Vegan Caramel Sauce

HI!!!!

Who loves Caramel Sauce?

Me....

and look what I found!

I found this product at Whole Foods!

Was it yummy?  I liked it. I tasted black strap molasses, so if you don't like that taste then you are probably not going to like this.  But, I would definitely encourage you to give it a try! 

I drizzled it over an ice cream sandwich I made for the family. So, I did not use a lot of it! There is no ingredient listing or nutritional fact info on the container.  I am taking a guess that if you desire to stay lean or get lean, this is probably a product you want to stay clear of.

But, I was feeling adventurous! 

Anywho, if you would like to try some, check out your nearest Whole Foods or you can order this product online.

Here is the link to get you some  Vegan Caramel Sauce

Ice Cream Sandwich Recipe:

1 box of gluten free vanilla wafers or cookie of your choice.

Trader Joes Vanilla Soy Ice Cream

Strawberries

Vegan Caramel Sauce

1) Slice up your strawberries.

2) Melt your caramel sauce.

Time for the assembly (make sure to place them in a container you can fit into the freezer, you are going to have to freeze them for a couple of minutes)...

3) Grab a cookie and place a strawberry slice on top of it. Next add some ice cream and then another  strawberry slice, finishing it off with another cookie.  You now have a little sandwich, mine looked more like a little burger! ;)

4) Make sure you are placing them in that container.  When you are done assembling all your sandwiches, drizzle that caramel right on top and place back into the freezer.

5) Check them after 15  minutes and enjoy!

Green Smoothie

HI!

This morning, I wanted to share a routine that I have been doing for the past few weeks and I have been feeling the results already.  I have been making green smoothies.  The honest truth, it has taken me awhile to adjust to the taste.  I don't use any sweeteners at all.  No honey, no agave nectar, nada, zilch, nothing! =/

I thought I would share my base recipe with you and you can adjust as you like!

Sometimes, I might not have Kale and sometimes I'll add more. Sometimes, I will use a mix of fruits or sometimes just one.  The important thing is that you adjust it to your liking!

1 1/2 cup spinach

1/2 cucumber sliced with peel 

1/4 sliced lemon with peel

1 cup frozen strawberries (or any fruit you would like)

1/2 cup kale

1 cup liquid of choice (unsweetened is best)

You might like to add a sweetener to start off and then wean yourself off if you like!

I used Soymilk this time, because that's what I had, but almond milk is nice as well.

I also like to add Chia seeds. I didn't do it this time. =(

Your end result

Cheers to your health!

xoxoxo

Pet Cats and Grooming!!!

Hi friends!

I know I have been away for awhile, we have been homeschooling the children so that they can finish their year early! ;)   It's been hard work but the anticipation of an early summer break is so motivating for  all of us! 

Well let's get to what I wanted to share.  

How many of you have pet cats? I love cats!!!!!! In my youth, I always favored dogs but as I have gotten older, I have come to really appreciate and love the felines.  

As a family, we have had 3 cats! 

Let me introduce you to......Simon.

He was adopted from a shelter in Los Angeles! We adopted this city kitten before our move to Tehachapi. We had Simon for less than a year.  He got out one day and never returned.  We believe that Coyotes got him. It was so heartbreaking. We missed him so much.  Not sure what kind of kitten he was. I am positive he was a mix but as you can see he was a short hair and low maintenance when it came to grooming.

Months later......in came Mimi to our lives and hearts.

Mimi was also adopted. She was so tender and sweet with the children! The best cat ever.  She would walk into the kids bedroom and make sure to say goodnight to each one of the babies before she decided which one she would slumber with.  She was playful with deers and had no problem of getting rid of the rodents near by.  As you can see Mimi is also a short hair. Her grooming was low maintenance as well. Mimi also had to leave us due to some changes in our living situation.  We were so blessed to have found a home for her. Mimi's new owner adores her so much.  The kids and I stopped by and visited her a couple times and promptly had to stop.  It was very emotional for us, she always seemed to remember us and we always wanted to bring her home.

Years later, I received an anniversary present!

In comes.....Smokey.

A gorgeous cat! Don't you think? I do! His disposition, well let's just continue with the story.  We love him so much.  As you can see he is not quite a long haired cat. His hair is about in the middle of being short and long and the texture is a bit distinct than what I am use to.

I would unquestionably consider him a high maintenance cat when it comes to grooming.  I have given Smokey baths sometimes with no problems at all, but I never trimmed his hair.  He is now officially an adult cat because he turned one and well he needs to move on to bigger and better things! ;)

Hair cut time!!!!

If you know me, I like to save a buck. I am not cheap, but I like to be frugal!  I also like to DIY!

So, like I do, I started to research groomers, styles and cost.  

I decided Smokey would look nice in a lion's cut style.

Heeheee! 

Cute or cruel?

Groomers, oh boy, the cost was just out of my price range. So, why not do it myself?

I went to PetSmart, bought a clipper for $50 and thought I would still be saving money and every time I cut his hair, I could think about all the money I would be saving. There I go, cheerfully I charge the clipper because it is cordless and in anticipation I wait the 12 hours needed to get Smokey looking so handsome. He didn't know what he had coming. I purchased cat treats to reward him during and after his process of beautification. I was grinning ear to ear anxiously waiting to get to him.

Twelve hours later, I coax loving Smokey who tenderly comes to me without any hesitation. Give him a few treats and turn on the quite clippers and to my amazement I was able to cut some hair. But, I did not consider how much hair would be flying and how my toddler wanted to come and get it.

Was it easy!?!

NO! Smokey got tired and we started to wrestle and he started to lick the hair that was on the floor. Soon all those treats came back out! =/

We decided to call it a night and get a fresh start in the morning.

Morning comes, Smokey is not having it and so this is the end result:

Needless to say, it is not a lions cut! And, he won't turn around to look at me! I have shamed him! I will be eating the cost and I will be taking him to the groomers soon!

Leave your comments below and be gentle! 

An Anniversary Dinner

Hi Friends!

I know I haven't posted anything for quite some time, but we have been in the middle of a move and just some other family affairs that have taken priority.  We have been doing all this, while  still homeschooling the kids and tending to their needs.  In the midst of all these things, our wedding anniversary crept up on us and had to pass us by. But, we scheduled a couple hours where we could have my parents watch the babies so that we can go out for a bite and just take a breather.

So where did we go?

Veggie Grill.... and it was so delicious!

Hubby and I shared this hamburger! It was the "Crab Cake" and boy was it delicious! I know I should have taken the photo before I started to demolish it, but it was just calling my name!

If you are around a Veggie Grill, I highly recommend this burger! Their salads are delicious as well.

xoxox

DIY - Time

Hi Folks! 

So much has been going on!!!!

Lot's of DIY projects and down sizing! :/ =)

I feel blessed in all situations, no matter how hard I feel my lot is. Do you want to know why?

It's because I serve a good God. He is wonderful, merciful, faithful, and He is my hope! That is why I trust in Him!

Keep us in your prayers!

Thank you Carrasco Family

A little reminder...

Hi friends! 

Just wanted to give you a little reminder what this blog is all about.  I want to first apologize for not being consistent with my blogging, but life does happen for me too. My first priority is making sure that I am connected with God and then all else follows, and I am sure you all understand, that sometimes our schedules have to shift a little.

So, what's the reminder about?

The reminder is really for me. I have been struggling with what to post on here! Should my content be specific to my business?  Perhaps, I can just right about my family life or my faith. After all, there would be no Five Golden Apples without God or my babies!

With that in mind, there is a lot to me.( Does that make sense!?!)

I am more than just a soap maker and after all this is my forum. So, why not share me.

(Am, I ranting?) 

Anywho, when you come here, you will read about things that I love. 

What does this entail?

1) I love God, so you will find some encouraging scriptures or testimonies! Perhaps a profound study.

2) I love my family, so you will find some tidbits about those who I adore.

3) I love soap making. So, you will find that here too.

4) I love eating and making food, so you will find my favorite nom nom recipes.

5) I love exercising because I love eating! (lol) So, you will find what might be helping me out at the moment.

6) I love learning new things, and I will share what I learn here.

7) I love trying out new things. I am a DIYer at heart, so you will read about that here too.

8) Organizing, Oh boy, that's me too!

9) Pretty things.... 

So you will find a bit of everything on here.

My hope, is that you will enjoy what's here! 

xoxoxoxoxo

B.Y.O.B.

I am not sure how many of you are aware of the new law!

Don't be scared, I am talking about bags!

That's right it is time to put all those reuseable bags in your car, and actually bring them inside when shopping.

Hence,

B.= Bring

Y. = Your 

O.  = own

B.  = Bag.

I don't know where you live and what the fees might be for you, but an example is Los Angeles County has a $.10 fee.

Here is a site for you to look over.  I need every single dime, I have....

http://www.baglaws.com/legislation.php?state=California

I am sure you can check out your state too!

On the flip side, now I need a cute storage box to keep it organized in my car!!!! ;)

DIY - Bathroom Scum Cleaner

That's right a DIY - Bathroom cleaner recipe on it's way!

This recipe comes from Pinterest.

Sad thing is, when I pinned it, there was no site to link it back too.  I would have loved to given credit where credit is do. Let me just add, that Pinterest is full of wonderful ideas.

Doesn't look like much, but it sure does the job.  

My recipe was enough to do clean three bathrooms and have some left.  Let me add that I was generous with my applying too.

Now, here's the backdrop then I'll give you the recipe!

One of my bathrooms, is in my girl's room. Now, the oldest is 12 and the youngest 5, so sometimes their cleaning of the bathroom leaves something to be desired. I don't do daily spraying and cleaning in there or any bathroom. Bathroom cleaning days are on Tuesdays! So, the girls bathroom needs a bit more scrubbing than the others. (Was that TMI!?!) Oh, well!  All of that to say, this does the job and its pretty natural!

Here's the recipe:

2 Cups Vinegar

3 Tablespoons of Cornstarch

2 Tablespoons of dish washing liquid (whatever is sitting on your kitchen sink, [is it on or in, huh])

1 spray bottle

Directions:  

Take your 2 cups of vinegar and pour into a microwaveable container and add you 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix well and microwave for 2 minutes.

Take your spray bottle and pour your 2 tablespoons of Dish detergent in there.

When you vinegar is warm, mix it once more and pour into the spray bottle.  Cap it up and shake, shake, shake, shake your...

Then start spraying away! Let it sit for an hour, then go back and wipe, scrub, whatever you gotta do and rinse! 

Then stand back and smile! =)

Let me know if it worked out for you!

xoxoxoxo

Playdough Flowers

It's amazing how creative and artistic children can be.  I am happy to say that I was the recipient of such a blessing. I received some playdough flowers! Three flowers from three precious little girls.

Here is Gigi's gift...

Chloe's gift...

gorgeous, isn't it!

Here's Belly's....

I love my girls and feel so blessed.

Hope you guys are blessed today too!

Baby and Laundry!

Yes, baby Noah helps with laundry!

Since our new homeschool routine, things have been a bit hectic to say the least! But, like everything things get better when you get into the swing of things; and I believe that my faith in God and His promises have carried me through even though I have shed some tears of frustration.

So, not much house work has been accomplished, and the laundry baskets were becoming a major eyesore...so my youngest decided to help out.

He's not for hire! =)

  

The First Born...

The first born, is always special!

So many firsts: First time of carrying a baby in your belly and feeling that first kick!  Then when the baby comes; it's first smiles, first teeth , firsts steps, and so on and so on.

I must say that I was so blessed to have my eldest son first.  He has been my right hand guy since day one!  always a responsible guy, don't get me wrong he has his moments, but over all I must say he is top notch. I am very proud of him!

Here he is far left. He was the type of kid who wanted to wear a tie for his 4th birthday! I am surprised he is not some type of scientist or engineer by now.

When his sisters came, he was always responsible and might I add he enjoys keeping them in check!!! I call that "Big Brother Perks".  The girls are ok with it about 55% of the time! =/

Here are all my apples! God gave me bookends to keep those girls safe and taken care of! 

Hope you enjoyed meeting my little family.

Consistency...

Consistency.....and why I don't have it!

So, I have not been able to post as frequently as I would have like to this month, or make soap for that matter, because of how hectic it has been for me.

Here's one of the main reason:

That's a total of three full boxes and this is not including my son's books!

Gigi....

So, here is a throwback to my oldest daughter. I love her so much! Gianna, is known by Gigi, and is well I can't really describe her in one word.

Well, I think "special" is the right word!!!

She is a sweet heart, there is no gray with her. It's either a yes or no!

She's really growing into her own little individual!

And, well I just have to pray through it all.

She is my sweetie!

The Comedian....

The comedian in this family is my Chloe!

If you are sad or anything but happy, this little mama will try to please you or put a smile on your face!

We love her so much and feel so blessed to have her!

Here she is at our Renewal of Vows!

I've been reminiscing as I have been cleaning out my photos. I cant believe how fast time is going by. Appreciate each day and everything that happens within it!!

Blessings to you all!

My Baby Girl...Belly Boo

Here is Belly Boo, my baby girl, when she was 9 weeks old.

She was always smiling!

Everytime she had her bath, her hair would just spike up! I loved it.

She is now very much a handful at the ripe age of 5! =)

Blessings to you all! Enjoy your babies because they grow up so fast!

The Sweeper

So, here is what mornings are like, right after breakfast!

It's the sweeper!

Hope you guys smiled!  Have a blessed day!!!!!!

Ahhh......Reminiscing

Hey there friends! So, as I was trying to clean up my computer from all the photos I have, I started to go through them and reminiscing about the beautiful moments spent with loved ones that were captured  on camera.  I will be sharing those with you this month. I know that I have a lot going on this blog, but I thought a few throw back photos and stories might just bring smiles to your faces and even some encouragement.

So, lets go.....

An Upgraded Mac and a Crucial Haul

That's exactly what I got! An upgraded Mac, thanks to my precious hubby.

I have had my 13" Macbook pro since 2009.  I only had 2GB on it, thinking that would do me plenty. But, now with the soaping business and the Youtube Videos and all the photos, I found myself running out of space and a computer that would beach ball all the time.

I know you Mac users are familiar with this.

But how about this pop up?

I was seeing this everytime I opened up my computer, and then I finally had 0 size free on my hard drive. The only 0 size I want to see is on my clothes tag! lol But then again, maybe not!

So, instead of purchasing a new computer, my hubby just researched how we can upgrade it and did the work on his own.

Here is the visual!!!!!

There's my Mac it had been trying to open up Parallels for like 15 minutes. No JOOKE!!!! =/ 

But, now, its a snap of a finger. Now I have 8 GB and a 1TB Startup Disk!!! Woohoo!!!!

Back in the Game!

Yup, back in the game!

Hubby fixed the computer all by himself with the help of some youtube videos.  Once again, you can learn a whole bunch on youtube.

Time for me and my side kick here, to get back to uploading some videos.

Apologies....

My apologies, I haven't been able to write any post lately!  There truly has been so much going on.  My computer has been running so slow lately that it has been beach balling for everything. I own a macbook pro that I love, but lately its been crawling...talk about molasses.  I also don't have enough room to add any pictures or videos. So no uploading! NO, new computer for me.  I truly couldn't part with this one.  So time to DIY my hard drive.   

I'll be posting pictures soon with a new post if everything goes right! =/