Another Lil' Pumpkin

Has anyone been around long enough to remember little "D" from my old blog?
Everyone of my "nestlings" have worn this pumpkin outfit I bought at
Gap eleven years ago. Money well spent.

Pineapple Party Cookies

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I love anything pinacolada.
These cookies are no exception. The perfect blend of pineapple and coconut.
Yum!

6 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup sifted flour

1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup silvered almonds(optional)
1/2 cup undrained crushed pineapple

1/4 tsp. soda

Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla. Sift flour and measure and sift again w/ salt. Add soda to pineapple and mix well. Add this to creamed mixture alternately with the dry ingredients. Drop on greased cookie sheet by rounded teaspoons.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Cool and frost.

Frosting: Heat together 2 T. butter and 2 T. milk. Add 1/2 t. vanilla and enough powdered sugar to spreading consistency. Beat well.
Dip in coconut while frosting is still wet.
Enjoy!

When he's fussy...

and I have to get ready to go somewhere

I put him on the stool between my legs and he's happy,
hot air blowing all around him and all.

Peanut Butter Krispies

I found this recipe for a healthier rice krispie treat and so I gave it a try.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups peanut butter (I used creamy natural)
1/2 cup honey
4 cups rice cereal
1 good handful (about a 1/2 cup) of mini-chocolate chips and/or shredded coconut

Directions:

In a large pot on the stove top, melt the coconut oil and peanut butter on low heat.

Then, add in the honey and stir well.

Remove from heat and fold in rice crispy cereal.

Once everything is well-incorporated, place in a parchment lined or greased 9×13 pan. While it is still warm add the chocolate chips and pressed them down a little so they stick. Let chill in fridge for 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

The best part is the"nestlings" loved them. They would be great for school lunches.
I'll definitely be making them again.

End of the Rainbow

I guess I should look for the pot of gold at my house:)

I think I'll find it in the form of a "husbird" that works hard to provide a living for our family and five healthy "nestlings."

It doesn't get much better than that!

Lemon Cookies

1 lemon cake mix

1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg

Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheets).
In large bowl, beat cake mix, shortening, butter and egg on medium speed about 2 minutes or until blended.
Drop dough onto un-greased cookie sheet by rounded tablespoonfuls.
Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until light brown around edges.
Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet; cool completely.

Glaze topping---(picture is without the glaze)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
10 drops food coloring
Stir confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, and water together. Stir in food coloring if desired. This glaze must be stirred each time you use it. If it is not stirred before each use it will dry with a mottled look instead of a solid color.

These were good, but very lemony, so if you love a lemon flavor you'll love them.
I rarely buy boxed cake mixes, because I try to stay away from anything that has
partially hydrogenated oil in it.
The "husbird" loves these though, so maybe I'll make them for him occasionally.

Entering a New Era...

of busyness.
Since the "nestlings" are getting older I find that I am in the car a lot, too much, and
I know it's only going to get worse. Three of the "nestlings" are in different activities from piano lessons, art lessons, scouts, and dance.
I crave nights where I don't have to go anywhere and everyone is home.
They are rare these days.
I miss the long days at home when the "nestlings" were younger.
The crazy thing is, I always felt like I had to be doing something when my first two were young. I was always on the go instead of just enjoying them as much as I should have.
I should have stayed home more and done less when I could,
now I don't have a choice and I'm doing it all with a baby in tow.
Some days baby "G" cries the saddest cries when I have to strap him up in his car seat once again and put him in the car, breaks my heart. Poor thing. I want to cry too.
My house looks like a bomb went off in it since I rarely have time to clean it.
Down time is hard to come by.
Don't get me wrong I know everyone is busy.
I remember thinking I was as busy as I could get when I only had one baby.
I'm not having a pity party, I'm just trying to figure out how to balance life
with older and younger children together and still get the laundry done,
forget the house looking decent.
Anyone with me?

If I had a picture of what being busy looked like I'd post that, but I think a picture of my messy house would scare you away if my complaining hasn't already.

Since I hate to post without a picture, here's a picture of the cute face that reminds me to slow down, if only I could:)
Most days leave my head spinning.
Moms with older children please give me some advice on how to stay sane without eating massive amounts of chocolate!?

Lime Chiffon Pie

I found this pie recipe and just happened to have lime jello in my pantry, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was like eating air, except better. Very Delicious!

3oz. lime jello

1 cup boiling water
16 oz cool whip
2 8oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
graham cracker crust

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Cool. Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add jello mixture. Stir in both tubs of cool whip. Spread over graham cracker crust. Chill. Makes two round pies or one large 9x13.

SEVEN MONTHS

It's getting harder to get a good picture of this sweet baby with his sign.
He has to have it in his hands, not to the side of him, but holding it, so hold it he did.He has one tooth.
He is now fully mobile, crawling everywhere.
I leave him in one room and find him in another.
In the last week he also figured out how to sit up.
These milestones are happening far to fast for my liking:(

Drowning..

in a sea of shoes and clothes and too many things to do, such is a life of a mother.

I spent a good part of my Saturday going through the "nestlings" mudroom closets.
I usually go through them in the Spring and the Fall, but I didn't get to it last Spring since I had a baby, and so it had been a whole year.
Oh my! They were BAD!

I took out enough shoes to outfit a village of kids.
I made piles of coats and shoes of every kind that don't fit the "nestlings" right now.

In the evening I took a break, from my sinking ship of things to get done, to go on a rare and much needed date with the "husbird." It felt like a sacrifice at the time, leaving mini-messes all over my house. Sad I know.
It's not that I didn't want to go on a date with my sweetie, it's just that I knew I would wake up to all the messes on Sunday morning. Aghhh.
Wish I had had more time to clean them up before we left.
Oh well, I'm so glad we went.
We saw an excellent show, that I am still thinking about.

It made me laugh and cry. I recommend taking some Kleenex.

Then we went and ate at a new restaurant in the area, Brio.
It was very tasty.
It's always nice to fit some work and play in a day!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I found this recipe, so I made a batch of homemade whole wheat tortillas and

this meal was so delicious.

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3oz cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa verde
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 cup grated cheese (I used 1/2 pepperjack and 1/2 monterrey jack)
12 small flour tortillas
Oil for misting

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat cream cheese in microwave safe bowl for 20-30 seconds until soft.
Stir in salsa verde, lime juice, cumin, chili powder and garlic.
Stir in cilantro, green onions, chicken and cheese.

Heat 4 tortillas at a time in microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture into the middle of each tortilla, keeping the mixture 1/2 inch from edges and roll tightly. Place seam side down on metal baking sheet. Line up but don't let them touch.

Spray tops lightly with oil and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and ends are golden brown.
Have you discovered this Ball fruit protector?
It's a powder that keeps fruit from turning brown,
I especially love it for apple slices in the "nestlings" lunches.
It also works great on avocados.

Male Bonding

Since the three oldest "nestlings" started school little "D" and Baby "G" have been spending a lot of time together.

It consists of "D" playing on or around "G".
Baby "G" studies every move "D" makes, mesmerized, taking it all in,
strategizing about all the things he'll do with his brother as soon as he's able.

Cupcake Souffle

I tried making some yummy looking cupcakes for the "nestlings" but they didn't turn out. They just raised and then spread out. Maybe someone that actually knows how to bake can tell me what I did wrong. I didn't forget the baking powder:)
I thought about tossing them, but instead decided to scoop them out and put them in bowls.

Confetti Cupcakes

1 cube butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Stir in milk. Combine dry ingredients* and mix into wet ingredients just until smooth. Stir in sprinkles (I used 2 Tablespoons and you can see there is plenty of color).

Pour into 12 muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Cool before frosting with this yummy buttercream frosting.

They were like happy little bowls of color and were yummy just the same!