Baby Wipes are great Stain Removers!!

LilyBeth just recently walked right into our light tan rocker recliner with a blue marker. Oh NO!! First I started to scrub with water and soap, but it would not come out.  Then I remembered how often I got stains out of clothes with these baby wipes; and viola, it came right out. I keep a box of baby wipes in my car for messy moments. My husband has benefited from baby wipes as well: driving to work and spilling something on his dress clothes no longer requires him to change. Not only are baby wipes great stain removers, but they are safe for your little helpers.  They don't carry noxious chemicals , so there is no need for worry if your little ones join in on the cleaning.

Homemade Sloppy Joe

 When ever I can, I like to use my Crockpot. It's easy and convenient and saves me time in the Kitchen

 This recipe has been around for a long time and was given to me by my husbands mother. I changed some things in this recipe for a healthier version :)

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup celery; chopped
1/3 cup onions; chopped
3 medium tomatoes; blend in a blender or a can of tomato sauce (10 oz)
1 teaspoon sea salt; divided
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Brown ground turkey, onions and celery in a pot. Season while you brown with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, paprika and pepper until the meat is no longer pink. Drain
Add the tomato sauce and the 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and simmer for 1 hour.

 *for the crock pot version, after browning cook for 2 hours on high, then add the followed mixture and simmer for one more hour on medium or low.

Mix together:

1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon of flour
1 teaspoon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tablespoon garlic powder
Mix and add to sloppy Joe mixture and cook for another 30 minutes.

Tristan and LilyBeth have been in vacation bible school this past week, leaving at 8:30 am and returning home at 12:45 pm. At first I thought, "WOW, How great is that!!" I can get so much done at the house." The first two days I got up, sent them off, and started to clean and organize much needed areas in our home. It was great!! No interruptions like potty time, "I am hungry", "I need help," "I just wanted to ask you tons of questions while you are doing this and that," "Can I sit on your lap while your sewing that?" "Oops, I spilled my drink," and "Can you hold me right now?"
Well, after the first two days I started to miss all that, YES I did! Sometimes I forget how blessed I am with these children and what a privilege it is to serve and teach them. Thank you Lord for the reminder :)
To be honest, I am so glad that VBS is over. I missed LilyBeth's sweet face and her need to help me in everything I do  :)
I missed Tristan, my peacemaker, and his ability to make me laugh at anytime. I almost felt bad that I was being so selfish, until my husband shared with me these same feelings. They had a wonderful time at VBS, but Tristan and Lily are also very glad to get back into there routine at home.
I was just reminded how much I love being a mommy and all the stuff that comes with it  :)

Our Master Bedroom Make Over

It was time to paint our master bedroom!  For years we looked at these very "wake me up yellow " bedroom walls. I like the soft butter yellow we have in our kitchen and choose the same color for our bedroom.

My daughters Melanie and Stephanie are great painters and we had a lot of fun together.

The rolling Queen :)

Melanie is the expert for all the patient, detail paint jobs. I love her!!

Since we have high ceilings in our master bedroom, it was a challenge to reach the higher places.

My daughters rushed to get the camera to take these photos, to show their dad my foolishness  ;) standing  bare feet on the top of the latter. Holding the paint pan in one hand and the roller in the other.

And fully extended. It was foolish and my husband already gave me "the talk"

I will show  pictures of the finished Master Bedroom in a few days.

Chicken Salad wrapped in Iceberg Lettuce

 Chicken salad wrapped in lettuce leaves are so yummy and on hot summer days so refreshing. We like it with grapes on the side but you could just cut the grapes and add  them to your salad.

2 fully cooked chicken breasts  flaked or 2 cans of chicken breast; drained (12oz each)
1 cup mayonnaise  (I use vegenaise)
1cup chopped celery
1/4 to1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional; I make both, since some of us like it with almonds, and some of us without almonds)

Mix well and refrigerate. Serve on bread or on lettuce leaves.

 Here we have the shredded chicken breast.

 Just four simple ingredients. It is so simple and you can put this meal together in no time at all.

 With and without almonds. Oh, this is yummy!

 My Tristan (he is seven) love, love, loves chicken salad wrapped in lettuce leaves, it makes me so happy :)

 Try it, you won't regret it.

New Curtains For My Kitchen

At a thrift store I saw this beautiful queen size eyelet bed skirt. It was brand new and only $2. I didn't know at the time what I was going to use it for, but it was too good of a deal to pass up :)

I took it apart, re-cut it, and used it to make new curtains for my kitchen.

Three equal pieces for my Kitchen windows.

My kitchen walls are butter yellow, so these sweet white eyelet curtains really stand out.

The curtains turned out beautiful and I only spend $2.

A New Summer Dress For LiliBeth

Oh my goodness, it is so very hot outside and poor LilyBeth was sweating and sweating. She changed her clothes 3-4 times a day, so I needed to come up with something cool and cute before my laundry turned into a monster. I couldn't find a cute pattern I liked; so I made my own, and she likes it :)

 It's so easy, only three pieces of material and a 5 inch elastic piece. Two or three cute buttons and we are done!  (give me time and I will have a tutorial on this dress, should there be an interest)

 Here is another dress in the making.

She really likes her new dress.

She likes to be outdoors and helping with everything I do :)

I decided to close the top with buttons, she likes it better then a tie. And more buttons for room to grow.

Wheat/Gluten Free Sponge Cake

 This is the first time I baked with "spelt flour" a wheat/gluten free flour. I purchased the spelt berries and ground them into flour with my mill. My husband could not stop eating this cake. I guess he really liked it :)

 In the oven it goes.

 I couldn't believe how much it rose for being virtually gluten free.

Here is the recipe,

2 1/2 cups of spelt flour

1 cup cane sugar ( or any sugar you have)

1 Tablespoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

6 eggs, separated ( save the egg whites in a bowl)

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup olive oil ( or butter)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar for the egg whites

In a bowl, combine egg yolks, water, oil, and vanilla; mix well and set aside. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon,  and sea salt.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until smooth.

In a different bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Fold into batter. Pour into a greased 10-in. tube pan ( or any other pan you have.) Bake at 350 for 55 minutes.

Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Since it was Tommy's birthday (my oldest), LilyBeth and I thought we would make something special for him.

We cut up some strawberries and made some whipped cream.

I used 3 cups of fresh whipping cream

1 cup of cane sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla extract until you have stiff peaks.

We cut up have the cake into small bite size cubes. In a glass bowl of any kind, layer the whipping  cream, cake, and strawberries. Continue with a couple of layers and sprinkle with chocolate shavings , if you like.

 It looks so elegant, and tastes sooo good!

And we still had half of a cake left for tomorrow  :)