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Quad Madness!!

Eric took a trip to Kentucky this weekend on a 4-wheeling trip with the fellas. Aaaand he only took 4 pictures...what's with that!? Such a boy. :) Actually, I was quite worried about our lil red camera and the journey it faced...first of all--Eric was the handler (yikes!), second of all--Eric was riding a dirty, muddy, 4 wheeler on bumpy trails (ahhh!). I was just happy that everyone and everything came home in the same condition that they left in!! He had a lot of fun....there were 16 guys total with their quads....need I say more? Their weekend was filled with loads of dirt, mud, dusty trails, beer, very little sleep, and other stuff that guys find to be fun...like watching wrestling. Speaking of very little sleep, Eric's in bed as I type...out cold. Bless his heart...

Umm...yes...that is a lady mannequin...don't ask me?

A Newly Discovered Favorite...

I've had the urge lately to try my hand at homemade yogurt making. It sounded so easy, economical, and homemade is always better, right!? Well, yogurt is no exception...homemade yogurt is the bomb!! My family goes through what seems like gallons of yogurt each week. While Eric isn't a huge yogurt fan, I love, love, love Stonyfield Farms yogurt in every variety, and Ava is hooked on Stonyfield Farms YoBaby or YoKids. The stuff is amazing...and Yoplait offers absolutely no comparison...even my once favorite thick-n-creamy custard style Yoplait doesn't even come close to the smooth, pure-tasting, creamy, organic bliss that Stonyfield offers. When I took a look at the ingredients list on the back of my Stonyfield yogurt container, all that was listed was organic low fat milk, pectin, and vitamin D. That's it. How simple...I like simple. So, I thought--hey, let me just do a little research and see how complicated of a process this might be, and to my giddy astonishment...it's so stinkin' easy. Even easier than making my own babyfood! :) I am hooked. The best part here is the money I'll save by making my own yogurt....check this out:

Stonyfield Farms Yogurt--Usually $0.99 per container which is 6 ounces--so I'll just say $1/container. I buy at least 6 containers (36 ounces) of these every week. My favorite math teacher Mr. Shaffer taught me that this would equal $6/ week (about $25/month)

Stonyfield Farms YoBaby--About $3.79/ 6-pack (4 ounce containers). At least one 6-pack (24 ounces) of these a week...usually more though. So, about $15-$20/ week.

Add them up and we consume about 240 ounces of yogurt/ month and I'm spending about $40-$45/ month on organic yogurt!!

Making my own:
Organic Whole Milk: $2.79/ quart (that's 32 ounces)
Organic Powdered Milk: $6.49 (the lifetime of this bag of powdered milk will vary depending on whether or not I use it each time for my yogurt--it's kind of an optional item, so this bag should last me a really long time.)
One container of Stonyfield Farm yogurt--$0.99 (this was a one time purchase to use as a starter for my homemade yogurt, but now I have my own yogurt to use as a starter for my next batch)
Organic wildflower honey--$3.99.

So, the math tells us that 240 ounces divided by 32 ....oh, never mind, I'll just cut to the chase....making my own yogurt will cost me roughly $20-$25/ month!  An all around win... 50% savings...all-organic...economical...delicious...and all the flavor combos I can create. I saw a goji berry mix at Whole Foods today that would be so yummy pureed & thrown in this homemade yogurt.

Now, onto the meat & potatoes of this post....

Homemade Yogurt How-To

1 Quart (4 Cups) Fresh, Organic Whole Milk
2/3 Cup Powdered Milk
1/2 Cup Fresh Organic Yogurt with active cultures (most yogurts have active cultures)

A couple notes:
*You can use 2%, 1%, or skim milk if you wanted to. I used whole milk because I want thick & creamy yogurt and until I am an 'professional' yogurt maker, I figured full fat milk would yield best results--which it has! I'll try a low-fat milk next time and see how it goes.
*The powdered milk isn't necessarily needed--you can make yogurt without it--but if you're using a lower-fat milk the yogurt tends to be runnier and the powered milk helps thicken it up a bit.
*The organic yogurt is just a one time purchase--you need the yogurt to use as a starter to get the bacteria in the milk which develops the yogurt. After you make a batch then you'll have your own yogurt to use as a starter for subsequent batches.

3 Simple Ingredients.

First, heat the milk and powdered milk in a 2 qt saucepan, until it reaches 180*, stirring frequently to avoid scorching--you definitely want to avoid scorching and boiling. This picture clearly is not showing what I described above, but rather Step 2, which is to place the saucepan in a sink of cold water to bring the temperature down to about 110*. You don't have to put it in cold water, you could just let the milk sit at room temperature and wait for the temperature to fall to 110*...but that method is for patient folks. :)

Once the milk is cooled to 110*, pour the milk into a glass quart jar--I have plenty of them around from canning. You want to make sure the jar is sterilized to assure the bacteria in the jar won't interfere with the bacteria that will be producing the enzymes that turn the milk into yogurt--thankfully my dishwasher took care of that step for me. Then wrap some towels around your quart jar--this will provide insulation and help keep your milk at 110* for the next 6-8 hours. Place your wrapped up quart jar in the oven with the light turned on. The oven doesn't need to be turned on, just have the oven light on and that will provide enough warmth to help keep the milk at 110* for the incubation period. Really, 6 hours in my oven and my yogurt was perfect--if you like really tart plain yogurt then let it incubate longer. I stayed close to the 6 hour mark because I don't like my yogurt too tart.

And here she is...in all her delicious, smooth, creamy glory...Homemade Yogurt!!! Sooo good! Just stick this puppy in the back of the fridge so it's nice & cold in the morning. Wake up...scoop out...sprinkle berries...gobble up. Easy as that.

Now, these two paired together = one seriously yummy concoction! I also have TONS of strawberry freezer jam left in my freezer from last summer that I plan on stirring into my yogurt. It will add a sweetness better than any plain sugar can offer. Now THAT will be good--I can hardly wait til morning. :)

I highly recommend giving homemade yogurt making a try! It's so easy, seriously, there are a million different ways to make yogurt and there's so much experimenting you can do to get exactly what you're looking for. Do some browsing of the web, like I did, and I'm sure you'll get sucked into the ease of making yogurt. It's as easy as warming milk and letting it sit for 6 hours, really. Plus, you cut down on environmental waste by using your own glass jars. Love it. 

Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake...Made Organic!!

Ok...first of all...for all the organic haters (ah-hem...my husband ;)...substituting with organic products does not = tasteless. I repeat...organic does not equal tasteless! Too many people think that if you're buying organic products then they probably taste like cardboard--which is simply untrue! First off...a fat is a fat is a fat! It still gives your mid-section some jiggle if you eat too much of it, and it still comes from the same part of a plant or animal that organic fat comes from. Whether it's an 'organic' fat or not, it is still a fat. Same goes for carbohydrates...sugar is sugar (only better tasting when it's organic!). You will find that there are no hydrogenated oils/fats in organic foods, though, because these fats are totally different...not natural (more on this later). What I'm saying is, just because something is labeled 'organic' doesn't mean that the fats and carbohydrates have been eliminated and it has no flavor. Quite the contrary, my friends. Portion control is still necessary with organic foods though, don't think that because it says 'organic' that you can eat as much as you want of the product because it's 'healthy'.

So, I made this cheesecake the other night...using all organic or all natural products (yep, even the 'cool whip' was organic!) and started a discussion with my husband about why I feel so strongly about feeding my family the most natural and organic foods possible. He was like, "you're making cheesecake...with organic ingredients...aren't you totally contradicting your reasoning for using organic ingredients by putting them in a cheesecake? It's like an oxymoron. 'Organic' Cheesecake." Oooooooh, he must be under the impression that I use organic to cut down on my calorie intake or something...ooooh, honey, have I got some 'splaining to do for you! Although, at one time, I was sure that he was clear on my reasoning for removing most over-processed, conventional foods from our diet...but apparently not. As he picked up the tub of  TruWhip (aka, 'cool whip'), he read "no hydrogenated oils" across the top. "See, I mean, what does all this mean anyway...'no hydrogenated oils' (and bless his heart for trying so hard to pronounce the word hydrogenated), that means nothing to me." I gasped, "What!? Means nothing to you!? Oh my...." Okay, time to teach my diabetic husband a thing or two about nutrition (by the way, nutrition classes should be required for all diabetics. It's nearly impossible to change your carb-loving eating habits if you don't understand why you have to change them...but I digress :) So, I take this golden opportunity to explain how partially hydrogenated oils are equal to trans fats...these are man-engineered poisons, they do not exist in nature...and they are nasty, disgusting, processed fats that stick to the walls of your arteries like wax and cause build-up, which over a period of time leads to high blood pressure, clogged arteries, heart disease, strokes, which ultimately could lead to medical interventions like heart stent placement, coronary bypass surgery, being placed on more medications, and so on and so forth. And then he asked the question that made my heart flutter and my eyes twinkle-- "Oh....well....if this stuff is so bad for you, then why isn't it illegal to put this stuff in food?" TAA-DAAA! Bingo, my man!!!! This just reinforced to me why not everyone feels the same way I do about natural & organic...because they just don't understand it yet. So, why IS it legal to drowned our daily nourishment in disgusting poisons that are killing us!?!? Because it's cheap...because someone discovered how to do it and thought he was a genius...and because our society has developed an addiction to this type of taste. So, I'm here on my soapbox, urging everyone to pay close attention to the hydrogenated fats that you're including in your diet. You really will feel aaaamazing when you eliminate these toxins from your life! If you're craving some fat in your diet, at least aim for the natural kind!


Since we're on the topic of fats, I'll pass along this natural fat recipe for some cheesecake I made the other night. By no means are these fats 'good for you', so remember moderation. This cheesecake is so amazing...and yes...absolutely 100% filled with fat!! I am such a sucker for cheesecake!! BUT, I guarantee there are NO trans fats in my cheesecake!

Give this one a try--

40 Vanilla Wafers (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
4 pkg (8 oz ea) organic cream cheese, softened, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp vanilla, divided
3 eggs
1 tub TruWhip (organic cool whip), thawed

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
Beat 3 pkg cream cheese, 3/4 cups sugar, and 1 Tbsp vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool completely in pan.
Beat remaining cream cheese, sugar and vailla with mixer in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in TruWhip; spread over sheesecake. Refrigerate 4 hours. Remove rim of pan before serving cheesecake. Serve with fresh berries or alone--either way it's delicious!!



I took the exerpt below from a website I was browsing that I can't remember the name of, but I believe it's reliable information on hydrogenated oils/fats. I know many people who don't care about the chemicals they put into their bodies, with the mentality of "Hey, I feel just fine eating the foods I eat." Just think of how much better you could feel if you didn't ingest these toxins! We all complain about being tired all the time...or can't sleep well at night....or just don't have any energy...or our memory is terrible...the list goes on and on. Our bodies are in a constant state of inflammation. I am determined it's diet related. Enjoy the read!

Why not consume partially hydrogenated fats or oils? Because by the definition of "poison," partially hydrogenated fats and oils are poisons. Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines "poison" as "any substance which, when relatively small amounts are ingested ... has chemical action that may cause damage to structure or disturbance of function, producing symptomatology, illness, or death." (1) Partially hydrogenated oils do not exist in nature. Partially hydrogenated fats and oils are processed versions of naturally occurring fats and oils. In nature, most dietary fats and oils exist in a structural form which is called the "cis" form. When these natural cis form fats are processed by bubbling hydrogen gas through them at high temperatures, they become partially hydrogenated which changes their structure to the "trans" form. The natural cis fat has a bend and the processed trans fat is a straight molecule. See figure 1. This difference in cis and trans shapes is of major significance. When eaten, fats and oils are incorporated into cell membranes altering the composition of these delicate structures. When they interact with normal fat metabolism, they disturb function in a most deleterious manner. Hence, these substances meet the definition of a poison." Trans fats interfere with important, normal functions by inhibiting enzymes which are necessary for the body's normal metabolism of fats and they keep doing it for a long time.

When you eat normal cis fats, the body metabolizes half of them in 18 days. When you eat trans fats the body requires 51 days to metabolize half of them. This means that half of the trans fats you eat today will still be inhibiting essential enzyme systems in your body 51 days from now.

My Favorite Part of Spring!

My favorite part of spring is landscaping & yard work!! I think it's fun! I love getting our water garden cleaned out and prepped for warmer weather...saying hello to Bobby & Chloe and seeing their happy little sun-loving bodies swim around in the pond, excitedly awaiting all the new water plants, duck weed, and snails that we bring them (hmmm...yea, I don't really think they're that sophisticated, but it's cute to imagine :). The fact that they survive through the winter with the freezing over of the pond is incredible (oh, in case you didn't know...Bobby & Chloe are our koi & goldfish--our little outside pets). How in the world do they live through it!? Actually, my absolute favorite uber-intelligent high school biology teacher taught me how that phenomenon works, but it still shocks me every year. This year is going to be even more exciting though because I'm making it an absolute must...an immediate priority...to do something fantastic with our dispicable landscaping as soon as the weather perks up long enough to do so (like hopefully real soon!)

Ok, the area between these two pine trees has been bare since we moved here...and every year I have been "determined" to throw some shade perennials in there to sauce it up a little bit...and every year I have fallen short !! There is an actual bed of soil between those trees that we manage to mulch every year, for some strange reason, but have never thrown anything as simple as a couple hostas, some ferns,  or bleeding hearts in that quaint boring space. Well, I won't fall short this year--and you're all going to hold me accountable, right!? A simple, "hey liz, how's the shady perennial garden coming?" should keep my motor rolling. ;o)

And what the heck is going on here???!!! A big, ugly, empty, blaaah side of a house is what's going on here! This side of the house is our biggest problem child--and again, we've said for, oooh 3 years now, that we are going to spruce this barren, blah, lifeless 'area' (for lack of a better word) up with some fancy landscaping somehow....seriously, it's gonna happen this spring! :)

And last but not least...this area right here. It's a lovely area, I think. With a little oomph and tender loving care it will look marvelous. The only flowers that bloom under this cute apple tree (at least I think it's a crab apple tree?) are tulips in the spring...and they bloom and die off with a blink of the eye. So, I've got some exciting plans for this area too! By the way, isn't that hosta a beauty right there? :) She's our "old faithful"...comes back every year & looks stupendous with hardly any work on our part--that's my kind of flowers!!! :) Oh & look--there's a boo-bear sitting outside enjoying the sunshine! hehe.

So, let me tell you where I plan on getting some great perennials & annuals--a place called Springhill Nursery. It's Ohio based...in Tipp City, southwest-ish Ohio, I think...which doesn't really matter because the best part is you can order online and they deliver to you!! Perfect!! I like this place for many reasons...one, their prices are great (always a bonus--landscaping can get pricey!)....two, you can order online (that's always nice!)...three, they do most of the work for you by selling pre-planned gardens (ah! how perfect is that!? dummy-proof! love it!)...and four, my mom has bought from them and says the quality of the flowers & such are great! Sooo....check out their website and see what you think--I might've just given you the landscaping bug! :)

Now...if I can just get my lawn & garden savvy mom to squeeze in a day trip to my house to help me... ;~)

Snapshots...

Our neighbor took some pretty cute pictures of Ava the other day and brought us a CD with all of her glorious snapshots. Ava actually smiled for the camera...without much prompting...so I was entertained by that fact. Probably because the photographer was someone other than her mama. ; ) Here are some cute ones...props to Angela for the cute shots! Thanks!

I should send this picture to Purina...I mean this shot would make for a great dog food ad! ; )

Unexpected Free Time....

Alright...let me start by saying that today is Saturday...a slightly cloudy, but still beautiful weekend day...and I woke up with the most burning desire of all desires to stay home from work today...just hoping that I would get a call from the charge nurse saying something like, "We're kind of slow today Liz, would you like to stay home for your first 4 hours today?" to which I would reply, "Yes, Ma'am!!! Absolutely!!!!!"

Well...at 9:50 this morning I got that call!!!! Wow...so unexpected...and sooo appreciated. Sometimes I just don't have 12 hours in me...especially when I have to work 5 days in a row. I squealed with joy when I hung up the phone this morning....Hallelujah!! Yippie Skippy!

You should also know that my husband and daughter left his morning and headed south to visit his family for the weekend. Which means......you got it.....I am home alone!!!! Double Hallelujah!!! Not that I don't love every second that I spend with them, BUT, I am sitting here at the computer jamming to some Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind and indulging in my "Spare Time Must Reads" list because, ohmigosh, I have some spare time!! My little one is not grabbing the keyboard or crawling onto my lap while I type...this is crazy...crazy cool. I'm just giddy with excitement!!! What else can I squeeze in while they are gone and before I have to head to work? Cleaning? Heavens no. Photoshop? Oh, I could spend some time doing that! Squeeze in a jog? Mmmm...probably not. Catch up on my DVR? Seems like a waste of time. Go to the mall? Now THAT I could really enjoy! Ooh, the possibilities...4 hours seems like an eternity. :o)

So, I will take this grand opportunity to update the blog with some pictures....hope you enjoy!

Ok, Ava covers kitty's food up with this pot lid almost everyday....our poor kitty. If you know anyone who would like a very sweet kitty she is free to a loving home. :) She gets so abused around here...Ava shows her no mercy...and I have no idea why.

Ava and her sweet friend Mya had a playdate at Christy & Kurtis' last week. Mya's mommy & daddy came down and we all hang out for the day. So much fun...these girls were adorable together. :)

Mya is a huge ham...the cutest ham ever! During this little photo shoot, Ava kept putting her face so close to Mya's and Mya kept looking at her like, "Girl, why are you in my face like that!?" Ha!!

Peanuts...both these girls look exactly like their dads....what's up with that?! That's Mya's mommy, Lindsay behind her in this picture.

The girls. Mya just turned 1 year old and she has much more hair than Ava. Ava's has kind of stopped growing for now. Darn it.

We thought Christy looked out of place without a baby on her hip....so we solved that problem. :o)

Ah yes, Ava has learned how to take off her sleepers. So she's naked even more nowadays!

That big blob in the yard is Portia. :) She loooooves the warmer weather, too! I let her out in the morning and she just lays there in the sun all day long...doesn't bother anybody....just sleeps or watches people walk by. However, people walking by the house usually spot her and then cross to the other side of the street. Poor Portia...everybody thinks she's scary. :o)

Lil Miss Piggy.

This is a post sleeper peel-off picture.  And those darn Gerber onesies are always too short and come unsnapped at the crotch...maybe she's just extra long, I don't know.

Ava takes walks with her extra-fast-running-shoes on these days. She runs everywhere!! Portia is behind us...she's extra slow. Hehe.  Ava will turn around and pat her leg, telling Portia to "hurry-up".

Ava jumps around all the time...usually when she's dancing she incorporates a jump or two and then squats like a sumo wrestler. I thought this picture was extra hilarious only because she is just landing from one of her crazy jumps and the camera captured her chubby sumo wrestler legs mid-flop. Ha! Only at 17 mos old can it be called "so stinkin cute" to have your chubby legs jiggle and be caught on camera! :o)

My chubby-cheeked snuggle-buns. Or as I sometimes call her... Miss Sassy-fras!

A Lil-a-This, A Lil-a That

Some pictures from last Saturday at my grandpa's funeral with family...all of whom I absolutely loooved seeing...and some pictures of OUTSIDE in this awesome weather! I always get a wave of motivation when spring comes. I'm excited to start some landscaping projects and the spring cleaning! Oh yes, which reminds me...a little update on our 'lemons'...all is well folks. Life is peachy, again. :-) Isn't it amazing how one week can totally throw you under the bus, and then things just work themselves out and you look back on that week like, hmm, that wasn't so terrible...why did I freak out? Ha! Eric's job is going nowhere...our babysitter is going nowhere...and our house is going nowhere. Life was just teasing me. Ha-ha, jokes on me! :o)

All of my grandpa's children. :)

Most of grandpa's grandchildren.

Almost all of grandpa's grandchildren & great grandchildren!

Ava meets sweet baby Sloane...her 2nd cousin from Florida!

Somebody's gettin' a little jealous....gotta squeeze her way onto my lap somehow!

My munchkin livin' it up OUTSIDE! We love it...windows are open almost everyday. :o) And Ava does not come inside without a fight at the end of the day. A girl from her momma's heart :)

"Whatcha got there, Dad?"

"OOO, dog!"

I just wanna eat her up...those CHEEKS are yummy!!!!!!

This is how Ava should be all the time in her car seat!! That would be wonderful!!

...but this is how she looks most of the time...ha!

...and I'll leave you all on this note... don't pee your pants laughing at this goofy kid--cause I almost did!

Have A Fantastic Day!!

In Sweet Loving Memory...

My last living grandparent passed away on Monday. May God rest your soul, Grandpa Kandel.

Peacefully sleeping, resting at last,

His weary trials and troubles past,

In silence he suffered, in patience he bore,

Till God called him home to suffer no more.

Most Exciting Times...

Struggling to pick up that monstrous pile of dirty dipers...and don't ask me where her clothes are...her happiest times are when she's running around without clothes. She gets really creative and extra curious in her birthday suit...she feels so freeeee! :o)

She's going through this purse and shoe fetish right now....looooves to put anything that looks like a purse on her shoulder and carry it around. It's so cute....she wants to be a big girl. :o)

There. Now the look is completed. No look is complete without the neck blankie. Ha!!

"Mooooom!! Take this darn diaper off too!! Promise I won't pee all over the place!!"

"Got my mom's shoes on now, and I'm about to put this necklace on, too! But first I'll flash you a cheesy grin!"

~~ I Love My Baby Girl ~~

Oooooh, you thought you were going to see exciting pictures based on the title of this post, huh? Well--these are the most exciting of our times for now folks!

Winter, winter go away...we want sunshine to go outside and play!!! Let's all keep chanting this phrase...maybe it will happen soon!