Sunday Fun

So I mentioned that, every once in a while, my daily drop of sunshine would be something personal. And today is one of those days. After lunch today, we took the kids to the public pool for a couple hours. The local public pool is actually a really nice one. It was very warm today, and surprisingly enough, the pool was not really all that busy. We had plenty of space to play. I spent the entire time up at the toddler pool with A2. My husband was down at the main pool with A1 for most of the time. They had a lot of fun and got a bit sunburned (but mostly they're okay, which is saying a lot for two kids of Scandinavian descent on a bright day), and played and played and played. Afterward, I asked my husband if he wanted to go anywhere else...and he said no, until I mentioned the idea of ice cream. :) So we went to Dairy Queen, and got some treats. I got the kids chocolate malts--partially because I thought they would enjoy them, but mostly because they'd have lids and straws and let's face it, they're messy critters. On the way home, A2's cup started to tip over. She righted it, then started to lick a dribble of chocolate from her hand. And as she stuck her tongue out and put her hand to her mouth--she slowed down, her eyes dropped shut and she fell asleep. With her hand in midair and her tongue hanging out. We all enjoyed a good laugh there. Anywho, they also wore themselves out enough that they're good and asleep now. And probably will be all night. :)

how do you choose a favorite charity?

I had the best problem the other day. One of the newsletters I subscribe to is Tastelite. Every time he gets ready to leave for a cooking gig (he's a yacht chef), he starts a contest that he calls ”Where in the World is Chef Jeff”. We get one clue. This time, my guess was San Diego. My prize was $100 donated to my favorite charity. It's tough to choose one! I could have chosen something related to my sorority, because our centennial Convention is fast approaching. Or to veterans, because I believe that our country has a responsibility to care for the people who have fought for our freedom. Or to breast cancer, because my mother's birthday is also fast approaching and she would have been 59 this year. Or any number of things. It's tough to choose, because there are so many things that mean a great deal to me. I eventually asked that the money be given to St. Jude Children's Hospital, because what they do there is amazing and well worth supporting. This is the best problem to have, and I'm grateful it was one I had.

I suggest a new strategy, R2. Let the Wookiee win.

It's nerd time!

One of my friends pointed out that the original Star Wars film debuted in theaters 35 years ago today.  I was not there--I was still four years away from being born, so I have an excuse.

Since then, being a Star Wars nerd has kind of turned into one of my defining characteristics.  I didn't realize it until one Thanksgiving when we were at my parents' house, and my husband and father were discussing something.  I rounded the corner in time to hear my husband say, "Barbara will know, she's a Star Wars nerd!  Who was it that played Obi-Wan?"

My response was, "Okay, first of all, I am NOT a Star Wars nerd, and second of all, it was Sir Alec Guinness."

Mom laughed so hard she snorted.  Which got us all laughing.

But it's true, and it makes me happy.  I love most everything about the series.  My favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back, and I actually don't hate the most recent movies like everyone else seems to.  They aren't the best, but I definitely enjoyed the stories.  If they could be done over again with a different cast, they'd be far better.

I'm off to start watching the series again.  See you all tomorrow.

removing Jello stains

I can't speak for other people.  But some days, my daughter's clothing is a good introduction to her...

"HI!  Today I had a cold but I also ate a hot dog and some jello and some chocolate milk and played in the grass and scraped my elbow and accidentally got into the brown sugar and crawled under my bed and I like to draw!"

Today, it was the jello one that had me really freaked out.

She was wearing one of her favorite shirts today--my husband got it for her during his last business trip to California.  It has his company's logo on it, along with Elmo.

Usually, if she's going to be eating something messy, I'll take her shirt off of her before she starts eating, because she is NOT a neat eater.  Especially with Jello.  ESPECIALLY with raspberry Jello.

And I did.  And she still managed to get stains everywhere.

So I tried everyone's favorite quick stain remover, in a modified version.  I made a thin paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and dabbed it on her shirt.  A few minutes later, I rinsed it off...and now I think I'm gonna have to soak her whole shirt in a solution like this, because WHOA it removed stains I could not even see.

Wonder if this will work on the carpet where she dropped a big blob of it.

Remind me, why do I feed her Jello at all? Oh, right, because they love it and because it's summer....

Super pretty magnet time!

So remember the magnets I had holding up the Summer Cricut sign a few posts ago?

I made more today as an end-of-year gift for my son's teacher.  And here is the tutorial!

I found this idea originally on Pinterest.  It is super easy, super fun, and super cute.

First up, assemble your supplies.  You will need:

(please ignore my daughter's lunch at the edge there.)

• some scissors
• a pencil
• a sheet of scrapbook paper that you like
• a bag of large clear flat glass stones (available in the floral area of your craft store)
• a tube of E-6000 glue
• a glue gun
• some good strong magnets (the magnets I have pictured are ideal for this--strong enough to hold something to the refrigerator, but not so strong as to rip works of art)
• a nice cup of tea

Trace the stones onto the paper.  I would suggest doing a few at a time--they aren't uniform in size or shape, so that kinda makes this step a tedious one.

Cut the circles out.  Put a glob of E-6000 on one of the stones, squish its paper circle onto the glue.  Repeat for all the stones.

While those dry, enjoy your tea.  You've earned it.  :)

Break out your glue gun, put a dab of hot glue on the back of the paper, and add a magnet.  Once again, repeat for all the stones.  (Realistically, you can use whatever kind of adhesive you think will work best here.  I used Krazy Glue on these--I don't recommend it.  It leaves a dark-ish spot on the other side of the paper that you can see through the magnets.)

And...that's it.  You're all set!

I'd post a picture of the finished product, but I haven't figured out the packaging yet (and I can't find my real camera--had to use my phone for the one I got).  Hopefully tomorrow?

Making yogurt!

I know I said it wasn't going to be today's post...but it's been one of those days.  I'm not feeling well (but if a sore throat and a touch of fatigue are the worst of my complaints, I've got it good) and don't really feel up to writing tonight.  But days like this are exactly what made me decide to try to do this.

I made yogurt yesterday.  I follow the instructions that are on Crockpot365, at least mostly.  Her instructions include times for everything; but I've been doing this long enough to know that my crock pot is old and cannot do things at the same rate as hers.  After careful reading, I've learned the temperatures involved and have been using my candy thermometer to do this ever since.

This is my general rundown:

INGREDIENTS:
1 half gallon 2% milk
1/2 cup live active plain yogurt
1/2 cup dry nonfat powdered milk (optional)
1/2 cup sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Pour that half gallon of milk in your crockpot.  Turn it to low.  Check the temperature every hour or so--Crockpot 365 says this step takes 2 1/2 hours, I've discovered mine takes more like 3 1/2.  Either way, get your milk up to 180 degrees.

ONCE IT'S THAT HOT, turn off your crock pot and let it sit for a few hours.  Your target temperature this time is 110 degrees.  (Otherwise it'll kill the live active cultures in the yogurt--kind of like making bread.  Start off with your liquid too hot, and the yeast doesn't do anything at all.)

Scoop out some of the milk from your crock pot.  Mix it with your yogurt and your powdered milk.  If you're using the sweetener and the vanilla, add it now.  Stir the mixture back into your warm milk in your crock pot.

A note, before I go on:  the powdered milk is optional.  I add it mostly because, otherwise, this recipe tends to be a bit on the thin side for my tastes.

Now for the strange part:  Put the lid back on, then wrap your crock pot in a heavy blanket.  Fold up another heavy blanket and put it on top.  Scoot everything away from the reach of marauding toddlers.

Wait eight hours.

Unwrap everything, and behold your glorious homemade yogurt.

Then scoop it into jars for storing in the refrigerator.  I usually put 1/2 cup into its own tiny container and stash it in the freezer--that way, I don't have to buy another tub of yogurt to do my next batch!

This will keep for about a week to a week and a half.

But what if I'm lactose intolerant?


I've never tried it with soy milk or the like, but I have friends...the general impression I've gotten is: almond milk works a lot better than soy milk.  Instead of the milk powder I have seen recommendations to use tapioca starch in its place.

SO now I have fresh yogurt in my refrigerator.  I'm gonna have a big scoop of it tomorrow with a frozen fruit cup (thawed of course, eating a big frozen chunk of anything does not sound groovy).


With a little luck, tomorrow will be a craft thing day.

Chicken Pillows

I was GOING to post something today about the yogurt that I am currently making.  That's gonna wait for another day, because what I am super excited about now is tonight's dinner.  I made Chicken Pillows.

No pictures, because mine did not look as pretty as the ones she made.  :(

The recipe I cobbled together is:
8 oz softened cream cheese (I used low fat)
1/2 cup sour cream (again, low fat)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives (I didn't have any chives.  So I used rosemary.)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh minced onion
3 cups cubed cooked chicken

Mix those ingredients together in a bowl.

Open 2 8 ounce cans of crescent rolls.  Press the seams of two of them together to make a rectangle.  Put about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the middle of each, and fold the edges over the top.  Make sure there aren't any leaks or things get messy!

Dip your pillows in melted butter, then in bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  I served them with fresh steamed broccoli, because we all love broccoli.

There's a gravy recipe on the site linked to above, but I spaced on making it.  :(  Maybe next time.

But the thing is--we all loved it.  My husband even asked me what goes into them, and he NEVER asks about what goes into a recipe.

Anyway.  Good dinner days make me very happy.

The yogurt post will probably be Wednesday--I don't want to turn this into a food blog!