Wow! It's been about 2 months! I have got to get you all caught up on everything that has been going on. That will take some time...so I will try and fill you all in quickly - the hopefully I can get back on a routine and start posting some pictures for you all.
If you've been wondering why I haven't posted, I don't have an exact reason. Although my life has seemed to be a little busier lately...I may have already said this before but going from 1 to 2 kids was nothing...but 2 to 3 seems more hectic at times. Not that I am complaining! I wouldn't trade it for the world! I am sure I am not the only mother of 3 that thinks that...especially with 3 kids 4 and under. I have also taken on a few things of my own...if you haven't heard.
Besides being mom all day I am still working at the post office on Saturday mornings and as needed as well as baking deserts for the local cafe here in town and helping out on Fridays at the Cafe.
The baking has been fun! I have always enjoyed cooking but never knew I loved to bake as much as I do. About 2 years ago I decided that I wanted to learn to bake a pie, so before thanksgiving my Mother-in-law Jane, who is quite the baker, taught me how to make a pie...from start to finish...we baked a ton of pies that day...I will have to find the picture my Aunt Kay took of me at Thanksgiving where I brought all of the pies...apple, cherry, chocolate, pumpkin I can't remember what all I brought...I need to find the picture! I find baking and cooking as being very relaxing to me! In fact, I just pulled an apple pie out of the oven this morning and now I have a banana nut bread in the oven! YUM! I bet you're thinking...how can she lose her baby weight with all of those deserts around...haha...well that's not the culprit, because the majority of my baked goods go to the cafe, and occasionaly I make one for home (so Zach doesn't feel deprived!) The banana bread is for this weekend - we are having abby's bachelorette party, and I am making some yummy stuff for a breakfast for all the girls.
My mixer gave up on me last week...and believe me mixers are an investment. So Jane surprised me with a new mixer! and I love it, you should have seen my face when we brought it home and got it set up...Zach said "oh great, I will never live up to that!" hah! This mixer is not only functional but it is beautiful! I love it! It is the Kitchenaid Professional 600 in Empire Red! it has a 575 watt motor and can hold 14 cups of flour at once!! This might not mean much to all of you...but to me it is better than diamonds, a car just about anything! I love it! we set it up last night and i have already made 4 pie crusts in it, banana bread and then I am moving on to homemade noodles! Thanks so much Jane! I couldn't be happier!
So besides the baking keeping me busy I have also take up preserving foods...canning and freezing!! Now you might have seen on here before where I made my own strawberry jam and salsa...but this year I have taken it to new heights! I have officially used a pressure canner, not just the easy water bath canner! This year we picked a few 5 galloon buckets of green beans (free I might add from a neighbor that grew them...we picked them for him first and then took what we wanted) I canned those green beans - so now all winter long when you are eating those sodium packed green beans from the grocery I will be eating freshly preserved beans...haha...not to rub it in your face or anything!! I had to buy a new metal shelf to put in our basement to hold all of my canned goods... I have canned green beans, mild salsa, hot salsa, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, red jalepeno jelly, green jalepeno jelly as well as frozen 40 quarts of fresh corn, some quarts of green beans, homemade applesauce...and i have been making at least 1 soup a week for lunch or dinner, a big batch, and then freezing the remaining in individual quart sized bags...perfect for any meal...so far I have garden vegetable, french onion, vegetable beef, chicken fahita, and chili and right now i have homemade chicken noodle in the crockpot cooing up for dinner and then to freeze! It has been so fun and enjoyable for me...I told Zach it will sure make me appreciate my food knowing exactly what it took to get it to each point! From the picking to preparing to cooking and then to preserving! I have also been making homemade baby food for Kane! Green Beans, carrots, zuchinni, sweet potatoes, applesauce, all that good stuff - and still more to go...for him i have been steaming everything and then pureeing it and then freezing in ice cube trays...perfect serving sizes! It just doesn't get much better than that! Not to mention we have all the farm fresh organic eggs we could ever want right in our backyard! We are getting about 13 or more fresh eggs a day~ WOW~ there is nothing quite like a fresh egg!
The boys also get to learn so much. They enjoy helping me pick the fruit and veggies and visiting the different farmers markets around the area! Who would have guessed living in the middle of no where could be so amazing!
well i should get back to the kitchen! the oven just went off so i need to pull that warm banana nut bread out of the oven! It smells so good! hope everyone is doing well...i will try to update with pictures ASAP
