Signing Out

Well, other than rolls which I ended up tossing outside (!!!), my time in the kitchen was a success today. The cupcakes haven't been decorated yet, so I will have to send photos of those tomorrow. I didn't bother taking pictures of the rolls or fruit salad. The turkey, brownies, and cookies have all been delivered already. But you can note on the right the apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin pie dessert squares. Hopefully they will be enjoyed by all tomorrow!

Quick update from the kitchen

The apple pie is just moments away from finishing and looks and smells delicious! The final verdict will be given tomorrow. As for the pumpkin pie dessert squares, Rob was just through the kitchen and asked with such sweetness about whether they were being saved for tomorrow that I let him cut into those. The yummy noises he made let me know they turned out just fine!

And the apple pie

. . . is in the oven! I am trying a new recipe, so we'll see how it turns out. Back to the fruit salad, and then I think both my oven and I will take the rest of the night off.

Oven idle again!

My timing is a bit more off this evening than this morning. The pumpkin pie has been out for 15 minutes or so, but I am still working on getting the apple pie ready to go in. I got a little side tracked with cleaning up dinner dishes, helping get Robbie and Alexa to bed, and then started putting together a fruit salad when I realized the pumpkin pie was almost done. Egads! I am working on the pie filling now though, so it shouldn't be too long before I can toss in the last dessert! Whew!

Help needed!

Rob had to step in and help as I was putting Rachel and Cole to bed when the pumpkin pie dessert squares came out. He did a marvelous job; I might have to put him on the payroll (or is it payrole?) Anyway, the oven is working to keep the house warm while I get the pumpkin pie mixed up. Stay tuned for more baking excitement as the evening progresses!

By the way, I know it isn't really that exciting reading about it, but it adds a little more fun for me to write about it. So, you can hang in there with me, or just don't read again until another day when all this craziness is done.

Next up

Pizza out - pumpkin pie dessert squares in.
I really love this dessert. I don't like pie so much, so this recipe which is basically a pumpkin pie filling between a yellow cake crust and crumbly cake topping is just right for me. Rob really enjoys it too. It is a recipe from my mom; I am not sure where she came across it, but it is a favorite in our house. I will try to post the recipe sometime.

Oven is back in business!

The oven is now on again . . . preheating for tonight's dinner - pizza!

Break time

Turkey is out and smells delicious. The oven is now off until later this evening when I get started with more baking, as soon we will be running out to take care of some errands- like delivering the cookies and brownies to the football players and dropping off today's turkey at the community center.

Switch again

Rolls out - turkey in!

Really ready or not,

rolls are in. ?!?! My fingers are crossed.

???

I am not sure how these rolls are going to turn out. They didn't seem to rise much on the first round or the second- some rising, but not like it should. They may end up being kind of heavy. Oh well . . . Wal-Mart is open all day today and tomorrow if I need to go buy some. (sigh)

Cupcakes out

. . . rolls still on second rise.

Switch!

Brownies are out. Chocolate cupcakes (future turkeys) are in. Rolls ready to be shaped and left to rise some more.

Busy Kitchen

Well, Thanksgiving is upon us and my stove has a booked schedule. Last night I baked Cowboy cookies (delicious! - find recipe here) that will be delivered to football players after practice this evening. Just like the good 'ole days in the high school pep club! Anyway, this morning, I have dough rising to make rolls and while I wait for them to finish rising, I'm mixing up a batch of brownies to toss in the oven. More to follow . . .

High School Musical Spoof

Although I have not personally experienced the whole High School Musical craze, I do know that it seems to be quite popular among a large age range of children. My kids at ages four and six have friends that are into it all; I don't really know how old of kids like it although I would hope it goes into high school age seeing that it is "HIGH SCHOOl Musical". Anyway, I just turned on the televesion this morning for a little Sesame Street time and what are they showing? "Preschool Musical!" Puppets are singing and dancing around a preschool classroom singing about finger painting, snack time, etc. Too cute!

Household Chores

My kids help with things around the house. Sometimes complaining is involved, but for the most part, they are willing participants. They help with laundry (sort, fold, put away) on occasion, clean up toys everyday, set the table most days, clear their dishes each day, and take care of their own school bags, papers, etc. all the time. Now this may not impress that many people as you are thinking that I speak of my four and six year old who should be able to do these tasks with no problems. The fun part is that my one year olds are involved in these things as well. Cole has set the table with napkins and silverware the past two days. Both Cole and Rachel will bring their cups and snack bowls to the kitchen sink when they are done with them. Cole and Rachel also help with the laundry as they will move loads in and out of the washer and dryer. They are also phenomenal toy picker-uppers. We are in this business together, baby!

Mittens and Hats

It's not too cold here yet in Oklahoma, but we are definitely approaching winter and winter weather. This is not a profound thought here, but my twenty-one month old twins love wearing their winter hats! It is not a fight to put it on --or more importantly KEEP it on. They are so cute too, if I do say so myself. We got out mittens today for the first time and they were entranced with them after watching Alexa put hers on. They could hardly wait for theirs. In fact, Rachel managed to put hers on by herself. (I have to admit, I was impressed

New Baby!

I love new babies! Although I enjoy actually playing with my 21 monthers, there is something so special about a new baby. I am always excited for anyone who is expecting a baby or just had one . . . and yesterday, my sweet friend and old roomie from college, Maureen, just had her first baby- a boy named Joseph. I don't have details yet, but I am sure he is a handsome, strapping lad who will grow into a fine young man if she has anything to do with it!

Birthday Party Follow-up

So, we get our gift buying done yesterday. Robbie gets ready for the party today after lunch; it was a swimming party, so he is getting on a swimsuit. The other three of my kids want to put on their suits too. A no-go from me, so they are all disappointed; Alexa most of all since she actually understands what she is going to be missing. Anyway, we all get in the van; Cole and Rachel fall asleep on the way there; they wake up when we get there and walk Robbie in. Upon arrival, the mom tells me we are all welcome to stay and swim. I gracefully decline since I need to Cole and Rachel back home to really sleep. She asks if Alexa can swim and says she could stay. Well, Alexa doesn't really swim, so I wouldn't have left her anyway and I know she needs some rest too (we all stayed up late watching a disappointing football game last night). However, the point here: Alexa hears the offer and is again disappointed and mad at me that I don't let her stay, and she didn't have a suit with her even if we could have stayed. In the end, everyone did fine and got a rest at home, and Robbie had fun at the party. Do my frustrations with this really matter? No. Will I continue to dwell on it? No. End of story. Thanks for listening tho.

Clothes

As I was logging into my email this morning, I noticed another headline about Sarah Palin and the amount of money she has spent on clothes. I don't really know what the whole issue is with her clothes and/or clothing budget as it may be or how the whole thing got started, but here is my question. Does anyone ever question the amount of money men candidates spend on their clothes? Just because their suits all tend to look alike doesn't mean they only have one or two. I am guessing they have just as many suits (or more!) as well as ties, socks, coats, etc. than Sarah Palin and their suits likely cost just as much (or more!) than one of her dresses or suits. It seems like a really silly thing for people to be worrying about or making an issue of.

Seriously!?

My six year old brought home a birthday party invitation TODAY for a party that is on SUNDAY afternoon!! I like to think that I can go with the flow with many things but receiving invites this late to a birthday party irritates me a bit. In order for him to go I am going to have to figure out transportation to the party as Rob will be at work and the two youngest will be in the middle of napping and we will need to shop for a birthday gift sometime in the next 24 hours. The real kicker . . . the invitation actually requests an RSVP! Are you kidding? Although I understand the desire to plan (HA) and know how many are coming, if you don't have enough time to get me an invite with more than 48 hours notice, do I really need to respond as to whether I am coming?