I Love My Ice Cream Maker

Ryan and I received an ice cream maker for our wedding (thanks Aunt Sarah!).
And over the past five years I think I used it exactly once.
Until I asked C what kind of birthday cake he wanted and then everything changed.
He said that he wanted a red velvet ice cream cake.
(I think Ryan was really the one who wanted it, but we will say C did).
Anyway, I had never made an ice cream cake and had never heard of one with red velvet.
So of course I got way too excited about the challenge.
In the end, I made a regular red velvet cake in two 8 inch rounds.
Then I used my ice cream maker to make homemade cake batter ice cream.
I transfered one layer of cake to a spring form pans, covered it with my ice cream and then topped it with the second layer.
I let that freeze for a couple of hours and then I iced the cake and then returned it to the freezer for the rest of the day.

I don't like red velvet so I can't be sure how good it was but I definitely want to try it with a chocolate cake soon.
Next time I think I will use a little less cake and a lot more ice cream.
Here is the end result:

 

 

And even more exciting to me is my newest adventure.

Ryan is flying nights, so Z and I decided to play in the kitchen,. 

We made Greek Frozen Yogurt :)

I added blackberries and raspberries and holy moly!!

Yummy!

 

 

Now that I got my little man to sleep, I am going to do some serious spring cleaning.

Love you all!



Update!

It's been a few weeks since my last post.
Since my last update, Janette came for a visit, we took a little family vacation and Z turned 8 months old.
That's a lot of updating.
First things first, Janette's visit :)

If you know Janette, you know she likes to have a plan.
However, Hawaii decided to force her to throw her agenda out.
We very rarely have rain that lasts more than an hour.
And even more rarely have rain that lasts more than a day.
But of course, we have an all out rain-a-thon the day after she arrives

We did manage to get her sunburned the first day she was here when we took a walk to the lagoons.
But that was just about the only real sun she saw.

Our plans for skydiving (I was not diving) got canceled THREE times!
Our plans to jump off of the Waimea Rock were canceled because the Locals weren't doing it.
If the locals aren't doing something, you should never, ever do it.
Our beach cookout had an uninvited party guest, you guessed it, RAIN!
We didn't let it dampen the mood though.
We still had a great time at the cookout.
And we still managed to get some pool time and beach time in almost every day.
We visited Pearl Harbor and Ford Island.
We even went to a luau.
All in all, it was a really fun visit.
And maybe it was good that Janette was forced to go with the flow.
After all, that is the island way.

The day after Janette left, we headed out for our family vacation.
Here is a brief summary of events:
Big Island.
Thunder Up!
Lava Tubes.
Kilauea National Park.
Volcano at Night.
Black Sand Beach.
Lava Devastation.
Maui.
Thunder Up!
Whale.
Ocean Center.
Road to Hana.
Garden of Eden.
Beach time.
Mama's Fish House.
Wind Surfers.

And finally, ZBob is 8 months old!
It seems like every month has more new adventures.
He learns so much more every month.
He does so much more.
He is such an awesome kiddo.
I really think he makes it easy on us.

P.S. We are leaving Hawaii on July 21.
P.S.S. ZBob's first birthday will be in Oklahoma on August 3rd, so please mark your calendars!!


 

Relationships

I've been wondering..
What if we gave each other the benefit of the doubt, instead of always assuming the worst?
What if we chose to dwell on the good things someone has done for us and not the bad?
What if instead of having our feelings hurt by lack of communication, we reached out to them instead?
What if every time we thought negative things about someone, we forced ourselves to think of five good things about them?
What if we truly forgave each other instead of just stashing away a list of offenses?
What if we called just to check in on each other?
What if we started sharing our good news and not just our bad?
What if we wrote to each other just to say something nice?
What if we put away our pride and mended old relationships?
What if we apologized for hurting each other and meant it?
What if we helped each other out without being asked?
What if we stopped saying and started doing?

If we tried to do these things, would our relationships grow stronger?
If we decided that we would try to improve our end, would it create change on the other end without them even knowing?
They say you can't change other people, you can only change yourself.
But maybe you can.
Like that saying goes, "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have".
Dress for the relationship you want, not the one you have?

I am going to try to be the change I want to see in my relationships.
I really think that most conflict is just a lack of communication.
I don't believe most people go around trying to hurt each other.
And if they do, why are they in our lives?

Who knows maybe it will work, or maybe not.
But either way, I will know I did everything I could.
And I have a hunch, I will get much better sleep at night.

Anniversary in Pictures.

We're going "Home"!

Fort Rucker, where Ryan attended flight school, is called the "Home of Army Aviation".
And "Mother" as the pilots affectionately call her, has called us home.

Ryan is so thrilled, this is the assignment that he wanted, that we've prayed for, for months!
Ryan will be attending a course to learn to be an instructor pilot and then he will stay in Fort Rucker to teach new students how to fly.
He will have two students at a time assigned to him and he will teach them everything he knows about the Blackhawk.
Ryan is so patient and humble, that I just know he will be an awesome instructor.

His briefing on the move will be next week, and that is when we will get all of the firm details.
But our guess is that we will be due in Rucker in late August.
Which means we should leave here in July.

This also means my 30th birthday will be during this time frame.
Ryan said we can go/do whatever I want.
Any suggestions? (Not Vegas)

Thanksgiving

 

Yesterday we took Zach to his pediatrician to get his second flu shot.

It was supposed to be a quick in and out visit but when we went in for his 6 month well baby checkup his doctor wanted us to get him sleeping through the night.

When Ryan voiced concerns about Zach being hungry during the night and possibly not getting enough to eat if we didn't give him his night feedings, she decided she wanted to follow up with us to see our progress when we came back in a month.

So we had a full blown check up.

When she came in the room she asked how Zach was sleeping.

I immediately started gushing about how it only took 3 days of her method to get him sleeping through the night and how much better things had been since then for Ryan and I since we are getting a full nights sleep.

Her face lit up and she said she was so proud of us and that she doesn't usually hear praise.

She said that when things work, people don't say anything.

It's when they don't work that she hears about it.

 

Since then, I have been thinking about that.

We all know that's true, you hear much more about negative things that positive.

So I think it's time for a little Thanksgiving in April.

 

I am thankful for my husband. He is such a great dad. Like yesterday, he juggled his work obligations to make sure he could be at Zach's appointment. Or even though he is in his last semester of college, working like crazy and preparing to PCS, he still makes time for Zach and I everyday. As soon as he walks through the door, he is on the floor rolling around with Z. He gives him a bath everynight and puts him to bed so I can cook dinner and unwind. He always puts our comforts above his own and he never complains. He is hard working and honest and everyone loves him because of it. If a friend calls, he drops everything to help them. I am so proud of him and to say he is mine.

 

I am thankful for Zach. He is such a joy. His smile is the best thing in the world. He is so sweet and so bright. He makes me so proud I sometimes feel that my heart literally might explode.

 

I am thankful that Ryan got his orders!! I am thankful that he got the job he wants and the duty station. With all that is happening in our country, I am thankful he has a job, period. Let alone one that allows me to stay home with Z.

 

I am thankful that Janette is coming to visit. I am thankful that I have friends that I can text when I need to vent. 

 

So while I have a lot of things weighing on me. Lots of things I feel compelled to complain about. I am not going to, I am going to try to be thankful for the good things instead.

 

What are you thankful for?

P.S. I changed my settings so you don't have to sign in to comment :)

 

Janette's Pinterest

Last week I was seraching for recipe ideas for an Easter potluck.
I ended up on Janette's Pinterest page for what seemed like hours.
I snagged two recipes that I promptly had to try.
And here are the results.

Sugar Cookie Bars

 

My bars didn't end up quite as pretty as the model but I think they were very festive. However, I had to double the recipe for icing to cover them. And I didn't think they turned out to be that great. The cookie was a bit hard and I didn't even cook it for the recommeded time. So next time, if there is a next time, I will try to get a softer cookie.

 

Artichoke Crusted Chicken

 

Sorry about the half eaten chicken, it smelled so yummy that I lost my mind and jumped right in. The chicken is delicious, you may be tempted to add more of the topping but I think it's best to stick with what it calls for. It can be a little overpowering if you get too much.