My healthy ice cream

Since I am diabetic, I watch the sugar/carbs I eat pretty closely. One thing I really missed is ice cream. I love ice cream....all flavors, brands, varieties, with toppings or without.

Years ago, I purchased a counter-top ice cream freezer. You keep the canister in the freezer until needed, put it in place on the electric base, pour in the ingredients, and voilà, you have ice cream. It's soft so I put it in small plastic containers to pop into the freezer. Then I enjoy these when I want something cold and yummy.

Okay, so what's healthy about this? My recipe. It is sugar-free and fat-free, and has only 4 ingredients. Here's the recipe:

Beat with a whisk 2 eggs, 2/3C of Splenda, and 1 t vanilla. Add 1 quart of fat-free half-and-half (I use Land 'o Lakes from WalMart). Whisk till completely blended. Put freezer container on base, turn on machine, pour mixture into the top. Set kitchen timer for 20 minutes. Turn off machine, spoon out ice cream into plastic containers, and freeze.

Smucker's makes a sugar-free strawberry topping, and I also found a sugar-free chocolate syrup. Add sugar-free Cool Whip on top, a few chopped pecans, and you'll have a sundae worthy of Dairy Queen...with no guilt!!

On Vacation

My vacation this year looks really different. I usually spend a week with my parents, another week visiting children and friends, then my last week at home scurrying around to get the summer projects done before heading back to work. I usually arrive back at work exhausted.

Because my health has not been optimal for about 3 months now, the hub decreed that I was put on travel restrictions this year! Ugh! Although I know it's necessary for me to rest and restore my health, I chafe against the limits.

So, my to-do list looks like this: organize closet, clean out old clothes, clean out drawers, organize the garage, do some yard work, read books, eat healthy meals, exercise every day, do some Arbonne work, scrapbook, read blogs, etc. Not too much exciting there, and you might think that that is still a lot to accomplish. However, one task a day is how I'm approaching it, and that is easy compared to my past schedule. :)

There are a few bright points in this 3-week hiatus. One, our daughter came to visit (thanks, Lyd) for a few days. Just having her here brightened us both up and we loved visiting with her. Two, our daughter-in-law and g'son are coming next week to spend a few days with me. I get to babysit while she gets some urgent design work done. Third, hub relented and let us take an impromptu day trip last Sunday to meet our new "adopted" g'kids in Southeast Texas. Our friends are adopting again, so we went to meet the four kids and had a great time. So, as long as I get to see everybody and spend some time with them during my vacation, I'm happy!

I will take before and after photos of my closet re-do. I started on it this morning and ran out of hangers before one wall was done! So I ordered more which should arrive before my vacation is over, hopefully, so I can finish this project.

Cute Kid

Just had to post this pic from Sunday's visit. Isn't he cute?

Tagged!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I moved to a new city, new house, new job, new church, sent a son to college, took in a mother-in-law....whew! Stressful year!

2.What are five things on my to do list today?
Hmm, for tomorrow, there's walking, work, choir, eat healthy food, make business calls

3.What snacks do I enjoy?
Anything sweet (I made some sugar-free ice cream today, yum) but I do love a plate full of nachos.

4.Where are some places I've lived?
Dallas (18 years), Nacogdoches (6 years), Mesquite (11 years), Orange (7 years), Nederland (3 years), Palestine (10 years)

5. If I were a billionaire...
I'd pay off debts, build a home in the location of my choice, set up funds for my children/grandchildren, give to missions, travel, travel, travel

Generations

Here's a photo taken Memorial Day of Great-Grandma Largent, John & Karen,and Ian. I'm sure he's wondering what's going on because there was LOTS of company that day!

Ian's Birth Scrapbook

I went to an all-day scrapbook event on Saturday. I made the book that details Ian's birth and first bath (so it's the first four days of his life). It was fun to do!

Scrapping is always something that relaxes me, but I don't get to do it nearly often enough. So..enjoy this little book...

Mother's Day

This Sunday is Mother's Day. When I think about my mother and mother-in-law, here's what I've learned from them (not in any particular order):

Mother
Setting goals and working hard will get you where you want to go. It doesn't matter how long it takes. Entertaining is fun and easy. Family is the most important thing in your life. Holidays are for celebrating together. Education is vital. Everything is on sale sometime. Faith is your anchor.

Mother-in-Law
Family is important. Pets add a wonderful dimension of love to your life. Shopping is a past-time. Dressing well improves self-esteem. Buy the best so it lasts. Faith will see you through tough times.

No matter how diverse the lessons have been, the one constant is faith. I have been blessed to have Christian women in my life as guides and anchors. From marriage to birth to raising children to letting go, these women have been by my side, cheering me on in my own journey of life as a woman. I am grateful to have them. Now as I see my own children launching into the adventure of parenthood, I try to impart these lessons to the next generation. Being a grandmother is wonderful, but having Christian descendants is even better.

Thank you, God, for these blessings.