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Monday, 23 April 2012

  • A rather random post of not much of anything.
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    Is Spring actually here?
    We knew it would happen, knew we'd get that one last cold snap.
    But wasn't that the time before the time before?
    Compared to March, April has been one continuous cold snap.
    Oh well, it will warm up, one of these days.



    On one of the nicer evenings we had a fire and roasted marshmallows.
    Girls loved it. Mr. D did too but he continually lit his marshies on fire.

    Let me introduce you to the best kind of s'more. ^^
    A Chocolate fudge stripped cookie.
    Peanut butter.
    And a perfect marshmallow.
    Why is it so good?
    It's the perfect amount of chocolate, (just a little) you don't have to bite into that awful wedge of hard chocolate.
    The cookies are much better then graham crackers.
    The peanut butter just adds to it all and makes it even better.
    It's just the best. :)
    Try it.

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    This is just how it is too.
    When the Bleeding Heart flower starts to bloom, Spring is here.
    It was starting just beautifully this year and then a hard frost got it.
    I had been covering it when it was cold enough but wouldn't you know, the weekend we leave, frost got it.
    Sad.

    We have quite the flower garden. 
    Between the "Bloody Bush" and "Creeper Jenny" stalking around, you'd think we'd have a murder scene.
    The girls can not remember flower names and their mom isn't much better.


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    In news other then Spring and the weather... we're trying not to let our 2 year old turn into an i-pod junkie at such a young age. I'm afraid at this rate he'll be wearing ear buds to Kindergarten. He's got all the moves down pat to open it up and find his beloved Curious George. He also has it down pat how to sneak it away without mom seeing him. It's buried in his blanket here.
    Where were these things when I was a kid?
    Oh yeah, I was better off without them.

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    This one only causes trouble when she's out of books.
    And that would be about every other day.
    Not sure what's gonna happen this summer.
    She is tired of our little local library. Says she's read everything there already.
    Time to move on to bigger and better.

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    And we couldn't have a post without food could we?
    I mean, the very thing that sustains us must have it's most important place in a post.
    My SIL Berneice told me she makes these for her kids so I tried them too.
    Don't know where she found it, probably Pinterest.

    Buy a tubes of cinnamon rolls by the cresant rolls and canned biscuits.
    May as well get 2. You'll need them.
     Stick them in the waffle iron a few minutes.
     Frost and eat.
    As easy as that!
    I love these on Sunday Mornings when I forgot to get anything else around and they don't want cereal.
    I made 3 at a time the other Sunday. It really doesn't take long at all, probably less time then a waffle takes.

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    And there may or may not have been a clown at school one week to celebrate the teachers birthday!


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    And this is something we're trying to work on here...
    A never ending work in progress...



Thursday, 22 March 2012

  • Mini Cinnamon Rolls



    This is in reference to the last item on the list from my last post.



    These guys, these delicious luscious little itty bitty guys!

    Stop what you are doing and make them now.
    If you hurry your kids won't be home from school yet and you can eat a whole bunch for yourself. Then when they come home, smile sweetly and hand them each one. They will love you. (and never know you ate 7 before they got in the door)

    If you don't believe me that they are good, ask the ladies that were here Tue morning how many they each ate. :D I'll never tell on them. Who was counting anyway? I certainly couldn't keep up.

    They are best warm, like out of the oven warm and melting with frosting.
    Ask me how I know, cause I pulled the trick with my company that I told you to do with your kids. :D
    The company got the ones that were warmed up later, they were good but couldn't be as good as those first few. (or 7).

    I did make a few extra to feed my school girls and Eric before they left.
    One roll of crescents I had pinched all together to make a big square and then I baked those in a reg muffin tin. Eric thought the bigger ones were better because they were more moist. Since it took my awhile to do all the mini's, I might do them that way next time to save time. (then I have to cut back on the number I eat!) :) Those mini's are too easy to pop into your mouth!

    Recipe here.
    Make them!

    Note: This is her photo, not mine because my kitchen was a total chaotic mess while I made them.


Monday, 19 March 2012

  • Pinterest



    If you have Pinterest, what have you actually cooked, made, created, sewn or whatever off it?
    Is it just a browsing, looking, wishing thing for you or do you actually use it?

    I was looking thru all the recipes I pinned and was surprised to see how many I had actually made.
    Most turned out good and I'll make them again, but some are better left buried deep in the www.

    I thought I'd share a few that I have made and we liked.


    This was the latest thing I made. We had it Fri night and I grilled chicken to go with it. I loved it. The rest of the gang seemed to like it too.
    (aside from the usual questions of, "What is this? Why isn't it like we usually eat it? What if I don't like it?" and all those good things)



    Tuscan Pasta



    Last fall I made the pumpkin coffee cake and loved it. It is super moist and I love the caramel stuff you pour over the top.


    Pumpkin Coffee Cake


    This one is a bit of cheater. Someone posted the picture and put the recipe under it with no link back to the original poster.  I made it and the kids loved it.


    Crock-pot Italian Chicken:
    4 chicken breasts, 1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning, 1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 2 cans cream of chicken soup; Cook on low for 4 hours. If sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Serve over pasta.



    I made a bread bowl when the Hostetler family was together in TN. I'm not sure what I used from this recipe or just odds and ends I threw together. I don't think you have to be too picky with things like this. It was good anyway. :)


    Bread bowl

    One night I had everything for fajitas ready.
     No tortillas.
    Bad idea.
    So I looked this up and made some.
    They were ok.
    Eric said they made the meal, but I wasn't so crazy about them.
    I don't have a tortilla press so they were a bit thicker then I like them.


    Tortillas

    Made this for the kids last summer when we went camping one weekend.
    They liked it but it was pretty sweet for me.
    What kid wouldn't like it if that was the case? :)


    Chocolate Chip dip


    Ummm, made these quite awhile ago. I think they were ok, obviously they were exceptional or I would remember.



    Southwest Chicken Wraps

    Ham and cheese sliders.
    I love these. They seem to be a popular sandwich right now.
    My kids. Not so much.
    "Those, those, black things. What are they? I don't like the way they taste. They feel funny in my mouth."
    Ok, fine, everyone else make them for me!



    Hand and cheese sliders

    Oh-la-la I loved these.
    They were rich. Yummy. Gooey and all kinds of good.
    Now from a person who is not marshmallow or chocolate crazy, that's saying a lot.
    For some reason, I like them and ate at least whole half  one/forth of the pan.



    Peanutbutter Marshmallow Crunch

    Mini Cinni's....
    I'm sure they are sinful but I just love the way they look.
    I haven't made them yet, but plan to tomorrow morning.
    We'll let you know how they turn out....



    Mini Cinnamon rolls

    So tell me what all you've made.



Tuesday, 13 March 2012

  • Florida



    We just spent 10 days in the sunny south...
    the most wonderful time of the year.
    Or was it?
    At least the kids think so.

    I'm telling you, vacation with kids is hardly vacation.
    At least for the mom. (and the dad)
    But the kids, oh yes the kids, they would move there.
    Life would be grand.
    We would go to the beach.
    The pool.
    The playground.
    Eat out.
    Relax.
    No work.
    And live happily ever after.
    Ha.

    But it was good while it lasted this year.
    My children are old enough to handle themselves, no baby crying on my hip while I dig sand out of his mouth and all of that.
    Yes, it was good over all.

      

    Eric and the kids went exploring back in the woods where he used to roam as a kid.
    I trailed along behind avoiding stickery prickery things.
    They hollered, "Mom, slide down here too!"
    "Um, sorry, don't think so!"
    I know, boring Mom, just that's what Dad's are for.

     

    We took in the local ski show and it was a hit with this kids.
    "You mean people can really do that?"
    Wow, you really are sheltered, aren't you!

     

    And they swam and swam and swam.
    My aunt has a pool behind her house and it was warm.
    Very warm.
    And the kids partied hard.
    4 hrs at a time some days!
    Talk about water logged.

     

    Other days we hit the beach and they spent hours in the sand... and loved it.
    (unlike their cleany, cleany Mother who would rather not get all sandy)
    This was one evening when we went out at 4, a little less hot, less people, and we all enjoyed ourselves more.


     

    We hit up a few sea food restaurants... for the most part that was good.
    Ate a little gator, then a few days later went to see their relatives. :)

     

    Any body want to jump in?

     
    Bike rides and park fun... Aww the life of a kid.
    Vacation at it's best.
    Not a care in the world.

     

    We were down with friends of ours and their itty bitty (or not so itty) was a super-duper baby on vacation.
    Chilled in his car seat most of the time, snoozing away like I wished to be doing.
    Occasionally he woke up and shook his fist and wanted to eat, but usually all was well.

    Of course there were pictures at the beach.. just not FL without them.
    Or so I think.
    (Don't ask what Eric thinks of that subject)

     

    When you add Mr D to the mix of any photos, you never know what you'll get.
    We had about 15-20 min to pull this off and he was in a wild and crazy mood.

     

    My little family!
    I love them.
    Craziness and all, I wouldn't trade them!

     

    And time spent with good friends is the best of times.
    Our kids had a party together and we adults had quite a good time ourselves, I must say.

     

    No words needed on who is the most mature of this gang.
    We mom's held things together, for sure.

     

    And a FL sunset to go home with!
    God speaking through the beauty of the earth!