Living, Loving, Learning Naturally

Take THAT Infertility! A Dream Come True!

2012-02-10T21:08:00.001-06:00

A little over 3 weeks ago our lives changed forever. After almost two and a half years trying to conceive a second child we finally got our positive test! The first we've seen in five years, something we thought may not even be possible for us to achieve naturally; we were going to start having procedures done THIS month and had accepted that.

I wasn't expecting to see 2 lines at all. In fact, I took the test, forgot about it, did the dishes, put P to bed and came back half an hour later to 2 lines! But you're not supposed to read them after 10 minutes because the results may be inaccurate. I told my husband that the universe was playing a horribly sick and cruel joke on me but I couldn't help getting excited!

I ran to the store at 8pm that night, Thursday January 19th (a month after P's 4th birthday), brought as many tests as I could, 2 pints of ice cream (to celebrate or commiserate with) and hurried home

There was no mistaking this one!

DH was sitting on the couch working or watching TV and I came up behind him. All I can remember saying is 'there's no not, THERE'S NO NOT!! I think I'm going to pass out'. I was shaking but so so happy.

Morning sickness hit at 5 1/2 weeks or so. Nothing too bad, it's not sending me to the bathroom or anything but it is certainly unpleasant to be me right now. And I am enjoying every second of it!

We had our first ultrasound yesterday at 6 weeks and 6 days. We immediately saw our little one in there, happy and wiggly, arm and leg buds developing, measuring at roughly 6 weeks 4 days, heart beating away at 136 bpm, a nice healthy heart rate (P's was 122 at the same gestation)

I am 7 weeks today. We know it's still early but we are hopeful and too excited to keep it a secret. We have waited far too long for this to not yell it from every roof top, window and mountain we can find. It makes me cry to think about just how fortunate I feel right now.

I'm crossing #6 off our 2012 goals list. Take THAT infertility!!

Preschool Valentine's Day Party: You Make My Heart Glow!

2012-02-10T11:19:00.000-06:00

P's class is having their Valentine's Day party next Monday and I thought these would be perfect little gifts to give each of his friends. They were really quick and easy to make, P had a great time gluing the pieces together and of course, what 4 year old doesn't love glow sticks? (you can get 15pks at Target for $1!)

You should be able to enlarge, save and print this image below to make your own glow stick Valentine!

A Couple More Upcycles

2012-02-07T16:03:00.000-06:00

These three wool soakers (covers to go over cloth diapers) just went off to live with a mama in Canada. All were custom made from old wool sweaters! I've been busy and there is even more to come! Including a mini tutorial on making your own cloth wipes from things you already have in your house

Blue cashmere - SO soft and squishy!

Red lambswool

Striped lambswool - excuse the crease, it'll go away with use

Have you sewn or made anything recently?? I'd love to see!

Linking up with We Did It Wednesday

Sewing: What I've Been Up To

2012-01-31T11:03:00.001-06:00

This last week and a half has been crazy; we got some very good news that will hopefully change the course of our lives (more on that later once we know for sure how things are going to work out), we've been trying to get the house put back together after the silly season (and have been sick for weeks!) and I've even had a few custom orders so I got back behind my sewing machine and have really been enjoying myself

The first pair of longies I worked on are made out of a gorgeous blue cashmere sweater that a mama sent to me to turn into something squishy for the little boy they are expecting. She was nice enough to let me have the scraps for myself, seriously gorgeous!

I finished up another pair of longies yesterday made from a navy blue cashmere sweater. This mama's little one is a little older so she needed an extra layer through the wet zone so I got to experiment with adding sewn in soakers; I love learning new things!

There's nothing like a pair of cashmere pants! If only I could find a sweater big enough to make some for myself!

I am also working on a couple custom dyed wool interlock shorties for a friend and a few projects for us too, stay tuned!

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-23T11:22:00.001-06:00

We're still eating out of our pantry and freezers this week and have managed to be roughly 50% under budget so far this month! We're out of a few staples now, like my favorite raw cheddar cheese (!!) so I can't wait to pick up our Azure Standard order on Wednesday!

Monday: leftover pinto and grass fed beef chili over brown rice and lettuce, small salad
Tuesday: whole wheat pancakes and fruit smoothies
Wednesday: Grilled chicken, steamed rice and steamed veggies
Thursday: Broccoli cheese and potato soup and homemade rolls
Friday: pizza night!
Saturday: grilled chicken salads using leftover chicken from Wednesday
Sunday: leftovers

Linking up with Organizing Junkie

Farm vs. Store Bought Eggs

2012-01-22T19:17:00.002-06:00

The two yolks on the right are from local organic, pasture raised chickens that roam meadows freely foraging for bugs and scraps. They receive supplementation with all natural vitamins and minerals such as seaweed as needed.

The yolk on the left is a 'cage free organic vegetarian fed' egg from the grocery store. Cage free doesn't mean farm raised it just means they are not confined to a cage and are fed organic grains like soy and corn.

Do you notice a difference?

My favorite farm raised eggs have yolks with a deep yellow/gold orange color and a rich flavor. The whites are solid and the yolks strong, they don't break or bleed easily like the pale yellow store yolk did. It also takes a fair bit of effort to crack the pasture egg open in the first place while the store bought eggs shatters easily and at least one will always 'explode' during boiling no matter how careful I am with them.

I have also noticed that the farm eggs, when scrambled will still have little pockets of orange floating on the top of the liquid, you know there has got to be all sorts of yummy good for you fatty acids in there that were not added by means of excessive supplementation!

Carotenoids (preliminary forms of vitamin A) such as lutein and canthaxanthin give golden yolks their color and also prevent the oxidation and destruction of vitamins and minerals in the egg. These caretenoids come from plants, bugs and sunshine. Industrial chickens are fed grains that are enriched with such substances to give them a darker apparence though obviously nothing will ever compare to a farm egg!

Some (read: big corporations that farm chickens and their 'scientists') insist that a golden yolk is no healthier than a pale yellow yolk. I don't know, might be true, probably isn't though, I don't believe them. How can that be? We know that a deep green leafy vegetable is much better for you than a pale white vegetable or even a pale green one.

I do believe though that a chicken laying sturdy eggs with golden orange yolks IS healthier than one laying eggs with pale yolks and flimsy shells. And that alone I will pay more for! They taste better too!

Salted Triple Chocolate Cookies

2012-01-18T21:13:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: don't make these if you have no self control or will power. The hubby and I literally fought for these, every time he would walk past the container he'd slow down, growl and carry on. When they were all gone he told me they were the best cookie ever and to never make them again HA!

I found the original recipe over on The Small Things Blog and I don't know whether to thank her or not

The original recipe below makes approximately 4 dozen cookies, we halved it and got almost 2 dozen good sized oh so yummy cookies

Triple Chocolate Salted Cookies

2C flour
1/2C Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16oz chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips

4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder - I didn't use this
10T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2C packed light brown sugar
1/2C granulated sugar
2C semisweet chocolate chips - we did 1/2 semisweet, 1/2 white chocolate/pecans
sea salt

~ Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside
~ Melt 16oz semisweet chocolate on the stove or in the microwave
~ If using the coffee granules combine coffee, eggs and vanilla in a cup and stir to dissolve. If you're not using the coffee add the other ingredients in the next step.
~ Cream sugars and butter until fluffy. Gradually add egg/vanilla/coffee mixture mixing on low until just incorporated
~ Pour in the melted chocolate and mix until combined
~ Add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated then fold in chocolate chips and nuts or whatever you choose to use
~ Let sit for a few minutes to allow the batter to set, the hot chocolate will make it really runny
~ Place tablespoonfuls on a prepared baking sheet or pizza/cookie stone. Sprinkle each cookie with a little sea salt
~ Bake for 10-12 minutes (10 if the batter is cooler, longer if it is still pretty warm going in) at 350F
~ Allow to cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack, they will be really squishy and breakable so be sure to let them sit for a bit before moving them

Linking up with The Way Grandma Does It and Somewhat Simple

Today's Free Swag

2012-01-17T17:08:00.001-06:00

Do you swag? if you don't you really need to! This is what showed up at my house today and I paid NOTHING for any of it. $0 for $60+ worth of organic products, nothing can beat that!

Swagbucks started primarily as a search and win site; you use it as you would google and you are awarded 'swagbucks' randomly for searches through out the day.

It has since expanded significantly and now you can earn bucks for doing special offers like Blockbuster and Netflix free trials, surveys on things you use and buy, watching videos, completing polls and tasks, playing games and you can even earn points for shopping online through their shop & earn program. 450 Swagbucks = a $5 amazon gift card, the most popular reward and the one that offers the best value though they also have all sorts of other prizes you can redeem your points for.

My husband and I both have accounts with swagbucks and between the two of us we get $50 worth of Amazon gift cards a MONTH! I have been swagging for over 2 years now and it is totally legit! Generally we use our Amazon credit on grocery items to help free up cash for saving but we also save them for birthday and Christmas gifts, last year we got almost all our gifts from Amazon for free!

Do you swag already? What are your favorite ways to earn? What do you use your points for? I love chatting with other 'swaggernauts'

Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

2012-01-15T16:57:00.000-06:00

We made these rolls yesterday and loved them; soft and squishy with a touch of sweetness. They even kept great overnight in a pyrex container!

I plan on making them every couple weeks for quick and easy lunch and/or dinner rolls, they are also supposed to freeze well. Next time I will cut the honey a little though, I found them a bit too sweet but I am not really a fan of sweetened bread to begin with

These can be made in a bread maker using the dough cycle or in your stand mixer with a dough hook

Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls

1 1/4C warm milk
1 egg, beaten
2T butter, softened
1/4C honey
3/4tsp salt
2 3/4C bread flour
1C whole wheat flour
1 1/4tsp yeast

Place all your ingredients in your bread maker or stand mixer bowl as directed by your bread maker or, if using a mixer put your wet ingredients + yeast in first and then your dry

Set your bread maker to the dough cycle and leave it. If using a mixer, using your dough hook mix/knead for 10-15 minutes (though admittedly, I only did it for maybe 5), stop to make sure all the flour is off the bottom of the bowl and then allow to rise until doubled

When the dough cycle is done or your dough has doubled in the mixing bowl turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to 3/4 inch thick. Cut rolls to your preferred size using a knife or round biscuit cutter and then allow to rise until doubled again on your baking sheet or stone (be sure to preheat the stone slightly as it will be pretty cold otherwise, preheating helps with the rising). We ended up with 12 good sized sandwich rolls

Bake at 350F degrees for 10-15 minutes. We prefer our bread a little squishier so we went with 10 minutes and it was perfect for our tastes

Allow to cool or dig into them with your favorite butter! We used ours for our ham sandwiches but we also plan to use them for hamburgers and will shape them into hotdog buns too. We will also be experimenting with the flour ratios to make them a little healthier with more whole wheat

Linking up with Somewhat Simple

Birthday Party: Dino-melon

2012-01-10T14:38:00.000-06:00

This dino-melon was a really fun way to serve the fruit salad at P's 4th birthday last month and it was actually fairly easy to make!

You start with a good sized watermelon and cut 1/4 inch or so off the bottom so it sits flat on a plate

Using a non-toxic washable marker I drew out the mouth... over and over again until I had it just right. When cutting out the mouth leave most of the melon inside intact for support; use a melon baller to hollow out the top of the mouth and around the sides on the bottom but leave a good sized 'tongue' in the middle and don't hollow any further back than where the corners of the mouth are or your melon head might collapse!

Mark where you want your eyes, eyebrows and nostrils to go. Using the chunks removed for the mouth cut out two nostrils and two eyebrows. The eyebrows took me a long time, I just couldn't get them angry looking enough! For the details on the nostrils use a toothpick or knife to scrape off the green flesh revealing the white underneath. Secure each nostril and eyebrow with 1/2 a toothpick

To make the eyes I cut a small hole with a knife and then dug it out with the melon baller. I was meant to put an eye in there made with more of the leftover green skin but forgot.

Finish with a handful of toothpicks; poke them into the jaws to give your dinosaur some super fierce teeth. Don't forget to put out some tongs to grab the fruit with or the dinosaur will bite your guests!

Linking up with Somewhat Simple, Sew Much Ado and Tatertots & Jello

Also made for his party:
Part 1 in the Dino Dig Party Series
Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
Homemade Sausage Rolls

50% Off Retail on Organic Products

2012-01-06T10:29:00.003-06:00

I have a Frontier co-op open over on the forum I belong to, it closes on the 14th and payments are due by the 16th of this month

Frontier carries the 'Simply Organic' and 'Aura Cacia' products you see in health food stores at 50% off retail as well as various food and health and beauty brands like:
Beauty Without Cruelty
Dr. Bronner's
Burt's Bees
Earth Mama Angel Baby
Earth Friendly Products/Ecos (their laundry detergent is even on sale this month!)
Jason's
K-cups (10% off this month).. as well as a Keurig machine that is 20% off this month also
Bulk organic (and conventional) baking ingredients - their dutch process organic FT cocoa powder is my fave! their vanilla beans and extracts are awesome too
Essential Oils

I could go on and on; their catalog has got to be over a hundred pages long!

If you're interested in participating come on over to our thread, join the forum and let me know that you're a blog following or from Diaperswappers or wherever, I waive membership requirements for those that I 'know'

Orders under $250 will be shipped to me free of charge once we hit the free shipping minimum and then I ship to you, orders over $250 can be shipped directly to you to save even more!

Our 2012 Goals

2012-01-04T20:15:00.002-06:00

This year's goals are almost exactly the same as last year's. I don't think that's a good thing?

1. Have a weekly 'date night' with my wonderful husband. This could be a Redbox movie on the couch, a quiet dinner after P goes to bed or a game of Yahtzee; either way it has to be cheap and just us

2. Pay off 30% of our debt. I think this is fairly attainable while accomplishing our other financial goals but of course we'd love to pay off even more than that! One of the big ways we will be working towards this is by eating out less and being more mindful of our spending

3. Pay for our next vacation 100% with cash. I don't know where we're going yet, it'll be either Europe or back home to New Zealand but we need to have it paid for completely with cash, no credit cards allowed! I am roughly 50% of the way there already!

4. Focus on what we need not what we want. We really don't *need* anything except for maybe less clutter. Decluttering and organizing will be something I am working on again this year, it's definitely an ongoing process!

5. More family time less lazy time. It's too easy to sit around and watch TV and let the day pass us by, I am almost tempted to get rid of our cable service... almost... but we like Netflix streaming just as much lol

6. Baby #2. And there it is again on the list. Again. Still. 2011 didn't bring us anymore baby dust than 2010 did sadly. We are looking into fertility treatment now which will also have to be paid for in cash *sigh*

Are your goals for 2012 the same as last year's or are you aiming to achieve something different this year?

Whole Wheat Waffles

2012-01-02T20:15:00.001-06:00

We've tried a couple different waffle recipes since we got our cast iron waffle iron and DH has decided that this is our favorite. I pulled it from Alton Brown's Good Eats book that he got me for Christmas but it is also available online. I did separate the eggs and whip the whites before adding them which is something Alton (my second husband) didn't call for but will improve the texture of your waffles

While these are not 100% whole wheat they are still more filling than our usual all white waffle and I think they would be even better made with white whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose, let me know if you give it a shot!

Whole Wheat Waffles

4 3/4oz all-purpose flour, approximately 1C
4 3/4oz whole-wheat flour, approximately 1C
1/2tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
3T sugar
3 whole eggs - separated
2oz unsalted butter, melted

16oz buttermilk, room temperature - I ended up using yogurt and 2% though

~ Mix together flours, baking soda, powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl

~ In another bowl beat together egg yolks and melted butter then add buttermilk

~ Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes (hydrates the flour)

~ Whip egg whites and then fold into the waffle batter

~ Cook as directed by your waffle iron. For us it is 70 seconds on each side in our cast iron waffle iron over medium heat on our gas stove

~ Keep waffles in an oven heated to 200-225 degrees (I found 225 to work better at keeping them crispy) until you're ready to serve if not serving immediately. Or get a second waffle iron (that's our plan)

Makes 6-8 waffles. We got 7 out of ours which were 7 points a piece for those on Weight Watchers when made with 2%

Serve with your favorite all natural maple syrup and some fruit. We love Coombs Family Farms 100% Organic Grade B Maple Syrup. We have tried both grade A and grade B and far prefer the stronger flavor of the grade B. This stuff is worth the price and a little goes a LONG way. One 16oz bottle lasts us months

Linking up with The Way Grandma Does It

Meal Plan Monday ~ Organic & Thrifty

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

We're eating out of the pantry this month, trying to buy as little as possible from the store and I'm going to have to get back to meal planning if we're going to succeed at using what we have. I will be placing an order with Azure Standard though to get a few more staples since it is only delivered once a month

Dinners
~ ~~Rib fajitas, steamed broccoli and carrots~~
~ Red beans and rice and cabbage
~ ~~Meatballs, mashed potato/turnip and cabbage~~
~ Leftovers: black eyed peas and whatever else we can find
~ Homemade pizza
~ Crispy coconut chicken tenders, salad, roasted sweet potato
~ Bean chilli, cornbread and collard greens

Breakfast on weekend
~ Breakfast burritos w/ scrambled eggs, skillet potatoes and salsa
~ Waffles, Pancakes or Pikelets w/ jam, maple syrup, whipped cream and/or fruit

Lunch on weekend
~ Broccoli cheese and potato soup w/ homemade french bread
~ Spinach fettuccine w/ marinara sauce

Linking up with Organizing Junkie

2012 Food Challenge

2011-12-30T20:30:00.000-06:00

One of our goals for 2012 is to spend less time at the grocery store and eating out and more time at our own table trying out fun new recipes and ideas. Between our garden, CSA and co-ops I am only going to the store once a week or less now; I used to go numerous times a week since we go through so much produce and it was required to catch the good clearance deals on organic items, not any more though!

We are making a list of things we would like to make (and master?) in 2012, some we have tried before and need a little tweaking, others are all new! Some are staples that we'd love to be able to eat again by making them organic or are foods from New Zealand that aren't available in the US and others are treats. OK, most of them are treats... here's the start of it:
1. Puff pastry for sausage rolls
2. Pop tarts
3. Mince pies
4. Pavlova

5. Tater tots
6. Granola bars
7. Knock-off Almond/coconut KIND bars
8. Fish fingers
9. Hamburger buns/hotdog buns
10. Cereal bars
11. Lamingtons

12. Doughnuts
13. Whole-wheat pita bread
14. Thin mints
15. Twix Bars
16. Black bean brownies
17. Milk arrowroot biscuit
18. Gingernuts
19. Dinner rolls
20. A good Thai curry
21. A good Indian curry
22. Sandwich bread
23. Refried beans
24. Perfect brown rice every time
25. Chicken nuggets
26. Homemade pasta
27.
28.
29.
30.

My husband is thinking about the last five foods that he would like added to the list. Stay tuned!

Our Family's Favorite Board Games

2011-12-28T22:24:00.000-06:00

Mr. Monkey just turned four and has been really getting into board games lately, we all have a lot of fun and he doesn't even know that he's learning!

The latest addition to our game closet is the Richard Scarry Busytown Eye Found It Game. P got it for Christmas so we have only played it once so far but we all immediately fell in love with it. The game board is approximately 6 ft long and has pieces for up to 4 players. Each player spins the wheel and moves that number of squares up the board, the goal is to make it to the island before the pigs eat everything out of the picnic basket! Along the way you search as a team for items depicted on cards and when you find one you put a little orange magnifying glass on it; when time is up you count how many of that item you have found and then everyone gets to move that number of squares. P picked up on the rules very quickly and has asked to play it again tomorrow!

He also got Dinosaur Train Crazy 8s for Christmas from Santa. I was worried this might be a little difficult for him but after a couple games of taking it slow, explaining each move he was doing it all on his own, the biggest issue we have with this game is teaching him how to hold his cards without dropping them... we started with 5 cards just to make it a little easier. Little smarty beat me 6 out of 7 games we played this afternoon!

I think his all time favorite game is Monopoly Jr. Dig'n Dinos. It teaches basic addition and subtraction while you move around the board discovering and purchasing different dinosaurs. It has bills $1-5 so it is not too overwhelming for little ones but is still challenging for kiddos that have already been introduced to math; P took the first game pretty slowly but has quickly grasped the concept of purchasing his dinosaur for a certain amount, can read the price on the square and determine if he has enough or if he has to combine a few $1 bills to equal the amount. He loves this game! Don't be turned off by the price, we bought ours used through Amazon for roughly $8, not a bad deal at all!

Candy Land is a classic, colorful and fun kid's board game that teaches counting and color recognition. P got this for his 3rd birthday and picked it up very quickly and it's still a favorite today. I love that it can take 5 or 20 minutes depending on the luck of the draw, it's a great before bedtime game for a little quality family time

Another game that we have is Chutes and Ladders. We don't play this one very often, it is still a little difficult for P. He does great with the counting but the different directions you move across the board in are a bit confusing for him, we'll keep working on it!

Do you play board games with your pre-schooler? What are your favorites to play? Or are there some that are still a little advanced for them, how old are they?

31 Days of Kindness Continued

2011-12-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

We've been busy blessing others since my last post on our month of random acts of kindness; have you blessed someone today?

Since then we have:
~ Put new sweaters and a hair dryer under the giving tree at P's school
~ Given all the change I get to P to put into the bell ringer buckets outside the grocery store
~ Delivered a 12 pack of a friend's favorite soda to her along with a giftcard for her Nook to say thanks for all her help

~ Found three little boys while at the grocery store and gave them new wooden cars and fire engines! This one was tricky, two out of the three parents took a bit of convincing; they were very skeptical about why we might want to be giving their child free toys but the one mama we found immediately gave us a huge smile and thanked P and her little one's face lit up

~ Sent a package to a little boy struggling with jealously since his little sister was born. He was in need of a few new shirts and pants (some P had outgrown) and we also sent a new train. His mother said that it really brightened his day. P had a lot of fun making a card for him too!

~ Taped a $1 bill to a local redbox along with a 'enjoy your movie' note. It was gone when I went back to the store that night for something I had forgotten, I hope they enjoyed their movie!
~ Made a special effort to hold doors, let people go in front of us in line to return some items as well as on the highway and at the grocery store. Everyone is in a hurry right now, us... not so much!
~ Delivered a box of homemade chocolate peppermint cookies to one of our local fire stations along with a note thanking them for their service to the community

~ We also popped a box of peppermint sandwich cookies along with a couple other gifts in the mailbox for our USPS carrier, she has certainly earned them this year with all my co-op boxes!

~ I also found two mamas in need on Diaperswappers, a forum I frequent and sent them baby items, cloth diapers and toys we will not be using
~ P also ran a lotto on Diaperswappers asking mamas in need to post photos of their train loving little ones and he chose one to send a new train and roundhouse to for Christmas. The little boy he chose loves ride on mowers just like P does!

I realize some of these aren't really random per-say since we do *know* our mail carrier for example but we have made an effort to think of someone, random or not, each day that would benefit from a smile, a little kindness, thank you or a gift and P is learning so much about giving to and thinking of others!

I'm sad that there's only another week or so left of December... we may have to keep going into 2012!

Quick & Easy Christmas Crafts

2011-12-21T20:17:00.001-06:00

Practice shapes, cutting and pasting with this candy cane craft, no fancy skills or materials needed!

Make your very own Santa with card stock and cottonballs! P added an abominable snowman and little green stocking to his

And don't forget his reindeer! Find and print a reindeer online, paint it and a couple clothes pins, give him a nose and set him up all ready to pull Santa's sleigh!

Linking up with No Time for Flashcards

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

2011-12-20T21:41:00.001-06:00

These are my new favorite cookie; so soft and chewy and chocolatey! Next time I make them I plan on adding some white or semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or nuts, I think they would be even better, if that's even possible! Today though we made them into peppermint sandwich cookies that I would, will, and have, fought my husband for

A huge thanks to Our Best Bites for introducing us!

Chocolate Brownie Cookie

1 1/2C flour, spooned and leveled, not scooped
3/4t baking soda
1/4t table salt
1C semisweet chocolate chips
3/4C packed light brown sugar
5T butter
1T water
1 large egg lightly beaten

Frosting Ingredients

1/2C real butter (1 stick) - softened
2C powdered sugar
1/2t peppermint extract
milk, as needed for consistency - I used roughly 4t

To make cookies:

~ Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and prepare your baking sheet as desired or pop your stoneware in the oven to heat through

~ Melt chocolate chips, brown sugar, butter and water in a pan over low-medium heat until melted and smooth - there will still be grains of sugar though, don't worry about those!

~ Lightly beat an egg in your mixing bowl and then pour chocolate mix into said bowl. Mix well

~ Slowly add flour, baking soda and salt mixture (I know some like to combine in a bowl first, I combined it all in my big measuring cup and then pour it in, I don't want to dirty more bowls!) and mix until just combined

~ At this point the dough will still be pretty warm; let it sit for a few minutes on the counter or pop in the fridge to make it easier to handle

~ To make small sandwich cookies use a melon baller or teaspoon to make small balls. For larger cookies use a table spoon. Roll and squish the dough slightly and press just a little onto the baking sheet

~ Bake small cookies for 5 minutes or 8 minutes for larger cookies; they will still be soft and squishy in the middle but cooked on the edges and cracked on top

Frosting Ingredients

1/2C real butter (1 stick) - softened
2C powdered sugar
1/2t peppermint extract
milk, as needed for consistency - I used roughly 4t

~ Beat ingredients together in stand mixer adding milk one teaspoon at a time until a spreadable but not too soft consistency is reached

~ Place frosting in a zip-top bag and cut off corner or a frosting bag etc if you have one. Pipe onto one cookie and place another on top

~ Roll edges in crushed candy canes

I still had some frosting left so I made larger cookies, frosted the tops and sprinkled candy canes over the icing; I think I like them even more than the sandwich cookies!

Linking up with Somewhat Simple, It's Overflowing and Sew Much Ado WDW

Kidmade Christmas Cards ~ Teacher's Gifts

2011-12-17T11:44:00.002-06:00

These Christmas cards were really quite easy to make and P got to practice his ripping skills too!

We started with 2 sheets of contact paper, glitter and some tissue paper and ended up with this (it kind of looks like the USA lol)

We make some cards out of red card stock and a small Christmas tree template.Using scissors and a craft knife I cut out the trees and then we glued a panel of our contact paper to the back of each cutout. A piece was white cardstock was used to line the inside of the card so we could write it them (and hide manufacture secrets) ;)

Next time we won't use any white tissue paper, the white cardstock on the back is enough

One card went to P's teacher along with a new Thermos (I'm sure she likes to enjoy her drinks while they're still hot occasionally!), a Target gift card and some homemade layered mint chocolate fudge

The school support staff and supplemental teachers (art and music class etc) each got a card, some homemade fudge and a small gift card to Starbucks. I think they were all most impressed with the cards! We love it when something we make makes others so happy :)

Linking up with Tater Tots & Jello and One Artsy Mama

Dino Dig: Dinosaur Sugar Cookies

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

P's birthday party was this past weekend. We had a lot of fun working with his dinosaur theme, there's so much you can do with dinos! I know there are a lot of other little one's out there that love dinosaurs so will be sharing different aspects of the party over the next little bit, maybe they'll help you plan your next dino party :)

These sugar cookies were super easy to make and delicious! I stored the dough in the fridge overnight then cut them out and baked them the day of his party.

Thanks to my friend Jen for posting this recipe on a forum I frequent!

The dinos above were baked for a shorter time than the fossil pieces - because fossils are not white afterall!

Sugar Cookies

1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in vanilla and egg

2. Slow add dry ingredients
3. Pop the dough in the fridge for a little bit then roll out and cut

4. Bake in 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes

Cookies are done when they appear dull and/or edges are starting to lightly brown. Let cool before decorating.

We of course cut our cookies into dinosaurs using this set we got off Amazon but this recipe is perfect for a basic but delicious cookie to decorate for Christmas and other occasions!

Dino Dig Birthday Party!

2011-12-12T10:37:00.000-06:00

P turns 4 on the 19th but we had his 'Dino Dig' birthday party this past weekend so it didn't interfere too much with Christmas celebrations. We were so happy that a lot of his little friends came to help celebrate his special day and we all had a great time!

Happy 4th Birthday P man!

I had a lot of fun working with his dinosaur theme, there's just so much you can do with dinosaurs! Stay tuned for more dino inspired posts!

Homemade Sausage Rolls

2011-12-11T19:52:00.001-06:00

Sausage rolls are standard birthday party fare in New Zealand and Australia but they're not available here! What's a homesick kiwi to do? Make them! I made sausage rolls yesterday for the first time ever and they were awesome, just like home and everyone (including all the Americans) devoured and raved about them! Better yet, the filling can be made ahead of time, it only gets better if you let it sit overnight I think!

Sausage Rolls

2 slices bread
1/2C half & half
1 medium carrot, peeled and fine-diced or shredded
1/2 medium onion, fine-diced (or shredded in food processor)
1/2t oregano

1/4t basil
1/4t thyme
1/3t garlic powder
1/4t curry powder
1T salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork

2-3 sheets puff pastry (17.3-ounce box), thawed

1 egg white whisked with 1T water for eggwash glaze

To prepare filling:

~ Place bread in food processor and pulse into crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and soak in the half & half. Set aside

~ Place ground beef into the food processor and pulse until it is finely-ground, almost a puree. (Do not let the processor constantly run as the friction heat will begin to "cook" the meat.) Place in a large mixing bowl. Repeat with the pork

~ Prepare onion and carrot and shred in food processor. Next time I will also add some spinach

~ To the beef and pork, add the carrots, onion, sage, thyme, garlic powder, curry powder, salt, pepper, and cream-soaked bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly with a large fork, but do not overwork or the result will be tough

~ At this stage I popped the filling into a pyrex container and stored overnight

To make sausage rolls:

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease as desired

~ Roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a rectangle about 10 inches by 14 inches. Cut in half lengthwise so you have two long strips

~ Divide the sausage mixture into four. Form each sausage portion into a log and place down the center of each puff pastry strip

~ Pull each side of pastry up to meet forming an encased sausage roll. Wet your fingers lightly with water and moisten along the seam to seal the dough together

~ Cut each sausage roll into 4-10 pieces. Place on prepared jellyroll pan seam-side down (I baked on a sheet the first time but preferred the method below allowing the grease to drip away from the rolls). Repeat with remaining sausage and puff pastry sheet/s

~ Brush each sausage roll with the eggwash glaze. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until golden depending on size of the rolls. Let cool 5 minutes before serving with tomato sauce or ketchup

My Green Kitchen Must Haves

2011-12-07T20:44:00.000-06:00

I'll be honest, I spend a fair bit of time in the kitchen making meals from scratch and then doing the 100 dishes I create making a batch of pancakes (am I the only messy cook here??) but there are a few kitchen gadgets that do make this crunchy mama's life easier that I thought y'all might appreciate. And if this page just so happens to be left open for your husband, who has yet to get you a Christmas gift, to see... well, good!

Rice has always been a staple in our household, we generally have it a couple times a week. Here's where I admit that I am horrible at making rice on the stove; I forget about it, I mismeasure, it boils over and makes a mess... enter the Miracle Exclusives Stainless Steel Rice Cooker. It makes perfect rice every time and is not coated with a gross non-stick surface or made of aluminum, we don't have sticking any worse than we did in our old non-stick model

Popcorn is a great healthy snack but microwave popcorn is full of all sorts of nasties; chemicals and genetically modified corn as a start, is excessively packaged and expensive! Presto makes a couple great hot air poppers that allow you to make delicious popcorn at home without any added oils, fats or salt. We add a sprinkle of sea salt to ours and occasionally a little butter. I know a few people who like coconut oil on theirs

I bought this popcorn maker for my husband 3 Christmases ago and it's still going strong!

They offer another popcorn maker that also has great reviews that is slightly cheaper and works just the same

Breakfast on the weekends is generally something special since my husband is home to eat with us and while we don't have waffles often (do you know how much butter is in a batch of waffles!?!) when we do we use our Cast Iron Rome Waffle Iron. It is an affordable non non-stick option that takes up very little space in our cupboards AND it makes awesome waffles

This next one is not necessarily a 'must have' for everyone but now that we've had it homemade icecream is certainly a must have for us! And really, who would turn their nose up at homemade icecream? My husband surprised me a few months back with a Cuisinart Icecream/Frozen Yogurt/Sorbet Maker and it's awesome. We have used it to make egg-free icecreams including a chocolate pudding icecream as well as the traditional egg-yolk based kind and all of them have come out well. It only takes 30 minutes to take your custard from liquid to icecream

Even if you live under a rock this next gadget is probably on your wishlist. Who doesn't want one? I always thought they were over rated, just a glorified stand mixer and I hated that mine didn't have a head that lifted up. And anyway, I grew up whipping cream with a hand powered wisk (which may have taken an hour by the way!) so why did I need this thing? Well, let me tell you, one night I had rice in the cooker, dessert in the oven, dinner on the stove and my KitchenAid Stand Mixer was whipping the cream for said dessert all by itself, no supervision or hand cramps needed. Sold!

And to store all of your delicious leftovers? Pyrex Food Storage Containers. I own a cupboard full of it and I would happily take another ton of this stuff, you can never have enough! The lids are BPA free, dishwasher safe and the containers are made of glass that won't retain colors or odors from your food -- so important!! They don't get scratched either like plastic tupperware tends to. I use mine in the fridge, freezer and oven, no problems and cuts down on dishes!

Last but certainly not least, one of the best gifts my husband has ever given me; a professional stainless steel mandoline slicer. I know, what? Seriously, I thought the same thing when I first opened it but since then I have used it almost every.single.day. No kidding. I slice onions, zucchini and bell peppers perfectly (and quickly!) for pizza... eggplant for eggplant parmesan, potatoes for the oven, cucumbers for our salad and can also grate and slice potatoes into fries. Well worth the money in my opinion!

What do you want for Christmas this year/what have you asked for? What kitchen gadget can you not live without (I'm always looking for new tools!)?

31 (or more) Random Acts of Kindness

2011-12-04T19:55:00.001-06:00

That's how we are spending our December this year; thinking of others each day and brightening their day the best we can. We figured that this would be a wonderful way to bring joy to others and teach the monkey what Christmas is really about, I think it may end up becoming a yearly tradition, December is a busy month for us but you have time for what you deem important, right?

On the first of December a friend came over to make some ornaments with P and I. I thought she would appreciate a batch of her favorite cookies (Anzacs!) so I made those, they were yummy!

P had a movie and game night at school on the 2nd while parents were invited to go out and get some Christmas shopping or something done without sneaky little eyes watching them. DH and I enjoyed a hot drink and cookie at Panera and then a leisurely round of walking through Home Depot, Target and Best Buy. When we pulled into Home Depot there was a man wondering around the parking lot in the dark. As we were walking into the store he yelled to us from behind (I can say it freaked me out a little) and was really quite gruff about needing some money to get gas for him and his mom to get back to Louisiana. We didn't have any cash though, we told him sorry and went on our way. As we were paying I asked DH if he could get just $10 cash back and he did. We went out into the parking lot looking around for the man but he was gone. We figured we would give the cash to the next person who needed it. We drove down to Target and got out of our car to see that same man walking through that parking lot. We walked up to him, handed him the cash and wished him a Merry Christmas and safe travels. He said God Bless and thanked us over and over. I hope he was able to make it home.

On Saturday morning we took a miniature Noble fir and a box of homemade ornaments over to my mother in law's house. She had told DH that she wasn't going to get a tree this year since our big family Christmas was over already, that she would just use a fake tree and be done with it. I wasn't going to let that happen; I suggested we get a little low maintenance tree, make some ornaments so she wouldn't even need to pull out her Christmas box and just show up over there with it all and set it up. She was thrilled with her tree, foam Santas and dinosaur ornaments, looked lovely :)

Today was a rainy cold day so we didn't really have many opportunities to help others. After we had put P to bed I surprised DH with a random and kind backrub while he played Xbox, I also took the trash out for him so he wouldn't have to AND put in a new bag :)

This week we are getting ready for P's birthday party on Saturday but I plan to deliver a couple gifts to the gift tree at P's school and also put together some thank yous for our UPS and USPS deliverers; they have delivered more than my fair share of boxes this year with all my co-ops! P and I are also hoping to deliver some homemade cookies to our local fire stations, he'll get a kick out of that!

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

2011-11-27T10:55:00.000-06:00

This is another fudge I made for family this Thanksgiving and we all loved it, even me and I am sooo not a sweet peanut butter kind of person; don't like Reese's and things like peanut butter and jam, apple, honey or bananas makes me want to gag.

But this, THIS fudge is awesome. I may or may not have been eating it with a spoon straight out of the pan...

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2C butter

2C brown sugar
1/2C milk
1C smooth all natural peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3C confectioners' (powdered) sugar

~ Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat

~ Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. ~ ~ Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.

~ Pour over sifted powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth; pour into an 8x8 inch dish - there will be little chunks of sugar left if you don't sift and mix very well

~ Chill until firm and cut into squares, keep refrigerated until a 1/2-1 hour before eating or giving to people

I actually ended up using a paper bag to remove some of the oil that seemed to collect on top of the fudge in the pan, don't worry, there was still plenty left!

Layered Chocolate Mint Fudge

2011-11-23T16:52:00.002-06:00

Consider yourself warned: this stuff is addictive. So make a bunch and quickly send it to other people to gorge on! This fudge is really easy to make and kiddos will enjoy helping stir and spread the chocolate so get them involved!

Layered Choc Mint Fudge

12oz of your favorite semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 1/4C sweetened condensed milk; equivalent to 1 can but I use homemade condensed milk to avoid BPA

2 tsp vanilla extract

6oz white baking chocolate

1 1/2tsp peppermint extract

~ Melt semi-sweet chocolate and 1C sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat, add vanilla extract
~ Pour half of the chocolate mixture into a prepared 8x8 pan (lined with parchment paper or greased) and keep the other half at room temp. Chill for 10 minutes
~ Melt white chocolate, peppermint extract and 1/4C sweetened condensed milk over low heat
~ Pour white chocolate over first layer of chocolate, spread evenly and chill for another 10 minutes
~ Spread the rest of the melted chocolate mix on top of the white chocolate layer and chill again until everything is set
~ Once set slice into squares or reindeer ;)

To Make Sweetened Condensed Milk

~ Boil together 3C milk, 6T butter and 1 1/2C sugar on low until reduced by roughly half.

~ When reduced add a pinch of salt and vanilla and let sit till cooled, it will thicken even more

Linking up with Funky Junk Interiors, I Can Teach My Child

Homemade Corn Syrup & GMO Free Marshmallows

2011-11-10T20:06:00.002-06:00

One of the things on our very long 'cannot eat list' is marshmallows. Not even Whole Foods can provide me with marshmallows that are corn syrup free! And the organic marshmallows on Amazon are $20+ a bag!

I have searched high and low, for months, maybe years now and not found a marshmallow that meets our requirements, until now! And I have a fellow kiwi to thank too! I found this recipe on Frugal Kiwi, she found it and adapted it from another blog

Homemade Marshmallows

The quantities below will make 2 8x8/9x9 pans of marshmallows - I halved the recipe

2T gelatin

1/2C cool water

2C granulated sugar
3/4C water

2T honey
1/4t kosher salt
1/2t vanilla extract (may substitute any extract here)

candy (or meat) thermometer

For dusting:

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa, optional

Before we get started I will say that I did not use any cornstarch for the dusting of the marshmallows as I didn't have access to any that was GMO free. Doesn't seem to be required, they turned out fine without it

~ Combine sugar, water, honey, salt and vanilla in a heavy saucepan

~ Slowly bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 238-240F firm ball stage

~ Combine cool water and gelatin in stand mixer bowl and carefully stir in the hot sugar/water mix

Your mix will start out a clear/brown color but will soon turn white. Don't freak out like I did!

~ Beat on high until mixture becomes light and fluffy, approximately 12-15 minutes with a stand mixer

~ While your fluff is fluffing grease your baking pan/s with a little butter and dust with powdered sugar

~ When your marshmallow fluff is ready pour it into your pan and spread evenly

~ Let sit at least 3-4 hours or overnight before cutting to size with a greased knife

~ Toss marshmallows in powdered sugar/cornstarch mix (be sure to sift it!) and roll them in your hands to remove the excess

You can get anywhere from 25 large marshmallows to 100-150 mini mallows from one pan of marshmallow depending on your size preference and requirements; smaller for hot chocolate, larger for s'mores

Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 or 3 weeks... though I doubt they'll last longer than a couple days ;)

We got a little fancy with our marshmallows; rolling them in toasted coconut and drizzling with some melted semi sweet chocolate chips

But we can't forget the hot chocolate! In a pot I heated 1/4C sugar, 1/4C cocoa powder, 2C milk and 1C water and it was perfect, I prefer a milder chocolate taste and sweeten to taste (was trying to avoid the kiddo having his super sweet!)

They melt perfectly!

A sugary treat I don't mind Mr. 4 indulging in

We're making graham crackers tomorrow so we can have s'mores for dessert!