She's Gone Book Crazy

Moonshine helping to arrange the books.

Gio Signing banana.

I have bought a lot of books at thrift stores in the past week or so. All of the ones for Gio were 99 cents or less. We ended up bringing some of his "old" ones to Grandma and Abuelo's house. Gio looks at a lot of books lately between looking at them during potty time and having them read to him before bed.

Some of the books I bought are too advanced for him right now but they looked interesting and were such a good deal.

Gio liked the center book titled Things That Go so much, he carried it in the car to and from church today. He is still really into anything with wheels.

No Bake Pie

I have been craving peanut butter pie and so decided to make it. It is very rich and delicious. I made it from memory because I did not feel like looking up the recipe. Here is how I made it:
- 1 package cream cheese
- 1 jar natural peanut butter
- approximately 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 regular sized container non-dairy whipped topping
- 1 pie shell graham cracker or chocolate cookie crumb

Set some non-dairy whipped topping aside to "frost" the pie. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and put into pie shell. Frost with remaining whipped topping. I sprinkled two types of cocoa on top for decoration.

Happy Earth Day!

There are so many things you can do to be kind to the Earth. Here are 10 things that we do:

1. When we go out to eat fast food if we are finished with our meal and there are still napkins left we don't throw them away. We take them home and use them.
2. We do not use a clothes dryer. We hang our laundry outside whenever possible or we hang it inside on racks.
3. Just about half the lights in our house are either compact fluorescent or fluorescent. In multiple bulb fixtures we use half and half.
4. We do not use chemicals on our lawn. We have never watered it and it does not turn brown. Weeds have a long tap root and grass has very shallow roots so the weeds stay green in the hot weather.
5. We eat organically when ever possible. Most crops are sprayed with chemicals. Sometimes the field is sprayed before the seeds are planted to kill off any other living plant that was in the field. I know this is true because I have seen it with my own eyes.
6. We reuse plastic bags for garbage and to carry all sorts of things. I was recently told that if you know you will be walking in a muddy area you can cover your shoes with them.
7. A mulch saving idea I have used in the past is to place several sheets of news paper under the mulch. The paper will decompose and you will not have to mulch as often.
8. I try to keep no more than 3 lights on in the house at any one time. I used to be very good at this. I have been slacking off and need to work on it some more.
9. We either compost all of our food scraps (except bones) or we feed them to the chickens.
10. We reuse plastic containers. They are great for leftovers.

Please leave a comment and share what you do to live lightly today for a brighter tomorrow.

Little Man On The Move

Whata wonderful day we had. Gio has become quite the little helper. He helped me put the groceries on the conveyor belt at the grocery store and helped put them away when we got home. He also gave me clothes pins so I could hang the laundry on the line outside. Here he is playing with his new ball, petting the dog gently, listening to the frogs, and just having fun. While we were outside today we also spotted several trucks, one honking goose flying over head as well as a plane. He's sporting his new outside hat. It stayed on quite well considering it was a touch breezy. The best and most exciting part of today was when Gio pooped in the potty!!! YAY!!

Dining Outside

This morning the weather was so beautiful that I decided to move Gio and his highchair to the front porch. He had a ball watching the birds. I'm pretty sure we have a pair of robins nesting nearby.

My Family Farm Cookies

Delicious! They also have plain cookies that are very good too. A bit on the expensive side but profits go to children's charities. I wish the box was bigger because they just disappear so fast.

Chickens

Benny the banny rooster.

So happy to be outside after being in all winter.

Tonight's Sunset

Before Gio came along I often noticed our sunsets but now he occupies most of my time. Tonight I looked up and there it was impossible to miss. So, I quick grabbed the camera and here it is.

Robeez

"Here's my Robeez Ma ma!" Gio always wears Robeez in the house. They are great! ...and washable too. They DO NOT slip off. He wears them when he naps too. I used to put him down for nap sometimes in his sneakers until one day I noticed he had some gunk on the bottom of one shoe. "EEWWW!!" I thought. He stands in the crib and his sneakers and the gunk touch the crib sheet, then he lays down to sleep and his face touches the crib sheet. OH NO!! Not anymore. Robeez inside. Sneakers outside. Every season they come out with new styles. The only negative is that the selection is small for sizes 2-4 yrs. We've already chosen his next pair. Each shoe will have a gray shark and an orange fish on it or as Gio calls them "ish,ish,ish".

Trying On Dad's Winter Hat

Oh the many moods of Gio. Here he is displaying some of them in Dad's winter hat.

Use for Onion Skins

When you peel and chop onions do you throw the skins away? I don't usually. What do I do with them you ask? Why, I make onion stock. You pay big bucks for stock in the store and it's often loaded with salt. I just put the peelings of any veggies I'm using, with the exception of potato peels, in a pot, cover the peelings with water and heat on low until I'm ready. That's right until I'm ready. When I'm finished cooking or after dinner, or after I put the baby to bed just make sure to keep enough water in the pan to cover the peelings. When I'm ready I just strain them out. I like to use the utensil shown in the picture. Don't remember where I got it or what it's called but it works well for this purpose. A slotted spoon or bowl type strainer would work too. The peelings then go on the compost pile. I usually end up putting the stock in a container and freezing it until I need it for a soup or something. This stock also has garlic skins and washed leek tops. I just love onion stock because the color is so beautiful.

The Best Hand Lotion

With Gio, I am constantly washing my hands. Before I found Nature's Gate my hands would get so chapped that my skin would split and I was putting lotion on all the time. I tried many brands and always the same result. I even tried wearing Vaseline and plastic gloves over night. It is my belief that most hand lotions contain mineral oil and alcohol which actually dry your skin. Now I apply this lotion about twice a day. Once before bed and usually one other time during the day. Nature's Gate is the only hand lotion I use. I have a small container of it that I carry with me whenever I'm out so I am never without it.

Omelet

We have an omelet about once a week. They're great to use up leftovers and extra veggies. This one has ham, leeks, asparagus, and of course eggs from our chickens. I have never put leeks in an omelet before. WOW!! was it good.

Lunch

What to have for lunch? What to have for lunch??? .....Well here's what I came up with. Cheese and spinach from the freezer, canned lentils from the pantry and Bragg's from the fridge. Put it in a bowl, microwave, and enjoy. Quick and easy. By the way Bragg's Liquid Aminos is similar to soy sauce.

Easter 2007

Grandma and Abuelo got Gio a really cool train made of stackable blocks.

Gio showing Grandma the school bus he got in his Easter Basket.

Tasty Healthy Snack

Nature's Path Organic Heritage Flakes. It's cereal but I enjoy it without the milk. It is wonderfully crunchy and lightly sweet. It has whole grains. 3/4 cup is only 100 calories (according to my bag. The website states 3/4 cup is 110 calories) and 6 grams of fiber. It can be purchased in a 32 oz. Eco Pac (plastic bag) that has 66% less packaging than their box version. All in all a great product.

10 Favorites beginning with "A"

I saw something similar recently on another blog.

10. ASPARAGUS It's delicious in omelettes.

9. APPLES My favorite is golden delicious.

8. ACTOR I would have to say my favorite is Tom Hanks. He is just so versatile.

7. AZUL What a beautiful word. I always think of a deep blue when this word comes to mind.

6. ALOE My Great Aunt Doris gave me one from one of hers. It has really taken off and has become one of my favorite house plants.

5. A.M. SUNSHINE Whenever I wake up and it's sunny I can't help but smile and think about how lucky I am.

4. AMY My friend who passed away. We were friends since second grade. I miss her.

3. AUNT JAY I have always looked up to her. To put it in one sentence: She's got it all together. She is a beautiful person both inside and out.

2. ANSWER Every morning when I go to get my son out of bed. He hears my foot steps and says "Ah? Ah?" I ask, "Gio?" and he answers, "Ma ma ma ma"

1. ADOPTION It is because of adoption that I am Gio's Ma ma ma ma. He is the light of my life.

Base Ball "Hat"

Gio can now say hat. Here he is trying on his Dad's base ball cap.

Here he is putting it on "Da Da".

P.B.&J.

We went to Abundance Co-op in the city of Rochester and got some creamy, organic, bulk, peanut butter. So I mixed some with strawberry fruit spread and cinnamon. It was delicious on whole wheat graham crackers and baguette garnished with dried and sweetened cranberries. Yum!

Cabbage & Sausages

This dish is made with Wegman's breakfast sausage. It goes well with the cabbage as it is very mild in flavor. The green cabbage is organic.

Evening Surprise

Gio has started pointing to things. He is also expanding his repertoire of animals sounds. On our way in from playing outside I noticed a rabbit. I pointed it out to Gio. It cautiously made it's way across the street and disappeared into some tall grass. "Did you see that Gio? Did you see that rabbit?" He pointed across the street in the direction the rabbit was last seen. "What did that rabbit do?" I asked him. "Pop, pop, pop." he answered. "Yes, that's right. Hop, hop, hop."