return of the micro machines

We were at Grandma's house one day and she'd been cleaning through her basement of treasures. She came across her boys' (our Daddy's) old MicroMachines. I remember those from way back when! I thought they were cool too!

Well the kids were new to them and were excited to get them all out, examine all their little details and race them.

They are SO TINY!

I love these "throwback" moments when we can share part of our childhood with the kids and they can experience it for themselves. Nice!

Levi turns 6

celebrated January 21, 2017

LEVI IS 6!! Where did that time go?! You're getting too big Bud.

I love our new table. We can fit the WHOLE family around it. We had Ziti & Meatballs for dinner and it was a HUGE hit. Everyone chowed down! Yay!

We had cake and black raspberry ice cream for dessert. We also played a few games, which were pretty funny and entertaining. We played- Junk in the Trunk, Cookie Face, Marshmallow Toss, Don't Look Back, and one-handed bracelets.

Here's a little big about Levi @ age 6:
Fave meal- Mom's egg bake, Mom's mac & cheese, or steak
Fave treat- caramel apple Sugar Babies
Fave tv show- Lego Ninjago
Fave color- blue
Fave primary song- As A Child of God
Fave scripture story- David & Goliath
Fave book- The Pirate Jamboree
Fave pastimes- coloring, reading with Mom, wrestling with Dad or playing the Xbox, building legos or other block creations, playing outside
New tricks he's learned since last year- how to wiggle his nose and flare his nostrils (just like Mom!) and to play the piano

You're learning and growing so much Bud. We are so happy and excited for you. You are a smart boy who's very snuggly and likes to have fun. May the Lord continue to guide and bless you!

Fun day with Mom

January 18, 2017

We had a long weekend for MLK Jr Day, so we decided to take some time and go to Chocolate World; always a hit.

We love the ride! It's timeless!

Of course we all had to pick out some goodies before we could leave. We brought home Jolly Ranchers, Berry Twizzlers, cookies and cream bites and a renewed effort to really brush our teeth.

From there we went to Bass Pro Shop. You kids loved our little day together. I think this was Levi's 1st time to Bass Pro. That fish tank is so cool and mesmerizing to watch.

There's a lot of taxidermy, including some cool out-of-the-ordinary items too.

This is a Sun Bear or was it a spirit bear?

We even walked around on one of the pontoon boats and we think that might be fun to try out sometime. Maybe sometime.

PA Farm Show &; Rodeo

January 12, 2017

Today's the day! I've been waiting to go to a rodeo and take my family for a long time. I LOVE A RODEO!  Let's do this folks!

Pap and the cousins joined us for the rodeo. Don't they look cute? (Sadly, shortly after we arrived Jackson started to feel sick to his stomach and Daddy took him home.)

Check out this giant butter sculpture! That's amazing!

Capture those photo ops when you can.

The show is about to get started. 

Mom is excited and I think the kids are too.

The kids thought the rodeo clown was hilarious, and they liked the various rodeo events. We had to top the night of with a sweet treat- ring pops were a big hit.

Well I think that was a successful night. The kids had a good time. Mama got to go to the rodeo and Jackson's stomach bug was short-lived. Pretty great. Can't wait for next year.

swim meet Saturday

January 14, 2017

It's a Swim Meet Saturday kind of day. Alivia and I were just hanging out waiting for her turn to swim. We visited the snack bar for some goodies, had a little down time and cheered on her teammates.

Then it was time for action! 

She swam the 50 free placing 5th at 39.96 seconds

She also swam the 50 back (seen above) placing 4th @ 53.41 seconds.

She also swam in the 200 free relay. I didn't get the time but they finished strong although they were racing girls in the 13-14 category rather than the 11-12 year old category they are IN. Way to go girls!

This was the last official swim meet of the season and we won again! That makes us the First Capitol Swim League Champions! Woohoo! Way to go DAAC! Thanks for a great season. We'll be back next fall!

{our best bites} easy lemon sugar cookies

Thank you OUR BEST BITES for another delicious recipe! I got their email in my inbox and knew I had to try them. These are delicious! Lightly lemon-flavored, chewy yet soft, a sure win!

Recipe & Picture courtesy of Our Best Bites

Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies

Yields 24

Light, delicate, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a hint of lemon, these super-easy lemon sugar cookies don't require any chilling, rolling, or cutting!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1. 2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
2. 1 teaspoon baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/2 teaspoon table salt
5. 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
6. 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese
7. 6 tablespoons butter, melted and still warm
8. 1/3 cup vegetable oil
9. 1 large egg
10. Zest of 1 small lemon
11. 1 tablespoon whole milk
12. 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment sheets and set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Place the 1 1/3 cups sugar and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Using a metal whisk, stir until combined. Pour the melted butter over the mixture, then add the vegetable oil, egg, lemon zest, milk, and lemon juice. Whisk until combined. Stir in the flour mixture with a silicone spatula until the dough is cohesive and smooth (it will be very moist.)
4. Using a standard cookie scoop (which is 1 1/2 tablespoons), generously scoop the dough (you want about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and roll into the reserved sugar. Evenly space 12 cookie balls on the sheet and repeat with the other baking sheet. If desired, sprinkle cookies with remaining sugar. Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 5-6 minutes or until set around the edges. Repeat with the second pan. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.

By Our Best Bites

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Ina's Roasted Shrimp (& cocktail)

I love Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and I love her recipe for this easy Roasted Shrimp. I've never actually made the cocktail sauce to go with it (because I like the stuff from the bottle just fine) but I'm sure it's delectable!

Ina's Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Recipe & pic from Food Network

INGREDIENTS:
For the shrimp:
2 pounds (12 to 15 count) shrimp
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce
1/2 cup Heinz ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus lemon zest for topping
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them in one layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink, firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.
For the sauce, mix the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Top the shrimp with lemon zest and serve with the sauce.
Photograph by Quentin Bacon
Recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics (c) 2008 by Ina Garten. 

Note: I normally serve this alongside some peas or zesty green beans (& onions), and possibly some rice or noodles.