I Heart Dairy

A couple weekends ago I took a class at our milk farm on how to make your own diary products. The past couple weeks we have had extra milk from friends who were out of town, so I have been skimming and using up our cream like crazy.

We have already used up the first tub of butter and today I made those three little baby jars more. So far, I have been using a quart of cream for each time I make it and that is just enough. The easiest method is to just throw it into a food processor until it magically turns into butter. However, mine is much too small and also does not have an "on" button, but only a "pulse" button. Therefore, I have had to use my blender and have to do it in two steps, with a break in the middle to cool it all down in the fridge. For now it is working fine.

After making butter, there is a good two cups of buttermilk left over that I have used for banana bread and then pancakes this morning. Mmmm. I have two more cups ready for the next baking job.

Yesterday, I made up some yogurt and let it sit overnight with the yogurt cultures as they...cultured? Then today I threw in some strawberries so we have yummy strawberry yogurt!

And last, I made a big tub of sour cream that Andy used today on his burritos for lunch. I was hoping it would thicken a little more, but I think our kitchen is too cold for it to set up properly. It is pretty close, but next time I think I will leave it out in a warmer room.

Tomorrow, the plan is to make cream cheese and some peppermint ice cream. I wish I could make block cheeses, but I don't have all the equipment necessary to really do that well. For now, I will content myself with all the goodies that I can make and enjoy the fabulous milk we have been drinking!

Apparently, I have been feeling super domestic-y lately. Maybe it's the nesting phase, huh? I can't decorate or organize the nursery yet so I'm taking my time in the kitchen instead!

Attic Part 2

It's kind of long and not really all that exciting, but this is a little video of the attic with its new walls!

Attic Part 1 from Ada Bible Discovery Village on Vimeo.

The Magnificent Mudder will start on Monday. Along with many days of dusting. I think I am going to have to hire a cleaner when he's all done...

Day 1

Some before and afters from the first day of drywall.

Here is the main area coming up the stairs.

Walls in the same direction.

Looking at the dormer and my dressing area.

You can't see the dressing area here, just the dormer. This will be the sitting area and have a window seat as well.

This is looking into the bedroom area. Note the fab new skylights as well.

Walls! Real walls! They should be done hanging by tomorrow. Then Andy gets to take the scraps and put them up in one of the extra closets that we weren't going to drywall, but then decided we would. The joy of many closets!

The mudder comes next Monday and hopefully painting will begin the following week.

It's Almost Time

Tomorrow morning the dry-wallers are coming. Few things have had me more excited lately.

So, here it is tonight.

The drywall is stacked, the walls are leveled, floors have been swept, the electrical is finished and the insulation is all hung.

The room is about to take shape.

While the hubby was finishing up all the last minute details so it is ready for the guys tomorrow, I was busy making banana bread with homemade buttermilk and carrot/cranberry cookies with homemade butter and sweetened with honey. So good. And a nice reward for a hardworking hubby.

I have a Two-Year-Old?

Where has the time gone? It's one of those silly old cliches that everyone tells you, but you don't realize until all of a sudden you have a two-year-old. She's past being just a toddler and she's really a little kid.

For her birthday dinner we had a french toast brinner and it was a success for all. Though she only wore the birthday hat long enough for me to take a picture, she was very proud of it being her day. This girl loves to pose for pictures. In fact, she will bring the camera over to me so I can snap a shot and then she can look at it. We might be cultivating a diva here.

She loves to make silly faces and has started laughing at her own "jokes" though we don't get them yet. Randi is still hard to understand though she does seem to be getting a few more words. The kid knows her alphabet but is not articulate in the least. I'm not sure when I should be concerned about her verbal skills. As of yet, I know she's a smart cookie, but it would be nice for us to be able to comprehend what she wants.

She got her first Lego set from a friend this year and it has seriously been her most favorite toy ever. The first night she played for over an hour and a half by herself and then woke up the next morning and played some more. She brings the little people with her in the car and loves it when I "remodel" the house so it is new all the time.

Frankly, her father and I get plenty of fun out of the building and can't wait until she graduates to the big kid legos so we can play too!

We also made the switch into the toddler bed. Randi is so very proud that she can climb into her bed for bedtime and naps and snuggles up right away with her blanket and pillow. I bought a little travel pillow that I made a pink striped cover for so she would have a kid-sized pillow. She often brings it with her when she comes to snuggle in bed with us. The funniest part of our morning is when we hear a knock on her bedroom door. Instead of calling out to us that she is up, she gets out of bed and walks to her door and knocks. Waits. Knocks again until we come get her. Even if all she wants is her paci and to go back to sleep. Cracks me up every time.

Of course, the biggest achievement since reaching age two has been potty training. I took this week off from working (still working at home, of course) and we have spent a lot of time in the bathroom. It's amazing how exciting it is when your child finally gets the hang of the potty. Corny though it may be, I'll admit that I teared up the first time she did it on her own.

I just got a package of cloth pull-ups in the mail today. They look like her big girl panties, but have more absorbency and will hopefully work great for travel and night-time. She stayed dry for her nap yesterday but still wears plastic over her panties just in case.

People, I know I have raved about them before, but Blueberry Diapers comes through for me every time. I got these training pants at a great clearance price and they arrived literally two days later with regular shipping. As usual, I am wondering why they don't make grown up panties this comfy. I mean, really. My tush would love something this soft!

Way Behind

So, Christmas.

This year we thoroughly enjoyed a quiet Christmas. While Andy had 5 services at church for Christmas Eve, we attended one and then spent the rest of the evening with friends. The week had been busy beforehand with regular work to be done and late night rehearsals for the Christmas eve services. Therefore, Friday morning found us all in our jammies and sleeping in late. Randi has discovered the joy of snuggling in Mama & Daddy's bed for a little while when they aren't ready to get up yet.

We made the choice to stay in jammies for the entire day and after breakfast we started in on our stocking gifts. Not knowing what an almost two-year-old would think of opening presents, we found that she had to spend a good amount of time playing with whatever she opened. So we opened a couple little things, watched a Muppet Christmas movie and then opened a couple more. The presents under the tree weren't even touched until after her afternoon nap!

Baby Girl's favorite gift of the day was her new kitty pjs. A friend picked out the cutest pair of "old man" pjs with little pockets. As soon as Randi pulled them out of the box, she held them up to herself and asked that we put them on her. Then she ran to the mirror to check herself out. What a little goof. She also proceeded to spend most of the day playing with the cat toys instead of the new books or any of her little toys. Sigh.

I'm sure next year with a three-year-old and a baby will be plenty more insanity so it was nice this year to have some quiet and enjoy just the three of us.

Raw Milk

Ok, I know that some of you are going to think I'm crazy for this, but a few months ago, we started drinking raw milk. That's right, not pasteurization, no homogenization, but instead straight from cow to refrigerator.

Some friends from our small group had been talking about it, (funny, they talked us into raw milk but never mentioned the fact that they sell Amway...ha!) and how much they and their son have loved it. With a little research as well as picking up our friends' share for them one week, we were convinced. It didn't hurt that the farm is only ten minutes away and right behind our regular grocery store.

We love it. Love the taste, love the good nutrients and healthy bacteria it provides, love the freshness and local consuming of it. We especially love just going to the farm, seeing "our" cow along with the ducks and the pigs and the chickens. They also have fresh breads and meats and cheeses and eggs that we can pick up right there.

Personally, I have experienced one of the most amazing health benefits of this milk. Now, a few times a year I catch myself a cold. They are always the same. Sneezing, sore throat & runny nose for a few days and then progressing to a hacking cough for a week or more. I've mentioned before how great Zicam is. If you haven't tried it, take the chewable tablets or mouth spray right at the start of your cold (during the sore throat part--first day) and your cold will be noticeably shorter.

My friends, I think I found the natural version.

Since I am currently gestating, the only medicine I have been taking is the occasional Tylenol for a headache. I've had two colds this fall. Neither of them lasted longer than two or three days and neither of them made it past the sneezing and (very slight) sore throat. Milder than any cold I've ever had and never have I succeeded in avoiding the coughing stage.

I think it's time for some more hot cocoa with milk...

Feeling Crafty. Part 2.

At the moment I am working on completing my boy diaper stock. (In case I didn't mention it, I seem to be having a boy!) I finished the first of the "monkey buns" fabric and have another in that material to do today as well as a cool black & gray stripe. 

They are so soft and fabulous, I can't wait to use them! I want to be sure I have at least 12 various dipes to start with as those silly newborns go through diapers fast.

 It's hard to say if they will be small enough for my itty bitty dude or not, but they will work for some stage at least and then I plan to make bigger ones later. I also have no problem putting my child in pink diapers if need be. Little guy will be likely to play kitchen and dolls with his big sis anyway. 

The best part is that Andy has PJ pants in this fabric. 

Last night I whipped up some quick curtains for the play room. They aren't finished, but I have had the fabric for several months now so I wanted to get them at least started. The next step is purchasing some simple white felt for a thick, protective layer on the back. Especially in the winter, anything to keep out the cold is helpful. Our windows are newer but I can still feel the cold on

 them. After the felt, I'm going to add some dark blue ribbon ties to snug them up in the middle so I can still look out when I want to. 

And yes, that is indeed Dick & Jane fabric. I'm kind of in love with it. It perfectly complements the light yellow walls (that my favorite craigslist friend helped me paint!)  as well as the dark blue carpet and green & white box storage. Plus, it's darn cute. 

With all of this I'm trying to clear my list of projects after several new items as well as many fix-its and repairs and etc. Darning socks and sweaters, tightening buttonholes and replacing buttons, replacing broken zippers and repairing towel bibs.

I do so love my towel bibs. Over the past few months I have made several bibs of old towels trimmed with bias tape or ribbon and they are the best if I may say so myself. They always seem to work better at both preventing and cleaning up meal messes than any of our store-bought bibs. 

The very last thing on my current list is another work project. I need to build and cover a little bench seat for our preschool wing at church. Sadly, this has been on my list for many, many months. Yeesh. This is partly because I need my handy man to cut the wood for me before I shape the foam and staple on the fabric. Come ON, handy man, get to it! It's not like you have a huge list of things to do anywhere else in the house or anything. 

Feeling Crafty. Part 1.

I don't know if it's the fact that we've been happily cooped up for several days of serious snow weather lately or what, but I have been getting my craft on. 

Last week I sewed up a whole pile of new costumes for church. While we didn't end up using all of them for the children's event, we definitely needed new ones and it was fun playing with the different 

fabrics and textures and getting a little creative. 

I'd show a picture of us in some of the costumes, but apparently we were overcome with the holy spirit at the time...or else it was just a weird trick of the lighting because all that could be seen in the photo was a huge beam of light where we were standing. Hmm. 

This weekend I worked on a little snowflake project. You need a box of Borax, some heavy thread or yarn, a good-sized pitcher and some pipe cleaner. 

The measurements were 3 tablespoons of Borax to one cup of boiling water, but you could probably get away with a little less. I ended up making one large flake and one little one. 

After twisting the pipe cleaners into your desired flaky shape and tying on the string, hang it from a pencil or stick of some sort into the water. Be careful not to let it touch any of the sides or it will get stuck! This is an overnight project, so just pop it in the liquid and leave it for a while. 

The next morning (or evening, whenever you remember to pull it out...) you will have frosty snowflakes! The still seem to be a bit flexible but very icy. I just need to pick up some suction cups so I can hang it from my kitchen window.

 

This is an easy and fun project for the kids as well. Little to no mess and quick for short attention spans!

First Snow

Today was the first big snowfall (heck, first snowfall at all!) of the year. We figured the kiddo probably doesn't remember snow from last year and her grandparents had just bought her new snow pants and boots. Therefore, out she went with her new warm gear and her daddy in his flannel jeans. 

Every time he would shovel some of the sidewalk she would scoot her little feet behind on the cleared area. She was enthralled with the cold, white flakes on her mittens and tried valiantly to make snowballs but mostly ended up with white pancakes. 

The best part of the morning was the little snow person they made. She loved this little guy and even tried to kiss it (from a good foot away). She poked each of his eyes, patted his hair and helped stick in his little carrot nose. 

I have a feeling she could have stayed out much longer, but she started refusing to wear her mittens and her little fingers were getting mighty cold. 

Luckily for her, her mama made some cocoa and gave her a cookie to warm back up. Mmm. Remember how great it used to be to play in the snow and then come in to cocoa and cookies? Maybe that's one of the best parts of kids. We get to relive our favorite things from childhood with them!

Now we just need to get a sled so we can pull her around the neighborhood and over to the park. 

Make or Buy

What is your plan this year? Do you already have your Christmas list filled, wrapped and tucked away or are you still planning on picking up a bunch of gifts next Friday? 

Generally I am a big fan of the black Friday sales and love the lure and thrill of the hunt. Not to mention, good sales help the economy, right? 

This year, due to the new roof and new attic, we won't be buying each other or anyone else anything. That doesn't mean I won't be giving presents!! No indeed. I'm looking forward to Make Something Day. Though it might take more like a month and not just a day.

Both plans are equally good and fun! What's yours this year? 

Another Great Deal

Since I'm on a kick of telling you lovely interweb folks about great deals, I thought I should let you know that tomorrow is the last day to get restaurant.com gift certificates for 80% off. 

Have you bought GCs from them before? There are restaurants available practically everywhere and the deal is impossible to beat. I just spent $4 for $50 worth of restaurant coupons. Seriously. For some of my favorite places in town. It's really the only way we can afford to eat out. We will generally have about a $30 bill and spend about $10 overall with the tip. 

Anyway, check it out. Just enter the code ENTREE at checkout. You have up to a year to use the gift certificate. Plus, these are great to give as gifts or use when you're traveling. You can select any zip code and find a great place to eat out anywhere. 

20 Weeks

Um, apparently this means I'm half-way there? That seems like a rather frightful thought. Not only is there currently nowhere for this child to sleep, but the to-do list to prepare for it is horribly long. 

We'd ideally like to have the insulation and drywall hung in the attic before the first snowfall. Then it will be a matter of finances in getting it mudded and then the room carpeted before said child makes their appearance.

Unfortunately, I can't begin to prepare a nursery until the attic is finished as everything that is generally stored in the attic is currently stored in the to-be-nursery room. There would probably be enough room to stow a bassinet, but not to walk around it or actually get to it and therefore not very useful. 

Anxiously I await the ultrasound to find out if there will be a need to buy blue and green clothing or start sorting out the tubs of pinks. Only a week and a half before we hopefully get an answer. Though I am not too worried if my child is shy. I have easily met my deductible for the year so if more ultrasounds are needed, I can get them scheduled! It's more just the wondering to know. 

As any expectant parent will say, I'll be happy with whatever gender pops out, but my symptoms have been almost entirely identical to my first pregnancy. Thus leading me to believe that there is a girl type baby swimming around in my belly. As active as the first too. I guess we'll just wait and see. 

These pics were both taken last night. I have been horribly remiss in getting good belly shots done this time around, so we're are attempting to remedy that. Am feeling rather huge lately, but the scale says I've only gained 6 pounds so far so I guess it's not too bad. Hating the reflux, and eating lots of Tums. Lovely. 

Get Them Before They're Gone!

I have been keeping my eyes out for the semi-annual sale of cloth diapers. Twice a year or so, I get an email saying that they are having a big close out at one of my favorite sites for dipes. Every order has been fabulous with them and I have been very happy with the quality of everything I have purchased there.

Click for the list of what is still available in the outlet store. Everything is half off and the discounted price will show up in your cart before you check out.  I stocked up on smalls so come March/April my new baby's buns will be well covered! Though, often newborns can be smaller than the smalls so it might be more like May before the buns are covered with cloth. 

If you currently use cloth, you already know what a great deal this is and will hurry over. If you haven't tried cloth, this is a great time to give them a chance. Your baby's bootie will thank you! (as will your budget-most people say they save over a thousand bucks)

 Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about cloth diapering as I've been at it for (gasp) almost two years now and I also have lots of resources to share to any future converts!

Kitty Kats

I don't like the scary goulish part of halloween. It always creeps me out to walk into the hastily set-up, dirty with last year's costumes, filled with hooker outfits, noisy as I go past the mummies with blinking red eyes temporary Halloween stores. Yet, every year I find myself there in the store looking for, what? Inspiration?

Regardless, I love having halloween parties. They are my favorite parties to throw. I love hanging silly things from the ceilings, cooking "scary" foods ("hand" meatloaf, radioactive hummus, brussels sprouts, etc), dressing up and eating candy with friends. Especially friends who go all out with their costumes. Even better than that, now that I have a kiddo, I get to dress HER up. And darn it, kids are so cute in their little costumes!

The week before Halloween it was cold and rainy and yet we still trudged across the park to hit "The Zoo Goes Boo." Luckily, there was one candy spot where they were handing out full sized candy bars and the Hershey bar mysteriously went right into Mama's pocket.  Here you see my little white kitten with her kitty basket trying to decide how much she really wanted to be out treating. 

The day of Halloween, I didn't have to work, so as it was cold and rainy yet

 again, we decided to brave the mall and do our treating inside. Later I found out that one of our local colleges do great dorm treating so we will have to be sure to go there next year. 

Yes, I realize that this is two weeks past due, but darn it, interweb, didn't you want to see this cute little pink & white kitten? 

I Love My Hair

In general, I have pretty thin hair. My fabulous stylist says I have plenty of hair but that the strands are thin. I guess that makes me feel a little better. Most of the time I have to wash my hair every day if I want to look presentable. 

Most of the time I don't really mind too much how presentable I am. Frankly, if I'm staying home with the kiddo all day I am perfectly ok with the Mommytail. 

However. Right now I have pregnant hair. It took a couple months to kick in, but once it did, it became glorious. Maybe not to you, maybe not for anyone else to notice, but to me--glorious. I don't have to wash it for at least three days and it can still look fresh and silky yet grease-free. 

Some days I go curly and use my diffuser, other days I take a little more time and flat iron it. The times I straighten it I know will last the longest. Somehow, I don't even get bedhead! 

In my google reader, I subscribe to several Freebies blogs. Last week I got a free sample in the mail for Pureology's Super Smooth Smoothing Elixir. I have always loved this brand for shampoos & conditioners, but haven't had a chance to try any other products before. 

Am. In. Love. First of all, i didn't just get a little bitty one-time-use packet, I got a full-sized bottle! Secondly, while I only used a little bit, this stuff seriously made my hair much smoother. I used no other products after showering and I could tell a big difference when flat ironing. Frankly, it took less time to straighten than usual as well. Big win there!

I know my hair is only going to be this great for the next six months or so, but I'm loving every last moment that I have until I start balding again. At least I'll still probably have some elixir left to at least help with the styling process. 

Drip Drop

There's something so innately soothing about rain. The drip, drip, drip, pitter, patter, pit. Makes you just want to curl up with some hot cider and a good book. Even a big storm, when it ferociously whips against your windows with gale forces bringing down the last vestiges of leaves, can somehow be calming. 

Except when it is drip, drip, dripping inside your house at 3 am. That is a whole lot less soothing. 

Last night we were awakened by my fussy child who's paci had fallen out. (Yeah, I know, she should give up the paci, but that's the last thing I want to deal with right now.) I stumbled to the crib, cram the bink in and stumble back to bed. 

Except I noticed a steady stream of drips onto the hall floor. This is made even worse by the fact that there should not ever be water coming down from above there. After stumbling up to the attic, we (mostly Andy, I can't actually see at night, am blind as a bat) discovered some serious holes in the roof tarps. Like, not-joking-around-about-rain-coming-in kind of holes. Added to which was the serious wind and excessive pouring down buckets of rain. 

The good news, which was reported to me after said husband climbed back into bed, is that the skylight already installed was dry as a bone. Phew. 

During breaks in the drips today he is going to try to get as much put up as possible. Only, of the special order windows for the other holes, we're still missing one. Sigh.

We would try to do this during the rainiest time of the year so far, wouldn't we? 

Disorganized, Disconnected, Disturbing

Lately it has felt like practically everything in my life is out of my control. Good work is getting done on the house, but like all old homes, every step of the way seems much more difficult and more time consuming and more messy than it needs to be and somehow escalates so that I am completely overwhelmed. Of course, with all home improvements, the period before the home is improved often finds the home vastly unimproved. 

I feel as though I can't but make wrong choices and life is more complicated at every turn. Everything seems like it is just harder than it needs to be. Not that I'm complaining that life should be all peaches and roses, but lately I just can't seem to handle it all. Financially, emotionally, spiritually, I am disconnected and frustrated. Drained. 

Fortunately, today was a good day. Hubby made a fantastic breakfast for us all this morning, the sun actually was shining and it was quite warm. Warm enough to go for a walk to the park and see the lake monster. Plus, I captured some fabulous pics of my kiddo. Crazy little munchkin makes me laugh all day. Here you see the most common phrase of hers, "Come on." She doesn't prefer to play alone lately, always wanting Mama or Dada to be at least near her if not playing with her. She gestures her little hand to you and you can't help but take it and follow wherever she leads. 

What I'm Living with and What I'm Missing

I'll let you guess which is which. 

Things I Really Love

I’ve wanted a kitchen corner nook table since we bought this house. It just seemed as though it would be the perfect fit and save space as well. For years, we have kept our eyes open for one and even found a great one at a local wood store, but it was a bit more than we could pay so we kept looking.

A few weeks ago in a sales flyer I saw the perfect table and bench set for my kitchen corner and it was at the perfect price.

It was flat packed and needing to be built, which is something I actually love doing. With the help of a friend, I got the table I always wanted.

You’ll never guess where I got it. No really, you won’t.

I totally have the biggest crust on Aldi. I've always been a fan, really. But seriously, this thing is fabulous. Storage in the benches for my napkins and such. Plus, every time I go, I treat myself to a bouquet of flowers that are not only inexpensive, but they also tend to last about two weeks. 

Aldi, people. Aldi.