I'm Back!

Well, it's been a while since I posted, but I've once again been inspired to start posting to my blog.

Of course, it's thanks to Lisa at www.createdbylisa.blogspot.com. She's celebrating her 1 year anniversary with some fun scrapbooking blog candy. So stop by and wish her a BIG Happy #1!

As for me, well, my goal is to start posting at least once a week as we head into this beautiful fall season!!

Happy Birthday Princess!

Our little princess turned one today! There was much "to do" and fanfare thanks to all her loving family. I'm happy to say that I believe our little princess had a wonderful day and is sleeping tight (and would be doing so even with a pea under her mattress - which there isn't - unless, of course, it was put there by her brother but thank goodness I don't think he knows the princess and pea story yet).

There was a castle cake (decorated by Mommy, but with special thanks to Granny for being the court's entertainer for the day), a beautiful hat fit for a princess thanks to Aunt Lisa, decorations courtesy of a very loving Granny, a singing candle courtesy of Gram (along with a dazzling tiara too!), and a birthday serenade by Aunt Liz (via the answering machine - sorry we weren't home to take your call)!

Katie is a very lucky little girl to have such a wonderful and loving family - and we are truly blessed as a family to have her beautiful smile and laughter as a part of our life.

Happy Birthday Princess!

Holiday E-Cookies!

All of you who know me are aware that I love to bake and that my sugar cookies are one of my favorites. (For those of you who don't know me, now you know something new about me!)

With the holidays fast approaching, I am having the baking "bug" hit me, but I haven't had time to start baking yet this year - just pumpkin sugar cookies for Ryan's fall party at school.

So, today I thought I'd feature a fun online way to create your own sugar cookies without dragging out all the dishes and making a mess in your kitchen. It's a sugar cookie e-card at:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/static/sweeps/myholiday/ecard.html .

If you've never visited MyRecipes.com, do so today! They have great recipes most recipes that have been reviewed by lots of other MyRecipes fans.

While there, don't forget to sign up for their holiday Cookie Countdown and receive a cookie recipe each day. I've already picked out three cookie recipes that I can't wait to make from this newsletter.

Enjoy!

Soccer Fan Update

Hello to all fans of the Sharks Soccer Team! I thought I'd share a photo that represents what soccer is really all about at the age of 4/5. I call it Snacks and Friends (or Friends and Snacks - not for sure which order is really should be in)!

It's a lot of fun seeing the kids so excited about game day because they get to see their friends, and I don't think a single one of them has missed asking at the end of the game (if not sooner) "who brought the snacks?" If I had one wish for all these young players it would be that they never forget that "the fun" is really what the game is all about.

Well, as I've posted before, it's not easy getting shots of these little guys and gals running around the field. It don't matter though, because I've got the memories in my head. This year what I'll remember is that somehow our team spent most of their time at their own goal (guess you all know that means we didn't score alot) and that goalie was the most prized position!

Speaking of goalie, check out my #3 in the last photo! He loves to be goalie. When I asked him why he just says "because it's fun!" However, notice in the photo that he is wearing his number on the front of his jersey. That's because he's decided that turning he shirt around on the soccer field is a must. When I asked him why he said "because I want everyone to know I'm number 3!"

This is the stuff memories are made of!

Halloween Fun!

Finally a new post for all of you! It's been a busy few weeks and I have neglected my blog - but I'm back with some really cute Halloween photos.

I spent most of Halloween at school with Ryan hosting his Fall Party. I'm so excited to be "room mom" for his class. We decorated cookies, made a pumpkin pie slice craft and played drop the candy in the pumpkin.

Next, it was home for carving pumpkins with my little pumpkin man and my pumpkin eater. Yup! My little Katie is just like her mommy - she loved to eat the pumpkin! Daddy was a little worried when she actually got a big bite, but she seems none the worse for wear.

Finally, we were so happy that Papa was home from the hospital and feeling well enough that we were able to come over and do our annual trick or treating in Granny and Papa's neighborhood.

Ryan decided he wanted to be a Clone Trooper this year, and I do declare that he is even cuter than Han Solo in his Clone Trooper outfit. (Mommy is a huge Star Wars fan, and the very first Star Wars (episode III) is of course my favorite - along with Harrison Ford!)

My little Katie was the cutest ladybug ever! I'm sure this is my one and only year of picking out her costume, and since she's been our Ladybug Kate since she was itty bitty, it seemed only fitting.

Enjoy the photos! And don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight!! Yes, it's that dreaded time change. I'm just hoping that my little ladybug doesn't wake up at 6am - which is really going to be 5am. Whoever thought of this time change thing obviously didn't have a little one as their alarm clock.

Oh, and check back tomorrow...I'm going to try and get some new soccer photos posted.

Planning a Princess Birthday Party

The countdown has begun!

"Kater-bug" (her lastest nickname) is officially 11 months old today! That leaves only one month to plan a birthday party fit for a princess.

Mommy had been thinking of a ladybug party theme and cake, as Katie has been Ladybug Kate from very early on. However, it only took a minute to remember that red and black frosting are a big "no no" for first birthday frosting. A pink ladybug just didn't sound right, so brother argued his point for a princess birthday for his sister.

The princess birthday party idea came up at dinner the other night, and Katie clapped her hands in delight when brother brought up the idea. Guess she liked it - so princess theme it is.

Now the great cake search is on, as Mommy can't wait to make and decorate Katie's very first birthday cake!

Stay Tuned...

Yummy and Easy Recipe!

Who doesn't love a great recipe! I thought I'd share a favorite tonight. It's Ramen Noodle Coleslaw. I was first introduced to this recipe by Sylvia, the admin at my former office. It's one of those recipes that you think "um, perhaps I'll pass." Don't! It's so yummy and addictive - or as my little Katie says "num, num!"

My recipe from Sylvia was saved in my email, but somehow it's disappeared, so I've found that there are several variations of this recipe on the Internet. Sylvia's original recipe called for chicken mixed in, and I still recommend it for adding a little "umph" to the recipe especially if you are taking it to a potluck. However, tonight we had the family over for baby back ribs on the grill and served this as a side dish, without the chicken.

















Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

Mix together:

1/3 c. vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 packages of seasoning from ramen noodles

*NOTE: I used plain, white distilled vinegar. Several recipes I saw called for cider vinegar. I also add about 2 tablespoons more of sugar. Just plain canola oil.

Stir in:

1 - 1 pound bag of coleslaw (or make your own)
2 packages of ramen noodles (chicken flavor)
4 ounces of slivered almonds*
4 ounce package of sunflower seeds (shelled)

*Here's my addition to the recipe, as it wasn't clear the first time I made it. Break up the ramen noodles with your hands. Do not cook the noodles. For the slivered almonds, toast before adding to the salad. To toast almonds, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread almonds in thin layer on cookie sheet or in cake pan. Toast for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan gently every 60-90 seconds to toss the almonds and keep them from getting to brown.

Why toast almonds? Well, thanks to my Southern Living cookbooks, I learned that when you toast almonds it releases the flavor and makes for a very tasty recipe! :) If you haven't checked out Southern Living, do! The recipes are fantastic. Here's the link: http://www.southernliving.com/southern/

I think this is an excellent make-a-head recipe. I always toss together all my ingredients and then chill the salad for a few hours. This gives the noodles time to absorb the dressing so they won't be extra crunchy if you do it this way. Other recipes suggest keeping the dressing and salad ingredients separate and tossing right before you are ready to serve. Note that the noodles will be very crunchy when prepared this way.

Also, I hate regular coleslaw leftover...just too soggy and runny. However, this recipe is great the next day.

Okay, now onto my recipe for brotherly and sisterly love! Just bring out one large cardboard box and put brother and sister inside. Wait for the fun to begin and snap photos!
































Ryan had drug out the box we had his Shake 'n Go Racetrack stored in and was using it as a garage for his firetruck. It ended up with both kids in the box smiling and laughing the whole time.

If you are wondering why they both have wide open mouths in the first photo, well, Ryan was pretending to be a dog and panting. Katie joined in and so did I behind the camera! That's they only way I got them both to look my way at the same time.

Well enjoy and keep checking back for more recipes! In recognition of the recession we are in, I'm going to dig out my Grandmother's recipe for Wacky Cake. If you've never heard of Wacky Cake before, it's a cake made without eggs. It's my understanding that this recipe dates back to the Great Depression when money was tight and eggs were hard to come by.