Lily Bug is 2

Lily Pad recently turned 2.

She had arrived at the terrible two's long ago.

I just can't wait till the terrible three's.

Yes, that was dripping with sarcasm.

Since her birthday was in the middle of the week and we were quite busy, I threw a strawberry cake together and slapped on some cream cheese frosting that I had in the freezer.

She didn't care that the cake looked like a five year old had made it.

Besides, it still tasted yummy.

Here she is staring at her candles in wonder.

We said "blow out the candles Lily!"

She heard, "go ahead and lick the cake Lily!"

We bought her a new baby stroller and it came in a large box.

It was bigger than she was.

For some reason, the sight of her little toes peeking out from underneath the box really cracked me up.

The sad state of our leather couch is not as funny.

We call this one "Deer in the headlights"

Finally, sweet success...

Happy Birthday Lily Bug!

Blond Brownies

As I've mentioned before...

Blond brownies are good.

I will whip up a double batch and send extras with my kids to share.

The teenage boys especially love these.

So much that yesterday I was presented with a poem.

An ode to Blond Brownies written by a 15 year old boy who is in the twins English class.


Blond Brownies

My love for blond brownies is as strong as
The triple bonds in a molecule
I don't know how I survived in the past
For their taste, I would face ridicule.

Those amazing brownies give me the chills
And I don't think straight, they give me shivers
Without their presence, I'd have to take pills
I would risk my life for just a sliver.

Baked fresh, I could eat an entire pan
Every crumb would completely disappear
Nothing could stop me, but that kids mom's van
I would eat it all without any fear.

No forces can stop what is meant to be
All I want is a blond brownie for me.


That totally cracked me up.

No one has ever written my food a poem before.

I am going to share the recipe with you...

because they are that good.

Blond Brownies with Brown Sugar Frosting

1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter (do not use margarine), softened
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugars, butter, vanilla and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread in ungreased rectangular pan, 13 x 9 inches.

Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.

Frost with Brown Sugar Frosting. Immediately sprinkle with pecans.

Enjoy! These are a gut buster but oh so good!

Brown Sugar Frosting

1/3 c. butter (do not use margarine)
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
3 T. milk
2 c. powered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in milk; cook until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in powered sugar and vanilla, mixing well with spoon after each addition, until smooth and spreadable. If necessary, add more milk, a few drops at a time.

Frost brownies immediately as this stuff sets up right away.

Enjoy!

Happy April Fool's Day

I thought about doing a joke on everyone but that took me back to an April Fool's day long ago.

I was working at a jewelry store and the manager was a major jokester. He was a total hoot to work with and often he would make me laugh so hard I would cry.

I had only been married a few months when April Fool's Day rolled around. The office manager, Kristy and I thought it would be funny to tell the manager that I was pregnant.

I did and he was so excited. With tears in his eyes, he whipped out his wallet and showed me pictures of his kiddos. I felt ( ) this big when I had to tell him it was just a joke. I'm still feeling sheepish thinking back to that day.

A couple of months later, I got the flu and missed one too many birth control pills. Imagine my surprise when I found out I was preggo...with twins.

The joke was really on me.

So, no jokes about being pregnant here.

Because, it would be just my luck, that an act of divine intervention would cause this twice sterilized chickadee to get knocked up.

Thanks, but no thanks.

They really aren't cheaper by the dozen.

Promise.

Happy April Fool's Day!

"New" Lights

At one point these outside brass lights beckoned to us.

They seduced us with their beautiful shininess.

They should have come with warning labels.

We should have been informed that they would instantly loose their shine.

That bugs would be drawn to their beautiful luminance.

That it wouldn't take long for them to look dingy.

So, we decided to do something about that.

We took them down and were horrified and completely grossed out by the "bug debris".

Not yummy.

I have two sanders.

No, not the electric ones.

Mine are food operated kind.

Their names are Michael and Timothy.

They sanded each brassy part.

The pieces were all primed.

And then painted a beautiful oil rubbed bronze.

Now, when they are dirty, you won't be able to tell as fast.

At least, that is the plan.

I don't care if they are actually clean.

Just as long as they look that way.

And yes, that is siding.

On our house.

I know, I'm shocked too.

And so are the neighbors.

But don't pinch yourself just yet.

That is only a tiny bit of the house.

The rest is still naked.

Gulp

See all these empty dishes...

This is only about a third of my dishes.

The other stacks look just like these.

Empty.

What happened?

The black hole that is my family's appetite happened, that's what.

Sigh...



Guess I know what I need to get busy doing again...

Old Lamp Turned Into Porch Decor

It all started with an idea.

I was hoping that it was a good one.

I bought some old brass lamps from GW for cheap.

Here is the smallest of the lot.

The runt.

And holy crap, my french doors are covered with crayon graffiti and fingerprints.

Toddlers...

I knew that I would need something for the top so I picked up some drapery ends at Lowe's.

There were 2 in a pack and they were on clearance for $8.

I dismantled the lamp and threw the guts away.

I had picked up some Plaster of Paris to use as a weight.

I turned the base upside down and filled it up partway and then left it to dry overnight.

Because I was gluing metal parts together and they are nonporous, I needed a special kind of glue.

JB Weld is available in the automotive department of Walmart and costs less then $5.

Both tubes come in the package.

You mix together equal parts from both tubes and then spread the mixture on the surfaces that you want glued together.

It is some sticky stuff.

I glued all the parts back together and the drapery finial on top.

I left it to dry overnight.

The next day, I roughed it up with a bit o' sandpaper.

I then primed it with the cheap spray primer from Walmart.

I wanted it to look like it was made out of rock so I bought a can of American Accents Stone Spray paint.

There are other brands that are cheaper but they don't produce as chunky of paint as American Accents.

I used the Granite color but there are several other colors too.

I gave it a couple of different coats, several hours apart and then let it dry overnight.

Here is the finished product.

I have several other lamps, of various shapes and sizes that I'm working on.

Hopefully when I'm all done, my porch will actually look cute.

Until my toddlers are let loose outside, that is...

Lots of parties to link too-check them out for lots of inspiration!

The Bestest Pumpkin Muffin Recipe Ever

My recipe makes 24 muffins but you can cut it in half in case you are not feeding a small army like moi.

Although they do freeze really well, so maybe you'll want to make a whole batch? I made eight batches of these the other day and after they had cooled, I put them in baggies and then out in the freezer.

I just went out and looked in the freezer and they are all gone...

Sigh...


4 c. whole wheat flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

4 t. ground cinnamon

2 t. ground ginger

1 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, either dark or light

6 T. unsulphered molasses

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

4 large eggs

2 cups canned pumpkin

2 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat (2) 12 muffin pans with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, applesauce and 2 eggs until combined. Add the other eggs and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pans. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen then and then place them on a wire rack to cool.

**I never use buttermilk but instead add 1 T. lemon juice to 1 1/2 c. non-fat milk OR I use coconut milk if I have any**

**Also great use of your frozen squash puree from the garden, I just substitute that for the canned pumpkin**

Enjoy! We all love these, with the exception of Matthew. But he is almost 6, which explains it all.