Wordless Wednesday

So big, brave, and proud while at the carnival and riding the rides for the first time.

Not Me, Monday

This blog carnival was created by MyCharmingKids.net. Check out her blog for me "Not Me, Mondays!

This weekend, I most assuredly did not drink a beer before two in the afternoon. I would never do such a thing. I would never take my kids with me to a private party at a bar.

I did not allow my four year old to give himself tattoos with Magic Markers. Never would I do such a thing! After all, what am I teaching him?

I would never (ever) serve my child a brownie for breakfast. Not even if he was asking me so sweetly!

I did not ignore the mess in my bedroom and I always put clothes away immediately after laundering them. That's, after all, the responsible thing to do.

I did not eat McDonald's for dinner last night and if I had McDonald's, I would never enjoy it! That's blasphemy.
Blasphemy, do you hear me?

Peanut Butter Deliciousness.

In trying to perfect my cookie recipes, I stumbled across this gem of a recipe. Even my father, the peanut butter cookie extraordinaire approves of these cookies.

Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
1 egg
1 tsp of baking powder
Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Mix egg, peanut butter, flour, water,sugar, and baking powder together. Stir until well blended. Make sure egg is stirred well and no longer visible.
Spoon even-sized amounts on a cookie sheet. If desired, use the back of a fork to press into the dough, making the traditional criss-cross peanut butter cookie design.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. To test the cookies, put a toothpick through one. If it comes out clean, they're ready.
After removing the cookies from the oven, let them sit for a couple minutes to cool.
Use a spatula to place cookies on plate or cooling rack if desired. Enjoy them when they've cooled!
Some tips that I've found definitely help your cookies: Refrigerate your dough! I actually refrigerate my dough for a minimum of 60 minutes, sometimes upwards of two or three hours. It helps the dough so much and the flavor of the cookie.
These cookies also taste divine with chocolate chips added. Yum.

Now I must go resist the urge to bake a huge batch and eat them all in one sitting. I think that would be counterproductive to my weight loss this morning!

I'm slumped.

Just in a major funk lately and desperately trying to shake out of it. The current state of the economy and the complete and utter lack of employment in NW Indiana is really taking a toll on my mood.

Job hunting tips and tricks? What are your go to sites? If my hubby doesn't find a job soon, there might not be much of my mind left to lose.

No, really.

I've been busy...

You know, when you have your first baby, sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the milestones and can't wait for them to do everything. I would find myself saying, "Oh I can't wait until he crawls! Until he walks! Is talking!"

Confession: With every new milestone, of course, I was excited and proud of him. But then I also learned something. Milestones in babies are things that make life just a bit more difficult for mommies.

No, really. No more plopping baby on the floor on a blanket with some toys and remaining worry free. Now you have to worry about the tumbles, what the baby is going to find and promptly put in his mouth (and my kids just love to put things in their mouth).

So, I've been neglecting my blog-- because my baby walks now. He does not stop moving. If he's not walking, he is crawling at lightening speed. It's especially funny when he gets something, puts it in his mouth, and I'm shrieking "ADRIAN NO! NOT IN YOUR MOUTH" as he giggles and crawls away as fast as possible (all the while, still shoving said item into his mouth).

Whew. So, I'm exhausted. This whole chasing moving baby thing is hard work.

Strawberry Pretzel Jello

One of my favorite things about summer is all the delicious fruit and veggies that are in season. Yum! It's no surprise that I love strawberries and this is definitely my favorite recipe that includes strawberries. Something about the salty pretzels with the sweetness of the strawberries makes my mouth (and my tummy) extra happy.
Ingredients
2 cups pretzels, crushed (about 4 cups)
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
Cool Whip
2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry Jell-O gelatin dessert
1 (16 ounce) package frozen sweetened strawberries (I love using fresh!)
2 cups boiling water
Directions
Crust: Combine pretzels, butter, and 1/4 cup sugar. Press into 9" x 13" baking dish and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
White Layer: Cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar.
Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzel crust.
Red Layer: Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
Stir in frozen strawberries, Chill until partially set (about 1 hour) and spread over white layer.
Chill until set and serve.

growing up in a flash.

On Tuesday, my baby boy turned 4. Okay, okay. Sorry, Junior. I realize that you are "not a baby" and that you indeed are a "big boy". Excuse me a second while I go sob my eyes out, okay?

Not only did Junior introduce me to another side of me that I now wholeheartedly enjoy with every fiber of my being (motherhood), but he allows me to experience joy in ways that I don't think I really could, without his example. The simple joy, for example, in helping me make something as easy as scrambled eggs. The way he almost started crying happy tears because "he loves his birthday card" (just the card!).

This weekend, we will celebrate his birthday again and I'll reflect on the miracles that motherhood has truly shown me-- like laughter, experiencing your heart outside your body, the pure love that just radiates for your child. I'll do this again in July, with my little Adrian. Each birthday brings a new set of heartache for me-- my babies are getting all grown up, closer to a time when they won't need me as much, when my hugs and love will probably embarrass them. Even closer to a time when they will have their own life, separate from my household. While I'm sure each of those milestones will bring with it a new excitement, all I can do is dread the time when being Mom won't require such an active role in their life.
But for now? I'll just savor these little moments-- the birthdays, the joy, the laughter, and yes, even the temper tantrums and the tears.
Happy birthday, baby boy.