all natural pineapple strawberry spread

just made this recipe and it is so yummy! i've been looking for a no sugar jam recipe and i think i found the one i like here. it has plenty of natural sugar so it is pretty sweet. i added a little to plain greek yogurt and sprinkled almonds  on top, sooo good!


6 cups organic straw­ber­ries
6 cups pineap­ple, chop
3 cups raw honey

Pour half the honey over the pineap­ple and half over the straw­ber­ries; let stand for 4 hours. It can stand overnight with­out too much juice form­ing. Put all together in a large ket­tle, mix well and cook 25 min­utes after rolling
boil is reached.
Pour in ster­il­ized glass jars and seal.

Bragg Health Recipes

i used canned pineapple. also slightly blended the mix after cooking. you could just use a potato masher. i  also just used this freezer method instead of sealing it. super easy.

parker boo

This precious little man is 8 MONTHS! What you see in the pics is what you get....he smiles A LOT, and loves his life. He is an absolute joy to be around (most of the time). He is our adventureous little dude! Crawling and trying to climb and pull up on anything he sees. I feel so blessed to be his mom. Love you parker warker boo!

homemade granola

this is a delicious recipe for i got from my friend marcia years ago.. it is a favorite of mine and super easy. i've been on a granola kick lately so i thought i'd share this yummy recipe with you.

GRANOLA

2 cups oats (i think you can use instant or old fashion)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (i usually use less and have also used pecans or almonds)

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup oil

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (regular or fat free, i get the low fat from walmart)

1/2 t salt

add raisins or chocolate chips when cooled if desired.

stir it all together in a bowl. put it on a greased large cookie sheet or 9x13 pan bake at 325 for 40-60 min. turning every 15 minutes. i bake mine around 40 min b/c i like my granola a little chewy and not so crunchy. whatever works.

shots and growth

just wanted to blog about this quick before i forget. cambria and parker saw dr. jones (pediatrician) today and both of them had to get shots. we only let them get 1 at a time for many different reasons. cambria hasn't had a shot for almost a year (which she doesn't remember) so i wasn't sure how she'd do being fully aware of whats going on now. i prepared her for the shot (boo-boo) before we got there and throughout the appt.

"mama, i'm gonna get a pinch, after i cry it be all better"

 is her explanation of what was going to happen. ha.

parker got his first and didn't even realize what had happened, no cries! cambria got hers next and no tears either! i was very surprised. she was too excited that parker had a orange ban-aid and she got a "sparkly" one. ha.

we praise the Lord that both kids are doing well and healthy.

cambria - height 36 in. (95th %ile) weight 25.8 lbs (30%ile)

parker - height 26 in (80th %ile) weight 14.7 (40%ile)

i've always heard if you double your child's height when theyre 2, thats approx. how tall they'll be when they finish growing. well see if thats true...



trip to iowa

we had a wondful time with my fam in iowa. no, we didnt' enjoy the cold and are ever SO thankful that God has placed us in the hot state of AZ. despite the cold, we loved every minute with the fam and got to see some good friends as well. cambria loved playing in the snow of course. she refused to wear a coat the whole time we were there even when playing in the snow. i didn't make her 1. b/c i hate coats too 2. the natural consequence of freezing her butt as a result of her choice. basically, it's a good thing we don't live there. it was bittersweet being there knowing that was one of our last times there. sweet that my fam will live here and we wont have to travel to see them. bitter b/c i love iowa in so many ways. i love the community of people in dubuque. i love the beauty of the green grass, (or white snow) the hills, the farms, and of course the good old country hicks you see around town. we will be back to iowa for one more trip to see daniel and joy graduate in may, and after that i think it's so long iowa. i have loved having you in my life for a time. here are a few pics of the trip.

grant, dan, and grant's new love...ipad

shawn, jayme, jordan

uncle dan, auntie joy joy, parker

mom and dad

lunch with janelle and jess

her favorite part of the snow...eating it

precious boys

cambria couldn't get enough of the piano

ready for the snow!

this indeed was her snow suit.

we did manage to get a vest and scarf on too

please take note of the ridiculous snow suits these arizonians are wearing.

grant you are quite sexy.

a must have

yes, that wrap i'm wearing, you must have it to make your life easier with little ones. parker loves to hang out in there and sleep in there when were out and about. you could buy a moby wrap for $50 or more...OR... you can make your own really cheap.

get 5 1/2 yards of a cotton/knit material

 cut it in half length wise

and you'll have 2 "moby" wraps.

then you tube "how to wrap a moby wrap" and you'll have it mastered in no time.

warm and cozy

she loves to go to bed with her hat and gloves on

and it's not b/c our house is freezing, she just loves them!