A Whole Lot of Camping

Anna had a reading challenge from my mom where she had to read 5 specific books in a period of time with a set due date. Upon her completion of the assignment she would receive a surprise. Anna has been working on the goal for weeks, but still had quite a bit of reading to do before this Thursday’s deadline. She ended up having to read about 100 pages on her last day. She called my mom and opened up a flower tin with a little note saying that she was going to camp! HORSE CAMP! She left this afternoon. Adam dropped her off, but I have been working on getting her all set these past few days. Prep for camp is one of my favorite childhood memories and I think it is a sweet thing to be able to use the things that you picked out with your mom on a special trip beforehand. We have been so busy this week that it wasn’t exactly the outing together that I would have envisioned, but we got it done and still had fun doing it—picking out a color combo of towels, her own toothpaste, sunscreen and so forth. I hope that right now she is finding the note I left for her in her bag and that she has a good night’s sleep and makes good friends. I hope that she is further rooted in her faith. She is getting to be such a big girl and she is a lovely one. I am going to miss her this week!

In other camping news, we hosted not one, but TWO campouts at our house this week. Adam had a group of high school boys here on Wednesday night and did all sorts of activities with them. On Friday we hosted some friends from our old neighborhood and triathlon girls that I love and rarely get to see. Tonight the boys are camping with Adam which makes A Whole Lot of Camping.

Conference Champs!

Anna taking a break with a twizzler

Last night we officially wrapped up our swim season. Such a busy weekend and Saturday was our conference meet. I packed a ton of food and even purchased a pop up tent. Last year we didn’t go to conference because I was racing up in Door County. This year I was absolutely committed to making sure the kids got to experience this. The morning started off SO rough. I don’t want to remember the details so I will just leave it out. Anyhow, we made it to the meet on time and set up our area and our new little tent. It was sort of like a camping/picnicking type thing since the pool was indoors, but we all had to hang out outside because there wasn’t enough room. Anna’s first race was the 200 medley relay and she was supposed to swim backstroke. She had just gotten moved up to the A relay and this was really her first time doing backstroke this year, so I was concerned for her. No problem—she did just GREAT. Anna also swam the 100 IM, and 50 fly also doing very well. David’s 50 free sent me through the roof. He cranked his arms so hard and won his heat! Ended up 7th in his age division. I was so excited for him and might have lost my voice during that race. Johnny is Mr. Social at swim team. I am glad for him to have a place where he feels he has tons of buddies, but sometimes I wondered if he even cared about his swims. Once I saw him go back outside JUST before his race and I had to leap and run to grab him. The officials even held the start. ugh. But he did have an awesome 50 free and I KNOW he really enjoyed the experience as a whole. David had strong races in all his events, the 50 back and the 50 fly. Unfortunately on the 50 fly he forgot which stroke he was swimming and did one freestyle pull therefore disqualifying himself, but a great effort! So proud of him. The loudest things got was for Anna’s 200 free relay. Anna swam third and had a solid swim, they were behind and their last girl was cranking, caught up and JUST out touched the other girl for second place. It was so fun to watch and such a great race. The best part of the whole thing was that their team WON THE CONFERENCE! The kids are so excited and I am so glad that we were a part of it. Last night was the banquet where everyone got awards and ribbons. I hoped that the satisfaction of this accomplishment paired with all of the work it took to get there really stays with them. Next year we get to move up to A Conference! 

13 Years Krauklis

On Lake Geneva celebrating with friends

13 years is seeming like a milestone to me. On our 10 year we hardly did anything to celebrate, I think we ordered Rosati’s pizza and ate it with the kids. However, unlike birthdays, anniversary’s are seeming sweeter to me because we can look back on our lives together and take a moment to celebrate what we have been though, how we have changed over the years and who we have become as a family. Adam and I met when I was 19 years old. I was incredibly impulsive and unfocused, but God was gracious when he gave me Adam. We have grown up together and I feel a strong sense of family and home being with him. He is peaceful and lighthearted and life on the earth is sweeter because of him. It is an honor to watch him become the man the God intends for him to be and I am proud that I get to call him mine. xo

Oh and we have our first sunflower.

Chicken Dinner

"Beer Can Chicken" done on the grill

And here it is—the fruit of our labor sitting upright on a beer can. We didn’t eat dinner until 10:30 last night because we were waiting for the chicken to be done to perfection. That is one thing about doing your own chickens, you have a respect for the meat and want to make sure that you prepare it to the best of your ability. Adam did a fantastic job. Along with the chicken we at zucchini roasted on the grill with italian dressing, roasted kale and roasted beets, rutabagas and ONE potato. The reason I call out the ONE potato is because it was the only thing that we didn’t have a hand in producing. Everything else including the dressing and the marinades we made. Everything except for the ONE potato. Oh well. 19 chickens left in our freezer.

Finishing the Meat Birds

Anna and I right before we were about to start

All along we thought we would be sending the meat chickens out for butchering. We could wave good bye when we dropped them off and come back to retrieve the perfectly packaged chicken ready for our freezer. Well, when we realized the cost was a lot higher than we initially thought, the plans changed and we decided that we as a family could finish what we started. We prepped the kids mentally this past week and set the day for Sunday. All week it sort of loomed. I even wore black to church yesterday. On our way home, I grabbed fun and easy things for lunch and dinner as well as some cherries and freeze pops. We were going to need some treats to help us get this done. Adam and I prepped and thought it through a bit that morning and the evening before. 20 birds. I didn't really second guess my kids involvement in is because I have vivid memories of doing this at my grandparents house at probably 6 or 7 years old. It is good to know where your food comes from and what is involved in that process. Plus I was excited that we could figure this out together as a family and finish this together. We started about 1:00 and didn't get done until about 10:00 last night. The kids did great and we really did need them. We all started out very tentatively with gloves and by the end of the day we just got right in there and did what needed to be done. I vacuum sealed them all and now there are 20 packaged birds one freezer and I am actually glad that we just didn't go and pick them up that way.

Yummy Things Part 3: Zucchini Bread

Last of the sweets postings... Yesterday we had a couple of zuchinnis hanging around and I wanted to make something to bring to a dinner at my folks with Matt and Deb Stowell. I found this recipe and it was a hit. I ate it, so I know it was good.

Mom’s Zucchini Bread
by V Monte via allrecipes.com


Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 
  
• Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

After 15 minutes of baking time, top the bread with a crumb topping and return to the oven for the remainder of the baking time. So good!

(Crumb Topping: 1/2 c. regular oats, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. flour, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 c. butter.)

Yummy Things Part 2: Homemade Ice Cream

To go with the pie I made homemade ice cream. This ended up being a lot more tedious than it had to be because I tried to make two kinds of ice cream and couldn’t get the freezer container of the ice cream maker to refreeze fast enough. I kept trying to do the second batch and it wouldn’t crystallize. Third time was the charm though and I learned the patience lesson once again. The ice cream was really yummy; especially when you use eggs from your chickens and vanilla bean paste as ingredients!

Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
from Mary Thompson via allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 eggs

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream

• 2 cups half-and-half cream

• 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 
  

• Directions

In a heavy saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat; cool quickly by setting pan in ice and stirring the mixture. Cover and let the mixture cool in the fridge prior to puting into an ice cream maker. When ready to freeze, pour custard and vanilla into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Yummy Things Part 1: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Last weekend I made my first strawberry rhubarb pie in honor of my dad’s birthday. Adam told me it was good, so I will post the recipe that I used. I LOVE rhubarb by the way. This was also my first time using minute tapioca as an ingredient. Pies have always been the thing Adam has tackled. I think I felt the need to add them to my baking roster.

Grandma's Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Recipe courtesy Valarie Enters, Sanford, Florida

Show: Food Network Challenge

Episode: Great American Pie Cook-Off

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional flour as needed, up to 1/4 cup
• 1/2 cup cake flour (recommended: Soft As Silk)
• 3 teaspoons sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening (recommended: Crisco)
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1/4 cup ice cold water

Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
• 2 1/2 cups de-stemmed, washed and cut strawberries (in larger pieces)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (1 1/4 cups for high altitude)
• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons butter, cubed small
• 1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water
• Large granule sugar

Crust Preparation:

Directions

Using 2 pastry blenders, blend the flours, sugar, shortening, butter and salt. Whisk the egg, vinegar and water in a 2-cup measure and pour over the dry ingredients incorporating all the liquid without overworking the dough. Toss the additional flour over the ball of dough and chill if possible. Divide the dough into 2 disks. Roll out 1 piece of dough to make a bottom crust. Place into a pie dish. Put dish in refrigerator to chill.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Filling Preparation:

Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the butter. Brush edges of pie crust with egg white wash. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over filling. Crimp to seal edges. Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar. Collar with foil and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. Higher altitude will take 450 degrees F and 400 degrees F respectively. Let cool before serving.

Daddy Daughter Day

Hi from Anna!! Me and my dad had an awesome night together. It all started early September while my dad, my brothers, my dad’s best friend and his kids and I were camping... I couldn’t sleep and my dad was also awake in the tent, so we decided to build a conversation. I thought it would be fun to have a daddy daughter day!! We agreed. We’ve been trying to find a perfect day, but we didn’t have one until mid July. CRAZY!!!!

So our day/night went like this. First, me and my dad stopped at my grammas. There I swam and talked with my family/gramma. After that we went to the campsite and set up our camp. Later we ate dinner, we listened to music and looked up at the stars. It was so magical.

Well me and my dad had a great time!! Hey do you want to know a secret? My dad wanted me to hear this song, and in my mind I refused. But when I heard the words I cried, but I tried to hide the tears from my dad. I LOVE U DAD!!!

Zucchini and Beets

Golden Beets and Five Color Silver Beet

My mom and dad took the kids for two nights! Adam and I have just been hanging out bopping around to places that are closed because it's the fourth of July (oh well...) but it has been so quiet and we can enjoy this beautiful place we have to live and our garden and chickens and so forth. I really wanted to visit this local farm in Elburn (one of the places that was closed). They do outdoor events and I wanted inspiration for the wedding. Plus they do bees and lots of other fun stuff that I am totally into. My fridge is again EMPTY, but the garden is starting to boom and I want to live like that is our fridge and use up very bit of it. We picked the rest of the radishes. We used all of them and I feel good about it. Today the zucchini and beets have entered the roster. They are currently roasting in my oven with the remnant of the radishes. I love all the greens that my family is eating. Every day we have something and I think the kids are starting to get used to them as part of their diet. I also love to give them away! So fun for me to share. Our meat birds will be ready to go in the next week. Adam had to butcher one who hurt its leg the other night. We are going to enjoy it with friends on Friday. We went to a movie last night after a fun dinner at Big Bowl. I finally got to see Hunger Games and Adam went to his first movie in probably 8 years. It wasn't exactly easy getting him there, but we had fun. Tonight is yummy garden dinner, movie rented from the Hampshire video store (yes, there is still such a thing) and kiddos back tomorrow. I am anticipating a fun get together with Jeff, Alanna, Andy and Abby this Friday. I also am riding Madison on Saturday which I am a little scared about. My dad is speaking this Sunday and we are going to host a birthday cookout for him after the service.

We are Hosting the Wedding!!!

Lee, Chelsy, my mom and dad stopped by on Saturday morning. We cruised the property, assessed all the weeding and clean up chores to be done, but as they left Chelsy seemed to be pretty sure that on May 18th of next year we will be throwing our biggest party yet! Mom and I buzzed all day with ideas and thoughts. We had to make a trip to home goods that afternoon for inspiration. Chelsy has posted some wonderful ideas on her pinterest page, so that was excellent for getting the feel for what she is hoping for. I am nervous and extremely excited! Hopeful that this process will be a wonderful experience for our family as we welcome Chelsy into it. Oh, and they got a new dog. Cute as a button--I think they are naming him Norman.