Crazy Apple Set

I waited forever for my first apron. It hung about 3 hours away from our home in a small shop in Cambria (where we had our Honeymoon) and every time we would visit that shop I fought with myself not to get it (didn't want to spend the money on myself I guess)! Finally 3 years later for an anniversary gift my hubby bought our first born and myself matching one's!!! Everyday I still cook with that very apron and still love it just as much as ever. But that doesn't mean I cant have more =) Since then the company that makes the fabric has discontinued that print and we have searched high and low to fine an extra for our second baby girl but no luck. So we decided that I'm just going to have to find another mother daughter matching set, the only problem is that I feel like I have to love it just as much as my first which is hard but I think I've found one that comes really close. Here is it....


I'll have to sleep on in for a night or two but it might just do the trick! Not that we have the cash flow for this but its always fun to dream! Some of the best aprons out there are on Etsy.com like this one. You might have to weed threw to find something you like but I think they have an apron for every ones taste. If not you can always start thinking about making one of your own. I say that but I've only made one (half apron, pix below) but have bought my fabric for my first full apron and I'm dying to start it.



I'm headed back to look for more. Hope your wearing what ever cape makes you happy ,
Laura Bray

My Spandex Cape!

In a past post I talked about how before having my second kiddo I was on the fast track to getting healthy. I had enough energy to fly around and get not only everything done for the day but also grab my new breathable spandex cape and get a good 2-3 hour work out at the gym every weekday! It was amazing... *sigh*, I miss those days. Anyways, I have made the first steps in getting that cape back on. Since having baby #2 I have lost 30 of the "oh I'm pregnant" pounds that I so shamelessly gained during that very short time. Yay!!! Unfortunately I have very little of the lean muscle left. No I cant quite fit in my Spandex cape quite yet but I'm bound and determined to before my 7Th anniversary in 2 weeks. Next step: walking, jogging, workout whenever where ever! So let me tell you how I did it..

I started to read this book "Thin Within" by Halliday. Its a grace-oriented approach to lasting weight loss, at least that's what it says in the book and what I found to be true, until I started stuffing myself cause I was "eating for 2 (ok maybe more like 3)". It highlights the fact that ones stomach is naturally their fist size. So if you eat when you are at a 0 (on a scale from 0 stomach growling really hungry-10 hurting your so full) and only eat your fist size that you will naturally get down to your God given size no less no more. The first time around I lost 20 lb and lost 2 dress sizes in about a month. Then started to work out and build lean muscle and went down another size. It was going awesome till one day on warming up on the tread mill I started to feel sick... and hour later and a pregnancy test found out I was pragers! Long story short (as my dad always says) it really works and you never feel like your starving.

I think the reason why its worked for me is cause I can eat whatever I want as long as I don't over eat. I literally have eaten a piece of cake for breakfast (cause I was craving it). But after a few days your body will start telling you what it needs (no joke). You will start craving milk, eggs, fruit, veggies, and bread. Its amazing how God really did make our bodies to inform us when we need something or don't need anything. This made it so that I could cook anything and everything for my family and not have to make a separate meal for me, or have to pay out the nose for food that was pre-packaged and full of processed junk all to shed some weight.

The result: about 4 weeks ago I started back with this approach. This morning I just weighed myself and I have lost 18 since starting. That's almost FIVE POUNDS a week!!!! Yes I've fallen off the wagon but I'm walking with the Lord on this one and really Im not going to beat myself up for something I know takes time.

Food for thought... 1Corinthians 10:31- So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. If we have excepted Him in our hearts then how are we keeping up on the maintenance of the place in us in witch he is (our bodies)?

Spider Webs And All!

OK, yes I know I'm a slacker but give me a break its been very stressful around here! You see I thought since the hubby would be spending more time around the house that I would have tons of me time... well at least a bit more from day to day. Instead Our schedule has increased by what seems like 4 people instead of just one. No complaining here, we really have been enjoying our time together as a family its just this has been the only 3 day period that we have not been out of town since.... almost two months ago! And in that time there has been a few changes, the best one being that we are DEBT FREE! Yay, finally even with all the "stuff" life has been throwing our way (job loss, baby #2, and the house being on the market) we still scraped, pinched and saved and by some miracle God made it work for us. Cant tell you how awesome it feels. Best thing we have ever done for our marriage and our family. But enough with all that lets get to cleaning up some of these cob webs...

Although cutting back on the bills has been hard its also been great! In fact not only did I nail the plan for the last post but I just challenged myself to another. This past Monday I "needed" to go shopping for food, or so I thought. With less then $40 cash left till the next check comes in (11 days) I had to make a change. I made a meal plan for the remainder of the pay period with what little I had on hand (fridge/freezer/cupboards). Made a short list for fresh fruits to finish it off and sent the hubby to pick them up and grab a hair cut. With $20 left for gas for this week (if needed) all has gone pretty good. Still have 6 days to go but all is on track. My cape might have been tightened up but I think it fits better now! When you think you "have" to go grab a few things to make dinner double check your stock again just maybe you'll see a week or more worth of food that's just been sitting there.

This next week Ill have a few more post. PROMISE!
So back to dreaming about new aprons or at least surfing the web for some.

Laura Bray

Another Day .... Hopefully Another Dollar!

As I have said in another post my hubby has been laid off and that means we are yet again trimming up the budget. Saddly my already skinny little, itty bitty food budget has become some what anorexic now. SO yes this foodie is forced to make some sad changes. Or do I? You see this is my problem I thought it was going to be "so " hard trimming it the first time and really it wasn't all that bad. So I have come to brain storm yet again.

There are 4 of us that depend on me to save meal time. The first being a big eater, the kind that you have to hint that he has had enough and if he gets thirds we wont be able to use whats left for what I have planed for the next days meal. Then there's myself... yes I am a foodie but I'm not to picky when it comes to eating a veriation of the same thing for a few days. The third is a bit tricky. You see she is a monster when it comes to food, anything and everything and will only stop when you tell her "now you've had more then enough". And last but not least, our bitty one is just starting to get a hang of this hole solid food "thing". You know the more I think about it the harder it is to be feeding these foodie on such a small budget. Man.....,O-well "life" dishes you up all kinds of challenges "so suck it up mommy and start getting more creative".

My big challenge the next few weeks is cheap meals, and I mean CHEAP! I will be searching for lots of Ideas and hopefully sharing lots of susseses. BTW- If you have any advice do share.

ThE ScAlE

I hate looking back at high school knowing that I "thought" I was FAT. What was wrong with me. I played volley ball, soccer, water polo, and did track. Who in there right mind would think a girl who was doing all that could still be Fat. While getting ready for my walk/jog this morning I stepped on the scale after my first week of starting to get back on track health wise. Much to my surprise I gained 2.1 pounds. I started slow with the exercising (so I really don't think it is "muscle"). And yes, I did go over my meal plan a bit (curse you mac n cheese and birthday party) but really I had a goal of -0.8lbs. I could have probably loss that much by just cutting my hair and on top of not losing it I gained ..grrrr. While stewing in my disgust this really annoying (at the time) voice came into my head "You have trusted me with all the "big" stuff now you have to trust me with this too". Gulp..Wow, ok.

Lets make this long story short. A year ago my husband and I took Dave Ramsey's FPU class at our church. It has been amazing and such a God sent. We are down to a single debt (our car) and should pay that off in about a week or two. Unfortunately my husband was laid off and has been out of work going on three weeks now. We are trying to sell our house, which has had two offers that were approved by the bank (but the buyers pulled out last minute). All the while taking care of our 5 month old, 3 year old and now my husband all day. By the way this entertainment committee (me, myself, and I) is running out of steam. My plate is what you call... over flowing. The great thing is I really don't feel all kinds of pressure or stress. I know God is in control and I know he has a plan better then any plan I can come up with. SO, I've focused on the time we do have with the hubby, trying to get the most out of it as we can. The only thing is I didn't realize that I might have given God all the "stressful stuff" but then not realizing it, I tried to take control over something I knew would make me feel like I was "in control" ....my weight.

It took us almost 2 1/2 years to have our second kiddo and right before finding out we were going to have her I had gotten fit! Like, I feel great in a dress fit (and I Hate dresses). Like, I love to spend 3 hours at the gym fit! Like, I feel like I can do anything fit! Then I hopped on the treadmill one day to warm up and ... I don't feel so good.... stopped the machine, hmmm when was the last time I had my monthly not so friendly friend? Off to the store and then didn't get back to the gym for almost 9 months. I gained 30lbs and have lost 20... well now 22. Which I know is good. But I want to have that feeling again. You see I'm not the fit I was. The weight I have on me is not muscle by any means, and I'm about 40 lbs from healthy. See I'm doing it again.

You know I think I finally get it now. That high school girl just needed to feel like she was in control of something anything. So she allowed the world to give her a impossible image of what she should be, and then she measured her self by how close she was to that imposable goal. All this to say God spoke to me, and after almost 14 years I got it. Child knock it off and give me everything.

So what has that voice been trying to tell you? And the even bigger question.. what are you going to do about it?

Get Your Fix

Before having my kiddos I was never really a "sweet craver", I preferred the salty/savory side of things. But with all the hormones and chemical changes that happened while caring the little buggers something BIG changed, something other then my figure. I now crave chocolate (and peanut butter) along with the previous addiction... I mean "craving". I never quite understood that obsession that all these woman had with chocolate. I actually have a little sister that has to have a small amount of chocolate almost every day or her body actually starts to go crazy on her. So today as I was going threw old recipes I came by one that is so quick and easy I had to make it. Lucky for me I had every thing on hand, so I've stirred up a batch for Friday night movie treat.

Crunchy Cravers
1 &1/2 stick Butter, Melted
2 cups Natural Peanut Butter
3 cups Rice Krispies
16 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate/or whatever kind you like
2-3 cups Powdered Sugar (depends how sweet you want it/what chocolate you use)

Mix the powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, and Rice Krispies together in a large bowl. Lightly butter a 9×13 baking dish, then spoon in the peanut butter mixture. Use a spatula to spread evenly. Melt the chocolate, then layer evenly on top. Refrigerate for an hour or two, then cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Note: I have also put a thin layer of carmel in between the mix and chocolate along with chopped peanuts on top, made for a snicker version. Remember this is a no bake recipe so it's a great one for kiddos to do to.

Satisfied Craver,
Laura

Home Made Sunshine!!!

A favorite of my hubbies since he was a kid, home made mac n cheese was something I was going to have to learn how to make if I was going to marry him. I never even saw the real stuff till I laid eyes on my mother in laws, which BTW is is ranked an 11 out of 10 on our scale (and I'm really not just saying that). I've always thought of hers as her "special dish", you know the kind of recipe that shouldn't be shared with anyone... and still to this day I have yet to ask for it. Needless to say I jump on the net and searched for a few days for something similar. I had no idea that there were different styles of mac n cheese! I had always just thought of it as this creamy bright orange kids dish that really didn't fill 4 little bellies from just one box.
After looking at a few southern, east and west coast style recipes I ended up blending a few different recipes into one. In fact I think its one of those recipes that you kinda play with every time you make it. You see my husband has this obsession with a certain brand of cheese "Tillomook" and let me just warn you now, I do make my HM Sunshine with a unhealthy amount of it. I stared off just using 1/2 of a baby loaf but now I hesitate to say I'm up to a hole loaf. I have to agree with the hubby now, the cheesier the better. Nothing quite beats that slightly crunchy cheese on top...yummy my favorite part. So here you go...



Home Made Sunshine

6 cups cooked Elbow Macaroni (Whole Wheat or regular)
3/4-1 whole baby loaf Tillamook M. Cheddar Cheese grated
2 Eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
2 cups milk
1/2tsp Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1 pk. of Bacon cooked
1-3 tsp. Butter (to grease pan)

Preheat oven at 350
Cut bacon into an inch (or smaller) pieces then cook, drain and set aside. Grate cheese and set aside. Cook elbow macaroni while mixing the following: beat the eggs, sour cream, 1 1/2 cups of milk, salt and pepper in large bowl for 2 minutes. Then add all but 2 cups of grated cheese slowly while stirring. Butter your baking dish (including sides). Once macaroni is finished drain and add 2 cups to egg mixture and mix for a minute (this will temper it, so eggs don't become scrambled). Then mix remainder of macaroni in and pour into casserole dish. If needed add remainder of milk till it reaches 3/4 of the way up the casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, then top the macaroni with remainder of cheese and broil till brown and bubbly.

Note: Make sure you keep an eye on it when the broilers on, you don't want to burn it. I have made this with and with out the bacon and even made it with a package of ham lunch meat (didn't want to go to the store.. lazy lol) which was yummy to but who doesn't love bacon (its the hubby's fav)?

TIP- For an easy portion size and shorter cooking time I split it between a mini loaf pan and a smaller casserole dish. (as the pix show)

Hope you enjoy.
Laura

Brainstorm Here I Come!

A million and one ideas. Yay, I love when I find a new site that not only gives me new recipes to try but also fills my already jumbled brain with creative ideas!!! I even debated not posting anything till I tried a few things out but once I checked some of my other favorites sites I noticed that most of them have ranted and raved about them already. SO what is it www.bakerella.com! Supper cute! Just bummed that they don't have any sock monkey ideas (my oldest next birthday theme request). Might just have to try some of these at our next SG (small group) girls night! OK well Im going back to write down some ideas.

Hope your using those capes,
Laura

Capes Of All Sizes!

I'm a firm believer in being an example for your kiddos or for any kiddos for that matter. Although I fall short constantly in this area, I'm setting my bar higher the older mine get. I truly feel like they have a few superman powers when they are under 5 feet tall. They hear more than you know and they see things that you don't. We had a close call the other day while driving home our oldest asked me "Mama, did it hurt when you where born?" My hubby and I laughed with that "here we go" look on our faces. My reply,"I don't remember babe, I was a baby.... did it hurt when you where born?". With out hesitation "Yes!!!... I mean.... mama when you .... pushed me?" OK where is this kid getting this stuff? First of all I had a c-section with her (due to the fact she was 2 months early) so no pushing necessary. Secondly, we have never had to have any of "the talks" with her before. As we turned off the radio and started to break it down with her, we realized that it wasn't something she saw on what little TV we allow her to watch (thank goodness) or even something anyone else said! She had just taken two thoughts she was having and jumbled them up. The first being mommy is better now (5 months after having little sister) and the second one was the fact that she pushed her cousin in the pool and thought that she had hurt her. We dodged it this time but we know that they are coming in full force soon.

My point being that we need to show are kids the right path to take by example. One of the many ways my parents showed me and my siblings was by my mom taking the time during a busy day and having us help with cooking. Even though it might take a little longer and be a bit messier, she did it anyways. I cant tell you how many friends I have that think they can't cook or that it takes too long so why bother, and it's all due to the fact that they were never shown. That will not be the case in our house. Ever since our oldest could stand she has been helping mom and both grandmas with cooking. At age three she can tell you most of the names of things in the kitchen and what they are used for. This is a big deal (we are what you call Foodies, so by no means are we talking about just everyday basic kitchen tools). For those of you who watched Jamie Olivers Food Revolution you know this is a much needed lesson (BTW-if you haven't watched it check it out on hulu.com). Most kids these days don't know the correct names of fruits and veggies or even where they come from.

So the rule in our house is our oldest has to help cook one meal a day. We strap on one of her three "capes" (aka aprons) and teach away. Some of my favorite times together have been when we are cooking. The talking, singing and joking that happens in the short time in our kitchen is setting a firm foundation for so many areas in her life. Oh, and please don't think its just for girls. My brother still, to this day, cooks most of the meals eaten at his house. With that being said start with something age appropriate and even meal appropriate for that matter. Remember it can be as easy or as hard as you want... breakfast, lunch, dinner or even snack, just start somewhere. Here are a few ideas for fun and very easy meals to get your little cooker started.

Breakfast:



Toad In The Hole (AKA Egg in a Nest/Frame)

1 egg (your kids favorite cookie cutter)
1 slice of bread
Tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Butter both sides of bread with a tsp of butter. Use the cookie cutter to make a shape out of the CENTER of the bread slice (making sure you don't break the crust on any side). Adults-Heat your skillet to medium high and add the remaining butter. Once butter is melted place outer slice of bread in skillet and crack the egg into the center hole of bread (season if desired). Let cook till egg is half done, and flip. Then place the center piece of bread into skillet to toast while egg is finishing cooking (you will have to flip to toast both sides). Once done remove from skillet and let cool for a min.

Note-
If you prefer scramble eggs, scramble egg with tsp of water in measuring cup before cooking. If your kiddos are good eaters like my oldest then you can have them help cut veggies, meat, cheese or herbs to add to their scramble just like a mini omelet in toast.


Lunch:

Dip Lunch

1oz sandwich meet
1oz mozzarella, provolone or cheddar cheese
1oz bread (we use french bread or homemade)
Assorted dippers: zucchini, carrots, cherry tomatoes, olives,
broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, really
anything you would like cut to bit size.
1/4 cup pizza sauce

Roll sandwich meet up and cut to bit size rolls (or you could use cubed meat). Cut assorted dippers, cheese and bread into bit size pieces. Pour pizza sauce in to mini tupperware and pack a small (or medium) size tupperware with all the dippers. (great for picnics!)

Note- This is a great one for kids to start learning how to use a knife. Don't be afraid to teach them, just start with a butter knife. They can also just pull off the broccoli and cauliflower florets and tare the bread in chunks if you feel better doing that.


Snack:



Apple Snack Wrap

1 small banana
1 cup chopped apple
1/3 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
4 7-to-8-inch tortillas (we use whole wheat)

In small bowl mash banana with fork. Add peanut butter and mix. Spread mixture onto the tortillas, then sprinkle with apple pieces. Roll up and cut each roll in half enjoy. (you may also want to chill up to 24 hours if making a head of time)



TIP:

1.) A great way to get them even more excited is to either re-name a recipe. For example we renamed my chewy oatmeal cookie recipe after our oldest kiddos favorite stuffed animal (at the time) "Georgie" Chews. We also take characters from TV shows or movies and incorporate them in the meal. For example a chili dog is allot funner if he is a Sloppy Slinky Dog (like the dog on Toy Story). Be creative PB&J roll could be a worm that a little boy would love to pretend to eat or if cut, could be rearranged on the plate to make the shape of a flower. Just a thought.


Hope your spending some time in you capes, and being creative while you do it.
Laura

FOOD!!!

As I'm trying to get back on track with my eating, my mind is flooded with with foods I'm wanting to make in the next few weeks. Home Made Sunshine (aka home made Mac N Cheese the hubbies favorite ), Chili with the works, Home made ice cream.. yummy, and the list goes on and on. The only thing that's ever helped me loose weight was doing the Thin Within book by Halliday (its a Grace-Oriented approach). Whats so awesome is you can eat whatever you want!!!. It really works, but Ill tell you more about it in another blog. So I'm going to be diving in a few of my cook books today to get my "crave list" down on paper.

TIP: One of the best parts of a Crock-Pot (slow cooker) is the fact that you don't have to turn your oven on in the summer! I love to set mine on the back porch or even in the garage, then I don't have to worry how much heat its throwing in to the house.

With that said Turkey Chili it is! This is one of those great basic/cheap recipes that you can fool around with to make it your own. I always add about a tsp and a half of Brown sugar and a Tbsp of mustard the last 15 min (cause I like that bit of sweet and a little tang in my chili). So here it is..

Turkey Chili
Makes 6-8 servings

1 large chopped onion
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. chili powder
6-oz. can tomato paste
3 1-lb. cans kidney beans
1 cup frozen corn

1.) Saute onion in oil in skillet until transparent. Add turkey and salt and brown lightly in skillet.
2.) Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Mix well.
3.) Cover cook on low 8-9 hours / or medium 4-5 hours.

Note:
You can use Ground Beef in place of the Turkey.




With almost all my cooking I use red onion (when onion is called for), Garlic salt for "salt" and olive oil for the "oil". Again use what you have on hand and what sounds good to you. This could be eaten topped on hot dog, rice, pasta, burgers, what ever sounds good to you and your family. At our house we eat it "as is" and top with cheese and sour cream and serve with toasted bread (which I rub a bit of fresh garlic on after toasting and some butter ) Yummy!

I also try to cook at lease one meal with my oldest kiddo everyday. So because this meal is so filling we usually make pudding or jello after nap time. That way if we are to full we can just save it for future desserts or snacks later on that week. Hope you've gotten some kind of idea for a meal for your family out of this post, remember to make it your own.

Hope you all are using your capes today and loving it,
Laura



(Ill add a pix to all my recipes once I made them again)

Back Home!

We are back... guess I should have told you all that we were going to be gone. Whoops, SORRY lately I've had more "To Do" list then time! So a little over a week up in Idaho with my family celebrating my grandparents 60th anniversary (amazing Go Gma & Gpa) and a little less then a week in Tahoe with my in laws, was truly Amazing (a much needed down time). Back in the real world, No longer are we hanging out on porches or in the Jacuzzi in nice cool 40-50 degree nights. No not even close. The 108 degrees its going to hit today just might convince us to have a larger then previously estimated AC bill for this month. *Sigh* .... I don't want to think about life right now I want to have some fun. So I've pulled a few sites up today that I hope you guys will take a little "ME" time to check out.

This first one is cute. A bit out of my budget but definitely on my "Dream List". www.lisaleonardonline.com Has some of the cutes custom jewelery around. I love the Heartstrings and Friendship necklaces.

Second one is for those of you who need a good laugh. www.thereifixit.com to sum up... All kinds of peoples attempting to be MacGyver.

Last but not least is for any of you who have a hodgepodge of stuff in your cupboards and don't want to run to the store in this heat, check out... www.supercook.com Just plug in a few thing that you have on hand and recipes will appear! (Great way to save a few brain cells on a Monday)

Hope you all have a great day!

Everyone Should Have An APRON!!!

OK I have (for the time being) a healthy obsession with Aprons. I think it started with the church we grew up in. Every Sunday there would be what us kids call "cookie time" a.k.a fellowship time in between Sunday school and service. We would all come running threw the back door of our church waiting to see what treats (most of us were forbidden to eat any other day of the week) had been out just waiting for us to devour. My favorite were the vanilla wafers, Ore's and the chocolate covered gram crackers. Yumm! For a kid who never really had junk food growing up (thanks Mom, I would have been huge) this was a great part of every Sunday! We would run up to the counter and choose 2, yes 2 and little did we know we were also starting relationships with the "grown-up" in church at the same time. Kinda sneaky how they did that. Most of the older Lady's as they served would ware these old aprons that people had donated to the church threw the years. While making coffee and tea for the adults and pours us water (or lemon aid if we were lucky) they would strike up a little conversation with each one of us. These little conversations turned into bigger ones, that turned into hugs and talks after church. Inviting us to help cook with them for one of the churches dinners or make cookies for the retirement homes in K-town. I remember the first one I wore. Mrs. Nelsons, one of the nicest women I've ever know, tied on this light blue half apron with blue and white flowers embroidered around the top and bottom and one larger on the pocket. I remember it must have been her favorite cause she wore it every time she served us on Sundays. As we made cookies that first time I just felt so special in "her"apron. I will never know if she did it on purpose or if she was just going about business but because of that small moment I've always felt like when I have my apron on I'm special, and it reminds me that I'm serving other. Which is a perfect reminder for everyday. As you clean the house, cook dinner, or are doing a craft with or without the kiddos, you are serving someone. My "other 6 days" where I'm not in church, I need to be reminded that when I fell like I'm going to lose my mind or I just want to sit and do things "later", its really not about me! Its about serving. Anyways, all this to say I think ever girl should have one to help remind them of that. And plus there are some super cute ones, such as this one. Not my favorite due to the fact that its black and who can keep a black apron clean. But like every girl should have a little black dress I think they should also have a little black apron. Or at least AN apron for that matter!

http://www.laylagrayce.com/Products/Jessie-Steele-Hostess-Apron-Bib-Sophia-Black-Lace__JS1035.aspx