Finally Well and A Yummy Valentine Recipe

**cough, cough**

It's kinda dusty here. Anyone out there?

Mom?

So having gained momentum from a very busy and productive Holiday season, I wrote out a big long to-do list for the month of January, and set to work on it.

I was on a roll and literally didn't have a spare moment to blog.

I made some serious headway on my 'list'. Supplies for more garden beds purchased? Check. Supplies all stacked together for my Fair project entries? Check. Craft room in some semblance of working order to work on Fair projects? Check. Crochet project for the fair done? Check.

Things were going great until I got slammed with a really bad cold (possible bronchitis) about midway through the month. That had me laid out flat for a week and on light duty for a couple of weeks thereafter.

Productivity ground to a halt. I was basically out of commish.

Which makes me so mad. I don't get sick often, but when I do, it's a doozy.

And Jekyll and Hyde-ish. The normally chipper, even-keeled version of me disappears and this cranky, pitiful person comes to stay in my place. Not pretty.

When my kids saw me moping around in my pajamas for the fourth day in a row and began to wonder if they'd ever get their mother back, I knew I had to rally, if not for my own sake, for theirs. But it still took me a couple of weeks to get my usual get-up-and-go back.

Thank God, I'm much better now.

Since then, of course, I've been playing catch-up on everything I fell behind on.

I even did some early spring cleaning. This is what my pantry looked like AFTER it was cleaned. I neglected to take a BEFORE shot...and probably wouldn't have posted it anyway, because it was that bad.



Things were once again going great...until Jeff and the boys got sick, too.

And wouldn't you know, both strep throat and whooping cough are going around, so I had to be extra vigilant. Fun.

Anyway, I have learned something valuable from these experiences.

At the very first twinge of a sore throat...use this stuff liberally. (We got ours from our local health food store.)



Nips. sore. throats. in. the. bud.

The Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) in it is some seriously awesome stuff for killing germs.

The same company also makes ear drops which worked wonders with the last ear ache our little guy had. Two applications in his ears and the infection was gone, never to return...and we didn't need to visit the doctor or get any prescription antibiotics.

Grapefruits are being hailed as something of a wonder food, and are full of all kinds of antioxidants as well as beneficial nutrients and compounds that help fight an array of illnesses.

I was reading recently that certain compounds found within the white pithy part around the fruit are very beneficial in fighting off the effects of Malaria. Powerful stuff, that grapefruit.

Anyway, when my friend's husband came down with his third case of strep throat recently, a friend of hers mentioned that "Echinacea and activated charcoal will have him feeling great in 2 days."

We've long been fans of Echinacea in our family, and though I've heard of activated charcoal caplets before, I'd never heard of it used for sore throats.

However, when Jeff came down with a major sore throat late Saturday evening, I remembered that little nugget and went out and got some. Swallowing was painful.

He's been on it for nearly 24 hours now, and woke up this morning feeling much improved from yesterday.

Anyway, it looks like that will now be a permanent part of our illness fighting arsenal.

:: :: :: ::

Yesterday evening was our annual Valentine Dinner at church.

I was to bring dessert.

Jericho had also needed some treats made to sell at his Awana bake sale Sunday morning.

What's a mom to do when she just doesn't feel like baking?

Make things that barely qualify as homebaked, that's what.

For the bake sale, we made 'Turtles' out of pretzyls (a rounded 'heart' shape), Rolos and pecans.

And for the dinner, I made Neopolitan Cake.



This cake cuts into beautiful slices.

For the cake, you will need:

• 1 chocolate cake mix (we used a dark chocolate mix)
  
• 1 strawberry cake mix
• 2, 8 inch pans (for each mix), greased and floured. If you happen to have a 10x3 round pan for wedding cakes, each mix will fit into that pan, making a very large layer cake for a crowd (which is what I did). I recommend that if using 8 inch round pans, that you wrap the extra cakes in plastic wrap and freeze them away for a super easy dessert for another time.
  

For the Vanilla Cream filling/icing, you will need:

• 1 box (5.1 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
• 1.5 cups cold milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (if you can find the clear kind, it won't yellow your icing)
• 2 cups whipping cream, whipped
  

In a large mixing bowl, blend together the pudding mix, milk and vanilla. Let this set up for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a smaller mixing bowl, whip the cream until it's no longer 'soupy'. Then, fold the cream into the pudding mixture and blend well.

Using a large bread knife, carefully cut your cakes into 2 layers (I did 3 layers with the 10x3 pan). You can stick toothpicks in around the edges as a 'guide'.

On a cake plate, alternate the colors of cake, sandwiching a dollop of the vanilla cream mixture in between layers, spread around with the back of a spoon. After putting the next layer on, you can eyeball it and press it down if it doesn't seem to be level. This will squeeze excess filling out the edges.

The remaining filling goes on top of the cake.

This cake will need to be kept refrigerated.

Yummo.

:: :: :: ::

Menu for Valentine's Day Dinner

This Ribeye Steak recipe
Cauliflower Mashed 'Potatoes' (steamed cauliflower made as I do my garlic mashed potatoes)
A Colorful Salad

:: :: :: ::

And finally...to my Valentine of nearly 20 years (dating) and nearly 18 years (married)...HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!



It's hard to believe but I've now officially spent more of my life WITH you than WITHOUT you...and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Love you, Babe!