Halloween 2011

Going for a walk...

There is a bike path that I have driven past many times and wondered where it went. Today, I fed my little girlies breakfast and we got out the bikes and the stroller and drug Lisa and baby along with us. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

We walked about 1 1/2 miles (girls complaining all the way about WHY we were doing this and how tired they were and how hot it was...you know the drill) before we even found the beginning of the path. Once we did however, the little ladies seemed to be rejuevenated and took off on their own down the paved path along a raging river! It was shady (and therefore a little cooler, thank goodness) and wove its way along back yards that line the river banks. It turned out to be a beautiful walk/ride that they are determined to take their father back to maybe tonight.

We finally decided to head back home. I'm not sure how far we went but we were gone for 2+ hours. I had to have a nap this afternoon! It also reminded me of a quaint little tune "Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked and walked and walked and walked....and walked". Next time, I think we will drive to the trail head and just enjoy the bike path as it was intended!

Healthy Eating and Recipes

A friend of mine recently started a cooking blog for healthier eating options. I have tried several of her recipes and LOVE them Here is the link to Emilee's blog. Check it out today! Try the Carribean Jerk Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans. It is one of my absolute favorites. I have made it twice. Fair warning though: it is quite spicy and I had to scale way back on the Carribean Spice (even half of the amount called for was too spicy for my kids!). Her lettuce wraps are to die for too. And....I'm off to the kitchen. All this talking about food is making me hungry! Happy eating!

Tin Foil Dinner Cooking Tips

Tin Foil Dinners are a fun and delicious way to cook when camping and after doing a lot of research on the internet, I learned a few things:

Tin Foil Dinner Cooking Tips:

* Use heavy duty foil. That way you don't have to worry about your packet ripping open before it is finished cooking. I like to double layer mine, even with heavy duty foil

*Use cooking spray (like Pam) on the foil before you put the food in. It helps your food to not stick to the packet.

*Add a little fat to the packet-oil or butter. Really adds to the flavor. Toss raw veggies (like potato slices) in a little oil to help them not stick together and brown.

*Place meat on the bottom, as it takes the longest to cook. You can add some high-moisture vegetables like onion or tomato to the meat to keep the meat from drying out and add some more flavor. Mix slices of onion right into your meat.

*Be sure to use a thin slice of raw meat (like hamburger) to ensure doneness and not having to cook it too long. Ham slices and stew meat are a nice change too.

*You can use canned vegetables if you want to speed up your cook time. Just beware: they can sometimes be a little overcooked and tend to be mushier than fresh, raw veggies.

*Onion soup mix is a great flavor additive!

*Don't be afraid to experiment. Sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, etc. are wonderful cooked this way!

Cake Batter Truffles

My cute daughter, Stacy, made these the other day and brought some over. We made awfully quick work of them! They are pretty yummy and taste just like cake batter, which is always a favorite of the kids! She got the recipe from Landee on her blog where she gives credit to two other sources. Give them a try! They are yummy. (Just for your information, I made the cookie batter truffles from Landee's blog but we all preferred these!)

Cake Batter Truffles

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 yellow cake mix

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

about 1/4 cup milk

hand mix:

2 T. sprinkles

white dipping chocolate

Beat together sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients, adding milk in slowly until you reach desired dough-like consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll into balls and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet and chill for at least 15 minutes.

Melt dipping chocolate and dip batter balls in. Put back on wax paper and top with more sprinkles if desired. Keep refrigerated. Makes approx. 30 truffles.

Keeping Hydrated

I have always heard that drinking plenty of water is essential to good health and especially weight loss. I don't mind drinking water.....I just know that I don't EVER get as much as I should. The teacher of the pump class that I attend says that you should drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day. I have good intentions....sometimes I even start the day out doing pretty well, but I get busy and simply forget. Well, no more! I just read about a fantastic idea, and just had to share.

Set your timer for 1 hour. Each time the timer goes off, you drink an 8 oz. glass of water. Not too hard, right? The only problem for me so far is remembering why the timer is buzzing!! That old age and memory thing~!! I am hoping this will be the beginning of a beautiful habit for me. Good timing, too with summer (supposedly) coming any day and needing to keep hydrated in the hot summer sun. Here's to hydrating and re-hydrating!

New Grandbaby Camryn

Camryn Alexis Melvin was born on Wednesday, June 8, 2011. She weighs 7 lbs. 8.3 oz. and is very cute! Momma Lisa and baby are doing well!

I was there for the birth and it was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced! What a miracle new life is. She is perfect in every way and is such a sweet little thing. She has a very husky, deep voice and is not afraid to let us know what she wants. Welcome little one!

Ribbon Flowers

Ok-disclaimer....these pictures are terrible! My camera is having issues. Thank goodness I bought the extended warranty. But for today....just try to imagine!!

The other day, I was wandering through a local craft store looking for a fun idea for an embellishment. There were the cutest ribbon flowers there and I decided it was a great idea to use up some ribbon scraps. My camera has been having issues, so these are terrible photos-but these flowers are pretty cute!

You will need:

4 pieces of ribbon (approx. 4 1/2 inches long-depending on size of flowers desired-I used 2 different coordinating ribbons)
1 7 mm brad (or button, etc. for center of flower)
small hole punch
adhesive-either the 714 or some glue dots

1. On the wrong side of each piece of the ribbon, put a length of glue or glue dot

2. Fold each ribbon into a circle, overlapping slightly and adhere (right sides out)

3. Using more adhesive, and making sure seams are hidden, make an X with 2 ribbon circles.

4. Repeat with other 2 pieces of ribbon.
5. WIth one more bit of adhesive, put 2 ribbon X's together, forming a flower.
6. With small hole punch, punch through all layers of ribbon and secure with 7 mm brad (making the center of the flower).