better late than never

My baby Graham is now 21 months old. For a few reasons, like my super awesome best friend photographer has a really busy life and I forgot for months, I never posted Graham's 18 month pictures. Remember when Heidi was up here visiting me in the early spring? Well, we sneaked in a mini session with him while she was here. Did he cooperate like an angel? Hardly. We still got a few good ones and I can't believe how much he's changed in the past three months. He's like a different kid physically and mentally. Crazy how fast they grow!

 

 Drama much?

 Lincoln thought it was funny!

 That's better.

 I love this one of all of us. Can't believe we pulled it off.

 David met us after work to help us get the picture above. I thought maybe I could get a snapshot of him with both boys. One, check.

 Two...not so much.

 This is what I got. It makes me smile.

I can't believe that my boys will be 2 and 4 in the next few months. Speaking of birthdays, I am experiencing one of them this weekend. I feel better than I've felt in a few years health-wise, so I'm trying to celebrate the whole approaching thirty thing. It's not really working. Oh well.

Cute 'lil Garden

When I left for our 6 day Florida trip, this is what my little garden looked like.

 If you're wondering what the brown stuff around my green beans is, I am using grass clippings to hold the moisture in the soil, and there wasn't enough to cover the whole garden. Now, after another good yard mowing, everything is nice and grass covered. I'm essentially really cheap and didn't want to buy mulch since I highly doubt this whole garden thing is going to be very profitable.  I noticed that the leaves of my garden were kind of turning yellow, so I went out and bought some organic fertilizer. I didn't really expect it to work. I. Was. Wrong. Six days later I came home to this.

 What? I know! Amazing. I'm actually starting to think I might get some produce out of this garden. What a concept. I already have like 30 green beans and my first flower appeared on a Zucchini plant.

I am now a firm believer in organic fertilizer. I know I might sound like such a nerd, but I really enjoy gardening. I can't wait until the day I can have one bigger than 4x4. I guess you have to start somewhere. For those of you who are already harvesting veggies, kudos to you. I probably won't get a zucchini until Christmas. That's what I get for being adamant about starting from seeds in WV. The whole project started like this. I think we've come a long way. Either way, the kids and I (but mostly I) have had fun making and taking care of this modest garden. How's everyone else doing with growing this year?

May Vacay

Oh wow. What a trip we had! Yesterday we returned home from a 5 day rendezvous in Florida. If I had to sum up each day (excluding travel) with one phrase, it would go something like this:

Day 1: Laughing and baking

Day 2: Celebrating life

Day 3: Church and family time

Day 4: Boating and sunshine

I mean, how much better could it get? I got to spend really good quality time with my best friend and parents. It was a little hard to come home this time. They say home is where the heart is. It's really true. I know that David and my boys are really where I want to be, no matter the location. On the other hand, the rest of my family is separated by 800 miles. My heart starts to feel divided. I always feel like I'm leaving someone behind. I've always known how important family is, but the older I get, the more I realize how important it is to ME. To all you out there who have most everyone you love close by, cherish it. It really is a gift. For now, I'll do the best with what I have. This trip, I really soaked up the time I had with my family.

Heidi, Lincoln, and Mike are now a part of my family. I've learned that family members aren't just those who share the same blood or genetic make-up. Family are the people who invest in your life and who are present and available no matter what. Heidi and I have been through a lot together. I couldn't imagine missing Lincoln's first birthday, so I talked David into making the trip with me ;) The party was adorable. Heidi did and great job, and the main man was flippin adorable.

 From the second we made it to Florida, Parker was bent on going fishing again. We went the morning after our arrival and he had a blast again. There is just something so peaceful about a lake in the morning.

 

We got a group shot after church on Sunday...yes, I'm wearing the same dress. I don't know what went wrong in my mind when I was packing this trip. I only brought one dress, two shirts, and two pairs of shorts. If anyone knows me, this is totally not my style. I usually pack my whole closet. I think the whole minimalistic mindset is taking over...or maybe I was just tired. Who knows?

 This next picture is a perfect representation of a saying I saw on Pinterest.

 Graham looks as though he had been eating the dirt.

 

 We took the boat out on Lake Weir on Memorial Day. It was perfect weather. Lake Weir has so many places to swim and of course, Gator Joe's. We actually looked for somewhere else to eat lunch, but as far as we could see, there was no other restaurant. Fine with me. The boys love being out the boat and played in the water until we made them quit. They were worn out!

My boys are insanely good travelers. I'm serious. Half the time, you don't even know they are back there. Well, the way home proved to be a little more difficult. I'm sure it was still easy compared to trips with some other rascals out there, but Graham made me turn around 15 dozen times. Chula, however was an angel ;)

 Come back tomorrow for a garden update. You will not believe how well my plants are doing! My black thumbs are turning green. Woo to the hoo!

Bread Recipe

It has been a slow process, but my goal over the past few years has been to eliminate (for the most part) processed food from my home. I don't freak out when we're out to eat and my kids want mac n cheese, and I still break all the healthy rules for parties and get-togethers.  I just try to make sure what my family receives at home on a daily basis is chock-full of nutrients, protein, or whole grain and void of preservatives, excess refined sugar, and added hormones. When it comes to pesticides on produce, I do my best to buy organic, but have learned some good washing techniques when organic is not available. (Be mindful that non-organic veggies and fruit do not always have the same amount of nutrient content due to the way they are cultivated.) I am definitely not a nutritionist, but have educated myself enough to know the gist of what makes our bodies run effectively.

It's that simple for me. I'm not obsessive, but I do want my children to know how to eat proper and not end up like a huge portion of the country caught up on meat and potatoes, processed boxed/canned food, and fast food. Since I fix three meals a day and a snack for my children, nutrition is a huge part of my responsibilities as a mom. If I want to discipline properly and teach good morals, why wouldn't I want to teach healthy living? This is not a guilt trip for moms. Promise. I just want to encourage and challenge any moms that read my blog to take steps to better their family's eating habits. I still have some improvements to make on my own diet, but I'm getting there. Shouldn't it be about improvement?

That being said, I have a yummy bread recipe to share with you. I've been fixing it the past month and it has been a big hit with the hubster and children. There are bread recipes out there that are healthier, but don't taste quite so well, and there are ones that are yummier, but have more crud in them. This is one of those in-between options. I needed something tasty enough that my kids would devour it, while having enough whole grains that it would help meet some daily requirements.

What you'll need:
3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

What you'll do:

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

3.Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

4.Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. (This is optional....I like a hard crust so I don't do it. Cool completely

My only advice would be to make sure you do not under bake the bread. Just because it looks "done" on top, does not mean it is completely baked through.

If any of you try this recipe, I hope you like it. We are big fans in this house!

Mountaineer Love

Congratulations to my friend, Esther, and her new husband James! They tied the knot on Saturday and I could not be happier for them. Esther was a beautiful bride. Stunningly beautiful.

About a month ago, Esther asked if I would make the groom's cake. She wanted to serve it at the rehearsal dinner. I had never heard of dishing up the groom's cake before the reception, but what a great idea. The cake not only got a little of it's own spotlight, it provided a yummy, proportionately sized desert for the dinner of 40 guests.

I don't typically bake cakes for other people unless it's for a party at my house, so I was a little nervous. I prepared Esther ahead of time that I was not a professional, but I could at least promise that it would taste good. She was game for me trying something new, so I was on board to give it a shot. It's not like it was the wedding cake, right? We talked about what she wanted for James' cake, and I collected a few pictures to use for ideas/inspiration.

Esther chose dark chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream frosting. Yum! In addition to actually making something worth looking at, I wanted to challenge myself to make everything on the cake edible. To do so, I had to bust out the old Cake Boss trick of using rice crispy treats to form the football on top. The rest of the embellishment were made with my own marshmallow fondant. It's not too bad for fondant, but I advised removing it before serving the cake.

Altogether, the cake's not perfect and there are a few things I would do differently, but I am pretty proud of how it tuned out for my inexperience. I was thrilled to find out that James loved the cake and Esther was super happy with it. Yay!

(Sorry this is in b&w, the color was atrocious from my iPhone camera and kitchen lighting.)

Collage addition adiction

When I redid my dining room a while back, I made a collage of frames and plates on the wall. My goal was to keep adding to it as I found things I liked.  Last month I updated the collage with the a few new finds. I really like the additions. It's not perfect, but I like the fluidity of a collage. I can add and change as I like or tire of a certain piece. I enjoy when something doesn't pin me down. Good thing I don't have these kind of commitment issues in my marriage ;)

I still need to update a few of the photo selections, but just add it to the LONG list of need-to-dos in my life. I've already found a few things I want to change since I edited the collage, but I'll leave it like this for a while and enjoy it before I get my grubby, uncommitted hands on it.

Spicy Crate

I wasn't sure what I was going to use the wooden bottle crate (the one I picked up in Mt. Victory) for until I was cooking the other day. My spices are a hot mess. I have tried to organize them in many different ways. Alphabetically, by size, above the stove, next to the stove, etc. The same thing happens every time. They end up shoved together in a jumbled disaster. I don't really like the turn table contraption that sits on your counter either because it only allows for its original size containers and never has enough spaces.  I thought the crate had the perfect about of slots and depth if I could find glass bottles that could hold my spices. Well, I found some. They are actually meant for wedding or party favors, but I think they'll do the job just fine. I am still brainstorming as to how to get the spice name on the lid. Any ideas? I though about the paint sharpies but not sure I'd like it. I'd really like to ring come color into the project. What do you think? Once I get it finished, I'm going to mount it on the wall next to the stove since I don't have a back splash and so that it's not taking up counter space.

On different note, a few of you contacted me with a few questions about the dresses for Haiti. The address you'll mail the dresses to :

Katy Shatto
2148 Adams Court
Springfield, Mo 65803
 

Make sure you send them before June 1st! My recommendation for making them is finding some pillowcases at a thrift/consignment store. That way you can just cut the top seam, use bias tape on the arm holes, make ribbon casing, and thread your ribbon. The bottom seam should already be in tact and you're finished. I chose not to add any embellishment at the bottoms because I was worried how that stuff would hold up over time. Oh, and get this. I found 75 yards of yellow ribbon at one of the stores for $0.50. I know! Crazy. I used it for most of the dresses even though it didn't match perfectly. The breakdown went like this. 

9 pillowcases (I already had 2) @ $0.50 = $4.50

yellow ribbon (and still have a ton left over) = $0.50

3 packages of bias tape (I had a coupon) = $3.00ish

*shipping...(I totally did this the wrong way) = $15.00

grand total = $23.00

That puts each dress just over $2.00 to make. You liked those math skills, eh? I should have just used a medium sized priority box and paid around $8.00, but I though I could use envelopes and get it there cheaper by first class. Nope. Because I shoved 3-4 dresses in each envelope, they were over 3/4 inches thick and had to be mailed as a package...ouch. I had both kids with me and decided to just pay instead of repackaging. Live and learn.  Each dress really only takes about 20 minutes to make, so I felt for the time and money, this was a worth-while rewarding project that will hopefully make a small difference in a little girl's life. If nothing else, I hope she feels pretty in it ;)

Hope you have fun creating for the girls of Haiti! Graham sure did. Doesn't it look like he just got caught? He loves to just rip out all my scraps and sit in them. I don't know why I bother cleaning them up.

 

 I found one tiny pillow case and I think it might just be my favorite.