The Blue House Blog

{remodeling thrills} Day Two.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:07:00 +0000

Day two.
Picked out carpet. What I wanted I couldn't have, because our rooms are 14 feet wide {and carpet is 12 feet wide} so we HAVE to have stuff that hides the inevitable seams and not the pretty stuff with the pattern in it that I had my heart set on. But I'm OK with what we picked. I just hope HGTV understands, you know, when they come with their film crew, that what we chose wasn't THE most fabulous carpet there is. It was just ordinary carpet, like everybody else's.

Like everybody else's. Sigh. I hate those words.

Pulled up old carpet, and lemme tell you... when the carpet is 40 year old, two-inch-thick shag, {literally. two inches.} there is some stuff underneath. Which ends up all over you, in your hair, and up your nose. Don't ask me how I know about that last part...

Yeah. That's dirt where the carpet used to be. Lots. And lots. Of dirt.

Bought a shop vac. After seeing what was under the carpet we knew we needed 1) a shop vac or 2) to burn this house down. It was a tough decision.

Toilets delivered. It was like Christmas. And at the rate we're spending money on this house, the new toilets may very well be our only Christmas gifts. Our girls LOVE to get toilets as a gift anyway...

I have a plethora of decorating ideas about almost every room but the Master Bedroom. But what to do in the Master Bedroom? Searched "glamorous bedrooms" on Pinterest, and saw lots of mirrored headboards, and I don't get it...

I mean, is it just me, or does a mirrored headboard spell H-E-A-D I-N-J-U-R-Y? And I like to read in bed and I ain't tryin' to lean up against GLASS. Please. Or at least I used to like to read, and then I got an iPhone. But I don't want to lean against glass to play Words With Friends either. Master bedroom decorating suggestions appreciated...

Michael is installing our new toilet in the downstairs hall bath. Amazing. He can fix ANYTHING.

For the tenth time he asks where we are putting that freezer, that freezer left behind by the sellers? The answer is still the same... In your shop. It's like maybe if he asks me enough times I'll forget and say, oh baby, lets just keep that big monstrosity freezer in the house because we do NOT want to clutter up your sacred Man Cave with a freezer, of all things, where it would take up valuable TOOL space!

False. He's getting the freezer. I let him win the couch thing, after all.

Update: The freezer is in the game room. I helped Michael put it there. DAGNABBIT! HE ALWAYS WINS, and not only WINS, tricks me somehow into helping him do it...

Blackberries. Yummy, Lucious Blackberries.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:12:00 +0000

Blackberries are my FAVORITE fruit ever.

It's not quite blackberry season, but it shouldn't be much longer... and believe me, I'll be bringing home my share!

I posted a great easy and HEALTHY recipe for Blackberry Cheesecake Crunch over at Modern Alternative Kitchen, and it's Trim Healthy Mama approved! Click here to check it out!

{Oh, and isn't that photo INCREDIBLE?!?! My fantabulous husband ROCKS at food photography! Yeah. He's pretty much awesome at everything...}

{Remodeling Thrills} Day One.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:33:00 +0000

We didn't get too far on Day One, and that's mostly because we spent hours frolicking around our new house like baby lambs in a field of daisies, making snow angels in the thick shag carpet because this is OUR house {OURS!} and its JUST PERFECT AND BEAUTIFUL, and talking nonstop for hours about our heartfelt visions and dreams about the FUN, pure THRILLING FUN of transforming this diamond-in-the-rough into a dream estate that HGTV will most likely want to film for its own series because its so dang PERFECT (you know, once we get done)...perusing Lowe's, looking for tools, and getting distracted by the treasures the homeowners left behind.

It's exciting stuff... I was enamored by a box of old children's books that ALSO included a tiny pair of baby sandals from the 1960s and (AND!) some vintage bird prints from 1942; Michael dove off headfirst into the treasure trove that is his shop and found tons of really cool Mad Men props. I mean, can you BELIEVE the former owners left so much cool stuff behind?!

So while we should have been doing something useful, we were all LOOK!!! THEY LEFT US SOME OLD TUPPERWARE!!! OH MY GOSH ISN'T LIFE GREAT?! There is NOTHING that can go wrong and we're gonna live happily ever after in our cool new house!

*big happy sighs...

One Thing I Know About My New Kitchen...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:59:00 +0000

I'm gonna be honest... about the ONLY thing I ever remotely miss about the old Blue House is the kitchen.

That's because I designed it.

After years of tearing out magazine pictures, I knew I wanted a vintage-style kitchen with white subway tiles, a farmhouse sink, and a pale aqua ceiling. I drew out how I wanted it, and got the kitchen of my dreams.

It was beautiful and perfect.

Click here to check out my former kitchen... Pretty, right?

I don't miss anything about life in that house, that chapter is closed and I'm not looking back, but I still love the design of my old kitchen.

I can't WAIT to get moved into our new house. The kitchen is new, with brand-spankin'-new Ikea cabinets. Not what I would have chosen, but it's all new and clean and I'm so incredibly thankful.

But this antique milk glass light fixture from the old Blue House? It's been carefully stored since we remodeled that kitchen in 2006, and it's coming with me.

{Michael Cooks} Homemade Nutter Butters.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:54:00 +0000

I know I might have lead you to believe that Michael actually made these cookies, because, you know, I called this post 'Michael Cooks.'

He didn't.

But I'm all Trim Healthy Mama and stuff, and have all these new blog followers who came here for the THM recipes and whatnot, and so making cookies out of white sugar doesn't sound AT ALL like something *I would do. You KNOW me. You can trust me to ONLY make healthy stuff.

{Mostly.}

So that's why, if you see something not so healthy here, it had to have been Michael's idea. ~~I did make these for him, after all.~~ I mean, no... you can't prove I made these, and if I would have made these, hypothetically, they would have been for Michael. So, Michael cooks. The end. Stop making a big deal out of it. Gosh.

But I'll be honest... I do love peanut butter. ALLLL things peanut butter. It was a wicked craving during my first pregnancy in 2001, and its never faded. TCBY Peanut Butter Shakes? OOOOOhhhhh baby. Braum's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream? YES. And of course Nutter Butters.

Of COURSE homemade is ALWAYS better. They taste better. There are no chemicals or preservatives. They aren't five bucks for a measly package that's gone in one blink.

If you're a peanut butter lover like me, you've GOTTA try these.

Unless, of course, you're a Trim Healthy Mama, and then you're gonna want to stop reading right about now and come back after I wrestle control of this blog back from Michael and his sinful recipes.

Start with a good peanut butter cookie recipe. I LOVE this one, because it makes SOFT cookies. That's on account of the four sticks of butter.

Blame Michael.

I like to use my Pampered Chef scoop so all the cookies will be uniform.

And of course one of the unchangeable laws of the universe is that peanut butter cookies MUST have a criss-cross design pressed into the top with the tines of a fork. Look, I don't make the rules.

These cookies are delicious enough in and of themselves.

Peanut buttery, buttery goodness. Sweet, and slightly salty.

Bake them a short time so they don't get too hard. Soft cookies are the best. Which is the main reason these are leaps and bounds better than store-bought.

Beautiful... Michael took this picture below. He's really, really good at food photography. That, and thinking up really sinful cookies...

Then there's this FILLING.

Yes, please. Are you kidding me? Shut the front door. I am literally in love with this. I am SOOOO doing this. Nom nom nom.

Oh no. WHAT HAPPENED?! I'm sorry. I just got drunk on this peanut butter filling and spewed all of the most Annoying and Overused Pinterest Phrases, RIGHT THERE IN ONE PARAGRAPH.

PLEASE forgive me. It won't happen again.

Ahem.

But this filling... use your Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to pipe it in there between two cookies.

And there you have it. I got three marriage proposals from Michael's coworkers the day I sent these to his work. THREE! Feeling lonely? Stock up on some butter and make these today.

Click here for these cookies on Pinterest.

Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Ingredients
2 Sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (I like crunchy for the cookies)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder (make sure it doesn't have aluminum, so your cookies will be healthy...)
1 tsp sea salt (I like Real Salt)

Filling
2 Sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (creamy works best for filling)
4 cups (1 box) powdered sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2-3 tablespoons milk

Directions
For the cookies... Preheat oven to 350*, then...
1. IN a large mixer bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
3. In a small mixer bowl, stir together your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add this to your butter mixture and mix well.
4. Using a scoop or two teaspoons, form dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a baking stone (or cookie sheet) 2 inches apart. Using a fork, press down slightly to make a criss-cross pattern; I found that rocking the fork back and forth works best since this dough is so buttery.
5. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are slightly golden; remove from oven and allow to cool on your stone until cookies flatten themselves slightly (they'll be puffy when you pull them from the oven).
6. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling:
7. IN a large mixer bowl cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth.
8. SLOWLY add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, unless you want to wear it; add your salt. Slowly add milk until your frosting is a spreadable consistency.
9. Spread a tablespoon or two of filling onto the bottom of one cookie, then press another cookie to form a sandwich.
10. Pick out your wedding dress, baby. The proposals are gonna be rolling in.

Happy Birthday Annie!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:44:00 +0000

My sweet Annie is seven years old!

She's my hilarious, nutty, quick-witted child who keeps us laughing ALL the time.

Plus she pretty much knows all there is to know about the Bible, and about dancing. Her words. She's brilliant AND talented, is what I'm trying to say.

But then she says stuff like "throw upping" when she's sick and "hicking up" when she has the hiccups, and it's just so dagdum cute that I hope she never learns the right way to say some things.

She LOVES to make up scary stories to try to scare US, and ends up scaring herself. First there was the story about a woman who had her head tied on with a ribbon, and when her husband untied the ribbon, her body fell off.

And then there was the one about a ghost of a little girl, and to REALLY drive the point home she snuck around the corner moaning 'liiiiiiiiiittttttle giiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrl.......' in a creepy ghost voice. It backfired on her when she creeped her own self out.

She does love her Bible study, and playing school, and often combines the two, teaching her imaginary class in her bedroom all about the Bible. She's told them John 3:16 is the most important verse in the whole Bible, and talked to them all about what happens when you die.

I can't imagine what big things are in store for her future, but I KNOW it will be big time fun, whatever it is, for this Jesus-loving, dance-mastering (she thinks), hilarious little comedian.

And I'm so, so thankful that she's mine. Thank you, Lord, for the past seven years.

Hair Envy.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:17:00 +0000

I wouldn't say I have the worst hair in the world.

No, because there's that woman who works at WalMart who has twelve hairs on her head and a full beard on her face. I know you've seen her.

She makes me feel better about myself.

But my hair, while not that bad, is hard to deal with.

In fact, I was telling my mom about this blog post this morning and she reminded me of how as a child, my hair was THE WORST of her three daughters, and how hard it was to fix, and to cut, because it was like plastic Barbie doll hair. I had to have store- bought hair cuts, while she could cut the others' at home, because they had decent hair that could be cut in a straight line.

I'm sensing a home hair cut gone awry judging by those bangs.

I know exactly what she means because Annie has that same slick plastic-y hair that slips and slides around (compounded by half a dozen cowlicks) that makes it pretty dang impossible to style or to be constrained by a ponytail holder. I'm sorry, Annie; it will be better 30 years from now, but you'll have to pay good money for it... ask me how I know.

And then mom told me about that time when I was three and pilfered a pair of scissors and cut my own bangs -- diagonally, which made her JUST SICK. I am quite sure that it did, because I know how slowly my hair grows and how excruciatingly looooong it takes to overcome a bad hair cut.

But that wasn't the last time I cut my own hair. From 1984 to 1987 I thought the more bangs you have, the better. If your hair looks like a flock of seagulls, then job well done. Mullet, I believe, is the official name for this disaster.

Yeah, I did that myself. I mean, I had watched my hair being cut many times, and it didn't look that hard. I distinctly remember making one cut, then I had to even it up, and make another one, even it up, and so on, until I had bangs clear to the back of my head. Heaven help.

Things got better in high school with the invention of the spiral perm.

This was our church directory picture, circa 1989. I remember my dad taking one look at this picture and with a huge sigh, saying he couldn't wait until hair styles changed. I was shocked, because, I mean, truly, was there ANYTHING more BEAUTIFUL than a spiral perm?!!

Hot rollers.... staple of high school hair.

For senior prom, I rolled, teased, sprayed, teased, sprayed, teased. Oh, it was gorgeous. It could have withstood gale force winds.

Isn't it weird how my date was headless?!

Hair continued to get bigger, but sadly, this was the best I could do. This was my senior picture...

What... you think THAT'S big?! Oh no, honey... with my extra fine blonde hair, I never could get more than an inch or two of height, and that was with six hair products and half a can of hairspray, holding the sides out while I dried the hair spray with a hairdryer.

My sister, with her good hair, had me beat by a mile...

Sorry Betsy. I had to.

Then there were these girls, from the back of my yearbook. The pinnacle of hair excellence, right here. THIS explains massive inferiority complex in high school, because I could never, ever compete with these girls and their hair.... (and I'm still jealous).

In my college days came the 'grunge' thing... you know, flannel shirts. I wore flannel shirts and hiking boots to go out. THAT was 'dressed up.' It seems so strange now. And suddenly straight hair was acceptable again.

After college I thought my long hair made me look really young {it did} and I wanted to be treated like a grown-up instead of a kid. I wanted to look like a business woman {Romy & Michelle, ahem}. I cut my hair. I wore pumps and bought suits from Casual Corner. I still got treated like a kid.

1996. My 'grown-up' look.

My hair got shorter and shorter. At the time, I thought I looked good. Then I look back at pictures and snicker at myself...

My hair looks like a stiff, sprayed-up football helmet.

The 'Meg Ryan' look.

What is this?! I look like a bottle brush!

shorter still....

And then it happened. I was addicted to hair cuts. Until that day in the stylist's chair, when she told me she wanted to make my hair 'close to my head' in the back. I said, "Sure! Yeah! I don't care. Whatever." and promptly buried my nose in an InStyle magazine and paid no attention as she gave me this...

At a formal event in Hawaii.

As it turns out, 'close to your head' means 'one-quarter of an inch long.' I left in tears.

The haircut was phenomenal -- never before or since have I gotten that many compliments on my hair -- but it wasn't me. I'm traditional, dangit. I like long hair on women. And skirts. And cooking in an apron and staying home with the children.

It took years for that stuff to grow out. YEARS. And it's not as long as I want it to be now, but it's getting there. Thank goodness for those prenatal vitamins...

My dream hair? Voluminous waves like these. Long, flowing voluminous waves like these...

(I can dream, can't I?)

Click here for Sweeps rules.

Prizes & Promotions page on Blogher.com.

A Day in the Life of Susie.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:04:00 +0000

This happy baby can entertain herself all day, with just a set of hands and feet and her mouth. I love her.

Let the New Blue House Adventure Begin!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:13:00 +0000

I know what you think.

You think I'm crazy, I know you do.

I didn't get enough of the whole remodeling ~~nightmare~~ super fun adventure during the last Blue House ~~living hell~~ thrill ride.

I HAD to do it again. Though when I say 'again,' believe me... there is NO comparison to the horrendous experience of remodeling a 1928 house. This one's actually new in comparison. Plus it has electricity, plumbing, and a kitchen....

Something about rotting wood and chippy paint draws me like a moth to a flame. It tells me a house NEEDS me.

I HAVE to take something old and forlorn and give it a makeover. It's a compulsion I have. It's the artist in me... The repressed artist in there, dying to do something creative to make the world a prettier place; the artist who's been searching for a creative outlet since those college art classes decades ago. Or something. Look, I'm just trying to make this ~~sickness~~ ~~compulsion~~ weird quirk I have sound good, ok?

Plus, who could resist a great deal on a home with GREAT bones and lots of square footage that just happens to be chock full of all things 1980s ...namely pale yellow carpet and metallic wallpaper. I LOVED the 80s... and metallic wallpaper. I ALWAYS thought metallic wallpaper was the fanciest thing EVER, ever since third grade when my friend Robin's house had shimmering silvery wallpaper in the half bath...

OK, as it turns out, most of you could probably resist. For sure, everybody I know. Seems everybody but me wants a NEW house... but I've never been one to follow the crowd.

And it just so happens that Michael LOVES remodeling, working with power tools, and flipping houses... yet another quirk we have in common. Another reason we are truly a match made in heaven.

Plus he's just dead sexy with a tool belt.

So let the fun begin!

And the Winner of the Trim Healthy Mama Giveaway is....

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Chosen randomly by random.org, entry #1011.... Elizabeth O. :) Congrats Elizabeth! I'll email you details!

For those of you who still need a book?

Order your Trim Healthy Mama Book here!

A few Trim Healthy Recipes...

Skinny Chocolate

Trim Healthy Pancakes

Emily's S Pancakes

Low-Carb "Fooled Ya" Pizza Crust

Now let's DO THIS Trim Healthy Mama Thing! WOOHOO!

{Trim Healthy Mama} Fooled Ya {Low Carb} Pizza.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:58:00 +0000

Take a LOOK at this Homemade Alfredo Cheese Pizza, WOULD YOU? Look. Look with your special eyes...

Oh, it looks delicious all right... but would you believe me if I told you it's HEALTHY?

Well, maybe not by some definitions, because my version is coated with a generous layer of butter, cream, and cheese... but if you're a believer in whole foods like I am, and that butter and cream from grass-fed cows are GOOD for you (they are), then you will LOVE this.... OR you could just make the crust and top it with plain fat-free lettuce if you want. But I wouldn't recommend that.

I got the idea from my Trim Healthy Mama book {see this post for a review and giveaway!} and since my #1 diet killer is BREAD -- mmm, hot, fresh, garlicky bread -- I knew that if THM was gonna work for me at ALL, I would have to find some way to survive without icky white flour, and THUS, needed to master some bread substitutes.

Enter Fooled Ya Pizza (p. 277). With not one crumb of nasty, diet-busting white flour anywhere to be found.

Because it's made from... stay with me here... cauliflower. WAIT! COME BACK! COME BACK!

Are you still here? Whew. Now. Believe me when I say, I've never been a fan of cauliflower. And my husband would soooonah chew broken glaaaaass {must read that in Carson's Downton Abbey accent because that's Michael's favorite quote} than to EVER eat {choke. sputter.} cauliflower.

AND WE *LIKED* THIS RECIPE because you canNOT taste cauliflower. And you KNOW I always tell the truth.

I've made it twice, and it kind of flopped the first time because of the extra water in the cauliflower.

Lesson learned the hard way: must remove moisture from the cauliflower. A tip I learned from Facebook? Run your cooked cauliflower through a juicer first. BRILLIANT!

This is, um, juiced cauliflower pulp. Trust me; this recipe gets better.

But what to do with the juice that comes out? I offered it to Katie, because I LOVE her and I want her to be healthy.

She was less than thrilled. I can't imagine why, what with all those nutrients and whatnot...

It's like she doesn't even care about her health. Kids these days... We poured the juice in the compost bin.

Add egg whites to your cauliflower pulp. I've started buying egg whites in a carton, because THM recipes use SO many and you'll end up with more egg yolks than you can use. This is what egg whites in a carton look like... um... snotty, gelatinous liquid... on top of cauliflower pulp...

WAIT! COME BACK! COME BACK!

Trust me. This recipe gets better. And you know I always tell the truth.

And here's where the recipe turns the corner. Mozzarella cheese. LOTS of it.

Then add some sea salt to that. I like Real Salt.

You'll want to line a bar pan with some parchment paper. This mixture is sloppy and gunky and will ooze all off in your oven if you're not careful. Use a pan with edges, like the Pampered Chef Bar Pan.

See? Sloppy. Gunky. But it does get better.

Spread it thin and evenly so it will ALL get brown. Then bake the goo for 15 minutes or so in a HOT oven, like 450* hot. I think I left mine a little longer because I wanted it CRISPY.

Meanwhile, make Homemade Alfredo Sauce. Of course, you don't HAVE to top your pizza the same way I do; if you like red sauce, by all means, use that.

WE don't like red sauce, but this Alfredo is the BOMB. I imagine a chicken-bacon-ranch pizza would be good, and I may try that next time... just a thought.

Here's my nice, toasted cauliflower pizza crust.

But... you want it crispy and toasted on BOTH sides, so gently, carefully, flip it using the waxed paper. Then remove the waxed paper and toast five more minutes. Or longer if you want. Crispy is what we're after.

Top with ooey, gooey homemade Alfredo Sauce. And some more mozzarella. Or whatever topping you want. This was for my kids, so I poured on the fat grams, baby.

Their little brains are made out of fat and water, after all, and I want them to have all the brains they can get. If you're worried eating fat makes your kids fat, don't be... you should see my kids' beanpole legs, and they're on a full-fat diet. It's the empty carbs you have to worry about... and this recipe solves that. There AREN'T any.

So pat yourself on the slim, svelte back, knowing you can eat like THIS and still be Trim and Healthy.

Trim Healthy Mama 'Fooled Ya' Low-Carb Pizza Crust.
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) bag frozen cauliflower
3/4 cup egg whites
2 cups grated mozzarella
1 tsp sea salt
Italian seasoning, or other seasonings as desired

Directions
Cook cauliflower according to package directions. Remove as much water as possible, either by pressing down with a plate or your hands to squeeze out the water, OR by juicing it if you have a juicer handy. Put cauliflower in food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is coarse crumbs. Add the egg whites and pulse again; add grated cheese, salt, and a teaspoon of Italian or other seasoning if desired. Mix well with a spatula and spread evenly into a parchment paper-lined bar pan. Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven and flip pizza crust, removing parchment paper. Bake five more minutes. Allow crust to cool slightly before topping as desired.

For Homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe click here.

Trim Healthy Mama Book Review and Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:22:00 +0000

I struggled with how to begin this blog post, because I'm certainly not the ideal person to talk about this book. This book, without a doubt, is amazing.

Wanna know how I know? Because dozens of my Facebook friends have read it, are following the plan, and dropping weight at an iNCReDiBLe rate. Like, so incredible that I'm JEALOUS. JEALOUS because they keep posting before and after pictures of themselves, the 'before' pics looking like, well, moms, and the 'after' pics looking like pretty little college girls, darn them.

Yes, I'm talking about you, Kimi. And YOU, Jessica. And of course Gwen, aka Wonder Woman. And so many others; you know who you are. And this is JUST WITHIN THE LAST 2-4 MONTHS. I'm jealous, and I don't like you very much right now. So it's not the book's fault that my own story isn't the best possible Trim Healthy Mama example.

It's my own dang fault. I'm the world's worst dieter, and if you've followed my blog for any length of time you KNOW this. I LOVE to bake. Baking is my stress-reliever. And if you know me, I don't have to explain to you why there have been way too many cups of butter and sugar and white flour in this here house, know what I'm sayin'? And my hubby loves to cook red meat and bacon, and my family loves to eat real, satisfying food. HOW I'm not 500 pounds at this point, I DO NOT KNOW.

I'm not, but having just had a baby {you can say 'just had a baby' for the first year, FYI} I have some pounds I'd like to lose. I also have a wicked, powerful, all-consuming craving for SUGAR that ONLY happens when I'm nursing a baby. Seriously... all {ok, most} other times, sugar is not my downfall... but these last five months, I'm like an alien in an Edgar suit chugging sugar water out of hummingbird feeders.

I can stick to the Trim Healthy Mama plan SO faithfully for three days, and WHAM... I'm getting the shakes and falling out on the floor in spasms and sweating and dry-heaving until somebody holds my tongue back and pours refined white sugar down my throat.

Not really.

But in my overactive imagination, yes, I. MUST. HAVE. SUGAR.

And it does make it rather difficult to stick to the plan.

And THAT, my friends, is why I didn't know how to begin this blog post: I was waiting until I could do this thing perfectly. I wanted to get it right, post this review with my own fabulous 'after' picture of myself.

Or maybe a slow-motion video of myself running down the beach in a red Baywatch swimsuit...

THAT thought just made me laugh out loud, right before I threw up in my mouth a little. Don't worry; I'm not gonna. But a girl can dream, right?

That does, however, bring me to one of the best features of this book and it's plan. You don't HAVE to do it perfectly to see results. In fact, sometimes 'cheating' spurs your body on to drop a chunk of pounds. I've lost weight with other diets, but a 'cheat' on other plans TOTALLY derails you, because OTHER diets say you MUST eat nine perfect meals in a row before it 'works.' NINE. That's three days of perfect eating, and I can't do that for a lifetime. I just can't.

But in spite of my more-frequent-than-they-should-be sugary cheats on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, I've lost twelve pounds since I got my book.

*But don't do what I do, ok? DON'T. Let ME be your example of what NOT to do... I just want to encourage you that THIS IS DOABLE. Even for big fat cheaters like me.

Another thing I love: NO food groups are excluded. God made them all, and you are to eat all of them for optimum health. Which is WONDERFUL, because I've tried the low-fat thing back when I was in college. We would go to a Mexican restaurant and eat nothing but rice by the plate full. Or a big bowl of lettuce with no dressing. And it was torture because I couldn't have butter, not to mention horrible for my blood sugar.

Then I tried the low-carb thing 15 years ago, and ate bacon and cream cheese by the plate full, and it was equally torturous because I couldn't have my Red Lobster biscuits. NOBODY can cut out an entire food group all the time and be HAPPY about it. I've never known ANYBODY who made that work, and I daresay you haven't either. SO REJOICE, BECAUSE YOU GET TO EAT FROM ALL THE FOOD GROUPS, HALLELUJAH!

BUT. The premise is, you don't eat them all at the same time.

Protein is the basis of all meals, and with your protein you eat EITHER healthy carbs OR healthy fats. It makes sense when you think about it; your body can burn one primary fuel at a time, and will store the other one when you give it two fuels to choose from, resulting in extra padding for YOU. Trim Healthy Mama is all about keeping your blood sugar stable with no dips and spikes in your insulin. And that's the WAY oversimplified explanation, of course.

Another thing I love? All the support. One of the book's authors has become a Facebook friend. And there are forums. And Facebook support groups. I'm a member of more than one Trim Healthy Mama support group. You are never, ever in this alone! And the amazing Gwen has put together Quick-Start guides and recipe files and an entire treasure trove of THM info. Did I mention she's amazing? See her Trim Healthy Mama review here.

More pluses:
* You will NOT feel deprived.
* You do NOT count calories.
* You can fall off, then immediately get back on the plan.
* You can tailor favorite recipes to be THM-friendly.
* Chapters on hormones, supplements, and motivation.

I won't go into any further detail, because the book goes into 600 ... pages... of... detail....

Which brings me to the 'cons' of this plan. It wouldn't be a fair book review if I didn't include a few 'cons,' right? Most notably, it's LONG. It's a LOT of reading, which you MUST GET THROUGH in order to have a real grasp on how this plan is done.

The recipes aren't all 'complete,' I guess is the word? At times they left out an ingredient, or something, and thus you sort of have to tweak a recipe to work for you, or guess at amounts. None of that bothers me too badly, because I tend to be a recipe-tweaker anyway, but it is a complaint I've heard around the inter-webs.

Then a couple of the recipes, well, I haven't been just 'wowed' over. The crackers that are supposed to taste like Wheat Thins... NO. Just no. Those went in the garbage. But maybe that was just me and I did something wrong, but I've had a few other 'flops,' though some of that may be due to the Stevia. Stevia is definitely a guessing game and an acquired taste. But for every one I haven't liked, there have been six that I really did.

And lastly, you really do need to buy a few special ingredients if you want to delve off into this 100%, Stevia for one, Glucomannan for another. They say you can do the plan without those things, but in all reality.... you need those things. And Glucomannan is pretty dang hard to find; I had to order it online.

So there you have it. A drop in the bucket of all I COULD say about this book. I wholeheartedly recommend it, though. After all, I've lost twelve pounds all while being a voracious cheater, and if I can do that, anyone with a mustard seed worth of discipline could REALLY make this work.

So JOIN ME AND LET'S DO THIS THING!

Check out the Trim Healthy Mama link here to buy the book. OR... enter my giveaway for a chance to win an e-version of it, sponsored by the book's authors! And just so you know, they gave me an ebook for my very own for hosting this giveaway, but all the opinions are my own!

To enter the giveaway click the Rafflecopter link HERE --->

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Susie Entertains Herself.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:42:00 +0000

{Baby Love} Five Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:56:00 +0000

Susannah Joy is FIVE MONTHS OLD ALREADY!

So, so happy.

I really hate how FAST the first year whizzes by. Really, really hate it. I want to savor every single minute of her and stretch it out and soak up every last detail of her tiny toes, her chunky thighs and chubby cheeks, her raspberry-blowing and gurgles and coos and giggles. In the blink of an eye, we'll be celebrating a first birthday and then she'll be walking, and then next, COLLEGE ... Boo hoo!!!

Stealing my date's attention at Smashburger.

And I'm so, so in love with her. Thank you God. I say this every month, but when I think of how if it were up to us, we may or may not have had another baby, and if we did, it was going to be after we'd been married a year and saved some money... and then I get all flabbergasted all over again over how incredibly GOOD it was of God to surprise us with her, and thank God again and again for sometimes giving me something different than I planned that's always better than I could have even imagined.

Thank you God.

Daddy's girl. No doubt.

Thank you God.

Nana and Papaw love this girl!

Thank you God.

Big cheesy grins.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows...

This month, Susie...
*has gone to the church nursery for the first time. She LOVES it. There's a sweet little lady named Marie who fawns over her and talks baby talk and they smile at each other... I love Marie.

BFFs in the church nursery.

*rolls over. She always clunks her big head on the floor and then whimpers and pouts like the big mean floor hit her on the head for no reason.

*has learned to roll her bottom lip out into a big pout if things aren't going her way.
*sleeps all night. She's been doing this for a long time, but I have to revel in it every month. I forget that not all babies do this. But don't tell me I'm just lucky and have a 'good' baby; I planned it, scheduled it, and worked hard for it...

*LOVES blowing raspberries and will sputter and slobber until everything in six counties is SOAKED.

*loves sucking on her fingers and toes...

*laughs a LOT and grins big cheesy grins a LOT and is just generally happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, and did I mention HAPPY?

*and did I THANK GOD for this tiny little gift? Thank you, God. I mean that.

Us (+ one very dirty iPhone cover). :)

Ever Had One of Those Days When Baby Poop is the Best Part?

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:03:00 +0000

It's been one of those days when I've been taxing my adrenal glands again. Kind of stressed out...

I won't go into details; nobody's dying or anything, but there's just something I want, and I want it NOW, but getting it is taking some work, dangit. Some work, and praying, and just... WORK. And I've been WORKING ON THIS BIDNESS ALL DAY.

And getting more and more discouraged as the day goes on. And more and more irritated with certain people who don't do what they're supposed to do and leave the mess for someone else to clean up. And then I opened the mail, and it wasn't the Publisher's Clearing House win I was hoping for, to say the least....

And on top of that, I was mildly concerned about Susie Joy, because she never pooped all day yesterday or today. Not that that's a huge deal, but on her, uh, organic liquid diet, babies just normally poop every eight minutes. At least THIS one does. And she's been a tad bit cranky and not her usual jolly Christmas Elf self.

Like I said, I was mildly concerned. Not hugely concerned, just enough to be on the lookout for some symptoms of something, is alls I'm saying.

And then it happened.

A huge, thunderous explosion of POOP of massive proportions.

Poop by the bushel basket.

Lots and lots of poop. Watery, oozing poop. The kind that oozes through several layers of clothing. And coincidentally, she's wearing the same tights she wore the last time she had a poop explosion...

Naturally, I had to tell Michael... we share everything, you know.

And that just pretty much sums up my day.

How We Made Our Own Compost Bin.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:14:00 +0000

When we got the bright idea last year to plant some vegetables, we jumped in with both feet, because, you know, that's how we like to do things. ALL in, baby. We bought seeds and lattices, we tilled up a patch of our back yard, we watered, we weeded. I researched organic gardening methods; Michael scoffed at everything organic.

We rejoiced when tiny little green leaves poked their little heads out of the dirt, and got real attached to our little green babies, and before long we had cucumbers and jalapenos galore.

We decided we needed a compost bin. But the fancy store-bought ones that spin and rotate and whatnot are expensive. We opted not to do that. Because another way we like to do things is that we like to start a project and not finish it, and who's to say this gardening thing wouldn't get really old in a day or two, and then we'd have this gigantic $90 compost thing that was of no use to us anymore?

The garden didn't get old -- we LOVED it -- but our homemade compost bin made of a recycled Rubbermaid tub works perfectly for what we need.

Here she is...

As it just so happens, I had a really large one that once contained maternity clothes. Because I made a solemn vow that the clothes coming out of this tub would NEVER go back in.

And then I changed my mind and wanted another baby. And then I changed my mind and didn't. And then... well, you get the idea. But it's too late now because the maternity clothes are long gone, along with their Rubbermaid home. Which can mean only one thing...

Actually, no. It doesn't mean anything.

We drilled holes every 2 or 3 inches apart, ALLLLLLL over... top, bottom, sides. Actually Michael did that. He's way better with the power tools, what with his big lumberjack muscles and all.

We put some dirt and leaves and lawn clippings and WORMS in our tub and proceeded to fill it with our kitchen scraps. And the worms happily filled their bellies with our scraps and pooped out the BEST, blackest, nutrient-dense dirt.

We put an extra lid under our compost bin to catch the, uh... WORM TEA that drips out. Yeah, that's really what it's called: WORM TEA. Look, I don't invent all the terminology. All the brown dirty water that worms excrete is supposed to be a GREAT nutrient drink for your plants.

Wanna see what's inside it?

And it doesn't stink! Surprisingly enough. We leave this bin outside our kitchen door and toss egg shells, vegetable peelings, moldy grapes and onion skin and apple cores inside. I've never ONCE walked outside and smelled anything foul, because believe me, she'd be long gone if there was any sort of stench at our back door. We dig around in there every few days to toss everything around, and rotate the stuff on top to the bottom and vice versa.

It's incredibly amazing to me how FAST the stuff in this bin breaks down. Egg shells will literally be gone in days. GONE!

And under all those kitchen scraps and leaves, rich, black dirt... just in time to start get our 2013 garden off to a healthy start. Home Depot, here we come.....

{Trim Healthy Mama} Emily's S Pancakes.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:02:00 +0000

I told you yesterday we're pancakes connoisseurs in this house.

And on an unrelated note, I've gained more than a handful pounds since Michael came into my life.

But thankfully, there's Trim Healthy Mama, and I know I keep promising a review and a giveaway, and that is COMING THIS WEEK, I promise.

It's recipes like this one that keep me focused and fat-burning while Michael's cooking Cinnamon Roll Pancakes... I make these pancakes invented by my friend Emily, and I can withstand the Cinnamon Roll Pancake temptation and we all live happily ever after. And they're actually really tasty.

The whole premise of the THM book is that you alternate S and E meals, something I'll tell you more about later... and I'll be honest: I don't like E breakfasts. And it's all because coffee without cream makes life miserable and devoid of meaning, and I can't do it, I just can't. I'll do my E meals another time, but NOT at breakfast. Creamy coffee is THAT important.

These are super easy, tasty, AND... you can put butter on top, because they're S. Win-win.

Emily's Trim Healthy Mama S Pancakes
Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup flax meal
1 T coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
Whisk all ingredients together. Ladle onto 350* griddle and brown. When edges become dry, flip and brown the other side. Serve with butter and sugar-free, low-carb topping of your choice. Serves 2.

{Michael Cooks} Texas Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:49:00 +0000

Just so you know, this wasn't MY idea.

It wasn't mine, because I'm all Trim Healthy Mama and Nourishing Traditions and plus I have a degree in Christian Ministry from ETBU. I'm just good, is what I'm trying to say, and these pancakes are most decidedly NOT.

NOT GOOD on ANY kind of healthy diet, I mean, and yet... SO INCREDIBLY GOOD, like meth. Or at least like I assume meth must be, what with people being willing to give up perfectly good teeth and stuff to get it. I would almost bet that some folks out there would be willing to trade their teeth for these pancakes, they're THAT GOOD.

But when you try these, get addicted, lose your teeth and/or your pants get too tight, blame Michael. These were all his idea.

Now just so you know, we are pancake connoisseurs at our house. We have pancakes or waffles at LEAST once a week at our house {Waffle Friday, for our Facebook friends}. I even have a whole pancake cookbook given to me as a wedding gift by my cousin Wendy, and we've made them all. We make Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes and Trim Healthy Mama Pancakes and more pancakes that I haven't even posted on this blog yet. And yet with all those pancake recipes in our repertoire, Michael's all time favorite pancake recipe is the one on the Bisquick box.

Told you... his idea. Not mine. I don't do Bisquick {she said with an air of self-righteous indignation}.

You need Bisquick. Milk. Eggs. Mix well. {This was half a recipe, shown below...}

But it's one of our life principles that you must add one secret ingredient to make a recipe your own. And in this case? Vanilla. One teaspoon.

Now for the cinnamon filling... Butter. Brown sugar. Cinnamon. Three of my four favorite food groups. Melt the butter and stir everything together.

Ladle out some pancake batter onto your hot griddle, then swirl some cinnamon filling on top to make them look cinnamon roll-ish. We like to use our Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator for this, but a Ziplock baggie with the corner cut off would probably work just as well.

See? They're pancakes AND cinnamon rolls.

This is the part that makes these pancakes SO DELICIOUS... The buttery cinnamon filling sinks down into the pancakes, making little ridges that get all crispy and buttery and fill up with the cream cheese topping... Oh. I almost fainted just now typing that.

And just in case you haven't gotten your fill of butter and sugar yet, go ahead and whip up some topping. More butter. Cream cheese. Sugar. Vanilla. Stir all that until it's smooth, and when your pancakes come off the griddle, slather this on top.

And there you have it... hot pancakes, all cinnamon-y, buttery, gooey, and delicious.

And just to make myself feel better, since, you know, I'm all Trim Healthy Mama and Nourishing Traditions and plus I have a degree in Christian Ministry from ETBU let's make a list of the health benefits of these pancakes, shall we?

Texas Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients
Pancakes
2 cups Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Cinnamon Filling
1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 T ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
For the pancakes: Heat griddle to 325*. Stir all ingredients until blended. Set aside. For the filling: combine and mix well, and place all ingredients into your Easy Accent Decorator or a Ziplock baggie and cut off a tiny section of the corner. Create a swirl of cinnamon filling on each pancake. Cook pancakes until edges are dry and bubbles are forming; flip pancakes and cook until golden. For the icing: mix all ingredients well and top your pancakes as soon as they come off the griddle.

It Wasn't My Favorite Tuesday Night.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 02:48:00 +0000

The diaper explosion should have been my first indication.

Scratch that. The text from my kids' dad asking if I could keep the girls tonight should have been my first indication. Now, I LOVE having my girls at home, but all 650 of my Facebook friends KNOW that Tuesday night is date night. All the experts say date nights are how you keep your marriage happy, and I'm here to testify, know what I'm sayin'? So Tuesday night is OUR night.

Except for tonight.

And then there was a diaper explosion.

When the baby is wearing several layers, including tights, and the poop is liquid and oozes through all the layers, just know that there's NO WAY to get poopy tights off of a squirming baby without getting poop in your hair and between her toes.

Yeah. It's never pretty. And now I have to wash the changing table cover. And my hair. And everything in between.

And then... Sigh.

Tonight, it just so happened that Michael had to be at choir practice at 6:00. It's not the norm, but the choir is recording a CD and had to be at the church last night and again tonight. He gets home from work around 5:15. I wanted dinner done the second he walked in the door so he'd have time to eat and get to church before 6:00.

We live very close to church, but still, I was rushing.

It was at that exact moment that Annie came in and wanted to help me cook. Now, I'm ALL about having my kids in the kitchen. Since they were old enough to toddle I've had them unloading the dishwasher, cooking the beans, making cupcakes, you name it. I'm ALL about it.

Except for tonight.

I was rushing, and they tend to slow me down, know what I'm sayin'?

"Unload the dishwasher," I said. "THAT will help me a lot."

But as it turns out, when kids say they want to help in the kitchen, they don't really want to HELP YOU, per se; they want to do the fun stuff. Help lick the beaters. Help taste the cookie dough. Then run off the instant it gets boring. THAT sort of help. But it was taco night and not cookie night, and I was rushing, so I caved and handed her a knife and said, "Here. Cut up this tomato."

"What if I cut myself," she asked. "You're almost seven," I said. "You will be really careful, and you won't cut yourself." See, I had meat browning on the iron skillet, butter melting in another skillet for Mexican rice , and I was running back and forth from the computer in the other room {where I had the taco seasoning recipe} to the pantry, because dangit, I'm 40 and apparently 40 is too old to remember six ingredients between the computer and the pantry.

So I'm stirring, dumping cumin, running back, running forth, stir, stir, run, dump paprika, run, stir, dump chili powder, run, stir, you get the idea. And meanwhile trying to keep my butter from burning.

And the one job I asked her to do turned out to be a mangled mess, because she can't cut, bless her little left-handed self. But it's ok, because who cares what the tomato looks like? And who cares that there's tomato everywhere but in the tomato bowl? It's not like it's cake batter all up in my under counter lights. And she didn't cut herself.

Then Katie came in to do her job, which is to set the table, and this happened.

Yeah. That's the entire contents of our ice maker, on the floor.

Now the thing you have to understand about Katie is that she's VERY smart. VERY. SMART. But the second something spills, she freezes, paralyzed, like a deer in headlights.

And makes a tiny little sound that sounds like moop... moop.... moop...

It was what possessed Michael to draw this...

And you know, I love Jesus, I DO, and I know I'm supposed to have love, joy, peace, patience, and all that, but when there's a VERY SMART child standing and staring, paralyzed, at twelve gallons of ice melting across my kitchen floor while I have meat browning and butter simmering and I'm running around frantically trying to get these dadgum tacos on the table by 5:15....

It takes ALL the love, joy, peace, and patience I have to maintain my composure, know what I'm sayin? I mean, WHY do I have to spell out in detail EVERY time something spills, HOW to CLEAN it UP? WHERE the TOWELS are KEPT? IS IT JUST ME?

So I ask her very sweetly, "Katie, my darling... would you PLEASE go grab the broom and dust pan and try to scoop up this ice as fast as you can before it melts everywhere?"

"Where? is? the? broom?" *moop*"How? do? I? pick? this? up?" *moop*

It was at this point in the story that I blacked out, I think. I'm SURE I didn't lose my calm. I'm just sure of it. I love Jesus, after all, and I'm ALL about love, joy, peace, and patience.

I came to as she was picking up one grain of ice at a time and depositing them, one at a time, in the sink. In between stopping and staring at each one as if it were a delicate and rare snowflake. And pondering what, exactly, would be the best method of picking up the next piece of ice as fourteen gallons of it is melting and filling my kitchen six inches deep with water.

OK, so remember how Annie wanted to help?

After she finishes mangling the tomato, I tell her to pour a cup of rice into the butter that's been browning on the stove.

And then this happens on the counter.

And on the floor.

And Katie continues to ponder each rare and delicate crumb of ice as she transports them one at a time to the sink. And someone, I can't remember now who, and it's really not important to the story, runs out of love, joy, peace, and patience with the whole ice-cleanup process, and the twenty gallons of water melting on the floor, and SNAPS at Katie. The details are unclear, but something about do you NOT know what it means to HURRY, and WHY does she not know how to pick up ice off the floor, and how hard can it be, and YADA YADA YADA. I mean, it's not important WHO snapped, or what exactly they said; but alas, Katie loses her composure and flails about and commences wailing about how HARD it is to PICK UP THIS ICE.

And somehow, accidentally, I'm sure, whacks Annie in the head with the broom handle.

And Annie loses it and falls out on the floor in a big dramatic, wailing heap, from the life-threatening injuries sustained as a result of the whack in the head with a broom handle.

And by now thirty eight gallons of water are melted on the kitchen floor.

And Susie, bless her heart, calmly sits and sucks her thumb and she takes in the spectacle of it all.

And now one side of my kitchen looks like this.

And the other side of my kitchen looks like this.

And my microwave looks like this.

And my stove top looks like this.

But somehow, by some miracle, dinner made it on the table the minute Michael walked in the door, and everything was delicious and perfect and not even burned... the tacos, the beans, the rice, the mangled tomato. We drank our water without ice, and dinner was all served up on a paper plate, but so what. It was all about quality family time, know what I'm sayin'?

And then Katie went to throw her paper plate in the trash and this happened. She hardly mooped at all that time, and at the rate she's going she should have every last grain of rice picked up sometime between 3:00 and 5:00 in the morning.

But I'm ok, and I haven't snapped in hours, I mean NOBODY is snapping around here, because we love Jesus, and we have love, joy, peace, and patience in ours hearts. And because we'll be returning to our previously scheduled Tuesday night date night real soon. And because writing this blog post allows me to block out and therefore remain in denial about who's really gonna have to clean up that kitchen at some point tonight.

And on a totally unrelated note, the Proposition passed that legalized selling alcohol right here in this county! It's true... you can buy wine right here in town, right there at any grocery store, for the first time in 40-something years.

Totally unrelated, of course.

Pinto Bean Seasoning Mix and Crock Pot Pinto Beans.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:40:00 +0000

Long, long ago I posted a recipe for my Famous Pinto Beans.

'Famous,' only because I've shared this recipe with everyone I know (like, six or five people, at LEAST). It's no small feat to make pinto beans actually taste good, and it took me many years of trial and error, but by George, I got it!

I told you once upon a time that I cook Pinto Beans weekly. That isn't exactly the case now that I'm home full-time again {cue hallelujah chorus}; it's more like 2-3 times a month since I don't have to rely on the darn crock pot every single day. But still, they're enough of a staple that I got tired of measuring out a half a teaspoon of this, a half a teaspoon of that, every time I wanted to cook beans. I decided to mix up enough for several batches because I'm efficient like that. And also... task-oriented.

I've cooked Pinto Beans twice now since I mixed up a batch of seasoning mix...SO fast and easy. And you know what we also discovered? It also tasted great in chili, and I'm thinking it would be amazing stirred into some ground beef for burgers... the options are endless!

Pinto Bean Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
1/2 cup chili powder
1/4 cup cumin
3 Tablespoons paprika
3/4 cup sugar (I like turbinado or cane juice in this recipe)
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup sea salt (I like Real Salt)

Directions
Mix all ingredients well. Store in an air-tight container in your pantry.

Crock Pot Pinto Beans
Soak one pound of dried pinto beans in six cups water over night. The next morning, drain beans and RINSE WELL. Put soaked, rinsed beans into your crock pot with six cups filtered water and your choice of animal fat (I suggest four strips of bacon, leftover t-bone steak bones from your Friday night steak, a ham bone, or a stick of butter if all else fails); cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Two hours before serving stir in 1/2 cup pinto bean seasoning mix. Top with grated cheese and serve with cornbread.

{Wordless Wednesday} Four Months + One Week.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:42:00 +0000

{Baby Love} Four Months.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:08:00 +0000

Baby Susie Joy is four months old today! It's been a big month for her.

Last Sunday, we attended the Parent Commitment Service at church, and made public our commitment to raise her in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord, and to teach her to love Jesus with all of her heart and to faithfully serve Him. She slept through the service. This was Annie's baby dedication dress, and the bracelet was made by her Aunt Sherry.

This month, Susie's learned to roll that bottom lip out when she's not 100% happy. It's rare, but we'll see the pouty lip if we're interfering with her scheduled nap time...

And two minutes later...

She's a thumb-sucker. I tried and tried to have a pacifier baby this time after not-so-fond memories of trying to break two thumb habits, but she's not havin' it. Like the rest of my family, she prefers the real deal to silicone.

Like her mama, she hates having anything on her feet...

Still the happiest girl EVER. This was at Tuesday morning Bible study at church...

She's gotten a lot snugglier lately. She usually wants to be held with her back to me, so she can see the room, but lately... I've had the joy of holding her while she sleeps. I. Love. That.

She LOVES the changing table. We can't figure out what it is, but something about the changing table makes her light up.

She's learned to scoot on her back. She WAS on a blanket on the floor right before I took this picture, and worked her way completely off of it. She'll be scooting into her big sisters' rooms and chewing on their toys in NO time.

She's also learned to roll from her front to her back. The first time was on my 40th birthday, and I know because I took a picture of everything I did that day. I started her out like this at nap time...

And when I went to get her, she was like this. I wish I had a better picture, dangit! Look how thrilled she was!

Did I mention that she's happy? Oh, how I love her...

Every new outfit deserves a picture. This is her in her Rabbit Moon track suit.... does she look like a Tennenbaum? :)

And her coat.

Susannah Joy, you're truly my joy and my treasure just like your two big sisters. Oh, how blessed we are to have you! Thank you Lord...

A Light to Steer By.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:00:00 +0000

Many years ago I read a book about missionary Jim Elliot written by his widow, Elisabeth, and a quote from that book has been stuck in my head ever since:

If we are to find the channel and the harbor, surely we need some lights to steer by.

Elisabeth was talking about our need for heroes, for people to model our lives after. Jim Elliot has always been one of my heroes, and so has Elisabeth, for that matter. And Billy and Ruth Graham, and my parents, and Rayla Stiles.... all people I admire hugely and in one way or another, I want to be like. They are all lights that I intend to steer my life by.

And my grandmother was another one. Today would have been her 96th birthday, but she passed away December 28th. She was almost 96, but she was the youngest, healthiest almost-96-year-old ever, until suddenly she wasn't. And what a huge space she's left here on this earth.

Grandma and my dad, 1946-47-ish

Grandma was always one of my favorite people. As a kid I loved going to her house. Her house was always clean, warm, welcoming and cheerful, and she'd always meet us at the back door with a big hug.

She was always, always happy; always smiling and laughing. I never heard her yell, never heard her say unkind words, never heard her gossip. I never saw her without her makeup on; she was always put together.

And I want to be like that.

But it wasn't until I grew up that she became one of my heroes. I went to grad school two nights a week in her town, about 60 miles from my own, and so after class, I'd stop by her house and visit with her and sometimes spend the night, and we talked like grown-ups and she told me lots of stories I didn't know about my grandfather (the super-handsome Gregory Peck lookalike in the photo above, who died in 1947), and about raising her three children as a widow back in the 1940s.

Looking fabulous to have twin babies this small, 1944. One of the few pictures of my grandfather.

When her husband, my grandfather, died back in 1947, she had a six-year-old little girl and twin three-year-old boys. I've been a single mom, and I can't imagine the strength required to be a single mom to three tiny children while grieving the loss of the man you loved... with three tiny children who are grieving for their dad also.

Sadness.

On our post-grad-school visits, she'd tell me how she made sure she kept her kids in church every time the doors were open, and made sure her boys had Godly men at the church for role models. She had to work a lot and leave her kids often, but she did the best she could do. And sixty-plus years later, we've all turned out ok.

Her funeral was a packed house. I've never seen so many people show up for a funeral, particularly for a 96-year-old. And that was because of the lives that she touched during her years on this earth.

At last count she had logged over 25,000 volunteer hours at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital. At 95 years old, she was still there, volunteering, two days a week. All the pink ladies {it seemed like hundreds} showed up at her funeral wearing their pink volunteer jackets, and spoke of how her smile and happy attitude was legendary.

At my cousin Katie's wedding.

Volunteering was her joy, and she spent decades faithfully serving as a Sunday School Teacher at First Baptist Nacogdoches, where she had been a member since 1947. She had phenomenal musical talent and used her gift for playing the piano for her Sunday School children as well as Nursing Home Residents.

playing the piano at my house

She was always busy, always doing things for other people. And I want to be more like that.

With her twin boys.

Grandma's other great love was flowers, and she had quite a gift for growing roses. She was well-known for her gorgeous rose garden which people came from miles around to view, and because of her tremendous skill at growing roses, rose companies would send her new varieties of roses to test in her own garden.

Grandma and my dad.

She used her roses as a ministry to bring joy to countless hospital patients and nursing home residents, using her gifts to bless as many hurting people as possible with the gift of a small bouquet from her rose garden. She also made sure that the church altar flowers were put to good use, and delivered those flowers to people in need of some cheer.

Still strikingly pretty in her nineties.

Her death has left a huge empty space on this earth, but I am certain there was great rejoicing in Heaven upon her arrival. She left an enormous legacy in her 95 years not only among her three children, nine grandchildren, and twenty-three great-grandchildren who have all been raised to know and love the Lord because of her teaching and her example, but among those countless children she taught in Sunday School, the thousands whom she led in worship on the piano, and the countless thousands she blessed through her flower ministry through the decades.

with my girls.

I am so sad about her death. I've cried for two months. But I can't help but rejoice that she was finally reunited with my grandfather. She missed him so terribly.

And it thrills me to picture her being welcomed Home by so many loved ones who went on before her. Leon and Marie. Truce. All of her brothers and sister. Clayton. All of those to whom she spent her life ministering.

But most of all, it makes me happy that she's experienced the unspeakable joy of meeting Jesus face to face, the One to whom she so faithfully dedicated all of her days.

Happy Birthday, Grandma.

{Trim Healthy Mama} Trim Healthy Pancakes.

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 20:25:00 +0000

OK, I'm serious this time... I'm starting this Trim Healthy Mama thing for REAL.

It's been ~~hard~~ ok, it might have been hard, had I been trying, which clearly I have not -- but I just celebrated my 40th birthday and I was NOT gonna have some healthy cardboard concoction for my 40th birthday, ok? I just was NOT.

I know, I didn't have to have the Villa Montez Chocolate Cake, the Chuy's Tres Leches cake, the Village Bakery Black & White cake, my mother-in-law's Italian Cream cake, AND then Debbie's Italian Cream Cake at Pokeeno... I didn't HAVE to eat all five birthday cakes (yes, five) but I did (oh yeah. I did). But it was my 40th birthday, for Pete's sake, and sometimes, you just have to toss reason and accountability out the window. And then it was Valentines Day...

And meanwhile, all my Facebook Trim Healthy Mama friends are just melting away, dropping pounds by the bushel basket full (like my friend Gwen), and I'm JEALOUS. So it STARTS NOW.

Pancakes are our Saturday tradition. I'll have to admit, I was leery... I already make healthy pancakes that actually taste GREAT, but ... sometimes healthy just, unfortunately, means tastes like spray-in foam insulation. But I had to at least TRY.

The basic ingredients: oatmeal, egg whites, cottage cheese, baking powder, and vanilla (not pictured).

Start by grinding one cup of oatmeal into powder in your food processor.

Add one cup of egg whites. They recommend buying a carton of egg whites, but I didn't have that, so I separated out the eggs to total a cup and it took SEVEN (gulp). Yes, I'll be buying egg whites in the carton next time, but we had scrambled egg yolks with our pancakes this morning so they wouldn't go to waste, and they were really tasty.

Add one cup of cottage cheese. At this point I had to switch over to my Kitchenaid Mixer because my big food processor bit the dust and my little one wasn't big enough, but it would be best if you could do the entire recipe in a blender or food processor to break up the cottage cheese chunks. Add your baking powder (two teaspoons) and a dash of vanilla and a little Stevia, and mix well.

Spoon out the batter onto your hot griddle. Normally I cook my pancakes in butter to make the edges all crispy and delicious, but (sigh) in keeping with the "E" nature of this recipe {must read the book to know about "S" and "E"} I used cooking spray. And you know what? I lived over it.

You might need to spread out the batter a little, because it's REALLY thick. And we're trying to make pancakes here and not muffins. When bubbles form around the edges, flip the pancakes and brown them on the opposite side.

The book goes into detail about what you can and can't top these with, but berries or fruit in sugar-free syrup, or just sugar-free syrup are all ok. But by all means don't use that nasty cheap high-fructose corn syrup syrup, for LOTS of reasons. Oh. And no butter; I do love that you CAN use butter on the THM plan, but just not on "E" recipes.

My review of this recipe? These pancakes were surprisingly QUITE TASTY! I didn't have any sugar free syrup, so I ate them without, and LIKED them... PLAIN.

MICHAEL (and this is HUGE, people) even ate a bite and said, "NOT BAD!" which was a TOTAL shock because Michael often convulses, gags, shrieks, moans, and falls on the floor in a big dramatic display when I make him take a bite of something healthy.

I'm looking forward to diving on in to this Trim Healthy Mama thing. Stay tuned for a giveaway of this book, coming soon!

Trim Healthy Pancakes, slightly adapted

Ingredients

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup egg whites

1 cup cottage cheese

1 teaspoons baking powder

dash vanilla

2 scoops Stevia (the book recommends 2-3 tsp. Truvia, but I used what I had)

Directions

Grind oatmeal into powder in food processor. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon out desired portion onto hot griddle and cook until bubbles form around the edges; flip and brown other side. Serve with sugar-free topping of your choice.

About Valentines Day and Grammar Nazis...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa from the Blue House) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:59:00 +0000

I blame my mother, Mrs. Grammar Nazi, for the extreme anxiety I'm feeling right now.

I'll be honest... I've always confused 'its' and 'it's,' but one thing I know for certain is that Mother Grammar Nazi, who reads my blog just so she can correct my grammar, will notify me quickly if and when I use the wrong one. There are some things that my mother just expects of her children. Grammar, vehement hatred for the Yankee Aggressors who burned our plantation houses, and also not running down the stairs. I grew up in a two-story house, and if I ever wanted to RUN down the stairs, I was sent back up to walk [back down] like a lady.

I can scarcely be on a flight of stairs to this day without hearing her words echo in my head. Walk like a lady... In case, you know, I'm tempted to gallop down like the white trash do.

But I digress. This whole 'Grammar Nazi' flight of ideas started when I was wondering whether to call this post 'Valentine's Day' with an apostrophe or 'Valentines Day' without. Or maybe it should have been 'Valentines' Day.' And now I'm breathing hard, sweating, and having heart palpitations wondering whether I used the proper grammar and if I'm going to have to write sentences again... thanks, Mom.

Because I know you're worried about it, I decided on no apostrophe, because in my way of thinking, on Valentine's Day we get valentines. So... it's { or is it its??} a day for valentines. Valentines day. The end.

But let's get to the important stuff: what we ate. I wanted to include some links to my family's {and not families} favorite dishes. Click on the names for links to the recipes...

Chicken Enchiladas. These are life-changing. For V-Day I used cookie cutters to cut out heart shapes from extra tortillas, and decorated the tops of my enchiladas with them. If that's not Pinterest-worthy, I just don't know what is.

Mexican rice. Closest thing to real Mexican restaurant rice I've found, and believe me, I've tried them all.

And because I love my husband and these are his favorite, Oreo Truffles. Only this year I made them with mint Oreos and decorated the top with green mint frosting stripes. They tasted like York Peppermint Patties.

I didn't make these this year, but in case you need a really good recipe for some Valentine's Day Cut-Out Cookies, check out this one. This is my most viewed blog post ever, with around 40,000 hits at last count, which is no Pioneer Woman but is a staggering number for my dumb little mom-blog. Thank you, Kristie... and Pinterest, of course.

I loved seeing all the love and mushiness and hearts and roses all over Facebook today. I love it when people I know and love are living happily ever after with their soul mates. It's a wonderful thing, having a soul mate. I waited many long and miserable years for mine, and God was so incredibly good to let me sit by him in Sunday School that day. What a wonderful day to celebrate...