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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Amish Friendship Bread Copycat Recipe


A few years ago I was obsessed with Amish Friendship Bread.   I absolutely loved it and made it week after week for a few months.

( In case you don't know what it is, you basically start out with a starter bag that you get from someone, then each day you have to knead it and some days you have to add an ingredient or 2 then in 7 days you get to actually bake the bread and you make new multiple bags of starts to share with people. )

 Then I became overwhelmed, I always had silly bags on my counter, was always trying to find someone to give them away, froze some, wasted some and just one day quit making more.  It had been a long time since I had really thought of it and one day I came across a recipe and of course had to try it.  Could it really be just a recipe, I can make and bake in the same day and be done?  I was anxious to try it and it turned out delicious!

So today I'm sharing with you the recipe I found on RedFlyCreations that will be getting used a lot around here!   I love making my meals healthy and clean but still just can't resist desserts and  baked goods.  It's a balance and I will probably always have it that way!

Here it is Amish Friendship Bread
( Makes 2 loaves)

For the batter take:                                                  Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
1 cup softened butter                                                2/3 cup sugar
2 cups sugar                                                             2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda

Cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs.  Then add your  buttermilk and dry ingredients:  Flour and baking soda.  Let it sit for a minute while you do the next step.

In a separate bowl prepare your cinnamon sugar mixture which is 2/3 cup sugar mixed with 2 tsp cinnamon.

Put 1/4 batter in each of your 2 pans.  Sprinkle each pan with 1/4 cup cinnamon/sugar.  Put the remaining batter into each pan and repeat the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Then take a knife and gently swirl the cinnamon/sugar in a little.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done.

Let cool before removing from pan!

Enjoy!  Most people I'm sure eat theirss with butter but plain Jane me could eat it anyday without.

Also this recipe should come with a warning, I could pretty much eat a whole loaf in one day.  Don't judge me until you try it.  It's delicious and addicting!







Monday, June 17, 2013

Menu Planning Monday

This Weeks Menu

Sunday-  We will be at my dads for Father's day, I'm bringing dessert.  Haven't decided between this Strawberry Pretzel dessert that Matthew loves or the peanut butter pie.  Maybe I will just make both.  We'll see how ambitious I am come Saturday and Sunday!





Monday-  I'll be gone to a Cardinal game but have an easy supper for Matthew to make himself
                 BLT and fries

Tuesday-  Grilled Dinner-  Pork Chops, Potatoes, and Zucchini.  Can I tell you how much I truly love grilling complete dinners, no mess inside.  I love it.  And grilled vegetables and potatoes are my summer favorites!

Wednesday-  Pollo Loco from last week, never ended up making it.
Pretty sure every week I don't make something on the list

Thursday-  Leftovers

Friday-  Italian Beef on Hoagies, salad, watermelon

Happy Menu Planning

Linking up with OrgJunkie.






Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day

I'm double blessed to have not one but two wonderful men in my life.  I wouldn't be who I am today without either one.  Happy Father's Day to my two awesome dads!  
They deserve so much credit today.  I never realized how hard parenting was until I became one and I know I was quite a stinker during my teen years.  
I thank them for all the sacrifices  they made and the wonderful rode models they have been for me!  



I also want to send a Happy Father's day to this guy, my hubby and daddy to my babies!  He is exactly what I'm not when it comes to being a parent and I'm so thankful for that.  He's patient and strong!  He is a wonderful dad and I just love seeing how much the boys look up to him and adore him!



Happy Father's Day to all dads today!  



Friday, June 14, 2013

It's Friday!


HAPPY FRIDAY!

1)  So  I got this ombre nail kit for my birthday on Sunday from one of my wonderful sisters and I'm dying to use it.  Problem is my nails are terrible right now.  Hoping this weekend sometime to go get them done and see if they will use this kit to paint them.  

2) Wednesday had a great day with my little family.  Let the boys play outside in their pool and water table all morning, had lunch, then took them swimming at one of their grandparents, napped, then headed to a parade, and finished off  the night with a trip to our ice cream shop Homewood and our nightly cuddle fest.  Wish every day could be that great!



3)  I signed up to run my first full marathon.  I'm freaking out a little bit.  We have about 25 weeks but I'm still nervous as all get out.  I wanted to do a full but was still nervous and some days was thinking I should run another first but this one was nearing selling out so we went for it.  Lucky for us the next day it was sold out! We have a big group going down to Memphis for this one.  Running the full it will be my mom, myself, my sister and my sisters hubby.  Then running the half will be my other sister, and her mother in law.  Since it's a fairly close one of to home we also have some people coming with to watch including my hubby this time.  It should be a fun trip now just to build up to running that stinking far in the next half a year!


4)  I'm so thankful to stay at home most days to get to witness moments like this.  This afternoon before nap, Noah wanted to watch a little TV and of course Carson wanted to, too.  He is Noah's little shadow and copies everything he does so since Noah wanted to lay on the couch with the "circle blanket" he had to too!


5) Feeling extra blessed this week. I got to go on two lunch dates with Matthew this week.  Some days I work I run errands since I don't have the boys but this week I skipped them and went out to eat with him instead.  And my kids are just so darn adorable.  Have had so many cute/ sweet moments with them this week.

Watching a movie before bed one night.  They thought it was so cool to put the pillows on the floor!  Carson wanted to do it the next morning too.  




In case you missed it on Instagram, the boys love helping their dad do anything.  Noah got to plant some more seeds in the garden and they both helped water.  

Today they were having a blast pulling leaves off the trees and bringing them to me.  








Preparing for a Little One Link Up

My friend Kaitlyn and I came up with a great idea that I absolutely love.

As you know, Kaitlyn is expecting her first child. This can be so overwhelming and I know that other first time moms probably feel the same. She has so many questions and would love to hear the opinions of moms who have already been through this a time or two before.

Because of this, we are hosting a weekly series to try and get some answers to some of the most common questions.


Here are the topics we still have for future weeks:


Friday, May 31: Cloth Diapers vs. Disposables
Friday, June 7: To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate
Friday, June 14: Tips For Quick Recovery After Labor
Friday, June 21: Struggling With Postpartum Depression
Friday, June 28: BabyWise vs. Attachment Parenting
Friday, July 5: What You Really Need In A Diaper Bag
Friday, July 12: Buying vs. Making Baby Food
Friday, July 19: Cord Blood Banking vs. Not Cord Blood Banking
Friday, July 26: Moving Baby To Solids: Ideas, Tips & Tricks
Friday, August 2: Shopping For A Little One: Favorite Stores & Shops
Friday, August 9: Introducing Your Child Into A Home With Older Siblings Or Pets
Friday, August 16: How To Stay Connected To Your Partner
Friday, August 23: Baby-Proofing Your Home
Friday, August 30: Baby-Proofing Your Marriage


So without further ado, let's get on with this weeks Topic


Tips For A Quick Recovery After Labor:
Hi, Wifessionals readers! I'm Hayley and I normally blog over at A Beautiful Exchange. I'm so excited to be here with you to share a few tips about a healthy, speedy recovery after the birth of your sweet one. Whether you are having a natural birth or a C-section, these tips can help you rest your body while adjusting to life with a newborn!

Accept help: It's so hard during the first few days to want to be the best mother you could have ever pictured yourself being. You can't get enough of the little miracle cuddling close to you in your arms and you want to be there for every cry, hiccup, grunt, and gurgle. While all of those things are absoutely fabulous, you need to keep in mind that your body has just gone through something pretty traumatic. Beautiful, but traumatic. Maybe so. Either way, you should allow family members or
friends to give a helping hand. Thanfully accept offers from people wanting to help--just not too much! My mom came and stayed with us 2 nights after my son was born. I only woke up to nurse and it really helped to get that physical and mental rest!

Don't feel like you have to entertain guests: Because let's face it, they are not coming to visit you. They may say they are, but we all know they just want to hold the baby. While it's nice to have friends and family to stop by, don't work yourself too hard trying to the keep the house tidy, or offering drinks and snacks to people. If there are too many people asking to stop in, say NO! Chances are they will see the baby at some point, even if it is just on Facebook.

Sleep when the baby sleeps: If you do not do this, you will be completely exhausted. Once you get towards the end of your pregnancy, it may help to start trying to go to bed earlier. Your rest is extremely important while your body is healing--everything else can wait! Sleep is one of the first things to go once you have a baby, but take advantage of the multiple naps your newborn will take throughout the day. If you have things that you feel like just have to get done, do it while the baby is awake, just close by in a bouncy seat or swing!

Drink plenty of water: This especially goes for you ladies that will be breastfeeding. Your body needs lots of water to keep your milk supply up and full of the nutrients that the baby needs. Get a cute water bottle or cup and add that to your hospital bag. Get in the habit of drinking plenty of water all throughout the day, if you haven't already.

Accept extra supplies from the hospital: Anything that is in your room when you leave (with the exception of the baby blanket and obvious hospital property) is yours to keep. When you are about to check out, load up any and everything that you have been using. This includes the SUPER SUPER size pads and ice packs, along with the stylish gauze underwear. You may feel like you are walking like a dinosaur, but you will be so thankful to have the supplies handy when you need them.

Ice is your friend! The hospital will give you a few extra of the "pad size" ice packs. Do not under estimate the power of those things. Before I gave birth, the thought of an ice pack hanging out in my underwear made me cringe, but I am so glad that I had plenty of them! They help soothe the pain really nicely, especially after the irritation of a shower or using the bathroom.

Eat well: Don't be in a hurry to shed that baby weight! Breastfeeding babies thrive off of the fat content that is found in breast milk. Keep in mind that just like when you were pregnant, everything that you ingest will somehow effect your baby as well! Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and protein! This goes for all of you that aren't breastfeeding, too. Your body needs plenty of vitamins and nutrients to properly heal. Continue taking your prenatal vitamins, as well!


I hope these tips have helped out some fellow mommas! I really appreciate Kaitlyn and Jennifer letting me hang out with you guys today and can't wait to read everything that is coming up in this little series! I hope you guys will come and visit me at A Beautiful Exchange


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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Looking Outward


I don't know what kind of selfish rut I'm in, but I think I have been here for quite awhile and I don't like it.   I was talking to my best friend the other day about how some people are just so good at being nice and doing special things for others.  I don't know about you but I want to be one of those people and I'm just so far from it.

* I want to be more generous.
* I want to be more thoughtful
* I want to make someone else's day
* I want to make my friends and family members feel loved
* I want to be someone who sends cards for no reason


I know there are lots of random acts of kindness challenges all over and those are great but  I really want to do it a little bit differently and concentrate on the wonderful people already in my life and not the strangers.  I'm so blessed to have so many awesome family members and friends and never take the time to show them how much I care or how much I appreciate them.

That brings me to a personal challenge I'm going to start next week and wanted to encourage you guys to follow along when you can.
I'm going to start with 7 challenges, one for each day for a week.  I will be starting Monday the 17th.

Day 1  Check in with a friend I haven't spoke with in awhile

Day 2 Visit a Grandparent

Day 3  Send 2 cards just because

Day 4 Send a friend/ family member flowers

Day 5  Offer to babysit a friend's kids so they can have a date

Day 6 Bake a friend/family member some goodies

Day 7 Shower people with compliments

I'm excited to start this and if you plan to join along let me know.  
Also if you have ideas for another week, comment below or email five27jones@gmail.com





Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Need Volunteers

Hey blogland!

Posted this on Instagram last night.  Filled a few spots but have two left!

Who wants them?