Just one pic

So life just gets in the way right?, my family visited for a week, it takes a week afterward to recoup.  Then its like monsoon season around here, and the rain is happening everyday....what do you do with a very excited two year old when it rains.......ahhhh I am at my witts end here, and then he is learning all sorts of good and of course bad habits. 
The month of August really did just fly by.    We did get to do some fun things with family, and took some fun photos. 

I am leaving you my favorite.  Cheers.....here's to September.

Hot August day.....Carnival Day

A very small town near us about 30 mins drive was having a fiesta day (carnival) so we went.

Loved the games...and he wanted to try each one

some prizes I won

The ride I just couldnt ride.  

But we had a nice summer day anyway..........

What to do with a two year old

Summer and he is running around here all day long.....so what do you do?  Well, we have painted, we have collected dinosaur teeth (rocks) we have played in some water (little pool), eaten lots and lots and lots of popops (popcles) we have made drums (cans painted) and we have made our name.....and glued the dino teeth to it.
SEE:

chillin with some juice

or in a chair

a little to much sugar (brownie day)

 a day at the pool

painting some dinosaur teeth I found

my name painted with dino teeth

drums I made with some cans

eating popops....yummy

hope everyone else is having a great summer too..

Day 7 of zucchini challenge

Zucchini Noodles

So cut up your zucchini like noodles and put them into some boiling water for about a min or two but thats it.

Now use them like noodles....pretty simple.

I made a sause useing a can of tomatoes, onion, garlic, seasonings and tossed them all together.

But you can do what ever, spagetti sause, alfredo sause, pesto sause...use your imagination.

Looks yummy doesn't it.

I have used zucchini as the noodles in lasagna just cut them length wise, and you will need quite a few.  (bigger ones work best).  don't need to cook them before, just layer them like the noodles.  So next time you want lasagna try using zucchini instead of the noodle and see how it is.....

Day off of Zucchini

So after 6 days I needed a little break and instead of having so many zucchinis I now have a ton of cucumbers.......so since I am not a canner, or bottler I wanted to do something with these that was easy.   Again I do have a two year old and so my time is limited......
I found a recipe for refrigerator pickles......and here they are

7 cups of cucumbers peeled (I left them on) cut up any way you want to

1 teaspoon salt

1 - 2 cups of sugar ( add 1 cup then taste it and you can add more if not sweet enough)

1 cup of chopped up onion

1 cup of red peppers (optional)

1 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon of caraway seeds/ dill seeds (optional, this is what I did)

Mix the cucumbers in the salt and let sit for an hour.

Then mix teh sugar onions, red peppers, vinegar, seasonings together (here taste you might want more sugar).

Pour on top of cucumbers, add lid and put into the refrigerator and in 3 hours you can eat them.  They do taste better when they have sat longer.....You can keep them up to 3 weeks, we add more cucumbers as we go.....so easy and very tastey.

Whew Zucchini challenge still going on

Day 5 Zucchini Cookies Yeah.............................

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup grated zucchini

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup chocolate chips (I added these)

Mix together and let the batter chill at least an hour or overnight.

Cook at 375 for 8-10 mins on a greese pan, and dont overcook them.

We gave these a 9, so try them they are full of fiber and taste pretty good for those that dont care for zucchini.

Day 6 of Zucchini Challege.......Zucchini curry soup

This one is so easy

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion

some garlic

1 tablespoon of curry powder

4 small zucchini cut up into cubes

1 quart of chicken stock.

Fry up the onion and garlic, add the curry and zucchini cook for about 10 mins then add the stock and cover and bring to a boil.   Cook for about 20 mins on med heat.

I put a little sour cream on top.

This is easy easy and very yummy if you are a curry fan.

Zucchini challenge

We are eating zucchini everyday right now, and my family isn't complaining to badly.  Z isn't that interested in it yet.....but you just wait.

Day three: Zucchini Brownies
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch of salt (I don't add salt most of the time "high blood presure" but when baking you need to)
2 cups zucchini I added a bit more
1/2 cups walnuts or any nut
Mix it all together, you can cream the sugar and oil first then add the zucchini and flour and the rest.
Yes, there is no egg and you don't need it.

Pour into a brownie pan or square or round anything that you have on hand.
Cook for 30 mins at 350

I

 added sprinkles for the little guy.....he is into sprinkles right now.     And since he doesn't get ice cream unless its lactose free or sherbert, or rice milk......I give them to him when I can.

These are moist and awesome, we gave the zucchini brownies a 10 and so did Zane.

Day 4 Stuffed Zucchini

This recipe works well with those big ones you get, cause you didn't go out to the garden for a day.

1 or 2 large Zucchini

1 Onion

Some garlic

1 cup of rice (cooked so if you have leftovers)

1 cup of chicken (again cooked or any meat or don't use meat at all)

1 can of tomatoes

 1 teaspoon italian seasonings

1 teaspoon salt and pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups of cheese again of your choice

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Take your zucchini's and scoop out the middle, being careful not to go through the whole zucchini.  Keep it and cut it up.

Sprinkle with oil and put in the oven at 350 for about 10 mins.

Now in a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic for about 5 mins, add the rice and chicken and seasonings.  Now cut up the middles of the zucchini or at least the thick parts of it.  And add to the skillet cook the zucchini for about 50 mins and add the tomotes.

Take out the zucchini after the 10 mins and stuff them.   Just scope it all on top, then top with cheese and bake again for about 20 mins.

(little hint:  the filling slides off sometimes after its cooked, so when I made this a second time I put some cheese on the bottom before I filled them and again on top.  It worked to keep the filling in better.

Now this could be done anyway you would like to, so experiment with it.  Change it up, I have made this a few times and even did it once with a can of cream of mushroom soup instead of tomatoes.....yummy.

What to do with Zucchini

So, my garden is doing well and everyday I am picking like up to 5 zucchini's a day.....what do you do with all those zucchini's.

I gave myself a zucchini challenge, for 7 days I am creating or trying new zucchini recipes.   And well, I am sharing my results with all of you.
Day one:

 See 5 day

Zucchini Green chili Au Graten

This one is my own creation and it turned out great.

My family gave it a 9 out of 10, 10 being so very awesome......and 1 being yuk.

So about 4 cups zucchini cut up or sliced

1 Onion

4-5 Garlic cloves

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup of cheese of your choice and

Some butter......yeah I cook with Butter and sometimes lots of it

1/4 cup of cream, or milk will work too

Saute the onions, garlic in some butter until translucent.

Add your Zucchini, and cook over med heat for about 10 mins.

Next add the flour and make a rue (which is a pastey mess if it looks like that you did it right)

Now add the cream, stir in the cheese slowly, cover and let cook on low for a min or two

Enjoy

Ok so day two I tried Parmesan Crisps

Cut up zucchini as many as you would like to make.

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Easy Peasy.......add the oil to the zucchini toss making sure they are totally covered in the oil.

Next mix the crumbs, cheese and seasoning together in a bowl.

Next take out a pan, add a little oil or spray or butter on the pan.   Cover each piece of zucchini with the mixture both sides and place on pan.

Cook for 20 mins at 375 until crisp on top.  I also turned them half way through.

We gave this one an 7, we thought they needed more seasoning....so have fun.

at this point you could add any seasoning you would like to try.

Garden alert, garden alert

I havn't posted anything about our garden in a long while, so there is an update......It's grown yeah I know just like everybody's elses.  But, I never thought it would have grown as much as it has in the dessert.

  A little peek a boo in the corn field, yes I call it a corn field even though its only 8 corn stalks....lol

And our Pumpkin patch and Zucchini are doing AWESOME...we even had to build a scarecrow to get rid of the birds

and chili........

So the garden is doing great, best garden I have ever had.

Now what do I do with all the zucchini's?

Yes, I have just one

Why is it that people always think your not a REAL mother if you only have one child?

I was at the store doing some grocery shopping with my little man (who by the way refuses to be in the cart, or have his backpack leash on.....) and he was helping me push the cart, and this nice lady says "ohh he is so cute, are the others in school today"  I  was ahhhhhh " what others"....then she smiled " your other children".  Ohhhhh now I get, " no, I just have the one".  She looked at me and slightly smiled, "ohhhh", and turned to go down another aile.  What just happened?.....why did she do that?.....

My family knows that I am going to be 45 this year, and that I know Z is our miracle.  Not, that I wouldn't love to have another (my body would probably be against it), It would just be another very, very , very surpiseing miracle if it happened.  

Yes, I have gone through those hormones that tell me and my body that having another one is what we are supposed to do.....and yes I have sat and talked to myself about the whole situation....(yes I said talk to myself, I do only have a two year old to talk to during the day).......But, options aside I have learned that I am happy with just one.  

So there world.........I am a mom, and I only have one kid.      So there........................and he is just awesome.

Life goes on...when your two

So turning two is a big milestone right?, you turn two, some say you should use the potty, go to preschool, say all kinds of words and more.  Your two, why is there such an order to these things.  Zane is two, he is not ready for the potty, (he still drinks all day long, and uses a bottle....yes a bottle), preschool smeeschool I am not picking out a preschool for him, he is two.   As for words they say at two they should say about 50 or more words.  Lets see, Z talks and he talks a lot which half of the words he says I am not quite sure of. 

Why do we put so many crazy ideas into our head when it comes to our kids.  Just the other day, Z handed me something, at first I was like what is this.......when I realized that what my son just handed me was a nice fresh booger from his nose....I realized why he was saying "ewe" (note: new word)  He is not ready for preschool......lol

Turning two is a big deal, you are growing up everyday.  And everyday I want to cherish it, love it, admire it, and just be in it......which is easy most of the time.  I know he won't be two forever, and he won't be in that lets make a mess every second of the day stage forever.  

What am I trying so very hard to say here.......well I guess it is let your kids be, let them be who they are, let them learn in their time, and let them make messes. 

Or let them wear your t-shirt while you fold some laundry......what is it going to hurt.  They are only two for a year....so I am going to enjoy all 365 days of it...cause life goes on.

Updates and photos

Here is May in a nut shell, birthday party, snow day in May, and mothers Day drive......life is sweet

Bad me

So its been ages since I last posted so to keep up this is what has happened since.   Z had his birthday, I however did not have the time or energy to make his cake like I wanted....so this is what he got instead.

He loved it of course, it was just not what I had planned.  I am starting to see a really big pattern here about not being what I had planned in this whole motherhood thing.  Nothing seems to work out exactly how I envisioned it to be.  But its a cake right????? and it tasted good....lol

So the next big thing was planting a garden, which we have been fighting the bad weather or still winter weather here.  Its May and it has snowed twice, hailed a couple of more times and is windy as all get out.  But, so far so good, the plants are in the ground.

So over all May is a bust, its over almost birthday party's, garden days and just hoping and praying for some nice weather.   whew!!!!! I am so glad its almost over.

Rag rugs and t-shirts

So a friend told me about this website that showed you how to make rag rugs out of t-shirts.  Since, I love rugs and all types I really wanted to give this a try..  Its the best way to reuse T-shirts.....

I did it, I made a rug in about 4 days working on it about an hours or so, using only t-shirts and this homemade tool.  It doens't look perfect, but it was fun and easy to do.  So I am now addicted to making these rugs.

Watch out family and friends, rugs make great christmas presents.

Cold, cold, cold

Did I mention it was cold out today, I really can't do anything outside.  I don't want to water afraid of freezing things, and its just windy and cold.

Zane just wants to watch TV, of course Sprout channel is his favorite and if I would let him he could watch it all day.

So we have a log on the fire, some blankets on the couch and its one of those lazy days......

One crazy day

So this weekend we had a lot of fun we decided to make some cinnamon rolls, which is Z's favorite.  He then wanted to eat the whole batch, cause he thought he could.......then the sugar rush took over because he really really likes the frosting the most....(don't we all) 
And thats when the fun happened...

Yep, there are two balls one in his pants and one in his shirt

and the fun began, and yes don't look at the messy room its a work in progress lots of work little progress....

Day trip

We went just around the corner to a church called De Santurario Chimayo, it was built in 1814.  It was pretty cool, Z loved just running around and around and around....

I am not Catholic, but it was a very cool place to see.

There is this healing sand in one of the rooms, there is a hole in the room and people come from all over to get some of this sand.  They bring in bottles to put it in and they scoop it up. 

They say that they never fill it up, it just stays full.  All I can say is that the sand was the softest sand I have ever felt.

Life is Good

Second Birthday coming

Here he was almost a year ago, his very first birthday.  How do you top that one, I am at a loss for words, somedays I can't beleive he is even here.  He came into my life when no one ever thought it would happen, he had a rough start but we prevailed.  His first birthday was at the zoo, he loved it all the animals and the cutest monkey cup cakes..

As this second birthday comes closer and closer ok a month and a half away I just keep thinking Wow times fly.  Now what do I do, he is already into that terrible twos and somedays I just want to pull my hair out (does that make me awful...?)  I have one of those pull my hair out and run away screaming kind of days almost once a week dow a days.   Motherhood doesn't get easier, it seems to get harder as you go. 

So back to the birthday, I really want it to be fun, no too much I am always telling all those that love him so, that he doesn't need the latest toy trend, or everything they see on tv....but does that stop them......NO, you should see his room..   People come over and think I have 5 boys not just one.  Then I always get the hey aren't you going to try for another one, you can't just want one.  What is that, you can't just have one child? sorry everyone but they are not chips he is a boy and yeah he is probally my one and only.....see I have this age thing and its just getting worse.   I mean he is a miracle, after 40 they say your chances are like what 5 percent and it gets less each year.   So yeah one.

Ok sorry ranting again.......So here is what I would love to do

But with a Car's and Buzz lightyear theme if there is one.....lol   So I will keep you posted, it will be my first two year old birthday cake, but it looks doable right......

Easiest Bread EVER

Ok, I love to bake well I did love to bake, with Zane being so Active and me having less and less time for even myself, baking it just something I don't get to do much.

I came across this recipe in Mother Earth News while looking for re-using ideas for his 1/2 gallon a day milk containers.....

Its simple 3 cups lukewarm water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and 6 1/2 cups flour.  Put water and yeast and salt in the kitchen aid, ok if you don't have one you can do it by hand too.  Then add flour using your dough beater (I don't know what they are called the attachment ohhhh that's what they are called) dough attachment.  Turn on low until you have a dough ball, and then let it rise.  You don't need to remove it just let it sit for about 2 hours.....

Great thing about this dough is after it rises, you can put it in the fridge, or bake it at 425 for 30 mins.  But you can keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks and take it out when you want.  Just take out let sit for around 45 mins or longer, then bake.   Simple....really if I can do it you can do it....

Want more then just remember 6 3 3 13 impress your friends....lol

Trash into treasure

So I got this old farmhouse sold wood table for $10.00 dollars, I had some chairs that would work perfectly all I needed was a little paint.   Yep, one afternoon and some paint and here is the result..

NEVER say Never, anyone can do it.....it was the best $10.00 bucks spent ever........