Here are the rolls that Jodi has on her blog. I made them and they are good! I did the cinnamon/sugar ones and they are mostly gone already.lol In addition to making these, I also did another batch of granola because the batch I made on Monday was supposed to last 2 weeks and it only lasted 5 days.lol I've also started a list for my every two month run to BJ's and will try to get that done either tonight or tomorrow morning before our run to TRU. Now, I need to work on dinner. We only have Chili left on the list of dinners so I guess that I won't have to make too many decisions.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Look at this sweet little guy! He's going to be a great big brother. He found Allison's Vision Forum doll and just fell in love with it.lol

Lisa

Genevieve and Isaac setting up Duck, Duck, Goose. They love this game!

Genevieve and Isaac playing in the sand...

Allison blowing bubbles cause mom got tired.lol

Pictures from the park...

Today was a great day! I woke up feeling pretty good and decided that it was a good "park day." So off we went! We were able to get up and going before 9:30 and the park was so nice. Another cool front came through last night and the temps were perfect for being at the park. The little ones were so happy that we ended up staying until 11:00! I got tired then and decided it was lunch time so the older kids and I discussed the options and decided to go to Larry's Giant Subs. I've never been there but the kids go there on the weekends with their grandparents sometimes and they love it. Well, now I love it too!lol It was a tad expensive for lunch but the food was much better than most places we've gone to lately. Isaac and Genevieve shared a turkey sub and they ate the whole thing.lol I had the Philly Cheese Steak and it was very good. O.k., I had the steak part, no onions, with lettuce and mustard and a pickle on the side. lol This is the first time that we didn't have any leftovers. Everyone ate everything.lol I think that on payday weeks we'll splurge on this.

Now the kids are working on finishing up their school work for the week. They actually finished most subjects yesterday, so they don't have too much to do. I'm so thankful that the kids are really taking their work seriously and working so hard. They are making a lot of progress this year.

I talked to Eric and he's been working on the requirements for the Bright Futures Scholarship. He's found that the state has pretty simple rules for homeschoolers and that we'll be able to qualify without too much hoop-jumping. He's really stepping into the guidance counselor role that I asked him to take on if the kids decided to homeschool for highschool. I'm thankful that he's so willing to help me. What a blessing he is!

Well, the little ones are setting up a game and the olders are busy with their work so I must go.lol This schedule is really perfect for us. Everyone is getting what they need each day and I'm not stressed at all. What a blessing.

Lisa

Well, the schedule is going great.LOL We've been pretty busy today just trying to keep up with everything. Genevieve's birthday is on Sunday and we are going to get some party supplies from Party City on Saturday and pick up whatever we are getting her for her birthday. It's hard to figure out what she might like this year. She really hasn't outgrown anything, toy-wise and we just bought her new clothes because she all the sudden had a growth spurt, after being in size 3T for 2 years. She couldn't even put her panties on they were so small.LOL We thought about taking her somewhere but she's so young I don't think she'd understand that THAT was her birthday.LOL So we're buying party supplies even though we don't really have any kids to invite and we'll just celebrate it within the family. As for gifts, I have no idea. I've been looking on the internet at different stores but I really don't see anything that she'd play with.

We just got back from the YMCA. The kids take homeschool P.E. there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Usually, I just go home and wait the hour and go pick them up but today decided to stay and chat with the other moms. Well, the little ones went crazy!lol Isaac thought the water fountain was "magic" and kept running over to it and pushing the bar to make the water appear. Everytime the water appeared he would scream with delight.lol Let's just say we were a little distractive. I'm guessing I'll need to find a better place to wait for the kids from now on. It's been starting to get a little cooler here. Every week or two we'll have a nice cool front that will take the heat to barely manageable so I'm thinking about this little park that is down the street that might make a nice place to wait. It has no trees so I've been avoiding this particular park but the good park is too far away to get there and back in an hour.

Whew! I guess I'm just rambling. I woke up tired today and am just trying to make it through the day. All the kids have been great today and that really makes my day.lol The house is clean, the wash is done, even the little ones are bathed. So in my books, that's a good day!

Blessings,

Lisa

Here is the inside of my new dishwasher! I put stuff in it so that you could see the different levels. This will save us so much time! It holds a lot and it cleans better than I do.LOL

Lisa

I get my dishwasher today! Yipeee!LOLOL I'll take pictures once it's installed. This is the most amazing dishwasher that is made! It's the Maytag Jetclean 3. It has three levels to put dishes in and has four cleaning wands. It also heats it's own water and has a sterlize button for bottles and when everyone has had the icks. Pretty cool, huh? lol Who knew an appliance could make me so excited!

I implemented a new schedule today and the day is going really smoothly. I think it's a keeper! Normally, when I change things it's chaos for a couple of days but today has been quiet. I think this routine fits us as a family. I am really looking forward to each change of subject/routine each hour.

Well, it's my lunch hour/clean up time, so I better get finished.

Blessings,

lisa

Here's an activity out of The Preschooler's Busy Book that Genevieve and I did today. She was so proud that she found all the matches! We just took index cards and wrote the upper case letter on the left side and the lower case letter to match on the right side and then cut them apart into puzzle pieces. She had a hard time with some of the letter matches and was proud when she got them all done. I am really enjoying this book! It has a lot of great ideas and everything seems to be right on par for her needs. Not too easy and not too hard. The older kids and I will be putting more of these activities together during our free times for Genevieve to do during school times.

Blessings,

Lisa

O.k. so far today I've completed most of our laundry, made two different fudge sauces, made a huge batch of granola, and just put our dinner in the oven for tonight. I also straightened the house and made a trip to the Post Office.LOL

On the little kid front, they've:

played playdough
played store
played McDonalds
bubbles
painted
went to the post office with me
and are now wrestling with the older kids while I write this.

I think we've really accomplished a lot today. I'm ready for a rest.LOL If I don't watch out, we may end up becoming "over achievers."LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

The Art of Sauce, Chocolate that is...

:Edited to say that Alton Browns recipe has turned into a brick and it's no longer tasting very good.LOL In fact, my dh just threw it out. Now the Emeril sauce is the winner and everyone likes it. Don't waste good chocolate on AB's recipe.


O.k. I've made both sauces. If you make Alton Brown's cook it no more than 3 minutes. It gets grainy with time. I sampled it throughout the cooking process and it is good but grainy if you cook it too long. It is what I think Fudge sauces should taste like, a cross between icing and candy. It's thick and rich! Very good! Just be careful not to cook it too long.

Emeril's sauce, which was tested by my tasting panel, was judged good, but more like pudding. Genevieve likes this one best as she keeps bringing her spoon back for more.LOL Both older kids liked it and said it was more like pudding.

So there. My fudge sauce making is done and I would say that we have 2 good sauces to choose from on Ice Cream day.

Here are the recipes:

Chocolate Syrup

3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
(Bring to gentle boil over med.high heat.)
Wisk in:3/4 cup dutch cocoa
pinch of salt
1 tbsp honey
Continue to cook allowing the syrup to reduce and thicken, 3-5 minutes.
Add 2 tsp vanilla
Allow to cool and strain.
Enjoy!

Emerils Chocolate Sauce:
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Melt together and enjoy!

Blessings,

Lisa

My menu for this week.

Lunch

sandwiches
pizza
hot dogs
fish sticks
salad sandwiches


Dinner

Chili with toppings
Oriental Pepper steak with rice
Nacho dip and chips
BBQ chicken and salad
ham and bean soup and rolls
baked chicken and roasted veggies


I'll be making granola this week to last us for 2 weeks and maybe yogurt near the end of the week. I never made the chocolate chip muffins, so those will be done on Monday but I did get the Blueberry ones done last week. We will also make ice cream sometime this week. I'm hoping to try making Alton Brown's Fudge sauce for the ice cream. I hate the premade stuff and really, Genevieve can't eat it, so this will be a good way for her to have something other than vanilla. I may even decide to make some strawberry sauce, if I have time. Then the kids can have banana splits. Should be a good week! I've even gotten my shopping done already!

Blessings,

Lisa

Here is our city and roads that we made. Isaac is really enjoying this! That is a Clean diaper behind him, he emptied out his diaper holder right before I took the picture.LOL Even right before I put him to bed, he was playing with this.

Here is Freaky Fred.LOL

Today was a looonnnnggg day.LOL Isaac was up again last night, several times and it just makes it feel like yesterday never ended. We've had a pretty good day, nothing exciting just regular. We were stuck at home today because we were waiting for Terminx to arrive. We were able to come up with many different activities to keep us busy. First, the kids played with the Easy Bake Oven. They made blue cake, chocolate chip cake, and pretzels. After they finished with the oven, they moved on to crafts.LOL First, Jon took Genevieve around the block to collect flowers and then they shaved crayons and made stained glass windows by having me iron it all between two pieces of wax paper. Then they all made two scarecrow door hangers from Oriental Trading Company. They named Genevieve's Freaky Fred. LOL He had three eyes and he was put together pretty interesting.LOL They all had a good time. I gave Isaac some cotton balls and glue and he glued them onto a piece of paper with a face drawn on it. The hardest part was keeping him from eating the glue.LOL After all this fun, the older kids worked on their school work and Isaac had a bottle and watched a little t.v. while I worked with Genevieve. We did some cutting and pasting and then I set her up with some paint with water. Then I went to snuggle with my little Isaac who was just rolling around on the floor being as cute as can be.LOL He's such a sweetie.

I bought The Toddlers Busy Book and The Preschoolers Busy Book and finally had a chance to look through them today. It has really good ideas! Reminds me of Slow and Steady Get Me Ready. I decided to try one of the activities in the book which was to tape a road onto the floor for the kids to drive their cars on. Well, I didn't want to chance ruining the carpet so I used a box and drew a road and town. It turned out to be alot of fun for both little ones. My ds helped to draw the city and roads on the second part of town and the little ones played with the box the rest of the day. I'll upload the pictures of the town next. There's a couple of things I want to try out in the book next week but I need to collect some supplies. I think we'll try the puffed rice "sand box" next and I thought I'd try to put together a Baker's box and a Busy box. I really like the books a lot!

It was a good day.

Blessings,

Lisa

It was a busy day! I feel like I've accomplished a lot! I spent the day cleaning out Isaac and Genevieve's rooms. Well, first we went to the park. LOL The kids had a great time and the little ones were able to play with some friends. After the park I started on the little kids rooms. Isaac has been growing so much that it was time to sort through all the clothes and put away the ones that he's out grown. It was so sad to see so many of my favorite outfits being put in a bin for the next baby! He's also out grown two pairs of shoes and I even found a stray bib or two hiding on the changing table.LOL I also went through all the toys and was able to find at least 4 bags to give to Goodwill. I also found 2 bags of trash or broken toys to throw away. His room looks so nice now. Next I worked on Genevieve's room. I organized all of her clothes because she's been putting things away lately and well, it was a mess.LOL I also found a bunch of things that she's outgrown that I put away just in case this one's a girl. I was able to find at least 2 bags for Goodwill and one bag of broken stuff in her room. Most of her things, she's just grown into so mostly it was just organizing and cleaning. My plan is to move Isaac into the "big kid" room when he's around 2.5-3 years old and keep Isaac's current room as a nursery. That way, as he grows out of the toys in his room we'll just move him up to the toys in Genevieve's room. If this new baby's a boy then eventually the boys will share a room but not until they can both have big kid toys.LOL

All in all it was a very productive day. I'm glad that I made the time to go to the park! It was another beautiful day and I would've hated missing it.

Blessings,

Lisa

Today has been a good day! I woke up at 4 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. Instead of just laying there, I got up and began my chores for the day. I was able to get most of the wash done before 8 this morning! I was also showered and dressed by 7 this morning and ready for the day. See, I had a surprise for the kids. Last night, the very first cool front came through and the weather was reported to be fabulous, so today was our first official park day! I got everyone out the door by 9 this morning with lunches packed in case they lasted that long.LOL The weather was nice and the park was just wonderful! The kids had a blast. Isaac got tired around 10:30 and we decided to come home to eat lunch. When we got home we had two boxes sitting on the doorstep! Yea! It was the Catch a Bubbles that I ordered! While we prepared lunch, we took turns blowing bubbles. The little ones were so happy!

Now that lunch is almost finished, the older kids will get back to the grind stone and complete their work for the day and I'll play with the littles. Gotta love these kind of days!!!

Blessings,

Lisa

My Menu this Week: (completely done by Allison)

Lunch

Pizza
Hot dogs and chili
Lunchables
Ramen
Mac and Cheese

Dinner

Baked Tilapia
Hamburgers and Fries
Steak and Potatoes
Salad Bar
Grilled Chicken


Today is muffin making and bread making day. I love to have muffins in the freezer for lunches and snacks. It's a great traveling food. I bought some frozen blueberries, so I'll make blueberry muffins and I'll make some chocolate chip as those are everyone's favorites. I will also make at least 2 batches of bread today. That usually makes 4 loaves or around 35 rolls. I usually make two loaves and 18 rolls. I use the Family Homestead's whole wheat bread recipe but I use unbleached flour instead of ww. I just can't seem to digest ww, so I figure unbleached is better than nothing.LOL I love the King Arthur Unbleached Flour. Very good! My yogurt from yesterday turned out great! We now have 2 quarts of very good quality vanilla yogurt for the week. I've found that the more I make myself, the cheaper the grocery bill. I've also found that I can get this all done with 4 kids in the house, even though 2 are little. LOL And I've found that my little ones can do a good job of helping.

Blessings,

Lisa

Why does he always look guilty?LOL Maybe it's the tape or maybe it's the car alarm he's poised to set off...LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Here is Genevieve, using different tools for her playdough. Yes, that's a screwdriver.LOL At least she's having fun....

Blessings,

Lisa

Here is Isaac's new do. He was starting to look a little rough around the edges and grandma fixed that up for us last night. You can also see the missing tooth that is causing so much trouble. He is actually missing all four eye teeth so far. They come in and then they go back under. It's killing us!LOL You can also see the messy counter behind him. So much for the background of this picture.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Yesterday was not a good day for me.LOL I had lots of tummy trouble and pretty much stayed home all day. Sometimes, I just get the "Lousy's" and there's nothing to do but wait them out.

Today was better. I'm exhausted but feeling better. We went to the store and got our shopping done today. Boy am I glad that's over! I am not a happy shopper.LOL Thankfully, Allison made most of the grocery list for me this morning and all I had to do was go. We got the shopping done in record time and we spent way less than normal! I don't know how, but we did.LOL Usually, our bill is around 250 and this week it's 150. Pretty good savings, I'm hoping we didn't forget a bunch of stuff.LOL

After we got home, I started making more yogurt. I've doubled the recipe and I'm hoping it'll turn out just as good as the first batch. We'll see. I also laid down for a little while because Isaac hasn't been sleeping again. I don't know what to do with that boy, but this all night thing is really getting to me. I'm definitely not functioning as well as I could.LOL He's given up his nap and isn't sleeping at night, really, you'd think he would need sleep sometime!

I think I'll save bread making for tomorrow. Normally, I try to get most of these things done on Monday so that the kids can help but it looks like it'll just be me and the littles making the bread tomorrow.

I guess that's all the excitement for today. LOL Maybe I'll post some pictures to make up for our boring lives...LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

O.k. so I found the Catch a Bubbles at Amazon.com and they are currently 1/2 price. They sell a 5 pack for $10. The reviews are mixed but I really like them.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Another busy day! This is becoming a habit.LOL My mom called this morning and wanted to go to the mall, so off we went! We only ate lunch there, I didn't actually buy anything but they were having a book fair and both Genevieve and Isaac got a free book. They were quite happy.LOL

Afterwards, we went over to Target in search of Catch a Bubbles. Unfortunately, they don't carry those after summer, so I'm going to have to track them down on the internet. Isaac loves bubbles but it is soooo hot here that I only like to blow them inside. These bubbles are not made of soap and clean up just by rubbing and they are firm enough that you can catch them on your fingers. Well, the kids love them! And I, of course, love to indulge them in these small little pleasures. I'll leave no stone unturned!LOL

Target also had all their maternity shirts on clearance, so I bought 3 new ones to go with my 3 that I bought on line. I now have enough clothes! I had previously bought 14 pairs of pants on ebay and they are on their way. I know that I don't need 14 pairs of pants but this was the best auction and I was able to get them for less than $5 a pair including shipping.

After we dropped my mom off at home, we went over to Walmart to see if they had the bassinet and carseat that I was hoping to get. They had both, so now I have somewhere to put the baby and a way to bring baby home when he/she arrives. I got the pooh bear themed stuff and it is just so cute.LOL We also bought the pooh bear bedding to go on the crib and an outfit ( in yellow). So now the baby has one thing to wear.LOL

After we got home, we bathed both little ones and they are now squeaky clean. (For the moment.LOL) They were sticky from the lunch we had at the mall and from the cookie at Target and the M&M's from Walmart.LOL Yes, they are wired.

Oh and the big kids have been gone all day with my dad. He takes them roller skating every Saturday that they are healthy. They really love spending the time with him and they just love skating! They'll get home around 5:30 and will be quite worn out.LOL I'm glad that they can do something special with him each week!

Well, that's it. I'm about to start on my menu for the week and then fix dinner with whatever I can find in the house. From there, our day is just about done.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Today was a good day! First, I got my new mattress this morning. It is very nice and I'm hoping that it'll be comfortable tonight. It has to be better than our old one. On our old one, we kept looking to see if it had a place to add air or something because it was getting flatter and flatter!LOL

Then my mom came over and took the kids to the park so that I could tutor my brother on writing an essay. He's almost got it all figured out. He needed help learning how to order his thoughts before the actual writing because he has a tendency to ramble. We spent a couple of hours using word-webs and I think after one or two more essays, he'll be ready to take his GED. He's been working so hard and I'm glad that I was able to help him towards his goal. His plan is to join the Army after he passes the GED.

While we were working, mom took the kids to lunch after the park and to a party store. The kids really like costumes and this is the time of year to get them cheap. Also, Genevieve's birthday is in 2 weeks and we're still trying to find a good theme. She had Dora last year and it was great! Birthday Express has these ultimate kits that come with everything except the cake and they deliver to your door. She really doesn't have any friends up here yet, so I really don't know what to do for her birthday. I'm guessing we'll buy her a kit and then maybe invite a neighborhood kid or two over. She is our party girl, so it needs to be special in some way.LOL

My older two are being industrious and are trying to accomplish their school work. Isaac is asleep and Genevieve went home with my mom, so all is quiet right now. I am so glad that Genevieve and my mom get along so well. They are a lot alike! They both always need to be busy and are very hard working. And they both like to shop!LOL

Well, I think I'm going to try out that new mattress of mine while I have the chance. LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Isaac is 20 months today! Time sure has flown. I'm amazed to watch my little one grow into this incredible little person. No longer just a baby, he has his own personality that makes him oh so lovable and hugable each and everyday.

What a blessing to have this chance to watch each of my children grow and develop into such unique and wonderful people! God has blessed me a million times over and I'm grateful that I get to be with them, teaching them and loving them each and everyday. If I've learned anything over these last 14.5 years, is that time is short! You have to take each day as a blessing and spend time with those kids before they're gone. When I get to heaven, my first words to my Heavenly Father will be Thank you, dear Lord for these wonderful years!

Blessings,

Lisa

If you want your children to enjoy working, start early! Hard work= a happy preschooler. She loaded all the dishes into the dishwasher and was cheerful the whole time! LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

A quiet baby= being caught eating your sister's cake.LOL

This is how most pictures of Genevieve turn out. She just loves to see her silly faces on my digital camera. Notice that she's wearing clothing, well a few weeks ago I told her that she was simply too old to wear only panties around the house and that as an official big girl, she would have to be dressed all day long.LOL Worked like a charm! She's been wearing clothes everyday since, with the occasional panty moment.LOL

Here is a picture of Isaac after his daily walk. He just loves his walk. He'll go as many times a day as you're willing to push him.LOL

My menu for this week, made possible from the wonderful ladies on SHS!

Lunch

Ramen
Pizza
Hot Dogs and chili
Sandwiches
Egg and Bacon Biscuits


Dinner

French Dip sandwiches
BBQ Chicken
Bean soup and cornbread
Hamburgers
Potato bar

Blessings,

Lisa

Let's see, Isaac is finally starting to feel better. He's been having some nasty diapers but is back to his old happy self. What a relief! Genevieve went to bed at 5:30 last night and didn't get up until 7:15 the next morning. She seems to be in a better mood, although, she is quite stuffy. Jon is trying to hack up a lung. He may succeed before this illness is over, he is a very determined kind of guy. You know, he doesn't like to do things half way. LOL Allison seems to have squeaked by with just a little sore throat...and I seem to have done the same, praise God! And dh is fine. Whew! Everyone may live through this!(The jury is still out on Jon...)

Now to figure out how to clean this house! 10 days of neglect may be too much. We might just have to move and start over again...LOL If you happen to fly over my house, I'm the one who has made an S.O.S. sign out of tissues and clutter. And no, don't expect any pictures of my kids anytime soon. I'm too afraid that you'll see the mess in the background. LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

My next doctors appointment is tomorrow. The kids are hoping that the doctor will order my next ultrasound. LOL They really want to know whether the whole family will be boy heavy or girl heavy. I'm just hoping that this appt. is quick. I hate having to wait in the waiting room for an hour just for a 5 minute appt. They want me to respect their time and get there early but then they keep me waiting! Oh, well. I'll just be happy to hear my little one's heartbeat. I just can't get tired of that. LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Various thoughts...

This weekend was a busy one! Normally, we aren't big going out-ers but we needed to accomplish a few things and pretty much got everything done.

First, we needed to get to Sears because the mattress and box springs we bought from them just last year was breaking down. I could no longer see Eric when I was on my side of the bed. His side was a full 4-5 inches lower than mine. LOL So off we went to Sears, we tried all the beds, which made me have to go to the potty, (LOL) and we decided on the Serta. Now we were very blessed! We just happened to go there on 50% off week! We got a very expensive mattress set for $900 above what we spent on our original set. It comes on Friday! We are very happy and hope that this one lasts.

Next, we looked at their dishwashers but the guy at work was not knowledgable and we didn't feel comfortable buying something from them so on our way home we stopped by Lowes and looked at their dishwashers. See, we were looking for the same dishwasher we had in Miami. It was amazing! It washed everything without prerinsing and it even heated the water if the water temp wasn't hot enough. It was the Maytag Jet Clean 3 and almost no one sells it. It has 3 levels and 4 cleaning jets. Anyway, the Lowes could get it for us and they didn't charge us sales tax and they gave us a $50 gift card. It will be here in about 20 days. I'm very happy! This is the very best dishwasher I have ever had.

Well, I was tired after all the running around and thought we were done but after dinner the kids wanted to go to Walmart and dh loves that place so off we went. I don't usually go on these outings but I needed a few things. Well, they had these cute little toddler beds for $30 and we decided to get Isaac one. Since he's going to be sharing with the new baby for a while we thought this would fit in the room better than a twin bed. We also got him some Tonka bedding for his new bed.

In other news, I am now fat.LOL Yes, it's true. I am now wearing my maternity clothes because I can't squeeze myself into my old fat clothes. I am on the lookout for maternity pants on ebay and am hoping to have a selection before it gets cold here.

On the sick front, most of the kids are still holding on to this illness. It must be a stubborn one. I'm exhausted from the all nighters I've been pulling for 9 days now. All the kids woke up cranky today and I'm thinking about selling them. LOL O.k. maybe not, but I NEED some sleep soon.

I guess that's it for now. I have to admit that I'm having trouble thinking right now.LOL Maybe if I'm good, I'll get a nap today.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

My son knows who I am!

LOL I know this sounds funny but for the longest time I've been hoping to hear that wonderful word....Mommy, coming from my littlest one, Isaac. Now for a long, long time he has been able to not only say Daddy but he even KNOWS who that person is! Well, I finally told Eric, my husband, that Isaac doesn't know who I am. At first Eric thought I was joking but after observing him for the whole weekend, he decided to make it his mission to have Isaac be able to identify me, by name. LOL See, whenever you would ask Isaac who I was, he would just point to me and smile. If you asked him "Where's Mommy?" He would look at you like you asked him what's the third planet from the sun? So Eric's been spending a lot of time telling Isaac who I am and every time I'd enter a room he (Eric) would get excited and say "Look, it's MOMMY!" and well, today, I got up and walked into the living room and Isaac said....."Bobby!" LOLOL I'm just so happy that he has finally noticed that I do have a name and that he can now call me! What a blessing my dear husband is.

Blessings,

Lisa

Bwaaahaaahaaa....

It's alive! lol O.k. maybe not alive, but it worked! My yogurt is a success! Here is what I did...

3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup natural sugar

Heat to 185-190, stirring occasionally.

Cool to 110-115 and take some of the cooled milk and mix it with your starter (2 tbsp yogurt). Add the mixture to all the milk and stir. Add 1 tsp vanilla. Stir.

Pour all into yogurt maker and cook until set. Mine took 7 hours.

Refridgerate 3-4 hours and then enjoy!

The test subjects, I mean my kids, all said that the yogurt is sweet and not sour but that it is creamier than the Stoney Field yogurt. I'm thinking that they must do something special to make the cream rise to the top because mine stayed incorporated into the yogurt but it even so it was a success! I did just about everything that the instructions said not to and it was fine. It said not to add flavored yogurt as your starter and I used the French vanilla yogurt that I had on hand. I also added the flavoring before it cultured and it doesn't say that you can do that. So what I've learned is as long as you heat the milk to the right temp and let it cool to the right temp and add a good starter, you will be fine.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

I forgot to mention that the consistancy is thick and creamy, not liquidy like other yogurts I've made. It really looks a lot like the Stoney Field yogurt.

Edited to say that the cream is rising to the top! And Isaac is now drinking a bottle of the new yogurt and milk and he hasn't noticed the difference. This is a BIG DEAL! He normally notices when the yogurt is different and then he won't drink it but this, he's really enjoying. Whoohoo!

My menu for this week...

I know, I'm late in posting this but it's hard to think food when all you're seeing is snot.lol So here it is...

Lunch

hot dogs and chili
bacon and egg biscuits
pizza
sandwiches
chicken salad


Dinner

Crockpot rotisserie chicken
Pepper steak oriental
Chicken potato chowder
Shepards pie
Turkey meal wheel from Publix

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Lisa

Well, I'm making yogurt right now. I totally didn't follow the instructions so we'll see if I really end up with it at the end.LOL I really like the taste of Stoney Field Farms Organic French Vanilla Yogurt and decided to try to recreate it. I took 3 1/2 cups of whole organic milk, added 1/2 cup cream and 1/4 cup natural sugar. Heated it and am now waiting for it to cool. Once cool, I will add my starter with 1 tsp vanilla and put it in my yogurt maker. I'll let you all know how it turns out. I know that they don't get that taste or consistancy by adding those ingredients after the yogurt has cultured, so I'm experimenting to see if this will work. I'm just a maddd scientist!LOL

blessings,

Lisa

We have the suds...lol

There's an episode of Sponge Bob where he catches "The Suds", an illness that makes him sneeze bubbles through every pore in his spongy body. Well, that's us. If I have to see anymore snot today, I think I may run away from home.LOL

It started with Isaac, who has to be the very worst patient I have ever experienced. He will throw up any medicines other than one flavor Tylenol, cherry, all over you the second you get it down him. (That happened to me on Sunday.) And he loves to scream the whole time he's sick. Temper tantrums where he won't let you pick him up. He just writhes on the floor, kicking and screaming, acting like the world has dealt him a heavy blow.LOL

And now, we ALLLLL have it. Snot everywhere. ugh.

So if you all don't hear from me, it's because I've run away and I'm not coming back until the suds are gone.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Here is the hamper and towels. I really like the colors together.

Blessings,

Lisa

This week went by so fast! It was one of those weeks where you really can't believe that it is all gone.LOL On Thursday, my mom and I went out to lunch at Chick fil a. We had a good time and decided that Friday we would go shopping for a hamper and bath towels for my bathroom. Now you all have to know that I hate shopping. Normally I just get most things from the internet. Running around with a bunch of kids, two of which who just don't mind very well yet is not my cup of tea.LOL BUT it was ME who really wanted to go. This is the very first house that my dh and I have bought that we could actually afford and I really would like to decorate it over time using only avalible funds. So off we went at 10 am with 3 out of four of my kids.(Jon spent the night with his other grandma to help her out because she had cataract surgery.)

First, we went to Tuesday Morning. I found a lot of Christmas presents for the little ones but the hampers were $150 or more! and I just refuse to spend that much on something to store my dirty clothes.LOL We found Playmobil, a little toaster that has pretend toast that pops up, and a little washing machine that really washes doll clothes. I also bought myself an ice cream machine, mandoline, and a yogurt maker. I didn't care for their towels so we moved on.

Next, we went to lunch at Golden Corral. I was far too hungry to continue shopping.LOL We ate until we were stuffed. Enough said.LOL

After lunch, we went to TJ Max. I found some cute little embrodered jeans for Genevieve and a few more toys for Christmas, no hampers or towels.LOL

I was beginning to feel like this was hopeless.LOL I almost called it quits but then spied the Bed Bath and Beyond and decided to make a last ditch effort and check them out. Well, they had exactly what I was looking for! I got a blue hamper and choc. brown, beige, cream, and blue checked towels for the towel racks. Very me and very nice! I was so pleased that I actually accomplished my goal!LOL I had a good time with mom and the kids were great. Isaac ended up falling asleep in the van on the way home and Genevieve went home with mom.

Well, we made ice cream yesterday after dinner and I think that the kids felt it was a little too rich. I think that I may cut down on the fat content and see if it is better. I like that I feel confident enough with my cooking skills to change a recipe without worrying if I'll mess it up. I remember how I was when I first got married, I never would have even thought that you could change a recipe.LOL Now I just think, hmm, this might be better with this instead of that. I guess that's either confidence or recklessness but either way it works.LOL

Well, that's it for this week. I'll post a picture of my new bath towels later. I'm going to go finish watching tennis.

Blessings,

Lisa