our weekend

independence day was wonderful. low key, a lot of good BBQ food, and of course apple pie. because hello what's more american than apple pie right?
i'm still reaping the benefits of my canning from last year. we're down to 2 apple pie fillings for the year. but i'm planning on canning again this year...mainly more apple pie filling. it made for a great neighbor gift at christmas...and well lets face it, there's nothing better than being able to open a bottle of the stuff and have it taste like i just spent all day making it.
i took it to our neighborhood BBQ and it was a hit. :)
i know i've said this time and time again, but seriously thank you to the wonderful men and women who serve our country. and a huge thank you to the families who stay behind while their loved one is serving over seas or where ever. i can still feel like it was yesterday that jake was gone. and never before did family matter the most. i believe it was that year of hell that i grew the most, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. my hat goes off to the families who go through deployment over and over again. it takes toll on you, not just as an individual but as a family unit. i feel blessed to of been able to look at it now and say "we made it out okay".
last year was still hard for our family with jake trying to re-integrate back to non over seas life, and for us trying to figure out life with him post deployment. i think i can now say, a year and a half later from his homecoming of spending a year in afghanistan...that the year spent trying to find out "normal" again was just as big as a trial as well. it's starting to feel more like a dream, or at least its more of a memory rather than our day to day.
so to the women who send off their loved ones for year long deployments or year and half deployments...or even three months deployments. really, my hat goes off to you. you amaze me, you are wonderful. and you are some of the strongest women i have EVER met. you've changed my life completely watching you and learning from you, so that i could do it "just that once" and if ever need to do it again, i'll look to you again, for the love and support that is always there when needed.


so here's one more recipe that is huge for me and one that i'll be spending a whole week doing this fall again, so that all year long i can reap it's benefits but especially to be able to celebrate independence day with american apple pie.

apple pie filling

4 ½ cups sugar
1 cup corn starch
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

blend together. Add ten cups water, cook and stir until thick. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice. add your peeled and sliced apples. then leave ½ head space in each bottle. Makes 6-8 quarts. Cold pack for 20 minutes.

okay i'll back off of all the food posts. for a little bit.
i think i'm going to try to sew a little this week.
hopefully i'll have something to show you in that area here soon.
for now off to the pool.
and we'll talk soon!
;)

recipe: chocolate chip cookies (with special ingredient)

okay so i teased you with a picture of my cookies. and lets face it...there's a lot of choc chip cookie recipe's out there...but mine is a little different.
or maybe its not.
let me know if you've heard of this:

to make my chocolate chip cookies extra fluffy i substitute the sugar with one package of vanilla instant pudding.
intrigued? okay give it a try!
here's the recipe.

Vanessa's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown
1 package of instant vanilla pudding: small package (3.4 oz)
1 cup (two sticks) of butter room temp*
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 package of chocolate chips.

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*if you don't plan ahead (ahem like me) and don't have your butter at room temp, you can always put your butter in the microwave for a few seconds till it's super mushy. just trying to help you fly from the seat of your pants people out. l

in a large bowl place your butter, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, vanilla pudding, extract, and eggs. mix till creamy. gradually add flour. keep mixing till all flour is in. add choc chips.

bake for 9-11 minutes.

hear yourself and all those around you get fatter by the minute. because you will not be able to eat just one.
best of luck.
have a fantabulous 4th of july weekend.
;)
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recipe: black bean and corn salsa

welcome july!!!! phew here already?
okay yes i know i said i was going to give you the secret ingredient for the cookies. tomorrow! oh and yes for all of you that requested the pan de vonos recipe...i'm trying to make my mom stop long enough to sit down and write it down. she promises to write it down before she heads home... but for now here's my new favorite salsa and its just PERFECT for bringing to a BBQ for uh i oh i don't know, maybe this 4th of july weekend? it's so easy and fool proof.
there's something about having your kitchen savvy mother here to really jump start that feeling of "hey, i'm not that bad at cooking...look!" so here you go, the perfect salsa to bring to your neighborhood BBQ this forth of july:

black bean and corn salsa
what you will need:
1 can of corn
2 cans of black beans
2 large tomatoes
1 avocado
1 to 2 jalepeno pepper
1 red or white onion
a small bundle of cilantro
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of redwine vinegar
3 to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of pepper.

combine in a small bowl your olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. whisk. set aside.

drain your corn and black beans. rinse your black beans.
chop up your tomatoes, onion, avocado, cilantro and jalepeno.
combine in a large bowl corn, black beans, tomatoes, onion, avocado, cilantro, and jalepeno.

pour over your ingredients your olive oil mixture, and stir in.

enjoy with chips, or as a side dish.
mmmmm.
and yes my mom was impressed.


thank you to my twilight obsessed neighbor for the recipe, and thank you to my twilight obsessed neighbor for taking me along for our FIRST EVER midnight showing of a movie in our little middle of nowhere town. it was grand. good times people good times.
i love summer.
and go team jacob.
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been there done that

cookies i made last week sometime...i'll share the recipe soon i have a secret ingredient that makes these babies something to talk about...

okay...so yes it's been a while. hi there! i apologize for my lack of being here. i mentioned a few posts back that i would be going to girls camp. yup that was last week...four days...30girls ages of 12 to 18...up in the mountains at almost 10,000 ft...i came home exhausted...then i got home and hugged the kids and husband and went on a 6 and half mile gorgeous hike with the fam...half of it being walked in water (and with a 30 lb kid on my shoulders, she was not a huge fan of the running water) with waterfalls. nope no pictures...because i was too scared of taking the camera on a water hike...but i think next time (yes, there will most def be a next time) i'll take the camera in the car and then come back to the last part of the hike and take a picture of the last waterfall. seriously nature can just be so gorgeous...which has sparked a quilt idea in my head. i can't wait to start it.


yesterday my mom got here. yay! she's been here colombian-izing our home with smells of pan de vonos, and frijoles. sooo yummy...and the kids are having a blast with her. we're still going to the pool every day that is remotely sunny (it's been gorgeous here!), and that's keeping my house nice and clean. i think this is the goal for the summer. swimming for hours equals tired kids and a clean house. i totally win all around on that one.
which leads me to next happenings. oh sigh...here we go...are you ready for some more been there done that...unfortunate events from my series?
get this=
my computer crashed. oh yes it did. on sunday to which i just thought "of course"...i mean i've been in a weird "i've pissed off someone who gives me bad luck vs good luck...so of course this would happen RIGHT NOW." okay so computer off to the computer doctor most likely i'll need a new one. it's been a while so i guess it's about time. i swear i don't want to keep this "unfortunate events" thing going...but COME ON. enough already...i don't need any more bad luck. okay? okay.
that said. i'm off today to yes, go swimming...maybe sew a little, and enjoy more colomibian cooking. i am hell bent on keeping my promise that this summer is all about my husband and kids and sprinkled with crafting here and there. i hope you hang in there with me...here's to family, traditions, some creating and no more unfortunate luck.
we'll talk soon.

spruce up your towel

so it's no secret we've been spending oodles and oodles of time at the pool. i wish it was the beach, but that's too far away, so the pool it shall be.
i've been asked by mique of 30 days to do a tutorial for her "funner in the summer" series. and nothing speaks more to me than a big ol nice beach/pool towel.
i took one big hot pink towel from ikea and coordinated it with two light pink hand towels also from ikea and created a super cute want to show this off to everyone towel.

supplies needed:
* one beach size towel
* two small hand towels in coordinating color.
*heat 'n bond iron on adhesive
*bowls and cups of different sizes (edited to bowls and not bowels!)
*pen
first you are going to get your bowls and cup and trace enough circles to fit on your hand towels on the paper side of the heat n bond.
*cut our your circles leaving a little extra so it makes it easier to cut out your circles once ironed on.
*iron on your circles onto the hand towels.
*cut out circles.
*take off paper from circles, and place them on your towel how you would like for them to be placed.
*press circles with iron so they will adhere to the towel.
sew around you circles to fully secure your circles onto your towel.

tada! done and ready to hit any body of water! this little girl loooves hers! thanks mique for letting me be a part of your "funner in the summer" series!
we'll talk soon!
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