Thursday, October 30, 2008
CHILDREN OF THE CORN!!!!
AHHHHH!!!!!!!! Remember that movie? I think I had nightmares for years after seeing it! Lucky for me - these children of the corn are far less scary and have not developed a desire to kill all people over 18 years old.
To celebrate Halloween Eve, we headed over to the local pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins! With the family pumpkin philosophy firmly in place - If you can carry it, you can have it! - we set off on our pumpkin finding mission!
Mission accomplished!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Giant Potatoes and Family Hoops
Textbook Form!
Mark Shark!
The One Who Shoots Like A Girl!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!
Yesterday, Tanner and his Kicker teammates had their most challenging game of the season. In a nail-biting performance, they were able to pull off the win! Tanner had 5 goals under his belt - the last one being scored while dribbling from mid-field with an opposing player pulling on his jersey. The play of the game came when Tanner was set to kick off the ball. He looked at the other team and how they were lined up and said, "You need to back up - No, I'm serious!" With that warning, he booted the ball so hard it flew about 25 yards past the goal. It was very sweet of him to want to protect them from the possibility of getting the ball smashed into their face at close range! Stuff like that just makes a mama proud!
Soccer combined with pizza parties and birthday parties made our Saturday complete! Completely exhausted, completely tired, completely ready for bed!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Baking Bliss (Again!)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Good Bye Old Friend
Ganache-ulous!
Because I am not a chocolate fan - unless it is mixed with peanut butter - I had to count on the chocoholics at the birthday celebration for their honest reviews of the cake. Much to my great joy (and ego boosting) - the cake was a hit! I can officially add ganache to my baking repertoire!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dinner Exchange Kick-Off!
On the menu: Chicken Paprika served over a bed of jasmine rice.
So, armed with a bunch of chicken breasts, cream of mushroom soup, bell peppers, onions, seasonings etc., I set off in my dinner preparations! Now, it is no secret that I enjoy working in the kitchen (and by working, I mean cooking - not cleaning!) but I can honestly say that cooking for someone else's family really makes me happy! I love knowing that people are actually eating the food that I prepared - unlike my children. But I digress...
Back to me and my love for cooking - I love hearing praises over what a fantastic chef I am and how I really should have my own cooking show. I love when people beg me for recipes which I willingly hand over knowing that their version will never be as good as mine.... Uh - did I really just write that??? Hahahaha!!!! I am only teasing! I really do love cooking for other people. Call me a freak. Call me a dork. I am the first to admit it! For me, cooking for other people makes the whole cooking process so much more fun - which makes the Dinner Exchange even better! I get to cook for other people and in return, I don't have to cook every other Monday! Works for me!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Fireworks, Lawn Fishing and a Little Child Labor
One of the said 42 additional items that snuck into our weekend was the ever daunting task of maintaining our lawn. With his ear protectors firmly in place, Markie and the lawn mower became one in an effort to manicure the grass jungle that seems to have grown 6 inches since its last grooming 7 days ago.
Markie's efforts were a great success and Tanner was rewarded with a perfect landscape for practicing the ever popular sport of lawn fishing.
With his Pirates of the Caribbean fishing rod in hand - the little rubber red fish were no match for this expert lawn fisherman.
Even though our weekend was jam packed - it was one filled with fun times, lots of loved ones and lasting memories. I am pretty sure that is what it is all about!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Culinary Bliss...
Cake #1: Chocolate Decadence
A 4-level square chocolate cake filled and frosted with a chocolate ganache and topped with shaved chocolate.
Before:
After:
Cake #2: Strawberry's Wild
A 4-level round yellow cake with whipped topping/cream cheese filling with strawberries on top and thinly sliced between each layer.
Before:
After:
Both cakes are for a wedding reception honoring Mark's cousin and his new bride who were married last month in Lake Tahoe.
Second only to watching my kids on the soccer field - baking the perfect cake is a joy that is truly indescribable!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Where the wild things are...
Snakes!
Why did the turkeys cross the road?
Peacocks!
Oh deer!
Three unidentifiable species!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Let Freedom Ring!!!
Yes, Markie is feeling back to normal! No more fever. No more headache. No more staying home! My house arrest came to an abrupt halt yesterday at 8:30 a.m.! Can you hear it??? Freeeeeedddooooooommm!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Soup's On!
I might not be Julia Childs - thank heaven, given that fact that she is dead - but I know my way around the kitchen! With the temperature changing from insane heat to our 2 weeks of fall-like weather, I could hardly wait to dive into my recipe box to find something hearty and stew-like. With my Nani's Italian soup recipe in hand, I started chopping veggies with wild abandon!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Vacation at Wal-mart?
Madison scored and found 3 suits. I grabbed 2 pairs of swim trunks for Tanner and 1 for Markie as the selection for his size was minimal. All will be perfect for next summer. The damage done for 6 swim suits totalled $16.00 - the normal price for 1 suit!
While it was hardly a vacation, I did come home rested, relaxed and refreshed. Ok - that is stretching it a bit - ok, a lot - but the trip out did help with the cabin fever!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Soccer, The Incredibles and Saturday Night Fever...
After spending the day indoors, playing countless games of Battleship and "hand soccer" - since the kids aren't supposed to kick the ball in the house - we capped off the evening with movie night! After reading off the names of ALL of the movies in our cupboard, the kids finally agreed - and I use this term VERY loosely (2 out of 3) - on The Incredibles. Ice Cream sandwiches are the final stop for these kiddipoos before we ship them off to bed!
With Markie's Saturday Night Fever running full force - back up to 102 degrees, I can only hope that a good night's rest awaits us.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Cupcakes and fevers
On a totally separate note, Tanner, after having a hard day at school yesterday, finished off his school week on a high note! To celebrate, a batch of undecorated chocolate cupcakes awaited his arrival from school. Armed with their mama's cake decorating genes and an arsenal of sprinkles, Mark and Tanner launched themselves into cupcake decorating bliss. Here are the fruits of their labor for your viewing pleasure and their eating pleasure!