Since he is out to sea, and I didn't remember to send a birthday card in time, I want to take a moment to say Happy Birthday to youngest of us but who has the most letters after his name, by far. I am thankful to God for my siblings--they and their spouses are the best friends and uncles/aunts an oldest sister could ask for.
Happy Birthday, Matthew Lee! We are so proud of you!
“I bought my brother some gift-wrap for Christmas. I took it to the Gift Wrap department and told them to wrap it, but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping.” --Stephen Wright
Mother Doughs Best
My mom always saves me when it comes to recipes. She has cooked professionally for 20 years, and really knows her stuff. I called her with an idea I had for chocolate fritters, and she convinced me to go a bit of a different route:
Chocolate "croissants"
Strawberry cream cheese tart
Chocolate "croissants"
Strawberry cream cheese tart
The dough recipe she gave me is the same they used for the cream cheese danish at their restaurant, back in the day. She still makes these quite often, mostly with a cream cheese filling, and sometimes adding different fruit fillings. But the standout here is the dough. It is super easy to make. Rolls beautifully. Bakes wonderfully. Many, many uses. Tastes--oh, it is so yummy. It is my new secret culinary weapon!
This recipe made 16 chocolate croissants and one 10 inch tart.
Mom's Versatile Pastry Dough:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 butter or margarine (usually I'm all about real butter, but margarine worked fine)
1 pkg yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
2-3 cups all purpose flour
Heat sour cream, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to bubble. Add butter and stir until butter is melted. Pour into mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment. Meanwhile, add the yeast to the warm water in a glass jar and allow to proof. When proofed, add to sour cream mixture and combine. Add egg and combine. Slowly add the flour and mix until elastic. Place in a covered bowl in the refrigerator over night. May use immediately in the morning.
This recipe made 16 chocolate croissants and one 10 inch tart.
Mom's Versatile Pastry Dough:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 butter or margarine (usually I'm all about real butter, but margarine worked fine)
1 pkg yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
2-3 cups all purpose flour
Heat sour cream, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to bubble. Add butter and stir until butter is melted. Pour into mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment. Meanwhile, add the yeast to the warm water in a glass jar and allow to proof. When proofed, add to sour cream mixture and combine. Add egg and combine. Slowly add the flour and mix until elastic. Place in a covered bowl in the refrigerator over night. May use immediately in the morning.
This recipe is linked to:
The Story of the Baby Raccoons
Something happened to me yesterday. Something that is still affecting me today. Not sure what the whole story means yet, but I feel that God spoke to me yesterday. He said, "never, ever, take one second for granted, because life is very short".
I took dinner to some church friends who just had a baby. On the way back, through a slightly wooded residential suburb, a car was stopped in the middle of the road. Frustrated, noticing the driver was an older man, my former Florida resident bias against elderly drivers kicked in and I was like "Go, on!" Until I noticed the three baby raccoons crossing the road right near their car.
I couldn't stop smiling. R. calls me "Molly Raccoon" as a pet name. The three babies reminded me of my own three boys. I actually clapped in delight.
Then, the car in front of me pulled forward, and I SAW THE CAR'S BACK TIRE RUN OVER TWO OF THE BABIES! It was awful! A lady from across the street came running over, and we were both very upset. The two babies were both dying, one hurt more than the other, and the one that was less hurt was licking and trying to comfort the faster-dying one. So sad.
Then, this big dude in a white truck came, and said, "Ladies, they're wild animals", and takes this sheet of hard clear plastic from his truck bed and scoops the pair to the side of the road.
Meanwhile, me and the lady try to find the sole survivor. He was making very sad and scared noises and hiding in the bushes. I had to go, because I had supper for another friend in the car as well, but I was heartbroken.
So I called my husband, crying. He said, "Did you not grow up in the country?"
Yes, I know raccoons are pests to farmers and gardeners alike, but those three babies were so cute, and I saw them die RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. And how the one comforted the other. Death, right in my face.
Life is short.
I took dinner to some church friends who just had a baby. On the way back, through a slightly wooded residential suburb, a car was stopped in the middle of the road. Frustrated, noticing the driver was an older man, my former Florida resident bias against elderly drivers kicked in and I was like "Go, on!" Until I noticed the three baby raccoons crossing the road right near their car.
I couldn't stop smiling. R. calls me "Molly Raccoon" as a pet name. The three babies reminded me of my own three boys. I actually clapped in delight.
Then, the car in front of me pulled forward, and I SAW THE CAR'S BACK TIRE RUN OVER TWO OF THE BABIES! It was awful! A lady from across the street came running over, and we were both very upset. The two babies were both dying, one hurt more than the other, and the one that was less hurt was licking and trying to comfort the faster-dying one. So sad.
Then, this big dude in a white truck came, and said, "Ladies, they're wild animals", and takes this sheet of hard clear plastic from his truck bed and scoops the pair to the side of the road.
Meanwhile, me and the lady try to find the sole survivor. He was making very sad and scared noises and hiding in the bushes. I had to go, because I had supper for another friend in the car as well, but I was heartbroken.
So I called my husband, crying. He said, "Did you not grow up in the country?"
Yes, I know raccoons are pests to farmers and gardeners alike, but those three babies were so cute, and I saw them die RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. And how the one comforted the other. Death, right in my face.
Life is short.
"No Time for Blog, Dr. Jones"
Let's face it. I don't really have the time to keep my blog up, and I would much rather read other people's daily musings than my own. Escapism, per se.
However, I've been taking pictures like crazy, and maybe one day I will have time to post like I would like. So don't give up on me yet!
However, I've been taking pictures like crazy, and maybe one day I will have time to post like I would like. So don't give up on me yet!
The Wearin' o' the Green
T. has been so funny since he turned four last week. He just informed me that it isn't "Saint Patrick's Day, it is Saint Spongebob's Day." Guess we need to wear some yellow!
Lego Birthday Party
I was inspired by Meredith at Like Merchant Ships, who shared her ideas for a ultimate Lego birthday party. I originally had big ideas for the party. I saved empty cereal, granola bar, and saran wrap boxes (among others) to spray paint and make into giant Legos for the party. I read about and planned for a Lego cake, which used marshmallows cut in half for the connectors on the Lego "bricks". Personalized key chains out of larger legos would be drilled and painted for party favors. Lego themed games would be played.
None of that happened. Time and a teething baby got me.
It turned out to be the best birthday party ever.
For decorations, I put out the bigger Duplo Legos all around, and we blew up balloons in primary colors. I tied the yellow lid from a Duplo set around the mailbox, along with more balloons.
The cake was colorful and I ended up decorating it with some of the Lego fruit snacks I bought for favors. (Note to aspiring Lego cake decorators: frosting a marshmallow?!? didn't work for me!) The adult guests had lots of fun putting the blue icing on their teeth and taking pictures of the results.
We ate hot dogs (with chili from home, thanks Mama and Papa Byrd!), chips, macaroni salad, corn chips and corn salsa, and cake and ice cream. It was stress-free on the food.
The weather man was forecasting tornadoes that day. Although it cleared up before the party, we decided to set up some activities in the garage. The kids played skee ball and rode bikes, and ended up heading outside anyway to play baseball.
I made party favor bags with bags I already had, filled with lego fruit snacks, mini gum ball machines, and Slinky's. I stapled an outdoor toy to the bag.
So, why was this the best birthday party ever? I relaxed and didn't try to make everything perfect. We let the kids interact and play as they wanted. We kept the food and decorations simple and used what we had where we could. This will be my new birthday party modus operandi.
Until baby's first party, that is.
None of that happened. Time and a teething baby got me.
It turned out to be the best birthday party ever.
For decorations, I put out the bigger Duplo Legos all around, and we blew up balloons in primary colors. I tied the yellow lid from a Duplo set around the mailbox, along with more balloons.
The cake was colorful and I ended up decorating it with some of the Lego fruit snacks I bought for favors. (Note to aspiring Lego cake decorators: frosting a marshmallow?!? didn't work for me!) The adult guests had lots of fun putting the blue icing on their teeth and taking pictures of the results.
We ate hot dogs (with chili from home, thanks Mama and Papa Byrd!), chips, macaroni salad, corn chips and corn salsa, and cake and ice cream. It was stress-free on the food.
The weather man was forecasting tornadoes that day. Although it cleared up before the party, we decided to set up some activities in the garage. The kids played skee ball and rode bikes, and ended up heading outside anyway to play baseball.
I made party favor bags with bags I already had, filled with lego fruit snacks, mini gum ball machines, and Slinky's. I stapled an outdoor toy to the bag.
So, why was this the best birthday party ever? I relaxed and didn't try to make everything perfect. We let the kids interact and play as they wanted. We kept the food and decorations simple and used what we had where we could. This will be my new birthday party modus operandi.
Until baby's first party, that is.
Too Gone for Too Long
Faithful readers: I apologize for being away but we have been on VACATION! T.'s birthday party was last weekend (more to come on that later), and my in-laws were visiting. Now it is back to reality but we have lots of fun things planned to keep our spirits up.
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