Just a short break?

Ummmm.....seriously I didn't realize it had been 3 1/2 months since my last post. I guess time flies here in the real world.

The biggest and most exciting change in my life is that we finally bought a house! Yay!! It is very beautiful, even though I might be a little biased.

Nah. I'm not biased. It is beautiful! And it will be even more beautiful when I get rid of the straggly bushes and plant some flowering trees and some flowers.

Other than moving into a new house, and the kids starting new schools, things are pretty much the same old, same old 'round here.

I am going to try to start posting again a little more consistently. I'm not going to promise, cause every time I do, it seems like I don't post for a month. So anyway, til next time. Whenever that is!

Taking a Break

Hello all! I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm taking a break. We're getting ready to move (again), and I just don't have time to devote to blogging right now. Hopefully I'll be back in a few weeks!

Christy

Going to the County Fair

I realize it's been almost 3 weeks since my last post, and I sincerely apologize. I've come to the realization that I totally suck at blogging. To be honest, I really don't have that much to blog about. We don't do a whole lot. We really don't. I started 2 different posts on politics, but you know what? I hate politics. I hate what's going on in our government right now. And I'm going to leave it at that.

So on to my post. We went to the Fair last week. I luuuuuurrrvvvveeee the fair. The exhibits. The animals. The rides. The food. I love it. I mostly love it because that means Fall is here. But unfortunately for me, I now live in the Deep South(as opposed to the mountains, where I lived before). And that means even in September, the temperature is pushing 90. That really sucks. I might possibly get to wear a sweater at the end of October. I'm not holding my breath though.

So on to the Fair pictures.

It's not the fair unless you take a picture of your kiddos standing in front of a John Deere Tractor.


And of your girl milking a cow. This was actually the second time she did this. She loved it.


I tried to get my oldest to do it, but he said it was gross, and that he didn't think he'd be able to drink milk again. Sheesh. City Boy.

I'm so getting my hair cut like this the next time I go to the salon.


Hmmmm....Devil Rooster?

Awwwww....ain't it sweet?

And this! It was so precious!

And this little guy was just to cute.

And of course, no trip to the fair is complete without getting all nasty and slobbered on by goats at the petting zoo!

O.M.G. Is that my feet? I so need a pedicure.

So that's our trip to the fair. We didn't ride any rides, because it was, get this, 20.00 per person to do so. It's less than that to go to our local amusement park, that has way more rides and a water park. So we're headed there next weekend. I shall blog. Maybe.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

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I have this guilty little secret. It's pretty bad. Sometimes....how can I say this.....I use......Cake mix. Okay?! Cake mix! Because seriously, when I'm baking, my kids couldn't care less if it was made from scratch or from a mix. They just need to know it's sweet and it's there in a hurry. But to my credit, I refuse to use canned icing. That stuff is naaaaaassssttttyyyy! Homemade buttercream might take a little longer, but it's so worth it. So what is this leading up to? Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars, my dears. The base is cake mix. And they are good. Very good. And easy. Very easy. And these have the added pleasure of pecans and coconuts. A little unorthodox, but a totally delicious combination.

I adapted this recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. (You can click HERE to go to that site.) I like this cookbook. I really do. It has some great recipes. But you know what? Cake mix cakes, no matter what you add to them, still taste like cake mix. I've added several different things to cake mix, and I can't really tell a difference, it still tastes like a cake mix. Does that make me a cake snob? Probably. Oh well. I like what I like.

I do recommend this book if you like to bake, because it has some really great bar cookie recipes in it. But for cakes, I think I'll stick to scratch made.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrne

1 package plain yellow cake mix

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 stick butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 12 oz. package chocolate chips

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp butter

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tsp vanilla



Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Set aside an ungreased 13x9 pan.



Place the cake mix, peanut butter, melted butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. The mixture will be thick. Reserve 1 1/4 cups for the topping. Using your fingers, press the crust evenly over the bottom of of the pan so that it reaches all sides. Set aside.



For the filling, place the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and 2 tbsp butter into a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high power in 1 minute intervals, stirring each time. This should take about 3 minutes. When melted, stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over crust and spread with a spatula so that it reaches the side of the pan. Sprinkle over reserved topping.



Bake until light brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 24 bars.



These will keep on the counter for 3 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator.

Bakerella's Lemon Bars

Have you ever been to Bakerella's web site? If not, leave here, and go directly to there! You just don't know what your missing! She makes the most wonderful cake pops, and decorates them in the cutest ways you've ever seen. She also make gorgeous cupcakes. And the pictures! I just love it! I'm also a tad bit jealous of her, because she got to go visit The Pioneer Woman and stay at the Lodge. Yeah.

She also has lots of recipes on her site. She posted one for lemon bars quite a while ago, and I've been wanting to try them ever since. I must say up front that lemons aren't one of my favorite foods. I love, love, love lemonade. But lemon flavored things not so much. I do like the taste of lemon in savory dishes, just not lemon desserts.

With that being said, I really liked these Lemon Bars! They were pretty easy to make, and they tasted so darn good! It was like really good lemonade in bar form. The only thing I did differently was not sprinkle any powdered sugar on them. I tried it on the first one I did, and it was a bit too sweet. I know, me, thinking something is too sweet. Will wonders never cease? So if you like lemon, or even if you only like it just a little bit, try these out. You'll be glad you did. :)

Lemon Bars adapted from Bakerella



Crust:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
Topping:
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest from 2 lemons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan.

To make crust:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar
Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
Press mixture into bottom of pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:
While crust is baking, prepare topping.
In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate.
Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!

(After I wrote this post, I realized I deleted the pictures I had taken of my bars. Sorry! You can go HERE and see Bakerella's. They're prettier than mine anyway. :) )

Back To School!!!

Admit it. If you're a mommy or a daddy this is how you feel when school starts.

6 Years Old...Where Does the Time Go?

My little girl is 6 today. I can't believe I'm even typing that. Was it really 6 years ago, that I stayed in the hospital for two days, only to have an emergency C-Section?

6 years ago today, after all the pain and tears, I brought this creature into the world?


Where does the time go?

How does this...........

get to this.............

so fast?

Happy Birthday, my sweet angel!