Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Brazilian Vegetarian Feijoada



I made this tonight for dh who had something similar on his mission to Paraguay.


Vegetarian Feijoada ( pronounced fay-zhwa-da)

This meal is comprised of several different aspects.
Feijoada
Brazilian hot pepper and lemon sauce
Brazilian Rice
Greens and garnish of oranges

First: Make the Brazilian hot pepper sauce several hours in advance.

Ingredients:
2-3 fresh chiles, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 garlic clove
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and puree just until a coarse sauce.
Let flavors meld for at least an hour at room temperature of 3 hours in the fridge. Make sure to take out of fridge ahead of time to be served at room temperature.

Start Brazilian Rice:

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped onions
1 tsp oil
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tsp salt
2 cups brown rice
3 cups water

In a covered sauce pan, sauté onion in oil for 5 minutes on med-high heat. Add tomatoes and salt and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Stir in rice and water, cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer on very low heat for about 40 minutes or until the rice is tender. I found I had to add more water.

Feijoada

2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 cup diced celery
2 peppers chopped (choose combo red, yellow and/or green)
½ cup water ( I found I needed more than this-use your judgment)
2 cups canned tomatoes (18oz can, undrained)
¼ cup chopped cilantro (I left this out)
¼ tsp thyme
½ tsp ground fennel (I left this out!)
1 tsp ground coriander
5 cups cooked black beans (4 cans or 1 ¾ cup dried-prepared)
Salt to taste

1 ½ lbs collard greens or kale
1 cup water

4 oranges
2 tbsp soy sauce

Place onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, and water in large sauce pan. Drain the juice of the canned tomatoes into the pan, set aside tomatoes for usage later. Place pan on high heat and boil vegetables, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until onions are translucent. Lower heat and stir in cilantro, thyme, fennel, and coriander. Add the black beans and chopped tomatoes and simmer on low heat 15-20 minutes.

Collard greens/kale

While the black beans are simmering, remove and discard the collard greens stems and rinse the leaves well. Stack leaves and slice. In a saucepan, bring the greens and water to a boil. Cover and simmer (stir frequently) for about 15 minutes until greens are tender.

Peel and section the oranges and set aside. When the black beans and the rice are both ready, drain the greens and toss with soy sauce. Serve the feijoada on a large platter with the black beans on a bed of rice with the greens piled to one side and the oranges arranged around the edges.

Review:
This was AMAZING! It took a while to pull together, but the wait was worth it. The combination of the oranges with the feijoada and rice and greens was outstanding. I thought the oranges would be kind of weird, but it was really the piece that brought it all together.

Word of warning on the sauce, it is hot! A little goes a long way!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Few things excite me as much

as finding products for my home that are MY family sized!

Tonight, on a trip to Cost Co to try and find some new flooring for my laundry room, I came across this pan and instantly grabbed it and put it in the cart. It is HUGE! My largest pan is my Rachel Ray Oval Pan which, lets face it, is just not big enough when I am doing a veggie stir fry or fried rice!!

This pan looks to be big enough for us..I cannot wait to try it out!




to show size comparison, I put my sonic route 44 cup inside of it so you can see how big it is! This picture is not as good for showing size as it would be on the stove-but my stove is otherwise busy right now! LOL

Sunday, June 14, 2009

5 years ago, my life was so blessed

with the birth of my sweet baby girl Isabella Reese.

Our 6th child (the surprise "I can't get pregnant without fertility drugs" and yes I proved my OB wrong baby )

She was my fastest labor clocking in at just under 1 hour respectively from very first intervention to delivery. but then, with my longest labor being 5 hours on the dot, I guess that isn't all that exciting. LOL


here is a re-post of my very hospitalized birth story.

Due to high BP and protein in my urine, we were set for an induction Tuesday morning. Monday afternoon my doctor, whom I LOVE, stripped my membranes at my request it hoping that would send me into labor on my own. It didn't...but by the time I got to the hospital Tues morning I was a 5 and 95-almost 100% effaced. I just still was not contracting.

They started the pit at a few minutes after 6am...and my OB did AROM at about 6:10am. I did not sleep at all Monday night because I was in so much pain from my hips being popped out and was totally exhausted and just could not cope My body doesn't do well with pit...(makes my contractions one on top of the other) and my OB had told me I would be confined to bed.... so when we got there we had decided to get the epidural...which I had been dead set against the whole time.

The epidural was placed at 6:30am. I started having some slight pressure around 6:40 and she checked me at 6:55 to find that I was 8 1/2.

During this time..we were listening to music and the kids were kind of dancing around the room to it...I tried...but I was in bed! but we were loving the whole family being there.

They set up the mirror for me and my OB got there at 7:00. He had to drain my bladder and as soon as he did I was complete and ready to push. All the kids gathered around as I started to push and the next thing I knew I looked up because I heard "there is her head!" from one of the kids. I continued the push and she was born after 15 seconds of total pushing at 7:07 am....just 1 hour and a few minutes after labor was started.

Noah backed out of cutting the cord at the last minute, so I got to do it! That was the neatest thing. We snuggled with her for awhile while my OB waited for the placenta. When I felt it start to come, I gave a little push to help it out. Well, it came out so fast then that blood splattered all over Noah's leg and foot and he totally freaked out wanted nothing else to do with it.

The nurse left us right after that for some family time with baby and the nursery did not even come down to check her for about 1+hour after the birth. She latched on really good and nursed well. She had some blood sugar issues so they had to continue checking her every hour for awhile.

Dh told me today that when the dr got there, Alexis kept pushing in front of him at my feet so she could see better! LOL...all the kids love her and are handling things great!

It wasn't the birth I wanted.....but it turned out to be a very good experience.

Isabella Reese
June 15, 2004
7:07 am
8lb 5oz
22 inches long
(my largest baby by 1 pound and 2 inches!!!)


the morning I went in to have her:




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and other favorites of her from way back then!



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and now:

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happy birthday to my sweet baby girl!!

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

sewing and life

So last week started summer semester for school. It sucks because you are taking a whole semester and cramming it into 8 weeks. So for my 2 classes, I have in a 2 week period:
8 chapters to read
4 quizes to take
5 papers to write
1-2 tests
discussion board postings.

piece of cake right? pshaw!
So if you don't see me around, that is the reason. I am kind of owned by the school until the end of july!


I was participating in a sewing stash game that my local parenting group was doing, and before I stopped I got some really great stuff done for myself that I am totally in love with!

My new diaper bag, this patchwork fabric I have held on to for many years and is hard to find now


This is the front, I used my friends embroidery machine to do the gnome. it is my first one.


and a great reversible apron for me




I did a lot more, but I will save that for another day...maybe!

In other news, shawn did not get the garden in so I may be searching out late season items. I am also getting ready to have him put up my clothesline in the backyard. This is what I am most excited about. Cloth diapers hanging in the sun instead of drying in the dryer inside running up the energy bill! YAY!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Flowers that Kabloom

"Mom, when will my flower kabloom???"

Every 5 minutes today...Bella asks me when her flowers will "kabloom"

I don't have the heart to tell her that she is saying it wrong. She got this plant that the little boy in the house behind us picked and gave to her. She went and got "her soil" and planted it and has been watering it all day.

"when will it kabloom???"

kabloom. LOL

then .. Hannah was out front playing with her friends and she left and went next door. Bella could not longer see her and thought that Hannah "goofed off"

"do you mean ran off bella?"

"yes, she goofed off!"

LOL-she never fails to make me laugh. She told me a few weeks ago "Mom, I know that when I go to school this year you are SOOO going to miss me" and she is right!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Sometimes you just grow

Isn't it funny how at every age in our life, we think we know what we need to know and don't believe there is any room for change?
As a teenager, we think that we know more than our parents. We think we know it all. You can not argue with us at all.
As a young adult, we look back at our teen years and laugh at how silly we were and while we see that we don't know it all, we don't recognize that we still can have changes in our lives...
As we progress more in adulthood, we again look back at our teen and young adult years and again laugh at how full of ourselves we were...we think that at our age, there is no room for change--and again we fail to see the changes we experience...the ones we embrace...the ones we welcome into ourselves...whether it be a thought process, a way of interacting with our spouse or other loved ones, or how we raise our children.

I found myself , reluctantly, facing this again recently. I've been re-evaluating my life. What is important to me in my home. What is important with my friendships. What is important in who *I* am aa a person, a spouse, a mother, a friend.

I have found there are things I like about myself, and things I do not. That was hard. Nobody likes to think that there is something about themself that they do not like, but I look at it as a way to improve who I am. A way to change. A way to grow.

I am grateful that I took this time to see what and who I still want to become. It gave me a new freshing outlook. Something to look forward to. Life is good.

Friday, May 22, 2009

what a nice break!

whew, it was nice to really slow down on internet time and spend more time doing stuff around here.
I have been sewing a lot this week and got some stuff knit up too!

first off though, although I missed meal plan monday.....I am still going to review one of the meals we had on it.



from the fat free vegan blog

Cumin Rice with Eggplant and peas

1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1 green, yellow, or red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (fired roasted would be nice)
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne or red chilli pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) green peas

Preheat oven to 375 F. Put the rice in a bowl and cover it with water. Set it aside to soak while you cook the vegetables.

Lightly spray a large non-stick skillet with oil or cooking spray. Add the eggplant and onion, salt them lightly, and cook, covered, over medium-high heat, stirring often. When the eggplant is soft but not mushy (about 5 minutes) add the peppers, tomatoes, seasonings, parsley, and more salt to taste. Combine well. Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pan along with 3 cups water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.

When it reaches a boil, transfer it into a large baking dish. Place a piece of parchment paper over the rice and then cover tightly with foil. Bake until the rice is tender, about 50-55 minutes. Stir in the peas and allow the dish to set for 5 minutes before serving.

******REVIEW******

This was very tasty. Easy to prepare and just toss in the oven. It definitely has a middle eastern taste with all the spices

the kids liked it too-even harrison!

I think it would be really yummy with lentils in it as well.

fast.easy.tasty. good meal!

----on to other things----

things I sewed up for Harrison this week:
shirts




shorts:



and some cabled baby longies I knit for my gift box




so school will be ending this week for the kids. I am getting ready for classes to start for me for the summer. and we are working on the house as usual.
not much fun to report....but that was a quick catch up!

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Classes are over for now and I have a break

and I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to a few weeks without class. Don't get me wrong, this semester has been great! I have really enjoyed what I was learning. The summer courses will be harder though as I have to do a semester's worth of work in just under 2 months....so just a little more rigorous.

I am looking forward to some quiet time. Don't laugh. You are thinking "how in the world does she have quiet with 7 kids?" You would be surprised. It is amazingly easy. I was inspired by my friend Heidi's recent post about finding peace in the world. Now that school is out and we have finally caught up on all the seasons of desperate housewives (yes, my husband is actually addicted-don't let him fool you!) I can see disconnecting-even if just for a few days. It will be so nice.
So if I drop off the planet, don't worry. I will come back and update when done.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

5 medications and 4 diagnosis!

and no, it wasn't the kids..or even more than one person.

It was all just for me! Did you wonder where I had been? It was truly the worst ER visit ever.

I don't think I have ever cried so much in a hospital...well, outside of my brothers car accident and my daughters brain hemorrhage when she was 5!

I started with a sinus infection a few days ago and was treating it. Yesterday I started having IMMENSE pain and pressure in my one ear that reduced me to sobbing and wanting to run my head through the wall.
Finally tell dh "I think I should go in" Duh..because you know he couldn't suggest it himself ::)

Go to the clinic and they are closed so the only other option is ER. I didn't want to go there, but I knew I could not make it until today with this pain.

I signed in, they are SWAMPED (too many people freaking about every cough and swine flue-kid you not!) I go out and send dh home telling him it will be several hours when it finally reaches 8:30 pm

so I am sitting there next to this little old lady and her "younger" daughters. the staff comes out and starts talking to her and telling her how they cannot get her husbands heart regulated and does she want him on a breathing tube and she starts sobbing and saying "he wasn't supposed to go before me" and I of course, being the tenderheart that I am and being in so much pain totally lose it and starts crying right along with her. :'(

15 min later they actually call my name and we figure I will be back there several hours (as that is how they usually run) and as I am walking towards the nurse I start to fall over! I quickly grabbed the desk and realize my balance is way off! :-X and the nurse laughs with me and gets me a wheelchair. well that must have spurred them to act quickly with me because before he was even done taking my vitals the other nurse comes back to get my history etc and she is still talking to me when the doctor comes in and starts checking me out.

he immediately asks if I have ever been diagnosed with asthma. I tell him yes, tentatively but not definitive and he says "oh yeah, you have it"

looks in my ear,raging ear infection.

my sinus infection was so bad that it had closed off most of the tubes in my head (or something to that affect ) which was causing all the pain everywhere in my head. oh yeah, and I have bronchitis too

they almost admitted me it was so bad. the respiratory therapist that came in to do my breathing treatments said if my numbers would have been 1 or 2 digits lower or if I wouldn't have started moving air better after the treatments that I would have been staying the night!

they gave me a large dose of oral steroids too to get it in my system, and I was totally flying the rest of the night! HOLY COW!

so I walked away with 5 different prescriptions, and 4 diagnosis: ear infection, sinus infection, bronchitis and asthma.

oy-and I thought I just had a bad ear.

and all I could think about was that poor woman and if she had to say goodbye to her hubby last night

Thursday, April 23, 2009

I've never been more impressed with a celebrity

as I am with Jim Carrey right now.

He wrote an editorial in response to a vaccination hearing recently (read it all here) and I just wished I could walk up to him, shake his hand, and say thank you! Thank you for writing an intelligent response. Thank you for having an open mind. Thank you for not dismissing the many parents who are told constantly that we are wrong! and thank you for not being afraid to put your response out there!
Jim Carrey earned a lot of respect from me today.

Here are some of my favorite points that he makes. It is a really good read-I would suggest you read the whole thing!

In response to CNN's Campbell Brown and her assertions that the judgment was in, and vaccines had been proven safe. (this following a ruling by the 'special vaccine court' saying the Measles, Mumps, Rubella shot wasn't found to be responsible for the plaintiffs' autism)

a ruling against causation in three cases out of more than 5000 hardly proves that other children won't be adversely affected by the MMR, let alone that all vaccines are safe. This is a huge leap of logic by anyone's standards. Not everyone gets cancer from smoking, but cigarettes do cause cancer. After 100 years and many rulings in favor of the tobacco companies, we finally figured that out.

If we are to believe that the ruling of the 'vaccine court' in these cases mean that all vaccines are safe, then we must also consider the rulings of that same court in the Hannah Polling and Bailey Banks cases, which ruled vaccines were the cause of autism and therefore assume that all vaccines are unsafe. Clearly both are irresponsible assumptions, and neither option is prudent.

In a world left reeling from the catastrophic effects of greed, mismanagement and corporate insensitivity, is it so absurd for us to wonder why American children are being given twice as many vaccines on average, compared to the top 30 first world countries?

With many states like Minnesota now reporting the number at 1 in 80 children affected with autism, can we afford to trust those who serve two masters or their logic that tells us "one size fits all" when it comes to vaccines

With all the doubt that's left hanging on this topic, how can anyone in the media or medical profession, boldly demand that all parents march out and give their kids 36 of these shots, six at a time in dosage levels equal to that given a 200 pound man?

We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most serious threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a limit as to how many viruses and toxins can be introduced into the body of a small child.

In all likelihood the truth about vaccines is that they are both good and bad........The assortment of viruses delivered by multiple immunizations may also be a hazard. I agree with the growing number of voices within the medical and scientific community who believe that vaccines, like every other drug, have risks as well as benefits and that for the sake of profit, American children are being given too many, too soon.

One thing is certain. We don't know enough to announce that all vaccines are safe!


If the CDC, the AAP and Ms. Brown insist that our children take twice as many shots as the rest of the western world, we need more independent vaccine research not done by the drug companies selling the vaccines or by organizations under their influence. Studies that cannot be internally suppressed. Answers parents can trust.




Good job Jim Carrey. Good job.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Meal Plan reviews

we had some winners this week for sure. I could make a big post about everything that happened this week, but I went and hung with the girls today, and it is amazing how just sitting and talking with 20 women can wear you out! I am so tired, so here is a quick post

the Vegetable Upside Down Casserole..aka cake! LOL **has vegan options**
From The Vegetarian Family Cookbook




Vegetable Upside Down Casserole...aka CAKE for those that have picky kids! LOL

3-4 cups cut up vegetables of your choice ** see note below for what I did**
oil
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup milk of your choice
1 TBSP oil
1/2 cup grated cheese-optional

saute vegetables in oil until tender, set aside

preheat over to 375, lightly oil a baking dish

combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk and 1 TBSP oil. stir together until well blended

pour the vegetables into the prepared pan. sprinkle with cheese if using, then pour batter over the vegetables gently smoothing it out ** this was quite thick**

bake for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown and firm. let stand for about 10 minutes, then serve.

**we used:
red onions, garlic, red yellow and green pepper, yellow squash, zuchini, the green speckled squash, carrots, corn



REVIEW:

OH.MY.GOSH this was heavenly! we made a double batch and it is almost gone. the kids loved it, shawn and I both said it was a keeper. the red onion was the perfect choice as it added a sweetness to the veggies. sauteing them first really helped to take away some of the sharp flavor in the peppers too. the blend of vegetables worked really well and we will definitely do it again. the "cake" was really good and harrison walked to everyones plates grabbing more of it! LOL

YUMMY!!!

and the other favorite:

Jamaican Rice and Peas (aka red beans and rice) *vegan**



Jamaican Rice and Peas (aka red beans and rice)
this is a quick way, you can of course make your beans from scratch and then use them!
2 cans small red beans
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
3 minced garlic cloves
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 15oz can coconut milk
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

heat oil in a larger pot and saute' onion over med-low heat until translucent. add garlic and continue to saute until the onion is golden.

add rice, beans, coconut milk and thyme. bring to a simmer and reduce heat, covered. cook until most of the coconut milk is absorbed, usually around 15 minutes.

season with salt and pepper and serve.
ala...vegetarian family cookbook

Monday, April 13, 2009

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast:
  • Peaches and "cream" smoothies with muffins
  • Cereal
  • homemade yogurt with homemade granola and fruit
  • Quinoa Breakfast
  • Muffins
Lunch:
  • Corn Soup
  • Bean dip with tortilla chips
  • Jamaican red beans and rice
  • Pizza potatoes
  • Egg salad sandwich
  • dad's choice

Dinner:
  • Massur dal with jasmine rice
  • West African peanut stew
  • green noodles with salad and sourdough bread
  • Vegetable upside down casserole with salad and fruit
  • undecided as of yet..will look for inspiration at the market

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Sometimes the week just flies

And then I realize I have not posted at all and I am just surprised!

The weather has been off and on the last week and the days that were good were spent with the first playtimes outside! We had one day where all 7 of the kids and I were outside in the front. The oldest kids were playing football, I was knitting and the little girls were playing soccer in the yard. Harrison of course was just running around chasing everyone. First he kept kidnapping my gnome out of the front of our house--or was it JO's gnome? Did we sneak to her house without her knowing? She did cause quite the troubles in gnome land 4 years ago





and then the neighbor down the road started to wash his car. what is so important about that you might ask?
well, the water started running down the curb in front of our house...and that was an invitation for Harrison's first water play of the year! He had a great time stand in the water and stomping as fast and hard as he could to splash himself. he was soaking wet! But he had so much fun.

I've been doing some knitting...of course! LOL Here is a little sweater I just finished. I haven't blocked it yet, but it was so cute I had to share!



Saturday, my local cloth diapering parenting group got together and we had a big easter party at my friend ERIKA's house. There were so many kids there! Of course, once we show up and add our 7 that makes a huge gathering right there! LOL but the kids had a blast! I got to check out her SPINNING WHEEL. It was beautiful and I was drooling! LOL I am really wanting to start dyeing fiber to spin and selling it in our store too. Of course, I want to also spin it. handspun yarn is just beautiful and such an art!

I am almost done with my art history class. Our instructor opened all the assignments so that we could work ahead and I only 2 more websites to review and write papers on! Then I will have a break from that one! I have really enjoyed it. My semester has been so much smoother without taking 13 credits! I have just enough time for school, kids, home and ME time too!

I am busy typing up our meal plan for the week. In the weeks since I did it last and posted here to the blog, I have lost it every single week. yup-i need to keep putting it out here so I can find it! LOL
Look for it tomorrow!
and Happy Easter everyone!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

In like a lion out like a lamb...wha????

I think March is backwards because as we come to the close of the month, I am currently sitting with my heat on high and socks on my feet because it is blowing so hard outside that my huge garbage cans (full of garbage too!) were blown over!

We recently did a seasonal celebrations swap on my friend Erika's blog this month. In our swap packages to our recipient, we were supposed to:

  • MAKE a handmade spring decoration
  • TELL our family tradition to welcome spring
  • SHARE our favorite spring recipe
As I shared with your earlier, my handmade bird nest for my recipient somehow took off and was hidden by the kids-which made me scramble at the last minute to replace it. I did a nest with handpainted blue wood eggs and fabric birds as my decoration.

My favorite tradition with spring is "out with the old, in with the new" I like to make or purchase from other crafy mamas brand new knitted or crocheted cotton dishcloths. I keep a basket on my counter for all my dishcloths and cloth napkins.

I also always put away my old fall and winter scents and get new springy smells....soaps, scentsy tarts etc. For my partner she will get my favorite soap maker's sampler pack of soaps to try out 5 yummy soap smells! Tami's soaps are all vegan and I have been a customer of hers for going on -- well, ages! Since the old days of Amity's! And I have never been disappointed.

The recipe I shared is my favorite pizza....cool veggie pizza that I got from my days with Pampered Chef.
We decided to make it to night, and as always it was a huge hit!


Recipe:
Cool Veggie Pizza
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)

1 package (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls –or make your own dough!
1 package (8 ounces) softened cream cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 garlic clove (pressed)
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups assorted fresh vegetables such as:

broccoli
cauliflower
cucumber
green or red bell pepper
tomato
green onions
mushrooms
carrots
zucchini
yellow squash

Unroll crescent dough and separate into 8 triangles.
On pizza stone or pan, arrange triangles in a circle with points in the center and wide ends toward the outside.
Using a roller, roll out dough to a 12-inch circle, pressing seams together to seal.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool completely.

In 1-Qt bowl, combine remaining ingredients except vegetables; mix well
Spread creamcheese mixture evenly over top of crust.
Prepare assorted vegetables as desired and sprinkle over top of pizza.

Refrigerate 30 minutes. Cut and serve;

I will be stocking MY STORE on Wednesday at 2pm eastern. lots of yummy yummy yarn will be there! And as always, you can message me for a custom request!

The kids go back to school tomorrow. They are happier than I am. I wish I had them home a few more days. With everyone being sick I feel like our whole break just raced by. Oh well, it will be summer soon.

I am working on knitting a new bag for myself. I got about 1/3rd of the way through the intarsia when I decided I hate it and ripped it out. Now I am re-working it. I will share pictures when done.

Enjoy the last 2 days of March! April is on its way!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

school breaks suck---for the kids!

My poor kids! First on Christmas break they all had the stomach bug. Everyone puked and Christmas day could have easily been spent lazing on the couch as everyone had NO energy!
Now, spring break is ending and they are still sick with this horrible cold! Conner started it before break even began - and now they are going back on Monday but everyone is still ill. I had to take Harrison in yesterday and we are taking Bella and Lexi in today. :(
I will say that all the sickies has made for a very quiet house for spring break! But then, I am not one of those mom's that is saying "I can't wait for them to go back to school!" which is probably why I loved homeschooling so much and miss it. (besides the superior education they were getting! LOL)

Today has been quiet. I started off this morning by scoring Jonas Brother's concert tickets for me and the 2 oldest girls. I am taking them in June for Kaitlyn's birthday. They are going to be so surprised!

I knit Bella a shirt this week...she loves it! She chose the yarn and everything out of my stash.
My gauge was off a bit so it did turn a bit tighter than planned-but she loves it and it is so pretty on her.





Speaking of stash....have I showed pictures of my stash lately? Keep in mind that even now, there is more yarn that is not pictured! LOL



and what Harrison can do with a few moments alone:


**disclaimer** no yarn was harmed in the process of this play time**

CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE THEM LARGER

Saturday, March 21, 2009

So what does a sunny day

$26 and the promise of watching back episodes of Criminal Minds equal out to?










SPRING CLEANING!!!!



Today we decided that with the weather being so nice and the kids being on spring break that we were going to do some spring cleaning!

With the promise of watching Criminal Minds, the kids were very cooperative! Well, except for Noah who slept most of the day as soon as we got home from scouts as he is running a fever and feeling quite ill.

However, that didn't keep him from pack meeting...he earned his Webelos today and got his recognition for getting the highest score on uniform inspection! 99 out of 100 points! He only missed 1 point because his shoes were dirty.

We also took a trip to the library to pick up a book I had on hold. There are several others that come with it, but this was the only one there today-specifically for the kids.



I recently heard of it and remembered reading quite a bit about it a while back-I like that it really falls in line with the Word of Wisdom which is our law of health in the church. In it we are told concerning food:
The Lord also declared in the Word of Wisdom that the following foods are good:

* Vegetables and fruits, which should be used "with prudence and thanksgiving" (see D&C 89:10–11).

* The flesh "of beasts and of the fowls of the air," which is "to be used sparingly" (see D&C 89:12–13).

* Grains such as wheat, rice, and oats, which are "the staff of life" (see D&C 89:14–17).


I have only read a bit of the book so far - but I am very impressed with it. The research is their to back it up to. We already eat less meat than most families as we really do feel that we are told to eat it SPARINGLY. So this is going to be good for us. Whole foods, little meat. healthy living. I can do that.

Today is also a crafty day for me. I had most of my swap package done up and then realized that part was missing-probably taken by one of the kids and so I had to improvise and quickly replace it as it was nowhere to be found. Stay tuned for pictures of that later.

Hope you are all enjoying your saturday!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

oh man, the blog sucks this week

I keep forgetting to come out and post! *blush*

Currently, I am on spring break and it is so nice to not worry about classes or homework! I have had a lot of time to just clean and knit and watch tv and play with the kids, it has been so nice! I also got a TON of yarn dyed up this week...here are a few new colors:









so I hope that excuses my lack of posting! LOL

Friday, March 06, 2009

Update on my brother

I have had some requests for an update on my brother. For those that don't know, you can read in the 2008 archives for November and December.

So he is doing a lot better. He has been released to work part time but he has to wear a helmet which of course mortifies him because he is 20 years old and running around all the other cowboys he works with wearing a helmet! LOL

His balance is still iffy-his right side still responds slower due to the brain injury-but he doesn't have the walker anymore! he can tell though that his body still doesn't respond 100%

I talked to him tonight and he was actually doing dishes!

His therapy has been reduced down. He still cannot drive. He is gaining more and more every week.

I am so grateful for his survival and his recovery.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

very productive day

this week has been wonderful. I have had a lot of time to actually do stuff I want to do around the house.

I thought about just doing my day in pictures, but you know that I am too wordy to let it go by without saying something! LOL

Today, I made yogurt. If you have not made your own yogurt, you are missing out! It is very good and is so nice to have in the refrigerator to throw in a smoothie and you can even use it in pancakes!




Last month, I talked about my "new plates" that I found while out thrifting, a favorite past time of mine! LOL This is the second set of plates that I have found....I have a complete set of each now for my large family!




I also have yarn soaking to dye up tonight for my store






I also broke out my brand new serger today and did this shirt to finish up a gift for expectant friends. could these longies be any smaller?






and of course, with the opening of the serger box came the brand new toy for Harrison!


and a few random pictures:


cloth diapers: organized




My beautiful girl





and last, I got 3 new cookbooks this week and have started reading them looking for yummy new stuff to serve to the family!


WHOLE FOODS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD


THE VEGETARIAN FAMILY COOKBOOK


THE VEGAN LUNCH BOX (NEW VERSION) - I have the first edition too!


I bought some fabric, and did NOT buy any yarn!!

so that was my day, today. *smile*