sharing with you my favorite pins each week. Hope you enjoy!

I love this idea for kids' jeans from Beneath the Rowan Tree.

I totally need to make on of these activity boards for my 2 year old who will not play with regular toys. Check it out at lilla a Design.

This is such a cool idea and a great tutorial at Hope Studios.

I can't wait to try these Nutella Cheesecake Pumpkin Muffins from My Name is Snickerdoodle. Yummy!

This bib from Inktastic made me laugh :)

I need one of these signs in my house! Wood signs from Sawdust City.

So these are just a few of my favorite pins from the last week. I'll be back next Friday with some more fantastic finds!

Meatless Monday- Cheese Tortellini with Toasted Walnuts

2011-09-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

I did a post last week at Women Who Do It All about eating less meat. Basically, Americans are eating about 5 times more meat than we were 50 years ago and it's harming our environment. Waterways are being polluted with animal waste from factory farms. Livestock produce a tremendous amount of greenhouse gas and use a substantial amount of our water supply. Deforestation is also occuring in tropical areas to make room for grain production to feed livestock. If you are not eating locally raised meat then chances are your meat has traveled to you from an average of 1,500 miles away which also results in more greenhouse gases.

Like Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." So what can you do to help? Just REDUCE your meat consumption. Throw a few meat free meals into your menu each week. When a recipe calls for meat, reduce it by half or a third. Eat locally raised meat. Every Monday I will be sharing a meat free recipe with you so stay tuned :)

This Monday I have a delicious pasta recipe for you that even my husband, who happens to think everything "needs more meat," loved!

Cheese Tortellini with Toasted Walnuts

Ingredients
1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
5 Tbs. butter
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/3 cup toasted walnuts (to toast, spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 7-8 minutes)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Coarsely ground pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

Directions
Cook tortellini according to package directions. In the meantime, sauté minced garlic in 1 Tbs of the butter until slightly browned. Turn off heat and add remaining butter to melt. Drain pasta when done and return to pan. Add butter and garlic mixture, fresh parsley and toasted walnuts. Top with Parmesan and coarsely ground pepper or red pepper flakes.

This recipe only makes 3 servings so if you have a large family then I recommend doubling it. I wish we would have had leftovers!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

New recipes page!

2011-09-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

I redid my Recipes page so go check it out! Now there are links and pictures for all of my recipes :)

Blueberry Squash Bread

2011-09-11T12:30:00.003-05:00

This bread was SO good! The recipe makes two loaves so we ate one right away and froze the other. We (okay I) devoured the one that had been frozen a couple of days ago and I think it was better than the fresh one! The picture is actually of the one that had been in the freezer.

Blueberry Squash Bread

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 cup of oil (I used coconut)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups yellow squash, peeled and grated
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pint blueberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Mix in oil applesauce, sugar, and vanilla and cream until well mixed. Stir in yellow squash. Mix together dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredient mixture and beat until well mixed. Gently stir in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake for about on hour. You might take it out a little early and check the center with a toothpick. It should come out clean. I can't remember exactly how long I baked mine but I've been known to take things out a little early because I like my baked goods super moist :)

When I freeze homemade bread I wrap the loaf in plastic wrap then put it in a gallon size baggie to prevent freezer burn. When I take it out of the freezer, I put the baggie back in the pantry and reuse it since it's not dirty. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Click here to see where I'll be linking up today.

Love this weather!

2011-09-07T19:30:00.001-05:00

Oh my gosh, after almost 70 days of 100 degree or more weather these last few days of 80s have felt like P~A~R~A~D~I~S~E! Yes that was me singing the word paradise, be glad you weren't here :) Anyway, we have been spending SO much more time outside. I just wanted to share some photos of my handsome boys that I took last night.

And of course I couldn't leave out my newest little man :)

Italian Mac & Cheese

2011-09-07T14:00:00.020-05:00

I'm doing a cooking challenge over at Mom's Crazy Cooking each month that I'm really excited about! This month's theme is mac and cheese. We have to go out into the blog world in search of a recipe then make it and blog about it. I chose an Italian mac and cheese recipe from Food Blogga.

I feel like mine should be called "the poor girls Italian mac and cheese" because I had to make a few adjustments. I calculated that it would have cost me between $25 and $30 to make this based on the original recipe which is little out of my budget for one dish! First off I couldn't find Fontiago cheese anywhere. I found Asiago and Fontina but not the hybrid. The Fontina was almost $13 for half a pound so I went with a less expensive Havarti which was around $5. The pancetta would have cost around $9 so I chose smoked bacon instead. I changed some other things too as you will see when you compare the two recipes. Here is my version of the Italian mac and cheese.

Ingredients
8 oz. diced smoked bacon
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic salt with herbs (I use Simply Organic spices)
2 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 pound whole grain pasta shells
1 stick of butter
6 Tbs. flour
6 cups whole milk (I use raw milk with the cream)
8 oz. Havarti cheese, grated
6 oz. grated Asiago, Romano, Parmesan blend
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
dash of salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, thinly sliced
6 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9 inch cooking dish.

In salted water, cook pasta two minutes less than what it says on the box. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Drain pasta but do not rinse. Transfer to a large bowl.

Mix bread crumbs, garlic salt, and olive oil in a bowl with your fingertips. Set aside.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Set aside. Drain skillet. Add butter and melt over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Gradually add milk stirring continuously until it reaches a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for thee minutes or until thick and bubbly. Turn off heat and stir in the cooked bacon, the Havarti cheese, the 3 cheese blend, red papper, salt and pepper, and the fresh herbs.

Pour sauce mixture over pasta and stir until pasta is evenly coated. Pour into prepared baking sich and top with Parmesan and breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it's golden brown and bubbly around the edges.

Enjoy! Check out the linky party below to vote for your favorite Mac and Cheese recipe, I'm #15 if you want to vote for me :)

This would have went a lot faster with two people cooking. Of course my baby woke up right when I was in the middle of making this! Luckily my six year old was there to keep stirring the sauce while I changed the baby's diaper and being the talented lady that I am, I was able to nurse my sweet little 6 week old baby while I finished the sauce :)

Blogging at WWDIA today

2011-09-06T15:35:00.000-05:00

I'm over at Women Who Do It All today so go check it out :)

Green gift wrap idea

2011-09-01T14:37:00.001-05:00

I needed a quick gift wrap idea for two children's birthday presents recently. Call me cheap but I don't like spending $4 on a gift bag or wasting cute wrapping paper on a child's gift when they really don't care if it's wrapped at all. So I did the green thing and used what I already had lying around the craft room. The brown paper is from paper sacks from the health food store. Yes, I do use reusable bags but it never fails I only take a couple in the store because I don't need much and I end up buying way more than I intended! The yarn was left over from another craft project and the embellishments are from scrapbook paper packs. Quick, easy, and cute... just the way I like it!

Reduce, reuse, recycle :)

Click here to where I'll be linking up today.

My VBA2C video!

2011-08-30T08:13:00.001-05:00

Please feel free to share my video. Our VBAC voices need to be heard and it's time people recognize that VBAC is a safe option even for women with more that one cesarean.