Peanut Butter Bars

I've made this recipe no less than five times over the past two weeks. It's one of those perfect, fail proof, delicous recipes and I don't know why I've neglected it for so long. This is not my own, but rather a recipe from a very good friend, a mother of two boys and one girl {now that sounds familiar...}.

So, for all those that have asked recently, here it is:

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:
½ c. butter (softened)
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. all-purpose flour
½ c. quick cooking oats
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. (12 oz.) chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Cream butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
2. Add flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.
3. Spread mixture into a 9X13 pan.
4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over mixture.
5. Bake on 350F for 18-20 minutes.
6. Let cool for 10 minutes then spread on icing mixture.

Icing
½ c. powdered sugar
2 T. creamy peanut butter
2 T. milk

Cake Mix Cookies

Ever had cookies made with a cake mix? I have and to be honest, I wasn't impressed! Until NOW!

I had these at our game day party on Saturday and they are soooo creamy and delicious.

I modified the recipe and made these last night...fudge cake and white chips...

Yes, I actually was successful at baking cookies!! I'm NEVER successful at good cookies! {mine always turn out flat and falling apart} I'm holding on to this recipe for sure!
Thank you Sarah C.!

Cake Mix Cookies

2 Eggs
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup peanut butter
1(18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl, cream together the eggs, water, margarine, and peanut butter. Stir in the cake mix and blend well. Finally, fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls or with a small ice cream scoop onto the prepared cookie sheet. bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

So I've never...

made chicken and dumplings

OR

boiled a chicken.

This is true.

I haven't even begun to live life.

But my FABULOUS friend Lisa H. has! And as soon as she gets me her WONDERFUL, DELICIOUS, make you slap yer momma

{I wouldn't recommend doing that though}

chicken and dumplings recipe, I'll post it.

Stay tuned. ;)

Cookout on Wheels

Our close friends, the Fason's, showed up on Monday evening with a

"cookout on wheels"!

She cooked and prepped everything at her house, wrapped it up, and brought it over so Lynden and I wouldn't have to get out.

There was lots of food...burgers, dogs,

deviled eggs,

and of course, dessert!!

The weather was great so we dined outside.

We were just covered in pollen when we finished!

ha!

Like father, like son...

It was a great day to spend with great friends and great food!

Get in my belly!: Smothered Meatballs

Smothered Meatballs

You may remember from this post that my friend Treena brought us a hot cooked meal when I was suffering from "cankles". :) I promised to share the recipe, and here it is:

Meatballs
2lb. ground beef
1/3c. chopped bell peppers
1/3c. onion
1 can sliced mushrooms
2 eggs
1 1/2c. Italian style bread crumbs
½ t. salt
¼ t. black pepper

Thoroughly mix all ingredients together. Shape into 1 ½ in. balls. Place on a foil lined and greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375* for 20-30 min. or until browned. While meatballs cook, make gravy.

Gravy
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1c. sliced fresh or 1 can sliced mushrooms
1c. sour cream
½ c. milk
1T. browning sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add cooked meatballs. Move bottom meatballs to top until all are well coated. Serve!

Bon Appetit!

Hot-n-Ready

I received a text yesterday afternoon that read,
"If I made you dinner and delivered it around 5:30 would that be good?"
My response?
"Like tonight? Like yeah!!!! :)"

My good friend Treena

took pity on my piggies {and hubs and little king!!} and cooked us a fine home-cooked meal.

It was delivered HOTT and delicious!

She even made homemade rolls!

Oh. my. dear. yummy. goodness!

Look at that beautiful plate of colorful food...

It was quite a chore to stay off my feet because I have plenty more I would like to accomplish before Lynden arrives. However, I didn't want a repeat performance of Tuesday night, so I stayed as close to the couch as much as possible. My feet aren't "normal", but they're definitely better.

I wanted to show Treena some gifts I received at the church shower and when she walked in the craft room she said,

"WOW! I bet you were just itching to put this stuff away today!"

Oh, it was just killing me!

We were roommates in college so she knows how OCD I am!! ha!

I really did want to go through all the gifts again

{I like to take my time and you don't really get to "ooh" and "ahh" over the gifts at the shower as much as you want...

if I had I'd probably still be there opening up gifts!}

and start organizing and putting things away. Maybe I'll get to do a little at a time today.

Remember the snow day when Treena came to visit and came bearing gifts?

I promised pics, so here they are...

This has to be my FAVE gift because I had already

decided to just use one of Raegen's old diaper bags for Lynden.

I'm really excited he has his "own" now.

And I luh-huh-hove the color and pattern!!

Treena also made these adorable burp cloths...

And her mother made these...

AND this...

AND this!

The blanket is really big, but also lightweight. It will be perfect for using as a stroller cover {you know, to keep all the crazies at bay} or to throw on the floor as a nice big playmat.

The Lord has really blessed us with wonderful friends and we are so grateful. We really strive to have a giving spirit, but I know we {especially myself} fall short. I want to be more conscious of others needs and how to help so that I can be a better friend to those around me.

And I really do promise, as soon as Treena gets me the delicious meatball recipe...I WILL be posting it! :)

*NOT* Too Much Chocolate Cake

I am putting this recipe in my "if you fix it, they will eat it... ALL!" pile. :)

I made this chocolate cake for a New Year's Eve party and came home with two measly slices! It was a definite winner and I'm including the recipe below. I found it on allrecipes.com and you can also view it by clicking here. I think it's safe to say that "Denise" knows how to bake!

~

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.

3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

~

I baked my cake for 1hr, 5min and it turned out perfect. I warmed a can of chocolate frosting in the microwave and poured on top, then garnished with sliced strawberries.

Enjoy!

Four Christmases

Home Sweet Home

After a whirlwind weekend of traveling the state, we are home and happy for Christmas day! :)

~

Bader-Stain Christmas

We started our weekend with Billy's family and because we had several more stops to make, I spent the day making sweets and a few dishes for the meal.

The night before we left I had an "AHA!" moment...you know, where the lightbulb literally goes off in your head. I was dreading making Christmas candy {enough to supply FOUR Christmas parties!}, and then I thought of a way to make my life easier.

When making the peanut butter sandwiches dipped in chocolate, use my Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to apply the peanut butter to the crackers!!

DUH!

ha...why had I never thought of this before? Thank you Lord for that wonderful idea, for it truly made things run smoother, quicker, and cleaner!

This is how I spent my day...in front of Nana's stove. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it to get it all made and be DONE!

Aunt Bridget and Uncle Danny shared some great news...baby Sean's going to be a BIG brother!!
Congratulations!!!

That brings our toll up to NINE cousins on Billy's side. :) What a wonderful Christmas surprise.

~

While I was busy in the kitchen, someone {no idea who} took over for me as "photographer"...thank you! :) I LOVE pictures.
"Who touched my iPhone?"

Talk about a rare moment...three boys sitting still! :)

Me and my little king

Time for "peasants"!

Waiting patiently...

Before we made a mess of the house with wrapping paper and bows, we decided to take a picture of all the grandkids. This is what four cameras flashing at once does to seven kids aged six and under...

Out of all of those, these are the "good enough" ones... :)

NOW it's present time...first, presents from Pawpaw and Nana...

Isn't this too cute?? And he has a red Carhartt zip hoodie to match.

A-dorable!

This year we let the kids each draw a name and then buy or make one gift for their cousin. Raegen received a Crayola Color Wonder set from Annelise {I think??}.

And Raegen's mommy Raegen made Alyssa a tutu and princess crown outfit.

Alyssa is THE definition of "girly girl" and she loved it...can you tell?

The adults also drew names and bought $30 gifts. I drew Amber's name and found a fancy smancy purse at Kohl's {of course!} that I LOVED and hoped she would too. I waited for it to go on sale and then used my 20% off coupon...I love a good buy!

And because Billy missed the tradition of playing "Dirty Santa", he decided it would be a great idea to take $5 gifts to exchange. So, he gave me the job of finding TWENTY-THREE $5 gifts!! ha. It was a fun challenge and I think I was able to find some nice things for $5...most of them were found at Kohl's on sale!

What a sport...

Billy modeling his $5 gift, a silver metallic giraffe print scarf.

"What is going on??"

Uh-oh! Ever the fierce competitor, Robby took the chance to steal Billy's beloved scarf!

What will Aunt Amber receive??

All this gift opening makes Brody a tired baby!

I think the $5 Dirty Santa was a hoot with Billy's family...there were a lot of laughs and even more steals!! We realize playing this game and even exchanging gifts has nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas and celebrating Christ's birth, but I do believe God enjoys seeing his children have a good time.
What a day!

We had planned to stay the evening, but there was "no room at the inn" so we drove on home. It worked out great because we were much more comfortable in our own beds and it gave me a little extra time in the morning to finish my dishes for the Richardson Family Christmas.
~
Richardson Christmas

Mom bought these decorated pine cones from a lady at her church.

Each of the girls got to pick one to take home.

They were all so pretty, it was hard to pick, but this is the one I chose:

Because I thought we would be traveling from Billy's parents home to my parents, I had to brainstorm a few "cold/travels easily" foods. My sister gave me the idea to make a vegetable crudite tray.

It was a great hit with the kids!
And so were these!! :)

Izzy was decked to the nines...her outfit was soooo cute!! It's hard to see, but her name was also embroidered above Santa's cap. So precious!

Mimi and Izzy

Let's eat!

I want some of that!

The grown-up table...

and the kids!

Raegen is not present because he immediately went down for a nap when we arrived. He had had enough traveling already and it was making him super grouchy and sensitive. His daddy and I thought it best he get some rest! Food can wait! :)

My dad takes the best pictures...really...I don't know how he does it, but he always manages to have the same expression in EVERY picture...

It's a true mystery!

Maybe that's where Raegen gets it! ha! Had to include this picture although it's not a great one of the little king. This is his gift from Aunt Stacy. She made him some adorable John Deere pajamas, complete with tractor applique on the top, AND a sketch book for the car. So thoughtful!

We each gave mom and dad a framed 8x10 of our families...

I sense someone being a little bossy... ???

I can't find the pic of mom opening Stacy's framed fam, but she gave one too! :)

With my family we agreed to play Dirty Santa {for the first time ever!!} with $25 gift cards...no Wal-Mart cards allowed!! :) Billy and I didn't see the fun in exchanging/stealing one $25 gift card for another, so we also brought along our $5 gifts to my family!

Henry Bug thought it was a great game! :)

And despite the outcome, there were tons of laughs too!

I don't think we won them over, but it's one of those games you have to play without feeling bad to take something from someone else. I asked dad if he had fun and he said he wished he hadn't taken the mag light from Kristen! :( Poor guy! And I doubt she really wanted the mag light in the first place!! ha...in fact, Justin stole the silver scarf from mom and I doubt it was for himself. haha.

I had to share these gifts Stacy made for Izzy...

I just love these pillowcase dresses because Izzy can wear them as tops with leggings next year when she's outgrown them as dresses...so versatile!

This was our attempt at a family picture...


Stacy has a Canon Rebel EOS that can take TEN automatic pictures in one setting. It is AWESOME. My Nikon D60 will take ONE timed picture at a time or I can use my remote to take multiple shots. I have to admit, there are many advantages to having a camera that will take 10 at one time. It's great to not have someone behind the camera because the kids focus on the flash of the camera and their eyes stay fixed...not all around the room looking at everyone waving and trying to get them to smile! :)

These are a few of my faves...

~
Sunday School Progressive Dinner

When we left mom and dad's, we headed home, dropped Raegen off with a sitter, and headed straight to our Christmas party with our Sunday School class. We were late, but still made it just in time for dinner...most of you that know Billy would probably say, "that doesn't surprise me!"

We had a great evening of food, fellowship, and fun.

Dessert my favorite stop...of course!!

We played "four on the couch"...have you ever played that? It's a lot of fun, but hard to remember all the info needed to win the game.

~

Church Christmas Program


These are a few of Raegen's buddies from church. He LOVES the little guy on the right and generally calls his brother by the same name! Poor guy. :)

S-A-T-R...any relation to L-E-O-N, I wonder?

Raegen saying his lines...

"We have that happy story,

It's told to me and you,

It's right here in the Bible,

In St. Luke, Chapter TWO!"

Maybe I'll figure out how to put the video up of him saying his lines...we'll see...

Grandaddy and Mimi got to come see him in the Christmas program too. I was so surprised he was able to not only memorize his four lines, but recite them too! Not sure how many people understood what he said, but he said it nonetheless! :)

And this concludes our weekend of "Four Christmases"!