Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

More Muffins Please

I came a cross a recipe a while ago for smore muffins, and was shocked that I hadn't thought of this before. While the concept is great, I think this recipe needs a little tweaking. I have not quite figured out how I would do it differently. Although I will say that I was not on top of my baking game the day I made these and did things a little backwards. I should know better. I have been trained to make muffins. It was not my "first day on the job". They were slightly dry and chewy, probably over mixing on my part.


I'll have to try them again and see how they turn out if I do it the right way. Either way, they looked great and the kids thoroughly enjoyed them.









Let me just say that the warm chocolate chips, gooey marshmallows and crunchy graham crackers make an excellent muffin. It is inspiring me to try again and try new combinations.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A Delicious Little Bite

Over them past few months we have fallen in love with a fun and adorable dessert. It is one of the few words that Silas says clear as day,"Cakepops".

The first time I made them was for Corbins third birthday party. I wanted to try something new and didn't want to deal with the mess of cake. So, the cakepop was born(at least at our house, I do realize they have been on the scene for a while). Needless to say, they were a big hit. And virtually mess-free!

I have been making them for all sorts of events since then. People have said that I should sell them. Although I'm not entirely sure about that. I have seen them in some specialty shops for any where from $1.50-$3.50 a piece. I would love to make some money making them, but would people really pay me that much???

At any rate, I love making them. They are slightly time consuming but I love it. It's almost therapeutic for me. Since having kids, I haven't spent as much time cooking and baking. I'm thankful that I now get to do it on my terms and for fun but I wish I had more time to do it. I love being in the kitchen.

We were on vacation over Casey and Silas birthday and I knew that Si really wanted cakepops for his birthday. Any time you asked him what he wanted for his present he would only reply, "cakepop". I thought ahead and brought most of my supplies with us and was able to buy what I didn't bring. So, we had cakepops in Colorado. Even my non-dessert eating sister in law ate one, and perhaps liked it. Gasp!





Also, if anyone is interested in ordering cakepops, let me know.

Love

I don't know if I have other words to say. I love this boy. He brings me great joy.

He now claps for himself when he does something funny or likes something. He claps for his brothers, which they love and are constantly trying to amuse him(when they are sitting on him or pushing him down).

I realize I might be a bit bias but I think he is truly a stunning baby. And those dimples will melt you every time. We might be headed for trouble as he gets older.





Monday, August 22, 2011

Men At Work

For a long time, as long as we have lived here, we have only had half of a fenced in yard. In the beginning this was not an issue. Then slowly it seemed as though life would be easier with a fully fenced in yard.


We have had a few issues with a pitbull jumping the fence a few doors down and showing up in the yard. He might be a perfectly nice dog but I am not willing to risk it with my kids. Their safety and security is way more important than any dog.

Also, we now have three little boys that love to run around and need to be outside. They have so much energy to burn off, its exhausting. They could spend all day outside if I let them. It still astounds me how quickly they get dirty out there, it seems as if they are covered in dirt the moment their feet hit the ground. Needless to say, they get a lot of baths.

Now, back to the fence issue. My parents very generously gave us a fence for Christmas this year. Ok, well the materials, Casey still had to build it.

So, we have had men at work in our yard for about two weeks. They built us the most beautiful fence I could have ever imagined. I am thankful beyond words. I can let the boys play outside while I make dinner, do the dishes, feed Rollie, do laundry, and just about anything else(except sleep).

Here a just a few pictures of the men that did all this hard work.








Friday, August 5, 2011

$12.00


I was reminded today how far $12.00 can go. Not that I was really all that surprised, but some people are a bit unreasonable and some people just want to get rid of stuff.

My finds for the day....






A metal tonka dump truck, a bin full of duplos, and a small box of matchbox cars - $1.00







4 baseballs - $2.00







A target for Casey and 2 ammunition cases for decorating - $9.00




AND- a dehumidifier for free(and it works)

Today seems like a nice success to me. And I am especially grateful that my little ones were well behaved and patient.

Monday, August 1, 2011

It's So Scary....


Ok, so I might be a little protective of my kids. And frankly, it is usually about random things. I try my hardest to let them be the full of energy little boys they are. I let them run and jump, be loud(sometimes), make messes and enjoy life(all of this is true unless I'm in a cranky mood).

However, I tend to be more protective about what they watch. They love to watch Nemo. But they have never seen the opening scene with the eel and the loss of Nemo's mom. I don't know if I think it is because it is scary or sad, perhaps both.

This all changed while we were on the road this past week. The boys were begging to watch Nemo and I was happy to oblige them. As I was about to skip over the opening, my sweet husband told me that I was going to have to let them see the whole movie at some point. So, I let them.

I was watching them in the rearview mirror and this is what I saw....




Peeking our from under his blanket, he whispered to me "it's so sad, Nemo lost his mommy."

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