Busy Kitchen Days

I’m going to be in the kitchen a lot this week. The weather is cool and perfect for baking.

Today I’ve baked a batch of Yellow Cupcakes and I got to use my belated Anniversary gift to decorate them. James ordered me a Betty Crocker Cake Decorating kit, and I had a fun time trying to decorate the cupcakes. I even got ambitious and made homemade Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. I need a bit more practice, but I don’t think that the boy’s will mind the extra treats. I also baked 3 loaves of bread, one for the fridge, one for the freezer, and a tiny one for my Mom.

Tomorrow the baking continues. I volunteered to help bring breakfast for MOPS on Friday, and I’m planning on making three dozen muffins. I’m bringing three varieties of Oatmeal Muffins for the meeting. I’m thinking about baking regular Oatmeal muffins, Oatmeal Raisin Muffins, and Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins too. Not all of them might make it to the meeting though, we might have to try a few of them out.

I think on Friday I’ll restock the cookies with a batch of No-bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies for the boy’s, and I might even throw a Chocolate Bundt Cake in the oven for the weekend.

Two Spilled Shakes

This has been one of those weeks, and it is only Tuesday. Where to start… On Sunday night my left eye was itchy, and I think I scratched it a little too hard, cause I got this bump. I wore my glasses all day yesterday, and the bump went away, cool I can put my contacts back in on Tuesday. This morning I wake up, and evidently I must have itched my eye in my sleep, because my left eye is completely swollen down to my cheek bone, just lovely. So I’m in my glasses, and it looks like I’ve picked a fight…

Yesterday Dylan had his well baby check up, and it was going great until the Doctor asked if we had checked his lead levels and hemoglobin… We hadn’t and she recommended that we do, thanks again to all of the lead paint in children’s toys, we’re off to the lab. Here is the crappy part it isn’t a finger prick test, you have to have blood drawn from the arm, and Dylan isn’t a fan of needles.

So we wait in the waiting room, and Dylan gets to play with all of the fun toys, and he is all smiles, then his name is called, and into the dark chamber of the lab we go. It takes Mommy and 2 nurses to hold Dylan while his blood is drawn, but thank goodness we made it thought it. Thanks again to Shaunna who was watching Thade, so I didn’t have two freaked out kids in the lab, I owe you big time!

I had already decided that we were going out for Ice Cream after dinner, it had been one of those days. I fed the kids early and we went and picked up Milkshakes and Hot Fudge Sundaes for the family. Both of the kiddos were thrilled, Thade picked out a Chocolate Milkshake and Dylan vanilla. When we got home James took Thade upstairs so they could watch Football and I was downstairs with Dylan cleaning up after dinner.

I had put that last load of laundry in the dryer, when Dylan ran into the utility room holding an empty cup. Hmmm, just where was the Vanilla Shake? I guess Dylan loved his shake so much that he gave it a big hug, and splattered vanilla ice cream all over the living room. I then found little vanilla handprints in the dining room, on my diaper bag, all over the kitchen floor, and stove, and not to mention all over Dylan.

Great, so know there is that big-huge-sticky mess that needs cleaned, and by this time my patience is wearing thin. So I clean it all up, and take Dylan upstairs to get ready for bedtime.

Thade was upstairs still savoring his Chocolate Shake, and I was relaying the vanilla mess to James when Dylan took off running down the hallway and Thade chased after him, and we hear a thud and a blood curdling scream. Great who fell, and is injured I thought?!? So James and I run down the hallway and we see  Thade who is hyperventilating and screaming “my Ice Cream, my Ice Cream!”

Thade had dropped and splattered his chocolate shake all over the hallway and into their bedroom, and he was losing it big time. James grabbed Dylan before he could get into the chocolate mess, and I tried to calm Thade down, as I cleaned up the second mess of the evening. Who knew a chocolate shake could go so far?

James ended up giving Thade his Caramel Malt and that calmed Thade down, I finally got the second mess all cleaned up, and the boys off to bed. I think next time I’ll stick to Ice Cream Cones…

Talking Politics With Thade

O.k., so Nicostuff isn’t a political blog, but I had to share this story, and since it is Election Day, it seemed appropriate…

A few weeks ago Thade and I were watching Nickelodeon and we saw a commercial for Kids Pick the President.  Thade immediately said that’s Barack Obama and that’s John McCain, I was surprised that he even knew who they were, I don’t usually discuss politics with my four year old. Thade also asked the difference between Red States and Blue States, hmmm so how am I going to explain this one…

Nico: Well Red States usually vote Republican, and Blue States usually vote Democrat.

Thade: Oh…

Nico: Barack Obama is a Democrat and John McCain is a Republican.

Thade: So Barack Obama likes Blue States and John McCain likes Red States.

Nico: Well, kinda, I think they both want to like all of the states.

Thade: Wait a second, Barack Obama is a Democrat and John McCain is a Republican right?

Nico: Yep, you got it.

Thade: So if John McCain is a republican, does that mean he is a Republic Star Wars Character?

Nico: Not quite…

Thade: Cause if he was a Star Wars character, that would be awesome!

Happy Election Day Everybody!

October Coupon Savings

Well I didn’t do quite as well as I had in September, but I did have $3.00 in coupon savings for October. That brings my year to date total to $174.04, not too shabby…

How were your coupon savings for October?