Ok, so the "official" photo is only about a week late. It is amazing how crazy a shift in schedules can make things! I've had two children back in care after the summer, and then this week we are trying to get our bus dropoff/pickup times working right! Unfortunately, our bus stop is a good way down the street. We cannot see or hear it coming or going. This year, my youngest child has a different dropoff/pickup time schedule than the older two. This is making things a little bit harder for me! Hopefully, I'll get myself scheduled right next week :)
The kid-o's had a good week at school, though I do miss having them decorating my couches like they were doing this summer ;)

Tasty Thursday

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Fudge

This was my version of something in Sunday's Parade magazine.
It was good, but rich. The kids liked it, too.
Yum.

Taste results

Due to reader request, here's some info regarding the pie. It was pretty good. The crust really didn't do the filling justice. Definately make a scratch crust. The filling was good; not to gooey, not too dry. The flavor was sweet, but with a hint of something a bit different from the frozen "bake your own" apple pies. The kids liked it very much.

First Days!

We had first day of school today. My kids are representing the 4year old pre-K, first grade and seventh grade. When I have 2 seconds to spare after "my homework", maybe I can upload the official 1st day photo :)

Tasty Thursday #2

I was so surprised today that I wanted to bake! It has been a pretty busy week, and today was unexpectedly the craziest so far. So, I baked...but used some shortcuts.

My friend that I saw this past weekend sent me home with this homemade Apple Pie filling. I had these pie crusts in the freezer, and they needed to be used. (Waste not, want not). I'll have to start from scratch next time.

Pie, ready to go in the oven. For some reason, I couldn't make the edges do the fancy swirl-thing this time. It looked bad every attempt I made. So we have fancy fork smash prints.

Now, the finished pie. I baked it for about 45 minutes at 350. It is a little more brown than I'd like...but smells good. I did put foil over the edges for about 1/2 the bake time.

It is sitting on the counter, and should be perfetly cool just in time for snack today. (Good thing, because that is what is on our menu!)

Boston Cream __________

Boston Cream Pie Toaster Strudel.

I would tell you how delicious they are, but my mouth is full....mmhmm, mmahm...ok.

I LOVE Bostom Cream doughnuts. When I was pregnant with my oldest child, everyday on my lunch break at work, I would have a somewhat healthy lunch, then it would get topped off with a Boston Cream doughnut and a 12oz Dr. Thunder (Wal*Mart Dr. Pepper). I know, not the best thing, but still, I had to. Even now, definately NOT pregnant...I get random doughnut cravings and send Mr. Snippity down to the 7-11 once in a while to grab the goodies. (He doesn't usually mind, because he grabs a pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream for himself, in case you were wondering.) Of course, this would be after the kids go to sleep, because if they were awake, they might *know* and then I might have to share or something crazy like that! (No Way!)

So...I've been trying to be good and buy healthier options, and avoiding tons of processed foods, but the grocery store had a HUGE tag that jumped into my sight when I was walking away from the frozen vegetables. And once I saw it, there was no going back. I hid the box under some healthy stuff in the freezer , so once again the kids won't see it and I wouldn't have to share!

Big Word Wednesday

Thanks Apple for the idea...I had to participate this week. This word came out of my mouth more often this weekend than ever in my life. I'm not sure how it started, but once I said it, my husband didn't think it was a "real" word. So, I had to be right. And then I had to say it about 500 times to prove a point. Uh-huh. I did.


en*sconce
–verb (used with object), -sconced, -sconc·ing.
1.
to settle securely or snugly: I found her in the library, ensconced in an armchair.
2.
to cover or shelter; hide securely: He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.

Kids & computers

No, this post will not be a rant about all the bad stuff kids do with their computer time. It is just a simple post to say that my 12 year old has bought her first computer. And it is nicer than her mothers'. I'm a little sad...but at least now I don't have to worry about her crashing my important work and photos on mine now. And I am happy for her, because she bought it with her own money that had been saved up. So. She's got it, and now I'm sure the 6 year old will want one soon!

Weekend travels

Doesn't everyone love a last minute weekend getaway? I do! This past weekend, I got to go see a great friend. They finally have a home that we can visit them in again, so we packed it in the family wagon and trekked the 6 hours each way :) I always love to see this friend. She is one of the most giving people I've ever known. She loves to do things for people that make them feel special. (This trip it was getting me into Sam's Club & cooking my steak dinner :) among other things. I had a great time, but it is always hard to get in the car and leave when you are having a blast. Of course, the feeling when you finally pull back into your own driveway feels pretty dog-gone good, too. I was dragging a little bit today from all the late nights of cheering at the TV & such. (The Olympics.) It looks like I've managed to make it another late night tonight...and that is my own fault. So...I'm off to prepare for tomorrow!

Tasty Thursday...

Apparently I have a new Thursday passion: Baking!~I made a bread recipe I've had my eye on for a while.

This was super easy, no kneading involved! Here's the link to the page http://www.makeandtakes.com/rosemary-peasant-bread. My only problem was, I hate rosemary. I really despise it. I had a plant in the yard, and every time you walked near it, the oils would get in your clothes and skin. It gave me a headache. I had the bush taken down, after having tolerated it for nearly 3 years. So, why in the world would I ever cook with it? (I did try it before, I didn't like it in a chicken dish, either.) Long story shortened...where the original recipe has rosemary, I used dried italian seasoning. And on top I added a little garlic.

The back loaf there...you see how it has been sliced already. Yeah, that was me. I had to taste it! It is delish, and will be most likely devoured at dinner tonight.

Good Stewards

Usually when you hear this, it is a preacher telling you to tithe, right? Well, yesterday our sermon was one in a series of stewardship lessons, this one using Matthew 22:15-22.

This really spoke to me yesterday because of some struggles I've encountered lately. We should "give Caesar what is Caesar's, and give God what is God's". I've never really focused on this verse, but it is amazing how clearly it spoke to my heart. The things that are God's are what? Everything! My life was given to me by God, and everything in my life was given to me by God. Therefore I shouldn't hold anything back from him! I'm sure I've heard this concept for a long time, but this time it really "clicked" with me today. I need to give it ALL to him, and not hold back on the things that I "think" I can take care of myself. You know, stuff we think we are good at and don't need help with. So, dear Lord...I give it all back to you to take care of and to guide me. Show me moment by moment what it is that you would have me to do with my life. Let me be a good steward of the life You have given me, and to use my strengths and weaknesses to glorify you. Thank You Lord!

The yogurt

didn't work for me. I think my temperature was off for the water bath. I'll have to get a food thermometer and try again. It smelled so delicious, though!

Finished Rolls

Well, I guess they were a hit! Not one of the kids left a crumb on their plates.

Homemaker me

Today, I am trying my hand at a couple of homemade goodies.
First we have cinnamon rolls...

It took a few steps, and I made a bit of a mess...but they look promising. They are doing their final rise.

Then we have the homemade yogurt.
I'll have to tell you more about it after I finish, because this was kind of a stretch for me. If you want to try it before my results are in, you can go to Money Saving Mommies to get the "how to".

Hopefully, these work out sucessfully. I can see doing this kind of thing more often.

Our newest sons...I forgot to mention them. We have inadvertently ended up with two new "kids". Max & Muffin. All I can say is I did it for the kids :)

Welcome back from the weekend

Ah, weekends in the summer. Aren't they the best? Then...screeching back to the Monday morning reality. You've got to get up. You've got to do laundry. Cleaning has to happen at some point. Your kids are acting like the most irritable creatures on Earth. Yes, it is Monday:)

One child's Nintendo DS isn't working (because he messed it up). Therefore it is "SO UNFAIR" that his sister can play her own since he can't play his. Yeah. And forget letting her share his games. If he can't play it, then no one can. I am going to remind him of that the next time he wants to borrow her stuff.

It's fixed!

Shortly after my last post here...the "repairman" came in and said he was done. It cooled off nicely. Praise God for air conditioning!

Ok, so I know the photo is hard to read...but it says 85. That was around 3 pm. If I were to go take an updated shot, it would have jumped to 91. That is what happens when your air conditioner goes on the fritz. (Since last night). Fortunately, we think the problem is a fairly inexpensive fix...hopefully the repairman(Mr Snippity) will have it done shortly. Also, a huge blessing is that we have two air units. The one for the main part of the house is the one that broke. The one in the addition is pumping extra hard, but that means we were relatively comfortable in the playroom today!