Help, We're locked in the Bedroom!

Ok, so funny story. Melissa and I were hanging out in the bedroom after getting up on Saturday. Little Miss isn't quite up to par on her listening skills yet, and after numerous times of me telling her not to, she shut the bedroom door. No big deal, right? WRONG. By some wonderful twist of fate, at the exact same time she shut the door, the doorknob broke. Lucky for us, Neil was out helping his sister move, so he wasn't home to get us out. So, my first instinct is.......to freak out! And then we laughed about it. And then I freaked out. I pulled as hard as I could on the door and nothing. Apparently the little plastic sleeve that holds the middle part (I know I am so technical) disintegrated, effectively rendering the doorknob useless. So we had to wait. For someone to go to DH's sisters house and give him a car, since his truck was packed up with their stuff, and then he had to drive home to unscrew the knob from the outside. Of course, I could have climbed out the window and gone around the front, but what was the point of that? I'd just be outside with the baby and no key to my own house, since my keys were in the living room. So we sat there and watched Nickelodeon and waited. And Melissa decided it was a wonderful time to go poopy. I did get to have some nice chats with family while we waited, though. Because what else are you going to do in a 10 x 10 room with a king size bed and a 2 year old? Needless to say, we haven't replaced the doorknob yet. And I am going to be putting a key somewhere outside.

And you got here how?

Have you noticed that I have been getting some wacky places visiting my blog? Maybe its because I'm such a good blogger with a great audience. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!! Okay, stop laughing.

Ever since I installed the live feed from Feedjit, which is freaking awesome BTW, I have noticed a lot of strange hits. Like Dubai. Brazil. Ireland. It's just strange. And they're getting here by going straight to the blog.

I know lots of people are getting here to read about my Master Cleanse experience, which was interesting. If you're thinking about doing it, get the book and then go to this site http://www.therawfoodsite.com/mastercleanse.htm Totally informative and a great companion to the book. The forums have so many answers!

Don't you think you should install a feed on your blog? You can add it here: http://feedjit.com/ It is kind of like the writing on the bathroom wall without the nasty germs.

Tantalizing Tuesday Crockpot Chicken Curry

Crockpot Chicken Curry

6 - 8 pieces of boneless skinless chicken I like to use breasts, but you can use whatever you like
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 - 2 chopped onions
3 - 4 chopped carrots
3- 4 chopped celery stalks
3 Tbsp. Curry powder *
1 tsp. Cumin*
1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
chopped cilantro
8 oz. plain yogurt


*Instead of the cury powder & cumin, I like to use Pataks Cilantro & Cumin Mild Curry Paste, about 1/2 of a 10 oz. jar


You can also substitue pork as well.


Cook on low in crock pot for 6 - 8 hours. The chicken will essentially disintegrate into the sauce. About 30 minutes before serving, add in the chopped cilanto and yogurt. Serve over rice.

Project Time

I have been busy!! These are my lastest projects...

This fleece appliqued blanket is a present I made for my brother's graduation.



















Cloth bags I've been working on. I'm working on an insert for this one to carry 4 bottles.

Theraputic eye pillows that I'm about ready to get testers on. These were fun to make with relaxing chamomile and my special blend of flax and rice. DH especially likes the pillowcases!

And my new Provident Pads, almost ready to be sent out to my testers! I've been working on this pattern for about a year now, and I think they're ready! I guess my testers will tell me!














Watch for these soon on our site! And email me if you're intested in testing!!

Live, Learn and then get.....

Peed on. Seriously. How do people use Luvs diapers? Now we use cloth diapers when we're at home, because I'm crunchy living lightly cheap. Nah, we really like it. Especially cleaning the poop off of them. But I digress. Back to the Luvs. We decided to really be cheapos and buy a case of these instead of the Pampers we usually get for daycare and for our long outings. Now I suppose that people use these diapers and like them, because they are still making them, but wow! They are now relegated to daycare dipes only. On our trip down to Ft. Lauderdale last month, we loaded up after I finished work, and drove the 3 hours down there. Now, when we put Melissa in her seat, she was in a fresh diaper. She did great and slept the whole way there, but when we got out, she was soaked. And her jammies. And her carseat. She has NEVER done that in Pampers any other diaper. Now poop, that's a whole other story.

Congratulations to Sara & Clayton!!

I went to see my old work pal, Sara and her husband Clayton and their new baby boy, Rylan today in the hospital!! He was born yesterday and weighed in at 7# 4 oz. Looks like a cross between mommy and daddy and is just an angel! He slept the entire time I was there. Many congratulations to Sara and Clayton on a beautiful baby boy!

Tantalizing Tuesday General Tsao Chicken

General Tsao Chicken

Marinade:
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 Egg Whites

Chicken cut int 1 " cubes

Sauce:
12 oz. Finely diced onions
12 cloves minced garlic
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 oz. tomato paste (I subbed ketchup)
3/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
2/3 cup Lemon Juice
4 Tien-Tsin Peppers (I subbed about 1 tsp. Garlic Chili Sauce)

Marinate chicken for 1 hour. Saute the onion and garlic in vegetable oil. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, simmer. Strain, or blend to combine. Coat 1" chicken pieces in corn starch. Fry until crisp. Coat with sauce. Serve over rice with steamed veggies.

Pictures!!

At last, here are the links to the pictures from our Vacation.

6/26

6/27

6/28

6/29

6/30

Videos From Yellowstone

Finally the long awaited videos. Enjoy!


Yellowstone Videos

Bell Peppers, A Tutorial

No Tantalizing Tuesday this week, but I do have a tutorial on the proper way to cut peppers. This is the easiest way and it will minimize the amount of waste you have.

Since it is summer and most everything is in season now, I like to buy and freeze for later! Dicing peppers and freezing them is perfect for making pizza or black beans and rice! Plus when peppers are $2 each in winter it can really save you some big money when you want to make up some fajitas!

Start out with your washed peppers.















Slice both ends off.















Notice the ribs that hold the seeds in place.















Remove the seeds by pulling them out, or if it is stubborn, slice the ribs with a knife.















Slice down the side to open up the pepper, and remove the ribs from the flesh inside.














Now you have a perfect piece of pepper to make nice even strips. Of course you will want to chop up the top and bottom pieces that you cut off so there is no waste!















I like to make up quart bags of diced peppers and freeze them. I usually use a mixture of green, red and yellow or orange. My usual combo is 2 green peppers, 1 red and 1 yellow or orange pepper. From that I can get 1 quart bag of diced peppers and 1 quart bag of sliced for fajitas.

Melissa went on the potty!

Well, Melissa has decided that she knows how to use the potty! She went in to the bathroom before her bath, said "Potty" sat down and peed!!! This was followed by much clapping and singing by mommy and some candy! She really loved that! This was actually the first time that she did it completely by herself! We haven't pushed her too much with the potty, and it has been there and we have talked about it. She is really starting to grow up!

Fabulous Friday Potato Salad

I decided that because I missed Tantalizing Tuesday this week due to a very sick baby, I decided to give you a Fabulous Friday! And with two recipes!!

Vegetarian "Chicken" Seasoning

This vegetarian seasoning can be used to make a lovely Chicken Stock when you are out. Be sure to use Nutritional Yeast instead of Brewers Yeast. It is excellent for flavoring rice and as a soup base. Use as needed to achieve the proper taste.

1 1/3 cups Nutritional Yeast Flakes

3 Tbsp Onion Powder

2 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp Salt

1 tsp Celery Seeds

2 1/2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

2 Tbsp Parsley, dried

Blend smooth all ingredients except parsley. Stir in parsley. Store in airtight container.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Potato Salad

This is more of a loose recipe. You should adjust to suit your tastes. Makes about 10 servings.

5 Whole medium Potatoes

3 - 6 Eggs

1/2 onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

3 - 6 Tbsp Miracle Whip

3 - 6 Tbsp Mayonnaise

1 - 2 Tbsp Mustard

2-4 Tbsp Sweet Relish

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes whole. When the potatoes are done and a fork inserted comes out easily, add the eggs to the boiling water. This will help the eggs peel nicely (instead of getting clumps of the white stuck to the shell like I always do). Boil for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 - 10 minutes. Combine all additional ingredients in a bowl, and mix. Be sure to check the seasoning, adding more if desired. If you like a more vinegary dressing, add a splash of apple cider vinegar. Roughly chop the potatoes and eggs and add to dressing. Refrigerate until cool and serve. Or eat right away. Your choice.

And as a side note, aren't these little bowls and plates cute?? We picked them up at Ikea for Melissa for about $4 for 6 plates and 6 bowls. We had previously gotten the matching silverware set, and decided to get these on our most recent trip. They also sell the matching cups! Too cute to pass up and very inexpensive! Melissa loves them too!

Doing Better!

Miss Melissa is doing better! Her sores are starting to heal and she ate and drank yesterday. She is spending the day with Nana and Pap Pap today.

Here are a few pics from my cell phone on our trip! Doesn't Neil look thrilled?

Poor Sick Girl

Melissa is still not feeling well. This is a picture of the major blister in her mouth. We believe it is an allergic reaction to the azithromycin she was prescribed for her latest ear infection. You can see her poor bottom lip is completely swollen and blistered up. The swelling has gone down just a bit today, and she is trying to eat more things, but has eaten very little still. She is understandably very fussy and crabby. Her fever has subsided though. Hopefully by tomorrow she will be well enough to eat and drink and return to daycare. And sleep though the night. It's times like these when you wish that you could do anything for your baby to get better. Sitting and watching them in pain and not really being able to help is torture.

We have returned!

We're home in one piece! I'm working on uploading our 606 pictures and 10 videos to my kodak gallery, and once they are finished, I will post the link for them. We had a great time visiting relatives, and enjoying the scenery. Can't wait to go back!!!

We're also working on another ear infection for Melissa, and had to go to the doctor's again today. We're going to do some blood tests on Monday and see if she has actual allergies that are keeping her congested.

Watch for the pictures to come!!!