11-11-11

My house is full of unfinished projects. 


Our bedroom is _this close_ to being done.
The boys' room has 3 more easy things left to do.
I have about 11 other ideas up my sleeves, but life has been busy lately. Sick kidlets, laundry, cooking... 


Oh, and I was contacted about a give-away and I'm so excited about it, but I haven't taken the time to preview and set it up yet! Next week, I promise!


So, because I can, I thought I'd post 11 random things today, in honor of 11-11-11. 


1. My No. 2 decided to measure himself on the wall where we mark the boys' height. Think he's cheating a little?

2. Little Mr. No. 1 wants to show you his new room!

3. This room is very close to being done! I looooove the maps! They really helped tone down the John-Deere-just-threw-up-all-over vibe that was going on. 

4. Sweetheart No. 3 is a little under the weather. Which is a weird term, cuz the weather's great since this week's snow is gone. Anyway, he was a little runny-of-the-nose earlier when I took this picture, but now he has a slight fever too. I don't know if he caught No. 1's cold from last week, or if it's the tooth he's cutting. 

5. That's right, my baby will be 6 months old next week, weighs over 20 lbs and is cutting his first tooth. He's wearing 12-month clothing and is pushing the weight-limit on his infant car seat. (Any advise on what to do with the car seat? He needs to be rear-facing for 6 more months, but he's almost too big for it!) 

Besides being a big boy, little Mr. 3 is pleasantly adorable and perfectly normal. He loves tummy time, baby cereal, mashed sweet potatoes, being around his brothers and watching Daddy. Baby is a compass and Daddy is north!

6. We went to town today. Not TOWN town, just our little town. Wanna see what a rural town looks like? Don't blink!

Yes, that's the main road approaching Small Town, USA. We were following a pick-up hauling an auger. You know, the thing that gets the grain from the trailers into the grain bin. Duh. (No, I didn't know that 3 years ago.)

Here's a quiet street in town. And below is City Hall. It's a room on the side of the volunteer fire department.

7. This is our Public Library. Isn't it cute? 

The children's section is where the town's preschool is held. My boys love going to the library because they like books and trains! See?

8. How about a peek at our property? Ok, good. 

Funny how 3 years later it still looks like 'before' shots! There's our barn out back, and our scraggy trees. If you look closely you'll see the line of willows my husband planted the first year. You won't see a fence that used to be there, but that's about it. These things take time, but lemme tell you, we have PLANS!

9. Wouldn't the front of the house look great with an addition? For a dining room and a sunporch, of course. Yeah, well, that's not going to happen, but we might do a patio. And definitely a garage. New siding and a new roof are coming soon, and of course, landscaping!

10. I got these boots from Target for my birthday. (Thanks Mom & In-Laws!) I love them! Super comfortable, great with jeans or a dress. They'll be perfect for winter. So fun!

11. Happy Veteran's Day! My brother is in the armed forces, my Dad was drafted during Vietnam and served a year, though thankfully never went to Vietnam. Both of my Grandpas were in WWII, one of whom is still alive and kicking. Thank you to the men in my family and yours who have helped keep America free!

Image via Flagline.com

Wordless Wednesday: First Snow

Mashed Sweet Potatoes for Baby

Hi! Baby Ashes here. I want to tell you how Mommy makes one of my favorite things to eat!

Mashed sweet potatoes!

They're so good, I ate a big bowl of them! Mommy says they're really good for me too.

According to this website, sweet potatoes are "low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6 and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Manganese." They are also easy to grow in our garden and easy to cook.

Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet so even babies like me love them!

Start with raw sweet potatoes. Give the skins a good scrub under running water.

Pop them in a 400-degree oven on a foil-lined tray to minimize clean-up, then go play with your baby for awhile.

That's me!

After an hour ... or two for huge sweet potatoes, your house should smell yummy and the skins on the spuds should be loose. Like this:

Take the potatoes out of the oven and let them cool for awhile.

I think that means more time with Baby!!!

When they're cool enough too handle, slice potatoes in half and scoop out the good stuff.

That means I get to eat them soon!

Add some salt and a tablespoon or two of butter--this is a serving size bowl. Oh, Mommy took my portion out before adding the butter.

Just mash it up and the most delicious sweet potatoes ever are ready to eat!

Well, Mommy likes to make things look pretty.

What? Do I have something on my face?

I hope you love these mashed sweet potatoes as much as I do!

~Baby Ashes standing in for 

Inspiration Files: Cozy Living Room

This Pottery Barn living room makes me want to curl up with a good book and spend my life here. Not an hour or an afternoon, my life! You know, if you could summarize your life in a picture, this is what I'd want to look like. Warm. Comfortable. Inviting. Cozy. Grounded. Full but not crowded. Enough color to be interesting but not too busy. Practical. Calm.

How about you? How are you feeling lately? Can you describe yourself in a picture of a room?

Wordless Wednesday: Delight

How I Make Soy Milk

I like to tease my husband about all the gadgets he owns. If there's a tool for doing something, he probably owns it! When I married him I also married a Bosch bread machine and a Soyajoy. 


Yes, a Soyajoy.


You know, to make soy milk. At home. From beans. 


I held off learning how at first--I mean, it was neat and all, but I could buy soymilk at the store, thankyouverymuch, and I didn't want another chore to do, and I didn't really like the flavor, not to mention washing the, oh joy, Soyajoy machine.


I got over it. Dry beans are much cheaper than soymilk from the store. You also can control exactly what's in it. You know, like the vanilla and sugar and stuff. 


Here's how.

I buy whole, dried soy beans from Country Life Natural Foods. They sell 5 lbs for $6.75. 

I put two scoops into a bowl (probably 1 1/2 cups dry, makes a double batch), rinse them, cover them with water, and leave them overnight.

By morning the beans have grown at least twice as large--and look more bean shaped!

They get a good rinse.

I then add some of the beans to fill the little basket 2/3rds full.

The basket fits over the blender and tightens onto the base of the machine.

The machine will heat the water with the large metal U-shaped rod, blend the beans twice, and squeeze them out into the pitcher.

Before you assemble the machine, fill the pitcher with water up to the line marked inside.

The top rests on the bottom pitcher and plugs into the wall.

It takes about 15 minutes to get a batch of milk, but most of that time is heating the water. The blending part is loud but doesn't last long. I just try not to run the machine during meals. :)

When the very obnoxious timer goes off, pull the top of the machine off of the pitcher. Be careful as it will burn you! I set the top part in the sink and rinse it with cool water. Inside the basket, all that is left of the beans is some mashed up remnants. (I've heard you can add this mash to recipes but have never tried it.)

I pour the milk into a glass pitcher that has a lid and let it cool before putting it in the fridge.

The hardest part is washing the machine. UGH!

I didn't use to like plain soy milk, but I don't mind it now. It's great for cooking and adding to smoothies. I usually sweeten hot cereal with agave nectar or maple syrup, so the milk tastes fine. 

Oh, that 5 lb bag? Probably lasts 6 months. Not bad for $6.75!

I just googled the machine and found a great site where you can see more about the Soyajoy and purchase one for $99.95.

That is, if you're into gadgets!