Mornin' Millie

Baby girl wakes up (most mornings in our bed) and is on the lookout for daddy.  Dan is an early riser and is often in the bathtub reading or getting ready for the day.  She slides off of the bed, finds daddy and says "Ah-mo?" Elmo.  This girl LOVES Elmo, almost as much as daddy!  Elmo it is.  Then "dooce".  Juice.  Then "nack".  Snack-breakfast style.   Her favorite breakfast is soy or coconut yogurt or oatmeal, the old fashioned kind, with cinnamon, maple syrup and raisins.  Girl can put a hurtin' on some oatmeal.  

Daddy was the photographer this morning and Bubby was his assistant.  See those "I'm your biggest fan" smiles?  Yup, those are for Graham.  

 Oh yes, she's daddy's girl alright. 

a typical morning...

...looks something like this:  stuff all over the vanity (and floor), Millie freshly clean because she stripped down (without warning) to get in the shower with daddy.  Reecie decides a shower might be good too (bonus: clothing change), so she goes in after daddy and Camille.  Then we remember that Graham hasn't bathed in almost a week and has visible wax in his ears...so we drag encourage him into the bathroom to take care of personal hygiene.  Then it's my turn.  Super-duper quick shower. When was the last time I shaved above my knees anyway?)  Blow-dry my hair almost dry and fix it in my new favorite way, a little make-up and dig through my closet hoping that I'll find one thing that might match.  YES!  Last one.  Throw in a load of laundry (because I've now exhausted all of my options) and move on to breakfast.  Ezekiel bread toast and yogurt.  Kiss Dan goodbye, say a prayer and take a deep breath.  Our day has begun.

This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!  Psalm 118:24

LOVE

This year, I tried some new ideas for Valentine's day fun!  Thank you very much, Pinterest.   

Heart-shaped hard-boiled eggs...these were a hit!  Graham said he thinks we should have these EVERY Valentine's day;  :)  I agree!  Super easy and cute.

I wanted to add this to the bottom because they were actually dinner, but I'm having trouble with that.  First,  I poured a little batter into a sauce cup.  Then I  added a couple drops of pink food coloring, drew it up into a medicine dropper,  and made the "heart" in the waffle iron base.  I let it sit for a 10 seconds or so, to firm up and then added the plain batter, as usual.  Voila!  Valentine's waffles!  These were a big hit.  

We emailed dear friends and family members this pic as a valentine this morning.
 

A special valentine for my love...waiting in the sock drawer for his discovery, ha!

Special love notes for the kids when they woke up this morning.

Graham:  You are handsome, You are a great dancer, You ROCK, We love you!!, You rock at angry birds, You are so funny, You are an excellent reader, You have interesting ideas

Hannah Reece:  We love you!!, You are smart, You have a pretty singing voice, You have a beautiful smile, We love to laugh with you, You have a special way with animals, You are a hardworking girl, You are an awesome helper!

Camille:  You are learning to use the potty, You have cute dimples :), Your kisses are so sweet,  You are a fast runner, You make us smile, You are a great sleeper, We love you!!, You are a funny girl

I love how these turned out.  I plan to bring them out every year.  Target dollar section mailboxes, glued to wooden spray-painted candlesticks from Salvation Army.  Total cost:  $5!  The kids have really enjoyed surprising each other with  little Valentine cards over the last two weeks.     

Everybody pitched in on this little project.  Tissue paper hearts:  wrap tissue squares around  the pencil eraser, dip in glue, and press onto heart, repeat...again and again!  

Our photo wall all dolled up for V-day!   Gobstoppers in the mason jars.  Handmade Valentine's for each family member from Hannah Reece.  Millie's is covered in dried oatmeal, she loved it so much!  :)

It was a special day.  Daddy surprised me with 3 red roses at lunch time and he gave the girls the cutest soft, stuffed roses.  One pink and one red.  I'll have some time with my valentine later this week, he's teaching a Bible study tonight, it's season after all.  :)  Busy, busy.

Snap, Crackle, Pop!

Millie has a new favorite snack...Gluten Free Brown Rice Krispies (got 'em BOGO at Publix!) and Rice milk.  She wanted more and more, I refilled her suction cupped bowl 3 times!  Cute little thing.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Butter Syrup

All I can say is yum.  Yum. Yum. Yum.  It's just too bad that I don't have a picture of the finished product...oh that's right, it's because we inhaled the finished product!  ;)

BEST BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

via Becky Higgins, via Martha Stewart
[ Makes nine 6-inch pancakes-or 12 4-inch ones in my case ]

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 c. buttermilk

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Heat griddle to 375 degrees (on my electric cooktop lowish-medium). Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps. Heat oven to 175 degrees (for keeping the finished pancakes warm). Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Says Martha’s people: “The key to fluffy pancakes is not to overmix the batter; it should not be beaten smooth. If serving these pancakes with bacon, reserve half a teaspoon of bacon drippings to grease the griddle instead of butter.”

And the tasty syrup (or yellow syrup as my children call it)

BUTTER SYRUP

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 stick butter

1 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda


Melt together whipping cream, butter and sugar over low heat. Slowly increase heat until the mixture barely comes to a boil. Add vanilla & baking soda. (Be careful on this part, because the baking soda makes it foam up to almost overflowing within seconds if you don't remove from heat quickly.  I had to make a break for the sink to catch the overflow!) Turn off heat while whisking continually until ready to serve.

Reviews:
"These are the best pancakes I've ever eaten."

"Oh Mom, can you make these pancakes again and again and again?!"
*silent chewing* This is the highest compliment from our picky, squirmy little eater.

Overnight Pecan Rolls

from the Kitchen of my mother-in-law, Nancy

Ingredients:

1 package frozen Bridgeford Parkerhouse rolls (24)

3.5 oz (small) box butterscotch pudding (cook 'n serve, not instant)

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted (I used butter)

1 1/2-2 c. chopped pecans (you want a solid coating on the bottom of the pan)

Directions:

1. Generously butter 9x13 inch pan.


2. Spread pecans on the bottom of pan.


3. Space frozen rolls on top of pecans.


4. Spread remaining ingredients evenly on top.


5. Place in cold oven overnight to rise. (plan to bake 8-9 hours from now)


6. In the morning, bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-24 minutes.


7. Cool slightly and flip pan over on serving tray (or hillbilly-style like me, on a foil covered cookie sheet)


8. Serve and try not to devour the entire pan yourself. ;)

This one is a family favorite, and my husband LOVES them! They are gooey goodness. The hardest part of this recipe is locating the ingredients. Hubby found the rolls at Bi-Lo and the pudding at Target. The rolls could be under various brand names, look for the individual, frozen, pre-formed balls that are floating around in the bag.

Banana Walnut Muffins

I LOVE to bake....mostly because I love to EAT baked goods! My old banana muffin recipe was always a little dry for my taste. So when I found this one, I was excited to try it and boy did it deliver! Perfect with a cup of coffee or a big glass of milk...kid tested and approved! I'll post again soon with a recipe to use up that big ol' thing of buttermilk ....

(courtesy of Prevention Magazine, September 2009)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. mashed ripe banana (2-3 bananas-I used 3)
1 lg. egg
1/4 c. 50/50 butter blend (I used regular unsalted butter)
1/4 c. 1% buttermilk
3 Tbs. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. plus 2 Tbs. chopped walnuts, divided

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 8 cups of a standard-size muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
3. Mix banana, egg, butter, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture and stir until blended. Add 1/3 cup of the walnuts and mix thoroughly.
4. Fill muffin cups three-quarters full. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbs. walnuts over tops.
5. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes.