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    My sons don't always have those goofy looks on their faces! They are holding up a photo of brother/Eagle Scout #1 and mimicking his expression so that I could have a photo of all tree of my Eagle Scout sons together! Since son #1 was in another state taking the Bar Exam, he couldn't be at son #3's Eagle Court of Honor.

     Back in January, I posted about my 3rd son earning his Eagle Scout Award here.    (I also gave you a recipe for a delicious chocolate cake that I made for him.) I warned you then that I would probably brag about him more when we had his Court of Honor and his Eagle was actually awarded to him.  That is Eagle Scout Son #2 pinning his award on him.  I am so proud of my sons!  They are all good men.  Scouting has helped them to become who they are.  Here are some of the benefits I have seen throughout the years of being involved in Boy Scouting with my boys:

• They learned, and I learned, that they can do hard things.   Achieving the rank of an Eagle Scout isn't easy.  The actual percentage of boys who join scouting and then go on to earn their Eagle Rank ranges anywhere from 2-6%, depending on whose numbers you are hearing.  But, that is not very many in any case.  When my oldest son advanced from Cub Scouting to Boy Scouting and I looked at the requirements for Eagle, I wondered how they could possibly expect my young 11 year old son to accomplish all of those things!  (I didn't say that to him out loud.) With the help of some great leaders and the opportunities that Scouting provided, all three of them set the goal to make Eagle and they did it! 
• They learned practical skills that help them in their day to day lives.  Scouting isn't only about camping, although my boys are all very proficient at that.  Scouts also learn about their place in the world and community.  They learn personal management.  They learn to serve others.  I made some printable decorations that I am going to share with you.  The thing that my son wanted me to be sure to include on one of them is the phrase, "Physically Strong, Mentally Awake, and Morally Straight."  That is what he realizes Scouting helped to build in him. They also complete merit badges in areas that can later translate into careers.  Through Scouting, they can get a taste of who they are and what they want to become.
• They gained leadership skills. Scouts learn to lead by serving in various leadership capacities throughout their years in scouts.  They learn to plan, prepare and carry out activities, service projects, fund raisers and methods to achieve their ranks.  I have seen these skills in action as they have moved into school and careers.  Their employers have noticed them as well.

     To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, a young man must earn 21 merit badges, 13 of them are required badges, the 8 remaining are elective, to be chosen by the Scout from the over 100 badges available.  My son, Jacob, earned 28.  You can see them on the sash he is wearing in this photo as he waits for the program to start.

     Because this was my last son to achieve Eagle Scout, and because this award really means a lot to him and because I am so proud of him, I wanted to decorate nicely and make the evening memorable for him, because getting your Eagle IS a big deal! Here are some of the things I did! If you are decorating for an Eagle Court of Honor or another Scout program, just click on the image and it will take you to a printable page.

     I printed them on 4 x 6 photo paper and then cut them out.  I used them in the centerpieces with old photos of Jacob from the time he was in Cubs until now.  Here are some photos:

     Some of the other things we had on display were two frames that I made for him with all of his awards and patches from Cubs-Scouts from scouts and other events and his rank patches through the years mounted in them.  He also received letters of recognition from the Governor, the Army, the Air Force, the Parks Service and NASA that we displayed, along with his Eagle Project binder.
​      Everything looked really nice, and I think my son was pleased with the result.  But, I said that I wanted it to be memorable and I think the most memorable moments were made by my son when he handed out Mentor Pins to two men who had been his leaders and helped him along his trail to Eagle.  One of them had been his Bishop in our ward of our church, which is the charter organization of our troop .  He had been so helpful and supportive of the boys in Scouting and Jacob gave him his pin and told him and all of us that, "We could always tell that he loved us."  Well, that choked us all up and filled me with gratitude that my sons all had leaders who were truly good men that they could look up to and who cared about them.  As a parent, that help is golden.

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     Did you know that tomorrow is National Lasagna Day?  We love a good lasagna around here.  Do you remember Lindsey's Zucchini Lasagna?  So good! And, here is the Dutch Oven Lasagna we made in our solar oven!  But, there are so many other Italian foods that we enjoy, we decided that today's Friday Fave question would be...

What is  your favorite Italian Dish?

     (Wocka Wocka! If my son was choosing is favorite Italian "Dish", he would choose his wife who is 1/2 Italian! Her mother is from Italy, so I hope she approves of all of our choices!) 

     Alicia says that she loves pizza the best.  She loves it cooked in a brick oven.  She says,  "I like how the crust is deliciously chewy and the toppings are perfectly cooked. I like a margarita pizza because it's not to heavy or greasy but just so delicious." Here is a recipe for margarita pizza found on A Beautiful Plate.  We also shared my favorite Pizza Crust Recipe and the Upside Down Pizza Pot Pie recipes on this post.  Alicia also makes delicious calzones, kind of a pizza hand pie, that I am twisting her arm to share on the blog. 

     Lindsey says that even though she loves zucchini and zoodles, her all time favorite Italian Dish is Stuffed Shells! Why? She says, "The Cheese! Stuffed shells have just always been so good to me. You have a giant noodle stuffed with cheese and covered with pasta sauce and more cheese
What could be better?"  I think this would be a good recipe to share on Renny's Recipes, don't you?

     Maddy goes back to the basics and picks Spaghetti as her Friday Fave.  She tries to avoid eating an overabundance of meat, so she says that she loves making her own sauce with tomatoes and various veggies that make a delicious, rich, meatless sauce and then ladle it over the spaghetti pasta.

     You may remember my version of Chicken Cacciatore that you can make in the Crock Pot. It is a variation of a recipe I found on Panna by Chef Anita Lo.  I love chicken simmering in this sauce.  The taste is so rich and delicious.  The crock pot version is so simple! So, this is the recipe I have chosen to be my Fave this week.

     Well, those our Italian Faves!  I hope you celebrate Lasagna Day with your favorite Italian Food! Talk to you next week! 

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     Last week, I canned peaches.  (You can find the tutorial here.)  After peeling the peaches and filling my jars, I had a few peeled peaches leftover.  I put them in the fridge and then started thinking about what to do with them.  I was in the mood for pancakes that day, but hadn't make any.  So, I started to wonder about peach pancakes and how they would taste.  I mentioned it to Maddy and she thought they sounded good, especially if I made a nice peach syrup to top them with.  And so, that is how this recipe was born! (And, it is a really good way to use up a few extra peaches!) 

Peach Syrup:  I used my Magic Bullet, (Did you know that they have a new model that is less expensive than the old one used to be?)  In the large mixing cup, I slice up 2 of the peeled peaches.  Then I pureed them.  There were just a few little chunks left.  
     Next, I put the puree into a small saucepan with about 3/4 cup of sugar.  I stirred it all together over a low heat and let it simmer while I started mixing up the pancakes, stirring occasionally.  You can see the results above.  I think next time I will try it with a little cinnamon to see how that tastes.  I loved this version though.  That fresh peach taste really came through and was delicious.  

(Pancake Batter:  I simply used my favorite pancake batter recipe and added 1 peeled and diced peach.  I don't like using a mix because to me they have a funny boxed taste.  I like to make the batter from scratch, and it really doesn't take much longer than a mix. I use the pancake recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, that I have written about before.  Here is the link to the 75th Anniversary Edition.)  I also added about 2 tsp. of cinnamon to the batter.  

     Pour your batter out on your hot griddle.  (I love my cast iron griddle!)  Because there are chunks of peaches in the batter, you will have to let them cook a little longer to cook through.

     Finally, you just stack them up, butter them and pour on the warm peach syrup.  The little bits of peach left in the syrup make it even more scrumptious! 

     Here is my guilty secret.  Maddy was at work when I made these for my husband.  We ate them all.  So, she has yet to have any.  Hmm, maybe I had better make some more right now!  I hope you give them a try!

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Hey guys, Alicia here! With summer in full swing, sandal weather is wreaking havoc on my feet. I’ll spare you the before pictures because a) I didn’t take any and b) it would be gross. I get dry, and cracked heels and my feet just generally feel rough and scratchy. Once my husband started using the bottom of my feet to scratch his leg. TMI sorry.

I also started to notice that I was getting more ingrown hairs on my legs, my face was breaking out more, my keratosis pilaris (KP-more information here) was acting up more than usual, and my skin was overall just not feeling so great.  I am putting a lot of the blame on my pregnancy hormones here but I don’t think the hot dry weather helps much either. But I didn’t want to live with this for two more trimesters. So I started doing more to take care of my skin and it worked!

So I thought I would share my process with you. I didn’t take any before pictures because I didn’t think about blogging about this until after it started working. Honestly, it’s probably better because in posts like these before pictures can be unpleasant. Ok, on to my process!

My first step is exfoliating. I use mainly two things for that.

• Exfoliating Washcloth- These rags don’t hold much moisture so they stay rougher than your typical washcloth. It’s gentle enough to use every day but rough enough to slough off your dead skin. I use it from head to toe, and I just vary the pressure I use (softer on my face, harder on the bottoms of my feet). A bonus is this works great with any soap, even bar soap!
  • I couldn’t find my exact one but I found these Salux Nylon Wash Cloths on Amazon that are longer which I think I want to get. They have great reviews and come in a pack of 3 rags for $12.
    

• Sugar Scrub- I use this 2-3 times a week and it helps to smooth my skin out and leave it feeling refreshed. I especially make sure to use it on my feet, legs, and arms. Most are too rough for your face but if I have a finer grain one I will occasionally use it on my face. Always do a test patch first when it comes to using new products on your face. Bonus with these is that they are better for the environment than exfoliates with plastic microbeads because sugar and salt dissolve in the water!
  • These are easy to make at home and if you check out our Instagram/SnapChat story this week I am going to share how to make one! But I have also bought a few that I like.
    
  • Tree Hut makes great sugar scrubs and I love this coconut lime scented one. And it’s subscribe and save eligible on Amazon so I don’t have to worry about running out (and I save 5% by subscribing)!
  • I also enjoyed a good salt scrub but the one I got must be discontinued because I can’t find hide nor hair of it anywhere. But this Himalayan Salt scrub seems very similar to the one I have and has great reviews.
    

Next I shave. You can shave or wax or get laser hair removal or just let your hair grow. It’s up to you. I personally like to shave and I use the Schick Hydro Silk razor. I love it because it has this great lotion like stuff around the blade that helps hydrate and makes my legs feel super smooth.

At the end of my shower I use cold water to rinse off my hair and body. The cold helps close my pores and it makes my hair shiny. I don’t use polar bear cold just colder than what I have been showering in.

For an extra benefit for my feet, I use the Amope Pedi Perfect. My husband got it for me for Christmas one year and it has been excellent! I have files of differing grain sizes (from coarse to fine) and my feet have never been smoother.

To finish off my face I use toner and moisturizer. The toner I use right now is this Neutrogena 2 in 1 toner that helps reduce acne and acne scars. This baby is making me breakout like a teenager so I picked up this toner in hopes of some help. I have been very impressed by the results I’ve gotten. Madalynn uses Pixi Vitamin Wakeup Mist and loves it. I have moisturizer I’m using up right now that I’m not very fond of (it feels a bit too heavy for me), but Madalynn (our resident beauty guru) recommends Cera Ve Moisturizer. The moisturizer I was using before was so light and wonderful, unfortunately after I ran out, I could never find it again, but it was St Ive’s. So I found this moisturizer that from the description seems similar to what I used before. It has good reviews so I will probably be testing this out soon and updating this post!

The very last step is to use lotion. I use Ammonium Lactate Lotion (12% concentration) from Perrigo. Because I have KP, my doctor recommended this lotion to help clear up the bumps it causes on my arms. I’ve been using it on my son and I both, and it is working splendidly! I have noticed a significant decrease in redness and bumps alike on both of us. It doesn’t smell very good but the smell doesn’t linger and is easy to cover up with another lotion or body spray. I also use it on my feet and it has kept them softer for longer throughout the day. But really any lotion will work as long as you lotion!

And if you’re going out in the sun, please wear sunscreen!
 
Well that’s it! What do you think? Have you tried any of these before? Let us know in the comments!

Check out the link below to see my list on Amazon of the stuff I use and more great products to help your skin be its best ever!