We needed an afternoon snack today, so I made cinnamon cookies. This was a simple and quick cookie recipe. We could not stop eating them - in fact, I have eaten more than I can count.

What did I do this morning from 10 AM to 12 PM???
Daria and I went to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. She had a blast and behaved EXTREMELY well. We had a few discussions over the rules for attending the party, and SURPRISE, she remembered!
For me, the party was not too bad. There were no awkward conversations or dumb comments on my part, so I left the party feeling good and so happy to go home.

Of course, Daria had crying meltdown about 4 hours later. I blame that on too much cake and interaction with video game lights.

best news I have heard today!

I looks like we are going to have to order Showtime.
I am so happy the Bluths are coming back.

that's tight

Last week, I heard on one of the morning talk shows that the kids will no longer be saying 'that's hot' or 'awesome.' Instead, the new saying for 2006 is: "That's Tight"
And this time around it means something positive - like 'that's tight' referring to a pretty dress. Back when I was in elementary, early 1980's, 'that's tight' meant something negative. I have memories saying, 'that's tight, mom!'
Well, I thought I should jump on this bandwagon (or start it up) and make some t-shirts and lingerie. So I did, and you can purchase my new cool shirts here.
Feel free to spread the word.

PS: I blame this sudden urge to create silly clothing on watching WAY TOO MUCH Project Runway!

Loaf

Public tantrum of the week:

While Daria was playing by the tree outside her school yesterday after class, she was running around playing and acting like she had to go potty - by touching herself often. I asked her if she had to go potty - she in a very direct manner said 'NO'. Another mother asked her, and then mentioned to me that Daria may have to use the bathroom. So I asked her again, and I received the same negative response. I tried to laugh it off with the other moms - mentioning that she will wait until the final minute to tell me she has to find a toilet.

A couple of minutes pass and Daria comes running towards me yelling she has to go potty right now! I, trying to remain calm, take her hand and we go back to the school. Well....this is where lightening should of struck because Daria stopped dead in her tracks and screamed at me she wanted to go to the car and go home and potty. I explained to her softly that there is a bathroom right here, and she needs to use this one. This brought on the water works and the loud cries, and finally she agreed to go back inside the school to use their facilities.

We get to the door of the school, and it is LOCKED!! The teachers have already left the property - it was Friday, I do not blame them. However, this did not help my issue because I then had to tell Daria we were going to the car and go to Starbucks and use the potty. Well, she really did not like this new plan, and she went into screaming and crying with red cheeks. She did this as we walked (I was pulling her along because she was very resistant) past her friends and their mothers. I just smiled at them, and told them we were going to go now and get to a bathroom - keeping my game face on until I was in the privacy of my own home.

I am sure this little scene was the talk of the 'playground' until everyone went their separate ways. I really do not know what I could of done differently to make the outcome a more positive - I did what I could. Luckily, Daria did make it to the bathroom at Starbucks which was much closer than home. We had a good discussion about how she should maybe go potty before playing by the tree, and she agreed. We will see what happens on Monday.

Another great thing about yesterday: Micah's car did not start when he finished work last night.
Good news: My dad helped him, and they did something to start it today.
Bad news: They did not technically fix anything, so the problem could come back tomorrow or whenever it chooses.
Cannot wait.

Saturday, I am happy to say, has been tantrum-free. Daria was in a very happy mood all day, and she behaved oh-so-well during all the errand running this morning.
So, we rewarded ourselves with a simple sweet bread. Daria helped with all the mixing and taste testing.

Zucchini Pineapple Loaf
1 loaf

2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pan.
Beat eggs, applesauce, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in zucchini, pineapple, and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, spelt flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nuts. Pour all at once into egg mixture. Stir to moisten. Pour into pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until bread tests done. Cool for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out of pan to cool on rack.

Enjoy!

my new shoes

My new workout shoes arrived today!!!
I am so excited to workout tomorrow morning!

2 out of the 3 cats living in our home have kitty colds. Skoonus is sneezing and has a weepy eye, and Charlie is sneezing everytime he wakes up from a nap. Charlies is getting better, and I hope Skoonus shakes it off soon because I do not want any extra trips to the vet.

Has anyone made the wacky cake yet?? I am having the most challenging time staying away from the few pieces that are left over. I have already eaten too many to admit today, and I cannot with a good conscious eat any more, but it is SO good.

Let's eat Wacky Cake

Yesterday, I was having a chocolate craving. After lunch, I made this super simple chocolate cake to enjoy after dinner. This recipe was passed along to me when I worked at Starbucks from my manager. You can top it with a favorite frosting, but it is not necessary because it can stand alone. This cake is so moist and has the perfect amount of sweetness to fill the chocolate craving of any soul.
Okay, enough said - here is the quick recipe. Oh yeah, you do not need to dirty any mixing bowls with this cake because you mix it all in the pan! And there are NO eggs in the mix!

Wacky Cake

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. white vinegar
6 TBS. butter, melted
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use an ungreased 8-inch pan. In the pan, sift and mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and cocoa.
Make 3 wells in the flour mixture. Put 1 tsp. vanilla in the first, 1 tsp. vinegar in the second, and 6 TBS. melted butter in the third.
Pour 1 cup of water over all and mix in with a fork until ingredients are entirely moist. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until done.
Note: if you do not have butter or margarine, use vegetable oil.

Enjoy! Enjoy!

plaids with stripes

Sitting here watching American Idol, and I just have to ask the world - why is Ryan Seacrest wearing a plaid shirt with a pin stripe suit??? Who dressed this poor man? And why did someone have to tell him he looked good enough to host a TV show?

And why are gauchos coming back in style?? The majority of body types cannot pull off that look, but I am seeing them everywhere. I sure hope a pair does not appear in my closet.

I love how I am being such a fashion critic as I sit her in my flannel pajama bottoms and Dr. Seuss t-shirt. Ahhhh....sexy!

want this

Okay, why didn't I know The Electric Company was released last week on DVD??? Daria would love this! I loved this show when I was her age, and just seeing the DVD brought a flood of happy memories back to me.

Today, I had my yearly eye doctor appointment. First of all, I just have to scream how much I LOVE our eye doctor. If you live near us and need an eye doctor, I highly recommend our wonderful, neighborhood eye doctor. The office staff is pleasant and so very helpful when it comes to understanding all the insurance crap, and the place is very organized. It is the one doctor's office I NEVER have to wait forever to see the doctor. And then there is the eye doctor - he is so witty and explains each procedure in a great detail, and he gives positive feedback when you answer, like "good job, Adria." I leave there feeling so good about myself - it is silly.

The best news about today's visit: this was the first eye doctor visit EVER that I did not need a new prescription. My vision has NOT changed! In fact, Dr. Eye told me my right eye is a small percentage better than last year! I have been going to the eye doctor since 4th grade, and every year I become a little more blind but not this year. I have no idea what I have done to improve my vision by small percentages in a 12 month period, so I will keep up with being completely oblivious about it and celebrate with chocolate wacky cake.

yuck

After reading this, I am so relieved I am a vegetarian. Everyone who enjoys eating meat should demand stricter standards from the FDA - because you know, they do work for us.

my day

Monday:
crawled out of bed before 7:30
answered 20 questions about nothing from Daria before I went to the bathroom
worked out - kick box and a 20 min. pilates workout
made breakfast and coffee
had Daria wake up Micah
took shower
striped the beds
started 1st load of laundry
went to Target and I stuck to my shopping list completely
arrived home to Daria immediately asking if I was going to make lunch
lunch was about 2 hours away
she is always concerned with the next meal
started 2nd load of laundry
cleaned kitchen - 1st time today
put away products bought at Target
called parents to see if it was snowing at their house
we had flurries in the air and I heard it was sticking in their neighborhood
no snow sticking in our parts today
cleaned up cat puke after I cleaned the litter box
I love our kitties
made lunch a little early because Daria would not stop asking about it
switched laundry again
and then started the 3rd and final load for the day
now, I can count how many minutes it will be before there are dirty clothes in the empty basket
I think the time for today was 15 minutes or so
put clean, warm sheets on the beds
made lunch for myself because I kept asking when lunch was coming
read stories to Daria before her 'rest' hour
checked e-mail and folded clothes during 'rest' hour
after 'resting', it was snack time for Daria
banana muffins, anyone
we worked on her letters and numbers for 30+ minutes
then colored the pictures
the deal is Daria has to be able to write her numbers and letters in a readable fashion - then she will get to go to the toy store and buy the yellow Care Bear
returned phones calls I forgot to return earlier
made grocery list for my grocery shopping adventure in the morning
Daria watched the Smurfs
I was looking in the kitchen for what to make for dinner
it was time to feed the family, again
didn't I just do that?
bake potatoes and quesidillas tonight
everyone was happy and it was quick to prepare
cleaned the kitchen - 2nd time today
vacuumed
semi-organized loose, old photos in a plastic container
Daria loved helping with that project
I cannot say she really 'helped'
before she was off to bed, she played with Sugarfoot for about 45+ minutes
the cat seems to really enjoy spending time with Daria
suprises me and makes me so happy that she has her own cat
finally, it was time to get ready for bed and read the bedtime story
tonight's story was about rocks and how great they are
then all was quiet in the home
a few short hours before it all starts again
I am embracing the calm

saturday night fever

First there was Disco Stu, and now there is Disco Daria.....

our sweet Sugarfoot

I just love this picture of Sugarfoot - it really captures her sweetness.

Enough said..it is David Hasslehoff

This picture is awesome - I found it here.
If there are commercials, I wonder if he will sing in them????

Recipes from yesterday

Here is what I made for our anniversary/Valentine dinner:

Early in the day, I made spelt flour baguettes in my awesome baguette pan. I love this pan, and I highly recommend if you love to bake baguettes as much as I do. I made garlic butter and toasted slices to serve with the pasta.

I made a green salad.

The pasta I made was this recipe, and I threw in MorningStar Chik Strips at the end.

Honey-Garlic Angel Hair
8 servings
16 oz. angel hair pasta
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute the garlic in butter. Stir in the honey, basil, and thyme. Drain pasta; add to garlic mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

See how easy and quick that was - love that!

And here is what we had for dessert:

Raspberry Pear Crisp
6 servings

2 cups sliced peeled fresh pears
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
1 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 TBS. cold butter
1 cup cranberry-almond whole grain cereal, lightly crushed (I used cherry-vanilla granola here)

In a large bowl, combine the pears, raspberries, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Spoon into a greased 9-inch pie plate.
In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cereal. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipping cream.

After our delicious meal, our bellies were full and very happy. Even Daria ate ALL parts of this dinner - that is simply amazing and a sign of good eatin'.

More good news: I still have most of my chocolate hazelnut bar left. I will finish that off tomorrow, most likely.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

In our house we also say, "happy anniversary."

Yes, six years ago today at 4:45 in the afternoon we said our "I do's."

On our wedding day, I had a cold.

Today, Micah is taken over by Daria's cold.

What did we give each other?

I looked up that the traditional gift is candy so....

I insisted Micah and I only exchange candy this year.

I gave him white chocolate reeses peanut butter cups and butterfingers.

He surprised me with almond joys and a milk chocolate bar with hazelnuts.

Edible gifts are the best and bring the most joy!

I have already eaten the almond joys.

I will do my best not eat the other bar tonight because I would really like to save it for tomorrow.

Sugarfoot

We adopted a new kitty 9 days ago.
She is about 2 years old.
Very sweet and soft and very quiet.
She loves Daria and spends most of her day in her room.
Her paws are white.
We are calling her Sugarfoot.
She loves to have her belly rubbed.

valentine's day party

Yesterday, we finished up the Valentine's cards for Daria class and teachers. Today we baked up some yummy and very cute brownies.

This is what Daria's class will be enjoying for their Valentine's party.

Heart Shaped Brownies
makes 14 (I made 2 batches)

2 sticks (1 cup) butter
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
4 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 bar (1.55 oz.) milk chocolate, broken up
decoration: assorted candy heart decors

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with foil, letting foil extend above pan at both ends. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Have ready a heart-shaped cookie cutter about 2 1/2 inches across at the widest part (I used a 3 inch wide cutter).
Melt butter and chocolate chips in a medium saucepan over med.-low heat, stirring as needed. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then stir in flour and cocoa powder until blended. Spread in prepared pan.
Bake 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack, then freeze about 15 minutes to make cutting out hearts easier. Lift foil by ends onto cutting board. Carefully peel off foil.
Cut out hearts - I used a bigger cutter so I had 10 hearts per batch.
Melt chocolate bar in microwave. Scrape into a small ziptop bag. Cut tip off a corner; drizzle chocolate on brownies and sprinkle with heart decorations immediately. Let chocolate set. Refrigerate in an airtight container.

I loved this recipe because it was easy and used only 1 pan and no mixing bowls. And using foil made cleaning up the pan so quick. Daria was in charge of the sprinkles and each brownie has an abundance of pink and red sprinkles. Did I mention there were yummy scraps leftover? And I had to eat my fair share of them? That was the best part of this baking experience.

homebound Saturday

It is Saturday, and Daria's darn cold is still lingering.
Her cough sounds better, but it is still here and phlegmy.
She keeps telling me she cannot go to school today because she does not feel well.
I just remind her it is Saturday and she is getting better.
When Daria is sick with a cold, it is so easy to get her to go to bed.
I just have to tell her I will put Vick's on her chest, and she is ready in no time.
She does the same thing when taking cough medicine.
It just cracks me up.
Tonight I filled the bathroom sink with boiling hot water and added 2 drops of tea tree oil.
Then Daria stood over the sink with a towel on her head to breathe in the steam.
Now this did take some convincing, but she finally agreed to do it.
Normally, one would breathe in the steam for about 10 minutes or so.
I only got 5 minutes out of Daria.
It helped.
Her cheeks were flushed and warm, and she could breathe a little better.
The phlegm was breaking up better, and she really enjoyed the whole process because she wanted to do it again - immediately.
I promised her we would do it tomorrow only if her cough was still with us.
However, I hope the cold is farther away by then.

Daria finished her Valentine's for her classmates this afternoon.
It was a 2 day process.
She was so excited to fill each card out and put cute heart stickers on all the envelopes.
Tomorrow we will be making brownies for the class party on Monday.
I bought a new heart cookie cutter to make heart shaped brownies.
And I bought heart sprinkles too, just to be super festive.

On a side note:
This shirt is awesome!!

Do not forget to watch tonight!!

It is extremely important to watch Arrested development tonight - it could be the final episodes ever aired!! High ratings could bring it back for another season, so watch and laugh and laugh some more.
channel: local FOX channel
time: 8PM-10PM

Look what is new in our town!

Micah told me there is a new bakery close to our home! Cupcakes are only $1.25 each!

Well, Daria's cold has gotten worse. She felt better Tuesday night, and she looked better Wednesday morning (picture day). After she came home from school on Wednesday, it was like she fell back into the sick zone. Her appetite disappeared and her crabbiness appeared. All day today, she has been telling me how sick she is, and she told me she could not eat her snack today. Dinner was a little different because she was eager to eat, but then took 2 bites and told us how sick she was and could not eat.
This was the scene after dinner:
Daria was laying on the couch with her wiggie, quilt, and stuffed kitty. Every 5-12 minutes, she would say this: (huge sigh), mommy, I am just sick, (huge sigh).
Me: I know.
Daria: I will get better soon (huge sigh).
Me: yes, you will, sweetie.
Over and over until she was persuaded to get ready for bed because she was so tired from being sick.
So tomorrow, Daria will not be attending school because I do not want her to spread her sickness to the other kids. (even though she probably did by going to school on Wednesday.)

tuesday

Okay, does this mean I can jump straight to my krispy kreme diet?

Daria has a lovely, coughy cold running through her system. Tomorrow is picture day at school, and I want her to be well enough to be there without infecting the other germ-bots. Before she went to bed tonight, she made the point of telling me she will feel better tomorrow.

The saddest news I heard today: season finale of Arrested Development will air Friday at 8 PM on FOX. The only good part: season finale is 2 hours long - yippie! I am not ready to say good-bye to the Bluths.

Tonight's dinner: fajitas made with Morning Star Meal Starters - "steak" strips. This was so quick, easy, and delicious. Of course, Daria would not eat it because the vegetables were cooked and mixed with other seasonings, but we loved it and filled our bellies - leaving no leftovers.

super-snacking sunday

Quick word about the Superbowl and why I am so excited about watching the whole event in about an hour.

- 1st year I will pay attention to the game and ads!
- 1st year the Seahawks have EVER been to the big game!
- the dips and treats I will be eating because it is Superbowl Sunday.

Happy Snacking to all and Go Seahawks!

Empanadas

Last night's dinner:
empanadas - this is the easiest and best meal EVER! Serve with lots of guacamole and sour cream and salsa.

Cupcakes and tidbits

Let's first start with the cupcakes. I was having a chocolate craving this evening, so after dinner I baked up some Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes from the wonderful cupcake book I received for Xmas! Of course, I used the jumbo muffin pan again. I love that pan!! The cupcakes turned out perfect and very brownie like. I did not apply a frosting, but I may do so next time I make these. This recipe will be in regular rotation because I always have the ingredients on hand.

By the way, have I mentioned how great this cupcake blog is? I know, I cannot believe I just typed 'cupcake blog.' They post new pictures of cupcakes daily. I truly feel like I am addicted to cupcake porn.


How I spent most of my Groundhog's Day....searching for the green M&M stuffed toy Daria could not find. You see she has a green and blue M&M stuffed toys. The other day I found the blue one under her bed, and now she wants to desperately find the green one because they MUST be together. I looked in every imaginable location, and I could not find it. She would not let the subject go all day and evening, and of course, she did not want to look for it herself. The worst part about the whole thing is she has not played with the M&M's for months, and I could have donated the green one (by accident!) when I rounded up unused things right before the holidays. Part of my lost mind does not believe the green one is gone because I do not think I would get rid on one and leave the blue one behind to trigger the play memory. I hope it either shows up or she moves on to a new toy to obsess about tomorrow.

Things I happy about:
our taxes our done!!!!
Superbowl snacks I will be consuming on Sunday!
our local humane society is trying to become a no-kill shelter!
I am falling in love with the benefits of tea tree oil!