The Inspiration...

Here are the photos that inspired my office choices!  I still need a few accessories, lamp and cross your fingers...the PB filing cabinet.  I am told by their customer service within the month they will have more but we don't know the colors yet...hopefully one will fit into my palette even if they don't have my most fave yellow one!  I have come up with so many things to use the 10-drawer cabinet for! 

I love the clean, organized space.  A little too modern but I took some awesome inspiration out of this one!  Can't wait to show you how it worked in MY space!!

 Ahhh...How rich these colors are and I loved adding some fashion inspiration to my room!  I have been trying to find somewhere to add some orange and kelly green into our home and I think I have FINALLY done it!  I kept thinking master bedroom but that room isn't getting a makeover anytime in the near future as we have expensive BIG plans for that room. 

 This is The Style.  Clean lines, but not too clean.  Some funky color but not over the top.  Industrial but not cold.  This set-up would have cost about $2000!  I feel like I will have this feel but only spent around $350! 

What do you think of the inspirations?!  I can't wait to get everything in so I can decide how to use the chair I already have to tie everything together!  Its from my sweet friend Deb's garage sale a few months back!  Tyler and I love the chair and it goes perfect in the office area!  I knew I would find the PERFECT home for my chair! 

Sew Much Going On!!!

We all survived my first two days back to work!  Today I was pumping gas into my car at 8:00 am and I saw someone starring at me so I decided to take a look at myself...I looked down and saw heels and work clothes--you know, the same ones I wore "back in the day"!  I started giggling and felt like it was Halloween and I was ALL dressed up as Old Heather ready to go enter the costume contest!  Its going to be pretty busy until I get a good routine going, comfortable with my new responsibilities and line out exactly when to do certain things but I am excited for the new challenges.  But work is done for the day so enough about that...

Lots of babies being born in our circle of friends so I have made several baby blankets recently!  I am finally getting pretty comfortable with the machine and troubleshooting my problems in less than a week:).  Janet taught me how to make these lovely little blankets and I am so glad!  They are so cute, functional and always a hit at a baby shower!  Paige has lots of homemade blankets from Janet and I use them almost exclusively because they are always better size than the store bought, softer and of course cuter...oh and from her Nonny!  I feel like homemade gifts are so special and cherish everything that was handmade for our sweet girl so I love being able to give something I make--even if it comes out a little crooked!  I forgot to take a photo of a really cute girl blanket I made recently but here are a few others I love...

I made four of this pattern and used them for 2 boys and 2 unknowns!  

 This one is for my sweet friend Denise's baby girl arriving soon!  Her nursery is done in yellow and gray and is one of the prettiest nurseries I have ever seen!  Definitely unique! 

 This one is probably my favorite boy blankie!  Funky colors, stars, stripes and I love the cobalt and orange flannel on the back!  If I were a boy this would be my dream blankie/color pallette:)

 Another shot of this one all rolled up and ready to deliver! 

On another note, the home office is coming along and I can't wait for it all to be finished!!  I have ordered a few accessories and need to pick up a piece I bought at an antique store--all of the main components are re-purposed or used items!  I am super excited because not only was it UBBER cost effective but my room is even cozier with some painted furniture!  I'm not a stuffy or serious kind of gal so a big mohogany desk and leather chair just don't give me the energy I need to crank out some work:)!  A great friend of mine (who has a gorgeously eccentric home and great taste) came over and looked at all of the desks I have been clipping into a file from big stores to the little antique pieces and helped me narrow down the items that fit the bill for my "dream space"!  I will save the photos for a "big" reveal once its complete but here's the view from my office...

Doesn't get much better than having your own security...he's off duty for the night.

 
I Also hired a new Office Manager/Assistant and she has been great...talks a bunch but at least she's entertaining and came at a fair price.  We decided to take our employee photo today and to save on printing costs...jumped into the same photo:

Hopefully she won't wear her jammies to work everyday...I better get the dress code in place before things get out of hand.  Good help is hard to find so hopefully my staff will work out! 

Photos of the day

My two most favorite guys...oh I love how they snuggle!

 Someone was not having me cutting up her burger...she said I will eat my burger like my momma! 

 Such a happy, snuggly, playful day!

Is it a favorite, an obsession or an addiction??

As long as I can remember, I have loved ALL things yellow.  I wanted a yellow car when I turned 16 (almost got one), love yellow in the home and dress in yellow on a very regular basis!  Its such a happy, cheery color!  On my quest for the perfect office furniture, I spotted a yellow filing cabinet in a Pottery Barn picture.  I HAD to have it!  So I went to look to see how much it was and it wasn't online.  I searched the web and found where a few blogs had posted it as a nice "pop" of color to add to your office!  Oh boy isn't it!  I wanted it even more...the posts were from 2008.  No problem, I will check Ebay.  Nothing.  Ok, I will call up Pottery Barn.  Nope.  The yellow filing cabinet pops in my head every 30 minutes or so.  You know those items you wished you would have purchased only to find they are gone forever and you can never get them out of your head?  I am going to keep up the search but it prompted me to notice all of the things yellow I have throughout the house.  In fact, every room in our house has something yellow.  Lets take a tour, shall we?

This beauty was a $20 antique market find...I can't remember what Janet and I were searching for that day but JACKPOT when I found this and a little antique Christmas book!  Paige loves it as much as me! -family room

Yellow island in the kitchen...I LOVE it so and the color is perfect...just like butta my favorite ingredient! There are also some amazing yellow curtains in the kitchen that Janet made...I can't seem to photograph them at the right time of day so the pics aren't blurry but soon enough I will share those with you! 

Candleabra and pillows make up the yellow influence in the not-so-formal living room!

Dining room has A LOT of yellow...walls, curtains, decorations...our second favorite room in the house!

Master Bedroom which is yet to be remodeled but who could pass up those adorable Target pillows and the yellow Milk Glass lamp my sweet hubby got me for my birthday several years ago!

Hmmm...this one was tough...Cleopatra's room is in very faint colors...but the fabric on her chair is a  pale yellow with a pink pattern. 

And don't forget about this beauty...on the back porch! (Front porch is also accessorized in yellow)

There is a reward to anyone that can find me a yellow, metal 10 drawer filing cabinet!  On another note, I stopped by PB on our lunch date today to see if they had the desk I have been eye-balling in the store...they did and it was a bit disappointing in person.  The quality was poor for the amount of money the desk is so I am going to continue the search.  

I will end with the fact that I own three pairs of yellow shoes, probably 30 yellow tops and a few yellow dresses...I think I need to get help. 

Grinding Full Speed Ahead

My precious hubby, who is the one who got me addicted to coffee, has been running to McDonald's in the mornings and grabbing me a large coffee before he heads to work because a) I'm addicted to coffee and, b) he still is pretending my car is his car so I cannot retrieve my own coffee! 

Today we had a lovely lunch date and I finally made a decision on a coffee pot and grinder so we ate lunch and then went to pick up our lovely new machine and coffee grinder!  We are going to dabble in being coffee snobs and grind our own beans sometimes so here's what I brought home today...

What are those other trinkets you ask?!  Well, you have to have a jug of REAL maple syrup once fall hits, right?!  And I ran out of vanilla when making the monkey muffins so I decided to get two different varieties for all of the fall/Christmas baking coming up!!  Can't wait to make my own coffee in the morning!!! 

Who knew Monkey Muffins were so popular??

I try lots of recipes from lots of different sources.  Just like anyone else, I have my resources of ones I know will be good (because they always are), the ones that do not require a culinary degree to complete and family/friend recipes that you can just always count on.  I have made a lot of recipes from Cheeky Kitchen's blog recently because she has a lot of tasty recipes that also meet Tyler's healthy requirements.  She has a lot of great kid-friendly recipes too.  I have come to realize that the most wasteful thing you can ever do is throw out bananas.  There are 800,000 things you can do with a ripe banana with things 99% of the population has in their pantry so it is my life mission to never throw another one away again~!  Ok, that was a little dramatic but you get my point. 

I noticed a muffin recipe on her blog the other day that looked yummy, healthy and called for bananas.  So I knew at the end of the week I would be making them if our family did not finish our bananas!  We are all big fans and since then I have seen several recipes for the same thing as cupcakes, muffins and cakes...I honestly thought she made up the name of her muffins to be Monkey Muffins but I guess I was the last to know...Smitten Kitchen recently posted about a Monkey Cake she made for her son...

Here is Cheeky Kitchen's recipe but I served these plain, no icing.  I always make the mistake of adding extra chocolate chips to recipes like this....do not go over.  1/2 a cup is plenty! 

Monkey Muffins

Treat your little monkeys to this silly snack. Of course, they aren't really muffins at all. They are actually kinda healthy-ish cupcakes that hide a bundle of ripe banana's, whole wheat flour, and a handful of chocolate chips inside. Perfect for afterschool snacks, lunchtime snacks, or anytime you feel like snacking on something deliciously fun, moist, and full of incredible banana and chocolate flavor.

4 ripe banana's

3 T. butter

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. Coach's Oats ( I think old fashioned oats would be fine--I used steel cut oats and they were a little crunchy for my liking-Tyler was fine with it but I will try to get my hands on Coach's Oats for next time)

1/2 c. white flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat together banana's, eggs, butter, and sugar until smooth. Add in remaining ingredients. Spoon into muffin tins, lined with cupcake wrappers. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or just until the center of the muffins bounce back when touched lightly. Cool before serving.

*Light & Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

3 T. cornstarch

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. butter

4 (oz. cream cheese)

1-1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar

In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water, whisking together over medium heat until the cornstarch thickens. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge until cool. In a large bowl, beat together cooled cornstarch mixture, and remaining ingredients with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy. Frost cooled Monkey Muffins with a generous helping of frosting.

*Easy Chocolate Drizzle

1/4 c. chocolate chips

2 T. butter

Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, about 45 seconds. Spoon into a plastic zip-top bag, snip off a small corner of the bag, and drizzle over frosted cupcake. Enjoy!

*I won't embarrass myself torture you all with my mad photo skills on this one, just trust me!  They are great and super easy!

One of My Favorites...

I love reading blogs, especially those of people I actually know!  I feel like I get to be a part of the lives of friends that don't live so close.  Facebook is a good place to find people but lets face it, there isn't anything of substance there so blogosphere (as Tyler calls it) is a place to really find out what's going on with your peeps...but that isn't the reason for this post! 

I like reading some other blogs of complete strangers!  For design help, style help, mom advice, recipes but my most favorite....is to laugh really hard.  It is literally almost a 100% success rate for me on the blog I am about to share so I thought I better make sure all of you know about it.  It only takes 30 seconds to read each day and I just caught up on the last 10 and they are all HUGE HITS!!! 

Let me introduce you to Catalog Living where Molly, a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, and comedian posts familiar photos from catalogs and puts her own dialog under the pictures.  It is simply hysterical! 

You can thank me later.....

RIP

Our coffee pot has been giving us some fits over the past week or so.  Its not a SUPER fancy coffee pot but it was a nice one.  We have managed to jiggle it and mess with it to get it to come on.  This morning my coffee pot decided enough is enough and DID NOT turn on.  I had to come up with a Plan B until I can replace the coffee maker. 

This is a cup of hot tea with coffee creamer in it.  Before you gag, in Europe it is quite common to drink tea with creamer and I remember lots of tea parties with my German friends and we ALWAYS had cream and sugar cubes in our tea!  I think I am trying to convince myself...I need my coffee back...

Re-Purposing

I have a few motives for this post...

a) I have an announcement and,

b) I need some design help

The announcement is...I have accepted an awesome job doing what I love...being a landman of course (again!) and the best part is...I get to do it all almost all from the comforts of my own home!!  I will actually be working for myself and contracting out my fabulous services...while keeping my status of Stay at Home Momma/Boss of this House. 

The help I need is...I do not have a home office or an entire room I can dedicate to such a lovely thing.  Sigh.  One of the few downfalls to a 50's ranch home.  But our bedrooms are huge so the room I am going to manipulate it the guest bedroom.  I have found a few desks I like.  But can't decide which would be the best long-term investment and most condusive to my our needs.  Tyler has to do work from home sometimes too so we will give him a teeny bit of an opinion...oh yeah, he also is still the only one bringing in dolla dolla bills, ya'll so there's that too:).  But besides work, I also sew, craft, scrapbook, blah blah blah...so keep that in mind.  Here are the best photos my photographer is capable of taking of the room "as is":

Ok, so to explain...The bed will do a 180 and be on the opposite wall...it has always bugged me that it blocks part of a window.  Then, we are going to do away with the tv/chest and at some undisclosed time in the later future put up a flat screen for our ever-so-valued guests.  SO the new desk will go where that rats nest is in the corner...Tyler's non-functional, college desktop will go to computer heaven as we replaced it with a laptop over a year ago...Then the two nightstands will house the lamps and be on either side of the bed.  That leaves the whole back of the room empty for my work environment:)  Here are the only two desks I have really "fallen" for:

I love that a corner desk optimizes space and functionality.  It is also from Pottery Barn so it will match our bed and not be a clashing wood or stain.  It also will match the woodwork in other rooms of our house just in case the desk would ever need to me moved to another space. 

My crafty self loves this desk!  I currently use my formal dining as my sewing room and it actually works out just fine but this desk just screamed HEATHER.  I don't know how a taller desk like this would look in a bedroom space or how it would feel to work a full day sitting at a higher desk??  This beauty is from West Elm. 

And here is another that I kind of like...from Ballard Designs

Any suggestions on other places to look?  I was hoping to find something I loved at Ikea but I didn't see anything from the website that tickled my fancy.  The only components I will have to deal with are my laptop, printer (which is wireless), and then just the router and modem.  Hmmmmmm.....someone inspire me...

30 day challenge?

Have any of you heard about 30 day blog challenges??  I can't find one where it gives you topics but I know they exist!  Wouldn't that be fun and easy??  Sometimes I want to post but I don't want to stare at the screen for 30 minutes before typing anything...I just don't have that kind of time to waste!!!  So if any of you have seen a script for one of the 30 day topic things please let me know!!  If I don't find one, I will probably come up with and copy some ideas from other blogs and just do certain things on certain days of the week...one idea I saw on a blog was "What I Wore Wednesday" where a lady posted a pic of what she wore that day to inspire her to start getting "dressed" everyday...you stay at home moms know what I'm talking about...and those of you new to blogging would probably enjoy joining in and doing the challenge too!!  I will keep searching so let me know what you find!  I will leave you with a couple fun weekend snapshots...

(Saturday afternoon snack while enjoying a delightfully creepy lifetime movie....yes I would rather be eating cookies and watching lifetime than watching college football...sue me!) 

(Paige and I super shocked that we are both bathed, dressed and presentable to society before noon!-This is nothing short of miraculous--usually we paper, scissor, rocks who gets to have a bath and look decent before we head out!)

(Action shot of Paige having her drink and snack on the way to watch some football BUT please note this was her best hair day to-date of her LIFE!!  She even left it put together like this for SEVERAL hours!! YAY!!)

Oh the Butter Chicken....

Tyler was out of town one night this past week so I decided that was the day I would make the Butter Chicken recipe from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Website.  You see it calls for an entire onion which he could not handle.  Somehow I didn't even realize until I started eating it, that it was actually an indian dish traditionally called Chicken Tikka Masala.  My sis-in-law loves that dish and I tried it with her once at a local indian food restaurant.  I thought it was OK, but not great enough to go back to the restaurant and have it again.  Well, I must say, the homemade version is FANTASTIC!  Paige and I have eaten almost all of it!  Basmati rice is sooo good and is paired perfectly with this rich sauce!!!  It is a tad spicy but my one year old can eat it for heaven's sake so try it!! 

Ingredients

•4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut Into Bite Sized Pieces)

•5 cloves Garlic, Minced
•1 teaspoon Salt
•½ teaspoons Black Pepper
•½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
•¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
•¼ teaspoons Cumin
•¼ teaspoons Cardamom
•1 whole Lime, Juiced
•1 whole Onion, Diced
•¼ cups Butter
•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
•1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
•1 pint Whipping Cream (I only used 3/4 and next time will just use 1/2--it was very rich!)
•1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
•2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Preparation Instructions

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight (at least a few hours).
Saute the onion in the butter until soft.

 Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on.

 Add the whipping cream

 (I have used light cream or half-and-half also) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.

Note: this is a little spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne if you want.

This is now one of my favorite dishes and I will definitely be making it again!  If you like indian food, it is a MUST!  The spices could easily be changed too and use this recipe as a base for tomato cream sauce for pasta!  Yummy!  So glad I stumbled upon this one!!!

Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo

Tyler has been ordering shrimp fettucine alfredo at restaurants lately. Even if its a nice restaurant, he ends up disappointed because they all use those little, teeny, weeny shrimpies that most folks use in shrimp salads.  I don't EVER order any kind of fettucine at restaurants ever since Janet taught me to make fettucine!  You really can't get it better than this recipe I am about to share with you!  So I told Tyler on Friday evening I would make it and use BIG shrimp!  Here's what you need:

1 lb fettucine noodles

1/2 a stick of salted butter

1/2-3/4 pint of heavy cream

4 tablespoons sour cream

parmesan cheese (I use the romano/parm blend)

1 egg yolk

salt

pepper

1 pound shrimp (I bought mine peeled and ready)

Cook your noodles according to their directions and in a pan melt your butter then add in cream, don't boil.  let cook a few minutes then add in sour cream.  wisk all together with salt and pepper and throw your shrimp in--they only take a minute to cook-DO NOT OVERCOOK SHRIMP.  After your noodles are drained, sprinkle with parmesan then add in your sauce and the yolk.  Stir and enjoy!! 

This was SOOOO good and we will be making it much more often!  So much better than the restaurant and soooooo much cheaper! 

Serve it with a salad, fresh rolls, glass of wine and some thumbprint cookies for dessert and you will be in a food coma by the end of the meal! 

Veggie Chicken Fritters

It has been a food-filled weekend!  Most of them have been homeruns...i'm trying not to jinks my chocolate banana cupcakes that are in the oven right now!  I came across a recipe here that prompted me to make something very similar for lunches/dinners for Paige!  I changed it slightly because I had a bag of frozen peas and some fresh carrots I wanted to use in the recipe.  So here's my take:

10 oz. frozen green peas (thawed)
10 oz. shredded carrots (boiled in water for 10 minutes to soften)
2 eggs
1 lb. ground chicken (I get the Smart Chicken-untreated with antibiotics)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 box Panko Bread Crumbs
pepper (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Put your veggies and eggs in a food processor or blender to puree then add to the ground chicken and seasoning, then mix. On a cutting board, spread a good amount of bread crumbs then top with a layer of your chicken veggie mixture then top with a layer of breadbrumbs.  Use any shape you have on hand to cut your fritters...I just used a small round cutter.  Place your fritters on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  I turned mine over half way through because I like my crumbs to be crispy on both sides!  They smell yummy like fish sticks and were quite tasty!  Paige, Tyler and I approved!  I am going to freeze these for lunches for this week. 

Nicknames...

A friend of mine from high school recently started a lovely blog and a recent post was about nicknames in her family.  I absolutely loved it and am sad to say I haven't ever met her father because you can tell by the nicknames he comes up with, he is a lovely treat.  You can find Nicole's blog here.  She is a wife, runner, dog mom and little people doctor.  So instead of writing a 20 page comment on her blog I decided to copycat and do a post of my own because I LOVE nicknames! 

“No orator can top the one who can give good nicknames.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have a million nicknames that have been given to me by lots of different people.  I love all of them because my dad always told me if someone gives you a nickname, even if it sounds mean, they really like you.  My dad always called me Big Bertha and her Stinky Feet...and he always said the WHOLE thing! HAHAHAHA  I think I may have to eventually write a children's book and title it that!  I have always eaten a lot so that's where the Big Bertha part came from and apparently I had stinky feet:)  My mom always called me Pea when I was little, short for Princess and the Pea.  Over the years I have acquired lots more so here are some of my favorites.  High-Water Heather (junior high-high school), H-Squared, Hay-Hay (from Chelsea), H-Eater (from Tyler's brother), Hooch (from a good friend from work), and here are some good ones Kim has called me over the years...some of my personal favorites...Loretta Lynn, Madonna and Bobble Head.  I wore a lot of purple eye shadow and funky clothes back in the banking days...OK, I still do!  She still calls me Loretta on a fairly regular basis so I guess that's who I relate with the most:)

Paige has lots of nicknames already.  Nicknames are actually a big deal around here and we all have A LOT!  We used to joke that Paige and Oscar have to be genius because they can keep up with all of their names.  We were at a cookout over Labor Day weekend and I was asking Paige a question so I said, "Susan, would you like cheese on your plate?"  Everyone looked at Tyler and I confused and I said oh that's her nickname!  HAHAHA  Everyone started dying laughing uncontrollably.  It all started out by calling her Susie Q, then Suze and then just Susan.  Its really cute and when I want to call her by a code name in stores just in case say, there are kidnappers around, I use Susan.  Yes I am a nut case.  Here are some of her others.  Cuddles, Cutes, babalicious, Dunkin Hines, Dunks, Dump Truck, Paigaletta, Cake, Stink and Dumpling.  She loves all of them and still seems to know her birth name is Paige.  Its a miracle...

(Loretta-In-Training)

Oscar has about 787 and LOVES all of them.  The funniest thing is if someone happens to say a word from one of his nicknames or even if he hears the word on TV...he comes running.  It is hysterical!  Here are some of his:  Bubbles, Puppin, Puppichino, Bublets, Boobles, Stink, Oscarilla, Bubba, Bubs, Pupinator, Wubba, Wubletta, Boo Bear, Berry, Berriest, Boss...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  It's really embarrassing and funny actually typing this out!

(I must have called them by one of their "shared" nicknames to get both of them to look for this photo!)

Tyler has less than the rest of us but his have stuck and carried through time. TyBeav, Bizzle, Bizness, Ty, Beaver and my personal favorites...Kitty or Kitten! 

"When I go out with the ladies, I don't force them to pronounce my name. I tell them I like to go by the nickname of Kitten." Joaquin Phoenix

I love when you haven't seen someone in a long time and they yell out your nickname.  Hope you enjoy this post and think about all of the hilarious nicknames you have or have given friends and family!!! 
 

Just for the record, the BEST nickname of all time I gave my brother (apparently I took after my dad in giving really long nicknames) and it is Scottricia Alligosha O'Meter.  Who knows how I came up with that but I have been calling him Gosh for a LONG time.  I also used to call him Sigourney Weaver...she was in the weird Aliens movies when we were pretty young and it creeped us out so we started calling each other that and even made up a song.  All right, this is enough embarrassment for one day. 

 

Tasty Treats! Pecan Pie Muffins

I have been cooking lots of good smelling, cold weather, fall kinds of food lately.  I love to entertain and this time of year brings lots of social gatherings for us!  Halloween, football, Thanksgiving, Tyler's birthday, Christmas festivities...so I always start thinking about new recipes and one must try them first before serving them to friends!!!  So when I was looking up the ingredients for the Butter Chicken I posted a link for a few days ago, I saw this little treasure posted.  Since it only has 5 ingredients and has the words pecan and pie in it...I had to try it!  Wouldn't these be great at a brunch, a Saturday morning breakfast, perfect treat to take to a bible study or even just for dessert! 

Ingredients

1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

½ cups All-purpose Flour

1 cup Chopped Pecans

⅔ cups Softened Butter

2 whole Eggs Beaten

Directions

Preheat oven 350 F.

Grease your muffin pan (whatever size) or use the silicone cups. I grease my silicone muffin cups with Crisco or lard.

In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Cups should be about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks when done.

Option: when you take them out of the oven, place a slice of butter on top and eat warm. You may also use walnuts instead of pecans.

Original recipe and reference:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/breads/pecan-pie-muffins-6/

(DISCLAIMER--I do endorse the butter on top but DO NOT in any way approve of using walnuts instead, my grandmother would die if I put some walnuts in pecan pie...do as you will though!  I believe this is my first disagreement with the Pioneer Woman.)

I also do not endorse this photographer...her sad attempt at putting so much junk in the picture to distract from her artistic abilities is pitiful...what's a girl to do on a housewife salary?!  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Time Tested Recipe-Brocolli Cheese Casserole

Yesterday I spent a decent amount of time checking drawers for Paige's well baby sheets from dr. appointments so I could be sure I had her baby book/blog updated.  Since I always have the "perfect" place for everything I thought this task would be simple...not so much.  I never remember the "perfect" place.  The good news in this story is EVERY TIME I go looking for something, I NEVER find what I am looking for BUT I do find something I have been hunting for sometime.  I actually found several missing things yesterday.  For starters, Tyler lost his ID awhile back and when looking in the basket that I thought was the "perfect" place for well baby sheets...his ID fell out??  It has since expired and been replaced...so Paige stuck it in her purse:).  Then I started checking her room...one of my many diaper bags.  I found one of my favorite bracelets, necklace and earrings that have been missing for months.  YAY!  I do love the earrings and even though I have a new bracelet that is my current fave, it will be nice having this one back in the line-up!  Ok, and the one thing I found that you guys will actually care about...Broccoli Cheese Casserole!!!  Recipes that are from a country kitchen are ALWAYS the best!!!  I lived with some girls in college who could cook up a storm!  Their moms had the best recipes!  Here is one from Ashley's momma and it is the best broccoli cheese casserole I have ever had!

Ingredients:

1 20 ounce package chopped, frozen broccoli

1 stick margarine or butter (melted)

1 can mushrooms

1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom)

1 soup can of milk

1 7 oz cheese whiz

1 soup can minute rice

Spray a pan with non-stick, mix all ingredients in a bowl, pour into pan, cover with foil and bake for 30-45 minutes on 350 degrees.  If you want to be real fancy mix bread crumbs or cracker crumbs with a little bit of shredded cheddar and some butter and put on the top for the last 10-15 minutes uncovered. 

Healthy Yummy Wonderful Freezable Banana Pancakes

I am a big fan of adding a little something extra to pancakes...when I made these I fell in love!  I took them to several friends having their second babies so they would have something quick, easy and healthy to feed the "big" kids.  It was also something that I could make ahead of time and grab one or two out of the freezer and eat in a hurry when I was too tired and busy to think through preparing myself something when Paige was little.  They also smell up the kitchen wonderfully! 

Ingredients


2 cups whole wheat flour ( I use whole wheat pastry)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 small ripe bananas, finely chopped
About a teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
dash of nutmeg (optional)
chopped pecans (optional)

1.In a large bowl mix whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Stir in buttermilk and bananas just until moistened.


2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
 
If you want to take some to a friend or have plenty of extra to freeze, double this recipe. 
 
I serve this with a spread of natural peanut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.  They are also good with strawberry preserves.  Grrrrr, now I am hungry!

(Paige gives lots of kisses during meals she really likes...here she is munching on whole wheat banana pancakes:) )

Oh How Our Hearts Change

We all have different groups of friends.  Friends from high school, friends from college, married friends, friends with children and the friends you stick with through every phase.   Since we are all on our own life schedule, there are times in each of our lives where we can't relate to one another like we did at different phases.  For instance, when a friend is married and you are single and still "in the scene" or when you are married but don't yet have children and your friends start having children...there just isn't a ton to talk about.  But it is such a special experience watching a friend I have known years and years become a mother. 

Two friends in particular are Kim and Buffy.  We have been friends since college when we were young, single, wild and free:)  Kim became a mom first, then Buffy, then me.  When it comes right down to it, we are all still the same people.  Fun-loving, free-spirited, strong-willed, full of life women.  But our hearts are different.  We are full of such a different kind of love.  Understand a whole new level of compassion and feel the unconditional love we have for our children. 

I am so happy our friendships have stood the test of time and we have been together during all of the most important moments of each others lives! 

Buffy sent me this beautiful quote this morning, which was the inspiration for this post, because it made her think of me and this blog of mine!  Both of these women are so important to me and signify the words you are about to read perfectly!  I am honored she thought of me when she read it.  I love these girls and their children with all of my heart and look forward to sharing so many more memories and chapters in life with them! 

"God sends children to enlarge our hearts and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections." Mary Howitt