Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

2 t. salt

Heat above ingredients in a sauce pan until sugar is dissolved. Cool. Then in a glass measuring cup put 2 packages of yeast, 1/4 cup warm water, 1t. sugar. Set the measuring cup to the side. Add 4 c. of flour and 2 eggs to the water mixture. Beat for 5 mins. Stir in yeast mix and 3 cups flour. Stir until the dough is soft. Cover in bowl with towel and let rise 1 hour over warmed oven (or until it is doubled in size). Punch down the dough and roll out into a rectangle. Cover with 1 stick of soft of butter after the dough is rolled out thin. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl (to the consistency of cinnamon sugar) and spread thick over the butter and dough. Cut into long strips and roll up each strip (about an inch thick). Put rolls in a pan (not touching). Cover with towel and let rise 1 hour over the stove or until they have doubled in size. Bake 20 minutes at 375.

Icing

3 cups powdered sugar

2 1/2- 3 Tablespoons sugar

1.2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the above ingredients. Add more milk if mixture is too thick until the consistency is what you want then spread over warm rolls.

The Sewing Saga Begins

Let the sewing begin! After New Year's was finally here and gone, I got

to thinking and realized I hadn't made a New Year's Resolution. What in life did I want to learn, change, or do differently?! I pondered the idea of working out and then quickly came to my senses. Me, working out, with two kids, a full time

teaching job, Master's classes online, and eMINTS training? No, working out was not an attainable or realistic goal. After all, I look at it this way... my work out is running up and down the stairs on a daily basis at work(because I teach in the basement) and doing laundry constantly at my own home!!! What was it that I wanted to accomplish I thought and then it came to me...

learn how to sew!

So, after not much thought at all and deciding I was going to learn how to sew, I googled fabric stores and ordered two yards of material. One of the yards was the adorable pink and white polka dot fabric that is shown above. I then googled how to sew a pillow dress and got great results. There were tutorials, pictures (in steps), and even videos! Wow I thought; I can do this (even though I didn't own a sewing machine and had NEVER threaded a machine). I then borrowed a machine and couldn't figure it out so my aunt graciously offered for me to borrow her machine. I didn't want to buy a machine without knowing if I could sew (the doubt started to kick in). Well after a ten minute "lesson" from my aunt, I got busy and after taking 3 stops to feed the baby, play with the two-year-old, and change the laundry, this is what I created....

The oh-so-cute pink polka dot pillow case dress was born!!! Now that I have achieved what I set out to do I decided I would tackle another pillow case dress in the 2nd fabric that I bought which is below. Pictures to come at a later date!!!

P.S. This fabric is MUCH, MUCH, more adorable in person!!

Let it snow, let it snow!

The girls wearing one of their many Pampered Princesses Boutique Bows

Wow! The last few days have been spent at home because of all the snow and the cold weather that we received the last few days! The girls and I have been busy baking, catching up on laundry, and a few other things that was needed to be done! Staying at home is NOT good for the "biggest loser diet" that I started at school in order to get back to my before-baby-size!!



While at home I have been searching the Internet for neat items that are homemade for the girls. I decided that sometimes when I post, I will feature a certain website for you to check out! Today I am featuring one of my all-time favorites!

http://www.pamperedprincessesboutique.com/store/Default.asp



The mother who owns this boutique has three little girls of her own and she makes the cutest hair bows! I have MANY of the bows and always am looking at what other bows the girls NEED! :) These bows are cute when the girls dress up and even when they are wearing their play clothes. I love them because I am able to comb their hair, throw a bow in and they are good to go!! Here is another link which connects you to her Facebook page if you want to follow her and check out any new items she posts on her Facebook page! http://http//www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pampered-Princesses-Boutique/104604956249845

2 Months Old Tomorrow

It's hard to believe that our baby is 2 months old tomorrow... it makes me so sad! Here's a picture that was taken recently. The girls are both doing great and we are getting ready for the upcoming holiday!! Christmas is my favorite time of year!!!

M-I-Z...Z-O-U

GO MU!!

Tiger season has definitely started and we have been supporting our favorite team! We are also anxiously awaiting the arrival of baby number 2! We are going in on Saturday to have her if she hasn't arrived before then! I will post pictures as soon as we have exciting news!!

Above are a few pictures of L in her "MU gear"!

Easy Chicken Parmesan & Italian Parmesan Noodles

Easy Chicken Parmesan & Italian Parmesan Noodles

This recipe is super easy and very tasty! Below are the recipes for both the noodles and the chicken!

4th of July is just around the corner. We are preparing for Grandpa H's big 4th of July Party! Sunday will be spent eating good food, hanging out with lots of people, and watching J's firework show! We are very excited!!!

We have also been getting ready for the new baby! We have lots left to do as far as the room goes, but her room is definitely in progress... she will be here before we know it.

I make the noodles first and let them soak in the dressing while I am making the chicken...

Italian Parmesan Noodles

1 bag of tri colored noodles (any brand works!)

1/2-3/4 bottle of Italian dressing

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

Cook noodles as directed on the package. Strain. Cool by running cold water over the noodles. Add other two ingredients to the noodles in a bowl. (You can add more or less of either ingredient... you CANNOT mess this up... if it doesn't have enough taste, add more of the parmesan cheese!!!) Mix with spoon and let sit and soak in the refridgerator.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
6 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

HEAT oven to 375°F. Pour sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir in 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) Parmesan. Add chicken; turn to coat both sides with sauce. Cover with foil.
Bake 30 min. Uncover. Top with remaining cheeses; bake 5 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF) and cheese is melted.

We hope you like this recipe as much as we do! VERY quick and VERY easy!!!

Easy Oven-Barbecued Pork Chops

Easy Oven-Barbecued Pork Chops

I found this recipe online at http://southernfood.about.com/od/porkchops/r/bl10201b.htm

These pork chops are delicious and very easy! They are baked in the oven so this is a great recipe for summer or winter time. I have been looking for a great pork chop recipe that isn't bland and I finally found it!

Ingredients:
6 pork chops, 3/4 to 1-inch thick
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup vinegar (I didn't use vinegar, so I added 1/4 cup more water)
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash cayenne, optional (I didn't use the cayenne)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.Place pork chops in bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Place sliced onion over the pork chops. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over pork chops. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until chops are tender.

Serves 6.

I didn't take a picture of the pork chops, but I am attaching a picture of L at Grandpa H's farm with Daisy!

Hay Season

A Day at the Farm!!!

L loves going to Grandpa H's farm and riding in the tractor with her daddy!

Here's a quick picture that I took....

Hay season has began and J is busy in the field when it's not raining!!!

We have been spending the summer swimming, visiting family & friends, and flying

here and there by the seat of our pants. We LOVE summer time!!!

Fruit Pizza

Fruit Pizza- this delicious recipe is one that my mom used to make and now I've "adopted it"! I attached the recipe for the crust and topping. You can choose your favorite fruit to add to the top~ enjoy! I make this at home for L and J, but it's always a favorite when I take it to get-togethers!

Life is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY at our house. We have less then 3 weeks left of school, so the rush is on to get everything tied up at work and then we will be able to have a fabulous summer!!! We plan on taking a trip to St. Louis to the zoo, swimming, and doing other fun things this summer. In three weeks we find out whether the baby on the way is a boy or girl (we are SOOOO EXCITED)! This means, that we will also be preparing for baby #2 and overhauling our house to make sure everything has a perfect spot before the next baby arrives.

Fruit Pizza

1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough (slice and bake type)

1 pk (8-oz) cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Slice the cookie dough thin.
Place cookie slices on a 14 inch pizza pan, overlapping slightly.
Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees (or however long the package states). Cool slightly.
Beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.

Spread evenly on cooled cookie crust.

Next, add favorite fruit and EAT!

-K

Easter

Easter came and went faster then I could blink. Sorry that I haven't posted in a while! I promise to get better after school is out for the summer! We had a busy Easter day and it seems as if we still haven't slowed down! Our family is anxiously awaiting 5 more weeks to find out if the baby on the way is a boy or girl. Then, we will begin all of the fun stuff preparing for baby... painting the room, decorating, furniture, and shopping for her/him! Enjoy the Easter pictures attached!

Disney On Ice Discount Code

Disney on Ice is coming to Kansas City and if you are interested in buying tickets, I have a promotion code to share! This code that will enable you to buy 4 tickets for $44! You have to buy a minimum of 4 tickets and you are allowed to buy additional tickets at the same price of $11 each. These tickets are not valid for Front Row, Rinkside or VIP tickets. To purchase these special value tickets go to Ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000 (Ticket Master's phone line) and enter the coupon code MOM.

A Trip to the Farm

We took a trip last week, when it was WARM outside, to Grandpa H's farm! L LOVED watching the horses, peting the dogs, and seeing the cows! She is bound to be a cowgirl! When we are at home, L is always talking about the cows, horses, and dogs! She loves to go with her daddy to feed the cows on the weekend and now that it is warming up again, she will be able to do that more often! ENJOY the pics!

Baby #2!

Now that baby #2 is officially on his/her way, things have changed in our household. I have had the normal symptoms: extremely tired; weak; nauseas. I also haven't been cooking much because certain smells make me feel sick. I will be up and cooking again soon! We are very excited to be adding another memeber to our family! I attached a picture of L when she was a baby and although it wasn't that long ago, it seems like it's been ages since she was this little. It's our to believe how fast little ones grow up!

P.S. It has been a little while since I have posted. I will try to keep up, but please understand that sometimes it may be a while between posts!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

We spent Valentine's Day with L- hung out at home then took her to Applebee's! The waitress gave her 4 different colored crayon that she played with!

Daddy thought she had to have her own meal- so we ordered her chicken strips, brocolli, and french fries! Time flies.. we can't believe it's already L's 2nd Valentine's Day!

After dinner, we went to Wal-Mart and she got to pick out her favorite toy-with J's help!

She ended up getting a CAT with a front loader that lights up, makes noise, and vibrates. We think daddy helped her pick it out so he could play with it too!

Best Ever Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I have always wanted to find a GOOD homemade chicken noodle soup recipe and I finally did! The last day and half have been a blast staying home with L! We have taken long naps, caught up on chores, and now are ready to finish the last half of the work week! Who knows what's in store for the upcoming 3-day weekend!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon butter

4-6 small cans chicken broth (For more liquid add 6 cans, for less liquid add 4 cans.)

1/2 lb. cooked, chopped chicken (I used a cooked whole chicken from Wal-Mart's deli department and just chunked it up into pieces! This saves a lot of time!)

1 1/2 cup egg or Amish noodles (I use the Amish noodles and they are found at Wal-Mart in the pasta aisle on the bottom shelf! I used 3/4 of the bag.)

1 cup sliced carrots

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pan on the stove; add carrots and let simmer for a few minutes. Then add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Add the remaining ingredients and boil for 12-20 minutes until noodles are soft. Stir while boiling. Turn heat down to low and let simmer for a few minutes before serving.

DELICIOUS!

Dirt Dessert-Yummy!

Dirt Dessert is definitely a MUST HAVE when you need a CHOCOLATE FIX! I made this recipe today and we are LOVING IT!!! I am so glad that we got out of school today at 12:30. I am also relieved that we had school, so we don't have to make up ANOTHER snow day at the end of the year! Since the snow is already coming down, I hope it snows & snows & snows!!! If it's going to snow, it might as well snow 5 inches! :) Then, I will be ready for spring! Here is a picture of L eating DIRT! J fed it to her while she ran around and watched her FAVORITE T.V. SHOW, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

Dirt Dessert

1st set of ingredients

1 package beaten Oreos

1/2 stick of butter

8 oz. cream cheese

1c. powdered sugar

Beat the above ingredients in a bowl.

2nd set of ingredients

3 1/2 c. milk

2 large boxes of vanilla instant pudding

12 oz. cool whip

Whisp the pudding and milk in seperate bowl, then whip the cool whip into the pudding and milk mixture.

Mix the bowls together. You can layer the mixtures or beat them all together.

ENJOY!

Hidden Chicken Roll-up

This YUMMY chicken roll-up is bound to be one of your family favorites! This recipes was adopted from Justin's grandmother and we LOVE IT!

Hidden Chicken Roll-up

4 chicken breasts

4 slices of swiss cheese

4 slices of deli ham

1 package of cressent rolls

Honey D'jion mustard

Put chicken in a pot and boil on stove for 10 minutes. Drain chicken. Roll out 2 cresent rolls together, making a square. Put 1/2 Tablespoon of mustard on the chicken. Wrap a piece of cheese around the chicken, then wrap a piece of ham around the cheese. Place in the middle of the rolled out cressent.

Bake for as long as the cressent roll package says to. (Usually 10-12 minutes.)

Enjoy!

My Little Climber

L has always been a little on the onery side, like her dad. Here's a picture of her caught in action! She decided to CLIMB up on my mom's table to feel the lamp!

This is just one of the MANY times that she's been caught in action doing something she's shouldn't be! :)

The Weekend Has Arrived!!!

Wow! The weekend is FINALLY here! I felt like the week was dragging by! L and I will be busy cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry this weekend! I know, you are so jealous!? HAHA! Have you ever put off housework to the point that now you are going to be overwhelmed? Well, that's me, but that's okay! I will be GLAD to have a nice, clean house when it's all over with! I definitely am ready for spring time and the SUN! Last weekend, the sneak-peak of the sun was FANTASTIC! Let's keep our fingers crossed and MAYBE spring will come early!

I attached a picture of L licking the beaters! Too bad, they didn't have anything on them... she loves to get them out of the drawer and pretend she's mixing up a SWEET TREAT!

T's 80's Birthday Bash

One of the teachers, at NW, had a BIG BIRTHDAY! We had a 80's BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION for her last Friday and it was TOTALLY RADICAL! Enjoy the pictures of big hair, leggings, off the shoulder shirts, and FABULOUS make-up!

It was FUNNY when parents came into the school because I know they were thinking, "What in the heck... they are stuck in the 80's!" Lets hope they figured out that it was all for fun!