I scream! You scream! We all scream for....

ICECREAM!



Summer is in full swing here in Texas! And you know what that means? Ice cream! Not just any store bought ice cream, but home made, hand cranked wonderfully delicious ice cream!
We have the ice cream freezer seen above made by White Mountain Co. Yeah its a manual, meaning you have to use some elbow grease to create your frozen treat, but man does it payoff!
They also make electric ones, so if your not into buff arms you can try that out.
Anyway, I wanted to share some recipes for making ice cream in a ice cream maker and also one if you don't have one.

#1 Basic (but amazing) Vanilla Ice cream

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl
until light and fluffy.
Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time
then continue whisking until completely blended.
Pour in the cream, milk,
and vanilla and whisk to blend.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker
Freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

TIP- make sure to chill the mixture for a few minutes before freezing. (freezing=making the ice cream)

#2 Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream

2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 2/3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips


In large bowl, stir together sugar and cocoa.
Add egg yolks and blend with electric mixer. Add cream a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
Chill mixture in freezer.

While cream mixture is chilling, grate chocolate chips in blender or food processor or using a rotary grater, until fine.
Stir into cream mixture. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

#3
Ice cream made in a baggie!

•1/2 cup milk
•1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy cream)
•1/4 cup sugar
•1/4 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla flavoring (artificial vanilla)
•1/2 to 3/4 table salt or rock salt
•2 cups ice
•1-quart Ziploc bag
•1-gallon Ziploc bag

1.Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup whipping cream, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla to the quart ziploc bag. Seal the bag securely.

2.Put 2 cups of ice into the gallon ziploc bag.

3.Use a thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice in the gallon bag.

4.Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup salt (sodium chloride) to the bag of ice.

5.Place the sealed quart bag inside the gallon bag of ice and salt. Seal the gallon bag securely.

6.Gently rock the gallon bag from side to side. It's best to hold it by the top seal or to have gloves or a cloth between the bag and your hands because the bag will be cold enough to damage your skin.

7.Continue to rock the bag for 10-15 minutes or until the contents of the quart bag have solidified into ice cream.

8.Open the gallon bag and use the thermometer to measure and record the temperature of the ice/salt mixture.

9.Remove the quart bag, open it, serve the contents into cups with spoons and ENJOY!

I haven't tried this experiment, but I have friends that have and say it comes out great! Plus its fun for the kids!
And its a science project all in one!

Leaving Town

Or rather going to town to stay. We are going to stay with my Husband's grandmother, Dorothy, for the next three days. We call her Gram. She lives by herself as her husband, Roy, or Granddad, passed away around 7 years ago. Its nice to go stay with her. Its easy and comfy. Everything is always the same at her house, cups are in the same place they have always been, your welcomed to help your self to anything in her fridge or cupboards. And if you ask to have something she's almost offended you would even dare to ask:-)
This is the woman who most made me feel at home when we first moved to Texas 5 years ago.

She just has a way about her. Although she is set in her ways she is always up for a conversation about anything. A Christian woman and definitely a Texan. One of the things that I just love about her, is the fact that I know without a doubt she always has the best interest of her grandchildren and great grandchildren in mind.

So we are staying with her thru Saturday. Maybe going out to the lake to feed the ducks and really just spending time. We also will be visiting their other set of great grandparents. I feel my kids are very fortunate to get to have a relationship with their great grandparents.


Gram is the one on the right, next to her are two of her sisters. She was one of 9 kids!

And this is Joyce (or Grandma on Russ' Dads side). She is the one who believes her grandson, Russ, could do no wrong! LOL
But she loves her great grandkids, loves her girls!

Okay back to cleaning the kitchen before we leave.

I hate coming home to a dirty house, so Iv got to clean now.

Go watch this now!

Go here
and watch this video. It is so informative and I feel important to know. Its about 20 minutes long, but well worth the time.

Happy Birthday Cheyenne!

She had a blast with her new pool yesterday. So did the other kiddos who came for lunch. It was a beautiful Texas day. Around 90, not sweltering yet, thank God. I will never forget Cheyenne's 1st birthday party in 2004. It was 103 that day! We had it outside at a park. Everyone was miserable. So 90 in contrast was very nice:-)

Here are a few snap shots from yesterday...just wait till you scroll down to the last one...you will laugh!





I can't believe she is already 5, how crazy is that!!!


This is Aiden, he came with Kim who is one of my MIL friends.

What a sweet little boy he is!

These two really were not very happy to play in the pool at first.



But after a few minutes they started enjoying them selves, especially Madi.


And finally last but not least.....


There are no words....


so funny....

Can I get some lunch please?

Someone always needs to be fed in this house!

The kids:




The chicks:



They sure are growing fast! They are around 6 weeks old now and most of their feathers have come in. They are pretty sweet, they let me pet them when I come to feed them as you can see in that first picture.

Oh lets not forget about the garden and the bunny who also demand they be fed!






Then of coarse there's Big Daddy (sorry no pic, he's at work), but Iv got to figure out something for dinner here soon. I think I might go with goulash...we'll see.

Sunday, Beautiful Sunday

This morning we made the decision to join our church.
A rather quick decision really. It was the time of invitation and prayer. Those who wanted could go up to the front of the church and talk with the Pastor or pray or accept Christ or join the church. I leaned over to Russ and said, "Do you want to join this church?" He looked confused, he thought I meant later or like I just wanted to know in general. Then I made a motion to go up the isle to talk with Bro. Ricky and then he got it, he said "now?" and I said sure! No time like the present right?
Anyway, we have been going for the last 3 weeks or so and we hadn't been members of a church since we left Washington really, so I thought it was time. It just felt right. Everyone is so nice there and I like their music:-) The pastor is funny, the sermons are short, and I always leave feeling great. So Im excited:-) I want my kids to grow up in a church like that. A small but happy church.

They also have one of my favorite passages hanging on the wall in the church. When we are in church I must read it 20 times while we are there. I just love it.

"No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool.
Isaiah 1:18

I also think this one is fitting for my day:

Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Remember those who served

Happy Memorial Day!

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One whole week

Wow its been a whole week since Iv posted! Okay I really need to get better at this whole blogging thing. I just get so busy with everything. Between teaching Cheyenne, chasing down Madi, cooking, cleaning, gardening, raising chickens (although admittedly there's not much to that), and spending time with Big Daddy...man I just can't get a spare moment it seems.
Well tonight Im home alone...well not really but Im the only adult in the house until tomorrow afternoon. Iv been extremely productive today. Among all the other daily to do's, Iv also managed to mow the front yard, ditches and build a compost bin. Like this one.
Oh and I made some more laundry detergent. Iv been making my own laundry detergent for about a year now. I love it! I know exactly whats in it and it gets our clothes clean for a fraction of the price of Tide or All or any of that other stuff in the super markets. Here is the recipe that I use, if you google laundry detergent recipes you will come up with many. I have tried 3 different ones now and this is the one that I like most. This is very basic. You can add essential oils to the mix if you want scented soap. Lavender EO is a great one for laundry. Although the batch I made today I used this recipe and no EO. I use vinegar for my fabric softener, just about a 1/4 cup in the rinse cycle does the job. I always have fresh smelling laundry and soft towels.
Okay enough, here's the recipe.

Items you will need:
large pot
measuring cup
wooden spoon or paint stir stick
Borax
Washing Soda (not baking soda)
Fels Naptha (hard to find, but you can get it on the web) or Ivory
2 gallon bucket with lid


Ingredients:
Hot water
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1/3 bar Soap (grated) (I've used Fels Naptha and also Ivory)

Instructions:
In a large pot, heat 6 cups of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir over medium/low heat until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat. (this is also when you would add EO to the mix.)
In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 4 cups of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.
Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Okay Im off to watch Space Buddies with my daughter. She picked it okay! Later after her bedtime, Im watching Bride Wars, it should be funny.

Today is Thursday!

Cheyenne has asked me about 7 times now what day it is..I tell her its Thursday May 14th, she goes okay and runs off. Then about 20 minutes later she does the same thing. I think she's messing with me!
Well Big Daddy is gone from the house/farm until tomorrow night. So I am on a mission to clean the place spotless, or until I lose all motivation. Tonight the girls and I are having a "slumber party". There will be popcorn, a movie and girly things done. Like, testing the stain resistance of the couch painting nails and having my scalp exfoliated brushing hair! Ill be doing my best impression of Cher in Mermaids tonight as we have finger foods for dinner, you know sandwiches cut in pretty flower shapes and such. It's sure to be a blast. I do love having daughters!
Although I will be anxious for Big Daddy to return home tomorrow night!

Oh and have I told ya'll about the "lone Chicken"? No? Well we have a chicken that lives here on our farm that has been here before we moved here. She was a part of a flock when we first got here. See the previous residents had these chickens that they didn't take with them when they moved so they "gave" them to the neighbors, well they didn't stay at their knew coop. And slowly over about a months time they all got picked off by the various wild things out here that prefer chicken for dinner. Sad but true. Somehow though this one has survived. I think she lives out in some trees/bushes in the corner of out front property. She isn't very social and is scared of us. I started throwing some feed out for her last week, well now she has begun to wonder closer and closer to the house.

A few minutes ago I looked out the window and saw her...


I took this pic through the window, I didn't want to step out on to the porch and scare her off.
Poor chicken...

Anyway, back to cleaning!

Magical Mondays...

Why did I name this post Magical Mondays? Because it seems that I only barely get started with my Monday to do list and then like magic the day is gone!
Its a windy and cool day out today...when I say cool I mean for Texas. Probably in the mid to upper 60's. This weekend we did alot of yard work and working around the house. Yesterday was Mother's Day of coarse. We went to Corsicana to meet Russ' Mom and sister's bunch for a quick lunch in the park and then we were off to do our errands. One of the things we do every week is grocery shopping. Although not a pleasant experience it must be done. Russ was particularly grouchy while shopping yesterday b/c we had to go to the dreaded place, a place he hates and avoids at all costs, that place is Walmart. Yeah I really don't like going there either. But in a small Texas city its almost always your only choice. This is one of the reasons we have took to growing and making alot of different things. Like growing veggies! This season being we got a late start we only have two small garden beds. But I have high hopes for the fall season.





Oh and we also got these little ones to help in our self sustainability efforts.


Here they are the day we got them, May 2nd.



And Today...they sure do grow fast!

They are buff Orpingtons. We are going to use them for eggs and just as pets too. Although one rooster will be used as a meat bird.

Okay well that's all for now. Im never very good on Mondays, can never truly become as productive as I would like...but at least I have dinner in the crock pot, slow cooker garlic chicken, and I have a laundry list of other items that need to be attended to before the days end.
Including laundry!