Randomocity

You will not believe how easy this icecream is to make! No, really. You'll think I'm pulling your leg. But I'm not. Because as I say to my little Ethiopians, "I don't lie to you. Ever! So, please don't lie to me!" Same goes for you. I promise. I don't lie to you. Ever! (No, that is not, I repeat NOT a parenting trick or tip. It does not work. I just like to say it over and over anyway. For my own pleasure.)

Whip 2 cups heavy cream, 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, and 1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract until soft peaks form (3-5 minutes). Transfer mixture to a bread pan and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours and up to 2 weeks. Wala! A creamy, delicious (not so nutritious) treat. It's rich, so you might not be tempted to over eat. But then again, you may. Just try not to lie about it...

Jayla came with me as I took my babydoggy for a walk/jog the other day. She got tired and wanted to rest a few while Arrow and I continued on, then came back for her. This is what she did while we were gone. My girl. My heart. My love. I would be {lost} without her. I've asked her to live with me either A) forever or B) until all the rest of the kids grow up and move out so she can walk me through it. I'm pretty sure she's leaning toward A. Which is good. Because I'm more than a little bit addicted to that girl's presence.
I watched Forks Over Knives the other day. Have you seen it? I bet you'd like it! (I am absolutely enchanted with the topic of food and what exactly a healthy diet consists of, aren't you?) I tried to convince my husband that (like every person with access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains) he should watch it. But, unlike me, the couch lounging bon bon eater, he is totally strapped for time. So, I took the liberty of recounting it for him word.for.word. (You're welcome, sugar pie!)

We began a serious effort toward reducing our animal protein intake shortly after I read The China Study, (which is conveniently featured in Forks Over Knives!) because it just made such good sense to me. This reduction is especially critical in the form of casein, the protein found in cow's milk. (See ice cream recipe above. Then, color me ironic. ☺) So we began drinking rice milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and most recently oat milk. But all those non-recyclable boxes did not coincide with our other primary focus for this year: a reduction in resource consumption.

Insert moment in which I began making rice milk. (Which I have recently been concocting via a much less time consuming method using cooked rice.) And now, I am also making oat milk. As my kids would say, it's easy peasy lemon squeezy! And cheap. I don't know how many of these $$$ we have saved since cutting out cow milk and whipping up our own (plant based) milk alternatives. Oats are cheap. Rice is cheap. Water is cheap. My kids are expensive. So, it all evens out. ☺

The girls who inhabit the hen house. Also known as The Best Composters Ever. We don't have any eggs, just yet. But even so, they earn their keep in compost skills alone. I love these ladies.

The extreme heat we saw in June (temps over 100! In Colorado!) caused us to fall off our buy nothing new wagon when we decided to purchase our kids an above ground pool to cool off in. The smoke from the fires made the air quality so poor that we couldn't open windows, so we tumbled even further away from the wagon when we bought not one but two a/c units. See here? It's the implement of shame sitting in our bedroom, begging to be used. I have yet to turn it on though. My conscience simply will.not.allow. me to force my finger to push the dirty little ON button. Maybe after a couple drinks...

This, on the other hand, was a purchase of pure delight. I can't tell you how much excitement this little pool has brought my people, and therefore me. The instant they first jumped in, when I watched the uncontainable happy spread over their faces and heard the glee in their voices as they laughed out loud, time stood still, for just one exquisite moment. In that split second, I felt the kind of contentment only the joy of your children, and nothing else can bring.
And I knew. Some promises were meant to be broken.