weekend

Saturday morning I had about 4 hours to myself while Chris took the kids to breakfast and errands. It was VERY nice. In the evening we had some friends over for dinner. Both kids had a great time and even stayed up until 8:00 (gasp!) because of all the fun they were having. :)

Today we had some BEAUTIFUL weather. Chris took the kids to the park then home for lunch after 2nd service since I needed to stay late. I then met my mom at Michael's to get a few things. On my way I got my free birthday Frappuchino from Starbucks. Back when Starbucks changed their formula for frapps so you could customize them more, they also changed them to the point that I didn't really LOVE them like I used to. Well, I've finally discovered my perfect drink again: Coffee frapp made with soy milk. Ahhh...it's good to be back. :)



When I returned Cam and I did some baking during Kendall's nap. I posted a while back about Biscoff Spread, which I had seen on several cooking blogs. Chris bought me some yesterday morning at the store. It is pretty decadent. It tastes somehow like buttery, cinnamon cookies in peanut butter form. Anyway, we made these and they were SCRUMPTIOUS. The saltiness of the Biscoff adds quite a yummy layer to the cookie (I used choc chips instead of white choc).



Soon after I got back we went over to the friends whom had come the previous night. They had recently built a climbing wall in their garage and we wanted the kids to try it out. We stayed for dinner, which was delicious.

*A WinCo/Costo trip was on the agenda this afternoon. However the weather made me rethink the potential hassle of this trip (like Kendall insisting on carrying her own umbrella to and from places...however not quite grasping to carry it OVER her head). Instead we turned on Aladdin, which we had checked out from the library. I can't believe I still know almost all the words to every song.

*The other day at Bible Study our speaker asked a question to "all you gals in your 20's". For the first few seconds I perked up as I'm still used to considering myself to be in my 20's. But my 33rd birthday next week brings me back to reality. :)

*Generally people are "sweet" or "salty" when it comes to their favorite foods. I'm sweet all the way, however I will say that I am a sucker for plain tortilla ships. No fancy flavors, just regular. I could eat an entire bag. I especially like to dip them in plain sour cream. Yum.

*We were supposed to scout out a possible hiking trail for my hiking club tomorrow, but this rain will likely leave the trails too muddy. :(

*We are having some friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Menu: BBQ chicken, rice, rolls. I'm thinking of swapping the rice for a veggie. I feel funny not serving a veggie. Should I?

*We ordered Kendall's bedding last night. I was so excited that my gift card covered the whole thing!

*Chris and I rented The Descendants for tonight.

p.s. In reading over this post, I realized I didn't remember if I would be 32 or 33. Wow. Without doing the math, I honestly could not tell you. Let's see...33. :)

ebelskivers, a.k.a. "pop-up puffs"

One of my birthday presents from my in-laws was an Ebelskiver pan. I had seen one on a cooking website and thought it looked very fun. I love it!! Basically they are little soft, fluffy pancake clouds. You can make them sweet for breakfast or dessert by filling them with a few chocolate chips, cinnamon apples, etc. Or you can go the savory route and fill them with cheese, chicken, etc. You can then dip them in whatever goes with your filling like syrup, BBQ sauce, ranch, etc. As cheesy as it sounds, the possibilties are endless!



Anyway, they were very fun to make and sooo yummy! The kids and I made them for breakfast this morning (I called them "Pop-up Puffs" for them) We put a few chocolate chips in each and the kids gobbled them up. I'm very excited to try lots of different fillings now. :) If you are interested in how they work, here is Rachael Ray to show you.



p.s. I've mentioned before that Cameron "threatens" Kendall a lot when she fusses or argues with him. His threats are very interesting. Here is one just spoken while they were in the bath.

Cameron: Kendall, if you argue you are NOT going to turn 3. You will have to wait until next year to celebrate because we will make your birthday then.

Easter

Easter weekend started with a trip to Chris' brother's house. We had a fun time hanging out, letting the kids play a ton, going on an Easter Egg hunt, and enjoying a delicious lunch. I altered one of my favorite cake recipes to make individual dessert servings. I don't think they came out quite as pretty as I had hoped, but they tasted wonderful. :)



I had extra brownie scraps which I formed into egg shapes and covered with white candy coating and sprinkles for the kids.



How adorable are these dresses my MIL bought for the girls? I love that they aren't the traditional pastel flower type.




Sunday morning we headed to church for a really neat service which included a very powerful video montage of the crucifixion and Jesus walking out of the tomb. Really moving. By the time we had made it to church, Cameron had mastered the, "He is risen!! He is risen, indeed!!!"

After church we went on a fun hike with my parents.




We came back to our house for lunch with my parents and another egg hunt (filling the eggs with the same candy they collected yesterday!). After my parents left Chris took the kids to the park .

*Last night some girls from my moms' group table got together for dinner. We had such a nice time and believe it or not, I didn't leave their house until almost 10:00 (gasp!!). :)

*Any of you who think this is the way to make brownies cannot be my friend. A brownie should be doughy and without edges. :)



*Easter plans:

Saturday: Head out to Chris' brother's place and celebrate with them and his parents.
Meal: Taco salad, a dessert I'm bringing that will hopefully be good enough to blog about later :)

Sunday: Church, hike with my parents then back to our house for lunch
Meal: Crockpot shredded beef for tacos, same dessert as Saturday

*Kids new favorite show: Doc McStuffins

*Chris' parents spent the night a couple nights ago. They gave me an early birthday present of some cute clothes and an Ebelskiver pan. I've seen these things for a while and they look very fun. They are basically a pancake you can stuff with either sweet or savory fillings. I'm excited to use it!!

*While the kids were looking at books at the library, I was browsing the magazines and started reading Consumer Reports. They did a huge super market/bulk store comparison and out of all our local stores, Trader Joes came out on top (meaning lowest prices). Trader Joes isn't THAT convenient for us, plus it's always sooo crowded, but maybe I should try a little harder to make it work. :)

Cameron's rule for Kendall

I've written a lot about Cameron having a difficult time with Kendall when she cries. Lately he has been instructing her on how she should act once she turns 3. Take a look...

snipits from our weekend

*Last week we checked out a book from the library entitled, Cupcake. At the end is a real recipe for vanilla cupcakes. As soon as Cam read it he was determined we make some of our own. I made it a little more fun by adding some candy to each one.



I was a tad grossed out at a couple of their candy choices...Smarties and Candy Corn :)


*I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that we ate at Wienerschnizel over the weekend. I'm not a fan of the healthiness of that choice but, A) It's cheap B) The one here is new and nice and C) The kids love it. Afterward we drove around and discovered a new hiking place to try in the next couple of weeks.



*Cam starting talking about insects today. During Kendall's nap we created an insect info sheet with facts about different kinds of insects. Did you know there are also pink, yellow, orange, and black ladybugs? Did you know killer bees are no more dangerous than regular bees? They just attack in groups.

*This morning I was in a very foul mood. I was short with the kids which made me frustrated with myself because they weren't even doing much, other than Kendall telling me 50+ times that she didn't want to wear the dress I had put on her. :)

*On the weekends we've started having Cam "rest" in our room while Kendall naps. He never sleeps nor even stays in bed. Yesterday he apparently got into my closet and came downstairs like this.

That is a hat on his head, not underwear. :)


*Friends have told me about the fruit/veg stand in Yucaipa. I finally went a couple weeks ago and I'm officially a fan. Check out what I boughtf for $9.64!!