I've had this machine since April.
No accidents.
A friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of her "mishap" with a smoothie.
I commented on how this was my worst fear with this machine.
Two hours later this happened.
Unbelievable.
My trips to the Amish are becoming more and more frequent.
I love the simplicity of their life.
Wonder if they'd let me join them?
Yeah, probably not.
I got all of this for $21.
Boom.
I have been a regular popsicle making machine around here lately.
These are our favorite so far.
Coconut Paletas.
My harvest one morning this week.
My corn never grew beyond pitiful size.
But it is my corn.
And I love it.
My sugar babies are almost ripe.
Should be perfect by the Fourth of July.
I planted red and yellow.
Speaking of sugar babies.
He is pretty much mine.
The kids spent the day at my moms and we had an all day date.
Lots of shopping and eating and talking,
Glorious no kids interrupting adults only talking.
Maggie wanted some layers cut into her hair and bangs.
All this was a first for her.
It is beautiful.
But it makes her look three years older and I am not digging that part.
This is my forecast for the next few days.
Satan called...he wants his weather back.
How about you...is it hot where you live?
Are you near the fires in Colorado?
The tropical storm in Florida?
"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"
Friday, June 29, 2012
The Great Vitamix Debacle of 12, Bangs, and Hella Hot {InstaFriday}
Monday, June 25, 2012
Paletas {Make Your Own Popsicles}
Plus we just added "make popsicles" to our 2012 Summer List so it was a no brainer.
Popsicle makers we would be.
I read several posts about making your own popsicles, then I ordered this Popsicle maker from Amazon.
Love it.
Worth every penny.
My first goal was to make a whole fruit popsicle.
Sorta like Edy's except with more fruit.
I chopped fresh strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, and seedless watermelon into small bite size chunks.
(I put my pineapple in the Vitamix for a couple of seconds...not necessary though)
I filled each container about 3/4 full with fruit.
Then I filled to the top with fruit juice.
I used Dole Orange Pineapple Banana.
Not exactly as healthy as I was aiming for but it was on hand the day the popsicle maker arrived and well, I'm just impatient like that.
Next time I will be using something less
Real fruit juice.
Lastly, I added the lid and then the sticks (both come with the maker).
Freeze till solid and....
Voila!
Gorgeous whole fruit Popsicles.
Both my husband and I loved biting into the chunks of frozen fruit.
Our kids...not so much.
That's cool.
More for us.
I promised them that next time I will put all the fruit in the Vitamix and blend well before freezing.
My second favorite Edy's popsicle is the Coconut flavor.
So I made made my own.
I'm feeling pretty powerful with this little freezing machine.
Coconut Paletas:
2 cups Coconut Milk (I found Light Coconut Milk in a can at Kroger)
2 cups skim milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2-1 cup sweetened coconut shredded (depends on how much you like coconut...I personally used a whole cup)
Mix ingredients well and fill popsicle maker.
Add the lid and sticks.
Place in freezer till frozen.
Tip:
Soak your popsicle sticks in warm water while making your popsicles. This will weigh them down and prevent them from floating up when you stick them in your popsicle maker.
Oh. My. Gracious.
Sinful.
Like drinking a bottle of Hawaiian Tropic.
Yes, I've considered it.
With your very own popsicle maker, you can say so long to ingredients like "Citric Acid, Corn Syrup, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, and Soy Lecithin."
Gross.
You will know every single ingredient that goes into them.
There are so many variations of popsicles that can be made when making your own.
The possibilities truly are endless.
I have an entire board on Pinterest just for pinning popsicle recipes.
You can also visit Kelly at "The Nourishing Home" and receive her free e-book on Healthy Ice Pops and Frozen Treats.
All you need to do is subscribe to her blog.
Trust me, you are gonna be much obliged.
Fabulous healthy content.
Skip to My Lou's "Made By You Monday"
A Lettered Life "Tasty Tuesdays" "My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"
Friday, June 22, 2012
Camping, My Garden, and a Toilet Shaped Cake {InstaFriday}
Aidan was recently honored for the badges he earned through the Royal Ranger program at church.
Thanks to this program he has read multiple books of the Bible and knows how to tie a bajillion different knots.
Boy is set.
He also had his first encounter with a batting cage.
Loved it.
I am such a sucker for freshly rolled hay bales.
And ginormous skies filled with big puffy clouds.
I planted this garden on May 6th.
It is now a BEAST!
In fact this isn't the most up to date picture.
That watermelon up there in the top right?
It is the size of a softball now.
Fresh cucumbers in my pasta salad last night.
I am loving this gardening thing.
Holiday World was on our 2011 Summer List.
We did not get there last year.
However, we did this year.
It was amazing.
I highly recommend this park.
Anything located in a town called Santa Claus has to be fun right?
That's the beauty of Summer Lists.
Putting a goal on the radar and finding a way to make it happen.
You can find our 2012 Summer List here.
Last week we headed to a friend's 50th surprise birthday dinner.
For the life of me I could not get this picture to focus.
This was the cake.
Yes, for real.
I did not eat it.
Guess what?
I have found the secret to weight loss ya'll.
Make food look like crap.
Literally.
Can't you just see the infomercials for this?
Watch out P90X...the crap diet is moving in.
This is the real reason I go to dinner with friends.
They have babies that I get to hold.
This is Miss Micah.
Yes, her head smelled amazing.
The past 4 days of my life have been spent sitting right here...with this view.
Kayaking.
Reading.
Smores.
No make-up.
It is glorious.
Friends of ours happened to be there at the same time.
The kids had a blast in the lake.
My favorite part of camping?
Sunset.
No filter on this photo.
"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1
"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"
Thursday, June 21, 2012
2012 Summer List {44 Things We Hope to Do This Summer}
It is that time of year again.
Summer Break!
Whoo Hoo!!!
I'm a Homeschool mom of 3.
I get all kinds of excited about summer break.
My family has discovered that the best way to make the most of our time off is to make a Summer List.
A list of all the things we want to accomplish during this glorious time of sleeping in and no homework.
Sooooo.....
Call a family meeting and get to writing.
Nothing is off limits.
Dream big.
Be creative.
There are no bad ideas. (Notice "Say hi to a stranger" courtesy of the 9 year old)
The cheaper the better.
Making memories does not have to mean going broke.
In fact it is usually the little things that kids love and remember the most.
Notice "Tickle Monster" made the cut again this year.
2.Dad cooks fancy meal. {He's a Culinary Institute of America graduate}
3.Kayak
4.Beach
5.Watch Sunset
6.Treat Tuesdays {Baskin Robins has $1 scoops on Tuesday nights}
7.Farmer's Market
8.Pool
9.Play in the Rain
10.Take the Train Downtown
11.Drive-In
12.Fishing
13.Walk to Movies
14.Picnic
15.Unplugged Day {yep, no phones, no tv, no internet...all.day.long}
16.Visit Amish
17.Go to Creek
18.Make a Fort in Living Room
19.Dessert for Dinner
20.Bowling
21.Sounds Game {Minor League Baseball}
22.Yard Sale for Mission Trips
23.Lemonade Stand
24.Las Paletas {Gourmet Mexican Popsicles Downtown}
25.Play Hide & Seek in the House
26.Family Mailbox {a mailbox in the house that we can write letters and messages to each other and place inside}
27.Eat at Earl G. Dumplings {the name says it all I think...country cooking like your grandma's kitchen}
28.Paint on Canvases
29.Make Chalkboard in Kitchen
30.Library
31.Hoola Hoop Contest
32.Water Balloon Fight
33.Stay Up All Night
34.Camping
35.Just Dance Party
36.Tickle Monster {all you need is dad, the kids, and a lot of screaming and running through the house and you have tickle monster}
37.Donut Saturdays
38.Play in Mud
39.Eat at The Biscuit House
40.Visit Puckett's Grocery
41.Say "hi" to a stranger
42.Mom/Dad Dates {one on one dates with mom and dad}
43.Read Aloud
44.Make Popsicles
Here is a link to our 2011 Summer List.
We pulled it out this year and it felt so good to look back and see all the things that we accomplished last year simply because we made a point to be intentional with our time.
**I want to be sure to give credit where credit is due.
Meg is the Summer List queen.
Seriously...check out her list from 2011.
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"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"
Friday, June 8, 2012
My Man Rocks {you've got to see this} and My Daughter is Now Officially Almost a Teenager. {InstaFriday}
Let's start this post off right shall we?
This is my man.
That is my nine year old son's t-shirt.
It is purple and about 5 sizes too small.
He is totally sporting rockstar fingers in this photo.
He is shameless when it comes to making his kids smile.
He is all mine ladies.
Sorry.
Picked this from my garden.
It ended up in here.
Then here.
Green mustache to match his eyes.
Don't judge.
I heart Steve Perry.
My girl turned 12 this week.
All she wanted to do was pick up a car full of friends...and shop.
All my fears of whether or not I have raised her right were immediately put to rest.
Phew.
We visited with cows...
And closed down Forever 21.
We also ate fried dough and smelled like a walking perfume sample.
It was awesome.
She wanted a new guitar for her birthday.
She had one already but it was old and cheap and had a little brother sized crack in it.
Callused fingertips and constant playing left us with the reality that this was no passing phase.
So we agreed to go in halvsey with her on it.
{Before you have a coronary...we did not buy the guitar in the picture.}
She is now the proud owner of her very own Taylor.
We ended the day in Downtown Nashville at Maggiano's.
She was serenaded by an opera singer in Italian.
So cool.
She was only slightly mortified.
It was a fabulous week of celebrating 12 years of Maggie, but by far my favorite memory happened the moment she officially turned 12.
Riding in the front seat is a rite of passage she has been looking forward to pestering me about for a long time.
When the clock struck midnight on her birthday, I loaded her up in the front seat and we went for a drive.
Just the two of us.
Windows down.
Singing "Baby" at the top of our lungs.
Holding hands.
Have I told you lately how much I love having a daughter?
"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"
12 Reasons Everyone Should Have a 12 Year Old Daughter
1. They like to shop.
2. They have a massive stash of lip gloss.
3. Your shoe collection doubles automatically.
4. They love what you love. Their love of photography is just the excuse you need to upgrade your camera.
5. They pick really cool friends that you genuinely enjoy hanging out with.
6. They have more style in their pinky finger than you will ever dream of having.
7. Instant pedicure partner.
8. They are beautiful.
9. They bake.
10. They can make these for you.
11. You can get away with listening to this...guilt free.
12. That baby girl that you used to call daughter slowly becomes so much more....your best friend.
HAPPY {belated} BIRTHDAY MAGPIE!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!
"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"
