This whole month has been pretty amazing - as far as Wisconsin weather goes. I mean, I remember in years past the month of May being colder than it has been this month. I keep holding my breath and wondering when it is going to catch up with us - will we have a super cool summer, or perhaps Al Gore is right after all (heavens, I'll jump off a cliff if he is), and global warming will make us have a "tropical" summer. Either way, for now, I will thank God that He has given us such lovely weather and warm winds. I can see the green coming out in the grass. Birds are singing. Daffodils are almost blooming. My boys are shooting pretend animals in the yard. Yes, spring is here!
Noah brought this old shoe string in to me that he found in the yard - it was dangling in his fingers and he held it in front of me because I was distracted. I screamed - I have a fear of anything that remotely resembles a snake - and it scared him. I had to convince him it would not hurt him so he would pick it back up and take it outside.
He recovered from the scare pretty quickly. I keep hoping the devilish look is all just part of being 2!
This is how my baby looked last summer. They just grow up as quickly as the seasons change!
I get so bored with my regular potato dishes. I love potatoes but it seems like I run out of creative ways to fix them. I saw this idea about baking a potato, smashing it, add some toppings and then completely finish baking it - but I have no idea where I saw the recipe. So, I made up my own version of it from memory and my own ideas. It turned out really well and if only I would have had my bag of picnic bacon by Hormel, it would have been fantastic!
Here's my smashed potato recipe:
First, I baked some small to medium sized potatoes in the microwave until they were almost done.
Then, I used my handy-dandy Pampered Chef tool - no idea what it's called, but I love it. You could use any potato masher or large fork to do the same job. I gave the potatoes a quick smash to open them up, but not completely break them apart.
Then top them with your favorite things - I melted some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (which is a total lie - you can tell it's not butter), and drizzled it on top, then added some seasonings like salt, chives, pepper, then of course I added cheese. Like I said, bacon would have just put these over the top, but I was fresh out.
Then I put them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or so. It made the skins crispy and they were so delish! I can't wait for our garden to yield some new potatoes this year. I think these would be great little appetizers if you made a tiny version.
I have a confession to make. There are some days my boys almost literally drive me over the edge of the thin sanity cliff I'm on! I mean, they are 3 and 2 years old and for the most part, they are good kids. However, I have found that ages 3 and 2 have stages that I think are meant to toughen up a parent and give them an early view of what the teen years can be like! They can be stubborn, bull-headed, and down right difficult - especially at 2 a.m. when he (who shall remain nameless) cannot find his froggy and does not want to go back to sleep until we find the froggy. Some days I feel I am too old to deal with all of this and then. . . . . . . .
they fall asleep. . . . . . and I look at their innocent faces and thank my God that He blessed me with these two little wonderful human beings.
Ever feel like this, or am I really on the edge of insanity????
I won't even go into how I feel when my teens are being difficult - we'll save that for another day =).
I found this recipe here on Recipezaar quite awhile ago. I was not sure I would like it, but I've found with a few adaptions, it is one of our favorites. First, let me say that I make my own taco seasonings. I have all the ingredients readily available in my cabinet, and I do not add any preservatives or salt, so it is healthier and tastier. I also make my own ranch dressing, which I also found of Recipezaar. You can find that here.
I turned them into more of a nacho recipe rather than tacos just because I don't like biting into tacos-they crumble and break and end up as nachos anyway, so why not save the trouble and start off with chips.
I would like to show off some of my pottery. This is a triple server made by a great friend of mine, Marie. I originally put this on my pottery wish list many years ago because I thought it was cute - I just love the handle. I had no idea how often I would really use this. It is great for "Mexican nights" and is great for serving different kinds of salad dressings, or even for your salad toppings.
This is a bowl of my homemade salsa - or I should say the Pioneer Woman's salsa - sorry. I make it so often I sort of think of it as my own. You can find that simple easy recipe here.
Ole'
Easter's on its way! Do you remember that song? Dan sang a line of it to Levi and now he asks me to sing it all the time. The only part he can remember is "hip hop Easter is on its way". Too cute.
I've been working on the boys' baskets. We do the whole Easter Bunny hiding the basket thing along with coloring eggs, leaving carrots out, etc. I'm a big fan of tradition and this is what I did as a child. I remember one year when I felt that my mom was lying to me about the bunny bringing our baskets, that I left a note for the Easter Bunny asking him to please sign his autograph on my note. I figured I could compare my mother's handwriting to the autograph and really know she was "lying". Well, mom was one step (or hop) ahead of me and apparently used her left hand to write "Easter Bunny" on the paper. It sure did look like a rabbit used his paw to write it and so for one more Easter, I believed that a rabbit really hid my basket!
Levi's and Noah's baskets are so easy to fill - too easy, I might add. I have to stop myself from buying all those little things for fillers - bubbles, crayons, paints, matchbox cars, and of course candy, etc. So much fun for so little money. Tyler's and Tanner's baskets are a different story. What on earth can you buy teenage boys from the $1 aisle???? I picked up some large candy bars, Jr. Mints, and I will probably get them a gas card or car wash dollars from the local convenience store. I have to say that Ty and Tanner are such good sports about the whole pretending the rabbit is coming and all. They hunt for their baskets just like the little guys and play along with it all. I truly am blessed with such great boys.
Here is a bucket I found at the Target $ aisle. I personalized it with my Cricut for a certain girl who's coming to visit us this week. I filled it with some cute things and a little bit of candy. I hope she likes it.
I love smoothies! Fruity, creamy, slushy, low-cal, and not so low-cal - they are all good. Here is my latest concoction. A blueberry/Greek yogurt smoothie. For those of you who have not tried Greek yogurt - it is awesome. At least 16 grams of protein per 6 ounces. I lack protein in my diet, so this is great for me! It is a bit pricey in comparison to other brands, but Yoplait makes one that sells at my grocery store and I found a coupon on Coupon Mom for it. Plus, no one else really eats yogurt in my home (although Noah does like to share this smoothie with me), so I can justify the cost a bit more. Also, one of these drinks is very filling, and I usually drink it in place of a lunch.
I use a 6 oz. container of the fat free plain Greek Yogurt, about a cup of frozen blueberries (Aldi's has them at a great price), and about 1/2 cup of low fat milk. Mix it in a blender with some sweetener (or a bit of sugar if your children are going to drink it), and there you have a 4 point drink that is very satisfying, filling and healthy! You have a serving of fruit, milk, and lean protein! Now go and mix it up!
Fossils - "the bones of the dinosaurs that they left when they fell in the mud". That's Levi's definition. Not bad for a 3 year old! I found this idea on a blog and please forgive me, but I have no idea which blog right now.
First, you need to have your kids wash their plastic dinosaur toys. This is important in my home because some of my dinosaurs have been around for about 15 years! I have to also add that a certain 18 year old helped with this project! Some things you just never outgrow!
In a food processor, mix 1 stick of softened butter, 1 1/4 cup flour and 3 T. sugar until it becomes "crumbly". Then form it into a dough log. I had to put mine in the refrigerator because it was a bit soft. Then I cut slices - about 1/4 inch, and the boys (all three of them) pushed various dino parts into the dough. It was a lot of fun. I baked them at 325 for 15 minutes or so. The blog site also suggested dipping the bottoms of the cookies into melted chocolate - a mud look!
Easy fun for my dino lovers!
