Good-bye Summer...

As summer comes to an end, I feel like I will finally be able to catch up on all of the blogs that I have been meaning to write and post. My kids keep me very busy!
My oldest starts school next week. We have really enjoyed spending the summer together. This summer has been very different than summers in the past. My husband works 4 nights a week vs. 6-7 days a week. That has given us 3 full days to spend together. For the past few weeks, Tuesdays have been our "Family Fun Day". We have done all sorts of things for Family Fun Day.... mini golf, a nice long drive, a trip to Cabelas, a few day trips to local towns, a nice hike, anything that the kids might enjoy. I plan to blog about a few of them. I always carry my camera around, but I often forget to charge the battery. (It is a common problem that I have, but I never seem to remember until the next time I need the camera.)

It has been a great summer for us! We have made a lot of great memories that I hope the kids will carry with them. We didn't get to go on a big exciting vacation, but we spent a lot of quality time together.

Have you enjoyed your summer? Did you go on any family vacations? Are your children getting ready to start school?

Birthdays

Birthdays are always special days in our house. We usually only celebrate them as a family, sometimes inviting our parents and grandparents to join us. We have big parties for our kids for their first birthdays and (so far) the first birthday they have once they've started school- this way they can invite their friends to celebrate with them.

Today is a very special day at our house. Our baby boy turns 1! Where has the time gone? My kids are growing up so fast! They definitely don't stay little for long! This past year has been so much fun! It has been a true joy watching the baby grow and as he got older playing with his big brother. The two of them have so much fun together. I love listening to the baby giggle, laugh, and squeal as he plays with his "Bub-bub". (That is what he / we call his big brother. He started calling him that when he was 6 or 7 months old.)

There will be a few more birthday related posts to come. I am making 2 cakes for his birthday party. The one that he will get to eat or smash or play with or whatever it is he will do with his own little cake. The other one will be a sheet cake for his party guests to eat.

Do you do anything special for birthdays in your house? Are certain birthdays celebrated differently than others?

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

I recently purchased a really neat cookbook from Big Lots. It's Paula Deen's Cookbook For The Lunch-Box Set. 

The first recipe I wanted to try was the Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins recipe. I still had some delicious blueberries from the farm in my fridge.  

The book is set up for kids to be able to help. This is the page that shows all of the tools and ingredients that you need.

Here is the recipe. It wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't like any other recipe that I had made before. I don't do much with buttermilk.

I took pictures of all of the steps along the way. Maybe it was too much, but it was fun! I used 2 cups of blueberries and 2 tsp vanilla instead of what the recipe called for. I thought the extra blueberries would be good. We love vanilla in our house, so I add extra to everything!

Coating the blueberries with the dry ingredients.

Mixing the wet ingredients.

 Putting the wet ingredients into the "well" of the dry ingredients.

The batter is mixed well.

I used a 1/3 cup (per the directions) to get the batter into the muffin pan.

Almost finished.

The muffins baking beautifully in the oven.

Don't they look delicious??

This one had an "accident" so it was the first one to be eaten! It was nice and warm and fresh from the oven! Yummy!!

These were some of the best blueberry muffins that I have ever had! The next time I make them, I don't think I will add quite so many blueberries...maybe stick to what the recipe calls for. My husband was a big fan of how I made them. Both kids loved them too!

Going Green

I have recently joined a group called Environmental Booty. I am actually a proud Blog Ambassador. They are all about being environmentally friendly. I wanted to take a moment to share how my family is "green": We have our own chemical free garden (with fruits and vegetables). We buy whatever fruits and vegetables we don't grow at a local chemical free farm. We use recycled water from out spouting. We recycle whatever we can (ie plastics, paper, metals). There are others thing that we do, too.

I am curious, what do you do to be "green"?

While you think about your answer, please visit Environmental Booty. They are currently doing a great  giveaway! They are giveaway a Bamboo Bottle. Made of bamboo and glass, it is long lasting and great looking! You don't want to miss out on this one!!

I look forward to hearing to hearing how "green" everyone is!