Mcwane Center Trip

Justin had to work late today so we decided to take the kids to the McWane Science Museum for a while before he had to go to work. We got there later than we planned because EVERYONE (kids included) slept until 8am!! We are usually up between 6am - 7am at the latest. It felt so good to get the extra hour of sleep & the kids seemed to be in better spirits today (I like to think because of sleeping an extra hour). :)

I packed the kids & myself a lunch (we stayed a while longer after Justin left for work). We all had a great time. It was raining this morning, so it was nice to get out of the house & let the kids run loose! We have season passes to the McWane Center & both kids love it.

David playing mini golf.

Grace playing with the giant light bright. This is her favorite!

Water Table Fun!

While at McWane, there was a guy walking around with a bunny. David thought the bunny was so cute & he so was excited about getting to pet it. Grace, on the other hand, gave it a look & then took off running in the other direction. She had better, more important things to do (or play with)! haha

Graceful Grace!

Well, her name is Grace but she is not very "graceful"! Grace tripped this moring & fell face first into a door. :( I grabed her right away & rocked her until she calmed down. I then was able to look at her face & see her boo boo. She has banged up her cheek pretty good.

It is a little swollen this afternoon but she seems to be feeling fine. We went to McWane Science Center after her accident & it sure didn't slow her down!

T-Ball Team Pictures

David had his team pictures today at a local church. It was the first time his whole team was in their uniforms together. They all looked so cute! I can't wait to see these kids play on Saturday.

I'm sure you can imagine how difficult it was to get a group of 3 & 4 year olds to stand still at once to have a picture taken! The groups shot took a while but hopefully the photographer was able to get a good group picture! :)

Fair!

There is a small fair in town this weekend. We decided to check it out after church this morning. There were mostly rides for the kids, so that was nice. We only stayed for an hour but like I said, it was a small fair. :) Riding the Boats

David Riding the Roller Coaster David asked to ride this roller coaster. He did not see it run but I think if he had, he would not have wanted to get on it so badly. The first time around, he seemed to like it but quickly changed his mind! Riding the Helicopter Grace Riding the Merry Go Round One More Ride on the Boats Cotton Candy!

New Toy For Mommy!

I got a new toy yesterday. I can vacuum & clean the kitchen, bathroom & hardwood floors. I usually mop at least once a week & vacuum once a day. With a golden retriever, we have dog hair everywhere! I saw a commercial for this & thought it would make life a little easier. Justin & I tried it out & played around with it while the kids took a nap today. It is so easy!! We mopped the whole house & basement in just a few minutes! The machine doesn't use any soap or chemicals so it is easy to clean also. I love it! Never did I think I would get to a point where a steam mop would make me so happy! Life sure is different! :)

T-Ball Practice

David had t-ball practice this morning. He played the field & got to bat. He is doing really well, & more importantly, he is LOVING it!

In his "ready" position

Batting Practice Batting (his stance is a little off) haha

For dinner tonight, I made English Muffin Pizzas. Earlier in the week, I went to the Bakery Thrift Store & got a package of english muffins for $1. I always keep pizza sauce in the house (because my kids LOVE pizza). We ate English Muffin Pizzas in the living room (as a special treat) & watched a movie (The Sandlot, of course because it's David's favorite movie right now). :)

Sloppy Joe Squares Recipe

For dinner tonight, I made Sloppy Joe Squares. I found this recipe last year on the Pillsburry website. It is very easy, everyone likes it & it freezes well! When I do freeze this recipe, I divide it in half making two meals! :)

Sloppy Joe Squares

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 can (16 oz) sloppy joe sauce

2 cans Pillsbury refrigerated Big & Buttery Crescent Dinner Rolls (10.1 oz each)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1 T sesame seed (opional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2. Unroll 1 can of the dough; place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3qt) glass baking dish. Press in bottom & 1/2-inch up sides of dish. Spread beef mixture over dough; sprinkle with cheese. Unroll second can of dough; place over cheese. Sprinkel with sesame seed.

3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly & dough is golden brown. Cut into squares to serve.

**When I freeze this recipe, I freeze after Step 2. I do not bake the dish until after I take it out of the freezer & let it thaw.**

New T-Ball Uniform!

David got his t-ball uniform today. His team name is the Miami Hurricanes. In other words, A LOT of orange! His uniform came with orange socks, grey pants, an orange belt, a jersey & a baseball cap. I must say, David looks pretty darn cute in his uniform! The smallest size the league had was a youth small so you can imagine, David is swimming in his uniform! haha David insisted on putting on his uniform as soon as he got it at the ball park. I settled on letting him wear the jersey & hat. He wore it until dinner! He is definitely excited (& so is Mommy)!! :)

Special Breakfast

Grandpa was out of town this week with work so Nanny came up for a couple days. We made a run to the Bread Thrift Store. I was able to score loafs of bread, 2 for $1. I got one to use now & put the other in the freezer. They had packages of bagels & english muffins for $1 so we got some of those. Nanny also bought the kids some packaged doughnuts as a special treat. Nanny always buys special treats! That's why she is Nanny right? :)

Here are the kids enjoying the doughnuts this morning for breakfast.
Yummy!

Sick Hubby

I have a sick husband on my hands. What makes my family feel good when we are feeling sick?

Chicken Noodle Soup
**This is the recipe used to make chicken & dumpling soup. I just replaced the dumplings with Oma's noodles.**
3 bone-in chicken breasts
Water
Carrots
Oma's Noodles

1. Place chicken breasts in stock pot & fill with cold water (water should cover chicken). Bring water to a boil. Let the water boil fully on medium-high for about 10 minutes. Skim off any white foamy scum & bits of food that rise to the top.
2. Turn heat down low enough to sustain a gentle simmer while the lid is partially on. Simmer, partially covered, for two hours or longer.
3. Remove chicken & strain broth. Shred chicken & return to broth.
4. Add carrots (I like to shred my carrots) & Oma's Noodles. Cook until noodles are done. Keep an eye on the noodles & continue to stir so noodles do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Oma's Noodles
**My Grandmother has made these noodles forever. We have them at Thanksgiving & Christmas (well, anytime we eat turkey). They are so good on top of mashed potatoes as a gravy!**
1 cup flour
2 eggs
3 T cream or milk
Dash of salt
Dash of baking powder

1. Make a nest in the flour, blend in the eggs.
2. Add the cream, salt & bakng powder. Shape it into a ball.
3. Roll our on a floured board.
4. Let them dry an hour or so.
5. Cut them into thin strips.

For a wedding gift, my Mom & Dad gave us a bread machine. My Mom had one when I was growing up & used it often. The bread that came out of that machine was always the best. I am ashamed to say, I did not get out the bread machine until last year. I guess, I thought since the bread my Mom made was so good, it had to be really hard to make. I never even took the machine out of the box & read the cookbook that came with it!! Well, when I decided to stay home with my kids I started thinking about all the wonderful things my Mom did for my brother & myself growing up. I decided a year or so ago to give the bread machine a try. Wow, it is so easy & so good!! For the last year, I have been making our bread & rolls for dinner using the machine. I have saved us a lot of money & have really enjoyed it! Plus, my husband thinks I'm a homemaker godess with my bread making skills! haha ;)

With our chicken noodle soup, I made white bread to go with it.

All-American White Bread
**This recipe came from the Better Home & Gardens More Bread Machine Bounty cookbook. My Mom gave me this cookbook a couple months ago & I have made some REALLY yummy bread from it!**
3/4 c milk
1 T margarine or butter
2 c bread flour
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp active dry yeast or bread machine yeast

1. Add ingredients to machine in order listed.
2. Select #1 (Basic) & A (Medium)
3. Press Start
**YES, IT'S THAT EASY!**

New Project

I started a new project today. I found a pattern online for making dish cloths. My Nana makes these & has supplied me with them since Justin & I got married. My Mom has used them for years & they are so much better than a sponge! I made my first dish cloth today. It isn't perfect but it should work.

The pattern is as follows:

Skill Level: Easy / Beginner
Materials:
1 ball dishcloth yarn (or equivalent)
1 pair 4.5mm (US Size 7) straight needles
Instructions:
Cast on 4 stitches
1st Row: knit to end
2nd Row: K2, yarn over, K to end Repeat 2nd row until you have 45 stitches
3rd Row: K1, K2tog, yo, K2tog, K to end
Repeat 3rd row until 4 stitches remain on your needle
4th Row: K to end
Bind Off

Beautiful Sunday

We had 2 left over banana's that have gotten very ripe. So, I made Banana Bread!! Yummy! It doesn't seem to matter how many bananas we buy, we always have 2 leftover that get too ripe. I usually make a loaf & stick it in our freezer but today the smell of banana bread took over the house & everyone was asking for a bite. We will probably be eatting on the bread all week (unless my family eats it all today)! haha

You can find the recipe for my banana bread under the "What's For Dinner" tab for 3/12/11

My sweet husband let me sleep until 9:30am! I haven't slept in that late since high school! I usually don't sleep like that unless I'm sick. Luckily, I'm not sick, just tired I guess. The kids have been getting up at 6am each morning this week. I don't know if it was the excitement of being at Grandpa & Nanny's house or what but 6am is hard for Mommy! It felt so good to sleep!

We spent the rest of the morning playing in our backyard.

Hot Dogs in the Park

We came home this morning from Grandpa & Nanny's house. Justin is off work today & will probably have to work tomorrow. We spent most of the afternoon hanging around the house. The kids were so glad to see their Daddy!

For dinner we made hot dogs & took them to the Leeds Park. We stayed there a couple hours playing & having our picnic dinner. Grace LOVED her hot dog & couldn't get enough!! It was a nice relaxing day!

3 More Scarves

I have been able to make 3 more scarves in the past week. This puts me at 9 scarves total!

Spring Break: Day 5

Today we spent most of our day at the Montgomery Zoo.

We started the day by making a trip to Winn-Dixie. They have a Make A Deal this week. When you buy a bag of Kingsford Charcoal for $9.99, you get a package of hot dogs, Winn-Dixie brand hot dog buns, Winn-Dixie brand mustard & a bag of Doritos. Nanny & I both bought the deal. I had a coupon from the Winn-Dixie Spring Forward coupon book for $1 off Kingsford Charcoal, making the deal $8.99! Yay! I am putting my bag of charcoal & mustard away for our beach trip in August. :)

After Winn-Dixie, we packed a picnic lunch & headed to the Montgomery Zoo. We went straight to the playground & ate lunch. Being Spring Break week, the zoo was very busy. There were lots of kids on the playground. David was a bit excited about all the kids & wasn't real into eating lunch but Grace ate her whole sandwich & some goldfish! It was a good thing she ate such a good lunch because once we let her loose on the playground she went nonstop for two hours! Grace has no fear & she loves to slide! She loves to climb to the highest & fastest slide. She really wants to slide head first but Mommy wont allow it! She would slide over & over all day if I would let her! :) David, on the other hand, is a bit more cautious. He likes the small slide but is not into the big fast slide. David loves to climb the rope ladder & run after the other kids. Grandpa was able to join us at the zoo in the afternoon. He was able to play with the kids on the playground & watch our dare devil Grace! :) We then walked around a bit to see some animals. The kids were pretty tired after playing so long. We didn't walk around too long or see many animals before Grace was falling asleep in the wagon & David was saying he was tired. We decided to take the kids home & let them nap. Both kids were asleep in the van before we were out of the parking lot of the zoo. :) The kids stayed asleep for the rest of the afternoon & didn't get up from their nap until 5pm!!

For dinner, we went to Grandpa & Nanny's usual Friday date night spot, Sommer's Place. On Friday nights, they have a special of prime rib or a filet with a lobster tail. It is sooooo good! David ordered the children's zita dinner. He ate every bit of it! He even had half of one of Grace's chicken fingers!

So we had a very fun day & look forward to making more trips to the Montgomery Zoo. Hopefully next time, we can actually see more animals! haha

Picnic at the Montgomery Zoo!

Dare Devil Grace (on the small slide)

Spider Man David

Spring Break: Day 4

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Nanny had an appointment this morning so the kids & I went for a walk to the duck pond & feed them some breakfast (white bread). The kids love to see the ducks & feed them.

We went to our favorite lunch spot with Nanny, Chappy's Deli. When you order a meal, you get a kids meal for free. Unfortunatly we found out they have stopped making Nanny's favorite salad. This was a real bummer so we won't be going back very often anymore. We need to find a new favorite lunch spot in Montgomery (besides Chick-Fil-A which is the kid's favorite)! haha

Today was a really nice day so we spent a lot of time outside hanging out. Grandpa & Nanny have a really nice back porch that is shaded. The backyard is small so we adults can sit in the shade under a ceiling fan drinking margaritas while watching the kids golf, play basketball & run in the backyard. Or I can fuss at Grace to quit playing in Grandpa & Nanny's bird bath!! haha :)

Kisses for Nanny