We had ourselves a merry little Christmas

Christmas 2010 has come and gone.

We everyone came to our house for dinner and presents

Now I'm looking forward to the new year and the frest start that comes with it.

I hope that you all have been enjoying a relaxing holiday with family and friends :0)

Kickin' Off the Holidays

Saturday night we hosted our annual Christmas Bash. This is our 7th year and I think it was the best yet. We had 50 folks show up to kick off the holidays and it was such a blast. Akiko and I had been planning the menu for months and I had spent the week leading up shopping, prepping and cooking. When all was said and done our spread looked pretty good. We got a lot of compliments on it and the courses of yummy sounds throughout the night was music to our ears.

Just because we worked so hard and it turned out so well, I wanted to share a picture of it. It was tons of work, but soooo worth it.

Menu

Sushi (made by Akiko and Joji's mom)

Beef Satay

Luau Chicken

Tequila Shrimp

Deviled Eggs

Baked Artichoke Dip

Spinach Dip

Smoked Salmon (smoked by my dad)

Goat Cheese on Spiced Mango

Stuffed Jalapenos

Veggies and Dip

Cheese and Fruit Platter

Humus

Sausage Balls

Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches

Caprese on a Stick

Melon Wrapped Prosciutto

Chocolate Fountain with Poundcake, Fruit, Marshmallows, Pretzels & Rice Crispy Treats

It's about time...

Way back I mentioned I wanted to paint my cabinets white.

I had icky orangey oak cabinets and I was not a fan.

I painted one to see if I would like it and I did.

Now with the Christmas Party looming, I had to get it done.

Very exciting... more pics soon.

:0)

Thank a Vet

Here is a picture of my two favorite Vets. My dad and his best friend Ken. It was taking at Fort Lewis, WA when I was about a year old (that's me in the pink coat)

My dad was supposed to go to Viet Nam, but he didn't. I'm glad because so many never came back. Shrapnel in the Heart is a collection of letters and essays left at the Viet Nam War Memorial. You will definitely need a box of Kleenex or two, but it is an amazing, heartbreaking reminder of the true cost of war and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Home of the free because of the brave

Soup's On

Last night I had the DND boys over (well, at least two of them) and I decided to try Italian Stracciatella with Mini Meatballs, Tortellini and Baby Spinach. I've recently discovered the Bitchen Kitchen and this was from Nadia's last episode. I wish I would of had the time to make the stock myself, but I used the "fancy boxed stuff" from costco and it seemed to work just fine (although I think the homemade stuff would have a deeper flavor, but that is just me) I would also bump up the amount of stock to 8 cups (with only 6 C, the "stuff" to liquid ratio was a bit off)

Anyhoo, this soup could not be any more simple and with a little prep (make the meatballs ahead of time and throw them in the freezer) could totally become a "go to" from the pantry meal. With the fall weather now upon us (in W. WA that mean, rain, rain and more rain) a nice bowl of soup can really hit the spot. I served it up with some good old roasted garlic bread for costco (aka crack) and it made a nice filling but not to heavy meal.

Enjoy

You had me at cream cheese frosting

So it is already October.
Geesh, where has the time gone?
Both kids are back into the swing of school. Me not so much. I did a lot of testing last month which was nice in the fact that it got me up and out, but there are just some days I feel like hunkering down and staying at home. Today was a GORGEOUS day in the PNW. We are in the midst of a fabulous Indian Summer and it just felt like a baking kind of day. I decided to try the pumpkin cupcakes I saw at Cozy.Cottage.Cute. Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I'm not a big pumpkin lover, but I am a sucker for cream cheese frosting. I whipped up a batch and they were given the thumbs up from my official tasting crew.
Since the kitchenaid was already out and I had left over frosting and brown bananas I decided to make some banana cupcakes as well. I searched the web and found this recipe at Vintage Victuals. I followed the recipe exactly, but when I tasted the batter it seemed to be missing something. I decided to make half that batch as is and the other half adding a t of vanilla. The cupcakes with the vanilla won our taste test, but the "unvanilla" ones had more of a banana flavor. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for.
Happy Baking
:0)

Move over Zucchini Bread...

Every year my parents grow zucchini. They always have and probably always will. One summer when I was little they made ratatouille EVERY night for dinner. Needless to say, I'm not a big zucchini fan. I make tons of zucchini bread during the summer in my attempt to help my folks use up their harvest of mutant zucchinis. Ben loves it and I don't mind a slice or two (especially when it is slathered with butter)

Anyway, last night the DND guys were over and one of them brought a mutant zucchini from his brother's garden. He had given my dad some IT advice (shocking, right?) and so to thank him I told him I would turn that 5 lb zucchini into many loaves of bread. When he showed up he handed me a recipe his mom had given him. She said it was really good and that he should try it. Zucchini Cobbler.

Yeah, it sounded AWFUL. I tried to polite and not gag at the thought of a savory cobbler, but he told me to try it and I did. By the time it was done, it was past my bedtime, so I set it to cool and went to bed. This morning there was some left and Joj told me to try some. Yeah, no thanks. He said it tasted just like apples. Taking a small bit that was mostly crumb topping I tried it. He was right. It was actually good. You would NEVER know it wasn't apples.

The recipe originally came from Taste of Home.

Zucchini Cobbler

This is my Surprise Dessert! No one ever guesses that the "secret ingredient" is zucchini. Everyone says it tastes like apples. This cobbler is a great dessert to make for a potluck supper or to serve a crowd. It's been requested time and again in my house, and I'm always happy to make it. -Joanne Fazio, Carbondale, Pennsylvania.


16 - 20 Servings Prep: 35 min. Bake: 35
Ingredients
8 cups chopped seeded peeled zucchini (about 3 pounds)
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crust
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups cold butter, cubed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, cook and stir zucchini and lemon juice for 15-20 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; simmer 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat; set aside.
For crust, combine the flour and sugar in a bowl; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumb. Stir 1.2 cup into zucchini mixture. Press half of remaining crust mixture into a greased 15-in. x 10 in. baking pan. Spread zucchini over top; crumble remaining crust mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Yield: 16-20 servings.

Welcome Back

So today was the first day of school. Ben was off to 6th grade at Meeker MS and Sam was back at Browns Pt. for second grade. I wish our summer had been longer. The two weeks of sunshine just didn't hack it for a "summer" this year. Oh well.

We had our annual "BooHoo ~ WooHoo Breakfast" today. I really enjoy this tradition. We had a few teary moms and dads and I was so glad they had a place to go for some comfort and support. Only one kiddo had to be pried out of mama's arms. It was plain to see it was just as stressful for the mom as the little girl. However, I popped into the classroom not but 5 minutes later and the little girl was happy as a clam. When I told the mom her little girl was doing great, you could just see the tension leave her body. Her little one was going to be okay and so was she.

I'm a big believer in the "village" approach to raising kids. As moms we have all been in a place where all you need is someone to say, "it's okay, you are going to be fine" and the great thing is that they are right.

Happy first day of school to all the moms out there!!

:0)

How I spent the last day of Summer Vacation

So today is the last day of "summer" here the PNW. It is raining and about 50. That pretty much sums up this summer or really the lack of it this year.

So school starts tomorrow and I am in charge of a little thing called the BooHoo ~ WooHoo Breakfast. It is basically coffee and baked goods set out for the Kindergarten parents so they have a place to go once their kids are officially delivered to the classrooms. I wish I had something like this when I was teaching. A sobbing mom in the hall makes it a bit tough to teach.

Anyway, I will be spending the majority of the day baking. On the menu:

Paula Dean's Poundcake

Pecan Coffeecake

white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

ginersnaps

snickerdoodles

fruit platter

My friend is making a ton of quick breads to round out the spread.

I may make more. It is tough to tell until it is all made. I just want to make sure there is more than enough. Last year, in addition to the breakfast I was also in charge of (meaning I was a committee of one) the teachers luncheon that day. Yikes.

So I'm off to the store and then an afternoon spent in an apron up to my elbow in flour.

Fun, fun, fun,

:0)

I've got the blues

So on my quest for that perfect blue I came across this photo.

It is from Cynthia's Cottage Design and I just LOVE it. (Speaking of love, her blog makes me wish I could just crawl through my computer and live in her house, especially her kitchen) She has so much talent for pulling the cutest stuff together and I like that she is also a fan of the color blue. Anyway, I zipped her an email asking her what color she used on the island and she wrote me back saying it was Yarmouth Blue. I'm hitting the Home Depot tomorrow to pick up a little test pot and I can't wait to see how it looks. Isn't blogland great? So many talented women who are willing to help a girl out.
Thanks Cyndie!!
:0)

Stumped

So I have started painting my kitchen cabinets. Well, I have painted one. I wanted to start small so I wouldn't get overwhelmed. It was pretty painless and I think the other cabinets will go just as smoothly. However, the thought of painting my lower cabinets white is making me nervous. I've been looking at pics of kitchens where the lower cabinets are painted a darker. I think I'm liking this look. I would love to find a nice chambray blue color, but I'm undecided. do I really want a red, white and blue kitchen??? If anyone out there has a good light blue PLEASE share.

Hope everyone is enjoying these last few days of summer. School starts Thursday and I swear this has been the fastest summer ever!! I think the lack of sunshine in the good Pacific Northwest didn't help. Oh well :0)

The Seven Year Itch

This week marks the 7th anniversary of being in our house (wow, time flies) and with that I'm getting the itch to make some changes. When we bought the house there was no color on the walls. It didn't even look like paint really more like primer. Anyway, we painted most of the rooms within the first few months and I was really happy with how everything looked. Now...

The kitchen is the place I seem to spend most of my time. I like my little kitchen a lot. When we moved in I wanted a yellow kitchen, but after 3 different shades of yellow, I gave up and went with red. Bold? Yes. A huge pain to paint? Yes, but I loved it. Loved...

After looking at my red kitchen for the past 6 years, I've decided that the major problem is my funky orange colored oak cabinets. I have NEVER been a fan of oak and these are just plain ugly. So now, I think I've about had it and I'm ready to FINALLY try and paint them. We are planning a kitchen redo down the road so I figure if they are truly horrible, I won't be stuck with them forever. Now the only question is "which white is right?" Hmmm...

I zipped an email to Melanie over at My Sweet Savanah because she has amazing taste and seems to know how to pull off the whole white thing. She recommended Roadster White by RL and I'm going to give it a try. She said it is more of a cream, which I think would work better for me than a true white. I'm hoping it will be a little forgiving in the cleaning department. The last thing I need is for every fingerprint and splatter to show. So anyway, the plan is to hit the Home Depot today and pick up a qt. and see how it looks. I have a couple of things I can paint to see how it looks against the red before I totally commit. Kind of scary, but kind of exciting as well.

:0)

Banana Cream Tart

Well, it is official. It is summer and we had better weather in January. So that means not a lot of outside time and that means more baking.
My friend Jim (aka Big Daddy) had a birthday on Saturday and I whipped up this tart for him. I have made him a couple of pies, but the last one didn't set up so I was a little nervous. After doing a little digging I found a new recipe on Martha's site and decided to give it a try. I tweaked it a little bit and it turned out great.
Instead of using a graham cracker or regular pie crust I had some left over dough from a tart I made a couple of weeks ago. Being lazy I used that and was pleasantly surprised how nicely it baked up and tasted. Overall a pretty easy dish to whip up.
Enjoy :0)

Banana Cream Tart
For the crust ~ this makes enough for two 10" tarts

• 1/4 C heavy cream
• 1 large egg, plus one yolk
• 1/2 vanilla
• 2 1/3 C flour
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 3/4 C butter chilled and cut up

Mix the cream, eggs and vanilla. set aside
In a food processor pulse flour, sugar, b. powder and butter until it looks coarse meal
Slowly add the cream mixture until the dough comes together
Divide dough into 2 disks and chill (or freeze up to 3 months)
Using one of the disks, press into a 10" tart pan and bake for 10-15 min. at 400 degrees
Cool completely before filling

For the filling ~ you will have about a C left over, no worries, it makes a nice snack

• 5 large yolks
• 1/2 C sugar
• 3 T cornstarch
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 1/2 C whole milk
• 2 t banana extract
• 1/2 t vanilla
• 4 T butter cut up
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/2 C lemon line type soda (use to keep the bananas from browning)

Whisk together yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch. set aside

Bring milt to milk to just boiling. Temper eggs and add to milk

Mix over medium heat until thickened.

Remove from heat and add butter one T at a time and vanilla and banana extracts.

Slice bananas and line tart crust. Pour filling over bananas and chill for at least 2 hours.

Garnish with whipped cream and banana slices

Liquid Sunshine

The Pacific Northwest has been especially rainy the past few days. As usual, our holiday weekend was spent hunkered down inside. Wouldn't have been so bad except we were 9 in a cabin built for 4. Good times.

I don't know if this spring has been any wetter than other springs, but with summer just around the corner, these week long rain storms just seem kind of cruel. I finally got my garden going, but it has been dumping buckets, so I haven't been able to work out there. I guess the good news is that I don't have to worry about watering.

If you have any spare sunshine in your neck of the woods, please feel free to send some our way.

:0)

Apple Pie 2.0

I make a lot of pies. However, fruit pies intimidate me. I hate a runny pie and that seems to be challenge with fruit pies.
The other day Rue posted a recipe for "the best apple pie ever". I figured I would give it a try and I have to say it is pretty good.
My first attempt at this pie proved to be a bit challenging. My crust wasn't co-operating and I forgot a couple of ingreds in the filling, but at that point I put it in the oven anyway. Despite the forgotten ingreds it was pretty good. I decided to try again and this time I made sure I followed the recipe exactly.
I sent with Joj to DND and the boys devoured it. You know they liked it when I woke up to an email from one of the wives asking for the recipe because her husband "won't shut up about it".
So if you too are on the lookout for a home run of an apple pie, look no further.
Enjoy
:0)

Best Ever Apple Pie (from Country Living w/ a couple of tweaks by me)
1 recipe for a double crust pie
6-8 granny smith apples peeled and sliced
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C dk brown sugar
2 T flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
2 T butter cubed
1/4 C whipping cream
1 T raw sugar

combine the apples, sugars, flour, salt and spices

pour into the crust, dot with butter and pour whipping cream over the top

top with second crust, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar

cut vents and bake at 375 for about an hour

Best Chocolate Buttercream

Tonight I made chocolate cake. I found a recipe I wanted to try, but then went a little Sandra Lee and used a box mix. I did however make the chocolate buttercream frosting that was listed with the cake recipe.

Oh my. It was delish.

I've made chocolate buttercreams before, but this one is a KEEPER. It whips up nice and light and it makes a ton. I frosted a Devils Food cake with it and it was definitely "got milk". So if you need a good chocolate buttercream, I highly recommend giving this a try.

Enjoy

Rich Chocolate Buttercream

2 oz baking chocolate

2 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

1 C butter

4 C powdered sugar

2 t vanilla

1/4 C coco

1/4 C milk

Melt chocolates and set aside.

Cream butter, coco, half of the sugar

Add melted chocolate, vanilla, milk, remaining sugar

mix until fluffy

makes 3 3/4 cups of frosting

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

As chair of the PTA Hospitality Committee, it is my job to put together food for the different events. Today our school had an author visit and they needed a light lunch for 8. No biggie, whipped together a Chicken Caesar Salad and some costco roasted garlic bread (aka crack ~ I was very proud of the fact that I was able not bust into that bread and sample, for quality assurance, of course) Anyway, I needed a dessert and I wanted something light and I decided to go with Lemon Meringue Cupcakes.

These little gems could not be easier and you probably have everything on hand. Besides tasting good they have that great "wow" factor. Everyone ooohed and aahhhed when I brought them in.

So if you are looking for a light lemony treat, I highly recommend them.

Enjoy

:0)

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

Any white cake mix will do, just follow the instructions, but add the zest of a large lemon. After they have cooled, cut a small well in the top.

For the filling:

3/4 C sugar

3 T Cornstarch

1 C water

1/6 C lemon juice (I just filled my 1/3 C measuring cup half way full)

2 yolks

1 t lemon extract

1 t vinegar

1 T butter

Mix together sugar and cornstarch, add water and mix well.

Mix yolks and lemon juice, add to sugar mixture

Cook over low heat until thick and no longer "milky" looking

Remove from heat, add lemon extract, vinegar and butter, mix thoroughly

Scoop by the T onto cupcakes

For the meringue:

3 egg whites

6 T sugar

1 t vanilla

Whisk whites until foamy.

Add sugar and whisk until soft peaks.

Add vanilla and continue to whisk until stiff peaks, but not dry

Pipe onto filled cupcakes and brown under broiler (keep an eye on them, they brown quickly)

Winner, winner ~ Chicken Dinner

I like to cook.
I also believe that there are some things you should know how to make. One of those things is fried chicken. Its seems like this is just one of those "basics" that no one makes any more.
I'm always a little intimidated by fried foods. I'm not a fan of the huge mess it makes and let's face it, there are healthier methods of cooking. However, I like to cook homey food and this seems to fit the bill. My dad and I did a google search for those "11 herbs and spices" and while we found them, I was out of a few of them. Oh well. I'm super happy with how it turned out. I just need to get a good thermometer to keep an eye on my oil temp, but I'm looking forward to trying this again.
:0)

Interior Windows

When we bought our house, one of the things we loved was how the previous owners "bumped out" the back of our house. In doing so, the master bedroom doubled in size. However, instead of making it one large room, it is two small rooms with a doorway where the window was.

Anyway, the "bumped out" part of the room faces east and gets the best light. Unfortunately, the original bedroom space is now windowless and stays pretty dark.


Last June I was at a Funky Junk Sisters' show and found a pair of salvaged windows. I know immediately where I wanted to put them.

With the promise of some baked goods, Joj and Jim installed the windows on each side of the opening. I LOVE them. They let in light and really connect the two spaces.



:0)

I'm linking up to A Soft Place to Land's DYI Day

Sweet Sammie

Yesterday was Sammie's 7th birthday. Hard to believe. She is growing up so fast. Last night after all the presents were opened my brother made the comment on how "grown up" her presents were. No stuffed animals this year. Instead she got a CD player, a new sleeping bag, a bikini, lip gloss and a little cash. She was thrilled and capped off the night with tons of butter cream frosting.

Pantry Chalkboard

A while back I painted my pantry doors with chalkboard paint and I LOVE them!! Seriously, this was a pretty quick and easy project and we use it ALL the time. It usually has that running list of things we need to get and from time to time a little artwork courtesy of the the kiddos.

I'm linking this to the Nester. So bop on over and check out some other great ideas.
Thanks for stopping by
:0)

I have a little pro-yect

Valentine's Day is this weekend. Have I done a bunch of decorating for it? Not really. However, I was bopping around blogland and I found an old post and it kind of got my creative juices flowing. Kim over at the Daisy Cottage asked her readers to send her a heart to put in a big bowl she had. At first I thought it was kind of odd, but she showed some of the hearts she made and it got me thinking. First, how cute are these little hearts and second, how easy would this project be?
I have horrible crafting ADD. I can probably count on one hand the number of projects I have actually completed. The upside, however, is a stash of fabric and supplies on hand and ready to go when some hair brain idea hits. It was after midnight when I pulled out my sewing machine and some of my favorite fabric. I didn't have any "stuffing" so I wadded up paper napkins (no one will know right?) The project just took a few minutes and while it wasn't perfect ~ I liked it.
Inspired, I went to Joann's the next day to pick up some more fabric (I didn't have any good reds in my stash) and while I was there I stumbled across the burlap isle. Chris over at Just a Girl is a big fan of burlap. She uses it all over her house. I'll admit I was skeptical, but when I saw a bolt and picked it up, inspiration struck. It was soft and just had that nice neutral quality. Finally I "got it". So I picked some up along with a couple of other fun fabrics. I have the house to myself tonight and I plan on doing a little Valentine sewing. Nothing fancy, but it will be fun.

Can't sleep, organize a closet

The house I grew up in had your standard under the stairs closet. It was your basic catch all mess. It was nicknamed "the tomb" because my dad said he felt like Howard Carter digging through Tut's tomb whenever he had to go in there. We also have a tomb. When we moved in I figured it was the perfect place to house all my extra dishes. The problem was that it was also the access to under the house so whenever we needed to get under the house I had to completely empty the closet. Kind of a pain. Recently Joj and I were talking about having new insulation put in under the house, so that meant I would be needing to empty the closet. Joy.So the other night I couldn't sleep and I figured now is just a good as any to empty my closet. Here is what it looked like when I started.

What you don't see are the dishes I used at Christmas which are still in the dining room. Part of the storage challenge is that everything fits if you stack it just right. While Jenga is a fun game, playing it with my dishes, not so much.

When we redid my pantry, I kept the white shelves. They had been hanging out in the garage slowly collecting items on their unused shelves. Not wanting to play Jenga with my Thanksgiving dishes I just put them out in the garage on one of the shelves. That is when I got and idea. Since the pates fit so nicely, why not re-use them in the tomb. So that is what I did. They are shallow enough to clear the trap door, but the numerous shelves make it so that everything has a home. I've always wanted a butler's pantry and now I have one :0)

National Pie Day

Today is National Pie Day, so bust out those aprons and rolling pins.

Ben has requested Pumpkin Pie to celebrate. (This is a pick of some Black Bottom Pecan Pie I made a while ago)

It is another gray wet day in Browns Pt. so it is the perfect day to bake.

Happy Baking Everyone!!

:0)

Will Work for Food

I am very blessed to be surrounded by talented boys who like to work for food. Most "honeydo" lists are written for the hubbies. Not mine. Anyone willing to toil on my random projects will be paid in spades with any kind of baked good their little hearts desire. So far this system has worked out very well.

I recently had a friend help Joj hang my new headboard and install some old windows (pics coming as soon as I finish painting them) and as a thank you I whipped up some banana bread. I have paid him in the past with Banana Cream Pie, but I didn't have everything on hand, so he got banana bread instead. Now I am NOT a fan of banana bread. I will politely eat a piece if offered, but it is not my fave, so finding a good recipe relies on the feedback of others. I recently found a recipe at http://www.allrecipes.com/ and tweaked it a bit and I think I have come up with a winner. The folks who have tasted it, give it very high marks and I must say the batter is pretty tasty. I have made 3 loaves in the past 2 days. It bakes up nice and fluffy and I hear it goes great with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

So the next time you need to bake up a thank you, consider a loaf of this super easy and very yummy banana bread.

:0)


Big Daddy's Banana Bread

1/2 C soften butter

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 med or 2 large bananas mashed (I like my bananas not completely brown)

1 tsp baking soda

2 C flour

Cream the butter and sugar

Add eggs and vanilla

Add mashed bananas and mix until well combined

Add flour and soda and mix until just combined

Pour into a greased loaf pan (I use the wrapper from the butter ~ it works great)

Bake for 50-60 min at 350. I usually check at 50 with the toothpick test

Let cool for 10 mins, remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Thumbprints

I bake a lot of cookies. I like cookies because they are easy. They offer up a lot of "wow" for very little work. I have to admit, that I feel very "June Cleaver" when I whip up a batch of cookies. I especially like when I have everything I need in the pantry.
Today I made Peanut Butter Thumbprints (They are also sometimes called Peanut Butter Blossoms) Sooo easy. Sooo yummy. The best part is it only has 4 ingredients and these are about as "beginner" as they come, perfect for cooking with the kiddos.

Peanut Butter Thumbprints
1 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 C Bisquick
3/4 C Peanut Butter (I've used both chunky and smooth)
36 chocolate "melties"

Mix the first 3 ingredients until well blended.
Use a T scoop and roll ball in white sugar (this is optional)
Place on a cookie sheet and bake 10 min @ 350 degrees.
As soon as you have taken them out of the oven, press the meltie into the cookie. It will flatten the cookie, it is supposed to do that.
Let them cool and enjoy them with a nice glass of cold milk.

If you don't have chocolate melties, you can use Hershey kisses or even melted chocolate chips (just use the back of a spoon to flatten the cookie) Enjoy!!

MLK

When I was teaching, one of my favorite units to teach was on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Even though most of it went over the heads of my Kinders (the thought of kids going to different schools based on what color there skin was simply didn't compute to them ~ a testiment to the work he did) it never failed to amaze me at how much he changed our country. There was a poll a few years ago about who the greatest American was. Dr. Marthin Luther King Jr. would have gotten my vote. In a time of termoil and conflict, we could all use a little refresher course in his teachings. As most of us enjoy the day off, take a little time to reflect on the great man being honored today.

Mrs. Wishy Washy

I have been without a washer for the past two weeks. It has been awful, although it could have been worse (at least it broke AFTER I had done my washing for the week) Thankfully my mom lives around the corner so I could take loads over there to do, but still it was a kind of a drag. However, now all is right with the world and my washer is up and running. As I type I am listening to the sweet sound of wishy, washy, wishy washy. Joj has taken the kids to his mom's for dinner and now I'm left to catch up on all the laundry, but I have to say I'm kind of looking forward to the house smelling like Downy again.
Happy Humpday
:0)

Entre Nous

Have you stopped by the Nester today? She is having a giveaway, that is very fun. She is partnering with Danielson Design for a custom designed sign. There are a ton of different styles to choose from and the best part you get to design it yourself. Here is the one I would get if I win.



When we were in HS, Joj wrote me a "love letter". He basically printed (on his dot matrix printer) the lyrics to the Rush tune Entre Nous. Oh, so very Joj.
So bop on over to the Nesting Place and have fun creating your own sign.
:0)

J'dore My Door

I'm back. I enjoyed my time of lameness, but now I'm hoping to get back on track with this blogging thing. We'll see how it goes :0)

For the longest time I have wanted a new headboard. The one we had didn't fit the bed frame so it was just kind of leaned up against the wall and even the slightest movement would result in a loud bang (not very restful) So I began my search for a new headboard. I wasn't sure if I wanted a wooden one, or a metal one, a fancy on or a plain one. I did know that I wanted a cheap one.

I finally realized that what I really wanted was a headboard made out of an old door. You see them everywhere and I love how simple they are. I made my way up to the Re-Store in Ballard and found EXACTLY what I was looking for. Seriously, how often does that happen? I wanted a five panel door that wasn't too wide. Boom, there it was (if I didn't know better I would have sworn it was back lit and I could hear angels singing) Best part, 20 bucks and she was mine.

Here is what she looked like in her "before" stage. I probably could have done more to her, but I'm lazy. I just hit it with a palm sander and slapped a couple coats of paint.

Once she was all painted Joj and Jim attached a french cleat to the back (I am now an official fan of french cleats, those babies are great) and hung it on my wall.
I LOVE it.

It has that clean line cottage feel to it and it is very "me"
It was definitely 20 bucks well spent.
I'm linking this up to A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day

:0)