Things I Love Fridays–andRuby

I debated whether I should post today because yesterday we heard some terrible news.  One of Casey’s scouts took his life yesterday, and we found out late last night that he passed away. There was no warning that he was suicidal he just always seemed like a happy teenage boy. Casey even went to his house a few days ago to get him ready for Scout Camp which starts this Monday, and he showed Casey his new lizard he got so he could pass off his reptile studies merit badge. I’ve never seen Casey so down before. I’m sure he’s just wondering if there was anything he could’ve done.

On a lighter note, I was already planning on this post so I figured I’d just post it anyway. My mom told me about the site www.andruby.com a few months ago and I can’t believe I had never heard of it before (maybe because I live in Ohio…).  Maybe I’m just totally out of the loop and everyone else has heard of this site! It has such cute accessories and clothes for great deals, and shipping prices are reasonable (you pay shipping per item because all the products come from different sellers).  I especially love their necklaces most of them are knock offs from other brands but still good quality!  I bought this necklace which is a remake of an Anthropologie necklace for $8.99 plus $2.99 for shipping so $11.98 for this cute necklace! 

  

They have new products up all the time.  I’ve seen really cute chevron skirts, swimsuits, kids bows etc.  Check it out if you haven’t yet!

Things I Love Fridays–Homemade Ice Cream

I am back from my trip to Utah! We had so much fun, and I’ll post about our trip later.  We spent lots of time with cousins and my kids had the time of their lives!  I stayed longer in Utah than Casey and therefore I had to fly alone with girls back home.  I wasn’t too worried about it because I knew that my kids wouldn’t scream the entire time or go crazy because they’re old enough to obey me so I figured it would go well, but I was wrong.  My kids were overtired and ornery.  To make a long story short Holland refused to wear her shoes or sit in the stroller on our layover in Denver and ran around the airport like a crazy child, and then refused to come with me onto the plane which made for a long time of her screaming all the way down the jet way, and while everyone was boarding, and 20 minutes after that in the air.  She finally fell asleep in my arms, and after 30 minutes of blissful silence (Carly was playing with the iPad) Carly started whining loudly because Netflix didn’t work on the iPad, cue Holland waking up and screaming again for 20 minutes. And she didn’t just scream she was flailing and kicking the seat in front of us.  I got her to calm down again and she fell asleep in my arms and I covered her ears and didn’t move a muscle for about an hour.  After that she woke up on her own and was happy again.  I will NEVER AGAIN fly by myself.  It is the most stressful, hellish thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. Yes, I have flown by myself many times with just Carly when she was little, but this was 100x more difficult. Kudos to every one who has flown with 2+ children and comes out emotionally unscathed.  I was so glad to get off that plane after 3.5 hours!

Now onto Things I Love.  Because today is the first day of summer I’m going to make my favorite homemade ice cream.  It’s a recipe that’s been handed down on my mom’s side of the family and it reminds me of summer. Last summer I finally spent the money and bought my very own 4 quart ice cream maker so I could make enough for a party. I am a purest when it comes to this recipe so I never add in any fruit, but you can add in any fruit that you want.

Country Vanilla Ice Cream

4 eggs

2 1/4 c. sugar

5 c. whole milk

4 c. heavy cream

4 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Add sugar gradually to beaten eggs.  Continue to beat until mixture is well mixed. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into 4 quart can and freeze with salt and ice surrounding canister.

Salt/ice tip: The best freezing salt/ice ratio is 5 cups ice to 1 cup salt.  I’ve found that the best/fastest way to get the ice cream done is to take a big bowl and measure out the ice and salt, mix it up well and then pour it around the ice cream canister.  This way ensures that each ice chunk gets some salt which will freeze the ice cream faster.  Lots of recipes say to just pour the salt on top of the ice but it doesn’t work nearly as well.

Things I love Fridays–Nail Polish

I have to paint my nails or else I bite them. I’ve pretty much kept some kind of nail polish (clear/colored) on my nails for the past 4 years straight so I’ve gotten to know a bit about nail polish!  Here are some of my recent favorites.

Essie Hip-anema, I love this reddish orange color!

Favorite base coat, Orly Bonder, This stuff is amazing! From the site: “Bonder, a unique rubberized basecoat, grips lacquer to the nail surface for lasting adhesion.  Prevents nail lacquer from wearing off for up to two weeks.”

Revlon Posh, I love this color of green – the picture doesn’t do it justice!  I’ve been loving Revlon polish, it’s cheaper than top brands, but has high pigment and lasts a long time!

Favorite topcoat, Essie Good to Go, It dries the nail polish super fast!

Essie, Bouncer, it’s me!, Vivid blue color, it pops if you put it over a layer of white.