things i did today

Here's what I've done so far today:

1.  Kicked off our 2013-14 homeschool year!

2.  Made two loaves of French bread.

3.  Made a blackberry pie.

4.  Made a fabulous BBQ chicken pizza for the lunch.

5.  Milled some grain.

6.  Enjoyed the rain, for the 147th day in a row.

7.  Changed the sheets on my bed.

8.  Found a rabbit head in my garage.

9.  Caught my oven on fire.

10.  Finally wrote a blog post.

Not that I should really need to explain, but just in case you are new here,

I live in the country, and the rabbit head was a gift from my dog.

He consumed the rest for himself.

Oh, it's just so symbolic of my entire life.

And thank goodness for my second oven in the garage, otherwise I never could

have done #2 & 3 after the unfortunate incident with #4.

(But the pizza was saved, and boy was it delicious!)

(The oven on the other hand...I'm not sure about.)

As far as #1 goes, I will tell you this.

These two little kiddos of mine are all-in.

But I will also say this.

Isaiah has the attention span of a Kansas fence post.

So it's my crafty job to cram in as much as I possibly can in a

very short amount of time.

And believe me you, this kid is LEARNING.

And he's super smart.

And I'm very proud of him.

And it's times like this that I'm very happy to be homeschooling

because I have no doubt that if he was in a classroom

all stinking day long, he would never make it.

And they would slap some sort of label on him and recommend 

some sort of horrific medication.

So I'm just super thankful for homeschooling.

Here are some pictures o' the day:

This is my summer uniform.  T-shirt, stretchy sorts, WITH pockets, so I can
carry my phone and timer with me.

Because I almost always have something in the oven.
And I need my timer...because I WILL forget whatever is baking if I don't have a reminder.

French bread.
Gah!  So delicious.

It is my greatest desire to *someday* make a pretty pie.
Some day!!!

I hope your day has been every bit as adventurous and productive as mine!

body butter [body butter, body butter!]

Late last night around 8:30 I decided to crank up the excitement in our already

fun-filled evening and I busted out the goods to make body butter.

Body butter, body butter, body butter.

I love saying that.

It sounds so creamy, rich, and delicious.

And really, IT IS!

 It was my first time making it, actually.

And it was a huge success.

I didn't even measure.

I just globbed in about two cups good-quality coconut oil,

one cup shea butter, and some essential oil.

Whipped it all up for about 6-8 minutes.

I broke out the case of incredibly wonderful blue vintage Ball jars that I bought recently.

Then I filled two of them up with my homemade body butter.

Body butter, body butter, body butter!

It turned out super great.

It's a tad on the greasy side, but really, for this shriveled up old peri-menopausal gal,

it's exactly what I need.

So, the next time you're feeling bored and dry,

make some body butter.

Be sure to like my FB page, if you haven't already!

egg rolls!

The other day Lucy asked me what my Chinese name was.

She was shocked to find out that I don't have one.

So I gave myself one.

Mei.

Actually, Crazy Mei.

I think it's fitting, don't you?

And here's what I, Crazy Mei, am going to show you how to make

today:

Egg Rolls!

But first let me make a quick confession to you.

Well, wait...it's not a confession, really.

Because I make no apologies for what I'm about to tell you.

I used some of my Christmas money to buy a fryer.

Oh yes I did.

Just look at her!

I told you I was eliminating processed foods, not FUN foods.

:)

So here we go with our egg rolls!

Buy a whole cabbage.

And take a really cool photo of it, with your reflection in the toaster behind it.

I amuse myself often.

Shred it up.

And shred up a couple carrots.

If you don't have a food processor/shredder...then I guess you'll have to buy

it pre-shredded.  But remember, that's more costly.
(No need to cook the cabbage ahead of time.)

Throw it all in a bowl.

AND add about one cup of unseasoned browned ground pork.

(I set aside some of my pork I ground up for my sausage I made the other day.)

We must always be thinking ahead, girls!

I also added a dash of salt

and a couple dashes of Chinese Five-Spice.

Put it on your egg-roll wraps.

No, I didn't make these.

Baby-steps, people.

Most grocery stores sell them. 

(They're usually in the produce section by the tofu.)

Brush with egg so that it all sticks together.

Then drop them into your brand new fryer!

Or you could do this on the stove.

Or I suppose you could even brush your egg rolls with some oil,

and bake them in a hot oven.

And looky-looky!!

They're delicious.

And don't forget about the sweet and sour sauce.

Yep, you can make that right there in your kitchen, too.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

(source)

3/4 cup white sugar (I'm going to try honey next time. Much healthier!)

1/3 cup white vinegar

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

2 tablespoon cornstarch

Mix all together in a saucepan, bring to a boil and whisk until thickened.

Remove from heat.

All done!

Egg Rolls

1 cup cooked ground sausage

3 cups shredded cabbage

2 cups shredded carrots

dash of salt

dash or two of Chinese Five-Spice

*These measurements are all approximate!

I just made it up as I went along. 

Sincerely Yours,

Crazy Mei