Frog On A Walk & Soft Sugar Cookies

When I called Mom after work to see what the plan was, she said that the missionaries were coming over for dinner.  She went all out and made an incredible meal of Ollie North chicken, grilled yellow squash, creamed potatoes & peas, crescent rolls, olives, & then had peach pie filling w/ raspberries for dessert.  I felt bad b/c we had to eat and run since my visiting teachers came over at 6:30.  They were here when we got home and we just sat around the table and talked while her kids at their dinner.  She brought them along b/c her husband is out of town, and bless her heart she’s 37 weeks pregnant.  It was a good visit & they didn’t stay for long.

Since it was such nice weather outside, Autumn & I went for a walk.  We brought along my iPhone and jammed to music while we walked.  Autumn stopped short & let out a yell and I wondered what the heck was the matter.  She pointed out this big toad/frog (I never know which one is which) on the sidewalk.  I was impressed w/ how great this photo turned out b/c I just took it w/ my phone.  We looked at him for a little bit and then kept walking.

When we got home, I turned on the last 1/2 of the Biggest Loser.  It was on in the background while I made sugar cookies!  LOL!  That’s one of the many reasons that I need to try out for Season 14.  Anyways, the reason I made sugar cookies is that I found a new recipe I wanted to try.  I like recipes where I don’t have to wait for the dough to chill.  I’m too impatient for that.  Autumn was so excited to help me roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters.

She’s such a good little helper!  I love her being this age.  Her personality is really shining through.  I love seeing how independent she is.  Yet, at the same time she’s still dependent on me for the important things. 

The cookies aren’t the best recipe I’ve ever tried, but they were easy and pretty soft.  It also made a LOT of cookies, which is good.  I found the recipe in this Relief Society Homemaking Booklet from 1984 that I found on Mom & Dad’s bookshelf in the back room.  I was looking for the family Book of Mormon and found this at the same time.  Anyways, here’s the recipe if you want to try it:

Soft Sugar Cookies

• 1 c butter or margarine
• 2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 4 1/2 c flour (level)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• nutmeg & sugar

Cream together butter and sugar.
Add eggs & beat well.
Add sour cream and vanilla.
Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.
Roll on floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness.
cut with large round cutter (2 to 2 3/4 inches in diameter).
Place on greased (sprayed)cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and sugar (optional, and I didn’t do this step).
Bake at 350 degrees for 14 to 17 minutes or until very lightly browned.
(I only cooked mine for 12 minutes b/c I used smaller cookie cutters than what they recommend.)
Cookies should be large, soft, and thick.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Monday Movies & Tuesday Treats

Monday we didn’t really do a whole lot other than shop after work/school.  After I got Autumn, we went to WalMart to do some grocery shopping b/c we had no food at the house and needed to get basic stuff like bread and eggs and milk.  Autumn was really well behaved and after shopping, we went home and cooked one of our $4 pizzas we just bought.  I wanted to watch the Sing Off, but Autumn wanted to watch Lion King and since I can watch Sing Off online at work, I decided to let her watch Lion King.  We snuggled up next to each other on the couch under our big blanket and watched while the Christmas lights on the tree changed patterns from fast moving to slow.  It was a lot of fun.

After I put her in bed, I told Nick to keep an eye on her and went to the big WalMart to get some stuff to finish up Mom’s Christmas gift and buy some stuff that I couldn’t get at the small neighborhood WalMart.  I love being able to go shopping by myself at night and just take my time and enjoy it.  I got home and put all the groceries and stuff away and then went to bed around midnight.

Today after work/school, Autumn & I rushed home to change into some church clothes for tithing settlement, stopped & picked up Vietnamese food that Mom had ordered for dinner, went over to Mom & Dad’s and ate, and then left to be to tithing settlement by 6:45.  Bishop Jarnagin is so cute w/ Autumn and kept asking her questions and she was just jabbering away.

After tithing settlement, Autumn & I went up to the $1 jewelry store so I could get a few things for gifts.  While there, a classmate of hers (and her mother) came into the store, so Autumn was thrilled to have a friend to walk around with while I shopped.  She just seems to be running into lots of kids she knows lately.  I let her pick one thing and she got a big silver bracelet.  She kept changing her mind about every 2 minutes as to what she wanted to get for her one thing.  After getting what we needed, we came home and Autumn asked if we could make cookies.  I had seen a recipe on the back of the bag of mint truffle kisses I bought last night so I said we could try those.  She takes after me and likes eating the dough (she helped lick the batters and got it all over her mouth).

  These mint truffle kisses are SO GOOD, and I recommend getting them, but only if you have someone around that can help you eat them or else you might be like me and be tempted to eat the whole bag yourself.

Below is the recipe we used, and here is how they turned out.  They were pretty good and I would make them again, but they aren’t my favorite treat ever.  After making our treats, it was time for bed.  After I got Autumn into bed, I watched Biggest Loser.  I hope so much that Ada gets to be in the final 3 and not Elizabeth!  Ada for sure got my 10 online votes.

Mint Capped Brownie Cookie Cups

• mint truffle Hershey kisses
• 2/3 c butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 Tbs water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 c cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• powdered sugar

Line small muffin cups with paper or foil baking cups.  Remove wrappers from chocolates.  Beat butter, sugar, water, and vanilla in a large bowl until well mixed.  Add eggs and beat well.  Mix together flour, cocoa, salt & baking soda.  Slowly add to wet mixture and beat on low speed until just blended.  If necessary, refrigerate dough just enough to be handled.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls (I just used my small ice cream scoop) and place in prepared muffin cups. 

Bake 12 – 13 minutes at 350 degrees or until cookie surface is set.  Cookies will appear soft and moist.  Make sure not to over bake.  Cool about 5 minutes on a wire rack.  Press chocolate piece into surface of each cookie cup.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Sprinkle each cookie with powdered sugar.

Homemade Halloween Cookies

Today at church, Autumn was really good and so was my class, which always makes for a nice Sunday. After church, we came home & had lunch w/ Mom & Nick. Autumn played, we watched football, I took a little nap, and then Mom went home b/c Dad was getting off of work. Since it was Sunday, we didn’t go out trick-or-treating, plus we had gotten a bunch of candy at the trunk-or-treat yesterday. So, we decided to make sugar cookies. Autumn wanted to wear her costume, which I thought was festive for making Halloween sugar cookies.

Her one eye looks funny in this picture, but this is the only picture I could get of her helping to cut out the dough. I LOVE the sugar cookie recipe we used (which I got from Kristin), b/c you don’t have to refrigerate it and it’s so easy. I don’t plan far enough ahead to make the dough and give it enough time to chill. I am a fly by the seat of my pants type of person so this dough is great for me.

NEVER FAIL SUGAR COOKIES

1 c. Margarine
1 c. Sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 c. Flour
3 tsp. baking powder

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and baking powder. No need to chill the dough. Roll dough out to 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will NOT look browned. Let cool, frost (if desired), and ENJOY!! :)

In between the door bell ringing, we would decorate our cookies. All the Halloween candy I bought was gone after the trunk-or-treat yesterday, and I wasn’t even planning on handing out candy today. I was just going to leave the porch light off and ignore the door bell when kids would come trick-or-treating. But, Autumn always wanted to see who was at the door and since I didn’t have any candy, we just gave away hers. She didn’t mind at all and was more than happy to share her candy. Of course I had to take out the good candy (chocolate) to save for ourselves. This is probably the first & only year Autumn will be OK w/ handing out her own candy. I thought it was very sweet of her to want to share.
(And she hasn’t asked at all in the days since where her candy is.)

Here are some of Autumn’s decorated cookies. She put too much on a few of them so I had to tell her to be careful. So after every single cookie she decorated she would ask me, “That too much, Mama?” Usually I am a control freak and would have insisted on helping her decorate them so they would look pretty. But, thanks to the inspiration I received from watching Dad let Autumn draw whatever she wanted on her pumpkin, I relinquished some of my OCD and just let Autumn decorate the cookies however she wanted.
Just a small green patch on the right side of the bat? No problem.
Mixing red & blue sprinkles on the pumpkin? Go right ahead.

We had a blast making our cookies and even more fun when we filled up a few paper plates w/ our creations and took them around to the neighbors. I think this was our best Halloween yet b/c Autumn is old enough to grasp the concept of what Halloween is and we had a great time sharing our cookies & candy w/ others. I hope all y’all had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN as well!

Weekend Wrap Up

I know this is shocking, but I didn't take any pictures on Sunday or on Monday! I am starting to get a cold and haven't been feeling super well, so I'm out of my norm. Sunday was church and I forgot to set my alarm, so Autumn & I woke up late and made it to church a little bit late. There were a few people that said they missed seeing us sitting in our usual spot, which was nice to know that people are looking out for us.

I was getting tired of my class of 9 year olds never bringing their scriptures to class, so I told them if everyone brought their scriptures for 5 weeks straight, then I would bring them all a treat. Wouldn't you know, every single one of them brought their scriptures this Sunday and even a few of the boys that are usually loud and obnixous volunteered to read! Who knew a little bribery could go such a long way? They decided that they each want a pack of gum, which is small price to pay for participation.

After church, our home teachers came over for a little bit and we talked about temples and then Autumn & I went over to Mom & Dad's. Mom had made a roast w/ carrots and potatoes and gravy and it was SUPER good. The weather was GORGEOUS, so we opened the back door to let in some cool air since it was cooler outside than it was inside, but then flies were coming in b/c they smelled our good food so we had to shut the door and just open the windows.

Lexie & Jon had to leave to got back home, so we said good bye to them and just spent the rest of the day watching football, I read the kindle, and kept Autumn entertained in Mom & Dad's room by putting on movies she requested. It was fun having Lexie & Andrew here for a little bit and wish they all could have stayed longer.

Mom got this dress for Autumn for Christmas at Costco the other day and wanted her to try it on just to make sure it fits.  Autumn thought she was HOT STUFF and loved twirling around in it and then pretended like she was a bell and was swinging it from side to side and saying, “Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong.”  SO CUTE!

Nothing special happened yesterday. Just work & school and then we went over to Mom & Dad's for dinner and had Sunday dinner left overs. Mom had rented Diary of Wimpy Kid and we watched that, but I didn't care for it. Instead, I got up half way through it and made some killer pumpkin bars that I found on Gina's blog b/c we needed a fall-type treat to go along w/ the beginning of fall-type weather. I don't think I've posted the recipe before, so here it is. They are DEFINITELY delicious and worth making.

Killer Pumpkin Bars

Note: These are cake-like and moist in texture rather than firmer, denser or with a crust and topping like other bar-type desserts.

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temp.
2 cups canned pumpkin (one 15-oz. can)
4 eggs, room temp.
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 15 X 10 1/2 X 1 pan.

Sift flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together; set aside. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Spread mixture into pan.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until cake springs back when touched or toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Icing:
3 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
1 stick butter, room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together until smooth..

I make this icing ALL the time for cupcakes or cakes or anything that calls for icing b/c it's so easy and so dang good! After watching our movie, we flipped back and forth between Monday night football & Dancing With The Stars. Finally at 9:00 I took Autumn home and put her to bed. I wasn't quite tired yet, so I flipped on the TV and ended up watching Hoarders on A&E. It was CRAZY! I watching Hoarding: Buried Alive on TLC but this one on A&E was MUCH WORSE.

There was this one lady that had so much stuff in her house that they found DEAD BABY CATS w/ their umbilical cords still attached in her house!!! They had to literally shovel her belongings into Hazmat bags and burn them b/c her belongings were too toxic to just throw into the dump b/c of all the cat feces! You can watch it HERE, but I'm warning you it's graphic (they show the dead/squished cats).

Then there they showed a lady that lived in Utah and the background behind her looked really familiar. I recognized it as the apartments that surrounded the house that looks like a castle that we used to live in! I hurried up and called Mom and told her she had to flip to that channel and tell me if those were the castle apartments and sure enough, they were! Small world, huh?

Anyways, while I was watching how horrible those living conditions were I decided that I couldn't ignore the two piles of clean clothes I had on a chair in the corner of my room and folded them all and put them away and tidied up my room. I felt so much better going to sleep w/ a clean room. I hope I can get over this cold before my trip to Slovenija!

Holey Pants & A Few New Recipes

The funniest thing happened today after work/school. I went and got Autumn and then stopped and picked up Liz (b/c I had invited her & Liberty over for dinner but Liberty needed to work on his sister’s car for a little bit). We went to Mom & Dad’s to make dinner and Autumn wanted to look at the DVD’s so she could pick one to watch. I went to pick her up and set her on the ledge so she could reach the one she wanted, but she was hard to pick up so I told her to put her legs up on the ledge. Liz started laughing hysterically and told me to put her down. I looked down and her pants had gotten caught on a hook on her baby stroller and when I lifted her up, it pulled her pants down and put a huge hole in the butt of her pants. We were laughing so hard b/c it was such a random and unexpected thing.

I wanted to try a few new recipes and they both turned out really well (see recipes below). Liberty came over after working on his sister’s car and we all watched Wipeout and Shaq vs. the boxer. I hate boxing and couldn’t watch it b/c it was so stressful and looked like David fighting Goliath. We had our peach mug pies for dessert and it was really good. I think next time I would add just a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg.

I LOVE having Liz & Liberty over b/c they are such fun and good people. Also, Liz had awesome news to share…she’s pregnant!!! I am so thrilled for them and have already offered to babysit all the time (even overnight) b/c I am so baby hungry.

Chicken Tostada Upside Down Bake
Recipe courtesy of Picky Palate

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
4 small or 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, fire roasted is great with this recipe
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can black olives, chopped
1 packet ranch dressing seasoning packet (optional, but really tasty)
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
Pinch of kosher salt and pepper
1/2 Cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, in the sheet form if possible
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat. Saute onions for 5 minutes then add in garlic; cook for an additional 1 minute. Add chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, olives, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, until heated through, then stir in cilantro. Pour into a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Place Crescent Roll sheet over top of chicken mixture, brush lightly with olive oil and season with garlic salt. (If you are using the regular crescent rolls, unroll then and press perforations together with fingers then place over chicken). Bake for 20 minutes, until just starting to brown. Top with cheese and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and crescent dough is cooked through. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

2. Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream if desired.

Peach Mug Pie
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (15-ounce) can peach halves, juice reserved and peaches chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
4 graham crackers, crumbled
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

In a small bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons water with the cornstarch. In a small pot over medium heat reserved peach juice, cornstarch mixture, brown sugar and salt. Once the sauce
thickens, about 5 minutes, stir in the chopped peaches.

Super Sunday

Autumn was really good at church today, and I even got up and bore my testimony, which I haven’t done in such a long time b/c I didn’t know how she would react if I went up to talk.  Would she freak out?  Would she try and come up with me and then act crazy on the stand while I was talking?  Would she just sit in our seat without running around?  She ended up sitting with the Deckers who were 2 rows in front of us and was good.  I bore my testimony about how important good music is b/c Autumn is learning simple but powerful gospel truths through songs.  Her favorite right now is Follow The Prophet and I’m grateful that I can teach her about how we have a living prophet (like Noah or Moses) in our day.  She knows what he looks like and that his name is President Monson.  Being able to teach her simple but vital truths makes me happy.  I also shared in my testimony how thankful I am for Joseph Smith and that he had the courage to stand up for what he said he saw instead of saving himself a lot of persecution by denying it.  Also, because of the restoration of the gospel that families can be together forever.

In Primary the lesson today was on David & Goliath and it is estimated that Goliath was 9’ 9” tall and that his armor weighed 150 lbs.  I took a tape measure to show the kids just how tall 9’ 9” tall is and that b/c David trusted in the Lord he was able to defeat such a big obstacle.  Then we talked about what the Goliaths in our own lives are and how we can overcome them with the Lord’s help.

Autumn wanted me to braid her hair today, but I twisted it instead and then pinned it in the back and put a cute flower and she looked really cute today, especially in her flower dress and pink jelly shoes.

Nick was getting ready to go to his ward and was in the bathroom shaving and Autumn had to be in there with him to see what he was doing.  I snuck a picture from out in the hallway and overheard this conversation:

Autumn: What you doing, sneaky sneaky Nick? (She calls him that b/c I call him Snicky Nicky.)
Nick: Shaving.
Autumn: Why you shave?
Nick:  So I’m not hairy.
Autumn: You a hairy?
Nick:  Ouch.  This is burning.
Autumn:  You burn you self?

It just made me laugh to overhear then talking and how curious and inquisitive Autumn is.

After we changed into comfy clothes, we went over to Mom & Dad’s.  Mom had a carrot, roast, potatoes, and gravy for Sunday dinner.  I decided we needed a treat, so I tried a recipe that I’ve wanted to try for a long time.  It’s Steve’s (my old boss) recipe for his incredible chocolate chip cookies.  They didn’t turn out exactly like his do, but they were still incredibly good.  I actually am posting half of the normal recipe b/c otherwise it makes a TON of cookies.  Even with it being halved it made 5 dozen cookies.  You should definitely try them…you won’t be disappointed.

Steve’s Out Of This World Cookies

2 sticks not salted butter (not margarine)
1 c packed light brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
2 small eggs (3 big eggs if you double it)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 c flour, all purpose unbleached
2 c (12 oz bag) chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix.  Then add dry ingredients.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes (they will look undercooked but don’t cook them any longer than 9 minutes).

We just vegged and watched TV, and there was even some Canadian football on, which made me so happy b/c I LOVE LOVE LOVE football season and am excited for it to start.  Autumn took a nap and then when I woke her up at 7:00 so she would still go to sleep tonight, she wanted me to put curlers in her hair.  She’s such a diva girl.  After curling her hair, she wanted to have some of Papa’s manly jello.  Mom & Dad had gone over to Maggie’s to borrow a movie but I didn’t want to watch it so I went in their room and watched Drop Dead Diva & then we came home so I could put Autumn to bed and watched Army Wives…my usual Sunday night ritual.  It was a super Sunday.

Happy Birthday Uncle Robert & Tyler

I can’t wait for the day that Autumn knows we can sleep in on Saturday mornings.  But then again, she’ll probably be a teenager by then and I won’t want her to sleep until noon on Saturdays.  We got up at 7:30 and she wanted to have some cereal and watch cartoons.  Then while I was blogging, I looked over in the living room to see her reclining on the overstuffed pillows in front of the fireplace just reading to herself.  I love listening to her make up stories to go along with the pictures she’s looking at.

She went in and woke Mimi up at 9:00 b/c she wanted to watch Shrek 2 and it was in Mom’s room.  Her and Mom laid in bed together and watched it and then Autumn and I went home so I could shower and get her ready for the day b/c she looked scraggly.  Mom & Nick came and picked us up and we stopped at McDonald’s to grab a little hamburger before heading west.  Mom is so good to us and spoils us rotten and makes sure we’re always fed and comfortable and happy.  Autumn kept herself busy during the hour and 45 minute drive to Aunt Sandy & Uncle Robert’s house by brushing Ariel’s hair and putting it in a ponytail and then taking it out and doing it over and over again.  I am so happy that she’s so easily entertained.

Lunch wasn’t quite ready when we got there, so we just sat and visited and watched the babies play.  Jamie (Heather & Rocky’s little boy on the left) has started rolling and rolled all the way over to where Peyton (Tyler & Emily’s little boy on the right) was.  They were laying next to each other and then we noticed that Jamie had put his hand in Peyton’s mouth and Peyton was sucking on his fingers as if they were his own.  It was so funny and they did that for about 45 seconds, which we thought was a long time.  I got to love on Jamie for a little bit and he made me so baby hungry.

Before we ate lunch, Tyler had all of the kids line up and stand at attention so we could say the prayer, b/c they had been running around and were being wild and crazy.  I think he must have his kids do that at home, b/c look at how well Brooke & Caleb are obeying.  Then there’s Autumn & Shane who aren’t paying attention at all and are in line, but are doing their own thing.  We were laughing at them trying to stand at attention.

The kids had a hard time focusing on eating their lunch, b/c the kitty kept climbing up on their table to try and get some food.  Tyler made some pulled pork sandwiches, which were incredibly tender and tasty.  He said it took 7 hours to marinate them and then grill them and then cook them.  That’s way too long and way too much work if you ask me, but I wasn’t complaining at all b/c they were super good.  We also had chips, fruit, fried potatoes, and drinks.  It was quite the feast, and they always have gourmet food.

While we were eating, Dad came in from his bike ride.  He had gotten up at 3:20 this morning to drive west to go on a bike ride w/ Aunt Sandy & Uncle Robert.  The race started at 7:30 and instead of going on the 49 mile route like he had planned, he said he felt good when he got to that point, so he went on the 60 mile route.  But, he took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up going 76 miles in 5 hours!  The man is a machine!!!  He brought home a map of the course and I had to laugh at how um…well, uh…inappropriate the route looked.  It’s called the Goatneck race, but could be called the Goat-something-else-race instead.  We got a good laugh out of the map and Aunt Sandy took them away right after I took this picture and hid them.  Tee hee hee.

Peyton woke up from his nap and Tyler put these sunglasses from one of the kids on Peyton.  Peyton is so good natured that he just laid there and didn’t try to take the glasses off at all.  This is a good look for him, don’t you think?

Aunt Sandy showed us this cool trick that her kitty does.  She puts the cat in a big Chex box and the cat stays in there for a while and then like a Jack-in-the-box she’ll come popping out.  Aunt Sandy said the cat loves being in the box and fell asleep in there a few days ago.  The kids all loved it and were thoroughly entertained.

After everyone had stuffed themselves with good food, we went in the living room so Tyler & Uncle Robert could open their presents.  It’s their birthday on August 2nd, so that’s why we all got together to celebrate.  They didn’t get to open very many of their own presents, b/c they had lots of little helpers that were more than willing to open presents.  I love and appreciate that we are able to get together so often and I’m thankful that Autumn gets to spend time w/ some of the extended family.  Us Johnsons know how to party!

After all the fun and excitement of presents, it was time for cake and then we decided to head home b/c Dad was exhausted from his bike ride.  Mom drove him & Autumn home in the Cadillac so Dad could sleep and b/c Mom’s car is the one that had the car seat for Autumn.  And Nick & I drove home in the Durango.  We just jammed out to fun music on the radio the whole way home.  We were going to meet up w/ my good friend Jennifer and her daughter’s, but we got home too late and Autumn was NOT a happy camper b/c she hadn’t gotten a long enough nap on the ride home.  Hopefully we can meet up w/ them the next time they pass through Texas.

We got home and just spent the rest of the evening relaxing, especially Dad.  We watched some Mythbusters and History channel…super thrilling (not).  Anyways, it was getting late so I packed up all of our stuff and we gave Papa & Mimi a hug good bye and went to get out in our car.  But I forgot that Mom had come to pick us up and our car was parked at home in our garage!  WHOOPS!  We got a good laugh out of that and Mom got out of bed and got dressed and drove us home, which we were really grateful for.

I wanted to share this recipe of Aunt Sandy’s (b/c I am always looking for good new recipes to share) that she had made for some of the kids at church tomorrow and it looked so good.

Green Rice

3-4 c cooked rice
3-4 celery ribs
1 chopped onion (or several chopped green onions)
1 pkg chopped broccoli, cooked & drained
1 jar cheese whiz
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 chicken breasts, cooked (save broth)
slivered almonds

Sautee onions and celery until soft.
Add rice, chopped chicken, onions & celery, soup, cheese whiz, almonds, and enough broth to make it the consistency you want.
Mix well.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Pour into 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees until warm and bubbly.

Bears & Baseball

This morning before we left for school, I had Autumn make a card for a little girl in her class that was diagnosed with cancer.  Ms. Michelle, Autumn’s teacher, asked that the kids make a card for Nevaya and bring something for her if they wanted, b/c Ms. Michelle is going to go visit Nevaya at the hospital tomorrow.  So, we found this teddy bear and Autumn wanted to give it to Nevaya.

This is the front of the card that Autumn drew.  She told me it was the teddy bear, and I think she did a pretty good job.  You can tell there’s a head w/ ears and a body and she made it squiggly to look like the bear’s fur.  I am proud of her for learning to give and share.  We talked about how Nevaya is sick and having a teddy bear to hug could help her feel better.  Autumn was so excited to give Ms. Michelle her card and teddy bear.  It was a very proud moment for me as a Mama to witness.

Today at work was actually a little stressful, so I went and got a gyro from my favortie gyro guy for lunch today.  I just savor each bite b/c it’s so dang good and makes me so excited to eat at Kebapci’s when I go to Slovenija in October.  KOMAJ CAKAM!

Anyways, I went and got little bug after work and we went over to Mom & Dad’s.  They were at a movie so we just had a bowl of cereal and watched TV until they got home.  Dad said he had a special surprise for Autumn…tickets to the baseball game tonight.  He asked if she wanted to go on a date w/ Papa and she was all excited, especially when he told her there were going to be fireworks after the game.  Mom made Dad a sandwich really quick before they left and Dad got out some Mexican olives to eat w/ his sandwich.  Autumn was so thrilled to see olives and wanted a little bowl of her own.  How many 3 year olds get excited about green olives?  I think they’re gross, but Autumn loves them (that’s what she’s holding in her hand in this picture and why she’s smiling so big).

Once they left, Mom & I tried to figure out what we were going to do since I was a free woman for a few hours.  We were both hungry and Mom had a coupon to this new restaurant in town, so that’s where we went for dinner.  It’s called Bistro Babusan.  It looked very cool and inviting.

Mom got a thai pad bowl w/ pork and I had a grilled pork sandwich w/ Thai fries.  We were NOT impressed w/ the food at all.  First of all, we said we didn’t want anything too spicy and my sandwich had raw jalapeno slices underneath the meat!  I took them off but it was still super spicy from the jalapeno juices that got left on the meat.  Then, the meat was super shady, and if anyone knows me at all, they know I can NOT handle shady meat.  Shady meat is anything that has gristle, fat, or looks questionable.  Even Mom said her meat was shady, and she’s not nearly as picky as I am.

It’s a good thing that we used our $5 off coupon.  The girl that rang us up at the register said it was going to be $19 before the coupon and then after we gave her the coupon she said it was going to be $9???  We told her that was $10 off but the coupon only said $5.  She said, “I know.  I am new and don’t know how to use this computer program to just take $5 off so I’ll just give you $10 off.”  That was a pleasant surprise.

So, the food was not very good and I will never be going back.  But, to leave my restaurant critique on a positive note, it had a really cool vibe and atmosphere.  I LOVED this wall of glass that had different boxes of spices.  That was my favorite part of the whole dinner experience.

After dinner, we stopped by the bank so Mom could deposit some of Nick’s checks into his account.  While we were sitting and waiting I noticed there was a place for an audio jack and I asked Mom what that was for and why anyone would need it.  We both tried to figure it out and said the only reason we could think it would be there would be if someone was blind and couldn’t see the screen and needed to hear what was appearing on the screen.  But then we thought that couldn’t be the reason b/c a blind person would not be driving a car to pull up to an ATM.  Does anyone know why they would have an audio jack on a drive through ATM?

We went into the grocery store to get a few things and to pick up two movies we had rented from Red Box.  We were going to go see a movie while Autumn was hanging out w/ Dad at the baseball game, but there was nothing we wanted to see.  But, we found two movies on Red Box we wanted to rent…Bounty Hunter & Leap Year.  We watched Bounty Hunter first, and it’s the one w/ Gerard Butler & Jennifer Aniston.  It was a pretty cute movie, although I wish Gerard had kept his sexy accent instead of using his American accent.  And, there were a few inappropriate parts.  It’s one that I really enjoyed watching and would probably watch again, but not one that I would buy.

After that movie, we made some pina coladas that Uncle Keith & Aunt Jana had made for Mom while she was in Utah a few weeks ago (they are non-alcoholic).  They were so rich and thick and incredibly good.  It only has 4 ingredients:

• 1 can of frozen Bicardi pina colada mix
• 1/2 of a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple (w/ the juice)
• milk
• ice

You just add as much ice and milk as you want to get it to the consistency you like.

Dad & Autumn got home from the game right as we finished making the pina coladas, which is good b/c this recipe makes a lot and we needed someone to help us drink the pina coladas.  Autumn was so animated in telling me about the game.  She got to take her picture w/ Daisy (the mascot), she got some pink cotton candy, she got to play on the playground they have at the ball park, and she got to see fireworks.  She had a blast and I’m glad she got to go do that.  She was starving and ate all of Mom’s thai pad noodle left overs.

After we finished our pina coladas, we started the second movie we got…Leap Year.  It’s the one w/ Amy Adams where she travels to Dublin to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Year.  It was a really cute movie, but at times it was really hard to understand the main guy b/c of his thick accent.  Definitely a movie that I would watch again and would buy if it was $5 or $10.  By the time the movie was over, it was 12:10 am so we all went to bed.  Autumn had gone into Mom & Dad’s room at the start of the movie to watch “and Beast,” and she had fallen asleep so we just stayed at Mom & Dad’s b/c she was not a happy camper when I woke her up to leave.  It was a fun Friday.

Lime Green Cowgirl & Truffles

Today at work it was painfully slow.  Only about 4 phone calls came in the whole day.  I LOVE looking at blogs, but even that can get old after about 4 hours.  Anyways, I went and got little bug from school and we came home and made some yummy noodles and chicken and peas in a creamy sauce for dinner.  Autumn was such a good helper to stir the food and make sure it didn’t burn.

We went out to check the mail, and she insisted on wearing her pink cowgirl boots (and on the wrong feet no less).  Then she was in a cute and playful mood so I decided to take advantage of it and get some cute pictures of her.

Cute & Happy

Sweet & Thoughtful

Relaxed

My Little Bug

After dinner, we read books for a little while and then I wanted to try out a recipe I found online today.  Autumn was a big “helper” again and assisted me by sticking her fingers in the powdered sugar and licking it off, not to mention eating 1/2 the bowl of coconut.

I found the recipe here, but I only did 2 c powdered sugar and 2 c melted chocolate like some people had suggested in the comments, and they turned out PERFECTLY!  I put them in the fridge for about 45 minutes and then used a small ice cream scoop to shape the truffles and coat them coconut, powdered sugar, and graham cracker crumbs.  They taste DELECTABLE and this is definitely a recipe that I will be making again (especially at Christmas b/c it made so many and they look fancy enough to give away to neighbors as gifts).

Easy Decadent Truffles

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3  2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3  2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  
  In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 1 hour 45 minutes. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Best Visiting Teaching EVER!

Today at work it was nice and slow, but I also got a lot done and one of the leads that I set up on Monday turned into a sale today! WOO HOO! After work/school, we came home and Mom was making this amazing yellow squash casserole that Paula Dean made on the Food Network the other day. I definitely recommend it and you can find it here or see below. We also had this incredible prime rib and mushroom soup that is super rich and thick, so we use it like a beef stroganoff and serve it over egg noodles.

1 Tbs vegetable oil
6 medium yellow squash
1 large Vidalia onion
1 Tbs butter
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 c sour cream
salt & pepper to taste
1 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish (we used a 9x13 pan). Heat oil and sauté diced up squash and onion and butter until squash is soft and tender. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cheeses and sour cream and salt and pepper. Place in dish and sprinkle crushed crackers over the top. Bake for 20 minutes.

After dinner, Autumn & I went over to Karri’s so we could take some peanut butter bars to a new lady we are supposed to visit teach. But, she doesn’t really want visiting teachers so we were just going to drop off the treat w/ the recipe on a 3x5 card and a little thought on the back. We went to her house, but no one was home. We’ll have to try again later. We went back to Karri’s and Autumn saw a bunny in her neighbor’s yard and wanted to go see it. When they got close, the bunny ran away but I thought it was cute of Karri to go over there w/ her.

We all sat and talked for a little bit, had a spiritual thought, and I remember this talk from conference b/c there was one line that really stood out to me and made a big impact.

Never let an eartly circumstance disable you spiritually.

SO POWERUL! Anyways, after our spiritual thought it was time to PAR-TAY! We played Band Hero (which is WAY better than Rock Band in my opinion b/c they actually had songs we knew). Although from the look on my face in this picture, I didn’t know the words very well. I knew the chorus of most of the songs, but not the verses. Oh, well. I still had a blast. Stephanie was rocking it out on the mic w/ me and Blythe was a superstar on the guitar w/ Karri killin’ it on the drums.

Karri is such a fun person to be around and I LOVE being at her house b/c everything is so clean and organized and nice. I want to be like her when I grow up. Plus, her family is awesome and her girls were so cute and kept Autumn entertained while we rocked out.

Craig (Karri’s husband) got home and came to join us on one of the songs b/c I had NO IDEA what the words were but he did. In this picture, he and Stephanie were bustin’ out their dance moves. It was one of the BEST visiting teaching get togethers we’ve ever had. We were sad Rachael couldn’t make it, but it was a great night. I wish all women could have such great visiting teaching groups.