Preemie Onesie Drive

Thanks to Heather at Mom 4 Life for posting about this mom's blog. Here is what her profile says:

"I'm 27 and a follower of Jesus Christ. I was blessed with a pregnancy in May of 2007. My daughter Carly was born 12 weeks early and lived for 4 months before passing from a heart defect on 3/9/08. Then one month later much to our surprise we were pregnant again. Things were going great and then suddenly things took a turn for the worst when on 11/7/08 our daughter Hannah was born sleeping. Like I said I'm a follower of Christ and I'm leaning on Him for my strength and courage to make it through each and every day."

Here is some info posted on her blog:

This is the first annual preemie onesie drive being held by me (Rachel) and Ryan. We are collecting preemie onesies to donate to the babies that are staying in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Ryan and I had our first daughter Carly in the NICU for 4 months before passing away from a heart defect. I know as well as other preemie parents of children in the NICU know that it's hard for your child to be there. It's hard in many ways. It's hard as far as gas is concerned because of the many daily trips to the hospital. A lot of times one of the parents (usually the moms) quit working to be at the hospital with their child as much as possible. This makes funds tight. Paying bills can become a struggle. And it makes it hard to buy your new little one the cute outfits that moms want to see their child in. So this is why I'm having this preemie onesie drive. To help parents enjoy seeing their little boy or girl dressed in a cute outfit. Carly got a cute outfit while she was in the NICU as a anonymous donation. It made me feel completely blessed. It was nice for someone to do this for her. Being in the NICU is a very stressful time. Some are only there for days while others are there for months and even over a year. Simple acts of kindness fills peoples hearts with happiness. I'm doing this donation in memory of Carly who passed away on 3/9/08. I will deliver the donated onesies on 3/9/09. And plan to do this as an annual thing.


My heart just goes out to her! I just can't imagine her pain. God has just blessed her with so much strength and now she is thinking of others in her time of pain. She sounds like such an amazing woman of faith! Head on over to her blog to learn more or to donate. She has a mailing address posted along with a listing of stores where you can purchase preemie onesies. You can also make a monetary donation through the site. Details are posted on her blog.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about this wonderful opportunity to help families in their time of need.

Check out this Giveaway!

I love handmade soap. When Jimmy was a new baby, he had some eczema and all natural handmade soap was the answer. The eczema cleared up really quickly! Head over here to enter a great giveaway!

Snowy Days

Here are some pics from our recent snowstorm. It is pretty but I can't wait for spring!

Pegasus & Gunner

Gunner
Duke
Clothesline
Opening Milkweed Pod Suspended in Ice

Thankful Thursday!

Here we go...it's time for Thankful Thursday. Every Thursday I am going to have a post where I share something I am.... Thankful for! It might be one thing, or a few things, whatever strikes me at the moment.

I am Thankful for my husband safely getting to and from the places he has had to go the last couple days with all the snow and ice.

I am Thankful for such a sweet little baby boy. He has not been wanting to lay down to go to sleep for the last week and a half or so. A couple days ago I forgot to bring his little blanket up from the dryer when we went to bed (I usually wait to cover him up until he has fallen asleep so he doesn't roll around and and get ON TOP of the covers) so I found another one I had put away. I am a stickler for only using 100% cotton bedding (will be explained in a post next week) so this blanket is 100% cotton flannel, nice and soft, but it does have the silky binding (not cotton! oh no!) but I figure his diapers are polyester (we use cloth) so a little binding isn't going to hurt anything. =)
Anyway, back to my point! I covered him up and went to bed. The next night when I was putting him to bed, I used the same blanket. I loved the silky binding when I was little so I showed it to him. He has another little blankie that has binding and has never really paid attention to it, so I didn't think he would care about this one either. WRONG! Instead of him standing there and not wanting to lay down, he got his thumb in his mouth and grabbed that blanket and laid right down on top of it to go to sleep! So I gently pulled the blanket out from under him and rearranged it so he was covered up but still had his corner of binding in his hand. He just laid there sucking his thumb. It was so sweet! Its been like that ever since. I am so glad he likes his binding, just like his mommy did! I only wished I would have tried it sooner..... =D

WFMW - Easy Silver Cleaner

Hey guys, welcome to Works for Me Wednesday! This is something new I am trying. I will post a new tip or product here every week. This feature is hosted by Rocks In My Dryer, a great blog I have recently found and just LOVE! Have fun and I hope you return next week.

Easy silver cleaner can be found right in your bathroom. What is it you ask? You may have some splattered on your mirror, or stuck on your sink (if you are a Flybaby, SHAME on you! lol!) You guessed it, its TOOTHPASTE! All you have to do is take a very small amount, rub it onto whatever needs cleaning with a damp, soft cloth- I usually use it to freshen up any silver jewelry I have neglected - then rinse it off with water and dry with a soft cloth. Presto! Clean, shiny silver! I have only used the regular paste, so don't know if gel works too. Now, doesn't this make you wonder what exactly it is that you are putting on you TEETH that can also clean METAL? Eeesh, I don't know about that, but I try not to worry about it! ;-)

Before:
Look at all that dirt!
After - Look at that Shine!
(and I don't mean just the flash!)

Note: I don't know all the science behind why this works, I haven't bothered to look it up or anything, so test a small area first if you are worried something weird may happen to your jewelry. I have not yet tried this on any "big" items, but I do have a few larger silver items that need attention so if I get to them I will be sure to post the pics! Otherwise, I am not liable for anything undesireable that may happen as a result of this household tip, especially since I am not the one who originally came up with it (don't know who that is since I have just always "known" since growing up, I doubt my mom was the original thinker behind this!).

Happy Birthday to Duke!

Today is my little doggie's birthday - he turned 6! Wow, it seems like just yesterday that he was running towards me and tumbling over his clumsy puppy feet, a crazy little ball of fur. Here are a couple pics of Slick Silver Duke. One is from today and the other is from October. Oh, in case you were wondering, he is a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd.

About

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, mommy to Jimmy and Matthew and wife to Jim. We live on a small, almost 20 acre farm.

Our beloved blue Merle Australian Shepherd, Duke, sadly passed away on July 22, 2009 at the age of 6 and we miss him very much.

We were blessed with 2 Aussie puppies a few months after Duke passed away though, Bo, a red merle and Luke, a blue merle just like Duke. (Update) Sadly, Bo passed away May 5th, 2012.

We also have another dog, Cody, a Border Collie.

We have 2 horses - Gunner, a Tennessee Walker, and Pegasus, an off-track Thoroughbred.

This blog is ever changing as are our interests. Most recently, we have become interested in being more self sustainable and learning about God's awesome creation. I am learning about foraging for wild plants that are useful for food and medicine. I am also trying to be as natural as I can with all the products used in our home and on our bodies. Small steps, but we are getting there!

Feeding the Wee One

Here is a sampling of what my little Jimmy usually eats. Thought I would post it in case anyone is having a hard time coming up with ideas.

Breakfast:
- Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat with fruit
- Pancakes or waffles and fruit
- Scrambled eggs, whole wheat bread
(not toast, toasting removes some nutrients) and fruit
- Whatever whole grain "O" cereal we have and fruit

Snack:
- Fruit
- Cottage Cheese
- Cheese
- Slice of bread
- Fruit leather
- Whole grain crackers

Lunch (or dinner if not cooking a meal for whatever reason):
- Grilled Cheese on whole grain bread and some veggies
- Pasta and veggies
- Quesadilla and some fruit
- Peanut butter sandwich (over a year old and not allergic!), plain or maybe with some all natural fruit spread
(try pureeing some fruit in the blender)
- Leftovers from dinner
- This is gonna sound gross, but he loves it: Hard boiled egg yolk mixed in cottage cheese =)

Another snack

Dinner: Usually whatever we are having. I separate his own portion out before adding strong spices/salt etc.

I try to make sure he gets a grain & veggie or grain & fruit in every meal, and a protein (beans, lentils, cheese, meat) in at least 1 meal, but try for 2 meals a day.

Jimmy is still breastfeeding about 6 times a day and I offer him water (sometimes with a little apple juice mixed in) as well. I hope this is helpful to someone. I know it is helpful to me to just see it "written down"!

Tonight

Yay! We actually did it, my hubby and I went out WITHOUT the child! And he was perfectly fine. He was asleep when his grandma and grandpa got to our house, so I was afraid he would wake up, discover that mom and dad had been replaced, and bawl until we returned, never to nap again for fear that mommy would disappear again! But no no, such was not the case. Our little wee man woke up pretty much as soon as we were out the door, fussed a little (which he usually does right when he wakes up anyways) and Grandpa got him and they started playing just like that! Grandpa and Grandma said he was such a good little guy! They had so much fun playing, chasing toys around and playing "air hockey" on the coffee table (which is an old toy chest MY grandpa made long ago), reading books and listening to music. I am SO glad he did so well! As for Jim and I, we went to eat at the Longhorn and it was packed, we even got there relatively early, but the wait wasn't too bad. Then we proceeded to order way too much food (we had a gift card so we HAD to spend it all - JIM. I thought we should try to save some for another outing!). Jim got the most expensive steak, of which he brought half home - and if you know my hubby, you know that that is very out of character for him to have LEFTOVERS! I got grilled shrimp and it was g-o-o-d! We also had a chicken appetizer with 3 different sauces, very tasty! And of course, lots of fresh bread! Then we went to Wal-mart as used to be the custom after all of our dates over the 7 years we dated (don't ask where that came from, it just kinda happened and it stuck, we joked about getting married in a Wal-mart once....yeeeaaahhh :-P I admit it). And then we came home. It was a very relaxing evening out. I hope we can do it again soon, definitely for our anniversary! And now Jim is off again, doing some odd jobs. Hopefully he will be home soon! Now, I am off to finish my Carey Grant movie, TTFN!

Its a miracle!

Ok, so you all know that my husband wasn't around yesterday for my birthday and my dad and Kathy came and brought me Subway....ok, so guess what?? Jim (my hubby) is taking me out tomorrow, and here is the amazing part - WITHOUT THE BABY! My dad and Kathy said they would come over and watch him while we went out ALONE! We have NEVER gone out alone since little Jimmy was born. It is going to be so strange, but I am really looking forward to it. I don't even know where we will go but I don't even care! =) Ok, so I make it sound like I am all desperate to get away, but really I am not, I have never left my little man (ok, wait, I did leave him with Dad and Kathy for like an hour when I went to look at our horse Pegasus before we bought him, but Jimmy cried the whole time!!) so I am a teensy bit worried. I am sure it will be fine, and this time it will be here at home so he will be in familiar surroundings. Yeah, I know, first time mom, blah, blah blah....I DON'T CARE!! =D But I am looking forward to going out. Mmmm...food and adult conversation! So say a little prayer for me (and Dad and Kathy!) and I will report back with all the juicy details of where we went and what I had to eat...etc. Cuz I am sure you will be racing back here to find out! ;-) Guten Nacht!!

Another Year Older....

So today I turned twenty....uh....seven. Yep, 27. Hard to believe I had Jimmy when I was 25...I then turned 26 2 days later, but it is weird to think about. He is only a year old but if you think about it in that way it seems like he would be 2....ANYWAY I am strange... I don't FEEL 27 but then I never really do feel the age I am turning. I remember when I turned 13 everyone was like, "Oh, you are 13 now, a teenager! Do you feel different?" No, I didn't feel different, I felt the same as always. And now I pretty much feel that way again, except I have more to show for being 27. But inside I feel pretty much like the same little kid I was years ago. I am so thankful for all that I have though. My surroundings have changed a lot - I went from living in the suburbs wishing I had a horse to living in the country and still NOT having a horse to moving back to a subdivision IN the country and not having a horse and then losing my mom to Alzheimer's after almost 9 years and then moving out of my dad's house to an apartment where I DEFINITELY didn't have a horse to where I am now. I have a wonderful, hard working husband, an amazing son who keeps me on my toes, a nice house and property, and a HORSE (actually 2!). Its not all I dreamed it would be, but we are working on it. I am thankful I can look back through the years and see all that God has done in my life. He is truly amazing and has never left my side through it all. Thank you Lord for being with my through these 27 years. Without you I am nothing.

Actually, I am glad I still feel like a kid inside, it makes playing with Jimmy more fun! =D

Well, that being said, nothing too exciting happened for my birthday. My hubby had to work all day, he just came in the house a couple minutes ago actually. Another late night. My dad and Kathy came over and brought me my favorite Subway though, and oatmeal raisin cookies! Yummy! And I got to spend the day with my sweet little guy, so it was a nice birthday.

So that's about it for now, I hope to have something more exciting to post tomorrow. Nighty night!

Jimmy's First Birthday

Today is Jimmy's first birthday. WOW! I can't believe it has already been a year. It seems like just yesterday he was a little bundle that could only cry, eat, sleep and make dirty diapers. Now he is a little ball of energy, getting into everything he can and crawling all over the place with such curiosity, George would be put to shame. Speaking of Curious George, Jimmy got a book of 8 Curious George stories from Grandpa and Grandma Mc. Very cute =) Anyway....I am not going to go on and on about oh, he is this or oh he used to do that, but I do want to say that no matter how much I try to hold onto and treasure every moment, time still flies WAY too fast! I love all the stages so far, but I just can't help thinking there are only 17 years left until he is off to college! Before we know it he will be packing up and leaving. Maybe even sooner if he decides to be an exchange student or something like that. I am just so very thankful that God is allowing me to be a stay at home mom and watch my little guy grow up every step of the way. I pray that we will continue to have our financial needs met and that Jim will not get overwhelmed with work. I want him to be able to be home in the evenings too, so he can enjoy our son as well!

Well, thats it for tonight, here are some pics of the evenings festivities. The cake was made from scratch and decorated by ME! Yay! (Well except for the chocolate icing in the middle and around the sides) =) TTFN!

Birth Announcements

Here are the birth announcements I did for my nephews. (I was not paid for these - no money made on the mouse that looks just like a famous one...It just matched Conner's room's theme!!)

(edited to remove last names)

Stainless Steel Sippy Cups

Ok Sarah J...Here you go! =)
Stainless Steel Sippys...which one to choose? They are safer than plastic - why? Because dangerous chemicals are used in the making of many plastics. These can leach into the beverage your child (and you!) are drinking. The same sort of thing can happen with Aluminum water bottles (even though they usually have a protective coating, that can wear down with use and cleaning). So go with a stainless steel sippy! Stainless steel does not interact with food or liquid. It is non-leaching and won't change the flavor of the contained beverage.

These are the brands of stainless sippys I know of: Foogo by Thermos, Safe Sippy, Klean Kanteen & Innate Me-Me & Me-Me Gripper. We own the Foogo and we love it! I chose the Foogo because it comes with handles - we bought it when Jimmy was about 6 months old, so he needed something easy to hold onto. It is also available at Target and I didn't have to pay shipping or wait for it in the mail. We haven't had any problems with it, it is everything I wanted. It has a cute design, handles, scratch resistant bottom, keeps beverages cold for up to 6 hours (I can attest to that!). The spout is pretty easy to put together and clean. The lid does have 4 pieces, but I have not found it troublesome and I knew it did when I bought it. Jimmy has no problem holding onto it and figured out how to use it pretty quickly.

I did not choose the Safe Sippy (it has handles) because at the time, I could not find them in stock anywhere and I didn't want to wait. I also read a few reviews (just google "stainless sippy review" etc. and do some homework, check out safemama.com, or go here for a video review of the Foogo) and that helped me in my decision. I will probably buy a Klean Kanteen at some point when Jimmy gets a little older and can hold onto it better since it doesn't have handles. Also, I want to get a colored one and he is still chewing on things, so it is not advised to get a colored one until they are past that stage, incase they were to chip some paint (which is safe, but who wants their baby eating paint even so??). A plus for the Klean Kanteen: They have a special adapter that works with Avent's sippy cup spout so if you started with one of those, you can switch them out.


Features of the Foogo:

• $15.99 USD
  
• Comes with pink or blue accents
  
• TherMax® double wall vacuum insulation for maximum cold temperature retention
• Spill-proof valve prevents messes and is easy-to-clean
• Soft spout is easy and comfortable to sip
• Kid-proof design - unbreakable stainless steel interior and exterior withstands daily wear and tear
• Dishwasher safe
• Exterior stays condensation free
• Non-slip, scratch resistant base
• Keeps beverages cold for up to 6 hours - for cold contents only
• •The vacuum-insulated stainless steel interior and exterior is non-reactive to all food and beverages
  •The soft drinking spout is made from “food contact safe” Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
  •The valve plate and lid are made from polypropylene (PP#5)
  •All materials are FDA approved
  •All plastics used for Thermos Foogo products are BPA free

Specifications:

• Volume: 7oz.
• Weight: 0.7lbs
• Dimensions: 3.3" L x 7.3" W x 10" H

Features of the Klean Kanteen:

• $17.95 USD for plain stainless or 19.95 USD for color (discount for 2 on their website)
  
• Many colors or plain stainles available
  
• BPA-free & eco-friendly
• slim design fits most bottle/cup holders
• accommodates large ice cubes
• polypropylene #5 sippy, loop, flat or sport cap
• dishwasher-friendly

Specifications:

• capacity: 12 fluid ounces (355 ml)
• weight: 4 ounces
• size: 5” H (w/o cap) x 2.75” W
• opening diameter: 1.75" (44 mm)
• high-quality, food-grade, #304 stainless steel
• reusable & 100% recyclable

Features of the Safe Sippy (I couldn't find a good spec list):

• $16.95 USD
  
• No-spill spout
• 11 ounces/330 ml
• Dishwasher safe
• Easy Grip sleeve
• Clean, non-leaching stainless steel
• Comes in pink, blue or green

And the Innate Me-Me & Me-Me Gripper (this is the most recent one I have found, I really don't know much about it!)

• $17.00 CAD (could only find Canadian price, though they are sold in stores in the US)
  
• Ergonomically shaped, easy-sip, spill resistant spout with inner silicone valve to control flow rate.
• Easy to hold handle and silicone lid valve are removable for cleaning.
• Components include: premium type 304, 18/8 stainless steel and #5 food grade polypropylene.
• Independently tested to US FDA, European Norm and California Prop. 65 food container standards.
• Lid is interchangeable with other Innate styles.
• Comes with pastel pink, blue or green accents
• Capacity: 220 ml (7.5 fl oz) — Weight: 160g (5.5oz )

I hope this info helps! I wish I could try them all and give them a real review, but I don't really have the money for that =) Happy shopping!

Skillet Chicken Broccoli & Rice

This was pretty tasty! We had it last night. It was the first time I got to use my new 5 qt pan and it was FABULOUS! I can't wait to use it again =)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Can (10.75 oz) Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup (I try to use low sodium)
1 & 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock (or bouillon)
pinch of Paprika
pinch of Pepper
1 & 1/2 cups instant brown rice
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high and add the chicken. Cook both sides until well browned, about 8 mins on each side. Remove from pan.

Add soup, water, paprika and pepper to pan, stir and bring to a boil. Then add the rice and broccoli. Turn the heat down to low and add the chicken back in, sprinkling more paprika and pepper on top. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes longer, or until rice is tender and chicken heated through.

Serve with whole grain rolls.

Note: This recipe is pretty bland, but that is good for the little ones! Mommy and daddy are bad and like to add soy sauce to ours after Jimmy's portion is taken out. You could also season the chicken while it is cooking with seasoned salt and pepper, or a combo of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and paprika, or season to your liking!)

Angel Food Ministries

Are you having trouble affording groceries? How would you like to get about $65 worth for $30? Then head on over to Angel Food Ministries and find a host site near you today! Anyone can purchase as many $30 boxes as they need, no forms to fill out or anything. You just have to place an order with your local host site. One $30 box of food will feed a family of four for about one week. The menu changes monthly and the food is all fresh, frozen and packaged. They accept cash, check, or food stamps. So check it out today!

Note: I have not personally tried this yet, but I am so glad to know about it in case the need arises! We have a location near us so I especially wanted to let my friends nearby know about it. I found out about it from Everyday Cheapskate. Click the link to sign up for the newsletter!

It's Mexican Night!!

Tonight we are having Chicken Taco Soup made in the slow cooker. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com some time ago and it is DELICIOUS! We'll have Cheddar Biscuits on the side.
Here is the recipe with my changes. The original can be found here.

Chicken Taco Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (sometimes I use frozen corn, depends on which is cheaper, or use fresh in the summer)
  
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (today I used some tomato paste mixed with water to make about 8oz)
  
• 12 oz water
  
• 1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning (or make your own, if you want to know how, let me know!)
  
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I usually use frozen ones)
  
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Put chicken breasts in so they are just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 4-5 hours (cooking times vary depending on your machine).
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and shred. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 1-2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. We like to dip our Cheddar Biscuits in it.

Cheddar Biscuits
Unfortunately I do not remember where I found this recipe so sorry to whomever credit is due! If anyone knows please tell me!

Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix (I use a homemade version)
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brush on top:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine baking mix with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or fork.
Don't mix too thoroughly, you want there to be pea-sized chunks of butter. Add cheese, milk and 1/4 teaspooon garlic.
3. Drop about 1/4 cup portions of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet (don't worry about shaping it). Should make 12
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops start to get golden
5. When they come out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl in the microwave.
Stir in garlic powder and dried parsley. Brush the mixture over the tops of the biscuits.

Enjoy these dipped in your Chicken Taco Soup! Mmmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about it! C'mon dinner time!!

Lunchtime!

Today we had a cheesy-veggie quesadilla. I found a similar recipe here along with a bunch of other great toddler recipes.

To make the quesadilla you will need:

2 whole wheat tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever kind you like)
chopped cooked veggies
Add in some chopped cooked chicken breast if you like. We didn't because I didn't have any pre-made.

Sprinkle the cheese on one tortilla, add the veggies and/or chicken and top with the second tortilla.
Bake or broil until cheese has melted
(If you broil, watch it to make sure it doesn't burn!)

I cut it into triangles (like a pizza) and then cut the triangles into little bitty pieces that Jimmy could handle.
This makes more than enough for a little one, so you may want to "help" them eat it. I did, it was pretty tasty dipped in some salsa. =)

Homemade Fruit Leather

Today I experimented with making homemade fruit leather. I made 2 flavors - Strawberry and Mixed Berry. They came out a little too thin and and dry, so I am going to try again tonight and make a banana-strawberry and an apple.*

Before drying:

Dry:

Directions:
Puree frozen, canned or fresh fruit in the blender (maybe adding a tiny bit of water or juice to get things moving) making about a 1 & 1/2 - 2 cups. You can add sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, molasses, etc. if you want to make it sweeter, but I think it tastes great without anything added. Pour it out onto a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap (you may want to tape the edges down). Then you just spread it out evenly, about 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch thick or so, and put it in the oven for about 2-3 hours at 175 degrees, leaving the door open a bit. Once the puree feels slightly tacky, it should be finished! If you get the result I got and it is too dry, you can still use it for fruit chips, ice cream topping, oatmeal stir-in...etc. Be creative!

Some suggested Add-ins:
Spices such as cinnamon (in the apple flavor..mmm!), vanilla extract, mint, allspice, ginger...
Chopped nuts, raisins, dates, granola, seeds...
Wheat germ
Maybe spread some peanut butter between 2 pieces of strawberry, grape or banana leather and roll it up...yumm!!! (Have I mentioned I LOVE peanut butter??)

Have fun with this and please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions or come up with any Super Delicious Flavor Combos!

*I messed up by making it too thin and I dried it for about 2 hours without checking it. Tonight I will make it thicker and check it more often through the drying time.

About Me

Hello! I am a follower of Jesus Christ, mommy to Jimmy and wife to Jim. My hubby and I have been together for almost 9 years, but we have only been married for about 2. We moved into our old farmhouse on 13 acres right after we got married and found out we were expecting our little bundle of joy about 2 moths later. We have 2 dogs - Duke, a blue merle Australian Shepherd, and Cody, a Border Collie. We also have 2 horses - Gunner, a Tennessee Walker, and Pegasus, an off-track Thoroughbred.

Win a Designer Lunch Tote!

Enter to win one of these awesome totes here. These are perfect for the working mom who wants to save money by taking her lunch to work and yet be fashionable at the same time. As a stay at home mom, I would love to have one to take on picnics or to pack a lunch for while my son and I are out and about shopping. Good luck!

The Last Supper.....of Not So Healthy Food!

I am officially starting my new "healthy" eating plan tomorrow. But before that could happen, I HAD to have just one last less-than-ideal meal.....

The Appetizer:
Main Dish & Beverage:
And Dessert:
JUST KIDDING, the nuggets were my hubby's =D (although I may have snatched a couple....teehee)

So from now on, let it be known that I will be trying to eat mostly unprocessed, home cookin' made from scratch by yours truly. NO MORE EATING OUT! I want to use more organic ingredients and LOTS more veggies! I am trying to be frugal at the same time though, so that may limit my creativity. I will use my crock-pot and I hope to use my new 5 qt. pan and make a lot of one dish/stir-fry type meals. I will try to post the recipes. If anyone has any good recipes, please send them my way! Oh, AND I got a bread machine from my WONDERFUL sister for Christmas, so I will be making our bread too!

I really hope I can keep the family on track with this. My husband has programmed me to think it is ok to eat out a lot over the last 9 years, so please pray that I can get us out of that rut! We really need to save some money and eat healthier. That's all for now, have a good night!

Ice Ice Baby

Original, I know ;-)
So I went outside today (AMAZING!) got on the 4-wheeler and took some pics of the ice we got this morning. Unfortunately, I waited a little too long and it is melting, but I still got some ok pics. Our poor Birch tree was so weighed down, it was almost touching the ground on one side! We are supposed to get some snow, but I haven't seen any yet. It will probably miss us.




Here are some pics of our dog, Duke and our barn cat Oreo (once again, more originality!) sitting on one of Jim's (empty!) gun cases. Why it was out there in the pasture, I haven't the slightest.....
Duke LOVES to chase the 4-wheeler, he also loves to run right in front of it, I worry he may be suicidal....or just dumb lol! (FYI, I know he isn't dumb, he is quite smart! He just has a strong herding instinct and gets SUPER excited!).


Now, time to go grab a nice cup of hot chocolate and cuddle up on the couch and watch some football. Have a great evening!

Peanut Butter Banana Milkshake

Yumm! I just made a great, easy milkshake. It may sound gross to some, but it is SO GOOD!!
All you need is:

1 Frozen Banana
About 1 1/2 - 2 Cups of Milk (I usually use soy milk)
A good glop of Creamy Peanut Butter

Put it in your blender and blend until its smooth then pour into a big glass and ENJOY!!

You could also add some brewers yeast or something to make it a bit healthier (or use natural peanut butter, it gives it a different taste though so you may want to add a little sugar).

My mom used to make us these shakes when we were little. Thanks Mom!!

Undeserving

I sit here crying once again for the mothers who have lost their babies. I have been following Heather of Mom4Life's story since about May of last year. Her third child was stillborn. She is now 14 weeks pregnant! Tonight I found another blog - audreycaroline. blogspot. com - about a mother losing her baby, this one born alive but dying shortly after. This family was prepared for her passing as they knew she was sick, but that doesn't really make it any easier. I know there are many others out there, but I just can't help to wonder why this happens. I just feel so undeserving of my son right now. Not that I have done anything to not deserve him, but that's just it. No one did anything to deserve or not deserve what happened to their little ones. I know Jesus is holding those sweet babies in His arms right now. I know that God is the Giver of Life and only He knows the answers to the question "why." But why?? We must trust that He knows best.

I pray that if anything like this ever happens to me, that God will give me the strength to carry on. These 2 women I have mentioned (and they are not alone!) are such strong Christians. I am truly in awe of God's presence and power in their lives. They have been so graceful through all they have gone through. I too have had a loss in my life, I lost my mom back in 2006. But that is another story for another time.... I miss her tremendously, but I think it is just so much different than losing a CHILD. I just can't imagine. Heather and Angie - and all the mothers who have lost a baby or child - you are the strongest women out there in my book! May God bless your lives and watch over you and your families. Now, I am off to bed...

Welcome to My Blog!

Greetings! I have never had a blog before, so hopefully I will stick to it. I am a married Christian mom to my almost 1 year old son. He is such a joy! We are so blessed to live in the country with our dogs and 2 horses. When my son arrived, I did a lot of research on cloth diapers, SIDs, homemade baby food (which led me to baby led weaning), baby wearing, natural toys and teethers, stainless steel sippy cups, and a TON of other stuff. So I hope to share some of the info I have found. I am quite frugal, so I hope to pass on some tips and tricks I have learned. AND as mentioned before I juggle caring for a baby, 2 horses and 2 dogs so I hope you enjoy following me on my journey through motherhood and country life. Thanks for joining me!