I just returned from relaxing 5 days away from home.

Okay, it wasn't that relaxing. These were my feet last June!
It's nice to have a break from home and it makes you appreciate it that much more when you return. The kids and I spent some time in Oklahoma with family and it was a nice little trip.

I haven't been doing much on Etsy lately and selling a few things here and there at the salon. Summer is taking over most of my time. I'm home for tomorrow then off for a camping trip on Friday.

Last week one of my bloggy sisters posted a link that made me chuckle a little. Angela at Pickles On Pizza thought this was funny and so did I. Awkward Family Photos. We all have some goofy family photos somewhere!

My Two Cents..........

I used to like to watch Jon & Kate Plus 8.
They were roughly inspirational to me. I mean if they can raise all those kids with a smile I can raise 3. Right? Kate was willing to show that she was a real mother that made mistakes now and then. She got upset with her kids and husband sometimes because that's normal. They were normal people with a special circumstance. With laundry, messes, potty training, and frustrations just like me.
They are no longer normal people. Like me.
They are now on the cover of every tabloid at the grocery store, on the yahoo front page, and the stars of Entertainment Tonight(and every other crap show like that). They take trips with their family for ratings. Kate is certainly much more fashionable and tanned. Jon is hanging out with other women.
Sorry Jon & Kate, I feel sorry for your 8.
I did not post a photo of the now famous family because I'm sure you have seen enough of them yourselves.
Just my two cents.
Do you still like the show? Do you even know who Jon & Kate are?!

I Love Ice Cream

I could eat ice cream every day of the week and never tire of it.

One of the best things about summer is homemade ice cream. Oh yeah! It makes my heart sing. Here is a recipe that husband came up with last summer and it's mighty tasty.

Super Yummy Ice Cream

2 cups white sugar
3 cups half and half
4 eggs beaten
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a sauce pan over medium to low heat, stir together the sugar and half and half. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from the heat, and whisk half of the mixture into the eggs. Whisk quickly so you don't end up with scrambled eggs.
Pour the egg mixture back into the pan and stir in the heavy cream. Continue cooking over medium to low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and whisk in vanilla.
Set aside to cool.

Poor the cooled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze.

You can add flavors as you like or the vanilla is great on it's own.
Enjoy, Mmmmmm.

A Wee Bloggy Break

I have taken a bloggy break. I didn't plan it but it was a nice little break.

Here we go..............

Adventures in camping.
Our camping trip was good. I came home filled with family closeness, some new knowledge, some bug bites, and a whole lotta tired.

Taking a dip.

Taking a snooze.
Fletcher really likes to ride in Old Green, puts him right to sleep. I think it's all the bumping around! So here he is sleeping on a roll of paper towels and the camera bag of course.

We saw lots of these.

This is my dear husband preparing for deer season. He's putting up a stand in a tree that he will sit in during bow season. I like how it looks like he's really high up there.

I have always been the camping kind. My parents took us camping quite a bit growing up. Even though it's so tiring, it's relaxing in a way. I think because I'm released from my general daily routine and chores. Plus when you get home you appreciate everything at home just a little more.

Have you seen the New Moon trailer?
Thoughts?

A camping we will go.......

I personally think your not really camping unless your in a tent. So this weekend we'll be sorta camping with a few luxuries. A/C, a bathroom with a shower, and beds instead of a sleeping bag. We'll see how the five of us handle such closeness over the next three days. This could get interesting!

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend.

Our Grad

I am now the proud parent of a Pre-K grad.

Holy Fat Grams!

I don't like to cook. In a perfect world I'd never cook again. All my meals would be prepared for myself and the family by a personal chef. A personal chef that would make everything taste like a dream.
So over the weekend our Super Target had these on sale.

I decided I'd give them a try. One of the meals I picked up was the chicken alfredo. It's extremely easy to prepare. Rip open package, pour in skillet, cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. It doesn't get much better than that. I'm also happy to report it was good. Surprisingly good. That prompted me to look at the nutritional content since anything that tastes good like this can't be good for you. Oh how right I was.(Overlook the fact that I did this check of the nutritional content backwards, as in, look at it before you buy it.)
A ginormous 42 grams of fat per serving. That's a little more than a Big Mac and large fry!
Then...... 1370 grams of sodium per serving.
That's 65% of your daily fat intake. Eat your serving of this and you have ate over half of your fat for the day, in one meal. No dessert for you!
So I'm sad to say as tasty and easy as this was I will never buy it again. Sigh.

I realize that chicken alfredo isn't the most healthy meal but geeze Bertolli what are you trying to do to us?!