sniff….

My baby learned how to ride a 2-wheeler today. Who would have thought one of my children would learn to ride when they were 4! Let’s not be bringing up how old I was… I can’t believe how big they are all getting. When Rick sent me the text I actually got teary eyed right in the middle of Kohl’s!

Great Tip…

I received this info in an e-mail from my mother in-law and thought I would pass it along…

The key to preventing moldy berries...
Berries are delicious, but they're also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There's nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides.
Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, we can tell you that how to keep them fresh! Here’s a tip I’m sharing on how to prevent them from getting there in the first place:
Wash them with vinegar.
When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar) and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.

Smile…

I dare you not to smile when you watch this.

Then watch a bunch of their other stuff. They are amazing!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas, we sure did!

FOR THE LOVE…

My family will know right away with from the title of this post that what’s coming can’t be good. I noticed yesterday that the front of Max’s hair looked weird, I thought he had just slept on it funny and it was tweaked. Upon closer inspection, he had cut it!

Really?

Yes, really and it gets better… Tonight the boys were suppose to be cleaning the play room, but were (and still are) having a hard time getting it done. I called them down for a little pep talk. Max walks out and I about died! It was horrible! (I was laughing though, it as hard not too.) To make it worse, Sam didn’t think it was a good idea to come tell me. AUGH! I had to shave him bald, like almost Bic bald. These pictures aren’t great, they were taken with my phone, but you’ll get the jist of it. My other camera is on the fritz. Not that a different camera would help him look better at this point! Thank goodness I just made him a beanie (that he has lost and we must now find asap)… he’s going to need it!

Sickness…

I’ve come down with something… crochetivitis. It has taken over my life and I LOVE IT! I’ve been making dish clothes, scarfs, headbands and today I made a slipper. (I’ll make the other one tonight so we have a complete pair.)

Evelyn asked for slippers for Christmas and I thought they would be a great thing for the boys to get her. They went looking on Monday, but Rick couldn’t find any that he liked. He looked again @ Target last night, but I think things were pretty picked over. I told him I would look @ Kohl’s on Monday. Then it came to me… I can crochet her some! And so the madness continues…

Working Woman…

Evelyn has a job. It isn’t consistent, but she’s earning her own money.

If you live close and need a pair of shoes shined, drop them by!

$4 a pair.

Pumpkin Cranberry Yeast Bread…

Last year I made a variation of this kind of bread. It was labor intensive and I didn’t like how the loaves turned out, but I did like the flavor. This year I searched again for a Pumpkin Cranberry Yeast Bread, but couldn’t find one. I found cranberry bread and pumpkin bread, but not the 2 together. So I took pieces from several recipes and made my own. This isn’t a sweet bread. It makes great toast and is perfect for turkey sandwiches. Let me know what you think if you try it!

Pumpkin Cranberry Yeast Bread

· 1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries, large ones cut in half and small ones left whole

· 1/3 c. brown sugar

· 2 T. molasses

· 1 c. warm water

· 1 1/2 T. instant yeast

· 1 1/2 c. pumpkin puree

· 2 T. vegetable oil

· 2 t. salt

· 1 t. cinnamon

· 1/2 t. ginger

· 1/2 t. nutmeg

· 1/8 t. ground cloves

· 4 c. whole wheat flour

· 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1. In bowl of mixer, combine the cranberries, brown sugar and molasses. Let stand for 1 hour.

2. Add warm water, yeast, pumpkin, oil, salt cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Mix briefly to combine with paddle attachment for mixer. Add 4 cups of flour, mix until a sticky dough has formed. Switch to dough hook. Add remaining flour. Let knead for 6-8 minutes on low. Transfer dough to a well oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl and let dough rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half. Press each piece into a rectangle about 1 inch thick and no longer then 9 inches. With the long side of the dough facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing down to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Be sure and pinch all seams closed. Place the loaves in 2 well oiled 9 x 5-inch loaf pans and press down gently so the dough touches all four sides of the pan. Place in a cold oven, turning temperature to 200, bake for 25 minutes. When time is up, do not open the oven and turn temperature to 350 and bake 35 minutes more. When done, turn out of pans promptly to cool on wire racks.