Day 7...Mini Corn Dogs

Jeremy LOVES corn dogs. Me, not so much. But, because I love him, and this seemed fairly easy, I thought I'd go for it.

Today's Pinterest:  Mini Corn dogs.

Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

Butter

Sugar

Egg

Buttermilk

Flour

Cornmeal

Baking Soda

Salt

Combine wet and dry ingredients...

looking good so far!

Hot Dogs, cut them into little pieces

1Tbs of mix into mini-muffin cups with a little piece of hot dog

And bake!

Lovely little miniature corn dogs!

 These actually tasted pretty good, but you can see from my final product that they don't exactly look like the original.  Maybe I should have let them cool a little more?  They fell apart pretty easily.  But, it was a nice sweet cornbread!  I enjoyed them.  There was a variation in the recipe to use half of the butter and add some applesauce instead.  Maybe I should try that.  This is a maybe keeper for sure.  Jeremy ate the hotdog....not the cornbread.  Benny tried the cornbread, but most went on the floor.

Complete Receipe

Day 6...Baked Cheese Balls

Today was a scramble to figure out what Pinterest I would do.  I stumbled across these cheese bites and I already had all the ingredients!  So, Jeremy and I tried them out with our lunch.

Baked Cheese Balls:  Never Trust a Skinny Cook

The Original

The ingredients:

Milk

Breadcrumbs

String Cheese (I used one all white, and one yellow and white)

Cut up the cheese into little segments, dip in milk, roll in crumbs.

Bake for about 7 minutes

The cheese sticks tasted good, but, as you can see, the all white sticks got quite melted.  The comments from the original source recommend freezing your cheese first.  Might try that next time.  Overall, a fun and easy twist to add to a generally boring lunch.

*exact recipe located in the Source Link

Day 5...Clean Floors

The kitchen floor was looking scummy and I am all out of chemical ridden floor cleaners. So, it was time to make my own!

The Ingredients:

1/4 c White Vinegar

1/4 cup Baking Soda**

1 T dish soap

2 Gallons WARM water

Mix together, and mop away!

(**The recipe I used said Baking Soda, but the picture they posted SHOWED Washing Soda, I didn't realize this until AFTER mopping the floor.  Baking soda worked, but next time, I'll try Washing Soda. Or a method that has only Vinegar and Water.)

It seems to have worked, and didn't leave the chemical smell!  My floor is a wood laminate floor, and it is sparkly clean.  I wouldn't say it worked BETTER than commercial cleaner, but, it definitely wasn't any worse.  And, for no harsh chemicals, I think it is a keeper! 

Source:  Food.com  

Day 4 of Pinterest...the Laundry

I've been saving this pinterest tip for awhile.  Waiting for a day I needed something quick and easy.  For a few months now, I have been making my own laundry detergent.  It is FAR cheaper than buying detergent, and works just as well.  (Detergent Recipe)

The ONLY downfall to homemade detergent that I have found is that it does not leave your clothes feeling FRESH.  They just, well, smell like, nothing.  One of my great joys of laundry day is pulling my clothes out of the dryer, and taking in a big whiff of Spring Fresh (or Lavender, or vanilla, etc) goodness.  So, the mission today is to create a scented fabric softener.

The ingredients:

White Vinegar

Rubbing Alcohol

Essential Oil, frangrance of your choice 

(* choose Lavender)

Mix 1 quart of Vinegar

1 teaspoon Rubbing Alcohol

20-25 drops of essential oil

I mixed it in this cute pink jug, only to find

that it had a leak.  So, I had to transfer it to the 

only other thing I had: 

I filled my Downy Ball to the line, threw it into the wash

and  waited.

But, for good measure, I also made a "dryer ball".

Take two old socks.  Put 15-20 drops of oil on the foot of

one sock.  Ball it up, put it inside the other sock.

Now you have a fragrant sock ball.  Throw it in the

dryer with your clothes.

Review:  My clothes are soft (just as usual, as I had been using straight vinegar as softener).  There is a slight Lavender scent to the clothes.  Not as strong as when using store bought detergent/softener, but enough to please my nostrils.  I  do believe I will continue to use this.   Not sure of the cost savings, but,  I understand that Commercial Softeners build up on your clothes, and vinegar does not.  So, it should be better for our skin and clothes!


Source: Camp Wander

Day 3...Dinner

Today is Day 3 and all is well in the land of Pinterest!  One would think, with over 400 recipes pinned, choosing what to cook for dinner would not be a problem. BUT, it was.  I think I looked through the recipes for over an hour last night, and finally landed on TWO recipes to try.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Source:  Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Roasted Broccoli

Source:  The Amateur Gourmet

I prepped the Chicken earlier in the afternoon, and put it covered in the fridge, so it would be ready to throw in the oven later.  That seemed to work out pretty good.

Here are a few pictures of my process:

Prepare a Dredging Station

 Pound the Chicken....I might have gone a little too far

Add a slice of ham and swiss cheese, then roll it up!

Voila!

Yummy Deliciousness!

Overall, I give the Chicken Cordon Bleu 5 Stars.  It was quite easy to make, and super yummy.  I did, however, cook it at 425 rather than 400, and still felt that it needed a little more time to cook.  

The Broccoli....it wasn't bad.  but for the effort, it didn't taste good enough to do more than put a frozen bag in the microwave.  I also did not have parmesan cheese, so, it was missing that and pine nuts.  But, I don't think those two ingredients would make much difference.

Thanks for following!  Find the recipes via the above posted links.  And, don't mind my photography skills, I take the pictures on my iPad, so there isn't much to do to make them lovely.

Day 2...Breakfast

Today was the first day of a new Mom's Bible Study group that I am facilitating at church.  God had placed on my heart just over a year ago to lead a group geared for Mom's while Jeremy was at Little School.  I was pregnant at the start of school last year, and thought that timing to was not the best.  So, I delayed a year.

Anyway...on to Pinterest.  For the first group, I thought I should make something delicious.  So, I made coffee cake.  I believe it is called "The Best Coffee Cake in the World".

It was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.  So, I should probably post the recipe for you!

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 1-1/2 stick Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Scant Sugar
• 3 cups Flour, Sifted
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1-1/4 cup Whole Milk
• 3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 1-1/2 stick Butter, Softened
• 3/4 cups Flour
• 1-1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cup Pecans, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don't overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Serve warm---delicious!

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Day 1...First Day of School

Pinterest:  1st day of school

For Day 1, it just so happened to be Jeremy's first day of preschool.  I've seen a wide variety of First Day of School photo options, so I thought I'd try it out!  A quick and easy start to my 31 Days of Pinterest Challenge.

A short story from the morning:
    As we are getting ready for school in the morning, Jeremy asks, "Momma, if I'm sick, I don't have to go to school, right?"  I saw where this was going, and said "Yes, Jeremy, but you are NOT sick".  He is awful young to begin thinking about playing sick to get out of school!  Anyway, he had a great day.  He does harder stuff this year, like pour water from a pitcher himself.

So, here it is, the First Day of Preschool photo, courtesy of Pinterest:

31 Days of Pinterest

I love Pinterest.  One might say I am addicted to pinterest.  Recipes and DIY/Crafts are my favorite categories.  As of right now, I have 1,661 pins (probably more before I go to sleep tonight!). So, I've created a challenge for myself, 31 Days of Pinterest.  My goal is to complete 1 pinterest item per day for, well, 31 days!  I'll blog my results along the way!  Stay tuned!

Home Waterbirth of Benjamin Carl

We have anticipated this day for some time now. When I was pregnant with Jeremy, I really wanted to find a Midwife, but at that time, Indiana did not license Midwives to practice home birth legally, so I had the traditional hospital birth. The experience was not what I wanted or had hoped for.

When I became pregnant with Benjamin, I decided if I couldn't use a Midwife, at least maybe I could hire a Doula to attend the hospital birth. That is when I found Believe Midwifery Services. At 20 weeks, we transferred care to CNM's Penny Lane and Holly Hopkins, and that was the best decision we ever could have made. The prenatal care was phenomenal, they cared for my whole well being, coached me through Gestational Diabetes and continue to support me in my breastfeeding woes. I can not say enough good things about them and their assistants.

Around 4 AM on Saturday, November 12, 2011, the contractions began. They were not anything alarming, or strong enough to convince me that today would be the day. They were however, annoying enough that I couldn't fall back asleep. About 5 AM I decided to wake Matt and let him know I think labor may be starting. I had him time the contractions, not that it was useful, but just so we would have some idea of what to tell the Midwife. I believe it was around 6 AM that we called Penny and gave her the update. Things were still quite mild, and irregular, so she said to call back if anything changes. So...I decided to make Banana Bread. I did have 3 ripe bananas, and if I didn't make it now, it was not going to get made at all.

Sometime later, maybe 8:30 ish, the first of the Birth Assistants (Ashley) arrived. By this time, I had been sitting on the birth ball, and the contractions REALLY slowed down. The second Assistant arrived (Gretchen), and not much exciting was happening. If I got up and moved about, the contractions would start up again. So, I tried walking around for awhile. Around 10:30 it was decided they would leave for a bit and get something to eat, then come back in about an hour. While they were gone, I was able to get a little rest in. Contractions were like clockwork 7 minutes apart, and I was able to breathe through them laying down.

They both returned, and found me in the above position. And, we decided I should get up and move around again. But I was so comfortable:) I complied, and moving about got the contractions started once again. I found that I did quite a big of standing and swaying, listening to a little Gungor (maybe one of my new favorite artists) on Matt's computer. The Assistants stayed at the house for about an hour, and then we thought it would be okay for them to go out for awhile and we will call them back when things change. So...they left. And no sooner did they leave, did I vomit, and the real contractions kicked in.

I leaned on the sink.....

I squatted and bounced on the birth ball...

I buried my head in the pillows...

But, none of that really helped. I told Matt he better call Ashley to come back...I want to get in the TUB! When Ashley and Gretchen arrived, they let me get in the tub and told me Penny was on her way. At first the warm water felt delightful. But, it wasn't long until the contractions just forced my body to start pushing.

It is truly amazing, in this setting, I never had to wear a monitor, never had an internal exam, no IV’s or meds. My body was allowed to do what it was created to do…birth a baby. Once it was ready, my body just started pushing with each contraction. There was no way that I could make myself NOT push. No one held my legs….no one instructed me when or how to push…no one counted to 10 for me. My body took over, and did its job. I was able to feel Benjamin’s head emerge and INSTANTLY I had relief and the contraction stopped. It felt like FOREVER until the next contraction came and I was able to pull my beautiful baby boy up onto my chest. There was no suctioning of his nose and lungs. We just rubbed him gently until he took his first breath. Then he let out some cries. He is perfect. Benjamin came so quickly, Penny, the Midwife didn't make it in time. All still turned out well, and I am grateful for the presence of Ashley and Gretchen.

This experience was so empowering. To be able to be in the comforts of my own home and for all intents and purposes, birth and catch my own child. Hold him in the water for some time, then we moved to my bed, where we cut the cord and birthed the placenta. I don’t believe Benjamin left my arms for a good 2 or 3 hours. He was able to nurse before they took him to do his assessment. Should we be blessed to have another child, although right now I am content with 2 perfect little boys, I would chose to do a home birth again in a heartbeat.

Benjamin Carl

8 lb 5 oz 21 1/4 in

11-12-11

2:32 PM

Video Montage of the Birth

It's not long now...

Well...we have hit 35 weeks, so it isn't long until we can expect the arrival of Baby Benjamin! This pregnancy seems to have gone by so fast, even with the bumps in the road. (*That Gestational Diabetes thing is kicking my butt!). I feel much more physically uncomfortable than I ever did with Jeremy, not sure if that has to do with being 3 years older or just a different pregnancy, but man does my back ache!

We have been working diligently on finishing up the nursery. Paint is going on this week! Hopefully, the carpet will be installed next week, and then we can move in!! I confess to having slight anxiety about it being complete before Benny arrives! I'm tired of having boxes of stuff around that have no home! Once the room is complete, I'll post some before and after pictures for everyone to enjoy.