Silly Sock Day

It is Red Ribbon week this week at the elementary school. Today is silly sock day. :)

The Wall

Finally.

After three years of living in this house, I have painted a wall. Granted, it is a small wall, but hey, it is a start, right? :)

Before:


After:


Oh, and now I get to have my entry way wall exactly as I want it. I found that table at a garage sale this weekend. Cool, huh? Still needs to be refinished, but it is still good for now. :)

First Day of School (August 22, 2011)

Well, finally I am getting to posting the first day of school. Here are the three of them, all spiffy and ready to go!

Sam was so excited to be going to school for the first time. She is in Pre-k. At first I was worried that she would have a hard time, but these first few weeks has been really good. She is still excited to be going!

That first day, she didn't even look back when she got on the bus, she was that excited!

Jenny, of course, had no problem going to school. This is the third year she has gone, and she finally gets to go to kindergarten. At first she missed her old teacher a lot, but now she is adjusted quite nicely and still does really well.

Ryan is now in 4th grade. I still can't believe he is this old!:) He ended up getting one of the teachers he was supposed to have in 2nd grade. She is a great teacher, and we are excited about this year for him.

Some Eric Cuteness

Two pics from my camera of Eric that I just couldn't pass up from August!

First, we have him trying to play Uno. Darrell and I taught the kids how to play back in August, and he just couldn't stay away!

And here he is, so proud of himself! He, like all kids I know, LOVES the dishwasher, and has this radar for when it is left open! LOL!

10 Year Anniversary

10 years! Can you believe it? Darrell and I have been married for 10 WHOLE years(on July 28). Time really does fly by. We look at each other and say this can't possibly be. And then we look around at our 4 beautiful children, and one on the way, and know that it has to have been that long.

So, because it was our 10 year anniversary, Darrell and I took a weekend trip to San Antonio. We had a lot of fun. On Friday we went to a restaurant called "Cappy's". We went there 5 years ago and loved it, so we knew we wanted to go back. This time we tried some new things. I was very impressed with the service. Especially because I didn't like what I ordered and they changed it out for something else. They are very customer oriented! :)

Here are the scallops I didn't like (I think it was a pregnancy thing, cause I really do like scallops)

Here is what Darrell ordered.

That night we went to The River Center Mall and saw the movie "Cowboys and Aliens". It was OK, but not the best movie I have seen.

The next day we went and did a session at the San Antonio Temple. The have such BEAUTIFUL stained glass windows!

Later that day we went to the Alamo, went through a mirror maze, had dinner at Luciano on The River Walk at The River Center Mall, and went on the River walk cruise.

Our "illegal picture" of a plaque inside the Alamo shrine. Micajah Autry, who is listed, is an ancestor of Darrell's.

A Prickly Pear out in the back gardens. So pretty!

The facade on one of the buildings at the Alamo.

A picture of Luciano's sign. Very yummy place to eat! ::

The next day we drove home. Overall, it was a very fun and relaxing weekend away.

A bit of back tracking

I finally found my camera - after two months. It was being digested by the love seat. So, the next few post will be a little catching up. :)

Carrot-Pumpkin Bars with Orange Icing

So, it is fall. In fact, it is October, already! But does it feel like it here, deep in the heart of Texas?

NO!

So what I am doing this season is making food that make me think of that elusive season called "Fall".

A family favorite is a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Baking Book, slightly modified. The original recipe calls for orange zest. Frankly, I don't usually have oranges around to zest, so I always leave it out. And I don't make the glaze for it either.

I will go ahead and give you the original recipe so that you can try it however you want.

Carrot-Pumpkin Bars with Orange Icing

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 recipe Orange Icing (see below)
Walnut halves (optional)

1. Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, orange peel, baking soda and salt. Set mixture aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs and brown sugar. Stir in pumpkin, cooking oil, milk, and vanilla. Stir in carrots and walnuts. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until combined. Spread batter in the prepared pan.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Spread with Orange Icing and cut into triangles or squares. If desired, garnish each with a walnut half. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.


Orange Icing

In a mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and enough orange liqueur or orange juice (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make an icing that is easy to drizzle.