Homemade Potato Chips!

It's amazing the things you have to do to let your child (who is allergic to nuts) eat like a normal person. It doesn't help that I am totally on edge about giving Jack any kind of food for fear that it will cause him to go into anaphylaxis again. So, I'm slowly turning this allergy into a passion for cooking.

I have always loved to cook. But, I never cooked things people would actually eat on a daily basis. I would make cupcakes, cookies--your standard, eat a few, and let the rest sit there for weeks. But, now I'm actually cooking stuff people eat all of the time. I even make my own rolls and french bread. Woohoo--bring on the carbs! So, here is my latest homemade creation (nut free--might I add!)

Homemade Potato Chips 

Serves 2 (or 1 snack monster)
3 large unpeeled potatoes
Cooking spray/oil
Favorite seasonings

1. Scrub potatoes and slice them thinly. 
2. Gently pat them dry with a kitchen towel and line them on a lightly greased tray.
3. Flick seasonings of your choice. 
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (C) for 15-20 minutes.

Be careful to watch them very closely in the oven, as they brown quite quickly and will taste burnt. The chips will be done at an uneven time, but you can always take the done ones out first. Also, make sure you let them cool down on a single layer to prevent them from ‘sweating’ and becoming soggy.

And there you have it! Healthy potato chips...ha! ha!

Our Urban Farm Adventure

About a year and a half ago, we purchased a little bit over an acre in Taylorsville. We've always wanted to be farmers. I don't know if it was the Farmers Market, or our pure love for the miracle of producing our own food--but, we have decided to go full speed ahead. Though, we can't afford to build a house on our land yet, we are going to create a sustainable farm--chickens, vegetables, grapes, and all.  

We are learning as we go, and hope to provide a reasonable income for ourselves by sharing our fruits and vegetables with others. So many of us have lost sight of growing our own food and eating locally. So, here's goes nothing. 

Marty, Jack, and I are becoming farmers!!!

Wow! Where did April go?

April is coming to a close--and it feels like it just started. For me that means, paying sales tax, closing out the month, Jack gets one month older, eek...I get one month older, and one more month that I still haven't finished or really started writing my book. This year is supposed to be the year of following through on the things I start. It's been a bit hard for me so far.
My list includes:
1.) Writing a book (I have written one page)
2.) Starting a traveling arts, craft, and food show (marketing materials--check!)
3.) Becoming a real estate agent (hey, I am in class for this, and I already got hired)
4.) Meeting people (joined a mom and church group)
5.) Raising chickens (haven't even started)
6.) Doing a half-Ironman (starting to train)
And the list goes on and on...so, with April over, and everything only partially complete-I have to get on it. I think it's all about time management. Instead of blogging, I should be writing my book, right? Or rather, instead of cleaning, I should be meeting people. So, I think this post has just remotivated me. Now, if I can keep my attention deficit disorder in check, I think I might actually follow through!

My little sister

So, tonight's blog is going to be about my little sister. It's rare that I consider her my little sister, because we've always done the exact same things--in fact we used to dress the same, too.  Our mom still thinks that we are twins. Heck, if I had two girls, I would do the same thing. I remember when we were little and we played a game called Kristy and Cathy. Who knows where we got those names, but we were best friends who really didn't do anything but go by those names. I was always the coveted Kristy, and Sarah was always Cathy. Wow..we were cool. Either way, Sarah has always been one of my best friends.  She's always been my wingman, especially when it came to fighting off Chris (our little brother) and the neighbor boys in Nerf Gun wars and water fights.  She was a founding member of the Adventure Club and Swamp Patrol.  Wow, we had fun. I think we may have been the only two girls who actually got pocket knives for Christmas. Though, we've each gone our own ways, life wouldn't be the same without Sarah. She's the only person I know that will laugh at the mention of a single word--and that word will remain a secret. She's going to Thailand in a few weeks, and I just want her to know how much she means to me and her little buddy, Jack.

Take it a day at a time

Have you ever felt like you have so many things to do that it's easier to just not do anything? I've always liked the fast paced environment--the one that makes your legs hurt because your running around so much. But, there's a certain someone, the someone who is throwing legos across the room, and sticking a plastic fork in one of them right now, that doesn't like this. He's content walking around the house wearing nothing all day long. He's content taking those piles of mine that I'm not getting done, and throwing them across the room. He's happy to hand me a dvd and act like he just handed me the winning powerball ticket. I don't know if I'll ever get caught up, but I'm going to be more like Jack. I'm going to take it one day at a time.

Knowing the zoo like the back of your hand...

From Mary....
Today started out like every other day...Jack and I went to the gym. I got to work out, while the little guy went to daycare. I must say that paying for gym daycare is one of the best investments ever. Our little ham has become known as the official greeter at the gym. It's amazing how a little guy can make so many people smile from the inside out.

Marty's truck had a slight problem: The wheel was about to fall off. Thank goodness he got a flat tire, and noticed that. He ended up having to take care of customers, so he had to take our truck (yes, I drive a truck),  and had to drop us off somewhere until he was done working. To make a long story short, we then ended up at  the zoo for four hours. Yes, four hours. Keeping a 15 month old entertained at the zoo for that amount of time proved to be very hard. Let's just say that Jack likes to play with the spoons from the zoo cafeteria, crawl into the ceramic turtle shells, and run towards any body of water (eek!). So, really, I could have taken him anywhere, and he would have been just as happy. It's actually sort of weird...I am so used to working all day and all night long--that it was sort of refreshing to be stuck at the zoo. My blackberry is malfunctioning at the moment...so, I wasn't even able to get email. The poor kid must think that a computer and phone are just as much a human necessity as water is. It was amazing to see Jack's attitude change with me being totally involved with him all day.  I love working from home, but you tend to work all of the time. So, today was a nice day. I didn't even get too many phone calls.

The zoo was more than just four hours of looking at animals, it made me truly realize how cool it is to be a mom. I am the mom to the coolest little dude in the world. The kid that waves at the ducks, that tries to close the door to the train at the park--just to close it, the kid who screeches when he sees string cheese, the little guy who bobs his head up and down to any sort of beat, the little kid who can say "mama" in a monster voice, and the little fellow who insists on giving the glass fish in the bathroom a kiss after every bath. Though, the zoo proved how hard it is to be a mom, it also proved that it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, as long as you are giving your little guy as much attention as he deserves.

Marty ended up picking us up--after three train rides, 1-Icee, 1-Grilled Cheese, and some stolen pickles from the condiment bar.

I would take a day like this any day! Even if you don't know if your husband is ever going to rescue you from the zoo.