My Texas Family

Silly Sock Day

2011-10-26T08:22:00.001-05:00

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

The Wall

2011-10-25T12:19:00.002-05:00

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)

2011-10-14T18:20:00.004-05:00

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

2011-10-12T21:37:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-11T10:40:00.005-05:00

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

2011-10-11T10:32:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-07T21:03:00.003-05:00

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.

201/365

2011-07-28T07:41:00.001-05:00

We went to the splash pad yesterday. Eric had a lot of fun in the water! I know I haven't posted very many pictures of him lately. I find it interesting the he really doesn't look all that different yet!

201/365

2011-07-28T07:40:00.000-05:00

Jenny dressed up as a cowgirl for a birthday party. Isn't she a cutie?

184/365

2011-07-28T07:37:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture from when we went to the Houston Zoo a few weeks ago. The kids like to try playing in this fountain. It is a nice, cool, out of the way place located next to the red pandas.

Hope

2011-07-23T22:42:00.003-05:00

So, I was asked to give a talk last Sunday on the topic of Hope. I am sorry it has taken me so long to post it ... I lost track of time! :)(Note: a lot of the scripture references are from the Book of Mormon)

HOPE

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all me; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." Thirteenth Article of Faith

So many things mentioned in this Article of Faith are things that we can apply to our lives. What I want to focus on today is HOPE. I find it interesting that we don't really talk much about hope. Yes we talk about FAITH and CHARITY, but what about HOPE?

First off, what is the definition of HOPE? I went to me huge dictionary and looked it up. There were something like 12 different definitions, but the one that really grabbed me was #6. "to look forward to with desire and a reasonable confidence." Did you catch that? A reasonable confidence. I had never thought of hope in that context.

Elder Steven E Snow spoke on the subject of hope in the priesthood session of last April's General Conference. He had some great examples of how we "hope".

"Sometimes we hope for things of which we have no control over." i.e. the weather, our favorite sports team winning a game, etc. "other times our hopes can lead to dreams which can inspire us and lead us to action. If we hope to do better in school, that hope can be realized by dedicated study and sacrifice."

Lets ask ourselves - How do we use the word hope in our lives? Do we pin our hopes on things we have no control over, or are we more proactive?

I would like to point out something about hope. Throughout the scriptures hope is always paired with two other thing: FAITH and CHARITY. A great example of this is found in Alma.

Alma 7:24
And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.

(as a small tangent) Why is that? Why does faith+hope+charity= good works? When I think about this I also thing about Mosiah 2:17 "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

Again, ask yourselves - when I am feeling hopeless, how likely is it that I will look outside of myself/situation and see the needs of others?(end of tangent)

Now, going back to faith/hope/charity. I think that it is important to look at the definition we have in the scriptures of faith.

Alma 32:21
And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

Lets go back to the definition of hope again. "TO LOOK FORWARD TO WITH DESIRE AND A REASONABLE CONFIDENCE". Without hope, there is no faith.

Next I want to discuss the hope/Charity connection. As I was reading though some of the scripture references for hope I got a new perspective on Charity. We always talk about needing to have charity and how important it is, but these next scriptures gave new light on the subject for me.

Moroni 7:45-47
45And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

46Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

47But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

So me these scriptures point out something very important. Every thing we have from this life will fail. EXCEPT Charity. If we have charity(being the pure love of Christ), we have hope as we move beyond this life, because charity will NEVER FAIL.

Earlier in the chapter, we are also specifically given a reason for hope.

Moroni 7:41
And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

What better thing is there to hope for than the atonement?

My testimony: I know that this gospel is the true gospel of Christ. I can testify that he is our redeemer and our savior. I could never deny these things. I know that He loves us so much that he was crucified, and then was resurrected so that some day we will be able to follow in his footsteps and be with Him and our Heavenly Father again. I know this and have hope in this. I am grateful for that hope.

I would like to leave you with one last scripture.

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

178/365 Architecture

2011-06-30T09:53:00.001-05:00

There are a lot of interesting landscape architectual pieces around here. I just wish I could have taken a picture that showed off this shrub better!

POTD 177/365 Two of a kind

2011-06-30T09:26:00.003-05:00

Because you can't have too many copies of a good book ...

And here is another version. Which do you like better?

176/365

2011-06-28T09:24:00.001-05:00

After I dropped the boys off at cub scout camp, I decided to find a picture at Bear Creek Park. Such a wonderful place to have in such a big city! :)

POTD 175/365

2011-06-28T09:04:00.002-05:00

My Friend Karen Finished her quilt. She did a wonderful job for this being the first quilt she has done. I am so proud of her! :)

365 project? What 365 project?

2011-06-05T21:10:00.003-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I have taken a picture. About 3 weeks? So, obviously, my 365 project is down the tubes.

BUT, because I have enjoyed taking pictures so much, I am still going to try to take pictures. It just may not be every day anymore. Maybe next year ...

POTD 133/365

2011-05-14T21:07:00.002-05:00

Look what we found under a tree today ...

POTD 132/365

2011-05-14T21:04:00.001-05:00

So, I have changed my library day to Friday now. This doll sits in the office in the library on the counter, reading it's own book.

POTD 131/365

2011-05-14T20:54:00.003-05:00

This is the monster that guards my office. It has actually been there for a while. I think that Jenny made it.

POTD 130/365

2011-05-11T11:57:00.001-05:00

I saw this on the doorstep of my friends house, and decided I HAD to get a picture of it. So cute! :)

POTD 129/365

2011-05-11T08:10:00.001-05:00

I got a new haircut today. I am liking it a lot! :)

Before:

After:

View of the back:

POTD 128/365

2011-05-11T08:09:00.002-05:00

My friend finally finished the quilt top I have been helping her with. It looks awesome, right? :)

POTD 127/365

2011-05-11T08:07:00.001-05:00

What a way to enjoy your food! We had tacos tonight, and Eric got his share of beans. He LOVED them! :)

POTD 126/365

2011-05-07T20:53:00.002-05:00

For ODC - group 3 challenge "out of reach".

These are our "good books", which are kept way up high, out of reach of the children. :)

POTD 125/365

2011-05-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

One of the cards I made the other day. I love it! :)

ODC - group 3 challenge "must have"

I must have a hobby to keep me sane, so since I can't buy fabric right now, card making seems to be the thing. :) I am going to try to start selling these soon.

POTD 124/365

2011-05-05T20:41:00.002-05:00

Sammy and a friend making mud castles today. They had so much fun just playing with spoons and a little dirt! I love it when they get creative with the most basic of things.

POTD 123/365

2011-05-05T12:24:00.001-05:00

There is a little bunny rabbit that visits the bus stop every afternoon. Cute!

ODC - group 3 Song Lyrics "little bunny fu fu"

POTD 122/365

2011-05-03T21:10:00.001-05:00

Really crummy picture today, but oh well. We spent our evening having fun at Chuck E. Cheese's for Ryan's birthday(I know, it was a month late in coming, but we finally did something). The girls had a lot of fun going on the rides together. I just hope that they stay good friends on their journey of growing up together!

POTD 121/365

2011-05-02T23:23:00.002-05:00

I love garage sales. I especially love garage sales where you can get something like this huge Lamaze brand name play cube for $3.

LOVE IT! :)

POTD 120/365

2011-05-01T20:40:00.004-05:00

Happy birthday to my Eric. He turned one today. And he LOVED his cake! (bet you couldn't tell, eh?LOL)

POTD 119/365

2011-05-01T07:21:00.000-05:00

For ODC - group 3 challenge today, the topic is Book Title.

I have just finished listening to Matched by Ally Condie. I LOVED it! And dare I say, I loved it more than Hunger Games. If you like books like Hunger Games, The Giver, Anthem, then you may love this book as well. :)

Here is the official website for the book www.matched-book.com/

POTD 117/365

2011-04-29T22:06:00.001-05:00

ODC - group 3 "British" - I guess they had this in honor of the wedding today. :)

I have this miniature tea set that rarely gets taken out. I think that it is cute. I really should have a tea party with my girls! :)

I used scrap book paper for the back drop.

POTD 117/365

2011-04-28T22:15:00.001-05:00

Tonight we had a book exchange. This is one of the many treasure we found.

Besides being a fun book, this one is even more special. It is one of my husbands most loved book from childhood! We have been looking for it for YEARS! Just love it when that happens! :)

POTD 116/365

2011-04-28T22:06:00.001-05:00

Yet again, I have not been good... lots to do. So this is one from February. I really like the striking red against the blue sky, and how it all lines up. This was taken at Walmart.

POTD 115/365

2011-04-27T08:48:00.001-05:00

Ah, the possibilities of a new pack of cardstock ...

POTD 114/365

2011-04-27T08:47:00.002-05:00

So, yesterday got really busy again, and I forgot to take a picture. This is one that I took at the Clayton Library. I love the colors!

113/365

2011-04-27T08:43:00.001-05:00

We have a new tradition in our house. We started it last year. We have a sunrise breakfast outside and read the account of Christ's ressurection from all of the gospels. It is so awesome to be sitting outside with my family in our pajamas, listening to the birds sing, talking about Christ.

ODC group 3 "treasure" - We treasure this family time together. Great memories made!

POTD 112/365

2011-04-27T08:42:00.002-05:00

ODT group 3 accumulated - my cluttered house....

So, we watch a lot of movies in our house. And I am REALLY bad about putting them away when we are done. My husband really hates this ...

POTD 111/365

2011-04-27T08:40:00.001-05:00

All my little chickies, lined up in a row!

These are the tags for the kids' easter baskets. They are getting them tomorrow - Saturday. I am so excited for them!

I am also excited for Sunday morning's new tradition - a sunrise breakfast on the deck with the kids reading the resurrection story from the New Testament. Did it last year, and the kids still remember it and want to do it again! :)

POTD 110/365

2011-04-26T07:03:00.002-05:00

Here we have a classic example of male versus female. To the right, we see what the male of the family has gathered for his evening of dessert and SG1. To the left we have the female's choice.

And we wonder why the grocery bill has been so big in the past ... to think, he used to eat more!

Will the male's ways ever be mended? If not, his pants will need to be. (and yes, I know this is a HUGE stretch on the ODC - group 3 challenge of the day of "Mended" but it is funny, right?)

POTD 109/365

2011-04-26T06:59:00.003-05:00

I walked into the library today and found this guy reading a book. So cute!

I also found this guy reading. Apparently the spanish/english teacher didn't want to feel left out, so she this one up reading a spanish book.:) Gotta love elementary school!

POTD 108/365

2011-04-26T06:58:00.002-05:00

So, here is another thing that every time I drive by it, I want to come back and take a picture. It always reminds me of a frontier ranch house or something, because of the metal roof, and the size. And I always wonder how you get to this house, because there is no obvious way to get there. This house is situated next to the bayou next to a major intersection in the middle of the city. Gotta love the lack of zoning in Houston!

ODC group 3 I HAVE NEVER SHOT ONE OF THESE BEFORE

POTD 107/365

2011-04-26T06:56:00.002-05:00

Money laundering is so much fun when it is done right! :)

POTD 106/365

2011-04-26T06:54:00.001-05:00

While at Ryan's soccer game today, I captured this father and son taking pictures of the game. This brings back memories for me! I used to do this with my dad when I was little, when he still used the Cannon F1. So much fun! :)

POTD 105/365

2011-04-25T08:19:00.002-05:00

What is more whimsical than these? :) And it reminds me so much of spring time... the season of which we seem to have skipped here ...

POTD 104/365

2011-04-25T08:18:00.000-05:00

I didn't take any photos for today, so I am grabbing from a few weeks ago. This thistle is about the size of my hand! I found it when I was taking a picture of the dead looking tree a while ago. Wish it would have turned out better though. :)

POTD 103/365

2011-04-25T08:17:00.000-05:00

These are beautiful Samantha's eyes. Now tell me, what color are they? We are having problems with deciding ... in person they are a bluish, greyish, greenish color. Oh, and sometimes, with a flash, they look turquoise.

ODT Starts with E

POTD 102/365

2011-04-25T08:15:00.001-05:00

When my husband and I got married we decided that every five years we would go on a trip all by ourselves. This July is our 10th anniversary. I am so excited to be able to somewhere other than home for the weekend! :)

POTD 101/365

2011-04-25T08:14:00.001-05:00

I am starting a quilt block of the month group. How do you like these three colors together? (not that it will change, because it is what I have in my stash, and I am not allowed to buy any fabric right now. )

Ryan's Baptism POTD 100/365

2011-04-24T18:05:00.003-05:00

What an awesome picture to land on this 100 picture milestone. This is Ryan, my oldest, and Darrell, my husband.

Today, April 10, is Ryan's 8th birthday. In our church, you can be baptized at 8. He has been looking forward to this milestone for a long time. And he was SO EXCITED! At church he was telling people down to the minute how long it was going to be until he was going to be baptized!

I love my boy and am so proud of him!

POTD 99/365

2011-04-24T18:03:00.001-05:00

Soccer season started today. I believe this picture says it all.

The cuteness.

The violence.

We did join FFPS, right? (Fun, Fair, Possitive Soccer)

Jenny is the girl in the black and white. She didn't run... she pranced around the field! LOL

ODT Having Fun

POTD 98/365

2011-04-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

So, i guess that Jenny had planted a dying stick or flower in a cup the other day. She was dissapointed in how it looked today, so she decided to wrap it up so that it would be safe and warm.

POTD 97/365

2011-04-24T18:01:00.002-05:00

Found this on my walk today.

POTD 96/365

2011-04-24T17:59:00.001-05:00

I found this word plaque in the office of the library. I thought it was cute with bird on it. Unfortunately, I only got 2 pics, and the first one was the only good one. My batteries died, and I was upset with myself for not changing them out yesterday.

POTD 95/365

2011-04-23T10:28:00.001-05:00

So, the ODC for today was the word "DOWN" I thought about it all day long, because I didn't want to do something typical. I know this is a stretch, and my husband thinks I am crazy, but this is my offering. I came up with it as I was "simmering down" the onions and bell peppers for my strogonoff recipe for dinner.

POTD 94/365

2011-04-23T10:27:00.002-05:00

This is my "new" mp3 player. I am so happy! I got one for Christmas, of which I mistakenly took INSTEAD of this one, because ToysRUs does not do rainchecks. I am grateful that a friend of my husband wanted to get rid of his for $20. And he left all of his songs on it. Sure, there are over 200 songs, and I have to sift through all of the gangster music, but I am still finding some songs that I wanted but didn't have. :)

POTD 93/365

2011-04-23T10:23:00.002-05:00

When I was trying to figure out something miniature to take a picture of, this was one of my ideas. Though it didn't make the cut for that topic, I still like this picture! :)

POTD 92/365

2011-04-23T10:16:00.001-05:00

We got a challenge today to take a picture of something miniature. I thought of all the oragami my husband loves to do for children, especially the flapping bird, so I got him to help me out with this one. Aren't I lucky? :)

Here is to show you how small this really is. :)

POTD 91/365

2011-04-23T08:44:00.003-05:00

I was at the pharmacy today and saw this in their sign. I just had to snap a quick pic of it! :)

ODT something with the letter N

POTD 90/365

2011-04-22T06:59:00.003-05:00

I was reading through "The Joy of Cooking" and found this lovely "scone" recipe. I don't keep any kind of cream in my fridge, so if I want to make scones, I can't. Until now! This one recipe doesn't call for heavy cream. :) Though, admittely, it is more like a sweet drop buiscut. But this is a recipe I was wanting to find anyway, and now my kids are begging for more! :)

(see recipe here)

POTD 89/365

2011-04-22T06:57:00.000-05:00

I love this little ceramic word. Always makes me smile and wish I had one! (another picture from our elementary school)

POTD 88/365

2011-04-22T06:56:00.000-05:00

As I was cleaning up some clutter in my bedroom today I found this strap. As I coiled it up, I thought it looked cool. I really like the texture. :)

POTD 87/365

2011-04-22T06:54:00.003-05:00

This beautiful "bayou" as they call it around here is next to the walgreens on Clay and Barker Cypress. Every time I drive by it, I see that huge tree at the waters edge and itch to take a picture of it. Today I did. I had a lot of fun taking pictures today! :)

(and disapointment when the film from my dads camera didn't turn out, and there were no printable pictures ... GGRRRRRR)

POTD 86/365

2011-04-22T06:52:00.002-05:00

Beautiful flower that pop up in the middle of the grass here. The girls are having so much fun picking these and giving them to everyone!

POTD 85/365

2011-04-21T07:24:00.002-05:00

You remember that picture of the nails? Well, here is what my husband built from the wood those nails came from. A great beginning ...

And here you have ... the rest of the story...(we have a lot of wood...)

POTD 84/365

2011-04-21T07:23:00.001-05:00

"Dish Art" by Ryan Autry. Ryan set these up like thiswhen clearing off the table tonight. I thought it might be picture worthy ... :)

POTD 83/365

2011-04-21T07:20:00.000-05:00

These lovely pieces live on the top of the cabinet that houses the bell collection I inherited from my grandmother. I don't remember where the two pitchers came from, but I DO remember where the oil lamp did! My grandmother had a neighbor named Mrs. Hill. Every time we went to grandma's house we HAD to go to see Mrs. Hill. One of the times we were over there, I was admiring her collections, and she gave one of these tiny lamps to me, and one to my sister.

I love the memories that some objects hold! :)

Also, one thing that I really like about this picture is the shadows. And how the green pitcher's shadow is green as well. :)

POTD 82/365

2011-04-21T07:16:00.003-05:00

This lovely Eeyore lives in our library as well. :)

POTD 81/365

2011-04-21T07:10:00.001-05:00

I saw these mushrooms on my walk today. :)

POTD 80/365

2011-04-20T12:20:00.002-05:00

The first block for Ryan's quilt is now pieced! I am making a "space" themed quilt for him for his 8th birthday. This is his first hand pieced quilt from me, since I had not started piecing by hand yet when he was a baby. As of April 20, the quilt top is still not completed. I need to get a move on ....

POTD 79/365

2011-04-20T12:18:00.002-05:00

I love my egg slicer. Just sayin' ... :)

POTD 78/365

2011-04-20T12:16:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen a calico squirrell before? Cute, eh? :)

(this is at the Houston Zoo)

POTD 77/365

2011-04-20T11:58:00.003-05:00

77/365

And now, the kitchen is now the cleanest it has been in a long time. Granted, still a bit cluttered, but we are working on it. :)

And this is a before picture, as a reminder:

54/365

The Healthy Kids Plate, POTD 76_365

2011-04-20T07:37:00.002-05:00

A while ago, I blogged about how Jenny is ALWAYS asking me if things are healthy, like pumpkin seeds(here is original blog).

So, Amy Roskelley at Super Healthy Kids asked me if I could review her Healthy Kids Plate. And this is that plate. The idea is that it helps you know what portions you need to put on your kids plate for each food group. And in doing this, it will help teach your kids the correct portions for a healthy eating lifestyle.

It is a cute plate and Jenny loves it. She uses it a lot at lunch time. She likes to make sure to put the correct foods in the correct sections.

Drop Scones

2011-04-03T10:26:00.003-05:00

I found a treasure this week! Drop scones. I found them in The Joy Of Cooking. I love that book!

Dried Fruit and Buttermilk Drop Scones

Moist, light scones with a golden crusty exterior. Buttermilk produces a pleasantly tangy flavor that complements any dried fruit.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

2 cups all-purpose flour, or 2 1/2 cups if using oil instead of butter
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk together then add all at once:

1 large egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk* 3 1/2 tablespoons warm melted unsalted butter or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup raisins, or dried currants, blueberries, cherries, or cranberries, or chopped dried apricots or pears

Mix with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon, or fork just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be quite sticky. Use a soup spoon or ice cream scoop to drop the batter in mounds 2 1.2 inches in diameter at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with:

Cinnamon and sugar

Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 o 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack or serve warm.

I don't usually have buttermilk on hand either, so what I do is put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup, and then put enough milk in to make a complete cup. Let it sit for 1 minute. And then you have a substitute for buttermilk.

I have made this recipe three times this week already(without the dried fruit). The kids love them, and so do I! Granted, they are a bit lighter than your classic scone. More like a nice sweet drop biscuit. But hey, I was wanting to find a recipe like that anyway! :)

75/365

2011-03-17T13:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my husband has been my superhero. I got that severe flu that is going around here. Among other things he did for me yesterday, when he went to go get me some gatorade, he got these. I love him! :)

74/365

2011-03-15T18:25:00.003-05:00

I love Herman Park here in Houston. You have the Miller Outdoor Theater, the rose gardens, the Houston Zoo, the Museum of Natural History and Science, a golf course, and lots of places to walk and picinic. Hidden among the gravel between the paddle boats and the Zoo entrance are some different things, like these faces I took a picture of today.:)

73/365

2011-03-14T20:17:00.002-05:00

"Now mommy, you should know better than to take me to a picnic with now sunscreen!"

My poor little tomato head who doesn't know he is sunburned. :( I feel really bad!

72/365

2011-03-13T16:09:00.003-05:00

So, for all of you who want to see a finished quilt, here is the one that got auctioned off at church last night. It got $110!:)

To see more pictures of this quilt you can find them here.

71/365

2011-03-12T20:43:00.001-06:00

Looks like it is lady bug season. I have been seeing these everywhere!

70/365

2011-03-11T05:44:00.001-06:00

For some reason, almost every morning, Sam has one foot sticking out of the bed sheets. I have been meaning to capture it, and this time I did. Yay! :) (oh, and just so you know, the color combo was NOT my choice ... I will be happy when I can afford sheets of my color choice. :) )

69/365

2011-03-10T09:01:00.002-06:00

We finally got out my Dad's camera last night. I wanted to try to get a better picture of the grapevine. I am already having fun playing! :) But I am sure that I am going to be needing a tripod ... this thing is heavy!

68/365

2011-03-09T14:41:00.000-06:00

Finally, the first sign of life on the grapevine we transplanted back on Jan. 1st! YAY! :)

67/365

2011-03-08T17:21:00.002-06:00

Finally getting back to some quilting today. Kind of behind ... this one is for my niece who was born in Dec. At least all I need to do now is mark and quilt. :)

66/365

2011-03-08T06:47:00.002-06:00

So, I misplaced my camera today, so here is one from January.

We didn't celebrate my birthday with the kids, and the girls were quite upset about that. So we had a picnic on the floor - just us girls. :)

65/365

2011-03-07T09:01:00.000-06:00

They are going much too fast ...

64/365

2011-03-06T07:50:00.001-06:00

Jenny came downstairs last night and asked, "Do I look like a boy?"

I don't think she could EVER look like a boy. Just sayin' ...

ds 476 Make a photograph of a smile today.

63/365

2011-03-06T07:49:00.002-06:00

ds #474 Make a photograph of something that you find amusing today.

my kitchen is still a mess ... I am avoiding it. And this is how we get a picture of fruit salad sitting in the waffle iron. It just looked silly to me at the time.

62/365

2011-03-06T07:38:00.004-06:00

It can be interesting to see what the toys in my household are doing!

61/365

2011-03-02T12:13:00.001-06:00

I love this statue of a little girl reading in our library!

60/365

2011-03-01T20:32:00.002-06:00

I love the spring, don't you? :)

59/365

2011-02-28T19:23:00.002-06:00

Found this on the fountain at Christus St. Catherines. Ryan had to get an xray of his foot because he fell out of a tree yesterday. His foot is fine, probably just a sprain.

57/365 & 38/365

2011-02-26T21:10:00.002-06:00

57/365: Even when she is asleep she poses!

58/365: And a shamrock for the months of March. I am lucky I saw this before my husband moved the wood pile. I am grateful he is also accommodating and started at the other end so that I could take this picture! :)

2011-02-25T15:42:00.001-06:00

I was cleaning the girls room today and found this bouncy ball. I don't know where they got it, but I think it looks cool! (And fun to photograph!)

55/365

2011-02-24T23:27:00.001-06:00

Milk and Oil

54/365

2011-02-24T07:38:00.001-06:00

This is what happens when I am not feeling well ... ugh ...

My POTD's 49-53

2011-02-22T16:51:00.003-06:00

So, apparently I have forgotten to post my POTD the last 5 days. Here is the catch-up:

49/365: This is one of the cards I made this week. I had a lot of fun doing them. I made four of them, the same except for the colors

50/365: As we were sitting in the den watching a movie for Mommy Movie Night, I looked up and got a view of the stairs I hadn't gotten before. It was somewhat Escher-esque. I tried to get the depth of it , and the shades, but this is the closest I could get. I ended up picking the one where I accidentally had the flash on, because it ended up being the best.

51/365:There is nothing better than some fresh made muffins on a Sunday morning! :)

52/365: So, I didn't get any pictures today. So I am using an "old" one. This is one of my favorites from last year that I captured of Samantha and Eric sleeping on the couch. Sam sure does love her brother! (A little too much sometimes, but oh well)

53/365(Recycling): It always amazes me when I see things out next to the trash. The toys. The furniture. The discarded wood from fencing. Why can't we find a new use for these things? Why can't people donate the perfectly good toys to good will?

Anyway, we have been needing to make a rack for our wood pile. The other day my husband saw someone taking a fence down to be replaced, and he snagged the wood. And today, he and my son are taking the nails out.

48/365

2011-02-17T08:41:00.002-06:00

Looks like spring has sprung ... the fire ants are building again. You know, it is amazing how they can get through the cracks in the sidewalks. This is probably one of the things I hate most about Texas ... that the ants are not safe!

And for some perspective on size...

47/365

2011-02-16T12:15:00.001-06:00

So, here is my library shot for the week. I love the colors of this book and display. And I couldn't decide which to share with you, so you get to have them both! :)

46/365

2011-02-15T20:32:00.001-06:00

Amazing how reading a great book can make me forget to do things ... like taking a fabulous picture for my 365 project ...

At least the flash makes the bird look awesome. Fitting for the story. Though normally I don't like how things look with the flash on. :)