Something on My Table

Today is Day 2 of My Life. In Pictures. and the assignment is to get a picture of something on my table. So here it is...

This is a picture of a meal that we had last week. It seemed pretty ordinary until I started thinking about how much time really went into it. The hamburger is from the first 2 steers we got the August after Morgan was born. Rich raised them from bottle fed calves to full grown steers. He fed and watered them twice a day. The hay that helped feed them was what Rich and his Grandpa harvested from our little field. He kept them bedded and made sure to clean out their pen by a pitchfork and wheelbarrow at least twice while they were here. All that work was so I could have the hamburger on my plate.

The green beans were also home grown. We planted them in our garden last summer. We kept them watered and weeded. When they were ready, we picked, cut and cleaned them. Then, along with several beans from Rich's grandma (since we didn't have enough), we canned them...90 pints of them. The green beans on my plate also took a lot of time and work.

The fries were not as much work, since the potatoes that made them were store bought. We've grown our own potatoes before, but decided not to last year. These fries were still special and took some extra time, since they were homemade. :-) (They were delicious too!)

So, as I made this meal last week, I realized that it was a special meal that was deserving of a picture to be posted as part of My Life. In Pictures. Besides that, the only other thing on my table is a pile of papers that I need to go through...not quite as picture worthy! LOL!

If you would like to participate as well, just head over to Everthing Except the Grill and check it out!

Make Something Monday: Nighty-Night Cookies

I grew up with my Mom making some delicious melt-in-your-mouth cookies from the egg whites she had left over after making noodles. I had never made them before, but every time I thought about them, my mouth would start watering and I would think "I have to try making those one of these days". Well, a couple weeks ago, I saw a recipe for 'Chocolate Forgotten Cookies' on Boston Mamas and they were almost the exact same cookies as I had growing up, except we called them 'Nighty-Night Cookies'. I figured since I had the recipe, I might as well stop putting off making them and give it a try, so here is the recipe:

Nighty-Night Cookies (Chocolate Forgotten Cookies)

• 2 egg whites
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 oz. (1/2 bag) chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the SCRUPULOUSLY clean and dry mixing bowl of a standing mixer with a balloon whisk. (You can also use a hand mixer but it may take longer.) Beat at high speed until egg whites foam and start to get shiny, then sprinkle in sugar v-e-r-y slowly as beaters continue. Add vanilla extract, and beat until stiff peaks form. Meringue should be glossy and firm. Gently fold in 6 oz. (1/2 bag) chocolate chips.
3. Drop large tablespoons of batter on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place all cookies in the oven at once and turn oven off. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR until morning or until oven has completely cooled (hence, "Forgotten"). I recommend starting this recipe after dinner the night before you need the cookies.
4. Keep in a tightly covered plastic container; separate layers with sheets of waxed paper.

And this is how they turned out!

I think they turned out better than I remember them. They must have, because I scarfed them down! (Seriously-they were done in the morning and gone the same night!) If you have never had these cookies before, I would highly recommend trying them! They turn out the best if there isn't a lot of humidity in the air. (I actually chose a cold dry night to make them.) Boston Mamas actually has a variation on the recipe as well, if you would like to head over there and check it out! :-)

For more Make Something Monday, check out Go Graham Go! and Jolly Mom.

Something New

I was invited by Amber from Everything Except the Grill to participate in a little Photo Challenge she is starting called My Life. In Pictures. Here is what she had to say about why she started it:

"The purpose of this photo challenge project is to encourage you to pick up your camera and start capturing details of your life. This project should also serve as a way to look at what others are finding to shoot and will hopefully keep you inspired to look for more moments in your life you wouldn't always think to capture with your camera."

The challenge runs from today through the end of the week and here is the schedule:

• Monday- Something new
• Tuesday- Something on your table
• Wednesday- The view from your front door
• Thursday- Something you do each day
• Friday- Something old

I am not a photographer by any means, but I love to take pictures, so I have really had fun with this challenge so far. I hope to participate every day and if you would like to as well, just head over to Everthing Except the Grill and check it out! Here is Monday's assignment:

Something New: Tulips

These are my tulips right now. I can't wait until they bloom and I can see the beautiful pink pastels and creams. I love tulips and I think these are my favorite! :-)

A Dream Swing Set

We were fortunate to be given an old swing set a couple years ago for our kids to play on. It was our neighbors' daughter's swing set that she had outgrown and they were just going to toss it if we didn't want it. It works for us for now, but it isn't exactly what I had dreamed of as a swing set for the kids...with it being kind of rusty...and maybe not the safest.


Now this is the type of swing set that I dream to have for my kids! Not only does it look safe and rust free, but it has everything! In addition to the swings, it has a slide, a climbing wall, a deck and a whole lot more! Morgan and Blake would have a blast with this! The really neat thing is, I could actually win this Kid's Creations swing set for them over at Dad Blogs along with a Canon PowerShot SD1100 Digital Elph camera to take pictures of them enjoying it! :-) So can you! (If I don't win of course-LOL!) Just head on over to Dad Blogs and check out the rules!

Side Effect of Humming Blake to Sleep

This was videotaped just before Blake turned one year old. I had always hummed to Blake before laying him down to sleep, so he got very used to that as his bedtime routine. Turns out that the routine ended up having some side effects. Here's what happened when we hummed to Blake any other time but bedtime...

Please ignore both Rich and my vocal skills-we don't have any! LOL!