Banana Cream Pie by Woman's Day Magazine

Bobby made a great springtime dessert for us tonight. (too bad it turned cold and rainy today - but I sure can imagine eating it on a pretty summer day)

Banana Cream Pie

1 9 oz graham cracker pie crust 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/8 t salt 2 cups whole milk 1 cups heavy cream (1/2 pint) 4 large eggs yolks (Bobby learned how to seperate eggs) 1/2 t vanilla 2 large bananas + 1 for decoration 8 oz cool whip In a medium saucepay, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add the milk and 1 cup of the heavy cream and whisk until fully incorporated; whisk in the egg yolks. Bring the misture to a simmer. Gently simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour half the pudding mixture into the pie crut. Slice the bananas crosswise 1/4 in. thick and arrange in a single layer on top of the pudding. Top with the ramaining pudding and smoothe the top. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. When ready to serve, spread cool whip over the top of the pie. Makes 8 servings (This isn't exactly the Woman's Day recipe but our rearranged version.)

Spring Cleaning - Week 2

We did get some Spring Cleaning done over the weekend. My weeks are so messed up - let's call this week 2. :-)

We didn't finish the bedroom yet completely but moved on to the hall while Artie and Troy were available. So, here's the list...


Hall - Upstairs and Down
Upstairs Bathroom
Master Bedroom

• wash bathroom rug
• clean hall floor - Troy
• clean out hope chest
• sweep hall - Troy
• wash hall window - inside and out - with extension ladder - Artie (inside on the ladder) and Troy outside
• paint bottom of hall burgundy - Kelly and Artie
• paint top hall white
• begin painting bathroom trim
• hang new bedroom light fixture - Artie
• hang new living room light fixture - Artie
• hang new bathroom door, new knob and strike plate - Artie
• new light covers in hall - Artie
• flipped and rotated mattress, replaced washed dust ruffle

Spring Cleaning - Week 1

I did start on my Spring Cleaning, but I definitely didn't get finished what I wanted to. There is always so much to do...

I guess a little is better than none; and I'm not finished, still working, just behind where I wanted to be.

I started the first day with my planning and then moved to my bedroom. I decided that it needed the most attention and would be most appreciated by Artie (who also got in the act a little).

So, here's my list so far and what's left...

Saturday

• yard sale at a friend's
• wash little boys' clothes
• hang Troy's sheets and comforter (Troy washed earlier in the day)
• wash a load of dishes in the dishwasher
• begin in bedroom - take all dirty clothes to laundry room and sort
• empty trash can and replace with new bag
• put up all shoes
• fold up 3 baskets of clean clothes and put away
• open bedroom's outside door and air out bedroom
• wash our sheets and comforter
• dry little boys' clothes
• wash another load of dishes in dishwasher
• plan dinner - eggs, bacon, grits and biscuits
• run to grocery store - bacon, grits, biscuits
• wash all little boys sheets
• dry our sheets and comforter
• fold up little boys' clothes and put up
• pick up floor and sweep
• move bed and clean underneath
• sweep and mop under bed
• while bed is moved, take down curtains and wash window and sill
• take off dust ruffle to wash
• pack one box of Artie's winter clothes
• remake bed with clean covers
• wash little boys' new clothes from yard sale
• dry little boys' sheets
• move Artie's dresser - clean, sweep and mop behind - how does so much junk end up BEHIND and UNDER furniture?
• move bedroom frig - clean, sweep and mop behind
• wash frig - inside and out
• dinner time - Brenda cooked - paid job - working for cell phone money
• have little boys make up their beds
• fold up little boys' new clothes and put up
• move night stand - clean, sweep and mop behind
• move hope chest - clean, sweep and mop behind - Brenda
• fold more clothes from the laundry room and put up
• mop bedroom - Brenda
• clean out all dresser drawers
• clean off dresser - Brenda

Monday

• load dishwasher
• wash bedroom curtains
• fold Troy's clothes
• pack one box of snow clothes
• pack one box of winter consignment clothes
• unpack one summer box
• clean out nightstand drawers
• wash outside door windows
• rehang curtains
• plan grocery list for dinner
• wash dust ruffle

Artie cleaned out all his dresser drawers on Monday for me while he was off. He also steadied a new bookshelf for the little boys and hung my new bulletin board for me by the computer desk.


So, not near as much done on Monday - I have regular life I still have to be working with....

Still to do in bedroom:

• wash outside of windows
• clean out hope chest
• flip mattress and replace dust ruffle
• dust light fixture
• wash mantle
• wash walls
• one more good straightening of all dressers tops and polishing furniture
• one more good sweeping
• empty trash again

Since Monday I haven't done any of my Spring Cleaning. It's just so hard to do with all the regular things that need to be done. My goal from here on out - on school days - is to do at least 15 minutes of extra work a day. Still not the way I would like it - but better than nothing!!

Spring Cleaning

Although it is still almost a week until Spring officially begins, Spring fever has hit in the Quinn home. Last week was beautiful - temps in the 80's some days - this after the week before having 10 inches of snow!! Today it's in the high 30's and raining with rain forecast for the rest of the weekend.

Today I am mostly planning my strategy. I started great last year, but ran out of time to do all I wanted before Easter. Hopefully starting earlier, I will have a better run.

I am starting with the same principles I did last year -

washer and dryer always running (using clothesline when weather clears)

folding and putting up clothes as they come through...

continually running dishwasher

unpacking one spring box and packing one winter box a day (not so sure about packing winter clothes when we just had our big snow two weekend ago?)

Now to plan my attack a little more thoroughly...

Spring day in South Carolina

The little children love nothing better than getting to dig in the earth!!! This day they are burying Easter eggs and making tunnels in our backyard.

Spring in our Backyard

One of our dogwood trees in bloom with a wisteria vine intertwined.

Glorious!!!

Do you ever have those glorious days? Spring is just beautiful today!! I am gonna try and get some of our neighborhood sights later today. God is so good. Some days it just almost seems to much!!!

Our family's Easter

We had a beautiful Easter this year. I think it all stems from learning about the liturgical year - mostly from Dawn's blog .

We began our week on Monday with our Spring Cleaning - we still have a long ways to go with that and are dedicating Mondays throughout Spring to work on that task.

Midweek we learned of Spy Wednesday and Judas' plans for betrayal. We began watching The Gospel of John DVD. I had never seen this movie before and totally loved it. It was pretty much word for word taken from the book of John. It was a beautiful portrayal of Jesus. We watched the whole movie from the creation of the world through God's voice to the part where Judas goes to seek to profit from betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. We stopped the movie right there and continued to story from there on out day to day in the order it occurred. We finished off the night with "silver dollar" pancakes - remembering how Jesus' disciple turned on him - how He faced the same sort of trials we face even today.

Thursday we had great plans, but they all seemed to fall to the wayside. Troy had a doctor's appointment that morning and then we stopped by Aldi's while we were on that side of town and somehow the rest of the school day ended up lost!!!

Friday we redeemed the time. Artie was off for Good Friday and joined in our studies. We started with the events that happened on Thursday - the Lord's Supper, in the garden, the soldiers arrest. We stopped right there and talked about what had taken place (remember the kids ages go from 4 to 15, so there is much review to make sure the littles are up to speed with everything). After we talked, we had our own Lord's Supper - a beautiful family time. We followed up with the events from Friday - Jesus being crucified - We stopped the movie while he was on the cross - trying to show the children it wasn't just a quick thing - as time went on - we would ask the little children - where is Jesus now - He's still on the cross...

My grandparents stopped by a visit right as we turned the movie off. It was a nice surprise. Everyone had to show there own special things to Mimi and Grandy - from wrestling moves to cartwheels and backbend kickovers.

After they left, we ate lunch and then watched the rest of the movie up to Jesus being place in the tomb. All through Saturday - the same question - where is Jesus now - He's in the tomb still.... but tomorrow he won't be.

Sunday was beautiful. We woke and went to church together. We fill up our pew~~ imagine that!! We went to Sunday school also. After church we finished the movie - witnessing Jesus resurrection!!! We talked about he fact that Easter-tide is a season and how Jesus didn't automatically rise up to heaven - he still walked the earth for days and had teachings to give us. We will follow up the next weeks looking over what He had to teach. We had a nice lunch - a picnic ham, cheese potatoes, green beans and whole potatoes, macaroni and cheese, crescent rolls, followed by Easter baskets with some goodies for all and finished up the day with some Easter egg hunting.

I think the was the best year of keeping our focus on Jesus and teaching the kids what it was all about. We didn't "deprive" them of Easter egg hunts or all the goodies, but that wasn't the main focus and everyone loved learning more and more of Jesus. Troy even said, I've heard about Jesus and Easter all my life, but didn't realize that he still walked the earth after his crucifixion - I thought He was only here for about 4 more hours. It's so fun to see we still have so much to learn.

Hopefully I will get some pictures up later...

The Big Spring Clean

The BIG SPRING CLEAN has begun at the Quinn Home.

The girls are I are using this week and then the following Monday's through Spring to do our spring cleaning. This is the first year we've done an actual Spring Cleaning during spring and I'm already thrilled with it.

We began in the living room yesterday. Here's what we've done so far...

We are continually running the dishwasher and washing machine (both never rest in this house!!)

Folding all clean clothes and continuing as more appear

unpacking 1 box of spring clothes a day

packing up 1 box of big wintry clothes a day - boots, quilts, heavy sweaters

dusted the work room folding table

Living Room -

Moved all furniture and cleaned underneath - amazing what you'll find under there - that's where I found my chord to my camera so I can download my pictures again!!

took down everything from the walls - 11 pictures in the living room

dusted and cleaned the glass on all the pictures

knocked down all cobwebs in corners and around the ceiling

dusted the tops of the four doors and one double window

took everything down from the top of the two double bookcases - dusted and cleaned each item

took the covers off the couch, chair and washed

cleaned under the couch and chair cushions - again amazing what all was there!!

washed the rocking chair cushions

washed the rocking chair

cleaned off the tops of the piano, round table, end table, TV & dusted

scrubbed the baseboards and around the edges of the floors

washed all door knobs

packed a pile of things to move to the out building

put Bobby's school picture in a new frame (old one broke and has been laying on the piano for a month or so)

wash the outside of the bricked and painted fireplace

wash the mantle

washed down the treadmill

washed the ceiling fan

hand scrub the outside perimeter of the floor while all the furniture was moved out

and the big one - washed the walls - we have 12 foot high ceilings - and the room is pretty big - it took so long but looks so good now!! Brenda went around on Artie's ladder and scrubbed the tops while I crawled on my knees doing the bottoms. I'm so old. My arms were so sore last night I could have cried!!!

We still have a pretty big list to do in the living room - we have the following left...

wash all glass - double windows, 8 pains in front door, 4 pains on each side of door, 12 pains on door to hall, a set of French doors to girls room, four bookshelves doors with 4 pains each - lots of grubby little finger prints to clean

clean off the top of the dresser - that's where all our cleaning stuff is stashed while we are working

clean out the drawers of the dresser and end table - now done

clean the TV screen - now done

clean out both double bookshelves and cabinets beneath both - pack up all that can be taken to Goodwill - one done so far

wash the outside of the bookshelf (all that's left of the scrubbing - my arms couldn't stand anymore yesterday) - one done so far

polish the piano

air out the big rug - done

sweep and finish hand mopping the middle of the floor

We just put new curtains in there a couple of weeks ago, so I don't have to take those down to clean.

Artie was laughing at how slow I am at cleaning things, but was happy with the results. He was the one who pointed out that we weren't gonna finish the whole house in a week and suggested we take one school day a week to continue. I think this is a great lesson for the girls to learn. I know for a fact, that my life would have been better if I had ever learned how to clean a house!!! Brenda loved it yesterday - she said she like it because it was something different than go clean up your bedroom floor. She also loved working on the ladder!!

I wish I had taken some before pictures, but maybe I'll get some later as we move around the house.

Ready for Spring

I read one blog post today about planting lettuce and spring fever hit all at once. This is our third year gardening. I am excited to be able to blog my way through it this year and hopefully use it as a guide for myself the following years. We have added more and more veggies and herbs each year. Last year, aside from the southern drought, was a good year - except for the tomatoes.

So, Emily, Troy and I ran to Wal-Mart and picked up a few seeds.

We are going to experiment with more lettuce this year. Spinach is all we've done so far. Today we got Spinach, Salad Bowl Lettuce, Swiss Chard - Neon Lights Mix and Great Lakes Lettuce.

The Swiss Chard looks so cool - I don't think I've ever seen this before. The littles will love it!!!

We also picked up some packs of pansys to intermingle with the lettuces and some for the front flower beds. (I also couldn't help picking up some more shasta daisys. I love daisys)

When we began gardening - it was with Brenda's school. We read through the Square Foot Gardening Book and went from there. Like I said earlier, each year we are adding a little more as we learn. We all so love to get out in the dirt. I can't wait to start on our squares tomorrow - getting the soil ready.

Here are a couple of pictures from the previous years preparation. The Barefoot Gardener, Brenda, Square Foot Gardening Hopefully this year, I will be together enough to get some picturess after the goodies grow!!! :-)