Boston Baked Beans anyone???

I have always wanted to try to make homemade Boston Baked Beans.   But.....I have this fear of dry beans for some weird reason.   I know, it sounds crazy.    I didn't grow up with anyone in my family using dry beans to make things...(that I know of anyway)  LOL    So it is unfamiliar territory for me.  
So you are probably wondering, Why now??    Well I love baked beans.  My family loves baked beans.  I often stick to just the basic can of Bush's beans, (Boston baked or Country style are our favorites).   I thought to myself how hard can it be to make them???   I looked up a few recipes and found this one that looked easy enough, no weird ingredients and hey I actually had a bag of Northern beans in the pantry.
  
*I bought them in hopes of attempting to incorporate more inexpensive meals that incorporate beans*


So here is my chance.   I found this recipe and it was super easy.  (and you get a little history lesson as well),
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/slow_cooked_boston_baked_beans/


 Now I must say at this point we haven't eaten them yet, *they are still cooking*  LOL   But the house smells amazing and the fact that they just go in the slow cooker and you leave them alone to cook all day is super awesome in my book.  


If these turn out well I have a feeling my family might be saying, "Please, no more beans..LOL "
We won't eat these until tomorrow even though they are cooking today.  Ryan's 12th birthday is tomorrow and his "birthday" meal is hamburgers, hot dogs, my super cheesy homemade mac and cheese and baked beans.    (I could have just opened a can, but it wouldn't be the same now would it?)   :)






I Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Graduation, Moving out, Summer vacation....OY!!

Shelby and I after her graduation ceremony!!  :) 

So many milestones, so little time!!!

The kids have been out of school for a few weeks already.  Some days I can't wait for school to start, other days it's not so bad.   Seems the days I have to grocery shop or run an errand are the most stressful.   I am so used to doing those things by myself while they are in school.   I also miss my special TUESDAY time with J.R.  :(    He has Tuesday's off and often times we would run errands or do grocery shopping or just sit at home on our laptops and enjoy the quiet and alone time.   We will have that time back again I know, but I do so miss it.

As my title implies, we also had a graduation and a moving out milestone.  Both accomplished by our oldest daughter Shelby.   She graduated from high school on May 27th, 2012!!   I still can't believe that she is done with high school.    She worked hard and achieved awesome grades her final year.   There was less drama than previous two years, and she really blossomed and matured in a short amount of time.   She has a boyfriend who we like very much.   He moved here to Iowa to be with her, (that right there tells me he loves her very much).   They both acquired full time jobs just days after Shelby's graduation ceremony.  They even found a great little apartment not too far, and in the same town we live in.   I love that she is close enough to stop by.   We helped them get all moved in last weekend and helped unpack some of their stuff.  I haven't been over since then but I speak to her daily and she tells me that she is still unpacking things and organizing.
I remember fondly when I first moved out on my own....it was scary, liberating, and joyous all at the same time.  I know it's only been a week but I think they will do great and I believe in her ability to handle things on her own.   I have heard people tell me that I must have done something right and taught her the right things so she felt confident enough to move out on her own.   Well, I don't know about that.....I did try to teach her things to help her in adult life, but I wasn't always sure she was listening or paying attention.
Just last night we were texting each other and this is how it went.......

ME :  It's different when your own place huh?
Shelby : It sucks!  I have to do everything !!!!
ME: Michael isn't helping??
Shelby: He does, But  it's just weird cuz usually I had U to rely on but...haha  I gotta do all the mom stuff by myself.  haha
ME:Yes I do know, I was young once too believe it or not.  LOL   You don't have anyone else to pick up the slack...or give you a breadk.  It's all on you if it gets done or not.  It is liberating though!!  :)
Shelby : LOL   It is a bit  lol

She then told me about going to the laundromat to do their laundry, and coming home and making homemade spaghetti sauce and some pasta for herself to eat for supper.   (her BF works 6pm-6am)

I am so proud of her.   I am happy for her.  I do miss her though....the kids miss her.  They have commented at least once a day how weird it is to not have Shelby in the house.   That they used to have to be quiet in the morning so they wouldn't wake her up, and that they couldn't really watch TV downstairs in the family room because that is where her room was.
But, I think we are slowly adjusting to life with Shelby on her own.   :)



I Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Chilly, Rainy and in dire need of some comforting soup!!

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/03/irish-potato-cabbage-soup-with-soda.html

This is what I am in the mood for this weekend.  It's rainy, cold and just plain blah outside here in Iowa.  I found this recipe when I was doing Gluten Free/ Vegan.    OMG it is to die for.  The Gluten Free Goddess's recipes are amazing, and full of amazing flavor.   I have never had soda bread before and I fell in love!!   I know, probably not the best love affair to have but damn it was yummy!!    So tonight my fabulous husband and I are going to cook together and make this wonderful meal.   (the kids don't like so I will make them something like broccoli/chicken/alfredo pasta for supper.)    They don't know what they are missing!!
If you get a chance please check out her blog...she is AMAZING!!


I Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Home is.....Here!!

Our new home!!  

I know we moved in almost a month ago now, but I wanted to share a picture of the new place.  We are really loving it!   There is such a peace here.  Even when things are stressful with the kids, JR's job, finances or anything....we still find at the end of the day that we have a peaceful place in which we live.   I have never know this feeling so strong in any place I ever lived.  It sounds kind of nutty doesn't it?   How can a house make you feel peaceful inside?    I thought that too but I think a combination of things has my heart and mind at peace.   1. it is OURS!!  nobody else owns it (well except the bank),  2. The area is quiet, neighbors are nice (the ones we have met so far anyway), and 3. The kids have a little more freedom now, they walk to school and walk home on their own.   I don't have to be so overprotective of them anymore.   This in itself calms me right down to my core.   

This is where the kids will grow up and call home.   Even Shelby even though she won't live here for long.  They will associate this place with HOME!!    We plan to stay here for a very long time.   :)   

I Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Hi...Remember me?

I know it has been ages since I have posted.  So much has happened since then,  We finally closed on our house March 29th, and got to move in on March 31st!!   What a crazy weekend that was!!   I am never moving again.   I am still feeling the effects of the lifting, bending, hoisting and any other actions I did over the course of the week previous and the week after.  Not to mention the 2 1/2 full days of packing, loading and unloading we all did.
But, it is done, we are moved in and actually I think we have done quite well getting things put where we want them.  :)   I am pretty proud of the progress we have made thus far.   We still have some boxes that we actually cannot unpack just yet because we are planning a homemade bookcase/shelving endeavor and since it will be a permenant fixture we want to be sure to take every consideration with it.  

The kids are adapting and making friends, they are enjoying their new rooms, even though they don't have their beds yet.  LOL    *they do however have brand new mattresses on the floor till the furniture arrives (which hopefully will be within the next week or so)*  
Elizabeth is struggling with the amount of homework, and gets frustrated quite easily with it.   I feel for her, I was never really a math whiz either and I too get frustrated with it still to this day.   But she is now learning Chinese and Spanish!!   How cool is that?   3rd grade and learning not just the basic reading, math and science, but 2 languages!!   :)     Ryan however is another story altogether.  He is smart and does well in school and his behavior at school is good (as far as we know, since we haven't heard anything to the contrary we are going with it).   But his behaviors at home are horrible.   He is disrespectful, he is lying, and being a complete con man.  I see so many of his bio dad's attributes in him and it scares me to death.  I am praying and praying that we can get his world turned back to the right path real fast before anything sets in too deep.   My Ex is still homeless, jobless and I have heard that he is back living in his car again.   I just can't let Ryan be ruined by his dad.   I just can't imagine going all this time without a job, or a place to live.    It is quite sad really.  
Of course he doesn't talk to me or let me know anything.  Which I believe is unfair since his behavior, lifestyle etc all impact our kids.   I am by no means perfect but everything I do is with their safety, well being and health in mind first and foremost.

Okay enough ranting.   I have some reading to do and some homework to complete for a bible study I joined and started just a couple of days after moving here.   So I best get at it.  :)   Thanks for reading.


I Corinthians 13:4-7 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. 5 It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.