Wednesday & Thursday & Friday - oh my

After an exhausting day on Tuesday 

we took some time on Wednesday to recover.

We really didn't do too much

(thankfully).

My grandmother was totally enamored with 

watching the little mommy bird sitting on her nest.

She would situate herself at the kitchen table

and watch and give us a play by play of what 

the little mommy was doing.

(kinda like 8 years ago when she happened to be 

in town when I was in labor with my oldest,

she was in the room with us

and would give me a play by play

of the monitor measuring contractions...

watching the numbers

and keeping me up to date on how

high they were going

and how bad each contraction was 

going to be...

thanks grandma - I feel 'em!

I politely ask mom to escort her to the 

waiting room)

I decided to climb up and take another pic of

the nest.

R & J noticed that she had rearranged the eggs

in her nest.

Then it was off to dance class.

A got to try on her recital outfit

while Nana & Grandmother were there.

I am so glad!!

Then home for dinner.

After dinner, daddy and the boys headed to scouts.

And I took the opportunity to make 

some State Fair Apple Dumplings

that I had bought the ingredients for 

around Easter,

to make Easter!

Then we wound up at SeaWorld.

So now was as good a time as any.

Unfortunately,

I didn't get any pictures during the process.

But here is what they look like straight out of the oven.

And I also didn't get pics before they were devoured!

These are one of daddy's FAVORITE

desserts.

And I think Nana and Grandmother liked them too.

They kept asking me questions as we were making them...

taking mental notes, I guess.

I did get the opportunity to actually teach my grandmother something

about cooking...

well not really, 

just how to make brown sugar.

How many people have no brown sugar in their pantry

but DO have molasses??  

Well, me for one!

Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses.

So to make 1 c of brown sugar:

add 1 tbsp of molasses to 1 cup of white sugar.

and stir like crazy...

viola!

(my grandmother was so impressed!)

Actually used this trick yesterday again,

while making homemade granola,

but added a little more molasses to make it

dark brown sugar.

I *LOVE* molasses 

and actually refused to patron a breakfast

chain back home after the waitress had

no idea what molasses was

when I asked for it to go with my biscuits.

(True story!  Ask my husband - don't think I ever went back!)

Back to the dumplings...

I have made these 2 or 3 times since we discovered them

at the State Fair a few years ago and

I hunted down the vendor that sells them.

I contacted them and they willingly gave me

their recipe!

Who'da thunk??

State Fair Apple Dumplings

4 servings

4 small apples of choice

1 can crescent rolls

2 c brown sugar

1 c water

1/4 c butter + 1 tbsp quartered

1/2 tsp cinnamon

* Preheat oven to 400°.

* Peel & core apples.

* Mix 1/2 c brown sugar & sprinkle of cinnamon in small bowl.

*Prepare crescent rolls for apples one of two ways:

1) separate the the crescents into individual triangles,

layer 2 triangles in a criss cross pattern

place apple on the center

-or-

2) separate the crescent rolls into 4 squares

pinching along the perforated seam

(depending on the size of your apples 

you might need to roll them out a little)

place apple in the center

*Pack the center of the apple with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture

*Top with a quarter of 1 tbsp of butter

*Wrap crescents completely around the apple.

* Place in a greased casserole dish.

*Bake for about 30 minutes.

(if your apples are extra firm, lower temp a cook a little longer)

*While dumplings cook, mix remaining cinnamon, brown sugar 

and butter in a sauce pan and reduce to a syrup.

Top each apple dumpling with sauce, ice cream and 

whipped topping.

Enjoy!!!

Thursday we drug Nana & Grandmother to co-op.

For the first part, we dropped the kids and went shopping.

Then we went back for my lunch duty and 

they sat in while A & T and I 

participated in our Story Time class.

Nana helped.

And then Thursday night...

Hubby and I got to go on a Date!!!!

Second one since we have been here.

I thought it was the first, but forgot about 

the Christmas party we went to in December.

We had sushi (way too much sushi)

and then went and walked around

the Japanese Tea Garden.

Hubby got a kick out of that...

Japanese food

then Japanese Tea Garden.

It was nice, 

but weird being without the kids.

We definitely have to do stuff like that more often.

Friday

was another chill day.

Grandmother had been outside walking around 

and got really concerned about seeing one of the 

eggs from our nest on the ground.

I walked out and saw this:

and this:

Then decided to check our nest again

and 

look what we found!!!

Kinda weird looking, 

but very cool!!!

We can hear them cheeping 

we can see them stretching their long skinny necks up 

for food.

It is VERY neat!

And the kids

(and grandmother)

REALLY enjoy watching them.

After checking out our newest members of the family

we headed out for 

some professional pictures of the kids.

UGH, UGH, UGH!

I have gotten to the point that I just DON'T like

doing that.

T was AWFUL!

He was crying,

laying down,

being totally

uncooperative.

Then A got into the mix and decided to cry and

whine too.

UGH UGH UGH!

2 hours later, we finally walked out of there

spending WAY more than I had planned

especially considering we don't have anything 

on the walls in this rental house,

so these pictures will just be sent to our families

And will eventually go up in the next house.

Hopefully!

After that, we headed over to the newest Mega-Store

that our local grocery store chain had just opened.

GOOD GRACIOUS 

WHAT A MISTAKE!!!

It was huge and gorgeous and awesome!

BUT

SWAMPED!

and we had a soccer practice to get to.

So once we saw the lines, we unshopped

and headed on to A's soccer practice.

Our fashionable soccerista.

Then since mommy forgot her water

and J never leaves home without his 

camel back lately...

He was sweet and shared.

Why does J have a camel back?  

Cause he is prepping for a camping trip that

he and R and daddy are going on next weekend.

And daddy felt they were old enough to carry some of their own load.

So there ya go!

This thing even went to bed with him a few times.

Just in case he was dying of thirst in the middle of the night.

(I guess)

The next day, we hit 2 soccer games first thing

then I headed to the airport with

Nana & Grandmother.

I know they were happy sad to be leaving.

Happy cause I know they were both 

WORN OUT!

Sad - cause they were going to miss us!

Then after relaxing ourselves for a bit...

we headed back out to the baseball game.

Then back for dinner 

and to the pool again

and we let the kids ride their new

bikes!!!

A had a hand-me-down bike from her cousin

that Nana bought a little Hello Kitty basket and 

other fun things for. 

Now we just have to get the poor girl

and girly helmet.

(Thank you Nana & Papa!)

No bike in this pic but what a stinking CUTIE!!!

What a week!!!

Random picture of the week:

I am not 100% sure how this 

winter jacket wound up out...

but it did.

Then he decided to wear it,

while doing his school work,

while its 90° outside...

whatever...