Days 30 & 31

       Of course, I couldn't be expected to ACTUALLY write the last posts on time could I? Oh, well. My last two days were pretty uneventful. There was the fourth of July prep and then the day itself. Prep included cleaning the house and cooking.
       Cleaning the house with a two year old at my heels, that is. The cooking was just me. Colin is a very independent two year old who didn't give me any trouble while I cleaned except for one thing. I was cleaning the tub as I usually do, spraying scrubbing bubbles, sprinkling baking soda and scrubbing away and then turning on the shower to wash all the muck down. Colin came up and stuck his hand in the stream of water while I scrubbed the rest out and then he disappeared for a moment. By some muted instinct I knew what was coming next but did nothing to stop it. All of a sudden he was in the shower I was trying to clean, grinning at me through the water. The little booger. I merely had time to instruct that he was NOT to pee in my clean tub.
     
       The fourth was fun and fairly relaxing. We cooked, cleaned and decorated (a little) until a few friends arrived later. We played a lot of spoons, ate a lot of s'mores and then piled into the car and inched our way downtown to watch the fireworks.
       It was really beautiful, actually. Everyone in my family said it was the best display we've seen in Florida since we've moved. In our small town in New Jersey, we got the parade and fireworks and it was generally more organized. But here, we haven't found any good parades and the fireworks are hard to find and to get to. So this time we got a perfect spot at the edge of the lake and sat on top of the car to watch (with plenty of OFF handy). They were really great and I always say that the older I get the more I like fireworks. Plus, over the lake you not only see the local display, but also the ones way across. Basically, you're surrounded by fireworks. It's pretty beautiful.

       So, this marks the end of my 31 days. It's been fun to write, even if I'm not exactly the most consistent of bloggers. My next project on this blog will be 10 days of DIY Pinterest Projects. We'll see how that goes!    

Twenty-Nine

       Ugh . . . I am exhausted! That kind of exhausted where you know you ought to get rest but you still have things to do and you're hung up on the fact that you still have to get up at 7 AM tomorrow. UGH!

       And here I am writing but I'm SO CLOSE to 31, I can feel it. Well, today was nothing special but I'll write about it anyway. I woke up early (sob) dragged myself away from some dreams and kick started my day with a reeses. Wow, I have a serious problem. Oh well, if I'm living according to the great wisdom of "Friends" 'the diet starts tomorrow' anyway. Later, we took Colin to visit Devyn and go swimming and he informed me I should "always swim with a buddy". The kid could kill with his cuteness.
       We dropped bubba off on the way home (puke free, woo hoo!) and stopped to pick up groceries where I was NOT picked on by any creepy old guys. Look at that, things do get better. At home I made dinner, ate dinner, cleaned up from dinner and sat down to watch "Warm Bodies" with my family. It was the second time I've seen it and it's still a really great movie.
       Although it's summed up and looks rather boring written out, that was my day. It's always nice to have a busy day, I just hope I get a little downtime this weekend. I feel like I haven't stopped going for at least a week now. Tomorrow should be a little slower. Let's hope!    

Potatoes Au Gratin

     

       I found a cool food network article, 50 Things to Grill in Foil, and although I don't have a grill I thought a few would be yummy to adapt to an oven. Tonight I tried #41, Potatoes Au Gratin and the following is my adaptation. They turned out delicious for me, although you might call them upside down potatoes au gratin because the best, crispy ones are on the bottom!

Ingredients:
-1/4 C. Parmesan, gruyere and swiss cheese (or just add your favorite cheese!)
-4 Tbsp. melted butter
-4 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
-Salt and pepper to season
-1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
-1 Tbsp. or so of garlic (you can add more or less depending on how much you like garlic.)

You will also need:
-Tinfoil
-Medium size casserole dish

Oven:
Your oven will need to be preheated to 425 degrees. I usually do this when I think I'm 5-10 minutes from finishing the prep work.

Directions: 
       Peel and thinly slice your potatoes. I used a mandolin (God bless the mandolin) but as long as the slices are thin (seriously, thick slices = hard to cook through) it doesn't matter what you use.

            

       Grate your cheese, mince your garlic and melt your butter. In a large bowl combine the cheeses, potatoes, butter, salt and pepper and garlic. Time to get your hands messy; make sure the butter and cheese coats every potato!

       Line your casserole dish with plenty of tinfoil. I made the mistake of not sealing in the heat well enough and it took a lot longer to cook. Layer your potatoes into the foil-lined baking dish. 

       Pour the cream over the potatoes, making sure to coat each one. Now this is important: make sure to seal the potatoes into as much of a secure packet as you can. You don't want any heat escaping! 

       Place the baking dish into your preheated oven on the bottom rack and cook for 25-30 minutes. Mine took about 40, but as I said, I didn't seal them up well. After I adjusted the tinfoil they cooked much faster. When potatoes are tender enough for a fork to go cleanly through, they are finished. Pull out, open up the packet and serve!

       Enjoy! 

Twenty-Five And The Previous Days

       I've missed so many days but I'm so close to finishing the 31 days that I might as well keep going. So here are the days I have missed!

Tuesday: Zoo Day
       We debated going to universal but it's just so stinkin HOT. We went to the zoo, instead, and I took bubba around to see all the animals. Colin loves the zoo and so before going he drew a picture for the "'nakes" and monkeys, llamas and birdies. Although, he was skeptical that they really had parrots until I showed him. Also, a few of the volunteers in the herpetarium were holding snakes but it quickly became apparent that Colin likes his snakes safely behind the glass. He did tentatively pet the snake skin, however, after making absolutely positive that it would not bite him.     

Wednesday: Pantry Day
       Wednesday was one of those days you have to say to yourself, 'I am so lucky for the food I have in my pantry and my freezer.' Seriously, this was the kind of week where we really had to look beyond our situation and be happy. It really wasn't a bad week but it is always so easy to fall into the sticky trap of thinking, "why are we here, again?" whether it's financial or spiritual or something else entirely.
       Actually, though, I did bring David out to run some errands and we had a nice time. That made my day!

Thursday: Lazy Day
       "Lazy" is a relative term. I slept in and then I got up and got a surprising amount of work done around the house (I think my to-do list is magic). Afterwards I settled down to watch some Doctor Who.
       Actually, between today and yesterday I've watched a disgraceful amount of Doctor Who. Like, seriously, an embarrassing amount. But I'm so close to finishing!

Friday:
       I didn't watch Doctor Who ALL day. Just a good part of it. I slept in, made nutella pancakes for my sister and I, and watched a movie before browsing around the mall for a bit. I didn't get anything; I'm insanely cheap and one glance at the eight dollar underwear or fifty dollar sweatshirt had me running for the door, unfortunately. I like pretty things, don't get me wrong, I just like them to cost as little as possible.

       So those are my missing entries. Hopefully I will be a little more with it tomorrow because "Tomorrow is another day" or something like that.        

Homemade Laundry Detergent

     

       There are some things that are just too insane to buy ready-made. I feel like laundry detergent is one of them. My motto is, if you can make it yourself, don't buy it. My mom started making the laundry detergent a while ago and after I learned how to do it I've kept us stocked. One batch usually lasts at least a month (and that's with five people) and it's insanely easy. This isn't an original recipe, we found it online, I'm just not sure where!
       What you'll need:
          -1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
          - 1/2 cup Borax
          -1/3 of a bar of Fells Naptha soap (or any bar soap, but wal-mart sells Fells Naptha now!)
          -Lots of water
          -A bucket
          -Any scents you want

       Recipe: 
       In a medium sauce pan, pour six cups of water and the bar of soap. You can grate it but I usually just chop it with a knife and it crumbles to workable pieces. Melt the soap in the water over medium-high heat, but don't let it come to a full boil. When the soap is mostly melted (for me there are usually a few stragglers that don't melt) pour in the washing soda and borax. Stir until dissolved and remove from heat. Pour four cups of hot water into your bucket and then pour in your soap mixture. Then add 22 more cups of water. Stir it all together, add any scent you might want, cover and let it sit for 24 hours. At first it will be watery but after sitting it will have a gel-like consistency. Use a 1/4 cup with every load and you're good to go.

       Enjoy!