Camping We Will Go

Okay, so we only kind of camped. Last week we spent some time with Spencer's parents who were actually camping. One night we just went up for dinner and s'mores. Yum.  Then the other night we went up for dinner again, but this time the two older boys got to stay and spend the night with Gram and Papa in their trailer. We went home with Case, not because we are sissies but because Case has been a little under the weather and we figured a cool night camping wouldn't help that.

We drove up the next morning to spend the day at the campground where we fished, walked, and watched speed boat races (forgot my camera for that day).

Here are the token pictures (notice my inappropriate camping shoes).

 

Thanks Gram and Papa for the outdoorsy good time.

Thanks Picky Palate

I have learned to really like Picky Palate, plus hey I have seen her on Food Network so that totally gives her street cred.
I have several recipes that I have used from her site. This is an easy one.

I made it for my kids before a long church meeting and they liked them. I will warn that they only store so-so. As in almost all baked goods they get a wee bit crumbly.

Good Morning Breakfast Bars

14 oz can condensed milk

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

6 oz package of craisins

1/2 cup dried pineapple

1 cup Teddy Graham Trail Mix

Preheat oven to 250. Pour milk into a small saucepan over med/low heat and stir until warmed.  Place milk along with remaining ingredients into a large mixing bowl. With a rubber spatural, stir until combined. Pour into a well greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 1 hour. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and continue to let cool. Store in air tight container.

Then the next day you can hand them to your blurry-eyed kids and say, "Well good morning!"

How 'Bout Them Apples

Can you hear that? No, really can you hear that?

I do believe the winds are changing. The heat is leaving. There is a crispness in the air. The leaves are going from green to golden.

Fall is here. And that is when, if you were listening really close, you would have heard me join in with the choirs of angels with a melodic ahhhhhh.

Our little fam kicked off fall with our traditional apple pickin'. It was a grand and glorious day with our favorite apple--the honeycrisp. Here is our photo diary of the trip...and yes we are all coordinating sorry it is a weakness. Photos omitted--Jack's evil face, Jack refusing to come out of the car, me making out with an apple, and trying to get Case to lick an apple.

Photography

I think one of the new "in" hobbies to adopt is photography. While I don't condone following the crowd...I am one of the cool kids so I kind of have to live up to my cool kid status by also adopting this new hobby.

Truth be told I have always liked taking pictures. The scrapbooker in me saw a new scrapbook page layout at every new step of our lives. In the absence of the funds to scrap, the loss of my sewing machine for crafting, and the addition of a fancy camera several months ago it was really quite inevitable that I turn to photography.

So here are some photos of my favorite subjects--my boys.

Notes:

I do have photoshop, but have not really learned to use it yet so these photos are unedited.

Cole is the main subject because he has crossed over to the easy age of photographing.

With the writing of this post I am in no way saying that I am the bomb diggity at this, just sharing the joy.

Sewing Projects for Those with Boys are Rare

True there are more sewing projects out there for little girls, but occasionally I find something I can do for my little men. I found this tie pattern at The Purl Bee FOREVER ago. I had the ties cut out for about a month. Then I finally got around to hand sewing the lining part. A month later I finally borrowed some one's sewing machine and sewed the one part that required a machine. Another month later I buckled down and got them done. Ta-dah!

I am going to take a stab at making my own pattern. This one was pretty helpful, but really only great for the 5-10 age group. If I alter this pattern to make one that is shorter and one that velcros I will pass on the wisdom. Look for it in oh probably 6 months! Haha.

Spinach Salad

Shut up...I did Recipe Thursdays 2 weeks in a row. I know it is a miracle and this time I will try to avoid the inappropriate misspelling disaster of last week.

I made this salad yesterday for an afternoon luncheon with a friend...but as you can see from the picture it is also a salad I make for Thanksgiving. In fact, I have already posted this recipe in one of my recipe blogs (which if you remember are D.O.A now). I am posting it again that is how much I love this salad. It is fairly easy to pull together. It isn't the cheapest salad because of the pecans and craisins but if you need a yummy impressive salad for a lunch, a shower, a church event, a holiday, a Friday, well then this is your salad.

Spinach Salad

1 bag of baby spinach

1 cucumber, sliced

3/4 cups craisins

1 red apple, diced dipped in lemon juice

1 cup pecans, sugared (2 TBS sugar)

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp paprika

2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Worcestershire

1 TBS poppy seeds

1/2 cup light flavored olive oil

Sugar pecans by heating with 2 T sugar in small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly. Sugar will melt and coat pecans in a delightful little sugar crust.

Combine all salad ingredients except pecans in large bowl.

Combine all dressing ingredients BUT poppy seeds and olive oil. Blend ingredients in blender/food processor/magic bullet. Slowly add in the oil. Add poppy seeds last.

Top with pecans just before serving. You can pour the dressing over the salad just before serving OR what I do is serve them separate and let the eater decide how much dressing she wants. Plus this way if there is left overs they store better.

As a funny side note...I caught a misspelling before posting...I almost said poopy seeds instead of poppy seeds...is there a 12 year old boy hiding within trying to get someone to laugh by spelling things wrong???

First Day

Yesterday Cole started Kindergarten. To answer the most obvious questions--he did marvelous and I didn't cry...much. Here is a little photo journal of his first day...the parts that I could witness.

Our morning routine works so well we were ready 1 hour early.

Here he is waiting patiently

Backpack on. Family ready to walk him to school.

Handsome kindergartner poses for mom's mandatory picture

Walking to school

He'll still let me hold his hand...when will that end?

Waiting outside classroom for bell to tell him he can go in...he is starting to look a little nervous.

He finds a spot at a table...I have to leave him soon...sigh

1 hour passes

2nd hour passes

3rd hour passes

So excited after his first day of school plus he gets to ride the bus home.

I know officially have a kindergartner. What a fun new stage of mommyhood. I can't wait to see all the stuff he'll do as the year goes on.

Thwack...BAM...Pow

Today was the day before Cole's first day of kindergarten. We had a trial run of getting ready this morning. Everything went pretty smooth except I still can't get Cole to eat breakfast in a timely manner...sigh.

OK on to the FUN. I had a friend give her daughter a princess party dinner the night before her first day of school. I thought that was an awesome idea but then I realized I had a boy and he would not like a princess party. BUT he would like a superhero lunch. So like many of my party adventures, out of a little notion was born a whole lot of party fun.

Everything was so low key. We invited a couple of boys who are starting school tomorrow too. Thanks to a stockpile of craft supplies and budget-friendly Wal-Mart I whipped out some capes and eye masks for our education superheroes. I spent just a smidge on paper products in superhero colors to help decorate the table. Then my sister and I busted out some "bang", "smack", "crunch", etc signs. Add some lunch goodies and you have one awesome Superhero Back To School Lunch and one fun new tradition.

Elyn's Ginger Cookies

Elyn's Ginger Cookies + Symphony Bars+ Mallows = Grown up S'mores

Oh mercy. Yes these are just absolutely delightful. Gooey marshmallow sandwiched between a square of chocolate...good chocolate at that...and two of my friend Elyn's fabulous ginger cookies (feel free to take off a cookie if you want to be "good").

The cookies really do make this treat. My friend Elyn has been making these forever. At my bridal shower she passed on this recipe and it has been a family favorite every since. Not only is the dough delightful to eat...if you are in to that and are not swayed by that whole salmonella thing (guilty!), but the cookies are just the right amount of soft and chewy and gingery....mouth watering as we speak.

So for Recipe Thursday I am passing this little gem on. Thank you Elyn!

Elyn's Ginger Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 1/2 t ginger
1/2 t salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls. Dip one side of each ball into sugar. Place dough, with sugar side up, on a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cookies should be light brown and crinkly...AND MARVELOUS.

Eat these delights by themselves, with a glass of milk, or in a grown-up s'more.

(P.S. - For those that read this post before 8:30pm, September 4th, this post has been updated to make sure that it is family friendly--if you don't know what I mean by that, I am guessing Larissa will not explain it for you.)