January Hijinks

1: I just had to document how cute my chalkboard header was for the New Year. Cute chalkboard = happiness.
2: I have gotten back into making my nails cute. Santa brought me some nail polish for Christmas, and I love it. Plus, when my nails are done, I'm much less likely to chew on my cuticles, which is a very disgusting and persistent habit of mine.
3 and 4: We pass this field almost every day, and I finally decided to stop and let the kids look at the cotton up close. It's crazy to think that this fluff somehow becomes the clothes on our backs.
5: My nursing cover Etsy shop continues to be slow, yet successful. Usually the orders come in threes or fours (I'm not sure how Etsy works, but there must be some sort of search result priority rotation). On this day, I sent out a custom order (left), and my best-seller (right).
6: Trek is coming! Chad and I went to the kickoff meeting, and though we are not supposed to publicize the fact that we will be a Ma and Pa (otherwise the youth will all be desperately hoping to be in our family, and will be tragically disappointed when they can't all be), I figured I'm safe expressing our excitement here. (I think people read my blog, but I've been neglecting it lately, so the only person who reads it now is Jaime, because I texted her to tell her to read my new posts.) So ANYWAY, we are excited! I haven't started sewing yet, but I did purchase some pink calico, so, yeah.
7: Bree cashed in some tickets for a trip to Baskin Robbins one evening. I was happy to go with her, because their Snickers ice cream is epic.
8: I have a sweet connection for free advance screening movie tickets, and I invited Heather to go with me to see Spare Parts. A great inspirational story about teenagers from a local Arizona school.
9: Another delicious lunch with my Amateur Chef friends! Moroccan salmon with rice, and Raspberry Ribbon Pie for dessert. Mmm. Isn't Christie awesome for providing us each with our own pies to take home?!
10: This is what I get for leaving the last slice of chocolate cake on the counter unguarded. I thought it was hilarious that he served it up into a bowl before eating it. This mess wasn't as bad as when he got into the peanut butter jar a few days before that.
11: We got a couple days of drizzle in January. Like, constant drizzle, which is so rare for us. I just gave in to the frizz.
12: I'd been lying on the couch with a migraine one day, and I didn't even realize Lincoln was in the kitchen. Suddenly there he was next to me. He had gotten into the donuts, eaten two on a plate at the table, then brought me my own. Smart boy, on so many levels.

More December Highlights

1: Bree got hit square in the face during her soccer game on the 6th, but kept right on playing. When I complimented her on it, she said, "A few tears were shed, but eh, I'm fine."
2: Candy making day! Caramel nut clusters, toffee, brittle, truffles, oh my.
3: The first casualty of the season. I was feeling so proud of myself for getting some early wrapping done. The next morning, Chad's gifts were open and strewn across the floor. Lincoln!
4: I started a Mary Kay page on Facebook. I've been trying to widen my client base, and it's been fun to post about makeup and skin care tips! This post was about applying sparkle eye shadow.
5: The latest version of the kids' chore list is up on the chalkboard. Because they can't seem to remember the basics, and I'm tired of sounding like a broken record. Their allowance depends on how many check marks they have, so hopefully they'll stay motivated.
6: Phineas and Ferb Christmas episode. Dark house and twinkle lights. Love it.
7: Pinterest success! Buckeye Brownie Cookies. Uh-MAZING.
8: At the ward Christmas party with my friend Reyna. I made her put on some of my red lipstick, cuz that's the kind of friend I am.
9 and 10: Chad and I celebrated our 13-year anniversary with a night at a resort. We ate out, saw a movie, and generally enjoyed quiet one-on-one time. I finally got to experience the magic that is a movie theater recliner seat. Yes, it is as awesome as I imagined it would be. We watched Interstellar...movie was weird, but I had a great time anyway.
11: How does she do it all? The baking, Christmas wrapping, running kids around, all the while looking fabulous? This is how. Plenty of crap gets left undone. Thank goodness for Chad, otherwise we'd have no clean laundry either.
12: We went to walk around the Loop of Lights this year. A nearby neighborhood goes all out with Christmas lights. This was the Cinderella house. One insane house has millions of lights, all programmed with music. It was awesome.

1: I helped out in Bree's classroom for their Christmas party! I taught the kids how to make 3D snowflakes. She loves having me there.
2 and 3: Bree and Mason both played their final games of soccer, and received their medals! They stuck it out, played hard and with good attitudes, and we're so proud of them.
4: My mom took Bree and I for some much-needed pre-Christmas pedicures. Toes need to be ready for Christmas too.
5: As Emmit from the Lego Movie would say, "Follow the instructions." So we are sorting all of Mason's legos. Building anything is impossible unless we do.
6: Bree loves helping out in the kitchen. Grandma let her pierce the apple-blueberry pie before it went in the oven.
7: I THINK Santa brought us enough DVDs...maybe...
8: Mason and Bree went shopping with their Christmas money from Grandma and Grandpa Wallace. Bree chose a CD and Ever After High dolls, and Mason chose Legos, of course.
9: Lincoln saw Grandma wearing her glasses to work a puzzle, so he went over to the end table where extra glasses are kept, and put these on. I am dying from the cuteness.
10: Copycat Famous Dave's Bread Pudding. Enough said.
11: We got a record-breaking number of Christmas cards this year. Seeing them fill up the chalkboard made me happy. Does this mean we're getting more popular?
12: This might have been Bree's last visit to Smaland at IKEA. Sad.

#21: Famous Dave's Bread Pudding

With the year almost gone, I set out to accomplish one last VERY important goal. I needed to attempt to make Famous Dave's bread pudding. On our first visit to Famous Dave's (delicious BBQ) we were treated to a complimentary dessert: bread pudding. I haven't been exposed to a lot of bread pudding in my life, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, this dessert blew me away. The only trouble is, by the time you finish your delicious dinner, you don't have any room left for dessert. So I decided to try to recreate this dish at home. I found a copycat recipe online, complete with Plantation praline sauce. I was pretty sure our kids would not be interested in eating it, so I saved the recipe for a time when we'd be together with other adults who would appreciate the dessert. Today, hanging out at my parents house, I finally put the recipe to the test. And we all agree that it is a huge success.

BREAD PUDDING:

1 loaf cinnamon swirl bread (I used Cinnabon brand, since that's all I could find)

2/3 cup golden raisins (I omitted these)

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup vanilla extract

8 eggs (beaten)

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1. Coat bottom and sides of 13-by-9-inch baking pan heavily with butter.
2. Tear bread into 1-inch pieces. Mix with raisins in bowl. Lay bread mixture evenly in prepared dish, turning crust side down, as this tends to burn easily.
3. In bowl, whisk sugar, milk, whipping cream, vanilla, eggs and cinnamon until blended. Pour over bread mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
5. Place baking dish in larger 4-inch deep baking pan. Add water to reach halfway up side of dish. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour, or until all liquid is absorbed and custard-like.
6. Remove from water bath. Let stand 20 minutes.

PRALINE SAUCE (I cut this in half and it was plenty, but you may want extra on hand for ice cream, etc., because it is freakin' delicious)

3 lbs. light brown sugar (about 3 1/4 cups packed)

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of the butter until melted.
2. Add pecans and mix well. Bring to a boil.
3. Cook until pecans begin to change color. Mixture will foam up.
4. Add remaining 1/2 cup cubed butter and mix well. (This will cool pecan mixture and stop the cooking process.) Remove from heat.
5. In a separate, large saucepan, combine brown sugar, whipping cream and cinnamon and mix well.
6. Cook over low heat until blended, stirring constantly. Increase heat and cook until mixture comes to 230 degrees on a candy thermometer (temperature is crucial to final consistency of sauce).
7. Stir in pecan mixture. Remove from heat.
8. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix well.

Amateur Chef: Moroccan Style

Today's "Amateur Chef" recipe was a masterpiece! Bastilla is a Moroccan dish with chicken, eggs, almonds, and cinnamon in a phyllo crust. So fun, and I felt like I was eating dessert! Thank you to Heavenly's hubbie for the tutorial!

1: Layer phyllo dough in pie crust, sprinkle with cinnamon almond mixture.

2: Alternately layer chicken/egg mixture and cinnamon/almond mixture.

3: Fold phyllo over top, trimming as necessary. Brush with melted butter.

4: Bake until golden, flipping half-way to brown both side.

5: Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and use a stencil to sprinkle cinnamon in a design.

6: Slice and serve!

November Tidbits

1: The season of letters to Santa has begun. Mason got off to an early start. On the list: Cloud Cuckoo Palace, Bad Cop's Pursuit, Zoomer Dino, Millennium Falcon, Toxikita's Toxic Meltdown. All Legos except for the Dino.
2: November 8th was the first game of the soccer season for Mason and Bree. A perfect time of year for being outside.
3: I tested a new cupcake recipe in honor Thanksgiving: Sweet Potato Marshmallow. They turned out delicious, though I couldn't really taste the sweet potato. Which was actually fine by me.
4: Soccer practice under a gorgeous Arizona sunset. My pictures never do it justice.
5 and 6: Chad has been looking forward to the Reptile Expo for months. I went with him, and we made a day of it. I thought it was hilarious that they were selling reptiles in tupperware. I'm not sure what I expected...
7: Chad and I got new smartphones! Thanks to a great deal because of his job, we got a great monthly price, and awesome phones for free. This was my first selfie with the new phone. Everything about my LG2 makes my old "smart" phone look like a joke. I can't believe I used that thing for a whole year.
8: The kids' soccer league is Christian-based, and they say a prayer before every game.
9: I don't know if all bearded dragons are as weird as Ash. She rests in the strangest positions.
10: Ever since discovering Legendary Doughnuts on our trip to Washington this year, I have been trying to find somewhere that sells doughsants (half doughnut, half croissant) like theirs. I was so excited to snag this at Dunkin, but was hugely disappointed. Nothing like that crispy, buttery, chewy croissant-like doughnut from my memories. But I will not stop searching.
11: I have a couple friends that sell Jamberry nail wraps. This design was actually for kids, but it was too cute for me to pass up.
12: Mason and my dad spent most of Thanksgiving day playing video games. Mason was, of course, in heaven.

September Stuff

 1: For months I kept hearing, "They're building a Kneaders near us!" Um, a what? Apparently Kneaders is an awesome bakery I'd never heard of, but that would change my life. Well, it opened, and yes, my life is changed. I am fatter. Delicious sandwiches made on freshly baked bread, yummy bottomless cinnamon bread french toast, and a huge assortment of goodies. This particular box contains a peanut butter pie my mom bought for everyone to share one day...along with tarts, "croissants" (in quotes because they are SO not real croissants), and pretty much one of everything that looked good. Our favorites? The Napoleon, key lime pie, chocolate dome, and raspberry cream pie.
2: Chad loves reptiles. The first time we saw this house, before we even bought it, he said the built-in shelf in the loft would make a perfect spot for a terrarium. And when he found one for a great price at a yard sale, all that was left to do was fill it. He found this little guy in the desert one day. We kept him for a little while before Chad released him. Too skittish to make an actual pet.
3: I can't remember exactly why I snapped a photo of this plaque I saw at Kohl's. Probably because it describes me very accurately. And I'm not always silent about it either.
4: I was visiting a friend of mine, and when I saw her kids playing on this car (the youngest of whom is 6), I asked if she occasionally babysat a toddler. She laughed and said no, that her kids just loved it. But she decided it was time to let go, so she gave it to Lincoln! He LOVES it. You can see in the picture that he is taking his baby for a ride.
5 and 6: The range that came with this house was sub-par. The oven temperature fluctuated 100 degrees up and down, there was no window, no oven light, and there was only one large coil burner, which didn't work unless you hit it just right. We got a surprise early inheritance from my grandparents, which finally made a new range a possibility! The disgusting picture shows all the treasures I found when the old range was taken away: a long lost spoon, a toy car, 35 cents, 2 legos, 5 wine corks, and some cat food (the last two were leftover from the previous owner, which is awesome). I LOVE my new range! So much easier to cook and clean.
7 and 8: September 8th was a memorable day. "The kind of storm you'll tell your grandkids about," the headline said. More than 3 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, which is about half of our yearly rainfall in one day. We here in the valley can't handle that kind of precipitation, and consequently the roads were flooded, buses couldn't get through, and school was cancelled. Bree: "This is my worst nightmare, not being able to go to school." Mason: "This is the best day of my life!!!"
9: The view of the Sharing Down Syndrome Walk at Tempe Diablo Stadium. 4th year going, and lots of fun.
10: I'm not sure when exactly this picture was taken, but one of Bree's favorite things to do is go on walks with my dad in the desert. He has taught her about edible desert plants, and here she is helping him gather saguaro cactus fruit.
11: I noticed that peanut butter powder was on group special this month, and asked around hoping I could get other people interested so I could order the 12 can minimum. I ended up ordering 37 cans for 16 people! And that stuff is AWESOME in smoothies.
12: Lincoln is so little. SO, SO little. He makes me nervous climbing at the park, and I have to forcefully tell myself to just let him go for it. He has never fallen. He knows his limits, and he growing every day.
13: Is September 21st too early to decorate for Halloween? If so, clearly we don't care.
14: Mason: "I wanted to look like Duck Dynasty!"
15: I am obsessed with Febreze Air Effects. But this new Spiced Pear scent? It's obsession on a whole new level. (Not a paid advertisement)
16: I started a cooking group with a couple friends last month, and called it Amateur Chef (in homage to one of my favorite shows: Master Chef). This month Christie taught us how to make Hamam Ma'shi (stuffed hens) and Aish Baladi (Egyptian pita). So awesome! I LOVED the pitas. So easy, and delicious dipped in her dad's homemade hummus.
17 through 20: Snapshots from our visit to Vegas for Fall Break. The kids playing games with Grandma. Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. Cousin Abby being so sweet to Lincoln. Grandma teaching Bree how to make her famous Chicken and Rice.

Grape Jam

I'm not a fan of grape jelly--the kind from the store that spreads about as nicely as stiff jello might.

But grape JAM, made of concord grapes from a local friend's garden. THAT is delicious.

My family has become accustomed to homemade jam. It's my own fault, really. I usually make enough jam to last us through the winter. But I dropped the ball last year, and my kids complained when all we had was store-bought raspberry jam. We ate a lot of peanut butter and honey last winter.

This year, I decided would be a good jam year.

Armed with a box of grapes from my friends back in Globe, I got to work. Grape jam takes a little more work than something like raspberry. But it is worth it.

Prep:
Wash your jars, and place them on a cookie sheet in the oven on its lowest setting, to keep them warm. Put your lids in a small saucepan with water, and heat over low heat (it should be just on the verge of simmering). Place a cooling rack or a towel on the counter near your stove.

Step 1:
After washing the grapes, put them in a pot with a cup of water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes (if some of the skins slip off, don't stress, just throw the whole mess in--the skins provide the beautiful color so don't leave them out).

Step 2:
This next part is what separates the men (jam) from the boys (jelly). You'll want one of these babies:

It's my mom's heavy duty Champion juicer, and it has many uses (including grinding the wheat for the bread that I grew up on). I used it to squeeze all that grapey goodness out of my fruit, while removing the seeds...

So I'm left with a thick, wonderful slurry of grape puree. Not grape juice--that's what we'd use if we wanted jelly. But we're making jam, folks.

Step 3:
Combine 6 cups of grape puree with a box of Sure Jell (I use whatever type of pectin I have on hand, but I pay attention to the directions: measurements do vary).

Step 4: Bring to a rolling boil, then add 7 1/2 cups of sugar (this needs to be pre-measured in a separate bowl so it can be dumped in all at once).

Step 5: Bring to a rolling boil again, and boil for exactly 1 minute. (Sometimes I use an oven mitt; this stuff is super hot and can splatter)

Step 6: Take the pot off the heat, stirring for several seconds to ensure the jam doesn't scorch while the boiling subsides. Take your hot jars out of the oven, and place them on your cooling rack or towel. Ladle or pour the hot jam into the jars, leaving only 1/4 inch at the top (sometimes I break this rule, and skimp a little; it still works out fine).

Step 7: Wipe off the rims of the jars with a clean damp cloth to remove any jam that may have dribbled. Place the hot lids on the jars, and screw the rings on tightly. Flip the jars upside-down, and set a timer for 5 minutes. This will keep the rubber on the lids nice and hot, forming a seal (No, I don't do a water bath, and yes, the FDA would be shocked. But hey, what worked for my grandmother works for me.).

Step 8: After your 5 minutes are up, set your jars right side up, and allow them to cool undisturbed. Before long you'll hear random happy little popping sounds that will mean your lids are sealing.

This stuff is SO delicious. I've also made strawberry and raspberry jam, but I find myself reaching for the grape most often. I am finally converted to the almighty peanut butter and grape jam sandwich... but only if it's my homemade grape jam.

End of Summer Snapshots

The kids are back in school, and I've been having trouble finding a groove during these endlessly hot summer days. Weeks go by in a blur. But there have been a few memorable highlights:

1 and 2: Ward pool party! This was officially the first time I have worn a swim suit in front of everyone at church. I was not super-comfortable, but I'm glad we went, because the kids had a blast. It was fun to have the whole swim park reserved just for us and our friends!
3: NES. Nintendo Entertainment System. As in, the one I played when I was a kid. We still have one that functions, and Mason chose to play it for his one-on-one time with Mommy this month. Super Mario Brothers, the original. I hadn't played it in YEARS, but it's funny how it all came back to me.
4 and 5: Before and after. I always wait too long in-between haircuts. I like to keep it short, especially during the summer. When it gets long enough to put in pig-tails, I say enough is enough. I had bid on and won a haircut from a friend in the ward at a Young Women fundraiser months ago, and put it to good use. It turned out to be one of my favorite haircuts ever.
6: Bree is getting more interested in helping out in the kitchen. And she's capable of more than just stirring now. Salsa-making was the perfect opportunity for her to practice her knife skills (especially because they were just getting thrown into the food processor anyway!).
7: I've been talking about wanting to start up a Cookie Day sort of group here for a while. Chad kept encouraging me, and I finally did it. I called it "Amateur Chef," since the show "Master Chef" was my chief inspiration. For our first meeting, I chose to make homemade ravioli. I had never made fresh pasta before, and I didn't have a pasta rolling machine, but we just went for it. It was delicious! We filled the ravioli with ricotta, parmesan, and fresh basil, and topped it with my quick and easy pantry marinara sauce. It was such a fun learning experience, and it felt good to have started something so worthwhile.
8: Apparently Pokemon is still a thing. And it is crazy-popular at Bree and Mason's school. Mason would come home every day talking about Pokemon cards. And he'd occasionally bring home cards that his friends had given him. He was obsessed. It became a problem. The cards were becoming a major distraction at school, and he got colored down a few times for Pokemon-related issues. So we banned Pokemon. He was not allowed to have cards at school, and we made him give back the cards that he had brought home. He was pretty crushed. But he is nothing if not resourceful, and I started finding homemade Pokemon cards around the house. Complete with pictures, their names, and vital stats (weakness, powers, I don't know, etc.). Pretty adorable.
9 and 10: I've been trying to go running on days when I don't join my girlfriends at the park for workouts. On this particular Saturday, Mason was awake before me, and when I came downstairs dressed for a run, he asked if he could come with me. My first instinct was to say no. Running can be valuable alone time for me. But I ended up saying, "Yes, but you have to keep up. I'm not stopping for you." Mason has a track record for lagging behind on walks or hikes, but it is certainly not due to a lack of energy; it's usually because he's bored or lacks motivation. This time, he was alone with Mom, which is one of his favorite things ever, and we chatted a bit as we ran. He didn't lag at all. In fact, he could have easily outrun me.
11: Lincoln continues to surprise us with new words and signs that he has learned at school. (Recently we discovered that he had learned to identify several colors.) This picture was taken at church, when he started pointing to letters in a "Friend" magazine and naming them. I could not believe my ears. I then pointed to the letters, in a different order, and sure enough--he KNEW them. Amazing.
12: I LIVE in flip flops 8-9 months out of the year. And I am all about comfortable shoes. I have become completely addicted to Crocs flip flops. I can stand in them all day without my feet hurting. Crocs recently came out with a sequined version of my favorite style. When a sale came along, I jumped on it. Money well spent.
13: On August 5th, Chad had surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum. He's not sure how he injured it; a basketball game a few years ago is one possible culprit. And since then, it's bothered him off and on, and certain exercises had become increasingly painful. Under the knife he went. Luckily he had a ton of sick leave saved up, and we've been paying into short-term disability for years, so we have been able to cash in on that as well. He's been home and in a sling for three and a half weeks, and it's getting old. At least the surgery was on his non-dominant hand, but still...there are only so many things you can do with one arm. We were at Home Depot on this particular day, buying supplies for a future project...
14 and 15: We took the kids to Petco one day, just for fun. Chad's been itching to buy a bearded dragon for a while, and he's been looking around for the best prices on heat lamps, food, etc. But we spent most of this visit to Petco just looking at the animals. This particular parrot was awesome. I have a strict "No birds in my house ever, ever, ever" rule...but I have to say: that this little guy made pet birds a little more appealing. Lincoln parked himself in front of the glass, and this bird walked right over to him, and started playing with him...bobbing its head, waving its legs into the air, weaving from side to side. It stayed there as long as Lincoln did. Lincoln was in love. If the bird hadn't cost $600, I might have taken it home with us.

Yogurt Haiku

Lincoln loves yogurt.

Each day he requests this treat.

Often more than once.

April Awesomeness

1: The second week in April was testing week at Bree and Mason's school. Since the other grades needed extra classrooms for testing, the kindergarteners had full-day field trips Tuesday through Friday! This was a big deal to our half-day kindergartener. And a big deal for me too, since it meant that during the 2-1/2 hours Lincoln was in preschool, I was all by myself! Totally alone! It was strange and wonderful. I am proud to say that I wasted away my hours of solitude being totally unproductive.
2: Chad and I had made plans to go to the temple together one Friday (Chad hasn't been to the Gilbert Temple since the open house), and we had a babysitter for Lincoln all lined up. Chad had an MRI for his wrist that morning (he messed it up punching our heavy bag in our backyard), and the procedure was running a little long. But I was pretty sure we could still make it to the temple. I was really excited because I had found a bunch of family names that morning, and was ready to do some baptisms and sealings. Then he called me to say that the wheel fell off the Suburban...."Huh?" I replied intelligently. The actual wheel fell off. Not just the tire. The wheel. Luckily he was in a school zone at the time--things could have been really ugly if he had been going fast when it happened. Needless to say, we didn't make it to the temple that day. After getting a tow he got a ride home with our Home Teacher (who was "coincidentally" passing by at the time). Then we did the only logical thing. Drowned our sorrows with greasy Smashburgers.
3: This was really a banner week for us. Our air conditioning stopped working. My cousin, who deals with A/C for a living, literally saved us. He rearranged his entire schedule so we wouldn't have to suffer another 90+ degree day without cooling. We thanked him profusely as the blessedly cold air was again coming out of our vents. We tried not to dwell on the thousands of dollars that our catastrophic week was costing us.
4: A high point amid the stress was our semi-annual community carnival. I entered my favorite pie in the pie contest, which turned out to be just me and one other guy. I totally won.
5: Lincoln turned three! I totally dropped the ball and didn't even make cupcakes for his preschool class (gasp!). But he didn't seem to mind.
6: We try to keep the pantry door closed most of the time...because if we don't, this happens. Lincoln knows exactly where we keep the candy. And if we don't have actual candy, he knows that chocolate chips will do in a pinch.
7 and 8: We don't go to too many of ALA's family activities, because we are usually busy. But when it was "Frozen" pajama-party-movie night, I couldn't say no. We took our own snacks, but Mason cannot resist blowing his hard-earned allowance anytime he sees something he wants. He had to have a tattoo. And Bree totally ditched us for her friends. That's the way it should be, right?
9: I made the most adorable and delicious cupcakes the day before our family Easter celebration. That night three of us started throwing up. So not only did we not get to go to the Easter party, I was stuck with 5 dozen cupcakes that no one else could eat without risking getting sick. They are still in the freezer. I figure it's probably safe if I eat them. But I'm not sure I'll be able to think about eating them any time soon.
10 and 11: It was totally time for Lincoln to graduate his crib. We were just enjoying the fact that he was not able to climb out of it, and we dreaded making the transition to a big bed. He and Mason share a room, and we knew he would just keep getting out of bed to play. So Chad took the side off the crib and put it on the bottom bunk. Problem solved. It's a...big boy crib. Not a baby jail, despite appearances.
12: Chad's parents stayed with us the weekend of Bree's baptism. Fran bought some beautiful flowers to put on the table, and they were barely open on the big day. Still beautiful though. I took this picture a few days later to send to her, proving how lovely they were. We hardly ever have real flowers in the house, and I enjoyed their cheeriness while it lasted.

March Happenings

1: I swore off desserts for a while, trying to drop a few extra pounds. I usually get overwhelming snacking cravings in the evenings, so I try to replace that habit with painting my nails instead. And this green is totally me, no?
2: We have not had the best of luck with finding a family dentist we love. Choosing new doctors since the move has been stressful. Sometime hours of researching reviews pays off, and sometimes not so much. Lincoln had the first appointment with the dentist I'd finally decided on. He's never been to the dentist before. I was blown away from the first moment. I was checking in when I turned around and a man in scrubs was holding Lincoln. Once I realized it was the dentist, I relaxed a little, and just watched Lincoln do his melt-hug as the dentist walked around the office with him for 5 minutes as he waited for his patients to get settled. He was so kind and gentle with Lincoln. And then he made him a balloon animal when he was all done. Score!
3 - 7: Chad has been an assistant advisor at DPS's Advanced Academy for the past few months. We all joined him for Family Day before the graduation. The kids got to play in their respective age groups (free childcare!) while the adults sat in on a few presentations. (Chad and I were seriously wishing he'd had the same thing when he graduated 8 years ago.) It was awesome. All the different DPS units were represented and we got to get up close and personal with the helicopter and other police equipment. And we got a delicious free BBQ lunch at the end. Such a neat experience.
8: I had been promising the kids that we'd go to the new splash pad in Mesa ever since last time we were there. Spring break seemed like the perfect time. Of course it started getting overcast and chilly as we were driving there. Bree and Mason insisted they still wanted to go. They lasted about 10 minutes before they were freezing. Lincoln didn't brave the spray at all. Maybe next time.
9: This trip to Lowe's was free thanks to our Discover Card rewards. Chad finally built a work bench in the garage. He likes having a designated space to work--a place that's all his. And I smile every time I pull into the garage and see him working in there. So manly.
10: I don't remember the occasion for making this Strawberry Satin Pie...maybe we had guests over. Anyway, it is definitely my favorite pie in the world. I could literally finish off a whole pie myself.
11 and 12: Chad and I opened up an old bin full of toys from our childhoods. We gave some to the kids to play with, put some in the Treasure Box for them to earn, and put a few of them away for when they're a little older. My Polly Pockets will have to wait until Bree learns to respect tiny pieces a little better. And the X-Files action figures? I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to give those up. Scully and Mulder are too important to me.
13: I went through the Gilbert Temple for the first time on March 28th (working on goal #11). So beautiful. And the seats are totally wider than the Mesa Temple! Super comfortable. Just sayin'.
14 and 15: Goal #4 (Go on a date with Chad to somewhere new) is complete. My parents babysat so Chad could take me to the Olive Mill for wood-fired pizza. I've only been asking to go since we moved here a year ago. There was live music on the patio, twinkly lights on the olive trees, and a beautiful sunset and cool breeze. The pizza was delicious and unique--house-made olive oil (obviously), and fresh meat from the Pork Shop down the road. I have never had pistachios on my pizza, but I'm sure they were locally grown, and it was surprisingly tasty.

Joining the Smart Club

I was doing just fine with my dumb phone, thank you very much. But I was fed up with our contract and its ridiculous price--especially considering that I was paying extra for a measly 250 texts a month. So I shopped around for a new phone provider, and I found a no-contract plan with better features for much less than we were currently paying. And then I realized that I could get a smart phone for just a little more. So, when I saw a Black Friday ad with a Samsung smart phone for $29, I jumped at the chance.

And I still can't get over how many possibilities can fit in the palm of my hand. For instance, I can take pictures...and then actually do something with them! Like, I can take them off my phone! Put them in my computer! Amazing.

So, without further ado, my first phone photo collage:

1. We got a new food place around the corner. Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Literally around the corner. As in 0.6 miles away from our front door. Dangerously close. And yes, it is as delicious as it sounds.

2. Can you have a favorite child? Yes. Bree is my favorite child when it comes to shopping. Lincoln is my favorite when it's time to snuggle. Mason has my favorite impish grin. He's my favorite when it's time for homework (he's really smart)...he's also my least favorite when it comes to homework (he is SO easily distracted). He's my favorite for pure energy and enthusiasm. Aaaand he's my least favorite when it comes time to deal with bugs (the kid screams like a little girl about to be murdered...unless it's just a regular fly...he has no problem catching those...weird).

3. Our first Christmas in our new home. The tree is my favorite--an eclectic mix of homemade ornaments, mementos from vacations and life events, and cheap unbreakable stuff from the dollar store. It became clear very quickly after we decorated the house this year that we need a whole lot more Christmas stuff to fill up our bigger home

4. Chad and I bought little ceramic houses at Walmart waaaay back when we didn't have kids yet. And we painted them together. Over the years we've added a few more to our town, but the painting kept getting put off (because, by this time, we had kids). I finally finished the last house this year. Actually this little town might tie with our tree for our favorite Christmas decoration.

5. Mason probably wrote and mailed 5 letters to Santa this year. All on his own. I convinced him that letters to Santa are given a postal exemption, and therefore don't need stamps. Most of his letters were sealed before I had a chance to read them. But I am so glad I got to see this one. "I WONT A INDE ANAJONES LEGO SET"

6. Lincoln keeps surprising me with what he can get himself into--and how quickly he gets there. Of course, if sugar is involved, he is very resourceful. He is in a stage where I frequently find myself feeling proud and terrified at the same time."Wow, you climbed on the counter! (Awesome gross motor skills!) But you shouldn't do that, because then when you fall and hit your chin we have to go to the doctor and you get three stitches!" (That visit was fun: trying to entertain him with a smart phone video while the assistant held his head "still" and the doc tried his best to put those stitches in...all three of us sweating profusely).

7. My mom gave Bree and Mason subscriptions to Highlights and High Five magazines. They loved the calendars that came with them. We spent a long time putting all the holiday stickers on the correct dates.

8. Gingerbread houses 2013. Bree designed this one, and I helped her with the frosting. And now that we have a kitchen island, we actually got to display them nicely, instead of shoving them on top of our refrigerator to get them out of the way.

9. I admit that when I took this picture I was trying to channel another blogger who frequently posts pictures of her stockings/shoes which always reflect the season/mood of the particular post. This particular sock/shoe combo not only imbued a holiday spirit to our outing that day, but it included the bonus of me getting asked if I was a Bass Pro Shop employee (to be fair, I was wearing a green Christmas shirt as well, and was standing next to the carousel in the Winter Wonderland).

10. Aaah, the Mesa Temple Christmas Lights. We went last year, and I loved it. The lights were gorgeous, there was a great spirit, we stopped to listen to the message being played through hidden speakers, and I took some great photos. This year...we made the grave mistake of going on a Saturday. It was. So. Crowded. It was impossible to enjoy it. But I did get a couple decent photos without throngs of people in the frame. Still gorgeous. But we won't make that mistake again.

11 & 12. Mason and Bree did a decent job of wrapping their own gifts this year. Bree didn't need any of my help. And I assisted Mason a little. That kid gives up easily on certain tasks, but the excitement of the presents kept him going surprisingly well.

13 & 14. Since we were going to be spending Christmas day at my parents' house, Bree and Mason opened their gifts from Grandma and Papa Wallace before we left. Mason got the whole set of Ninja Turtles and Shredder. Bree got a grown-up purse and some shelves for all the nick nacks in her room (she seriously channels an 70-year-old woman).

15. Laundry is a bi-weekly chore now. We got away with doing all our laundry once a week for quite a while. No more. I think it was the kids school uniforms that sent us over the edge. Chad always helps with the chore. His location preferences for folding vary, and on this particular day the spread was quite impressive.

16 & 17. Ok, so first Freddy's opened up, and then this? Right around the corner! Donuts are one of my favorite food groups. On this particular day I treated myself to a cheesecake filled, double-chocolate topped one.

18. There's no real explanation for this photo other than it was cracking me up watching Lincoln chasing the chin strap of this hat with his tongue. Totally counts as speech therapy, right?

I continue to work on figuring out my camera phone. Sometimes the pictures turn out great, and sometimes they're blurry beyond all recognition. Not sure if I'll relegate them to their own unique posts (like this one), or mix them in with the others. Time will tell.

But I do know one thing: I love being in the Smart Club.

Christmas Cookie Time

This year we cut out and baked the cookies one day, then frosted them the next. SO much better than doing the whole thing in one bang. Mason's decorating skills get better every year. Though I still have to let him know when his frosting is piling up to ridiculous heights. And there was a more appropriate amount of sprinkles. Bree always takes her color choices very seriously, and was disappointed when I told her I would only make 7 colors of frosting. Only 7. And yes, her hair did get in the frosting. But we ate the cookies anyway, and they were delicious.

Simply Delicious

As our move approaches, there are obviously many things on my to-do list. One of those things was "spend gift card to Simply Sarah's", a birthday gift from my amazing visiting teacher. Simply Sarah's is an adorable and eclectic gift shop downtown, with fun clothing items, cards, tea things, and more. It is also the only place in this town to score some gourmet food items. I came home with soft caramels, dark chocolate dipped blueberries, chocolate crepe mix, and an amazing hollandaise sauce.

I LOVE eggs benedict, but have failed miserably in the past at making hollandaise sauce. So when I saw these packets, I bought them immediately. And yes, today I should have been packing or something, but I made eggs benedict instead. With the sauce ready to go, and my eggs poaching in the oven, the task was not daunting at all.

Delicious. And Chad got to taste the dish for the first time. And no, I didn't share with the kids; they got plain ol' egg mcmuffins. Thank you Barbara, for the gift card, and thank you Simply Sarah's for indulging this wanna-be foodie's taste buds.

(*photo found on web*)

Bye-bye Miss Peach Pie

It's official. The peaches are all gone. We've had all sorts of peachy deliciousness around here this past week.

The previously mentioned Peach Cobbler:

Amazing.

Peaches and Cream Pie:

 Really Yummy. A little different with the custard filling, but who can pass up a pie topped with streusel?

 Peach Cupcakes:

I adapted my vanilla cake recipe by adding chopped peaches and mixing in some brown sugar and cinnamon. I did experiment with two different frostings: a peach buttercream, and a brown sugar cream cheese frosting which was the clear winner.

If I were to make these again, I would forgo the frosting and use a streusel topping.

Peach Fritters (I used an apple fritter recipe and substituted diced peaches): 

These were a definite flop. I fried up a few, dipped one in glaze, and popped it right in my mouth. And it was delicious. Warm peach pieces inside, crispy outside, delicious vanilla glaze. Yum. But after finishing the entire batch, it took no time at all for the moist peaches to ruin the texture of the fritters. They became completely soggy and gross. When it comes to fritters, stick with apples.

And today I used the last four peaches to whip up some simple peach sorbet:

 I've never made sorbet before, but mine froze up pretty solid, even after making it in the ice cream maker. The popsicle-like texture ruined it a little for me, but the flavor was delicious.

Bottom line? I LOVE my peach tree! And Chad and I agreed that out of all the peach recipes we tried, Fran's Peach Cobbler was the clear winner. What can I say? Chad's mom makes mean desserts. This recipe is a keeper.

Fran's Peach Cobbler

Filling:

• 9-10 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (or substitute 2 large cans peaches, drained)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• cinnamon

Topping:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 heaping tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cube butter, melted
• cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix filling ingredients together in a 13x9 inch pan with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
3. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together. Beat egg separately and add to mixture. Blend until crumbly (mixture will be very dry).
4. Sprinkle mixture over fruit filling.
5. Drizzle melted butter over entire pan, then sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden-brown.

Just Peachy

Thanks to Goal #4, my peach tree got plenty of water this season. As a result, this:

became this:

We have harvested a few dozen (less than half of what was on the tree, thanks to birds and bees) of the most beautiful, sweet, juicy Elberta peaches imaginable. And not just in a "Oh, it's from my garden and it's really yummy" kind of way. Like in a "the best peaches I've ever eaten in my life" kind of way.

I planted this tree just over two years ago, and I chose this type of peach because that gold and red flesh makes me swoon. And it's a freestone variety, which makes slicing them a breeze, as Chad demonstrated in preparation for our first peach-themed baking session.

It was cobbler night tonight.

(This photo is actually from a time when I made this recipe for a Cookie Day back in 2008. With store-bought peaches *gasp!*. The blue background and lighting makes me cringe, but I love the texture shown. I didn't take a good picture tonight, because well, Chad and I ate the whole pan. In one sitting.)

Up next on the menu? Peaches and Cream Pie? Peach Cupcakes? Chicken with Peaches and Basil? We'll see how long they last. We've been snacking on them plain. Lincoln loves them, and Bree, who previously didn't like peaches, at a whole one tonight for dessert. Oh, yes. Best peaches ever.

Beet It

I'm posting this recipe to enter my friend Tina's beet recipe contest!  And of course, I chose to make a cupcake.  Because, if you're going to eat beets, why not make them into dessert?

In terms of overall taste, these definitely rate a 10!  In terms of discernible beet flavor...well, I'll let the jury decide.  But using a sneaky recipe is the only way I can get my family to eat beets!  We all gobbled these up.

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

• 1 can beets, drained (NOT pickled beets)
• 1 box devil's food cake mix (Gasp! A cake mix? Yes, okay, and I have my reasons. #1-to make this recipe simple to duplicate. #2-cake mixes are very forgiving when you mess around with the ingredients.)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream or mayonnaise (totally optional, but makes for an amazing moist texture!)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Puree beets, then add enough water to them to bring the total volume up to 1-1/4 cups.
3. Combine beets/water with cake mix, oil, and eggs
4. Spoon batter into papered cupcake tin, and bake for 17-20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 stick butter
• 1 8-oz cube cream cheese
• 1-2 tsp vanilla (depending on how strong your vanilla is)
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar (to taste)

1. Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until creamy.  
2. Add powdered sugar and mix well until desired sweetness and consistency is achieved.

*11/6 Update: This beet challenge turned into a cupcake war between my friend Cari and me!  I won by a tiny margin, with her All Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes coming in a close second.  I might have to take a note from Cari's book, and try adding a little sweetened condensed milk to my frosting...I'm curious now!

Cupcakes and Book Club

Every event/occasion gives me an excuse to bake cupcakes.  Book Club is one of those excuses.  Every month someone (ie, Joanna) asks me, "What kind of cupcakes are you bringing this time?"  So I tried another new flavor this week: churro cupcakes.  Cinnamon/vanilla cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, topped with tortilla buñuelos (not churros, I know, but much easier).  I was skeptical about the cinnamon cream cheese frosting, but it was divine.  So much more complex and complimentary than the vanilla buttercream (I made a couple that way for my kids' less sophisticated palates).

These are so simple to make.  Just add 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon to your vanilla cake batter, then add a teaspoon of cinnamon to your cream cheese frosting (or to taste).  The tortilla buñuelos are just tiny strips of flour tortilla, deep fried, then tossed in cinnamon-sugar.  Delicious.

Our list of completed books continues to grow.  Along, perhaps, with our waistlines.  Have I mentioned yet how much I love Book Club?  I get to spend time with ladies with whom I might not ordinarily hang out with, and I've really been enjoying it.

And no, our book this month had nothing to do with cupcakes, churros, or anything Spanish-related for that matter.  We discussed Leadership and Self-Deception, and all vowed to apply the advice in this book in our lives.  We all learned more about each other, shared some pretty personal experiences, and tears were shed all around.  Wonderful and therapeutic stuff.  So, cupcakes and therapy?  Hand in hand, baby.

A delicious mistake

I've been wanting to try making S'mores cupcakes for a while now, and finally decided how I wanted to go about it.  A graham cake with milk chocolate chips, a layer of melted chocolate spread on top, sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs, then topped with marshmallow.  

I debated the marshmallow topping for a long time.  I know it's pretty easy to make homemade fluff, but I had like 4 jars of marshmallow creme that I need to use before they expire (apparently I had unrealized dreams of multiple batches of fudge last Christmas).  So I thought I'd just see if I could pipe it right onto the cool cupcake.  I piped a nice, fat dollop on one, torched it, and voila!  It was beautiful. 

So I went ahead and topped the rest of the batch the same way.  They looked awesome.  

For a little while.

Then they slowly, slooowly, turned into this:

It took at least a full hour for them to achieve their new, droopy state.  I cringe to think how they'll look when it's time to serve our dinner guests dessert.

But oh, they do taste delicious!  And after all, aren't S'mores supposed to be messy?  That's the angle I'm sticking with, anyway.

Addendum: Our dinner guests (our friends and next-door-neighbors) recently went home.  He's a chef, but not the snobby kind, so both he and his wife loved the cupcakes.  But I think we got the better end of the arrangement: he made us six different kinds of pizza!  BBQ beef, teriyaki-pineapple, supreme, garlic chicken, pepperoni, and tomato-basil.  Amazing!  The BBQ beef was definitely my favorite, with the sauteed onions.  Mmmm.  Thanks Mat.

Mmm...sauce

We are trying to eat healthy around here.  But when you want pizza, you just have to have pizza.  And, since our only pizza options here are Pizza Hut (pricey), Leonard Paul's (flavorless), Little Ceasar's (um, have you tasted their pizza?), or frozen (ie, cardboard crust), I make a lot of homemade pizza.  I have a recipe for pizza dough that, although not my absolute favorite in taste and texture, only takes a few minutes to make, and it doesn't necessarily need time to rise.  Which is awesome, because I am the queen of last-minute meals.

Pizza is also a great opportunity to use up leftovers.  Leftover grilled chicken?  Time for BBQ chicken pizza (don't forget the cilantro).  Sliced ham lunch meat that's nearing it's expiration date?  Hawaiian pizza night.  Oh, and since we eat some kind of tacos or burritos once a week, the leftover seasoned meat makes for delicious taco pizza.  I've had other taco pizzas, but mine is the best. 

And it's because of the sauce.

Here it is: the best taco pizza sauce you'll ever taste.  (I might even try using it as an enchilada sauce...)

Combine in a small sauce pan:

• 1 small (8oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried cilantro (not absolutely necessary, but DO NOT omit the fresh cilantro on the pizza)
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp lemon juice

Simmer.  Done.  And it costs just pennies.

So the 2 lbs of taco meat I made last week?  We had taco salad that first night, burritos the second night, and taco pizza to finish it off.  I used a Mexican cheese blend, but I didn't have to use a lot, so, um, that made the pizza healthy.  And we had zucchini from the garden.  So, super healthy.

Just want a "regular" pizza?  No problem.  I have a sauce for that too.  I also use it as pasta sauce; I just quadruple the recipe, and it makes enough sauce for one package of noodles.  (We had a friend over for spaghetti dinner a few weeks ago, and when he commented on the sauce, I said it was homemade.  He said "I couldn't tell!" which, he was quick to explain, was a compliment.  Apparently, at his house, homemade is code for not-as-good-as-store-bought.)

• 1 small (8oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp lemon juice

No more jars of Prego around here.  No sir.  And I swear I'll never go back.