Morning fun

This morning since it was beautiful we decided to work on our pinecone project. The other day when we went walking with my sister and nieces we found 2 great pine cones for bird feeders. So we pulled out the kids picnic table, the peanut butter, wild bird seed, hemp and Ziploc bags and got to work. When we did this last spring we made a big mess inside and got a lot of stuff dirty, so I got to thinking how I could do this without making such a mess. That's where the Ziploc bags come into play. We rolled them in a 9x9 last time and the seeds didn't get in all the little crevasses, but with the Ziplocs it seeds where everywhere!

I asked him to smile and this is what I got!

I told him to open his eyes and this is what I got!

Logan had fun eating the peanut butter!

At least he looks so cute doing it!

We're almost done!

Our birds are going to be so happy! They have 4 different locations to choose from on this one tree! What can I say, my kids love watching the birds!

I love this! I got it at Target and I just love how simple it is.  I bet I could make somthing like this is a gourd this fall.  We'll see.  With 3 kids 4 and under it may not happen this year!

See shorts! It really is sunny out! (And a messy room! It was clean this morning too!)

Stake Conference

Had a great time at the adult session of stake conference.  I always try to make a special point to get to that one, since I don't tend to go to the Sunday session.  I was about to leave (it was 8:00 and my kids go to bed at 7:30 and 8:00 and they were at the sitters house) but then President Duce, our Stake President, stood to speak and I am glad I stayed.  He talked about things he had learned from being a stake president and I really liked what he had to say about marriage.  I know that it is a tough institution and that its a two-sided situation, but he said that you must live your life to bring happiness to your partner.  I guess it brought me some relief.  I know that I have done the right thing with where I am at, but it is so difficult that you can't help but wonder.

The boys love Adam and this time they got to be with ALL the Baesler boys.  I had a hard time getting them to leave at 9:00 at night, but now they are both asleep and we will enjoy the day tomorrow.  It is always rough the next day when things aren't according to schedule, but hopefully it will be a nice day and we can spend it mostly outdoors. 

I am amazed how quickly the last few weeks have passed with this pregnancy. I still have time left, but it seems like it has gone faster these last few weeks then I’ve been pregnant. Most days I forget I am pregnant and then I am reminded when I slow down or do something I can’t do anymore. I don’t fit thru holes I used to and I forget and sometimes I get slightly smashed.
We are on day 2 of no milk at night for Logan. He is currently sleeping in the nursery, but I must say he has slept better. I put him in there since I knew he would cry and hoping it wouldn’t wake up James if they were in separate rooms. So far last night it was twice and twice for James too. Both times James got up and stood in the doorway to my room thinking he could sneak into bed with me…when I asked him if he needed something he would turn on the hall light and run back into bed. Quick thinker. Logan hasn’t gone down as easy as he always has, but I am hoping once we conquer this hurdle we can all sleep a little better (waking up at least every 2 hours is rough on a person!). The boys have a dentist appointment at the end of the month, so it will be one less thing to feel guilty about!

Lime Squares

One of my favorite people in the world makes the best Lemon Squares you will ever in your life! Shelly knows how to please! I don't think I have ever had something she has made that wasn't to die for! So anyways I was at the store the other day in the cake mix aisle and saw a mix of Lime Bars and thought about how great that would be...so I used her recipe for Lemon Squares and made it a little my own.

Lime Squares

1 c. Flour               ½ c. Powdered Sugar

1 c. Wheat Flour       1 c. Butter, melted

¼ c. Pecans, chopped (optional)

Mix and press into 2 8x8 or 2 9x9 greased pans. (Optional: In one pan sprinkle with pecans on the bottom before putting in the mixture.  One for the nut lovers and then a plain Jane for the crazys.) Bake for 350˚ for 20 minutes.

4 Eggs                  ½ t. Baking Powder

4 T. Flour                 1/3 c. Lime Juice

2 c. Sugar

Mix and pour onto crusts as soon as it comes out of the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes more until egg mixture is set. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares. Another option here would be to put zest in with the egg mixture. I’ve done that before with the lemon squares, but these limes were looking a little sad, so we just did the minimum.  I was a little afriad that the wheat flour would be too heavy, but I really liked it and I don't think you could tell that's what it was that made it different!

Tacos

We had tacos tonight and although I usually warm my tortillas in the microwave I just recently had these at my sisters and she warmed them on the stove top, like my mom did growing up. When I went to get the pan I usually use it was dirty in the sink, so I got to thinking what else could I use. I have a glass top and I got to thinking, why wouldn’t tin foil work? So, we tried it and although my temp was way too high for this method I think I will use it again. You can use it for quesadillas and the whole nine yards.

I don't know why Logan eats things from the sides.  He eats his hot dogs like its corn on the cob.  It is so funny to watch him eat! I guess in general he doesn't do things like everyone else!

These were his kisses!  You can see the hamburger grease on his face and the red acid burns from his love affair with tomatoes.  While I was cooking he nearly ate an entire tomato I had cut up for tacos. 

She's almost there!

Nancy had her last appointment on Tuesday the 13th and her doctor told her she was 90% effaced and dilated to 2.5 cm. He told her that they would strip her membranes on the 20th and if she hadn’t already had the baby, they would induce on the 26th. It’s almost worth moving to Utah for! She’s not even due until May 3rd. But Jace, her husband, will be out of town the 1st and 2nd, so they are playing it on the safe side. We are all very excited Easton is coming soon. I missed a call today and thought I had missed something big, but she was asking about acid free pens...oh well. Yesterday we went over things she needed to bring to the hospital and things she could leave at home. I don't think anyone ever really did the honest run down of how things go when you have a baby when I was a first timer. There was a lot to learn and there still is. I am finding that the third time around things are much different then they were the first 2 times. Braxton Hicks hurt for one! That is no joke! From talking to my sister and others there is worse to come with the postpartum pains too! Oh the things I have to look forward to!


We got to have dinner with my older sister, Emily, tonight. We invited ourselves over and got to help out while she taught piano lessons and James picked up kids from soccer. Usually Emily is alone on Thursdays, but one of James classes was cancelled, so he was there to help too! They live a busy life and she’s about to run a Marathon on Saturday. We are all very proud of her and I am sure I won’t be running one anytime soon, but it would still be fun to run with her-she’s a great running partner.

Kiddos are sleeping and since I didn’t get to bed until midnight last night, I should do the same!

Spring brings beautiful blustery days to Whidbey Island!

We love our little swing set that is across the street. This morning my sister came over for a little walk and swinging time for Amy and Claire. It was the perfect amount of time to let the kids play together. James sometimes gets a little wild when other kids are around. The tiger comes out and things get crazy! But today by the time we were done and ready for lunch things were still sweet and everyone came out winning. But now its nap time and I will take full advantage of this!

Playground in the Park

Last night we went to Park with my sister and 3 of her kids.  It was an evening play date I hope we can do again! I love how tired the boys get from having fun! It's like a huge bonus; they get to have fun and we all go to bed on time. Plus I got to sit down and chat with my big sis, something we never have time for.

Amy posed for this picture until it finally took.  It was a good 30 seconds! Kids are great!

Claire was so impressed with herself! She made it all the way across swinging her legs back and forth, I think she was going backwards, but she's 5.

Peter was so sweet with Logan.  He followed him around like a mother hen.  Logan loved driving the boat and making sounds to match.  All of my nieces and nephews seem to really enjoy mothering Logan.  It is fun to watch Amy with him.  She takes her responsibilities very seriously!

Gyoza

Tonight we had Gyoza and it was a good night for Gyoza. Since I don’t really have a recipe it is a some nights are better then others kind of deal. My kids love it and I must say I could eat and eat and eat when it comes to Gyoza. It is fast and easy to make with 5 basic ingredients. Ground meat (I do turkey, but my mom sometimes does beef or pork, I think), Napa Cabbage, fresh grated Ginger Root, Sesame Seed Oil, and Shitake Mushrooms. From what I understand Gyoza is a Japanese food that allows moms to hide vegetables. It was also like the 10 cows, depending on how well you made and folded your Gyoza determined what kind of partner you could get (or was it be?). Sometimes I add different easily hid veges into the mix. Tonight I added grated up carrots and chopped green onions to the mix. I really liked it.

Gyoza

1 pkg. Gyoza wrappers

1 pkg. ground Meat

2 shakes Sesame Seed Oil

1 head Napa Cabbage, finely chopped

3-4 Skitake Mushrooms, finely chopped

Ginger Root (to preference)

1 or 2 Carrots, finely grated

1 brunch Green Onion, chopped

Add all but the meat together and mix. Now add half the meat and mix by hand. The meat, when I make it, is more of a bonding agent so I like to have more veges then meat. It’s your call. Place Gyoza wrappers on a plate and wet the edges. Place a small amount of mixture onto the wrapper and fold it up however you want. When Yukiko makes this she is good and removes all the moisture from the cabbage by putting it into a bowl and salting it slightly. The salt pulls the moisture from the cabbage and after 5 minutes you wring it out and then add the other ingredients.

Logan didn’t notice it on his plate, but when he did he couldn’t get enough.

I am big into freezing ahead. With these you have to make sure they don’t touch if you do they will stick together. When defrosting still make sure they don’t touch because they get even more sticky. Cook in a hot pan with oil until brown on all sides. If you want you can check with a thermometer to make sure that the meat is cooked enough, but I bless my food so I don’t have to be so crazy.  Traditionally you then steam them, but I like mine crispy, so I skip that step.  There is also a dip made up of 50/50 Vinegar/Soy Sauce.  I don't really use this either, but its good when I don't have Ponzu (a Soy Sauce with Citrus) on hand.  Make a pot of rice and love it up!

Outside Time

The last few days have been great! The weather has been unbelievable and the outdoors has been beckoning us.  James and Logan really enjoyed the great Whidbey Island outdoors since Thursday.  The house we were house sitting was far from everything and was the most child friendly arrangement a single mom could ask for.  They played hard and they slept hard (Logan took 3 plus hour naps)! Staying at this technology free house has really helped me to realize how over done our house is! The boys are in constant need to be entertained, instead of entertaining themselves.  Today I put up the DVD’s and I am hoping that this will encourage them to play more.  Over the weekend my dad and the homeowner put up a fence for us so now the boys can play without getting into the road. 

It has even made me consider getting chickens, although I don’t have the space for them, but it was really fun counting the eggs and taking the chickens our leftovers.  James liked it best when the hens ran with him.  He encouraged that by running with their table scraps! I am sure it would all become the chore it is, but taking this little vacation has been a nice release for us! Plus it didn't cost us any money!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies...just like store bought!

I just recently tried 2 recipes for these cookies, but one just left me completely unimpressed. But this one was amazing! I have never made cookies before that asked for 1 egg and 1 egg yolk, but whatever it wants I will give if I get cookies this good!

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

3/4 c. Butter, softened

1/2 c. Sugar

1 c. Brown Sugar, packed

1 Egg

1 Egg Yolk

1 T. Vanilla

2 c. Flour

1/2 t. Baking Soda

1/2 t. Salt

1 1/2 c. Macadamia Nuts, chopped

2 c. White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat together butter and sugars.  Beat in egg, and then beat in the egg yolk.  Add vanilla and mix until smooth. Dump in flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix.  Add macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips.  I used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and then gently pushed them down a bit, not too much.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges appear slightly golden and the center is still doughy.  Makes 3-4 dozen 1 tablespoon cookies.

I doubled this recipe and used macadamia nuts that had sea salt, because I wasn’t paying attention. I looked in the nut section and couldn’t find them there, but in the salted nut section at the local grocery store they carried these. I had remembered reading a comment about these cookies about the saltiness of the nuts and the sweetness of the cookies, so I figured it worked for the original cookie baker. In my opinion the 2 cups of white chocolate chips was too much. Between the macadamia nuts and the white chocolate chips they were pretty much all stuff, but sometimes that’s exactly what your looking for. Of course I froze some too, never know when you might need some fresh cookies! If you're doing this don't forget that you need to up the temp about 25 degrees and keep the same time if you cook them frozen.  I don't know how long they keep for, never sit in my freezer too long!