Just Me...

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

This week the kids are on spring break from school. Yesterday we spent the day with our friends from our old neighborhood, Rochelle, Thomas & Ella. We had met randomly one day while playing at our neighborhood park and have stayed friends ever since! Actually the girls are in the same preschool class now.

Rochelle had a great idea of taking the kids for a little hike. She knew of a easy trail on the side of South Mountain. It was a perfect trail for the kids...all but Isabelle. She wanted to be held the whole time, so I got a good workout. :)

There was a small ramada where the kids had fun exploring, climbing and having a snack.

We ended the day with some ice cream at a local shop near their house. It was great to spend the day together and so fun to have the kids enjoy each other!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Growing Alfalfa Sprouts

I grew alfalfa sprouts years ago when we were first married and for some reason stopped. They are so easy to grow and when I saw the seeds at our local plant nursery (Bakers!) I picked up a package of seeds and decided to give it another go. :)

All you need is:

seeds

a jar

cheese cloth or a piece of panty hose

and a rubber band

Day 1: you put seeds in jar (enough to cover the bottom)

Cover with water. Put in dark cool place and let sit overnight

Day 2: Dump out water.

Rinse 3 times a day for the next 3 days

Keep in dark place.

Day 4: Rinse one last time and sit jar in sunlight.

This will make the sprouts turn green (sorry for really bad photo :()

After a day or two they will be ready to eat!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Pickled Beets!

I planed beets in my garden and a few of them were ready. I honestly have never eaten a fresh beet...only canned and really had no idea what to do with them. My mom use to make picked beets & eggs and I always loved them. So, that is what I did with my freshly grown beets & my backyard chicken eggs!

First I boiled the eggs & beets at the same time...which of course turned the water to a bright pink very quickly

I mixed together 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 cup of the boiled beet water and 1/3 cup of sugar. Put the eggs & beets in the jar and closed it up in the frig for 24 hours.

They turned out a beautiful bright pink and are delicious! Of course the taste is preference and no one in my family is fighting me to eat them. Actually every time I open the jar they all complain of the smell. :)

It brings back memories of childhood and I think it will be fun to pass it along to my future generations. I have this idea in my head that someday my grandkids or greatkids will come across this recipe (since I print out my blog annually) and start using this recipe in their home! :)

Eye Appointment

When Cadence went to her 4 year old check up in September the Doctor checked her eyes and she didn't do very well on the exam and recommended I take her into the eye doctor just to make sure all was ok. Well, I finally scheduled her appointment and we went yesterday. She was pretty nervous and wanted to sit on my lap the whole time but did great. I wanted to take a picture of her in the chair by herself but she wouldn't do it. :)

These were the best I could get out of her. I love the above one...I think she is so cute in her shy turn away from the camera. :)

And then Isabelle wanted to be apart of it also!

In the end her eyes are 20/25. The eye doctor said that technically she could give her a prescription but that it wasn't necessary and that we just need to be aware of it as she gets older. I'm thankful we don't have to deal with glasses this early in her life.

Monday, March 5, 2012

We bought a new (used) truck a few weeks ago. It is a 2002 F150. It has a back row so all the kids can fit. It has been great having a truck, it is so much easier for me to pick up & drop off the furniture I have been redoing and taking into my vendor space. I'm thankful that we were able to sell the Durango (which we had for 7 years!) and buy this with a lot less miles for no money out of pocket.!