*Almost free* dinner

So, tonight I'm making homemade creamy tomato basil soup with homemade croutons. This meal is *almost free* because most of the ingredients came from our garden or were bought by others and left at our house.

First I sliced my tomatoes (from our garden=FREE!) in half and cut out the stem part. I then placed them on a foil lined baking sheet. I drizzled them lightly with grapeseed oil and sprinkled with Celtic sea salt. I also sliced and diced some left over bread rolls that people had brought over from Avonlea's bday party (FREE!). I drizzled them lightly with grapeseed oil, sprinkled with Celtic sea salt and herbs de provence. I roasted the tomatoes and croutons at 400 degrees.


The croutons took about 20 minutes to look golden and delicious!


In a pot on the stove, saute some onions and garlic together. Add tomatoes and what ever spices/seasoning you would like. I plan to use fresh basil from our garden and whatever else that tickles my fancy. Then puree in a blender or whatever you have.  Return to pot and add some cream (I used fat free half and half) or whole milk to the soup. Allow to warm but do not boil. Serve up warm in a bowl with some shaves of parmesan cheese and croutons. You can also serve grilled cheese sandwiches to complete the meal. Yum!!

Tinkle Traps, say what?

I am way super excited because my Tinkle Traps are supposed to get delivered today!! I know, you're thinking "what on this earth is a Tinkle Trap?" Well, its more of a brand than a type of diaper. Pretty much, I sent 12 of my prefold diapers to Tammy (the owner) and she trimmed them, put elastic in the legs, and made doublers out of the parts that she trimmed. Then she lined the doublers with colored bamboo velour to match the stitching. Essentially, she took my prefolds and turned them into fitted diapers. This makes it easier for daddy's, grandparents, or babysitters to get the diapers on right and secure.

See! How cool is that?! I can't wait to get them and use them for Avonlea! I love me some pretty squishy diapers. :)

more updates

Well, we got the formal inspection back from the house. And its not looking good. Pretty much everything came back as repair or replace. The best part....no heating or air conditioning on the second floor of the home. You know, where 3 of the bedrooms are. So, we checked with the bank and so far that is going to be a deal breaker for getting a loan. There are also unused oil and fuel tanks buried on the property that we know nothing about. Frankly, its becoming a nightmare to say the least. It looks as though we will be trying to get out of this house.

Peytonn is 7 days post op and still not doing well. I am really hoping after days 8-10 that he will make some improvements. The past few days he has been decent during the day, wanting to play with his trucks, etc. But then last night he took a 4 hour nap and was terrible when he woke up. I am wondering if the scabs are coming off which intensifies the pain.

So, in order to cheer myself up, I bought these for myself:

I cannot wait to get them!!!

Fat Tuesday

Today is my weigh in day for weight watchers. I'm happy to report that I am down 3lbs! Whoop, whoop!

A co-worker/friend that lives in our neighborhood and I have been strict about doing the c25k program. That has helped a lot and I have already noticed a difference in my endurance from when we first started the program. After today, we will be on week 3 of the program.

My shins are better but now my knees are bothering me. My hubby keeps reminding me its because I'm 30 now. I kindly remind him that they bothered me when I was still 29. :)

I've also been doing crunches, leg lifts, and 5lb hand weights to do bicep curls and other arm exercises. I feel like the bloat in my stomach has gone down a little. Hey, every little bit helps! :)

All in all, I am feeling good and more confident in myself for sticking to my workout program and diet. Those are the two things that are going to make this successful for me.

things...

We've been crazy busy the past two weeks. In a nutshell: we made multiple offers on a home, planned a 1st bday party, had an openhouse and showings on our house, and a tonsilectomy and adenoidectomy to round out our time. And now I'll break it down for you....

We had an openhouse over a week ago. We had a couple come through and then asked for another showing on Wednesday evening. I am hoping that is a good sign, but we haven't heard anything from them. Not even any feedback from their realtor on the showing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!

We put in an offer last week on a house out in the sticks. We'd be surrounded by bean and corn fields! Oh, and silence! After a few counter offers from both  sides, they finally accepted our offer on Thursday! Now, the offer is contingent on us selling our house within 4 months. We also had an inspection done today and so far, nothing major is coming up, which is a huge plus considering its an old farm house built in 1900!

On Thursday, Peytonn had his tonsils and adenoids removed. He was scared to death and it hasn't been much better since then. He won't eat much and cries when he has to get his medicine. I hate seeing him like this! Plus, his voice has changed a little, which they warned us about. It should go back to normal though.

I had my 30th birthday on Friday. I spent it getting a massage, pedi, and mani, which was amazing! I also got my driver's license renewed.

Then Sunday, we had Avonlea's 1st birthday party at our house. It was fun and she loved the things that she got. Some things include the Little People's doll house and a music table. She loves them both!!

Today is Monday and I wish it was still Saturday! My allergies went haywire on Saturday night and my head and sinuses have been a mess since then. I need a day to recover! But after a full day of work, we are taking the kids to the fair tonight. I hope Peytonn is feeling up to it. The poor kid took a 4 hour nap yesterday and then slept all night! I can't wait until he is back to his old self, although until then, I am enjoying the boys not fighting every 3 seconds. :)

cha-cha-cha-changes!

Well folks, it looks like the big 3-0 is creeping up on me. I'll be 30 in eight days. Gah! I've decided its about time to make some permanent changes to my lifestyle.

For the past week I've been doing the couch to 5k program and I also started weight watchers again. I'm tired of being fat and I need to get back to a healthier weight.

I'm not gonna lie, the first day of the c25k program was brutal. Or maybe it was 100 degree heat that was brutal? Or both! Either way, it sucked....majorly! But I have to say, this week has been alot easier. Maybe I'm actually starting to build up my endurance a little. I've also loved the way exercising makes me feel again. I feel very empowered that I feeling better, which makes me feel better about myself already.

The diet lifestyle change is going very well. I am staying within my points, watching my portions, staying away from sugar, and I've already exercised 3 days this week.

I'm very encouraged by my progress so far. We usually eat pretty healthy, but I really needed to watch my portions. I am measuring everything out so I am positive that my points are accurate. This mama needs to lose 3 babies worth of weight gain. So, wish this mama luck on changing her life!

And just cause pictures are cute, here is one of Avonlea last night. She barely sits still anymore and this was the only one I could get of her not moving or kicking her legs everywhere.

Goat Milk Stuff

So....my mom gave me this bar of soap once to use on the kids (all of which have sensitive or eczema ridden skin!). She called it goat milk soap. I was like "sure mom, I'll take some soap." *insert eye roll and place bar of soap on the shelf in the bathroom*

Fast forward to about a month ago. I found said bar of soap and got it out of the cotton bag. I thought I'd go ahead and give it a shot on the kids since we were low on baby soap. The first thing I noticed was how delicious said bar of soap smelled! The scent was 'oatmeal milk and honey' one of my favorites! Next I noticed every time I walked by the children's bathroom, it smelled like that delicious bar of soap. Third, I loved how my children smelled and how soft their skin was!

......and now I'm addicted to it! And just about every other product they make! You have got to go check this place out: Goat Milk Stuff

I've tried the bars of soap, bath fizz, lotion, and I just ordered some of their laundry bar and stain bar to try out. You can buy the full bars, half bars, or travel sizes. You can even get soap logs if you use a lot of soap or have a large family. But the full bars do last a while. I also ordered the foot scrubby to try out too.

My favorite scent so far is the 'oatmeal milk and honey' and I've had it in the bar of soap and in the tub of lotion. This stuff is awesome on dry, sensitive skin. I use the soap on the kids and the lotion on Avonlea. I even use the lotion on myself too because I love it that much.

I highly suggest signing up for the newsletter. It will keep you up to date on products, but they also send out a weekly coupon as well. And whats even better.....the family that makes the soap is right here in Indiana! I love supporting local families and businesses.

So...go check it out!!

*all photos courtesy of Goat Milk Stuff