new year resolutions

I know that we are still four days away from the year 2012, but I have been thinking about what my goals for next year will be and if I followed through with my goals this year. Have you been thinking about these things too?

My first question to myself is what were my resolutions for this year? I am not sure of all of them, I checked and I didn't post any either. Which is good because I can't beat myself up over it. I know for sure that I wanted to lose 30 pounds to be able to fit into my wedding dress by our 10 year anniversary. I lost 15 pounds which at times felt like an uphill battle. Considering I have finished at least 5 collage classes receiving a B and 4 A's, homeschooling the boys, changing our home school curriculum, and everyday life I am really proud of that 15 pounds. I have gained a few pounds over Christmas which is disappointing but not a problem.

My goals for 2012 are as follows:

I am going to focus on exercise this year. I want to be on the treadmill at least 30 minutes 5 days a week.

I would really like to lose that last 15 pounds.

Start saving towards retirement. Remember our dream is to homestead or run a small family farm when Rob retires in 10 or so years.

No credit... We were bad this year buying all of these trees and various other things for the house on credit. I don't regret it because at least this way they will look nice when we have to sell the house in ? years.

This year I want to give up eating out! So be prepared for blog posts on dinners. I want to bring back recipe Tuesday and Meal plan Monday. We will see I am still in school.

School I am going to take one eight week class at a time so that I do not get overwhelmed and can be a better mother and wife.

These are the top six of my resolutions. I think that they are all attainable. I will let you know how it goes throughout the year, maybe. I will update this time next year.

I hope that you have a wonderful day filled with love and laughter. Be well my friends.

Christmas Eve Prayer

All through advent season I have recieved daily prayers from my church Saint Peter and Paul. I wanted to share this one with you.


Jesus, our radiant dawn, shine upon us and fill us with hope. Our days are dark and our nights long. Death surrounds us with its threatening fears. May your Spirit of wisdom give us eyes of faith that see in you the extravagant love of the Father.


I hope your Christmas Eve is filled with Love and Laughter and that Santa brings you that special gift you really wanted. Be Well My Friends

Recipe for Candy

I made caramels for the first time ever. They turned out better than I could have ever imagined. Since I have a few minutes alone I decided to share it with you. I found this recipe on Betty Crocker's website  you can click this link to get to it. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/salted-whiskey-caramels/f99a3a51-1115-4b69-b291-11b479bba7db


 Salted Whiskey Caramels           

               

Makes 36 squares

Ingredients
5 table spoons of butter
1 cup whipping cream
2 oz (1/4 cup) honey flavored whiskey (I used a small two dollar bottle of any whiskey please)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (I used regular salt)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt (Again I used what I had) 

1. Line 9-inch square pan with parchment paper(Side note do not use wax paper! The candy will stick to it); spray with cooking spray.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, heat butter, whipping cream, whiskey, vanilla and salt to boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. In 3-quart saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR. Boil until sugar turns a light golden amber color and candy thermometer reads 310°F.
4. When sugar mixture reaches 310°F, add cream mixture (Be careful it is going to foam up fast). Beating with whisk, cook until thermometer reads 248°F. Pour caramel into pan; cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt; cool completely.
5. Cut into squares; wrap individually in parchment paper.

Makes 36 squares

Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker^® Kitchens

Have everything ready and prepped before you start cooking the sugar—prepare your pan and measure out all of your ingredients.

Use a candy thermometer. Candy making is scientific and you need to reach the correct temperatures to ensure the correct end result. If you do not use temperatures, then your caramel will either be too hard or too soft.

I did copy this recipe from the website. I love Betty Crocker. This really is an easy recipe and every one who tries these homemade caramels will think you are truly a domestic goddess.

I hope you holidays are filled with magical moments, love and laughter. Be well my friends.

Misadventures in crochet

Recently I found my love of crocheting again. When a dear friend of mine introduced me to this quiet activity I used it as a way to worry. I was able to sit and think about all of those little things that I needed to work out until my mind quieted down. Like meditating I found a kind of peace working a single crochet over and over again. I did make three baby blankets one good, one mostly good, and one ridiculously small. Then I spent four years making a crazy big blanket for my husband. We have a queen sized bed and it seriously hangs to the floor on three sides. IT is a warm blanket that we use in the winter. After I finished that crochet project I started to learn to quilt in the ever slow way that I taught myself to sew. I always learn the hard way. Have you ever had a little thing go wrong in a project that you are working on? I do. I like to think of these mistakes as little misadventures in which I learn valuable lessons the hard way. I am proud of them but I really try not to repeat them if at all possible. Today is a post on my recent misadventures.



I started a hat and it turned into a pot holder and then a bowl cozy. What went wrong? My counting, most likely was the problem. It looks cool on the table.

Between you and me after I made this I decided to take a brake from hats.

Both of these started with hopes of being a lovely hat.

I like them for the kitchen table. Because if I had not told you it was a mistake it looks like a handmade potholder.

I hope that your new year is filled with adventures of all kinds, love, and laughter. Be well my friends.

Lessons learned

Lessons  Learned I learned last week. I know I am late on this post by two days but know that I am thinking about you even when I am not posting. I think it is the time of year when I would rather be in the kitchen baking and candy making add on that we are homeschooling and I am in college and we have a clash of responsibilities verses hobbies. I do my best and I always find a way to write to you again.

My favorite lesson I learned this week comes from Martha Stewart’s School of Cooking book. You can freeze cookie dough for up to a month. So I baked one dozen and then carefully divided the rest of the dough into two dozen cookies and froze them in a Ziploc bag.  That means I get fast cookies that are better than Tollhouse Cookies (sorry Tollhouse I am just against the random preservatives that you have to put in your cookie dough to sell to the general public. Don’t take it personally.).

Froozen cookies

Froozen cookies ready for the oven

Fresh from the oven

So I am going to Share with you the cookie recipe which can be found in Martha’s School of Cooking with my own notes added along to suit my tastes. This is a basic recipe so you can add anything that makes you happy. Don’t be afraid just through in those yummy mini M&M’s, heath bits, or butterscotch chips, or dark chocolate, or milk chocolate, and any nut you can think of or a combination of all of the above.

Basic Drop Cookies

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (or whatever kind of butter you normally buy.) room temperature (it makes it easier to cream)

2 large eggs, room temperature (just set them out when you get started, mine were cold and the cookies were still good)

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

2 Cups add- ins(again anything you want chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, candy, whatever makes your heart sing)

Preheat oven to 350* line pan with parchment paper (I didn’t do anything to the pan). Combine dry ingredients flour, salt, and baking soda. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy then add eggs one at a time, and then stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients in three additions and stirring until completely incorporated. Then stir in two cups of your add-ins (I did three. Two cups milk chocolate chips and 1 cup of walnuts). Then use an ice cream scoop to drop the cookies on to the pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool. After I put the cookies in the oven I used my little scoop to sort out the cookies for the freezer.

yummy...

p.s. I just wrote the highlights of the recipe. Here is a link to her website http://www.marthastewart.com/food

Did you know that when Chickens molt they stop laying eggs? I guess it gives their reproduction systems a welcome break, which leads to healthier chickens, and better quality eggs. They molt for 2-6 months depending on the bred. It is good for them, and it is good for me but I have found a love of fresh eggs. I am happy that the famer is so natural and wonderful and treats these animals with respect. So when she announced the molt I was both happy and a little sad. Maybe I should disclose that I buy five dozen eggs every two weeks.  If you make the switch to a local farmer with the same high standards as The Hanson Family farm you will understand how wonderful an egg can truly be. Honestly the price is slightly higher than the organic eggs at the market. I pay $3 a dozen; $2.75 if I return the egg carton which I do.  Like I have said before it is a wonderful feeling to know the farmer you are supporting. There is no middle man, there is no supermarket. I hand my money to the farmers, they take it and use it on their animals, or to care for their family. I am the lucky one because I get to support their dreams. It is really a beautiful cycle.  When was the last time you went to a grocery store and could say the same by buying factory eggs that are .99 cents a dozen.  

Okay enough about food. I learned how to end crochet projects by threading about twelve inches into the hat. I also learned how to attach the flowers on to my hats. I only made eight hats last week. I have a problem. I will make more next week.

I bought Rob a Pecan Tree for Christmas.  He planted it and then said lets go look at this nursery I found. They had trees on sale we bought three more. I got two roses 60% off. Rob planted all of them. I hope that we get some fruit off of these trees before we are forced to sale the house in 3-? Years.

Speaking of trees I let the boys pick the tree with out me. Because it was so short I also let them decorate it. Too. So far this is how the tree looks. Damian is working on Christmas banners to hang on it.

My post is getting long so I will stop now. For your sake. You know I could carry on unashamed.

I hope that your week is filled with magic, music, love and laughter. Be well my friends.

Stalker???

I found out that The Pioneer Woman was signing books in my Mother in laws hometown. I was a little taken aback like I could be there right now if we had a reason to be there now. So in a desperate attempt to live vicariously through my mother in law I called her and told her about the book signing that is at a store less than two miles from her house. As you know I love the Pioneer Woman and I am looking forward to her new cookbook, which I have already bought in my mind as soon as it is released. I love her recipes which I learned how to properly cook Chicken Fried Steak and a yummy chocolate sheet cake. Which I had to admit to my mother in law when I asked her if she might go meet  P.W. (Pioneer Woman) in person. She looked at P.W.’s blog and luckily for me her blog was about her freaky dog (my dear mother in law loves dogs more than anyone I have ever met) and she was sold. This is where I get a bit stalkery I called to remind my sweet mother in law that today was the day. I told her I only wished her to have a nice time. My mother in law called me a couple of hours later and said she was in line and that she was going to let me say hello. I died. I said no you just enjoy yourself no need for a phone hand off but she did it anyways. Well I am pretty sure I sounded like a crazy person when I thanked P.W. (my new almost friend) for writing both her blog and her cookbook (life changing). She asked where I lived I told her and she told me she would be here in March! That is right I marked the calendar and told her I would be in line to meet her. She Thanked me and I Thanked her.  Now, Now my friends I am drinking wine to calm down. Because I was surprised and I never thought that I would be struck dumb by a celebrity (I know she is a regular woman, who home schools her regular kids and is married to a regular man but you understand).  I love how she writes and she inspires me to be better. Of course she is already living my dream (living on a farm, homeschooling her kids, and earning a living writing and cooking ),  it gives me hope. She sounded super nice and now I have to go to her book signing in March. I hope her new cookbook is out then. If it is not do you think she would sign a very used book? Because I use that cook book a lot and I lent it to my friend who I know is using it a lot. I hope her new cook book comes out soon. My birthday is in April and if it came out in March it would count. Anyways friends it was pretty cool of my mother in law to think of it and it really made my day. P.W. could almost be my new best friend, no I am not that stalkery yet. Check back in March. I might be worse.

I don't have a picture of her book alone.

All of this is from her cookbook. Not the tea but I am sure she thought about putting it in.

She was the one who taught me this.

I don't know where I would be with her Potato leek pizza.

My husband is also grateful for all of the wonderful meat recipes I learned.

That chocolate cake I had to admit I used P.W. recipe and I make more than I should because it is easy and impersive. Yeah, I am pretty sure this is why I still have 10-15 pounds left to lose.



This is where I stop with the pictures of P.W. food even though I have more because I am a crazy person. 

I hope your week is full of Surprises, Love, and Laughter. Be well my friends.

Christmas Ornaments

A couple of years ago my husband and I bought a big box of wonderful matching tree decorations. We were so excited to finally have a respectable tree. I especially had visions of people coming far and wide to see our wonderful tree in its entire perfect beauty.  Yes, I can be unreasonable delusional. The point is I knew that our tree would be perfect. Then we decorated the tree and it was perfect for five minutes when the reality of having young kids hit. James wanted to play with all of the pretty balls, Damian want to rearrange all of the store bought decorations every hour. When I was finished pulling out my hair to keep them away from the tree I put all of them back into the box and they do not come out any more. Lucky for me we were invited to a pottery place where the kids got to make their own ornaments. So they got put on the tree and a tradition was born. I forgot that the beauty of Christmas is found in the hearts of children that perfect is overrated. Now I let the kids decorate the tree with candy canes, homemade ornaments, and lights (The grown-ups hang the multicolored lights). Now we love the Christmas tree for its uniqueness, it is special to us. If the ornaments get broke it isn’t a big deal because we made them with love and laughter (sometimes a cranky mommy overwhelmed with giving the reins to the kids while we make ornaments) it all works out for the best.

This year I decided to try out the cinnamon applesauce  ornaments.  Here is the recipe from  http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1815,154190-231207,00.html 

APPLESAUCE - CINNAMON ORNAMENTS

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1815,154190-231207,00.html Content Copyright © 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1 c. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. allspice 1 tsp. ground cloves 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 c. applesauce Mix dry ingredients. Add applesauce a little at a time. Mixture should have consistency of playdough. If too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons applesauce. Roll 1/4 inch thick on ungreased surface. If too sticky, sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on level surface to dry 4-5 days. Insert fine wire at top of ornament before drying. Tie with ribbon. Yield 2 dozen. I put them in the over at 200 degree for 2 hours. Also I used a straw and poked out holes in each ornament so that I could easily add the ribbon when they have cooled. The house smelled really yummy while they were baking. I am sure that you can decorate these with a little glue and glitter, paint, markers, and googly eyes but my boys wanted them to go on to the tree as soon as they were cool enough to handle. I hope that you have a very wonderful week filled with love and laughter. Be well my friends.

Lessons Learned December 5

Lessons I learned last week.

My lovely husband was home all last week which is why my blog has been quiet. I love having him home but I am always glad to get the house back when he returns to work. I have no idea what we are going to do when he retires. Wait we'll be farmers so he will be busy with a thousand projects that need to get done.

So last week nap time some how became optional and went out the window. I am paying for this today and most likely tomorrow too.

School work for all parties became unbearable. With all the extra help less got done then normal.

I read Chaucer for the first time. I was surprised that his vulgar story telling is considered classic, also I had to write a short paper on whether he was for or against the church. I am pretty sure he was against it.

I sent the boys to pick our Christmas tree and some how all three of them decided on a 5 foot tree. I am 5'7". The lesson is always go as a family to pick the Christmas tree. It is pretty all dressed up even if it is the smallest tree we have ever had.

Finally I have found a new obsession . . .

Hats

Flowers

Adding flowers to Hats

Making my boys model flowery hats.

I have to be honest this yarn is some that someone gave me because they didn't like it. I have kept it around to try things out. If I don't like the outcome no big deal. It is kind of Christmasy if you squint a little to the left.

Then I discovered the five petal flowers. 

Oh yes friends, I like these flowers a lot.

Now what can I attach them too.

You guessed right a hat. I love the color of the flowers on the white hat.

The boys realized that these were girl hats.

I had to force him to model it for me.

I made them each their own hat. Which caused happy faces. Isn't he cute!

I am glad he is missing a tooth if he wasn't he would look a lot older. Then I would worry.

This is for one of my little nieces. I am so happy her mom said I could make her stuff with flowers on it. Then she said in natural colors or yellow. Wait! What? I want pink. Still I like the hat. I hope she does too.

So I am afraid you will be seeing more crocheted flowers and other stuff as I learn how to do them. I want to learn to make socks. Then I can make myself socks with flowers on them. I wonder if that is hard?

Any chance you were impressed by this new super talent? No. I don't blame you. Yes? You would not be so impressed if you knew how super easy these projects are. If you want to learn the secret to these lovelies check youtube. That is right step by step instructions. I hope you don't mind all of the pictures this week. I can not control myself. Do you know what I found that is next on my list? I won't make you guess it is a dinosaur hat. I have to buy yarn. I also need to con some people into letting me make them one. Do you need a hat? I am just kidding, kind of.

I hope you have a wonderful week filled with Holiday cheer (We celebrate Christmas but I love saying happy Holiday's because we are all in it together trying to spread goodwill to all)  I hope it is full of peace and hope and Love and Laughter. Be well my friends.