Nummy Nummy Dinner!

I haven't been very good at posting. Actually it looks like its been almost 4 months. Woe!!
So I just wanted to post something and thought I would add this yummy recipe. I had a version of this at an expensive local Italian restaurant a few months back, and I thought I would like to try it at home. My first attempt was only sub-par. It was made with butter ha-ha (fake crap). I decided to try one that uses real butter, and this time the results were quite close to the restaurants. Here it is.

Lemon Caper Sauce

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons REAL butter
  
• ½ teaspoon (1 clove) minced or pressed garlic
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon dry white wine (can substitute lemon juice or broth. I chose the broth)
• 3 Tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Directions

In a cup, dissolve cornstarch in broth and set aside. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring constantly, until they are limp and slightly golden. Add additional ¼ cup butter; allow butter to melt. Whisk broth mixture, lemon juice, and wine into melted butter. Continue to cook until sauce thickens. Add capers. Serve sauce over grilled or broiled chicken breasts.
Source: Recipe developed by Challenge Home Ec


I put mine over some whole grain thin spaghetti. It was so nummy-nummy!

(this picture kinda makes it look nasty, but it was soooo good)

Snow in Georgia

We got a little snow "storm" today- March 1, 2009

Snow is a rarity around here, especially this much. People start freaking out, and
the news stations scare the crap out of every one.
The kids and I had a great time playing in it though. I made a snowman, and the kids
ate the snow off of the bushes. It was lots of fun. I got a great idea
to put on disposable latex gloves under our regular gloves to "water proof" them,

and to keep our hands warmer. Hannah and I had them on but Curtis didn't. We had toasty warm and dry hands, and Curtis' were freezing! Sometimes I get good ideas and surprise myself.

My snowman... bum kids wouldn't help!


Curtis eating snow!...yummy




Hannah making snow pizzas, and playing some made up game with them.

Home made laundry soap

I have been making my own laundry soap lately, and really like it. It works well in my High Efficiency Front Load Washing machine, is really cheap , and super easy to make. I only used 3 ingredients and my food processor. Here is the Duggar family recipe... you know the family that has 18 children and counting! They estimate the cost at about $2 for a batch that does about 40 loads. I guessed about that much for mine, or maybe a little cheaper.

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar ( use one half a bar for Zote)
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax
-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

I used Zote soap this time, which is why it is a pretty pink. I found Zote at Big Lots, but the Fels-Naptha can be found in the laundry aisle with all the rest of the ingredients. I have used both of these soaps, but I understand you can also use Ivory, Sunlight and Kirk's Hardwater Castile, and maybe Octagon if you can find it.

There is a liquid version, but it takes more time, and the one time I made it , I didnt care for it as much. Powder is easier for me. Here is the Duggar version for liquid if you wanna try it.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

UPDATE 4/15/11: I still make my own powder and love it, but I now use this recipe which works just as well.

1 bar Fels Naptha
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies and giveaway

Here are a few things I have been up to lately. Oh I got that pesky gallbladder taken out 2 weeks ago today. I feel so much better. I still have Gastroparesis, but I am dealing with it quite well.

There is a tea shop here that not only sells loose tea, but also makes some amazing Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies!
I stopped in there the other day and inhaled one. Wishing I had more I decided to try to make them myself. These turned out pretty good, but not quite as good as the tea shop.

Yield
Makes about 3 dozen
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups white chocolate morsels
1 (6-ounce) package sweetened dried cranberries ( I used Craisins)

Preparation
Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture gradually, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in white chocolate morsels and cranberries.
Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.


I also thought I would make my very first apron. I didn't keep it, but gave it away as a birthday gift. She almost didn't get it, because I loved it so much. I found the pattern in a book called "A is for Apron". Every time I bake or cook I wish I had an apron, but haven't gotten around to making one for myself. I bought some fun fabric when I got the fabric for this one. Now all I have to do is motivate myself enough to make it.

I got my excitement for aprons from this website http://notquitejunecleaver.wordpress.com
She is doing a giveaway right now, and I know it includes an apron. Visit her site and check it out.
Lots of fun stuff there.

I have been super busy trying to get my house all organized. I love organization. It keeps me happy and as sane as can be. I have been trying to work on bits and pieces of the house, but then I get side tracked and all of a sudden I have more projects than I want all fighting for my attention. This first set of pictures is my garage. I got all my Christmas stuff out on Thanksgiving day and there it sat all messy in my garage. I couldn't even park in there. I know some of you are like... so what! I have never parked in my garage.. aren't they for storage anyways?

Ya but we had ours

built bigger than normal so that both our cars and our junk could fit. Plus once you go from

parking in a nice dry and warm garage to a wet, cold, windy... well you get it. Anyways I am so glad to be back in my parking spot. Looks much better huh? I was able to weed out some junk that I didn't use, throw away those darn Christmas lights that only half work, and sweep up some serious dirt from the floor. This half of the garage is done. Now my husbands half is quite nasty, but I refuse to do that side.

My sewing room was another one of those rooms you don't really want to go into. I would feel all crafty, then take one look at my room and all of a sudden not want to craft anymore. I finally got bold enough to face this room. I also did some purging in here too. Cant believe all the little piddly things I had, that didn't get used! Now everything has a nice place and a label, and its clean! Oh.... that's where I put my treadmill!

























(inside the closet with some organization)















This is my laundry room all nice and neat. I wish I had a before picture of it...... ewwwwwwwww. It was bad. One solution I have started using to make laundry day easier is this. Everyone now gets a zippered laundry bad that they put their own socks into. I zip, toss in the washer and drier, and then no having to waste time on separating socks. This has helped out alot.



















Here are some future projects to do. My closet... ya.. embarrassing I know. Its a poorly lit, poor design. I don't care for it, and I tend to let it get all messy. I step into it every day and say... boy I sure need to clean this up. Then I quickly forget and well... do the same thing again next time I go in there.














Then there is my door from the garage into the house. Yes, its been partly painted for about 2 years now. My sister Katie was suppose to paint it while she was here, but that didnt happen either. I need to do this before summer, so I can leave the door open while it dries. And I cant do it in the winter.... too cold. See my dilemma?





Guess that's about it. Now go out there and clean your garages and organize your house. I promise once its all done you will feel so much better!

My health

Dear you who have been keeping up with all my doctors visits and procedures,

In the past year I have spent countless hours in waiting rooms, hundreds of dollars on office visits and prescriptions, and given gallons of blood. I have seen 3 doctors, had 1 ultrasound, 2 upper GI, 2 HIDA scans, and an abdominal CT scan. 2 doctors saying they swear its my gallbladder the other who probably did but didnt speak very good English. I was treated for an ulcer found in one of the upper GI's, which healed, but the pain in my abdomen is still bad, and at its worst.
When my Primary Care Doctor said she didnt know what else to do she sent me to her personal Gastrointerologist ( one of the 3 Doc I have seen) he said I was classic gallbladder. Something my Mom and sister have been telling me for 2 years now. He said he didnt know what else to do, but if I wanted to have some more tests, he could let me have another HIDA scan (gallbladder) done with his people there at the Fayetteville hospital. I said sure why not . So I underwent my second HIDA scan which was much more different than the first one. This one re-created my pains. Tests come back - gallbladder 87% functioning. They wont take it out unless it is about half that. Yay ... great. I see the Gastro. Doc again a month later, no change in my pain. He says he has only seen it once in 15 years that the tests came back negative like mine and the lady came to him in tears because when she had her Scan it was the same pain she had been experiencing. He was able to convince the surgeons to take hers out, and sure enough it was faulty. I said well I was born (seriously) abnormally, so he could count me his second case. He told me to get in touch with his favorite surgeons, and that he would do his part in talking with them. He also ordered a more current Upper GI because he knew the surgeons would want one.
In the past week I have had nausea, diarrhea, and have lost 6 pounds. Yesterday I had that second upper GI and they found that I had food still in my belly after 13-14 hours since my last meal, and at that it wasnt much more than a few tablespoons of party food and a small slice of key lime pie. Being sick I have had pretty much nothing to eat all week anyways. So they thought that was pretty weird. It actually happens though and it is called Gastroparesis. Yay... more digestive issues! All for a person who LOVES to eat. So I am suppose to eat 6-8 small meals a day instead of 3 like normal people. Side effects... nausea, bloating, nagging abdominal pain, excessive belching, feeling of fullness after only a few bites, weight loss ( the best one yet). Then I get to go see that Doc in a few months for a check up. In the mean time He still wants me to talk to those surgeons about my gallbladder. So I get to go spend some more time and money in another doctors office in January.
Things really do start falling apart when you hit 30!
I will keep you all updated as to whether or not I can convince these surgeons to take out this blasted gallbladder. Untill then, happy eating for you. I will stick to my 6 small, bland, sometimes liquid meals. Lucky you! Eat some greasy pizza for me, ya hear?

My Annual Mother/Daughter Retreat

Every year about this time ( beginning of November) My mom and her daughters (& d-in-law) head up to Gods country..... the North Georgia Mountains of course. Here are some pictures of this years 10th annual Mother-Daughter retreat - Amicalola Falls State Park






Well we start off with a cabin in a State park:






This is the first year we got snow...if you can call it that. Still! It was pretty exciting.





Add some comfy, and sometime silly clothes..
















Only nursing babies are allowed. This little booger is so cute!









Start a roaring fire.... this one roared through a tube... cool pic though huh?










Do some knitting and crocheting.
Amy has been working on hers for about 5 or more years.... Hey its tradition













Put together an annoying puzzle or two.













Play some games ..... in our comfy clothes of course! Sometimes laughing till we cry.











Sometimes we take hikes... This year only Mary and I did...












Why take all those steps?
Those 605 steps to be exact?













Well not only to shake off the cabin fever, but to see this up close.....














Or to take cool pictures like these!
























And when you reach the top, see sights like this!



Even though I could have driven the car to the parking lot and seen this... but hey wheres the burning lungs, weak knees, trembling thighs, frozen snot running down your face fun in that!





We take some pictures for our Myspace and Facebook. This one was me resting after our lung burning hike up the mountain.















Sometimes we break some rules together!










Breakin the law!










And are sorry for it when we lose our car keys on the other side of the fence.....under some leaves... with my lip balm.














Then at the end of the trip we take a nice group shot. Thankfully this year I had my tripod and remote. Several years we have had to settle with strangers taking our pics and out of focus shots. I chose to add this one because I was being silly and everyone has a genuine smile on their faces, except the baby who could care less.




The End

Fall 2008

Just thought I would show you some pictures of Fall around my house. The trees are especially beautiful this year, maybe because we got a lot more rain than we have in awhile.. not sure.
Anyways here are my pics.

This one is looking out my front door

This is one of my favorites. I was getting the mail and I looked down the road and saw this tree smiling at me. It said please take my picture. I said... But I am in my pink jammies.. It said.. so.. So I did.. I love it.

This tree on the right, I can see from my front porch.
This is in the neighbors yard, but its so beautiful. Its even more on fire when the sun is setting and bouncing off the leaves.

Now this one is just a pie pumpkin sitting on my piano, until I can cut it up and make a pie out of it. Mmmmm.

This one below isn't at home, but at Uncle Bobs Pumpkin Patch. These were some HUGE pumpkins and then of course my sweet punkins in the background.

These were taken on my way home from the church fall festival. I pass by this lake every time I go to church, and this time I actually had my camera with. So I stopped and took these last 2 pictures.

My new favorite Bible verse

So I was looking through my old Bible. The one I had as a teenager. It is about 19 years old, a "pretty" lake blue, bonded leather, having random birth records (including an old boyfriend), silver edges, everything highlighted (especially the Love chapter), worn edged, KJV Bible.
I started skimming through it to see what I had underlined as a teenager, you know, all that was important to me. Well I came across a verse in Proverbs that I had forgotten all about and got a great laugh out of. It has become my new favorite Bible verse. I have posted it on my fridge dry-erase board, and hope my family will memorize it. Especially my husband and daughter and random family members. So here it is in The Message version, because the KJV had too many -eth's and thou's

*********************************************
Proverbs 27:14

If you wake your friend in the early morning
by shouting "Rise and shine!"
It will sound to him
more like a curse than a blessing.

**********************************************

I LOVE God's sense of humor!

Straight To Curly

I was born with very straight blond hair. I imagine it stayed so blond because I was always playing outside in the Florida sun. In the summer time it would turn green from swimming in the pool.
Here is me (right) when I was younger with my blond, straight hair. Yep I was a fatty, but oh so
cute. I am the baby on the Ollie. That's my brother John in his tidy whiteys









I kept that straight blond hair for most of my childhood. Here I am at the left at about 11 years old or so.















You all know how the 90's went with the perms and the big ole hair and ...... shall we say less than natural makeup. Well Here is me with my perm... Now I know you ain't laughin' at me! You know you had the big hair and tight rolled jeans too.








The perm eventually grew out (Hallelujah) but then it was mostly fluff.
I went through several years of bad hair. This is me (left) about a year before I married. 14 years ago.




I don't know what happened to me. Maybe it was hormones from having children. That's my best guess, but here within the past few years my hair has decided to curl. Being a straight haired girl most of my life, I had no idea what to do with it. It has taken me awhile, but recently I decided to go some Googling. As you have probably found out from these few posts, I am a nerd who loves Google. Anyways I came across several sites just for curly haired individuals. Early this year I got my first haircut by a lady trained to cut curly hair. It made a huge difference in the feel and weight of my hair. Still I had no idea about the care of my curls, since apparently they have different needs than normal hair. Love that.. of course I am not normal. In my search I found several individuals who decided to become "Curly Girls" wondering what that was of course I Googled that. I found out there is a book out there teaching girls what to do with their curly hair, so of course I got it on eBay and a month ago tried what they had to say----Say no to shampoo . I know....gross right? Well I do clean my hair, just not with shampoo and all the detergents it has in it. I use a GOOD conditioner that has no silicone products that weight down the curl, and doesnt have water as the main ingredient. Thats only because I dont want to pay for water when I am already putting that in my hair when I wash. Since I take a shower at night, I just add some gel or cream ( no silicones here either) and let it air dry. Something that should be done anyways. Curly Girls get rid of your hair drier and brushes and straightening iron. In the morning I just spray some water (with lavender oil added for fun) , and scrunch and dry. It is so crazy easy to do my hair. I LOVE it! I wont bore you with what the book says. If you want to try the method buy it or borrow it. I want you to see my results so far. I have only been doing this for a month so far. No one has said I smell either.

Here I am on the first day of using no-poo conditioner.















Here I am a month later. It feels more bouncy and is more manageable. Though I am discovering curly hair does what it wants to most of the time, and weather makes a big difference. Its kinda frizzy because its been humid and its kinda crispy today.... not oily!














Kinda hard to see from the pictures, especially the back of the head ones, its rather hard to take those shots. There is a good difference to me though in the way it feels, looks and behaves. I haven't had anyone say so, but then no one notices when I wear glasses either. Oh well!