Olivia

Our ballerina-gymnast-singer. 

We think she's lovely :)

Roasted Tomatoes

I love finding new recipes. 

Cookbooks are so fun, but its even better when you stop by a friends house for a few minutes and leave with a new idea for dinner! 

This happened when I stopped by my friend Lane's a few weeks ago.

Oven roasted tomatoes

Cut tomatoes (I take out some of the seeds)

Drizzle with oil, Italian seasoning and I even added a touch of sugar

Roast in a 250 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until you have the desired texture

That simple!

yet so delish!

I made chicken and roasted tomato pizza

Store bought crust, brushed with Olive oil and a little Italian dressing. Baked the crust.  Topped with chicken from the crock pot cooked in Italian dressing, the roasted tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, baked a few more minutes to melt the cheese. 

So easy!

Tommy paired this with a nice Italian wine and it was yummy!!!

If I knew how easy roasted tomatoes are I would have made them YEARS ago!

Hugs and happy recipes sharing with friends :)

Silly sidenote:  every time I go to type the word "Olive" I type "Olivia" and have to backspace.  :)



Hard day :(

I know that blogs tend to show the "Rosy" part of life. 

So just wanted to share my facebook post for today:

"wow. rough day. 3 of the 4 of us in tears this afternoon. (Tommy was at work so you can probably guess who the 3 are.) Praying tomorrow is better :)"

Logan had a rough day at homeschool class
and Olivia told the cutest lie, but it was still a lie.

I felt like the worst mom.  First one child doesn't want to follow directions and then the other tells a lie? 

Did I mention my little red friend came to visit today?
Which tends to be an emotional visit when she first arrives. 

Now that the kids are in bed, I am able to gain some perspective. 

So thankful that God's mercies are new every morning

Hugs and happy new day (tomorrow)!

Last pool day

Our last pool day with our neighbors.  We had a great summer spending time with them and visiting the pool.  Can't wait for next summer!! 



King's Island

"Messy Tacos"

Found this recipe in a Rachel Ray magazine that I was reading at the library while the kids were in class.  It was so RELAXING and fun to read a bunch of magazines I would never spend the money to purchase :)

This is SUPER easy and is actually called "Mexican Casserole" but if the word "casserole" is mentioned a certain man in the house turns up his nose. So Olivia re-named it "Messy Tacos"

Layer in 9X13 pan:

crushed taco shells

1 lb ground beef (I added onion and black beans too)

salsa

lots of cheddar cheese

Bake 350 degrees for 30 min or until cheese is bubbly.  Line with chips (to make it pretty).  Serve with sour cream, lettuce, etc.  I added green onions to the top for color.

Simple, easy, yummy.

Hugs and happy non-casserole cooking!

Doing Without

I have really been trying NOT to run out for groceries between my Friday grocery shopping trips.

Running out for milk is not a bad thing,

 its just that I don't just buy milk. 

And I would rather run to Target instead of Kroger around the corner.  So of course, if I go to Target I need to look at their clearance stuff and then I see the gourmet cheese section and decide I can no longer breathe until I have feta for my salad. And before I know I have spent $40 on milk (and a few other things)  ugh. You see how I am conflicted.

SOOOO

Since I'm not running out between Fridays.  I am learning to plan like a blizzard is coming.

The first few weeks were rough.  I ran out of milk on a Tuesday and didn't have milk for my morning coffee.  Talk about a crabby momma.

Then I hit a good patch.  I do seem to be spending a little more each Friday (never under $150) but I am buying enough to get us through.

This week, not so much.  Its only Monday and not only are we out of butter but we are ALMOST out of paper towels. 

This is a big one for us.

So I have a stack of dishcloths ready to do the job of the paper towel.

I can't believe how many times I reach for a thin piece of tree, use it quickly and throw it away with out a single thought!  What about all of the plastic the paper towels come wrapped in!

If I was living in the early 1900's I would not have the luxury of running to the store for paper towels.  (I would probably have butter from the cow in the yard, but I digress) So I'm sure I will live without them.

I wonder if I will take the next step and cut out paper towels...

I will need to buy more dish cloths and cloth napkins, which will increase my Friday grocery bill. 

BUT THE POINT IS:

To be creative and resourceful...

I miss using paper towels with wild abandon....

But I love being creative.

Hugs and happy resourcefulness!!!

First day of classes

This year Logan is in the kindergarten homeschool class this year!  And Olivia is in the 1st grade class.  They go from 8:30-noon on Tuesday and Thursdays.  

We LOVE the structure of their homeschool classes.  Their teachers teach on Tuesday, tell us what to teach Wednesday, they teach Thursday. etc.  We are supplementing this year, Tommy is in charge of geography.  We may add history too.

Logan has Mrs. Tuttle, she said that he is learning to raise his hand to speak.   If he forgets and she says "Logan, don't forget to raise your hand"  He buries his head in his hands in embarrassment.  Cute!

Olivia has Mrs. Schreiner, she had her for reading workshop last year so she is very comfortable with her.  There are 2 new girls in her class, for a total of 5 (11 kids total).  

The kids go to the gym this year for lunch, last year they ate in their classrooms.  Being the "hovering-momma" that I am, I volunteered to help with lunch on the first day just to check out the dynamic of this change.  It is SOOOO cute! and the kids love seeing each other at lunch.  Love it.  

So excited about the start of this year.  Love that the kids love to go to school.  Love that each day after class they ask if we can visit a park for "recess". 

Hugs and happy school year!

Coffee Heaven

Homemade whipped cream.

 

Made in one of my favorite memories from Grandma W. - her mixing bowls. 

Served in my favorite $3 coffee  mug from Ikea. 

 So simple, but very delicious!

Makes my coffee from home taste "special"

Recipe:

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Use a cold bowl.  Mix until stiff peaks form.  I used an electric mixer and added an additional tablespoon of powdered sugar.  It is so yummy :)

Not sure how cost effective this is compared to store bought brands, but for this recipe I am more interested in the number of ingredients. 

Only 3!!! 

 (I believe you can ALMOST ALWAYS assume that fewer ingredients = better for our bodies to metabolize)

Hugs and Happy Coffee Drinking!



Would you like to try my homemade laundry soap?

As you know, I LOVE this laundry soap SO MUCH.

and I would LOVE to share it!

I have talked with several people who said they would love to try it before they purchase all of the ingredients to make their own.  Soooo, I made 2 small batches to give away. 

This batch is made with Ivory soap that I found at the dollar store 3 for $1.  My friend Christie recommends Ivory so I was excited to try it :)

Just leave me a comment here or on facebook if you would like to try it.  I will draw from those interested next Wednesday and then mail it out!  (or deliver if you are close)

Hugs and Happy Laundry Day!  :)

50 States Song

Logan singing the 50 States Song

We are teaching the kids the states.  This song has helped a bunch!

Hugs and happy learning!  :)

Homemade syrup

I am SUPER excited about my first batch of homemade pancake syrup!  It was SO easy to make and I love that it has 4 ingredients compared to about 20 in the store-bought kind and it tastes the same!

I estimate this jar cost about $.43 instead of the $4 for the store-bought kind (I'm sure there are cheaper brands but we buy the brand without high fructose corn syrup)

Here is the recipe:

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

(I used an additional 3/4 cup of brown sugar to make it a little thicker)

1 T maple extract

Bring water, white sugar and brown sugar to a boil.  Reduce to medium-low, stir in extract and simmer for 3 minutes longer.  (it thickened as it cooled) 

That's it!

Hugs! 

Madison, Clifty Falls, and Louisville Slugger Museum