Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This is the most basic of recipes.  If you have an ice cream maker and don't know where to start, I'd start here.  Growing up we had lots of fun flavors when mom made ice cream, but basic vanilla was always my favorite.  This isn't my mom's recipe, but this is a simple one that can be put together quickly.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

4 C heavy cream
4 C whole milk
1 1/4 C sugar
1 T vanilla
dash of salt

***note:  if you have a very small ice cream maker, you can 1/2 or 1/4 the recipe.  This is just our preferred measurements for the ice cream maker we have.

Spring has Sprung

After snowy weeks of *technically* spring, we have some proof the season really is here!  I love these blooming bushes in my front yard.  In fact, I love every landscaping plant here very much.  They were a bonus that popped up and got beautiful the spring after we found this house broken and dirty in the winter-time.  Seeing all of these well-rooted plants stand up to shine gave me hope that eventually all of this home would too.

It's been years of work so far, but the place  is already giving us the rewards of shelter and comfort that we had longed for.  So despite being in-between on some projects it is still a very homey place to be.  I'm thankful for this answer to prayer.  That prayer was many years ago, but I do want to acknowledge the blessing I feel today.

Summer Chalkboard Ideas

I posted my springtime themes for the chalk wall, and after a few days of not actually putting them up there, I realized...this is ME!  I still have Christmas Cards on the back of my front door.  Better to plan a theme that is months away than already be behind by the time I get it up!

So, I have prepared some of my SUMMER chalkboard inspiration and plan to put it up on my kitchen wall in a week or two when I have purchased my chalk.

Lean

Leaning Towards Change by Caitlin Connolly

Home Built Lego Table

My husband designed and made a very useful coffee table for our family room.  It looks great but it is also VERY functional for our Lego loving family.

 He used round fence posts for the legs.  He took time to look through the stack to find the least tapered posts possible to try to get uniform widths.

He used carriage bolts on the outside of the table legs for a more rustic feel.

The inspiration came from this post.  As you can see, he made it our own with several changes.  He took the divider out of the middle, he made the entire thing much wider. 

For that reason, he had to add 3 lids instead of the 2.  It's so perfect for us.  It makes a nice smooth surface when closed and then many choices of building surfaces available even when open to access legos.

Spring Chalkboard ideas

It's that time again!  I guess the Valentine's and anniversary reminders have had their time...ready for the new beginnings of Spring.

Bunny Yoga

This is too cute.  And I like the yoga pose reminders since I do it at home by myself :).

I Love Country

I've shared a couple of song collections, before.  I decided it was time for some sad, cool country:

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Mix in a mixer in the following order (beat between each addition):

2 1/2 sticks real butter
2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
3/4 C cocoa
2 C flour

Shape into cookies and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

***this recipe is adapted from one that includes lots of add-ins like nuts and chocolate chips, so if do so you feel inclined...I just created this recipe for a plain chewy cookie

Where to Grow

I've got my broken places

and fears, so many fears

When I try to grow

I do it by avoiding those places

Hunkered down against the pain I plead 

with God to make it pass

Instead I will grasp the pain 

and ask something good to grow

In that spot.

Double Chocolate {health} muffins

Since I've already extolled the virtues of plain yogurt and cocoa powder in another post, I'll spare you that for now...but today I was craving an oat muffin and I decided to come up with a whole new recipe!  It's kind of a combo of the flavor of this with the texture of this.

In a blender mix:

3 or 4 ripe bananas
2 C plain greek yogurt
3 t baking powder
1 C sugar
2/3 C cocoa
6 C regular oats

Pour into greased muffin tins and sprinkle tops with chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 13-18 minutes.

Seriously!

Reply to Wrong Number Texts

This is what happened months ago when a teen boy (I'm assuming) wrong number texted my husband...

Poor kid.  Careful when you text that pretty girl, young ones.  By the way, he totally thought it was legit at first, someone texting him about basketball.  That's why the "You goin?"  But obvs, it went downhill from there.

for the love of {wood beams}

I love them :).  Here's my idea collection:

Rustic Family Room by Berlin Photographers Carl Vernlund

Rustic Porch

Eclectic Bedroom by Other Metro Photographers Elad Gonen

Rustic Dining Room by Buffalo Architects & Designers Murphy & Co. Design

Traditional Kitchen by Chicago Photographers Cynthia Lynn Photography

Contemporary Kitchen by Nashville Interior Designers & Decorators Casella Interiors

Traditional Family Room by Greer Home Builders Gabriel Builders Inc.

Women's Rights memes

Being the 4th Child (and life with the 3rd)

Lane 12/2010

This little guy was the victim of a Christmas season baking frenzy.  His motivated mom decided to make some homemade truffles.  She left a pile of them on the counter, and looking back 4 years, she herself can not figure out why.  With a mischievous 3 year old in the house, uncertain of how he felt about his baby brother, it was most certainly a recipe for disaster.

Why, this event had just happened the day before:

self explanatory, right?

I think these pictures bring back giggles and warm memories for two reasons: 

1.  This didn't happen today.

2.  Pepetrator is now safely secured in a school classroom where he's been praised as well behaved and a hard worker and gets great scores.

3.  Lesson?  Miracles still exist