Happy Mother's Day!

I love being a mommy to these two. I've had a few different jobs in my life and this, by far, is the best of them all :) 

Spring in full swing!

Playing outside all the time! 

Wagon rides. 

Transplanting tomatoes to buckets outside. 

And someone got braces ;) 

Grand Opening of our new West Pasco Library

We first saw flyers for this new library branch when I was pregnant with Bentley. So, for over a year we have been eagerly awaiting this day.

And it's finally here!!!!

Ribbon cutting ceremony was at 10 am. We showed up at 9:30. This is how excited we were!

Miss Washington was there for the event, along with a Dora, and some very talented local musicians. They served refreshments and had everyone put their name in for a drawing for a trip to Disneyland.

It was a grand time for all.

There was a great turn out for this event. People everywhere! Once the doors opened and we made it inside we quickly found some books and found a chair to sit and read.

I LOVE the smell and feel of brand new, crisp books!

We are looking forward to spending lots of time at this library!

Just life

What has our family been doing lately?

I will start with the man of the house. The poor guy is starting the busy season in farming with a bang. 14-16 hour days, 6 days a week :( His family misses him greatly! Sunday's just aren't enough time.

Destiny has been busy too since the weather has warmed up. She spends a lot of time outdoors with friends around the neighborhood. She recently found out she needs braces. She is at the age that it sounds like something cool to have, but she is aware of the pain that comes with them. She's not looking forward to that!

Bentley. What can I say about him? All boy!!! The child never stops. He's getting his fair share of bumps, scrapes, and bruises. And I think he may be missing daddy a lil more than the rest of us. Time with daddy is crucial for little boys, especially ornery ones ;)

And me, well I just try to keep up with everybody :) Never ending laundry, packing lunches, fixing dinners, bandaging and kissing boo boos, and the list continues. I wouldn't change it for anything though!

This is my fairytale. No, not perfect. Far from it actually. But oh so perfect for me and my family :)

Parenting

Parenting is thee hardest job you will ever have.

I'm struggling with the job a lot lately as I try to properly raise a toddler and a preteen.

What is proper anyway? I constantly feel like I'm screwing it up. BIG time! Today is one of those days I just want to lock myself in my room, away from it all.

How will I survive the hardest job ever?

Prayer. Lots of prayer. At this point it's the only thing getting me through the next hour.

Sorry guys. I guess I just needed to vent. And I know most of you are parents too, and more than likely understanding where I'm coming from.

I'm off to bake and clean now (my therapy), and screw up more parenting...

Spring has sprung!

After Bentley drank some Jet Dry and attempted to eat hairspray this morning I decided it was time to get him out of he house and enjoy this beautiful spring weather outside.

We played ball.

Chased kitties (the kitties weren't liking that game so well)

Collected rocks in our fire truck.

Ate rocks (or at least chewed on them).

Tortured the kitties some more.

And finally came inside to get out of he landscapers way and watch him from the window.

So glad weather is permitting outside play for this boys personality that is WAY to big to be confined inside a house!

A child after his mama's heart

Will he have a love and desire for working in the kitchen like his Mama?

Sure looks that way right now!

What I've been up to

I've really got into this crochet hobby. It's quite relaxing and satisfactory when you complete something.

Here are some of the goodies I have been making up for my nephew Zaiden, expected to arrive in June.

And then a few hats for my sweet nieces.

Homemade Grahams and Yogurt

This past week I've gotten brave and tried a couple new homemade treats. Graham crackers and yogurt.

In one week I've made 2 batches of graham crackers and about to make another, so I say that one was a winner with the family.

The yogurt I just made yesterday and since its a whole day process the kids and I are trying it for the first time this morning. I've already decided I don't think I'll ever buy yogurt again. It's so creamy and yummy. And we are having blueberry pomegranate. Have you ever been able to buy that flavor?

Crockpot Yogurt

Turn your crockpot on low with the lid on and leave sit while you prepare the yogurt.

1/2 gallon skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 heaping tablespoons unflavored gelatin

Whisk all together in a pot and heat, stirring constantly, until temperature reaches 180-190*. Immediately set the pot into a ice bath (I dumped ice in my kitchen sink and added water until it would reach the top of the pot) and cool to 112-120*.

Whisk in 1/4 cup plain yogurt.

Turn off and unplug your crockpot. Pour yogurt into crockpot and put lid on and do not touch for 6-8 hours.

After 6-8 hours you can then reserve 1/4 cup plain yogurt for your next batch. Then add 1 12oz can frozen 100% juice concentrate and mix well. Refrigerate.

Homemade Graham Crackers

1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cup graham or whole wheat flour (I used ww and thought they tasted just fine and a lot like graham and not ww crackers)
1teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter cut in pieces
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses (I used pure maple syrup)
1/4 cup water (recipe says you may need more. I never did)

In food processor combine flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Pulse a few times. Add butter and pulse until crumbly. In separate bowl mix honey, molasses, and water. Add to food processor and blend until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350*. Roll out the dough on well floured surface. Roll to 1/4" thickness and cut with cookie cutters or into rectangles. Make fork marks in the dough and transfer to a greased cookie sheet. You can now sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if you wish. Bake for 11-14 minutes until golden and crisp.

And here I'm going to include my pancake recipe just for Amanda ;)

Delicious Pancakes
(That's really what they are called in my cookbook) :)

1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk (this is where I used half pure maple)
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon baking powder

Beat eggs slightly; sift dry ingredients. Add margarine and milk to eggs. Add dry ingredients. Beat only until all flour is mixed in. Batter should be lumpy. Do not over mix. Bake on hot griddle.

Pancake experiment gone... Beautifully good!

I had a idea this morning.

Me having ideas doesn't alway turn out for the best. Lets just leave it at that.

But this time. This time it was marvelous.

Both of my children love pancakes. Like uber lots. Would eat them every morning if their mom wasn't a lazy mom and threw cereal and milk at them more than not.

I usually make a batch of pancakes and freeze them individually so at least the oldest of the two can help herself whenever she feels like a pancake. While I'm preparing to make this jumbo batch this morning that's when the idea hit me. Replace half of the liquid (milk) with pure maple syrup!

Genius!

Now I can even send a pancake or two in Destiny's lunchbox and she can still have the sweet syrupy flavor without the sticky mess at school! And since Bentley always gets cheated out of syrup on his pancakes (because I refuse to deal with that mess) he now can taste the sweetness of maple on his pancakes (mess free). And it's healthy!! (Best part)

I tried one out on B this morning and I'm pretty sure it disappeared faster than normal.

This is what my sweet idea looks like. A light, fluffy, slightly sweet pancake. Absolutely good enough to eat as is, without added butter and syrup

March menu madness

Woohoo! I have another month of menus planned. Such a relief to get that checked off the to-do list. It always looks so big towards the end of the month and hangs over my head for about a week until I get the job done.

This time I will just list our menu for the whole month of March and if something peeks your interest you can request the recipe from me. Otherwise I will not be posting the recipes.

Here goes

Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake
Chicken Taco Chili
Crockpot Pizza Casserole
No Dough Pizza
Creamy Italian Chicken
Taco Casserole
Meatloaf and Rosemary Potatoes
White Chicken Chili w/ Cornbread
Corn dog Casserole
Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
Pork chop Potato Dinner
Chicken Manicotti
Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
Burrito Bake
Chicken Pie
Chicken Roll Up Casserole
Loaded Baked Potatoes
Hot Chicken Salad
Sloppy Joes
Loaded Baked Potato Chicken Casserole
Taco Bake
No Peek Beef Tips w/ noodles
Herb and Chicken Casserole
Chili Chicken
Crockpot Lasagna
Chicken Hot Dish
Wicked Good and Easy Pork chops
Breakfast Enchiladas
Stuffing and Chicken in Crockpot
Cornbread Chicken Potpie

Whew!

I've got my grocery list already to go for Saturday and I stalked Sunday's paper for some good coupons. Bring it on!

Recipe overload

And here is a whole slew of recipes we've tried this past week and liked.

I've even been brave enough to serve some of them to company even though we had never tried them before either.

I got all good, positive feed back!

Chicken Tortilla Bake
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes (or tomatoes with chilis)
12 6" flour tortillas, cut in bite size pieces
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 cup shredded cheese of choice

Combine the cream of chicken soup and tomatoes and mix well. Place 1/3 of the cut up tortillas in the bottom of a greased 3 quart casserole dish. Place 1/2 of the chicken on top of tortillas, and then 1/2 of the soup mixture on top of chicken. Repeat the layers once more and then one more final layer of tortilla pieces. Cover and bake at 350* for 40 minutes. Uncover and top with cheese bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Cilantro Lime Chicken in the Crockpot
1.5 lbs chicken breast
Juice from 2 limes
1/4 dried cilantro
1 can black beans
1 16 oz bag frozen corn
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 of a onion chopped
1 teaspoon cumin

Marinate all ingredients in a gallon size ziplock bag for a few hours or overnight. Put all in crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Serve on tortillas with sour cream and salsa

Taco Casserole
1 lb ground turkey
1 16 oz can refried beans
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 16 oz jar salsa
2.5 cups broken tortilla chips
1/4 cup chopped olives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped onion, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa for toppings

Preheat oven to 350*. Brown turkey; drain. Stir in refried beans, salsa, and taco seasoning. Heat until boiling. In a ungreased 2 quart casserole dish place 2 cups of broken chips. Top with meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese and olives. Bake uncovered for 20-30 min until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with chips, onion, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and salsa for toppings.

Loaded Baked Potato Chicken Casserole
2 lbs chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup olive oil
10-12 small red potatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 475*. In a large bowl mix together olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add the potatoes and toss to coat well with olive oil mixture. Place the potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish, leaving as much of the olive oil behind as possible. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour, flipping with a fork every so often and checking for doneness with a fork. While potatoes are baking coat the chicken with remaining olive oil mixture and cook in a skillet until done. Once the potatoes are done remove them from the oven and turn the temp down to 400*. Add the chicken, bacon, onion, and cheese to the potatoes and bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and/or ranch.

These were all great meals! I've got several meals from this month on next months menu already :) today I have pizza casserole in the crockpot for lunch. Yummy!

Garage organization!

Have you seen the pin on Pinterest with the plastic tote storage on the garage ceiling? It's amazing! I pinned it so long ago but have been thinking about doing it since.

Well, my husband REALLY dislikes carpentry or ANY wood working. Major bummer for me and all my DIY pins!

Lucky me though, my father in-law came to town for a few weeks and he is master carpenter! I hated to even mention it to him but my husband wasn't so shy. And my FIL loved the idea! He even thought it would be.... fun. (did I mention he loves carpentry?)

So all I did was show him a picture of what I had in mind. He took some measurements and off he went to Lowes. He returned and a few short hours later I was sliding my storage totes onto my garage ceiling! Ahh, I love it so much!!

Now, a garage sale and maybe Craigslist for all that other "stuff" out there...

Busy Busy Week!

What a week! I haven't been keeping up on my Pinterest meals because my parent in-laws are here for 2 weeks and my birthday and Valentine's Day this past week caused a couple spur the moment dinners away from home.

Can you believe I've only actually cooked 2 meals this week?? Crazy! Crazy on the pocketbook too. Yikes! And tonight is another night out...

So, my birthday was Tuesday and Valentines day was Thursday. Double whammy for the poor hubby! He did good though :) I was surprised with a iPhone 5 for my birthday and I get to go shopping for a new kitchen table set for Valentines. And I did not have to cook or clean a kitchen either of those evenings. Kudos to Joel!

The two meals I did cook this week? Hawaiian chicken in the crockpot and Italian sub bake. Both were winners for my family. We had done something similar to the Hawaiian chicken before but not exactly. This recipe was wayyy easier and still delish.

I'll post the recipes here quick but I failed on taking pics :( you can find pics and recipes on my Pinterest board Food Ideas I Want To Try.

Hawaiian Chicken in the Crockpot

Put 3 chicken breast in crockpot. Cover with BBQ sauce of your choice. Pour a can of drained pineapple chunks over all. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Done! We served over noodles. Rice would work too (Joel does not do rice. Any rice!)

Italian Sub Bake

1 tube refrigerator crescent roll dough
Package of deli turkey
Package of deli ham
Package of deli salami
8 slices Swiss cheese
2-3 egg whites
Salt and pepper

Divide dough I'm half along perforated line. Press half of dough in bottom of square baking dish. Layer half turkey, ham, salami, and cheese on top. Whisk egg whites with salt and pepper. Drizzle half the egg whites over cheese. Layer rest of turkey, ham, salami, and cheese. Press 2nd half of dough on top and drizzle remaining egg whites over dough. Bake covered at 350* for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 20 minutes until browned. Cut into 4-6 servings. Enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

A heart shaped braid for school Valentines party and 2 of my 3 Valentines <3

Zucchini Lasagna - Pinterest Meal #7

Zucchini Lasagna.... Eh, this wasn't a favorite. I thought it was ok, my family definitely wasn't a big fan, and I got asked to please not make it again (very nicely!) :)
I think it was the zucchini slices in place of lasagna noodles that we didn't care for.

Zucchini Lasagna

5 Medium Zucchini
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped cauliflower
2 cups chopped spinach
2 cups cottage cheese
2 teaspoon garlic powder
Seasoning salt/pepper to taste
25 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup parm. cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425*. Slice zucchini longways into 1/8" slices. Lay on cookie sheet and bake 10 min, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and turn oven down to 375*.
Brown turkey. Add chopped veggies and seasonings. Cook until veggies are just tender. Add whole jar of spaghetti sauce and simmer 10 min longer.
Mix cottage cheese and parm cheese together.
In a greased 9x13 layer meat sauce, zucchini slices, and cottage cheese mixture twice, and then do one more layer of meat sauce and zucchini slices but not cottage cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese.
Cover and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer

Pinterest Meal #6

We've almost made it a week of all new, never tried before, Pinterest meals now and we haven't had to use pizza huts number on speed dial once! And I think every meal so far we've agreed we would want it again. Tonight's menu was Weight Watchers Burrito Bake with a side of Fire Roasted Veggies. I picked up the veggies at Costco, so nothing new or impressive there, although they are very tasty! Joel is already asking me to put the Burrito Bake on next months menu, it was THAT good. And very budget friendly too.

Weight Watchers Burrito Bake

1 pound ground beef (turkey)
1 package taco seasoning (low sodium)
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 Cup water
1 can fat free refried beans
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the taco seasoning and the water called for on the taco seasoning packet; simmer. While taco meat is simmering, mix the Bisquick with the 1/2 cup water. Add the refried beans; mix well. Spread in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Layer taco meat on top of bean mixture. Top the taco meat with both cheeses. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

Dinner is served!

Pinterest meal #3,4, and 5!

Ok, I'm slacking major with my Pinterest meal reports! So here I am playing catch up. Pictures at bottom will be in following order: Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake, Pizza Muffins and Baked pickles, southwest chicken cornbread salad.

First up, Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake. Verdict? We liked it! So here's the recipe so you may impress your family with this dish :)

Chicken Spinach Past Bake
8 oz Rigatoni
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 10 oz pkg frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt / 1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 14 oz can Italian diced tomatoes
1 8 oz tub chive and onion cream cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Prepare rigatoni according to package. Cook onions in oil, just until tender. Transfer onion to large mixing bowl. Drain spinach well, pressing between paper towel, add to bowl with onions. Add chicken, rigatoni, salt/pepper, tomatoes, and cream cheese to bowl; stir well. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake covered for 30 min and 375*. Uncover and bake additional 15 min. Enjoy!

Meal #4. Stuffed pizza muffins and baked "fried" pickle slices. These were both bomb!! Yum, yum, yum!!

Stuffed Pizza Muffins

1 tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough
Pizza sauce
Pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese

Roll out dough. Spread even, thin layer of sauce. Top with pepperoni and cheese. Roll up into a long log. Slice into four slices. Place each slice in a muffin tim. Bake at 350* for 20 min. (I added some olives to ours!)

I'm just posting the link to the Baked "Fried" Pickles. Here it is! http://www.thevanillatulip.com/2011/11/cilantro-garlic-ranch-fried-pickles-and.html?m=1

Meal #5 Southwest Chicken and Cornbread salad. We are having this tonight, so I can give a review, but it looks delish sitting in my fridge!

6 cornbread muffins, crumbled
1 sm can sliced olives, drained
1 16 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 11 oz can whole kernel corn
1 cup spicy ranch (I made my own by adding Cajun seasoning to a bottle of ranch)
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 cooked, diced chicken breast
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In large, clear salad or trifle bowl layer half of the cornbread crumbs, followed by the olives, beans and corn. Top with half of the dressing. Layer peppers, chicken, onion, tomato, remaining cornbread crumbs and remaining dressing next. Top with the cheese. Refrigerate overnight or several hours.
I can't wait to try this tonight and let you all know how we liked it. I'm sure it's going to be another winner!

Crochet Childs Beanie

 

Here is a crochet pattern for a small child's size beanie. This pattern comes from the crochet book "Hats for Kids" that I picked up at our local Wal-Mart.

 

Size: Small {Large}

Fits Head Circumference:14{15.5}"

Size Note: Instructions are written for size Small with size Large in braces {}.

If only one number is given, it applies to both sizes.

 

Stitch Abbreviations and Guide:

sc = single crochet

dc = double crochet

slip st = slip stitch

ch = chain

To decrease: (uses 2 stitches) Pull up a loop in next 2 stitches, yarn over (YO) and draw through all 3 loops on hook (counts as 1 sc)

 

Materials:

Medium (4) Weight Yarn. A main color (MC) and a contrasting color (CC). 80{90} yards MC and 50{60} yards CC.

Crochet hook, size I (5.5 mm) or size needed for gauge.

 

Gauge:

Rounds 1-5 = 4.25"; 14 sc= 4"

 

 

With MC, ch 4; join with a slip st to form a ring.

 

Round 1: Ch 1, 10 sc in ring; join with a slip st to first sc: 10 sc

 

Round 2: Ch 1, 3 sc in same st, 2 sc in each sc around; join CC with slip st to first sc; do NOT cut MC: 21 sc

 

Round 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in same st, dc in next 2 sc, (2 sc in next sc, dc in next 2 sc) around; join MC with slip st to first sc; do NOT cut CC: 28 sts

 

Round 4: Ch 3 (counts as first dc, now and throughout), dc in next sc, 2 sc in next dc, sc in next dc, *dc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next dc, sc in next dc; repeat from * around; join CC with slip st to first dc; do NOT cut MC: 35 sts.

 

Round 5: Ch 1, 2 sc in same st, sc in next dc, dc in next 3 sc * 2 sc in next dc, sc in next dc, dc in next 3 sc;repeat from * around; join MC with slip st to first sc; do NOT cut CC: 42 sts.

 

 

Round 6: Ch 3, dc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next dc, sc in next 2 dc, * dc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next dc, sc in next 2 dc; repeat from * around; join CC with slip st to first dc; do NOT cut MC: 49 sts.

 

Round 7: Ch 1, 2 sc in same st, sc in next 2 dc, dc in next 4 sc * 2 sc in next dc, sc in next 2 dc, dc in next 4 sc; repeat from * around; join MC with slip st to first sc; do NOT cut CC: 56 sts.

 

Round 8: Ch 3, dc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in each of next 1{2} dc, sc in next 3{2} dc, * dc next 4 sc, 2 sc in each of next 1{2} dc, sc in next 3{2} dc; repeat from * around; join CC with slip st to first dc; do NOT cut MC: 63{70} sts.

 

Round 9: Ch 1, sc in same st and in next 3 dc, dc in next 5{6} sc, * sc in next 4 dc, dc in next 5{6} sc; repeat from * around; join MC with slip st to first sc; do NOT cut CC.

 

Round 10: Ch 3, dc in next 3 sc, sc in next 5{6} dc, * dc in next 4 sc, sc in next 5{6} dc; repeat from * around; join CC with a slip st to first dc; do NOT cut MC.

 

Rounds 11 thru 17{19}: Repeat rounds 9 and 10, 3{4} times; then repeat round 9 once more.

 

Cut CC.

 

Round 18{20}: Ch 3 dc in next 3 sc, sc in next 5[6] dc, * dc in next 4 sc, sc in next 5{6} dc; repeat from * around; join with a slip st to first dc.

 

Round 19{21}: Ch 1, sc in same st and in next 4 sts, decrease, (sc in next 5 sts, decrease) around; join with a slip st to first sc: 54{60} sts.

 

Round 20{22}: Ch 1, sc in same st and next 7 sc, decrease, * sc in next 9{8} sc, decrease; repeat from * around; join with a slip st to first sc: 49{54} sts.

 

Rounds 21{23} thru 23{25} (band): Ch 1, sc in same st and in each sc around; join with a slip st to first sc.

 

Finish off

 

I added the flower on the band from a different pattern found on Pinterest. I've also made bows or hearts to add to the band; or just leave plain.

Pinterest Meal #2

I forgot to post about our second night of Pinterest meals last night because I was so busy making this:

I crocheted a hat for Caroline. I also made two others for Felicity and Mattie's doll's, Felicity and Kit.
Anyway, back to our Pinterest meal last night. Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili. YUMMO! It is exactly what it sounds like. A cross between chili and taco soup, with chicken instead of ground beef. Top with some cheese, corn chips, and sour cream and we were in heaven!

                                              Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

1 onion
1 16 oz can black beans
1 16 oz can kidney beans
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
10 oz frozen corn
2 14 oz cans Rotel tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 Tablespoon cumin
Mix these ingredients together in the crockpot. Lay 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast on top. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. A half hour before serving shred chicken and return to crockpot. I added about a cup of chicken broth here, to make it more soupy. Top with cheese, corn chips, and sour cream when served.

This recipe made mucho tons! We even had 2 extra little girls here and I still had enough leftover to fill a gallon bag and put in freezer for another meal for our family.