The Blessing Trip - part 2

One of the highlights of the trip and the 4th blessing was the extra one on one time we had with Kevin's grandparents. To be honest, at first I was worried about sharing the house with them. Not because we needed space, because we had plenty...I was afraid the kids would be too loud and would disturb them. There was no need to worry...yes, the kids were loud at times...but it went really well. I'm very grateful for having grandpa and grandma all to ourselves. We got to know them better and they got to know our kids better too. Kaiya liked helping great grandma with her sewing projects. Grandma quickly caught on to Kaiya's love of cutting and set her up with her own little scissors, paper and bowl to catch the scraps. She also gave the kids fabric scraps and thread to play with.Great Grandmas and cookies just go together don't they? What a treat...peanut butter cookies right out of the oven! She shared the recipe with me and I'll share it with you.

Great-Grandma Lydia's Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. soda

bake @ 350 until done

Tuesday was another beautiful beach day.

Each day we went to the beach, we packed a picnic lunch.

playin' in the waves

The waves were a lot bigger on this day and the kids had fun breaking them....they lost their balance and it made mama a little nervous. So glad daddy's hands were right there to rescue them if the need arose...and it did a few times. Kind of reminded me of God's hand also always right there...ready to rescue me. "I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 All I have to do is ask for His help and cling to His word. He's right there even though it seems He may be silent...He's always there...always. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

"In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust" Psalm 56:4

Did I mention how much I love the beach? Can you tell? Just ask my husband...I can get a little giddy. Bless his heart, he doesn't have the "love" like me...he likes it, but can get a little antsy after spending a few hours there.

So I was delighted that we stopped at the local Big Lots on our way to the beach this day and that he picked himself up a shovel. Kept him busy for the rest of the afternoon digging a big hole in the sand while I basked in the sun. Kaiya called it the "stinky bathtub". The water smelled a little like rotten eggs.After a long day at the beach...naps are a must. :)

Back at the beach that evening for sunset family pictures.

Looks like there's going to have to be a part three. :) More blessings to come.

Blueberry Pickin'

On Monday all the cousins headed to the blueberry patch and had a ball pickin' blueberries. If you've never picked blueberries before, you should consider it (if they grow in your area of course). It's a lot of fun and a great activity that kids enjoy too. Caedmon and Kaiya both had their own buckets, but for some reason when we were finished their buckets were still empty...even though they picked lots of berries. :) That came back to haunt little miss Kaiya later in the week with a huge mess running down her legs...yeah, I'll stop with the nasty details right there. Did you know that blueberries are at the top of the list for the healthiest food. Because of their dark blue color, they're packed with antioxidant power. By eating them along with other popular berries, you are infusing your body with a forceful weapon that fights against some of the most common and deadliest illnesses known to man. Ok, there's my little healthy tip for the day. I LOVE blueberries! They are probably my favorite fruit along with black raspberries. It was a berry picking day because after the kids had naps, I headed over to the raspberry patch that same day. Yum! There are lots of things you can do with blueberries. I've made jam before, but usually freeze most of them whole in freezer bags. I like to make smoothies with them and use them to make pancakes, muffins, cakes etc. Here are a couple recipes: Blueberry Pancakes

3/4 cup each whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda

1-1/2 tablespoon sugar

2 egg whites

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup blueberries

In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, buttermilk, cottage cheese, and vanilla.

Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in blueberries.

Blueberry Pudding Cake

(mom's recipe)

2 cups blueberries

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons butter or margarine melted

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, toss blueberries with cinnamon and lemon juice. Place in a greased 8 in. square pan. In a bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar and baking powder. Whisk until smooth. Add milk and melted butter. Spoon over berries. Combine 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over batter. Slowly pour boiling water over all. Bake 45-50 minutes or until cake tests done.

On Tuesday we had a lake day and picnic at Pokagon with all the cousins again.

Even the littlest one joined us. Emmi Klair almost two weeks old

We leave on Saturday for Milwaukee. Kevin has business meetings there and it's very family friendly which is nice. So I need to get packin'. Just wanted to post a few thoughts from an email I received from a friend about a hurried lifestyle. Great reminder for myself!

Unhurried moms take the time to explain to their kids where they are going. Hurried moms tell their children to get in the car and they'll find out soon. I think the children of the unhurried mom learned a bit more about their city, streets and addresses.

Unhurried women take time to chat with a tired sales clerk, and brighten her day. Hurried women rush in and out, glancing at their watches, and tapping their nails on the counter if there's a delay. I think the sales clerk got a touch of Jesus from that unhurried woman.

Unhurried women think about how to show love to others - whether it's picking out the right gift, a hand-written note of encouragement, or a phone call. Hurried women wish they had picked out the right gift, written a note, or made that phone call.

Although Jesus was busy, the Bible never mentions Him being in a hurry. Others around Jesus tried to hurry Him up, but Jesus refused to be rushed. He always made time to hold a child, touch a sick man or talk to a woman whose wrong choices ostracized her from others. Jesus could have hurried – He had more to accomplish in three years than we can imagine accomplishing in a lifetime. But He chose to put people over His schedule.

Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (NIV)

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(NIV)

Rainy Day Fun

Here's a great recipe for a very soft play dough that lasts a long time. The ingredients are simple and usually available in my cupboard. Perfect to make on a rainy day like today.

Play Dough

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

food coloring

Cook on medium heat until a ball forms (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and knead in food coloring. Place in baggy or airtight container. It will last for several months.

I divided the dough in two and let the kids pick what color they wanted...yellow for Caedmon and pink for Kaiya today.

Here are some pictures to help me remember the beautiful sunny day that it was yesterday. The wheat in our field is just starting to change colors. Here's a funny quote from Kaiya this morning. As I was taking the sheets off my bed to wash them she asked me "did you pee in your bed, mommy?"

Two and a Half

Kaiya officially turned two and a half at the end of March and this post is all about her and her life as two a half year old. I shared earlier about her fear of the sand while we were in Florida. Well despite all the efforts by her daddy to help her overcome her fear, she just couldn't believe that there were not spiders in the sand. She had a few emotional breakdowns on the beach (screaming with sheer terror at the top of her lungs as everyone looked on), but as soon as I would take her to the water, she turned into a different girl. So fun to watch her joy as she played in the water...pulling her away was a different story....more tears. Oh the drama of a two year old girl. There is certainly a lot of drama that comes with this cute little girl. She still loves to pick out her own ensemble of clothing and that usually includes something pink, something with tulle and we don't bother with socks because they usually come off only a few minutes after we put them on.

Pink is her favorite color. She loves Cinderella. Counting goes something like this...1..2..3..9. Mommy is her favorite person right now and she declares every night that Mommy is going to put her to bed...not Daddy. She can't go to sleep until we've recited all the verses we've learned so far this year.

Her favorite foods are macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, and any kind of fruit. She turns her nose away from most desserts including chocolate desserts & ice cream. Crazy girl! She loves to give lots of hugs & kisses.

On another note, I love the frozen frappaccinos at Starbucks, but don't like paying the big $$ for them. So in doing some searching online, I found a couple recipes that come pretty close to the real thing. We made this one in Florida and it tasted so cool & delicious.

Mocha Frappaccino

Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, plus
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup strong coffee
1 cup ice
Directions
1in a blender, combine everything but the ice, and blend until sugar has dissolved.
2add ice and blend until smooth (sometimes you will need a bit more ice).

I also LOVE the Strawberries & Creme Frappaccino so did a search for that one as well and was shocked when I saw how many calories that one includes. A whopping 420 calories and 12 g of fat...yikes! Here is a yummy alternative that I think comes pretty close and is maybe even a little better. It includes soy milk, which I despise but you seriously can't taste it in the finished product. 135 calories and 1 g of fat in this puppy...that's more like it.

Ingredients:2/3 cup frozen strawberries (just plain- NOT in syrup!)

5 oz. light vanilla soy milk

2 tsp. Fat Free French Vanilla Coffee-mate powder (dissolved in an oz of warm water)

1 oz. Sugar Free Torani Strawberry Syrup

3 Splenda packets

3 large ice cubes

Fat Free Reddi-Wip

Place all of the ingredients in blender, except for the whipped cream.

Blend on high speed for 30-45 seconds.

Pour, and top with Fat Free Reddi-Wip.

Strawberrylicious!