How Does My Garden Grow?

lettuce, peas, onions, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, corn,

cantaloupe, strawberries, carrots, watermelon

This picture was taken last week.

Imagine it tons more fluffy

this week

(and why not imagine it less rocky and weed-free, too!)

Nacho Night

5.23.09

Hotel for Dogs

J stepped on B's nacho plate,

3 out of 5 spilled their water,

And all fell asleep except B and I

actually sounds a lot like how FHE goes, too.

Graduation

C had his Preschool Graduation

where we got to see him in action.

When it came time for him to present the map project,

he got up, looked right at his dad, and whispered,

"We made maps"

{C and Miss Shannon}

C has been attending preschool here

for two years, and between B and C,

we have been going here for about 3 years.

We definitely have a soft spot

in our hearts for

Miss Shannon,

and think she does a wonderful

job with her preschool!

The boys LOVE her and have

learned so much!

{Thank You!}

Kindergarten?

Bring it on!

Strawberry Swirl Shortcakes

If today you are celebrating

a lovely picture of my own Red, White, & Blue

{Memorial Day}

Then you will probably

want some of this

{June 09 Family Circle}

Strawberry Swirl Shortcakes

1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced

5 TBSP sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2.5 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup +1 TBSP milk

Cool Whip (I used Lite or Fat Free)

1. Stir Strawberries with 2 TBSP sugar in small bowl and set aside.

2. In another small bowl, combine lemon peel and 3 TBSP sugar, set aside

3. In large bowl, stir together biscuit mix and 2/3 cup milk until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well-floured surface. Roll into an 18x8 inch rectangle. Brush with remaining 1 TBSP of milk, then sprinkle with sugar/lemon mixture. Roll up starting at short end. cut into 8 slices, each about 1 inch thick.

4. Place on baking sheet, reshaping to flatten slightly.

5. Bake 450 for 9-10 minutes

6. When cool, split biscuits in half horizontally. Place the bottom on a plate, and dollop with a spoonful of cool whip, and spoon strawberries on top. Place top of biscuit on top and dollop with a little more cool whip and strawberries.

This version of the recipe will vary from that found in your

June Family Circle Magazine.

These are the ingredients and methods I used.

Soft Caramel Popcorn

This is a very easy recipe

for

soft

caramel popcorn!

Caramel Popcorn

2 bags of microwaved popcorn

( I use "Light Butter")

1 cube Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Karo Syrup

Bring to a little bit of a boil.

For the softest caramel

pull it off, as soon as it gets

to a boil, it will get harder the

longer you boil it.

Pour it over

popped popcorn.

{be sure to get those unpopped seeds out,

nobody likes to lose a tooth on one of those things!}

To make

{popcorn balls}

form with wet hands.

This recipe can be halved for

1 bag of popcorn.

What has C Been up To?

Dad brought home

some old comic books

he had as a kid.

Guess, who couldn't

get enough of them

and when he wasn't

indulging in the funnies,

he made sure to get out

and....

{safety first, of course}

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Choc. Chip Cookies

Why I like these cookies:

I feel sneaky getting some protein,

oatmeal, and

better-for-you fats,

in their bellys.

I feel great getting some

cookie dough and chocolate

in my belly.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Choc. Chip cookies

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter- softened

Cream together and add:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Sift together:

1 1/4 c. flour

about 1/2 cup or so oats

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Gradually mix into peanut butter mixture

and add:

semi-sweet choc. chips

and/or

broken up peanut M&Ms

after putting them on the pan,

smash 'em with the fork tongs a wee bit-

you can go really wild and do the double cross on them!

Bake 375

10-12 min.

BOYS NIGHT OUT

05.07.09

Monsters vs. Aliens

3D

A Second Proposal?

In the car today

C {thoughfully}: "Mom, can one girl marry two boys?"

Mom: "No, only one boy can marry one girl"

C {concerned}: "Oh"

Mom: "Why? Do you know a girl who wants to marry two boys?"

C {sadly}: "Yah..., Dad and I both want to marry you"

Melt my {heart},

Put a smile on my face for the rest of the day,

Crowning moment of Mother's Day.

Mother's Day

My Sweets says that this was Mother's Day Part 1

I guess, due to the fact that he has had to be extremely busy this weekend and the coming week, that he didn't want me to feel jipped and said that Mother's Day would be continued next Saturday, too.

And, so you know me-

I just roll with the punches,

and I didn't try to talk him out of whatever he may have planned for next weekend, too-

Didn't want to protest and ruin any plans.

I'm real pleasant that way.

However, Part 1 has been wonderful all ready.

I got to go

to C's preschool presentation for Mother's Day,
where he had made a book mark for me, and he had answered cute questions about me

and then he sang to me.
Speaking of answering questions about MOM,

B answered some questions at school about
me, too, and between B & C,

I learned a lot about me, that I didn't know, like:

My mom is {19} inches tall

My mom weighs {99} lbs. (bless this child!)

My mom likes to wear {rockstar shirts}

My mom likes to eat {broccoli casserole}

My moms favorite place to eat is {Subway}

For fun, my mom {goes to the temple}

Ahhh, how do they come up with these things?,

So precious!

I also LOVE....

it when it warms up and I can finally get my planter boxes and containers

on my front patio full of cheery flowers.

And this year, I also sowed some Sunflowers to border my veggie garden.

Getting those things done were Holiday to me.

So I didn't bother to post any pictures about me looking all groggy-eyed during breakfast in bed- just imagine it.

But of course, after church, I wanted a picture of me and my handsome boys,

and it turned out to be almost too much for some people to bear.

so, after several shots that went something like this

I finally got one of semi-smiles

and sunshine

and patience

and tenderness

and calm

and goodness

and peace

and butterflies

and sunsets

and trophies

and chocolate cake

and EVERYTHING else that

the other picture DOESN'T show.

Which, by the way-

screaming,

crying,

and frustration

NEVER

happen at our house,

Only on Mother's Day.

And to close the day, I spent the evening

watching a movie and munching popcorn,

and having my babies curled

up to me.

It was a good one.

And since my Sweets is already off on his crazy week,

I guess I'll say good-night.

Thanks Babe.