Chocolate Pudding

I have been in search for a homemade chocolate pudding recipe for a long time.

I've tried a few "from scratch" recipes, but never really loved them.  One was made by melting chocolate chips, but I found it too rich.

So instead of continuing the search, I used Bird's Custard Powder and just added cocoa to it.

Many recipes have eggs...I don't really understand why eggs are required in cooked puddings...I wanted something that I can make using regular items in my pantry.

Today I found the perfect recipe/tutorial.

No eggs.

No chocolate chips.

Just cocoa, milk, salt, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla.

So exciting!  And so easy to make.  And best yet, so yummy to eat.  Try it!  You won't regret it!

Find the recipe here:
(http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2011/09/how-to-make-chocolate-pudding-from-scratch/)

Spring Cleaning

As with my daily cleaning schedule, I need to break down my Spring Cleaning.

Having a baby takes lots of work.  Having a mobile baby takes more work.  Trying to keep a house clean with a moving baby and a 4 year old...oh man!

In the past, I've sent my girl to the babysitter while I spent my Spring Break cleaning.  But since staying home, I no longer have that option.

So my approach is to work on Spring Cleaning, one room at a time, one day at a time.

My idea of Spring Cleaning is a deep clean:  opening up the windows while doing so.  Scrubbing every inch and everything in a room.  Getting rid of the Winter funk and letting in the Spring Fresh. In the bedroom, I was all the bedding and hang out to dry/freshen up!

I'm excited!  BYE BYE Winter!  Hello Spring....and we will start Wednesday!

Laundry Wars

Let's face it!  Laundry is probably one of, if not THE, worst chores. 

It isn't that it is difficult.  Unless you wash all of your laundry by hand, it's actually quite easy to do.  We have fancy (or not so fancy depending on the model), machines that do all of the work for us. 

But that doesn't change the fact that we have to sort the laundry first, put it in and then change to the dryer or hang up, and then, there's the folding. 

I'm great at sorting and washing and drying.  I get so behind with the folding and putting away. 

Maybe this is a no brainer but I want to share my newest solution to this age old battle. 

I don't have pictures, because I was too busy preparing for our open house to stop and take pictures, but I'm excited to share this with you. 

Often our clothes get folded and then placed on our bed.  I have a rule that clothes don't go into our room unless they are folded.  Once on the bed I sort them based on location. 

All too often, bedtime arrives before the clothes get put away which results in clothes being set out of the way so we can get into bed...but not resulting in the clothes getting put away. 

Well Buddy was happy playing in his crib, so I started the task of putting away the buildup of clothing. 

My solution:  1 basket per person.  That is right.  It was genius!

I put all of Daddy's clothing in one basket.  All of Lu's in another basket and all of Buddy's in the 3rd basket.  Later that evening I put it all away.  I put my clothes away right away...and Daddy did his own.  One day the kids will do their own too...but until then.  This was a golden solution!

Solution to clean clothes buildup and the laundry wars...buy lots of laundry baskets!

Under the Avocado Tree

Lu is a very hands on learner.  We've always loved doing things with her to help her learn.  This summer her and Daddy experimented to see what would happen if you planted an avocado seed. 

Daddy had some prior knowledge.  He had an avocado tree growing up. When he told Lu that you could plant the pit inside the fruit (is it a fruit or a vegetable even???), and that a tree would grow, she was intrigued.  Of course she was...and then she wanted to plant every little seed that she came across.  EV-ER-Y seed!  Thus began the windowsill of seeds...

But the windowsill of seeds is for another post. 

This post is about how we started our avocado tree. 

Daddy did what every educated Daddy does.  He googled how to start an avocado tree.  ha ha!  This is what he learned. 

The first thing you need to do is get the pit to sprout.  You can't just bury it in the dirt like you would with a bean seed.  You have to follow some complex steps...

You need to poke it with sticks.  We used toothpicks.  You need to use the toothpicks, or other form of poking device, to hold the pit so that half is in water and half is not.  In this position the pit will sprout roots into the water and a shoot out the top.

  

Once you have a good shoot and root system established it's time to plant in a pot of dirt.

 

We used regular old potting soil.  Nothing special.  Poke a hole in the dirt to gently set the root in.  Again you want to only bury half of the pit.  The other half will remain exposed from the dirt. 

 

Once the seed has been planted.  Water regularly.  Place in sunny location and watch it grow. 

 

 

We've had to transplant the tree into a larger pot.  You want to make sure that the tree has enough space so that the roots do not become root bound and stunt growth.  

 

We've notice new growth since the transplant.

Our tree as of January 2015.  The seed was started in June of 2014.  We are not sure if it will produce any fruit in our home in Canada, but it is a rather lovely looking houseplant, even if it doesn't. 

Those Dreadful Household Chores!

What is your most dreaded household chore?

It's a tough pick for me. 

I wish I had Samantha's power from "Bewitched" and could just wiggle my nose and it would all be done. I can find many more fulfilling things to do with my time than clean. BUT, it is part of my job description...and is important in keeping my family healthy (and hubby happy)...and sadly, I have not yet developed Samantha's talents.

Today my most dreaded chore is the dishes! Both parents have had the flu for the past couple of days (and still aren't feeling great). So, our kitchen looks terrible. 

By midday nap it usually looks rough as my dishwasher has two feet and is usually chasing after a 10 month old or catering to a 4 year old or playing with either or both of the above (more important in
My eyes).

So I will be spending much of nap time scrubbing and drying and putting away. Then maybe cleaning some floors before the baby wakes and we have to trek to the bus stop!

Pancakes!!!

So in sticking with one of my personal goals, I need to get a post done today.

I'm not ready to post about budget making, so I'll post on something I'm good at:  cooking.

Yup!  I said it!  I'm a self-proclaimed good cook!  But it's not just me that says so.  Lu tells me all the time!

Buddy, well he's pretty happy with the milk I make...that must count for something right?

Sometimes, we get busy and supper doesn't get planned in time.  It's those days where breakfast for supper happens....there's a name for it: Breakper....Supfast....whatever, we know what it is.

Well let me share this recipe with you!  You don't have to reach for that bag of premixed pancake batter because yummy pancakes are super easy to make!  Even with little cooking experience.

What you will need?
- flour
- sugar
- egg
- milk.

I like to add baking powder so that the pancakes get fluffy.  And we love our pancakes fried in REAL butter.  (Everything's better with butter!)

How?

I usually make a half recipe, but this will be for a full recipe. (it maks a lot)

Measure 2 cups of flour.

Mix with 1 cup of sugar. ('o' Did I meantion, this is a Dutch Panecooken recipe...yup just like in the Panecooken houses...lots of sweet!)

Add about a tsp of baking powder if you would like fluffy pancakes.

Mix dry ingredients.

Add one egg and wisk in the dry ingredients.

Add enough milk, until a very thin batter.

Fry until you see bubbles.  Flip and serve.

So easy!  We like to have them with pure maple syrup.   For a true authentic Panecooken experience eat with corn syrup.

Packing up Christmas

First week of January is over now.  Are we sad or excited?  I have mixed feelings...I wish time would slow down so that I can enjoy my littles longer while they're still little, but I love that we're getting closer to Spring! (Don't worry.  I am not delusional, a dreamer maybe, but not delusional!  I know that Winter will get worse before better.  :(  Sorry if you are delusional, and I burst your bubble.)

Anyways, back to the first week of January bit.  January usually marks the point where the Christmas decorations come down.  For myself, it usually happens Boxing Day.  Not because I am a party pooper (really!), but because I want my house back by that point.

As an aside, I LOVE CHRISTMAS!  As soon as December 1st rolls around, I've got the decorations out and I'm "Deckin' those halls" and stairs, and piano, and buffet, and kitchen.  You name it, it gets decked out.

But once it's all said and done and the celebrating as been all too yesterday, I itch to get those decorations down and out of there.

One of my Facebook friends made the comment that it would take a long time to decorate the house due to its size.  When in reality it is actually quite quick and effortless.

How?  Because I am the world's most ANAL disorganized organized nerd!

My hubby rolls his eyes.

You may too.

I am going to share insight into my Christmas decoration procedure.

Individual itemized bins.

That is right.

I have a bin for Christmas lights ONLY.  I have a bin for Christmas tree trimmings ONLY.  I have a bin for Christmas kitchen ONLY.  Then I have bins for all of the extras that come out December 1st.

This method is very important because we don't do our tree until mid month.  Thus not having to work through all of the ornaments to get to the bigger stuff.

Genius?  I care to think so.  (don't comment if you don't think so.)

And it doesn't end there...this is where my hubby rolls his eyes.  I pack the ornaments in ziplock bags. Blame the teacher in me...

Here are some photos:

Our tree before dismantle

An example of a bin

Empty packages are stored in bin while tree is up.

First lights off, then folded up.

Then I wrap the cord around to tie

tuck one side into a ziplock

Put all in giant ziplock and into lights bin it goes

Ornaments in packaging 

Tree skirt on top

Lid on top and DONE

How do you pack up Christmas?

Cleaning schedule

This schedule is possible and likely to change over the year.  I forgot to add that I want to clean my high chair weekly as it gets MESSY!  Messy baby!

Well here is draft one.  I promised I would share.

Now to implement!

Goal two

My next goal is to create and implement a cleaning schedule.

Nobody wants to clean everything everyday.  Everyone wants to live in a clean and healthy environment.  I will admit, on occasion, (since baby, embarrassingly, quite often), dishes have gone undone from the day before, laundry piles up, both clean and dirty sometimes, dust accumulates and windows get smudgy.  I want to find a way to manage the mess without spending a whole day doing it.  If I can implement a cleaning schedule, I can do a little each day and then it won't feel overwhelming!

So my goal today is to work on a plan that works for my family and our home.

I found this example on Pinterest (yup!  I am a Pinterest Princess...or addict...whichever way you wish to put it!)

http://nessamakes.com/2014/08/25/making-house-home-viva-vantage-free-printable/#_a5y_p=2448422

I love it!  But I need to change a few things.  I will post and share mine, once I've done the alterations needed in my home.  Stay tuned!

I did it!

I did it!  You can now follow me on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/LifestylesDomesticDiva?skip_nax_wizard=true&ref_type=bookmark

Like it!  You know you want to. ;)

First Goal

My first goal of 2015, is to actually get people to read what I write....force you?  ha ha.  I hope not.  I hope that what I ramble on about may be of interest to some...comedic for others...or maybe just plain entertaining.

I am off now to create a Facebook page where I can share my posts with those who would like to read....like I said I won't force.

2015 is my year!

Yup!  You read that right.  It's all mine!  muah-ha-ha.  No, really.

Let me clarify.

2015 is MY year!  This is the year when I will BE a housewife.  ha ha!  I pledge to learn to keep a house tidy and to be a better Mom to my children.  I want to be present.  I want to be the homemaker with style!  The Domestic Diva.

I bet you're thinking, "but you just posted that you aren't making resolutions."  To which I would respond "You are correct"

I'm taking a different approach this year.

The new year is special.  SO special we celebrate with big parties, and staying up til Midnight (I almost didn't make it this year - man, I'm getting old!)  I had a friend invite us and our children over for a kid's New Years party, complete with fake countdown.  That was good enough for me!

For so many, New Years marks the beginning of something big.  I see it not only on people's Facebook statuses, but also in the pages of those first flyers of the new year.  Or on TV commercials.  (I would assume they are still there...I don't have television programming) There is a reoccurring theme: exercise equipment and healthy (or artificially "healthy") weight loss options, organization tools, tools for those house renos...EVERYWHERE!

Just for all of those vows to lose weight, to get organized, to finally finish that to-do list.

I won't do it!

I won't make any of those mistakes!

If last year serves as nothing more than a clear example as to why I won't, I don't know what will.

Remember my 7 clearly outlined goals, with the intention of posting my steps to get to them...ya...and then the lack of completion...ur...ugh...um ya.  I could go on to give excuses...but I won't.

Instead I will start 2015 with this promise:  I will do what I need to in order to ensure that my family is healthy and happy.  That is what is most important to me.

So that said, I am going to strive to make small short term goals.  I hope to post at least once a week...but we all know how busy life goes...(right now I should be doing some sewing...shh don't tell!)

Ideally I'd like to post twice a week.  Once with a weekly goal to help create a happy healthy home and family...couldn't think of another "h" word for that! Once on a "Domestic" topic...after all I will BE the Domestic Diva.

Once again I close with Happy New Year.  I look forward to writing for who ever is reading this {rambling} post right now.

Thanks!

What is the point in Resolutions?

I am back!  It's been a very busy year with a newborn.

So, my goals of 2014...well let's just say, I have decided that my only resolution this year is to not make resolutions!  ha ha

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope that this year, I'll have a bit more time to blog.