He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young
. {Isaiah 40:11}

28 October 2011

Brunch Recipes

I had an impromptu play date this morning.
I wanted to try out some brunch recipes since my collection is a bit slim.
Based on my testing and feedback from other snackers... I consider these successes. 

The Protein:
my adaptation... 
4 slices of deli ham
2 Tablespoons butter - melted
1 and 1/2 cups croutons (seasoned croutons work great)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 large eggs - slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper - to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare a medium-small baking dish (like 7x7 inch) with a light coating of cooking spray.
Layer the croutons in the bottom of the dish and drizzle evenly with melted butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ham, 1/2 of the cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the croutons. Top the casserole with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until eggs are set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the casserole stand 10 minutes. Cut into equal portions and serve warm.

The Starch:
my adaptation... 
3/4 cup chopped onion 
1/2 teaspoon paprika 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, diced 
2 tablespoons butter, melted and divided  
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream (such as Daisy) 
Cooking spray  
2 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed


Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 4 ingredients and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large bowl; toss well. Combine soup and cheese in a medium sauce pan over medium head and stir until cheese melts. Careful not to let it burn and you don't' have to melt down all cheese, just enough to make it gooey. Stir in sour cream. Pour cheese mixture over potato mixture and stir well. Spread mixture evenly in a 13x9 greased baking dish. Combine cornflakes and remaining butter and sprinkle evenly over potato mixture. Bake for 1 hour.

The Fruit:

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 medium or 3 large apples, peeled and diced
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 slices of bread, torn

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg.Peel and dice the apples.  In a smaller mixing bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Toss with diced apples {I did this is a large plastic bag}. In a greased 8×8-inch glass baking dish, tear 3 slices of bread and add to the bottom.  Then add a layer of the diced caramel apples.Tear the other 3 slices of bread and spread on top of the apples. Pour egg/milk mixture into the baking dish.  Cover with foil and let stand in the refrigerator for at least an hour (overnight, ideally!).  Preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until eggs have cooked through.




26 October 2011

CJ

Why?
Because he can.
Love that kid!

25 October 2011

No Rest for the Wallpaper Inflicted

Remember this?
well, while doing laundry the other night around 11 I found a small peeling piece and got a little carried away...
Hubs got in on the action but I'm pretty sure it was only to get me to bed sooner.
Either way... totally worth it!
And the best part is, the paper backing just about falls off the wall.
Three cheers for easy wallpaper removal!
Only 3 more rooms to go!
Seriously, who wallpapers this much?!

24 October 2011

Why I {Heart} Sundays in the Fall

pulling out my favorite sweaters and warm socks
the energy that the crisp morning air forces on me
the smell of neighbors' fires as we get home from church
hot stews and roasts waiting in the crockpot
naps on the couch
the soft and constant cheers of football fans
...falling asleep to those cheers
starting our first fires in the fireplace
quiet
talk time with Hubs while the kiddos take long naps into the darkened late afternoon
no obligations
not caring whether or not the house is clean because I'm Biblically mandated to rest
the groggy, red splotched, messy haired, and bleary eyed smiles of the kids as they wake from their long naps
wrestling on the living room floor with
the tenderness the kids show one another as they are playing with mom and dad and at peace with the world
a messy kitchen and happy kids
leftovers for dinner
putting the littlest ones to bed and having a special hot chocolate and s'more snack with big brother
more talk time with Hubs once the kids are in bed
being okay with curling up in bed earlier than usual under heavy blankets in a cool bedroom
rest

Hope you had a great weekend!



20 October 2011

Caden's Quilt is Done!

Remember this and this?


Well now it look a little more like this... 


And it only took five months!

 


19 October 2011

Fruit Fly Trap

For some reason, the fruit flies are ree.dic.u.lous. around here these days. We don't even have fruit on the counter and they're all over the place!
So, on the off chance that you haven't seen this before... here's a fantastic trap that keeps flies at bay or, at the very least, contained.
Place a small piece of ripened fruit in the bottom of a tall glass. {We use a drinking glass.}
Using a piece of 8.5"x11" paper, make a cone with a small opening at the point.
Tape the cone into place so that it fits tightly inside the mouth of the glass.
Run a piece of tape around the mouth of the glass to keep the paper in place.
Sit back and watch it work.
Once you have "collected" most of your flies, pour hot, soapy water into the cup and drown them before dumping it down the drain. 
Another idea is mixing apple cider vinegar, water, and dish detergent in a water bottle. Create the same funnel on the top. The flies will be drawn in and drown. I haven't tried this one but the rumor is it's a great option. 
For a few more pictures, The Idea Room apparently uses it too.

SO GROSS!

18 October 2011

Cheap Fun {Rice Bucket}

1 medium sized plastic bin
1 giant bag of rice
several kitchen utensils and instruments
1 very messy kitchen floor
1 hour of quiet children





Totally worth it!
{bin, rice, utensils}

16 October 2011

Big Girl Bed

Tonight is Miss Mak's first night in her big girl bed...
I cannot believe how fast time passes these days!
 Goodnight Miss!

12 October 2011

Garage Cleanup

Here's yet another "almost there" project that is likely to sit tight for a while because it's now in the "good enough" pile.
I saw this idea on Maillardville Manor and basically copied it to a "T".
I'm aiming to get the wire shelves from Home Depot a.s.a.p. because right now this...
is our closet.

11 October 2011

Bed Time! Part 2

So I sort of have "afters"...
I got Miss Mak's bed done but am waiting for the mattresses. Coming soon, I hope.
For now, she's making due like the trooper she is.

CJ's bed is still in the works.
I painted it red, like I showed you in the "befores" but the red ended up looking awefully pink.
Husband opposed my color choice {which I picked because it was F.R.E.E.} and helped me choose a cherryier red.
The color is great. The painting texture due to at least 4 coats of paint, not so great.
So back to the garage where they're being sanded down.
And to avoid yet another coat of red paint, I'm using a tinted polyurethane to darked the wood I've managed to expose while sanding and give the whole piece a "well loved" look.


So close I can taste it!

06 October 2011

Bed Time!

I've been wanting to do these projects for a couple of months now and am SO excited to share what I've been able to get done.

Of course we must start with the "befores" {post sanding}
Miss Mak's frame that belonged to my great uncle...
 
 and CJ's which belonged to my father in law...
 
and now the "durings"...
 
 
 
 

Stay tuned for the "afters"! Yipee!

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