Monday, March 30, 2009
Jason is Old(er)!
A very big "Happy Birthday" to Jason, who turned 36 yesterday! It was a busy day, but we had a lot of fun. After driving back from Conway, picking Barrett up, grabbing a cake from Coldstone (yummy!), killing a little time at the mall, picking Autumn up from another birthday party and unloading the car (whew!), we headed to Dixie Cafe for a birthday dinner with the fam. After dinner, we reconvened at home to try out the cake, which was exactly as delicious as you are imagining. Here are a few pictures from the festivities!
Oh, and a little side note... When Cold Stone says "Allow 10 minutes for cake to thaw before serving," what they actually mean is "If you only allow 10 minutes for cake to thaw before serving, it will still be solid as a rock, break one of your gigantic knives, and require your soon-to-be brother-in-law to saw it open with an even more gigantic knife and a lot of elbow grease." Observe:
But it sure was good once we got into it! : )
Jason also got some rather... "interesting" gifts!
It's a good thing some restrictions apply on the favor Jamie gave him! ; ) Happy birthday, babe! I hope it was fantastic!
Birthday Card
Friday, March 27, 2009
Bedtime Photoshoot
After getting to try out lots of cool new lights at the JVS lighting workshop, we picked out a few of our favorites to order. We just got some of them in, so I grabbed the kids on their way to bed the other night to have them help me try them out, just for fun! I told the kids to do whatever they wanted in the pictures, and then Barrett decided he wanted to try the new light out too, so he took a couple of me.
I guess in some families it might be odd to do a random photoshoot at 9 p.m. of everyone jumping around in their PJ's. Here it somehow seemed like just another evening! : )
I guess in some families it might be odd to do a random photoshoot at 9 p.m. of everyone jumping around in their PJ's. Here it somehow seemed like just another evening! : )
Kori's Special Picture
Here is a special picture that I found and took all on my own, with no suggestions or assistance whatsoever. I did not, as some have implied, overhear Jason saying that there were really cool clouds outside and then immediately jump up from my chair, camera in hand, and block his access to the window in order to beat him at taking pictures of the cool sky he found, and then proceed to download it to my computer and Photoshop it in a Jason-esque style and then claim it as my own only to bother him.
...Or did I? ; )
...Or did I? ; )
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Spaghetti Sunday!
We had another lovely family dinner on Sunday... This time homemade spaghetti was on the menu! While I didn't have quite enough energy to worry about making the noodles myself, I did feel adventurous enough to try made-from-scratch spaghetti sauce! I bypassed the more standard-looking recipe in my indispensable Better Homes & Gardens checkerboard cookbook and went for the "Best Loved" version! It said that the recipe had been a staple in the book since 1953, so I figured it was worth a shot!
I made a few changes, which resulted in a delicious sauce that made enough for about 12 people! Literally. Oh, well. Leftovers are good!
Here is the recipe, including my changes.
Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 large package of fresh sliced mushrooms
1.5 tsp. (3 cloves) minced garlic
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp. salt
1 "family size" 26 oz. can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 "family size" 26 oz. can of condensed tomato soup
3 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
2 boxes whole-wheat rotini
cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella and/or cottage cheese for topping (we really like cheese!)
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and add onions, mushrooms, garlic, celery and salt. Saute until vegetables are tender and golden. Add meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is fully cooked. Transfer mixture to a massive cooking pot. Add mushroom soup, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir well. Bring to a boil and cover, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. Then taste it and add salt and/or extra of the other seasonings until it tastes just the way you want! Meanwhile, cook your rotini so it will be ready about the same time as the sauce. Top it all with cheese (preferably LOTS of cheese), and you have a delicious dinner! Great served with a salad and garlic bread.
It really did make enough for about 12 people, so either make it when you have a crowd coming or reduce the ingredients accordingly! Or, just do like we did and enjoy lots of leftovers! : ) It was very delicious, even heated up later, so I highly recommend it!
For dessert, the kids helped me make lemon poppyseed muffins!
We used this Betty Crocker mix, substituting this cholesterol-free egg substitute for the eggs, and they turned out great! The icing on top was especially delicious.
Barrett thought the muffins were the best thing that had ever happened to him. He ate both of his, and then said, "Mama, wouldn't it be cool if the whole world was made of muffins, and there were muffin trees and muffin sky?" Somehow they even got around to wishing there were muffin pants. They were apparently quite a hit! : )
After dinner, Jamie and Joe helped clean up (thanks guys!) and then we headed outside to let the kids play and to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather.
Sunday is quickly becoming my very favorite day of the week! Thanks for another great evening, guys!
I made a few changes, which resulted in a delicious sauce that made enough for about 12 people! Literally. Oh, well. Leftovers are good!
Here is the recipe, including my changes.
Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 large package of fresh sliced mushrooms
1.5 tsp. (3 cloves) minced garlic
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp. salt
1 "family size" 26 oz. can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 "family size" 26 oz. can of condensed tomato soup
3 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
2 boxes whole-wheat rotini
cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella and/or cottage cheese for topping (we really like cheese!)
In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and add onions, mushrooms, garlic, celery and salt. Saute until vegetables are tender and golden. Add meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is fully cooked. Transfer mixture to a massive cooking pot. Add mushroom soup, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir well. Bring to a boil and cover, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. Then taste it and add salt and/or extra of the other seasonings until it tastes just the way you want! Meanwhile, cook your rotini so it will be ready about the same time as the sauce. Top it all with cheese (preferably LOTS of cheese), and you have a delicious dinner! Great served with a salad and garlic bread.
It really did make enough for about 12 people, so either make it when you have a crowd coming or reduce the ingredients accordingly! Or, just do like we did and enjoy lots of leftovers! : ) It was very delicious, even heated up later, so I highly recommend it!
For dessert, the kids helped me make lemon poppyseed muffins!
We used this Betty Crocker mix, substituting this cholesterol-free egg substitute for the eggs, and they turned out great! The icing on top was especially delicious.
Barrett thought the muffins were the best thing that had ever happened to him. He ate both of his, and then said, "Mama, wouldn't it be cool if the whole world was made of muffins, and there were muffin trees and muffin sky?" Somehow they even got around to wishing there were muffin pants. They were apparently quite a hit! : )
After dinner, Jamie and Joe helped clean up (thanks guys!) and then we headed outside to let the kids play and to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather.
Sunday is quickly becoming my very favorite day of the week! Thanks for another great evening, guys!
Trixie on the Table
Trixie knows she isn't supposed to be on the table. She just doesn't seem to care is the problem...
Friday, March 20, 2009
Norah's Big Day!
Our precious little Norah had quite a day today! After receiving the go-ahead from our pediatrician, she got to try out her first solid food. Rice cereal... Yum! : ) She wasn't sure what she thought about it at first, but she seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Then, to top it off, when we laid her down in her crib for her afternoon nap, she rolled over! We are incredibly thankful that she is growing and progressing so well. Way to go, Norah!
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