Here are some photos Adam took of Deb and AG. It was so cold outside but AG was a trooper! It is so sweet to see how Deb can make her laugh. She lights up when her Mama talks to her.

We finally gave G a haircut. He looks so grown up!

December pictures

Why do we buy toys for kids under the age of 2?

Duke enjoys being lazy on the couch and jumping up on the fence. Oh and of course he likes chasing chickens.

Adam’s work Christmas party was at a hotel on the beach in Fort Walton. We were able to stay the night at the hotel in an ocean view room for $20 thanks to Okaloosa Gas! We had a lot of fun at the party and because of farm life we of course woke up in time the next morning to watch the sun rise. It was beautiful!

K and I made a calendar for her room (thanks to Aunt Debbie Ellen) and the other 2 pictures are the kids being goofy.

Our care group had a party and the kids were supposed to dress up from a character that might have been at Jesus’ birth. G was The Little Drummer Boy and K was an angel. The picture on the end they are washing dishes together.

We went to some friends house for a Christmas party. The adults exchanged mugs and the kids had a toy exchange as well. It was fun!

This was their December memory verse and a countdown until Christmas. It turned into a math lesson everyday because G’s birthday is 2 days before Christmas. For example: There are 9 days until Christmas. How many days until G’s birthday? Also, MJ got a haircut and she FINALLY started walking on December 19th!!

I got to hang out with AG one day. She is such a doll baby!

I am a little behind so here are some information and pictures from November.

I took K to see The Nutcracker with the local home school group. She moved (bounced up and down in the movie theater type seats) the entire 90 minutes, including the intermission. Fortunately, we did not spend a lot of money on the tickets; they perform a day show for the local schools and it was only $5/ticket. Afterwards we met Adam for lunch. I asked K what her favorite part of the ballet was and she said, “When the backdrop went up and down.” We definitely won’t be spending money on ballet lessons!

K had an exciting month. Our 25 broilers arrived and she claimed them as her own. She calls them “her chicks” and she helps with taking care of them (don’t worry, she is fully aware of what we do with broilers). At the beginning of the month, she had 1 mildly loose tooth. I went to work one day and when I arrived at my parents she was missing 2 teeth. Apparently, she and G were playing rough and the tooth that was loose fell out and another tooth became loose in the process. During her “nap” she decided to go ahead and pull the second one out. Fortunately the day before my MIL sewed a tooth-fairy pillow with a little pocket for teeth. Her new teeth are coming in and she is so proud of her missing teeth. We sang “All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth” a lot this Christmas!

K and G have always been close and they are definitely best buddies! They have started sleeping in the same room as well.

The kids love to watch Andy Griffith scenes with Adam. Their favorite is The Preamble to the Constitution. This is some of my favorite pictures of them laughing together.

We went to my sister’s house for Thanksgiving. Aaron, Laura and their boys recently bought a house on 7 acres in Winder GA, which is NE of Atlanta and close to Athens GA. We had a great time visiting with family and my friend, Elin, came down from NC as well.

We were loaded down. Adam and I in the front, 3 kids in car seats in the back seat and Duke was in the cargo area. Of course our luggage was on top!

Here it is friends: a step-by-step guide to brewing Kombucha, complete with pictures. Please let me know if you have questions!

You will need: 6 caffeinated green tea bags (this is what I use and prefer over black tea), a glass or ceramic 1 gallon container (absolutely no metal or plastic), sugar (I use evaporated cane juice crystals), 7 EZ cap bottles for second fermentation (or glass containers with an air-tight seal), a SCOBY, 1/4 cup of starter and patience. I messed up my first batch so don’t give up; just keep trying. It is worth it.

Step 1: Heat 1 gallon of filtered water (we use a Berkey) on the stove. Once it boils, add 1 cup of sugar (no honey or it will kill the bacteria in the SCOBY). Continue to heat until the sugar is dissolved (less than 10 minutes).

Step 2: Turn off burner and add 6 tea bags. Steep for 5-10 minutes, then remove and discard tea bags.

Step 3: This is the most important step. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature. Be patient. I usually start my tea early in the morning and then allow it to cool most of the day (allow it to cool covered to prevent dust, bacteria, etc from contaminating your tea).

Step 4: After the tea has cooled, add your SCOBY and starter to the room temperature tea. If you only have a SCOBY but no starter kombucha, you can substitute apple cider vinegar. If this after your first batch, your SCOBY and starter will be in your container.

Step 5:  This step will not apply to you until the second week if this is your first batch. Because I do a continuous brew, I have kombucha from the previous week (it has already gone through the 1st fermentation, usually 7 days). I try to use fruit that is in season or something I already have in the kitchen. Ginger-lemon is a go-to recipe for us because it is simple, refreshing and it is usually ingredients we have. Here is a suggested list of kombucha flavors.

After the first stage of fermentation is complete (again, after about seven days) add the ingredients into the bottles (amber-colored bottle are ideal because they block any light)*. Then pour your kombucha into the bottles with room at the top, cap and store. In your ceramic or glass container you need to leave at least a 1/4 cup of starter in the container for your next batch (for continuous brew only). You need to find a place to store the bottled kombucha that is away from sunlight and maintains room temperature (I came home one day to peaches all over the kitchen because one of my bottles had exploded). The second stage of fermentation creates carbonation, which creates pressure in the bottles. You need to make sure you have enough head space to allow for carbonation without exploding bottles.

UPDATE: You can still enjoy Kombucha without doing a continuous brew. This method is for you if you/your family will not drink 6-7 bottles a week. Simply store your SCOBY and starter in a Mason jar with breathable fabric, after you bottle your Kombucha. It can live on the counter for quite awhile (keep it away from sunlight and excess heat). You need to check and make sure it has enough liquid every once in awhile. Just remember, it will take another 7 days once beginning your process again to bottle the Kombucha, so plan accordingly.

Step 6: Cover with a breathable fabric (cotton, cheescloth or papertowel) and a rubber band. Now, sit back and watch the coolest science experiment! Your Kombucha will be ready to bottle after at least 7 days. A new SCOBY will begin to form on the top after a few days. Don’t fret; this is completely normal.

Step 7: After 7 days, go back to Step 4. If you choose to continuous brew, you will repeat these steps once a week. Have fun trying different flavors and don’t give up if you mess up. I always have extra SCOBY’s so please let me know if you want one!

*If you don’t like carbonation, you can store and flavor your kombucha in non-airtight containers (like Mason jars). It will taste more like tea and less like soda. My kids like it either way, but Adam and I prefer the carbonation.

UPDATE: A few things I have learned since this post. The bottled Kombucha only takes about 4 days to carbonate in airtight containers (depending on the weather). During the winter, Kombucha will take longer to carbonate. Once your bottled Kombucha reaches the carbonation you desire, pop it open and drink up OR stick it in the fridge. IF you let it carbonate too long, it will explode like Champagne when you open it. Another thing I have learned is the art of how to use the flavors correctly. Lemons and other acidic fruits that have a rind (lime, oranges) need to be juiced to avoid a bad aftertaste (acidic fruits also carbonate quicker as well). If you add ginger to any flavor, it will speed up the carbonation process so be careful how much ginger you use in each bottle. You really only need a tiny slice. For most flavors, I use 1 tablespoon of juiced or pureed fruit. For fruit I do not juice/puree such as blueberries or pineapple, I use enough fruit to cover the bottom of the bottle with 1 layer. Again, experiment with what you like and have fun!

We love fresh butter in our house. We don’t buy butter from the store, we buy it from a local supplier of Troyer butter which comes from Amish country. Now, I love making things from scratch. I love learning about new ways to provide healthy food for my family and how to make food without artificial ingredients. I also love to save money. So a few weeks ago, the kids and I did that science experiment where you put fresh cream in a jar and shake it until it becomes butter. It was SO delicious. So I thought “how hard could it be to start making my own butter.”

*Side note: I have been having a hard time getting cream only when the cream separates from the raw milk. I had been pouring it off the top which works for the first few ounces. A friend of mine suggested pouring the milk into a container with a spigot and then after the cream separates to the top, using the spigot to drain the milk and then the cream will be left. This has been a great suggestion. We use the cream for our coffee and now when I pour the kids milk twice a day, I just open the fridge and use the spigot.

Back to butter. I used a larger portion of fresh cream this time and a larger container and we all shook until our arms were like jell-O.  That is for the birds. (I have a butter churn but the churn portion is broken so that was out). I read you can use a food processor so we tried that. The result is delicious however it makes such a small amount. My conclusion is that for now I will continue to buy Amish butter and occasionally the kids and I will enjoy a few bites of my fresh butter.

We don’t do a lot for “Halloween” as far as decorations and talking about it with our kids. However, I like the idea of letting the kids dress up. Last year we attempted to go “trick or treat” in a neighborhood. For those of you who don’t know, I am not a big fan of large crowds. Needless to say, the neighborhood was packed. There were kids everywhere and cars all along the road, which allowed little room for a double stroller. So last year we started a tradition of going to one of the nursing facilities where I work. Last year Adam didn’t go with us (he is not a fan of large crowds either so when he heard we were going to a neighborhood, he decided to not attend).

This year we decided to plan on only going to the nursing facilities. Earlier that day the kids and I attended a fall festival at one of the local nursing facilities. The residents were so happy to finally meet my kids and my co-workers had a blast giving them candy, especially since they know my kids rarely get candy! Later that evening Adam and I took the kids to another nursing facility where I have worked the longest and the one we went to last year. Words cannot describe how much fun we had and what a blessing it was for our family. It was so rewarding to see the smiles on the residents faces and to hug their necks. We will definitely continue this tradition not only because it is safe and warm in the facilities but because of the blessing it brought our family as well as the residents that I love so dearly. If you are looking for a new tradition, I would recommend to check out your local nursing facilities for next year’s fall festivities. You will be blessed!

G and MJ couldn’t fit into their car seats with their costumes on so that is why they are not in costume in these pictures

G was excited about a sucker turning his tongue green!

The girl’s birthdays are only 10 days apart so with all of the fuss over them, we didn’t want to leave little man out. Here is a quick photo shoot Adam did on Sunday. Little dude keeps us entertained for sure!

He looks like his cousin, Nathan, in this picture!

Little farm dude in his “work boots”

Our baby girl turned one this month. We decided on a small, family celebration this year until she is more aware to “friends” and “presents.” I made stuffed shells and homemade bread and everyone but MJ enjoyed vanilla cupcakes with strawberry icing (left over from K’s birthday cake).

As most of you know, we don’t give our kids refined sugar until they are 2 (we do our best) so we used a watermelon for her cake.

We did this with K as well on her first birthday so I think we will continue with this trend. She loves watermelon so it didn’t take her long to dig into her “cake.” We had a blast watching her stuff huge handfuls of watermelon into her mouth and then she would offer us some as well.

This was her first time opening presents so it was interesting watching her figure that out. She was more interested in the paper and bags than the presents inside.

The latch board was a huge success with all 3 kids. They love opening and closing all of the doors. I got this for free with my Pampers points!!

She still doesn’t care to walk, although she can. She will stand up and take a step and then realize she can move a lot of faster during her unique crawl/scoot.

She loves Ashli Grace but she hasn’t quite learned to be gentle and she is usually trying to steal AG’s pacifier.

We are so blessed with this little girl even at 2 in the morning when she would rather play in our bed and say “Dada” over and over!

Birthdays are a big deal in our home so we had a lot of fun celebrating K’s birthday this year.  Adam had to work on her birthday so he took her kayaking the night before.

My handsome man!

K took the pictures of Adam.

She requested breakfast in bed (our bed for some reason) so I made the PW waffles with fresh squeezed OJ.

We climbed trees and swam on her birthday and then we celebrated as a family that evening at dinner.

The following Saturday, we celebrated again with her friends; we are so blessed with an awesome group of friends. Her party “theme” was reading with a table to make bookmarks and a book exchange. I loved the idea of asking people to NOT bring presents and to bring a used book instead. Each child had the opportunity to decorate a bookmark and then pick a book out of the pile to take home (I laminated the bookmarks so hopefully they will last longer than a week). My in-laws were wonderful hosts and everyone loved the peaceful, country setting. There was a sandbox, a swing set and a bouncy house (thankfully we own it) and of course lots of trees to climb! K requested a homemade strawberry cake and homemade peach and strawberry ice cream. I had peaches and strawberries in the freezer from the summer harvest of a local farm and everything was delicious!

My cousin, Derek, came from Pensacola. The kids love him (we do too of course)