Soup!

My friend Steph gave me a recipe for potato soup- but I think I'm going to kick it up a notch.
Right now I have onions, potatoes, green beans and ham simmering in some chicken stock... with various herbs and spices.
Once the potatoes are cooked, you're supposed to add cream... well I think I will add cheese as well. I still have a bunch of different kinds :)

Grandma Amanda's Ham Soup:
chop up some potatoes-bite size. put in stock pot. chop up 1/2 onion, add to stock pot. toss in about 2-3 c. cubed ham. 4 chicken bullion cubes. 1 large can green beans.summer savory, 2 bay leaves, some basil, bring to boil, then simmer till potatoes are tender. Add 1 c. cream just before serving. (you don't want it to curdle!!)

Apple Pie a la Easy

Apples (10), brown sugar (I don't know how much exactly, about two hand fulls, I suppose), a half a cup of flour, some cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice.
Peel and core the apples, throw is all that other stuff mentioned above and mix it all up well. We used a pie crust from Wal-Mart. Cook it at 425 degrees for 50 minutes and presto!! You've got an apple pie.

Lili's Lunch

Blueberries, Ham & Cheese Rolls, Goldfish, Granola Bar, Hello Kitty Marshmallow, PB&J, Piggy Gummie & a Plum

First Day of First Grade!

First day of First Grade!

Lid: Strawberry Pocky and a Hello Kitty Marshmallow

Top: Cinnamon Bagel w/Cream Cheese, Goldfish, Turkey and Cheese Rolls

Bottom: Yogurt Covered Craisins, Pineapple, Jelly, and more Goldfish.

Aaron's Lunches

I've been making bentos for my husband to take to work... I know they're not kid ones, but he's pretty much a giant kid- and they are definitely Americanized


Pocky in the lid
Apples, Tomato Ranch Veggie Chips, Reese's Snack Mix
Turkey & Cheese Tortilla Rolls, Yogos (he loves these LOL), Lychee Jelly and Gummies
Salad with Ranch in the container


Strawberry Pockey
Granola Bar, Blueberry Muffin, Babybel Cheese & Yogos
Gummies, Grapes & Pineapple
Turkey & Cheese Sandwich (Cheese I <3 U) and Tomato Ranch Veggie Chips



Blueberry Pocky
Vanilla Yogurt with Granola & Almonds, Granola Bar, Yogos, Gummies & Pineapple
Cheddar Pita Chips, Turkey, Cheese & Lettuce Rolled in Tortillas

Bento supplies

My bento supplies are getting out of hand...
So I had to get an organizer :)

Drawer by drawer:

I put all my bags into the black bag since it's the biggest LOL
Not sure what else to do with those
Behind the purple thing is a few thermoses

Lunch for two girlies

Lid: Pringles Wheat Stix
Top Tier: Fruit cocktail, Trail Mix, Yogurt covered Cranberries, Lychee gummies, Mickey Mouse shaped Cheese
Bottom Tier: Cheddar and Pretzel Goldfish, Half a Turkey & Cheese Sandwich, and Hummus for the Pringles Stix in the container

Lunch x 2

It was have lunch with your student day and I brought Mia... so these were the girls' lunches.


Lid: Pringles Stix
Top Tier: Strawberry Mini Bagel with lowfat cream cheese, Apple Cinnamon Rice Cakes, Babybel Cheese
Bottom Tier: Trail Mix, Fruit Cocktail, Pig gummies

Kindergarten Field Day

Bottom Tier: I found this 'recipe' in a kid cookbook- it's a tortilla with light cream cheese, relish & shredded cheese. She likes all of those things so, we'll see. Mia ate one and said it was ok :) Trail mix, Mickey Mouse shaped cheese, and two gummies in the pink wrappers.

Top Tier: Cucumbers, Low- Fat Ranch in the dip container, and an apple.

Also, I threw on top of the bento in the bag two mini homemade banana nut muffins.

Chickenz

It's really full :)


I zigzagged on top of the seams to make it look all rustic or something LMAO

Lili's Bento Box

Lid: Spoon & Pocky
Top: Vanilla yogurt with a strawberry, Apple cinnamon rice cakes, Tangerine
Bottom: Turkey bologna and provolone with lowfat mayo on a wheat tortilla, grape tomatoes

Veggies

My girls won't eat them. My boys, no problem, but these girlies refuse everything except corn, and that gets old. Plus we've been eating out all the time, ugh. They are so not eating as healthy as I'd like. And neither am I...
They are fine with fruits though, so I give them fruit all the time.

So anyway I got a bug up my butt that my kids would eat better- and since I needed groceries I started yesterday when I went shopping. I bought a ton of whole grain stuff, low-fat dairy stuff, fruit, etc. I went to the book store and got a cookbook about sneaking pureed veggies into kid friendly foods- Deceptively Delicious :)

Then last night I sat with the cookbook and made another grocery list of fresh veggies and other ingredients to get... and we went and got them today. I am going to cook and bag up all of it tonight, and freeze it all so I can just take it out and dump it into stuff.

This project also required me to buy a food processor and a rice steamer LOL

So far I've steamed (what needed steaming) and pureed beets, spinach, navy beans, carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, and orange & yellow peppers.

I've got cauliflower and sweet potatoes going now, and up next is garbanzo beans, broccoli, butternut squash and avocados. Then I think I'll be done for the night LOL

Some pics of the dying process

My tie dye towels :)



I use vases for LWI... I prefer them to be clear so I can see if even the bottom got saturated.







This one I was attempting to do it patriotic, red white & blue
BUT... just five minutes later the dye had spread

Lots of pics of dyed stuff :)

Earth prefold & tee set



Princess Dress



Octopus tote- I am not happy with the way this came out.



Star baby bunting



LWI Lap tees



Tie dye lap tees



Onesie & Playsilk set



Scrunchies



Bathing suit



And this playsilk... I didn't tie it up with rubber bands like normal, just kind of painted the colors on randomly after I folded it up. I LOVE IT and I have no clue if I can ever repeat it

Ooo Pretties!

My husband is deployed, so last night I made three matching deployment bracelets. I made each of the girls one that says Daddy and mine says Aaron. I got a support ribbon charm for each, but forgot the sterling silver jump rings, so I'll have to add them later. I used all sterling silver letters and findings and swarovski crystal beads. The girls love their Daddy bracelets :)

Easter Egg Yarn

Then I used the left over Easter Egg dye on some sock yarn



When it's the rest of the way dry I'll reskein it


UPDATE- Here it is!

Yarny Goodness!

Sock yarn:




and my purple experiment LOL
2 skeins dyed together, 3 oz each... worsted weight wool