Making homemade noodles....so easy!

My hubby has been pretty ill the last couple of days.  By 'pretty' I mean it's the type of illness that a woman could get and work through, with it only being a mild annoyance.  But when a man gets this type of illness (a cold) it's a time to shut down shop, can't get out of bed, can't eat, can't breath, can't talk and DEFINITELY can't help take care of the baby type of illness.  But I digress.

So, yesterday my hubby was all sniffly and sad sounding and I remembered I had some extra split chicken breast cooked up and unused in the fridge from my freezer cooking day.  We all know that chicken noodle soup instantly cures you of any illness, so I told my lucky hubaroo I'd make him some.  Luckily, I also had some carrots and celery in the fridge.  So I chopped them up, cooked them a bit, added my chicken broth and chicken, and then I realized I didn't have any egg noodles.  Most people would think about this little hindrance before starting the soup, but not I.  After panicking for about two seconds, I got online and looked up a recipe for homemade noodles.  I'd made them once before, and remembered they weren't much work, but couldn't recall the recipe.  This is funny because all you use is one cup of flour per one egg and then a pinch of salt.  That's seriously it.  I doubled the recipe because I had a nice big pot of chicken and veggies.  It was sooooo easy.  You just combine the ingredients (I found it easier to do with floured hands), throw it down on a floured surface and roll out with a rolling pin.  I then used a knife to cut the dough into 'noodle' sized strips and threw them in my soup mixture.  I had the mixture boiling by now, and in fifteen minutes they were done.  Since the chicken was already cooked and cut up, it honestly only took about 15 minutes to make delicious, homemade chicken noodle soup.  And homemade noodles are so much more tasty than store bought and have a great texture.  I'm glad I didn't have noodles on hand and was forced to make my own because it reminded me of how easy it was.  Now I'm armed and ready to make it again in a couple of years when Emma needs it!

Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar

Tonight was the night that I dread every week.  It was the night that our dog, Brady, needed a bath.  He's only a 5 lb. Yorkshire Terrier, but he stinks.  He stinks bad.  He's got horrible breath and if he's kennelled too long during the day he likes to take potty breaks in his carrier.  Yuck.

My husband has been sick the last couple of days which meant I got to give Brady his bath tonight.  After his bath I knew I had to clean the tub, but felt uneasy about using regular bathroom cleaner on the tub.  I give Emma a bath every night in that tub and didn't like the thought of her cute little tooshie sitting on the same surface that I used harsh chemicals to clean only hours before.  I've been using Clorox Green cleaning products for a while but have read over and over that they ain't so green!  I've also read about the fact that when harsh cleaning chemicals are used and then hot baths are ran, the fume residue from the chemicals is then released and breathed in, which is obviously not a good thing (maybe I read too much, who knows).  So, having all of these thoughts together in my head made me decide to not use more normal cleaning products and whip out some good ol' baking soda and vinegar.

I sprinkled a good amount of baking soda on the surface of the tub and then poured some vinegar over it.  We all know the old grade school volcano trick with baking soda and vinegar, so I don't have to tell you about the fizzle.  But I liked the fizzle.  A lot.  It made me feel like there was some major cleaning action going on!  I let it fizzle for a bit and then scrubbed it with my wire scrub brush.  I definitely got some soap scum off and it worked wonderfully.  There also weren't any fumes to smell, which I have always hated.  All in all, I am very happy with the results and glad I finally tried it.  I will feel much better about having that sweet baby behind swimming laps in the tub now!

I guess I'm gonna start a blog!

So, I'm just coming off the heels of my Olympic-like freezer meal cooking marathon and just created yet another mess and thought this would be a perfect time to start a blog!  Whenever a mess is looming, I look for other things to do.

I'm not sure exactly why I'm starting a blog, and don't presume that anyone will be terribly interested in what I have to say, but am thinking that years from now I might be glad I did it.  It will be something that my daughter will be able to read and either think her mother was kind of neat ... or see evidence of all the ways I went wrong.  I guess only time will tell.  I don't even have a clue as to which direction this blog will go.  Some days I'm big into health and good nutrition and other days I watch my daughter eat healthy food while I sit by and eat a Swiss Roll (which may or may not have happened this very morning).  Some days I'm crunchy and other days I'm extremely wasteful.  Some days I am pretty sure I know it all and other days I realize I know nothing.  However, I'm excited to have a place where I can put my thoughts down about what is important to my family and I .... because Lord knows, some days they need defending!