Not So Barefoot...

Snow & Pizza

2010-02-06T17:27:00.002-05:00

Time is flying! Right now we have about 11 inches of snow on the ground. Grant loved watching it fall yesterday. He almost has the word snow down! I cannot believe how his vocabulary is expanding everyday! It is so amazing to watch the world through his eyes. I never imagined I would learn so much from him!
Last week Eric and I had an apple pie bake off. We tied. So this weekend we are having a dip contest. I'm making a Hot Crab Rangoon dip. Eric is making an onion dip. I'm feeling confident, but felt that way last week!!!
The contest is going to be held at our Super Bowl Party! Kraft foods has a new program called house party. You can apply to host a party for a particular product and if selected they send the product (or coupons) to you. We were selected for the Digiorno pizza house party! We decided to have our party with the super bowl. We received a 6 free pizza coupons and 15 $4.00 off coupons for the guest. We also received a pizza cutter, hot pad, magnet, stickers and party beads! With a lot of people coming we decided to use the guest coupons also. This way we can provide all the pizza. Wal Mart was having a deal on their Digiorno Rising Crest and Flat bread pizzas for $3.97 this week, so we got all 15 pizzas free! Kroger was having a sale on Digiorno speciality pizzas and if you bought 10 items in their mix and match deal you got $5 off instantly. So we got the 6 pizzas free and Pepsi was part of the mix and match, my total was $6 for 6 pizzas, 15 two liters and an apple juice! For party favors I'm making football and helmet cookies w/royal icing. I can't wait for our party tomorrow it is going to be so much fun!!!!

2010-01-13T13:05:00.002-05:00

Once again I'm behind! I guess I should just expect to do a once a month blog...lol. The last month has been very exciting! We celebrated Grant's first birthday, had a wonderful Christmas with our families and found out we are expecting again!!!! Baby #2 is due August 13th, my mom's birthday! Since I will have to have a c-section, I will probably deliver the first week of August. Grant of course does not understand, but he is enjoying his and mommy crackers every morning! This morning he woke up saying, cracker, cracker, cracker!! I'm thinking about trying the over the counter gender test. It is a little more expensive then the pregnancy test, but I have been hearing good things about it! I saw that as long as the directions are followed it has been accurate, I thought this would be fun although the old wives tales using pencils, eggs, full moons and hot sauce are fun and free!

Back in the Saddle

2009-12-13T15:37:00.004-05:00

It has been a hectic few months. Grant will be turning one on Saturday! We had his one year pictures taken last night, I can not wait to see how they turned out! He did a number on his cake! He is currently sleeping, and Eric is working so I turned on an old movie, clipped my coupons, did the dishes and some laundry. I have recently taken my work schedule down to about 25 hours a week. It is so wonderful to have a lot more time with Grant, keep up the housework and my coupons! Scaling back at work means I need to stretch our money as much as possible. I love a good sale and I love being able to get our items for free or little cost. I will start posting deals that I find along with our goal and how we are achieving them. We just purchased half a cow with another couple, it came to a little under$1per pound! This should last us one year since it is just the three of us. I have also learned to buy some things in bulk, like flour. I found a 25lb bag at Walmart for $8.47 this comes to $.33 a lb! I have also purchased other flours, like tortilla, bread & self rising. I have been making home made bread for us and this week we made home made tortillas! I'm looking forward to sharing our stories, our triumphs or frustrations as we pinch our pennies over the next few months!

Mountains of laundry

2009-09-03T23:17:00.003-04:00

I don't know how it happens as there is just two of us and one baby, how in the world do I have 6 loads of laundry? It multplies like rabbits. Really I don't even think I have enough clothes to create this amount of laundry. This is not even counting the blankets that I want to wash this week! Tomorrow we start vacation. Saturday starts the OSU football season...yay!! On Sunday we start organizing and cleaning our basement. I can't wait to get it completed. I will post pics during the process.

Still nothing in the oven.

2009-09-01T22:05:00.003-04:00

So I have been taking a break lately. Just trying to figure out how I want to continue to blog I never imagined that having only one child and working full time would turn your life upside down. Grant is amazing and we are loving every moment with him. What drives me crazy at the moment is my house! It seems that I only have time to do the dishes and get some laundry done. Seriously, laundry goes in the washer makes it to the dryer then the basement couch. We just throw in the dryer what we are going to wear for the day to have unwrinkled clothes! If I have time lately I come home on my lunch hour and try to clean. I don't always have this option though. The disorganization started when we bought our house. Last year, when we found out we were having a baby we made the disorganization worse! I'm not going to say who made the decision, but the conversation went like this: "I think we need to straighten the basement and create the office down there first. Then we can create the nursery in the present office." This was then followed by, "we don't need to worry about the basement we will have pleny of time once the baby is here. Lets just take everything downstairs and do the nursery now." I won't say who said what we will just focus on the now, and the fact is our basement is a mess. So next week, we both will be taken vacation. We are going to stay home and put it in order. Grant will still be going to the sitter, and then if we have time left over in the end we may go away for a day or two. My question is how do you do it? How do you work fulltime, raise your family, keep the house clean? What do you let go? How does it effect your home life? What are your tips? Until tomorrow!

Jenn

(nothing on the stove today, not enough time :) )

Fair Time!

2009-08-12T20:13:00.001-04:00

I'm baking for the fair today and mmmmm my cinnamon roll buns look amazing!!! More to come...

Pickles Everywhere...

2009-08-11T23:41:00.004-04:00

Where does the time go? Bam will be 8 months on the 19th. He is crawling and in the past 72 hours has cut 5 teeth! This now brings the teeth count to 9! He has also learned to stand and has even taken a couple of side steps with the assistance of the couch or his jungle toy. Dirt wants to get a gate that will surround Bam. I'm not sure about it, I feel that if we limit him then we limit his learning. On the other hand, what if we turn around for a second and he makes breaks free to the dinning room? Are we being to protective which in turn will limit his sense of learning? I think for now we should just purchase gates that will keep him from falling down the stairs. What does this have to do with pickles? Nothing really. I recently canned bread n butter pickles and dill pickles. I'm down to 11 qts. 12 pints and 7 1/2 pints of pickles. This should last us a year and everyone will be getting a jar at Christmas in our families. Dirt even got into the canning process. They are so yummy. I think I will be opening another jar tonight so lets make the count 11 qts. 11 pints and 7 1/2 pints!

On the stove:

Canned Pickles

Sterilize your canning jars according to manufacturer's directions.

In a non - aluminum pan add
1 package of your favorite pickling spice. (I love Mrs. Wages)
3 1/3 c. of white vinegar
7 1/3 c water
Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile pack jars with your pickling cucumbers. They can be cut to your preference. I did several jars of spears and then several jars of slices. Leave 1/2 in. of head space.

Once pickling spice is boiling add to jars leaving 1/2 in. of head space. Place lids on and place jars in Hot water bath. For quarts boil 10 minutes and pints boil 5 minutes. Turn off stove and let cool, remove from water to continue cooling. Let sit for 24 hours. You may hear popping sounds as jar seals. If a jar does not seal you can clean lids and reprocess it. I like to put a jar in the fridge for about a day before opening it.

Enjoy!

2009-08-11T15:58:00.000-04:00

Must blog...where does the day go? I promise something tonight...the shoes have been organized. My kitchen is organized. My dinning room has been organized. My bedroom is organized. My living room is organized. The bathroom is organized. Why do I feel so disorganized?!??!

mmm...

2009-07-27T10:57:00.003-04:00

drooling for more baked ziti that was for dinner last night... I will post tonight about trying to figure out what to do with my million shoes I own! Suggestions are welcomed!!!!

Escape Artist

2009-07-21T22:51:00.005-04:00

Does the running in circles ever end? Bam is crawling everywhere. Right now he thinks it is funny to escape the barriers we have set up in the living room. As soon as his chubby little knees hit the wood floor he starts to giggle because he is free! Our dog Nixon, just gives us "the look" as in "what did I do to deserve this". as he charges towards her. The cat on the other hand just runs for her life! The only time she ever reacts to Bam is when he is crying she feels that she has to then attach herself to our legs and meow loudly as if we can't hear Bam! Today Bam focused on using his head to wedge himself between the chair and his toy box to get free. I like to watch him, 1) so that I see that he is safe 2) watching a 7 month old figure out how to move what is in his way to escape is amazing. The concentration, the guess work as he looks over the object in his way before going to town on it! We let him figure it out, today I put a tote & his toy box next to a chair. First he sizes up the tote. He tries to push it...too heavy, he then tries to go between it and the chair...not enough space. Finally he takes each toy, one by one out of his toy box so it becomes light, then he pushes it away and he is free! Now if I could just get him to put all those toys back into the box!

This weekend I made Spiced Blackberry Jam. I'm longing for fall and when I think fall I think cinnamon, allspice & nutmeg. I added this to my jam recipe and now have spiced blackberry jam. It turned out to be amazing!

Spiced Blackberry Jam

3cups of chopped blackberries

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 pkg. of pectin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8tsp. nutmeg

1/8tsp allspice

Mix together sugar, pectin and spices. Add crushed blackberries and stir until thick. Ladle into preferred storage containers. Makes 5 cups. Last 3 weeks in fridge, 1 year in freezer.

Enjoy!

Jenn

Coming Soon...

2009-07-18T16:00:00.002-04:00

Kroger is having a 10/10 sale on blueberries and blackberries so today I'm in the kitchen making jam! More to come this evening...

Dirt

2009-07-16T23:03:00.004-04:00

My husband, Eric is a fan like myself of pioneer woman. When I started talking about a blog he requested to have an alias, like Pioneer Woman's husbands, Marlboro Man. Unfortunately we don't have the interesting life that Pioneer Woman has. No rolling acres, no cow's pooping on our porch. Just some great landscaping and the everyday life of adjusting to having a child! He does have a nickname though that his friends call him, Dirt. I really think that some of his friends don't know his real name as I have never heard them call him Eric. So I will for now refer to him as Dirt, which at times I do call, not as much now that we live back in our hometown away from those who still call him Dirt. Dirt is not a bad nickname, he didn't have an embarrassing moment or anything like that it is simply part of his xbox live name. We even use it for restaurant waiting list! Not only has he requested this "alias" but he would like to have his own corner on the blog. A place where I can bake or cook for him and post the recipe. Not for him to blog, or share about his landscaping or the joys of fatherhood for him. Nope, he wants me to cook and bake for him. (Not sure how this is different from every day breakfast I make him, lunch I pack him & dinner that I cook him!). For Dirt, I'm going to add Dirt's Dish. This week I made him Oreo Pudding. This recipe is adapted from his childhood cookbook from his school.

Oreo Cookies and Cream Dessert
1 (16oz) pkg. oreo cookies, crushed
8oz of cool whip
8oz of cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 c. of milk

Put 2/3 of crushed Oreos in bottom of 9*13 inch pan. Mix cool whip, cream cheese, and sugar until light and smooth. Blend milk and pudding and blend in cool whip mixture. Spread over crushed cookies in pan. Sprinkle remaining crushed cookies over top. Keep chilled.

Enjoy!

Jenn

Weighing In

2009-07-14T22:11:00.002-04:00

One of the struggles of being a full time employee and a new mom is finding time for yourself. Lately I have been needing some me time. Not to sound selfish but I need to work on another area of my life, my weight. This has been a struggle for me. It actually has nothing to do with having a baby. I gained less than 8lbs with him. I lost almost 50lbs after I had him, but once I stopped breast feeding I started putting the weight back on. I recently joined weight watchers. In order to do so, I had to rearrange our budget. We scaled back on our entertainment budget and put ww under our grocery budget. For the first meeting it was a breeze, you walk in the weigh you, help set some achievable goals and send you back into the real world. Then a holiday approaches like fourth of July, and you find yourself making things like, stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon and Texas sheet cake. Ahhh I'm drooling, wondering do I have the ingredients to make anymore stuffed jalapenos...yumyum. OK back to the weight thing. So for my second weigh in I lose 1.87lbs! She looked at me and said was it the holiday? What do you think you are struggling with? I struggle with FOOD. I love to cook and since having Bam I have finally got the will to cook again. Not to mention the fun ice cream maker I have and the tons of ice cream that I seem to have taken to every cookout so far this summer! I really am determined to loose weight though so this week I have stocked my fridge with lots of great and healthy foods. This morning we had scrambled egg whites, with onion and green peppers. It was very delicious. I say we, because unwillingly my husband is joining me in this battle. I will continue to cook, and work on new recipes but those items will be going out the door to my husbands work, family and neighbors. I will continue to update on my weight journey and will post some healthy recipes as well! In the oven is my friend Melody's Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa:

4 trimmed boneless center loin-cut pork chops
3 kiwifruit, peeled and diced
1 cup drained, canned unsweetened pineapple
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, or 1 tsp dried
1 Tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Bake, Grill or Broil pork chops until cooked through. While pork is cooking, prepare salsa: In medium bowl combine kiwifruit, pineapple, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper, mixing well.
Serve pork chops with salsa. Makes 4 servings

Have a great day!

Jenn

The Garden

2009-07-10T22:45:00.005-04:00

My husband has created this amazing flower garden in our back yard. He has put in so much time and sweat into it. I on the other hand have done pretty much nothing for it. I added a few birdhouses that is about it. In fact, I'm not much of a dirt girl. I really don't like it. I also don't like sweat. Last year when he started creating this ever changing masterpiece he had me plant 18 hosta plants along our driveway. I don't think he knew what was in store for him. Really just reliving that morning makes me break out into a sweat. I just wanted to throw the plants into the ground. Not my husband, he gets out the chalk line, the level, the weed mat, the utility knife and many other gadgets that will help these hosta plants look their best. By the third plant I was sure I was dying. The sweat was pouring, the dizziness and the smell, that awful smell that was sweet yet horrifying. I would soon find out that the tree in the front yard was blooming and would have to endure a week of insects flying around it. As I continued to plant these Hosta plants, my husband would follow behind me and correct my planting. Really. Half way through I threw up breakfast. I had been having sinus issues all week and this was not helping. Finally the 18 plants were in the ground, perfectly spaced, in a perfect row. He then started on the front of the house. I went inside and took a nap. After awhile he came to get me to help with the wood pile. As I got outside the thought of getting dirty all over again made me break into a sweat. Not just your normal sweat but shirt drenching hope no one I know passes by sweat. Then it hit me, what if this isn't allergies at all? What if it was something else? Am I dying? Did all this yard work give me some disease? Then a thought came to me...I went inside peed on a stick and HOLY COW!!! I was pregnant!! I never did carry any wood that day. Or since. My husband has learned to just ask if there is anything I like or what moved in the garden but I pretty much leave it to him. besides he now knows that I'm willing to get pregnant again rather than work in the garden. He has done an amazing job with it. It is so colorful and beautiful. It has become my favorite lunch spot. In the oven today is squash for Bam...

Baby Squash

Take one butternut squash cut in half. In a baking dish place 1/4 cup of water. Place the squash meat sides down. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until skin is brown. Cool for 10-15mins. Pull the skin off and put the squash in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Spoon squash into ice cube trays and freeze. When time to use take one cube and microwave it for 22 seconds.

Have a great one!

The likes of Donna Reed

2009-07-09T22:26:00.005-04:00

I love Donna Reed. She is right up there on my list next to Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore & the mom on Wizards of Waverly Place. In fact I recently had a half day off from work and was cleaning house. I will admit, I wore a dress, heels and yes the pearls. My house sparkled. Never have I been so productive in cleaning my home. It took 4 1/2 hours but ahhh it smelled so clean. Bam, our 6 month old son was sad as all his dust bunny friends have disappeared. But being bunnies they are all ready repopulating under our couch. This weekend will be a quick clean as my husband will be out of town and I have a wedding to attend. In the oven is going to be one of my favorite quickies: Pear Pizza .

Pear Pizza
1 pizza crust package
1 Bartlett Pear
Gorgonzola Cheese
Olive Oil

Prepare pizza crust according to package directions. Lightly brush some olive oil over crust and bake for 5 minutes. Thinly slice pear and place on crust, crumble gorgonzola cheese to your liking over pears, drizzle with olive oil. Place bake in oven and bake until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!
Jenn