Word FULL Wednesday – A Recipe

The kids always love Pancakes, but we usually don’t have pancake mix in the house. For the longest time I would buy the premade mix and keep it in the house. It seemed like we never went through it, and it was always getting buggy before I used it all!

That was before I started making my own pancake batter/mix. I know what you’re all thinking, make your own when it’s so cheap!?! But really you probably have EVERYTHING you need to make your own pancake mix in your cupboards right now. If you make cookies from scratch you’ve got it all!!!

Buttermilk Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk*
2 Tablespoons cooking oil

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside. Combine the egg, butter-milk and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened (batter should be lumpy). If you’d prefer a runnier mix add more buttermilk.

*Note: Make sour milk using regular milk. For each cup of sour milk needed add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup, add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes then use.

We usually make a triple batch for our family, with few leftovers. The kids also are always looking for a fun way to “play” with their food! After making Rainbow Cake a while back we’ve been looking for other fun ways to make Rainbows!

Mix up your batter as directed & divide into bowls. Mix colors wanted.

Put batter on pre-heated griddle iron as you would like. We did actual rainbows. These made big pancakes.

 

Take pictures of your ADORABLE kids while you wait!

Admire finished product, then devour!! The kids just love them, and now they are begging to make more!

 

Under Construction

As if you haven’t all noticed a couple weeks ago, I kind of took my blog down to nothing. Bare naked. And then decided I wasn’t really ready to handle the “remodel” that needed to happen. Right now I’m leaving it up to the professionals, and hope to everything back in order soon!

Also I know it was a bit of a shock to some of you to read my last post. Just know after talking with the doctor we have come up with a plan, and hopefully we can figure this all out soon. I’m tired of just having these “bad” moments!! If you’re friends with me IRL (in real life) feel free to call me and just check in. Know I don’t want to push anyone away. In fact I really could just use a play date or girls night out. Things to just keep my mind going, and my body busy!

I do have a few fun reviews coming up, and hopefully a give away or two!! Stick around and I promise I’ll get back to “normal” soon!!!

Admitting

It's hard to admit when you need help. Help with little things like doing the dishes. Help with big things like what's going through your mind.

Friday night was a scary night for me. The things going through my head hadn't been there before, but they were making me afraid of myself. It has been one month since we found out we lost baby #4. When I realized it, I just lost it. Somehow though I knew before I "knew" what day it was. I was having panic attacks most of the afternoon, and when I realized what day it was they got even worse.

It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't know what you're going through. I had a hard time talking to Joel about it, in fact he was upset because I wasn't talking at all. Sometimes you just don't know how to explain it. How to tell someone what is going through your head when you don't even know what is going through your head.

On Saturday morning I admitted what was going through to him and to myself. I realized that I needed help. I couldn't keep going on with the thoughts in my head. Thoughts I couldn't control, thoughts that scared the hell out of me.

So today I admit to you all that I needed help. Help fighting against what my mind is telling me to do. Help from my family & friends to support me in this fight. Help knowing I'm not the only one going through this, and the strength to move on.

Edible Snow Men

This week I searched the internet for new crafts we could do. Sure the girls love coloring or painting, but I wanted to find something Snow related since there is so much of it, and it was so cold.

During my search I came across lots of Homeschooling blogs, and I love the idea, but I know it’s just not for me. Granted we are doing “home school” as far as preschool goes, but it would be a lot different having Dahrran home all day as well….okay I' know I’m not on subject anymore. In my searches I came across Confessions of a Homeschooler. She has AWESOME ideas for crafts, games snacks, you name it. She had these really cute snowmen edible crafts! They’re perfect! Snack and craft all in one! The only problem is finding a time when Kaitlynn isn’t napping and it’s not to close to a meal to make them!

Super easy, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your house!!! She suggested using royal icing, but I couldn’t find any so we just bough caned icing that was on clearance. (thank you Christmas) The girls loved putting these together. The only thing I had to do was use the icing. They let me know where they wanted it!

 

The girls couldn’t wait to eat these! And of course pretty much ate them up! Super easy, and they felt like they were part of making snack!
 

Easy Bake…Whatcha gonna make?

MacKenzie got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas. She was pretty excited about it. Me, well I guess I was excited. I never had an Easy Bake Oven as a kid, so I thought it was going to be fun, and something for us to do together!

Sure it was fun to make the dough up. And it was fun to see her smile and have a good time.

It’s all fun, until you do this! Second pan in, and we get it stuck! It wouldn’t move. I ended up having to get a pair of pliers out and pry it out. It was stuck pretty good and even took me a while with the pliers to get out. Oh, and did I mention there was another pan in the oven with mix in it. While trying to get the pan out, I didn’t think about the pan in the oven. OOPS we ended up with a half moon cookie!

She had a great time making the frosting and eating this one cookie.

When she realized it took 10 minutes for ONE cookie to bake, she ran off to play. Which left me alone time while baking 6 cookies in 60 minutes!

Overall I’m not impressed with the Easy Bake Oven. Really?! I guess though what was I expecting when you’re cooking with just a light bulb. I called my dad today to inform him that it would’ve been cheaper, easier and tastier if he would have just bought the ingredients for us to make cookies instead.

And not the greatest quality, but I couldn’t get the video of MacKenzie baking to come up. Sorry you can’t see Kaitlynn, but you can hear her and that’s all that matters! I love that girl!

And then of course after I hit publish, the video of MacKenzie shows up! So here you go! :)

Baby it’s Cold Outside

I know, I know. It’s cold every where right now. But honestly it’s super cold here. Never this cold, super cold! To prove my point…..We live in Nebraska. Smack Dab in the middle of this good ole map.

I Live about where it says oh, say, –10. Yes people this is actual air temp right now. I know why am I complaining? There are places that are WAY colder than that with actual air temps.  But you haven’t seen this map yet? Have ya?!?

See that, –24 there on the map. That’s what it feels like outside! YUCK. I know, I know. There are a few more places that feel colder. But people, it’s NEVER this cold in Nebraska! NEVER!!!! Okay so it is, but maybe only on the ONE rare occasion, and it doesn’t happen again for a few weeks/months/years. Here lately it’s been just plain cold all the time. For the last month it’s been cold.

We’ve had snow, lots of it. About a foot every 2 weeks for the last 6 weeks! And in all actuality it’s been too cold for them to play outside, comfortably. Unless they BEG A LOT, they don’t get to go outside. Dahrran got mad at me, before they headed back to school this weak from break, because they hadn’t been able to play in the snow at home!!! Such a mean mom I am! Unless they’re at grandpa’s house.

Cause you see Grandpa has THIS. HUGE. SNOW. PILE! And well after this week’s snow, I’m not sure where he’ll go with the rest. Cause this snow pile is at it’s full potential…and then some!
 

So when it’s cold outside what do we do?? You may remember this? But when it’s cold outside, I’d rather settle up with a nice bowl of soup. Potato Soup to be exact. . . Have I made it in this cold spell….no :( I haven’t bought the ingredients. Actually I haven’t been going out to the store much with the cold.  Anyway I’m rambling. So here’s the recipe!

SUPER delish Baked Potato Soup
*1 medium Onion
*1lb bacon
*2TBS Butter
*2TBS Flour
*2 cups Chicken Stock
*1 quart Half/Half
*6-8 med. potatoes

Cut up Onion & bacon into small pieces to your liking. Fry bacon until crispy but not too crisp. Remove some for garnish if you choose (I don’t). Do not drain grease from bacon, it adds to the flavor. Add butter and add onion. Sauté onions until soft. Stir in Flour to thicken. Mainly you’re just using the flour to soak up the grease.

Stir in chicken stock, making sure there are no lumps from the flour. Add half & half. You can use milk instead, but it doesn’t thicken as well, and makes for a runnier soup. Bring to a boil. Peel & dice potatoes to your liking. DH likes smaller pieces, I prefer larger pieces. When boiling add potatoes, and salt & pepper to taste.

When potatoes are cooked and tender enough to put a fork in, your soup is done.

Serve with crackers of your choice, and top with bacon, cheese, and green onions.

*You can also make this with left over baked potatoes, but DH and I prefer this way. Seems too mushy.

Signing on

Things have been quite heavy here lately, but such is life.

This blog was supposed to be about our life. But instead it's just become a "sometimes" place where I write. You see instead of documenting our life, I've been slacking! After watching the Movie "Julie & Julia" last night I realized I want to be a better blogger! I want to set a goal and stick to it.

Here's to me. Signing on to blog daily (or every other day it seems) this year. I want to have something I can turn into books and have our children go back on. I'm setting goals for weekly themes, and setting my sights high for things we NEED to do around here.

More fun, less grouchiness is my motto right now!

Goals for the year!
*Make & blog one recipe every week that is new. (with pictures of course)
*Make & blog one craft every week. (hopefully with video's as well!)
*Share the "real" life that goes on around here instead of JUST the happy times. (Guess I've been doing good about that the last few weeks)

That's it! Simple. Motivation!