OK, cookies are all decorated...... that wont stop the truly dedicated.....
☝❤
Monday, November 9
Cookie Time
This is what store bought sugar cookie dough, store-bought icing, and a truckload of sprinkles and glitter gel icing will do for ya.
OK, cookies are all decorated...... that wont stop the truly dedicated.....
☝❤
OK, cookies are all decorated...... that wont stop the truly dedicated.....
☝❤
Sunday, November 1
Caris's 3rd Birthday
My baby is 3. THREE, do you hear me?! It is sickening. If I could come up with a way to stop time, entirely, I would do so. I can barely stand to think about it.
Anyway, we had an awesome party....what else could we do? Aunt Katelyn came in town special, just for the occasion. And Chris traded birthdays with her to accommodate her guests. ("Thank you, daddy!!")
Here are the pics of our baby doll.
It was Princess themed....of course. This is the "cake".
And the setup.
Caris and Aunt Katelyn....Caris is eating her birthday gift from her brother.....a cinnamon bun. Dont ask me, he just showed up with it?!
You can also see my punch bowl in the background. Hand me down from Nanny and the first time we've gotten to use it!
We had pizza for lunch.....papa was a bit messy by the end.
She changed outfits about 5 times during the shindig. Her wings are getting a little old and pitiful.
She is 3!!
This is Caris telling Julia and Tori, "Stop messin' wif my TOYS!!!"
The new Tink outfit, with slippers and video....
The new coffee pot....we drink alot of coffee around here and Caris has been jealous for awhile. They dont make a lot of play kitchen coffee mugs. We got the Braun....it drips and makes noise and everything.
We love the crap out of this kid. She is terrific!!
Anyway, we had an awesome party....what else could we do? Aunt Katelyn came in town special, just for the occasion. And Chris traded birthdays with her to accommodate her guests. ("Thank you, daddy!!")
Here are the pics of our baby doll.
It was Princess themed....of course. This is the "cake".
And the setup.
Caris and Aunt Katelyn....Caris is eating her birthday gift from her brother.....a cinnamon bun. Dont ask me, he just showed up with it?!
You can also see my punch bowl in the background. Hand me down from Nanny and the first time we've gotten to use it!
We had pizza for lunch.....papa was a bit messy by the end.
She changed outfits about 5 times during the shindig. Her wings are getting a little old and pitiful.
She is 3!!
This is Caris telling Julia and Tori, "Stop messin' wif my TOYS!!!"
The new Tink outfit, with slippers and video....
The new coffee pot....we drink alot of coffee around here and Caris has been jealous for awhile. They dont make a lot of play kitchen coffee mugs. We got the Braun....it drips and makes noise and everything.
We love the crap out of this kid. She is terrific!!
Halloween Costumes 2009
Much work was put into costumes this year, but spread out a bit so as to not be so overwhelming. Here is the link to the costume pics on the other blog.
The top of my costume was made entirely by me and a combination of about 3 different patterns with multiple modifications on my part. The bottom was a repurposed skirt that used to be white and I never even wore once. It was also too big and rolled over 3 times at the top. I threaded the beads through the bottom and dyed the whole thing "sunflower yellow". I was not in the mood to make a skirt....but unfortunately I have now got 6 yards of yellow chiffon....just in case anyone has a need. Also, a shout out to silk velvet, just as a whole. The navy blue on the sides of my top was made with the $24 per yard stuff and it was sublime. I only needed 3/4 of a yard so I went for it. Feels sooooo good. I got the apple necklace and earrings marked down at Party City--I hate that store--but it was broken off the earring back and I had to remake them from scratch. They only cost $3.99 though.
Cinderella was also made by me. The blue satin has silver glittery sparkles on it and she picked it out herself as THE Cinderella blue. The shoes are her own, the velvet choker is a scrap held together by scotch tape and the headband is a ribbon. I bought a blue headband, but she said Cinderella had a "HEADBAND!!", which to her is a ribbon. So, we have a ribbon.
Goth Tinkerbell is a purchased dress we got at Ross for $14, wings that I have in my wing stash (yes, I have a stockpile of after-halloween wings. Dont you?), her own Doc Marten's that she wears to school practically daily and an exorbitant amount of eye makeup. Also, purchased skull wristbands and mesh arm thingies. The stockings are also from my stash....
For the boys, we have the Ninja Mickey Mouse which is a internet bought ninja outfit. I dont really understand how Ninjas work, but apparently there are real people who think they are them....and they sell outfits. It only cost like $25 and is very high quality cotton...like a karate uniform. He wore his Renaissance Faire boots instead of the weird split toe boots they sell for ninjas. And the Mickey ears were bought, obviously. It made for a hilarious silhouette.
Chris's Vampire Prince Charming outfit is a newly made vest from an old pattern I had. The fabric was originally going to be this gown when we were planning a Bram Stoker's Dracula theme, but when we changed to Disney theme, it got set aside. Perfect for the vamp vest though! I love the fabric. The rest of his outfit is his repurposed Snape costume and some white face paint.
We had a great time, everybody was comfortable in their outfits and I really didnt spend too terribly much this year. That is always good. Happy Halloween....the best holiday EVA!!!
The top of my costume was made entirely by me and a combination of about 3 different patterns with multiple modifications on my part. The bottom was a repurposed skirt that used to be white and I never even wore once. It was also too big and rolled over 3 times at the top. I threaded the beads through the bottom and dyed the whole thing "sunflower yellow". I was not in the mood to make a skirt....but unfortunately I have now got 6 yards of yellow chiffon....just in case anyone has a need. Also, a shout out to silk velvet, just as a whole. The navy blue on the sides of my top was made with the $24 per yard stuff and it was sublime. I only needed 3/4 of a yard so I went for it. Feels sooooo good. I got the apple necklace and earrings marked down at Party City--I hate that store--but it was broken off the earring back and I had to remake them from scratch. They only cost $3.99 though.
Cinderella was also made by me. The blue satin has silver glittery sparkles on it and she picked it out herself as THE Cinderella blue. The shoes are her own, the velvet choker is a scrap held together by scotch tape and the headband is a ribbon. I bought a blue headband, but she said Cinderella had a "HEADBAND!!", which to her is a ribbon. So, we have a ribbon.
Goth Tinkerbell is a purchased dress we got at Ross for $14, wings that I have in my wing stash (yes, I have a stockpile of after-halloween wings. Dont you?), her own Doc Marten's that she wears to school practically daily and an exorbitant amount of eye makeup. Also, purchased skull wristbands and mesh arm thingies. The stockings are also from my stash....
For the boys, we have the Ninja Mickey Mouse which is a internet bought ninja outfit. I dont really understand how Ninjas work, but apparently there are real people who think they are them....and they sell outfits. It only cost like $25 and is very high quality cotton...like a karate uniform. He wore his Renaissance Faire boots instead of the weird split toe boots they sell for ninjas. And the Mickey ears were bought, obviously. It made for a hilarious silhouette.
Chris's Vampire Prince Charming outfit is a newly made vest from an old pattern I had. The fabric was originally going to be this gown when we were planning a Bram Stoker's Dracula theme, but when we changed to Disney theme, it got set aside. Perfect for the vamp vest though! I love the fabric. The rest of his outfit is his repurposed Snape costume and some white face paint.
We had a great time, everybody was comfortable in their outfits and I really didnt spend too terribly much this year. That is always good. Happy Halloween....the best holiday EVA!!!
Halloween 2009
Here is a little Halloween love for ya. We picked a twisted Disney theme. Enjoy!!!
First we have the Ninja Mickey Mouse....he was awesome and I keep losing him in the pictures because his ninja-ness is so impressive.
Next we have the Goth Tinkerbell. She definitely has the attitude. And I am appropriately horrified that the kid looks 20, yes.
We are Vampire Prince Charming and Bitten Snow White. I am unbitten because my Prince got his teeth pulled by the horrified Cinderella who could simply not abide by her daddy wearing those fangs. She was not having it. This was an unplanned event, so we just went with it.
And the girl who inspired the theme....Cinderella. She is just Cinderella. No twist. She considered wearing wings, but decided against it. Possibly a wand, but, NO. In the end, just "Cinerella"...plain. The End. And Cinderella was a little stressed, incidentally. A very terrifying clown greeted her earlier in the week and she swore there would be NO HALLOWEEN for several days. That video from Oriental Trading that had Julia dressed like a witch did not help matters. FYI, for future reference, Caris DOES NOT LIKE WITCHES! Well, except Harry Potter witches....that is different.
We picked a couple of Julia's friends up for trick-or-treating buddies and headed to the condos for loot gathering. It was cold and it was damp, but we persevered and did quite well. A fun time was had by all!!
First we have the Ninja Mickey Mouse....he was awesome and I keep losing him in the pictures because his ninja-ness is so impressive.
Next we have the Goth Tinkerbell. She definitely has the attitude. And I am appropriately horrified that the kid looks 20, yes.
We are Vampire Prince Charming and Bitten Snow White. I am unbitten because my Prince got his teeth pulled by the horrified Cinderella who could simply not abide by her daddy wearing those fangs. She was not having it. This was an unplanned event, so we just went with it.
And the girl who inspired the theme....Cinderella. She is just Cinderella. No twist. She considered wearing wings, but decided against it. Possibly a wand, but, NO. In the end, just "Cinerella"...plain. The End. And Cinderella was a little stressed, incidentally. A very terrifying clown greeted her earlier in the week and she swore there would be NO HALLOWEEN for several days. That video from Oriental Trading that had Julia dressed like a witch did not help matters. FYI, for future reference, Caris DOES NOT LIKE WITCHES! Well, except Harry Potter witches....that is different.
We picked a couple of Julia's friends up for trick-or-treating buddies and headed to the condos for loot gathering. It was cold and it was damp, but we persevered and did quite well. A fun time was had by all!!
Tuesday, October 27
Crock-Pot Cheeseburger Soup
I am on an endless quest to find more than 5 recipes that I can make in the crock-pot that everybody likes....okay, to find more than 1 recipe everybody likes. Really the only thing I have EVER made in the crock-pot that isn't met with disdain is the Pot Roast with Peppers. I have tried about a million other things--much to everyones distress--but to no avail. We eat most every possible kind of food and so do the kids, so you wouldn't think this would be so hard. We just universally don't like wet, tasteless meat and that is pretty much what I always end up with. We just have never gotten the "food is fuel" memo and still expect everything we make to taste like we worked all day at it. The best crockpot tip I was ever given was by a co-worker that told me I didn't have to add liquid at all. She was very right, and may I say that "her" crockpot bbq wings are always delicious. I have never had her luck with those, however....mine are always just slimy-ish.
So, as I was driving home from kid drop off this morning, I was already thinking about dinner. I had to stop at Walmart anyway and I REFUSE to buy meat there so I had to pick up just additions to what I had at home. I thought of some hamburger meat leftovers and thought I had been so creative by thinking of adding it to cheese soup for---wait for it----Cheeseburger Soup. But, alas, there are recipes for it all over the internet so I cant quit my job and write cookbooks for a living just yet. Bummer.
Anywhoo, I found one recipe without too much colorful stuff floating in it--that is always a deal breaker for the kiddos. I had to low-carbify it for our purposes and I have some mental block when it comes to "cheese food" and "velveeta", so I bought this stuff instead.
I like to feel, in my own twisted brain, like I am not l poisoning my children.....I probably still am, but at least this has the claim of being actual --though tasteless-- cheese.
So, this is really just a mismash of several recipes I found on the internet. I do not cook for low-fatness, just for taste and low-carbness so....here it is.....
Ingredients:
6 cups broth (I did 1/2 chicken and 1/2 beef)
1 pound browned ground beef
1 tsp garlic powder
1 packet onion soup mix
1 head of cauliflower chopped (just use 2 potatoes if you must)
To add at the end:
1 cup half and half
2-16oz blocks of processed american cheese, cubed
Put the first 5 ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Turn crock-pot to lowest setting or just off about 30 minutes before serving and add the milk first, then the cheese. You dont want it boiling when you add the cheese or it will curdle, so add the milk first to cool it slightly. It will still be plenty warm to melt the cheese over the next half hour or so.
Garnish with tabasco sauce, crumbled bacon, sour cream....whatever.
___________________________________
PS.
We made this just as it says. We didnt garnish with anything and it was very good. Kinda like Cheeseburger Macaroni soup without the macaroni....same kind of taste. I should have taken a picture, but i didnt. We will definitely make this again because it is very simple and quite good. We didnt have any (carbs dontcha know), but this would be awesome with a big loaf of crusty bread for dipping.
So, as I was driving home from kid drop off this morning, I was already thinking about dinner. I had to stop at Walmart anyway and I REFUSE to buy meat there so I had to pick up just additions to what I had at home. I thought of some hamburger meat leftovers and thought I had been so creative by thinking of adding it to cheese soup for---wait for it----Cheeseburger Soup. But, alas, there are recipes for it all over the internet so I cant quit my job and write cookbooks for a living just yet. Bummer.
Anywhoo, I found one recipe without too much colorful stuff floating in it--that is always a deal breaker for the kiddos. I had to low-carbify it for our purposes and I have some mental block when it comes to "cheese food" and "velveeta", so I bought this stuff instead.
I like to feel, in my own twisted brain, like I am not l poisoning my children.....I probably still am, but at least this has the claim of being actual --though tasteless-- cheese.
So, this is really just a mismash of several recipes I found on the internet. I do not cook for low-fatness, just for taste and low-carbness so....here it is.....
Ingredients:
6 cups broth (I did 1/2 chicken and 1/2 beef)
1 pound browned ground beef
1 tsp garlic powder
1 packet onion soup mix
1 head of cauliflower chopped (just use 2 potatoes if you must)
To add at the end:
1 cup half and half
2-16oz blocks of processed american cheese, cubed
Put the first 5 ingredients in the crock-pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Turn crock-pot to lowest setting or just off about 30 minutes before serving and add the milk first, then the cheese. You dont want it boiling when you add the cheese or it will curdle, so add the milk first to cool it slightly. It will still be plenty warm to melt the cheese over the next half hour or so.
Garnish with tabasco sauce, crumbled bacon, sour cream....whatever.
___________________________________
PS.
We made this just as it says. We didnt garnish with anything and it was very good. Kinda like Cheeseburger Macaroni soup without the macaroni....same kind of taste. I should have taken a picture, but i didnt. We will definitely make this again because it is very simple and quite good. We didnt have any (carbs dontcha know), but this would be awesome with a big loaf of crusty bread for dipping.
Monday, October 26
Watch us be all Farm-y
So, we had much bulldozing done at Rowe acres this past week and it basically made the yard look like a big, beautiful dirt pile. It will be very awesome when the grass ever comes up, but since the temperatures are in the low 70s and dropping into the high 30s at night, we are not overly confident in the germination process.
So, to prevent my beautiful, expensive, newly turned dirt from washing down the hill and into the road, we rented some heavy equipment this week and did some actual manual labor. I will admit that I (Jenni) kind of got out of some of it by having to go to work. The equipment arrived at about 4:30 pm on a Friday and I leave for work at about 5:30 pm, so I was just the photographer at this swanky soiree. I did my time later in the week by clearing limbs and getting a raging case of poison ivy.
The very best part of this whole thing was the training of Julia to throw the hay into the bucket thingy-- ( I dont know what this red thing is called, nor do i know what that bucket thing is called. I am no farmer. I DO know that this is not really "farm equipment" , so no farmers need call me out on this.)
Anyway, as Jackson is too short to throw the hay into the bucket and the hose thing was way too much for her to handle, Julia was called on to be the 'hay loader'.
She had a look of horror at the thought of it at first, but she quickly decided that it was much easier than being the 'hay shooter'. As you can see, she is inappropriately dressed but seemed to rather enjoy herself.
I complimented her hay throwing prowess at one point and got something to the effect of, "I have many hidden skills that you know nothing about" as a retort.
Jackson on the other hand was called on to be the 'grass seed flinger'. He was less than thrilled with this--especially with the lure of loud and unwieldy heavy equipment that could possibly remove your hand looming so near. He did a tremendous job though and (one day) when we have a lush and gorgeous lawn, we will owe it all to his skillful seed throwing. Definitely.
So, to prevent my beautiful, expensive, newly turned dirt from washing down the hill and into the road, we rented some heavy equipment this week and did some actual manual labor. I will admit that I (Jenni) kind of got out of some of it by having to go to work. The equipment arrived at about 4:30 pm on a Friday and I leave for work at about 5:30 pm, so I was just the photographer at this swanky soiree. I did my time later in the week by clearing limbs and getting a raging case of poison ivy.
The very best part of this whole thing was the training of Julia to throw the hay into the bucket thingy-- ( I dont know what this red thing is called, nor do i know what that bucket thing is called. I am no farmer. I DO know that this is not really "farm equipment" , so no farmers need call me out on this.)
Anyway, as Jackson is too short to throw the hay into the bucket and the hose thing was way too much for her to handle, Julia was called on to be the 'hay loader'.
She had a look of horror at the thought of it at first, but she quickly decided that it was much easier than being the 'hay shooter'. As you can see, she is inappropriately dressed but seemed to rather enjoy herself.
I complimented her hay throwing prowess at one point and got something to the effect of, "I have many hidden skills that you know nothing about" as a retort.
Jackson on the other hand was called on to be the 'grass seed flinger'. He was less than thrilled with this--especially with the lure of loud and unwieldy heavy equipment that could possibly remove your hand looming so near. He did a tremendous job though and (one day) when we have a lush and gorgeous lawn, we will owe it all to his skillful seed throwing. Definitely.
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