Grandma's Refrigerator Pickles

I'm not a big fan of pickles.

But Dear Sweet Hubby is.

And after going through lots of store-bought jars, I decided there had to be a better way. (Have you glanced at the ingredients in that jar? Yikes. I don't think something as simple as pickles should have high fructose syrup listed in the ingredients list. But that's just me.)

Anyhoo.

Luckily, my Grandma had a wonderful recipe for Refrigerator Pickles. And I'm tellin' you...it couldn't get any simpler than this. Not to mention inexpensive. A jar of fresh pickles costs me about $2. You can't beat that!

REFRIGERATOR PICKLES


7 cups washed, sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup chopped peppers of  your choice (optional)
3 TBSP salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 tsp celery seeds 


Put cucumbers, onions, and peppers in large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for one hour; drain.


Mix sugar, vinegar, and celery seeds and pour over cucumbers. Transfer to airtight container, and put in refrigerator. Let stand for 3 days before enjoying. Will keep in airtight container for up to 3 months.

The best thing about this recipe? Besides the sheer simplicity and thriftiness? It's just a base recipe. The batch I made most recently I omitted the peppers and celery seed and just added a little garlic powder instead. (Dear Sweet Hubby gave it the seal of approval today...the batch just got done. I practically have to lock these things away until they are ready. haha.)

I've added dill instead of peppers to make dill pickles. There are so many options with this recipe!

Enjoy!

Because Walk-In Closets Can Hold So Much More Than Clothes

LBB has the "master bedroom" in our apartment. Mostly because, let's face it...he's got more than just a bed and a dresser (like Dear Sweet Hubby and I do.)

It just made sense that he had the bigger room. And, the bigger room comes with it's very own walk-in closet. Lucky kid. (Along with his own bathroom...I think a bathroom just for kids is a lifesaver. All those bathtoys get to just hang out in the tub indefinitely. haha.)

Anyways. I digress. Back to the closet.

He started out having his clothes hanging in the closet. Then, we trimmed down how many clothes he had, and were able to fit them into his IKEA stuva wardrobe. So, that left an empty closet. And, I'm a big fan of empty closets. :) After all, closets, when used correctly, can nearly be a very task-oriented room.

We got that cute little playkitchen at Goodwill...for a whooping $3.99. For a long time it sat in our dining room right next to the kitchen. I had great plans of LBB play-cooking while I cooked. Instead, the dining room turned into a regular mine-field full of play-utensils and wooden food.

It HAD to get moved. Thank goodness for empty closet space, right?

And with just a few small projects, LBB's walk in closet turned into a veritable play-kitchen.

I used my cricut and cut "Buster's Diner" (with the wall vinyl) to make the perfect little sign for his kitchen. The car rug was SUPER cheap at IKEA (but don't ask me how much...I can't remember.) My Mom and Dad got him the wall clock on the left. LBB loves "telling" time...of course, it's always 2 o'clock. And it's always "nommy" time. But, it's toddler-world, so it works. And, of course, Slink the Dog is man's best friend, and therefore, in the kitchen at all times.

We then decided that we needed something to make the space a little more "kitcheney." So, off to IKEA we went. (Have I ever mentioned that I love IKEA?) We got those two wall pockets, the two bars, hooks, and the basket, and it barely even dented our pocketbook. I like that. :)

We had two little decorative hooks on hand, which we used to hang up the ADORABLE chef's hat and apron my Mom made for LBB for Christmas. (The chef's apron says "I'm the next play-food network star.")

And those wall pockets? Ah, pure bliss. They are like miniature cupboards that he can put his food in.

And at this point, this is the farthest we have gotten with the corner. We picked up this cute vintage bookshelf at Goodwill, and it fit perfectly in between the wall and built in shelving. :) Literally, there's 2 inches or so of space. We want to paint it, but are kind of waiting until a later date. Paint or no paint, though, it's still perfect for keeping his pots, pans, dishes, mixer, and some more playfood in one spot. And notice the doggy? LBB is a big fan of doggies. They seem to be everywhere around his room. :)

So, there's a tour of LBB's play-kitchen! Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest...it's a weird layout in the first place to try to get a good picture of, but when combined with my bleh-camera and bad lighting, the odds were against me. :)

FACT:

Bears eat beets.

(Just a little "The Office" humor for you.)

But, supposedly beets also make good....wait for it....

...dye for Easter eggs.

Who would've guessed.

LBB goes completely berserk shows a slight aversion to artificial dyes, and it got me to questioning how good is it to have your eggs be SOAKED in artificial dye. Not that there's anything wrong with it...if LBB wasn't sensitive to those darn dyes, I'd so be buying the dye kits with the cute little rabbit on them.

But, he is sensitive.

And by golly, sometimes that dye leaks onto the egg itself. And that just can't be good.

So, this year we are attempting to dye our eggs the "natural" way. So far I've made red-purplish dye (using the beets) and blue dye (using red cabbage.) No word yet on how they look on eggs, but sitting in bowl, the colors are beautiful. We use brown eggs, and according to some different things I've read about natural dying, these natural dyes look beautifully muted on them. We're pretty psyched.

What about you? Have you ever dyed eggs naturally? Would you? (And if you want to see the recipe for making the dyes, click HERE.)

I'll let you know how they turned out. :)

My New Addiction

I loved picnik.

So when they announced they'd be closing, I was a tad depressed. And then I found PicMonkey.

And I love this even more. I'm not sure why, but I like the actions better. I like the simplicity. And boy oh boy, do I love the way it makes my photos look. :) Here's a few I've done in the past 12 hours. (it's become an addiction. I've spent all my free time digging through my facebook albums trying to decide which photos I want to edit next!)

It makes the pictures that my cruddy camera takes into something special. :) Trust me, once you play on there once or twice, you'll be hooked.

Lake Rocks

We just got back from a spontaneous overnight trip to the Lake.

The old saying is right...there's nothing a little sweat, tears, or sea can't cure.

We were  all suffering from "new-store" related woes. LBB missed Daddy. I missed Dear Sweet Hubby. And Dear Sweet Hubby/Daddy missed us.

70+ hours a week of having him gone takes a toll.

Fortunately, the Grand Opening of his new store is in the books (and very successful, I proudly have to add.)

And now, hopefully, a little more family time.

Dear Sweet Hubby had to visit another store and then was going to be done for the day...leaving a full afternoon worth of family time. Jackpot.

I suggested a day trip for the 3 of us. :) He happily obliged.

So, we headed to the Lake. Went on a hike. Got our clothes soaking wet with freezing water. And spontaneously decided to stay overnight since he didn't have to work until noon the next day.

It was just what I needed. And I as sat watching the pristine waters of our favorite lake crash into the shore, I finally was able to relax. To refresh my soul. And most importantly, to spend some time just being. I didn't worry about LBB...he was busy skipping rocks with Daddy. I didn't worry about housework. I didn't worry about bills.

I just "was."

And I came up with some profound (or as my hubby said: "Deep.") stuff while I sat there. Ready to hear it?

We are very similar to the rocks in the sea. We start out as something rough around the edges. We are jagged. As humans, we start out demanding, demanding, demanding. We spend our days as children happily surrounded by love of a family and no definition of the world around us. We can't see beyond ourselves and what is directly in front of us. We are, like a sharp rock tossed in the water, rough around the edges.

But then life begins to slowly smooth our edges down, just as the waves in the sea smooth a rock's edges down. What was beautiful in the beginning turns into a new kind of beautiful. We open our eyes and see the world around us. And, if we're lucky, we grow from experiences.

Our edges become smooth. We are tossed about in the sea of life...sometimes the waters are calm. Sometimes the water are rough. Sometimes we find ourselves where we want to be. Sometimes we are put in a place that we never imagined ourselves to be.

But no matter if the sea of life is rough or calm, it's all a part of what shapes us to be the people we are meant to be.

But unlike the rock, which will inherently end up being smooth after years of being in the water, it is our choice as humans to grow and learn from our experiences. It is our choice to either stay jagged or let the seas of life change us into a new form of beauty.

OK. I'm done with my "profound" thought now. :) I promise the next post won't be anything of the sort. 

Letting Him Help

One thing I'm discovering about this whole "terrific two's" stage:

Helping is fun.

LBB adores helping. He adores being part of what Mommy and Daddy are doing. And, he adores feeling like a big boy.

The other day, he jumped at the chance to help make orange juice. :) I showed him how to push the orange slice down, and he had so much fun "squeezing" his orange juice. (I definitely had to help though to make sure we got all the juice out.)

Now, each morning when he wants his orange juice, he quickly drags a chair into the kitchen to help.

The same day he helped make his orange juice, he enthusiastically joined me in the kitchen to prepare dinner. While the 30 minutes or so of dinner prep usually involve him being very rambunctious and all over the house, this time, he spent the whole time in the kitchen with me. Completely focused. And very content. He helped put the chopped potatoes in the bowl, and loved helping with the other prep. LBB is very good about knowing what is "HOT" and what is "OWIE", and we're very vigilant about making sure all possible dangers are out of reach.

And of course, anything that involves helping with dirt is a BIG hit among the two year old crowd in our home.

We started our tomato, carrot, cilantro, and basil seeds yesterday, and LBB got a big kick out of pouring the dirt in the trays and pinching the seeds and putting them in the pods. I have a feeling this summer I will have a LOT of help in tending our garden. :)

Sometimes it's easy as parents to discredit how much it means to toddlers to let them help. They are budding little spirits, so full of life and energy, and so very curious about the world around them. Letting them get dirty, have fun, and dig their tiny hands into projects is important to them (and is part of what makes being a parent so wonderful.)

Letting your toddler know that you enjoy having them help is one of the greatest things we can do for them. Letting them know that you believe in their growing capabilities begins now, but doesn't stop even when they are older. And letting them have that quality time where they are learning from you? Well, it doesn't get any better than that.

Sometimes, it's easy to describe this stage as "terrible two's", but it's not that at all. Sure, there are those tantrums and the stubbornness, but all in all, this is such a wonderful time of tremendous growth. It's a chance for us as parents to really get to know our little ones and see what makes them tick.

Often times, when we're having a cranky day, it's because we spent way too much time sitting and far too little time exploring. Exploring the world around us. Exploring nature. Exploring art. And even exploring new ways of playing with the same "old" trains and tractors. :)

Let's learn a lesson from our toddlers...never stop being curious. Explore, explore, explore.

The Path

I've spent a LOT of time trying to decide what I'm supposed to be doing in life.

And aside from being LBB's Mommy and wife to Dear Sweet Hubby, I've come short of having any answers.

Where do I want to live? Do we want to buy a house? City or country? Vintage or modern? Now or later?

I suffer from a serious case of mutt-personality. (A little bit of everything all rolled into one.)

But, I'm learning. I'm thinking. I'm praying.

And I'm discovering.

Discovering what I really want. And that while it may be a couple of years away, it's worth waiting for. I'm the kind of girl that loses patience. If it's not going to happen in the next year, I take the easy way out.

But one thing I know for sure?

I don't want to live in our apartment forever. I want a piece of land to call our own. I want a backyard for my little guy (and hopefully more little ones) to be able to run around in. I want our own little paradise that is all ours. I want a old, character filled home that I can renovate to fit my family just right. I want a chicken coop.

Yes, a chicken coop. :)

See, all these years, I've wanted this. But, it will take work to get there. It will take sacrifice. And it's much easier to just make do and settle than it is to sacrifice.

But. No more.

We are done settling. We want so much more for ourselves. For our family. For our happiness.

We are embarking on a journey that will hopefully lead to the lifestyle we want. And conveniently, within an hour of the metro and all the big city conveniences. It works out that way.

Someday, my little guy can have the puppy he keeps wishing the cat was. He can have a yard to run around in to his hearts content. And he can have all the fresh strawberries he could possibly dream of. :)

That is what will make the sacrifice and hard work worth it. :)

It feels good to find my path. It feels good to know, that despite the rough terrain and hard work that will come over the next 3 years, at the end of that path will be a most wonderful reward. Now is the time to finally get our butts in gear and get to work. No longer are we putting off what needs to be done today until tomorrow.

Wish us luck. :)