Recipe & Links!

:: I tryed a second Baked Oatmeal recipe this week. I really liked this one so I thought I'd share! I used coconut yougert & milk of course and I did not have dried apricots so I used the canned in water ones my mom put up for me last summer.

:: If your wondering why you should soak your grains read THIS.

:: I am feeling we need a little sugar detox after all these candy filled holidays. I'd love to give it up completly but then I'd have to give up going to church. Sugar is the Mormon drug of choice I am convinced.
:: Mother Earth News subsciptions are only $10 right now!!! I might have to splurge!!!

:: Some of my favorite people are making a magazine.

:: We have birthday's coming and we are making play doh and play silks to give!

:: Oh yeah and the knitting... right now I have needles in, a hat, a scarf, & a dish cloth.

I feel like there was another link I wanted to share, oh well! But do keep your eye on the links over there ------>

I keep adding fun stuff!

Have a fun weekend!

{this moment} In the Kitchen!

Arrow of Light!

Today is Riley's 11th birthday. I'm not sure how we got here already it seems like we were just getting to know him and now here we are 11 years later!

This week Riley was awarded his Weblos badge and he also earned his Arrow of Light. The arrow of light is the one thing from his Cub Scout uniform that he will put on his Boy Scout uniform. Meaning it is a BIG DEAL. Outside the church boys have 2 years to complete their Weblos award and their Arrow of Light, but scouts in the church only have one year to complete it.

Here are some pictures from the evening.

This is Riley's Weblos leader Jeff.

And we got lucky and Grandpa M. was here for that and to celebrate with us today!

Hooray for Riley!

{this moment}

In the Sun!

The other day at Oxbow I took the opportunity to catch a few fun shots of the kids. Leili is easier to photograph as she runs my speed. Plus she is just so dang cute as she discovers things for the first time! The series of her here is when she was throwing rocks into the river, she would clap she would cheer, she would be just amazed! It was great!

Riley my thinker loves to watch the water, it mesmerises me too! Jake is always adventuring. And sweet Fern barely slowed down enough for me to capture this cute snap of her!!

I hope you find some sun to enjoy this week!

While I was away....

:: Dan bought me some pretty tulips (he felt really bad about the computer...)

:: Derby Day descended with a flurry to get cars done! I was just glad Dan was in town this year so that it did not fall on me!

:: Jake won "Sportiest Car" and Riley won first place!

:: Knitting! I found something I could knit for a boy!

:: SUN! We enjoyed a very warm day at the Oxbow Nature Preserve

Happy Weekend!

Hooray!

My miracle man has done it again!

He found a way to copy all of my hard drive on to our external drive (mainly for free), and he bought me a new hard drive (not free) and put it in and loaded all the drivers. So once I get this all organized then I'll be back to normal.

Hooray for Dan!!

XOXO

{this moment}

And a couple words.

So my hard drive is fried. FRIED. We are trying to save what had not been backed up yet. Oh so fun. Today I am posting from Dan's computer, he works often on it and it travels with him so sadly for a while posting will be sparse at best.

Adios!

{this moment}

Button, Button..

Well I finished another project the other night (while watching the first season of Downtown Abby... SOOO addicting) The Pickles Plain Vest! And I just happened to have the most perfect buttons for it! I bought these buttons a couple months ago with nothing in mind for them but I just loved them. They are in the Organic Elements brand. I have to confess I have a button love, one of my favorite things to do as a kid was to dump out my mom's button jar and look at all of them. I would probably still do this but I would get annoyed by the little fingers fingering the buttons. Yea the button love is that serious!

The only problem with this project is that I do not have a 12 mo. old girl to wear this. :P And I want to make another. Maybe I should spring for the bigger sized pattern it is only $6... but free is sooo nice!
Or maybe I just need some friends having girls instead of boys.

Around My Kitchen

:: my winter's love satsumas

:: gluten-free flax bread

:: the trivet pocketed last trip to mom's

:: daily used pyrex bowls & old virginia

:: thrifted mugs that make me smile

:: sunshine, apples, & small hands

New Foods!

My family knows there will be some new often crazy dinner at our table every so often and that some of them will be awesome enough to make it into our regular rotation! We've had a couple fun ones this month I thought I'd share!

This Swedish girl knows there is more to their cuisine than meatballs and lingdonberries (although lingdonberries are lovely)! So on a recent trip over the hill to Ikea I picked up some smoked salmon or Gravlax. I made up some potato pancakes and found this recipe for a sauce, it was great! We also had a big salad, pickled beets, and Glogg (next holiday season I'll buy a case!). This got thumbs up from everyone! Next up, BEANS!
I have a thing for Mexican food (that is putting it mildly). For Christmas my mom bought me a 50 lb. sack of Anasazi beans, I read on the internet that they make great refried beans. So I made some up to go with tacos one night and then the kids had them IN tacos on date night. They came out great, they do not have a strong flavor. And really I don't think one could tell I did not use pintos! I think they cooked up a little dryer than pinto refried beans (I just added more oil and bean water and they were fine). I'd like to try these beans in another recipe too, something where they retain their shape and are not disguised as another...
But thumbs up for this one too, my family always goes for beans!

"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit, either." ~ Elizabeth Zimmermann

Done with one and on to another project!

I know this may sound silly but I have always wanted to be a knitter. I am really enjoying the rhythm and peace I find in it. I'm not pro at reading patterns and there are LOTS of stitches that I can not even comprehend... yet (I hope)! But I find it completely amazing to take some yarn and make something that my family can use.

I'll try not to post too much knitting but OMGosh it is addicting!

I've even found RALVERY...

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Saturday is a Special Day...

You know alot of times Saturday is not so "Saturday-ish" here in our home. Between being homeschoolers (think no alarm clocks, leaving the house...) and Dan's glitzy profession (think weekends & holidays gone, 24/7 on call...) Saturdays can seem like any other day. But we do take advantage of our craziness and shop during the week so we can avoid crowds. But today? Today was pretty good.

~

Today I went to meet the farmer who comes over "the hill" and bought some tangerines and Asian pears. I went to two post offices, but they are closed Saturdays (lame). Then I came home and just chilled. Partially I chilled because I ruptured my ear drum last night, but it was still nice.

This evening I whipped up this idea and made it happen while the kids were in the bath. Sweet Fern has been left behind and is now our only kid in Jr. Primary. Both of the boys now have nice scriptures and cases and Fern will too in a couple years but for now I made her this little bag and found one of the hard back BofM the missionaries give out so she can carry it to primary. I hope she enjoys it! I did not line the bag, but I did fancy it up with French seams so there are no raw edges inside.
And I am working on this head band for Leili just because I wanted to knit something and I had what I needed to make this. :) Instead of the pom pom I am going to put one of Fern's finger knitted flowers on it!
~
So there is my Saturday with the addition of kids running around, nursing breaks, Dan packing (and doing all the laundry), and a splurged kombucha.
Pretty good I'd say!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Homemade!

Yes, I did manage to make a few things for the holidays this year. So here is a quick wrap up, Christmas baking was almost non-existence except for these yummy gingerbread cookies. I got the recipe from HERE and totally lucked out as it tasted just like the little packages of cookies my Grandma would have waiting in a glass jar on her side table. ;)

A couple joint ventures this year too, Dan made these stars and I painted them. They were in the kids stockings on St. Nicolas Tag to remind them the Christ Child would soon be born.

The next joint project was a fun matching game for my niece Novella, this was an in-progress picture and I of course forgot to take completed pictures!! Also not pictured are two origami bags to hold Novella and Koa's gifts, two knitted dish cloths (in avocado colored yarn for Mary & Ryan), crabapple jelly, & ketchup (for Mary, Ryan, & my Dad too)! And for my mom I made a really neat tea cup candle! It came out really fun!

Oh and then the doll clothes! I knitted two vest for each gal and then most of the clothes I made are for Fern (it was her main gift), but Leili's doll got a lovely new dress to go with her vests. I think Leili looks pleased!

Whew! Now to look forward to June! Leili will be getting her mostly mama made Waldorf doll similar to Fern's! But I do have a baby blanket to knit before that... maybe I'll have to go yarn shopping! ;)

Here is to a crafty New Year!!