Are you Swagbuck-ing yet?

If not, you should be - you can earn free stuff by doing nothing more than you already do on the internet each day. It took me a while to sign up for Swagbucks, mostly becuase I just didn't understand what it was or how it worked. I didn't see how I could just search on the internet and earn prizes by doing it. But that is exactly what you do. You can take a super quick tour to see what Swagbucks is all about. Just go to the Swagbucks website and click Take a Tour on the top right hand side of the page. After you create your free account, then download the Swagbucks toolbar (on the home page, go to the toolbars menu) and every time you go to the internet, do it through the Swagbucks search engine (instead of Google or whatever you use). By doing that, you can earn Swagbucks which you can then redeem for all sorts of prizes and gift cards. It really is that simple. So far, I have earned enough points for $35 of Amazon gift cards. So, what are you waiting for??? I LOVE SWAGBUCKS!!

Crock Pot Bison with Mushrooms

Here is a something I tried last week that was a great hit.
Thickly slice a large pack of fresh mushrooms (about 1/2- 3/4 a large carton from Costco) and put them in the bottom of the crock pot.
Cover them with two packs (appx. 2 pounds) of round steak.
Make a roux (2T fat, 2T flour, 1c liquid - I doubled this and used bison broth as the liquid) and poured it over the meat/mushrooms. You can use cream of mushroom soup if you want, but making your own roux is really easy and so much healthier.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 2-3 hours or until the meat is falling apart and tender. It makes a delicious gravy. I served the meat, mushrooms, and gravy over brown rice. YUM!!

The New Him

Ta-Da!!! What a cute kid - odd....but cute! ;)

Say "Goodbye hair"

Today is the day - the long hair is going bye bye - give it a wave!!

Micah - the baby - turns 7!!

Oh, how did it happen?? Our little Micah turned 7 on Wednesday. Micah is a pistol and is always up for fun - she cracks us up. It isn't because she is little and says funny little kid stuff....Micah is witty and sarcastic and just plain funny.....and crazy.....and sarcastic (at 6! -yikes) She is also a big snuggler - she always wants to be sitting on a lap or smashed right up against someone. Micah is smart as a whip and is doing really well in school. She is also a girl that knows what she wants. Many times I have walked into a room to find her standing on a chair, hands on hips, bossing around her older brothers and sisters. They aren't the only one she tries to boss - "I am the mother, and you are not" is one of my most repeated lines.
Micah loves: reading, being read to, PINK, outfits that match, gum, listening to Jungle Jam and Friends, Remedy Drive, Switchfoot, her dolls, back scratches, and snacks.
She does NOT like: Isaiah scaring her, being alone, oatmeal (she'd rather die!), Michael Buble', Josh Groban (she says he sounds like a goat), Bono, and waking up in the morning.

She has been talking about her birthday for weeks and asking me each day how many more days she had to wait. On her special day we had homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast (she did NOT hate getting up on this morning), went bowling during the day and then had bison burgers for dinner (per her request). She had a great day and loves being 7 already (well, actually, I think she sees it as a necessary stepping stool for becoming 20!) We love our little Bubby Girl and look forward to seeing what God has in store for her life. She is a blessing to us.

Spring in Winter

Look like what you'd expect winter in Montana to look like? Not to me either. Our winter was mild and pathetic. BUT, semi green grass in February is nice!!

Homemade Yogurt

We own a share in a friend's cow and so we pick up raw milk each week. Sometimes we get surplus milk (extra that won't last long) and if we aren't going to finish it all before it goes bad, I make things with it; buttermilk, kefir. Last week, Paige gave me some packaged powder starter and I used the recipe on the back and the package. I made 1/2 gallon and it turned out great - nice and thick just like store bought. This week, I decided to try it again using a Sue Greggs' recipe and 4 T from last week's yogurt batch as my starter. It turned out just as thick as the batch with the commercial starter. Woo-hoo! It was so easy too....in winter, you can just set the 1/2 gallon jar next to the wood stove to culture overnight - perfect. Not sure what I'll do in summer.