I baked and baked yesterday, and got about half way through my baking list. Both of the boys were happy with their Rice Krispies Treats Spoons, and the other tasty treats too. Today I’ll be baking the rest of the cookies, and spending the day in the kitchen.
I’ve been working extra on getting both of my boy’s on the same nighttime schedule. Dinner by 6:00 p.m., heading upstairs at 7:00 p.m. for baths, and everybody off to bed at 8:30 p.m. I use the extra time in the evenings to water the garden, clean up the kitchen, and occasionally sew. I usually clock out by 11:00 p.m.
The routine seems to be working well, but there is just one little problem. Most days they are up before 7:00 a.m., today they were both up before 6:45 a.m. It is now 8:45 a.m. and Dylan is already whining for a nap. Thade gave up naps when Dylan arrived, so he is pretty grumpy by dinner time. I’m hoping it is just a phase, but I had better start getting up earlier just in case.
Do you have any suggestions to help these early risers sleep in just a little bit?
Yesterday we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner. I asked if I could bring a dessert, and she said sure. I had a few new recipes that I wanted to try out. I’m trying to phase cake mixes and pre-made icing out of my pantry. I want to learn how to make both of these items from scratch.
I picked out a recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes and Vanilla Frosting to bring for dessert. I got out the stand mixer and attempted the frosting first.
This frosting was so fun to make. I softened the butter just a bit, and I let the frosting whip for a good 15-20 minutes. The result was a beautiful, light, fluffy frosting, that even Thade approved of! It was a little more expensive than the pre-made, but well worth it.
Feeling pretty good about the frosting, I was moving on to the cupcakes. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about tackling the batter. I’ve always used a cake mix, but I had everything in my pantry to make them from scratch. I did have a back-up recipe planned, just in cast the cupcakes failed miserably.
I did alter the recipe just a bit… I omitted the 2 extra (whole) eggs, and added in extra vanilla. The cupcakes were so soft and whoa baby they were tasty. They were sweet even without the frosting. Cake mixes might just make an exit from the pantry as long as I can find a tasty recipe for Chocolate Cake and Yellow cake too…
I let the cupcakes cool, and while Dylan was taking a nap, I thought it would be fun for Thade and I to Frost the cupcakes together. I also thought it would be cool to dye the icing a few pastel colors. Thade picked Green, Blue, Pink, and Purple.
I had envisioned a plan of Thade helping out with Frosting the cupcakes, but once he realized that he could sample one of the cupcakes, he grabbed his cupcake, and left Mommy to decorate. He did sit still long enough to finish off the Frosting in the bowl.
I decorated the cupcakes with sprinkles… Who could resist a cupcake with sprinkles? My favorite was the pink frosted cupcake with chocolate sprinkles.
I took two plates of cupcakes to my friend’s house, and we were all treated to four delicious homemade pizzas for dinner, too tasty! My friend makes a super tasty veggie pizza that was topped with fresh basil from her organic garden, super yum. The kiddos tore into the cupcakes after dinner, and the from scratch recipe was a success! I’ll be baking these again, and working on a tasty chocolate frosting too.
I heard the alarm sound at 6:45 a.m., and already I had a feeling of dread, and a major headache to boot. I had plenty of rest, so there was no real reason that I should have an evil headache, and then I remembered that I had made my shopping list yesterday… That means another trip to the “grocery store” (insert scary voice) was on the agenda for today.
A year ago a trip to the store was no big deal, I saved locally, and I was a happy shopper. I could even drive out of town and shop a few other places to find even better deals. Now that gas is sitting steady at $4.00, a trip out of town to go and shop is no longer a good deal, and saving locally is a thing of the past .
My last 3-4 trips to our local Supercenter haven’t been very pleasant. Customer Service is a distant memory, and waiting in line for 10-15 minutes has become a mainstay. I even dread the drive across town, every stop light means more gas wasted, and pulling into the parking lot gives me a panic attack. I’m already grumpy, and I haven’t even seen a price yet.
Lately I’ve noticed price increases from $.50 on up to $2.00 an item! It is ridiculous, and frustrating. I spend an extra 15-30 minutes a trip comparing item to item, ounce to ounce, just trying to save a little. Occasionally I give up on picking up an item, because it has gone up so much, and it just isn’t worth it.
Last week I was out stocking up for the Fourth of July BBQ, and I had finally made it to check out with one overflowing cart, and two grumpy kids. I was fifth in line behind 4 other people with overflowing carts, and grumpy kids too, and there were only 3 lanes open, 2 of them were 20 items or less lines. A few people in line were getting mad, and asking why there were so few lines open, and then the overly chatty (and mean lady) greeter came over and said, “there wouldn’t be a problem with the lines if everyone didn’t come in on the same day”. Suddenly spending as much as we were on groceries made me even more mad, even though we were there shopping and over paying, our business wasn’t appreciated.
So here I am today dreading another trip to the store, and dreading another round of price increases, already grumpy and I haven’t even left the house. I’m hopeful that today will be a better trip, but realistically thinking that it is going to be a big bummer like the last one.
So share a story with me either good or bad about your recent trip to the grocery store. Feel free to vent too…
Yesterday was by far one of the best Fourth of July parties that we have ever had! It was filled with big hugs, fireworks, family, and new friends too. It was also filled with tasty food, sunburns, and too many bug bites from playing outdoors all day.
The weather cooperated and James put on a fantastic Fireworks display at nighttime. Thade and Dylan loved watching the fireworks, and Thade even held a sparkler or two. I think his favorites were the Snakes and Snap ‘n’ Pops… The classics are always the best.
I had a fun time cooking in the kitchen, and getting a little break to pitch some Horseshoes in the back yard. After dinner and before the fireworks we all gathered around the table to play Apples to Apples. It has become a favorite family game, and we play it at just about every get together. My face still hurts today from giggling at everybody’s answers!
We all had a fun day, and I can’t wait for the next holiday! A big thanks to everyone for driving to us yesterday, and thanks again for making the Fourth of July so much fun!