No T.V. Week Part Two!

I realize that I was quite negative about this early on! One of my main thoughts for accepting this challenge, was to figure out a routine to update my blog more consistently! Well...how many days has it been?

It has been 4 days! Out of those 4 we have, played 5 board/card games, went on 3 walks, read a little bit each day, had every meal WITHOUT the TV on (it's a big deal for our family), talked, asked questions and connected. I can't speak for the whole experience, since it is not over yet, but I feel the purpose becoming more clear. We should abstain from technology or anything that keeps us from truly connecting as a family, on a regular basis. I think I might present the challenge to my family, to do once a quarter and then eventually once a month... EEK!

The benefits have already been tremendous. I do still feel the need to look for the remote when I sit on the couch after putting the kids down and also when I wake up to get the kids ready for the day. But I am aware and hopefully will refrain from reaching for that clicker every time I'm ready to relax or entertain my children!

Has your family ever given up anything together? If so what was it and what was the result from doing so?

Pinterest Inspired!

I finally made a pinterest inspired craft! I used an old frame added some paper and stickers....and a lot of ideas! I wrote on the glass with a dry erase marker and wa-la....summer fun!
My favorite idea is Holden's "lay in the grass and watch the clouds"! So precious...

No T.V. Week!!!

This last Saturday my beloved husband came home with a wonderful idea....a fast from television. What a great thought....we have abstained from the tube for a day or two before, but have not committed to a whole week! So you can imagine my excitement at the mention of the opportunity to BLOG about something new, besides my failed cooking:)

He talked about a week, a few weeks...a MONTH! Whoa, hold on there...let's just start with a week! I started making a "mind" list, we can do some pinterest crafts, we can go for walks, we can swim, go to the beach, cook together, read...the list was getting so long!

On Sunday, I was home alone while the kids were hanging out with their Dad. I was continuing my Dawson's Creek marathon on Netflix, when my family walked in the door shouting "ooh, NO T.V., Mom!" What?!? Now mind you, I was not cheating, because I was unaware of our start date. So imagine your husband turning off the T.V., just about the moment when Joey was going to kiss Dawson for the first time!!! I was floored and totally agitated!

I really loved the idea of no T.V., but I HATE when someone tells me what to do! There is something in me that just boils and turns rebellious at the thought of being told what to do. So I did the obvious and reasonable thing....I ignored him for the night!

I Tried....

Today I tried to make salted caramels! Yum! I found this great recipe on America's Test Kitchen. The picture looked like just what I was looking for....I wanted to do a homemade gift for Joslyn's teacher to wrap up Teacher Appreciation Week.

It looks like it will be an epic fail!!!

Here are some pictures from my process:

This is the vanilla bean that I massacred to get the wonderfully rich scented vanilla "caviar"! Needless to say I did not get a picture of the process...the seeds were flying everywhere.

This is the creamy foam, just before I took it off the heat.

Here is the beginning of the boiling sugar, water, corn syrup mixture.

This the part where I was supposed to watch and not look away. The part that every recipe cautions you to not do anything else. Instead I was taking pictures....and trying to remember what "amber colored" actually would look like!

This color happened almost immediately and of course, as I was letting it sit to pour the cream mixture...this was smelling a bit like I had burned it!

I scraped out the mixture into my vintage casserole dish. My mantra at this point was "It's supposed to look like this....it's supposed to smell like this, Right?!?

Well after letting my ugly caramels (that smelled like smoke) cool for 2 hours...it was gooey to the touch and tasted just as bad as it smelled.







The moral of the story is; don't take pictures while cooking sugar, be sure to have a candy thermometer and not one that registers only to 225 degrees and failures lead to successes...Right?

Here is a great article!

A Journey Through Your Intestines

I am ready for summer!

Here is a new collection I created on Etsy of some neat sellers!

Children's Books

I guess it is children's book week! I think I need to go to the library each day this week...is that too ambitious?

Let's try getting books we would never think to get for our kids and see if we find some new favorites!

First what was your favorite book as a kid?

This week in Google Search!

So I have fallen a bit behind this week! But I did make two french loaves of bread, a gluten free loaf, start preparation for our upcoming boutique and prepare for camping.

Unfortunately, I have nothing to show for it....except my Google Search!

Camping Recipes
Smores
About.com
Camping Cooking Supplies (we are borrowing one from my dad)
Stoves
Camping Checklist