Saturday, April 5, 2008

Swedish Tea Rings

When we were making chocolate eclairs the other night, Joey flipped through the cookbook (Betty Crocker) and came across the Swedish Tea Ring recipe. He immediately thought it looked good and wanted to make it. I told him soon. Well, today was the day. I used to make this recipe for Dad when I was in high school. It's easy and a winner. If only I'd had the stand mixer when I was in high school!

Joey won't eat raisins or nuts, so the one on the right just has butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I felt like trying something new, so the one on the left has a yummy cream cheese filling in it.

If you want to see the play-by-play pics, they are here. We also made a homemade mushroom and cheese pizza tonight too.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

The Real Easter Eggs


The boys and I walked Blaze after supper last night and ran into Danny and Madi. While the kids were running around in circles all excited to see each other, Danny and I snuck a peak at this bluebird nest. For years, Danny and Christine have had good success with the bluebird boxes in their yard. The nice thing about bluebirds is that they are not sensitive to you removing their nests for inspection. Also, the bluebird boxes that are sold around here usually come with a nesting cup. So, when you think you have eggs, you carefully open the box, let momma bird fly out, and gently lift out the cup for a peak. This year, the bird has laid a record 6 eggs. Cool! Super neat! Just fantastic! Hopefully in a few weeks I'll have a picture of the actual babies to post:-)
The rest of the pics from last night are here. Danny and Christine's wisteria vine looks awesome too. I had really hoped to get some pics with better lighting today, but of course it's cloudy with a threat of rain. I need sun!
More information on bluebird nesting is here and here.

Monday, March 31, 2008

The Ketchup Dilemna




I admit it, the boys and I go through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru at least once a week if not more often. The boys are addicted to the nugget Kids Meals, and I like the classic sandwich. Usually, we stop at CFA on the way home from The Little Gym on Thursday. The boys are really good at eating in the car. We have this scheme worked out, I credit Rick, of dumping the fries and nuggets in the Kids Meal bag and eating them right out of there. My boys don't understand ketchup is an option in the car...whew! No mess, no spills, bliss.

Mom on the other hand needs Ketchup, yes I admit it, on her sandwich. Usually, the helpful CFA employee will politely ask if I'd like any condiments with my meal to which I'll reply that I'd like two ketchups. 2 is such a simple number, right? I mean, CFA doesn't want to waste money giving away unnecessary condiments, right? That's why they don't just dump a handful in every bag. I have to tell you that it is rare for me to get just two. Sometimes every bag in the order gets two (or more). Sometimes I get handed a handful. I guess they just hear 'ketchup' and wing it after that.
Now, this isn't just a CFA thing. I repeat, I love CFA. This is really a reflection of what people say vs. what people hear. I have politely responded with, "Really, I just want two." only to get a blank stare. Oh well, I'll keep trying.