Stocking up

   I took my eldest to Costco this afternoon and I understand it's been a while so we bought a lot of stuff, but I have been taking care of stuff for 3 hours.  We spent almost 2 hours in the store and called it quits when the cart was so full the raspberries fell out and ended up across three aisles of produce.  Picking up a 25-lbs of flour and rice in the first 10 minutes probably wasn't smart either.  I am hoping I am not alone in my hatred of serious Costco or restocking trips! I struggle a little with just weekly trips, but I sometimes get along well enough with doing very little because of these insane Costco trips.  I talked to the cashier and she said that she does a little shopping every night and although it hasn't changed the bottom line it has helped decrease the stress of these major shopping trips for her.  I have two loads left to take out to the garage, bagels to slice and bag, PediaSure to find a hole for in a refrigerator, oh and my youngest fiber chews (why is that bottle so big) to put away! I'm happy I am almost done and I was able to make a dinner everyone was happy with.  Usually I'm so beat after a Costco run we find frozen food or one of the boys makes dinner. 
   Here's to doing my SixSisters Meal Plan shopping tomorrow, I am positive it will be easier and less painful.  Those girls are my jam, my lifesavers and everything in-between! I love their meal plans.  Look them up and get some samples to save your sanity!

Pinewood Derby 2017

As soon as we got to the track the dad's got to work on our car!  Starting with the graphite in the wheels.  We haven't used it before and it seems to really add some speed to the cars!

 

 Next Brother Hazelwood help add the wheels until they were perfect; not too loose and not too tight!

 We weighed it and car number 8 was ready to race!

 He might not have taken first place, but he did have fun! Look at that smile!

 

 This is a watercolor car!

 So grateful for the team effort! Brother Cox cut this bad boy out and Brother Hazelwood helped sand it down until it was perfect.  When our boy didn't win first place Brother Hazelwood said that he was going to go home a cry a little and then get ready for next years race!

First Day of School 2016

 Can you believe that school is already in full swing again? These kids are back at it and already loosing lunch boxes and water bottles! Happy that nothing has really changed except their grades!

Thing3 is already in 1st grade! Good luck Mrs. Gubler!

This kid is already taking names in Mrs. McCoy's class.  I can't believe Thing2 is already in the 3rd grade. 

Thing1 is in his last year at Elementary school.  5th grade is going to bring a lot of changes and Mrs. Wall is going to be in for a big surprise.

Asian Mother's Day 2016

 When I moved to Coupeville in 2011 I never realized the boud that this boy would have with one special lady.  Dr. Chinn used to pick him up and go on ice cream dates and check out the the local pet store.  Carson walked past this coffee mug and told me that he wanted to make it for his Asian Mommy.  He worked tirelessly on this project and was so excited to get it shipped out to her and see it on her desk when we visited her office in May.

The Best {{Snickerdoodles}} Ever

I think it's in my kids DNA that Snickerdoodles are a favorite, so they are a staple in our kitchen.  A few years ago when my little sister got married I helped put together a cookbook for her and some how Snickerdoodles didn't make it in there. I use the cookbook all the time and I keep searching for that amazing recipe and I think I found it to add to the family cookbook! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Rolling:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

Combine butter and sugars on medium-high until mixture is creamy and well combined.  Add the egg and vanilla and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Mix until light and fluffy.  Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and beat on low speed just until combined.  Scoop up 2 inch balls (should make approx 14 even cookie balls) and place on a plate and cover for 1 hour or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.  

Preheat oven to 350 and roll the dough in the sugar mixture.  Place dough balls on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 9 minutes.  You can flatten them a little with the bottom of a cup before putting them in the oven, but I love the center of my cookies slightly doughy, so I leave mine round.  Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and slide on to cooling rack.  

Hint: Cookies can be completely prepped and put into the freezer for later to bake one at a time or a few at a time (who can have just one) while still in the dough phase. Dough keeps well in an air tight container (we use ziploc) for 4 months.  This is the perfect solution for when company comes unexpectedly and you want something warm to share.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

This was our first Christmas on our own and I gotta say it was...boring.  It's funny how quickly they can open presents and then the clean up begins.

On Christmas eve we had a turkey dinner with one of our neighbors, ate pie, homemade candy cane ice cream and opened stockings. 

 Have you ever seen someone so excited for fuzzy socks that he picked out himself?

 Or these?

 At the same time?

I had to throw this one in that James took of me and the little boys on Christmas Eve just to prove I do exist. 

 Christmas jammies!

Hoping that someday he will learn how to just smile and not be a goof. 

 Our little tree that we brought home in the back of my tiny car smashing my boys.

 My boys before they saw that Santa came!

 And so it begins!

 The boys were able to have Curtis on the computer (Skype) while they opened presents.  It did make me miss my family and our traditions, but it was fun to have my boys with me.

 Enoying their spoils

It feels like home!

On Monday we began boxing up our lives again to move into a much smaller townhouse. It was not a decision I was thrilled about, but necessary all the same. We would be moving from a twin home to a four-plex that is much smaller without any of the luxuries that we had become accustomed to.
Last night was our first night in the house and that's when I realized that this is where we probably should have started out in the first place.  Maybe I have an unrealistic view of the world or maybe I bit off more than I can chew; either way we are going to make this our home. James and I were able to sit and watch the sun go down together last night.  I don't know why we hadn't noticed the sunset before in our other house 30 feet away, but I loved sharing that moment with him.
The kids celebrated this morning by letting me sleep in until 7:50 and only wanted cereal in our small dinning room. We will probably have to get a storage unit until I can sort out the extras and find room for our long-term food storage. But in the long run we are still saving money. Tomorrow I will start staining the shelving unit in the living room which will help with some of the clutter down stairs.