This Is Not A Food Blog, But I Do Love Food

Okay, this is no food blog. 
But . . .
I *do* love food.
A lot.

If it includes sugar, all the better!
Jeremy isn't a big fan of cake.  Unless it is REALLY moist. 
So when I make Strawberry Shortcake . . .  he wants it to be ShortCAKE.  Not Shortbiscuit.
Know what I mean?
So here it is ~ Strawberry ShortCAKE:

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 egg whites
Combine all ingredients, and beat together until smooth.
  Pour into a greased 8x8 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 28 minutes.
Once cooled, you're going to want to pile on fresh strawberries, and LOTS of Whipped Cream.
{Make your own, it's soooo much better}


Now, shooo!  Go make it for yourself.

Wordful Wednesday ~ Fancy Drinks

Y'all know how we feel about fancy drinks around here.

Just about every day that Jeremy works, we mix up some fancy concoction.
The girls *even* gave me a mini smoothie maker recently.  Hint, hint, Mama ;)
So the other day we cut up some bananas, peaches, and strawberries . . .

Added a splash of OJ, a scoopful of Vanilla Ice Cream, and crushed ice . . .
Blended, blended, blended {while doing our Smoothie Dance}
and wound up with this:



{Red & Pink Heart Sprinkles are a must y'all}

The very next day, the big girls went to town with Daddy and came back with Italian Sodas.  Actually, they came back with empty Italian Soda cups.
Miss Kam was not too happy that she'd missed out on such a treat.
Liz's Easy Peasy Faux Italian Soda to the rescue!
Grab some *strawberry soda*
{I remembered I had leftover Strawberry Crush in the garage}
And *ice*. Ice is a must.

Add in a splash of Heavy Whipping Cream

Stir it all up, add whipped cream, and a straw . . .

And voila!  Easy Peasy Faux Italian Soda :)

Busy, Busy

Whew!  Life is busy. 

This is such a busy time of year for us as we wrap up the school year, finish up dance lessons, prepare for the recital, and plan our Summer FUN!

Last Friday we made a little time to meet and photograph this precious little bundle:

I mean, is that cuteness overload, or what?  Need to see more of this little Princess?
Head on over to the Photo Blog:

Elizabeth Fraijo Photography

Hope y'all had a beautiful weekend!!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Tea Party

Nana B. had a birthday last week, and it seemed the perfect opportunity to gather at a tea house for a light lunch and tea, and celebration of such an amazing woman.

This adorable tea house was so warm and welcoming, and the bonus: 100% kid-friendly.  They actually specialize in children's tea parties.

So.  After the Spring Fling dance performance, there was a quick costume change {in the library bathroom, ahem}, and away we went.

Fruit Cups
&
Cupcakes

There was a room FULL of dress up clothes, fairy wings, "jewelry", and princess tea sets. 
It's safe to say that the girls were pretty much in Princess Heaven.

A few group shots, and then our tea party ended.



But I'm thinking we'll need to go back soon!! :)

I ♥ Chalkboard Paint

Several months ago I picked up some chalkboard paint at Michaels, in hopes of repurposing an old cookie sheet into a fun chore chart, or Summer Fun checklist . . . something.  But when Jeremy heard of my plans to hang said chart in the kitchen, I was given the red light.  He likes clean, clutter-free walls, and already we don't have a lot of wall space in the kitchen due to our huge windows. 

So. My chalkboard paint just sat in my craft closet.

Until the other day, when I finally found a use for it.

I had a few blank pieces of craft wood, just begging to be made into mini chalkboards for the girls' American Girl Dolls.

Jeremy was out of town, and I was so proud of myself for finding the drill, and the drill bits, and drilling those holes myself.  I'm not usually too handy with the tools ;)

We headed outside, because chalkboard paint + four littles = MESS!  Nana stopped by to see just what we were up to ;)  {Do you notice Miss Taylor helping?}

And our final product:  Mini chalkboards.

What kinds of fun projects have you made with Chalkboard Paint?

Spring Fling

Saturday afternoon was our annual Spring Fling dance performance, and it was such fun to watch Sierra and Makenna on "stage".

It was a beautiful day for it, too.  Warm temps, and even a little sunshine peeking through.

Sierra loves her Jazz 3 class.  She started with Jazz, and it's always been her thing. 

Kenners, on the other hand, has tried it all: Tap, Ballet, Jazz, and is now in Hip Hop.
I think she likes Hip Hop ;)

And Kam was just happy to finally get ahold of some Cotton Candy ;)

She'd been asking for some all day!

♥ 11 Months ♥

Taylor Grace! 
My Love. 
You are 11 months old today.
Oh.my.goodness.
I don't want to get mushy and teary, but . . . where have the last eleven months gone??? 
My baby is growing, growing, growing, right before my very eyes.

Recently you have had your very own popsicle . . .

You LOOOOOOVE to "help Mama" with chores ;)


Oh how you love your Sissies.  They provide hours of entertainment :)



Precious girl. 
Your new favorite game is tossing anything and everything off your high chair and joyfully proclaiming: "Uhhh-Ohhhh". 



You're standing all the time now.  And have even taken your first few steps.  You still prefer to crawl, because, HELLO, it's so much faster and safer!  Even still, you have a new bruise all the time!  You are constantly cruising full speed ahead.




You have four teeth. 
And it's just miserable each time you get a new one in. 
No sleep, and lots of fuss.

You're just as sweet as ever.  Giving kisses all the time.  Your favorite one to smooch is Kam.  I can already tell you two are going to be SO close.  Your eyes light right up every time she comes near.

I cannot believe that one short month from now,  you will be turning one year old!

Life is such a joy with you in it, sweet girl!

Happy Eleven Months!!!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Goin' For A Stroll

We've had a GORGEOUS week.  Lots of sunshine, warm temps.  And the evenings have been perfect for a little stroll.

Here Kitty, Kitty . . .

Taylor's gotten a taste of the stroller.
{and yes, we need a new one SO badly.  Dad picked this one up years ago for $15 at a garage sale}





Hey Gramps!


Ohhhhhh, what's that?!

Ya still back there?

And we got back just in time to enjoy the sunset.

Ahhhhhhh.

Happy Mother's Day

The job of a Mama isn't easy, but my goodness is it ever rewarding.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you fabulous Mamas!!!

Day Trip

Last week Jeremy went bear hunting, and us girly girls had big plans to travel south to visit my sister and her family.  A trip we'd been planning for ages.  Alas, Taylor and Kam got eye infections, I was battling a horrible virus, and one phone call to my sister told me that she was in the same boat.  So, unfortunately, we had to cancel.

The girls were disappointed.

So we went with plan B . . .

A day trip to Enchanted Forest

We visit Enchanted Forest every year, but typically not this early.  We had almost the entire park to ourselves!

The last time we were at Enchanted Forest Taylor was just a few weeks old :)

It was a gorgeous day.  80 degrees.  In fact, we have a whole week of gorgeous weather coming at us.  Amazing what a little sunshine can do!! 

Hope you're seeing some too!

Treasure Hunt

I've been trying to come up with a list of fun {inexpensive} activities to keep the littles entertained

this summer {or anytime really!}. 

So awhile back I was thinking that a treasure hunt might be kind of fun.

I started collecting little, inexpensive items that the girls might enjoy ~

candies, bubbles, princess tattoos, stamps . . .

stuffed them all into an old plastic ice cream container . . .

dug a hole . . .

and buried "the treasure"



Then I wrote out a few "clues" and hid them around the property.





Each clue led to the next, and, finally, the X marks the spot ;) 
Complete with shovels for digging.



They were so excited to have finally found the treasure!





I'm pretty sure it wasn't the super cool "treasure" ;)  It was the fun of the "hunt". 

Try it with your littles!

And if you have any great summer ideas, let me know.  We're composing our list!!