Easter traditions

Haven't gone an Easter without making these....and I don't even really like coconut.  Oh well, I can't argue with tradition.  For the first time, Ryan actually hung out with me and helped make some treats tonight.  It could be that I bribed him with M&Ms?!?  Oh well - a small price to pay for having some company in the kitchen.  (Dear God, please do not give me a girl that doesn't like to cook.  I ALWAYS loved cooking with my Mom.  *right, Mom?*).

Anyway, we made some birds nests and had a blast.

Then we took some bread crusts out to feed to the birds outside.  Ryan was excited to know that the birds were going to come eat them all while we were sleeping.  Sorry, birds...our dumb dog ate them before you could get to them.  Maybe we'll get a bird feeder.  Hmmmm.  Highly unlikely - Troy is afraid of birds (he won't admit it though).

What was Seth doing this entire time?  VERY serious about his game:

We're excited for a play-date, painting/decorating intervention tomorrow.  I told Ryan that Henry was coming over to play.  His response:  "And Thomas? And Percy?  And James and all the other trains?"   Sigh - I'm really annoyed with Thomas the Train.  I told him that this *real* Henry was WAY better than a train - the lightbulb went off:  "Ok, my friend Henry from my class!  We have to share."  I've got my fingers crossed :-)
Almost 11 - staying up to make stinkin cookies for my friends at CG.  The boys and I are doing a little treat delivery at work tomorrow.  Girls - I know you're reading this: ready or not, here we all come!

Searching for the best macaroni and cheese

I've been on a quest for years to find the tastiest mac n cheese dish.  I've tried dozens of recipes - some have been okay; others have been just odd and gross.  My husband's favorite is one I made WAY back when: a nasty one with tons of that block processed "cheese product".  Gross.  I'm beginning to be a bit of a cheese snob.  Well, I rarely find a Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe that we don't like.  This Classic Mac and Cheese recipe came close to the top of the list.  Just a warning that the cheeses it calls for are unique ("expensive"). 

6 TBS unsalted butter, plus more for dish

6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces.

2 1/4 cups milk

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground black papper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz) or 3/4 cup grapted Romano cheese (about 3 oz)

3-4 cups elbow macaroni (I like the Ronzoni whole grain)

1.  Heat over to 375.  Butter a 2 quart casserole dish; set aside.  Place bread ina medium bowl.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter.  Pour butter into bowl with bread and toss.  Set breadcrumbs aside.
2.  In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, heat milk.  Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat.  When butter bubbles, add flour.  Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
3.  While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes think.
4.  Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmet, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and MOST of the cheddar and Gruyere/Romano cheese (resevering some cheese to sprinkle on top); set cheese sauce aside.
5.  Cook macaroni 2-3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions; drain, rinse.  Add to reserved cheese sauce.
6.  Pour mixture into prepared dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheeses and breadcrumbs over top.  Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. 

Home economics

I get overly excited by the smallest things; but that's what keeps life interesting.  Like this:

This is a cool painting that my really talented friend made.

I always loved these colors, which is why when another really talented friend Natalie L suggested that I find some pillows for inspiration in redecorating our living room, I was drawn to this one:

And I needed some new kitchen curtains....and of course couldn't find any that I liked.  I went to my fave fabric store hoping to find something that would kinda-sorta match and I actually did a happy dance in the middle of the aisle when I saw some fabric....which was 50% off.  Boo-yah!  I figured the ladies at the checkout counter would be so excited for me when I showed them the E painting above - about how well it coordinated with the fabric - but they weren't.  No one was having a very friendly day there, or maybe I was just overly excited and they didn't share my enthusiasm. But I decided to try my hand at sewing.  Hadn't sewn in a LONG time and thought I was going to have to google "bobbin threading" cuz I just couldn't remember; but like riding a bike, it all came back.  Mom, aren't you so proud?  Anyway, take a look at these curtains.  Aren't they the PERFECT fabric?  (don't look at my 4th grade-looking seams)

Seriously - look at the E, then look at the fabric.  Repeat.  One more time.  AHHHHHH! Happy times!  And the best part - the curtains cost a whopping $9 in fabric (and they're lined!).

And my other happiness - our counters are coming in only 5.5 days now. Finally.

And my other happiness - my aforementioned talented painter friend is going to come help me pull all my designs together with some more paint on the walls.  After weeks of sick kids, months of very sick husband, living in a construction zone, working too much, falling behind in all aspects, potty training boot camp, a jammed/broken/fractured/whatever toe, I'm seeing HAPPY COLORS again :-)

More tips

Back by popular demand, here are some more tips that make life easier:

• Keep a few large marshmallows in your brown sugar - keeps the sugar soft and moist (Ew, I hate that word).
• Car essentials:  Keep these things in your vehicle:
• A roll of mini diaper disposal bags in your glovebox.  Great for keeping trash and little odds and ends until you can throw it away. They work well for placemats or napkins while eating in the car (who DOES that!?!?).  Plus, most of them are scented so they add a discrete scent to your car and they barely take up any room. 
• Save your extra napkins and straws.  You'll need them. 
• Paper towels (or a reusable cloth) and a mini spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner.  Boy, you'll use it.  I love clean cars and any time I'm a passenger I clean out the cupholders, windows, etc....(and sometimes I do it when I'm the driver!). Plus, handy for cleaning up spills, dirty faces, etc.  Wipes could do the trick, but we can get pretty wasteful with wipes.
• When your doctor or pediatrician calls to confirm your upcoming appointment, answer the phone and ask them to scan and e-mail or fax (or mail) you any forms that need to be filled out.  Then have them completed and ready to go at the appointment.  This is a huge time saver and stress-reducer.  I almost ALWAYS have a new form to complete or an "update" form and having them completed when I signed in is so much better than trying to dig out all the information in the waiting room with sick or scared kids.  They've always been willing to do this and are always pleasantly surprised when I arrive prepared.
• Use raw spaghetti strands to light hard-to-reach candles.  (Light the spaghetti, then transfer flame to wick).  I've actually only done this one. I know the CG girls are going to make fun of this one, go ahead.
• Store your sheet sets inside the pillowcase.
• Get a brightly colored wallet - SO much easier to see floating around in your purse.

Oh be careful little ears what you hear....

Maybe you'll find this twisted tale kinda funny.  It's not, but it is.  The other day (pre-toe injury) I was up on a stepstool hanging a picture.  I asked Troy to come grab the hammer from me.  He is in an odd mood, grabs the hammer from me and pretends to be a tough guy and goes to fake-hit me with it.  (you might be thinking this is wierd, but remember that I married a football player/coach.....it's not unusual to get swim-moved, hip-checked, stiff armed, or chest-bumped while minding your own business around here).  Anyway.  Uh oh..Ryan saw this little move.  His eyes got HUGE and he jumps up:  "Daddy, you do NOT hit Mommy.  Daddy that is NOT KIND.  Daddy you have to be kind to mommy and not hit her with a hammer....." Daddy and I are both laughing and explaining to Ryan that we are just being silly, and that Daddy would never hurt Mommy, etc.  Ryan will NOT let it go.  He keeps telling the story: "Remember when Daddy hit Mommy with a hammer when she was up high just trying to make the house fixed all better?"  He's telling everyone.  So I have a little chat with him to tell him that we don't even need to keep talking about it because it was just a funny game we played, Mommy is not hurt, Daddy is funny, Daddy would never hurt Mommy and all kinds of things about having fun together.  So two days later we go to the store and the stinking friendly cashier starts chatting up Ryan while I'm distracted with items in the cart.  Sure enough I hear this sweet little voice:  "My Daddy hit Mommy with a hammer when she was just working hard trying to make the house all better!!!  Well we don't talk about that now.  We don't need to tell that story to people."  Grrrrrreat.  Looks even worse now.  Ryan's story plus my limping = awkward times.  I love the talkative stage.

Ouch

So I'm pretty sure I broke two of my toes last night - or at least jammed them badly. Its been 24 hours and they are still throbbing, swollen, and black/blue.  Here's how it all went down:
There was a balloon by our fireplace and I went to kick it up in the air (don't ask why).  Oh, I kicked it alright, but NAILED the fireplace with my poor little foot.  I heard the crack in my toes.  I hit the ground and was writhing in pain.  Troy, sitting 5 feet away, barely even acknowledges me.  I think I heard him cringe, but that was it.  I was down for several minutes...being surprisingly tough:  no swearing, screaming, or crying...but at one point I did say something like "I'd rather be in labor right now."  It H.U.R.T.  Troy did nothing.  Sorry, he's a great husband, but just has zero ability to intervene when I'm injured.  I've seen this from him before so I know not to expect much.  He has the "I-hope-she's-okay-quickly-so-I-can-laugh-hard-out-loud" problem.  Sympathy?  Nope.  Help?  Nope.  Super guy, horrible nurse.  Anyway.....I finally get to a point where I can sit up and I decide I'm done painting/decorating; I'm just going to take my sorry little toes and go to bed.  I tell Troy this and he says, "You need some ice".  Blah, whatever, dude.  Then, GET THIS!  As I'm heading up to bed I hear him call out "Ohhhhhh, ewwwwwww" and he inhales really sharply and cringes.  I'm thinking: 'Oh, he's realizing that I'm in pain and limping and he's going to help me up to bed.' But NOOOOOOOO.  I come back around the corner and see him grimacing in front of the TV.  He says "Ah, did he get hurt?!?!?"  Oh!My!Word!  He is watching the basketball game and some stupid player went up for a layup, missed the shot, and came down hard.  HE WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE STUPID BASKETBALL PLAYER THAN ME!!!!  Some rich, popular, 7 foot, 250 pound big, tough, guy playing in the NCAA tourney gets more sympathy than me.  Funny thing was that Troy didn't even realize that he reacted more strongly to his basketball player than he did to me.  I shot him a very non-Christian look and maybe mumbled a few things to him about hoping his bball best friend would start cooking and cleaning the house for him while I was unable to walk the next few days. 
Man, what are these guys thinking sometime?
Troy - I still love you and I've forgiven you for your incredible oversight, but my toes are not so forgiving.  I'm thinking about slipping some laxatives in his breakfast tomorrow; don't tell him.

13 sticks of butter

My sweet little niece, Sydney, is a big one-year old now.  We had a fun birthday party for her this weekend and her Mommy let me make the cupcakes.  It was SO FUN making something for a little girl for a change!  In case you are wondering, it takes 13 sticks of butter to make 125 cupcakes and buttercream icing; isn't that amazing? Here they are: