Donuts for Breakfast!

Zoe was in her cooking groove again.

I'm a little jealous for her love of cooking, baking and now frying.

She started the weekend baking about 10 dozen cookies. Just because she felt like it.

Then she ended the weekend doing something that she's wanted to try since Christmas.

Fry donuts!!!

Part of her Christmas presents this year included: a donut cutter, a donut cookbook and a deep fryer.

I try to encourage the kids passions to the best of my ability. All things food is clearly a passion of hers.

She made everything from scratch. (Which is something I never do . . . box of mix, add oil and egg baker). This girl had a shopping list for me and I bought it all because she asked nicely, and I was excited to taste homemade donuts.

Zoe at work  : )

I have to admit that it made me a lot nervous with her at the deep fryer. The whole boiling oil thing . . . 

So I let her do the first batch, then I became her fry cook.

She was just as happy making all that dough into donut shapes and taking the hot donuts from me and dipping them into her homemade, made from scratch, glaze . . . . yum!

We only tried the first one, to make sure it was cooked all the way through. Zoe, I and Audrey nibbled on one donut hole . . . the rest got sealed in a container to share at breakfast tomorrow morning with daddy.

The girl was a big old mess. Forgot to wear her apron. But she cleaned up after herself pretty well, with a lot of help from mommy  : ) I couldn't believe the amount of flour that covered the kitchen!

As we were picking up there was a commercial for one of the cupcake shows on TLC, the ladies said, "Now we bake 10,000 cupcakes a day." I said, "What a nightmare" at the same time Zoe said, "That's my dream".

Keep on dreaming Zoe, I can't wait until morning  : )

Too Busy to Blog

I know that I've been slacking on my blogs.

Just been too busy . . . here's a little recap.

I spent 10 hours on one of KC's days off going through the mountain of boxes in our bedroom. It's still a mess. I am trying to figure out what stays and what goes. It's obvious that we have too much, and it's slow going. But I am trying to make some progress daily.

I did manage to reduce my shoes from 48 pairs to 26  : ) I was afraid of reducing by too much and then feel the need to go shopping . . . 

KC was a huge help and watched the boys for me the entire day. At dinnertime I introduced him to Pinterest. He made dinner from one of the recipes  :)  He wasn't as interested in appearing in my blog because of it. I did ask him to smile : )

PINTEREST #5: Chicken bundles

We agreed that it didn't really feel like a meal to us . . . good, but more of an appetizer recipe. I suggest jalapenos added!

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Since joining Pinterest, I have felt like I should be buying Ball glass jars. There are so many pins using them. I had stopped myself a couple of times and promised myself that I won't buy them unless I found a project that I was going to use them for.

So I found 3  :)

PINTEREST #6:  Miracle lotion

I have the worst dry skin in the winter. It only improves slightly over the summer. I had all the ingredients expect Vitamin E lotion.

I love it! Noticeable difference already.

PINTEREST #7:  Room Fresheners

I am always paranoid that my house smells like stinky diapers. I am a sucker for the Glade Air Fresheners that can be hidden in every corner.

I thought, why not try and make them.

I already have a bunch of essential oils (from my days when I was going to make soap . . . fail), so all I needed was Gelatin.

Not very impressed by this one. It can only be smelt when shoved under your nose. I may try it one more time and add more oil, I haven't decide yet.

PINTEREST #8:  Body Sugar

I have waxed to go on extended vacations in the past. So this didn't scare me. The hair on my legs grows back so fast, I'm a every day shaver . . . it sucks.

The recipe is so easy to follow and so cheap! I actually had everything needed in my house already.

I have taken care of my lower legs and haven't had to shave them all week! I'm in love with this one.

True, ankles and the back of the leg . . . OUCH! But I think this one might be worth it.

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And here are a couple more Pinterest projects . . .

PINTEREST #9:   French Toast Casserole

Won't do this one again either. It took A LOT longer to bake then the recipe said, and frankly . . . I like regular old French Toast better.

Zoe loved making it, but we'll find something else better.

PINTEREST #10:  Zoe's birthday cake - inspired by the tie dye cakes seen on Pinterest  : )

The Peace sign cake pan is a birthday present. She's excited to make use of it  : )

I almost forgot. PINTEREST #11:  Potato Soup

We love potato soup, so I spent an afternoon making this and then threw it in the slow cooker to simmer for a while. We definitely liked it, but I'll add more to it next time. My mother passed on a different recipe for potato soup, I might give that one a try next, because her and my dad raved over it.

And last, but not least . . . PINTEREST #12: Lip Balm

Just have to say, it's impossible (tried it twice) to completely dissolve the Hawaiian Punch in a sprinkle of water . . . and then you add more water to get it dissolved and it doesn't mix in completely with the Vaseline . . . I may be doing this one wrong, if anyone has some pointers.

We tweaked it and made it work. It is a great balm. Made one for each of us, girls : )

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Add in Cameron's speech classes (which is going great and he is loving)

Cameron's regular preschool started up again today 

Zoe has officially been moved up to 5th grade band  : )

Zoe also started taking a field hockey clinic. (It's the first time she's showed any interest in trying out a sport and KC & I both quickly said "yes!")

Audrey spent 4 out of 5 days of the school week home with a low grade fever. One of the days was beautiful, over 50 degrees! So we had to spend some of it outside for some much needed fresh air.

Zoe's birthday sleepover  : )

A cousin sleepover  : )

And a surprise visit from all 4 grandparents  : )  Didn't get any pics...

A family birthday party  : )

A 3rd grade Music concert  : )  Audrey!

And the biggest change . . . 

To this . . .

And instantly we could see the pride Castiel had for his new bed  : )

Just as easily as we could see Emmitt telling us that we could no longer keep him in.

Night one and two went perfectly . . . too perfectly.

Then night 3, we returned Emmitt to his bed 5 times. And the next morning, when he came into our room with a cookbook in his hand from the kitchen . . .

A baby gate was installed right outside their bedroom door.

For his own good. And our peace of mind  : )

Never a dull moment with a family of 7 and
I wouldn't change it for the world!

A Place to Play

My boys have been playing amongst boxes for a few weeks now.

I designated an area in the basement that would eventually become the playroom and purchased a carpet remnant at Home Depot for a great deal.

This is what our basement looked liked this morning.

A couple of hours later . . . . .

It proved itself worth the effort when the girls got home from school and five minutes later the boys all woke up. I sent them downstairs to check it out . . . and then had to call them up for dinner at 5:30  :)

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After dinner, Zoe had planned to make dessert for tomorrow. She announced that all the ingredients were in the kitchen, so I okayed it without many questions. She wanted to do it all herself, which I love. I love that she's found something she enjoys.

So she's in the kitchen, and I realize she's at the stove melting chocolate, I ask if she needs any help . . "nope". She had 4 mixing bowls with different portions of the recipe, I asked again . . . "nope". Then she's scraping it all together into a pan and asking if a butter knife would work for a "round tipped knife", I asked again if everything was okay, need me . . . "nope".

Then she proudly showed me the pattern she did to create a marble pattern.

That's when I noticed the magazine on the table! GL, a girlie teen magazine, that she received from Aunt Tracy & Uncle Mike for Christmas. Yes, my Zoe found a recipe in it  :)  She is definitely one in a million.

I remember getting teenie bopper magazines at her age, and I can honestly say that I never noticed any recipes in them.

I'll have to let you know how it turned out. It's basically a frozen cheesecake  :)

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One more thing.

This has started happening this week.

It may mean nothing to you, but it adds more stress to my day.

The boys are now drinking from "big boy" cups, which means that the chance of a cup spilling has nearly doubled.

Castiel has proven himself better at the cup. Emmitt still is trying to put his whole mouth in the cup, but we've seen big improvement in the last couple days. First meal I calmly wiped milk off the floor three times . . . but tonight we had zero spills :)

Dealing with so many changes with the twins . . . they are happy to take on the new challenges :)

Nothing Short of a Miracle!

KC is going to be the only one that truly appreciates the miracle.

Woke this morning and started making today's new meal :) I had lots to do, so I picked a slow cooker meal . . . ribs. I have never ever made my family ribs. They have ordered them off a menu and love them but never from my kitchen.

Until today :)

Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs

That's eight pounds of meat . . . I didn't want to be short :) We have enough for lunch tomorrow too! My family gave it 6 and 7 stars (I think they wanted to let me know that I should make it again). I'm just happy when they eat :)

Zoe also made her Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips again.

This is the third time we've made these. Emmitt devours them :)

Today was a two workout day. I decided that I was never going to do them back to back again. So I took advantage of the boys one hour morning nap today. They went down at 10:00, I gave Cam his morning snack and turned on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and started the Legs & Back workout.

Done.

Woke the boys up at 11:15 and let them play in their room for a bit while I picked up the kitchen and made lunch.

Sat the boys down for lunch and the phone rings, caller id said "Centralized Showing" (In my head I'm thinking please be for tomorrow, please be for tomorrow) but of course they want a 3:30-4:30 showing.

I requested a 3:45-4:45 because of the girls coming home from school. Since I didn't make any plans with them I could just leave them.

So I'm cleaning the house . . . and I haven't had a showing for over a week, and I let the house go a bit. "A Bit" is the understatement of the year! My living room had become an eBay store and my family room had become the storage room. This place was project city . . . not show worthy.

Cleaning, stuffing, moving, vacuuming, out to the garage, in the attic, laundry, sweep, mop, pick up toys, toys and more toys. The whole time yelling at myself for letting it get that bad.

I was concerned when I didn't hear back from Centralized Showing to re-confirm the time, so I called them. She said "no news is good news, they didn't cancel it so it's on". So I kept cleaning.

I got it done, still not sure how (again, KC will be the only one the truly appreciate the transformation of our home today).

At 3:20 I woke up Cam and told him to get his shoes and jacket on and made his bed. Emmitt up, jacket on, into the car. Made Emmitt's bed, got Castiel's jacket on, made his bed, opened the curtains and what do I see in front of my house?!?

Two cars pull up, of course, they are early . . . 

Run out of the house with Castiel in my arms and she says "you running a little late?" I just answered "yes, sorry" knowing she never got a call to change times "I need to stay here, my kids aren't home from school, please take your time". Turned "Ice Age" on for the boys in the car . . . not 5 minutes later, they were gone, I was back in the house with the boys and the girls came home from school.

UGH! SO MUCH WORK FOR LESS THEN FIVE MINUTES.

KC's came home early tonight, what's why it was New Meal night.

I have decided that Ab Ripper X will not be happening today. I'm not too disappointed, I still got in an hour workout. Getting the house ready for a showing was my second workout for the day, seriously it was that bad.

With the house this clean again, I just hope that the realtors keep calling all weekend!

The family is playing the Wii and I'm enjoying a pomegranate margarita. I know that it is Friday night, but I think everyone in this house will be going to bed early :)

Zoe's Gotta Go Back To School Before She Makes Me Fat!

Weather hasn't been the nicest for our Spring Break . . . but not horrible either.

The kids have definitely spent their share of time running around outside . . . but not in the 60 degree weather that I had hoped for.

We knew that the weather wasn't going to be ideal, so Zoe's plan was always to cook and bake a lot. And that's exactly what she did.

Julie, she lived in this apron all week . . . seriously!

First, Whoopie Cookies . . . from scratch!

All I helped her with was thinning the batter and pulling the hot pans out of the oven. Other then that . . . I walked away and let her do her thing. She is my little Ms. Independent.

Look at all those ingredients, I found a recipe that used Devil's Food cake mix, but she preferred the list of ingredients, exactly the opposite of how I cook :)

I also told her that she'd be in charge of clean up this time. I have always let her bake and walk away, but she always makes such a HUGE mess. I thought if I gave her the responsibility, somehow she wouldn't make as big of a mess . . . but she did.

She didn't like it, but she did it :)

And if you aren't familiar with Whoopie Pies . . . they are basically giant Oreo cookies . . . but again, my brilliant little 10 year old's mind at work decided there would be twice as many if she made them iced cookies.

She named them "Whoopie Cookies", which she was very proud of and they were delicious!!!

And Zoe continued all week . . . very happily :) Monkey Bread, yummy!!!

Deviled Eggs, that Audrey turned her nose up at, but then realized she loved them :)

This doesn't include pictures of the carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Yes, she made those too :) My favorite!!!

She had more on her list: Fat Bars and Rice Krispie Treats and Apple Pie . . . but I had to say "enough"

Yesterday morning she made a pile of French Toast, seriously, she's so happy in the kitchen. But I think I gained five pounds this week!

So guess what this week has inspired?!?!?!?

P90X TIME!

If I'm not complaining about my entire body aching on Monday evening, I want everyone to yell at me to get my butt moving . . . please . . . I may need some yelling . . . I mean encouragement :)

Also, I have to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the kitchen floor, between Zoe's baking and the Aqua Sand, it needs it.

I better do that before the P90X :) Otherwise, I may not be able to.

Today's their last day off and I have approved handmade ice cream (in the ball . . . gift from Tracy and Mike) and personal sized pizzas . . . each kids gonna make their own for dinner :)

This week has definitely not felt like a vacation to me . . . but it never does with 5 kids :)

Saturday Morning Pancakes

It all started with daddy showing Zoe the correct time to flip a pancake. Watch the bubbles, when they stop, flip.

Now Zoe and Audrey love making pancakes.

Last night Zoe asked to make pancakes for the second Saturday in a row. She asked if she could make them with chocolate chips and if she could just start breakfast when she woke up.

I did request that she wake me when she started, because I didn't want breakfast ready at 5:30 in the morning.

I could really get used to them making breakfast :) Audrey and Zoe cooperated this morning and made the boys and I very happy. I didn't help at all, they did it all. Seriously, not at all. All I did was put the boys in their highchairs and the girls had a plate full of pancakes ready to serve. (Cam didn't help, he just likes getting his pic taken and snuck in)

Emmitt and Castiel weren't too excited about breakfast until they discovered the chocolate, then they both gobbled down 3 pancakes, Cameron had 5 . . . they devoured them, so the girls plan to freeze them and eat them during the week backfired. They were too good to save.

Sitting around the breakfast table I asked "So who has clean up duty?" and both the girls said "Not it!" and smiled at me.

Clean up duty was a fair trade this morning.