Easiest Cookie ever!

As many of you know I am all about easy! So I have been looking online lately for recipes mainly at http://www.foodgawker.com/ and blogs. But tonight I pulled out one of my very first cookbooks. The Home and Garden Limited Edition Pink Plaid Cookbook. And found this recipe I have had bookmarked for over a year now. I have always been afraid of flour. The mess more than anything, I mean that stuff gets everywhere. I have this fear of a bowl spilling, just thinking about it makes me cringe! Well lately I have been getting better and I tried this recipe tonight.

Scotch Shortbread

1 cup butter softened

2 cups flour

3/4 cup powdered sugar



Combine flour and sugar in a bowl.

Mix butter in a mixing bowl with mixer and gradually add flour mixture. Separate dough into 2 halves. Make into a ball on ungreased cookie sheet. I used 1 cookie sheet and 1 Pampered Chef stoneware (my first time for that too). Slice (I used a pizza cutter).

Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack. Mine made 10 pieces each. I think I had 12 the first day. I'm horrible I know but they are so good! I am going to use cookie cutters the next time too! Enjoy

Rachel and Lance, Annabelle, Mathew, Jacob, and Landon

Jacob's Pictures!

Here are Jacob's pictures we got done at Wal-Mart last week. I wish I could get better at taking pictures, but I can't beat 30+ pictures for less than $10.00!! The top one we got the package, and the bottom one is our free 8x10.

Rachel and Lance, Annabelle, Mathew, Jacob, and Landon

Jacob and his movies

Jacob is not really a TV kid. He would much rather watch movies. I think it is because he doesn't want to be interrupted by commercials! So this morning he choose Flicka and played with Annabelle's horses at the same time. Now we are watching his second movie Jurassic Park II The Lost World. Please do not be horrified by the fact I let me 3 yr old watch this movie. In fact he has been watching it for months, Lance got them all hooked on the trilogy. All of my children LOVE dinosaurs. So as we were watching the scene came on where the T-Rex invades the camp for the bloody shirt in the tent. As they are all running away one of the men is getting the tranq. gun ready and Jacob says "Monny, that's the bam bam to shoot the raurs, see monny." Then a few scenes later comes the field they are going to run through to get away. Jacob says "Monny, the raurs are there and their going to eat them men, see monny" He has always called me monny not mommy. It had to do with his speech delay which has gotten better, but I kind of like monny so I don't correct him. I know I'm hindering his speech but its just so darn cute!! I can't wait to see what movie he picks next!

Rachel and Family

Annabelle's Dental Gear

Annabelle has had a growing-up week!!!

She turned 7 in June and has sucked her thumb everyday since about 3 weeks old. That's 361 weeks of thumb sucking. And not just at night either, in the car to in school to during sports practice, her thumb has been practically stuck in her mouth. Last year at one of her dental checkups the dentist said "appliances would not work till she was ready to stop". Well 6 months later he agreed with me and said we need to do something before her teeth grow straight instead of down. So we chatted and agreed on mouth gear. This will remind her when the thumb starts to go in that "oh, I can't do that anymore"! She has been worried about the way it will feel. She was worried about missing the last football game. But after it was in and she realized no pain she was already running and jumping around and having a great time tonight at football practice(for Mathew, her season is over because of the gear).

Here is the timeline and a few pictures.

Sept. 25th 6mo cleaning, agreed on problem and remedy so impressions were made.

Oct. 16th dentist cancelled appt

Oct. 20th spacers put in

Oct. 22nd gear put on

Excited to be at the dentist.

Spacers

Gear

This is Annabelle's bite, see the gap from thumb sucking.

First smile with gear in!

She is doing good with it. I just have to remember it is like braces for all the food limitations!! So this stays on 6 months, which is both for getting the teeth to move around and its a good amount of time to forget the thumb sucking habits!

Rachel and Annabelle

Our Caterpillar

So today I took the trash out (Lance is still gone). And I thought oh what a cool leaf!

Then I got closer and thank goodness I did not swat it down into the breeze because it was not a leaf it was a caterpillar!! Have a great week everyone!!

Rachel and Lance, Annabelle, Mathew, Jacob, and Landon

Itchy Itchy Scratchy Scratchy

Our poor boy Landon. He has had cradle cap since about 5weeks old. At first I was "letting it pass" then it started to get real bad, and clumpy and flaky-gross. We would wash everyday then lather with baby oil. Then we would try to wash every other day and lather in baby oil. So then came google about 1 1/2 weeks ago! I saw a lot of suggestions to use canola oil then wash then lather in baby oil. So I did and its working, I have done canola once and now just bath every other day and later 2-3 times a day with baby oil.

But poor guy it still itches, see the top of his head. I tried to keep it moisturized then he would wake-up with scratches all over his head, so then I tried the beanie and of course it comes off as he sleeps. I have to trim his nails every other day. Then a friend suggested the newborn mittens, and of course I forgot to grab them at wal-mart today. So I was at the dentist office today with Annabelle(look for that post thursday) and one of her classmates father mentioned socks on his hands. Okay, so I should have already thought of that, seeing as I will try to find something in the house before I will purchase something new!! So as I put Landon to bed tonight I remember grab the socks, of course they were all in the wash except for the one pair that doesn't match!! And I have the fan on in the room since he looks as if hes bundled up for a blizzard!

Lance and Rachel, Annabelle, Mathew, Jacob, and Landon

Gross Farms-Sanford, Nc

It has been on the chilly side here all week just like about everywhere else. But today after football a friend and I decided to get the kiddos out of the house! This afternoon we ventured out to Gross Farms. It was fun. I mean besides my obvious frustration in my children running wildly in the pumpkin patch throwing the small pumpkins around. I had a few AHHHHH WOULD YOU STOP IT moments today. Sorry Sara, I know I must have looked a little red at times. But in all I think the children enjoyed themselves. Oh and I have to tell you, that I paid for 4 hayrides, and then Jake had a fit and started throwing straw at people so I took him off the hayride. Annabelle and Mathew stayed with Sara and her children, Thanks again for that. So I was out that $10. just extra frustration $10 is a pair of jeans for the kiddos. Ahh like I said it was one of those days....... Tomorrow can only be better!!!

This is how I start most of our outings, it may seem strange but I don't know it seems normal to me. I take a picture of the kiddos before. I do this so I know what they have on in case of an emergency I have a picture to show authorities. There are so many times we go places and I mean to take pictures but I forget, so If I take one before we leave the house I'm set. Oh and Mathew didn't want to go, he didn't think pumpkins were exciting!!

At this moment Jacob didn't want to be there!

This was before Jacob's fit.