In Joy, Troye

Simply Real: Cream Cheese and Whey

2010-04-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Move to Wordpress

2010-02-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

please check out my new blog address...
www.injoytroye.wordpress.com

Same blog, different address.

And, more to come on a NEW blog soon. Stay tuned!

In joy,
Troye

Homemade Cream Cheese

2010-02-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

Making your own cream cheese is so easy, super scrumptious, and inexpensive. This is the softest creamiest cream cheese evah!!!

All you have to do is get a quart (or two- because believe me, you are going to love this stuff) of full fat plain yogart. Do not skimp and go for the low fat- and don't even get me started on the low fat craze. In fact, The Man just told me that he needed to go back on a low fat diet so that he would gain some weight. Ha!!!! This time I am using greek yogart, but regular yogart makes creamy deliciousness as well.

Spread cheese cloth over a bowl, and dump the yogart on top. Allow the liquid to drain out, and voila... what you have left is cream cheese. For certain varieties of yogart, you may need to tie the cheese cloth to a wooden spoon and place it across the top of a deeper bowl to allow more liquid to drain. I have not had to do that yet, but may need to with the greek yogart.

The liquid that is left is whey. It will last in your fridge for 6 months and is perfect for soaking grains with excellent health benefits. Your cream cheese will last in the fridge for 2 months (if you don't eat it in a week).

After you make your cream cheese, I highly recommend making some caramel popcorn and dipping it into the cheese. I think I'll go have some now.

In joy, troye

D-isms

2010-02-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

D: Mommy, I'm connecked.

Me: You're connected?

D: No, Mommy, look, I'm connecked. I don't have any clothes on.

At lunch with my dad for his birthday...

D: Mommy, why do you keep calling Papa Daddy?

And, then later...

D: Mommy, how old is Papa?

Me: I think he's 39. Why don't you ask him?

My Dad: I'm 67.

D: Wow, that's a lot of money!!!

Mindful Menu Monday

2010-02-01T07:21:00.000-08:00

Here is our menu plan for the week:

Sunday- chili with bread

Monday- Girl's Night, and I still have no idea (I am typing this at 10am on Monday morning). Great plan, huh?

Tuesday- Sweet Potato Quesadillas, recipe from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover

Wednesday- Ezekiel Stew- stew recipe using whole grains traditionally used to make EZ bread, with cornbread and salad

Thursday- Baked Chicken, Millet Casserole, and salad

Friday- Pizza and family movie night (sundried tomato, feta, spinach, mushroom pizza)

Saturday- open

Here is my chili recipe- with plenty of liberties. It is different every time I make it:

Brown 2 lbs ground beef with 3-5 cloves minced garlic in large stockpot. Sometimes I grate raw carrots and add at this point to pump up the nutrition. In small bowl, stir together 1 can tomato paste with 1 cup water. Once combined add to meat mixture along with 2 tbsp chili powder, 1-2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp oregano. Stir together. Roast a jalapeno pepper on your stove (if you have gas stove top) until black, then dice and add to meat mixture. Add 1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes). Reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour or more. Add 1 diced onion about 45 min into this hour.
Add 1/4 cup masa corn flour to 1/2 cup water in bowl, and combine thoroughly. Then stir into meat. Add beans to your liking (I've used kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, or a combo of the three).
Heat an additional 15 minutes.
This is a very hearty chuncky chili. I also like a bite to my chili, so you can adjust the spices to your liking.

In joy, troye

Why Wine is Superior to Water

2010-01-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

As seen in a used bookstore in Blue Ridge:

Read Carefully:

Steaks and Friends

2009-12-28T03:55:00.000-08:00

Our friends Gary and Susannah are in town for the holidays from California. Last night we got together for dinner. The last time Gary was in town, I went on and on about the cow in our freezer, and then I made him eggs. Since Susannah doesn't really eat beef, Gary doesn't get to have steak very often, so this time around, I made steak... pioneer woman style.

I think it helps to make a mean face when you cook steak in cast iron, right?

Susannah put the salad together, and you can see a bandit in the background stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. BUSTED!
Baby Ju Ju was ticked that her mom wouldn't let her eat steak!

Ribeyes over sauteed spinach with Blue Cheese Cream Sauce. Shut your mouth!!!!!!!

Susannah enjoyed the "amythecook sandwich." Pesto and mozzarella grilled cheese on fresh deli style bread. Have I mentioned that I want to eat this sandwich every day? Except when steak is on the menu, of course.

We love you Gary, Susannah, and Flora!!!!!!!!!

In joy, troye

2009-12-26T03:23:00.000-08:00

I've been making bread at home for well over a year now. I have used one recipe for all of my bread needs- loaf bread, cinnamon rolls, french loaves, hot dog buns, etc. It is good bread, but it is very dense, and not a great sandwich loaf. This week, thanks to Susannah, I found a new recipe, and I'll never look back. This recipe is pretty heavily adapted from this post over at Passionate Homemaking. It makes four loaves (you can freeze them so that you don't have to make bread as often), and it is soft and delicious. It really tastes like deli style bread.

Yumm-oh! Here is the recipe:

Troye's Bread (adapted from Homemade Bread- Lindsay's Way)

4 1/2 cups water, HOT from the tap

1 1/2 tbsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup honey, raw

1/3 cup flax seed, ground

2 1/2 cups rolled oats, optional (if you don't use this, you will definitely need more flour)

1 tsp rice lecithin (if you have access to dough enhancer, you can add 2-4 tbsp instead of the lecithin), optional

11-12 cups flour (I use a combination of fresh ground flour here- hard red wheat, hard white, wheat, kamut, spelt)

2 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast

Combine water, salt, egg, oil, honey, and half of flour (about 6 cups) in mixer. Place lecithin, flax seed, and oats on top of flour and knead on low speed until combined. Turn mixer off, and add other half of flour. Place yeast on top of flour. Knead on low speed. Once the flour is incorporated, begin to add flour one tbsp at a time until dough pulls away from side of bowl. *the goal is to use the least amount of flour possible for the softest loaf, so add slowly here* Knead for a total of approximately 10 min.

Remove to a LARGE greased bowl, and cover with a towel. Let sit until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. *I let mine sit in the oven with a roasting pan of hot water underneath, and the light on*

Punch down and divide into 4 loaves. You can roll each loaf out with a rolling pin and roll up into a loaf for perfectly shaped loaves.

Place in greased loaf pans and let rise again until doubled (about 30 min). *For this, I turn the oven on the lowest setting while I shape the loaves, and then turn it off prior to putting the loaves in. And, remember to remove before preheating oven.*

Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 3o minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest in pan for 10 min before removing from pans.

Enjoy!

The dough makes fantastic cinnamon rolls...

Also, a DELICIOUS sandwich thanks to the amazing mind of amythecook is to spread pesto on the slices, and melt a thick slice of whole milk mozzarella- grilled cheese style. Shut Your Mouth!!!!!!!!!!! I want to eat this sandwich everyday. And, as you can tell, there is no photo of it because I could not stop eating it long enough to take a pic. :) Sorry! Just make the sandwich, and then you will be able to see its beauty.

In joy, Troye!

You Gotta Make Dis!

2009-12-14T14:16:00.001-08:00

Guinness Beef Stew

3 lbs Boneless Beef Chuck

2 tbsp butter

2 onions

4 cups chicken broth

1 3/4 cups Guinness Draught, Divided

1 tbsp lt brown sugar

1 tsp dried thyme

1 oz, weight bittersweet chocolate, chopped (take my word for it- sounds, weird, but so worth it!)

5 whole carrots, peeled and cut

1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut

1/4 cup flour

Cut beef into cubes, and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in cast iron dutch oven. Brown beef over medium-high heat. Add broth, 1 1/2 cups Guinness (reserve remainder- refrain from drinking- especially if, like me, you are preparing this before you leave for church Sunday morning), brown sugar, thyme, and chocolate. Bring to boil. Add carrots, onions, and potatoes. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for at least two hours. In a small bowl, whisk flour and remaining 1/4 cup Guinness until smooth. Stir mixture into stew. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes on medium heat or until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper (lots and lots and lots of fresh ground pepper!!!).

And, try not to slap yo momma!!!!!

In joy, troye

Night on the Town

2009-12-13T03:13:00.000-08:00

"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry with your girlfriends."

All girls need at least one fantastic girlfriend to combat the craziness of life. I am blessed BEYOND MEASURE to have many friends that I would put in this category. Some of them I am not able to see on a regular basis (Nikki). Some live right down the street, and I am lucky to only see once in a while (Andrea). And, some are crazy enough to get together with me on a weekly basis and act stupid, and eat way too much food, and drink way too much drink, and watch way too much trash television. It is my medication.

This group of girls decided to make a trip to the city (Atlanta) to meet Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, our new BFF. Some of us have followed Ree for a long time. Others are new fans, and others are mad that they were not told about how fabulous Ree is sooner (sorry Cheri).

Ree was signing copies of her new fantastic cookbook in Buckhead, and we had two December birthdays to celebrate, so we dicided to make a trip out of it.

Doesn't Ree look adorable signing Kimberly's book?

We didn't have to wait in line too long thanks to Cheri and Kimberly who drove to Buckhead Monday morning to pick up wristbands to reserve our place in line.

Here is one of the birthday girls waiting with our trump card, Baby JuJu (who is a little slice of heaven- seriously, could she be a better baby?).
This is how excited we were to meet Ree.

And, of course, we had some very important business to conduct in line, so we had to have our iphones armed and ready!
My nose is ginormous in this picture!!!!!!

We had a blast waiting in line, and people around us all backed away. We have that effect on people. Sorry to anyone who encounters us when we go out into public together.

And, here we all are with Ree. If you didn't know which one Ree was, you would just think she was part of our group. She fits right in. And, if you didn't know Susannah, you would wonder why she decided to sit on Ree's lap for this photo. Silly girl!!!!!

After the signing, we went out for dinner, and then we went back to a hotel suite sponsored by Kristina's boss, Connie. Connie we lit candles and paid homage to you while we were there. The suite was amazing, and we had a blast.

Birthday gifts were opened- and tried on. Adorable!!!!!

We laughed hysterically over youtube videos.

We modeled footed Santa pjs!

And, we ate cupcakes and drank champagne. We also played an exciting game of "propel yourself across the room in the rolling conference chairs." Good Times!!!!!

The next morning, we went shopping. Nordtrom Mall of Georgia gave us all free makeovers, and a private party catered just for our birthday girls complete with a fashion show and intimate apparel fittings.

This is the only photo I have from the shopping day. We had to take a photo of the killer boots Kimberly found!!!!!!!!!! Shazam!

We had a fantastic time, and I think the birthday girls had a much deserved happy day!

Thank you, ladies for being my dose of good medicine.

Shakshuka-ish

2009-11-17T02:37:00.001-08:00

Shakshuka is a traditional Israeli dish comprised of a spicy tomato veggie sauce with poached or sunny side up eggs. I experienced amazing shakshuka in Miami a couple of months ago, but have yet to attempt to conquer the dish on my own. I did, however come up with a dish inspired by Shakshuka.

Shakshuka-ish

Saute 1 clove garlic, minced and 1/2 red onion, diced in oil. Add 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved, and fresh diced basil. Saute for approx. 1 min, and add 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar. Poach eggs and serve hot on top of tomato mixture. Salt and pepper to taste Serve with hot pita or crusty bread.

Om nom nom...

In joy, troye

2009-11-11T03:17:00.000-08:00

These buttery rich scones combine pumpkin and spices that will knock your socks off. I made them for the boys' teachers for a fall treat, and had to immediately make a second batch for myself.And, while we are here, check out the results of the AWESOME gift that Kimberly gave me for my birthday. How fun is that? Thank you, Kimberly!

Pumpkin Spice Scones:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. cardamom

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup heavy cream

6 tbsp. sucanat (brown sugar, if you prefer)

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut butter into small pieces, and put in freezer. In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well, and place bowl in freezer. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, sucanat, and vanilla. Whisk together well, and place bowl in freezer.

Cut butter pieces into flour mixture using a pastry blender or a food processor until it resembles course crumbs.

Pour liquic mixture into flour mixture and stir until just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push together with your hands. Knead just a couple of times and pat into a circle about 3/4 to 1 in thick. Cut like a pie into 8 pieces. Place on baking sheet so that the sides are not touching. Brush tops with heavy whipping cream, and sprinkle with honey granules or course raw sugar. Bake for about 15 min.

Enjoy!

In joy, Troye

Fall Family Camping

2009-10-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the school year, J-Man came home from school begging to go to the Cub Scout information meeting. I don't know what the council is paying that recruiter, but they need to raise his salary. J-Man was insistent!

So, against my better judgement, I sent The Man with him just to see what it was all about- with strict instructions not to volunteer for anything! And, definitely DO NOT mention that you are an Eagle Scout because they will have you running the pack. They came home that evening the newest Cub Scout and Den Leader.

I must admit that they are BOTH having a blast in Scouts, and it really does teach the kids a lot of value added lessons.

This weekend was Cub Scout Family Camping Weekend (on the coldest weekend of the year- freezing temps threatened). On Friday afternoon when we were offered a perfectly wonderful, warm, cozy cabin to stay in, I tried to sway them, but I lost. Since there was NO chance of rain in the forecast, I went along. I actually enjoy camping, and prefer cold weather camping, but I cannot handle rain.

At the den meeting before we left, the boys made fire starters, and practiced setting up and taking down a tent.

We were assigned a campsite on the side of a mountain, and this area had to accommodate nineteen families. They were like sardines for the second night, which was fortunate since there was snow in the forecast. We're not sure if the boys earned thier polar bear patch (for camping when the temp drops below 32 degrees), but they sure did come close if not.

We had to fight not to slide down the hill all night as we slept. Good times!

Since it rained the first night, and off and on all day Saturday, I had to sacrifice and take D-Man home. It was difficult to sleep in my nice warm bed with the heat on.

But, we stayed through the day Saturday and had a blast.

We started up a whole new generation of pyromaniacs.

Both boys got to shoot bb guns...

Looking so studly in the safety goggles...

...and, bow and arrows...

It is difficult to see below, but J-Man got a bullseye, and hit the target four other times. He also won the award for the day for launching one of his arrows the farthest beyond the target. We had to send out a search party.

The only thing that we didn't get to do was fish. It was quite devastating! Look at that face.

Someone totally cheated!!!!!!!!

All in all it was a fantastic weekend! All three boys had a blast, and they can't wait to do it again.

Fall Foods

2009-09-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

There is no time of year that I love better than the fall. I love the smells. I love the weather. I love the activities. I love the colors. I am more reminded of God's appreciation for beauty at this time of year than any other. What an amazing artist He is, and He chooses to share His masterpiece with us.
Another one of my favorite parts of fall is the flavors of the season. I made this Chicken Butternut Squash soup last year, and I cannot wait until it is cool enough to make is again.
One of my standby favorites is Pumpkin Soup that I first learned how to make in an Apples of Gold class years ago. Oh, and the apples!!! I love any recipe that includes mounds of brown sugar with apples. What is not to love?
I also love when Starbucks introduces their fall lineup- which occurred a couple of weeks ago in our area. Pumpkin Spice Latte, and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. Mmmmmmmm......
I posted a variation of this recipe a couple of years ago, but I have since made some modifications, and it is one of my most requested recipes, so here it is again. Bake up some muffins and ENJOY! The secret to this recipe is the heavy spices, so don't skimp. These will be darker than the Starbucks version, but just as delicious.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
3 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of cardamom
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
4 eggs
2 cups honey granules (can sub white sugar here or 1 cup liquid honey)
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin (it is so easy to make your own)
1 ¼ cups extra virgin coconut oil
8 oz package cream cheese
1 egg
1 cup powdered evaporated cane juice or powdered honey granules
*Chopped nuts** (walnuts, pecans, pepinos) (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients together except cream cheese and nuts. Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) half full. Beat the cream cheese with the egg and powdered sugar. Put 1-2 tsp cream cheese in the middle, pressing down. Sprinkle with 1 tsp chopped nuts. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin part (do not touch the cream cheese!). Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Do not touch the cream cheese until it cools, as it is very very hot. Makes 24 muffins. I like to make the jumbo muffins.

2009-09-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Let me apologize to anyone who stumbles upon this blog today. I am going to be bragging unashamedly on my son, the triathlete, and there will be an ungodly amount of photos!

J-Man did a triathalon today. 50 meter swim, 2 mile bike, and 500 meter run! He did so awesome!!!!!

He waited patiently to jump into the pool, and then he passed four kids in the water. He did not hold back...

Until he got out of the water and decided to use his first transition time to pose for the camera and wave to the crowd.
Here he is posing with his brother, and ready for the race in his transition area. Check out that stud! As we walked into the park to prepare, he asked, "I wonder how I am going to win this thing?"

Thumbs up! Look at all of those yellow caps.

Jumping in the water!

That is J-Man's yellow head climbing out of the pool (ahead of everyone, I might add).

Taking his time in T1.

Out on the bike.

Go speed racer!

Out for the run...

Look at that determination!!!

Finished!

This is what D-Man thought of the situation at times.

Our friend Sarah Grace competed as well. Here they are trying to act "too cool" at the finish line!

We had so much fun. I think that The Man got just as much of a work out as J did, running after him to take pics. We were so proud. I have to admit that I even got a little choked up watching him cross the finish line so strong as they called his name and he ran through the finishing ribbon!!!!! He worked so hard and is ready to do another tri as soon as possible.

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

The first day of school went off without a hitch! D's bus comes at 7:15 in the morning, but the FANTASTIC news is that we know his driver. Ms. Kim was in our small group last semester. How fun is that?"The sun was in my eyes!"I actually did get a photo of him holding the sign right side up, but this one is so much better. :)

Crazy faces!

D learned how to cross his eyes, and he knows that it is a surefire way to crack me up!

J Man thinks he knows how to cross his...

Oh well!

Why no kid will ever come to another Birthday Party Here...

2009-08-02T06:11:00.001-07:00

D-Man requested a "Green" Birthday Party. My quest was to find foods that are naturally green. In my efforts, poor D may never have another child come to his birthday again.

Very aesthetically pleasing... not very "kid-friendly." :)

We made green playdough (colored with spinach water).

Mmmmmmmmm...

A happy boy on his happy birthday. yummy cupcake!

Cousin Hayden with LOTS of green ice cream...

Uncle Kes sporting his green!

Christopher and Jaxon wearing green.

Making crazy faces with cousin "Little C."

Crazy excited about opening presents (on his actual birthday)!!!

Cookie cake on birthDAY!

Happy Birthday big five year old!!!!!

Happy Birthday D!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-29T07:14:00.001-07:00

Five years ago today, D-Man came into our lives!!!!!!

(sidenote: I have been battling with blogger all day to get these photos in the correct order, and since I have obviously lost the battle, try to keep up with me).

D at one month...

Four years...

Five years...

Three years...

One year...

And, for his fifth birthday, we celebrate him as he told everyone else Happy Birthday today!!!!!

Love you, D!!!!!

In joy, Troye

Duelling Mohawks

2009-07-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

J-Dawg has only 2 weeks left of his mohawk, so we decided to cut one for The Man as well.

Don't they look tough? Don't mess with them!

The Tortilla Man

2009-07-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

A little mishap with bread dough (uh, I forgot to add yeast) led to my first attempt at tortillas. I borrowed a tortilla press from a friend (shout out to Kasey) months ago, but I have been afraid to try to make homemade tortillas.

When I checked my dough and realized that it hadn't risen, I decided on plan B, and got the tortilla press out...

It was so easy!!!!!

I know that they look like pancakes in this photo, but they are tasty homemade tortillas made with fresh ground wheat. They are delicious with nothing on them fresh off the griddle.

And, here is J-Dawg's "moon face" with his hot-off-the-press tortilla!
WaaaaaaHooooooo!!!

Patchwork Scarf

2009-07-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

A scarf for Sarah- Grace.

I sewed together two pieces of an old pair of jeans for one side...

Then cut out random lengths of scrap fabric and pieced them together for side two...

Then added Sarah Grace's initials to the denim side (you can see the beginning of the "S" here)...

Sewed the pieces right sides together, and then turned it right side out to top stitch the edges...
Viola!!!

Dry Rub

2009-07-08T03:59:00.000-07:00

This somewhat coastal, somewhat cajun dry rub is fantastic on EVERYTHING- fish, chicken, veggies, beef.
Mix some up and hang on to it as long as you can. You'll want to use it often though, so you might want to double up.

2 tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp sucanat (brown shugah)
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp dried tarragon

Rub meat or veggie with oil and then rub a generous amount of this mixture, and grill to perfection! We used this for sweet red, yellow, and orange peppers and salmon last week... DELISH!!!!!

Dinner Caramel Apples

2009-06-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

No photo here guys...sorry, we ate it before I even thought about it, but this is a yummy side dish for chicken.

Dinner Caramel Apples
2 tbsp butter
3 apples, diced (I used gala and i did not even peel them, but any firm apple will do)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup sucanat (may sub brown sugar)

Melt butter in med saucepan over med-high heat, add apples and saute. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add vanilla. Stir in sucanat. Reduce heat to medium and heat until apples soften, approx ten min.

Eat up, yo!

A Big Ole Pile o' Boys

2009-06-08T04:37:00.000-07:00

Little C, E, D-Man, and J-Dawg Chillin' in B'ham

A Decade!

2009-06-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Babe!!!!!! It has been ten amazing years. Thank you for loving me- and let's just be real- thank you for putting up with me for ten years. You are the perfect man for me! LU!

Crazy how we got married when we were 17, right?

Kristina's Strawberry Shortcake

2009-05-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

This recipe shall forever be dubbed...

Kristina's Strawberry Shortcake

you must try it

Biscuits:

2 cups soft white wheat flour (aka wheat pastry flour)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp honey granules (can sub white sugar)

1 stick butter, chilled

2/3 to 3/4 cup half and half, milk, or cream (use cream- why not?)

Filling:

1 quart strawberries

1/3 cup honey granules (can sub white sugar)

Whipped Topping:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Rinse berries under cold water; drain well. Hull and slice berries; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with honey granules; cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Whip the cream (sweeten with 2-3 tbsp honey granules if desired and 1 tsp real vanilla) until it holds a soft peak. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In food processor (you can use a pastry cutter or fingertips) combine the flour, baking powder, salt and honey granules and pulse to mix. Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to the mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with few pea-size chunks of butter left in the mixture. Transfer to large bowl and make a well in center. With fork, stir in cream until dough is just moist. Do not overwork. Let stand for a minute. Turn dough out on floured surface. Knead 2-3 times until dough holds together and is less sticky.

Gently pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle and cut into 8 (3 inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Brush on some cream and sprinkle with honey granules. Bake for 10-15 min.

Remove to a platter and split each biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. Top with about 1/3 cup of berry mixture. Replace the tops and top with a tbsp or so of berries. Serve with whipped cream for topping.

Delish!!!!!

Fresh the movie

2009-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

A documentary about food and crop preparation in America.
Fresh, the movie, Coming Spring 2009. Watch the trailer.

Oh the things he says...

2009-05-06T04:07:00.000-07:00

J-Man had been having a rough morning with focusing and keeping his hands to himself, so on the way to lunch he and his teacher, Ms. Corrigan, had the following conversation...

Ms. C: J, you need to have a really great lunch and get yourself under control because your mom is coming to take you to the book fair this afternoon, and you won't be able to go if you can't control yourself.

J: Yes, Ma'am (as he straightend his back a bit and thought)

J: But, what if someone makes an angry face at me?

Ms. C: Well, I wouldn't like it if someone made an angry face at me, so what is something you could do if that happens?

J: I could move?

Ms. C: Yes, you could move. What else could you do? You could use your...

J: Manners!

Ms. C: Yes, you could use your manners. You could also use your...

J: Words!!!

Ms. C: That is right! You could use your words.

J: I could use my words, just like Martin Luther King did!

Ms. C: Yes, that is great. I love that you are remembering something that we talked about earlier in the year. You can use your words just like Martin Luther King.

J (walking off and mumbling to himself): I could use my words just like Martin Luther King... but, he got shot!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!

Summer Sweet Corn

2009-05-05T03:35:00.001-07:00

And now in an effort to bury that last post, here is a cute photo of J-Man eating cold corn on the cob. Nothing says summer in the south like eating a cold ear of sweet corn- except maybe eating watermelon and spitting the seeds in the yard.

I bought a cow!

2009-05-05T03:23:00.001-07:00

Yes. There is half of a cow in my freezer. My small group that is based on natural/ healthy eating found "a guy" to purchase a farm raised, grass fed cow from. How crazy is that? We actually ended up purchasing 3 cows in total, but our family bought half of one.
I went to pick it up yesterday, and the first thing that I pulled up and saw at the butcher was two live cows in a pin. My thoughts were..."Whoa, am I really going to do this? Poor cows." I eat meat all of the time (and love it), but this makes it a little too close to home. In door number two, I saw two animals hanging, and about ten minutes later I looked in and a dude was butchering one. CRAZY! In door number three, this sweet little lady takes us into a humongous freezer to get our beef. Then she tells us that her husband, Big John, who owns the place has steped out because one of the goats got loose. Smart goat- run little goat; run like the wind!!!!! When Big John returned, he was not happy because he didn't find the goat, but he did get out of his truck with his rifle- just in case. I have to say it again- CRAZY!
So, I have about 60 lbs of ground beef, 30 pkgs of steak and a dozen roasts in my freezer. Anyone want to come over for dinner?
Mooooooo...
I am not going to post the photos that I took because I don't want to make anyone sick or turn anyone into a vegetarian (if I haven't already).

4295 Miles

2009-05-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

My Youth pastor, Barry L, retired this year after 29 years of service in Athens, Georgia. How amazing is that. Almost as amazing is the fact that he is now biking across the country! Unbelievable!!! Check out his blog to follow him across the country. He began his journey last week. His wife Margaret is following him in the car. The photos are incredible!!!!!!!

Check it out here.

Obviously, the date on this photo is wrong. Check out those braces...

2009-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

D's first experience at a Japanese restaurant. He did not think that the "fire" was very funny! Try to ignore my obnoxious laughter, but his reaction is worth it!!!

In joy, Troye

Brownies with Coconut Ice Cream

2009-04-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. Okay. Now that the confession is out there, you may all scrape your chins off of the floor. I realize that it is not a part of the female DNA to not like chocolate, but anyone who knows me knows that I am a little off anyway. I do like chocolate if there is another strong flavor with it (like peanut butter, caramel, ect).

I do however like the flavor of coconut- but not the texture. I promise that I am not picky. I am just a little bit Sally. "I like it the way I like it."

The combination of these two recipes is perfect for me, and I think that you will enjoy them as well. Chocolate lovers and coconut lovers alike!

Brownies
1 cup butter
2 cups sucanat/ rapadura
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder (the cocoa bean is one of the most heavily processed and sprayed plants, so this is one area that it is worth it to make the switch to organic)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Melt butter and combine all ingredients. Spread into greased 9x11 pan and bake for 20-25 min at 350 degrees. Top with homemade coconut ice cream!

Coconut Ice Cream
1 can coconut milk
2 cups whole milk
1 cup cream
3/4 cup maple syrup
2-3 tbsp coconut extract

Mix all ingredients together and place in ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions.

Nice Photo Op and A First!

2009-04-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Nice Photo op...
My friend Laura at Baby Dolls and Beer Bottles tagged me for a take-a-picture-of-yourself-right now-and-post-it meme. She did not tell me what it was for and just messaged me that I had been tagged. So, like an idiot, I went straight to it.
And, here it is...

Cute, huh?

I've been asleep on the sofa since 8:30 because I have been puking. I woke up to puke some more at 11:30, and decided to use the hour of felling better to catch up on a few things on the laptop, and I stumbled upon Laura's message. Thanks, girl!

If you are reading this message, consider yourself tagged. I don't have the energy to go through and link everyone right now.

and A First...

I have been a Premier Designs Jeweler since 2000. It has been 8 1/2 years, and for the first time ever, I puked at a show. I have probably only hurled two or three times in that whole 8 1/2 year period, and this time, I had to break it down at a jewelry show. Lovely! I left my jewelry at my hostess' house. I hope the guests had fun playing in my jewelry box tonight!!!!!!!!!

Yumm... yummm... Yummiest burgers!

2009-03-31T04:05:00.000-07:00

We made these burgers for the second time this weekend, and they are the best burgers EVER...as long as you have someone to work the grill...like my man! No need to limit them to the summer as the recipe says either. These are delicious when it is cold outside as well.

Summer Feta Burger with Gourmet Cheese Spread

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red onion, minced
2 lbs beef
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
1/4 cup red wine
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1 large heirloom tomato, sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced
8 leaves green leaf lettuce leaves
8 Kaiser rolls, split
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 clove minced garlic, basil, and dill. Cover and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook 1 clove minced garlic and onion for 4 to 6 minutes, or until translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.
4. While the grill is heating, gently mix together the cooked garlic and onion, ground beef, pork sausage, feta cheese, red wine, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Do not over work the meat mixture. Divide into 8 equal parts and form into patties.
5. Grill patties on preheated grill for 5 to 10 minutes per side, until well done. Toast the split buns on the grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Assemble the burgers by spreading 1 1/2 tablespoon of the cheese and herb spread to both the top and bottom of each roll. Place patties on the bottom half of the rolls and stack a slice of tomato, sliced red onion, and a leaf of lettuce on each burger. Add the roll tops and serve.

ENJOY!

In joy, Troye

Favorite Pantry

2009-02-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

A random Favorite Things Friday post...I realized a couple of months ago, that I have never lived in a house long enough to need to re-organize anything. About the time that we got to the point of needing a little fresh organization in our home, we would move, which allows for re-organization in and of itself.

Since we have lived in this house almost three years now, it is time to make a few adjustments. I started with the pantry...

Since we have wire shelving in our pantry, I started out by having The Man cut very thin pieces of plywood to fit the shelves. I covered them in contact paper, and now small bottles don't fall over, and the weight is a little more evenly distributed.

I also added baskets to contain things like bags of chips, granola bars, and small baking items.

I also put things like extra flour, sugar, and oats in plastic containers. I want to switch to all glass, but that will take time (and $).

I added a shelf of quart sized glass jars to contain snack items such as raisins, popcorn, nuts and trail mix, and The Man cut a couple of two by fours to give some heighth for the back row. Looks great, huh?
Finally, although my spices are in a different place in my kitchen, I count those as part of pantry organization. I added a couple of tiered lazy susans- one with sweet spices, and one with savory- to be able to see (almost) all spices at a glance. I used to keep them in a bin that I had to pull out every time I needed something.

In total, this project only cost about $20 (for the lazy susans, quart sized mason jars-which I actually already had, plywood and contact paper).

J's class

2009-02-25T03:34:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day, we had strawberry cupcakes in J-Man's class. He really enjoyed the super sweet icing!
D received this uber cute V-Day necklace made from saran wrap and candy. He had a really difficult time not touching it for me to snap a photo.

Mason... chillin' with his Capri sun

J got off of the bus Monday afternoon, and said, "Guess what, Mama? I have something VERY funny to tell you.

Tomorrow is FAT TUESDAY!"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.....

We celebrated Mardi Gras in his classroom with Masks and King Cake.

Ashley got the baby. I can only imagine what her mom thought when she went home and told her mother, "Mom, there was a baby in my cake."

Hummingbird Cake

2009-02-22T03:40:00.000-08:00

I have never understood why hummingbird cake is named after a small bird. When I was a kid I wouldn't eat it at chuch potlucks because that sounded gross. For some reason a few weeks ago, I decided I wanted a hummingbird cake though, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I asked everyone I knew if they had a good recipe, and no one did. Apparantly hummingbird cake is not that popular these days. I need a Great Aunt Edna who made it from scratch and who is willing to pass down the recipe to preserve it for future generations. No luck. I have no Great Aunt Edna.

I did find out some interesting theories on my quest for a recipe as to why it was dubbed hummingbird cake in the first place. One is that the cake is so good that it is eaten quickly like the rapid flapping of the small hummingbird's wings. Another is that it is so sweet like the nectar that the hummingbird drinks. Who knows or cares? The cake is just good.

Here is the recipe that I adapted, and it is delicious if I am allowed to say so. It is also very nutritious, but don't let that deter you from the moist yummy goodness that is this cake!

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 cup honey granules (sub white sugar if desired)

1/2 cup sucanot (sub brown sugar if desired)

1/2 cup coconut oil (or whatever oil you prefer)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 very ripe large bananas, mashed

1 cup crushed pineapple, with juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 large eggs, beaten

Preaheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour two 9 inch cake pans or three 8 inch cake pans.

Stir dry ingredients together and then add all other ingredients, stirring to combine. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with fingertips (about 20-25 min). Cool 10 minutes, invert to wire rack and cool completely before icing.

Buttercream Frosting

1 stick softened butter

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pound powdered evaporated cane juice (sub powdered sugar if desired)

Whip cream with a mixer or whisk. Move to another bowl. Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla and add powdered sugar continuing to mix with a paddle attachment until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.

After icing, cover top of cake with chopped pecans.

Getting Ready for V-Day!

2009-02-11T16:20:00.001-08:00

Smoky Tomato Salmon Chowder

2009-02-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

You guys are not going to believe this...

Wait for it...

Seriously, you should sit down...

It's Favorite Things Friday!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, if you are having trouble breathing, dial 911, and then keep reading because this is a good one.

It was a soup night, and fish was on the menu, so I made this Better Homes and Gardens recipe! Delish!

The only thing I changed was that once the soup was heated, I added 1/2 cup of heavy cream to make it more bisque- like.

Smoky Tomato Salmon Chowder
Start to Finish: 45 minutes

Ingredients
3 6-oz. fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets
1 to 2 tsp. chili powder
2 medium red sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium sweet onion, cut in 1/2-inch slices
1 jalapeño pepper,* halved lengthwise and seeded
2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
1 14.5-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 large tomato, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1 medium avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
Chili powder
Directions
1. Thaw salmon, if frozen. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and refrigerate while roasting vegetables.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place sweet peppers, onion, and jalapeño pepper, cut sides down, on foil-lined baking sheet. Roast 15 to 20 minutes. Loosely wrap vegetables in foil; let stand 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place salmon in a shallow greased baking pan; fold under thin edges. Bake 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork; keep warm.
4. With sharp knife loosen and peel off skins from peppers; discard skins. Coarsely chop peppers and onion; transfer to large saucepan. Add broth and undrained tomatoes. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in chopped tomato and parsley.
5. To serve, ladle chowder into shallow bowls. Break salmon in pieces and divide among bowls. Top with avocado slices and sprinkle with chili powder. Makes 6 main-dish servings.
6. *Hot chile peppers, such as jalapeños, contain oils that may burn the skin and eyes. Wear plastic gloves when working with hot peppers or thoroughly wash bare hands with soap and water after handling them.

There are still plenty of soup days left this year, so definitely add this to your menu!!!!!

In joy, troye!

Post your favorite soup recipe to your blog, and add the link here. I would love to see what you have to share!

Coconut Oil Benefits

2009-02-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot of question on FB about coconut oil, so I wanted to add a link to a great youtube expalining the health benefits here. Dr. Mercola promotes a certain brand, but as long as you get extra virgin and it smells like fresh coconuts you are fine. I cook everything with it- including bread- and it offers the best flavor of any oil out there!!!!!! Here's a little more 411:

Uninspired

2009-01-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

It's not that I'm dead, just uninspired. If you can call what I do on this blog writing, then I definitely have writers block!!!!!!!!

So, I just decided to post a random photo to (hopefully) get back into the swing of things.

This is an oldie. This was in our temporary apartment in Savannah before we moved into our house. I found Jonah this way. I actually seem to remember a piece of toilet paper hanging from his mouth when I found him as well. GOOD TIMES!!!!!!!

Thanks again to the three of you faithful readers who support me even when I don't post. :) Love you!
In joy, Troye

2009-01-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

All right already! I know, I know. It has been a loooooooooong time. I have been feeling very un-blogspired, and so I just haven't posted anything. I haven't even been moving photos over from my memory card. What is up with that?

So here I am.

Unfortunately, nothing fun or exciting has happened other than my friend, Laura over at Baby Dolls and Beer Bottles nominated me for this blog award:

Let me just go ahead and tell you how undeserving I am of any award, especially when you consider the fact that Laura had to facebook message me to even let me know about it. How embarrassingly pathetic is that?

Thanks for the award, Laura!!!!!!!!!

I would also like to nominate a few of my favorite blogs for this award. These people are much more deserving of blog awards!!!!!

Nikki, over at The Best Intentions. She is one of my BFFs, and she makes me feel better about not blogging because check out her last post. :) Sorry to "out" you, Nikki, and I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!!! I also love her blog, and getting to see her precious family!!!
Just to make Nikki feel better, I would also like to nominate another BFF, Kristina at Momma's Banter. Seriously, check out her last blog post. She cracks me up everytime she posts (all four times!).
And, just to make Kristina feel better, I nominate Susannah, at Honey in My Coffee. One post, at Halloween!
Okay, now that I am done making myself feel better about not blogging, I would also like to nominate, Andrea, at Who Has More Fun Than Us. One of my favorite people and bloggers. You should seriously check her out. This is what blogging should look like, and we all aspire to be like you, Andrea!
I would also like to give a shout out to my sis-in-law, Sharon, at The Exploits of Sharona and JT. I love getting to see what she and JT are up too. Check this kid out... Is he a cutie, or what?
Next I nominate Amy, over at The Shafe Family. It is always fun to connect with old friends (not that you are old Amy, we've just known each other a long time), and see what they are up to!
I would like to nominate Kimberly, over at Kimberly's Daily Grace. You have to read her Biggest Loser post. HILLARIOUS!
Anna over at Little Bit Brown, whose "little bit" was born on my birthday last year and is the most precious butterball in the world. Anna, you are my idol when it comes to first time motherhood! Now put some photos on that blog, girl!

That's all for me... now here are the rules, so that you can nominate some deserving blogs as well.

So here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Party Pooped!!!

2008-12-31T01:53:00.000-08:00

What a holiday season! This was the year of the party.

We started with pajama day in J-Man's classroom and the arrival of The Polar Express. Do you see the children sitting on the train? Their second grade book buddies joined us for the party.

After Ms. Corrigan read The Polar Express to the class, the teachers served a hot cocoa bar with fresh whipped cream, mini marshmellows, crushed peppermint, and colored sprinkles.
One second greader declared it "the best hot chocolate" he had ever tasted! Thanks, Buddy!
After hot cocoa, we got a call from the office that a very cold package had arrived from the North Pole. Our jingle bell necklaces had been shipped via magic straight to our school. They were still cold even!

Next was D's holiday party at school, in which all I had to do was send in a couple of boxes of graham crackers. Whew!

Check out this cute kiddo in the Santa hat.

Next was J-Man's school party. We decorated the teachers,decorated cookies for our snack,played a little bingo and M&M straw grab,made reindeer food to leave out for Rudolph on Christmas Eve,and made adorable snowman pins out of buttons (sorry no close up photo), and jingle bell door hangers.Somewhere in those days, we even managed to decorate gingerbread houses at homeand our family Christmas tree.

There was also a grown- up dinner party complete with leg of lamb, cocktails, and peppermint ice cream cake somewhere in the mix. How did I miss getting photos of that? Hmmmm......

We then celebrated Christmas with The Man's fam.

Complete with cul-de-sac football.

What a grab!

One of my favorite parties of the year is our annual Happy Birthday Jesus Party. Our craft this year was a terra cotta nativity.

The Force was with D-Man's Mary and Joseph. I did not, however, allow him to glue them there like he wanted.

We read the Christmas Story and decorated our small tree with nativity ornaments,

and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus (even though I am pretty sure D thinks we are singing to him here).

Finally, two days before Christmas. we had our home Polar Express party with the Sanfords.
Palette...Poses...
Popcorn and cocoa...
and Jaxon's constant reminders that the movie is about a train!

Wow! What a fun and exciting holiday season, and all of this took place before Christmas day!!! I'm settling down for a long winters nap!!!

...and to all a Good Night!

I Corinthians 13- Christmas Style

2008-12-17T03:35:00.000-08:00

I usually think these kinds of things are pretty cheesy- and they are- but I really liked this one, and I wanted to share it with you.

Corinthians 13 Christmas Version
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, Strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, But do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, Preparing gourmet meals And arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, But do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home And give all that I have to charity, But do not show love to my family, It profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, Attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, But do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, But is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, But rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, Hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, Golf clubs will rust&But giving the gift of love will endure. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

I'm posting this as my Works for Me Wednesday as a reminder to all of us-ahem, I mean myself- that my Christmas focus should not be on the hustle and bustle, but on HIM and others around us! Head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips.

In joy, Troye

Open House

2008-12-15T04:09:00.000-08:00

It's BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes, so I want to take you on a very short tour of my Christmas Decor. Come on in the front door (complete with fingerprints because I want you to have the full effect)...

Say hello to Santa and Mrs. Claus. They welcome you to our home where they sit atop the piano and cheer for our Dawgs (next season). Ahem!!!

Stop by the kitchen table for a snack.The Man is making Stadler Christmas Candies in the kitchen (recipe below).

Or enjoy some Ranger Cookies (recipe below) or Muffins as you gaze upon our Christmas Tree in the Morning Room.

Don't forget to check out the boys' homemade nativities from last year's Happy Birthday Jesus Party. And visit us next week to see this year's homemade nativity.

Take a glance at our Christmas cards on the basement door that is covered in wrapping paper, and then...

...have a seat in front of the fire place and enjoy some homemade hot cocoa (recipe below).

Here are the recipes:

Stadler Christmas Candies:

1 stick butter, softened

4 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup coconut flakes

1 qt nuts, chopped

1 small can sweetened condensed milk

2 bags semisweet chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together, excluding chocolate. Make into 1 in. balls. Melt chocolate in microwave and dip balls into chocolate thoroughly coating each candy. You may add parafin wax to your chips help the chocolate adhere to the candies. Dry on wax paper.

Ranger Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter
1 cup Sucanat w/ Honey
1 cup Sucanat
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 ½ cups Soft Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups Rolled Oats
½ cup Shredded Coconut
½ cup Chopped Nuts
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter, sucanat w/ honey, and sucanat until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix well. Stir in rolled oats, coconut and nuts; mix well.
Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Makes 2 dozen large cookies.

Stovetop Hot Cocoa

Mix 1/2 cup sugar (I use sucanot a brown sugar equivalent), 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa, and a dash of salt in saucepan. Add 1/3 cup water and heat over medium until mixture boils for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add 4 cups whole milk and heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add 1tsp vanilla.

Serve with cinnamon sticks, peppermint sticks, marshmellows or whipped cream and sprinkles. Caramel makes this an extra special treat as well. See previous post for salted caramel hot chocolate recipe.

Merry Christmas!
In joy, Troye

Mood Music

2008-12-12T09:28:00.000-08:00

Jonah at the dinner table:

"We wish you a Merry August, We wish you a Merry August..."

And, yes, we allow singing at the table. I never understood why that was considered rude. ?

Merry August Everyone!!!!!

In joy, Troye

Wish Books Work For Me

2008-12-10T02:42:00.001-08:00

Last year for the boys' Christmas wish lists, we got them each a poster board to glue cut out pictures of what they wanted for Christmas to. It worked well, but they were rather large and bulky (just in case you hadn't noticed that about poster board).

This year The Man came up with the great idea to change our format to a composition notebook so that they could carry it around. Because I told them they could not start their wish lists until after Halloween, on November 1, I wrapped two composition in wrapping paper and then wrapped clear contact paper around that. This has been a sufficient covering for J-Man, my oldest.

I will upload a photo after they wake up because they sleep with these books. My youngest carries his with him everywhere! Therefore I have had to re-tape his a couple of times.

They know that the Sunday paper contains the wish papers, and they destroy my house every Sunday cutting out pictures of things to go in their wish book.

And, poor D-Man has things in his wish book like Cheetos, Pop Tarts, and Chips Ahoy. Sad, deprived little child gets homemade treats, and he wants the store bought stuff.

So, that Works For Me. I hope you get some use out of it too. Head on over to Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer and check out some other Works For Me Wednesday tips.

Life with Boys

2008-12-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for bed...
J-Man is jumping on his bed- it is such a calming process- and yelling "Poop" into our faces.
Repeatedly.
Over and Over Again.
J-Man: "Poop! Poop! Poop!"
The Man: "If you say poop one more time, I'm going to spank you!"
J-Man: "Pee!"

I betcha that doesn't happen in houses with all girls.

In joy, Troye!

2008-12-07T03:26:00.000-08:00

D preformed for the group during his holiday luncheon.

In joy, Troye!

Highly Recommended

2008-12-07T02:51:00.000-08:00

If you live within driving distance of Stone Mountain, their Christmas celebration should be top on your list of things to do this holiday season. It's not cheap, but even The Man said it was worth the money!!!!! For those of you who do not know my man, that is saying a lot.

Sorry, Baby. You're not "cheap" you're just money wise. :)
Here we are looking all cute and warm. A photo of us? What is that doing in here?

All bundled up for the train ride. When you take the train around the base of the mountain, you see a light show, and the train stops for telling of the real Christmas story. They even talk about the angels and baby Jesus. I was blown away.

J-Man on top of the mountain. They rode the cable car up to the very cold mountain top. Brrrrrr..........

For indoor fun, there is a super cool play area complete with foam ball guns and three story twisty slides. And, yes, that is the technical term.

The evening began with a small parade where Mr and Mrs Clause were introduced.

And, we ended the evening by visiting Santa to tell him about our list. J-Man wants a Transformer and a kid sized ping pong table- this was news to me. And, D wants a "big bus." No surprises there.

There is also a Polar Express 4D experience and the laser show is presented several times throughout the night. If that is not enough excitement there is also miniature golf.

And, this is what your children look like on the way home from Stone Mountain Christmas!

In joy, Troye!

On the Second Day of Christmas

2008-12-07T02:48:00.000-08:00

Friday, the boys gave each of their teachers a pair of gloves for the second day of Christmas give-a-thon. An extra pair of gloves for them to keep at school so that they always have a pair for the playground is always a fun gift. It doesn't make for a very exciting blog post though. Sorry!

In joy, Troye!

On the First Day of Christmas

2008-12-04T03:31:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to participate in 12 Days of Christmas for the boys' teachers. Thanks to some encouragement from my friend, Kimberly, and some help from my friend, Amy, I am going for it this year.

Because there are only 12 school day left before the Christmas break, our 12 days begin today.

Day 1: Candied CranberriesThese are so stinking yummy if you enjoy cranberries, and they have a really pretty presentation. I will be making these for holiday parties this season.

Here is the recipe if you would like to make them as well...

Candied Cranberries

Bring 2 cups of water and two cups of sugar to simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat (do not boil because cranberries will pop). Remove simple syrup from heat and stir 2 cups of cranberries into the liquid. Pour into a bowl, and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours). Drain cranberries, reserving liquid, and roll them in 3/4 cup of superfine sugar. If you cannot find superfine sugar, just put your sugar in the food processor for a minute or two. Spread into a single layer on a cookie sheet and let dry for 1 hour.

Important: Use the reserved liquid for a fun Holiday cocktail and garnish with your candied cranberries.

Merry Christmas!

In joy, Troye!

WARNING! This post is Rated M for mature!

2008-12-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Update: I've been censored!

Cover your children's eyes.

My boys are early risers. They come by it honestly. I haven't slept past 8am since college, and I really can't even remember when the last time was that I even slept until 8am.

But, the rule in our house is that they cannot come out of their bedroom until 7am.

No matter what time they wake up.

Today, they were up at 5:45. Fortunately, that is early even for them.

That means they had a lot of time to their own devices in their bedroom.

This is what I found at 7am...

I didn't ask any questions, and neither should you.

It's just another day in the life.

In joy, Troye!

Gift Card Giveaway!

2008-12-01T03:30:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't a $500 Wal-Mart gift card come in handy this time of year?
I thought so.
Head on over here and enter to win... Just leave a comment to enter.

Thankful Day 30

2008-11-30T18:24:00.000-08:00

This photo has nothing to do with the rest of the post. I just think it is funny. The boys and their cousin JT played costumes all weekend, and this is one of them. J takes it very seriously.

Sunday is Kids Eat Free at Buffalos. I am very thankful for that. Here is what J Man is thankful for.

His prayer at supper: "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food, and [peeking with one eye] thank you for the robot on that t.v. Amen."

In joy, Troye

Thankful Days

2008-11-29T03:34:00.000-08:00

Catching up...

Day 19. Friends- wow! I am overwhelmed just thinking about all of the amazing friends that I have.
Day 20. My kitchen- I spend the majority of my day there and love every minute of it. Okay, so I wish it was self cleaning. I don't enjoy that part, but every other moment I love my kitchen.
Day 21. My Kitchenaid mixer
Day 22. My Kitchenaid food Processor- I REALLY do not know how I EVER survived before I had this. The Man got this for me for Christmas about three years ago, and it was my favorite Christmas present ever. I know most of you would prefer jewelry or chocolates, but give me a kitchen tool any day of the week, and I am putty in your hands, Baby. I use the food processor on a daily basis often cleaning it and using it multiple times for one meal. There are so many things that I never even attempted in the kitchen that are now so easy and I do on a regular basis. Love it love it love it!!! If you don't have one, put a GOOD one on your Christmas list this year. You will not regret it!!!
Day 23. DVR- I love never having to watch commercials and being able to sit down at the telly and watch what I want to watch whenever I want to watch it.
Day 24. Wood burning fireplace.
Day 25. A gas starter on the wood burning fire place! I would never build a fire by myself if I had to build it from "scratch."
Day 26. Sewing Machine and Embroidery Machine- my creative outlets. I don't use them as often as I would like, but I am very thankful to have them when I am feeling crafty.
Day 27. The unsewer (otherwise known as a seam ripper). I would NEVER be able to use the items listed on Day 26 if it were not for the unsewer. I am even better at unsewing as I am at sewing.
Day 28. See yesterday's post... I'm thankful for food!!!!!
Today. I am thankful for lazy days to hang out with my family and play!

In joy, Troye

in one word...

2008-11-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

This is a one word meme from my friend Laura. She and I went to high school together, and although we were friends, we never really knew that we had anything specific in common- and we might not have Then. We have recently reconnected via the almighty Facebook, and have realized that we have very similar interests. It has been so much fun reconnecting with her. You can meet her too... Check out her super fun blog!!!

And, Nikki, Kristina, Andrea, Amy, Susannah, Kimberly, Sharon, and Anna, consider yourselves tagged!

Where is your mobile phone? purse

Where is your significant other? basement

Your hair color? brown

Your mother? do-er

Your father? giver

Your favorite thing? kiddos

Your dream last night? nada

Your dream goal? happiness

The room you’re in? living room

Your hobby? one?

Your fear? rejection

Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

Where were you last night? home

What you’re not? compassionate

One of your wish-list items? grain mill

Where you grew up? Athens

The last thing you did? cook

What are you wearing? glasses

Your TV? tube

Your pets? crazy

Your computer? laptop

Your mood? drained

Missing someone? friends

Your car? mom

Something you’re not wearing? earrings

Favorite shop? Williams-Sonoma

Your summer? short

Love someone? yep

Your favorite color? can't

When is the last time you laughed? today

When is the last time you cried? clueless

In joy, Troye

Thanksgiving Day Fun

2008-11-28T10:44:00.000-08:00

Since I have gotten REALLY behind on my thankfulness month, I just decided to fill you in on my Thanksgiving day and play catch up later. But yesterday, I was thankful for SO many things, but i must admit that one of them was yummy, yummy, good food. Anyone who knows me knows that I like- no LOVE- to eat!!! I will try to list all the things that I ate yesterday- and not sit here and feel bloated...

Turkey

Dressing (twice)

Gravy (twice)

Cranberry sauce (twice)

Sweet Potato casserole

Stuffed olives

Green bean casserole (twice)

Mashed potatoes

apple pie

pecan pie

Butter beans

Corn

Scalloped apples

pumpkin pie

Macaroni and cheese

Fried Okra

That might be it. I'm not sure. I'm going for a run now!!!

My youngest child also LOVES to eat. He might even have me beat in the appreciation of food category. He also loves to play- and this motorized Dora car was a rip- roaring good time yesterday. But one would hate to have to stop eating to drive. :) Check it out!!! Enjoy!

In joy, Troye!

Finally...Susannah's Fave Things

2008-11-24T05:34:00.000-08:00

All rightie Girls! Here is is finally. It has only taken me two weeks to get this together.

And, by the way, today I am thankful for finally finishing this post. So, here goes...

My friend Susannah moved to California two weeks ago.

On her last Girls' Night, she made us promise not to do anything special. "No goodbyes." So, we didn't say goodbye, we just hosted "Susannah's Favorite Things."While we ate dinner (chicken lettuce wraps and egg rolls), we brought out her first box of her favorite things.

Mango Body Butter from The Body Shop (and I must agree it is a little slice of heaven!)

And Sea Salt Caramel Truffles from Scoops.

After dinner, we brought out round 2.

A chick-fil-a pez dispenser

Cute kitchen gloves

Cranberry room spray

And, cute gift cards.

After supper, we all sat around the coffee table and shared a variety of cakes from a local bakery. Chocolate Raspberry. Chocolate Chocolate. Some other Chocolate. And, Banana Cream.
The finale...

A Williams-Sonoma Holiday Cookbook.

A set of ramekins.

And, a recipe book full of Susannah's favorite recipes that we each contributed.

Here is the gang.

Susannah, Anna (and Dylan), Amy, Kimberly, Kristina, and me.

New Twilight Trailer

2008-11-19T11:28:00.001-08:00

One- eight (That's kinderspeak for 18)

2008-11-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for teachers. For all the wonderful- and not so great- teachers that I had over the years. For the teachers that the boys have now, and for all the faithful who give of themselves daily for our children. I get a little overwhelmed just thinking about it. I taught school for one year. And thankfully, for the sake of those children, I started having my own children, and stayed home- and out of the schools. I was not a good teacher. I loved the kiddos, but I had no clue what I was doing. It did, however, give me an even greater appreciation for the profession of teachers. There is no way y'all are paid enough or could ever be thanked enough, but just know that on this day of thankfulness, I am thankful for YOU!!!

Nope, Not me!

2008-11-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

MckMama over at My Charming Kids blog hosts a blogroll on Mondays called Not Me Mondays. It is where you can tell what you did today (or any day for that matter), and confess what you MOST DEFINITELY DID NOT DO. I love reading these posts, but I have never posted because I NEVER have anything to admit. :)What did I do today? I went to JoAnn's to get fabric for some Christmas projects this morning, and then I went grocery shopping. I came home to intercept the boys off of the bus, then I took J Man to karate and came home and made supper. Pretty boring stuff, huh? I most definitely did NOT grocery shop at FOUR different grocery stores and still forget the one thing that The Man asked for- a simple loaf of bread. Nope, not me. I would never do that! And, I would never lie about this being the first time that I would have a "Not me" to post. Nope, not me!!!Check out what other people did not do today over at My Charming Kids.

Day 17- I'm thankful!

2008-11-17T04:08:00.000-08:00

Only my best of friends get to see me like this (so if you are reading this post, you may now consider yourself a BFF)...

My hair has always been a constant source of irritation. Even at the height of my "townie" days, when I was trying my hardest to make it look like I didn't care about my appearance, and I didn't do anything else to enhance my appearance, I still had to "fix" my hair every day. I have very course, wirey hair. Back in the day I had to completely blow dry my hair- about 15 minutes with an ultra powerful dryer (and I shoot through at least a couple a year)- and then hot roll it to get any sort of manageability. This is what I look like after a complete blow dry (and let me just tell you this grows throughout the day here in the humid south).

About five years ago, I discovered the new and improved straightening iron. I have been through about four of these as well, but they are a necessity in my life. I generally have to use a pretty expensive one because of the damage that I do adding so much heat to my hair on a daily basis. But, here it is: My Precious!!!!!!!

And, here is the after shot. It takes only about five minutes to accomplish a straight, flat, shinier look.

And, there you have it. I am thankful for my flat iron and for the hair stylist whose name I can't remember in Savannah, who first introduced me to the new and improved styling tool.
And, yes, I am trivial enough that I have already posted TWO thankfulness days about my hair.

A Day late and a Dollar Short...

2008-11-17T02:35:00.000-08:00

Day 15: I am so thankful for family. I know I have already mentioned several individual members of my fam, but for the sake of being completely redundant, I want to mention them again, this time as a group. The boys and I got to go hang out with my parents and brother and sister Saturday. It was so much fun just being relaxed, watching the boys climb trees and enjoying one another.

Day 16: To be redundant again, I am thankful for my sister. Yesterday was her birthday. She turned a quarter of a century. REALLY OLD!
I can't believe that I don't have a photo of my little sis anywhere on this computer. I will have to check our files and load one later.
Happy Birthday, Naomi!!!! We love you!

Playing Catch up

2008-11-15T02:45:00.000-08:00

Day 11: I am thankful that I signed up for Thankfulness blogging month.

Day 13: I am thankful for all the things that keep me so busy- even though they keep me from blogging daily during thankfulness month like I should- my boys, and their classrooms, cooking, hanging with my peeps, getting my hair cut... Which by the way, I am also thankful for Vikki, my stylist, who cuts my hair in order to help it grow out. Kind of a paradox, huh?

Day 14: I'm thankful for family night with the boys...

Check this out!

In joy, Troye

Funny!

2008-11-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

According to The Slogan Generator, here is my slogan... What is yours?

Your Slogan Should Be

Have You Ever had a Bad Time in Troye?

The Slogan Generator

And, I'm a comma,

You Are a Comma

You are open minded and extremely optimistic.

You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything.

You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests.

You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time.

Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to.

(But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.)

You excel in: Inspiring people

You get along best with: The Question Mark

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

On the 12th Day of Thankfulness...

2008-11-12T03:29:00.000-08:00

...My web friend sent to me,

a quilt that she made in a tree.

Okay she probably didn't make it in a tree, but she did make it just for me. I participated in a lap quilt swap through Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing Group.

This is the quilt that was sent to me.

And, this is the quilt that I sent to Naphtali in Minnesota. How cute are her fabrics? I loved how it turned out, and I hope that she enjoys it.
Thanks for the quilt, friend!!!

In joy, Troye

Day 9 on Day 11

2008-11-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

As I catch up on thankfulness blogging, I must proclaim my gratefulness for the world wide web. Wow!!!!!! I'm speechless, and the reason for that is that I must admit that the internet makes me stupid. I am so dependent on the internet, that I don't even have word recall skills anymore. I use the web as my dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, cookbook, menu planner, phone book, tv guide, and the ultimate time waster. Just this week, I have made shortbread thumbprint cookies, white chicken chili, homemade chocolate pudding, pumpkin-apple pie, and a quilt from the pages of the world wide web. I will do most of my Christmas shopping online, and I even used to grocery shop online- darn that webvan for going out of business! I get online to catch up with friends, to stay in touch with all of you, and to come up with quick cleaning solutions.

I could go on and on, but I am running out of vocabulary thanks to the web- and my attention span is surprisingly short- so I will stop now.

In joy, Troye!

Update

2008-11-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

I just talked to my dad, and my mom came out of surgery fine. She will be in the hospital until Thursday or Friday! Thanks for your prayers.

In joy, Troye

Boys will be Boys- Day 8 Revisited

2008-11-11T03:41:00.000-08:00

Andrea, this is what Coleman was doing yesterday afternoon when he came to pick up the safety pins. He went straight into the backyard when he heard the boys playing. They took turns barreling down the hill and knocking each other off of the crazy coupe!

Since I am a little behind in my thankful month- the entire fam has been under the weather- this is one of my catch up thankfuls! I love that we live in a neighborhood with great neighbors whose kids feel comfortable letting themselves into the back yard to play. How great is that!!!

I am also very thankful for Coleman and Christian- Andrea's boys- who are our runners. Whenever I need to borrow something or she needs something from me, Coleman and Christian become our instant couriers. Thanks guys!!!!!!!

Thankful Days

2008-11-11T02:58:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for my mom. I know this is true of all of us, but no person has influenced my life and who I am more than my mother. She led me to the Lord at a young age, and she mentored me to love Him with all my heart and serve others with intensity. She not only taught me these things, but she led by example!!! She nursed me when I was sick, disciplined me when I got off track, and loved me no matter how stupid I was when I was a teenager. She spoils my boys even when I ask her not to, and she loves them quite possibly even more than she loves me. She is the best Marmie in the world. You might see her running around Athens in her car with a Marmie personalized car tag, but you will have to look fast because she doesn't slow down. She works three jobs so that she can lavish the boys with gifts, and she tirelessly serves others in her daily life and through her church.

Today, my mom is having knee replacement surgery. She is so excited because she has been in pain for a long time. Please pray for her as she goes through the surgery today and recovery over the next few weeks.

I don't tell you enough, but I love you, Mama!!!!!

Favorite Things- Surprise it's food!

2008-11-07T03:47:00.000-08:00

Surprise! My favorite thing this week is a food. I find that unbelievable myself.

This is a new cereal that I found a Trader Joes, and it should not even be called a cereal. The milk and the bowl are not worthy of this cereal. It should be eaten straight out of the box in large handfuls!!!!
Yumm-oh!

Add one of your favorite things and put the link here...

Day 7 on the Thankful Journey

2008-11-07T03:35:00.000-08:00

Back to cliched thankfulness, but it is so true! I am so grateful for our home. This is the first house that we have ever lived in that I have enjoyed even more the longer we have lived in it. There are always things that I want to change and improve upon, but the Lord has blessed us beyond measure with this house.

My favorite things to do in this house is entertain, so if you are reading this post, consider this your invitation to come hang with us!!!!!

Today

2008-11-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

I am in a somewhat reflective state of mind this afternoon, so as I ponder what I want post that I am thankful for, I am inclinded to post something serious again. Deep is great. Do not get me wrong. I am thinking of multiple serious things to post right now, but I promised to keep it light this morning, so I will save the more special things for later this month.

For Day 6 of the Thankful Blogging Challenge, I would like to proclaim my gratefulness for hair dye. I know that it will come to a shock to many of you that I have to color my hair at such a young age. I have actually colored my hair since I was 22 years old when my first few grays appeared, so I have had plenty of time to come to terms with those nasty critters. I have tried every box of color available at the drug store- and I only tiger striped my hair once. The Man even helps me color at home. I have also visited many salons in my day to have professional color- and there is definitely a difference!

I know that hair dyes contain many things that are probably bad for my body, but it is one of those things that falls into the I-am-vain-enough-not-to-care category!

So, here is to Lady Clairol and the entire hair dye industry. I salute you! Thank you Lord for giving them the insight to help me avoid growing old gracefully!!!

Of course Proverbs 16:31 says, "Gray hair is a mark of distinction, the award of a God-loyal life."
Is it okay for me to ask God to reward me in some other way? Plus aren't we suppossed to watch out for pride in our lives? Does anyone else see how my head full of gray could become a source of pride? I guess I will just have to be humble and keep reaching for that bottle!!!

Today is the 6th

2008-11-06T03:27:00.000-08:00

I recently read a blog post about gratefulness that inspired me to TRY to post something that I am thankful for every day of the month of November. Coming up with things that I am thankful for will not be the issue, but posting every day during this crazy time of year might be.
Since today is already the 6th, I have some catching up to do. I invite you to join me, fellow blogger friends. Take a moment to add a quick thankfulness post with me today, or leave your grateful comment.

My first five things (and, yes, I am going to sound a bit cliche on some of these, but I want to express what I am genuinely thankful for):

The gorgeous fall colors that the Lord is painting for us right now. The leaves here in the south are at the peak of color change, and it is spectacular. This is my favorite time of year for many reasons, but the beauty of the earth at this point is one of those reasons. As I sit here with my laptop looking out over my back deck, I am filled with awe at the beauty of His creation.
My morning cup of joe. I love spending the quiet morning moments with the Lord and a cup of coffee- especially when The Man makes the coffee before he leaves for work. There is nothing better than coming down the stairs and experiencing the aroma of fresh brewed java hitting you in the face. I'm euphoric just thinking about it.
While I'm at it, let me add The Man to my list! I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who loves me even when I'm a little bit crazy, who is the most fantastic father to our boys, who works all day and still comes home to work around the house, who serves the Lord in leadership at our church, and is the perfect man for me!!! LU, Babe!
I hate that this one is now number four, but I also need to give a shout out to my heavenly Father. I am so thankful for His unfailing love and provision in my life, and the fact that He sits on the throne no matter what is going on in my world and wraps me in His loving arms every time I fall.
My sweet, precious boys! I must say that it is so much easier to type that while they are still in the bed, because in about half an hour, the words sweet and precious might not be the adjectives that I would use. I am so blessed to be able to parent them and love them. I was talking to a new mommy yesterday (my friend, Anna, who had her sweet boy, Dylan, on my birthday last week) about those early feelings of motherhood where you feel overwhelmed that the Lord would even entrust these little boogers to you. I remember nursing J and thinking what did I do to deserve this blessing in my life? And now, there are some days that I just think... What did I do to deserve this? Just kidding, boys!!!

So, that gets me through yesterday. Now that I have that done, I think the most difficult thing about this challenge will be narrowing it down to the things that I am most grateful for without being overly cliche. I promise to add some random, fun things to the list as well- just to keep all three of you reading. :)

These Boots are Made for Walkin'

2008-11-02T02:47:00.000-08:00

Ta Da...

Here are the boots. They are apparantly really fun to wear.

Flora and Jaxon did not think that these boots were made for walking. It is difficult to walk in boots that come up to your hips.
And, ironically, the boots that I ended up with are the same ones that The Man chose in brown instead of red.
When we shopped yesterday, I found the boots for $110 at DSW, but I wanted to keep shopping to make sure they were the boots that I really wanted. Then we stopped by Macy's on our way back to DSW, and I found the same boots for $99. Woo Hoo- a $10 savings.

When I got in line to purchase, the sweet lady in front of me had extra coupons to be used with a credit card, and she gave me her $25 off of a $100 purchase. So, I grabbed a pair of socks to get over the $100 mark. I wasn't sure if they would let me even use the coupon since I was paying cash, but it was worth a try. Leroy, the sales clerk, agreed to let me use the coupon, and then the boots rang up to $127.

Oh no!!!!! The sale tag said $99. Leroy also agreed to give me the marked price even though they had been mis-marked. Then Yolanda took over the transaction and said that since they were having to adjust the price anyway that they could just make the boots $100 so that I could use the coupon and not have to buy the socks.

Sooooooooo (drum roll please), the total price of my originally $110 pair of boots was $79.50!!!!!!!!!
I love a great deal!!!!!

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-11-01T04:31:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted a pair of cowboy boots. Specifically red cowboy boots, and for some reason I want to wear them with a skirt.

The Man has always thought I was crazy. Well, that is kind of an understatement, but he thinks I am even crazier for wanting a pair of cowboy boots.

The joke for years has been that I am more than welcome to get a pair as long as I wear them in the bedroom- and that is all I am wearing.

The following poem is what he gave me for my birthday...

For years and years you’ve asked
So finally I’ve agreed
But I’m obviously not up to task
Hence this “poem” from me

I didn’t have a clue
Where to find these things
I’ve looked amongst the shoes
But didn’t find a thing

I found big manly ones
And small dainty ones too
But none as red and shiny
As the ones I want for you

So take this cold hard cash
And go shopping for the loot
But remember our standing deal
And wear nothing but the boots!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I LOVE YOU!!

Along with this photo and a hundred dollar bill attached.
So, today, I am going shopping with Susannah
and Kristina for my boots. I may concede that red boots with a skirt may not be the best fashion choice, but there is nothing wrong with a pair of black or brown boots, right?
Don't answer that!!!

This warms my heart

2008-10-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

This photo makes me so happy. I probably wouldn't be as thrilled about it if it actually happened more often. Long before I had children this is how I always imagined them... eating a healthy snack and enjoying a book on a cool fall afternoon. What bliss!

Pumpkin t-shirts

2008-10-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Last week, we decided to make pumpkin tie- dyed t-shirts for the Kindergarten Fall Festival.

We invited our friends, Elijah, Benjamin, and Mrs. Amy to join us for the fun.

This is Benjamin. He is "three and three quarters, and soon he'll be four."

Apparantly if you wanted orange tie dye, you needed to purchase it weeks ago because there was none to be found. We ended up using a paint spray. That was scary.

Here are J and E spraying their shirts (and the counter and sink).Then, Amy and I decided it would be best to just add the rest of the dye to water and soak the shirts in the sink.

Smart, right?

Well, it worked. They weren't as vibrant or detailed as I had imagined, but here is the finished product. We drew several small pumpkin faces on D's shirt (with a sharpie) and one large face on J's shirt.
Cute, huh?
And, it was fun!

Of course Friday was the rainiest day that we had in Georgia all year, so I was very afraid that we were going to turn into oompa-loompas. The gods were in favor of us retaining our current skin tone though, so no early Willy Wonka costumes this year.

2008-10-29T02:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a meme about Chris that I pulled from Andrea's blog...

All About My Husband
1. He’s sitting in front of the TV: what is on the screen? sports. Specifically football, but the Georgia Bulldogs trump all. Or home imporovement.
2. You’re out to eat. What kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch
3. What is one food he doesn’t like? pretty much anything that I love
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Bud Light or Jack Daniels
5. Where did he go to high school? Marietta High School
6. What size shoe does he wear? 11 1/2
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? nothing. He throws everything away.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? turkey and cheese
9. What would the Husband eat every day if he could? Spaghetti
10. What is his favorite cereal? Golden Grahams
11. What would he never wear? anything orange
12. What is his favorite sports team? Georiga Bulldogs
13. Who will he vote for? John McCain
14. Who is his best friend? I am, of course.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? stack things on his desk
16. How many states has he lived in? 1
17. What is his heritage? Austrian- his grandfather was actually the first in his family to be born in the US. His great- grandmother was pregnant with him when they came across the big pond.
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind? ice cream cake from Dairy Queen or German Chocolate
19. Did he play sports in high school? yes
20. What could he spend hours doing? watching football, riding bikes, and playing with the boys

2008-10-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is how we spent our weekend when we weren't riding bikes.

A tour of my week...

2008-10-24T03:04:00.000-07:00

Hello All! I am not dead. I did not fall off the face of the earth or run away to a foreign country- although that idea does have some merit.

I did, howev-ah, have an insane week, so instead of boring you with one of my favorite things today, I have decided to bore you with the details of my week. I love having all of the power (insert sinister laugh track)!

Saturday:

We took both boys to Homecoming in Athens. This was Daniel's first game.

Notice how Daniel spent his time "between the hedges."

Sunday:

After two services at church, we hosted "Brother John's Traveling Salvation Small Group," Sunday afternoon.

Monday:

A Blur. I actually cannot remember what I did all day Monday. Hmmmmm.....

Tuesday:

I spent the day with well over a hundred Kindergartners at Jaemor Farms in north Georgia. We had a blast picking apples and riding a hayride around the farm that didn't have any hay on it.

Wednesday:

I attempted to help Susannah start her new blog Honey in My Coffee. We got her all set up, now I just have to teach her how to use blogger. Maybe next week.

Then we made pumpkin t-shirts with Elijah, Benjamin, and Amy.

Thursday:

I spent the day at the dentist with Jonah. He had to get three holes in his teeth patched. He now has three pirate teeth because they neglected to inform me that they were sticking stainless steel crowns in my baby's mouth.

Note to moms and dads: If your child needs a filling or crown, and you want to be vain like me, request porcelain crowns before they go back to the dentist chair instead of finding out afterwards like I did. :) Just a little friendly advise.

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon fighting with him about why the dentist had told him that he could not ride his bike!

That was my week in a nutshell. Today I am headed to Fall Festival at J's school then back for the afternoon to make a pumpkin display with his class. If anyone is looking for me, I will be in the loony bin,

Favorite New Starbucks Drink

2008-10-17T04:00:00.001-07:00

My favorite thing this week is so new that I don't even have a photo. It is also so good that I haven't stopped long enough to take a pic.

Drum Roll Please...

"This delicious sweet and salty combination brings together our rich, indulgent Signature Hot Chocolate and the flavors of buttery caramel and smoked sea salt. It is topped with whipped cream, a swirl of caramel and a sprinkle of our sea salt topping - a combination of artisan sea salt and Turbinado sugar from Hawaii."

http://www.starbucks.com/

It is so phenomenal that I had to make it at home...
Here's how:
Make stovetop hot chocolate by following the directions on the cocoa box. Either make homemade whipped cream or pick up a can and top your cocoa with the whipped cream. Then you drizzle the whipped cream with caramel. Here is how you can make homemade caramel or you can pick up a bottle at the store (starbucks even sells their caramel in a easy squeeze bottle). Starbucks adds a shot of toffee nut syrup to the hot chocolate, but I did not find this necessary at home. Maybe that is because of the exorbitant amount of caramel I added to the top. Then you sprinkle course sea salt on top.
Note: if you decide to pick one of these up at your local SB, be sure to request that they not press the lid down. You do not want to waste any of that delicious salt. Then take the lid off to enjoy.
I also had them add a shot of expresso for good measure.

Now stop into every Starbucks that you pass today, and then pick up the ingredients to make your own at home!!! Then tell me about your favorite thing and add you link here...

Congratulations Lee Ann

2008-10-16T13:56:00.001-07:00

Last night was the season finale of Project Runway, and the finale of many laughs and late nights with the girls- until we realized that Top Chef premiers next Wednesday. Let the fun continue.

We had Martha Stewart, herself, join us.

She made us the most delicious pumpkin soup and served it in a precious pumpkin tureen.This is the only photo I took of all of us. We are doing what we do best- talking 90 miles an hour

Kristina also made cookies for each designer that was left in the competition. Kenley had a flower in her hair, Lee Ann had ruffled sleeves, and Korto had a fro.

And they were Yummy!!!

"Make it work...Carry on... Holla atcha boy!!!" Tim Gunn

Easy Smoothies

2008-10-15T04:03:00.000-07:00

For easy everyday smoothies, I keep plain yogart and frozen fruit on hand. Add a little honey and you've got a fabulous easy smoothie.

That's it. It's easy and it works for me.

Run on over to Rocks in My Dryer for some other Works for me Wednesday tips.

2008-10-15T03:18:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch Sunday afternoon. We only passed about a dozen other pumpkin patches on the way, but my sis-in-law assured us that this one was the best. And it was. It was perfect for the preschool/ young elementary aged children. And, when you paid to get in everything was included. Sweet!There was a 30 minute hayride- that we rode twice with Aunt Sharon and JT.
The hayride stopped to let the kids feed the fish.

Pony rides.
A petting zoo...
Complete with hornary old pig that J enjoyed terrorizing.

A wooden maze that ended with a slide.

Horseshoes.

A playground complete with two sandboxes.

A trainride.

And a firepit for marshmellows. Mmmmmm.

The boys had a blast, and we even picked out a pumpkin. I don't have a photo of that for some crazy reason. I think we were over it by the time we actually made it to the pumpkin patch.

It was Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville. It is worth the trip- and it wasn't crowded like Burts. Sorry Burt!

Happy Birthday Elijah!!!!

2008-10-14T04:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Elijah's (one of J's classmates and a neighbor of ours) birthday with him this weekend- mad scientist style! How cool is that wig? Jonah was thrilled that I made him try it on for a photo. Who knew it would fit?

With that thing on he really does look like Sputnik. Elijah's mom, Amy, was very insane- I mean brave- to do a few science experiments with the kiddos.

They made GAK.

And put their hands in it!

Ahhhhhh!!!!

Notice the kid in the middle that had no gak on his hands. That would have been me as a child. Don't make me touch that nasty stuff.

And, then you can see me standing as far away from the science experiment table as possible in the background. I don't have any idea where the children's sensory issues came from, but my bets are still on The Man.

It was a great birthday. Thanks for letting us celebrate with you Elijah!!!!!

Happy Birthday Big Six Year Old!

Karate Graduation

2008-10-13T04:20:00.001-07:00

Jonah graduated to the next level in Karate Saturday. He is now advanced white- green belt. He also moved up to the red uniform. Does anyone else sense a marketing genius here?

As Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible states in his feature film, "They just keep finding new ways to celebrate mediocrity." I'm beginning to think that it might not just be the celebration of mediocirty as much as the exploitation of parents' desire to see their children recognized. Of course we will pay for a new uniform if you include a ceremony.But, I just mean that about all of the other kiddos that were involved in the graduation because of course J's graduation was deserved. Look at that punch!!!
Plus, check out how small his uniform is. I was going to have to buy him a new one anyway. Yes, that is is stomach hanging out of his old uniform. Also what mom would not be excited to get her five year old son out of a WHITE karate uniform? Red is so much more forgiving in the laundry department.
Apparantly, he also likes to get the 80's off the shoulder look going.

This is how D spends his time during karate... Great fun!!!!

Sounds like...

2008-10-11T04:01:00.000-07:00

Recent quotes from the J Man:

Duh...Duh...Duh...Double You! Mommy "W" starts with the letter D!

Juh...Juh...Juh...Jee! And "G" starts with J, just like my name!!!

He is a genius.

I think we have a problem!

2008-10-07T03:18:00.000-07:00

J decided recently that he wanted to grow his hair. For any of you that know my son, you know that he has what I call "Brillo pad" hair, and a LOT of it at that. Bless his heart. Genetics threw him a bad one when he got my hair, but he is a boy and doesn't have the luxury of a straightening iron. When I pour water over his head to wash it, the water literally runs off the sides of his head and doesn't even absorb into his hair.

Okay, and let's be honest here...

Although he is starting to grow into it, the child has a large noggin.

A big, thick mop of hair is not going to help him out in the large head category.

Plus, as noted earlier, it is a pain to wash when it grows any longer than a #3 with the barber shears.

That's a lot of information, I know. But, I needed the therapy this morning!!!

And, here is the point of my rant...

Last night in the bathtub:

Me: How long do you want your hair?

J: I just want to let it grow.

Me: Is there someone in mind that you want your hair to look like?

J: Yes, Karson.

Me: But, his hair is not that long.

This is Karson in his Kindergarten class.

J: No, Mommy. Karsyn V.

This is the other Karsyn in his Kindergarten class.

Um, I think we have a problem.

2008-10-06T03:22:00.000-07:00

I must say that The Man really is THE MAN!!!

D could not figure out why we got up so early Sunday morning or where we could be going in the dark. We left the house before the sun rose and walked approximately a mile in the cold to watch The Man get into Lake Lanier. Is he crazy? It's cold out there!!!We watched him... swim (he's in the blue shorts and dark blue cap coming out of the water)...Bike...And run...
Curious George was a big help cheering on all of the athletes.It was so much fun to watch the man, and to cheer all of the athletes on. C had a lot of fun too. He always took time to wave to us, and as he ran by on his way to the finish line, he stuck his hand out and slowed down so the boys could high five him. Isn't he a great daddy? His friend David also competed. I don't know if they will still be friends today since C was the one to talk David into signing up for this- and it was David's first tri. We wanted to make sure that Curious George did not feel left out of the family photo!
And here is the reward...
Okay, that and the satisfaction of completing ANOTHER triathalon!!! We are so proud of you, Baby!

Okay, and check out this guy. Before C came out of the water, I saw a guy going over to the water's edge with a pair of crutches. I thought, "Oh no, someone is losing it and having to be helped out of the water." Well, then this amazing man came out of the water with one leg!!!!!!

Here he is on the bike. I did not catch him on the run, but I assume he switched to a regular wheelchair for the 3.1 mile run as I have seen other wheelchair bound triathletes do.

WOW! Kind of makes me feel like a lazy sloutch. I think I'll go run now!!!

Tomatillo Salsa

2008-10-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

Per special request, here is the recipe for tomatillo salsa that I made for my Project Runway Girls the other night. Sorry I don't have any photos. You'll have to trust me.

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos

2 serrano peppers

1/2 small red onion

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (although I plan to increase this amount next time I make it, because it almost tasted like the salsa verde at Moe's, and I think a little more cilantro would have been just the thing to make it exactly like Moe's- WELCOME TO MOES- sorry, but I had to go there).

Salt and white pepper to taste

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and roast along with peppers, onion, and garlic for 30 min in a 350 degree oven. You don't even have to dice or chop anything because you will blend later.

Allow them to cool completely and then puree in food processor or blender along with cilantro, salt and pepper.

I served this Flying Biscuit style over black bean cakes with fried eggs, sour cream, and feta cheese on top (and of course creamy dreamy white cheddar grits and biscuits on the side). Yummy yummy good!

Laptop Lunches

2008-10-02T19:21:00.001-07:00

It's Friday! Woo Hoo! Happy, happy, joy, joy!!!!!!

Wait a second... what am I looking forward to. My days are all the same. In fact now that the boys are in school, the weekend just means that I have to work more. Hmmmm...

Oh well. It does mean that it is time for Favorite Things Friday. If you have a blog, feel free to post one of your favorite things and link below.

This week's favorite thing is a new thing in our household.. It is a laptop lunchbox. It is an americanized version of the Bento style lunches known in asian cultures. Check out the link above for more info. I love that it reduces waste and gives a really cool way to send a healthy lunch to school. Because...well, don't get me started on the school lunches!

I have wanted one of these for a long time, and I finally got one the other day. Here was Jonah's first lunch in it:

Bread and pears that he could spread his own apple butter and almond butter onto, natural white cheddar cheetos (okay so everything isn't healthy, but I don't want the other kids to make fun of him too badly), raisins, and apple butter and almond butter in his dipping cups. It has a little place to keep his fork and spoon, and an area for his water bottle. All of the plastic is PBA and lead free. And, the best thing is... it's so stinking cute!!!
So, now it is your turn. Share your favorite thing and add your link below!

It works!

2008-10-01T04:05:00.000-07:00

It's Works for Me Wednesday time over at Rocks in My Dryer, and Shannon wants us to post kitchen organization tips. I feel like my kitchen is pretty organized, but I couldn't think of any earth shattering tip to offer. So, instead, I will show off my new labeler. I purchase a lot of pantry items in bulk, and transfer them to these handy plastic containers, and now I can appropriately label them. I used to think a labeler was too expensive for me to own personally, and then I realized that you can get a decent one for under $20. It helps with organization in every room.

I have yet to start labeling my children's underwear, but that is what the embroidery machine is for, right?

Check out Rocks In My Dryer for other Works for Me Wednesday kitchen organization tips...

Tailgating!!! The highlight of the day!

2008-09-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous time tailgaiting Saturday for "the game which shall not be mentioned."

We even had Santa show up at our tailgating tent. Seriously, some kids came and sat on his lap as he sat on the cooler to get a jump on the Christmas rush. :)

Check out our montage below...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2008-09-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

"What do you mean there is no ice cream left?"

2008-09-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

Tomato Pie

When I took an Apples of Gold class in Savannah, I learned how to make tomato pie. It sounded a little "iffy" at the time, but I instantly fell madly in love. It is designed as a southern side dish, but in our house, it is a main course!!! Here is the recipe...

Key players:
tomatoes, onion (the original recipe calls for green onions, but I prefer a red onion), fresh basil, salt and pepper, and mayo (since I am not a huge mayo fan I split the mayo with sour cream and sometimes plain yogart- even though I loved the original).

Peel your tomatoes. This is easiest if you drop each tomato into boiling water for about 20 sec, and the skin almost falls off. Slice and layer the tomatoes in a deep dish pie crust. Sprinkle with salt, fresh ground pepper, chopped basil, and diced onion. Continue to layer until your pie crust is full.

This can take anywhere from four to six tomatoes. Isn't that pretty?

Just a warning: It will look nasty again before we cook it. sorry- it is still tasty!

Then mix 1 cup of mayo (or half cup mayo, half cup sour cream OR one third cup mayo, one third cup sour cream, and one third cup plain yogart- the options are endless) with 1 - 2 cups of grated cheddar (sharp is best).

Stir together and then "ice" your pie with the creamy mixture. The cheese and mayo mixture seeps down into the layers as it cooks. I told you it would look gross. Keep pressing on. It is so worth it!!!!!!

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove and enjoy!!!

This is what your husband's plate will look like after he eats it. Can you see the swirls from where he rubbed his biscuit all over the plate to get the last little bit?

Now I would love to hear about one of your favorite things...

Mourning Munson

2008-09-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

I must say that it is a sad time in College Football. A Legend has retired. No not Bobby Bowden- will that ever happen?

Larry Munson, the voice of your Georgia Bulldogs, has retired at age 82.

UGA home games will not be the same without your voice ringing through my headphones as we sit in Sanford Stadium. "Get the picture."

You will be missed more than you could know, Larry. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Exciting News!

2008-09-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

I just added that title so that y'all would open the post. How much more boring could this tip be?

It might be difficult to tell from this photo, but this is what Works For Me... When I load this dishwasher throughout the day, I like to sort my silverware. I especially like to separate large forks from salad forks and teaspoons from tablespoons. But I also separate the knives and serving utensils as well.

It makes the emptying process so much easier- even my five year old can do it.

Head on over to Shannon's blog, Rocks in My Dryer to pick up some other useful tips today!