pay it forward

The Rules

1. Be one of the first Three (3) bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me.

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first 3 bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love! If you are not one of the 1st Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! I will leave a list of names who were the first 3 on my blog as soon as I receive them! I have no clue what it is I will make you, lets see who the winners are first.

and Laura, i still need to mail out your cards. I'll get your mailing address soon

The great outdoors???

Today was President's day but Nate had class- so I was alone another day with the kids. I wanted to make the day special so we headed out for a hike. The attention span of my kids is short (as are their legs), and I would be the lone adult so I went someplace close and safe.
Papago Park and Hole in the Rock.
I was stoked about the outdoors after my Saturday impromptu attendance at the latest REI Garage Sale (I was not going to go- usually we camp out- but I could not sleep so my dad, jake and I stood in the long line for an hour before opening and scored some nice boots, a head lamp, snow pants for the kids, some socks and a Marshmallow gun).
At any rate. Back to Papago Park.
I don't know if I ever want to go there again. I have been a long time outdoor lover and have tried to "Walk Softly". While single I had the greatest job ever that I describe as getting paid to hike and camp. And I love being outside....as do my kids. I am adamant about staying on the trail, not littering and being low impact. I try to do what I can to use designated camp areas, trails or to be low impact when there are not designated areas. It is the least we can do. Sometimes I think I get a little over zealous about outdoor stuff. Once I had my family decked out in their best outdoor gear as we headed off on a little hike. Shoes, packs, hats...we had it. I realized that sometimes I go overboard with what is really necessary when we were passed up by a little family in grocery store sneakers. They had hiked just as far as we had, but only felt it necessary to bring their snacks and water in wal mart bags. (That is me being prideful) However, I have to bite my tongue when we go out and I see people meander off the trail. I really have a problem with that...and littering. And that was the case today.
As soon as we got out of the car- (Me and my children in the most appropriate foot ware with our bpa free water bottles and specially ventilated backpack)- I directed my kids to the trail and instructed them to stay on it. Never mind that there were people crawling all over the "mountain". Several discarded cups lie off the path and other kids scampered up the cliffs right by the signs that said something in the way of "please stay on the trail and off of this areA- we are trying to rehabilitate the soil and plant life" . Families passed us in their skate shoes, dress shoes and high heels (ok, no high heels, but one girl in a skirt.) We got to the top, looked out, took pictures and headed down. My kids needed a rest and more people passed. One woman walked down the "mountain" just outside of the marked trail and asked her family "Well, was it worth it?" I though to myself...worth what? The 1/4 mile that you walked from the parking lot, around the back of the "mountain" and up the rail road plank steps??? I generally run at least 16X that distance (4 miles) several times a week!!! And I don't consider that to be anything special.
So...after that we went to feed the ducks...my children threw bread crusts...other kids threw rocks...at the DUCKS!!!
I was a little disheartened.
I think I need to go a little further out of the city to really feel that we are part of the great outdoors....

Strawberry Short Cake..

Strawberry Shortcake is Nate's favorite Dessert. He (and probably most of us) grew up with the dessert consisting of sugar sweetened strawberries, whipped cream and some sort of cake...usually yellow cake from the box, or sliced pound cake, or even those little hostess cake bowls that they sell at the grocery store. All of these are pretty good in my opinion. However, several years ago while eating dessert at a little custard shop, someone I was with ordered Strawberry Shortcake...and to her dismay she got Shortcake not with yellow cake, or pound cake or a little hostess bowl.. but a BISCUIT!!!! oh, she was angry and returned it and said it was not Shortcake, but a BISCUIT. The NERVE of that Custard SHOP!!. I was a little embarrassed. My friend a little opinionated and I felt that she did not really know what she was talking about...at least not fully. I thought "shortcake" and then I though "shortbread" and remembered shortbread cookies that are made of shortening and are buttery and flaky and crispy. So what is "shortcake"? Yellow cake is not shortcake, pound cake is not shortcake, and those little hostess bowls are like yellow cake...not shortcake. I did a little research, and looked at my favorite recipe source (foodnetwork.com) and even found some Strawberry Shortcake recipes that included pound cake. But I also found this: The recipe for cream biscuits. (I'm not sure that this is the exact recipe that I first tried- but it is cream biscuits)
Oh, what a delight.
Most of the Strawberry Shortcake recipes on foodnetwork.com included some sort of biscuit. I tried the recipe on Nate and he approved. We still like our old way of making strawberry shortcake, but we like this one just as much (and sometimes more).
Here is what we do in a pinch....it tends to be cheaper and is more food storage friendly- however you really need fresh whipped cream for the topping!!!!
We just mix up Bisquick biscuits, plus a little extra sugar and vanilla in the mix. This time we cut them with heart cookie cutters- but obviously any shape works. Then..here is the good part...Dip each biscuit in melted butter and then sugar. Bake as directed.
Cut each in half and fill with sugar sweetened berries and fresh whipped cream. -obviously.

Dinner

Sometimes when I don't want to cook I forgo fast food and head to walmart for a giant sub. The one this young man is holding is just less than $6. Yes. And if you get the "American"one (chopped ham, salami and bologna) it is just under $5. (or maybe it is just under $5 for the fancy one and just under $4 for the not so fancy??) I prefer the Supreme for the more quality meats. Now once you get home you'll need to add the mayo and mustard, or if you are like us the hidden valley ranch and mustard.
This evening we spotted an American one that was miss priced (they had a label for the half sub). We took it to the register and explained, but she still gave us the price it was marked. So it was a nice $3 meal that we shared with our kids and Nate's Sister and her boyfriend. We did add some extra tomatoes and a little avocado. Nate some salt and pepper.

Now that totally beats fast food on a lazy night. And I am full...but that could be because we bought some fancier all natural ice cream for $3 and change and made cookies and cream milk shakes (with skim milk-to eliminate the guilt- i don't think their is anything "all natural" about oreos).

Now Nate is jammin with his sister and boyfriend, the kids are in the bath with swimsuits and goggles and I am waiting for "the Office, and then 30rock and then that other funny show- I know it is on sometime tonight all we have to do is flip though the channels. Although the office is my favorite show, I only know that it is on on Thursday Nights later sometime. That is how die hard I am. I'm sure I mentioned it before.

More of Maesyn's Fab Artwork!!

Maesyn was sitting in her little rocking chair while Jake and I watched a movie. She was busy drawing this wonderful picture. She was so excited about the flowers that she drew. She said they look like the ones that we have. She also told me that the last one is a leaf flower. I suggested that she color it so that Dad could hang it in his office. She went right to work. Notice how each petal is a differnt color?
Then Jake brought all of the crayons into the living room and dumped them on the floor so his doggie could sit in the box.
I love her artwork. I need to make a scrapbook of JUST MAESYN's ART. I'm sure I'll have one of all of my kids work.

Preparing for Valentines Day

Maesyn has been asking about Valentines Day probably sense Christmas. She was not impressed with our New Years celebrations and is looking forward to the big party that she will have at school on Thursday.
She and Jake made homemade Valentines. Thankfully there are only 12 kids in her class! We started these over a week ago, and she just needs to sign her name on them. She wrote the names of all of her classmates already.

Sarah and Benson came over to help Maesyn and I decorate the valentine cookies this evening. We already had a trial run and Maesyn took the practice cookies to school- she will have more for Valentines day.
We used a new type of icing, and while not as tasty it has a cool look and is easy for kids to use. Maesyn did A LOT of work on these. She flooded the icing in and did the sprinkles as well as some of the polka dots. She did not get to use the pastry tubes to pipe the icing but these squeeze bottles are so nice for little hands.
We will keep this recipe as part of our tradition and just try to make the icing taste better.
It is a tradition in our home to make "DIRTY" or "NASTY" Valentine cookies.
So how would you like the one with "a hair" or maybe you'd prefer "toe jam" .
"Snot" is always nice to have on a delicious cookie as well.

We had the most yummy and healthy breakfast this morning. A sharp contrast from our dinners the previous 2 nights- greasy burger, pizza, fries and a BBQ chicken sandwich with fried onions from flancers- and the leftovers... that left me equally full but yucky feeling.

The Sunday Morning Menu:

• Eggs and whole wheat toast for the kids
• Mushroom, onion, orange bell pepper, spinach and tomato omelets with pepper jack cheese- I sauteed all of the veggies before I realized I only had 5 eggs for our whole family- Nate and I shared a huge omelet that used only 3 eggs!
• More whole wheat toast
• Green smoothies (they were actually dark purple- kale, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas and mango pineapple juice)
• and Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.
  

The kids helped by testing the sweetness of the citrus before Nate juiced them.

We Don't Like it When the Pigs Eat our Food

Here is the latest from the Garner Family Band.
Hope you LOVE it!!

Mr. Manners

It is so very cute when little ones have manners. I wish I had videos like this of Maesyn. Of course when we print this into a blog book we won't have the video documentation but I will try to remember his little voice.
Jake will say "Thank you Mommy" with out even being prompted. Same with " 'welcome" and "I sorry Mommy"
So Cute.
Of course I prompted him for this video.
He almost always will say it when appropriate, like after getting something, but he also says it at other times that are unexpected and I think he is such a funny little guy. For example. We had to leave the back yard from Maesyn's pre school and Jake was pretty sad. They have a fun back yard. So I told Jake that one day we would have a back yard with a swing and a Trampoline and some dirt to dig in. Yes Dirt. His response was, "Thank you Mommy."
So sincere. So Cute.

Chocolate Milk

My kids are addicted to Chocolate Milk. Maesyn used to wake up whining "Choc-wet!!!" I have now limited them to one sippie of chocolate milk a day, they can have plain milk after that. We don't go through milk as fast, but I hope they are getting enough calcium.

Well, one night when Nate and I were tired Jake asked for some chocolate. Nate told Jake that he could have some if he got a sippie, lid and the little white thing that went in it. (you know- to keep it from leaking).

Well, when we went in the kitchen this is what we saw:



So after all of that effort, how could we not get up and get him his Chocolate?

Thank you Betty Crocker

I bought this when we got married 6 1/2 years ago. I use it A LOT. In fact I can turn to the sugar cookie, pizza crust, and banana bread recipes just by feel. Those pages are covered with a film of dough and batter crust. And the sugar cookie recipie has the calculations for how to tripple the recipe right on it. You can't make just one batch of sugar cookies.
I wish I had the ring bound one, this one will fall apart before I can pass it along as a family heirloom.
Several people have asked for my pizza crust and crepe recipes... it is just Betty Crocker my friends. Just Betty Crocker.