Baking Halloween Cookies

Caleb really likes to cook. Unfortunately, there's not always something safe for a little one to do. A few days ago he asked to make cookies. I had to keep putting him off because there just wasn't time, but today is a nice rainy day. Why not? We waited until Madeline went down for morning nap and the craziness started. :-)

We painted the cookies before baking... which Caleb really enjoyed... but that wasn't enough. He wanted sprinkles (naturally.) We added some colored sugar just to make them fancy.

The chef had to inspect the goods. He approved... although it took two cookies to make sure.

We made bats, moons, and pumpkins. They were from a mix, so they spread a little more than I like. Luckily Caleb doesn't care. He just likes getting to make things (and eat them.)

Have a cookie-tastic day!

Costume Pictures

Today was the birthday party, so on the way out the door I tried to get some pictures of the kids. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead. I managed to get a few pictures before it died, but they're not great. Sorry. They're wearing the same outfits for Halloween, so maybe I'll get some better pictures then.

Halloween Costumes

Well, here's the thing. We're a little boring. We never do anything for Halloween. The kids are too young to care about trick-or-treating yet (although Caleb is starting to figure it out.) So this year I thought we'd do the same thing as last year: put on a halloween t-shirt and "trick-or-treat" at the grandparents houses.

Then everything changed. Caleb received an invitation to a birthday party. It's a costume optional party. You guys know me... I mean... come on. Something in my soul cries out at the thought of sending my child to a costume (optional) party without a costume on. It goes against my crafty nature. May I present to you Caleb's costume? He's going as a doctor this year. (Or as he keeps saying, he's dressing up as Daddy.) He's got mini-scrubs, a stethoscope, completely authentic ID badge, and traditional black doctor's bag. They're not in the picture, but he also has some crocs. (That's about the most traditional footwear you can have with scrubs. Hehehe.) The scrubs are from a simplicity halloween pattern, the stethoscope is a toy from his toy box, I made the ID on my computer and put it in a spare ID holder, and I used cheap craft felt to make the bag. He's taking a nap (a.k.a. playing in his room while thinking I'm somehow oblivious to the fact that he's out of bed,) so he can't model it right now. I'll make sure to get a good picture of him wearing it tomorrow for the party.

So what about Madeline? I hear you asking... I see the disapproving eyes... searching the screen for tiny pink scrubs. (sigh) When I thought we were just wearing our halloween t-shirts, I bought Maddie an outfit. I hadn't bought Caleb a shirt because his from last year still fits fine. My crafty side (and my sentimental Mommy side) is crying out for cute girlie scrubs, but my practical, kinda frugal side is screaming against it. It doesn't help that the pattern is a multi-size pattern, and in making Caleb's scrubs I probably cut off the pieces to make Maddie's. Now next year. That's another story. Who knows what kind of sewing mayhem I may get up to?

Making Bread

Okay. I'm not a bread snob. I don't always have to have something fresh, organic, whole grain, etc. I enjoy the occasional piece of good old Wonder Bread from time to time. But I do get a little annoyed that my children like to eat bread so much, and the stuff you get from the store has about fifty ingredients. I mean.... why? So anyway, I've been making our bread lately. Since I have a stand mixer now I thought I'd find a recipe I could do in the mixer. This recipe has been a hit thus far, so I thought I'd share it in case anyone was interested. The nice part is that it only makes one small loaf at a time. That's a good thing at the moment, but I'm sure I'll have to start doubling it soon. We can eat an entire loaf in a day very easily.

Streamlined White Bread
1-1/4 Cup warm water
1 pkg. dry active yeast
2 Tbsp. shortening
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 cups flour

In warmed mixer bowl, dissolve yeast. Add shortening, sugar, salt, and half of flour. Mix (beater, not dough hook) on medium (4) for two minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add remaining flour and mix in with a spoon. Scrape batter from sides of bowl. Cover; let rise 30 min. or until double. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Spread evenly in greased loaf pan. Use floured hands to shape top. Batter will be sticky. Let rise again about 40 min. until close to top of pan. Bake 375* 45-50 min. Loaf will sound hollow when tapped. Immediately remove to cooling rack. Brush top with melted butter or shortening. Let cool away from drafts. Makes one loaf.

A Wild Morning

This morning was the opening day of fall festivities at Wild Things Farm. It was our first time to go, and we had a blast! The very first thing we did was hop on the hay ride. I'm not actually trying to avoid being in the picture here, but my face was chopped in half... thus the picture of just Madeline. She thought the hay ride was great as long as we let her try to eat the hay. Caleb thought it was awesome because they stop in the middle and let the horses walk up to the trailer so you can pet them. He wouldn't pet them, but he thought it was neat to see them... you know... as long as they stayed far enough away from him.... and didn't look at him funny... and didn't make any sudden moves... hehehe. The hay ride dumped us off in the middle of a field where the corn maze starts. The dreaded corn maze. Never again.... shudder. As it turns out, fields are muddy. Especially little trails in the dirt where lots of feet have mushed up the mud. My shoes actually sank into the mud and filled up. I spent the rest of the morning with mud squishing between my toes. This was the only part of the trip where both kids melted down. I think we'll wait until they're older to do this part again.

After the trauma of the maze (we never made it to the exit... somehow we found the entrance again... thank God!) we went to the snack bar and gift shop area to take a break. We also grabbed the stroller. It was a bit of a rough ride going off road, but the stroller handled it fairly well.

We tried and tried to get Caleb to stick his face into the hole for a picture. He was having none of it. Josh makes a cute midget farmer, though.

And Madeline makes a good scary jack-o-lantern thing. Caleb kept saying, "Momma, those are scary pumpkins."

Caleb got to feed goats. It was a highlight for him. I'm excited that he was brave enough to actually do it. He tends to ask to do things like that and then shy away.

There were rubber duckie races

And a fake cow that you could "milk".

Finally it was time to pick a pumpkin. It was the entire point of visiting the farm after all. Caleb found one he really liked, so it was off to the car.

We only spent about two hours at the farm, but boy are we tired. It was a fun morning. I'm glad that the kids are getting old enough to do these sort of things and enjoy them.

Have a wild day!

I Feel So Crafty

Today I had my second MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting. Caleb barely waved bye as he ran to his classroom to play. Madeline actually stayed in the nursery the entire time. I have to admit I was shocked (but pleasantly surprised.) She's been very clingy lately, and she cried when I dropped her off. They said it was touch-and-go for a bit, but she calmed down. For our activity today we had a little Halloween craft. It's a candy bucket to go by your door. I thought it turned out pretty cute. The picture doesn't really do it justice. Unfortunately, it really really really made me want a cricut die cut machine. The girls are even talking about getting together to scrapbook... yeah... that's all I need... another crafty thing! Hehehe.
Have a craft-tastic day!

Did I mention...

...that my wonderful husband bought me the greatest present for our anniversary? I guess I never mentioned it on here, but the end of August was our seven year wedding anniversary. The one thing I really, really wanted was a Kitchenaid stand mixer. I've wanted one for a long time. This is obviously not my exact machine. I could take a picture of it, but the bowl is under cover in my (cold) oven. I'm trying a bread recipe from my 1961 Betty Crocker cookbook. It's a "quick" streamlined bread for the busy housewife using a stand mixer. Hehehe. Life was different in the early 60's... at least in Betty Crocker's version. You should see the little illustrations throughout the book. Anywho... outdated or not, I am a fairly busy housewife. My family likes fresh, homemade bread. So I find myself trying yet another recipe. :-) I'll let you know how it turns out if anyone cares.

Have a bread-tastic day!

Happy Birthday to Caleb!

Last weekend was Caleb's third birthday. He was very excited. He wanted cake with sprinkles and icing with sprinkles.... so sprinkles he had! As everyone arrived he stood at the door and excitedly told them where to put the presents. It's was hilarious. All of the adults were sitting and standing around talking, and we heard this voice saying, "I'm ready, Momma!" He was sitting in his chair ready to open presents.
And open he did. The only problem was that he wanted to take each toy out of the package and play with it. We had to keep reminding him that there were more to open.

When everyone sang to him he had the most hilarious look on his face. I think he was a bit embarrassed.

Overall he had a great birthday. I can't believe he's already three. Now I have to hustle and find some pink decorations because Madeline turns one in just a few weeks!

What's the Attraction?

Madeline is mobile now. She's very mobile. To be honest... she wears me out a bit. It's amazing the things she finds around the house to eat, get into, take apart, etc. It doesn't matter how much I sweep, there's always the inevitable ancient Cheerio hiding somewhere. Anyway... in the midst of all this new found freedom Maddie has developed a taste for shoes. Literally. She'll crawl like a mad woman across the entire floor to get a pair of shoes... just so she can bang them together and then try to eat them. It's a familiar pattern by now. It's also a tad disgusting. I managed to dive across the room and save her moments before one of Josh's nasty crocs landed in her mouth. You know... the ones that he wears at work... on nasty hospital and clinic floors... through baby deliveries and surgeries... yeah... those crocs. Shudder.
And this is the view I'm seeing more often than not these days... her crawling away into the sunset. Okay, so maybe it's the kitchen... but you get the idea.
Have a fast-crawlin', shoe-eatin' day!

Family Reunions and Potlucks

Well, we had the Hicks family reunion this weekend. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my camera. That means that the flash stopped working, it was taking forever to actually take the pictures, and it finally died before I got any good shots. At least I have one picture with both of the kids in it. It's not a good one, but it's all I managed to get. Sorry. We also had a potluck at church on Sunday. These are the cupcakes I made. Chocolate fudge cupcakes with Milky-way minis melted inside, chocolate frosting, white nonpareils around the edges, and words made from melting candy. I also have to mention that the casserole I took was a hit. It was almost entirely gone, and that's impressive for a casserole at a potluck. People tend to be wary of casseroles. They're never sure what will be lurking under the inviting layer of cheese that's inevitably on top. (It was a Mexican Lasagna recipe if you're wondering.)
Have a cupcake-tastic day!