Fearless Friday- Cold Press Coffee

I tried Cold Press Coffee at a coffee shop a few months ago. I liked it a lot and thought, hey, I can make this. I hopped on the computer and was suprised by all the results of my search. Here is what I came up with, that worked for me...

Fill a large jar with 3 cups of water and 2/3 cup ground coffee beans.

Then give is a good shake and put it in the fidge over night.

In the morning you will want to run the coffee mixture through a filter/sieve. I just take my coffee maker and run it through there without it on.

note: I did not unplug my coffee maker the first time and it turned on and kind of heated up what I wanted cold. I make sure the coffee maker is unplugged now.

I then rinced out the jar and filled it with the now coffee concentrate.

This will be three cups worth. I take one cup of the coffee to one cup of milk and then add 2-3 tablespoons of a flavored syrup. It is great and it lacks the bitter taste you usually get from hot coffee. I have one glass a day, so it last me three days, well unless I am having one of those days. The third days cup of coffee taste as good as the first, which was something I was a little afraid of.

Grandma's Thunder Cake

This cake was in the back of a book Logan read at school and he brought home the recipe. Of course we had to try it and I was very nervous about that. Who puts pureed tomatoes in their chocolate cake? I did, yes I did and it turned out great. I don't know what they did, but you could not taste them and it gave the cake a cool color. My little helpers were very proud of their cake too.

Malia's failed attemt at walking outside...

I tried to get malia to walk outside. She took a few steps but gave up.

First Day of School

Today was Gabriel and Logan's first day of school. Gabriel is in 4th grade and Logan in Kindergarten. What a fun and exciting year for both of them. Gabriel is excited to have his little bother at school with him in the morning, I do hope that last.

Happy Birthday Malia

Malia is ONE today. I have put together a college of her first year. Just follow it around clockwise. I can not believe my baby is one. What a great year it has been, she is such a strong willed joy. I love you Malia and you can turn my worst days into good ones by just a smile, a little giggle never hurts either.

newborn (wrapped in blanket), one month (blue background), two months (green background), three months (pink shirt), four months (tutu), five months (pink stripes), six months (purple outfit), seven months(beach/ocean), eight months (lite pink shirt), nine months (orange dress), ten months (outside in rocks), eleven months (white/ pink shirt) and One year(flower dress in rocking chair)

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

There are some talking in there but mostly giggling.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Bramble Park Zoo

Last Monday we went to the zoo with Todd's Grandma and Grandpa and his Aunt and Uncle. The kids had a blast there feeding the many animals you can throw food at.

Malia trying to feed the ducks and geese.
My full nest... aren't they cute.

The two bear cubs born in January of this year.

Right before feeding time... they were looking for their food.

Logan Rides His Bike

Logan has been working on riding his bike for about a month now. Last night he did great and seemed to just take off and ride. It was amazing to watch and he was so proud of himself. I could not get him off his bike last night and he was back out there again this morning.

Wordless Wednesday

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Back on Track, Well Getting on a Track

I was making a list of gaols for the week over at Home-ec 101 and decided I should put it up here too. School starts in three weeks and one day. There are many things I need to get done and get on a good track.

1) I need to get back running, I left my shoes at my parents, but now they are back so I need to get out running again
2) Get back to only eating out 0-1 time a week, this last weekend we got a little carried away.
3) I did not do laundry all weekend and with 6 people in the house I have a ton to do and diapers to wash.
4) try to reorganize the toys… seriously too many of then for this house.
5) Three sewing projects -brothers quilt, sippy-cup leash and a marker roll

There is much more, but this is the stuff that is the top of my list.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

to: ME

Yup, today is my Birthday. I use to love birthdays, they were great as a kid. My mom did day care and my birthday was in the summer.

When I lived closer to my family I would always at least get a cake or pie for my birthday and one or two presents... I love presents!

The last two years my little brother has been out here over my birthday. This was two fold...

1)a great babysitter so my husband and I could go out

2)a great person to hang out with on your birthday, he is a great guy

3)it was a fun little two year tradition

This year has kind of been a let down. My 5yo told me it most not be my birthday because no body made me a cake.

I'll let this year slide... my next two birthdays are big ones and I am expecting big things, even if I have to do it my self.

I will take this as a somber birthday and it kind of is. My last year being 20 something, yikes... I never thought this kind of stuff would effect me like it is, maybe it is just all in my head.

It is just a same old day with nothing different... I was really hoping for a coffee delivery this morning, I do not think my husband got the memo. I do hope he is well enough to take me out tonight, I am just asking for dinner, so I do not have to cook... that is all.

Many people did think of my today, which is very nice... I guess I am just bitter... heck I turned 29 today, it really does creep me out. I think of my self as young still, sometimes I have to remind myself I am not 18 anymore and I am a grown up. "shivers"

UPDATE: My husband took me out for dinner, without children, gave me a GC to get my tattoo and then we met up with our neighbors. It was a fun filled evening and I can not wait to get my tattoo, I have wanted one for many years. I just didn't get a b-day cake, I bet my Starbucks had just about the same amount of calories in it though.

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Gabriel Baseball

Gabriel is in his 4 summer of baseball. Last year he took a liking to pitching and is has continued this year. Tonight is his last game of the year. This means summer is ending and we have to start thinking of back to school, yikes!

Fun at Baseball

While Gabriel plays baseball we have a little fun of our own. Logan is only in one picture because he found to other little boys to run off and play with. Hailey was being a little camera hog. Malia was making sure her frog diaper cover was showing in both pictures, at least it matched her outfit.

Logan's T-Ball

Logan played t-ball this summer. They played every Tuesday, 1.5 hours in the afternoon for 6 weeks. He had fun, even if playing in the dirt on the field was what he did more of.

Standing in the out field... day dreaming I think.

Waiting to bat. He liked going last for some reason.

Up to bat... The tee was a little tall for him, so he hit it a lot.

Fearless Friday- Angel Food Cake

This week was my husbands birthday and his favorite cake is angel food cake. I did not have a box of it on hand, but did have all the ingredients to make it from scratch. I have tried this one other time and it was a flop, well not even a flop as it did not even rise to the occasion. This time I made it while a few of the kids were down for their naps and really took my time. It turned out wonderful this time, I would have a picture, but it was gone before I knew it. It was the type of spongy cake that melted in your mouth. My one son ate four pieces, without the cream... he has never eaten cake with out cream or frosting.

This adventure was all good and dandy, but now what do I do with the 12 egg yolks in my fridge? I went through a few cookbooks and looked on-line and then well decided to just wing it. I made some Oven French Toast. I started it in the morning by cutting up a loaf of French bread. I then melted a stick of butter and poured it into the bottom of the baking dish (I could have gotten away with 1/2 of a stick, will know for next time). I them mixed together the 12 egg yolks, about 1.5-2 cups of milk, a cup of sugar and about 2 teaspoons of vanilla. I dipped each slice of bread into the egg mixture and placed it in the pan. After I poured the rest of the egg mixture over the top of the slices, covered it with plastic and put it in the oven. About 40 minutes before we wanted to eat I took the dish out and let is rest on the counter while the oven was preheating to 375 degrees. I then let it bake for 30 minutes and served it with hot syrup. Again no pictures, it just did not look pretty.

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What the garden looks like.

As of July 14Th, 2009 this is what our little garden looks like. We planted radishes, green beans, oats and sunflowers. They all have a long way to go, but hopefully we get something.

Our Beans are starting to flower and the radishes should be ready within the next week or two.

Our oats are doing the best. Gabriel got them from an Ag Fair he went to with school and insisted on planting them. I have no idea what to do with them, but hey, they grew. Our Sunflowers are getting there. They are just above knee tall, I should weed them our a little though.

My Lilies

My parents gave me this plant three springs ago. That first summer it had bloomed, last summer I put it on my front steps and it did not get enough sun, Then this summer I put it by my garden and I was so excited waiting for it to bloom and this morning it was beautiful. When I have a house I own and can plant stuff in the ground I will have lots of flowers, then I will not have to wait for just two flowers.

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Malia Eating Spaghetti

I made spaghetti for Malia last week. My mom gave us some gluten free rice noodles and I made up a meat sauce. She loved it and it was nice that she could eat a meal with us and she did not break out from it. She ate most of the food on her plate. I know need to find more meals like this or she needs to grow out of this allergy of hers.

After 6 Years of Marriage

I have been married to my husband for 6 years today. We have known each other for 13 years and started dating about 11.5 years ago. We met at church camp when we were 14 and 15. We were from different states and only talked for 4 days before going back to our young lives in the states we had come from. We kept in contact for a few months and even thought of ourselves as dating, then the calls and letters got fewer and fewer. Then about a year and a half after we had first met I wrote him a letter. Things were happening and well I have no idea what brought me to writing that letter, but I did and 4 days after writing it I got a phone call. We talked a lot on the phone and 6 months later he came to MN to spend the weekend with us. My parents were adding on to our house and he got put to work right away. 16 months later we had our first child. Todd was a senior in high school and I was a freshmen in college. About three months before our son turned four we married. We were young when our journey started and we waited to get married because we wanted to make sure things were going to have there best chance of working out. Nine months after we married we had our second child and a year after that I graduated from college. Since then we have moved out of MN and to SD. My husband grew up in SD, not the part we live in, but we moved to the middle of where our families are. We have also had two daughters and a lot of adventures. We had different plans in the beginning of all this, but choices and decisions have brought us to where we are today... still happy and still very much in love. Happy Anniversary, Todd. I love you and thank you for putting up with me and my crazy ideas.

I have yet to get my wedding pictures scanned in, so here is the most recent picture of the two of us... I really need to get those pictures scanned in, they are much better then this.

Birds in My House

These little birds are pretty cute. They would be cuter if they did not make there home in the corner of my house. This corner is also very very close to my bedroom window. This window I like to keep open becaue I have not turned the air on yet and like the breeze through the house. They may have not picked the best spot, but it is our fault for not fixing the corner there after the first time they nested there. Maybe this year after they move out we will get to fixing it. I just hope we don't forget till next year and we are faced with the same thing. This is the third or fourth summer we have had them here.