Nap Time!

This summer has been rough on all of us...the boys just seem to be fighting more than usual. So, in order to nip this little problem in the bud, when they fight they go to the "naughty corner" (Noah sits on the bench in the bathroom and Caden sits in the Laundry Room) for 25 minutes. Today they were just going at it, off they went to their rooms. Well, things were a little too quite and I thought, "Self...either they are destroying the room or they are just FINALLY starting to get it!" Well, this is why it was unusually quiet. Noah got a pillow and a blanket and decided to make the best of the situation! He fell asleep!

Six Flags! More Flags! More Fun!

I know, lame title...but I didn't come up with it, that is the 6 Flags "saying". They need a new one! Anyway, on Saturday our little family and Ben's mom and Logan (Ben's brother), went to Six Flags! This was Caden's and Noah's first time to go, so the excitement was almost too much for them! They have a little kiddie corner with lots of rides they could get on.
The boys with some SuperHeros!!
Noah is checking out the rides...I think trying to figure out if he was going to go on or not. It was sweet the way he would get so excited!
Logan and Caden on the Roller Coaster. We had to ride this one over and over and over again! They loved it!
The tea cups. I couldn't even watch them on this, they make me sick!
Once again, the roller coaster! Noah is all ready with his hands up!

The monster cars train. Good times!
At the end of the day Logan was able to win 2 HUGE basketballs! He had to make one basket and he won one, then he took another chance and won one for Caden! I think we were all quite impressed with his Basketball abilities! Most adults couldn't get it and Logan got it twice! WAY TO GO!!

After lunch Grandma was sweet enough to take Noah back to their hotel so he could take a nap. Caden was able to go on most of the rides...and I must say, he is one brave little guy! We went on 2 BIG roller coasters and after the second one he said, "Mom, that made my heart hurt and my brain hurt...and maybe I'm a little nausious..." That is a great way of putting it! I must say, I felt the same way. He told us he loved going on them though!

Daring Baker's Danish Braid

This is my very first month being a Daring Baker! I have been so excited to start baking some fun, challenging things. This was a great challenge to start off with.

This month Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What's Cookin'? hosted the challenge. They picked this beautiful Danish Braid from Sherry Yard's, "The Secrets of Baking". I thought that this was going to be quite difficult when I was reading over the recipe, but it turned out to be quite fun to make!


My filling was a berry filing with a cream cheese filing on top. And I must say that it was to die for! I don't know what was wrong with me, but I started out by doing the braid in the wrong direction at first, I couldn't fix it because the dough was all gooey from the fillings. Oh well...it just kinda turned out looking like a mummy. The bottom part was perfect though!
Since there was enough to make 2 braids, I made one braid and with the other dough, I just experimented with designs. They turned out really nice!
I put an orange glaze on top of the them which gave it a little more sweetness to them...which I loved!

Berry Filling Recipe:
2 c. crushed berries
1 c. sugar
Microwave fro 18 minutes
Add 1 TBS lemon juice

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Beat together and put on top of Berry Filling

If you want a challenge, feel free to click on either Kelly's or Ben's link and they will have it posted. It is quite the long, detailed recipe, so I won't be typing it out...

Until next month, thanks for a great Challenge! And feel free to look at some of the other Daring Bakers and how they made theirs at the Daring Bakers Blogroll.

Lots To Read!

Since I have been out of town and then played the catch up game, it has been a LOOONNNGGG time since I have posted anything! Sorry to all 3 readers (including myself) that I have let down. So, I have posted like 5 posts tonight...Happy reading! Oh, and PLEASE leave me a comment...anything, whether it be how lame I am or how amazing I am. Just so I know my 3 readers are back reading my life story. I would hate to think I have lost you forever!!!

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

So I am really cursing my sister-in-law, Wendy, for introducing me to these cookies. She made them over Father's Day and I could not stop shoving them in my mouth. They are YUM-O! I had to make them for myself because I couldn't stop thinking about them! Thanks Wendy!

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

from allrecipes with a little tweaking:

1 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Frosting:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon milk or more

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 340 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball (a chapstick lid works great). Fill the hole with jam. Great tip: Put some jam in a zip-lock baggie, cut a small corner off and it pipes in very easily.

Stick in the fridge for 20 min or the freezer for about 10 to help the cookies firm up and keep their shape while baking.

Bake for 13 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.

In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies using the ziplock baggie method.

When it Rains it Pours! Part 2

Yes...we had to get a Locksmith. For what, my car...? No, that would be too easy. After we picked up the boys from Grandmas and Grandpas house after our fabulous San Antonio Trip, we get home. Ben goes to unlock the door and low and behold...we have no key to get into our house. So, after a good 5 hour drive home we can't get into our house. We were contemplating breaking a window, but figured that a locksmith may be cheaper. (And no, we did not give a neighbor a key, we are not smart enough for that.) Well...it probably would have been cheaper if our stupid builders would have put the door knob the right way. Apparently they installed it upside down. For whatever reason, they couldn't get it open. They had to drill the door knob. So, this little mishap cost us $150. What a great way to end a trip...
So, what do you do while you wait to have someone let you in your house to entertain 2 active boys??? While turn on the sprinklers of course! This kept them somewhat busy while we waited 2 hours. That and riding their bikes.
So, I wish that was the end of it...but our brand new Wii is not working as well. I'm not going to ask what else can go wrong because I did in the last post and look where it got me. Anyway, karma is not on my side right now...

The Alamo

The second day (Friday) we went to Schlitterbahn Water Park (which just happens to be ranked #1 of all waterparks). This place is HUGE! Tons and tons of rides. The only thing I would suggest if you ever go is to wear some sort of water shoe or flip flop. They had this nasty green astroturf grass/carpet throughout the park and let me tell you how disgusting it is to walk bare foot on it (see, I think of how many people walk on it that had some sort of foot fungus, and that just really grosses me out). Needless to say, I bought some flip flops while I was there. So fun!Michy and I at the Sapnish Govenor's Mansion. (This is on Saturday) The courtyard was the best part of the place. It was beautiful. After this we went to do some shopping. We went to the San Marcos outlets...if you love to shop, this would be paradise to you. Tons and tons of good stuff including a Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrell outlet. Love that!



It wouldn't be a trip to San Antonio without a picture of the Alamo. So here you go.

I don't know what this was, it was just pretty lit up at night.
This concluded our wonderful trip. We had a blast! We also loved learning all sorts of fun card games that kept us up till past midnight...Thanks Michy and Bryce...we had a blast!

The Missions-San Antonio

Oh how I love San Antonio...with no kids...with my husband...with my best friend Mich and her hubby Bryce. So much fun! We started off by seeing all the missions in San Antonio. They are all so beautiful and have so much character. However, when it is over 100 degrees and the sun is blaring at you...by the 3rd and 4th one, they start to look the same and you start to not care. Sorry, it's just how I felt. It is neat to see history though. I must say that if I were to stay in one back in the day, it would be the second one (Mission San Jose) that I saw...all the arches and angles...beautiful.

This is part of a door at the Mission Concepcion. I though the detail was beautiful.
A stairway at the same mission. Nothing particular happened here...just a cool pic.
This is Mission San Jose. This is the Rose Window. Of course this is Michy and myself. Isn't she a cute prego women?
Aren't the arches beautiful? I love it!


This is Mission San Juan.

Ben and I on the Riverwalk boat tour. If you have never been on the Riverwalk, it is a must. It is nothing like what you would ever imagine. I love walking along people watching and hoping that someone will get pushed in the water or better yet be so drunk that they fall in and then I can laugh. It hasn't happened yet...probably because I'm not out late enough.

Bryce and Michy on the Riverwalk Boat Ride...doesn't Bryce look like Nicholas Cage? I'm just saying...maybe he should be his stuntman or something.


Does anyone recognize this particular place??? One hint...Miss Congeniality.

This is a picture of the Riverwalk. So green and pretty...it is below the city. Oh and the answer to the above question is that is where the beauty pagent happened on Miss Congeniality.
This was the first day of San Antonio...we had a blast!

PBJ Anyone?

Life is GREAT!! My 5 year old can make a PBJ...and he likes to do it! I must say that I am pretty impressed with his skills...maybe a future Chef?? Baker?? Chocolatier? What's great is when its lunch time, he asks to make lunch for all! How great is this?




I know...you want one. Just let me know and we will send one your way:)

When it Rains it Pours!

You all know the saying..."When it rains, it pours". Well that's basically how this last week has been for us! It all started out on Tuesday. Caden had to go to the dentist and we found out that he has to have a root canal AND he has 5 cavities. Great....I feel like a wonderful mom! (By the way, I do brush and floss and we don't eat fruit snacks or anything like it. So don't judge me!) The good thing was it was Ben's birthday on Tuesday...bad news we couldn't celebrate because he had to work that night until late!

Then on Wednesday our AC started to go weird. It just wouldn't work. It was 88 degrees in our house that day! So Ben piddled with it, it started to work at night. Phew! Next day, stopped working again. So Ben got a new AC controller and worked on it for several hours. It worked! Yeah! WEll, Friday comes and it stops working again. So have 3 days with my house at 88 degrees that kinda makes REALLY cranky, it makes the boys REALLY cranky and Ben REALLY cranky. (Not to mention the next morning I was helping throw my friend a baby shower so I had to bake lots of stuff...didn't help with the 88 degrees!!). So we finally call someone and they fixed after 2 1/2 hours. Finally...AC! Something I will never take advantage of again!!

So, Saturday comes around. Ben's car has been kinda stinking the last couple of weeks. We could not figure out what it was! We drove over to Heath to Ben's parents home and Ben figured out the problem...the back floor was sopping wet. The AC (yes, it is a trend for the week) is backing up and putting condensation there (well...something like that...I don't know car lingo). Now we have another thing to get fixed!

Sunday...We get home and Ben is going outside kinda rushed and gets in our car and pulls it out of the garage. I was a bit confused, wondering where he is going! He gets out and I just give him a puzzled look and all he says is...you don't want to know. Great...apparently we have a little mouse friend that decided to make a home by our garbage can. So, Ben is tearing apart the garage trying to find it. We find it and then lose it. I ran to Wal-Mart to get some goods (mousetrap and newspaper). I get home and he found the mouse. So we are trying to get the mouse out by using the grass blower and a broom. Let me tell you how terrified of mice I am...not my favorite! Anyway, we eventually got the mouse out. Hallelujah!

So, today is Monday, it is a new week. Caden had his root canal and it went really well and he actually enjoyed the experience. He told me every little detail that they did. He now wants to be a Dentist. We went to watch Ben play Softball, he didn't hurt his knee (a fear of mine since he is just recovering from a torn ACL) and the boys loved running around and playing on the playground (pictures to come tomorrow). Already it is a much better week! Not to mention Ben and I are going on vacation to San Antonio with my old roomie from college: Mich and her hubby Bryce. It is going to be a good week!! (Did I mention that we won't be bringing the kiddos???)

Anyway...hope you all have a good week and nothing like mine last week!

Baby Shower

I helped with a baby shower (my good friend Brandy is having a baby girl!!) this weekend and had a yummy recipe to share!
Here is the "spread". Lots of good food! Our theme was daisy's and the colors pink and yellow.
These are my favorite baby shower food:

Sugar Cookie Tarts

Cookie:
2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
3/4 c. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix together. Roll 1/2 the dough at a time to 1/4" thick. Use scalloped cookie cutter (makes it pretty). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting:
1/2 c. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla

Spread on each cookie. Slice berries, peaches, almonds, chocolate chips, etc... Top with powdered sugar.

A Breakfast Brunch

As many of you know, I love a good recipe. I love to try new things all the time. These two recipes are ones that have been around since before my time....Fruit Soup and Banana Bread.
Doesn't that sound disgusting? Fruit Soup?? I need to rename it, I get weird looks every time I mention it. Anyway, my mom got this recipe from her college roommate and it is now a tradition for the Gillis' (my dad's side) to serve this with Breakfast Quiche every Christmas morning. It is a cold fruit soup...lots of fruit in fruit juices. Easy as that. So...let us think of a new name for this amazing soup!

Fruit Soup:
This can be halved!

Bring to boil - cook until clear:
2 c. water
1/2-3/4 c. sugar
7 TBS tapioca (instant)

Add:
12 oz. can frozen orange juice
5 c. water (use juice of fruit and add water to make 5 c.)
1 qt. peaches (drained) ( you can use a variety of fruit: fruit cocktail, pears, etc..)
2 cans mandarin oranges
4 sliced bananas (put in before serving in the bowl, otherwise they get brown and nasty!)
2 c. strawberries
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix the Tapioca mixture and juices together. Add the fruit and combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

Now on to my Banana Bread. This is another recipe that has been in the family for forever. I believe it came from my Nana (my mom's mom) and it has just been passed down! I know that everyone has their favorite recipe of banana bread. There are a million different recipes for it. So...why mine? Because 1. you will always have the ingredients for this (as long as you have browned bananas) 2. I have converted countless friends to this recipe because it is quite amazing! So, try it for yourselves and let me know what you think!

Banana Bread

1/2 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 mashed bananas
2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine the margarine and sugar until smooth. Mix in the eggs. Add the mashed bananas. Then mix together the flour, soda and salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. If it starts to get too brown on the top, put foil on to cover. These are great for muffins as well! Big muffins are for about 20 minutes and the small muffins are about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Old Man!

Happy Birthday Ben! My sweet husband turns the big 3-0 today! We are getting so old!! (Well, he is at least, I still have a good 2 more years till I hit that hump!) As Ben put it last night...I have just live a third of my life! Wow...when you put it that way, life seems so short! Ben, thanks for being such a wonderful husband and father! You are a hard worker and then you come home and act like a kid again by: playing nerf guns and running around the park with the boys, playing softball, etc...! We love and appreciate you!

Slip Slid'n Away

Today the boys were slip slid'n all over the place. It is getting hot here in Texas and the only way to cool down is either swim or play with the sprinklers...and since we don't have a pool, we had to opt for the slip'n slide, which the boys loved!Caden had no problems figuring out the run and slide....
If you look closely you can see Caden's Hulk Tattoo on his arm. He thinks he is pretty cool with that!
Noah on the other hand...just ran, or else...
crashed into Caden. Either way, there were no injuries and every one had a blast!

Recipe Boxes

I just wanted to share these adorable (if I do say so myself:) recipe boxes I made for the YW who are graduating from High School. I had all the YW leaders make some recipe cards to put in them and voila...cute gift (hopefully the girls will like them!)
The three different styles I did...
Inside the box
What the recipe index looks like. The stamps are from Stamp'n up.