Instead of Make It Yourself Monday

We'd like to introduce you to the newest measure of the family:

Meet Oliver! He's 4 months old and was left in a box outside the vet's office. He needed a loving home and we needed another cat!


A match made in heaven. He's spending a lot of time hiding under the brown chair.


Sam fell asleep while he waited for Oliver to come out.


Oliver finally came out (when Superman had me tip the brown chair on its front so he could nab him).


Then he went to hide under the couch in the next room. Sigh...

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day!

Tough Life

Sam I Am misses his kitty friends, but, as you can see, he's just rolling with it all.

Friday Photo Flashback

Okay, it is Friday Photo Flashback and I'm away on our last camping trip of the season, enjoying some unseasonable hot weather as I kick back at the river. That doesn't mean I'm not going to jump in and join the fun, however. When you're done walking down Memory Lane with me, head on over to Alicia's at More Than Words and see what everyone else dug up. (Sorry I can't put in a link, but I did this post ahead of time...http://minyards7.blogspot.com will get you to More Than Words and I'm certain you can get to the Friday Photo Flashback posts from there!)

As for me, I bent the rules a bit and came up with a digital photo. This is from five years ago and I just couldn't believe how much my children have changed in the past five years. I went from having a little girl and two boys-who-were-still-kids to having a young adult, a teenager, and one who lets me know she's not little any more. Sigh...I miss those days...sometimes I think I blinked and missed a few years. When did this all happen?

Anyway, this picture was taken at Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. The kids had never been and Charming headed off with some bigger kids to do "real roller coasters" while Buttercup and Valiant were in the kiddie section with me. This shot was taken where we met up for a little bit. Can you tell they'd just been on a water ride?

So, you think you have OCD?

I can' eat M & Ms unless I make a pattern out of them first. This is what I did when we were playing Five Crowns.




Not enough? Look at the truth of the picture. I made two patterns because I couldn't deal with leftovers!



Seriously...some kind of order must happen before I can eat them. How weird is that?

Work In Progress Wednesday

It is Work In Progress Wednesday, that not-quite-regular time where I share the things we've been working on in the Nagle household.


This week, I want to share with you the progress we made on Buttercup's under-deck club house. The swing is painted and back up and the cushion was covered before we headed off for our camping trip.


I still need to find my old white curtains to make it more cozy, as well as making a cushion for the other chair (which you can't see), but I think it is heading in the right direction. What do you think? Not bad for some scrap wood, oops paint and a clearance rack shower curtain!

Why, Yes, That is a Hamster in My Trailer

or "Why the Nagles Camp With a Hamster"

At the beginning of the summer, on the eve of our first camping trip of the season, I mentioned to you all that we camp with our hamster, Biscuit. Yes, you read that correctly, we take our hamster camping with us every single time. Many of you inquired, when you were done laughing, why on earth we'd take our hamster camping and I promised I'd tell you the story. I've decided that this, our last camping trip of the season, is the perfect time to tell you why we camp with our hamster(s).

Two and a half years ago, we took the children to an indoor waterpark for a little winter vacation. We were going to be gone two nights and barely three days. Buttercup begged and begged, "Oh, please Mommy, can't we bring Nibbles and Winnie with us?" "No, Buttercup, they'll be fine while we're gone." "But, Mommy, what about the cats?" she wailed. I responded with a mini-lecture on how the cats have never bothered the hamsters and there was no reason for that to change during this trip. [You can see where this is going, can't you?] So, we headed off for our mini-vacation and left Nibbles and Winnie behind.

After a fun trip, we headed back home. Buttercup ran upstairs to her room, eager to see Nibbles. Instead of Nibbles, however, she saw a massacre of hamster bedding and hamster cage parts all over her room! It was horrible. Apparently, Jane, our shelter adoptee, didn't know the rules about leaving the hamsters alone, even when the people were gone. Fortunately, there were no blood spatters or hamster parts anywhere. We quickly searched for the missing hamster, wanting to be certain that the adults were the one to find it (assuming, of course, that it was deceased). We couldn't find it anywhere. She was inconsolable.

Now, what you might not know about me is that I am seriously in tune to the noises my home makes and, for whatever reason, I've managed to find every single hamster that has ever "escaped" its cage. Without a body, I was beginning to suspect that Nibbles had outwitted that bad Jane. I sent everyone out of the house and let the house settle down. Then I listened and listened some more. Finally, my listening led me to the back corner of MY closet, where that wily Nibbles had stashed so much food she would have been fine for weeks. Apparently, she'd been heading back and forth between our room and Buttercup's room the entire time we were gone, dodging cats the entire time. Needless to say, Buttercup was thrilled we found Nibbles intact and went on to live a long hamster life.

Unfortunately, my credibility was shot. The next time we headed out of town and I tried to say, "they'll be fine", she looked and me and told me that I'd said that the last time and look what happened. Nibbles wasn't fine. Even though we were tent camping, we had two hamster cages! "You can't leave Winnie behind! She'll be sad."

Now that we're down to one hamster, Biscuit comes with us. Buttercup is happy, Biscuit is happy, and Superman and I think it is just funny.

We leave the birds at home, though.

Make It Yourself Monday

Sorry for the late post today, but I'm getting us ready for our last camping trip of the season. (In fact, we're pulling out in about 15 minutes, so this one needs to be quick!) Also, don't forget to head over to Momstheword to see what she and everyone else is doing for Making Your Home Sing Monday. Even though I'm not participating, I love to be inspired by the ideas to make our homes better. Nan's post this week is about making your actions and stated priorities line up. (Oh, she says it is about time management, but really, to me her post is about consistency with our true priorities.)

Ready for another Make It Yourself Monday gift idea? This one is an idea I used for the first time last year and this year I'm going to do it again. Just remember to think of your recipient. As Sewducky pointed out, not everyone wants things for their homes...so unless you know the person well and know their taste, be cautious in giving gifts for the home. Of course, that isn't stopping me from sharing my gift idea and letting anyone who receives gifts from me know this might very well be part of my gift to you this year!

Last year I made these cool little bar towels (found on the clearance racks!) with seasonal fabric. I liked the idea that they helped add festivity but the recipient could use them, wash them, and put them away until the next year. I like holiday decor, but I like to put it all away, too!


They are super easy, you just cut out a piece of fabric in a band a bit wider than you need and longer than the towel is wide, iron in a fold on each edge, and use your zig zag stitch to sew them on the towels. These towels had weird white striped bands that I covered and the odd colors went beautifully with the holiday fabrics I had.

So, this year I'll be making more of these little bar towels if I can find inexpensive towels to embellish, but I'm also going to make matching oven mitts and hot pads! Confession: I made oven mitts last year, but they ended up being so small, I gave them away to the neighborhood children. Now I know you can use a tutorial or trace an oven mitt you like and add 2+ inches to the tracing! The layers of batting and heat shielding plus the two layers of fabric take up a lot of space when you turn that cute little oven mitt. Then again, if I'm sewing for children, now I know how to get it just right! Good lesson...seriously.

A few questions:

Anybody want or need tutorials?

Someone suggested making this more fun by adding a Mr. Linky on Mondays so we can trade ideas. Will you trade?

P.S. Not all my ideas are sewing...this is just where my head is right now because sewing projects need to be started well in advance of the holiday.

Food for Thought

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.
Confucius


Photo:http://thetiredprop.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/steps-led.jpg

The First IT Professional Service Call

For those of you who don't know, Superman is a professional computer geek. As such, he has shared some funny stories about work over the years, such as the person who called him very frustrated because she couldn't find the "any" key. Along those lines, he sent this to me yesterday and I just had to laugh. So, what am I doing? Sharing it with you, of course, because laughter should definitely be shared. Happy Saturday to you all.

RIP One Lucky Baby

After an initial rally, One Lucky Baby continued to deteriorate after we brought her home from the animal hospital a few weeks ago. Tonight we made the difficult decision to put her down. We're sad...

Friday Photo Flashback

Happy Friday, everyone! It has been a terrific week of not much in particular at the Nagle5 household and I can't believe it is already Friday again. It is time to share pre-digital photos with you via Alicia's Friday Photo Flashback. Don't forget to head over to Alicia's to see what others dug out this week...it is always fun.

Since Charming has been on my mind so much this summer, probably because he's turning into a man before my very eyes this year. So, yet again, I'm sharing a picture of him as a baby. This one was taken with a Polaroid and I think he was barely 6 months old. As you can see, he was in a hurry, even way back then! (He ended up walking on his own before he was 9 months old.) Hard to believe that little boy ended up being taller than his dad a short 18 years later...it is humbling really, how briefly they're ours to cuddle.

Other things worth noting: the acid-washed denim shorts and the fact that I was wearing shoulder pads with a t-shirt. Okay, then!

Thanks for joining me on yet another trip down Memory Lane!

Generations Gone By Made Me Do It!

Seriously, my dear bloggy friend who writes Generations Gone By rekindled that genealogy bug in me after a four year hiatus when she told me of Footnotes free access to the 1930 census for the month of August. I just had to type in a few names, just for curiosity's sake. A few emails back and forth later, and I've been hooked again! Of course, Footnotes didn't give me all I wanted, but then I discovered that my local library subscribes to Ancestry.com, another super cool genealogy site. So it was I found myself sitting at a computer library yesterday afternoon, talking to the monitor about a missing relative when a lovely woman named Nancy set down next to me and asked what I was doing. As fate would have it, Nancy has been involved in genealogy for 40 years because she's adopted. A few tips here and a few keystrokes there and my missing relative was found!

So, Generations, this post is for you!



Remember these kids? Well, their father (who would be my great grandfather on my maternal side) is Morton Smith, born about 1872 in New York. His father is Richard P. Smith, born in Pennsylvania in roughly 1837...this would be my great-great grandfather. His father, who was also named Richard P. Smith, was born in Pennsylvania on March 13 1799. Then my great-great-great grandfather was William Moore Smith, born in Pennsylvania on June 1, 1759 and, finally, my great-great-great-great grandfather was, in fact, William Penn Smith, born Sept 7, 1727 near Aberdeen, Scotland and died in Pennsylvania May 14, 1803. Gens, you know some of the other names (closer to our generation), so, how'd I do?

Movers and shakers in a brand new country, these are some fascinating people.

Things I have learned in the short time I've been doing this: Did you know they don't release census details until 72 years after the census was taken? That means we won't have 1940's census until 2012 and we won't have 1950's census until 2024! Did you know that the census from 1830 only counted male heads of household? Gee...weren't we forgetting a bunch of people? Finally, based on data I've found, Morton had to have been married twice. I wonder what happened to his first wife. She did give him a son, yet another Richard P. Smith, in 1893. I didn't spend much time on her, though, because she's not my great-grandmother. Wife number two is my great grandmother and I haven't found her family yet.

Having said all that, I can't believe Gens did this to me...I'm like an addict! Now, on to the women!

What about you all? Any missing relatives?

WIP Wednesday

Superman is doing a fantastic project this week, but I can't show it to you because I don't want to spoil the surprise. In the meantime, I thought I'd show you another Work-In-Progress project that will be finished this week. This one, however, is being led by Buttercup! Yep, you read right, Buttercup is managing this project.

It all started with a hanging bench Superman made for Buttercup last year. It hangs under the deck and that area has become her clubhouse. (She desperately wanted a treehouse, but we only have mature pine trees in our yard...not going to cut it!) Then I saw a post by Tootsie (which I can't find for you) where she converted the underside of a playyard into a little den and wondered why I'd left her clubhouse so, well, not girly. I had this cool fabric (a fabric shower curtain from Target - $4) to make cushion covers for the bench and then I found $5 "oops" paint at Home Depot in a fabulous chocolate chip mint ice cream green color and it is all coming together.
So, that is your peek at Buttercup's clubhouse as it progresses...I'm really liking it. What do you think?

Game Night snuck up on me last week.

Seriously, I have no idea what I was doing or how it happened, but I found myself with that "oops, it is 5:30 p.m. on Saturday night and I have no idea what Game Night treat will be" feeling. Fortunately, when I'd made these cookies, I'd wondered about combining the peanut butter chips the recipe called for the with these Simple Chocolate Drop cookies, so that is what I did. I think they definitely turned out better than the original Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip recipe, but you should try it yourself and let me know.

Simple Chocolate Drop Cookies
(with chocolate and peanut butter chips)

1/2 cup butter - softened
1/2 cup brown sugar - packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla (okay, I never measure, I just pour)
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup Special Dark cocoa powder (I used regular Hershey's Cocoa)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips (I always double or triple this recipe, so I'm guessing on the chip measurements...just a couple of handfuls of each.)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together at medium speed until fluffy (roughly two minutes). Add egg and vanilla and stir until just combined.

In separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add to batter mixture and mix gently until just combined. Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Spoon by rounded tablespoon (I used my Pampered Chef scoop) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes.

I know it is probably obvious to others, but make little changes (that actually work) to recipes makes me feel so excited. I guess it is just like anything else, the more cooking you do, the more comfortable you feel making modifications on your own.

My Vegetable Garden Has Had a Difficult Time This Summer

Seriously, my vegetable garden has struggled. Between the great aphid infestation that killed my seedlings, to differences in ideologies between myself (as head gardener) and my assistant (Charming) leading to conflicting styles of nurturing, to the weird weather we're having (a little consistent sun would be nice!), it seems more like The Little Engine that Could (I think I can bloom! I think I can bloom!) rather than a garden. We've dealt with Blossom End Rot (calcium deficient soil), failure to thrive (pollination issues?), and generally nutrient poor soil in one area of the garden. Having said all that, Charming and I have gotten on the same page, the vitamins have been administered and Mr. Sun is finally showing his beautiful face this week, so maybe, just maybe, I'll get a few more of these!


The zucchini is that rich dark green I love to see and those tomatoes are gorgeous! This, people, is why we do this year after year...eating the fruits of your labors is so cool! (I have to admit that I've been pretty envious of LoveAphid's bounty thus far...feeling like a total slacker as she enjoys salads and such from her own garden, while I hoped and prayed for a zucchini to make it to maturation.)

These, combined with the generous donation of a bunch of ripe tomatoes from a neighbor who hasn't struggled quite the way I have, meant fresh Capellini Pomodoro last night! (And this time, we had a lot of tomatoes and plenty of zucchini!)

Valiant Did It! - UPDATED

After two years of lawn-mowing, snow shoveling and other odd jobs, Valiant has managed to hit the magic $500 mark in his personal savings account. This is all money he's earned. How cool is that?

So, here's to you, Valiant!

We're proud of you!

UPDATED: Did I mention he's just 13?

"Make It Yourself" Monday

Last month, I told you I was already thinking about Christmas presents. Yes, it was July, but if I'm going to have any chance of having a hand-made Christmas, I've got to start working now. Truthfully, I'll probably be doing a lot of thinking, planning, and plotting this month. I don't see myself having a lot of time for sewing or crafting before September, but I really want to have a plan.

To that end, I'm designating Mondays as "Make It Yourself" Monday. Every Monday I'll share with you the ideas I have for something I'll be making for Christmas. Yes, it seems early, as Back to School hasn't even happened yet, but last year I started just too darned late and didn't want to sacrifice participating in the holidays to keep sewing. This year, I'm determined. Hopefully, you'll find a few ideas from my ideas (even if they're ideas for things you can buy for people on your list) and maybe you'll even have suggestions as to how I might make an idea even better. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So, without further ado, here is my first frugal, hand-made Christmas idea:


See these tablecloths? I got them on clearance at Target last year for $6.00 each. Each tablecloth measures 60 x 120 inches. So, what am I going to do with these tablecloths, you ask? I'm making holiday napkins! Have you ever priced cloth napkins? Seriously. $2 a napkin? Oh, come on! I knew I could do better than that and when I saw these tablecloths it all clicked together. At 20" square (a nice size for a napkin), each tablecloth will yield 18 napkins. You can't beat that price for the fabric alone! Some clever seasonal napkin rings (make them yourself ideas to follow as I find them!) and you have a few nice gifts or a terrific addition to your own holiday place settings.

Never thought about making your own cloth napkins? Skip To My Lou has an easy mitered-corner napkin tutorial if you need a little guidance. Otherwise, napkins are a pretty easy sewing project. Another idea for inexpensive yardage would be to get a flat sheet in a fabric you liked (clearance priced, of course).

So, there you have it, my first Make It Yourself project suggestion. What do you think? If someone who knew you and and knew your tastes gave you some table dressing for the holidays, would you like it?

Food for Thought

When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy.

Samuel Goldwyn
US (Polish-born) movie producer (1882 - 1974)

Quick and Easy Rolls for Soup or Chili or Stew!

Yesterday was a cold and blustery day...perfect soup weather. So I pulled out the chicken carcasses I've frozen over the last few months, and set them to boil in a pot of water. (What? You don't save your chicken carcasses for soup stock when you have a roast chicken? Seriously? That's okay, I didn't start doing it until two years ago, so I know it is never too late to learn new things!) Anyway, while the bones were simmering to give me stock for my chicken soup, I wondered what I'd serve with it. JennyMac at Jenny Mac's Lip Smack came to my rescue by posting this recipe she'd found from Chow Times. How perfect was that? This roll recipe was super easy and super fast (no rise time needed because there is no yeast!). I modified it a little by substituting garlic for the green onions, but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. The kids viewed the rolls suspiciously, but one bite won them over.

Butter Dips
from JennyMac who found it at Chow Times

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 green onions, finely chopped (I couldn't do it...we used 1 teaspoon garlic powder instead) 1 cup 2% milk (I used non-fat because that is what we have)
1/2 cup butter

1. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in cheese and green onions. Add milk and stir slowly with a fork until dough clings together.

2. Turn the dough onto a floured board, coat the dough with flour and knead lightly about 10 times. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1-inch squares. (I think I over kneaded a little and I definitely cut my squares too big!)

3. Melt butter in a 450°F degree oven in a 8×8 square baking pan. Coat all the sides of the squares in the melted butter. Bake in same pan for 25 to 30 minutes. After baking, flip the little buns over in the pan to coat the top with any remaining butter.

Pull apart and serve warm.

Have you ever thought about barter?

It occurred to me again (not a new thought here), while the kids and I were watching Frontier House (an amazing PBS miniseries that I encourage you all to watch), that we all have far more things that we need to have happy and fulfilled lives. Three modern families live in the Montana Territory in 1883 (as close to 1883 as they could make it!) with only the things that would have been available to settlers in 1883. From making their own homes to fetching their own water to slaughtering their own animals, it all must come from them. As I watched the effort that went into making homes (and sometimes, the effort that didn't get expended), it occurred to me that we've gotten too disconnected from how our labors connect to our possessions. You have all this stuff and you get a paycheck every few weeks and you somehow pay for all this stuff, but do you really get it?

Thing about this scenario: You need a new refrigerator. There is an $800 refrigerator (no bells and whistles) and there is a $1600 refrigerator (some bells and whistles). Now, when you go buy the refrigerator, you think about the money, right? But what if you thought about it the way it really is: Do you want to work 40 hours (bartering $20 for each hour of your labor) for the plain-Jane refrigerator? or do you want to work 80 hours for the refrigerator with the bells and whistles? Remember, the hours you're trading will go exclusively to the refrigerator...no other needs will be met while your bartering your time. It is really interesting to think about it in these terms, isn't it? I don't know what your answer would be...I like to think I know what my answer would be.

But let's keep going. What if every single thing in your home was a something you traded hours for? The television, the car, the clothes that go unworn in your closet? The rooms in your house that are filled with junk and aren't being used? What if you thought about them in terms of hours you trade for them? Would you still have everything you have now?

The truth is that we do trade hours for every single thing we own, even if we never think of it that way. I know for me, we've not looked at it that way before and stopping to think about it in those terms really makes you think about the buying decisions you make...the little ones and the big ones.

P.S. Seriously, you really, really should watch Frontier House (you can get it from Netflix or your public library)

Magic Cookie Bars

After making the Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars for Superman to take to work Friday, the family had no dessert of our own for Thursday night, so what was a mother to do? Make dessert, of course! I decided to put together some Magic Cookie Bars and maintain my popularity in the polls. Magic Cookie Bars is one of those recipes that everyone seems to have in their recipe file and no one knows where it came from. I do know the recipe is on the can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, so maybe that is where my mom got it all those years ago. Wherever it came from, it is definitely a family favorite in the Nagle5 household.

Magic Cookie Bars

1/2 cup of butter (melted)
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (I used the food processor to grind my graham crackers)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup chocolate and 1/2 cup butterscotch this time)
3 1/2 ounces sweetened flake coconut (I use about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped nuts (we use peanuts, but I didn't have any this time)

Assembly instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Pour melted butter in 9 x13 pan.

2. Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly on the layer of melted butter.

3. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over graham cracker crumb layer.

4. Sprinkle chips evenly over sweetened condensed milk.

5. Sprinkle coconut over chips.

6. Sprinkle topped nuts over coconut.

7. Press down gently to combine the layers.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until coconut is lightly browned...not dark. (The edges get dark, but you want the main portion to just be golden.)

9. Cool and serve!

There you have it...yet another quick and easy sweet treat to make when you just have to have something sweet.

Friday Photo Flashback

Can you believe it is Friday already? Well, it is! That means it is time for me to dazzle you with yet another photo from the stone age (or the predigital age, if you prefer to think about it that way!). It is Friday Photo Flashback time...I'm again joining Alicia at More Than Words to walk down memory lane with you all.

This picture is from May 1991. Charming was not even 3 months old and a friend had asked me to be in her wedding (trust me, I tried to get out of it...she wouldn't budge). I remember being so overwhelmed by being in this wedding. She lived an hour away, I was already back at work full time and I was trying to learn how to be a wife and mother. It was a challenging time. Throw in a bridesmaid dress and you have stress overload. Anyway, she was getting married in this beautiful glass church at the beach and Superman and Charming were with me for the rehearsal. Superman had Charming on his shoulders waving to me! Isn't that so cute?

Notice the huge sweater I'm wearing to hide my stomach. Oh, yeah, I was so not ready for my close-up (I don't know how starlets to it, seriously!). Look how young Superman was (and cute!).


Oh, I'm glad I stumbled across this picture. It made me smile when I looked at it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I can't believe it, but I'm finally back on track with making Superman's Friday Delight snack before 9 p.m. Thursday night! This morning (did you read that? this MORNING!) I tried a new recipe for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar that really delivered. Seriously, it turned out really well. Fast, easy, and good! Unlike some cookie bars I've tried, this one stayed moist...not a dry bite in the bunch. It would be perfect to take on a picnic or a pot luck barbecue or any place that you want to take a snack but you don't want to worry about refrigeration.

So, where did I find this super simple recipe? I'm glad you asked...this little gem was featured on Worth Her Salt, a cooking blog hosted by Lacey. (You've got to love anyone who shares a rant that Michael Pollan did about the Food Network being about personalities rather than cooking these days. As my BIL pointed out, saying the Food Network is about the food is like saying MTV is about music. Enough said.) Anyway, back to the recipe and the blog. Loving Lacey's blog and I think you'll really like this recipe. So, go bake!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
from Lacey at Worth Her Salt

Ingredients:
2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (I don't have a 1/8 cup measuring cup! Do you?)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon vanilla (Of course, I measure my vanilla very carefully!)
2 cups chocolate chips (about one 12 oz bag)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Grease 9x13 pan and set aside. Melt butter in a large microwave safe mixing bowl.

2. Add sugars to butter and mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt then add to the sugar mixture and fold together with a spatula or wooden spoon, just until combined. Don’t overmix or the gluten will develop and make the cookies tough. (Who knew that is why cookies got tough?) Fold in the chocolate chips.

4. Spread in greased 9×13 pan (the dough will be a little greasy, but don’t worry). Bake until just set in the middle, 27-30 minutes. (Mine took 27 minutes...they are light golden blonde, not chocolate chip cookie-colored.)

There you have it! Can you believe I got them done by 1:00 p.m.? I am so jazzed!

(Now I can go look through boxes of photos for Friday Photo Flashback and figure out what aspect of my garden I'll be sharing for Fertilizer Friday. And I get to do it all ahead of time...yay!)

Blueberry Muffins for a Museum Day Date with Superman...

It is Museum Day and Buttercup is really excited because we've missed the last two. Even better, Superman can meet us for lunch before the homeschool group meets up! Unfortunately, the weather isn't cooperating with my picnic-in-the-park plans, so instead we'll be doing at picnic-at-the-MAC. In addition to baking some fresh bread, I tried a new blueberry muffin recipe this morning. It turned out really well and was very easy. The recipe comes from the Muffins and Quick Breads from the Williams Sonoma Kitchen Library recipe book. I haven't made a lot of the recipes from this book because the flavors and combinations seem, well, weird. I guess I don't have a sophisticated palate because things like "Holiday Fruit Bread" (isn't that a crime?), "Chili-Corn Muffins", and "Pistachio-Olive Bread" just don't sound appealing.
Anyway, back to the recipe I did try. As I said, it was a traditional blueberry muffin recipe and I used frozen blueberries. It doesn't have the crumb topping that my other recipe has, but it seems like a more true blueberry muffin (if that makes sense). I think Superman will love them, as he's a blueberry muffin purist.

Blueberry Muffins
from Muffins and Quick Breads

2 cups all-purpose flour (315 g)
2/3 cup granulated sugar (155 g)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk (250 ml)
1/2 cup butter (melted) (125 g)
2 eggs

1 cup blueberries (125 g) (I used frozen)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter standard muffin tin (I lined mine to make clean-up easier) and set aside.

In medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together milk butter, and eggs.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until blended. Add blueberries, stirring just until evenly incorporated.

Spoon into prepared muffin tin, filling cup about 3/4 full (I used my handy scooper and I think they were a bit bigger). Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, roughly 15-20 minutes. My slightly bigger muffins took 20 minutes.

Cool in tin 5 minutes and then remove.

This recipe says it makes 16, but filling my muffin tins a little more than they said gave me 12 muffins, which I really like because then the whole thing is done in one batch!

UPDATE: Superman did like them better and so did the children. I guess this will be my go-to recipe for blueberry muffins, but I still might try them with the crumb topping.

What do you do with the space that used to hold...

...a 20' round above ground pool? You turn it into a fire pit area so you can have wienie roasts and make s'mores with some of your friends! Superman has already made us a few chairs (aren't they cute?) that we supplemented with our camping chairs. A clearance firepit from Lowe's from last year and, viola!, fun in the round! (There were 3 more kids and 6 more adults for our pre-game night frolic.)


So, what do you think? Do you see our vision? Obviously a few more fence panels are needed, but I think it works pretty well.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bar

Okay, so what do you do when you really want dessert but it is already 9:00 p.m.? You search for a quick recipe! I found a recipe I had in my files from Baking Blonde posted one year ago today (how weird is that?) No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars...chocolate, peanut butter, and no bake - check! Again, it is one of those recipes that I love because it uses only stuff we normally have on hand. It takes about ten minutes to put it all together and then you're supposed to chill it in your refrigerator for 2-3 hours. (You can cut that time by a lot if you just put it in the freezer--look, I wasn't going to let the kids stay up all night waiting for dessert...). This turned out to be a nice quick snack that took care of our sweet tooth with minimal effort. Really, what else do we want in a dessert?

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars
found at Baking Blonde's blog and originally adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used 3/4 cup)

Directions:
1) Grease a 9×9 inch square pan.

2) Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Mix in the oats. Cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until ingredients are well blended.

3) Press half of mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. (I pressed 2/3 mixture in bottom of pan.) Reserve the remainder for topping.

4) Then melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crust in the pan, and spread evenly with a knife or the back of a spoon.

5) Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate layer, pressing in gently.

6) Cover, and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or overnight. (Or you can just put them in the freezer for 60 minutes like we did!) Bring to room temperature before cutting into bars.

This is where we're going on Tuesday...

...isn't it gorgeous? It is my aunt's cabin in Priest Lake, ID. It is neat for the kids to visit a place that their grandfather visited at the same age, don't you think? Do you see Superman in this picture? Doesn't he look handsome? This is from our visit in 2006. He doesn't get to go this time, darn it.

Happy Monday!

I'm not really doing Making Your Home Sing Monday, but I still want you to head over and get inspiration from the bloggers who do have posts participating. I love that Momstheword is reminding us each week to stay focused on the power we have to create loving, warm, and welcoming homes. This week she's tackling the idea that maybe, just maybe, you should actually be home. This idea is dear to my heart, so I'm giving her a two thumbs up on this one. Running around all day might be fun, but it isn't necessarily good for your homelife.

So, why aren't I doing it? Well, I really have a system set up and for me, it is all about maintenance. My posts will fall under these three categories: 1) Already doing everything well and we're having a good week, 2) Falling off the wagon in some areas and trying hard to hold on, or 3) We've lost it and I need to refocus my efforts on keeping things in line. Nothing new here.

The truth is, I love Mondays. Seriously. I think it is the OCD in me, but I love when the house becomes my domain again, when our social life settles down, and routine can be in place. Don't get me wrong, I love the weekends, but I always feel scattered and disconnected during weekends. Weekdays follow a certain routine that works for me and that is just the truth. I've decided it is okay to be a girl who likes routine, who thrives under routine, as long as I don't get rigid. I don't want to be the "we're having meatloaf, so it must be Tuesday" kind of wife and mother, but I do like order and routine.

So, I have no new inspiration for you on MYHSM, but I do urge you to do what works for you, reject what doesn't with no apologies, and read about what others are doing to keep their households running smoothly. After all, we can always learn something new, can't we?

Friday Photo Flashback

You'll either be scandalized or amused by the picture I dug up for Friday Photo Flashback this week. Remember, Friday Photo Flashback is to help us do something with those boxes of pictures from the pre-digital camera era we have tucked away in our houses. (You know the ones. The ones that you keep meaning to get into photo albums, but never quite get to!) Anyway, head over to Alicia's to see what people dug up this week...the trip down Memory Lane is always a fun one.

As for me, my disclaimer: I grew up in So Cal in the late 70s. This picture was taken when I was about 16, so we're talking 1979 or so. I spent every minute possible at the beach or in the pool and short-shorts were the uniform of the day! Most of the time, I was accompanied by my best friend in those days, Lisa. (I lost touch with Lisa years ago, but man, we had some fun whining over boys and butts and life!) Lisa was a whopping 5' 2 3/4" (you've got to get that 3/4" in when you're that little!) as compared to my 5'10". My dad took the picture because he was amused at the disparity of our butts when we were both standing at the counter (we didn't even know he took it)--obviously, all my height is in my legs. Anyway, Lisa has Mediterranean coloring and I was always, always envious of her tan. I couldn't hope to match her, but, oh, did I try. This particular picture was taken after Lisa and I had spent three days in a row at Zuma Beach and I matched her tan! It was so amazing. But, then, the very next day, I started peeling...oh, the devastation. A few weeks later, my dad showed me the picture he'd taken and I heard the Hallelujah chorus I was so excited to see it...I didn't notice our butts, I didn't notice our shorts; all I saw was the proof that, for one brief moment in time, I was super tan! So, please forgive me for showing you my butt, but I'm reveling in my glory days!


P.S. I thought I was fat back then. I agonized over how fat I was. I would kill to be that fat now!

Samoas Bars...a mixed review for this recipe...

Tried a new recipe for Friday Delight last night. I found a recipe for Samoas Bars (like Girl Scouts Samoa cookies, but in bar form) from Esi at Dishing Up Delights. They were a lot of work and were only partially successful and then, to add insult to injury, Superman forgot to take them with him to work today.

So, first the good: The flavor was amazing. Seriously, these taste really, really fabulous with the toasted coconut blending well with the caramel and the chocolate and shortbread finishing off the tastes.

Now, the not so good: The shortbread was too thick and split right through the layer, so many of the cookies have caramel coated coconut on top of shortbread without the chocolate on the bottom and then others have shortbread with chocolate on the bottom and no caramel/coconut topping. To be a Samoa, you have to have all the flavors in one bite or what is the point? Anyway, I think the shortbread layer and the coconut layer were too thick and if I make the recipe again, I will modify it from a 9 x 13 to a cookie sheet to get the layers thinner. The other possibility is that I cooked the shortbread a bit too long and maybe it was overcooked and that is why the layers separated. (Any cooks out there know the answer?) To be fair, this was my one big complaint, but it was a doozy, since I put enough time and energy into these that I wanted perfection!

I think you should check it out yourself, however, and let me know what you think.

Samoas Bars
from Dishing Up Delights

Makes 28-30 bars

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12 ounces chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
10 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. (Next time, I'm using an 11 x 15 cookie sheet/jelly roll pan.)

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together.

Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled. * When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off (I used a squirt bottle from the Cash & Carry) and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.


*(Okay, I did something different here. I flipped it out of the pan (it stayed in one piece) and I just put the melted chocolate all over the the bottom, then I let it cool, flipped it back over right side up and drizzled chocolate over the top of the bars, let it cool, and then I cut the bars. See how they're just one giant bar in this picture?)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

So, what do you think? Tempted to try them yourself? Let me know!

Fertilizer Friday!

It is Friday again (!) and even though I'm late posting, I've got posts for Fertilizer Friday ready (Friday Photo Flashback will come next).

Fertilizer Friday is the time Tootsie encourages us to fertilize all our beautiful garden plants and take pictures of them to share with everyone. Zooming in with your camera allows you to find the beauty in even the most challenged garden! Anyway, if you want to see what everyone is coaxing out of their plants this summer, head over to Tootsie's and check out their posts.

As for my garden, I'd be lying if I said we hadn't been struggling this year. Having said that, I've managed to find some beautiful plants to share with you. Finding them for you actually made me feel better about my results, even if I'm cherry-picking the views for you. Things are growing, I do have flowers, and I am learning a lot. So there!

My Gerbera daisy was wintered over from last year and I thought it wasn't going to make it this year. The stems aren't particularly long yet, but at least it is blooming.


The petunias in the "window" are already getting bigger.


The petunias in the front yard look fabulous.


The magic of miracle grow:

Before: (look how tiny the box hedge is)


After: (just look at the box hedge now!)


(Okay, not really...the little box hedge is new and replaced one that died...it really should be the same size as the big one, but now it is a year behind in growth!)

Well, there you have it...this is what I have this week for you! Don't forget to head over to Tootsie's to see what everyone else is pleased to share...

Five for Five Giveaway...

I saw this wonderful post on Sewducky's blog and thought it was a fabulous idea. I would love to send something hand-made to five of you. So, if you want something wonderful from me and are willing to play along, let me know.

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will get something from me. But in return, you have to do the same thing on your blog and make something for five other people. The details are as follows, and if you want to play, copy the following onto your blog and leave me a post:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. What you get is what you get. (Guess what? I'll definitely be trying to make you something you love!)
2. What I create will be just for you, with love.
3. It’ll be done this year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. (Do you honestly think I'd send you something monstrous and annoying?) Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something strange.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post.
7. Send your mailing address – after I contact you.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies...

Last night I wanted to try something new for dessert and my foray into the word of Tastespotting led me to these Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies I found at Jenny Mac's Lip Smack. Jennymac is a new find of mine and boy, that girl can cook! She calls these cookies "a marriage made in heaven" and she's right. Superman says the chocolate flavor is rich and Charming liked the sublety of the peanut butter chips. Me? I liked the entire cookie from first bite to last. They were moist, a bit chewy, chocolately, and the peanut butter chips were a nice addition. I also liked that the recipe was simple and used cocoa powder (I love anything that uses only stuff I already have on hand...it makes life so much easier). These cookies were definitely a keeper.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
from JennyMac's Lip Smack

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour)
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Cocoa Powder)
2 tsps. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used the semi sweet I had on hand) 1 cup lightly salted peanuts (I didn't have these, so they were omitted)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and use a cookie sheet with a silpat liner (I didn't have a Silpat liner or parchment paper and they were just fine).

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until well combined.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients then stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. (These didn't spread much, so you can put them relatively close together - I love doing that, it makes me feel efficient.)

4. Bake for 9-11 minutes, should still be soft in center. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. (Oops! Mine just cooled on the cookie sheet, but I only baked them for 9 minutes.)

There you have it...yet another cookie recipe to add to your recipe file. Superman wants me to make another batch for him to take for Friday Delight tomorrow, but I don't think so...I'm on a roll!

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Whenever I find myself bored with making the same old thing, I head to Tastespotting for inspiration. It has never disappointed. This is how it works: 1) I decide I'm bored. 2) I realize I haven't viewed Tastespotting in a while. 3) I scroll through page after page of luscious food photos, nabbing roughly 20 of them that pique my interest. Then I check through them recipes I nabbed to see if a) it looks like something I can actually do and b) it looks like something I have most of the ingredients on hand for. One of the recipes I found earlier this week was perfect because met both criteria and it took me in a direction I've been wanting to head...Asian-style cooking. This Chinese Chicken and Broccoli recipe was really easy and gratifyingly successful. Some Asian recipes seem so intimidating (I know it is just me, but still), so I shy away from them. This recipe was not like that. First, Blogchef.net had a ton of pictures...that always helps me. Secondly, the ingredients were all things I was familiar with and had (I lie...we had no oyster sauce...why is that?). Anyway, it was a big hit with everyone and it was super easy, so there you go: the perfect recipe.

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
from Blogchef.net

Ingredients:
1 1/2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small chunks)
corn starch
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons garlic (chopped)
¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
6 tablespoons chicken broth (divided)
3 tablespoons sesame oil (divided)
5 green onions (sliced--to sprinkle on top when served, optional)
¼ cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
Sesame seeds (for garnish, optional)

Directions:
(Okay, so if you want to see the original directions, click here. These directions are the way I will do it going forward. Some of the directions seemed out of order to me, so I'm organizing them in a manner that seems logical to me.)

Start rice cooking in rice cooker or on stove top.

Cut chicken breast into cubes/chunks and set aside.

Mix salt and pepper (not too much salt) with cornstarch in medium bowl, add cubed chicken breast and set aside.

Pour 1 tablespoon sesame oil, garlic, and red peppers into frying pan/wok and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add broccoli florets and 3 tablespoons of chicken broth and cook for roughly 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside (you'll be adding it back into the pan after the chicken is cooked).

Add the other 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and corn starch-coated chicken to the frying pan and cook until done (3-5 minutes). Then add 3 tablespoons chicken broth, hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce, stirring through to coat the chicken. Add broccoli mixture to pan, stir to coat with sauce and heat through.

Remove from heat and serve on white rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

There you go! It is that easy. Next time I think I'll add a cubed zucchini to the broccoli mixture because I like a lot vegetables in my meals.

I don't know if I'll ever forgive her...

(This is my maternal grandmother, the oldest, with her three

younger siblings. Now, if I could only find them on the census records.)

Who? My dear friend, T, who hosts Generations Gone By, a genealogy blog that is really all about life with a little genealogy throughout. Why am I holding a grudge against her? Simply because I SPENT TWO HOURS LAST NIGHT on Footnote, playing with their free access to the Federal Census of 1930. Seriously...do you know how cool that is? You can find grandparents and great grandparents. The great thing about census records is they also provide the names of other members of the household, as well as place of origins for the parents of the person of record. So, if you find Great Grandpa Jim, you can discover that his mother was from Ireland and his father from New York, giving you more information that might have had otherwise.

This free access is available to everyone, not just people T is trying to drive mad! Curious? Head over to Footnote and drive yourself mad, lose two or three hours, and end up with new questions you didn't even know to ask.

Gee, T, thanks!

It really was hot this past weekend...

How hot? Hot enough that we baked cookies on the dashboard of Charming's car! (Weird, I know!)


Have you ever tried to do this? Apparently you can do it regularly in Phoenix, but it is not normally possible here in Eastern Washington.