Get a Load of These…

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By load I mean…

busload.

So, there we were, April, the babies and I driving along, minding our own business.

I casually say, “Hey did you know there’s a new bakery in Provo, on University. It sounds cute–Fairy something.”

She says, “Ooooh. Let’s go. Right now.”

Pretty sure she meant, “Right now before we have time to think about it more clearly. Right now, before we have a decent, low fat breakfast of Cheerios and half a banana…for the 27th morning in a row. Right now before we add up the treadmill time this trip will surely cost us.”

As we drove around in the strip mall, trying to find the silly place, I’m looking on both sides of the street, saying, “Where? Where is it?”  Then, suddenly, as if someone turned on a huge floodlight–which would have been completely unnecessary, since it was 10:00 in the morning–but you know–like that, we could just FEEL that the place was near. Turning in slow motion, to the right…we found it.

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Sweet Tooth Fairy Bake Shop

Oh my…I think the theme song to Gone With the Wind might have been playing right about now.

We unbuckled the babies and walked cautiously towards the shop. I had goose bumps up and down my arms—no doubt because of the music–and had to suppress the urge to giggle like a 4 year old.

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Now, please believe me–I tried to be mature about this. You need to understand that this place was so perfect, all pink and sparkly and fairies and magic–and I haven’t even mentioned the cupcakes yet. That is because as I remember the experience my breathing screws up. I think I may be hyperventilating.

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The frosting alone was worth the trip. Heck, looking at the frosting alone, was worth the trip. Wisely,  April has a wrangle grip on Beckham and I had Lily on my hip to avoid any Tasmanian-type rampage. And how could we have blamed them if they had gone completely berserk? We were having a hard time not licking the glass ourselves. The only words that would come out of my mouth were, “Oooohh…man. We’re in so much trouble.”

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Sixteen month old, Lily takes one look at the display cases filled with enough sugar to send any regular Jane into a diabetic coma, points to the tray full of  cupcakes and says, “Do it!”

I couldn’t agree more.

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The pretty little gal behind the counter would have to admit that once we got the uncontrollable shaking stopped, we were pretty rational.  One each, we told ourselves. That didn’t work because I wanted the Key Lime but I needed the Strawberry Shortcake. So naturally that meant that April needed to choose two–just to be fair. She chose orange and peanut butter cup.

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Now most people know that you really can’t put four cupcakes in a box that is designed to hold six cupcakes. It totally messes up the balance of the box-not to mention life in a parallel universe, plus those empty spaces just look stupid.  There was nothing for it but to choose one more…each. She chose the vaNIEla (Named after Stephanie Nielson of NieNie dialogue fame) and I chose chocolate mint–because I had no choice. It was calling to me.

We came promptly home and cut the gooey little beauties in fourths so that we could all have a taste of each. They were all wonderful–of course, but Key Lime is worth crawling to Denver and back for…in my opinion. April’s favorite was the orange. Jillian loved the peanut butter cup. I’ll get back to you on Lyndi’s favorite.

What a heavenly, magnamonious, perfectly perfect afternoon.

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Oh, and no, we didn’t tell the men. What they don’t know, we don’t have to share.

hee hee…

 

 

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Week 10 Food Storage Prompt:

4 cans of tuna; 4 boxes of macaroni and cheese.

Someone Please…

tell me…

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What is it with boys and guns anyway?

Have you ever noticed that you don’t have to actually hand them a play gun, because everything–EVERYTHING magically has the ability to become one? Rakes…tripods…cd cases…balloons…bread.

Whatever.

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In their mind, every inanimate object within their reach, has the innate ability to maim. This is a skill that only boys have–or, I might add, want.

From birth.

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Of course, this skill puts everyone in their rifle scope every waking moment. We wouldn’t want to waste precious practice time, would we? Consequently, no one is safe.

In fact, I remember helping 3 year old Daney boy get dressed one day and his little thumb-and-finger-gun kept being loaded and fired too dang close to my head for me to like it.

Finally, after having my ears and chin and both eyes taken out by Hop-along’s imaginary bullets and a bit weary of his gun hand waving in my face, I held on to his arm and said, “Hey! You know, it isn’t very nice for boys to shoot at their mommas.”

His eyes immediately filled up with tears and he collapsed in a heap in front of me.

“I wasn’t shooting my momma.” Oh, he was wailing now.

“Reeeeally?” I said.

And I’m Mother Goose.

He pulled himself up and wiped at his nose with his sweatshirt sleeve. To the washer with that one.

“I was killing the bad guys….

so…

they don’t…

get….

…you.”

dun..dun..dun.

sigh.

The “Mother of the Year” title  just flew past me…

…again.

Rats.

Strawberry-Filled French Toast

If you wake up one morning and find yourself with fresh strawberries—ok, ok, frozen will work too—then you might want to think about adding this fabulous filling to regular old french toast. No one will sleep through a breakfast like this! I’m tellin’ you, it’s g0000d! You may even have to grab some and hide out–to avoid the mob that will surely come.

Strawberry-Filled French Toast

Filling

2  8oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

16 oz. strawberries

1 Tbsp vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

French Toast

11 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

24 slices of bread

butter

For filling, mix cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients, including strawberries and mix until well blended.

For French toast, whisk eggs, milk and salt together until foamy. Melt 1 tsp  butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture and place in skillet. Cook until underside is light brown. Turn and cook other side. Butter each piece of toast and set on warm plate until all are cooked. Spoon 1/4 cup of filling over 1 slice of toast and top with another slice of toast–like a sandwich. Dust with powdered sugar. Makes 12 servings.


Strawberry-Filled French Toast
 
Ingredients
  • 11 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 24 slices of bread
  • butter
Instructions
  1. For filling, mix cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy.
  2. Add remaining ingredients, including strawberries and mix until well blended.
  3. For French toast, whisk eggs, milk and salt together until foamy.
  4. Melt 1 tsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  5. Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture and place in skillet.
  6. Cook until underside is light brown.
  7. Turn and cook other side.
  8. Butter each piece of toast and set on warm plate until all are cooked.
  9. Spoon ¼ cup of filling over 1 slice of toast and top with another slice of toast--like a sandwich. Dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Filling 2 8oz. cream cheese ½ cup sugar 16 oz. strawberries 1 Tbsp vanilla ½ tsp. cinnamon

Cotton Love

One of my very favorite things…a mystery package, on the porch!

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I have one child that gets goose bumps when she walks up the office supply aisle in Staples. Pens, notebooks, paper clips just really work for her.

Then I have this other daughter that gets lightheaded over…dancing shoes. Ballet, ballroom, character or Latin. Doesn’t matter what kind–she’s got them.

I have another child that would walk to the mall, barefoot, in a blizzard for a sale at Archiver’s. Scrapbook supplies, stickers and grommets make her very, very happy.

Well let me show you what does it for me…

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Look at those perfect colors! Just imagining all the places this thread will go and what it will become in it’s second life. What beloved little soul will wear it or play with it and in what way?

Ahhhh…the potential for 100% cotton joy is staggering indeed. Better get a move on…

So—what thrills you to your toes? Share,  share…

Cheetoes–a Completely Honest Taste Test

So many choices…so little time. What’s a Cheetos lover to do?

We decided to have a taste test to discover the winner for the “Very Best Cheetos in the World” contest.

In the running were…

Contestant #1

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Regular Cheetos

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Contestant #2

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Crunchy Cheetos

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Contestant #3

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Twisted Puff Cheetos

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Contestant #4

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Crunchy Mozzarella Cheetos

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Contestant #5

Fiery Hot Cheetos

Sorry, I don’t have a picture of the bag, because it melted through the table and kitchen floor and is no doubt on it’s way to the center of the Earth…or Hades…

and rightly so.

Next, we gathered the troops and force fed them the different styles of Cheetos and gave everyone a ballot.

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Here is what we came up with…

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#1– Regular Puffs–which in my unbiased opinion, are the only true Cheetos on the face of the Earth–received exactly 1 vote for 1st place. Everyone else thought it should be in 3rd or 4th place. The heathens.

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#2– Crunchy–received 5 votes for 1st place even though they are deep fried and very, very bad for you, and 1 vote for 4th place.

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#3 –Twisted Puffs–received 1 vote for 2nd place because they were really spongy and cheesy and good and 1 vote for 3rd place and 5 votes for 4th place, because my family doesn’t really understand the connection between puffy Cheetos and true unadulterated wisdom.

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#4– Mozzarella –received 1 vote for 3rd place and 3 votes for 4th place and 1 vote for 5th place because they didn’t really taste like anything. It was weird.

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#5– Fiery –received 6 votes for last place, because they were hot and nasty and deserve a cold and watery grave, except they also got 1 vote for 3rd place because Jacob’s singed tongue lava meter is all screwed up. He actually liked them.

So, as you can clearly see, Cheetos PUFFS are by far the best Cheetos in the land–even if more people actually voted for the crunchy ones.

It’s my test, and I can cheat if I want to…cheat if I want to…cheat if I want to.

(No animals were harmed in the making of this taste test…well, except for Beany who tried to eat #5 and caused a 3 alarm fire in his throat. But he’s fine now and his tongue has almost grown back.)