Lego Creations!

My son loves to build with legos! Here are a few of his recent creations!

a robot army

a church

a bunch of dragons

Mr. Potato Head (the pumpkin version)!

Publix Love!!

Publix gave these to the kids one night when we made a late run there. I mean, they've given us the cheap latex balloons with their logo on them, but not the mylar balloons. These lasted for weeks and the kids had a blast playing with them!

Fun in the Kitchen!

I've been having fun cooking. (Shocking, I know!) Anyway, one of the blogs I like to read is Hip2Save.com. She recently started a series about Holiday Challenges. The first week was to make three different breakfast items for the freezer. I made chocolate chip pancakes, pumpkin/chocolate chip muffins, and pumpkin/chocolate chip bread (the last two are different recipes, although very similar). They all turned out quite delicious - as we ate some right away - and saved some in the freezer!



Then, last night with dinner, I tried a new recipe for candied sweet potatoes. This one comes from my husband's aunt. It turned out delicious as well and I plan on making this again both for us and for our Thanksgiving dinner at church!

Another Morse Bag

I made this one for my G'ma! I won the red hat fabric and thought I'd make her a bag with it!

Newest Bee Blocks

Here are the most recent blocks I've made for the two quilting bees I'm in. The first one is for the Vintage Sheet Bee. The second and third are for Bee Improvisational.

My girls!

In their dress-up leotards (thanks Mom!).

And in their leg warmers this morning (since it was a little cool in our house).

Robots

My big boy made these and was quite proud of them! I was quite proud of him too!! He's loving building and has quite an imagination!

Some newly sewed blocks!

I finally got around to finishing my September blocks for the sewing bees I'm in. The first one is for the Vintage Sheet Bee. The other two are for Bee Improvisational.

Beach Photos.

How could I forget some of the most beautiful scenery pictures?

The view from our balcony.

Sunset from our balcony.

View of the gulf from St. Andrew's State Park.

View of the shore - from the pier.

Another shot from our balcony!

Some vacation pictures!

We just took a trip to our favorite beach (yes some might call us a little on the redneck side) - Panama City Beach, Florida. The beautiful crystal clear water is absolutely wonderful and the weather the week we went was just gorgeous! All of us had a great time together and can't wait to go back!

Looking at the gulf from our balcony.

A family picture in front of the carousel.

A very hot baby girl!

My big boy in the gulf (he actually got in the water!!).

My big girl and her windswept hair - on the dolphin cruise boat.

Doodle running straight for the water!

All three kiddos (sort of) posing for a picture in their new shirts.

Double-Drizzled Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

These are absolutely my favorite cookies! I made a batch and a half of these a week or so ago. (It made a TON and we are still eating on them!!)

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Hershey's special dark cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Hershey's special dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chips
2 tablespoons shortening (DO NOT use butter, margarine, spread or oil), divided
1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips

1)Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add flour, cocoa, and salt, beating until blended. (Batter is very stiff.)
2)Divide dough in half. Shape each part into 12-inch-long log. Roll in wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate 6-8 hours.
3)Heat oven to 350*. Using a sharp knife, cut rolls into 3/8-inch slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
4)Place chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM one minute. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and smooth when stirred. Drizzle over tops of cookies. Melt peanut butter chips with remaining 1 tablespoon shortening; drizzle over cookies. Let stand until drizzles are set. Makes about 6 dozen cookies!

Sewing Bee Creations!

Two houses for Bee Addicted 2

Three random blocks for Bee Improvisational

A Spiderweb block for the Vintage Sheet Bee

The many adventures of...Doodle!

Learning how to play on the playground.

Sleeping so sweetly.

In her new big girl car seat.

Passed out at Walmart.

And sitting in the dump truck.

Doodle turns ONE!!

My doodle bug turned one a couple weeks ago! We weren't planning anything special, but did celebrate with a cupcake (thanks to my in-laws!). She took right to it (I mean, what one year old wouldn't?) and made a complete mess. It was too cute!

Blankies

All my kids got up the other morning and carried their blankets to the family room. Since it's a new thing for even the baby to be attached to hers, I took a picture of them all sitting together with their blankies on the couch.

(Not the best picture, but oh well....)

Fun Times at Chick-fil-A!

My mom and I regularly go to Chick-fil-A before going to the grocery store together. This past Thursday, I decided I wasn't really up for going to Walmart, but still wanted to go to Costco. So I picked her up and we went to Chick-fil-A first to eat some breakfast. We had a little time to kill before Costco opened, so we let the kids play in the playground. Things were going fine and all was normal, until my baby came over to the window and smashed her face against it. She then decided it tasted delicious and ran her tongue all over it as well. I about wet my pants laughing so hard! The look on her face and the tongue action were just too much! Thankfully I got a couple pictures! They don't quite do it justice, but almost.





And yes, that glass is quite dirty looking. Our first thought was gross, but then she kept on and it was SO funny....I couldn't help but take a few pictures!!