Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter!! Here we are at church. Our church has a sweet tradition for the children on Easter morning...they use flowers to adorn the cross in the church yard. It was so cold and windy today, but if was sweet all the same.

Something about this picture I just really like...even with the eyes closed and all...

We took another picture once we got home. It makes me laugh that Tim's head is cropped. Do-it-yourself-photo-shoot, and do-it-super-fast-cause-everyone-is-freezing.

It's been a good week. Zack is outside right now see-sawing, the boys are laying on my bed watching Free Birds (for the second time before we return it to Red Box) and Tim is out shopping for a push mower!! We are really getting into this "make the kids responsible" thing. They are going to be the ones mowing the yard form now on! (I've got my fingers crossed, anyway). I was remembering last night that I used to mow the yard with our old push mower--while pregnant with Samuel and with William on my hip!! Ah, the good ol' days.

So, back to the good week: William worked a good bit on the computer, learning more about Minecraft. The kids are wanting to do some "Mindcraft programing." There's ways to make modifications to the game and he's been watching how-to videos. Hasn't had success making anything yet, though.

I made some sugar cookies this week. Zack helped decorate them. I've never seen him work this hard on anything before--I guess that's what the funny face is for anyway!

He loves to help. During dinner this week I heard him grunting in the kitchen and came in and saw he was doing dishes... (He's reaching to get soap from the soap dispenser.)

We had (what we hope is) a break-through this week with the kids. They have been driving us nuts lately about "electrics" (that's what they call watching videos and playing video games). They have limits on how much they can play, and when, but they just pester us about it. We came up with a new system. They have to EARN electronics time. It is awesome. Each day they have 3 "jobs" to do. For each job they get 20 minutes of time. We have little magnets on the fridge to keep track of their progress.

Job #1: Get up, eat, get dressed, make bed, do chore, brush teeth, and start school by 8:00a.m.

Job #2: Finish school.

Job #3: Clean kitchen after dinner and have it finished by 7:30p.m.

Honestly, it has only been 2 days...so I don't have much to go on...but it has worked bea-u-tifully!!! I didn't know they could move so fast! You should have seen them cleaning the kitchen the other night!! Tim and I helped, too, and it got done so fast!!

Additionally: We have another chart for Saturday wii time (or whatever you call it). All week long they will earn time towards Saturday. I made them a chart that has little "life" hearts--like there are on Minecraft. I fill in hearts for them for all kinds of things: helping clean, having good attitudes, doing good on a test, using their time wisely, helping with Zack, etc. (This chart was filled up, but I erased it after their time on Saturday, and they have just started over.)

Not the best picture, but you get the idea. I introduced this on Friday morning, and gave them an automatic hour's worth of hearts since it was so late in the week. Oh my...the work they did the last 2 days to earn another hour of time!!! It was amazing. I'm sure that their enthusiasm will wear off, but I hope that it will set of new tone of being helpful, and of looking for things that need to be done.

One thing they did yesterday was help make food for Easter! William made our annual Pine Apple Crunch salad.

Pineapple Crunch Salad

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c sugar
20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
8 oz cool whip 

1 c crushed pretzels
1/3 c sugar
1/2 c pecan pieces
1/4 c melted butter 

Mix cream cheese and sugar. Add pineapple. Fold in cool whip. Put in fridge until serving time. 

Mix pretzels, pecans, sugar, and melted butter. Spread on cookie sheet (I like to line it with foil first) and bake at 375 for 5-7 mins--till golden. Store in a baggie until serving time. Mix together right before serving.

But I digress. William got 2 hearts for making the recipe. Samuel made blue jello with fruit in it for Easter. He got one heart. They were happy. I was happy. Very happy.  I made Kentucky Pound Cake (recipe in linked on the side bar) and I used my Gluten Free flour mix.  It turned out fantastic!

We dyed Easter Eggs. It was a little crazy...but fun.

We did Easter baskets this morning, and had a delicious breakfast: fresh fruit salad, coffee cake, Easter Story cookies, and Sparkling juice (Celebration Juice :).

The kids did a Easter Egg hunt at Grandmother's.

That almost wraps it up...except that Tim pulled up while I was typing, and this is what has been going on:

Our two helpers:

This is William's silly face. He is in responsibility heaven. He just blossoms when you give him responsibility. (And, he's earning hearts!!)

Did ever a mower sound so sweet?

PS--Thanks, Dad, for making me mow the yard growing up.  It gives me loads of confidence that if a silly middle school girl can do it, these boys can do it.  I may have complained at the time, but I'm glad for the experience :)

Sweet Potato Pancakes + Busy Baby

Things have been incredibly busy around here!  (Do I say that in every post?) But, life has gotten a little better since we started having pizza again on Friday nights.  Oh, how we missed our pizza.  We take a little vacation from our diet every now and then, and have not suffered enough to stop us. :) For pizza, I've been using a whole wheat crust that the kids rave about, and say it's the best pizza they've ever eaten.  Whether they believe it's the best because a) they were pizza deprived for months on end, or b) because it really is tasty is up for debate.  

We all agree on this new pancake recipe, though.  These pancakes are Gluten-free and Dairy-free and we all love them.  

Sweet Potato Pancakes

(Adapted from this "normal people recipe")

Mash together:

1 1/4 cups cooked sweet potato (more-or-less one BIG potato)

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 eggs

Dump in:

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I like Arrowhead gluten free baking mix.  Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour also works great.)

1 t. Xanthan Gum

3 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon (or more to taste)

Stir the above mixture a little, then Pour in:

1 1/2 cups original flavor almond milk (or other milk substitute)

Mix it all together until smooth.  Add more "milk" if necessary to get the thickness you like.  Make it into pancakes on a griddle or skillet.  Or, fry them up in bacon grease for extra flavor :)

Zack has been a busy, busy baby lately.  He crawls all over the house, getting into all the things he shouldn't.  The other boys were at least happy to sit in their swing and watch a movie when I needed to get something done, but not this baby.  Thankfully the big boys are a huge help, and love to take turns playing with him.

Soccer is in full swing again.  This year we have 3 teams to cheer for.  The boys are having a blast.  Zack loves to play in the grass while Tim and I chat with friends and watch the game.

Hopefully I'll snag a picture of William soon, and add it to the set!

"Doubled" Eggs, etc.

These boys make me laugh. Sure, my life before kids was way more quiet, way more relaxing...but also way less funny.

Lately I've been eating a lot of eggs for the baby. My birthing instructor gave me an "intake plan" that includes 2 eggs a day. Scrambled eggs got real old real fast. I'm always trying to think of some new way to eat them--often with no luck. But, last week I hit on a favorite. It's one the kids (especially Samuel) like too, and keep asking for...

Samuel: Can we have some more doubled eggs?

Me: Some more what?

Samuel: Dou--bled? Eggs?





Also, Happy Memorial Day!
We celebrated by heading over to Grandmother Beth's house.

The "men" celebrated like this:


The women celebrated like this:


It was a good time!

Man, there are so many great things about summer. We have been enjoying one aspect in particular around here lately: Cake.

I'm not sure what made Tim think of it, but when I asked if he had an opinion about what dessert I should make for a recent Bible Study at our house, he suggested Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake. He knows it's one of my favorites, but it's not really one of my standbys...

Well, after bible study there was about enough cake left for each of the kids to have one piece, and they loved it. I was thrilled that they loved one of my favorites. Then last week, Sharon brought by some zucchini from Chrysta and Beth's garden so I whipped up some more cake. It lasted 2 days, and we were all sorry when it was gone. So I made another yesterday. :) I wanted to take pictures for the blog, and as with my pound cake, I just kept forgetting to take that last picture.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup veg. oil
2 eggs
1-3/4 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. milk
1/2 T. vinegar
2-1/2 cups flour
4 T. cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cloves (mmmm!)
2 cups grated Zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Beat the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, and set aside. Make sour milk by adding the vinegar to the milk in a separate dish. Let that stand about 5 mins, or until you are ready for it. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the sour milk and the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix until smooth. Fold in the grated zucchini. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan, and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 mins, or until it tests done with a toothpick.

Repeat as necessary. :)

I had a helper, which is always nice. My helpers are actually getting big enough that they really are a help, instead of a hindrance. William did a good bit of grating on the zucchini, and Sam loves to help with the mixer.


An expert helper will always wear pajamas while mixing...


A really good day for the boys is one where they don't have to put on pjs at bedtime, because they are still wearing them from the night before. I can sympathize. Tim cannot.

I actually have been getting out of my pjs in the morning, even though it is summer break. I may have mentioned that Tim and I go walking early in the mornings...just a 10-15 minute walk, to keep my pregnant body active. It is a very pleasant part of my day. When we are done I water my plants which, to my surprise, I enjoy.

I tried taking pictures to show you why I enjoy watering my plants. I took maybe 50 pictures...and less than 10 came out. I was using that big zoom/micro lens that Tim has, and I guess I just wiggle the camera too much. I gotta learn some tricks to get better pictures with that thing.

Here's some of what I did get, though. These are a hallmark of my obsession with the minutia in my life. The littlest details sometimes thrill me the most.

For starters, here's a certain spider (I H-A-T-E spiders) that I see on a different leaf every day. He's about the size of a dime--legs included.


And look at this...some sort of egg about a millimeter big.


There were maybe a dozen of of them scattered one by one on each of my pepper plants.

Or, how about these?


They are about the size of a peppercorn, and are on my asparagus plants. Apparently that one is a female plant?

I think they are so beautiful...


Also, our miniature Venus Fly Traps have sent up some new healthy shoots that are very intricate. They are about the size of a lima bean.


It all delights me. I took those pictures Saturday, and then today I noticed this little guy chillin' out on the trellis Tim made...


He was there for hours. Once when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw him showing off...flaring his little chin frill and bobbing. I hurried outside, followed by William, and waited. After a long time of waiting, William noticed another little lizard just inches away from us...a little chica lizard? Hope Mr. Lizard is not bothered that Chica's tail is falling off!


No wonder he quit showing off...we were right in the way. After we moved, he started up again.


Do things like that give you a thrill?

Well, this post has taken 4 days for me to finish. Start...stop...start... If it feels like a run-on post, it is. Oh well!

Poundcake

After you go pick strawberries, you're gonna want to make one of these...


Er...you'll want to make a whole one. And believe me, once it comes out of the oven, you're not going to be able to remember to take a picture, either. I meant to take one, but once it's right there in front of you, all thoughts of cameras fade to the background. It's really that good.

Can you see the gooey sweetness at the bottom of the slice? Can you see the crusty edge just waiting to be pinched off and popped in your mouth?


Good thing I'm gonna tell you how to make it. :) {And just to let you know how special this recipe is to me, I called and got permission to blog it! I'm so excited.}

If you've got a pound of butter in your fridge, go ahead and get it out now...just in case you get the urge to make it right away.

And now, without any more of my nonsense...

Kentucky Pound Cake


taken from Sterling Service, copyright 1996
by the Dothan Service League
call and order one for yourself...you'll be so glad you did.
(334)671-7142
You might even be able to pick one up at the Butcher's Block...they used to carry them!

6 large eggs
2-2/3 cups sugar
2 cups butter at room temp
3-1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Use a heavy duty stand mixer.
• Separate eggs. Beat egg whites and add 6 level tablespoons sugar after eggs hold peaks. Place in refrigerator.
• Cream butter, add rest of the sugar and beat until light.
• Add egg yolks, 2 at a time, beating well after each.
• Add flour and cream alternately. Beat mixture until light, about 10 minutes.
• Fold in egg whites. Add vanilla.
• Pour batter into a greased bundt pan.
• Bake 1-1/2 hours or until cake tester comes out clean.

Okay...first thing, whip your egg whites...


I just love how if you're careful, the yolks always line up just right. It's one of the highlights of making this cake. :)


While your eggs are whipping, measure out your sugar.


I follow the instructions for this recipe exactly. I don't know why it tells you to do all the things it tells you to do. I've got an itch to email Alton Brown and ask him about it.

While you are letting your mixer beat away for 10 minutes...


...you can get your pan ready. This is my pan. I love it. I think I got it from Walmart. It is heavy, and I like the way the dark surface cooks the cake. I have had the hardest time with my cakes sticking, though. My first one, I don't remember sticking at all. Ever since then, I have trouble. I've tried Pam, smearing it with butter, using butter and then flour...I don't get it. This last time I used Pam again, and I really laid it on heavy. That was better. If you have any tips, bring em on!


I always like dumping my stiff egg whites into the bowl...


...but I don't like folding them in. It is about all I can take--I feel like my arms are going to fall off by the end.


Fill up your pan, and pop it in the oven.


While it's cooking, you can do your dishes...


...and slice up your strawberries. Just look at these guys from the Strawberry Farm! They are so red and juicy. I don't know how I'll ever be able to buy them at Walmart again.


Be careful with your oven heat. If it is too hot, your cake will crack (which isn't a huge deal, unless you are a perfectionist. If you are, maybe use a oven thermometer?) This is mine just before I pulled it out.


As it cools, it will fall. Rejoice! That means that you will get that heavenly gooey layer. It is the best part.

I usually flip mine out of the pan while it's still warm...but just now it dawned on me, I wonder if that is why mine sticks? I think next time I'll try letting it cool longer.

And, since I lost my mind after I pulled it out of the oven, that's the last picture I've got!

Tid Bits

Samuel lost another tooth...I'm pretty sure he's passed Trevor by for lost teeth.


Kinda hard to get a good picture of him sometimes...


It hailed...William took a picture.


The caterpillars are on the loose. They kept the boys real busy last week. Trevor took a picture...


Tim is still hard at work on frames, etc...


And we had our first sales with our etsy store! Praise God! Feels really strange, thinking that things that Tim made are going to be in somebody's home!

Time for me to join the fam--we're enjoying our usual: smoothies, popcorn, and AFV.

Let me know if you try a cake!