Sourdough flop!

Well, it isn’t as easy as “they” say it is to make your own sourdough starter~it is just flour and water, after all ~ How difficult could it possibly be?

It did really well all week, I fed it, talked to it, smelled it! It was all bubbly and pretty, but when it came to make the actual bread, it never rose! Lovely picture below isn’t it? About as flat as a pancake after a million hours of rising. I won’t give up, though, as we would really love to have some authentic San Francisco style sourdough bread. I found a great website that truly shed some light in why it can be difficult. Try www.sourdoughhome.com and go to “sourdough fast track”. Great information. I went ahead and ordered some 250 year old starter from King Arthur Flour. www.kingarthurflour.com. Honestly, I wanted to do this in the first place because the idea that they have continued this one starter for 250 years was greatly appealing to me ~I do love old stuff!~ but I thought I would try making my own first.

Hopefully it will come in the mail tomorrow and I can start feeding him. :-) I’ll let ya know how it goes and maybe you can come over and try some~

Have a great week y’all!

The cutest sisters EVER!

Fourth of July Weekend!

We had a wonderful weekend! I tried to take more pictures of everyone, but left some folks out or the pictures of them came out blurry. So sorry! On Friday we had Al’s family over and we went to Main Event. We had such a good time and went to dinner afterwards. This is Madeline playing a step game with her Aunt Liz.

Bowling….with Aunt Yvonne, Abuelita, the boys , Uncle Rick , Daddy…everyone!

On the fourth of July we went to a cookout at my folks house after hitting some sales.

Poor naked Bitty Baby went along for the ride.

We had planned to go to the fireworks in Frisco but they were scheduled for 9:50. My girls just can’t make it that long past their bedtime. We found out later that they didn’t set them off until some time after 10:00. Crazy.

The usual rough-housing with Daddy…

We came back home and lit sparklers, which the girls loved and then it was off to bed!

This was as close as Marcella was allowed to get to her sparkle. :-)

Boy Howdy, were they exhausted! Madeline is off to Science Camp at church this week, during the mornings. Marcella and I are just going to hang out at home and get ready for her birthday party which is in a couple of weeks! Have a great week y’all!!!

Madeline lost her first tooth!

Wow…what exciting time! Miss Madeline lost her very first tooth this Sunday. This event took a very long time getting here! It has been “wiggly” for 3 or 4 weeks, at least. The week before it came it out it was inspected, wiggled, pulled a little and then inspected some more.

No pulling by Daddy was needed!! NO WAY.

He did help it along a little, but in the end, it was Madeline who gave the final tug!

Until bed time, the tooth rested in this tiny porcelain box my Mom bought for Madeline when she was just a baby.

At bedtime, the tiny tooth was nestled in this little pillow.

That night…. ice cream sundaes to celebrate this momentous occasion!!

In the morning the Tooth Fairy had brought Madeline 3 shiny, polished silver dollars and she was beside herself with joy!!!

I hope she always remembers losing her first tooth! (and she will because I’ll put all these blog posts in a scrapbook! :-)

It’s been awhile ~

How is everyone? Sorry I haven’t been around much ~ we have been enjoying these lazy days of Summer! Not too much to blog about…swimming, library, games, bubbles…you know, the usual summer stuff! So, I thought I would share with some random things that have going on in the Wilson household!

This is a picture of my French bread that I make all the time. It is so yummy!

 

I have a wonderful new neighbor, Katie, who has turned into a dear friend. She has a little boy who will be starting Kindergarten with Madeline and they have become fast friends. Our backyards back up to each other, so they take turns going from house to house. Any who, she invited to me to an apron sewing class, which I thought was so cool, and she even brought me this retro fabric for my apron! She said she knew I would like it and she was right! Isn’t she so sweet? So, that is my completed apron hanging on the left…my new 40’s apron that is made from a flour sack and had never been worn is in the middle, and one that Madeline made me for Mother’s Day. I love my aprons!

Here is Madeline dressed up as her Daddy for Father’s Day!

I took really horrible pictures of Father’s Day…my camera was on the wrong setting, I think. Anyway, we took Al and my Daddy to Babe’s Chicken House! yumbo!

See, told ya they were bad pics and they were the best of the bunch!

Madeline with our first harvest of beans!

And last but not least…Madeline spent a very exciting week at VBS last week. She got to perform some of the songs they learned during church. It was so cute!!

So, that is about it! Told you it has been slow~ but oh, so relaaaaaxing! :-)

The Barney and Angelina Show!!

Oh. My. Goodness. Chaos reigned supreme at the show we took the girls to on Sunday at the Dr. Pepper Arena here in Frisco. It was crazy, y’all!!

  

Marcella was completely excited to see the big purple guy. Even Madeline, who has long since outgrown him, was amused…..

Why no pictures of Angelina Ballerina you ask? Mommy was standing for one hour in the balloon man’s line. Yes, one hour….but he was worth it! Throw in a little face painting and it was a great day! We did not wait in the lines to meet and greet. They were up to 2 hours long and a bunch of people were turned away after waiting that long. The girls were oblivious, thank goodness! 

Fun times!!!

 

Afterwards, we went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants and put our feet up!! It was a really great time.

Another Little Pup!

Well, this weekend we couldn’t resist bringing home this sweet little Manchester Terrier from the SPCA. Al really wanted a second dog, since Lilly-Kate is so darn scared of him. He hopes that seeing him lovin’ on another pup would show her there was nothing to be afraid of…and you know what? It is slowing working!!! yeah!! I think we are going to name her Billie…not sure yet. Al had been calling his new dog “Billy” before he even met her. Billie loves Al and spends all her time in his lap…or mine…or the girls. She gets along well with Lilly and they are becoming fast friends. It is more work having 2 pups (for me) but clearly worth it!! So, 4 girls in this house and one boy~~~ :-)

Is she not the cutest thing?I am going to make Lilly and Billie matching scarves for the different seasons and holidays. If you didn’t know me you would think I’m kidding. Of course, I am most serious!!! Life is fun!

“I am so cute and sweet…and housebroken! Don’t forget that! My previous owners surrendered me because they worked full time and said I needed too much attention”

“Boy Howdy, I’ve come to the right place!!!”

Welcome, Billie Wilson!!! Let’s think you up a good middle name! :-)

Popcorn…the old fashioned way!

Growing up we made popcorn over the stove…in a pan…with real butter!!! Mmmmmm. I decided to try it the old fashioned way and teach the girls at the same time. I came across The Popcorn Book at the library one day and I instantly remembered it from my childhood. I checked it out, but then ordered a copy to have at our home. It tells where popcorn originated and all kinds of fun facts. It is very 70’s in style, which makes it even cuter.

 

The cast of characters….

The book!

I may have mentioned before that we always make popcorn on rainy days. It is so much more special making it this way.

These are the directions I followed off the jar, also found at www.orville.com

~~~~~~

These are a bit more traditional techniques. For both methods, follow the tips below for a virtual guarantee of popping success.

1. Measure carefully. To make 8 cups of popcorn, measure 1/2 cup Orville Redenbacher's® Gourmet® Popping Corn and 3 tablespoons Orville Redenbacher's® Gourmet® Popping and Topping Buttery Flavor® Popcorn Oil. Place in large, heavy-bottom pan. Cover and turn heat to medium.

2. Let off steam. Be sure the lid allows steam to escape during popping, so popcorn stays light and fluffy. And remember to always open the top away from you to avoid contact with escaping steam.

3. Shake it up. Shake the pan or popper to make sure every kernel is heated equally. When popping slows down, remove from heat or unplug popper.

4. If desired, salt after popping. We recommend using fine-grained popcorn salt, because it clings better and won't all land in the bottom of the bowl!

****I added 2 T. of melted butter for this big batch. Now, we usually just make half a recipe and use 1 T. of butter. Popcorn is soooo much better this way, y’all. I can never go back to the microwave!!! It is healthier, too!!!

I bought these popcorn containers at Target in the dollar section. We love them and each of us gets our very own! We have extras for guests, if you happen to come over……:-)

Yum!!!! Watch the video below to see the real excitement!!!!

 

Making memories with my girls…..priceless!!!! By the way, this is the snack of choice around here now! Come over and we’ll make you some!!!

It’s Strawberry Jam time again!!!

If you have been reading my blog a while, you know we love to make Strawberry Freezer Jam! This will my 6th  year, I believe, to make it. This was Marcella’s first time to help! These are the only ingredients……

  

Our Recipe

(we usually double or triple it)

2 cups crushed strawberries (buy 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)

4 cups  sugar, measured into separate bowl

3/4 cup water

1 box  SURE.JELL Fruit Pectin

 

RINSE clean 5 (1-cup) plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.

STEM and crush strawberries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 minute. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using. or eat with a spoon right out of the freezer. heehehehe.

“cooking” is fun, Mommy!

Don’t your kids cook with roller skates on? Super safe, I know….

Madeline actually made every bit of it by herself this year…except for the boiling part….I kept waiting to take over the mashing but she would have no part of it! She mashed until they were perfect!

My favorite picture….giving Sissy a taste. This one is going in the “Sisters” scrapbook I am going to be working on….I think it is so sweet. They love each other so.

organizing the containers….and stacking them….making a castle with them….

I could do a whole scrap album with shots I’ve taken of this happy-child activity.

All done! Aren’t they pretty? Coming soon to your home…..

Another fun chalkboard project

 

I am really having fun turning things into chalkboards! :-) Previously, we had been using a wipe-off board for Madeline’s chores. It worked okay, but was easily messed up when we tried to just wipe off the checks! We turned this old glass-framed picture into a much better one! I painstaking hand painted the frame lilac. Let me tell ya, it is much easier to spray paint! :-) The chart is written in the Chalk Ink so it doesn’t come off without water. Madeline uses regular chalk to make her marks and then just erases them at the end of the week!

Hmmmm…what else to paint, what else to paint?????

Ahhhh…Summer!!!

I am just loving this summer so far…all 2 weeks of it. It seems easier this year for some reason. Maybe because Marcella is older or because Madeline is becoming so independent?  Probably because I know she is starting on a great adventure this fall called SCHOOL. It will never be the same. Sigh. I am proud of her but already missing her at the same time. Anyway, we are having so much fun. Long carefree afternoons at home with fun activities thrown in. We are trying to find a beach house to vacation at but we are not having much luck. After Florida it is so hard to look at Texas beaches. I’m not sure what we will do. We aren’t ready to go back to Florida for a vacay just yet, know what I mean? Maybe next year. What to do, What to do……

Madeline ate her first self grown strawberry! We had one before this but something took a few bites of it.Yes, she is in her snowman nightgown…we usually check our garden out in the morning….we are up early!!  The hot Texas summer is just frying up my dill and cilantro. They just aren’t going to make it in a container. Ditto for my lavender, which, incidentally, I have never been able to grow.   

We also noticed our first green beans on our tent. They just popped up! Say…40 or so of them already!! We are really excited!!!! I love to watch Madeline get so excited about these things that happen in our backyard. I know she is learning so much and experiencing a wonderful childhood through our adventures. Teaching my girls makes me feel like a kid again, too. There is nothing I would rather be doing than nurturing my family.

Moving right along…..our tomatoes have gone nutso and my basil and rosemary are thriving. Yeah! They are essential to my summer cooking! This is Madeline eating her first cherry tomato she plucked just before getting in the car……

Our drive-way tomatoes ~ so pretty!!!!

Of course, mostly, we are just swimming….all the time…I’m gaining some freckles!! I am truly going through beach withdrawal. Maybe we’ll just suck it up and hit Padre Island!!! but enough about that!!! Hope you are enjoying carefree days, as well…..Tata for now!!!

Simple Joys of Summer

We looove bubbles here at the Wilson home! Many a summer afternoon is spent outside with them! These are, by far, the best ones you can buy in the stores. They are a bit spendy, but so worth it. Trust me. Just don’t let the kiddos have free reign with ‘em or they’ll be gone in a flash!

This is a wonderful recipe to make at home, too!

Magic Bubbles

1 T glycerin
2 T dish soap
9 oz water

Mix up the recipes the day before for best results. Glycerin is inexpensive and can be found in most drug stores.  The children think that the bubbles are so much better that it is worth keeping a small bottle on hand.

We love our bubble machine, too! It sends bubbles flying all over the yard…over the fence…and into the neighborhood! It sends the message to passers-by…..kids at play over here!!!!

Oh, to be a child again! The simple things are such fun! They don’t even know what a Wii is and I really don’t care. They will grow up soon enough! :-) Off to play! Have a great week!

These are a few of my favorite things!

 

• The smell of the inside of my China cabinet

• all shades of pink

• polishing my copper Simplex teakettle

• bedtime stories

• old silver patterns

• long weekend get~aways with hubby

• thrift shop treasures

• Reed & Barton

• Picnics

• my vintage wedding rings circa 1940’s

• red transferware

• beach vacations

• being a morning person!

• naturally curly hair

• antique children’s gowns

• Baking bread…all kinds!

• beautiful quilts, old and new

• a nice chilled Chardonnay or Fume Blanc

• Old black & white photos

• little girls

• old Hymns

• all my kissin’ cousins!

• smocked dresses

• the strand of pearls Al gave me before our wedding

• the saving grace of Christ

• anything over 100 years old

• long care-free summer days

• dusty “antique” shops

• popsicles in the pool

• making Al his favorite dishes

• the air conditioner set at 72 degrees all summer long

• tea rooms

• Praise Baby DVD’s

• family reunions & big get-togethers

 

What are some of your favorite things?

A great new-to-me blog!

I love to share great blogs and I’ve just come across this wonderful cooking one. Check it out y’all!

click here : Mennonite Girls Can Cook

 

I made a chalkboard!

 

Using Sugarpiefarmhouse’s great idea, I made my own chalkboard!!! forgot to take a “before” picture, so I found a picture of what I used. It is a Lang calendar frame that I found at my local thrift store for $2. I spray painted it black and then the center board I spray painted with chalk. Fun, fumey times!

I added a cute gingham bow and it was ready to go! easy~peasy.

These are the cool Chalk Ink pens I bought. The ones on the left are from Michaels and on the right are pens from Hobby Lobby. Sorry, beloved HobLob….the others are much easier to write with and have a slanted tip!TADA! I think it is pretty good for  my first try…. I don’t see myself rewriting the sign every day, so I think I will make a list of my planned weekly menu instead. It would make a cute chore chart, too. Maybe that can be my next project! :-)

Pretty new flowers…..

I thought I would share this beautiful arrangement that Al bought for me! I just adore it. It is so bright and cheerful. He is the best husband in the world!!!! :-)

 

I added this little garden ornament….

He set it on this little table so we would have a view of it from the kitchen and living room. This backyard was so plain and boring when we moved in, but we are adding some life to it! :-)

Our bean pole teepee is coming along great! The beans are starting to wind their way up! Al put a “real” floor in it for the girls to play on….made of wood.

Some sad news. Mr. Victor, our sweet lawn guy, cut down half of the “surprise” sunflowers before he realized they weren’t weeds! But, at least he didn’t cut down ALL of them, right?!? I really should have put a border around them or something. Lesson learned! :-)

Hope you are all enjoying your gardens this summer!

XOXOXO, Kristina

First popsicles of the season!!!

 

I don’t know about your families, but we are big time Popsicle fans around here! We don’t have them all year ‘round…we save them for the summer~more special that way! Boy Howdy, were the ladies happy last week when we had the first ones!!! So easy to please at this age……:-)

It was all happiness and giggles until the inevitable…..

Plop! right down on the ground it went ~ and Lilly Kate was there, ready and waiting, licking her chops! Oh, the tears!!!!! My poor girl! Luckily, Madeline was quick to give her hers and I rewarded her with a fresh one! :-)

Ahhhh, Summer!!!!

Preschool Graduation

Wow. I can’t believe the school year is over! Watching Madeline graduate from preschool has been bittersweet for me. I am sad to see her growing up so fast. I am not ready for her to leave me and go off to full time Kindergarten. Think what you will. I will miss her terribly. I can’t keep them little forever. Eventually they will have to grow up!! What’s up with that raw deal???

Anyway, here she is…Valedictorian of the Crossridge ELC Preschool…..

 

Madeline’s dear teachers, Miss Sarah and Miss Cindy

Proud Nana and Poppi!!

Proud Aunt Yvonne, Cousin Ricky and Abuelita

Proud Family!!!!!

and a not-teary-at-all Momma…

Kissin’ cousins!!!

Thanks for looking at our graduation pictures!!

EDITED TO ADD***** A cute gift from the school…a Graduate Madeline bobble head!!!! I am speechless. Really.

Eureka!

Well, to say we had a nice time in Eureka Springs, AR. is an understatement! It was a completely relaxing 4 days and 3 nights. Our lodging was a bit different this time and I was initially unsure we had made the right choice. I had no reason to worry! We chose a b&b style cottage, with no breakfast provided because we had the whole place to ourselves! It even came complete with a little kitchen ~ although the only “cooking” I did was warming a wedge of brie! It was perfect!! Here is a picture of our cottage on the hill overlooking downtown Eureka. I guess I should give them a little plug.

www.historiccottages.com

This was our living room. The french doors opened to the veranda. The weather was perfect. Highs in the low 70’s/upper 60’s! On Saturday morning it drizzled a little and we opened up the doors and just sat there…looking out over the garden and having our coffee. No internet and no T.V. THE ENTIRE TRIP. They had a great commercial free radio station that we listened to and just never felt the need to turn anything else on! It was incredible!!!!!

The front door…leading to the porch with the cute rocking chairs….

 

This was the second bedroom….so cute!

This was our room…dreamy!!!

This was Al’s view from his spot on the couch! :-)

 

This was my view from my happy chair….

Coffee+ cooking &  home magazines + quiet = happiness!!

In the mornings we would sit here with our coffee until we felt like getting up and then head for whatever we were doing that day. In the afternoons we would come back to the house and assume our spots. :-) We brought some wine, good cheese, prosciutto, crackers and grapes, which we enjoyed before dressing for dinner (if we needed to).

We did see “Christ in the Ozarks”…can you see him back there? It isn’t very good picture. He is on the horizon with his arms outstretched.

 

We also went to the Thorncroft Chapel, a glass and wood chapel in the woods. It was so incredibly beautiful! We attended a service there Sunday morning.

 

Here we are about 1ooo feet in front of the sculpture (remember it is huge!!!)

So, we relaxed, ate and shopped! I really barely took any pictures. We also went to a grain mill that is run by a river. So neat…I bought some of the freshest cornmeal to make cornbread with…can’t wait to try it. I also got some new cookbooks! :-) We attending a wine tasting at a local winery, which is always fun. Of course, we also went on a ghost tour of the haunted Crescent Hotel, but it wasn’t that great…our group had 50 people in it! sheesh! Overall, it was just a really relaxing time and we had so much fun!!! Y’all should go sometime!!! :-)

Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ May 14, 2009

For Today, May 14, 2009...

Outside my window... rain, rain and then more rain. Did I mention it has been raining a bunch?

I am thinking... that I am excited for our Anniversary trip! We have been married 8 years this week and are celebrating with a trip to Eureka Springs, AR. It is a darling historic town with b&b’s, shopping, antiques and all that stuff I (we?) love! We are staying in a 100 year old cottage that is within walking distance to downtown. It sits up on a hill and has 2 rocking chairs on the front porch. sigh. We actually went there once before during the Christmas season….about 9 years ago! It will be fun to go back in spring.

I am thankful for...  a wonderful husband. He really is great, y’all…not perfect, mind you, but just great. A real family man and he would do anything for his girls! (all of us!) He proves it every single day. I love him!!!!

From the kitchen... trying to use up any leftovers, as I don’t want them sitting in the fridge for 4 days! I made a special dinner on our anniversary ~ Hearty glazed tri-tip roast with creamy gorgonzola sauce, spicy roasted new potatoes, plain old green beans, my old stand-by crusty french bread and for dessert I tried a Southern Buttermilk pie. We didn’t care for it. It took it to my Mom and Dad’s and they loved it! :-)

I am wearing... khaki shorts, green shirt and my new apron I bought in an antique store this weekend. It is vintage 40’s and looks as if it has never been worn. I looooove it and put it on when I am doing my daily chores. I am not willing to cook over the stove in it, though. too precious!

I am reading... well, I just read through the first book in the Little House series, as I was planning on chapter reading it to Madeline and wanted a refresher preview. She is not ready for it yet, though. Much different than the t.v. show! hahaha. She is not ready to hear that Pa slaughtered their pig and blew up its’ bladder into a makeshift kickball for a very thrilled Laura and Mary!!!! :-) grody, if ya ask me! (you don’t hear a lot of “grody” these days….too bad!)

I am hoping... my girls stay well while we are gone and are “good” for my parents. :-) and don’t wear them out too much!

I am creating...well, I am finishing the last couple of layouts for Marcella’s baby book. I know, I know…I have been “just finishing it up” for some time! Yesterday Madeline and I printed out paper dolls using my Cricut ~ complete with outfits and accessories. I got the paperdoll cartridge from Al for Christmas. It is so cute!

I am hearing... my elevator music I listen to when it is quiet/nap  time. Sooo peaceful!

Around the house... fertilizing the flowerbeds and weeding!!!! This bermuda grass is killing me!!! Our yard is still a mess. With all this rain it keeps growing faster and faster, then Al can’t mow it because it is sopping wet! I don’t like messy!  but what can ya do?

One of my favorite things... lavender! There is a lavender festival coming up in Gainesville and we are going to pick our own! I can’t wait ~ then we can dry it for sachets and stuff. It smells so nice!

A few plans for the rest of the week... our trip!!!! woo hoo!!! and that’s it….nothing else!!!! :-)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Isn’t Arkansas pretty?

 

Hope your day is simple and wonderful, too!!

For more Daybooks, go to The Simple Woman.