I posted a link to our YouTube account, here on the top right side of my blog. The one i embedded in this post is the first one we have ever made. We get the most views, ratings and comments on it, so I chose to post it. If you ever have a moment, check them all, just click on the thumbnail to the right. Hope you enjoy – we love making them. We are definitely due for another!
Author: thefamilyo
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Now You Know Why I Am Tired!
Yep, you guessed it. I am one of those people. One of those people whose children have never slept in a crib, with the except of a nap or two between all 3 of them. In the beginning it was for safety and convenience. Knowing that they are safe and nearby was reassuring. For convenience because I nursed all my boys and it was nice to not even really have to wake up for too long to nurse at night, let alone not having to get up, turn on a light, and the like. So I am a very tired person, in general, because I have never slept without a little one nearby. I do absolutely love it… I love looking over and watching them sleep, I love hearing them take their little breaths, I love having them right there with us. What I don’t love however, is the lack of sleep, I have turned into a super light sleeper. I wake at almost any movement and noise.Just two nights ago as I laid on the very corner-edge of a king sized bed, I was thinking how ridiculous it was that I was occupying only 5% of the entire bed…meanwhile Samuel was smack dab in the middle with arms and legs stretched out to their fullest potential.
One compromise we did make with the other 2 – we will lay with them until they fall asleep. OK OK so I know we aren’t necessarily doing things by the book, but hey – they are only young once. I guess I have just succumb to the fact that I will always be tired at least until my kids have grown. Then I can stay up all night worrying about where they are and what they are doing. :O)
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I love you five-hundred
Something my two oldest boys have been saying lately makes me bust a huge smile every time! They think that attaching a huge number to things they say really demonstrates how strongly they feel. So when it comes time to saying goodnight, they have been saying:Preston the 6yr old: “I love you sixty billion, five hundred, eight-five” (any large random string of numbers) OR “I love you higher than any number God can count”
Oliver simply says: “I love you five hundred”
I love it, love it! Makes me feel happy and loved.
I remember when I was young when I tried to show my Mom how much I loved her I would open my arms up as wide as they would stretch and tell her that’s how much I love her. Still do… but don’t express it so much anymore. Next time I see her, I will prepare my arms to open up wide, wonder if she remembers.
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Lookie Here for A Neat Blog
Recently I heard about a local photographer who started a blog 2 years ago. His intent was to meet 1 stranger a day, get their story and take a photograph of them. I love this idea, I actually wanted to do something similar a few years ago but it ended as quickly as it started. Must have been a time that I had a tiny one hanging on to me. ANYWHO>… I totally think that EVERYONE has a story. I love to meet people and get their “story”. I am always intrigued, many times surprised. I love it!
Go take a look around, get to know a stranger! http://www.iheartstrangers.com/
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Aunt Sophies Outdoor Oven Spanish Bread
Every couple of years I end up pulling out the old family recipe cookbook. It was put together for a family reunion in 1984. I learned how to drive a stick shift there, that summer, I was 12 – the good ole days right? It was a small town after all.Every time I pull out the book I usually have a purpose, on a mission looking for an old familiar. Until today. It has turned into quite the snowstorm outside so I decided I want to bake today, fill the house with the smell of bread. I initially went to allrecipes.com, then the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, but then I came across the cookbook. Simply titled The Benavidez Family Cookbook. I flipped to the bread section, past the tortillas, the sopapillas and bunuelos that are so familiar to me to a recipe with a curious title.
I read through the recipe titled Spanish Outdoor Oven Bread… hmmm. I decided to read through, I saw that I had all the ingredients I would need, still not completely convinced though. I skimmed down the page to see that my Grandma’s Aunt Josie submitted it, I made her sisters tortillas recently. So what got me? The last line of her recipe read “You have never eaten a better bread in your life”. OK – Fully convinced, I went to work.
Ok, so I put the bread in the oven and left for the store. I told my husband to watch them and to pull them out when the oven beeped. Let me just tell you that when I came back all 3 boys and Daddy has mouths and fistfuls of bread… they were eating it plain, no butter even. I was like “it’s that good”? I seriously love bread but it always needs butter. However I tore of a chunk and WOW – it really didn’t need butter or anything, it was delicious! Nice hard crust too, not to crumbly. It really was the best bread I have eaten, and yes I did end up putting butter – almost heaven! So good, HIGHLY RECOMMEND – Go make it right now – go!
The Recipe – notes on bottom indicate amounts halfed
(Click to Enlarge)
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RETAKE – Lemon Spiral Cookies
After making Lemon Swirl cookies, they didn’t quite turn out quite as swirly as I expected. So going thru the fridge the next day I remembered that I wrapped up some of the dough to bake later. I pulled it out, sliced it with a sharp knife and baked. I have to say these ones turned out way more swirly than the original batch. Not sure why… to me, it was worthy of a revisit. Thanks for looking! -
Remembering, Sometimes I love to Reminisce
Not really one for nostalgia, I have to say that sometimes it is fun to have your memory tickled.Sometimes it’s a smell, for me fresh cut grass takes me back to my endless summer days when my Mom would have to literally yell for us from the porch as the sun went and street lights went on. Pinto beans cooking, with chili brewing – it never fails I am instantly taken back to my Grandma’s house. The funny thing about that is – it actually reminds me of her sidewalk and porch – because you could smell this delicious aroma as soon as you entered her yard, it never failed to lure me in, quick like. Even recalling that memory – I remember her front door was a little hard to open and would always make a very distinct sound, I can almost hear it now. Also, more times than not you would walk into my Grandma’s and hear the pressure cooker cooking away. Miss those sounds.
Sometimes it is a song, a movie, pretty much anything. I have some things I have recently remembered from my youth, thought I would type em up and enjoy the memories.
I remember going to the mall, the mall was everything, had everything, it was the place to be in the 80’s. I remember going to the T-Shirt shop (remember those?). I picked out a baseball jersey shirt (the kind that are white in the middle and the sleeves are another color) now came the exciting part, which transfer to choose… I remember standing there looking at a display containing at least 100 iron-on transfers. Some had funny sayings, some had sweet ones, some with cute little animals, some with rainbows, some with sparkles. I used to love to watch the Tshirt “master” carefully place the tshirt down, the transfer, then push that super hot lid down and steam it to complete the transfer. I still remember the smell of a hot tshirt and the feel of it. Weird I know!
The mall also had an arcade which was a gathering spot for me and my family usually before and after a movie. Remember classic video games? Remember life before tokens? Remember when anytime somebody was playing a game you wanted to play- protocol was that you put a quarter down and rest it on the bottom of the screen, as if to say “I’m next”, lol! Tons of fun memories at the mall.
Ironically enough, now I hate going to the mall!
Thanks for taking this short trip with me!
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Yummy Peanut Butter Goodness
Besides a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie, nothing beats a classic peanut butter cookie, just like Mom used to make. You know what I am talking about it… perfect buttery tan color, criss-cross shapes pushed into the tops, rolled in sugar, yum right? This weekend my husband was wanting me to make these cookies. However, I did not have all the ingredients needed on hand, not wanting to run to the store, I grabbed my Better Homes and Garden Home Cookbook. Flipped through until I found the page, page 194. Interestingly enough pages 195-196 are missing, can’t wait to see what recipe it was, must have been a past favorite. So I was all set to bake but WAIT! This recipe is missing a very important ingredient than the one my husband wanted… CHOCOLATE. So I decided to sprinkle a few chips on the tops. They were a hit!
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
granulated sugarIn a large mixing bowl beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer* on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg and vanilla till combined. Beat in as much as the flour as you can with mixer*. Stir in remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough until easy to handle. Shape doll into 1 inch balls*, roll in the additional suagr to coat. Place balls 2 inched apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten by making crisscross marks with the tines of a fork. Bake at 275 for 7-9 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Makes about 36 cookies.
*My modifications: I did not use an electric mixer I mixed it all by hand. I rolled into 2″ balls, sprinkled each cookie with 4-5 semi-sweet chocolate chips. I came up with about 18 cookies due to size modification.
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Now Back to Sweet Reality
Let me tell you- the last post I wrote I was seriously tired.. still am, maybe even more. But something has changed. A new perspective! God’s timing is always perfect. I am and have been worn out, bogged down, discouraged and I think most of it does have to do what exhaustion but also, has to with me not looking at “the big picture”. The big picture… Watch this, be inspired, be encouraged!
Now I am off to play with my boys, my oldest is home sick today – perfect timing. Can’t wait to enjoy my ordinary day!
