I came away thinking, "My children and my husband are awesome." And I think the kids have come away thinking, "Disney? Yeah, it's fun. It rains a lot so no one ever goes there."
drizzle with olive oil, salt, and, if you want, Parmesan cheese.
bake at 375 until crispy, i think it took about 15 minutes. Get a plate for yourself before the pan looks like this:
PS. Don't these pictures look great all spiffed up? My new favorite photo editor- picnik.com!
Sam lost his first tooth tonight. And probably lost trust in his dad--for little while, anyway. This baby HAD to come out; the permanent one was almost all the way in behind it. So while "just looking" Jess grabbed and yanked and --after everyone had icecream-- we are doing fine. 
Chicken and bean tacos--I roasted a chicken yesterday, and mixed half of the meat with some spices. The rest of the chicken will be good for the next few lunches.
But I can't take credit. Sarah brought this (she found the recipe here). And do you know what she did? She brought the cake early and left me alone with it while she ran errands. What was she thinking?!
I promise I just took the wrapping off so I could get a better picture. But it smelled soooo good. So I just had to have a tiny taste.
Stay tuned--hopefully tomorrow I'll post Menu Planning M-Thursdays. Although I might forget, as my mind will be excitedly thinking about the return of the worst show ever (reverse psychology-works every time.) In the meantime, I'd love to hear about what you're cooking!
And since you've made it through this totally kid-less post without complaining, I'll give you a little Addie Lou pic. Guess who's turning 9 months tomorrow?!?!
Aren't these ornaments amazing and adorable?! I met Anne Luckey at the Coastal Kids Market--our tables were next to eachother and her mother was Adeline's happy babysitter. She does these custom ornaments from an emailed picture and ships them in a box ready to go under the tree (or on it!). These are of my nephew Liam, my brother and sister-in-law on their wedding day, my family on the day Jess came home from Iraq, and my parents and crew. She's taking orders til December 12 so go check her out!
And are you wondering why I don't also suggest a little something from Ella Bella Baby? It's because I am C.L.O.S.E.D. Ahhhh. Done. That is, until January. Here is a picture of the orders I sent out today, in production, and then ready to ship:
The crockpot lady said to start with whole milk, so we did. Later we might try lower fat milk with added powdered milk or gelatin to help it thicken. I even thought we could try goats milk so Adeline could have a taste! Can you tell I'm a bit excited?
Here is our finished 1/2 gallon of yummy healthy yogurt.
On the left, next to the milk, you'll see I'm draining the whey from one batch, to thicken it like a Greek yogurt. I'm using a coffee filter. I've read whey is excellent to use in baked goods but I'll have to research it a little more.
Here is our favorite yogurt tester. She wanted to eat it all even before I sweetened hers with a little splenda.
I would HIGHLY recommend this easy crockpot recipe. And let me know if you try it!
Shade Clothing: True story: I went into Victoria Secret one day this summer and told the saleslady that I had a very low cut dress I wanted to wear to my brother's wedding and I needed a camisole to go under it. She looked at me and, in all seriousness she said, "Hmmm. How about just a really pretty bra?" My jaw dropped and I decided it was stupid of me to try to find a modest solution in a store I won't let me six year old walk in. My friend Marlo suggested I try the Mormons. She was right!!! I might not agree with Joseph Smith's theology, but his folks know how to make some cute modest clothes. I bought two camisoles from shadeclothing.com and I LOVE them. They are high at the top and long at the bottom and fit perfectly. 
fitted sling. I found a sling absolutely essential in getting 4 kids in and out of church while Jess was gone. I think I became known as the girl with the sling. I got one at mom4life and another on etsy, which brings me to favorite thing number 5.
Although I'm fond of green leafy vegetables, I was honestly just trying to get through dinner to get to dessert. At about 5:15 my cookbook magically opened on "White and Dark Chocolate Pies" and I had to have them. I made our own version lickity split--and almost sugar-free. Here's what i did: Crumbled some vanilla wafers in the bottom of individual ramikins. In a mixer, combine 4 oz softened low fat cream cheese and a couple tablespoons of splenda. Spread over cookie "crust". Top with prepared chocolate pudding (we used instant sugar-free). Top that with a squirt of whipped topping. Top THAT with some chocolate shavings to be fancy. Make a big deal about it being a surprise and the kids will LOVE it! Here they are closing their eyes and waiting for dessert:
Tomorrow my baby turns 6. I'm going now to decorate his room. . . and cry.
here are the littles in their freshly laundered diapers:
ready to go!
and now, a new favorite snack. Ok, maybe not favorite. But Sam and I are lovin edamame! Ella will eat some, and Si really hates it. Sam's always been the one eager to try new foods. This is one you should try. We just bought it in the freezer section, followed the directions to cook it in the microwave, salted it, and they are ready to pop and eat (you don't eat the husk). We keep them in the fridge and pull them out for a healthy snack. Or we run to sonic for a cherry limeade cream slush. 
