Christmas 2011

We had a great Christmas! It is so fun to spend the day with family! We gave Dieter a train table and Samantha a bear. We came home with a car load of gifts last night. I need to find room in my house!

Momma's Farmhouse Apron

Okay, I have really neglected this blog! I am having another giveaway over at Raising Dieter...

Sweet Charli Giveaway!

Enter to win an adorable vintage dress from Sweet Charli over at Raising Dieter. I hope to see you over there!

Mrs. Jones Soapbox Giveaway

Looking for all natural cleaning supplies? I have been using Mrs. Soapbox Cleaners and I love them. Visit Raising Dieter to enter the giveaway!!

Google Eyes

Dieter asked me to take this picture... He got these from my mom. I am amazed at how big he is getting! I am going to try to post daily on my new Raising Dieter Blog. Be sure to link on over there :) I'm still going to post family stuff on this blog but it won't be as often.

It's Ready (mostly)

Oh, and the one sad "like" is me! Tell your friends!

Who needs Halloween anyway?

Dieter's costume was adorable. I could never get him to wear it! He wouldn't even look at me for the picture. Samantha was a strawberry, cute! I hope every one enjoyed their Halloween!

Hurray for my sister!

She is letting me borrow her laptop. I need to save my monies to buy an ipad.

Garlic Italian Dressing

{Image from Beyond Wonderful}

Another great salad dressing! I got this one from a friend. This is my favorite salad dressing next to ranch.

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup Honey
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 large cloves of Garlic, crushed (1 clove for kids)

-Blend ingredients together
-Store in cupboard

Link Up
Moms Crazy Cooking
Today's Creative Blog
The Thrifty Home
Ask Anna
Keeping it Simple
C.R.A.F.T.
Skip to my Lou
The Girl Creative

Darn!

My computer is broken. Certain keys are sticking...

Pumpkin cookies

I made Dieter some pumpkin cookies. There not too sweet, but sweet enough to hit your sugar craving.

To cook a squash or pumpkin, put it whole into the oven. Cook on 350° for an hour or so. You should be able to poke your fork in easily when it's done. Then you can cut the squash and scoop out the seeds and stringy parts.

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350° and grease your cookie sheet.
Combine wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Combine dry ingredients in small bowl.
Blend or whisk dry ingredients into wet, making sure no lumps remain.
Let batter sit for a couple of minutes to thicken. Dough should be soft but hold its shape when scooped.
Bake 17-20 minutes. Cookies will be set and very lightly browned.

You can top with some cream cheese frosting.

1 package cream cheese, softened
honey to sweeten
vanilla extract

Blend cream cheese and honey. Let it cool in fridge before frosting.



Recipe adapted from Elana's Pantry

Check out this deal!!

I just bought 4 of them! I think they're adorable leggings! Happy Friday!

Groop Dealz

5 months Old

"Mantha" is 5 months old. Dieter says "Mantha" and it's kind of stuck. She loves to sit up on her own. She grabs at anything she can. She is very ticklish and her laugh melts my heart. She loves Dieter (sometimes I don't know why.) This past week she hasn't wanted to be set down (hopefully that passes.) She is such a calm, happy little girl. She is a little blessing to our home.

Another good one!

Gluten Free Granola

I made this granola yesterday. Dieter loves it! It's a great alternative if you can't have gluten (wheat,oats,rye,barley).

Granola

1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut flakes or shreds
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 Tbs vanilla extract (mine isn't ready yet)
1 cup dried fruit

-Preheat oven to 350°
-Mix all the ingredients, excluding dried fruit.
-Spread on cookie sheet.
-Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
-Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit.



Link Up

Todays Creative Blog
Chef in TrainingThe Thrifty Home
Someday Crafts
Domestically Speaking
Blue Cricket Design
Sew Much Ado
We Are That Family
Raising Homemakers
Beyond the Picket Fence
Handyman Crafty Woman
Lil Luna
Somewhat Simple
Beyond the Picket Fence
The Shabby Creek Cottage
House of Hepworths
The Diaper Diaries
Thrifty 101
Delightful Order

Mamma, I peed!

Yep....On my bed....On my pillow...I was still sleeping...I admire parents that never let kids in the bed! I haven't begun potty training yet. His diaper was just full! Good times! Happy Monday!

Here is a very, very delicious sugar cookie recipe! They are always soft and fluffy (I think it's the sour cream that does it). Anyway, I frost them with cream cheese frosting. Yum! I don't have a picture because then I would have to make them, and then I would have to eat them. All of them because Kimball is out of town...

Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

-Cream butter and sugar together. Then add vanilla, egg, and sour cream. Continue to mix until smooth.
-Add soda, salt, and half of the flour. Stir into above mixture and then slowly stir in remaining flour.
-Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
-Place on buttered cookie sheet (I use a stone) and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375° (My first couple of batches take around 12 minutes on the stone).

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

-Cream the softened cream cheese: blend with butter.
-Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well.

Lacto- Fermented Salsa

I found a recipe for Lacto-Fermented Salsa. You might be thinking, "What is that?" Lacto-fermented salsa will keep for weeks and even up to 6 months in the fridge. It has many health benefits; it is loaded with enzymes and probiotics (who doesn't need more of that?).

I found my recipe on Nourishingdays.com. I have a lot tomatoes and peppers so I tried some. I admit, I was a little skeptical keeping it on my counter to ferment. My first batch is finished and it is so good! Kimball asked me to make more so it will last all winter! I have four more quarts sitting on my counter as I type now.

Lacto-Fermented Salsa (makes 2 quarts of salsa)

1 large onion
3 small bell peppers, cored and cut into large chunks
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
2.5 pounds roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 cup whey
1/4-1/2 cup water

-Combine onion, bell peppers, garlic, and cilantro in food processor (I don't have a food processor so I chopped all of my ingredients.) Pulse 3-5 times. Add 1/3 of the tomatoes and pulse 2-3 times. Repeat with another one third of tomatoes, and finally the last of the tomatoes.
-Pour contents of food processor into large bowl. Add the lemon juice, sea salt, cayenne powder, and whey. Stir well and allow to sit a few minutes while you prep your containers.
-Wash two quart jars. Do the same for the food funnel and jar lids. Ladle salsa into jars, leaving 2-3 inches of head space. Add water to submerge the salsa.
-Close lid tightly and leave a room temperature for a few days, until bubbly and fermented. During this process the solid vegetables may separate from the liquid. Simply stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until redisbursed and submerged under the liquid. Transfer to cold storage. Should keep for months.



That is my breakfast this morning. Yum!!

I thought this was funny...

Cantaloupe Popsicles

Dieter has been asking for popsicles for a couple of weeks (popsicle season is about over). I usually make them out of our apple or grape juice that we press or steam. We have so many cantaloupe in our garden I decided to make it with them. I blended a cantaloupe and added a little bit of honey. If I had any lemons or limes I would have squeezed a little in. They taste delicious and are so creamy!

Yuck!

That is how I feel! I have spent the night and morning with my head in the toilet (sorry for the description). Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better...

Vodka Please!

Kimball: I am at the liquor store. What kind of Vodka do you want?
Shay: Uh, regular!
Kimball: There is no "regular". The wall is full of Vodka. Potato, wheat, all kinds of grains.
Shay: Uh, potato? I don't know!

That was mine and Kimball's conversation Saturday when I sent him to the state liquor store (Don't worry family. We have not started drinking). You see, I found a recipe to make my own vanilla extract. I had know idea real extract had alcohol in it (not your imitation stuff. Check your labels). Anyway, Kimball bought me wheat and potato vodka and I am using the wheat vodka now (I liked the bottle better). Three months from now it will be ready...

Vanilla Extract

6 Vanilla Beans (They smell soooo good!)
750 mL Vodka

-Split vanilla beans in half lengthwise.
-Pour out few ounces of vodka from the bottle to make room for the vanilla beans.
-Place split vanilla beans in the bottle with vodka and secure lid.
-Store in cool, dark place, shake occasionally, for two or more months.
-When vanilla extract is ready, it will have a deep caramel color and smell delicious.

Recipe found here:



Vodka picture is some random picture from the internet

Link up here:
Moms crazy cooking
Today's creative blog
The Thrifty Home

"You look like a nap"

That is what Kimball said to me when he came home yesterday. I just laughed because I had just woke up from a nap. If I can get my kids to nap at the same time I usually nap with them. His comment made me think of when your sleeping and the phone rings, and you try to sound like you haven't been sleeping. We've all done it...

This is a really cute video about love

Bottling Peaches with Honey

Ok, so I don't have a recipe. I pealed and sliced about 8 quarts of peaches and put them in a big bowl. Then I added around 3 cups of honey (taste your mixture and add more if needed) and I stirred everything together and let sit. Then I filled up my quart jars and made sure that the peach juice filled up the jars as well. The last jars I had a hard time getting enough juice. It think if I had added a little more honey I would have had more juice. I processed them for 25 minutes. I am trying more today and hopefully they turn out as well...

Delicious Pancakes

I grew up eating Bisquick. I still love it, but I don't use it very often (except when I'm pregnant, I crave "yellow" waffles). This is a really delicious pancake recipe. It is a Fanny Farmer recipe (She published a cookbook in 1896 and introduced the concept of using standardized measuring spoons and cups.) Anyway, when I make it I use honey and whole wheat flour. When I make it for Dieter I have to replace ingredients with almond milk, rice flour, coconut oil, and baking soda...


1 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder

Homemade Ketchup

Dieter can't have store bought ketchup because of the corn syrup, so I made my own. I was surprised how good it was! After having it, I will have a hard time using "regular" ketchup. I multiplied my recipe by 24 because I wanted to bottle it.

Ketchup

2 lbs Tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup White Vinegar
1 Onion, chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
1/4 cup Honey
4 whole Cloves
1 Bay Leaf
1 Cinnamon Stick
1/4 tsp Celery Seeds
1/4 Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp whole Allspice
1 Anaheim Chile, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 tsp Salt

- In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, celery seeds, red pepper, and allspice. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet or wok, combine all remaining ingredients except honey. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions and chilies are very soft, about 40 minutes.
- Strain the vinegar mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and add the infused vinegar to the tomatoes and stir.
- Puree the tomato sauce in a blender until smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and return sauce to the skillet.
- Continue heating until the sauce is at a desired thickness, about 2 hours.
- When near completion, add the honey and stir until fully incorporated.
- Taste and adjust salt, honey, and vinegar as desired.


I need a new camera to take better pictures :)



Recipe found in the Internal Bliss cookbook



Linking up here:
Just a girl
Chef in training
Hope Studios
Todays Creative Blog
Sugar Bee Crafts
A Bowl Full of Lemons
The Thrifty Home
We are that family
The Diaper Diaries
Lovely Crafty Home
Fun to Craft

Dehydrated Almonds

Almonds are one of Dieter's favorite snacks (They're the only nut he can have). They are easier to digest if you have soaked them 12-24 hours before. I found a recipe in my Excalibur book for Honeyed Nuts. Dieter loves them! He has about eaten them all!

1 cup Almonds (You could do any nut. Soak them 12 -24 hours before.)
1/2 tsp Coconut oil
1 tsp Honey
Dash Sea Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon

Mix honey, coconut, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
Mix in nuts (Taste mixture. Add more honey/cinnamon if needed)
Dehydrate at 145 until crisp



And I found this picture on my mom's computer over the weekend. It made me smile! It was taken before we were married, so about 6 years ago. Kimball looks so young!



Linking up here:
Ask Anna
Keeping it Simple

Allergies a blessing?

I recently read the children's book Pollyanna. In the book she plays a "glad game" where she looks for something to be thankful for in every situation. Her game spreads through out the town and every one is happier because of it. Well, I thought of Dieter's allergies. I noticed his allergies when he was 5 months old (eczema and vomiting). His allergies continued to get worse and worse and it seemed anything he came in contact with his skin broke out (rubber, latex, plastic, citrus, the list goes on...). He is now 28 months old and can't have soy, corn, dairy, gluten, refined sugars, tree nuts. Nothing processed or packaged as they contain soy/and or corn. I have thought about the paths we have taken and the trials we have had. I have realized God gives us trials to make us stronger. He wants us to learn something along the way. But the amazing thing is, through it all He never leaves our side. He is our guide, our companion. I have started Dieter on a new diet to finally heal his gut and intestinal track ( I'll post about it soon). My family still has a long journey ahead but I do feel so blessed to be where I am today.


Here the link to the book if your interested:

Freezing Peaches

I froze a bushel of peaches. I will use them through out the year, most likely for smoothies. I found it was faster if I filled up a quart mason jar then dumped the jar in the quart baggie. I did save some peaches to make fruit leather. Fruit leather is one of my favorite treats!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Hi Friends! I have been so busy canning/freezing/dehydrating fruits and tomatoes. I love this season but it is nice when were done. Here is a Ranch Dressing recipe. It is so good and easy! I mix all the dry ingredients in a mason jar and store it in my cupboard.

Dry Mix:
1/4 cup dry minced parsley flakes
1/4 cup dry minced onion
1 Tbsp dry dillweed
2 Tbsp onion salt
2 Tbsp garlic salt
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbps garlic salt
1 Tbps salt

Mix 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp of dry mix
1 cup sour cream (I like Daisy brand)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk ( cow or sesame. To make sesame milk blend sesame seeds with water until it turns "milky")



Linking up here:
Handyman Crafty women
Someday Crafts
The Gingerbread Blog

"Business in the font, party in the back"

Samantha has been sport-in a mullet! We finally cut off her tail (after my brother laughed and laughed at her. It was the final straw). I bet she feels much better now :)

Genetically Modified Food

We have been battling with Dieter's allergies so this video caught my attention. This mom (after discovering her own child's allergies) started looking into America's food supply. It's an interesting video that I think is worth looking at.




She also has a book out where she dives deeper into her discoveries.

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers

We go through alot of diapers at my house. I have one cute little bum in size 2 and one cute little bit bigger bum in size 4. My sisters told me about Amazon Mom Subscribe and Save program (It's free to sign up) and I really do save!

When you click on the diapers below, you will find another link to "Subscribe and Save at Amazon.com" Sign Up and your diapers will be shipped to you. You can manage how often and the quantity at My Account.

Next, I have signed up for Prime. It's a free trial period, but every time I buy a "Prime" item it makes my trial for longer so I have never paid.

Here's an example of what you can get and shipping is free:

We get this box for $14.60 (it won't show you this price until your Prime and Subscribe and Save)



And this box for $24.45

Broccoli Salad

So I don't have picture of this salad and I found some random picture of broccoli off of the internet. I love broccoli! Kimball doesn't share my interest but when I make this salad, he will eat it. The secret is the coconut milk. I don't have any measurements . Just add and taste as you go...

Broccoli Salad:

Broccoli cut into small pieces. (For picky eaters, the smaller the better)
Apples cut into small pieces
Almonds (However you want them, slivered, whole, halves...)
Sunflower seeds
Shredded carrots
Grapes (I don't always add these)
1/2-1 can Thai Kitchen coconut milk (sweeten it a little with raw honey)

Combine ingredients and mix in coconut milk.



Click here to getImages &
Broccoli Vegetables Pictures - Pictures


Linking Up Here:
We Are That Family
Raising Homemakers
Thrifty Home

Nectarines

I love this time of year! Peaches and Nectarines are two of my favorite fruits. We have planted a little orchard but the trees are not producing much yet. I went to a local fruit stand and bought Nectarines. Kimball bought me a dehydrator last year for Christmas and I am so grateful for it this time of year!! I am currently dehydrating nectarines. This is my first time doing nectarines and I hope they turn out.



I have an Excalibur Dehydrator. I know it is a lot of money but I think it's worth the investment!

Oh Dieter, my Dieter

It's a good thing your sister is patient with you...

This is Inspiring

If I lived in Arizona...

I would buy this hutch for my kitchen. I love the creamy white and the distressed paint. And since I'm wanting things for my kitchen, I love the farm house sinks in the kitchen below.

Find the hutch atHeritage Home Creations

Tomato Sandwiches

Thinking about tomato sandwiches is making me hungry! I hardly buy tomatoes through out the year so I really look forward to them in my garden. I had never had this until I married my husband and now it's one of my favorites!

If you have a toaster oven it's easy:
Put cheese on bread and place in oven.
When cheese is melted, pull out and top with tomatoes, salt/pepper.

If using the stove:
Turn stove onto low-med heat
Butter bread and place face down on pan
Let bread lightly brown then flip over
Top with cheese and put the lid on so cheese will melt
Add tomatoes and salt and pepper





Linking up here
And here Raising Home Makers
And here We Are That Family

Quilters Daily Deal

Every night at 11:00 (mountain time) Missouri Quilt Company has new deal. Often it is a Moda charm pack which is super cute material! I check it and Pick Your Plum almost daily!

A cute new stool

Hi everybody! I hope you had a good weekend. I found instructions on how to make a wood stool. Kimball is wonderful (and with minimal complaining) made this stool for me. I am not sure where I missed it in school, but following instructions is hard for me. I need to train my mind so I can start making things without my cute husband, but for now he's a good helper. I found the plan off of Ana White's website. Her site is amazing. She has tons of step-by-step plans on building furniture. I haven't painted my stool yet. Dieter wants it blue. The pink stool is the stool off of her site.

Alright... I am in the box

If you have read this book you will know what I am talking about. If you haven't read this book, you need too! It's about changing the way you think and act towards people. It's a simple and fast read. It is one of the best self-help books I have read and I should read it every couple of months. Enjoy it, it's good!

Have a great weekend!