which eggs should we buy?

I refuse to buy the regular eggs from the grocery store after seeing and reading about where they come from. But there are also "cage-free", "natural", "free-range", ect.- it's pretty confusing! There has been some debate lately as to what all those different labels mean and if it's worth it to buy organic eggs. I just found this article that really helped clear things up and I thought maybe some of you might be interested in reading it too.

http://www.rodale.com/healthy-eggs?page=0%2C0

yesterday and today

here's what we did yesterday:

and here's what I did today:

made the yummiest, moistest, 100% whole wheat bread in my $10 yard sale bread machine

it was my first time trying the machine out and I used a recipe I found online and tweaked it a bit. I was really nervous it wouldn't turn out because: 1. i'd never used a breadmaker before

2. i'd never made whole wheat bread before and heard it can turn out really dense

3. i changed some stuff in the recipe

(used almond milk instead of milk powder and honey instead of sugar) &

4. i didn't have a thermometer to check how warm the almond milk was

but, despite all of this it turned out AMAZING! i am going to have to make a loaf everyday now to keep up with how fast we go through it but it's so quick and easy that it will be no problem!

now i won't have to buy bread anymore and we will have healthier, tastier bread to eat!

let me know if anyone wants the recipe and i'll post it.

Now I'm getting ready to make Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta and a side salad with lettuce from my garden- I'll let you know how it turns out.

{this moment}

a friday ritual (inspired by soulemama) a single photo capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment to pause, savor and remember. if you're inspired to do the same, share a link to your 'moment' in the comments!

4th of July 2010

red, white, and blue outfits and patriotic pancakes

mary beth has had this dress for months and has been DYING to wear it

this little turtle is their favorite "fireworks"

it runs around on wheels and shoots out smoke and sparks

this provides great enjoyment for the kids

all of these are illegal in the city. we live in the city. {rebels}

picking out what to light up next...

mary beth was getting ready to swim. hence the goggles.

mickey got a retainer this week- neon, glow-in-dark green. he loves it.

when I ask him if it hurts he says "yes, but it's supposed to!"

this was the first half of the day- i'll share the rest tomorrow.

hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!

bye bye baby pool

After 2 years of trying to talk me into it John finally got what he wanted: a BIG pool for the kids.
It took 3 hours to fill with 2 hoses running... and 1300 gallons of water!(gasp)

The kids were beside themselves with anticipation so they had to get in as soon as there was 2 inches of water in it.

Floaties were blown up, sunscreen was applied, neighbors were invited over...

And finally it was time to test it out. It was a huge hit and I don't regret it at all. Especially since we got it on clearance for only $50 at Toys R Us. Well worth it I'd say. The kids swam ALL DAY and I'm guessing they will continue to every day until the end of summer- it's by far their favorite activity in the world.

As you can see there is a downfall. It practically takes up our whole yard. Oh well, small price to pay for endless hours of childhood fun and exercise, right?

{this moment}

a friday ritual (inspired by soulemama) a single photo capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment to pause, savor and remember. if you're inspired to do the same, share a link to your 'moment' in the comments!

falling asleep outside on the patio after a long, hot day in the pool

strawberries and slip n' slide

It was time to break out the ol' slip n slide... I remember when I first bought it in Bismarck when the boys were still pretty little. They had no idea what they were supposed to do with it and since I wasn't about to show them myself I told them to go and ask the 3 older boys that lived next door to us to come out and demonstrate. My boys were still aprehensive after that and for several years after. But this year they all GOT it! They ended up having a really fun afternoon.

YUM!