Orange poppies

For every pioneering pastor's wife...or lonely sad mama...go here, read this.

Small

Have you heard of Small? the magazine? Its delightful! Its a free online publication that is seriously, seriously, darling.
I think I first read about it on Amy Karol's blog, the angry chicken; and have subscribed to read every issue since!
If you're a mum, and love Ikea and Etsy...well this is for you! Its different, innovative, quirky, whimsical...the list goes on and on...seriously, if Ikea and Etsy had a baby (what?!) this is what it would look like :)
Here's the link! let me know what you think! My commenter's have been ve e e e e ry quiet lately...I'm beginning to wonder if I need to beg haha..seriously, do I?!

Ladies and Gentleman...

Meet the gorgeous and incredibly talented Lacy Myers.
If you've read my blog, you know that Lacy is my best friend. Truly. This girl is amazing. We've known each other since elementary school, in fact, I remember when she came back from private school, and at recess sitting on the monkey bars listening to her tell me, alyssa, tristin, melissa phillips....all of us girls, all the crazy stories of what went on there.
It was epic.
But we were never really friends all our school years. Lacy is the fun, bubbly super outgoing one. She's always been the one laughing and writing on her self with sharpies and being quirky. For some reason in high school, I couldn't stand her. ha. serious, I couldn't, and she really wasn't too keen on me...I was blunt, said whatever I was thinking, hated giggling and was pretty moody. I know, hard to imagine.
If you would've told me in high school that Lacy would become one of my closest, dearest friends; my best friend in fact; I would've laughed and thought you were crazy. But its true. She is.
As we overcame the curse of being a jerk teenage girl (insert giant laugh), we began to realize how much we were alike, and how our differences really went well together. She came to my wedding, where I stoically never shed a tear, I went to hers, and grinned my head off while she sobbed outrageously loud all the way down the ever-loving aisle. We've had all three of our babies just months apart, and lost babies and grieved together...We've loved Jesus and prayed with each other, We've been the shoulder each other cried on, the friend I've laughed with most, the mother who I feel most comfortable sharing my regrets, my fears, my downfalls with...
Lacy...you mean the world to me...I would never want to have weathered the stormy waters of motherhood and domestic venture, without you. What a better world mine is, because I have you in it with me.

And ladies and Gentleman, did I mention this girl is INCREDIBLY talented?! no? well she is, like seriously a rockstar. She is the one who got me to start sewing, I canned my first jar of preserves with her, and embarked on so many crafty experiments because of this lovely lady. And now she's started a blog. Before you roll your eyes and moan that I'm asking you to check out another blog, please please check her's out. You'll be in love I promise. She does the greatest tutorials and the has the coolest ideas...she's a treasure chest when it comes to creativity! And now she's sharing it with everyone! so quick quick! go check it out!
its lacymyers.blogspot.com. And don't believe her header, she is totally a MASTER of everything she does, as her friend I must admit its hard not to feel that weird competitive jealousy sometimes because honestly, how can someone be SO FREAKING GOOD at everything?!?!?! okay, whew, glad to have that off my chest ha ha ha...kidding.
I'll finish with some darling pictures of her kiddo's.
Please allow me to introduce you to the craziness which is Sophia Paige (my little namesake!! BIG GRIN :) )
The tenderhearted Solomon Jude, affectionatly, Solly
And the darling, squishable, kissable bundle that is Addison Bean, more appropriately, Bean :)

They are all just months younger than mine...and I love them like my nieces and nephew :)
Now go check out her blog HERE! GO! GO!

Dude check out this book!

I saw a link for this book on my best friend's blog (I'm writing up a wicked awesome post about her and her new bloggy ha) and this book must be mine! Does this not look so fun?! And seriously, what a perfect idea for little kids and large amounts of people.
mmm...I can't wait to make the robot ones! And Danielle, I totally thought of you and the penguin ones!!!!
-

Going Dutch!

If you've never had a dutch baby you HAVE GOT TO EAT ONE RIGHT NOW! okay..I swear I'm not a cannibal and I don't endorse eating dutch infants (ick) but these holland-esque pancakes will make you swoon.
It is very rich and indulgent (do i EVER post healthy recipes...no, no i do not)so I don't make this very often, BUT! I saw the recipe over HERE and oh golly its good!
The recipe calls for a cast iron skillet, but after reviewing the comments I used a glass pie dish and it was beautiful. Just put the butter in a 10" pie plate and let it melt in the oven, wait till it starts to brown then take it out and slowly pour the batter into the butter. Since this is heated glass make the batter asap and let it warm to room temp while the butter melts so it doesn't shatter your pie plate. That said...ENJOY and load up with powdered sugar and fresh squeezed lemon juice! (you can add melted butter if you want, i find that the butter it cooks in provides enough flavor, I do use salted butter because i like the contrast of flavors, also, let it bake the whole 20-25min, it may seem ready sooner but you really want those eggs to set in the middle or its a bit too uncooked in the center.

For the pancakes:
4 Tbs salted butter
4 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup half-and-half

For the topping:
4 oz clarified butter (or, if you’re not into clarifying, simple melted butter will do)
Juice of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar

In a blender, whir together the eggs, flour, and half-and-half.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the butter in the pie plate and immediately put it in the preheating oven to melt. Remove once the butter begins to brown

Pour the batter into the pie plate over the melted butter. Slide the plate back into the oven, and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the puffed pancakes from the oven, transfer them to a plate or shallow bowl, and pour on melted butter, sprinkle on lemon juice, and dust with (lots of) powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Serves two.

Pahooie here...

In case you need one more blog to follow..ahem (you do) my mum started one for her grandchildren, and since I am the only one with grandchildren, its all for ME!ha. You can read it here. So far it just has a poem she wrote for my graduation...but I still cry everytime I read it. I DO still remember the wildflowers mum...and the trees...and sitting in the stroller with Andrea in front of me...and I remember scuffed shoes and rose hips...and sunshine and bramble bushes that bunnies lived in..I remember.

We three...

CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT!!!! We (my sisters and I) have started a blog about our friendship etc..its...
hafachetloos.blogspot.com

Matryoshka template!

I found these templates at THIS wonderful blog and thought I'd share. I love love love, matryoshka dolls. Matryoshka's are those adorable little russian,painted nesting dolls, where you find one inside of the other, inside of the other, inside of the other etc...a muslim's dream ha. These templates are for a "to-do" list and labels! Just click on the pictures and save the images and get to making awesome fun! send me a pic if you use them! I'd love to see how cute they look since I highly doubt my own ability to print them out anytime soon.
enjoy!

BALSAMIC CHICKEN...

I love love THIS BLOG, and check it often...when my mother in law was here she bought some balsamic vinegar for salads and we had a whole bunch left when she was gone, and I seriously do not know how to use up balsamic vinegar. Although I must say, I felt pretty darn grown up and fancy having a bottle just chillin' in the cupboard. ANYWAY, I saw this recipe in the archives of said blog and gave it a shot...oh my, who knew that a..ahem..balsamic reduction, could produce such yummy results?! first of all, how can you not feel like the coolest chef around making something that includes a balsamic reduction (just boiling the vinegar until it turns to syrup but still...)?
One tip, I have never done a reduction before and almost screwed it up, just let it boil away on high, it will eventually foam up, let it. After the foam subsides you'll have your syrup..so cool! Also, I uppped the vinegar content to 1 1/2C. It may seem like you wont have enough, but once you stick it under the broiler it thins out and coats the chicken...its very likened to teriyaki but more grown up and fancy tasting :)

balsamic chicken
6-8 skinless chicken thighs
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
salt & pepper
1 T dried rosemary
1 c balsamic vinegar
6 cloves garlic, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9×13 baking dish, toss around onion slices and olive oil. Add chicken to dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. Peek in on the chicken to make sure that the onions don’t burn up.

2. In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar and garlic to a boil. Keep sauce boiling until it reduces into a nice thick, syrupy consistency. Turn off heat and set aside.

3. When chicken is cooked, about 45 minutes later, scrape up all the onion bits from the bottom of the dish to loosen all the yummy bits and then pour over balasamic vinegar sauce over the chicken. Set dish to broil for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with sauce heaped over chicken.

This is for Lacy...

LACY! I'm hoping you actually read my blog haha (I guess this will tell me!) But I ran across THIS blog and its awesome! right up your ally :) if you look through everything in her sewing category its so fun! I'd love to try the highchair cover and the little boy costume...you'll see...anyways, I know this says "this is for Lacy" but its also just for anyone who likes to sew :)

The Magic Onions

Mrs Anne of Alamo (well..really yuba city) is officially my hero because she sent me link to this awesome blog, The Magic Onion...oh my I could read about all the adventures this mommy has with her kiddos, allllll day long..so fun and inventive and magical indeed!!

The gentle art of domesticity...

"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much." -- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Ever since I became a wife and mother I've become obsessed with domesticity..in this era, the feminist rule, and the housewife is a silly little girl who is wasting her brain and silently suffering in her status in societys totem pole. Not so...This job is the most cherished occupation I have ever been involved in. I have never worked so hard, been so tried or so rewarded. I can't wait to get this book, its the one pictured above, its called "The gentle art of domesticity"...saving up for a good sale, it looks darling! This woman has simply devoted herself to this gentle wonderful art of homemaking...and it is a skill to be sure. And this blog is the sweetest thing, a mother and wife who loves her job... I've had to literally fight back against the ridiculous stigma that I am simply, "a homemaker"...does anyone realize what that means? I literally make my little place in this world, a home...a refuge, a shelter, for my babies and my husband, and its no small task. This great occupation is not for the weak or the easily broken. Its a forged and fought for, success. So many women forget that before they are mothers, they are wives...my husband was my first obligtion...these little wild things demand more of my time and physically aren't capable of existing without me...but my darling hero who works so hard, puts up with so much, was the original owner of this heart and I owe it to him to never forget that. It means so much to him to have a house that is warm and loved... one that his wife has poured her heart into. It calms him so much when I take time to prepare a meal for him, when I care about being frugal,and when I quite simply, make myself his completely. I am his and he is mine. So anyway...I've looked through little exerpts of this book and it touched that part of me that exists in every woman, that gentle, domestic, i need a man to take care of me, part...and truly, I believe its the part of womanhood that truly should flourish iside of me...and if I don't succeed at another thing in this lifetime...if I am the mother and wife that God made me to be, I will have lived a grand, happy life indeed.

"I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best I could bring to it." -- Rose Kennedy

5 orange potatoes

I stumbled across this blog and her post about doing outside activities with children, SO ADORABLE! The link to the activies is HERE, and her blog is HERE

Perfect Pancakes

I love love breakfast foods...I order breakfast for lunch, dinner, everything! But I've never really gotten on the pancake bandwagon, they're always dry and feel like they're choking me, you know? I follow the Angrychicken blog and she posted a blog with this recipe and mmm...these really are wonderful pancakes. I followed the recipe exactly, the key is to only heat your griddle or pan to medium heat, and to make little pancakes, I used about 1/4C everytime, they're sweet and fluffy and almost like a bread, like I think they'd be yummy with bacon and eggs sandwiched in between...anyways...I LOVED THEM! :) and the girls loved them and pretty much I wanted to share because I was so so so happy to find a recipe for pancakes that didn't need tweaking. BON APPETITE!!!!!

PERFECT PANCAKES

1C flour
2T sugar
2t baking powder
1/2t salt
1C milk
2T vegetable oil
1 large egg

mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until no longer lumpy. Grease pan with butter and pour 1/4C batter onto hot pan, flip when bubbles appear on sides.