Muffin Tin Monday-Shapes

Was I just over thinking this challenge or was it a bugger for the rest of you? This week's Muffin Tin Monday challenge was SHAPES! How easy is that, right? Well I wanted to find actual foods that were in an actual shapes, not just cut out shapes(which would have been adorable with pumpkins, leaves, ghost, you get the fall theme).

My first thought was star fruit! How cool is fruit shaped like a star, except duh, it's almost October what store in my neck of the woods has star fruit. Next funky shape that came to mind was a pierogi, which we included, but Hannah was not about to touch it.
Well here is our offering for this weeks Muffin Tin Shapes:

• Square-cheese cubes
• Triangles- Triscuit triangle crisps
• Circles- Red Globe grapes
• Ovals- Cherub grape tomatoes
• Rectangle- Sugar wafer cookies
• Semi-Circle- Potato and cheese pierogi

Any suggestions about how to make pierogi's more appealing, they just look so cool. Well we tried.

Chocoholics Anonymous-Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love blogging about chocolate! Want to know why? Well, it's the chocolate! Not just any kind of chocolate but what I call chocolate love. Texas sheet cake love, Reeses peanut butter cup love, Chocolate Lovers Champs love, and now my newest chocolate love, chocolate chip cookies made with bittersweet chocolate chips love. YUM, YUM, and double YUM! Thanks Sally. Let me wipe the drool.

Sally brought over some cookies she and her kiddos had made and I was sold on bittersweet chocolate chips at first bite. The contrast between the sweet cookie dough and the chocolate was phenomenal! This weeks recipe is a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe but I used these chocolate chips instead.

One note about these chocolate chips they are bigger than normal chips, how sweet is that.

Hershey's(with Ghirardelli chocolate chips) All-in-One Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 c Butter; softened
1/2 ts Salt
1 c Granulated sugar
2 Eggs
3/4 c Packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 c All-purpose flour
2 ts Vanilla extract
1 ts Baking soda
Heat oven to 350 F. Beat butter, sugars, vanilla and salt in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Sift together flour and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

My Jack

This is my Jack, 4 of 7, mister smack dab in the middle. Out of all our kiddos he is the most like his dad, curious, analytical, figity, skinny little chicken legs.

Yesterday was little man's birthday and for me it was a wonderful day spent getting to know my Jack a little more. Does that sound awful? You should know your kids, right? But honestly sometimes my little ones I feel can get lost in the shuffle. Please don't get me wrong, I am very active in all their lives, but how often do we spend one an one with out little guys (And don't tell me if you go out on weekly dates with each individual child, or that you hold personal ice cream interviews with them, I don't need to know).

He is such a complex little man. All this outward energy, but still so shy and insecure.
He is a purest, plain vanilla ice cream(except for lately, he likes cookies and cream, Duane's favorite, I think a little cancer induced psychology into that new liking), plain glazed Krispy Kremes, only spaghetti noodles(nothing else, nothing homemade), but he will eat casseroles with onions, peppers, and whatnots.
He adores his big brother Ben, tears fill my eyes now as I think how loyal he is to him. Yesterday during one of our little dates I marveled at how often he spoke of Ben, and never in a harsh way. Little man loves and idolizes Ben.
I discovered after 5 years of stewing he still thought Penny's head had fallen off when she died. FYI when your dog dies don't say to your 3 almost 4 years old that her body went to be with Heavenly Father unless you're prepared for years of psychological torment to be done to the little guy. Sorry Jack, I should have explained it a little better.

More than anything I learned that my world has been blessed to have Jack. He was given to Duane and I to teach and love. I hope and pray he always knows how much his momma loves him.

To Be Three

If only I could say this on 169 "Mooommyyy...people are in my way, get out of the way people." Lately Hannah has a thing for people in front of our car when we are driving. For some reason she thinks they are in our way. Maybe she's channeling my inner thoughts, People get out of my way, bad mood Mama comin' through! Only 1/2 the time am I that crazy, grrrr.

Chocoholics Anonymous-This one's for my Grandma

My mom loves German Chocolate Cake! My Grandma every year would make a killer german chocolate birthday cake, but much to my mom's chagrin, not for her birthday. My Grandpa also loves german chocolate cake, so he was the lucky recipient of the delicious, made from scratch cake my mom always envied. Grandma to this day tells of the love and sweat put into the makings of the homemade cake and frosting, no Betty Crocker mixes then my friends. So I thought for this weeks Chocoholics Anonymous I would submit for your baking pleasure.......

Brown Sugar Fudge

the cake my mom always got instead

Did I get your taste buds salivating for German Chocolate Cake? Sorry Charlie, why make it from scratch anymore when Betty does it so well.

2 1/4 c cake flour

1 t soda

3/4 t salt

2 c brown sugar

1/2 c shortening

1 c buttermilk

1 t vanilla

3 eggs

2 squares chocolate, melted

Sift flour, soda, salt into a bowl. Add sugar, shortening, 2/3 of the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes then add rest of the buttermilk, eggs and chocolate. Beat additional 2 minutes more. Pour into properly greased and floured 8 or 9 inch pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 -35 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven cool on baking racks, and frost with your favorite frosting I like this recipe.

Feeling ambitious? Here's the original Baker's German Sweet Chocolate Cake and Frosting Recipe my Grandma used.

Visions of Sugar Plums

A little deceiving isn't she. Hannah an angel? NO! She's Mouse On Cheese!!! Nutcracker time, ugh, yeah, ugh, yeah, I'm a Nutcracker flip flop. LOVE watching the children, LOATHE the driving back and forth for practices, but always in the end my love for them and the monkeys love of performing wins out each year.

So here's the run down of who's who in STCB Nutcracker;

Molly-Chinese(yeah, one of my favortie pieces),

Ben-Chinese(groans from Molly, this should be interesting, no smack down on stage please),

Katie-Child Ginger(tumbling is Katie's thing),

Jack-Party Boy(our shy one, always hesitates but always does it),

Grace-Mouse(such a cute part, she'll be perfect),

and Hannah-Mouse on Cheese a.k.a. The roll we've wanted for all our little ones but never had the right age, so every year we beg and finally it happend.

We have decided to change Hannah's name to Rat on cheese, she's a little to hefty to be a dainty little mouse, rat is more like it. I know I groan ever year about rehearsals, try outs, etc., but in all honesty this year a little normalicy and Christmas cheer will help my down soul. I love watching Molly gracefully dance on pointe, she's so beautiful. Katie has always had this talent to dance, tumble, sing, these perfermances just let her shine. Ben is such a ham! Where did he get it from? He just loves to be up on stage, and I love watching him. Jack is so shy, I'm glad he does The Nutcracker, every year I think a bit of his shell is cracked, plus he's such a handsome little dude, how can you not love watching him wave back at you on stage. Grace is growing! My sweet little baby is now a little girl who loves her ballet and tumbling classes this year, Nutcracker will be a whole new experience for her. Little Em will get her chance some year, just wail baby and visions of sugar plums will dance in your head too!

Muffin tin Monday-Sesame Street Classic

Sing with me now!

Five of these things belong together

Five of these things are kind of the same

Can you guess which one of these doesn't belong here?

Now it's time to play our game it's time to play our game.

Do you remember that game/song on Sesame Street? I can picture it now, Bob singing the catchy tune while a box is shown with three things alike and one thing different. Muffin Tin Monday is Sesame Street inspired, which tin contains the different item and how are the others alike? Time for the game. In our tin this week we have american cheese, triscut crackers, celery, chocolate chip cookies, cheetoes, and apple slices. Leave a comment, guess how they're alike and the one that is different. Be a kid again, have fun with your little monkey's! Happy Monday, it's a brand new week!

Chocoholics Anonymous-Rice Krispies Scotcheroos

Easy, delicious, more please! What more can a gal say about the union of two perfect foods, peanut butter and chocolate. Recently one of my favorite bloggers, Marie at Make and Takes, inspired me to whip up an oldie but a goodie, Rice Krispies Scotcheroos. So I present for this weeks Chocoholics Anonymous this classic recipe, enjoy.

Rice Krispies Scotcheroos

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies®
1 package (6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions 1. Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.

He is so smart- S-M-R-T

Thank you Homer Simpson for that fantastic one liner I use on a daily basis with my 12-year old son Ben. Today his inner smartness was shinning bright. He was bragging to Molly about being eligible for the Duke TIP program, a program to help brainiacs like dork boy succeed in school. So as he was quickly explaining to Molly how his intellect was far superior it came out like this:

Ben: "Hey Molly I have the gift for academically programed children"

Molly: "What did you say?" Already laughing hysterically at this point

Ben: "NO, I mean I'm in the program for athletically gifted children"

Molly: "What?" Laughing amazingly harder than before

Mom: "Dude, slow down!"

Ben: Now joining Molly in laughter and speaking slowly, "Ok, I mean I'm in the program for academically gifted children"

You go Ben and get that gift of academic program and while you're at it lay off the Mountain Dew slushies! It does a Mom's heart good.

Muffin Tin Monday-Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

The weather is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow!

Muffin Tin Monday, hands down the funnest part of my week, that might be saying just a little! Sycamore Stirrings put out a children's literature challenge for this weeks Muffin Tin Mommas, and we had so much fun. Even my 12 year old dork boy was dreaming of giant pancakes and school closings as we read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. Amazingly after we read this deliciously yummy book, a meteorological phenomenon occurred in our neck of the woods and just in time for lunch!

Lunch today blew in from the northwest at about five miles an hour. The weather consisted of chicken nuggets, becoming heavy at times, with occasional drizzles of ketchup. Periods of peas and peaches were followed by quarter sized Tatar tots. After juice drops fell from the sky a beautiful jello sun shone bright. Good thing our muffin tin was ready and waiting or we would have missed out on a once in a lifetime treat.

911

"Is this the residence of Duane Summers? Someone from this number just called 911." How many times have I heard those familiar words spoken, let me count the ways or children is more like it. Let's start with Ben, 10 months old, playing with the phone. Oops, 911! Jack, 4 years old, after a lesson from Miss Shari about safety, comes home and calls 911. Let me add I think he is my only child to deliberately dial those infamous numbers. And now my sweet little Miss Em has joined the likes of Butch Cassidy and the Sun dance Kid. How is it possible that she has already joined the dark side? All my babies at some point make the plunge, but Miss Emma, you could have stayed sweet a little bit longer, sigh. She does have this weird tongue thing, I guess she was destined to join.

My Superman's Kryptonite

Several years before Duane was diagnosed with cancer I started calling him my Superman. I had bought him a Superman tie and everything. Little did I know that he would have to live up to his wife's nickname. He has fought this battle with more faith and endurance than any super hero could. And now he musters up that superhuman strength to fight this next battle.

I foolishly let the previous 11 months slip by without any documentation, other than my own memories, of how valiantly he battled his first round with colon cancer. Thank you Lisa and Lindsay for getting me jazzed about blogging. Now I have a forum for concrete journaling and photo storing of his second go around with colon cancer.

I love blogging! I love Muffin Tin Monday, Chocoholic Anonymous, I love journaling my children little quirks and milestones. I've decided to dedicate an entire blog to my sweet Duane and his battle so that the everyday fluff doesn't distract from him. Everyone is invited and welcome to visit My Superman's Kryptonite anytime. I love all you guys and am so thankful for each and every one of you!

Keeping it together

I had started this post a few days ago before the title "keeping it together" meant a whole different thing.

Every year I create an After School Schedule to keep me going in the right direction when the kids start up with their extracurriculars. This year it will really come in handy. My brain is a little preoccupied right now, and I think on overload.

If you've seen my blog within the last week you've seen the Attack of the Oompa Loompa's. Duane my dear sweet husband has been battling jaundice. We've been through a slew of tests, and nothing seemed to be pointing in the direction of why. Today we meet with his oncologist to discuss what I thought would be the results of nothing. Unfortunately it was something. The cancer is back and in new areas of his body. At least 4 different tumors in 4 new spots; a small one in his liver, lymph nodes right outside the liver, his sternum, and lymph nodes in his chest.

The tricky part is he still is jaundice and can't have certain chemo drugs until his liver starts functioning better, and his liver can't function better until certain positioned tumors shrink.

Keeping it together now means trying not to ball too much in front of the kids, trying not to think of the worst case scenarios, trying to believe that my Father in heaven knows and loves me and will always be by my side.