Sunday, March 31, 2013

Colors, colors, colors

We had quite the egg dying event.
 
Each of the kids were given two eggs a piece to start with.
 
 Zach tried to teach My Big Girl to use the dipper,
but as you will soon see,
it didn't work.
 My little princess wanted to make more difficult multi-colored eggs this year.
 
 My oldest was on a mission to perfection like always:)
 
 Here's Zach with an egg dedicated to me: the word Mom inside a heart.
 
 (Caption: Who me?)
This Big Girl stole another one from the carton.
 
 We given up on the egg dipper by now.
 
 Some dinosaur eggs got made with adding equal amounts of vinegar
 and vegetable oil after the tablet dissolves. Thanks Megan for the tip!
 
When I didn't have the camera, I was drying the eggs.
 
These next three are a series when our Big Girl realizes we are out of eggs...

 

 Just priceless...
 
 The older two dancing from all the egg dying excitement.
 
Here is our haul minus one
because it was going to be the darkest one yet
and was left in the cup for an hour.
We had a great time as always
and now I'm off to by the discounted packages of dye 
so we can do this in the summer for a fun project.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

5 Random Things

My friend Diane, tagged me in this game that I thought was pretty great.  It's always fun to find out little things about the people we care about.  Here are my five:
 
1. Almost all of my favorite movies and songs came from the 1980's.  I still love them all today! My  kids know words to Cyndi Lauper songs and request them. 
 
2. When I was college(for law enforcement), I was awarded the top gun award for a my firearms course. Just this year, my mom and dad took a firearms course for a permit and had the same instructor(but didn't know it).  Of course, my mom was a mom, and asked him if he remembered her daughter who won the top gun award only around 10 years ago:)
 
3. I love old people.  I dream of growing old with my wonderful husband and having a 70th wedding anniversary together(we would be 90).  When my kids are grown and I need something to keep me busy, I'm pretty sure it will involve care taking the elderly/disabled.  It breaks my heart thinking of how many people are 'forgotten' about by family and friends when someone gets sick/old.  My volunteer hours that I completed when I was in high school, was at the brown county mental health center in Green Bay and my favorite task was taking the residents to bingo once a month.  My favorite little old lady's name was Lorianne(she had Alzheimer's) and she would collect stuffed animals for her grand kids that she won.  When bringing her back to her room, I saw a large black garbage bag under her bed filled with these stuffed animals. I asked the nurse when the last time they had visited was and the response was over two years ago...I continued to visit until she passed away, meanwhile she was still collecting the stuffed animals for her grandchildren. 
 
4. My kids love hearing my childhood adventures that when I look back myself, am amazed of all the things that happened...getting chased by a grizzly bear in Canada, going lobstering and deep sea fishing in Florida, snorkeling and getting followed by barracuda until we got back in the boat, and   jumping in the water right above a shark and getting luckily when we didn't get attacked. 
 
5. Looking forward to the day, Zach and I go to Italy and explore.  I'm thinking for our 25th year anniversary(that's only 15 years away).  Of course there will be historical stops, but I most look forward to going to the country, maybe even staying at a farm house and visiting farmers and locals.
And getting immersed into the culture.  My only fear is that I won't want to come back.
 
And I nominate these blogs to do the same: Two Little Hooligans and Small Things
 

Monday, March 18, 2013

Oatmeal Bake Recipe

This recipe is by far a family favorite and a great dish to bring to potlucks.
I originally got this recipe from another blogger and adjusted it
to make a larger portion and cook for about the length of a mass(1 hour).
My baked oatmeal recipe is baked in a 9 X 13 pan....
the great thing about this recipe is, it's just as good reheated!
 
Baked Oatmeal
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped pecans(can substitute preference)
2 cups berries (any or combination)
2 1/2 cups milk(I use whole)
2 eggs
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
 
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9 x 13 pan with spray or butter.
 Mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt,
and about 2/3 of the berries and the nuts(save the other for topping)
 
 I usually use blueberries and blackberries,
but have tried all sorts of combinations and have loved them all.
Urban Nester blog uses chocolate chips, which is always an option to
switch things up.  My kids love it will just the fruit so I use that.
 
 In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, butter, and vanilla extract.
 
 Put the oats mixture into the greased 9 x 13 pan and
 top with the remaining fruit and nuts.
 
Then pour in the milk mixture with helping hands if need be:)
 
 Make sure to jiggle the pan a bit to
disperse the liquid mixture all over the pan until evenly coated.
Put into the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour or liquid mixture is set.
 
Sprinkle the top with a little real maple syrup and enjoy.
 
 


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Fabric Scraps

Quilting always leaves me with scraps, which I love
because you can always use those little scraps in another project.
Well, I tend to be thrifty(others may name it something different)
when it comes to spending money.
Especially, when you need to replace bath mats in the children's
bathroom where they may need to get washed frequently.
 
 So instead of buying a new set, I thought about what I could do myself.
This is what I came up with.
I used scraps in my quilting drawer and bought four large bath towels(about $12 total)
to use as batting and backing for absorbency. 
I made quilt tops then placed them right sides together on the two towels layered
and sewed around leaving a spot to turn right-side-out.
Then I quilted the layers.
For the mat around the toilet,
I traced a template out of a paper and cut out the fabric according to the template.
(The store bought mats always go onto the sides of the toilets because they are too narrow)
 
 
They turned out great and
 I am in the process of making a set for the main bathroom.

Monday, March 11, 2013

This morning...

we awoke to a winter wonderland.
 Yesterday, it rained for most of the day.
I had a meeting last night up at church
and it started turning to ice/snow right as we were headed home.
Thankfully, everyone got home safe and sound from the meeting.
It started snowing and even thundered, which is pretty uncommon.
 
 This is my favorite kind of snow...
the kind that makes branches hang low
and paints everything white.
 
 My poor trees out front did take a beating from the
weight of the snow, but I have since cleaned them off and
they are seeming to do just fine.
 
Here are my brand new baskets that I got for my pantry.
I love them and they are already getting lots of use.
 
Can anyone tell me what I did before I had this pantry?
Love, love, love it!


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Happy Snow Day!

 
It was a snow day yesterday...we ended up with a good 7 inches.
A snow day is very desirable at this house!
 
I walked outside to see my little princess buried in snow from the waist down.
She stayed there for longer than I would have.
 
 There was fort building, sledding, and making snow angels
happening at our house.
 
 Snow days are a favorite for me too,
because I can take it a little slower in the morning.
 I baked one of my favorite baked fruit/oatmeal dishes for breakfast.
I'm hoping to get the recipe tutorial on here in the the next few days. 
 
Unfortunately, we are fighting some illness(coughs, fevers, and running noses).
I'm happy to have helpers like my big girl to make healthy
smoothies to combat this illness.