I want to Thank You

I love when readers leave their comments! I really enjoy reading them! I do moderate all of them before they go up and wanted to let you know that those with my name, or my family members names will not be posted. I try to keep a modicum of anonymity on the net. You can just call me BigM, or refer to the kids as "A, BR or little J (A.K.A Biscuit)" thank you for understanding!


Me

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wonderful Wednesday

I just gotta say how greatful I am for the things in my life. My DH and I not only love each other, but we are IN love with each other as well. It rocks!! My kids are healthy, even if they aren't always happy, and life in general is good! Plus, my van is fixed!! Woo Hoo!!

It is nice to not have the financial stresses that a lot of people have. God has provided DH with a good paying job that is fairly secure, and a house just right for us at an incredible price! (relatively speaking) Yep, life is better than good. At least at the moment! lol

On another note, I have to say that I am unhappy with the choices DD1 is making in her home schooling. She is testing me to no end this week! That's OK, this is a battle that I will engage in, and I will win it. I have to really. Getting her to learn is not an option. It has left me extremely tired with a huge craving for comfort food... you guessed it..WENDY'S!!! Instead though, I will be having Chicken Fried pork chops, potatoes fried in butter, corn, and home made sweet rolls. It'll do. (chuckle) Maybe I'll post some picks later on, what do you think??

Well, my dinner calleth from the other room, and so I must excuse myself.

ME

Sunday, January 27, 2008

My Mother Earth Bread

The original recipe for this is called Mother Earth Bread. I have adjusted it quiet a bit to fit my needs, and this is that recipe...

In a small bowl you put in...
1 1/2 C Liquid (I use buttermilk, water or whey work, whey is better)
2/3 C rolled Oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C honey
2 TBSP butter


If you can let it sit over night, is is better for you, but it isn't necessary.


After it sits (or you mix it) nuke it for a few seconds at a time until the liquid is warm to the touch, but not hot.














Stir in 1 TBSP yeast (one packet) and let iet it rest for about ten minutes, or until the yeast is bubbly (This is called proofing your yeast)








If you have a free standing mixer that is great! (If you don't, you will need to remove the jewelry from your hands and wrists and get hot!) Add your liquid mixture to your mixing bowl (or a large bowl), and 3 C unbleached or whole wheat flour (the WW is better with if you use buttermilk) Start to mixin'. Do not use any setting past 2 or 3, and you will want to use beater hooks, not regular beaters. I tried this with a hand mixer and regular beaters once... it was quiet a "shocking" experience!













Any way, when it is mixed, touch it. Is it sticky? If it is, and it probably is, sprinkle in some more flour, up to half a cup. Now mix it up with up with your hand. When it is mostly incorporated, stick the bowl back under the hooks and knead it for 5-10 minutes.








To knead dough by hand, set your timer...take the dough out of the bowl, and dump the flour that's left onto the table. Then you fold the dough in half, and smash it all together. Now pick it up and smack it down on the table and fold it the other way, and smash it some more. Keep it up until your timer goes off.

Now, pour a TBSP or so into a smallish bowl, add the dough, and turn it over and around so that it is lightly coated with oil. Cover it with a towel and set it on top of your stove. Turn your stove on to the "warm" position. Let it sit there until it doubles in size.


Now you can punch it so that it deflates, and squish it around a bunch. Shape it to fit your loaf pan. I use a Pampered Chef pan, but you can grease or butter up any pan you want. Yurn off the oven, set your bread in there uncovered, and wait about thirty minutes. After waiting, check its progress, and turn the oven up to 350 degrees. Bake it for 50 minutes and then remove it from the pan immediately to cool. Slice it anyway you want, thick, thin, or super thin (my fav).


Oh Noooooo!!!

My internet is spotty, or just plain out all together!! I will be posting when I can.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Baked Blue Berry French Toast

I wanted to put up the recipe for my yummy BBFT that I posted about earlier.

First, get out a 9X13. Slice your bread about an inch thick and cover the bottom of said pan. (You may want to tear your bread a little and fill in any "big" gaps)

Mix up three eggs, a little sugar ('bout a TBSP), a tsp real vanilla extract, and
2 & 1/4 Cups of reconstituted milk.

Pour you milk mixture over the bread, and then flip each piece over so that it soaks up the milk really well. Sprinkle it with fruit (it doesn't HAVE to be BB, that's just our fav) and fresh home made cream cheese.

Cover it and put it in the fridge over night.

In the morning, preheat your oven to 375 and bake it, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

You can also make a topping to add to it by mixing 1/2 Cup flour, 1/3 C brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 c SOFT butter. (Just let it sit in you microwave over night) Use a pastry blender (or a couple of butter knives held between your knuckles) until you have a crumb mixture and sprinkle that over the top before you put it in. I don't do this, as I am not very awake at 5am, and the kids love it with out as evidenced in the pictures I posted.


I hope ya'll enjoy this as much as we do!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Hey ya'll!! You wouldn't believe my day yesterday!! Wow!! Technically, it started on Tuesday night. DH found a dog for me on Craig's List. He talked with the owner, and they decided to let the dog spend a couple of days with us to see if we fit together. How about....NO!!! For starters, the dog is very food aggressive. It went so far as to jump up in the seat next to DD2 when she was eating at our table! Yikes! Later, after the kiddies were in bed, I went down the hall and stepped in something wet. You guessed it! He peed on my floor, AND on my rug a friend had brought back from Iraq!! I was soooo steamed!! I suggested that we put up the baby gate to keep him in the kitchen. He barked to the point that DH was afraid he would wake the kids. We let him out thinking that we just hadn't taken him out fast enough. He kept me up all night long parking his shaved butt ON my face!! Dumb dog! Huh, maybe that was his plan all along!! Keep me up alllll night so that I would get no rest!! I'll bet that was it!

All of a sudden....KABLAM!!!! Lightening strikes right outside our house!!! It woke everyone in the house! I even had to wash the sheets!! I stagger into the kitchen to get my morning coffee, and lo and behold....PEE! It's freakin' EVERYWHERE!! He even went on one of the kid's beds! "That is IT!" I yell, "Where is it?? Where is that dog!?"

DH tells me to not kill the dog, and reminds me that he doesn't belong to us.

"Fine," I say, "You call that guy and tell him to come and get this mutt! I don't care if he has to take off work, just come and get him! And please put him out on a chain for now. I don't want him to bite the baby because she has food or something."

Now, I know that this all sounds really harsh, but you have to remember that I hadn't had my coffee yet. I mean, really! What can one expect! So at 5am, my loving DH puts the dog on a chain.

It is at this point he starts to bark...and bark...and bark...and bark...and, you get the picture?? He barked literally all day long! Where IS that guy anyway!! Holy cow! The day just gets longer and longer. I'm stuck at home because the van blew a head gasket, the computer is out, (which means the phone is out), the Baby is sick, DD1 is sick, the flies...Oh the FLIES!!!

That stupid flycatcher doesn't work, and they are telling me that it is because it is inside not out. Now tell me, how does it know? Anyway, I digress...

DH finally comes home to find that not only is the box for the internet smoked from the lightening (remember the lightening) but so is the router for the phone. Cha-ching, Cha-ching! Money is never enough, kwim?? (know what I mean) I ask about the dog going home, and DH says he hadn't been able to reach the guy. Great! That was probably his plan! Sure, let the dog stay "a couple of days", then he runs like the wind, never to be seen again!!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

FLIES! FLIES!! FLIES!!!!

What is with all these flies!? I can not get rid of them! I swat, and swat to no avail!! I have decided to get one of these...



Supposedly you just add water, and then throw it out when it is full. I bet I kill at least two dozen flies in my house EVERY DAY!! De-Dic-A-Dus!!

On another note, home schooling is going really well this week. A is coming down with something,so she will be in bed most of today. No school?? No play!! lol Not so happy about that! Well, that's all the time I have for now. Tootles!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Well there...you....go. Good morning all! I hope you have a wonderful day! I have a full day scheduled again today! I of course have errands to run, but since my van blew a head gasket, I think I'll stay home instead. Who needs to put money in the bank to pays bills anyway right???

I have an E-bay gripe. Have you sold anything at this place recently? I put a pair of shoes on there for a starting bid of one whole dollar. Well, they didn't sell, so E-bay contacts me and says, "Hey, would you like to extend your 'add'?" Suuurrreee I say. So the shoes sell (for that one whole dollar btw) and I get an invoice from E-bay for $2.60. They charged me for both adds! Guess I should have read the fine print huh? Re-dic-a-dus! as DD1 used to say.


Wow breakfast is smelling good this morning! We are having Baked Blue Berry French Toast with Homemade Cream Cheese! Yummm!!! I will post pictures along with the recipe later I think. Well, I have to go now, remember that full day I mentioned? It is about to start! Again, have a GREAT day!

Here are the rest of our breakfast pics from today...



This is a single serving.








And this is three kids and twenty minutes later!!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

What I'm doing today...

This is my first post on my new blog!! Yippieee!! My goal is to post all things important to me whenever I have the chance. I think I'll start with my latest news...

When my DS was born, I had a tubal ligation. I didn't want it even at the time, but I thought I would be letting everyone down, so I did it anyway. Sooooo, we have been saving for a reversal. Our plan, (we all know how plans are lol) is to get it done with our return this year. (Time is going so slow!!!) I had sent off for my surgery report, and the pathology report from the hospital along with a check. Well, I got the papers yesterday, and they sent me the check back!! Woo Hoo!! I feel like I'm finally on my way! I'm so excited and so nervous at the same time. We will be going to Mexico for the surgery, and I am so tired of hearing negative things. I'm going, thanks for your concern, but I'm going anyway! I'm a big girl, and I can do my research. I did it, and this is the best thing for us.