Real Life Faceplant and Facebook

This is my Facebook status update today:

"Ugh. That was the trip to the grocery store after preschool pickup. Shopping cart did not have straps, Kait tried to sit on 3 cartons of eggs, and when I tried to put both back in the cart - they screamed and I screamed. Then a lot of people turned around and looked at me with mouths wide open. I walked by and smiled brightly at all of them with my children clinging to the outside of the cart. Don't you dare judge - I KNOW you are not as perfect either. Again, ugh!"

I came home and tried to cry. Jacob saw me and cried.

They warned me, "We do not want to go." I just needed eggs: 79 cents a dozen at Aldi, and none of the carts have straps (an issue I was told would be solved last Tuesday). Just miserable. My bad. It was minutes from naptime and any mother in her right mind knows you DO NOT attempt anything that will conflict with napping. As Justin would say...Derp! *He would also pull up the famous picture of Texas University quarterback McCoy chewing on his chin strap and "derp" me again. It's an Aggie joke.*



There it is, folks. There it is.

Back to the subject....I am not perfect, and God has given me clear glasses to see this. I can name it, but someday when I run for President, I need everyone to think I am perfect. So, we will just leave that to your imagination. However, God is so good. Let's talk about how good...

Forgiveness:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Promise of new:
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." - Revelation 21:5

Looking forward:
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43: 18-19

Today's nap time has shown I am not perfect, but He is! He can give me new wind, new attitude. He makes all things new. Boy, do I need all things new today in my life. My attitude - bring new life. My mothering - bring the rains of refreshment. My relationships - bring new blooms. My trust in God - you alone deserve my attention.

~ Kaitlyn is up. She walked into the room with three cartons of strawberries stacked on each other saying, "I'm so hungry." Yes, yes, you are. Yes, yes, we eat lots of strawberries in our home.

Have a great day, especially if you are not so perfect!

Suz

Overstuffed

This is it...my book of recipes from online, magazine pulls and my own creations.  It is getting a makeover, and after punching holes in a zillion papers, it may get a new home.

How do you store your recipes?  Do you write them a card?  Use a book like this?  Do you sort into categories?  Do tell!

Peanut Butter Smores No Bake Cookies

Snob.  I am.  I am a snob to "no-bake" cookies.  Cookies require baking.  Until now!  I found a recipe in a Parents magazine, copied it, and set out to make the treat.  The only problem is that it is severely lacking in instruction...detailed instruction.  Since I never read past the ingredients, I had no idea until I dove right in.  I took the recipe, and used it as the structure to my cookie.  This cookie tastes more like a Reese's peanut butter cup and smores combined.  It got rave reviews from the neighbors, so try it for yourself!

 

Peanut Butter Smores No Bake Cookies
by Susan Costiloe-Bentley

1 1/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (or Nutella)
1/3 cup maple syrup (more as needed for moisture)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
7 oz marshmallow cream (1 small jar)
1 cup chocolate chips (I used milk and dark chocolate)
Nonstick cooking spray
Baking Sheet lined with parchment or wax paper


1. Crush graham crackers in a large zip lock bag or with a masher in a large bowl. 

2. Melt chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave - 15 seconds at a time until just melted (may take 1-3 sets of 15 secs to melt); stir chocolate until uniformly melted until and drips off spoon. Set bowl aside.  

 

3. Combine peanut butter, maple syrup, sugar, and vanilla with spoon or mixer. Add 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate*; stir.

4. Add crumbs to peanut butter mixture. Stir with spoon until incorporated. Shape into 24 1  1/4 inch balls. (Add 1 tbs. maple syrup and 1tbs. peanut butter if crumb batter will not hold ball shape). I used a medium scoop to make the balls. Place balls on parchment lined baking sheet. Use a fork to flatten each ball and make a crisscross design on top or use hand to gently flatten.

5. Spray spoon with nonstick cooking spray and stir marshmallow cream. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of cream on each cookie. Cream should cover top of cookie - add more cream or spread the cream to distribute more evenly (I used a spreader coated in cooking spray to more evenly distribute mine; I also added extra cream to make my extra gooey). Next drizzle melted chocolate over each cookie; more or less to your taste.


6. Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to set the cookie. This step is optional; I did not do this for the cookie pictures.
 

You could also omit the1/4 cup sugar since it is pretty sweet on its own. Other nut butters or substitutes could be used - I just have not used those as of yet.

*If you use Nutella, you may omit chocolate added to base mixture...but that would mean less chocolate for chocolate lovers. 

Look at those gooey, yummy melt-in-your-mouth No Bake Cookies!

I am no longer a must-bake cookie snob.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Busy Girl

I have been waiting for the new issues of Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes & Garden to arrive.  MSL arrived, but it was last month's issue and I already have that one.  Strange.  By the way, my magazines are free subscriptions after taking surveys, making it waaaay easier to tell Sweet Hubs I cannot cancel because it is free.  (He often wonders why he doesn't have an array of manly magazines.  Surveys, babe, surveys.  Besides, he does have 1 manly magazine about Bass Fishing, courtesy of surveys.)  I like BHG because Mom always had a BHG subscription (and still does).

I may run down to my neighbors to borrow her BHG, if she has it.

Do you ever feel, ugh, like you do not measure up?   I so feel this way lately with Kaitlyn.  She is such a joyful and enthusiastic beauty.  At the same time, in all of her two-ness, she is emotional, screamy, kicky, bossy, and hard to read at times.  I kind of remember this with Jacob at this age, but I was overwhelmed with Kaitlyn and her physical therapy to concentrate much on the fussiness of his two-ness.  Since there is no child down line of Kaitlyn, I have time to concentrate on this.  She is my daughter, my first daughter, my only daughter at this time. 
I told a friend recently that being a stay at home mom, I realized this past year, is very foreign to me.  My Mom went back to work when I was a year old.  She stayed home with my sisters, and for whatever reason, she said my third sister drover her nutty and she had to go back to work.  That sister is 3 years older than myself.  I didn't get to see Mom as a SAHM but on rare occasions when she took a week or two off or when my sisters went to camp and she stayed home with me.  I loved those times.  For some it may not matter, and this is not a guilt trip to anyone, but for me, I am a visual and hands-on learner.  I adored time with Mom learning to bake, sew, embroider and garden.  Just loved it!  Anyway, sometimes as a SAHM, I have had to educate myself in so many areas in order to feel like a success.  I still feel lacking in the area of my two year old daughter. 

So what do you when you feel like you do not have enough "education" to get you to where you need to be?  You learn!  You learn from Mom, neighbors, friends, books, magazines.  So, I am learning to measure up.  Kaitlyn's preschool teacher said she loves to be The Big Girl and help.  This girl is always on my heels.  I knew she likes to help, but that she responds overwhelmingly to helping is amazing!  I always was the helper for Mom.  I am "getting" you, baby girl!  Check her out below... painting butter to puff pastry for cinnamon rolls.

So thankful for teaching moments.  So thankful for Mom and her teaching me to do so many things.  So thankful for passing the love to my little one!  * My Southern Living FINALLY came in the mail and we loved flipping through the pages together.* And now to catch up with her as she de-rolls the paper towels. My oh my, you are a busy girl!!!!