Love and Hate

Wow its been a whole week since I last posted! I thought I would do a post on somethings that I love and some things I hate, I know hate is a strong word but it sounds good with love. So here it goes.

First off I LOVE my Hubby and kids I couldn't have asked for better.
I LOVE my sister way more now then when we were kids, I just wish we lived close to each other.
I love winter but HATE being cold.
I LOVE watching cartoons with my kids and snuggling I LOVE that!
I HATE watching Wrestling and court TV.
I LOVE having a clean house, but HATE to clean bathrooms.
I HATE hospitals, and needles.
I LOVE to work outside but never get to.
I LOVE to plan things, I have about 50 notebooks that I write things I need to do or just notes.
I HATE being late for things.
I LOVE chocolate!
I LOVE to grocery shop and other shopping.
I LOVE to bake.
I HATE clutter, it makes me cranky.
I LOVE to read but can't find the time to get some reading in, so I stick to magazines which I LOVE and have a slight addiction to. ( I just got rid of about 100 of them this summer)
I LOVE to camp and all that out doors stuff, but HATE it in the summer with the heat and all the stinkin huge BUGS!
I LOVE the beach but scared to actually swim out into the ocean or go out on a boat in the ocean(lakes are fine).
I absolutely HATE arguing! That's why I cant stand watching those Judge shows, to much arguing back and forth.
I HATE scary movies.
I LOVE a good funny and romantic comedy.
I LOVE giving gifts to people.
I LOVE to swim and miss our pool dearly.
I LOVE my new puppy, even though she is chewing everything up in the back yard.
I HATE being pregnant but LOVE the first month after they are born.
I LOVE living in the country but HATE that it is 15 minutes to town.
I LOVE to dress up, but never have any place to dress up for.
I HATE going to the dentist, I have had to much work done.
I LOVE to roller blade.
I LOVE hanging out with friends.
I LOVE to travel, don't get to do to much with the little ones though.
I have a LOVE HATE relationship with living in Texas.
I HATE traffic, that started once I moved back to the country.
I LOVE to organize things, haven't done much lately.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching a movie with my husband.
I LOVE that my husband can pretty much make or fix anything.
I LOVE to have time to my self ( I have been known to go to the movies by my self). I haven't had any for a while either, I think I need some!
I LOVE spell check.
I HATE scorpions and roaches, I cant even kill them they make me all squeamish! I usually have the dog come in and get the big ones.
I LOVE being a mom even though its hard.
I LOVE donuts, but my rear does not.
I LOVE family walks.
I HATE being sick, but you already knew that from the last post.
I LOVE making a big homemade dinner and in joying it together as a family.
I HATE playing games, ever since I was a kid. I guess because I never win.
I LOVE to do crafts but don't do it a lot because it makes a big mess.
The #1 most important thing that I LOVE is the gospel, I am so grateful to have the truth in my life. I didn't realize how important it was until I had a family of my own. I have the biggest testimony that family's will be together forever! And I am thankful for all of my blessings every day.

Sick Of Being Sick

Well we had our Pumpkin Party Saturday night, it turned out okay. Justin did get the deck covered so it looked good. The food was good(I thought so) and the kids had a blast playing and running around, sticking there head in the bobbing bucket. I didn't get hardly any pictures, I was to busy running around. I also went to the Dr. Friday and found out I had a sinus infection(probably get it from my dear kids). So Yesterday we were wiped out! I did nothing all day which was good but I hate to feel lazy and not get things done. I have dishes everywhere and all the mess from Saturday. This Pregnancy is getting to me! I feel like I cant do anything, I get so tired, I don't feel good, I hate not being my self! I normally have lots of energy and go go go get everything done and keep my house from looking like a bomb went off. I guess I need to learn to let things go and clutter wont kill me(even though it annoys me to no end!). I am hopping once I get into the second Trimester I will get some of my energy back.

I am hopping to do some baking this week like breads and soups, we just got a cold front in and it feels wonderful! It always makes me want to turn on the oven. And we can start to have soup again. We don't even think about soup during the summer. I have a wonderful easy recipe for clam chowder that we all love( I just have to wait until it sounds good to eat). I guess I should get off the computer now and try to tackle the kitchen.

Pumpkin Patch

Every Year I take the kids to our towns little pumpkin patch, they love to pick up all of the pumpkins and find one they want to take home. I love seeing all of the pumpkins on the ground I think they look so pretty, I love fall! The colors, the cooler weather, the holidays just around the corner. And the pumpkin patch is the beginning of all of it. I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted my camera battery died, but I got some cute ones for this year.

Dinner

Justins brother came into town this weekend so we all went out to eat at this cool place called Gristmill, Its kind of inside and out side of this huge mill, next to the river. The food was good, not great but it was a lot of fun having everyone to gather, and the cousins always love getting to gather. The only people we were missing were Grandma and Grandpa, they are up in NY visiting family. All in all it was a good night.

Halloween Swap

Look at the cute things I got in the Halloween Swap I was in. I just love the wooden hanging sign and the kids love the little water squirters. Thank you swap partner!

Naked Chef

Look I have my one Naked Chef at my house! I think he is way cuter then Jaime Oliver! How can I not let him help out!

Cinnamon Rolls

Sorry for the pause in posts, this morning sickness is kicking my butt! And both my kids have sinus infections, so any who I made these sticky things for conference Sunday as a special treat. I have several recipes that I use for cinnamon rolls but found that this one had only one rise, which means quicker to make! Without further Adi her is the recipe.

One -Rise Caramel Rolls

From the Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking (which has high altitude directions for those of you who need that)

Topping

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup whipping cream(do not substitute)

Rolls

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg

Filling

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, combine the topping ingredients. set aside.

In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of flour,1/4 cup sugar, salt and yeast; blend well. In small sauce pan(or microwave) heat water and 2 tablespoons butter until very warm(120-130F). Add warm liquid and egg to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in remaining 2 cups flour to form a stiff dough(I let the kitchen Aid mix it all).

On floured surface, knead 2-3 minutes. Press or roll dough into 15x7-inch rectangle. In small bowl, combine filling ingredients; spread over the dough. Starting with the 15-inch side, roll up tightly, pressing edges to seal. Cut into 15 rolls; place, cut side down, over topping in pan. Cover; let rise i warm place until light and doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Uncover dough. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 10-15 minutes. Invert onto serving platter or foil.

I actually made these Saturday night and we warmed them up in the morning, so good!

Mini Pancakes

It seams that I do a lot of "mini" things, maybe cause I feed little mouths? Anyways here is our favorite recipe for them. I make the whole batch and when they are cool I put them in a freezer bag and freeze them. To reheat them I just pop them in the microwave for a minute or so. There great to eat on the way to school if you like them without syrup like my daughter and I do. There a bit sweeter then regular pancakes so there good on there own with just a little bit of butter. I got the recipe from one of my favorite cookbook authors, Donna Hay, her books and magazine are awesome.

From the Donna Hay

Modern Classics 2

Pikelets

Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl. Combine 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk and 4 tablespoons melted butter in another bowl, then whisk into the flour mixture. Cook over low heat in a frying pan greased with butter for 2-3 minutes. Turn and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden.

I use a small cookie scoop to make them all the same size.

Budding Artist

I love art, I love my kids to do art, but sometimes it gives me a headache just thinking off all the cleaning I will have to do when there done. But watching them be creative and use there little brains makes it all worth while(sometimes!) This is my free from clothes child being creative all over the office floor, and a little on his paper.

Thank goodness for concrete floors! Can't say the same for Annalyse's room, Sunday morning he decided to take some of moms black craft paint and squirt it all over her carpet! Of course it didn't come out, now there is a big purple spot on her rug. I told my husband I didn't want carpet anywhere in the house! So I think we might just pull up the carpet and stain the kids bedrooms to match the rest of the house. Another project to add to the ever growing one.

Onion Rings

I had a craving for a big juicy hamburger and onion rings the other day. And since there are no good places in or little town to go get one, we ended up making our own this weekend. I have to admit I have never made homemade onion rings. I looked through quite a few recipe books until I came across one that I had all the ingredients for. Leave it to Ina Garten to have the best recipe, I just love her recipes! They come out so crunchy and tasty.

Cornmeal-fried onion rings

2 large Spanish onions(or 3 yellow onions)

2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 quart vegetable oil

Peel the onions, slice them 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, and separate them into rings. Combine the buttermilk, 1/1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the onion rings toss well, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes. ( the onions can set in the buttermilk for a few hours.) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. set aside.

When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a large pot or dutch oven. (A candy thermometer attached to the side of the pot will help you maintain the proper temperature.) Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture. Drop into hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning them once with tongs. Don't over crowd them! Place the finished onion rings on the baking sheet, sprinkle with some salt, and keep warm in the oven while you fry the next batches. Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the oven until all the onions are fried. They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Don't you just love our fancy china I served it on? I should have put them on a real plate for the picture, but I can't think straight lately! I wonder why?!