Hard Boiled Eggs turned Poached Eggs

Apparently it's been awhile since I've boiled an egg.  I tried to boil the water first, then place the egg in oh so slowly so as not to burn myself or splash the scalding water only to have the egg crack and turn into poached eggs instead.  Oh yes - now I remember - you are suppose to place the eggs in the water BEFORE you boil it!

Cookie Cups!!

For anyone who stinks at making cookies like myself - here's a little twist that works like a charm!

Cookie Cups

Take your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe or follow the one below:

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda (do not substitute with baking powder - trust me - it doesn't work)
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup M&Ms

Cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, baking soda and salt.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually add flour until well blended.  Fold in chocolate chips and M&Ms.  Line mini-muffin pan with paper cups.  Scoop approximately 3/4 a teaspoon of the mixture into each cup.  Bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let cool and enjoy!!  Makes approximately 5 1/2 dozen cookie cups.

Interesting Statistics from American Baby January 2010 Issue

51% of people prefer a perfect night's sleep to great sex

85% of moms say parenting is their hardest job

40% of moms are their family's primary breadwinner

about 50% of Americans make New Year's Resolutions

about 75% of them keep resolutions for the first week

as many as 46% keep their resolutions for the first six months

$119 is what a family with kids spends on groceries weekly

only 50% of kids say one word + mama & dada by their first birthday

about 50% of kids walk by 12 months & most walk by 18 mons of age

Muffins by Mom

Ingredients
- 1 package of Betty Crocker Triple Berry Muffin Mix (just add water)
- 1 1/2 Bananas
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon Honey

Directions:
Mix ingredients together until smooth - spoon out into muffin cups (about 2/3 way full) - makes about 8 muffins
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes - let cool 2 minutes then remove from pan to prevent overbaking
Let cool additional 10 minutes before enjoying!

My girls eat these up like they are going out of style!!

Sweet Apple Pie - Take 3 - Best one yet!

SWEET APPLE PIE - TAKE 3 – 11/15/09


APPLE PIE FILLING

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 ½ cups apples, peeled, cored, cut into 16ths (about 8 small apples)

• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp sugar

• ½ cup brown sugar

Directions

Grease pie pan (I used stoneware). In a medium heated skillet add the butter then add the apples. Cook for about 2 to 5 minutes then add the cinnamon, brown sugar, and sugar. Swirl the apples around to make sure they all get coated. (Start mixture for Topping below). Cook another 5 minutes until apples are soft and caramelize. Pour apple pie filling into pie pan.

TOPPING

Ingredients

• ¾ cups melted butter

• 1 cup flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• ½ tsp cinnamon

Directions

Mix ingredients above. Pour topping over apple pie filling in pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes until crust turned light brown. Serve warm with Vanilla Ice Cream and Enjoy!!

NOTES: Best one yet!! Whole family likes and stays together well.

Sweet Apple Pie TAKE 2

BASE PIE CRUST – TAKE 2 – 11/04/09


Ingredients

• 1 9” Mrs. Smith’s Deep Dish Pie Shell

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove frozen pie crust from package – let thaw 15 minutes. Thoroughly prick bottom and side of crust with fork to reduce shrinkage and bubbling. Place pie crust in empty pie pan same size as pie crust. Place on baking sheet and bake on middle rack for 12 minutes at 375 degrees F. Cool completely while preparing the apple pie filling and top pie crust. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F.

APPLE PIE FILLING

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4 cups apples, peeled, cored, cut into 16ths (about 4-6 apples)

• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• ½ cup brown sugar

Directions

In a medium heated skillet add the butter then add the apples. Cook for about 2 to 5 minutes then add the cinnamon, brown sugar and orange juice. Swirl the apples around to make sure they all get coated. (Start mixture for Top Pie Crust below). Cook another 5 minutes until apples are soft and caramelize. Pour apple pie filling into cooled pie crust.

TOP PIE CRUST

Ingredients

• ½ cups melted butter

• ¾ cup flour

• ¾ cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Mix ingredients above. Pour top pie crust batter over apple pie filling in pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes until crust turned tan. Serve warm with Vanilla Ice Cream and Enjoy!!

NOTES: Too cakey/thick – use less flour & cinnamon in Top Pie Crust next time? Try eliminating Base Pie Crust?

Sweet Apple Pie - Take 1

BASE PIE CRUST
Ingredients
1 9” Mrs. Smith’s Deep Dish Pie Shell
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove frozen pie crust from package – let thaw 15 minutes. Thoroughly prick bottom and side of crust with fork to reduce shrinkage and bubbling (I totally forgot to do this until after I bake the pie crust initially - I pricked with a fork then and it seemed to work just fine). Place pie crust in empty pie pan same size as pie crust. Place on baking sheet and bake on top rack for 12 minutes at 375 degrees F. Cool completely while preparing the apple pie filling and top pie crust. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F.

APPLE PIE FILLING
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ½ cups apples, peeled, cored, cut into 16ths (about 6 apples)
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange, juiced
Directions
In a medium heated skillet add the butter then add the apples. Cook for about 2 to 5 minutes then add the cinnamon, brown sugar and orange juice. Swirl the apples around to make sure they all get coated. (Start mixture for Top Pie Crust below). Cook another 5 minutes until apples are soft and caramelize. Pour apple pie filling into cooled pie crust.

TOP PIE CRUST
Ingredients
¾ cups melted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Directions
Mix ingredients above. Pour top pie crust batter over apple pie filling in pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes until crust turned tan. Serve warm with Vanilla Ice Cream and Enjoy!!

RESULTS: Messy - but tasty! Try less liquid in pie filling for take too and cut ingredients by 1/4 for Top Pie Crust. Maybe add Cinnamon for taste? Stay tuned for Take 2...

Double Duty Cleaning Action

Double Duty Cleaning Action by using OxyClean Versatile Powder Stain Remover

If you have young kids - or just kids of any kind - I'm sure there are several items of clothing with stubborn stains that are a pain to try to get out. Try this:

• separate clothes into same color batches - whites, lights, darks
• fill your sink with water (warm for white/lights, cold for darks - enough to cover the clothes added)
• add 1-2 scoops of OxyClean Versatile Powder Stain Remover
• add a batch of clothes
• let soak for several hours or overnight
• wring clothes out and add to washer as normal

Bonus - You get a sparkling clean sink in the end too!!

Save Money - downgrade your cable bill!!

I saved $70 per month by doing the following:

About a year ago, we entered into a bundle deal for phone, internet and cable (with all of the movie channels, 2 boxes with DVR) for about $195 per month. Next month, this package was due to go up $20 to $215 per month. I called my provider to see how I could downgrade my package without loosing what we valued and used the most - phone, internet, basic cable with the children's channels. There was a bundle for $140 per month (for 12 months) that included all of that. We also decided that we really did not need the 2nd cable box with DVR and that saved us another $15 per month. Our provider also said as we have been loyal customers for 6 plus years, they would include the 1 box with DVR for free for 12 months.

Now my monthly bill is $145 per month - a $70 savings from the $215 per month is was going to be. In the end, all of the extra movie channels and such were really a waste that we were not even using. I would rather read a book in my little but spare time vs. watching TV anyways.

Hope this helps some of you out there looking for ways to save some money too!!

Get Money for your Old Bridesmaid/Wedding Dresses!

Hi all!

I found this great online dress consignment shop - kellibridal.com. There are 2 options:

Direct Buy - If you ship them your old bridesmaid dresses (that if they are anything like mine they are collecting dust in the closet) they will send you a check for $20.00 a dress!! I sent them 2 of mine and got a check for $40.00 within a few weeks. You have to email them a picture of the dress first to be sure they can take it.

Consignment option - They will try to sell your dress for the price you want to sell it at and take a percentage of the gross sale (I did not choose to do this option so I'm not positive on the details).

Either way - I thought this was a great website to pass along to everyone.

Enjoy!

http://www.kellibridal.com/DressPurchases/DressPurchases.htm

Cool Toothbrush for Kids

Need help getting your little ones to brush their teeth? Check out "Dr. Fresh Firefly Blinking Children's Toothbrush". I originally bought this as a 2 pack in Target for like $2.00 (one for the Toddler, one for the Infant who has 2 teeth as well). I got it because I thought it was a good price. When I got home and opened the package, the toothbrushes started to blink (hence the name "firefly"). My toddler was very interested in this. To get her to brush her teeth longer and (hopefully) better - I told her she had to keep brushing her teeth until the light stopped blinking (it lasts about a minute). I wanted to pass this tip along to all of you parents who might be having a hard time trying to get your kids to brush their teeth. Good luck and happy smiles!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just want to wish all of you wonderful mother's out there a very Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy the day - relax - take time to enjoy being with your family.
And now a poem about "real mothers" I found while searching the web that caught my interest. Enjoy!

Real Mothers
Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.
Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.
Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.
Real Mothers know that dried playdough doesn't come out of shag carpet.
Real Mothers sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "because I love you best."
Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade. . .It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mother.
- Author Unknown.

Sunshine Day!!

The sun has finally made it's way to our part of the country! It's warm and comfortable to take a walk, go to the park, feed the ducks, go fishing, you name it - it's a great day to do it! So get outside with the kids today! Even just for a little while! We've already went for a walk to the library (which didn't last long because the toddler didn't want to sit still today for story hour - I don't blame her - it's too nice outside to be inside!). Took a walk around town. Rode bikes and colored with sidewalk chalk. I'm thinking blowing bubbles will be a good one for after nap time too! And tomorrow - here we come to the pond to get our toes in the sand and water and feed the ducks and fish!!

Inspirational Quotes - to get us through this crappy rainy day

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will. ~Jawaharal Nehru

The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. ~Elbert Hubbard

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. ~William Feather

As I grow to understand life less and less,I learn to love it more and more. ~Jules Renard

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. ~William Arthur Ward

Cool Flowers for Mother's Day

I originally found this in one of the parenting magazines (cannot remember which one right now) but I thought it was a cool art & craft for Mother's Day. Daddy & Toddler (mostly Daddy) ended up finishing them but they still came out great! Basically, you cut 1 inch strips of construction paper, take a 3 hole punch to make 3 holes in each strip, thread a pipe cleaner through a button then thread 4-5 of each of the construction paper strips (folded over so the holes line up) through each pipe cleaner until you have a full head of a flower. Ta-da! There you have it! We used old Gerber Puffs and other containers around the house for vases - covered them with wrapping paper and stickers to pretty them up.

My Latest Favorite Salada Teadom Quote

Time spent in getting even would be better spent in getting ahead.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) is a national holiday in Mexico to celebrate the victory of the Battle of Puebla won in 1862 against the French. They celebrate with food (burritos, roasted corn, tacos, fajitas, etc.), lively music for all ages, lots of dancing and lots of colorful attire. Help your kids celebrate Cinco de Mayo - even if it just means eating a Mexican dinner (like tacos) and making fun crafts (see http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/cinco-de-mayo/index.html for ideas).

A Good Day - UPDATE

This is how a good day turns into a not so good day...

Dog poops on the rug after having chased and attacked the vacuum
Clean rug - try to keep girls away from wet rug - while trying to start dinner
Last minute change of childcare for following day (nobodies fault - these things happen) but it makes for crazy last minute changes to plan and drop off/pick up which then makes for a very cranky husband (because he hates change of any kind and gets anxiety over it)
Screaming girls while trying to get them dressed into their pj's for bedtime
An hour of a half of studying...

And now - bedtime.

Procrastinating...

Procrastination - to put off till another day or time; defer; delay. Yup - that's what I'm doing. I really should be studying for part 3 of 3 of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Certification - but alas - I am on facebook, my email, blogging...even thinking of finishing the laundry - anything to avoid going back to studying. But that means that I'll have to do it tonight - once both girls are in bed - and I'm exhausted - and will therefore probably not retain much of what I read so I guess that means I should probably do it now - while both girls are napping - and the dogs are (thankfully) quiet. Ah well...it will pay off in the end.

A Good Day

Both kids slept until 6:45 - Mom got to sleep in!!
Breakfast, baths/shower, laundry, dishes, beds, vacuuming done by 10:30am - no whining or fighting yet!!
Out the door for a nice walk through town (as little as it is) - still going strong!
Lunch, cleanup, more laundry, both girls down for naps by 1pm - time to relax!