Watermelon Recipes

Since I am the only TRUE southern person out of the five of us, I had to get a bit creative when it came to the huge watermelon my Daddy gave us. I love watermelon. I don't love it enough to eat this entire one by myself before it goes bad, though I would probably take care of the majority! :)

So, I researched the many different recipes including watermelon that were easy and used items that I already had on hand.

My Watermelon recipe adventure started with four basic steps:

1.) Cut melon into manageable chunks.

  

2.) Liquify

3.) Strain

4.) Strain more. :)

ECCLS: Books-By-Mail Program

Recently, a friend of mine told me about our local library's "Books-by-Mail" program. I was skeptical at first figuring it would be lined with red tape.  After our summer reading program last Friday, I stopped by the front desk to inquire about this program.  The guy at the front has never been overly friendly, so I was glad to hear he was going to get the "girl in the back that knows about this program".

Out came a smiling, sweet young lady (that has ref'd my sons soccer games at the Y) that was very happy to see our interest.  She gave me all of the information (there is even a program for ADULTS, too!!!)  It is totally free and I am pretty excited! Basically, you choose four books from a catalog that they give you. Then, you send in your card (or give it to her in my being a first timer) in and they will send you a big green bag full of your choices. :) It is THAT easy! 

Here is a snapshot of the cards that are included in your "big green bag". You choose the books you want out of the catalog and fill in the requested information!

The "big green bag" our books were mailed to us in. :)

Here are just some of the books that we got. Isn't it cute how she put a post-it note on each stack with each kid's name? :) I thought that was pretty cool. She did the chooing this time because my kids forgot their inside voice and she offered to pick something out for them, but I looking forward helping the kids pick out their next set.

The best thing about this program is that I don't have to try and drag my three kids in the library each week to check out new books. I don't mind taking my children, but with a two year old that doesnt want to play computer games or sit and read-it is a challenge. So, I think this program is fabulous-not to mention it is all year long-not just the summer.

For more info contact Escambia County Cooperative Library System OR just got to the front desk at APL and ask about the "Books-by-Mail" program!

Top Five Favorite Pantry/Fridge Staples

I have a ton of favorite things.  I figured I would make it pretty simple by breaking it down into manageable categories. So, here is my top five favs (staples) in my fridge/pantry.

Top five FAVORITE things in my fridge/pantry:

5.) Annie's Macaroni and Cheese

We eat a ton of mac and cheese around here. I feel good knowing (that even I spend a bit more for this brand) that the kids can enjoy their favorite without all the additives and preservatives. (I recently pureed carrots into the mac and cheese-worked like a charm!) Note: My kids will eat carrots and love them, but I figured what the heck, right? More veggies never hurt anyone! :)

www.annies.com

4.) String Cheese

Quick, easy, portable and generally a healthy snack or add-on to a quick lunch,we buy string cheese every grocery trip.

3.) Simply Go-Gurt

Oh, how we love Go-gurt! This is another product that is easy, portable and yummy. My kids love this stuff. I was tickled when Yoplait came out with their new product, Simply Gogurt. It's free from artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. It can be frozen for an icepop-like treat, too!

2.) Diced Tomatoes

Fresh, frozen, canned-which ever way you prefer them; diced tomatoes are awesome to have on hand. I always add them to my homemade spaghetti sauce, chili, tacos, and my mac and cheese/turkey/tomato creation. :)

1.) Naturally More Peanut Butter

Unlike my friend JW's family, I don't make my own peanut butter. :) So, I finally found an awesome and relatively smooth, natural peanut butter at WALMART. It's pretty inexpensive (around 2.88$ and my kids love it. It) I buy one or two of these every time I shop.  Naturally More is all-natural, contains no cholesterol, and has no trans fats. Naturally More's unique formula has a peanut butter base fortified with flax seed, flax oil and other nutrients to provide all the protein and essential fats needed to keep the body naturally balanced. While normal peanut butter is almost exclusively monounsaturated fat, Naturally More contains omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. It’s What Peanut Butter Should Be!**

**NaturallyMore.com

Homemade Pickles

In the past month or so, I have really been trying to make-from-scratch most everything I can. In the midst of all of this homemaking in the kitchen, I discovered  that I really enjoy canning! I've only canned once before and that was some fabulous strawberry-blueberry preserves. I plan on making that in the very near future. I don't know why I haven't discovered this joy of canning before, but better late than never I suppose!

Recently, I made Bread and Butter Pickles. These were incredibly easy and so very tasty!  The only thing I will do differently next time is to use bigger canning jars! :)

Thanks to my cucumber supplier, NJPR, for these fabulous cukes! :)

 Cutting the onions, which leads to:

This horribly frightening picture of the after effects of cutting onions while not taking LW's advice and swiping my kids' swim goggles for use while cutting. Teary eyes, dark circles and no makeup-OH MY!!! Moving on.....

I have also found that I really enjoy taking pictures of food. I enjoy the food prep, the cooking and the "plating". :)

Lovely salt covered cucumbers and onions!

Getting ready for the liquid goodness...:)

Boil for three minutes....

Stuffing my cucumber/onion mixture into the jars.....

Sweet cucumbers waiting to take their boiling dip (aka-processed).

Processing....

The final product. I am so proud of these and they are so dang yummy.

Blueberry Picking-"I'll blog about that."

I had an awesome opportunity to go blueberry picking with two amazing gals-kid free!!  We had so much fun! (The above picture just shows how many blueberries are still getting ripe! There are plenty more for the picking!!)

One of my dear friends, R, is married to a hard-core blueberry picker. She mentioned that one season, he picked fourty pounds just by himself alone. That is a true lover of the fruit!!

So, I am pretty sure that (the picture above) this would make him proud. We pulled down many a branch to get the biggest, juiciest berries!!! Talk about team work!!!

The conversation was great and the company was even better, but the price: FANTASTIC!! We did have to suffer through the hot, humid (which means sticky) southern summer but it was totally worth it.  We were attacked (not really) by a few bugs and I pelted a few unworthy-of-my-bowl berries at R and A. :) I felt like I smelled even though I had a shower an hour before. My clothes were saturated with sweat, but my soul was full of joy after another fun time spent with friends.

I ended up with 10lbs. I gave around half to my mother. I have now a gallon and a half frozen in my freezer. I do plan on going back as soon as I can to get some more. I really do love blueberries and they are so versitle,not to mention the nutritional and health benefit of these awesome little balls of goodness!!!

I almost feel a bit Gump-like when asked what I am going to do with my blueberries. I will make blueberry jam, blueberry fruit leather, blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes and the list goes on and on. :)  I found a fantastic site that has a TON (and I mean a TON) of recipes using blueberries. They have everything from Spicy Blueberry Barbecue Sauce to Blueberry Cheesecake Pie.

 Blueberry Council has salads, desserts, beverages and even sauces-all centered around the blueberry!!

I am looking forward to getting back to this patch very soon to pick more blueberries. I hope that the next time will be just as fun as the first!

Peanut Butter Balls

For whatever reason the other day, I decided it was time for Peanut Butter Balls. I have only made these once before because they are so incredibly good, we will eat an entire batch in one day!
I had every good intention of bringing a batch to a meeting I was attending this particular night, but walked right out and left them in the fridge! (Sorry, J!)
Yet again, I forgot to take a picture of my "finished product" where the peanut butter balls are covered in delightfully smooth, semi-sweet chocolate.  They were divine. I do think it may be a while before I make any more though, they are just TOO sweet!!!!

These are so easy to make and even easier to eat! You can find how to make PBB's, here.

Homemade Egg Custard Pie

For Father's Day I decided to make my Daddy an Egg Custard Pie. I am not a fan of them and  for sure not a skilled baker by any means, but I figured I would try.

First, I prepared my made-from-scratch crust. Oh yes, I went all out. :) It was actually very easy!!!  All of the kneading I found very therapeutic!!!

So, I totally failed to take a picture of my pie when it was all lovely and brown on top once it was done baking.

My Daddy loved the pie and so did the kids!!!! Find a basic recipe here. 

*Note: I didn't not have a pie crust, so I had to make my own (obviously). I omitted nutmeg because I didn't have any and added cinnamon instead. For my very first egg custard, I think it turned out well!!!

NOT SO "Sweet Emotion"

Last night, I felt a new emotion as a Mommy so fierce, so striking; it almost overwhelmed me. I am choosing not to go into a much detail as I have with cherished friends about this happening here, but more so channel into that "emotion" I had as a MOTHER. 

I am a mother that feels incredibly deep emotional ties to my children.  I now realize that C and I are fighting to maintain the innocense of our children in a world that wants to strip it away all too quickly. This world wants nothing more than to suck us up and spit us out forever damanged by it's effects. I, was one of those unfortunate ones that dealt with the worlds ugly reality. Not only do I pray that my children wear the armor of God, but I pray that I can help effectively coat that armor through my parenting that will build my children up into adults that are in this world and not of it. How tough is our job? The toughest job ever!

While venting to a handful of amazing women, one of my friends A said, "We are there to protect our children...and if that means the lioness comes out...so be it. No one else is gonna do it...."  She is right. No one else will protect our young like we can as parents. My God blessed me with these children and I see it as an honor, a privledge to have a love so deep as the loving of your own children can be. It is my job to protect them until they can protect themselves. As parents, it is OUR JOB to prepare our children for the cruel and scary world that awaits them. It is our job to teach them respect and right from wrong. It is our job to "train them up in the way they should go..."  It is my job to love these children unconditionally. I didn't say like them unconditionally, because, well sometimes that is just impossible! But to love them. Love them despite their faults, despite their failures, despite their accidents, despite their differences. To really love them in the good, the bad, the ugly.  We are to love as God loves us. He loves us despite it all.

I just pray that we can give them that godly foundation that they deserve. I often pray for the tools of parenting that no book can give me. I often pray for guidance in parenting. And I always find myself asking, "Lord, help ME to be a better parent."

I now think that with this "happening" that boiled up such emotion within my mothering soul behind me; I can look into the further with better understand of how to deal with myself when it happens again, and unfortunately, it will happen again.

My Anti-Sleep

After yet another night of no sleep, I figured that a post about my "sleep stealer" would be appropriate at 5am. :)

Introducing, my sweet, funny, petite, loud, dramatic, loving, beautiful, hasn't-let-me-have-a-good-nights-sleep-in-two-years: Makennah. 

She came out crying and really hasn't stopped since!! Although Makennah was a perfectly normal and healthy 6lbs (and a scheduled C-section); we had our share of difficulties.

Bound and determined to nurse her, I had a break down on day two or so in the hosptial. Fresh from major surgery and exhausted, Makennah just WOULD NOT latch on properly. Though I had an excellent lactation consultant that stood by me and helped me at every call-M and I just could not find our groove. I should have seen the drama unfolding in the hospital, but I think the drugs clouded my vision just a teeny bit.

As a new family of five, things were difficult already. With two almost four year olds and a newborn things were pretty loud at our house!  Luckily, Chris was able to take about three weeks off; THANK YOU LORD! Little did we know that when we brought our sweet baby girl home the nights that lay ahead for us!

From the time we got home I knew something was not quite right. She didn't sleep as much or as soundly as I thought she would. The boys, though premature, were excellent sleepers for the most part. (Much more on their birth in a later post.) Chris and I were in for a very, very rude awakening.  Luckily after pumping and trying, on around day 8 M and I got the hang of nursing. From then on it was smooth sailing and she was nursed exclusively. (Until she weaned herself at around 13 months.) Nursing was the least of my worries now. Makennah DID NOT SLEEP. I remember Chris and I the first few nights wondering if we should go to the emergency room because this child just simply would NOT STOP CRYING. I often added to the mix with crying myself. For the first few days, my parents kept the boys at their house, so that was a relief. What in the world was wrong with this little baby?! Were we doing something wrong?

Makennah had her "witching hours". Sometimes they could vary slightly, but you always knew they were coming. Night after night we would try to pacify this new little life. Chris would walk her outside (which helped only momentarily), we brought in her stroller from the car and would ride her up and down the hall, through the kitchen and back again. We sat her in her carseat on top of the washing machine AND the dryer. Still, she would scream.  Sometimes, non-stop nursing would help. I know mostly it was just pacifying her because she was getting very little milk after so long-but I was content with that. Other times, after nursing her because she was hungry, burping her and changing her and trying to nurse pacify her more-she would just refuse. Not only was she colicky, she wouldn't lay down. She hated her bassinet, she hated her bed. During these times, I couldn't even get her to rest on me! I cried so many nights with her.She never spit up and didnt seem like her tummy was bothering her all that much (gas drops are a joke anyway). Finally, weeks later, even though she had her "witching hours" and they were exhausting, she would sleep for a few hours at a time.

We tried EVERYTHING as far as sleeping places were concerned. We finally broke down and bought a glider thing. She layed on her back but sort of upright. THIS was my lifesaver. It kept her constantly moving. After her fits, she would be exhausted (as would I) and would only find comfort in the movement and being upright. So, I gave in and allowed her to sleep in this. She was on her back, so I felt comfort in that at least.

Her colic continued for at least 9-10 weeks. Although, now two years later, I wonder if we aren't the cover story for a new found colic-in TWO YEAR OLDS. :)

Our beautiful little monster  girl hasn't changed much. :) She goes to sleep much better (though often times with difficulty) now. I do usually get to sleep normally, but then there are those nights (that are far, far too many).  This child has never, ever, ever, slept through the entire night soundly. She always wakes up and stands up on the side of her crib crying for some reason-always at least once. The inspiration for this post about Makennah came last night. I went to bed at 11pm. I saw 12:30a.m, 1:15a.m, 2:30a.m., 3:00 a.m and 5:15a.m. And Chris wonders why I am in a bad mood when I wake up sometimes-IT'S BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SLEPT! I will play the "being human" card right now-every human needs sleep to function and some nights I just do not get enough.

Makennah is scared of loud noises. So when a thunderstorm rolls through (example: the night before last), it is almost a guarantee that at some point, she will end up in the bed with me. If she is trying to get to sleep and our next door neighbor decided to leave his house (he has one of those big trucks that is pretty loud), she freaks out. It would just be awesome to sleep through the night WITH Makennah at home. (I sleep way too hard if she is spending the night with my parents-which is often NOT enough.) I wonder how many Diet Cokes it will take me to feel somewhat normal today? (Thank you Walmart for pricing your 24pk at only $5!)

As I type this, I hear my sweet little boys chatting quietly in their room. Man how I wish they would rub off THAT QUALITY on their little sister. When Makennah wakes up, it is more often than not-a whine, cry or combination of both. I always say that if she would have been the first baby, she probably would have been our last. :)

I love this baby girl with every ounce of my being. She is the comic relief in my day, my sweet hugs and my EXHAUSTION. I know I will one day tell her "You know, you are so getting paid back from when you were little....." :) (I know my mama has played that card a time or two with me!!! :) )

So for now, I guess I will just accept that sleep (good, restful, most every night sleep) will come  at some point. I am just trying to soak up every bit of her being little and remain positive though sleep eludes me. I know that one day way too soon, I will be mad because I can't get her to wake up in the mornings without a fuss (at least that part will be familiar) and I won't be able to get her to go to bed at a descent time. :)

Exhausted and the pillow next to me calling out to me "Sleep, sleep while you have the few extra moments...." I must get up, start my day and grab a diet coke. :)

Snake Skin

Yes, that would be a snake skin---------------------->
Chris went outside to do something and came back in and got his stick we keep in our bedroom (beware intruders!) He asked if I wanted to come with him and see what he was about to do. I saw the weird look on his face and figured I might as well just peek out the back door.  When I saw him bring this out from under our back steps I automatically yelled at Chloe (our Dorkie) "You aren't doing your job! You are a dog-keep these things away." Poor Chloe.  I know it is only a snake SKIN, but there was a SNAKE in it at one point. This just scares me, because the boys enjoy going into the back yard.  Here's hoping: I was thinking maybe Chloe just drug it up from somewhere OTHER than our yard. I mean, it was in her favorite shady spot (under our back steps) and she is known to bring all sorts of lovely things into the yard from other places. So yeah, the picture doesn't do the thing justice. There is still like three inches missing off the tail because it fell off-and I wasn't about to pick it up! Small, but still snake skin. Enough said!

Chocolate Cake and Label Crazy

Today (while the kiddos were napping) I did two things (well actually three if you count boiling the chicken for a casserole I would be making for supper): I made a FROM SCRATCH chocolate cake and I labeled a few things.
C loves chocolate. He especially loves chocolate on chocolate. I'd rather have like chocolate and vanilla-but it's not about me. I decided that I would make C a chocolate cake for Father's Day. :)

Anyone that knows me pretty well knows that I am not the most talented baker. Most things I make come about far from perfect. This cake and HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH ICING came out pretty darn good, even if im not a chocolate icing on chocolate cake person. :)
The icing is really yummy and was super easy to make. It came out all creamy and smooth. I was very pleased.

I did let the cake cool before I tried to flip it out of the pan. Well, judging by my finished product-it didn't go very well. Half came out, then half broke off. I slathered the icing on anyway.  I am probably going to make another one tomorrow after church to take to my Daddy. He isn't really an "icing" man, so I may have to come up with something a bit different!!! Happy Father's Day to my sweet Daddy and Happy Father's Day to an awesome Daddy, my husband!!!

To make this super duper chocolate cake, you'll find the recipe, here.                                                                   

It is a known fact that I do like to label things and have them in a "place". Although I like to think that I am somewhat organized...it is really organized chaos-a popular theme. :)  I bought a few storage containers after seeing my friend R's nicely contained chocolate chips. (Yes, R, as you were making the Chocolate Covered Blueberries you inspired me to never roll up my bag of chocolate chips again-they deserve a container!!!)  So, I have contained now three different types of chips, two different types of flower, homemade brown sugar and confectioners sugar. Then I thought, "How could one tell this apart if they aren't me?"  So, I then thought of my handy dandy label maker and printed away. :)

VBS #2

Today was the pool party for the boys' second VBS of the summer. This is our first time doing more than one VBS-but I am so glad I did. :) Not only did they have a fantastic time, but I got to visit with friends all week in the evenings and it was much needed!! (Picture: E and N with M on stage.)

The boys (especially N) made friends with their classes helper, Skye. Every time I went to pick N up, he would be holding her hand. :) He (and E, too) had to make her a card on their last day. N even asked when she could come over to our house. :)

This morning, they had a pool party for the VBS kids and families. M stayed with PawPaw because I didn't want to have to sit out for two hours in the sun with my lovely, water blistered/peeling sunburn.  The loved it, of course, and I enjoyed a few panic free moments reading. The boys really enjoy swimming and were very excited to see Skye there as well. :) :)

VBS #3 here we come!

Sunburn and blueberries

Wow. What a couple of days! Yesterday, I enjoyed some Mom time .We had a blast and I ended up getting really sunburned. Totally my fault, yes, I know.  Thank you R for the lavender in the aloegel tip and L for the aloe gel!! :) It feels much better!!! :) My kiddos, of course, were slathered TWICE with sunscreen and came home sunburn free.  They had such a good time. Can I just say that four hours of playing in the sun at the creek makes for AWESOME naps?? :)  I had to wake them up to get ready for VBS and they went straight to bed when we got home. Yay for the creek!!!!

I almost hate to admit it, but I really am enjoying the boys going to VBS. Last week it was during the early morning. It was great and I enjoyed the time I got to spend visiting with a few friends (with M in tow of course), but, this evening time is fabulous. Monday night my Daddy kept M while I went to Jalisco's with some other moms...super fun girl talk time! :) Tuesday night, I visited with R. Even though she almost burned my lips off with her hot sauce (that didn't come with a disclaimer until AFTER I put four glugs onto my meal) I had a great time and I know M did playing with EC. Love you, R! :) 

Tonight, I had a super fabulous time with four wonderful ladies. I laughed so hard my sunburn hurt and was a bit fearful that my sweet friend L may smack me, but all in all, I had a fantastic, much needed, girl time. :) Now, no girl time is complete without chocolate. We had quite the yummy spread.  Coffee, brownies, cookies and CHOCOLATE COVERED BLUEBERRIES.  I was a bit skeptical when R asked me the night before if I wanted to try them. Boy, am I glad for that introduction!! These little gems are DIVINE. The do look a bit on the, as my friend AK would say, "Look, it's reindeer poop." side; but who cares-they are awesomely delish!!  The oh-so easy recipe can be found here.  Thanks for hosting, R, I had a blast!!!!
At bedtime tonight, the boys wanted to say a prayer. Sometimes, they feel led to say a prayer, sometimes I say a prayer.  N's prayer was really sweet. It started with the normal, "Thank you God for this day...." and somewhere in the middle was, "and please help us to remember that VBS is learning about Jesus". :) It warmed my heart to hear that. C and I are so blessed with two very sweet, caring and loving little boys. My prayer is that they learn to love God with all of their hearts, worship Him and serve Him. I am excited to sweet what great men they will turn in to....don't want to rush it, though. :) Six years passed by WAY too fast!!!!
Anyway, so tomorrow is DAY 4 of VBS. I am pretty excited for tomorrow's activities as well. I think we might have a DC run. Wonder what treasures I can dig up with no kids in tow? :) Who knows, but I am really looking forward to R and A's company. Oh yea, and whoever else wants to go treasure hunting-COME ON!!!

Hopefully by tomorrow this sun burn will begin to feel a bit better. I can barely stand being out in the sun right now. Bra straps and shirts are almost unbearable. It has been MANY years since i've had a sunburn and I plan on it NEVER happening again! :)