Today is the fourth anniversary of when I married my wonderful husband! He brought me some beautiful roses home. We are going out on Saturday night, and we will get to stay at our house all alone (except for the dog) for the first time in three years! My parents are keeping the girls overnight, and that is just wonderful!! I am looking forward to it a lot:) We are going to try a new restaurant and dress up for it! I am very excited!!!
I am so thankful for Joel. I have been told that we are an odd combination. We really are very opposite in our personalities, but I think that we complement each other well. We have the same goals and dreams and I think that we help bring out the best in each other and curb down some of the bad stuff. Or I hope anyways. Joel is so thoughtful, and he puts up with me so well. I don't think there are many guys who could put up with a woman who can cry at the drop of a hat (although I have improved quite a bit). He is sensitive to my feelings without always letting me have my way and manipulate him. He is firm when I want to buckle and he can stand up to people much easier than can I. I think we are a perfect for each other pair!
Have a wonderful evening!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
BLT Pasta Salad
12 ounces corkscrew pasta
1/2 c milk
12 oz lean bacon
3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 T chopped fresh thyme (I omitted)
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground peppers
1/2 c mayo
1/4 c sour cream
4 T chopped chives or scallion greens (I omitted)
5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 c chopped romaine hearts
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 T drippings from the pan. Add the tomateos, thyme, and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through, season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 for garnish.
3. Mix the mayo, sour cream, and 3 T chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 T chives. Serve at room temp.
Notes: If I make this again, I would probably put the garlic in the pan before the tomatoes because it had a bit of a bite to it. I didn't want to let the tomatoes in too long, but the garlic was quite strong. I don't know how people eat raw garlic!! I also placed the lettuce in the bowls individually. There were plenty of leftovers, so I didn't want the lettuce to get yucky mixed in with the other stuff. This dish was also very good served cold out of the fridge!
This meal, the sausage and vegetable stew, and the chocolate pots de creme all came from the Food Network magazine. The Salsa soup was from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats and the Carbonara was from her Classic 30 minute meals cookbook. The cheese biscuits were from Paula Deen's Lady and Son's Cookbook. I really enjoyed trying out these recipes, and I hope you all can try some of them as well. I learned that, as much as I love Paula Deen, I probably cook more like Rachael Ray. I think I like cooking better than baking. You can play with it a little more and it is easier to personalize.
Tonight, I used the rest of the kielbasi on the grill, which Pnut liked quite a bit. She thought it tasted like a hot dog. It was still a little greasy for me. It was fine in the stew, I didn't notice the grease then, but my great-grandmother used to fry it, and just thinking about it almost makes me sick to my stomach! With that, I tried Pioneer Woman's Potato Bundles (slightly modified of course), and they were awesome!!! After supper, the girls got to split an ice cream sandwich.
That made them happy.
Very happy!
1/2 c milk
12 oz lean bacon
3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 T chopped fresh thyme (I omitted)
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground peppers
1/2 c mayo
1/4 c sour cream
4 T chopped chives or scallion greens (I omitted)
5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 c chopped romaine hearts
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 T drippings from the pan. Add the tomateos, thyme, and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through, season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 for garnish.
3. Mix the mayo, sour cream, and 3 T chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 T chives. Serve at room temp.
Notes: If I make this again, I would probably put the garlic in the pan before the tomatoes because it had a bit of a bite to it. I didn't want to let the tomatoes in too long, but the garlic was quite strong. I don't know how people eat raw garlic!! I also placed the lettuce in the bowls individually. There were plenty of leftovers, so I didn't want the lettuce to get yucky mixed in with the other stuff. This dish was also very good served cold out of the fridge!
This meal, the sausage and vegetable stew, and the chocolate pots de creme all came from the Food Network magazine. The Salsa soup was from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats and the Carbonara was from her Classic 30 minute meals cookbook. The cheese biscuits were from Paula Deen's Lady and Son's Cookbook. I really enjoyed trying out these recipes, and I hope you all can try some of them as well. I learned that, as much as I love Paula Deen, I probably cook more like Rachael Ray. I think I like cooking better than baking. You can play with it a little more and it is easier to personalize.
Tonight, I used the rest of the kielbasi on the grill, which Pnut liked quite a bit. She thought it tasted like a hot dog. It was still a little greasy for me. It was fine in the stew, I didn't notice the grease then, but my great-grandmother used to fry it, and just thinking about it almost makes me sick to my stomach! With that, I tried Pioneer Woman's Potato Bundles (slightly modified of course), and they were awesome!!! After supper, the girls got to split an ice cream sandwich.
That made them happy.
Very happy!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Salsa Stoup and Two Cheese Quesadillas
This dish was the surprise. When I was cutting up all of the ingredients, I kind of doubted that I was going to like it, and then we ate it! Wow, wow, wow! I took out some the ingredients listed to just include the ones I like. I also only used two tortillas for each quesadilla. I just mixed the cheese together.
2 T vegetable oil (or EVOO), plus more for brushing tortillas
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (I omitted)
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped with greens (I omitted)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 c vegetable or chicken stock or broth
3 T chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)
6 6-8 inch flour tortillas
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
3 scallions, chopped (I omitted)
1 c shredded Pepper Jack (I used Colby Jack)
Sour cream, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then saute the veggies for five minutes. Add all the tomatoes and stock and brin to a bubble. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cilantro.
3. Pain one side of two tortillas with oil and place them oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix the cheddar with the scallions and divide between the tortillas evenly. Top with anotehr tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack cheese. Set the last tortillas on top and brush the tops with oil. Bake the quesadillas for 10 minutes, the cool for five minutes to set. cut each into six wedges.
4. Serve each bowl of stoup with three wedges of quesadilla alongside and sour cream for either.
My MIL loved this stuff! It was really good:)
Pnut got her birthday gift from my sister Randa this weekend, and she was very excited about it. However, when I load the picture on the computer, it turns out very dark so I can't show you...I will have to take another one the next time she wears it. I did get a picture of her cute monkey barrettes.
And here is another monkey...
Randa gave Pnut a really cute pair of sunglasses, which she just loved. Today, she was up from her nap and I was still working, and she apparently had gotten a marker out of the basket. A permanent marker. She colored all over the lenses of her glasses. I couldn't believe she did that! She was so proud! Of course, she didn't know it was permanent, but still, she should know better than to color on anything but a coloring book!! I looked up online what to do, and it said toothpaste would take permanent marker off of plastic so I tried that and was able to get all but one or two little smudges off. Wow! I don't know what I would do without the internet!!
2 T vegetable oil (or EVOO), plus more for brushing tortillas
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (I omitted)
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped with greens (I omitted)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 c vegetable or chicken stock or broth
3 T chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)
6 6-8 inch flour tortillas
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
3 scallions, chopped (I omitted)
1 c shredded Pepper Jack (I used Colby Jack)
Sour cream, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then saute the veggies for five minutes. Add all the tomatoes and stock and brin to a bubble. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cilantro.
3. Pain one side of two tortillas with oil and place them oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix the cheddar with the scallions and divide between the tortillas evenly. Top with anotehr tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack cheese. Set the last tortillas on top and brush the tops with oil. Bake the quesadillas for 10 minutes, the cool for five minutes to set. cut each into six wedges.
4. Serve each bowl of stoup with three wedges of quesadilla alongside and sour cream for either.
My MIL loved this stuff! It was really good:)
Pnut got her birthday gift from my sister Randa this weekend, and she was very excited about it. However, when I load the picture on the computer, it turns out very dark so I can't show you...I will have to take another one the next time she wears it. I did get a picture of her cute monkey barrettes.
And here is another monkey...
Randa gave Pnut a really cute pair of sunglasses, which she just loved. Today, she was up from her nap and I was still working, and she apparently had gotten a marker out of the basket. A permanent marker. She colored all over the lenses of her glasses. I couldn't believe she did that! She was so proud! Of course, she didn't know it was permanent, but still, she should know better than to color on anything but a coloring book!! I looked up online what to do, and it said toothpaste would take permanent marker off of plastic so I tried that and was able to get all but one or two little smudges off. Wow! I don't know what I would do without the internet!!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sausage and Vegetable Stew
I have this recipe and two others left to post. I made this one tonight, and I think it would be great for a nice, hearty meal during the winter. It was good tonight...just a little warm for a summer day!
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
4. cloves garlic, smashed
1 T paprika
Kosher salt
3 T flour
6 oz kielbasa, cut into small chunks
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
14 oz small red-skinned or new potatoes, quartered
1 T cider vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 c sour cream
1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and glistening, about six minutes. Add paprika and 1 t salt, cook until the oil turns deep red, about one minute. Add the flour and cook until just toasted, 30 more seconds. Immediately whisk in four cups water. Ad the kielbasa, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and 1.5 t salt.
2. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the veggies are tender and the broth has thickened; about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and season with pepper.
3. Serve and dollop sour cream on each bowl. Of course, if you leave it off, it will save about 92 calories per serving!
This was good! I have never had parsnips before. I thought they tasted like carrots. I think I told my mom they were turnips. I keep getting them confused. It tastes really good to dip bread in this one!
I have to work tonight. I will have to try to remember to post about our trip this weekend some other time! Have a great night:)
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
4. cloves garlic, smashed
1 T paprika
Kosher salt
3 T flour
6 oz kielbasa, cut into small chunks
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
14 oz small red-skinned or new potatoes, quartered
1 T cider vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 c sour cream
1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and glistening, about six minutes. Add paprika and 1 t salt, cook until the oil turns deep red, about one minute. Add the flour and cook until just toasted, 30 more seconds. Immediately whisk in four cups water. Ad the kielbasa, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and 1.5 t salt.
2. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the veggies are tender and the broth has thickened; about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and season with pepper.
3. Serve and dollop sour cream on each bowl. Of course, if you leave it off, it will save about 92 calories per serving!
This was good! I have never had parsnips before. I thought they tasted like carrots. I think I told my mom they were turnips. I keep getting them confused. It tastes really good to dip bread in this one!
I have to work tonight. I will have to try to remember to post about our trip this weekend some other time! Have a great night:)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Three Delicious, Heavenly, Amazing Recipes, and a short recap of our day!
Please stop what you are doing and run to the grocery store right now. This meal is seriously that good. I made three things for supper tonight, and we were all thrilled with it. My aunt Tammy was here, and Jayne (Joel's mom). Jayne is still saying every few minutes that it was better than Carrabab's! The three recipes are: Carbonara, Cheesy Biscuits, and Chocolate Pots de Creme. They are from Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, and my Food Network magazine.
The Only Recipe You Need: Carbonara:
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound rigatoni
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (I omitted this)
5 or 6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c dry white wine or substitute (I used chicken broth)
1/2 c grated Romano cheese, such as Locatelli (I used Pecerino)
2 large egg yolks
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and rigatoni; cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO andpancetta. Brown pancetta two minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook two to three minutes. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
Beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking teh egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. COntinue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens one to two minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desire, and extra cheese.
Notes: Be careful with the salt!! I thought it was a little too salty. No one else agreed with me, but the pancetta and cheese are both salty so I don't think you really need any extra. I used the pecerino instead of the locatelli because it was about four dollars cheaper! I only used four cloves of garlic, but they were rather large. I feel like I should say five to six cloves of garlic, amen and amen. Wonderful!! This dish sounds intimidating from the name, but it really is easy and awesome!!!
Cheese Biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
1 t baking powder
1 t sugar
1/3 c Crisco shortening
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar together using a fork, cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal. Add cheese. Stir in buttermilk all at one time just until blended. Do not overstir! Drop by large tablespoonfulls onto a well-greased bakin sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Notes: You can make your own self-rising flour and buttermilk!! Self-rising flour: 1 c flour, 1.5 t baking powder, 0.5 t salt. Buttermilk: Add 1 t white vinegar to 1 c milk, let sour for five minutes. Mine took longer than 15 minutes to bake. They really are big biscuits!!
Chocolate Pots de Creme
9 ounces high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 c whole milk
1.5 c heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
5 T granulated sugar (add an extra T if using bitter chocolate)
1.4 t salt
1 T confectioners' sugar
1. Place the chocolate in a blender. Whisk the milk, 1 cup of cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula adn almost boiling, five to six minutes.
2. Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a kitchen towel, blend until combine and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among dessert dishes and refrigerate until set, about two hours.
3. Whip the remaining 1/2 c cream and the confectioners' sugar with a mixer or in teh blendder until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de creme with whipped cream.
Notes: You may just want to surrender now. Delicious! Oh my. I don't even know what to tell you. Please, make sure that your chocolate bar is a full 9 ounces, not four like mine. You may not happen to have six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the cupboard. My bar was Ghiradelli and my chips were Hershey's. It was good. Heavens, was it ever good.
I hope that you all can try some of these. I don't think you will be disappointed!
We had a great time at the Hands-On House this morning. It was a little crowded, but the girls had so much fun. One of the rooms, which was their favorite, was set up like a grocery store with shelves stocked with all sorts of groceries and little shopping baskets and cash registers. There were scales to weigh your fish and fruits and veggies and a little bar where you could make yourself a sandwich. They probably would have just stayed in there the whole time. There was also a farm room with corn stalks that you could pick the corn off of. It was velcroed on. They played there a long time! It rained today so it was a good day to go! It must have worn Pilly out because she slept for 3.5 hours this afternoon!
Tonight, I am going to relax. I thought about cutting out some material for skirts for the girls, but now I don't really feel like it anymore! Have a wonderful evening!!
The Only Recipe You Need: Carbonara:
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound rigatoni
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (I omitted this)
5 or 6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c dry white wine or substitute (I used chicken broth)
1/2 c grated Romano cheese, such as Locatelli (I used Pecerino)
2 large egg yolks
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and rigatoni; cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO andpancetta. Brown pancetta two minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook two to three minutes. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.
Beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.
Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking teh egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. COntinue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens one to two minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desire, and extra cheese.
Notes: Be careful with the salt!! I thought it was a little too salty. No one else agreed with me, but the pancetta and cheese are both salty so I don't think you really need any extra. I used the pecerino instead of the locatelli because it was about four dollars cheaper! I only used four cloves of garlic, but they were rather large. I feel like I should say five to six cloves of garlic, amen and amen. Wonderful!! This dish sounds intimidating from the name, but it really is easy and awesome!!!
Cheese Biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
1 t baking powder
1 t sugar
1/3 c Crisco shortening
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, and sugar together using a fork, cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal. Add cheese. Stir in buttermilk all at one time just until blended. Do not overstir! Drop by large tablespoonfulls onto a well-greased bakin sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Notes: You can make your own self-rising flour and buttermilk!! Self-rising flour: 1 c flour, 1.5 t baking powder, 0.5 t salt. Buttermilk: Add 1 t white vinegar to 1 c milk, let sour for five minutes. Mine took longer than 15 minutes to bake. They really are big biscuits!!
Chocolate Pots de Creme
9 ounces high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 c whole milk
1.5 c heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
5 T granulated sugar (add an extra T if using bitter chocolate)
1.4 t salt
1 T confectioners' sugar
1. Place the chocolate in a blender. Whisk the milk, 1 cup of cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula adn almost boiling, five to six minutes.
2. Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a kitchen towel, blend until combine and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among dessert dishes and refrigerate until set, about two hours.
3. Whip the remaining 1/2 c cream and the confectioners' sugar with a mixer or in teh blendder until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de creme with whipped cream.
Notes: You may just want to surrender now. Delicious! Oh my. I don't even know what to tell you. Please, make sure that your chocolate bar is a full 9 ounces, not four like mine. You may not happen to have six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the cupboard. My bar was Ghiradelli and my chips were Hershey's. It was good. Heavens, was it ever good.
I hope that you all can try some of these. I don't think you will be disappointed!
We had a great time at the Hands-On House this morning. It was a little crowded, but the girls had so much fun. One of the rooms, which was their favorite, was set up like a grocery store with shelves stocked with all sorts of groceries and little shopping baskets and cash registers. There were scales to weigh your fish and fruits and veggies and a little bar where you could make yourself a sandwich. They probably would have just stayed in there the whole time. There was also a farm room with corn stalks that you could pick the corn off of. It was velcroed on. They played there a long time! It rained today so it was a good day to go! It must have worn Pilly out because she slept for 3.5 hours this afternoon!
Tonight, I am going to relax. I thought about cutting out some material for skirts for the girls, but now I don't really feel like it anymore! Have a wonderful evening!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Today went well! The girls and I were out to the Apple Store and for groceries this morning and Jayne came around lunch time. I had to work all afternoon and then we went to the playground. For supper, I had to make some pork chops we had gotten out the other night and then ended up not using. I marinated them in mesquite sauce (yum-o) and grilled them. Joel brought home some Mickey Mouse pasta so I made homemade macaroni and cheese to go with. It was good! It was not quite as cheesy as when my mom makes it, but I used a different kind of cheese. I like hers better.
Tomorrow, we are going to the Hands-On House and my aunt is coming for supper. I have some yummy plans for supper and can't wait to share the recipes!!
Tomorrow, we are going to the Hands-On House and my aunt is coming for supper. I have some yummy plans for supper and can't wait to share the recipes!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Lamenting
Well, tonight I am not excited. Joel leaves at 1:30 in the morning. I will be sleeping. I think what is bothering me the most is that he is going to be across the country. Last fall, the girls and I went to stay with some friends for a few days. We were two hours away. I knew if there were some kind of problem, Joel was only two hours from us. Now he will be like 2000 miles away. Not cool. I know we will survive this and that it will be a neat time to spend with his mom and some of my family, but it is just this initial leaving that is hard. We don't spend much time apart in case you can't tell.
In other, happier, news, I got $90 worth of clothing for Pnut for $30 at a local consignment shop that was doing their dollar days sale. They do a summer one and a winter one so I always buy ahead for the next year. I can't believe that she is going to fit into some of these clothes then! I am glad we went today. We got there 10 minutes after it opened, and the store was packed. I think things are already pretty picked over. The only thing I couldn't find that I wanted to was a swimming suit for her. Honestly, I think she will still fit in her 3T one next year, but I do like to be prepared. She doesn't actually fit into the 3T one yet. But who knows, she could have a growth spurt.
In case you cannot tell, yesterday started the posts without pictures until Joel returns with the camera. Boo! I bet he comes back with some pretty crazy pictures!
Well, I should probably head to bed. Joel and Jason are playing some game that involves a lot of shooting. That may be my cue to exit!
In other, happier, news, I got $90 worth of clothing for Pnut for $30 at a local consignment shop that was doing their dollar days sale. They do a summer one and a winter one so I always buy ahead for the next year. I can't believe that she is going to fit into some of these clothes then! I am glad we went today. We got there 10 minutes after it opened, and the store was packed. I think things are already pretty picked over. The only thing I couldn't find that I wanted to was a swimming suit for her. Honestly, I think she will still fit in her 3T one next year, but I do like to be prepared. She doesn't actually fit into the 3T one yet. But who knows, she could have a growth spurt.
In case you cannot tell, yesterday started the posts without pictures until Joel returns with the camera. Boo! I bet he comes back with some pretty crazy pictures!
Well, I should probably head to bed. Joel and Jason are playing some game that involves a lot of shooting. That may be my cue to exit!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Two things
I just have a few minutes...I am sewing my blankets for Craft Hope and want to get them out tomorrow. We will see about that!
First things first...I have discovered hummus and love it! Joel brought some home from work. It was garlic flavored and lovely! I love garlic! I think I will try to make some myself soon:)
Secondly, late tomorrow night, Joel is leaving for California for a week. Therefore, I will be trying out several new recipes! Ones that I can put veggies in:) I will not have the camera so no pictures, but I am excited to try new things out!!
Alright, I really do need to get back to these blankets. Have a great night!!
First things first...I have discovered hummus and love it! Joel brought some home from work. It was garlic flavored and lovely! I love garlic! I think I will try to make some myself soon:)
Secondly, late tomorrow night, Joel is leaving for California for a week. Therefore, I will be trying out several new recipes! Ones that I can put veggies in:) I will not have the camera so no pictures, but I am excited to try new things out!!
Alright, I really do need to get back to these blankets. Have a great night!!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Picture Overload
Wednesday, we had the car and went to the "special" playground. It is so neat. There are four different sections with all sorts of things to do.
The slides are metal so they are really slippery. Thankfully, most of the playground is shaded so they don't get hot.
This is what happens at the top of every slide. Both girls do it.
Really, they like to hang off of anything:)
The girls like to drive the train. They are a little train-crazy right now!
The girls take turns sitting down and the other one jumps and bounces the sitting one. Very entertaining to watch!
We have also been spending some time in the pool today and yesterday. It was finally hot enough! The girls learned how float with their heads on edge of the pool!
Yesterday in the afternoon we had to add cold water because the water in the pool was so hot!
I think she looks so cute all wrapped up. She doesn't like it very much because she can't move her arms.
Today we added dish soap to the pool. I only let them do this the last time we use it before we dump it out. They LOVE it!
They both like to put the bubbles on their faces. Pilly was also eating them today...gross...
Today, it was a little chillier, and they got cold a little quicker. They soon popped off of the chair and were back in though.
This morning, Pnut said to Pilly "Let's go read this book together. Come on!" How cute!!
This afternoon, Pnut put on these clothes by herself. They are size 12 months.
The little girl next door is having a birthday party tomorrow so I made her a twirly skirt. This one is my favorite on. I love the colors!
This afternoon, I put together the purse. Hopefully, we remember to wrap this stuff before five minutes before the party!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Apple Raisin Muffins
2 c water
2 c sugar
2 c grated apples
2 c raisins
1 c butter
2 t cinnamon
2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
1 c chopped walnuts (optional)
2 t baking soda
3.5 c flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the water, sugar, apples, raisin, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely.
In a large bowl, stir the nuts and baking soda into the flour. Add the cooled mixture to the bowl, and stir until blended. Fill greased muffin tins with batter to the top. Bake for 15 minutes.
I cut this recipe by fourths. It says under the title that it makes 5 dozen mini muffins. I made mine in a regular size tin, and it made six. It took about 20 minutes instead of 15 to cook them. I would wait to preheat the oven because it takes a while for the mix to cool down. I put it in the refrigerator to move the process along more quickly. I liked the muffin, but I thought that maybe it could use some more sugar. They are very dense and make a great breakfast muffin.
I have some pictures from the playground today, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Have a sweet sleep:)
2 c sugar
2 c grated apples
2 c raisins
1 c butter
2 t cinnamon
2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
1 c chopped walnuts (optional)
2 t baking soda
3.5 c flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the water, sugar, apples, raisin, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely.
In a large bowl, stir the nuts and baking soda into the flour. Add the cooled mixture to the bowl, and stir until blended. Fill greased muffin tins with batter to the top. Bake for 15 minutes.
I cut this recipe by fourths. It says under the title that it makes 5 dozen mini muffins. I made mine in a regular size tin, and it made six. It took about 20 minutes instead of 15 to cook them. I would wait to preheat the oven because it takes a while for the mix to cool down. I put it in the refrigerator to move the process along more quickly. I liked the muffin, but I thought that maybe it could use some more sugar. They are very dense and make a great breakfast muffin.
I have some pictures from the playground today, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Have a sweet sleep:)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Poor Java
I would just like to state that I spelled Fawlty Towers wrong last night. And since I made four spelling mistakes in that sentence, apparently I am having some problems!!
In other news, our softball team made it into the play-offs! After one of the messiest wins ever, they are in for the second year in a row. Last year they didn't make it past the first round, but it is exciting just to be in.
I wanted to share what Pilly does all day if she is not eating or dancing or outside:
She sits on the dog or lays on him or lays on the floor so that she can put her arm around his neck and keep him there in a headlock.
I am tired this evening! I don't think I could go to sleep yet, but my body is just tired. I should probably go eat some ice cream to revive myself. Have a great night!
In other news, our softball team made it into the play-offs! After one of the messiest wins ever, they are in for the second year in a row. Last year they didn't make it past the first round, but it is exciting just to be in.
I wanted to share what Pilly does all day if she is not eating or dancing or outside:
She sits on the dog or lays on him or lays on the floor so that she can put her arm around his neck and keep him there in a headlock.
I am tired this evening! I don't think I could go to sleep yet, but my body is just tired. I should probably go eat some ice cream to revive myself. Have a great night!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Birthday and Busyness!
We have had such a busy few days! Pnut had her friend Maddie over for supper Friday night with her parents. The girls had such a good time. They did a pretty good job of including Pilly in their play. It was not that hard considering that most of their play consisted of running around the house. Pnut and I decorated her cake in the afternoon after nap. She helped me put the decorations that she picked out. She really did a great job! All of you Hercule Poirot types will be bothered that the center circle is off a little, but we really thought it was cute! (Props to you if you know who I mean:]).
Saturday, Joel had the men's breakfast so I took the girls to Sonic where Pnut devoued French toast sticks and Pilly didn't want anything except the milkshake that I had gotten for my drink. Oh my. You should have seen her suck that thing down! Children's Place is having their Monster Sale so we went to the outlet for some good deals. I stocked up on some white shirts. Do you know how hard it can be to find nice white shirts??? In the afternoon, a couple from our Sunday School class had everyone over for a cookout, which was delicious. The girls got to play with some friends and play on the slip n slide and in the baby pool. Pilly got in the pool with her clothes on so we had to borrow some clothing. We got to have delicious smores for snack and went home very satisfied and so thankful for our class. We love our church! If we ever had to move, that would be the hardest thing to leave!!
Sunday after church, we drove to Joel's mom's house for Pnut's Purple Party. That is the kind of party she wanted for her birthday. We had purple plates and cups and flatware and balloons. Pnut got a purple slinky, and she received her purple bike!!! It came with a purple helmet and knee pads. The bike is purple and pink. I think it is the most purple bike they could find. Purple bikes are not common! We were there until about 5:00 and then made the 1.5 hour drive home with two exhausted little girls.
Joel had a softball game tonight with another one tomorrow night. We went over to Jackie's for delicious ice cream where Pilly got covered with sprinkles and ice cream and cone. They won their game and need to win the one tomorrow night as well. If they don't win, they might not get into the play-offs. They have been playing very well though so hopefully they will continue!!
Today, we played Pnut's new games. She got Don't Wake Daddy from GG Glo and The Ladybug Game from Uncle Guy. Well, we only played the latter. I was trying to put the other game together, but I couldn't get the guy into his bed. I was informed by my 3yo that "you should call Gramma and see if she can do it. She is good at those things."
Now I need to go watch Faulty Towers and fold three days' worth of clothes. Have a great night!
Saturday, Joel had the men's breakfast so I took the girls to Sonic where Pnut devoued French toast sticks and Pilly didn't want anything except the milkshake that I had gotten for my drink. Oh my. You should have seen her suck that thing down! Children's Place is having their Monster Sale so we went to the outlet for some good deals. I stocked up on some white shirts. Do you know how hard it can be to find nice white shirts??? In the afternoon, a couple from our Sunday School class had everyone over for a cookout, which was delicious. The girls got to play with some friends and play on the slip n slide and in the baby pool. Pilly got in the pool with her clothes on so we had to borrow some clothing. We got to have delicious smores for snack and went home very satisfied and so thankful for our class. We love our church! If we ever had to move, that would be the hardest thing to leave!!
Sunday after church, we drove to Joel's mom's house for Pnut's Purple Party. That is the kind of party she wanted for her birthday. We had purple plates and cups and flatware and balloons. Pnut got a purple slinky, and she received her purple bike!!! It came with a purple helmet and knee pads. The bike is purple and pink. I think it is the most purple bike they could find. Purple bikes are not common! We were there until about 5:00 and then made the 1.5 hour drive home with two exhausted little girls.
Joel had a softball game tonight with another one tomorrow night. We went over to Jackie's for delicious ice cream where Pilly got covered with sprinkles and ice cream and cone. They won their game and need to win the one tomorrow night as well. If they don't win, they might not get into the play-offs. They have been playing very well though so hopefully they will continue!!
Today, we played Pnut's new games. She got Don't Wake Daddy from GG Glo and The Ladybug Game from Uncle Guy. Well, we only played the latter. I was trying to put the other game together, but I couldn't get the guy into his bed. I was informed by my 3yo that "you should call Gramma and see if she can do it. She is good at those things."
Now I need to go watch Faulty Towers and fold three days' worth of clothes. Have a great night!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Happy Birthday Pnut!!
Three years ago, I was in labor. On July 10 at 12:22 am, this little Pnut came into our lives after 33 hours of labor.
We were thrilled beyond belief!
She changed our lives in so many ways and brought so much joy!
(These pictures make me want to have another baby)
Pnut is so entertaining!
So cute!
I can't believe it has already been three wonderful years!
We paid an awful lot of attention to her...and how couldn't we with a face like this??
And then we got this other kid, and Pnut was even more wonderful! She loved her new baby right away and didn't ever treat her with jealousy!
Pnut is so brave! She jumped off the top of her sliding board last summer...
...and tried out boogy boarding.
Pnut is creative and smart!
And so beautiful!
She enriches our lives so much and we love her!!
We were thrilled beyond belief!
She changed our lives in so many ways and brought so much joy!
(These pictures make me want to have another baby)
Pnut is so entertaining!
So cute!
I can't believe it has already been three wonderful years!
We paid an awful lot of attention to her...and how couldn't we with a face like this??
And then we got this other kid, and Pnut was even more wonderful! She loved her new baby right away and didn't ever treat her with jealousy!
Pnut is so brave! She jumped off the top of her sliding board last summer...
...and tried out boogy boarding.
Pnut is creative and smart!
And so beautiful!
She enriches our lives so much and we love her!!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A Super Fun Day!!
I went to bed at 7:30 last night. I was really tired! We had such a fun day! Pnut is still talking about riding the train. Apparently that was her favorite thing. She did really well walking with her Pap and holding his hand and riding rides with him. She still is warming up to him at almost three years old. All of the other kids love him. Even my Pilly left me for him on the train ride. He had three out of four with him in his seat!
This is the only picture I have from the day, and it was taken before we left!
I forgot the camera in the car in the morning, and then when we went back to get our swimming stuff, it was just to crazy around the water area. That is a great place to lose a child!
I didn't tell Pnut where we were going, just that it was a special place. There is a large purple dragon on top of the one part, and she always comments on him. When we pulled in, she screamed from excitement! She was so funny:) We started off the day on the train, rode in the boats in the Lagoon thing, then we went on the skyline. Pilly was with me, and it was seriously the slowest skyline I have ever been on! We got about halfway across, and she kept saying "all done, off, off." Anthony and Pnut tried the wiggle riders. Anthony did a good job, but Pnut couldn't figure it out. I think she was a little bit intimidated by the other kids in there. Some of them were really racing around on theirs! Later, we went down the really big slide, and it was so fun! I had Pnut with me, and my dad had Pilly. My mom said she didn't expect to go down so fast! Anthony and Pnut went down a second time, my dad took her that time too. I tried to get Pilly to go down again, but she said no. She said she liked it the first time so I don't know why. Maybe she meant yes. Who knows!
We watched the Thomas show, which the kids enjoyed quite a bit (Pill was dancing in the aisle), and then we got changed for the water part. We were a bit disappointed with it. There was no wading pool, just things that dump water on top of you. Water that was very cold. There are also two long twisty slides, but the kids all needed someone with them to do those. My dad did take Anthony down those twice, but the rest of us didn't do them. Pilly was hilarious. There are little fountains that shoot up out of the ground and then stop and then start. She thought if she stomped on them, they would start. She would put her face really close to it to watch and get squirted in the face. She loved it!! She also wanted to go up where the bucket dumped water on you, but I snatched her out of there! I didn't want that coming down on me!!
We rode the train one more time and finally got to go on the carousel (which was very dizzying), and then we left. We weren't even out of the parking lot yet, and Pnut wanted to know when we could go back!! Everyone had a very fun time:)
So last night I got a total of 10 hours of sleep. It was great! I was not sleepy at all when I got up today. We went to the playground and then took a very long walk to get home so I did need a nap by naptime. We are having such beautiful weather this summer!! It is barely humid at all, and I can probably count on one hand the number of times it has been in the 90s!!
We are having a problem at bedtime and naptime:
That is Pnut in Pilly's bed (with her pajamas off no less). She has been getting in with her all the time. They do go to sleep, but we don't know what to do. If we catch her, we take her out, but if they are already asleep, we don't want to wake them. I just don't want Pnut to keep Pilly up or wake her up early!
Have a wonderful evening! What a super-long post!!
This is the only picture I have from the day, and it was taken before we left!
I forgot the camera in the car in the morning, and then when we went back to get our swimming stuff, it was just to crazy around the water area. That is a great place to lose a child!
I didn't tell Pnut where we were going, just that it was a special place. There is a large purple dragon on top of the one part, and she always comments on him. When we pulled in, she screamed from excitement! She was so funny:) We started off the day on the train, rode in the boats in the Lagoon thing, then we went on the skyline. Pilly was with me, and it was seriously the slowest skyline I have ever been on! We got about halfway across, and she kept saying "all done, off, off." Anthony and Pnut tried the wiggle riders. Anthony did a good job, but Pnut couldn't figure it out. I think she was a little bit intimidated by the other kids in there. Some of them were really racing around on theirs! Later, we went down the really big slide, and it was so fun! I had Pnut with me, and my dad had Pilly. My mom said she didn't expect to go down so fast! Anthony and Pnut went down a second time, my dad took her that time too. I tried to get Pilly to go down again, but she said no. She said she liked it the first time so I don't know why. Maybe she meant yes. Who knows!
We watched the Thomas show, which the kids enjoyed quite a bit (Pill was dancing in the aisle), and then we got changed for the water part. We were a bit disappointed with it. There was no wading pool, just things that dump water on top of you. Water that was very cold. There are also two long twisty slides, but the kids all needed someone with them to do those. My dad did take Anthony down those twice, but the rest of us didn't do them. Pilly was hilarious. There are little fountains that shoot up out of the ground and then stop and then start. She thought if she stomped on them, they would start. She would put her face really close to it to watch and get squirted in the face. She loved it!! She also wanted to go up where the bucket dumped water on you, but I snatched her out of there! I didn't want that coming down on me!!
We rode the train one more time and finally got to go on the carousel (which was very dizzying), and then we left. We weren't even out of the parking lot yet, and Pnut wanted to know when we could go back!! Everyone had a very fun time:)
So last night I got a total of 10 hours of sleep. It was great! I was not sleepy at all when I got up today. We went to the playground and then took a very long walk to get home so I did need a nap by naptime. We are having such beautiful weather this summer!! It is barely humid at all, and I can probably count on one hand the number of times it has been in the 90s!!
We are having a problem at bedtime and naptime:
That is Pnut in Pilly's bed (with her pajamas off no less). She has been getting in with her all the time. They do go to sleep, but we don't know what to do. If we catch her, we take her out, but if they are already asleep, we don't want to wake them. I just don't want Pnut to keep Pilly up or wake her up early!
Have a wonderful evening! What a super-long post!!
Monday, July 6, 2009
I successfully made bread in my bread machine today! It is almost gone:) The girls loved it and wanted more, but they wouldn't finish the rest of their lunch. They are carbaholics.
We had a busy day, a usual day but it just seemed busy! We had a softball game tonight, and the girls were so dirty when we got home. Their bathwater was filthy.
Tomorrow we are going to a local amusement park for children. By we, I mean the girls and I. My parents have my niece and nephew and offered to take us as well. It should be fun. Joel is sad that he cannot go. He said he may as well not go to any of their other firsts either;)
Alright then, I need to do some things to get ready. Have a great night!
We had a busy day, a usual day but it just seemed busy! We had a softball game tonight, and the girls were so dirty when we got home. Their bathwater was filthy.
Tomorrow we are going to a local amusement park for children. By we, I mean the girls and I. My parents have my niece and nephew and offered to take us as well. It should be fun. Joel is sad that he cannot go. He said he may as well not go to any of their other firsts either;)
Alright then, I need to do some things to get ready. Have a great night!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
First Blog Award!
I've been meaning to do this for a week now, but I haven't remembered when near the computer. Last week, Shona from Uncomplicated gave me my first ever blog award. It is the One Lovely Blog Award. Now, to demonstrate how tech savvy I am, I will tell you that I don't know how to copy the image! Thank you so much Shona! I was excited to see your comment because I don't really know who reads this:)
I am supposed to pass it on. However, without the image, that seems a little lame. Maybe if someone can tell me how to copy the image, I will do so:)
I am supposed to pass it on. However, without the image, that seems a little lame. Maybe if someone can tell me how to copy the image, I will do so:)
A Time To Think...
I will just do a series of pictures for this post. Please take your time and dwell on them.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Dresses and Bubbles
I have a lot of photos tonight!:)
I finished Pilly's dress today so I can show them to you. Pnut wanted to wear hers today, but I asked her to wait until Pilly's was done. She acquiesced, but not very willingly.
I am very pleased with how cute the dresses are. The casing for the ribbon was definitely the trickiest part! If I make them again, I will probably do it differently.
I love Pill's buttons. I think they make it so cute! Of course, she is cute too.
Pnut especially just loves her dress. I am not sure why. She does like things that I make for her. She is such a sweetie!
We also tried out something new today...homemade bubbles. Pilly kindly dumped the rest of our bubbles on the ground Monday evening so I had the opportunity to make these. The recipe is 1/2 c dish soap, 2 c water, and 2 tsp sugar. They turned out thicker than the storebought bubbles so I think they worked better. Next I want to make string circles like on Mr. Roger's the one day to dip in the bubble solution.
The girls had a lot of fun with the bubbles. They also had to get a bath afterwards, if that tells you anything.
Pilly was basically just happy to get herself all wet. She did try to blow the bubbles, but she was just as happy dunking her hands in the solution.
Pnut was doing a good job blowing them until she noticed how wet Pilly was.
Then her arms started to go in too.
See, at least she was holding a bubble blower. Notice the wet pants...they were totally soaked until she was done.
Pnut kept wiping her hands on the front of her shirt so it was pretty sticky and gross.
We had a meeting at church tonight so I knew we would be getting back too late for bath time anyways so I didn't mind giving them a bath early. They are crazy kids!!
Have a wonderful night. I leave you with this:
I finished Pilly's dress today so I can show them to you. Pnut wanted to wear hers today, but I asked her to wait until Pilly's was done. She acquiesced, but not very willingly.
I am very pleased with how cute the dresses are. The casing for the ribbon was definitely the trickiest part! If I make them again, I will probably do it differently.
I love Pill's buttons. I think they make it so cute! Of course, she is cute too.
Pnut especially just loves her dress. I am not sure why. She does like things that I make for her. She is such a sweetie!
We also tried out something new today...homemade bubbles. Pilly kindly dumped the rest of our bubbles on the ground Monday evening so I had the opportunity to make these. The recipe is 1/2 c dish soap, 2 c water, and 2 tsp sugar. They turned out thicker than the storebought bubbles so I think they worked better. Next I want to make string circles like on Mr. Roger's the one day to dip in the bubble solution.
The girls had a lot of fun with the bubbles. They also had to get a bath afterwards, if that tells you anything.
Pilly was basically just happy to get herself all wet. She did try to blow the bubbles, but she was just as happy dunking her hands in the solution.
Pnut was doing a good job blowing them until she noticed how wet Pilly was.
Then her arms started to go in too.
See, at least she was holding a bubble blower. Notice the wet pants...they were totally soaked until she was done.
Pnut kept wiping her hands on the front of her shirt so it was pretty sticky and gross.
We had a meeting at church tonight so I knew we would be getting back too late for bath time anyways so I didn't mind giving them a bath early. They are crazy kids!!
Have a wonderful night. I leave you with this:
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