We are officially moving in!

Well, after living in our home for three years, we are finally able to move into our new master bedroom! The inspector came by and gave us the okay to move our furniture into the three rooms we have remodeled, but our two bathrooms are still under construction so those will be put off to another time.

Thursday, November 29

So, this afternoon, my husband pointed out where our son had cut a nice long line into our new painted drywall. Ugh, what a stinker! The remodeling in general is going great {with the exception of Lincoln’s handiwork}.  Our carpet was scheduled for shipment today, the walls are painted, the trim is mostly caulked as are the windows. Just a few touchups, and we are finally move-in ready.

Meanwhile, we had to get out of the house, so we visited the local zoo and their gardens. The beautiful fall weather was in full force here in Indiana. Such a gorgeous day shared with my sweet family.

Christmas tree

We had to down size our Christmas tree this year due to remodeling. I didn’t really mind though, we got a unique variety that I can’t remember the name of, but when you trim the branches it gives this amazing citrus scent. We’re making do as we’re able, and all our hard work will pay off in the future I’m sure. Having this kind of set up in your kitchen isn’t ideal, but who cares. It’s Christmas and we’re all excited to celebrate.

{My favorite ornaments are definitely the handmade ones}

Gingerbread house

Last year our family made a gingerbread house, and I wanted to do that again with the kids to keep up the tradition. Well, here's a picture four days later, and the state of the house is pretty sad. The kids decided to snack on the house like Hansel and Gretel!

Cinderella squash recipes

Recently I processed a Cinderella squash, which is basically like a pumpkin, and made some bread and a cheesecake for Thanksgiving. I thought it all turned out great!



Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups fresh pumpkin purée
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Dash cloves, nutmeg, vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

I'm not big on all the crazy directions with cakes. Basically, combine the ingredients well until most lumps are gone. Pour into a cake pan, and bake at 350 degrees until done (45 minutes approximately).





Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups fresh pumpkin purée
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined. Add eggs and egg yolk. Blend but don't overly beat the eggs.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

A beautiful day at the park

Today the kids and I visited a local park, and the weather was gorgeous! I really got a kick watching them laugh and run from the car and towards the playground like calves out of the stall. What a relief to get out and enjoy the fresh air, and the setting we visited is always so pretty.

Monday, November 5th, 2012

Yesterday we took the kids to our first family movie! Wreck It Ralph was very cute - we highly recommend it. Trinity is 2 and a half and Lincoln is 4, and they both did great. Right before the credits rolled Trin did get squeamish, but overall she did fabulous.

Since I last wrote we enjoyed a family trip to the zoo (pictures to come) and of course trick or treating. I started work on my yearly hand drawn Christmas card (can't believe it's already here) and I printed off lots of pictures to share with the family over the holidays.

Our house is certainly shaping up these days. Our three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and upstairs landing are all dry walled, painted, and fixtures are going up. I got a couple of stencils in the mail today and I plan to do a few accent walls that I will certainly document on my blog.

A sweet memory

I love this picture of the kids watching a video snuggled up together. How sweet, right? Now if I could just remind them of this when they are fighting . . .

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween from the bride of Frankenstein!

Homemade Dryer "Sheets"

1 bottle fabric softener (or you could make your own, I will post a recipe for this).

8-10 sponge squares (should be 3-4in squares, can get cheap rectangular sponges and cut in half; or buy a large automotive sponge and cut into several small blocks)

Pour bottle of softener in a large bucket.  Fill empty bottle up with water twice and add to bucket.  Place sponge in bucket, wring it out, and then place in dryer with your clothes as you would a dryer sheet.

Homemade Laundry Detergent for Sensitive Skin

Ingredients:

1 4lb box Borax

1 4lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

1 3lb 7oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

3 Fels-Naptha Soap Bar for heavy stains or any body soap bar that is hypoallergenic for sensitive skin

1 3lb box Oxiclean free and clear

Essential Oil

Directions:

Grate the soap bar into large flakes (a box grater works great).  Using a five gallon bucket (lined with a trash bad if not clean), dump all ingredients and mix together.  You are now ready to use your detergent!  Use 1/4 cup at a time for a full load.  Add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance to your laundry water if desired.   

Note for septics:

You may want to liquify this if you have a septic system (A.K.A. live in the boonies).  Some people have no problem with the soap flakes, but others are cautious that the flakes from the soap bars may lead to a clogging of septic pipes.  I have two suggestions.  One, put your large flakes into a food processor and chop the large flakes up as finely as possible with your steel blade attachment.  If you can get it similar to a powder consistency you should have no problems.  Or, suggestion two, liquify the above recipe.  See directions below.

Liquify above detergent:

Melt the soap flakes in four cups of water.  In a large pot, pour melted soap flakes, all other ingredients, and a gallon of water.  Cook on low-medium until coagulates.  Turn off heat, add a gallon of cold water (if detergent seems very thick, add more than a gallon until desired consistency).  Stir well.  Pour into empty gallon containers.  Use approximately half a cup at a time.

Halloween costumes for the kids 2012

I just love the costumes from my mom to the kids for Halloween this year. Trinity's costume in these pictures is not the one that was picked out for her, but you know how finicky kids can be. Hopefully I can convince her on Halloween to wear her outfit.

{Minnie Mouse and Captain America}

Tuesday, October 15, 2012

Today, I decided to go out into the garden and see if there were any carrots or potatoes leftover from the summer and surprisingly I found several still hiding in the soil.

The kids and I didn’t do a whole lot today. This past weekend we had a family get together with Adam's side and we carved pumpkins and had a great meal made by my MIL.

Right now the kids are on fall vacation and it lasts two weeks. It's been a nice break from preschool and MOPs. I think we may go to the zoo and maybe do a few other local activities.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Today we took Lincoln to the doctor after finding a worrisome rash on his back and the rest of his body. I was pretty sure he had the vaccine for chickenpox, but I was still anxious it could be that or something similar. Turns out, he has strep throat of all things! I guess it is common to have a rash with strep.

So I have been home pretty much all day, everyday this week dealing with a sick kiddo. I am fairly stir crazy at this point! But on the positive side, my laundry is caught up, my dishwasher is empty, and the garage is clean!

This past Sunday we closed our pool for the season. First year in the books, and I hope it works out! We get a lot of wind here because of all the farming fields and no tree cover, so right now it looks like a giant mushroom in our yard with the tarp gusting up from wind underneath.

We have had our first few fires in the woodstove already, which gets us excited for the impending holidays. I also have been switching summer clothes out with winter clothes from our dresser drawers, a chore in our cramped living situation. My kids are growing like weeds and I cannot believe they are once again going up another size.

Check out my latest Pinterest pins, especially ones under my healthy living tab! I am pretty excited to change our family's eating habits, and slowly we are.

{Art makes the heart happy}

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Since I last wrote, we have had a work day on our house with the help of our wonderful families, we assisted our church in replacing two garage roofs, and as of today our oldest, Lincoln, is officially four years old!

This past Sunday we had a cookout to celebrate Link's birthday, and it was a great time. I did not take any pictures, but sometimes don't you think it's nice to just enjoy the moment and not worry about capturing it on camera? We had lots of super hero decorations, an Avengers ice cream cake, and a warm bonfire to chat around - it was a perfect night.

Today has been slow going. I caught up on laundry, had a vision appointment, and caught up on chores around the house while my mom watched the kids for a bit. I should have gotten a load of firewood, because the cold weather will be settling in before we know it, but maybe in a few days I will get around to it.

Reds Game

{Cincinnati Reds game. I love my husband!}

Fine art

DIY Captain America Shield

My son loves anything super hero these days.

My husband heard one of his family members talking about how they made a Captain America shield out of a satellite dish, and since he comes across abandoned ones from time to time with his business he decided to keep the next one he found and try to make a shield for our son. Well, a week ago he found one and here are some pictures of what we came up with.

For all you DIY'ers the stripes are about an inch and a half wide, the circle is a traced gallon ice cream lid, and the handle is from a patio door. Adam also snipped off a lip from the outside edge and hammered the sharp leftover edge over for safety. I included a picture of the star I used if you need it.

Wednesday, August 22 2012

A few random pictures of our family. A couple of Trinity and Lincoln dressed up in costumes (getting our money’s worth!). Then there’s Adam with Lincoln’s transformers mask. (Now you know where our kids get their sense of humor!). And then finally a couple individual pictures of each the kids just doing day-to-day life.