Our Snowy Winter Wonderland Day

 Hey y'all!  Here is the post that I promised that includes tons of our snow day pictures.  We actually had a SNOW DAY here in Alabama which is not normal and was soooooo exciting for us all!  Jesse and I were actually at his family's house when it snowed and we had lots and lots of fun together. :-)

 We finally ended up with a grand, whopping total of 5 inches! Yay!

I know that isn't a whole lot for some of y'all, but it was a big deal around here.

  Everything looked so pretty covered in the fluffy snow.

We also got to enjoy some yummy treats included hot chocolate and

Snow Cream!!! (click here for the recipe)

Actually, we ended up making some chocolate snow cream too, using chocolate milk instead of regular (and omitting the vanilla) and it turned out great!

Gina, Alice, and Chelsey

Jesse and Alice

Just a warning, I included a whole bunch of pictures:

 Sadly, we didn't get to go sledding this year.  But, last year when it snowed, Jesse and his friends tied an old truck hood to the back of a pickup and pulled us all around.  Probably not the safest thing to do, but it was awesome! :-)

A whole pile of cold puppies trying to stay warm. :-)

Alice's snow angel

 This is the snowman that Alice and Charlene had fun making!

 No snow day would be complete without making a giant snowman.

 This is Jesse's snow turtle creation.

Gavin absolutely LOVED playing in the snow!!!

 (sorry for all the baby pictures, but they were just too cut not to include)

We had a very awesome, happy snow day!

Do any of y'all get a lot of snow where you live?

What kind of stuff do y'all normally do when it snows?

Snow Cream Recipe!!!

Hey y'all!  We've been having tons of fun today, because it SNOWED!!!  That doesn't happen very often here in Alabama, so we were all super excited.  In addition to all the snowball fights and snowman making, we made this delicious, winter dessert: Snow Cream. Yay! :-)

Snow Cream Recipe

4 cups freshly fallen, clean snow

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

We actually didn't have any milk today, but we did have half-and-half, so here

is a variation of the above recipe.

Snow Cream with Half-and-Half

16 cups freshly fallen snow

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp. vanilla extract

 The snow cream was such a treat after we

all came in from playing in the snow.

 Gavin really loved the snow and had loads of fun!

(tons more snow pictures to come soon in another post)

 First, you'll need to collect buckets of clean, freshly fallen, snow.

 Our little helper! :-)

 Start by mixing in a large bowl the

 Sugar

 Half-and-half or milk

 and vanilla extract.

Mix thoroughly.

 Then stir in snow.

Serve and Enjoy!!!

Last year we added strawberries and it was really good.

You could also try chocolate syrup or any other fruits.

Be creative! :-)

How do y'all make snow cream?

What other kinds of snowy dishes have y'all tried?

Our Valentine's Day

Jesse gave me these potted, mini roses and the sweetest card ever!

Hey y'all!  So much has been going on around here lately and I know this post is a little late, but this is how we spent our 3rd Valentine's Day together as a married couple.  I had hoped to finally write out our love story, from the time Jesse and I first met to our wedding day (since so many people have asked us).  Maybe, I still will soon, but for now, this is how we spent our Valentine's day. :-)

First, early that morning (actually at about 4:30 a.m.), I made Jesse a romantic breakfast with heart-shaped cinnamon rolls and a piece of toast, that I had cut a heart shape out of the middle of, and fried an egg in that empty heart space.  Shortly after eating, we went to Collinsville, Al to the trade day/flea market that they have every Saturday morning.

While there, Jesse bought a 270 rifle, which he later traded with another guy there, for this 243 break action ( so there would be a little less kick for me and Gavin when he gets old enough to learn to shoot) that he gave me as a present!  'Cause every husband gives his wife a rifle for Valentine's Day right?

The three of us had an awesome day going to antique stores and such all over the place, then had a pleasant walk by the water and enjoyed a most beautiful sunset!

Our little giggly Gavin is so much fun. :-)

He had fun watching all the birds.

I love sunsets and they always remind of God's great love for us!

Finally, last, but certainly not least!  We were surprised along with the rest of Jesse's family, with this amazing dinner that Chelsey worked all day on and made for us all!  (You are so sweet Chelsey and we love you so much!)

She went all out and everything was simply gorgeous!

Even complete with pretty lights strung throughout the house.

We all had a card at our plates with our names on them and sweet notes inside about why she loves each one of us.

All of the food was delicious!!!

For desert we ate this beautiful cake (that tasted sooooo good) she had made by a friend.

This was such a special surprise to end the night and all prepared by this lovely lady.

We love you Chelsey, and thank you so much! :-)

All in all, this was definitely one of the funnest Valentine's Days I've ever had.

And I am so blessed to be able to spend it with the my wonderful husband, darling baby, and such a loving family.

"The Lord came to us from far away, saying, "I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness. "". Jeremiah 31:3

"...I have found the one whom my soul loves."

Song of Solomon 3:4

How did y'all spend Valentine's Day?

DIY Natural Candle From An Orange

Hey y'all!  We wanted to show you in this post, how to make a really neat, wintery, homestead craft that we made the other night.  It is a homemade, natural candle out of an orange, using only two normal kitchen ingredients.  Amazingly, these little candles burn for hours and look good too!

How To:

All you need is an orange and vegetable oil (or olive oil, lamp oil, etc.).

1. Cut into the skin of the orange all the way around.

2. Then very gently remove the fruit (and eat it!) while still leaving the fibrous, core in the center entact (this will be your "wick").

3. Next, pour in the oil.

4. And lastly, light your "wick".

Tip: It probably will not light right away (ours didn't), so you'll most likely need to wait a minute or so for the "wick" to soak up the oil.

That's it!  Now you've got a cute, little, candle out of an orange to brighten up your home this winter. They last a long time, look beautiful, and cost little to nothing.

Try it with any kinds of citrus fruit that you may have around.  Have fun and be creative. :-)

Thank y'all so very much for stopping by!

Guest Post / / "La Santé Café" Health Blog

Hey, y'all!  I apologize for it having been awhile since I've posted here.  I hope to make another post very soon, but I really wanted to share with y'all Chelsey's (Jesse's sister) new health blog!  It is amazing and y'all should definitely go and check it out.  Below is her guest post about it:

 

  Enchanté fellow readers! I hope your day is going splendidly. I would like to introduce you to my blog new blog, La Santé Café.

La Santé Café is french for The Health Café. I started writing this blog because I have recently gone through a weight loss program that has caused me to lose 40 pounds so far and my over all goal is 70-80. I've done this through a month and a half long juice cleanse, which I m currently in the middles of! (before and during pictures below)

  Throughout this process I have been learning how to listen to my body and give it what it needs instead of just what it wants. Turns out, when you do this, your body is a lot happier and treats you better in return.

I've spent most of my teen years and now into my early twenties dealing with obesity and being overweight. Trying many times to do something about it, but to no avail. Until one day I decided that what I needed to do was not lose weight.. but become a healthy person. And so my goals changed, I no longer wanted to eat anything I desired so long as I could burn it all off on the treadmill later. Instead I wanted to give my body the things it needed to begin healing itself from years of mistreatment at my hand.

I've learned that losing weight is about more than just losing weight. It's about being kind to yourself, loving yourself and believing in yourself before you ever even begin. These things are essential, I assure you, to living a healthy lifestyle.

For me juice fasting is only the beginning. My plans are to reach a healthy BMI ( Body Mass Index ) and once I'm there begin introducing foods back into my system one thing at a time. But not the kind of food I used to eat. Live foods instead, or at least mostly live food. Like fresh veggies and fruits, nuts, seeds, lean meat and homemade bread. Yes, I said homemade and not whole grain. ;)

I believe that eating in a healthy way can be delicious and much easier than we think! And absolutely achievable and essential.

I am no dietitian or nutrition specialist, I only plan to share with you what I have learned so far and how it has worked for me. I promise to be honest and straight forward and only tell you about products and dishes that I would use myself. And I promise to write for as long as you promise to read.

So come on over and check out what we've got so far and be sure to like our facebook page  for daily updates where you can keep up with my weight loss journey, and learn what I'm cooking up each week that you can use in your own kitchen! 


Yours Truly,
Chels

 

Y'all be sure and go check it out at:

 www.lasantecafe.blogspot.com

 

 and like her facebook page too at:

www.facebook.com/thehealthycafe

Southern Candied Sweet Potato Recipe

We grew a lot of sweet potatoes from our garden last year and this is one of the yummiest dishes we've made with them (not necessarily the healthiest because of all the sugar, but were DELICIOUS!).

This is an old-fashioned, traditional, southern recipe.

Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

About 6 normal large sweet potatoes                          1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter                                                               1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 3/4 cups white sugar                                                 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup brown sugar                                                    salt to taste

Directions

Well, in the ingredients above, I said about 6 sweet potatoes, but ours we're all random sized and shaped. First, cut sweet potatoes into slices.

Second, melt butter in a large skillet and add the sweet potato slices.

Third, mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl.  Cover the sweet potatoes in the sugar mixture and stir.  Next cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook til potatoes are "candied" (takes about 1 hour).  They should be tender and the sauce will turn dark.  Stir occasionally while cooking.  Stir in the vanilla extract just before serving.  Serve while hot. Enjoy!

How do y'all normally prepare sweet potatoes?