little citizens of the world

tuesday eats.....brookies

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 04:13:00 +0000

holy moly......the best two worlds smashed together in one bar. chewy chocolate fudgey brownies and chocolate chip cookies....you will not be disappointed. bake up a batch and grap a glass of milk and the family as it will be hard to stop yourself from eating the whole pan.

julianne from beyond frosting made a version of these that adds Girl Scout thin mint cookies.

Serving Size: 20 bars

Ingredients

1 Sleeve Thin Mints

1 Box brownie mix

1 Large egg

1/3 C Vegetable oil

1/4 C Milk

For the cookie

1/2 C (1 stick) Unsalted butter

1/2 C Light brown sugar

1/2 C Sugar

1 Large egg

2 tsp Pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 C All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking soda

2/3 C chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Empty one sleeve of thin mints into a Ziploc bag. Crush cookies into smaller pieces using a rolling pin or wooden spoon. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, vegetable oil and milk. Beat until thoroughly mixed.
Line a 9x13” pan with parchment paper or a baking mat. Pour brownie mixture over the baking mat and spread evenly. Empty crushed cookies onto the top of the brownie mixture and spread evenly.

For the cookie

Soften butter in the microwave 10-15 seconds. Combine butter with both light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until smooth and mixture becomes fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until egg is thoroughly incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add flour mixture to dough batter while mixing at a low speed. Once all the flour has been added, increase speed to medium until dough forms. Add mint chocolate chips last and fold into cookie dough.
Take the cookie dough and drop chunks onto the top of the brownie mixture, gently pressing them down into brownie batter.
Bake for 23-25 minutes at 350°F. Remove from oven and allow to cool before cutting. Since I used a baking mat, I was able to completely remove the sheet of brookies from the pan before cutting.

v day blast

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 04:08:00 +0000

this kid will drive someone crazy someday.....i mean someone else:) he'll forever be my valentine.

he worked hard creating these cute valentines for his classmates. they were not to include candy or food so we came up with a new plan. autumn helped us out with a free printable....so we cut, punched, and added names and straws....tada all done.

at the same time, a was working on making some marbled beads to create a key chain her her teacher.

all of our time was definitely not spent inside. we have had some gorgeous days to play in the snow. usually in wisconsin we get 2 or 3 actual days where the weather is just so that the snow will pack and you can make a snowman. this is a's second of the year....somehow neither of them are actually in our own yard. i will be wishing for more super nice days so that we can at least make one more.

h did help a little...especially with keeping coulter, the big german short-hair pointer puppy who weighs at least 80, busy. we lost a few arms before h showed up and the hat and mittens surely would have been next!

h's main priority was taking laps around the farm. uncle brought out the kitty cat and h and k took turns looping around.

danyelle also helped us with creating these sweet treats to spread the love in zach's office with this free printable.

a and h also got surprises of their own. i picked up a few surprises and hid them around the kids' rooms with the help of the dating divas and these printables.

there you have it....a little love and cheer shared with our family and friends. we are anxiously awaiting little one's arrival.....23 more days until the expected due date. whew. i am definitely at the "i hate pants" stage but...it is winter and this is wisconsin...ummmm....i would freeze and cold is not my thing. so, grow baby grow and i will keep contemplating the page long list of names for boys and girls. just the right name is bound to make itself known.

share the love

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 17:31:00 +0000

woot woot! we made it through the week. 2 official stay at home days with all the snow that came our way. we had some stir crazy kids around here that were super excited to spend time with friends and not have to go to school.

with january flying by, i am surprised that i even took down the tree and put everything away. and...here's februray....already! we are on official countdown to valentine's day and then to the arrival of bebe landon.

a and h along with some neighbor friends created yarn hearts to decorate our window. just a pile of glue and a pile of yarn. a little bit of a sticky project for sure.

h picked out dark chocolate hearts and made peanut butter cookies which he shared with friends down the street. he personally delivered them in handmade valentine bags he created.

a is all set with her valentine box and cards to hand out to her classmates. i loved the airhead idea and printables from the crafty sparrow.

we also made these little sweetie pies! it was easy enough to use store bought pie dough, cookie cut hearts and fill with homemade strawberry jam. we pressed 2 halves together and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

seems like just enough projects to warm them up, dry their clothes and send them back out into the winter wild.

tuesday eats.....samoas brownies

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 18:24:00 +0000

i have not posted on here in soooo long. believe me when i say it is not because my world has halted. i feel as if i am in constant full steam ahead mode. any mom probably feels this way some of the time or perhaps sometimes more than not. our world has also changed a lot since the october before last. and there are lots of things to still figure out.

but, today i want to give you something sweet to think about and try.

somehow, a certain someone, keeps sneaking boxes of girl scout cookies into the house! i know, kind of hard to handle right?!?! i have become much more of a do everything from scratch kind of person. so i went looking for a recipe to use up some of these infamous cookies (and save myself from just downing box after box).

cookies + brownies ...... so easy from scratch or just buy a brownie mix at the store and totally change the add in however you would like. sweet anna has lot so f suggestions on her site. i changed her original recipe a little bit.

i hope you will give them a try and let me know what your favorite add ins for brownies are.

toasted coconut samoas brownies

Ingredients

3/4 cup dutch-processed unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup butter, melted divided (1/3 cup + 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (or organic coconut palm sugar)

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 box Samoas Girl Scout Cookies, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350ºF, and butter a 9x13" glass baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cocoa and baking soda. Stir in 1/3 cup of the melted butter until smooth. Stir in the boiling water until the mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in the sugar and eggs with the remaining 1/3 cup melted butter.

Into the chocolate mixture, stir in the flour and vanilla until just smooth. Stir in the chopped cookies and spread the mixture into your prepared baking dish.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the pan. (Always better to under-bake than to over-bake brownies!!) Cool completely in the pan.

*If you'd like, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave and then drizzle on top of the cooled brownies for decoration. Not necessary at all, but it sure looks pretty!

tuesday eats....for the love of orange

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:53:00 +0000

i am obsessed with pumpkins and squash once the cool weather starts to settle in. we have lots of frost advisories and chilly winds to keep me dreaming about cozy nights with a soft blanket and warm toasty fire and a little something sweet to munch on.

i love this recipe because i do not have to worry about having a pie crust in the freezer....still have not mastered rolling one of those out! i usually end up just patting it into the plate. this sweet also has a little bit of crunch on the top with the added pecans.

go ahead and try it. i would love to know what else you like to use pumpkin for.

pumpkin pie squares

crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

filling:
2 cups of pumpkin puree
11 oz. evaporated milk
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. butter

1. mix ingredients for the crust until crumbly. press into a 13x9 ungreased pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

2. combine filling ingredients and mix well. pour unto hot crust and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

3. combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over pumpkin filling. return to the oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until filling is set (may be a little jiggly).

miti thursday....make it, try it.....diy pencil pouch

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 03:06:00 +0000

our daughter is officially a kindergartener! so hard to believe. before i was actually ready to have kids, i used to think 'now is not the time, i am not ready to be the mom of a kindergartener.' i knew the years would go by so quickly and guess what..... i am still not ready.

a worked so hard on her little 'a'. she has so much to be proud of....as do i.

2 days into kindergarten and this girl has mastered the monkey bars and mentioned that her pencil pouch no longer zips. that stinks. so, i thought that i could do a better job creating one with fabric i already had and well.....it only took 2 tries!!! the first one turned out perfect. she would have been set except for the fact that it was small...too small for the many things she needs to tote with her between classrooms. so, brother gets a little one and i went back to sewing and a got this one.

i love it!! especially the inside. the fabric is so right for a little school girl.

if you want to try making your own, i loosely followed the pictures on this site. come on! you can do it.

tuesday eats..chocolate chip lava cookies

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:46:00 +0000

it is a whirlwind around here but there is always time to try a new treat. these cookies are so good and so rich. i dare you to try them!

the photo and recipe are from kevin and amanda. she walks you through the entire process. i think i actually loved them a little more the next day just eaten from the counter. i also think that the next time i will try baking them in a mini muffin tin. i may just be able to control myself a little more then. but, then again, i am also thinking maybe chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter..ummm!

early june

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 01:10:00 +0000

everything about june seems like a complete blur. we started the summer by picking strawberries or what few there were after the warm spring followed by cold.

we then booked it on up to the farm for the dairy breakfast. it was a long line and a hot day but well worth it.

i am totally jealous of how close these kids are.

lots and lots of hot boiling days has meant lots of time spent at the beach. h loves to go out until just his tippy toes barely keep him above the water while he bounces. and, a loves to swim more than the fishes.

we then travelled home for a family fun night with the coolest face and arm painters! and, a few karate moves! watch out.

and, that was not even half of june!! can you tell why it is taking me so long to post?

too hard to believe

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:48:00 +0000

welcome to summer!

a long time ago, my daughter stepped off the bus for the last time as a 4ker. she is now an official kindergartner!!

we all worked hard (to not eat the m&ms and dough:)) and made all the kids monster cookies and topped them with a's favortie characters.

then h and i sent a off on the bus in the morning and continued all our hard work to make up a few of these water balloons!!

he totally looks like he doesn't have anything up his sleeves. ha! just come a little closer.

it was a great way to welcome in summer and surprise the girl as she got off the bus.

dino hoodie diy

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:44:00 +0000

this is so easy peasy but creates such smiles. h loves to wear his spikey jacket.

my mom had gotten h a thrifted hoodie and a has a friend whose gramma knit him a dinosaur hoodie sweater with spikes. i am definitely not that talented with hooks and needles and yarn and i wanted to use something we are already had.

we took some felt and folded it and drew triangles on the fold and cut out. if you unfolded it, it would look like a diamond. once you get enough of these line them up down the center of the hood and jacket and stitch them on with a straight line down the middle of the diamonds stopping halfway to make a little stitch crosswise. just lift your presser foot and turn. do a 2-3 stitches forwards and backwards (this will help it stand up like a spike). once they are all stitched on go back and stitch the triangles together. the beauty of felt is that the edges will not fray and you do not have to worry about finishing them.

mr. h-a-saurus or huds-o-rex is ready to roll and stomp through the neighborhood. ...... bringing terror wherever he goes.

try giving your dino an official name. in the words of amelia bedilia "if your last name is Saurus, you must be a dinosaur."

now, i am off to figure out how to stitch a unicorn hoodie. i am thinking more felt and some yarn....

1 thing i {{heart}} sunday

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:43:00 +0000

it's teacher appreciation week!! woot woot! there are some pretty fine teachers in my little girl's life and we baked up some homemade goodies for them and packaged with a sweet little note which you can easily create yourself or download here.

we made our cookie sleeves out of patterned paper but, i think this would be so cute in a cellophane bag with the labels printed on sticker paper and used to seal the sleeve.

wishing

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:43:00 +0000

image from http://blog.zerodean.com/2012/motivational-images/dont-wish-away-your-days/

we have been in full throttle mode. there never seems to be time to slow down as there is nothing i want to miss out on. i almost think that this feeling is 10x worse for a kid. we have been busy visiting the farm, riding bikes, having playdates, visiting the other gramma and grampa, getting used to daddy's new schedule, playing tractors, riding in tractors...... there is so much that i wish for. most importantly happiness and contentedness. i need to know that my kids are happy, paul and i are happy, and that what we do and are doing will only add to that.

all are now sporting new superhero capes. i found a tutorial from Lara here. i tweaked it a little to make them wider at the top and bottom. their superpowers have not totally gone to their heads! not totally!

there are plenty of big wheels to ride in and to spy from.

that sneaky bunny seemed to pop up lots of places and was able to find us even though we were not home. he even left us surprises at the nursing home with great gramma. a won the second prize and now has a new pink bunny.

just wishing and playing and loving. need i say more.

diy color my headphones

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:54:00 +0000

my girl will be rocking 4k with her new headphones. this project totally took me back to my tween era. and, even though the school is well over halfway done, it is nice to have a small surprise to brighten the long stretch to the end.

elizabeth at contemporary farm girl walks you through the whole process. the only differences i made were to use crochet thread and to skip taping the one inch thread to the wire before adding another strand of thread. just think of all the color combos.....rainbows, stripes, school colors, seasonal... let me know if you try this. i would love to see the finished product.

you're so fine

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:34:00 +0000

spring!! you're so fine. you blow my mind!!! hey, spring!

can you believe this weather and all the gorgeous days we have had. technically, the calendar says that it is still winter but the thermometer is reading in the 80s. i kind of have the feeling that wisconsin likes to skip spring and fall and go right to the hots and colds of the next season.

h has been doing his fair share of digging and i am sure that i will see lots of these wiggly creatures coming my way all summer long. he has also found a frog already and we can hear the peepers in the fields. h is big on the where?? so, i need to explain that i hear them. i do not see them. he definitely likes visuals. he also likes to make plans. 'that's my plan!'

after our trip, we headed to gramma and grampa's for the weekend. i will definitely be playing catch-up for longer than anticipated. the kids got all the costumes out and we found squirt bottles for all....because when one has something, they all need one. they hid them really well for a moment and then bursted out with joy that uncle was coming closer but still way out of range and started squirting away.

the cousins enjoyed having all the attention.

of course, there was some work involved in the visit. grampa wanted help pulling line fence out on the new farm. we did get "some" work done but we also took the time to fly kites in the warm sun and wind.

i am thinking that this might just be in the lamb of march. ummmm.

sneaky little one

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:58:00 +0000

a and h had an awesome day searching out all the tricks and treats that sneaky little leprechan left for them. for some reason even the milk was green and there was fruity cereal on their chairs. after they followed all the clues they also found jelly beans outside.

we need more little surprise days.

st patty's day fun

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:32:00 +0000

i just found the crafting chicks and have been all over the site. so many great ideas. for st. patty's day, jamie posted a treause hunt with these adorable for personal use printable clues. check out their site here.

jessekate designs also has a fun treasure hunt with a twist. check out her site here.

the crafting shicks also featured these cool printables for an awesome teacher. they also have a notecard that you can fill in 'Lucky to have you because...' i think this would be a totally unexpected surprise for a neighbor left on their doorstep with a treat.

can't wait to surprise my two littles with the sneaky little guy that has been turning things green all over town. he got the donuts at the supermarket already and the neighbors front door with a st. patty's day sign. i wonder where he will strike again!

it is totally a first

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:11:00 +0000

we did it!! 1 husband, 2 kiddos, 1500 miles (one way), and lots of excitement!!! could you do it? i must say roadtripping with kids was not high on my list but, it went really smoothly and we really enjoyed eachother and all there was to see in the daylight hours.

these kids had all the comforts of home right in the car. i totally think that we overpacked! but, to be fair, we only had a 4 days notice that we were going on vacation!!! so, super excited me packed really hastily in hopes that i was not forgetting anything. and low and behold, things were forgotten but, not important.

we passed through 7 states. seeing our name in big bold letters was ever sooo cool for mr. h.

we ended up stopping for the night twice on the way down. the second day we stopped at high falls for lunch just south of atlanta. it was the perfect weather for a picnic lunch and stroll to stretch our legs. h also helped the rangers by gathering sticks into a pile.

when i see this photo, i immediatley think how fast she is growing and how independent she will be shortly.

i wish we would have taken more on the road photos and/or had more time to explore some of the other parks along the way. tennessee was full of them and the mountains made for a gorgeous background with added waterfalls from thawing water running along the highway.

h is checking out our first florida morning as we made it halfway down the second day.

see...still smiles after 1500 miles! we made it to a wonderful home away for the week.

such an awesome house and such a great way to relax.

ava and hudson got right down to business and donned their swimsuits and caught a fish in like 5 minutes!

3 hours later we got to watch our first florida sunset over the bay.

the next day, we visited john pennekamp park. we did some beachcombing and water scouting and then headed out for a glass bottom boat road. never again. well, maybe if i take the drugs. they warned us about getting seasick and planes, carrides, lakes, etc. do not bother me so, i thought nothing of 3 foot waves.....until we got out there and then i wanted nothing but to return to land. a and i spent most of the time on the top deck. h and daddy viewed the bottom of the ocean from inside. i swear nothing phases that boy. sorry no cool fish and coral photos from me that day.

the next day we plopped our wisconsin butts down at harry harris beach. a totally free beach during the week. right away when we got there we spotted a crab in the water and when he had not moved after we came back from exploring we thought he might have been dead. surprise on us. 20 minutes after allowing h to carry from up and down the shore i heard "yikes! he, tried to pinch me." what a stinker and lesson.

the next day we headed almost all the way down the keys to bahia honda park. absolutely my favorite. perfect sand for building a castle, a little warmer water, and lots of paths and wildlife to explore. we walked all the way out on the bridge over the water. amazing how far up you are and that it was constructed in the early 1900s. across the gap you can see the other part of the bridge that is deteriorating from the elements.

the altantic side of the park was completely different. the waves were much rougher but, it would be the ideal spot to read a book. i just needed an adirondak chair to sit in.

along with the jellfish that swam with us all day. we saw these 2 splashing about in the bay. 2 mantees! i wish i would have gotten a better picture but, h was travelling the other day. they are big!

all i can say is ahhhh. we so enjoyed ourselves and our getaway. it was truly a blessing to spend this time together.

ps. on the way, almost anything goes including giant sugar icy slushies from a gas station. i cannot believe how quickly they sucked those things down. we came back to a lot of snow but, thankfully our neighbor had taken care of our driveway and this week the snow is all gone and the temperatures are hitting the 60s. spring here we come?

for the love of...

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:08:00 +0000

for the love of birds. we got together with our neighbors to stir up some treats for our feathered friends. they didn't exactly turn out so we improvised and next time i think we will try this recipe.

if only they would have set up. they stayed crumbly and would not hold together. we got out of the house and enjoyed ourselves. it has been a little harder to get out the door lately. sometimes it is nice to just stay in a nice, cozy, warm house and it seems as if we all have different agendas. i have found myself repeating and repeating what i need them to do from getting their coats and shoes to stop bouncing off the walls. i find it so hard to comprehend how there energy does not get used up.

since the birdseed ornaments did not work we used a little peanut butter (mix will oil....birds do not have salivary glands), spread it on old bread, pressed into the birdseed, folded them in half and put a piece of ribbon on them to hang. note to self.... next time be sure to place highger than the dog can reach. she tried to sneek away with one!

it was a lovely day to treat our friends and to explore the world of creatures outside our door. so hard to believe that this is a february scene. tomorrow the world is going to look a little different. they are big and fat and absorbing every sound so that the world seems calm and restful.

only in wisconsin

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:03:00 +0000

totally not convinced that winter is over. heck, it is only february and last year we had snow in may! but, 2 days of temperatures in the 40s makes you want to bring out some spring like things and do a little cleaning (or a little more unpacking....it never ends!).

a drew a fancy shcmancy mr. silly and wrote his awesome, can't be pronounced, took up half the driveway name. amazing how her writing is just taking off.

we also did a little spelling and sounds work with the alphabet. we picked a name, they found the letters and i wrote them out. education outside....who knew.

and, totally not to embarass him but, only in wisconsin??? no, only a man!! he likes his privacy! but, here i caught him, doing his duty and scraffing a snack!

how sweet it is to be loved

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:46:00 +0000

v day love and cookies

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:38:00 +0000

this year a and i decided to stitch a little love into each valentine. we added denium hearts to colorful paper....some for the boys and some for the girls.

a worked very hard on the lettering. somehow she has already gotten to the stage of embellishing her handwriting with little circles on the ends of her letters.

the next day we added candy cane hearts and heart bracelets to the cards.

of course, we also had to have some sweets to enjoy ourselves so, we made some peanut butter cookies with dove dark chocolate hearts in the middle.

it is best to taste them when they are all chewy and melty.

this little guy has a thing for just the chocolate hearts! i {heart} my babes!

peanut butter cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
About 1/3 cup sugar for rolling
1 package Dove dark chocolate hearts
Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Roll dough into 1" balls and roll in sugar if desired. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate into the center. Let sit for about 3 minutes, then carefully remove to cooling racks to cool.

sometimes you just got to move it

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:35:00 +0000

a while back we pulled out the kleenex boxes i saved and created some dinosaur shoes. in all the glory of painting, taping, and gluing....(yes, i said glory.....kids love sitting down to do these things although they may truly not enjoy cleaning up afterwards and i sometimes take on that chore just so i don't have to listen to the whining) we ended up with some cool cool kicks!

we used some clementine art paints for this project. next time i think i would opt for something thicker like acrylic paints.

winter really instills this craziness into my kids. i am not sure if it is the desire to be confined by 4 walls and avoid the cold or the lack of daylight hours but, these 2 can drive a mom up the wall. it seems as if they are 2 decibels too loud for me to handle most times or they get into each other's space just a little too much. and, not like there are not other rooms in this big old house of ours but, it is just comfy cozy to be close because in the end we really do love each other and the joys and frustrations we bestow on one another.

once the kids got to rock out in their new kicks, i thought it could definitely be a little loud and rambunctious. but, they surprised me! they were calm and moved a tad slower and tended to be rather quiet dinosaurs. ahhhh! that was a good project. check out laurie berkner's we are the dinosaurs song to stomp to.

these 2 also seem to be a little quieter when outside as well and when they are concentrating so hard on not falling. the rink did not get filled in this year because of the mild weather but, there was just a big enough patch to give ice skating a try.
.

once our toes and noses were chilled, we headed back in for some comfy cozy snuggling and hot chocolate....always made with milk, it makes a world of difference.

winter days

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:33:00 +0000

i don't exactly dread winter but, winter without snow is kind of hard to handle. making it all the way to 2012 without any real snow this winter as something. now we are all about the frozen noses and rosy cheeks.

i had some great helpers to clear the driveway. our neighbor has fired up his snowblower 3x this year....just to make sure that when this day came he would be ready!! i on the other hand was so grateful for the gifts of wheelbarrows from gramma and grampa. i loaded and they hauled and dumped.

of course, they tried the snow all crisp and clean and fresh.

and, when the cold became too much we retreated to a nice cozy warm house and footie pjs. i really need to get a pair and i know daddy would swoon for a pair. we made snowflakes that sparkled with glitter because any and every project is better with glitter and scissors, and glue.

and, warm banana bread with dark chocolate chips. the recipe is from anne getty's easy green organic. it called for buttermilk, we substituted a little sour cream and milk. so yummy. next time i think i will make muffins though. it might just help me pace myself!

it is going to be a cold winter and i have lots of warm hearts and goofy, giggly people to share the times with.

fall farm visit....yes, visit.

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:51:00 +0000

obviously i am a tad behind....to say the least. we had a wild end to the year 2011. we sold our home at the end of may, daddy accepted a new job at the end of june, we searched for 2 months for a new home, did the rig-a-ma-row closing documents for a month, moved to a brand new town, did some crazy settling in, celebrated a's 5th birthday, trick or treated, did a little more settling in (tried), celebrated h's 3rd birthday, thanksgiving, and a's first day of 4k, and started the rush of holiday cheer. i am exhausted, the kids are too! there is no easy way to settle in after all your stuff has been packed for a year in a pod and in storage. we also took some trips.....it is nice to enjoy a weekend at the farm. the kids miss it so.

that girl is crazy for horses. you know she is saving her pennies!

ta da! the reason we were so late hitting the road and getting back to the chaos we left behind.

rose colored glasses

noreply@blogger.com (sarah) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:54:00 +0000

seriously july is almost over! definite picture overload here but, we have done so much and i am conserving energy for the next round.

you can't forget a day at the beach when the sun starts to toast the earth. we made drip castles and hudson plowed the sand while ava splashed and dipped and dived.

you know he always has a tractor stashed somewhere!!

we even walked to the dam where the water rushes over and creates a waterfall and stream.

we also hit the fair on an oh so sweaty day. ava pedaled her hardest in the tractor pull and then decided to let the horses do the work for her.

of course, somehow....hudson found another little boy with a great big pile of tractors to play with inside one of the barns right next to the giant tractors on display outside and the calm cows lazily chewing and resting inside.

then we stopped at the city zoo and met the new wolves and got a cool drink inside the lion's mouth.

we even had the chance to catch a wooly.

ava has mastered the art of riding a bike!!!

we took a trip to a new town and had a picnic lunch in the park.

one day, i hope to get a nice picture of both kids together.

we visited the county zoo. the bears seem to always know how to strike a pose. even the robins got in on the deal by taking a splash in a rock puddle. i ended up bringing the lion and monkey back home with me. pure wildness at times!

seriously, i may just have to hire a professional photographer.

way cool!! i love the face paint.

and there you have it. in a nutshell. one full month. full of rose colored glasses as we have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to.

we really do love that color pink in this family. what a blur.