CSA Share

So this is my third year of doing a CSA share, the first year it was all new to me and even more so the food, second year was getting my groove, and well this year getting a lot more experimental with things.
This week when we arrived it was so beautiful, all the colors, kids playing, flowers, oh my!!



There was some sampling this week"boy do my kids love that" they act like I don't feed them and what hurts is they look like I don't either but I swear I do and boy can my boy eat my girl not so much more like a bird. The lady was handing out pickled carrots Oh my are they good and addicting. The kids loved them. And now the 2lbs of carrots are soaking in the fridge should be ready to taste for dinner tomm night.
Here is the receipe for :

Pickled Carrot Sticks:

1lb carrots cut into 3 1/2 inch sticks
1 1/4 cups of water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup of sugar
2 garlic cloves,lightly crushed
1 1/12 tablespoons dill seed( during summer add fresh dill with seed heads to make a pretty jar)
1 1/12 Tablespoons of salt

Blanch carrots in a 4 qt saucepan of boiling water well-salted water for 1 minute, drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer to any heatproof bowl or glass jars with a sprig of fresh dill.

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, garlic dill seed, and salt to the same saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour mixture over carrots, cool carrots uncovered, then refrigerate tightly covered for at least a day to allow flavors to develop. The carrots keep refridgerated in airtight container for up to a month.

I can't wait to try ours, here's hoping!!

Taking the time to empower our little ones

So this morning like many mornings I find myself getting all in a tissy because of the days work load ahead, all the things that I need to do knowing there will be a bunch that will still remain left undone and left for the next day. But this morning as the tissy was growing I realized that I need to take the time to included my little ones, they really are capable of a lot. Sometimes when they are crawling under my feet and in my back pocket, they are trying to tell me something( they want to help, and they want some of me) "Don''t they now I have a million things to do" Just Kidding! I want my kids to remember good things not me running around with my head cut off. So I included.... So here I pledge that I am going to try to do this more often to ask not demand their help, to included and teach so they will one day know how........So every Monday for the next few months I am going to post pics on how I am including and teaching will you join me??? How do you included yours????

I am back!! To share our favorite spot!!

Perfect Place,for a Perfect day!!

Weekend Fun!!

So while I have been cleaning the oven has been busy and so haven't the kiddos!!



Emmy had a playdate yesterday with some girls from the neighborhood I set the table up with water colors and mat boards "I love it when simple things can make them happy" and they helped me make this




Granola Receipe:

Old fashion rolled oats or Quick
Rasins or cranberries or other dried fruit
coconut
chopped walnuts or any nut
1 Cup of caniola oil
1 Cup of maple syrup

BE CREATIVE!!

Take a large roasting pan and line it with tinfoil then mix it all together with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Bake @ 325 for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes

Enjoy!!

(The jar I got was from a restraunt, they just recycle their olive jars.
Ask around! )

Green Smoothies~ For Real!!

Quoting my daughter "There's spinach in there" Like could it be good with spinach in there????
It is I am still trying to figure out why it is so foamy me and foam don't mix very well but they are good.

Green Smoothie Receipe:

Handful or frozen strawberries
1 pear(skin on)
1 apple(skin on)
1 banna
About 3 Handfuls of spinach
1 Quart of water
and a drizzle of maple syrup

Give it a whirl in the blender! You can drink half in the morning and safe the other half for the three o'clock slump or guzzle away in the morning. It defently makes me feel full and helps get the water and veggies and fruits in me. I did find myself snacking less.
I have noticed on other blogs you can add many different combinations like mango,blueberries,and spinach and such
Check out Beauty that moves
And tangledblueyarns blogs

for more great reads about GREEN SMOOTHIES!!
Bottoms Up Cheers!!

Spring Cleaning Take 1

So I have been reading on many blogs about spring cleaning, detoxificating, and decluttering or should I say simplifing. I have lived in my home for about three years now and slowly it's beginning to be transformed into my home.(anyone of you know that feeling) So I thought what a perfect opportunity to tie it all into one.
I figure I would start with the upstairs one room one weekend at a time. Each room will get fully dusted,windows,reorganizing and hoeing out closets,drawers,trunks,cupboards whatever it maybe.
I started with the bathroom here is what it looked like before:

And this is what it looks like now

I also painted it and am working on curtains for the window. Here's the paint job

Now I mention detoxificating we had a workshop on it at mops the other day and so I figured I should use up what I have then go to making my own or buying earth friendly cleaners. Well while cleaning the bathroom with a bleach cleaner(since I have so much tile) I was scrubbing away(with window open) and by three o'clock I felt like I was going to pass out funny sensations,horrible headache,felt like I was going toget sick Crazy!! So forget the use up thought! ALL CHEMICALS!! are getting rounded up and switching over to all earth friendly products. The chance I would have to time make my own is slim but no more chemicals!! For now it's a combination of seventh generation and method much better smells and not harmful. TOP THAT CLOREX!!
Since then the master bedroom got done and while I am working I am keeping a list of things I would like to gather this year or make while thrifting(baskets for storage,memory boxes for both kids,and I am going to try spray painting a bunch of frames I would like to do a photo wall with my kiddos photos black n white with maybe black frames or a mustard yellow ~ stay tuned!!

Anyone have a book to recommened??

So I am just finishing a book now for a book study called"The seven healthy habits of highly effective famailes"by Steven Covey. Now this was a really good book and I did find some great tips to apply to my home and family but it was a hard read for me. So now I am looking for a more easy girly kinda of read any suggestions????????