Wordless Wednesday

Cinnamon Toast....YUM!!!!

Open Wide!!!!

Last night, I surprised Henderson and Wilson with a little fun!!!! (Emma Claire would have no part b/c she can't stand to eat anything "soft and gooey" like ice cream, yogurt, pudding, coolwhip, etc.) Her loss! The boys weren't quite sure what to expect from their mommy when I said "Open Wide" - especially Wilson who has always been a little hesitant to open his mouth for anything. But once they experienced it once, they were giggling and begging for more!!!!

Who knew it could be so much fun - it was left over from Emma Claire's Valentine's party at school, which I'm sad to say I have no pictures of b/c I forgot my camera!!!! BUT - Emma Claire was the Musical Chairs champion and I couldn't be prouder - we may have a competitor on our hands!!!! Back to the cool whip - everytime I squirted it in their mouths they had the most hilarious look on their faces and laughed and laughed and laughed!!!

and we're not afraid of a few germs around here either!!!!
I can remember when I was in college, I used to keep a can in the refrigerator and everytime I'D open the fridge I'd take a squeeze STRAIGHT into my mouth - I guess they get it honestly!!!! Just keepin it REAL around here - shhhhh don't tell anyone I'm a dietitian - it's all about moderation, right???!!!!

Here are the tie-dyed t-shirts the children made at the A-Club BBQ on Saturday - I think they turned out quite well, after the nervousness and OCD they caused while the children were making them - b/c that stuff OBVIOUSLY stains ANYTHING!!!!!! I'm sad Henderson didn't make one now - how cute will those be at the park this summer????? And speaking of summer - I CANNOT WAIT FOR WARMER WEATHER!!!!!!

Stay Warm!!!!

Snow, A-Club and Valentine's

Let me just begin by saying it has been a wonderful week! The Shrimp and Grits Kids shows kept me VERY busy, but it was well worth it! I had so much fun and met lots of neat people! We enjoyed a day at home, as much of the South did on Friday with a rare snow!!! For awhile we thought it would be a false alarm again, but indeed it did snow - for about 8 hours straight - BEAUTIFUL!!!! Unfortunately the air temperature hovered around 33 degrees most of the day, so the accumulation wasn't that great where we live. But in a way, we should be thankful, I've seen pictures from our Nation's Capital...... WOW!!!!!

Emma Claire is in kindergarten this year and has been reading since school started, but has recently gone from that stuggling/love/hate relationship with reading to LOVING it - everytime I see her she has a new book in her hands reading out loud to anyone who will listen. Thankfully Henderson is in love with books too!!!!!

I made my chocolate icing again - but this time the cake didn't turn out so great. I used a teaspoon of canola oil that was left in an old bottle and then the rest of the 1/3 cup from a new bottle. After I mixed it all and poured it into the bowl, I realized there was a funny smell coming from it. It was a familiar smell and I remember it from college in my Food Science class - Rancid Oil - YUCK - just a small tsp destroyed the entire cake!!!!! But I'm enjoying just eating the icing off the cake!!!!

Last night Will and went on a date night to the A-Club Party and then

Today we all went to the A-Club BBQ cook off!!!

It was VERY cold!!!!

Great BBQ, jumpy things, petting zoo, tye-dyed t-shirts (I'll share the final results of those after I wash them tomorrow), balloon animals - not to mention all the football stars that were there and the autographs - but we weren't interested in that - jump castles and rabbits are MUCH more important!!!!

Do you think we need a rabbit????? sigh....

We went home with 2 of these..... YUM!!!!!

***this is a RED funnel cake for anyone who is wondering!!!

When we got home, I let the children open their Valentine's presents. I had already given Emma Claire and Wilson a video game for her DS his Leapster, but I also let them open these (that originally were put up for Easter, but since we are going to the beach for Spring Break, I thought they could use them!!!!)

Prissy girl

Henderson had to model too!!!!

Wilson and Emma Claire also got some Rainbow flip flops (that they'll live in this summer)

Monograms are from The Patton Patch


Wilson is all into layering - he's got on a turtleneck and his alabama t-shirt, a spider man costume and a swim shirt!!!! Why take it off when you can just put more on?

Will and I enjoyed another date today thanks to my sister, Katie!!!! We went to the Alabama basketball game all.by.ourselves and then out to dinner!!!! Thanks Katie!!!!! Now for a busy Valentine's day at church, blowing up balloons for the children, teaching the 2 year olds and then leading a small group at Worship Kidstyle!!!! Whew - then I'll need an afternoon nap before I head back for my Believing God Bible Study.

****Will is taking Emma Claire out to dinner tomorrow night -her first Valentine's date - isn't that sweet????

Happy V-Day!!!!

Still Here

I'm still here, just busy with life and I've got my last Shrimp and Grits show tomorrow - that's 8 shows in the last 7 days - plus my "real" job and 3 small children and husband (who has been a lifesaver this last week!)!!!! I'll be back soon, but really I don't have much...it's COLD outside - I'm SO ready for spring - we've been planning a girls/children's trip to the beach for Spring Break and I couldn't be more excited!!!! I'm also in the middle of Beth Moore's study Believing God and if you've ever done one, you know that any free time I get, it's spent diving in and relishing God's Word.

Too good NOT to share!!!!

Last night we celebrated Will's mom's birthday at our house.

Spiderman was there, b/c every grandmother wants a spiderman party, didn't you know?

The table was set - Will grilled filets for everyone - and they were DEEE-LICIOUS!!!!

I made Nana's favorite - white cake with old fashioned homemade chocolate icing - and I am going to share the recipe with you, b/c it is just one of those things that is too good not to share!!!

First, mix together in a boiler: 1 stick of butter (the REAL THANG!!!!), 4 TBSP cocoa, 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup milk. Bring to a slow boil.

Stir constantly (which is much easier when you don't have 2 helpers popping up beside you) - don't let it burn!!!! Bring to a hard boil and let it boil for 1 minute!!!! 1 minute!!!!!
(you might want to set your microwave timer if you tend to get distracted or mesmerized by the wonderful bubbly river of chocolate like me!!!)

Don't be tempted to stick your finger in there - it is REALLY hot - take my word for it - but it is SO YUMMY!!!!!

Next, removed from heat and beat it until it is spreading consistency. Then spread it on your cake. I thought I would be brave and attempt a layered cake - I trimmed the tops off so it would be level, then I thought I would be smart and flip the top layer upside down so it would be nice and flat on top - BIG MISTAKE!!!! Yes, it was nice and flat, but the middle part left a HUGE gap - that was really hard to fill in with icing!!!! Next time I will just make a sheet cake and pour it on top - not nearly as fun to eat, but much easier!!!!

I made an extra batch, just to get the icing on EXTRA thick!!!!! (and to save some to heat up and pour over ice cream, or pretzels, or french fries, or broccoli or whatever your heart desires - it's THAT good!!!!)

Looks kinda like a huge moonpie doesn't it?

Later that night, once everyone left and all the toys were cleaned up, the children got their pennies together for "prayers and pennies for Haiti"

You should have seen them dropping them into the huge water jug this morning at church - they were so excited and Wilson kept saying, "this is for the Haiti children to eat!!!"

Shrimp and Grits

Doesn't Shrimp and Grits sound yummy???

Well, this is the Shrimp and Grits Kids clothing line, not food. If you're like me, you've been bombarded with invite after invite of clothing shows, well, here is another one!!! It is ADORABLE and I hope you will take a look! It is new to our area and I am the representative. Please email or comment me if you have any questions or want to order - I would love to help you choose sizes or styles - look at the website - there are also sale items available - let me know how I can help you! If you are local, let me know and I can direct you to a home show!!!!

Lots more to see on the website!!!!