Just a Few Bits and Bobs...

Time to sit down and put my feet up-they actually ache today.  I think my knees and feet are having a difficult time adjusting to me being back to my normal self-for the most part.  At first I was so confused as to way they would hurt now-now that I have had Israel, now that I am actually lighter than before I got pregnant(thanks to being so very sick), now that I am over 3 weeks out from his birth. And then it dawned on me, for most of the pregnancy, I was on my feet very little-so they are simply readjusting to normal life.  Funny! But for now, I am going to share a bit about my day and hopefully pass on some fun little ideas.

Since Israel's birth, I have been able to help so much more with the kitchen, food, cooking,etc.  And that means especially helping to keep food from going to waste.  With a family of 8, our fridge can be so overwhelming, trying to fit everything.  All to often, things will go to waste simply because they get covered up or "lost" amongst everything.  One thing that is new to us in the past few weeks is having a second frig.  We were blessed by a family in our church when they moved and gave us our second frig.  I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful it has been!  We could only shop for a few days at a time because we could not fit all of the food for a week.  Now I can plan for much more at a time and cook extra to freeze-the timing of this is amazing!

Here is one good thing that has come out of that struggle to keep food from being wasted.  Fruit goes like crazy around here!  But every once in awhile a mostly eaten container will get lost in the frig and start to go bad.  Unfortunately by the time I find it, it may not be bad, but the kids wrinkle their faces at it because it isn't quite fresh anymore.  So I began taking those little bits of fruit to my food processor to puree and then throw in the freezer for later uses.  On those days when the pantry seems barren, they can add a little something extra to vanilla ice cream, or are a perfect throw in for a milk shake.  They are also fabulous for making yummy fruit popsicles!  This is what i did just today.  I saved some stray strawberries and made blueberry yogurt popsicles with some berries I had frozen last week.

 I just store the blended up berries in a freezer bag.

 This is what I use for the popsicles(along with a bit of sugar) I use just plain yogurt which is always good to have around!

 Blueberries, yogurt and a few tsp of sugar. I put it in a bag and clip the corner of it for mess-less easy pouring.

 And then wait for them to chill!  Yummy!

And we have finally gotten our living room back to normal after the construction in our basement.  It was so crowded up here during those months, and now it is relaxing and quiet again.  it is also baby central now:), which I love. 

Took a break from sewing today and spent some of that time cooking with the younger kiddos, trimmed Joslyn's hair, organized a few things desperately in need of it, and went about the normal daily tasks with an easy pace.  I am definitely ready for my pillow though!