I didn’t get it …

 

I’ve seen Nutella advertised, but haven’t fallen for it.  I mean, come on!  Peanut Butter and other nut butters are a healthy snack, but adding sugar in the form of chocolate just seemed wrong.  Wrong in the sense that I’m trying to teach my kids to eat healthy snacks and Nutella just doesn’t seem to be the wisest choice … or habit to start.

But, my SIL who lives Germany gave us a couple jars of Nocciolata, an organic hazelnut spread with cocoa and milk made in Italy.  It’s absolutely yummy.  I will admit that it took me a year to open it, and I pretty much hoarded the first jar.  Silly me, I opened it just before Lent, too.  How’s that for sacrificial … knowing you have an open jar of Nocciolata in your cupboard, and further knowing that you aren’t going to eat it anytime soon.  No worry, it’s not Lent right now, and I just enjoyed a slice of homemade bread slathered with the hazelnut/cocoa concoction. 

 

 

Does anyone else buy this product??  What else do you ‘do’ with it besides spread it on bread??

DayLook: Monday, May 23, 2011

Looking out from my back porch... cloudy.  Green and yellow on the ground.  Trees are leafing out and adding more green to the surroundings.

I am thankful for... lots!  I really do appreciate being able to stay home with my kids.

I am reading… how about, when I sit on my couch, I LOOK at the books I would like to be reading.

I am hearing... it’s quiet for the moment…maybe I should go check on that.

I am wearing… beige capris and a purple top.

From the sewing/craft room (aka. laundry room!)… Whoo-Hoo!  Angelina’s corduroy skirt is done!!  The hand-stitching was a bear, but she made it to the end. 

From the school room... Dash is actually in the brick-and-mortar school this week for Driver’s Ed. He’s in class from 9am-4:30pm … guess it’s a good thing he’s been practicing long days this past semester (that’s a joke … I did NOT enjoy his practicing of the long days).  I’m not quite sure how I feel about my oldest soon to be a permitted driver.

From the kitchen... brownies and bread.  This new brownie recipe really is a good one.  Instead of shortening, which I don’t care to use, coconut oil was substituted.  Coconut and chocolate … MMmmmmm!  I’d like to mix up the dry ingredients to have on hand, individually bagged for ease.

From the Garden…  nothing much cuz of the rain.  I just keep shuffling the seedlings out to the sun and then back into shelter at night. 

From the FarmYard…  the chicks keep growing and the hens keep laying.  It’s truly time to make the brooder bigger and loose one of the heat lamps. 

A successful moment… the cards for my in-laws 50th Anniversary are ordered. 

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Monday – Friday: Driver’s Ed. all week for Dash.  TKD for the four oldest on Monday & Thursday.  The overall theme is to get the 4-H project work done, do some gardening, and muck out the barn.

Saturday/Sunday:  the Grant family is coming out to visit on Sunday.  Memorial Day weekend – Have a great weekend!

A picture memory...

Last year … about this time! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

My week’s Un-To-Do List

So, it’s felt a little crazy lately … more like it’s felt crazy for a number of months.  I should probably say NO more often, but that’s hard to do sometimes and impossible at other times. 

1. Created invites and an invitation insert for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary (a wonderful blessing and occasion to celebrate with my husband’s family!)

2. Planted three blueberry bushes

3. Fertilized the square foot gardens

4. Cleaned up the kitchen island (completely cleared of about five stacks of paper and other stuff) earlier this week and put the papers/items away!

5. Washed 2 sets of bed linens before their ‘time’

6. Shopped at a greenhouse – this was fun and I plan to go back for more browsing

7. Ordered jeans for the four oldest kids … again

8. Transplanted more seedlings into bigger containers

9. Spoke with a dear friend on the phone … twice this week … we hardly ever speak on the phone, let alone see each other

10. Had a ton of fun with three friends and their children on Tuesday … this was on the calendar, but it was so much fun it just had to be included on this list because I should add spontaneous gatherings with friends into our life more often

Have a wonderful weekend dear friends and family!  It’s raining and expected to rain the whole weekend, but the wheat and corn are done being seeded.  This weekend is a welcome break from planting and fieldwork for my husband and father-in-law.  Soybeans are up next … when the fields dry next week.

20/52

Joining Barbara in commemorating the year in once a week posts … just whatever is going on in your life: the mundane, the crazy, the normal, the everyday.

Day 1: Progress on the Patio.  It almost didn’t happen today.  The grade change was larger than accounted for in the original plan.  But, they worked out the details by phone, added a retaining wall (with our approval), and started working away.  Thankfully, the semi loaded with our raw materials was able to turn around before getting too far out of Fargo.  Below is the pile of raw materials delivered for the project.

Dash and I planted 3 apples trees in the front yard on Tuesday evening.  Varieties:  Fireside, Sweet Sixteen, and my favorite … Honeycrisp.

My final project on Tuesday was to plant the Blueberry bushes.  Three Chippewa Blueberry bushes at the edge of my garden.  I’ve never raised blueberries before, so hope they grow!

Day 2:  Patio Progress.  By Wednesday evening, the crew had started the third row of the retaining wall on the patio.

Starting over on the strawberry bed after enlarging it a bit.  My sister told me about Sweeney’s Deer Repellent.  I sure hope it works to keep the large, 4-legged leepers/muchers away from the strawberries.  They don’t even wait for berries.

Did a bit more work in my ‘play around’ garden at the side of the garage.  My mom gave me a rose bush for Mother’s Day – it’s planted on the right in the below picture.  I also planted a Morden Centennial Rosebush in the center top photo.  Morden are my absolute favorite rose because they thrive in our ND temps without over-the-top efforts (ie. no effort at all on my part) to winterize. 

Day 3: Progress on the patio.  Drainage installed, and steps to the yard visible.

The square foot gardens were prepped, but not planted.  Dash and I did fill the 7th SFG.  Due to the expected storms, I was reluctant to plant seeds, only to have them swished around by wind and rain.  I did, however, plant the cucumbers, cantaloupe and watermelon, which are covered by ‘staked in place’ milk jugs.

Eric and the three oldest boys are headed to Fort Ransom for the FMCHE Father/Son Camping Trip.  I wonder is each family having as many trials getting their men/boys out the door???  I wish them well as they head out into the rain. 

Yes, they are bringing bikes.  Can you see the excitement? 

Angelina, Louis and I are left home to hold down the house, finish 4-H sewing projects, and take care of the animals.  I think we’ll watch a movie and stay up late.  It’ll definitely be quieter …

 

Monday DayLook: May 16, 2011

Looking out from my back porch... GREEN is everywhere!  It was sunny, but is now a bit cloudy. 

I am thankful for... friends who offer a willing ear and provide excellent advice.

I am reading…gardening and cooking magazines.

I am hearing... Louis talking and trying to push a chair around the school room so he can reach cool stuff (ie. stuff he shouldn’t be touching).

I am wearing… jeans and a grey NDSU t-shirt.

From the sewing/craft room (aka. laundry room!)…the room has been temporarily moved to the main floor so Angelina can work on her 4-H projects and be close to me while I work in the kitchen.  She made great progress on her corduroy skirt, and finished cutting out her pajamas and knit top.  Patience be with me as I teach her to sew in an invisible zipper!

From the school room... closer, closer, closer to the end.  Cat tests are done for all students, just need to send them in and await results. 

An inspiration occurred while working with Dash on Latin today.  Since he’s really working on the 9th grade lesson plan for Latin, we are going to stop this struggle right now, even though there is only a week’s worth of work and a quarter test left.  He agreed with me that he doesn’t understand some of the sentence structure/translation rules as well as he should and that it would be OK to repeat this subject next year.  The majority will be easy, but we’ll be able to spend a little more time on problem areas.  Maybe he’ll even be able to test out of a few chapters by taking the quarter tests.  At least, that’s our plan for now …

From the kitchen... tried a new banana bread recipe with rum extract.  Eric and the kids liked it.

From the Garden…  hope to plant a couple rose bushes, a few perennials and irises, a few of the SFG’s, and dig up day lilies from my MIL’s garden.  This is a week long list!

From the FarmYard…  the Mallard duck has left her nest.  Either she finally realized that people live on the other side of the glass and we move around a LOT or she didn’t like the toddler banging on the window!  So, while we are extremely disappointed, that is the nature of nature.  I hope she is alive and has just found a better (ie. quieter!) spot to nest. 

The chicks are moved into their new and bigger home in the Wahoo.  I miss seeing them every morning in the garage, but not the chick-dust covering everything!  It’s absolutely amazing how fast the cornish rock cross chicks grow compared to heritage breeds.  The cornish rocks are definitely meant to be raised for meat – they are about twice as big as the Barred Rocks and Buff Orpinton chicks.

A successful moment… the basement and carpeted stairs have been vacuumed and a load of laundry has been folded and put away.

Another Inspiration… reminded once again during this weekend’s homily, of the importance of daily mass or an hour of adoration during the week.  And, that computer and TV are a source of distraction and waste (Fr. mentioned they are good, too, but in general waste a lot of time).  Adding either to our week includes a bit of planning, but the heart and mind do long for the peace of either!  The desire is here, now to pray for ‘the how.’

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Monday: School, cleaning, gardening, TKD.

Tuesday: Hosting a group of friends at the farm.  Fun for moms and kids.

Wednesday: School, cleaning, gardening.

Thursday:   Packing and prep for the boys’ trip, TKD in the evening.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday:   Father/Son camping trip for Eric and the three oldest boys.  Angelina, Louis and I get to hang out at the farm … planting and doing chores.  Angelina and I hope to attend the Camria Ballet Recital on Sunday.

A picture memory... it’s seeding time again … Louis has enjoyed riding in the tractor, as has Graham.

18/52 and 19/52

Joining Barbara in commemorating the year in once a week posts … just whatever is going on in your life: the mundane, the crazy, the normal, the everyday.

Lots of pics from the last couple weeks have been posted already.  But, here are a few of my favorites.

No current pic of the chicks, but BOY are they growing.  The little flyers are roosting on top of their quart-sized waterers, meaning it’s just a short flight to the top of their stock-tank home.  I fear I’ll find them running around the garage any day.  Probably time to move them to a larger home; that just might be on Saturday after we clean the Wahoo!

Thank goodness the formal school year for us is almost completed.  Dash and Angelina finished up their Math and Religion this week.  The three younger boys are going stir-crazy as I try to spend a little more time with the older two on final tests and finishing up their Latin.  If only the sun would shine a little more consistently …. they could go outside to play.  WE’ve been trying to fit in work on 4-H prjects each day, too. 

When the evenings are nice (ie. no rain and not windy), we are all outside.  The little boys enjoy playing in the sandbox, Angelina searches for worms to feed the chicks, Dash rides 3-wheeler, I garden (Eric worked/tilled my garden on Tuesday night), and Eric is usually out in the field late.  This equals NO TV … and baths every night!!