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I love pedicures.

Actually, it was my first pedicure, and I was extremely thankful to share it with my gal pal, Paula, during our "Girl's Weekend" this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Paula and I usually have what we call a "Sewing Weekend" in which we bring our latest sewing projects -- usually Civil War related -- and sew furiously and with abandon in order to meet whatever reenactment is coming up. This weekend, the first "Girl's Weekend" we ever had, was deliciously lacking in sewing or any other such chore, and consisted almost entirely of watching romantic comedies, getting pedicures, manicures, hair cuts, sleeping in and eating greasy pepperoni rolls. Oh, and Olive Garden. (And Jamey is still not getting his $12.50 back.)

I was in desperation of some much needed R&R. Things have been...well...not very relaxing around here. So, the baby stayed with Granny and Pa and she had a wonderful time. She was even as well-rested as I was. We came home, met up with Daddy again, and unpacked. Late last night, we caught glimpse of some home-town fireworks (ie: store-bought things that some of the kids set off in the school parking lot across the street) and Keith and I sat on the front porch and watched them. I wish I could say we sat on a swing and drank ice teas, but alas...no.

No other real news to report. Oh, I invented (not really) some quick baby food in case anyone out there needs some ideas on homemade baby stuff:

BASIC INSTANT OATMEAL
  • 1 c. rolled oats
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar or other sweetener (adjust according to taste)
  • 1 Tbsp dry milk
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Put in food processor and blend until the rolled oats are chopped up (easier for little mouths to handle). To make up for an average-sized feeding, boil 2 oz (1/4 c) water, reduce heat to low, then add 2 Tbsp of oatmeal mix.  Cook for about 1 minute, or until thickened.  I usually take mine off the fire when it's still a bit soupy because I have to let it cool for about 10 minutes (for babies tender mouths) and as it cools, it thickens further.  For larger servings, simply add 1 oz of water for each Tbsp of oatmeal.

It's tasty and perfect companion to fruit in the morning.

FRUIT PUREE YOGURT

This is a no-brainer, but I made it easy for me to have quick fresh fruit yogurt on hand without getting the expensive stuff or without anything going bad too soon. For babies who can't really chew up fresh fruit or berries, I made no-sugar-added purees each of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. I ran each of them through a sieve to get rid of any solids and seeds, and then poured each puree into an ice tray. I froze it in my deep freeze until solid, then put the puree blocks into a freezer bag.

When I want fresh fruit yogurt, I simply take out whichever puree I want, put it into a bowl with about 1/3 c yogurt (I use organic vanilla from Stonyfield Farm) and let it defrost for 15 mins before dinner. Victoria loves it, especially the raspberry one, and it always tastes nice and fresh.

Now that I've found my yogurt machine, I'm definitely going to to make some homemade yogurt to go with the purees.

Ta ta for now.   Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend.

3 comments:

Lorie said...

Home made yogurt is the best. We just love it! I made a batch on Saturday and have another in the warmer at this very moment. We love to make smoothies with yogurt and fresh berries from the garden. So refreshing on a warm summer morning. How do you like your yogurt?

Blessings,

Lorie

Amy said...

Hello Lorie,

I like my yogurt a bit on the thick side, so I let mine cook 8 hours instead of 7. I really love the tartness of homemade yogurt -- it really can't be beat compared to the store-bought kind.

Ooh, I love yogurt smoothies too! My favorite is strawberry, but our market's strawberries are looking rather poorly just now. When we move out to "the farm", I hope the coming years will allow me to establish some fruit trees and other plants. How lovely it must be to go strawberry picking (or any kind of berry picking!) on your own property instead of out at the grocery store.

I'm going to try out some homemade sour cream, too, since it's made the same way as yogurt. That'll be fun. I'm so glad I found my yogurt maker; I thought I'd given it away to someone and was losing my marbles! :)

Amy

Sarah said...

Thanks for the recipes! They look wonderful and I will have to try them. My boys love oatmeal. I just hate giving it to them - they inevitably make a mess with it! :P
Sounds like a great weekend! I have never had a pedicure, but it sounds like a fun girly thing to do. One of these days I will have to get my 15-year-old sister (a very girly girl) to show me how its done. :) Happy 4th!