Pumpkin Spice Bread with Brown Butter Glaze Sometimes a can is all you have

Ive noticed an alarming trend in my grocery shopping:  I avoid going to the grocery store if I have to take anyone from my family there..

I do not enjoy group outings to the grocery store.  I do not like taking Husband with me (as hell buy something I dont approve of) and I do not enjoy very much, three chattering, active, no-longer-sit-in-the-cart-and-look-cute children, who ask and explore and get excited over things that I cannot imagine.

"Mom, did you know that Jello comes in this bright green color?  How do they do that?"

"Mom, can I buy this [points to most sugary cereal with 27 different artificial colors listed] and eat it for all three meals today?

"Mom, lets walk down this [chips] aisle.  I wanna see all the stuff here.  It looks really yummy here."

"Mom, lemonade comes in a BOTTLE.  Like already made!  How do they do that?"

"Mom, look at these applesauces.  It has only apples listed in the ingredients.  Can we get it?"

"Mom, we need more snacks.  There is nothing I like to eat at home.  THIS SNACK is allergy safe!!"

"Mom.  They have FROZEN pizza.  Now you dont have to make it homemade.  Lets get one."

The mass of craziness, questions, activity, and general flurry of three kids running circles around me generally means that I will avoid going to the grocery store by all means, especially when the kids are on break, and right now, my kids are on break.  They are on a three-week fall break, and I made the mistake taking them to the store once, and I subsequently vowed to myself that wed have to be starving in order for me to go again.

Therefore I began rummaging through the pantry to find new things to cook without going anywhere to get ingredients, and I discovered 6 CANS of pumpkin.  Although the weather was hot, suddenly I felt fall.  I wanted to make something warmly spiced, rich, and typically autumn.  I toyed around with all six cans of pumpkin, making various permutations of this spiced bread, until I came upon the recipe that truly satisfied me.  One major requirement was that I had to USE UP a can of pumpkin instead of having one of those "I have 1/4 cup of pumpkin left that I dont know what to do with" situations.  The other major requirement was that I wasnt going to go to the supermarket to get any missing spices or ingredients.  The result was this super delicious bread that everyone who has tasted has been going nuts over.

(In a funny side story, I knew I wanted cinnamon, but could only find cinnamon sticks. In order to avoid the store, I cleaned out my coffee grinder and ground my own cinnamon, sifted it to make sure it was fine, and drank cinnamon perfumed coffee for a few days, only to find my ground cinnamon 3 batches of pumpkin bread later.)

Lucky for you, this recipe makes TWO loaves - one to give away, and one to keep. Or, if youre selfish, one to freeze and one to keep.  Or, if you have a ravenous family who needs to keep busy eating pumpkin bread, one to eat and another to eat.  The icing is optional - and as my #2 likes to say, "When it has icing, its dessert.  When it doesnt have icing, its breakfast."

Pumpkin Spice Bread with Brown Butter Glaze
Makes 2 loaves

Bread Ingredients
2 ?  cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½  teaspoon baking powder
½  teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½  teaspoon ground cloves
½  teaspoon ground nutmeg

Glaze Ingredients
1 stick (8 tablespoons butter)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 5 tablespoons whole milk (will vary based on desired consistency)

Bread Method
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease two 9X5X3 loaf pans (or a slightly smaller one, but just know it’ll take longer to bake, the deeper the pan).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Gently add flour to pumpkin-egg mixture.  Mix slowly and gently, incorporating gently, being careful not to overbeat.  Once mixture is well incorporated, divide evenly between two loaf pans.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes.  Bake until tester in the center of loaf comes out clean.  Allow breads to cool for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Glaze Method
In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Carefully pour melted butter into a bowl, leaving excess sediment behind.

Add confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons milk and whisk together until uniform and smooth.  If glaze is still too thick, add more milk and whisk again, until desired consistency.  A runny glaze is easier to smooth everywhere but doesn’t set up as easily as a slightly stiffer glaze.  Choose accordingly.

Use glaze immediately.  Pour over bread and allow to set, about 30 minutes.

Printable recipe

I can stay at home for this.  

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Pretzel Toffee Cookies How much is too much

For JEL, HKL, SH - who have all been training me to say NO.

I think that when God designed me, He left me with a huge gap where the word "NO" should have been.  I have no problem saying the word NO to my children.  "No more sugar" or "No more books" or "No more play time" or "No more snacks" but the word NO when someone asks me for help is something that I still struggle with as a 40 year old (almost 41, gulp) woman.

If a friend, family member, or even an acquaintance asks me to do something - I find it extremely hard to say no. This is in light of the fact that Im raising three kids, work part time, write a food blog and serve at my church.  Requests for things come flying in and I cannot squeeze the word "NO" out.  This is a flaw that a great number of my friends and family have been berating me for for a long, long, long time, and one friend even went as far as writing me scripts so that I could practice telling someone "no."

But I HATE disappointing people.  I hate the look of "OH NO" on their faces when I tell them that I cant do something that they need me to do.  I dont like feeling that Im incapable of doing something that people are asking me to do.  I like feeling super capable, extra energetic, and extremely hardworking that I can handle it all.

On top of it all, I also cannot do anything halfway.  If you ask me to do something, I go all out.  As my friend SH says, "When you want something done, give it to a busy person" which is always her comment when she sees me taking on the next huge thing, whether it be offering to grade papers for a teacher or making a ton of food for a school event.  I keep saying yes, I keep going all out, and I just cant stop it.

Its pretty pathetic.  I exhausted myself this past May and June with the sheer number of commitments I took on and was determined to finish.  I even found myself offering to do EXTRA things (WHY JOANNE WHY) just to prove that I could.  And the end result was that Husband and Children suffered immensely.  My own inability to take a stand, to set boundaries, to build walls to protect my sanity meant that Family suffered.  I yelled, I screeched, I demanded, and I was generally an extremely awful person to be around.  There wasnt enough of anything to keep me calm, and I took it out on Family.

These days Ive been put in more than a number of awkward positions with requests.  But I learned my lesson in May and June that it isnt my job to do everything for everyone.  I do have a commitment and an obligation to Family first, before I take on the rest of the world.  Its not that I dont want to be helpful, because I want to be helpful.  Its not that I dont want to be giving either, but I want to have a sense of space in my life that is whole and not constantly being chopped into little pieces because of the demands of the outside world.  

So heres to a few awkward moments as I learn to set boundaries.  Heres to having space that is not invaded by my incessant need to please others.  Heres to learning to say "No" and not feeling bad about it.  In a toast to my new hopefully found independence from saying "Yes" -I give you Pretzel Toffee Cookie.  Its pretty hard for me to say "NO" to this cookie, but I think its okay in this context.  The cookie doesnt take time from my family, nor does it threaten to put a storm cloud over my head.  It does threaten to put a few pounds on my hips, so maybe I should learn to say no to this as well.  

NO.

NO.  

NO.

Okay - maybe just one more.

Pretzel Toffee Cookies
Makes 5 dozen

Ingredients
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 ? cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cups toffee chips (like Heath or Skor)
½ cup old-fashioned oats
2 cups mini pretzel twists, left whole

Method
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl (either in a stand mixer or in a bowl where you can use a hand mixer) and cream on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla and beat until all ingredients are mixed together, another 3 to 4 minutes.

Reduce speed to low, and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until just mixed, about 1 minute.

Add chocolate chips, toffee chips and oats, and mix until just blended. Finally, add pretzels and allow them to be mixed in. Do not over mix, or you will completely crush the pretzels. (A few large chunks are rather nice.)

Now the dough needs to rest. Take cookie dough, wrap it in saran wrap, place it in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerate. You can rest it for 8 hours, but 24 hours is usually better. You want the dough firm and cold.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop tablespoon scoops and lay them about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are golden and firmed up.

Allow cookies to cool in pan for 5 minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack. Enjoy. These do make fabulous ice cream sandwiches for the record.

Printable recipe

No, no, no.  I just cant.  I cant eat these entire stack in one bite.

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Snickerdoodle Cupcakes When the glass is half full

To all the people at BIES and everyone else that came to help out!

Our book fair is a twice a year event, with the opportunity to raise cash funds for our library, so that our wonderful school librarian can purchase books.  Our book fairs make a fair bit of money for our library and its an opportunity that I have where I can talk to kids about books, ask them what they are reading, and essentially berate them into trying something new.  Youd be surprised how many kids and parents come back to find the crazy book fair lady (thats ME) waving her hands wildly and encouraging kids to try something new.  "Enough of Percy Jackson. How about some Newberry Award Winners?"  Yep, thats me.  Crazy book fair lady.

I do love the book fair, and each time it occurs, its a week where Family is completely ignored.  I dont believe I cooked a single meal during the week of the book fair.  I relied on all my frozen soups, all the food I had frozen ahead of time, left Children to their own devices where homework, piano practice, and extra math was concerned and basically lived and breathed the book fair.  I still had to teach my students so I worked around that schedule, but the book fair consumed JAs and my time completely for a week.

The number one problem I HATE dealing with during book fair is the stress over volunteers.  We have a signup sheet, but invariably I end up running around school about a week prior, begging friends, acquaintances, strangers  to volunteer an hour or two of their time. But even with cajoling, begging and threats I have never filled my 78 volunteer slots on the sheet. I think the closest I ever came was about 50 percent filled, and this time the book fair was no different.  I ended up getting my neighbors, the fabulous C family to help out, and this included the father, the mother, daughter and son, who all came out to cashier, watch the door, and run around campus looking for an extra trashcan.  I also had to ask people who were busy with the auction from the weekend before, and even though they had just come off of an intense month of planning their fundraiser, a number of them offered to come and help.  My close friends who saw my stress and desperation willingly gave hours to me and new faces who just wanted to try something new and volunteer also showed up. 

At some point I stopped focusing on the 50 percent of slots that werent filled and became grateful for the 50 percent of slots that were, and the wonderful set up and breakdown crews, and different cashiers that dashed in from full time jobs to give time for an hour.  The people that came to help at our book fair party just rocked it. Sure it wasnt as many as I wanted or needed, but there were new faces this time who were willing to just give their hour.

A huge thanks to people who just came out and helped.  Im grateful.  To my co-chair JA - youre awesome and a huge reason I keep doing the book fair.  I wanted to make something for people who went the extra mile to help out so I experimented with these snickerdoodle cupcakes.  They are super yummy, taste like the cookie with the hints of vanilla and cinnamon, and just satisfy that simple cupcake/cookie craving.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Makes 24 regular size or 48 mini

Snickerdoodle Cake

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

2 ¾  cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½  teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

Method

Preheat oven to 350. 

Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined.  Add vanilla bean seeds.  Mix again.

Measure the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.

Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  (Minis might take 1 or 2 minutes less)

Snickerdoodle Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup of unsalted butter, softened

1 8oz pack of cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3-4 cups confectioner sugar (I try and use as little as I can, but make sure its pipeable)

Method

Cream butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until texture is uniform. Add cinnamon and mix again.  Add 2 cups of confectioners sugar and beat on low speed until sugar is all incorporated. Add 2 more cups and again mix on low speed until sugar is all incorporated. The key to really creamy frosting is to NOT beat too much air into the frosting but rather, on a medium speed, beat it until it is creamy.

When cupcakes are fully cool, spread frosting with a knife or using a piping bag and tip.  (Wiltons 2D and 1M are both nice ones to make swirls.)

Printable recipe

Sweet rewards.

Vanilla beans should you need them - this is where I get mine.
T

Two great books that I loved to sell at the book fair this year.

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Guess What The 19th Is

Hi folks!

Its a terrific Tuesday night, right?

Tomorrow is Daddy Rainmakers birthday so you will all have to wish him a happy birthday because he checks my blog during his break at work. Also, the day after tomorrow, the 20th, is my dads birthday.

If anybody believes in those astrological signs, I basically married a man who is a lot like my dad (astrologically speaking that is).

And if youre reading, babe, I love you! And Happy Birthday! I feel so honored to be a part in celebrating your birthday with our children and family. You are almost 11 years older than me, but I think that I am definitely the one who scored.

And to my dad, I love you too. Im glad youre feeling better. Thanks for being a good dad and rescuing me when I would run out of gas when I was in college because I was too much of a cheap wad, to fill up that old cadillac all the way. And then I would forget that I was getting low until the car just...stopped. And my dad would come save me (this happened three or four times...what can I say, Im a slow learner?).

What will be fun is my parents are coming over tomorrow night for a little joint birthday celebration. I just may be baking up a little surprise for my dad who tries (for the most part) to maintain a sugar free diet. I cant say exactly what Im making because he also reads my blog. Ha! But I have some fun sugar free ideas that just might involve carob chips.

In fact, Im considering making Wednesday a day of cooking and cleaning in preparation for the birthday parties. Having the kids wrap their gifts and make cards for the occasion.

Well, today went well. I made it to the gym and did a 60 minute back and biceps work-out. I held off on doing any push-ups since thats what caused my arm to hurt last week. I didnt push too hard on my arm work-out, but I did still manage a good work-out. I ran 2 1/2 miles and got in 1,685 calories.

I also weighed Mr. Lovely this morning and he weighs 13 pounds which is 1.4 pound increase from two weeks ago. That to me is proof positive that hes getting plenty to eat despite me being on a diet. I also have noticed that the more water I drink, the greater my milk flow...like today. I got in plenty of water and Ive had plenty of milk production.

Oh, my weight actually increased 4/10 a pound this morning, so now Im at a 6 pound loss in 15 days.

Have a good one!

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

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Happy Thursday! Our Morning Glory Is Three Months!

Happy Thursday!

Yes, folks the end of the week is upon us...and I have the pleasure of presenting to you the name...finally... of our newest flower...Here he is in all his glory...

Mr. Lovely as Morning Glory!

It seemed the perfect name when Dandy Lion said it today.

I did have another name selected, but then today he said "Morning Glory".

Immediately I thought of the beautiful Morning Glory flowers that my mom used to grow in her garden. And, since he was born at 2:50 in the morning... and he is a glorious creation from God...and he is beautiful just like the morning glory flowers...

This seems like the perfect name.

Oh! And this outfit hes in?

Well, I just put him in that to tease a smile out of Dawne.

(did it work?

nope, SunshineMeg, it wasnt a Packer outfit)

My husband picked this up for Iris Anna before

she was born when he was on a business trip once in Canada.

Dontcha just love the hat?

And, then, we finally got him to clutch his toes!

Tell me you arent just enamored!

Happy three months, Morning Glory!

He was born Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 2:50 a.m.

weighing six pounds four ounces.

Today he weighed in at 12.8 pounds, 2/10 away from 13 pounds.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok...on to the diet part of this blog.

I went down a pound this morning and so am now..7.6 pounds down.

I didnt feel like going to the gym tonight...but I did anyway because this whole routine is beginning to become a habit. I completed a 60 minute leg work-out, some push-ups-- two sets of 15 guy and 2 sets of 15 girl style push-ups. I ran 2 1/2 miles outside; it was 19 degrees.
I havent been tracking my calories, but I know its probably around 1,800-2,000.

I like how the increased calories are giving me more milk for Morning Glory, but Im also annoyed at what seems to me to be a slow weight loss.

But I feel like such a blessed woman!

I have six beautiful children.

I have the capacity and good health to work out.

I live in a country with I can worship freely without fear of retribution.

Im learning so many amazing things by homeschooling our children...

I have a wonderful husband!

I hope your week ends well!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

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Baby Boy Is Here And He Came Facing Up

Hi friends,

Daddy Rainmaker is waiting in the car with our bundle of joy while I type a quick post here at the library. Ha, Ha. I have to laugh at that because I didnt know how else to do it without bringing in the baby or we cant keep him at home while I write because Im breastfeeding...

Anyway...All went well. After I typed my last post Wednesday night, the contractions started becoming more intense and regular around 11:00 p.m. Then, when I couldnt stand it anymore, we went to the hospital around midnight.

By the time I got there I was dilated to five and fully effaced. I decided to take some fetanol (Im not sure I have the spelling right) which takes the edge off the contractions. I started with half a dose and then took the other half as things got more intense. Im glad I did because I noticed that I was having some back labor, too, which is indicative of a baby facing the wrong way (sunny side up).

Well, I usually start pushing when I hit eight centimeters. And if baby is facing the right way, the pushing is the easy part. Well, the pushing was not easy. She kept telling me to push harder and harder and she said it with a certain urgency. So, I did the best I could, but I looked at her face and realized that this baby may not be facing the right way. So, into my second round of pushing when the next contraction came...she said push twice as hard as the last one...and then they put the oxygen mask on me because the babys heart rate had dropped. But I pushed again and he came out. Altogether I pushed a total of five minutes to get a sunny side up baby out, which to me is quite miraculous. Baby #4 took 90 minutes to push out because of him facing the wrong way.

I can only imagine that the reason the pushing part went so smoothly, all things considered, was because he wasnt as big as the other babies, I had some pain medication along the way, and perhaps because Im in shape. After the birth, one of the gals who attended the labor said something about me pushing like a rock star? Ha, I think that was a compliment.

Our son weighed 6 pounds 4.4 ounces at birth and is 20 1/2 inches long. He weighs about a pound less on average than our other babies. I asked the doctor if he weighs less because I gained less weight in this pregnancy and they said they didnt think so.

We had an appointment this morning, and already he weighs 6 pounds 6.8 ounces. So, hes gaining weight. And he eats all the time.

Other than being a slender little guy, he is in perfect health, thank God! Hes beautiful. His face didnt get bruised at all from coming out the wrong way, which will sometimes happen.

I have been taking pictures and expect to have my home computer issues resolved by the end of this week if not sooner so that I can post some pictures of the baby.

But I wanted to thank you for keeping an eye on me and the baby and I appreciate all of your words of encouragement.

Everything is going well at home with the new baby. It feels a little strange to not be pregnant after being pregnant for so long. My body is still recovering, and I nap often to try and keep up on my sleep.

Im not sure if Ill be able to post again until my I get my computer at home up and working. But hopefully that will be by Friday.

Oh, so he was born on Thursday, November 4 at 2:50 a.m.

Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

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Happy Thursday!! Morning Glory is 14 weeks

Hi folks!

Thanks for all your comments about me not getting the Internet anymore. Sure enough first thing this morning, it was gone. And I was feeling slightly annoyed throughout the day. Especially when I couldnt get online to check the weather before going on my run tonight. But I do know there are other ways to check. Ha!

However, in anticipation of no Internet, I had taken pictures of Morning Glory yesterday and uploaded them to blogger for today. Yes, I know, Im very clever!

Hes been giving beautiful smiles lately.

And all kinds of other different looks...

Because hes trying to talk to me.
See, I think hes saying something here.

And here.

Well, not sure about here.

He still sucks his thumb.

I just dont know what to do about it.

I didnt weigh him today.

So, wow, that was a lot of pictures.

----------------------------------

The scale showed an eight pound loss today.

I got in a 2 1/2 mile run and a 45 minute triceps and chest work-out.

I got in a nap this afternoon and found that I was in a lot better mood for my work-out tonight.

Im really going to try and work on getting my sleep. And my water.

Also, good news too. The ymca that I go to work out at has their Internet available for use until 8 p.m. so I may be able to post more regularly than I think.

Cool.

Where theres a will theres a way.

Isnt that true for so many things, folks?

If we want something bad enough we can make it happen.

Well, I love ya all.

The librarys about to close, so I must go!

Have a good Friday!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

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Quick! Some fun stocking stuffers before it is too late

I know - I have been remiss.  I will only say that Ive been sleeping very little, working very long, cooking lots, raising kids, which means that you, poor reader, have fallen much to the wayside.  Mea culpa.  Its been a hard trek these past few weeks and it doesnt look like it will get easier in the immediate.

However - I did have some fun stocking stuffers I wanted people to think about getting for some loved ones - these are great gifts and fun things to throw in all the holiday mix.  Im probably too late to help most of you, but maybe this list will help one of you and it will be well worth the time I put in to put it together.

Cookbooks

Ted Allens Cookbook - Love this book.  Love the layout.  (recipe and photo for almost every single page.) I love his voice, his writing style, and his FOOD.


Kimchi Chronicles -Youve seen the series and here is the book. I love the personal connection that Marja Vongerichten clearly feels for the food of Korea.  The recipes are comprehensive and the photography lush and gorgeous.


The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - Famous blogger (WAY more famous than I) gets her recipes in a book, that she says has more of her timeless recipes in it.  If you love her blog, youll love this book.


The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook - I am always studying and thinking about new baked goods.  here is a book that Ive been drooling after, but havent gotten...yet.


Gadgets and Tools

Candy Thermometer -  if you ever plan on making any of my caramel bars, youll need one of these to help facilitate the candy making.  If youre a fudge maker or any sort of caramel/toffee maker, this is a necessity.


Liquid Measuring Cups - My friend gave me these as a hostess gift and I LOVE them.  Ive been using all three sizes just to measure things out before I have to cook and just to facilitate quicker more precise measurements.  The three different sizes means that you have options in terms of how big of a cup you want to wash.


Half Sheet Pans - this is one of my favorite hostess gifts to give because no one ever thinks to themselves that they want to buy new cookie sheets or sheet pans. (I am this way as well.)  I love gifting these because these are designed to go the distance and any time your gift recipient uses it theyll think of you.  These are durable, reliable, and oh so pretty and handy to have around in any kitchen.


Utensil Set - Husband recently gave me these as he knows of my obsession with good kitchen utensils and the color red.  Its a nice color pop in an otherwise pretty drab kitchen and I love the wooden handles and all these utensils.  So pretty and so functional.


Mini-prep Food Processor - I love mine as it is small enough to leave on the counter and it is powerful enough to chop up herbs, garlic and ginger, and can even be used to process small amounts of protein.  Since it is so small and easy to clean, sometimes I just power through all my garlic and ginger chopping (of which there is a lot in my kitchen) in this piece of equipment.

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And The baby Is A

Hi friends!

Ok, since I have more than five minutes here at the library, I will share the ultra sound story.

We invited my parents to come to the ultrasound along with all of our children being there as well. I wasnt sure if my mom had ever seen an ultra sound and I knew she would probably enjoy it. (Both of them liked it a lot)

When we arrived there and they called me back to the room, we were quite the troupe of people heading to the small ultra sound room...four adults and six children.. The lady mentioned that only two or three people are usually allowed. I wondered where it said that and she said it says that online. I explained that we had brought all the kids last time to the ultra sound and was never told not to. Plus, nothing was ever explained to me at my last appointment about any rules on the number of people. But everything went fine as everyone stayed quiet for the most part.

Now...I should explain that after having three straight boys...all the kids wanted a girl. But I think all of the adults, myself, my husband and my dad were thinking it was probably going to be a boy even though we were hoping for a girl. Right before going into the room, my mom decided to guess a girl. As the ultra sound went along, the baby looked healthy.

Then, the technician switched over to 3-D with new equipment that they did not have last year. So, we were able to actually see the babys face. At one point, our ever optimistic Iris Anna, 7, says, "She looks like a girl!"

Meanwhile, I thought I had seen something that indicated a boy. So did my dad. So, my dad, my husband and I were expecting a boy.

Then like a miracle from heaven she types in....GIRL !!!!!

I was shocked. I felt like crying. "Are you sure?!", I said, "because I thought I saw a little something."

So she takes me to that area and explains what Im seeing. Still I asked for more reassurance. And she said that with this new 3-D machine there is no doubt what "she" is.

I just felt so overwhelmed with happiness and joy. We all are, and cant believe how God has blessed our family.

We are still walking around the house amazed at this little sister, daughter that is on her way in May.

As of right now we are not sharing the name with the kids and family to keep it as a surprise. But I am looking forward to shopping for little girl clothes since I gave away all little baby girl clothes a few years ago.

Right now I am about 20 weeks along and have gained about 20 pounds. I would like to slow that down as I am feeling a little winded walking up stairs and such. But altogether I am feeling energetic and focused on the all that needs to be done before our little girl arrives.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

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Balsamic Honey Barbecue Wings Reasons why summer is so great

As I am now in week 3 of official summer break, I find myself enjoying things I never thought I would have said a few years back.  Im compiling them in a short list for my own personal amusement.

Top 10 Reasons Why Summer Break Is Great

10.  No more dropping kids off at three different times to different locations.

9.  No packing of lunches.

8.  Later wake-ups (for both Children and ME)

7.  Fewer layers to wear, to organize and to take off

6.  Fewer work hours

5.  Better lighting for better pictures for food blog

4.  Fewer activities for Children

3.  More hours to get Children involved in the maintenance of the house and to get them to throw away their own junk

2. More leisurely bathroom time, since Im not rushing somewhere else

1.  No more homework for me to stress over, get over, make sure its over each week.

You got that right.  Its the lack of homework from school that just gets me excited.  Children can do their activity, sit down and do their extra math sheets with me, and play and we dont stress about homework. I dont check their homework, confirm their homework and sign off on their homework.  Its the most liberating feeling ever.

The other thing that makes me happy is food that Children gobble down.  Meals are more leisurely as were not in a rush to go to the next activity, and instead we have more time to lick our fingers and enjoy our food.  This chicken dish made the kids happy as they love anything with a sauce and the chicken was a little bit crispy and wonderful.

Balsamic Honey Barbecue Sauce Wings
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken wings, separated into wings and drummettes, tips discarded

Barbecue sauce
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup tomato ketchup
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Method
In a saucepan, mix together balsamic vinegar, tomato ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Stir until mixture is incorporated and smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by a ? about 15 minutes. Once mixture has reduced, set aside.

Preheat oven to 400. Line roasting pan with foil and if you have it available, use a roasting rack on the inside of the pan. This allows more fat to render off of the wing and a crispier exterior. Lay wings neatly on rack and drizzle olive oil over the wing, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes, and then turn wings over and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Once wings have cooked, then brush barbecue sauce all over one side of wing. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, turn over, brush more barbecue sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve warm.

Printable recipe

To the great days of summer

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Happy Thursday Morning Glory is 9 months Today

Hello friends!

Thanks for stopping by. Thought Id post a few pictures of our children.

Caught three of them "doing dishes."

I wonder if theyll still be volunteering to help in ten years?

Left is Stavesacre, 3 1/2, Morning Glory, nine months, Iris Anna, 7.

Darling Rose, 16, "folding towels".

Having tea.

Yesterday Morning Glory fell asleep next to ballerina dresses and dust pans. No, I dont know why there are dust pans here. The kids might have been playing with them.

With his thumb in his mouth.

Other than that, I was at a ten pound loss yesterday and today it fluxed back up to a 9.8 pound loss. The week has been going great. Ive ran four days in a row and worked out at the gym four times as well. I intend to get in two more days of running for six altogether this week. I plan to run eight miles on Saturday. I have been feeling stronger. Its such a great feeling.

Wanted to thank you for your encouragement.

Have a good Friday!

Sincerely,

Sunshine Mama

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