Almost Wordless Wednesday!

These soft pretzels are quickly becoming our family's favorite snack. (And sometimes substitute supper, if I were to divulge the truth!) They are delicious, & fairly simple to make. And because I didn't want to post that lovely picture without a recipe, you can find it by clicking here!

Debuting yet another new look!

This one was a little premature, I'm afraid. One that brought on many tears. Tim was taking the kids for a ride on the 4-wheeler & Brianna somehow bumped her mouth on the handle bars. Ouch! That 'bump' knocked the tooth loose and then it fell out 2 days later. All together - total tooth loss count is up to 5 already!

Really, Are you serious?

We have been having absolutely beautiful weather here in Nebraska. This morning was no exception, around 10:30am I shooed my children and the little boy I babysit, outside to play! I was just putting my shoes on to go outside to watch them when my neighbor rings my doorbell. She keeps to herself mostly and keeps her property very well kept, but to say that she is pushy and bossy would be quite the understatement. She proceeds to tell me that she is having concrete poured around her footer in hopes of stopping the basement leaking. Ok, seems like a good idea.

She tells me that the construction guys will be running the equipment on our property to dig out around her house. She literally only has 3 ft. of property outside her bedroom window, and then RIGHT THERE is our property line. I have no idea why someone would want to build a house so close to the property line, but oh well. I initially gave her permission to do this and then looked at the equipment and saw that it was a skid-steer. Which, essentially, SKIDS on the grass, tearing it up as it goes! For that reason, & for other reasons that shall remain nameless at this time, Tim & I decided that we would rather keep our yard intact. So, back I go to see if there is another way to go about this WITHOUT tearing a portion of our yard up.

Then, she drops the bomb. You see, last summer she had her son-in-law put up a fence. It's a nice, white, picket fence. The only thing is that is 1 ft. on our property. Tim and I both decided to let it slide, rather than cause problems. And we have, until now. Until today when she brings up the fact that the fence is on the property line. Me: "I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's a foot on our side of the property marker, don't you think you should've asked permission before installing a fence on our property?" She replies with, "Oh, I didn't put it up, my Son-in-law did!" Really? Are you serious? I'll have to admit, she caught me off guard there, for a moment I felt like I was reasoning with my 5 yr.old, not my 80 yr. old neighbor. I decided to let it slide as I just don't enjoy arguing, but found myself walking home, just shaking my head! As a friend would say, "People, People, People!"

Oh, yeah. What are the guys using instead of the skid steer? Shovels! They are digging most of it by hand. Now, guess who looks like the bad guy? It's so nice. *Sigh*

Wordless Wednesday

Recipes . . .

I thought I'd share a couple recipes that I've discovered and we've enjoyed recently.

First off is Four Cheese Chicken Fettuccine - this dish ends up coming out of the oven tasting like something you would order from Olive Garden. It's very rich, but oh-so-good!

The second recipe is one that I've been searching for, for a very long time. I like to cook from scratch, not that I don't use box mixes from time to time, I just prefer to be in charge of the quality of ingredients. I've tried numerous recipes for pancakes and have never had any turn out like these do. It's pretty ironic that the name of the recipe is Perfect Pancakes. I like that, very simple and straightforward! They do indeed, turn out like those photos you've seen. The perfectly stacked fluffy pancakes with the syrup running down the side? Yeah, those!

1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In lg. bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & allspice. Separate eggs, & whisk egg yolks in small bowl with milk & oil. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix! Fold in egg whites until no white streaks remain.
Makes: 16 4-inch pancakes
Enjoy! :-)

Wordless Wednesday

Monday night musings

Today was one of those days; when even the ordinary seemed to stand out, along with the not-so-ordinary.

Observation #1. Purchasing a really cool outside toy for the kids somehow does not receive near as much attention as the 'really cool boxes that it came in.' I'm thinking I could round up some large boxes and wrap them up for Christmas. I'd save money, participate in recycling, and have very happy kids!

Exhibit A: Notice the basketball/soccer/football/baseball/hockey combo playset off to the side, hmmmmm. . . .

Observation #2. Trying to disguise the smell of a really bad dirty diaper by lighting Yankee Candle's 'Cafe au Lait' does not really work. In fact, it results in everyone that goes upstairs saying, "Ewww, whats that weird smell?" haha


Observation #3. I certainly would have never imagined that Brianna would suddenly decide that tonight is the night that the training wheels must come off! I must have been a sight, I was videoing the grand event and taking photos at the same time. Earlier this afternoon Tyler also figured out how to pedal his little tricycle, something tells me that our evening walks have just gotten a lot more exciting!

Exhibit B: A very intent and excited little girl!

Because you cried the entire time!

That will be my answer when my son grows up and asks me why there are no professional pictures of him. That, and I will show him the proof -

This proof:

and THIS proof:

In the end, Brianna posed solo - and my dreams of the perfect Easter photo with perfectly matched outfits, went up in smoke! (But isn't it really the memories that matter? :) I'm still hoping that we can manage some good pictures here at home!

Wordless Wednesday

What part of Spring are you?

You Are Blooming Flowers

You are an optimistic person by nature. In even the darkest times, you are hopeful about the future. You feel truly blessed in life and can sometimes be overwhelmed with emotions. You have an artist's eye. You are always looking for beauty in the mundane. You have a good sense of aesthetics, especially when it comes to shapes and color.

What Part of Spring Are You?

Wordless Wednesday