Kaake Family Blog

Today Joshua and I had such a lovely time together. We explored his little hands along with my own. I showed him my hand and he showed me his. I rubbed my fingers on his and he rubbed his fingers on mine. He then grabbed my thumb and gently held it in his little hands. This made me realize just how a relationship with a new baby and a relationship with a new couple are the same. In both relationships, everything is so new, sweet and tender. Every touch is divine. May my relationships with my children, husband, family, friends and everyone I meet be this sweet and tender.

I got this recipe from a dear friend, Jennifer Dagett (sp?). I was wanting a different recipe to try. I have a very yummy healthy granola bar recipe which I'll post here in a minute as well. HOwever, the same thing all the time was getting boring. She gave me this recipe and we LOVE it! We eat it cold after it's been baked and refrigerated, or warm with some vanilla yogurt on the top. Very yummy! I've only used frozen blueberries for the fruit thus far but hope to use other fruits in the future. Baked Oatmeal Ingredients: 6 cups oats 4 t baking powder 1-2 t cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups buttermilk, rice milk, soy milk, etc.. 4 eggs 3/4 cup oil 1 cup honey 1 t. vanilla 3 cups fresh fruit or frozen 1 cup nuts 1. mix all and spread into 9x13. 2. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. 3. You can make it up and freeze it with or without baking first. Next up we have some bread my husband has been making. This was h...

I bet you're wondering what the Brother in a Bag is eigh? Well you'll just have to wait and see. I found a recipe entitled PIzza Bites on the For the Love of Cooking blog awhile back. My mother-in-law had brought over a bag of frozen bread rolls not realizing I had already made some from scratch. I thought it'd be neat to alter the recipe a bit that I had seen online and make these fun little bites. You will see my daughter (or rather her hands) making these yummy treats. Ingredients: 1 cup meat 2 cups cheese pizza sauce 1 package frozen dinner rolls- thawed olive oil garlic powder freshly grated romano Directions: 1. Mix the cheese, meat of choice (we used cut up pepperoni) and just enough sauce to wet the mixture. 2. By hand, flatten out a dough ball and place a teaspoon full of mixture inside. Seal it up by pinching the sides together and place sealed side down on a baking pan. Repeat till all rolls are filled. 3. Mix together a bit of olive o...

We have a very nice extended weekend with my hubby. He took Friday and today off but has to go back to work tomorrow. That said, I'm very grateful he has a job - I just love seeing him is all. Below is a picture we took of our family at church. I have a feeling this will be our Christmas picture to share. I don't foresee us doing another one anytime soon. rofl! In other news, I made a broccoli soup yesterday that Matt loved. This is a huge deal because he's not very fond of broccoli. Here's the recipe . Instead of using velveeta, I just used twice the amount of cheddar. I also added in some shredded chicken (that's what my brother does with his soup). Everyone loved it! It was nice, thick and hearty. Can you find the bunch of broccoli in the below picture? I got this picture from this site . Very neat eigh? Hmmm, not much more else to tell. Oh wait, there is! I'm making a whole foods type cookbook - ebook style. If you have any recipes ...

Sorry for getting behind on these. Here's our meal plan for this week:) Monday: Tuna Noodle Casserole with salad. Tuesday: Cornish hens w/cranberry stuffing, salad, and some other kind of veggie. Wednesday: Pasta bake, Lyshie's famous garlic bread and salad Thursday: Smoked Sausage, Taters, Peppers and onions with bread and butter and applesauce. Friday: PIzza bites and salad. Saturday: Homemade chicken soup. Sunday: Oven fried garlic chicken, mashed yams and salad.

(yes, the picture was borrowed) I've looked for years for something just like this. I've finally found it - yeah! The original recipe called for craisins as well but I didn't have them so I used dates in place of them. I would think you could use any kind of dried fruit (1 cup total) and it would be just lovely. Personally, I think these are just fabulous. For those who like very sweet muffins, these are not for you. On the plus side, my kids just love them! Enjoy! 1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces) 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1- 2 tablespoons flax meal 2 tablespoons wheat bran (optional) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats 2/3 cup pitted dates, chopped 1/3 cup raisins 1 cup low-fat buttermilk 1/4 cup canola oil (I used coconut oil) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup boiling water cooking spray Directions: 1. Lightly spoon flou...

So much has been going on here in our household. Nothing that God can't handle and for that I'm thankful. First up, the reason I have not posted much is because ever since I've had my son, my health has been very up and down. Praise the Lord for his guidance as to what needed to be done. I'm still building myself up but I'm doing much better. The kids and I had been very sick for a couple weeks as well (not nearly as bad for about 9 of those days). I'm hoping the creeping crud stays away now. lol! Most interesting is that my son, Joshua is such a joy. He's an amazing little boy with such a great personality. He's always so happy and LOVES to talk. Him and his brother will have so much fun as they get older, I just know it. HE's so in love with each person in our family. Lyshie plays like a little mommy and takes good care of him when I need her for a few minutes. They sure love each other! As a family we're learning a verse p...

Here is my dinner list for the week. Breakfast and lunch is always simple and leftovers so I don't know for sure what we'll be having. Just a little bit of this and a little bit of that:) I am finding that if I prepare things for dinner at lunch time while I'm making lunch, things are so much easier later one. Plus I get to relax more with my hubby! Monday: Taco Salad Tuesday: Brats and baked potatoes w/veggie. Wednesday: Japanese (type) Stir Fry and Chicken Egg Rolls - you can get msg free at Aldi! Thursday: BBQ Chicken w/Baked Potatoes and rolls Friday: Pizza Saturday: Potato Soup, homemade bread and soup. Sunday: Breakfast for dinner

I used to shop at Aldi a lot more frequently than I have been. So, as a "test" I thought I'd get everything but my milk, meat and cleaning products there. Here is what I got today for only $93.75!!! Needless to say, I'll be doing most of my shopping here once again. It was a good day. :) Dairy: Eggs 4 lbs butter 3 packages cream cheese Produce - which by the way, the selection and quality was GREAT!: 2lbs carrots Romaine Hearts - 3-pack 1 packages flat leaf spinach 3-pack green peppers 1 package mushrooms 1 package celery 1 cucumber 6lbs golden delicious apples - only a couple were bruised 3 pack roma tomatoes 3lbs onions Misc: 3 plastic aldi bags 1 brown paper bag Gallon freezer bags - 20 pack 2-pack sponges Meat: Cheddar Bratwurst Frozen Foods: 1lb peas 1lb whole green beans 2 boxes of French Bread Pizza (4 pizzas) 1 package chicken egg rolls 1 container frozen white raspberry and grape juice 100% juice Bakery items: 2 loafs ...

Here's a picture of Jon with homemade yogurt and frozen blueberries for a snack. He LOVED it! I thought this would be neat to start after seeing it on another blog. I'm still not great about lunch planning so I'll skip that for now. We usually do either leftovers, some kind of sandwich or soup and bread. Monday: Breakfast: Oatmeal and homemade yogurt. Dinner: Roast with carrots, onions and potatoes Tuesday Breakfast: Breakfast scramble and toast Dinner: Macaroni helper with veggies Wednesday Breakfast: Oatmeal and homemade yogurt. Dinner: Beef and noodles (with leftover roast) and mashed potatoes Thursday Breakfast: Eggs and toast Dinner: Chicken, stuffing, veggies Friday Breakfast: Oatmeal and homemade yogurt. Dinner:Homemade pizza and salad Here's my dinner menu from last week: Monday: Chili - made extra and froze half of it. Tuesday: Baked spaghetti with meat and cheese Wednesday: Grilled chicken, cheesy potatoes, and salad. T...

We have about 1 1/2 months till Christmas. How crazy is that? To be easier on our budget, I try to purchase gifts year round as I see them on sale or for a good price. That also keeps us from spending $100's at one time when we wouldn't have it. I also like to save money where I can. This year one of the $$ saving tips I'm passing along is paper shredding. I got out a huge stack of Christmas scrapbooking paper, folding them in accordion style and shredded them in my paper shredder. I'm using this instead of tissue paper. While it probably wouldn't be cheaper if you went out and bought the paper, it sure was for me because it was just sitting around. You could do the same with any kind of newspaper, or other papers you may have lying around. My two wonderful children and beautiful nieces 2 years ago for Christmas. How time flies! I thought I'd give you a peak into what my family does yearly. Here goes.... 1. Have a birthday cake for Jesus as w...

Picture taken from Jimmy Deans link below. Now and then I will pick up a Jimmy Dean breakfast skillet recipe because of lack of time in the mornings on the weekends. Today I decided to make my own:) I usually pay between $4 and $5 for each frozen bag. Then to that you add 6 scrambled eggs. Well, not anymore. Here is a cost comparison for you:) Cost and ingredient break down. This will make 3 frozen bags of breakfast skillet starter. 1lb sausage or turkey sausage $2 (on sale) 2 peppers - $.58 (again on sale) 2 onions - $.20 1/2 bag frozen hashbrowns - $.75 Total - $3.53 Jimmy Deans cost per bag - $4-$5 My cost per bay - $1.17 So here's what you do. You take the pound of meat and cook it like you normally would - crumbled up of course. Let that cool. While it's cooling cut up 2 peppers and 2 onions. Fill 3 freezer bags each with 1/3 the peppers, 1/3 the onions, 1/3 of the cooked meat and about 1 cup frozen square hashbrowns (or more) from your local fre...

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied. The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at wor...

Today was so much fun! We headed down to Ann Arbor for some resale shopping and some fun for the kids. This was Joshua's first trip to Ann Arbor and since it was game day we put on his "My Very First Michigan Shirt" - U of M of course! We had to take a picture to commemorate. lol! Our first stop was Value World - that is where I like to go to find larger amounts of resale clothes for the kids if I can't find them up here. I had a list of things Joshua and Jonathan needed so we headed down. For around $30 we got all you see below. Here's a listing.... Exersaucer Little People Barn with Animals 2 pair jeans for Joshua 1 pair jeans for Jonathan 2 shirts for Jonathan 2 outfits for Joshua 2 sleepers for Joshua 1 sheet for the boys room to make into curtains - it's Disney's Cars 1 pack-n-play sheet for our co-sleeper 1 set of books for Lyshie - they are Misty (the horse) books 2 books for Matt 1 book for me 3 misc. books for the kids 3...

Today we went to Goodwill again. Thankfully it's only 3-4 minutes from my house. We usually don't find anything for Allysha but this time we hit the jackpot! We got her two pairs of jeans that fit perfect! That in itself is very hard to do. You can see the pretty embellishments in the picture above. We also got her the jean jacket you see in the picture and all the shirts as well as the little dress (which will be worn over pants). The dress, and one of the shirts still had the tags on them! The red hooded fleece jacket I got for myself. I got it a size or two bigger so that I can wear my son in a sling and still put the coat over him. It zips from the bottom up so that I can only zip it up as far as we need to. I'm super excited about that! Last but not least, I got Joshua the little hat and Allysha a picture holder. You know those pretty boards that have ribbon on them and you slip the pictures in? Well I got her one of those. It is purple with butterflies...

Jon and Allysha - First official day of school. What cheesy grins! Joshua - Just finished nursing on first official day of school. lol! My how times flies. It seems like yesterday my little Lyshie was just starting pre-k at age 4. This year she's beginning the 5th grade and Jonathan is beginning pre-k at age 3 1/2. Crazy how each child is different. For example: Lyshie could color perfectly in the lines at age 4. Jonathan still scribbles all over the pictures with 1/2 year to go. Lyshie could write her name correctly before she turned 4. Jonathan can't write very many letters yet. Lyshie knew her alphabet but was struggling with phonetic sounds at 4 1/2. Jonathan at 3 1/2 knows most of his phonetic sounds. Lyshie could count to at least 50 but didn't know how to group things at age 4. Jonathan can count to 20 but can group well and knows what the numbers actually mean. LYshie was carrying on adult conversations at 4 years old - yes adult conversations....

This past Friday we decided spur of the moment that we should make the trip down to see my grandparents. It was so much fun! Because of health issues, my grandparents cannot travel up here to see their new grandson. So, Joshua went down to see them. I just love my grandparents so much. I cannot begin to tell you the amazing impact they have made on my life. My Wonderful Grandma Good. My Amazing Grandpa Good. My wonderful husband took our camera with us and got these neat pictures of the kids at my grandparents home. How neat to see them where I used to play! Lyshie with a book from Grandma's bookcase. I thought Matt had such a neat idea with this picture! Here is Lyshie in front of my Grandpa's shop. Oh the hours he'd spend out there when I was a kid. He'd bring out sawdust for me to make a sawdust cake. I would put mud frosting on it and decorate it with flowers. Those were the days! Jon in front of Grandpa's shop. Lyshie on the swing I swu...

So sorry for the delay on posting about the birth of our son. He was born on Wednesday, August 5th at 1:20pm. He weighed 7lbs and was 19 inches long. He's doing just splendid and has us in awe of his little presence. I am so incredibly in love with the little guy:) Enjoy the pictures! Fresh, Brand New Baby:) Sister Lyshie - So Proud! The Boys - Does anything else need to be said? Joshua on mommy's breastfeeding pillow. Is it that time again;) Nate, Colette, Annika, Mom and Baby Joshua - Everybody loves the baby! Grandma Sandi holding baby Joshua. Grandpa Hillis holding baby Joshua. Grandma Sandy and Papa Hillis with 3 of their grandchildren (meaning all of my kids;))