Sweet Charley B's

Oh Jamie Oliver...

I was watching Jamie Oliver's new show on Sunday night.  It's called "Food Revolution".  He went to a town in West Virgina which is considered the most unhealthy town in United States.  He's going into the school system to revamp their menus, he's openned a store front to help people learn about nutrition and how to make healthy meals.  He's even gone into peoples homes to help open their eyes to what they are feeding their families. 

Now I consider myself a healthy eater (who doesn't have the occasional Cheez-It? if you say you don't, you lie!!)  My kids eat fruit and veggies everyday... Organic whenever possible!  As I was watching the show, I was stewing on the dough I had rising in my fridge... I had just finished mixing up doughnut dough to fry for my kids for breakfast.  I NEVER make doughnuts before school... In fact I've only made them one other time...  My kids are all very healthy weights and are very active!  I made the doughnuts, despite my guilt from Jamie...

and they were delicious...

There they are after I let them rise...

Freshly fried!!

 
 
Glazed, Sprinkled and ready to eat!!  And they went fast...  

We had oatmeal and eggs for breakfast the next few days... My official opinion is that if you keep goodies from your kids, it's just going to make them want them more.  My mom used to hide all the goodies at our house, which made me want to binge!!  I don't hide the good stuff... and it's really not that big a deal to my kiddos.  I do have one picky eater, but I don't think that has anything to do with junk food... She's like that just because!

If you are want this recipe (and it is GOOOOOOD!!) Here's the link.  It's from The Pioneer Woman, she's one of my favs.  

Don't watch Jamie Oliver while you are making them, though... guilt!!

Art and a Fieldtrip

I made a couple of cards last week and had a really good time doing it!  I make simple cards... When I try to get fancy, they just don't look good! 

The images and paper are from A Muse.  The ribbon came from Impress and I used Copic markers.  You can't really tell, but the belly's of the owls have flock by Doodlebug Designs on them. 

Again the images and paper are from A Muse.  The sparkly paper is scrap from who knows where? And of Course Copic markers!

Felt good to make a little craft... Trying to do more of this!!

Friday was a no school day- teaching-in-service.  The kids asked me for and adventure and wanted to go to Sonic.  Now, we live in the Pacific Northwest not in the sound, and to my knowledge there are only two Sonics around here.  The closest one to us is 40 minutes away. 

Sam and Georgie are waiting patiently for their food...

Avery and Sam... still waiting...

This is Charley with her head in my lap because she was SO hungry she was weak... She hadn't eaten anything for almost 40 minutes!!

AWWW... The Cherry Limeaid.  The whole reason I was willing to make the trip!  I didn't take a picture of all of our food.  I was too busy shoving onion rings in my face!  We had an awesome time, though.  Totally worth the drive!

Have a good weekend!  See you soon!!    

Did you know that Cheeseburgers are my favorite food?

They really are, but that is not the kind of cheeseburger I'm going to talk about today.  Have you ever looked at Bakerella's blog?  It is AMAZING!  She bakes the most awesome things!! Anyhow, a while ago she made some cupcakes that look like cheeseburgers.  I have been thinking about those little confections ever since I saw them.  I've wanted to make them, but I just haven't had time!

So, Friday at the kids school they had Family Fun Night with a cake walk, and I was asked to bring a cake... Guess what I made? Nope, not cupcakes, but a WHOLE CHEESEBURGER CAKE!!

 

I made  homemade butter cake for the "bun" and then a brownie for the "patty".  The "cheese" is orange fondant and the resting is colored frosting.  The "sesame seeds" are sliced almonds.  I was going to use jordan almonds, but those suckers were $8 for a bag!

Of course my little people tried and tried to win that cake and bring it back home!  Alas, it was won by some other wide eyed-little sweety, for it alone stood out amoung all the store bought goodies!   

It was really easy to make... Try it!!

In other Beers' family news, we have been on a steady diet of mashed potatoes, ice cream and yogurt because of these...

My dude got braces... Here's to years and years of nagging about brushing! 

The D40x is home, so I am ready to get back to blogging!!  Enjoy the beautiful weather!!  
  

Teacher-in-Service day

Today there was no school= Teacher-in-Service day.  Sam is very atonomous.  Georgie loves to play alone & check in with me from time to time... but Charley, she wants to know what activities we are doing from the minute we get up until the minute she goes to bed.  She likes a plan.  She likes structure.  A day off from school does NOT equal down time for Charley.  So today I whipped up a batch of Sugar Cookie Playdough. 

I actually doubled the recipe which I found here.  The Cookie Shop is an awesome blog, make sure you stop by & check it out!

This is Charley's cherry that she made...

Here is my little Frankenstine.  Of course you know that I had to get in on the fun... Although, I have a small case of OCD & can't stand it when they mix the colors together!!  I really have to prepare myself when I make the choice to get the regular playdough out!!

The next picture I feel like I have to prepare you for...  Sam made it, & it's supposed to be an apple tree.  I did a double take & had to ask what it was. 

See what I mean... I warned ya.  Boys are so dirty!

 We sure did have a lot of fun!  If you have a rainy day, you should try these...
 
  
 
 
  

Breakfast is HARD!!

Sometimes I struggle with what to feed my kids for breakfast... do you?  I don't really remember what I ate for breakfast when I was little except for the apple fritters that my dad used to bring home Saturday mornings.  I'm pretty sure I ate cereal before school, but who remembers?  For some reason I just cannot bring myself to feed the little peeps cereal before school.  I like to think they are going off with bellies full of nutritious, warm food.  So, we have a regular rotation, but I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to add into our usuals.

I came upon a recipe on Bakerella (fabulous, awesome, delicious blog).  It was for Chocolate Chip-Maple Pancake Dippers.  They went over REALLY well around these parts!

 You want some, don't ya!!

They each got their own little dish of warm maple syrup to dip them in.  Can you say MMMMM?  Here's the link... give them a try, your little people wont be sorry you did!   

  
 
  

Peanut Butter Cups & Field Trips...

We have been trying to come up with activities to keep us busy inside when it rains... The kids have had a glimpse of the sun and all they can focus on is playing outside!  Alas, that leaves me to come up with SUPER exciting things to do inside to distract them when it rains!  So last week for one of our rainy day activities we made homemade peanut butter cups... Let me just say... YUM!  I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but I could live on peanut butter and mashed potatoes...

Finished product...

Here's a shot of the inside...

 You may never buy Reese's again...  I used this recipe.  Life in a Peanut Shell is such a cool blog!  She bakes the coolest stuff!  Totally inspiring!

We also had a field trip to the zoo for preschool last week.  It was CROWDED.  The zoo is in Tacoma, and it was "Free Tacoma" day.  Meaning if you live in the city you can go for free... Everyone and their uncle was there!!

The girls still had fun, and watching them encounter new things is priceless :)

  

Those are Gerogie's hands on the belly of a walrus... he swam right up against the glass and she wasn't scared (if you have ever encountered my little person you would know she's kind of a weiner, God love her anyway)

Here's a pic of the big sissy on the Merry-Go-Round... This might've been the highlight for her!  She didn't want to get off... She could've stayed on except for all the dang middle schoolers that were there! 

Sam went to the beach with his best friend & family this weekend...  They were there all weekend and I could tell they had so much fun...  He hasn't stopped telling about his adventures from the minute he walked in the door.

 Sam and Ben...

This one is a little hazy, but they look so happy... I love it!  It's a little bitter sweet for me, watching these two.  Ben"s mamma is also a good friend of mine and his little sister is close with the girls.  They are moving across the counrty at the end of July.  It breaks my heart to see them go... I'm trying to remind myself that with every door that closes, another opens. 

Alright... enough sappy!  It's supposed to be 81 degrees on Thursday!  Enjoy that my peeps!  Lover every minute of it!

signs of summer

To me, one of the first signs of summer is baseball.  I know it technically starts in the spring, but they don't call them "The Boys of Summer" for no reason!  This year I only have one ball player.  Sam opted not to play (now I think he wishes that he had!).  Charley is fearless on the field!  (I used to be a softball player... it was one of my true loves, so it gives me much pleasure to have my girl feel the same joy that I used to!)

Can you see the ball coming off her bat?  I am coaching the team this year, and it is SOOO hard for me not to go over board when she does something awesome... I am bursting!

We also had teacher appreciation last week.  I tend to think homemade goodies are where it's at...  Sooo

Lilac's clipped from my yard, my super duper homemade oatmeal M&M cookies, and of course a homemade card.

I love the new Koshi Doll from A Muse.  She is SOOO cute... We have been so blessed by each of the teachers that we've had this year.  I can honestly say that each of my children are thriving.  Wow!  What a awesome thing to be able to say!

One last activity to show you... We still had a few chilly days in the last couple of weeks, and that always brings out the cook in us ladies around here!  The girls and I made soft pretzels.  Yum!  We ate them all...  no leftovers!

 Some had salt, and some had cinnamon and sugar... They were doughy goodness! 

Happy sunny day everyone!

St. Patty's Day in Review...

We had a very green St. Patty's day!  We started out with a special present left by a mysterious Leprechaun...

Remember Whistle Pops?  I haven't seen those in years!  Of course I found them at my store.  I love it there!

We had green Swedish pancakes & green t-shirts...

  

We had sparkly shamrock glasses for the teachers and St. Patty's day cookies (Chewy chocolate cookies with crushed minty malt balls mix into them)

Then we concludes with green, yes green pizza & green sprite!

He he... What do you think of that?

I forgot!  We also made some leprechauns...

 

I hope your day was as green as ours!  Good luck and good fortune to you!

The cure for my picky eater!

My third child challenges me everyday!  Not always in a bad way, she just has a lot of spirit!  Anyway, we have been struggling with her eating habits for a while.  My older two kids will pretty much eat whatever I put infront of them, but this little one wrinkles her nose up at almost everything! 

A month or so ago, we went to a local restaurant called Fujiama.  It's a Benihana kind of a place.  While we were there, they fashioned some kid friendly chopsticks for the kids.  They used a rubber band and a piece of paper at the top... Anyway, that was really interesting for Georgie... She ate EVERY piece of her chicken and a good portion of her rice.  I tried to save those chopsticks for as long as I could... Eventually they gave out!

Well, last Friday while out shopping I found a set of "cheater" chopsticks...  They have worked magic at every meal since I brought them home. 

Evidence... breakfast waffles...

She cleaned her plate! (This was Monday morning... Instead of getting dressed she put on her fairy outfit... she get's to stay home with dad Monday mornings while I take the other 2 to school)

    Charley really like them too!

And of course Sam had to get in on the action...

Success! I'll take any victory!

Sunday night rituals and more...

Every Sunday night my little family gathers on our yellow sectional couch (yeah I'm not sure why I thought a light colored couch was a good idea with 3 kids).  We usually have a little treat of some kinds and we prepare for an hour of family togetherness... also known as America's Funniest Home Videos.  It's on Sunday's at 7pm.  Our entire family laughs out loud!  I look forward to that hour all week!

  Even our dog, Harper, get's in on the action :) 

I tried a few new recipes this week too.  Zach's favorite (and maybe the only thing) that his mom makes is 7 layer bean dip.  I saw a recipe that is a little different than my mother-in-laws over on The Pioneer Woman's blog.  She has a whole cooking section over there, and I have used several of her recipes.  Anyway, I made this dip for Zach and Sam to take to a basketball party... It looked GOOD!

  Tell me you don't want a scoop of that!

I also made this... I'm always on a quest to make something different and fun for the kids on the breakfast rotation...

Can you tell what they are? Hehe... They are not biscuits and gravy... they are bisquits with CHOCOLATE gravy!  Needless to say they were devoured!  I got the recipe for this one over on the Bake or Break blog.  I have spent hours on end looking at that blog.  I am bound and determined to try all of the recipes over there!  Yum!

I also made a couple of cards :)!

   A little Irish for ya!  Considering we are only a couple weeks from St. Patty's day!  Everything I used on this card was from A Muse except the shamrock punch which is Martha Stewart Crafts from Michael's.

 This little bunny in the carrot car is my favorite new stamp from the Spring A Muse release!  It is so cute!  Everything I used on this card was from A Muse except the black card stock (which was a scrap) and my Copic markers :)