Monday, September 20, 2010

You Can Use Anything

So we are working on numbers and letters with Hayden and I have searched the internet for good "printables"....apparently my creative juices weren't working too well, cause look what Hayden came up with to count...my "Coke Rewards" tops!!  Not only can he count them, but it is great for working on fine motor skills too!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Celebrating 11 years!!


Friday was Mari Cate's birthday. She turned 11 years old. I can hardly believe that my baby girl is nearly a teenager! I think I should hang on to these two more years very tightly!! She is growing up and beginning to mature and turn into a real "middle schooler". That could be a bad thing...or not!

Mari Cate chose Zaxby's for her birthday dinner...that is her favorite place to eat, so I wasn't too surprised! Our family and friends came with us to celebrate with us! Mari Cate gots lots of wonderful presents including new clothes, a journal, Converse tennis shoes, Bath & Body goodies, and MONEY! She may be taking us out to eat after church tomorrow...haha!!

Remember birthdays don't have to be elaborate...for a kid just knowing "it's about them" makes it special. The most important thing is making them feel special and honored on their day, that's what they will remember.

*Please click on the collage above to see the pictures close up, if you would like.*
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Thursday, September 16, 2010

A Chocolate Reward

I gave Hayden a reward for being such a good boy in the grocery store today.  I know that is probably not the best parenting strategy, but after I saw all the unruly children while we were in there, I just felt like he deserved some kind of reward.  A chocolate candy bar?????

MAYBE NOT!!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

It's Apple Time!

This past weekend we went to Apple Valley Orchard here in Cleveland and picked up a bushel of Red Delicious Apples, a 1/2 bushel of Mutsu Apples, 1/4 peck of Red/Golden Mixed, and 1/4 of Winesap....so we have a lot of baking to do! Actually we are going to try making apple juice and cider this year also. Yesterday I went to find my Crockpot Apple Butter recipe and couldn't find it anywhere!! So I started searching the internet and still couldn't find the same one I used last year but found one that I knew was similar so I went to peeling, coring, and slicing...with the Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer of course (makes it so much easier!!) And if you can pick one up at a thrift store or yard sale like I did for $5.00, then why not save yourself some time and make life a little easier!! : )

So a dear friend finally found my recipe last night and the one that I ended up using was very similar but called for 2 cups LESS of sugar! I like the thought of that...and it tasted delicious! One hint: use apples that are sweeter, not real tart apples and you will not have to use as much sugar! This recipe yielded 4 pint jars for me. I really prefer to put it in 1/2 pint jars so that I can give out to friends, but all I had were pint jars right now. Oh, and another hint: I did NOT put the butter into a food processor to make it smooth. My was already pretty smooth when it cooked down, but we kind of like the bits of apple chunks in it. So here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
apples, peeled, cored and cut in quarters, to fill a 4-quart crockpot to 1 1/2 to 2 inches from top
4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
4 tablespoons water

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH until hot, then turn to LOW and cook all day (7 to 10 hours). When it is done and apples are fully cooked down put small amounts into food processor and pulse until smooth.

NOTE: If you are canning this, put into clean, sterilized jars and seal while hot, then process half-pints or pints 5 minutes in boiling water canner. 1,001 feet to 6,000 feet, process for 10 minutes, and above 6,000 feet, 15 minutes.
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Monday, September 13, 2010

Feed Your Kids Well~~~And You Can All Have Fun!


Well, all of us moms know we are busy...that's a given. And we all want to feed our kids well, so they can grow and be healthy, but also just be kids and have fun! But sometimes having fun for us moms means we we have to sacrifice on nutritious mealtime, doesn't it?



Well, now you can have help and not have to sacrifice on a meal! To help make sure your kids get the veggies they need (and the meals they love) Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce now has 2 servings of veggies in every half cup! Available soon in major retailers nationwide, the healthy, great tasting Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional pasta sauce that is already a kitchen staple has a new, naturally thicker recipe.

Healthy, delicious and now with a naturally thicker taste the whole family will love, Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce is a perfect component to pulling together quick and tasty meals during this busy time. And Ragú® wants you to be among the first to try out their great new recipe! To be one of the first to taste Ragú® with 2 servings of veggies in every half-cup visit them on facebook.com/ragusauce for more details.

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Ragú® prize package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place
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