Valentine's Day Sweets

I made a goal recently.  Not the one where I eat green smoothies and loose weight, but a different one, where I learn to make beautiful cupcakes.  It's a plus if they taste good as well.  So I'm here to report that I think I did it! That was a much easier, and more enjoyable goal to attain than some of those others.  The keys were buying some equipment and learning to make buttercream frosting. I always wondered what makes buttercream different from the frosting I usually make.  Turns out, the answer is a lot more butter!
For equipment I first tried a $10 cupcake kit from Target.  It was pretty nice.  It had an easy handle you squeeze and came with a few tips.  Everything was made of plastic, though.  The second time I used it one of the connecting pieces snapped.  I had put something on in the wrong order, but I don't think it should have broken so easily.  So I took that back and bought one at Michaels.  It was $34 but I printed out a half off coupon.  Most of it is metal, except for the connectors, but those are thicker at least.  You push with your thumb on this one.  The only down side is I think your thumb could get pretty tired if the frosting or filling is thick or you have to do a lot of cupcakes!  There are less pieces to put together.  Overall it's a thumbs up!
So it seems the key to buttercream is you have to put your room temperature butter and shortening if you choose (some swear by it, other shun it), and cream cheese if you want it, in the blender and let it whip up for five minutes or so.  Then add your powdered sugar gradually, then vanilla, and whatever else you want.  I think the recipe I first tried was a cup of butter, cup shortening, 5 cups pwd. sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup or so cocoa powder (opt.) I'm excited to try some more variations.
SoI have to share what I made for Katia's Valentine's party at school.  I used a stick of butter, cup of shortening, didn't measure the powdered sugar but used extra and added a few tablespoons of milk to make it go farther, vanilla, and part of a packet of tropical punch Kool-Aid.  I thought it was super yummy, and fun for kids!

Enough

I thought this time I'd post some family pics and New Yearsy thoughts.  I was reading a blog earlier and it said you're supposed to pick a word for the year, that would inspire you to improve something in your life.  The first word that popped into my head, probably because I was thinking about it last night, was "enough." Not my usual "enough" as in "It's a good enough thing," but is what I'm doing enough. Not to be negative, I just feel like it's time to step things up a notch.  Is the attention I'm giving my kids enough?  Am I teaching them (by word AND example) enough?  Am I signing up or offering to volunteer when I can? Am I doing things, spiritually speaking, that I know I'm supposed to do but have let slip?  I hope I keep this word in my head when I'm tempted to be lazy instead of taking opportunities to be what I should be.  And I guess this could extend to, "That's enough ice cream, thank you."  The end.

  

 My favorite kind of mom photo.  How many times have we looked down and seen this?  And I have to admit, it's usually associated with frustration because when they go through this phase, it's not always easy.

Leave it to Savy to ask for a bb gun.  Needless to say she got a pop gun and they all got nerf guns.  She slept with this thing like a teddy bear.

Here are some Christmas and miscellaneous pics, just for fun! I tried to give some of them a retro look, but I'm not sure I fully succeeded.

Family Picture Time!

Whenever I do family pictures, I have new empathy for my clients.  It is hard for parents! My friend Leslie helped us out with these.  Of course we tried to do it when the light was almost gone and it was too cold for the kids.  I think, somehow, we got a couple family pics that I like.  I got a few cute ones of the kids but wish I'd had more time.  I didn't even get to Ellis!

Yummy Cookie Recipe

How about a recipe post today.  My husband makes these amazing cookies for me on a regular basis.  I can't resist them.  Unlike some recipes, they're super tasty the next day too, so they're extra dangerous.  They have some texture to them, so that's kindof nice for a change.  I wouldn't be surprised if he adds extra chocolate for me. * I realized that my man altered this recipe quite a bit, so I made the necessary changes 3/20

Monster Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet choc chips
1 cup m&m's

preheat to 350
cream together butter and sugars until smooth, beat in eggs one at a time then stir in vanilla.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and rolled oats: stir into the sugar mixture.  Mix in chocolate, drop by tbsp. onto baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 11 min., if you like them chewy, take them out before they look done.

Mischief Managed

Just thought I'd post a couple of Halloween picture for fun.  We have a Luna Lovegood, A Zombie, Coraline Jones, and a couple of princesses.  Savy actually wanted to be a plastic bag for Halloween.  I was for it, except for the safety concern of having a plastic bag over her head.  That's all she would settle for, by the way, none of this pulling it down over her head like a shirt. She screamed for at least ten minutes when we tried that. For some reason when Katia explained the dangers of wearing plastic over your head it suddenly made sense to her, that and the embellishment that if you didn't wear a good enough costume people woudn't give you as much candy.  Big sisters know so much more than parents.  At least she values originality.  Honestly I'm sure she would have been fine with the bag, but if nothing else I wasn't going to have other parents looking at me like, "So, us good parents never put plastic over our children's heads." Come to think of it last year she wanted to be a box, but became distracted by a Super Girl costume in the store.  The kids are old enough to do some of the creating now, they did pretty well.  I think we only paid for makeup this year too, so that's awesome.  Also, I had to try some of the sugar skull day of the day makeup.  Very fun, I can totally see photo shoot possibilities.

Also, Dan and I watched Night of the Living Dead, the old black and white one.  Quite shocking, at least it must have been back then.  It was actually pretty cool, except that most of the women were pretty much only good for balling up in a corner or getting other people killed. There was one that was worth something, but it didn't do her much good in the long run.  Well, now I can say I've seen it!  Onto the next holiday! Yay for turkey!

'Tis The Season

Sorry, but Halloween is the holiday I get really excited about.  I love fall; the chilli and cinnamon rolls, pulling out my favorite sweaters and jackets, cider scented candles, turning on the fireplace (I know it's fake but it sure is easy), hot chocolate, the pumpkin patch (even though it doesn't rival our Nebraska patch), costumes, The Nightmare before Christmas, candy, mild, golden days, warm colors, all kinds of wonderful things.  Of course there's a con list. I don't so much love the allergies, and I usually have work overload so I can't fully enjoy it.  This year's a little lighter though, which is kind of nice.  Socks are the bane of my existence and I am forced to pull them out now. Also, the vibrant falling leaves warn us that winter is coming soon, which does not bring me joy.
This year I'm kind of going crazy because I'm so excited to be in our home (even though the drama from building has not yet subsided).  Here are my little Halloween projects.  I'm a little pleased with myself for having enough creepy hardcover books around for my tablescape.  Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" is a really fun read, but don't judge by the first chapter, which is a little more gruesome than fun.  "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy" by Tim Burton was given to me by my sister, and I will  not take responsibility for offense if taken.  My poor little dying plant looks extra appropriate rather than just sad and lame, right? Ellis got into it, she may have even tasted it.  I really like how my banner turned out but looking at the picture makes me realize how sadly bare all my windows are.  I just can't decide what to do with them yet!! I don't know what fabric to use for those dining room doors!  I know the "eat brains" looks stupid but it's all in good fun, right?

the kitty print out is from the graphics fairy
http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/Instructions for the banner are at the house of Smith's.  There's a woman who really goes all out.
http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/

More What to Wear

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was a great article.  If you haven't used that site before, the actual link is by the top right corner of the picture.  The only part I'm not sure about is the "wild card."  Sometimes that looks great, but in a larger group I don't think just one person should stand out.  I would not want to be the person everyone's eyes gravitate toward. I could definitely use a lesson in layering,  I'm kindof a simple girl. But I love these outfits!
http://pinterest.com/pin/261014552/