Busy, Busy, Busy….

I was sitting on the couch last night knitting furiously on a baby gift (can’t say what in case the person might be reading), when I started making a mental list of projects I need to complete.

This is just what needs to be done in the next two month (July-Aug).

Baby Gift #1 (almost finished)

Baby Gift #2 (finished just need to sew in ends)

Ripple Blanket for Kat’s Doll bed for her b’day

Finish Kat’s Babette

4 or 5 baby hats

6 baby bibs

2 baby blankets

A great Absorba Bath Rug for our Master Bathroom

 

See this is what happens when everyone you know (it seems like) gets pregnant at the same time.  I have pictures to share sometime soon.  However for once I am spending more time crafting then on the computer, so my computer time is rare. 

Sausage Cheese Balls

Okay, now I know that this is typically a “Holiday” food. At least when I was growing up it was. My mom would only make these for Christmas and oh how I looked forward to Christmas.

Well I got married and I started making them for my family. I originally stuck to the Christmas only rule. Then DH got the job offer for the store here in North Carolina. We came up here for two days to hunt for a house. While we were up here we stayed with the couple who had started the store DH would be managing. The first morning we were at their house we got up to be told there was breakfast in the fridge and to help ourselves. In the refrigerator was fruit and sausage cheese balls. It was June! It was Christmas, but there were Sausage Cheese Balls there. They weren’t even there as a snack but for breakfast! I was beyond shocked.

Well two years ago I discovered that my children loved Sausage Cheese Balls. Which is funny since my daughter hates Sausage and my son hates Cheese. lol So they have now started popping up throughout the year instead of just at Christmas.

In fact they make the perfect summer breakfast food to have on hand. My kids love to get up super early in the summer. I don’t. So I like to make things that they can grab for breakfast without me or hubby having to get up and fix something for them. Sausage Cheese balls are perfect for that. They can grab a few, and some fruit (I keep apples washed and ready, and grapes washed and ready for them).

So I thought I would share my version of Sausage Cheese Balls with you. I’m sure it’s the same as many others out there, but this is the recipe that my mom always used too.

Sausage Cheese Balls

3 cups baking mix (like Bisquick) 1 lb Sausage (our favorite is Tennessee Pride) 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese (one bag)

Mix all ingredients together well. Roll the mixture into balls. Place on cookie sheet in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy! I usually cook about half a batch a little longer because Caedmon and I like ours to be crunchy on the outside. Caedmon and I also like to eat them cold where Hubby and Kathryn put them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to warm them up.

Wordless Wednesday - Caedmon’s High Green Belt Test

Doing his Poom Sae

Originally uploaded by caednkat

Friday Fill-ins

I have a bunch of stuff to share sometime this weekend. I kept meaning to post through the week but life got in the way. My cousin Sandy is doing a little better, but her and her family still need your prayers and positive thoughts! Okay here are todays Friday Fill-ins.

1. Travel (Ireland) is high up on my bucket list.

2. My favorite quote is Put on your Big Girl Panties and Deal with it; it’s from I don’t know, in fact I’m not sure its really a quote.

3. Crafting inspired me to start blogging.

4. Strawberries are best covered in chocolate.

5. Being back in High School in the last dream I remember having.

6. The most enjoyable time to go for a walk is Early morning when there aren’t a lot of other people around.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Caedmon’s Tae Kwon Do Belt Test, tomorrow my plans include grocery shopping and Sunday, I want to take a nap!

Wordless Wednesday - Caught eyeing our garden

Friday Fill-ins

1. Idle hands are the devil’s handiwork. (At least that’s what Leanne Rimes says)

2. I love singingin the shower.

3. My favorite time of the day is when the kids are in bed.

4. The last tea I drank was Celestial Seasonings True Blueberry.

5. I like to can veggies from the gardenin the Summer.

6. My mother always said drive careful and call me when you get there.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to family movie night, tomorrow my plans include locking myself in my room to craft (my parents are coming up tonight) and Sunday, I want to work on the back porch!

No photo in this post today…

I feel strange posting with a picture. But I don’t have one to go along with what I need to say.

Last Tuesday evening (May 27th) my cousin’s wife Sandy was injured in a accident involving pool chemicals. She has been in the hospital in ICU on breathing machines and in and out of a drug induced coma since then.

This morning I was told that after a period of things looking up Sandy has had a few set backs and right now things do not look good.

Sandy and my cousin have two adorable children who need their mommie. If you pray, please pray for her, that her lungs will start to heal and work in the way that God designed them to. If you don’t pray, please just send Sandy any good thoughts you possibly could.

Whenever I get an update on her I will let y’all know. Until then it’s breaking my heart to be 12 hours away and not be able to offer any type of help to my family.

Wordless Wednesday (Strawberry Picking Time)

Baking with Caedmon

I try very hard to let the kids help me in the kitchen. However the truth is that it is so much easier and cleaner if I just do it myself.

Today I decided to bake Pumpkin Muffins. This is one of our favorite muffin recipes! The kids love them year round, so I make them allot.

Anyway, Kathryn was taking a shower when I decided to start baking and Caedmon begged to help. So I let him mix together the wet ingredients.

He got tired of it really quickly though because the batter is thick and mixing it with a whisk (which he insisted on using) will quickly hurt your arm!

All of the mixing and arm pain are so worth it in the end because these muffins are super yummy. I first got the recipe from a friend on a parenting message board that I’ve been a part of since I was pregnant with Caedmon.

The original recipe makes really good super decadent muffins. I have made the recipe a little “healthier” over the years with a few adjustments. Either way these are my kids favorite muffins hands down.

I am assuming it is okay to share the recipe on here. If not someone tell me and I can take it down. I searched and can’t find recipe sharing rules anyway. lol

Here is the original recipe my friend shared on our board…

Lori Malloy’s Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup oil (can use 1/2 oil, 1/2 applesauce)
4 eggs, beaten
1 16oz can pumpkin
3 cups sugar (can cut down sugar even as far as 2 1/4 cup, to taste)
3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour (can use all or part whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans, opt.

Preheat Oven to 350.
Combine wet ingredients. Whisk together dry ingredients and add to wet until just combined. Do not overmix.
Bake until centers aren’t squishy. 10-15 minutes for minis, 18-20 minutes for full-size.

I really don’t change much to the recipe when I make it. I use half oil and half applesauce, whole wheat flour for part of the flour when I have it, I cut back on the sugar usually using 2 cups. I also generally add a lot more cinnamon then the recipe calls for and probably a little more nutmeg. We alternate between using no nuts and using either pecans or pumpkin seeds. We also like to add dried cranberries and or raisins.

I know most people think of pumpkin as a fall thing, but these muffins are the perfect thing to have on hand in the summer. It makes my life so much nicer when I have them stored in the fridge and the kids can get their own breakfast.

Family Movie Night - May 30

A few months back we put into place a Family Movie night. This means that every Friday we all pile into the living room and watch a movie together. There has been once or twice where our movie night actually meant a trip to the movie theater. Usually it’s just a dvd at home.
Surprisingly we have only re-watched one movie so far. I’m sure that won’t be the case for long though.
Anyway movie night rules are
1. Supper in the living room while we watch the movie. 2. Popcorn totally counts as part of the meal if possible. 3. Cell phones aren’t allowed. 4. Craft projects aren’t allowed. 5. Computers aren’t supposed to be allowed (but the kids let DH slide on that one most of the time).
This weeks movie was a favorite of mine, but it was the first time the kids had ever seen it. For supper we had Turkey Subs, chips and grapes, while we lounged around the living room watching…..

Yes last night I introduced my children to Westley, Buttercup,Inigo Montoya, and Fezzik. I was scared, there was a slight chance that they wouldn’t love the movie. I never would have thought that was possible until I introduced these characters to my husband.
He didn’t like the movie.. I was and still am shocked. This was a fact about him I certainly didn’t know when I married him. lol
My fears were silly though because my kidlets loved the movie! Kathryn did slightly panick when they ran into the ROUS’s in the fireswamp. In fact she jumped up on the couch with me and had me tell her over and over that they would be okay.

Caedmon tried to play it cool because he could tell how much I wanted him to like the movie. However when Inigo finally ran into the 6 fingered man I noticed him getting up on his heels. Then as Inigo started saying “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.” over and over while regaining strength and kicking butt, Caedmon kept getting closer to the tv. When the 6 fingered man was dead there was this huge smile on my little boys face. lol

Yes The Princess Bride will be loved for many years by me and my children!!