Food

I had a lot of food pictures building up so I thought I'd combine them in a post. Tyler laughs at me everytime he sees me taking a picture of something I've cooked or baked but oh well. I have only made one pie in my life, a few months ago, and then the other night I made the one below. I had always heard pie crust was hard to make but I just followed the recipe and it turned out perfect. This one is an "invention". I made a dinner pie with roast beef, cheese, green beans, cream of chicken soup and diced tomatoes. Micah hated it.
A few months ago Tyler decided that we needed to have a dessert or treat every Monday night for Family Home Evening. So I decided I would use that request as an excuse to go through and bake different things from my cookbook every week. I love baking and I love making new things. The cookies below are Peanut Butter cookies, I have made them before, but I had to make something we had the ingredients for! I also hope to someday make a recipe book and include pictures, at least for many of them. I want to digitally scrapbook my recipes and print them into a photo book, wouldn't that be cute?

I made this cake for Ben's 5h birthday, nothing amazing by any means, but it's our family's favorite chocolate bundt cake, this time I put frosting on it, usually we just have powdered sugar on it. Micah was worried it wouldn't be as good with the frosting, but I did light frosting and everyone liked it. You can't really see, but Ben picked out a spider and a snake as we were headed out the door, he wanted his cake to be decorated, so cute he is.

This was Ben's birthday dinner. I didn't plan anything out ahead of time, I'm always so unprepared. Ben's favorite food is fish, and of course that's what he'd request when I asked him an hour or so before dinner what he would like me to make for dinner. We had no fish, but we always have tuna, so I improvised and made tuna patties and fried them in Olive Oil. They were quite tasty and Ben was happy.

Lemon bars! Another FHE treat. Tyler's mom used to make these for him often when he was a kid and he loves them. I made them once before (Ty insisted) but it was from a Krusteez box so I don't think it counts at all. These are my first from scratch using lemons from our wonderful neighbors tree that hangs over the fence into our yard.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies. Benji and Peyt both helped me, again, I used what we had on hand. I do plan on picking some new things out and getting what we need to make them.

Below, Snicker Doodles, mine and Papa Louie's favorite cookie. Made it dozens of times but we had all the ingredients.

Oh my word, just a little bit fat, ok.

So, Ben is turning 5 tomorrow, June 3rd. I can't believe it. He is starting Kindergarten this fall! He is my sweetheart, my nearly constant companion. This boy does not do "self-entertaining" He loves games still, all kinds of games. Today it was chess, I hate chess, but I love Benjamin. He is always talking and always saying funny stuff.
I have been really trying to lose weight and I've been doing Jillian Michaels 6 days a week (workout video). I switched to doing it at night to help me lose weight. Well tonight I actually did it in my sports bra and shorts because it was so stinking hot. After I finish Ben looks at me and says, "Why do you look a little bit fat?" I guess he saw my look of death, or maybe he heard the gasps escaping from the mouths of his brothers, but he emphasized, "a little bit fat." Oh boy, I was thinking, "Hmm, I don't know why I only look a little bit fat because I'm much more than a little bit fat." Or, "Maybe I look a little bit fat because I carried 4 babies that were big and stretched my skin way out and you were the biggest of my babies weighing in at 10 pounds Ben!" No, really, Ben is a sweetheart and never means to hurt feelings, he's just an honest kid. He speaks the truth. I am a little bit fat, and it is just a little bit, it's ok. I have 4 beautiful children to show for my fat and stretch marks. They're worth every bit of it!
On another note, Last week when Ty was in LA for work he stayed at a nice hotel and brought home some Bath and Body Works Orange and Ginger bath stuff. I thought there were 2 conditioners and one shampoo so I put them all in the shower. Tonight when I was in there and I picked up one to make sure it was the shampoo, and it was the lotion...LOTION?! Yep, that's what it said, and it was half full. I lotioned my hair last night. I thought it felt a little different than most conditioner.

Happy 5th Birthday my sweet Benji!

Too Fast

Peyton played in the bath with Jake and Ben for awhile, and then just her and Ben were in there for a long time plating with "guys". It was so cute to listen to her. "Ahhh, help me, I'm falling."
"I'll help you." When I got her out I wrapped her big pink towel around her and she asked me to caryy her like a baby. Of course then Ben requested to be carried like a baby too. I carried Peyton to her changing table, went back and got Ben, carried him to his room and then went back for P. I took off her fingernail polish because it was old and chipped. I told her that her toes looked fine still so we'd leave it for now. She very sweetly asked me to paint them pink (they were gold). I said sure and got the polish. As I was polishing her nails I was telling her about when I was pregnant with her and how I felt when they told me she was going to be a girl. I said that I didn't want to be too happy or too excited in case she wasn't. I told her how one of the first things I thought about was being able to poish her nails. She responded, "Can I go to sleep?" It was too sweet. I told her she could and she did. I finished her toe nails and went ahead and did her fingernails because she was so still. They've never come out better. I stood over her for some time just watching her sleep. She is so sweet and cute and precious to me. I wish that they didn't get big as fast as they do. She is still laying on the changing table drying. I think I'll move her to her bed now.

He's Gone

Porter is gone again. This time it's Peyton's fault. While I was in the shower today she opened the tank.

Jessica's "Daily Affirmation"

I'm pretty sure I'm going to start doing something a little like this every morning.

More Digital Scrapbook Pages

I have been trying to catch up on scrapbooking and finish all my pages for my 2008 book. I know, I'm almost 2 years behind. I've made dozens of pages in the last few weeks and here is my latest. I had to redo it using different kits because it just didn't look right to me. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Thanks Janelle for telling me about Jane Austin (font), it's perfect for this page.

I like this one too.

SWAGGER WAGON

I saw this on someone's blog and had to post it. I think I have a new name for our Sienna now.