Blue Bell Blues

Enough is enough!  I have gone several months without my beloved Blue Bell Ice Cream.  Aside from all the things that they have done wrong; they did one thing right- Ice Cream.  I miss my Blue Bell Ice Cream.

That being said, I decided it was time to make some ice cream of my own.  I made a very quick research day of it and finally found a lazy way to make Pistachio Almond Ice Cream.  Non of my sources are from the internet.  Low and behold, I used books.  And can you even imagine?  I even used old dusty tomes from the 30s and 40s to find something to work with.  So, here is the recipe I used and I am guessing that I will use it again.

Simple Ice Cream--No eggs, No cook

2 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 1/2 cups of  heavy cream
1 1/2 tsps of almond extract
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
15 drops of green food coloring (optional)
1/2 cup of low salt pistachios (chopped)

Mix first five ingredients until combined. 
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and start the churn.
After 10mins (or as soon as it starts to thicken) pour in the chopped pistachios.  If you put them in too early they just lump at the bottom.
 Freeze in freezer containers or eat it right out of the machine. No judgement here.

So, this ice cream is actually not the same exact texture (it has no eggs or custard).  It has a slightly cleaner finish. But, it certainly will do until Pistachio Almond and I meet again.
 

Packed and Ready to Go

My middle child is very popular with his friends and gets invited to many sleepovers.  In fact, I don't think he has slept at home for even one Friday night this October.  So this time the sleep over was down the street.  He packed his things and we started our "hike" around the corner to the party.

On our way, we had several smiles from neighbors.  I assured them, that he wasn't running away, he was walking to a sleepover.  So that you could share the experience, I took one little photo (mommarazzi style).

October Eyes

Hello All!

Well I made my kids give me an after school snap shot.  They have been to school for a while now and I haven't posted much in the way of photos. So, here are a few of my babies growing up and showing their true colors.

Wondering what is going on with these kidlets?  The youngest is in 1st grade and in gifted and talented at school.  His assessment scores exceptional. He is now active in Boy Scouts. He went on his first camp out last weekend with his father.

Middle child is also exceptional at school and recently joined in the student council run off for President.  He didn't make but, he was gracious and genuinely happy for his friend that did make it.  He is camping with  his father this weekend.  He reluctantly gave me a chance to take his photo.

First born is, of course, exceptional.  School is going well for her and she is now active in the Student Council and in Girl Scouts. Looks like her mom but, is so much like her father.  Spend most of her time on GT class projects and with her best friend the phone. :D 

What am I up to? I am spending a lot of time volunteer at our elementary school.  I have also been able to maintain a good boundary between home and volunteer time. Yay me! 

April you wear me out!

With a lot of love and appreciation, April, you wear me out.  There are so many birthdays in April to celebrate.  I have at least 6 special birthdays children and adults included in April.  But, aside from my whining about my social life. There are two kiddos going through some major rites of passage in our house.

First let's give a nice big hug to my big boy who is now the big 1-0!  He is an amazing guy.  He took my breath away the moment we met.

 I caught him crouched by the tree waiting for candy to fly out of the pinata. He was just there and needed to have a photo taken of him being so stinkin' grown up.

Now here is the one that is truly pulling at my heart strings.  She is absolutely the most amazing girl I have ever met in my life.  She is brilliant and beautiful.  She is brave and strong and soft and considerate.  She is all I wish I had been. Happy #13 Sweet Heart!

These are her posed photos.  It was not as easy to weasel a smile out of her.  But, I got a few. :)

And here are my favorite pictures because she is relaxed and we can see her sweet smile. They are blurry and beautiful.  My sweet baby all teened up.

Science Fair Winner!

My big boy won the science fair!  And we could not be more proud of him... This was his first Science Fair Project.  And as much as he wanted to avoid the writing and documentation, he learned so much from the experience.  He typed every single word.  He built all the parts for his experiment and endured all of the advice of his parents (be assured we had lots of advice). He really did his entire project on his own.  (I even resisted straightening the lettering on the project board).

It paid off for him! 2nd Place overall and 1st Place in 4th Grade Level.  He was just beaming.  I will always remember that glow of self confidence and pride.  Priceless.

 

This photo is courtesy one of his excellent Math and Science Teachers.  He really has a great support system of teachers.  I am still getting kudos from his teachers, they are all so proud of him.

I must also say that this week was really positive for him, he was even recognized for good character.  He found money and turned it in and the school Principal recognized him on their morning announcements for having integrity.  

Can you see me beaming with pride over my young man?

Happy Birthday Sweet Heart

My sweet heart just had his 6th birthday celebration and I am just beside myself with how quickly my babies grow up.  I know that when I am struggling to keep wholesome dinners on the table and all of the appointments in order, that my kids are flourishing.  I just wish the time was a little more forgiving and that I could spend more of it with them than with my household chores.

So here is to my sweet baby boy who warms my heart and takes my breath away.  I am so glad that God sent you to live with me. And I love you "like a everything".

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

 

Super Batch Sunday

In honor of  $uper Bowl $unday, I decided to pull out my biggest mixing bowl (vintage of course) and make a super batch of something.  I made cookies--->LOTS of cookies!


The first two shots are of Cinnamon Chocolate Snaps.  They are my family's most recent favorite.  Same batter, just different sizes and shapes.  This one is a dense cookie with a satisfying snap to them.  The flavor is chocolatey but with complex spice flavors that seem to come in waves.  These are not sweet sweet cookies. A really excellent cookie. 

This last shot is of Old Fashioned Coriander Cookies.  These have a nice texture and delicate spice taste to them.  The kids devoured them.  I was pretty surprised by this because they are not overly sweet either.  I have to say that I was pretty hesitant to make this cookie because I didn't want to waste my fine baking ingredients on something that might be, well, unpalatable.   But, again, I was not disappointed. 

 

I shot all of these photos right here next to my desk as quickly as I could because I wasn't sure if they would last very long. Feast your eyes on my zero calorie non fat cookies.

Pictures With Santa

Many times, I forget that I am not just another mom with a camera.  I am an amazing mom with a camera AND skills!

Today, I shot 700 portraits and class pictures with Santa for our school's Polar Express Day. Yes, 700 photos.  I know you are thinking that it took me ALL DAY.  Well, it didn't.  I did this in 4 hours.  I had a LOT of help from two ladies adjusting kids and set and controlling the crowd.  I just stood there taking fun pictures. 

Here are a couple of my boys, I got some REALLY REALLY cute ones from some of the kids but, I don't have permission to publish them so I won't be doing that here.  But, wow.  There were some contest winners in this lot.

First Dance

My kids have been growing up on me lately.  But, none as much as the middle one. Tonight was his first school dance/social.  Parents were not invited but, I heard from a teacher friend that he was dancing up a storm in the gym.  So, I am guessing he is having a GREAT time.

I did ask for the obligatory photo and this is what we got. I realize he doesn't look pleased but, he sure looks handsome.

Happy Halloween And All Saints Day!

Well, as is the usual custom at Scarborough House, we went Trick or Treating last night. We walked about a mile and a half when the kids began the whine about being tired. So, I didn't really get many photos (mostly because I spent most of the time talking to the adults with us).

I even got a chance to chat with my brother who brought his kiddos to our neighborhood for Halloween! It was a nice surprise.

I did manage to catch just a few photos. I hope you enjoy them.

The kids had a great time and got lots of treats and not one trick! 

First Day Blues

The day has come.  All three of my beloved children are "in school".  I can't believe this has happened so quickly.  I have a 7th grader, 4th grader, and a Kindergartener!  I love that we have moved into this phase of life but, I will have to get used to no preschoolers. It has been 13
 years that I have had a baby at home.

So, pray for me a mother in transition.  My kids handle it better than I do. 

 

I made the kids get out of the car for this photo. Then told them to hurry up and get in the car  because they were gonna make everybody late!  :D

Butterflies in my garden

 

Mondays

Mondays are what I call house blessing days.  I bless my house by cleaning and recovering from the weekend.  Today, the kids pulled their own weight and we finished up in 45 minutes! Yay us! 

My carnivore asked very politely to have a "piece" of watermelon.  I was very happy to allow it.  When I walked into the kitchen he definitely had a piece of watermelon.

Of course, the other two also needed a piece so, there went half of a watermelon.

Yummity yum yum!

Yummy Bread

I made bread (and a mess) today.  If you have ever made bread, you know that all the steps and the flour and the kneading = a big floury mess!  But, the smell of it baking, oh the smell.  The only thing that compares is watching my family savor every bite.  There is nothing like feeding the people I love the most.  Just an all around good thing.

So here is a little peek into what we will be nibbling on. 

I hope you enjoyed our daily bread.  It is really tasty and satisfying.  It better be, it took me all day to make it.