Crazy 8

Ok, here goes it's all about the CRAZY 8's!



~8 favorite tv shows~
American Idol
Survivor
Rate My Space
Jon and Kate Plus 8
Dear Genevieve
Bachelor
Ace of Cakes
Barefoot Contessa


~8 things I did yesterday~
Cleaned the new freezer
Went grocery shopping
Saved a ton of money on groceries
Went to church
Put 35 lbs of meat in the freezer
Made a business call
Cleaned up after the kids
Played on the internet


~8 things I look forward to~
Vacations
Summer
Paying off our debt
Truitt learning to talk
No more diapers :) {someday}
Time away with Chris in Vegas
Working on home projects
Finishing my Scrapbook projects


~8 favorite restaurants~
Cheesecake Factory
Bahama Breeze
Olive Garden
Kimo's
Alexander's Fish and Chips (Maui)
TGI Friday's
The Ram
Athens Pizza


~8 things on my wishlist~
To be Debt Free
Disney Cruise with the kids
Vacation home in Maui
Have an Interior Designer help with decorating my house
Both of my boys to grow up and find Godly spouses
For my husband to enjoy watching HGTV with me
For a little fairy to come into my house and finish painting all the trim and doors
A new wardrobe

~People I tag~

Penny

Jenny

Danielle

Kristen



{and anyone else that would like to do it!}

100

I finally reached 100 posts! That might not seem like much to most of you, but I never thought I was going to reach 100 :)

Fun at the Zoo

After the boys got their haircut on Friday we went to the zoo. Our good friends, Weston, Susan, Thatcher and Ava met us there. It was a very beautiful Feb. day (those are rare around here). The kids enjoyed just hanging out.

Cupcakes

Do you enjoy making cupcakes? There is an amazing giveaway at Southern Plate They are giving away a complete cupcake kit. It includes a cupcake stand, cupcake boxes, cupcake papers and sprinkles. Head on over there to enter the giveaway. You can also earn additional entries by blogging or tweeting about it.

Free Photobook

Shutterfly is offering a free 8×8 photobook (plus the cost of shipping $7.99) when you purchase the book and then type in code: PHOTOBOOKS at checkout.

This offer is good until March 10th, 2009

Thanks to Amie for the heads up.

Interview

Here is my interview with Penny

1. What is the thing that most surprises you about being a grown-up?
This one was a tough one for me. I thought for a long time about this and the only thing I could come up with is that I am actually surprised that I don't really feel like a grown-up. I still feel like that young adult that didn't have all the grown-up responsibilities. Of course, I have all those responsibilities, but somehow I still feel like a young 2o-something. My body is starting to tell me otherwise though.

2. A Chocolate or lemon dessert... which would you choose from a menu?
I would choose the lemon dessert, hands down. I like chocolate, but need to be in that chocolate mood. I LOVE fruit and would choose anything fruit flavored first. Lemon is one of my favorites for desserts too. I like that fresh taste of lemons and they remind me of summertime.

3. What's the one thing you're proudest of having accomplished in the past five years? That is an easy one for me. I am extremely proud of my two boys. I had very tough pregnancies with each of them (I more than had my fair share of morning sickness and vomit ting). I definitely couldn't top the pride I feel when I look at my two little men!

4. Floral, oriental, chypre... what perfume (if any) do you gravitate towards? Do you have a signature scent?
OK, so I had to google the word chypre. I don't think I have ever heard that word before. After reading the definition I would have to say that I gravitate towards chypre perfumes. I have worn the same scent for over 10 years. I love the light citrus and floral scent of Happy by Clinique.

5. What inspires you?
There are many things that inspire me in life. My husband and the amazing amount of creative abilities & energy he has. He never ceases to amaze me with his never ending ideas. He also seems to constantly have a positive attitude, no matter what life throws his way.

My children inspire me as I watch them learn new things. I find myself constantly amazed as I realize I am learning right alongside them.

The thing that inspires me the most is when I stop and truly reflect on the amazing gift I have been given by my Lord and Savior. It is easy to say that I accept that gift, but when I actually stop and ponder the suffering that Jesus took upon himself and the agony he faced so that I wouldn't have to, I am in awe. There is no greater gift! This amazing selfless act inspires me to give my all to God. This life is just a moment in time and before I know it I will be standing before my God and must account for all that I have done. This inspires me to live a life of love, patience, kindness, faithfulness, humbleness & gratitude.


Now, if you would like ME to interview YOU, here’s what to do:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will email you 5 questions.
3. You answer the questions on your blog.

Big Boy

Friday was a busy, but great day for us. I will post the happenings in separate posts over the next few days.

I took the boys to get haircuts. This was Truitt's first haircut. I had been putting it off for a long time. I just couldn't bring myself to cut off that baby hair. I knew that he would no longer have that baby look after cutting it and that he would truly move on to the Toddler stage. His hair had gotten to the stage where it was just no longer manageable. Another reason I hesitated in taking him was that he is just so stubborn and strong willed that I figured he would throw a fit and make it nearly impossible to get the job done. Boy did he prove me wrong!!! He did an amazing job! He sat in the little car and watched Elmo while getting his haircut. He now looks like a little man. What happened to my baby?

The before Picture

Getting Started

Check out how long it was!

The cute after picture :)

7 of 7

I was tagged by my friend, Amy to post the 7th picture that was in my 7th picture folder. This is a very old picture (taken in 2007) of my friend Becky. The funny thing is that it is a picture of her at her baby shower for her son Nathan, that I threw in her honor. Becky just gave birth to her second son yesterday, so this picture is very fitting. Congratulations to Becky and Andy on the birth of their second son!!!!

I tag anyone that would like to do this.

Puffed Oven Pancake

This is a very simple but yummy recipe. We love to pair it with some cooked fruit. I cook whatever fruit is in season. Tonight it was apples, but our favorite is peaches. I slice the fruit and place it in a saucepan with a little sugar and cinnamon. I let this cook while I prepare and bake the pancake. We top our pancake with the cooked fruit and a little powdered sugar. YUMMY!

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp sugar

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp butter

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Use a 9x13 pan or oven proof pan. (It does raise a bit, so nothing too shallow).

3. Put butter in pan and melt in oven while pre-heating.

4. Mix all ingredients in mixer. Pour into hot pan.

5. Place pan in oven.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 mintues.

White Chili Soup

This is a very yummy soup that our family loves. We serve with grated cheese, sour cream and corn chips. If you are not a fan of spicy food cut back on the jalapenos just a little.

3 15-15.5 ounce cans great northern, pinto or white kidney beans, rinsed & drained.

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups chopped red, green, and/or yellow sweet pepper

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1. In a 3.5 or 4 quart crock pot combine the drained beans, chicken, onion, sweet pepper, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt and oregano. Stir in the broth.

2. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Healthy Snack Ideas

I've had a few people ask me for ideas (especially for snacks) of things we eat that do not contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). My kids (especially Keegan) are huge snackers. He would snack all day long if I would let him. I will try to think of as many as I can.

We eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies. I also buy mainly frozen vegetables instead of canned.
Keegan loves "straw yogurts"
Truitt also loves yogurt (YoBaby)
We buy organic peanut butter crackers (Trader Joe's) Basically, anything organic will not contain HFCS, since it is not a natural ingredient.
Most grocery stores carry organic stuff (condiments, snacks....)
Keegan loves popcorn
Pirate Booty is another favorite around here
Flat Earth crisps are good too (we like the peach mango, wild berry patch and the apple cinnamon). We didn't like the cheddar
Yummy Earth organic fruit lollipops. We found these are Babies R Us
Nabisco Garden Harvest Toasted Chips (we have only tried the Apple Cinnamon)
Earth's Best Snack Bars (like Nutri Grain Bars)
Raisins
applesauce
cheese
Breyers Pure Fruit Bars
I also buy bread that doesn't contain HFCS like Oroweat or Franz. If you look at the ingredient lists on the Oroweat site it show that their products contain HFCS, but I have a loaf on my counter and it does not have it listed. I did find this on their site...it looks like they have changed and no longer have HFCS in their products.
Honest Kids Juice pouches is good too. I buy these at Sam's Club.

These are just a few ideas. Hopefully this will get some of you started down the path of HFCS free life. Feel free to comment with any other ideas you may have.

A Birthday Celebration!

I can't believe a year has passed since I wrote this post!

Happy Birthday Keegan! Nothing pleases me more than watching you hide God's Word in your heart. It amazes me the comprehension you have of God. I love to hear you talking about praising God and giving Him glory as we go about our daily lives. May you continue to fall more in love with our Saviour every day!

Thank you God for this precious boy that you have entrusted to us! What a joy it is to watch him grow in the knowledge of you. Help us to be amazing role models of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

We love you Keegan!!

Dryer Sheets

What's in that dryer sheet that we are so quick to throw in every load of laundry we put in our dryers? Most of us reach for a Bounce dryer sheet (or your brand of choice) without even giving a second thought to what we are putting in with our clothing. Most of us do it because that is what we grew up doing. Why is it that we don't give a second thought about the cleaners we use around our house? Most of these things are chemicals and contain carcinogens. We usually give more thought to the things we put into our body, like food, medications and supplements. So why don't we think about the other things we are using in our homes and around our bodies?

I too was guilty of this for many years, that is until I had kids. All of a sudden I realized I was using so many things that are toxic to my kids. I didn't want to use chemicals to clean the floors they would be crawling on or the toys they put in their mouths. That is when I decided to do a little research. Here is what I found... (I will focus on dryer sheets today)

Dryer sheets are made of fiberglass and contain petroleum. Wow! I was shocked. I would never want to put fiberglass into our clothing. I found this quote on wisegeek.com

There is some concern among certain groups over the use of dryer sheets, as the
chemicals they contain are known carcinogens. The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved their use in dryer sheets based on
the assumption that chemicals passed from clothes to the skin would not and do
not penetrate the skin. Many believe this to be an outmoded notion, pointing to
treatment "patches" such as the nicotine patch, which
relies on chemicals passing through the skin to be effective.

I couldn't believe it. The FDA assumes these chemicals will not pass
through the skin. So, in other words, they don't know for a fact that these
chemicals are safe for use on our clothes. I don't want to be a human guinea pig.

Another problem is that these toxins stay on our clothes long after they come out of the dryer. That means these chemicals are being released into the air we breathe and onto our skin as we wear our clothes.

I decided right then and there that was all the info I needed. I found an organic/natural dryer sheet that is biodegradable, fragrance free and vegetable based. I would rather be safe than sorry. It was such a simple change to make. I love the way these dryer sheets work! I can use them in multiple loads of laundry and when I am done with them I just throw them into my recycle bin. The box seems to last me forever. Remember, I have small children and do a ton of laundry.

Are you wondering what type of dryer sheet I am using or where you can get them? They are made by shaklee. Now, don't get overwhelmed by the price. At first I thought they were a little expensive too, but then I paid close attention to how long they were lasting me. One box lasts me about 5 months. Now that price doesn't seem so bad does it? I feel as though I can't really put a price on the health and safety of my family!!!

Superbowl

We spent Superbowl Sunday (after church, of course) at our friends Steve & Keren's house. It was a nice day just visiting with a few friends. We wish the outcome of the game had been different, but there's not much we can do about that.

Keren got a new camera for her birthday and has been having fun playing around with it. Here are a few pictures she took of us.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Here is one of our favorite recipes for making pizza dough. I was on the quest to find on that was made with whole wheat and came across this one. I have made this dough one time without the food processor and it turned out fine.

1 package yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 tablespoon honey

3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup cool water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch salt

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the honey and let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.

2. Put the flour in a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade. Mix the 1 cup cool water with the olive oil and salt. With the motor running, pour the olive oil mixture and the yeast slowly in through the feed tube. Process until the dough forms a ball that rides around on the blade.

3. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down the dough and knead it on a lightly floured surface for 1 minute. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll them into tight balls. Place on a tray, cover with a damp towel, and let rest for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator before use.

4. Roll or stretch each ball of dough into a 7-to-8-inch circle. Place the circles, one at a time, on a wooden peel or on a baking sheet and build the pizza as desired.

Bake at 500 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.