Cow"ghoul" Cookies...

A fun gift and yummy treat for Halloween. And a fabulous cookie recipe if you don't want to make them in the jar to give away. The recipe is from Bakerella... and i posted it last year but it is so good I wanted to make sure no one missed out. :-)

Cowgirl Cookies


1 1/3 cup all purpose flour


1 teaspoon baking powder


1 teaspoon baking soda


1/4 teaspoon salt


1 cup cooking oats


3/4 cup m&ms


3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


1/2 cup brown sugar, packed


1/2 cup white sugar


1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)



Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add:

1 slightly beaten egg
1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use the back of a large spoon to work it all together. You may even need to use your hands to get everything incorporated. Then roll the cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Makes about 2 dozen.

Instructions for making a Cookie Jar:

Start with a 1 quart smooth Ball jar. I found these at Hobby Lobby craft store. (Or you can buy a case of regular Ball jars at Walmart for cheap). You will need fabric squares 6x6 for top of jar…

Layer the ingredients in like this:

First: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt


Second: oats


Third: m&ms


Fourth: chocolate chips


Fifth: brown sugar


Sixth: white sugar


Seventh: chopped pecans

Pack each level down really tightly. I mean it. Pack it in. Or else it won’t all fit. Also, I added the chopped pecans last, because if the ingredients were too much or not enough, then I could add more or less pecans to adjust. I’d rather sacrifice nuts than chocolate, you know. The ingredients should be flush to the top of the lid when you seal it up.

We had some of the cookie mixes in jars and decided to try and make them in a ziploc- didn't want to make any messes! It turned out great! Colby did it and loved it- you definitely have to squish all the ingredients together but he enjoyed that part...

He LOVES using the small ice cream scoop and putting them on the pan all by himself. He actually does a great job of it too and the ziploc bag made it easy. So I think I will keep some jars of pre-made mixes around because it sure makes for easy cookies when you want them!

Sneak Peak at Halloween...

The kiddos school had a "Fall Festival" and the kids loved breaking out their Halloween costumes early for it and had a blast.

Colby is War Machine from Iron Man- he just calls it the Silver Iron Man. You couldn't wear face masks to the festival so I did my best with the face paint we had!

His "War Machine" face! This was at the very end of the night- it was impossible for him not to touch his face so he's make up is a little rubbed off...

Mia was a beautiful butterfly! It was actually "chilly" the night of so her costume was perfect. A friend let us borrow this one so THANKS!

She told me just how she wanted her face paint... and I did my best and made the rest up as we went along! She was a little dissapointed when our glitter hair spray wouldn't work... but then decided maybe she would paint her hair black on Halloween? hmm... we will see!

Sydney's costume is very special- it was her last sewing project with Grandma Dover before they moved. It turned out so so cute! And she absolutely loves it...

She chose to have black lips... but said she was a good witch!

And Allie got the only costume we had for her age... a monkey costume! We did add a flower bow to the monkey ear... and it was comfy and warm. She loved her banana. ;-)

So fun to get to dress up lots of times for Halloween!

Ever feel like this?!?

I am going to have this framed in a nice large size... as a constant reminder. Ha! I won't even list all the things that have been going on around here... the errands, the to-do's, the kids activities, the daily demands... the dirty diapers- ha! You all have them and know what I am talking about... And with four I am definitely feeling a little overwhelmed at times and trying to prioritize and let some stuff slide. My favorite conference talk was Elder Uchdorf's on slowing down... simplifying your life... choosing to do the BEST things, not just the good things. I loved getting online and reading it over and over. He said, "If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most."

We were sent here by a loving Heavenly Father to live in JOY! To REJOICE! This isn't always easy but when I am stressing out that my once organized house now has such disatrously messy closets and cupboards it is dangerous to open them... or kids that have their quarrels from time to time... the upcoming Primary Program... or whatever other stresses of the moment... I have to think of all my blessings! And think of a loving Heavenly Father and our ultimate purpose here in this life. Brother Uchdorf said,

"As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind, we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way. The eyes of our understanding will be opened, and we will recognize what needs to be done to purify our heart and refocus our life.

Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace."

So though my blog may look like I've got my act together over here ;-) I will show you otherwise...

Exhibit A: BAH!

Exhibit B!

My messy cupboards and closets and drawers... and other areas of disaster will get taken care of sometime. But I am trying to not stress out but focus on the very best things... re-evaluating where my priorities are... and understanding that "I Can Not Do It All!" How blessed we are to have the knowledge we have- what sweet peace the gospel brings! Can't wait to read the rest of the Conference talks now!

Sandwich Cut Outs...

Kind of a random post... but I saw this idea a while ago and don't remember where. But anyways, we have loved cutting out sandwiches with cookie cutters!

They love doing it themselves... They eat it better because it is that much more exciting than a regular sandwich... and the possibilities are endless! (Do you like our ghetto fabulous fish plates!?!

The girls are always so excited to get a fun shape in their lunch...

Yes it wastes a little sandwich, but my kiddos don't love the crust usually so don't usually eat it amyways. I love the look of the layers- you could do these sandwiches for a party or shower in the shape of the party theme!

Mia LOVES tomato and cheese sandwiches... with mayonnaise. Sydney thinks that is absolutely disgusting- ha! But it's fun to use the mini cookie cutters as well.

One more way to make lunches a little more exciting. What a surprise your hubby would get if you did this in his lunch too!?! ha. I'm pulling out the Halloween cookie cutters this week...

Donuts for A's!

We have a Krispy Kreme around the corner from us.... they offer a donut for every A on your report card! The girlies had fabulous grades so we came home with a dozen free donuts. (Not that we really needed that many.) But every time we go they are so fascinated with watching the whole process through the glass...

Even Allie was excited about it all!

Yummy!

Easy, Fast, Yummy Recipe...

yup, this meets the criteria of

1- Fast

2-Easy

3-Yummy

4- Kids love it! Ger and I LOVE it!

It's a recipe we tried tonight for grilled chicken- really yummy and easy marinade. You can do kabobs with it or just do the chicken by itself. I found it on Allrecipes and it has nearly 5 out of 5 stars with over 1,000 reviews! Hope you enjoy it too. ;-)

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Note: Homemade Ranch dressing makes this extra tasty. And if substituting dried Rosemary use 1 tsp. AND after reading a lot of reviews I changed the oil to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup that the recipe called for... and also changed the salt to 1 tsp (original recipe had 2 tsp and some people said it was a bit too salty).

Halloween Goodies...

These treat ideas are pulled from another blog but I had to share! So cute! I think they got the idea from Martha Stewart- she had some Christmas Cookie Rolls last year similar to this.

Or if you just want to stick them in a cellophane bag with a tie... go for it!

The website I found them on is http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/. Click on the link below to print up these fun and sassy Halloween labels to use!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLZaqcL2C8VTWKAt6jd2mfFAHScK2IAiSDZWVPq8n_t6-Rg0UeTNcrpia9buHzTPIqct3h-vZea2jRJ5GbVHRCoHIOdmLcJSG2UyS1yiUCrVoMasAg_IA1XEs5uwR10Fat6y2h2mOCTE/s1600/happyhalloweentags.jpg

6 months! WHAT?!?

Allie is just 4 days shy of 6 months- I can hardly believe it! She is still just an absolute joy- such a happy good baby. Loves laughing... loves playing with her sissys... loves listening to Colby sing to her... and loves getting lots of wet smooches from him! Just started eating rice cereal and actually seems to like it. Pics of that coming soon... Already knows how to wave "hi"! ha...

She is sitting up great... her record for rolling over consecutively is 6 times (made great distance from middle of the room to the couch!)... is in 6-12 month clothes for sure... We think she is around 18 pounds from weighing her on our scale...

Is sleeping better and better- up just once in the night- yahoo! Favorite thing to do is play "Pat-A-Cake"... next favorite thing to do is go swimming! She splashes her arms and legs like mad and giggles like crazy when the kids pop out of the water in front of her.

So far has blue eyes and brown hair... with blonde hair coming in we think!?! Loves reading books... loves sucking and chomping on anything and everything. Likes her binky... sometimes likes her thumb... loves to be snuggled when she is tired. She is definitely a full time job but so much fun to have around! More pics soon. ;-)

We've been "Boo"ed!

Wow! It's 105 degrees but already that time of year... Time for Spooking! We got "Boo"ed over the weekend and it was so fun! The kiddos were super excited... The treat was Halloween oreos and lots of chocolate-carmel eyeballs. BAH! ;-) Here's a fun poem/sheet to pass out... the link is http://www.beenbooed.com/ I didn't get a pic this year so here's one from a few years ago! Woah- how the kiddos have grown. Happy "Boo"ing!