Blueberry Breakfast Casserole!

We brought home some home grown blueberries from our visit to gram and pap's this weekend so I'll be making THIS again.

My cousin, Hilary, made this during our MO visit inJune. Jack and I LOVED it. SO, I got the recipe and made it this past weekend when we went home for the 4th of July. I am making it again this weekend.

We had so much good food in Missouri so I am testing out some new recipes. This is so good.

The dish is a Pampered Chef stoneware dish that I rinsed with water and rubbed the stone stick across a couple times. It was the easiest dish I ever had to clean and it baked this casserole to perfection. Check out the great stuff here. I wish I could do my bridal shower all over again. I would register everything here!

Playing Catch Up, MO Part II

Sleeping on the way to Silver Dollar City!!

Waiting for the train at Silver Dollar City.

Elliott reading the paper as we're walking around the park.

Aunt Sharon feeding "Big E".

Duke feeding "Big E"

Missouri Trip 2011

Last Thursday we left for the airport at 5:00 am for our trip to Missouri to visit my family. My Dad's sister (Aunt Sharon) and her family live in Sprinfield and it's been quite a few years since we have made the trip. This time, we had a little 17 mos. monkey ready for his first airplane ride. I have to say that he did very well for his first flight. No crying fits and he did fine sitting on our laps. We just had to entertain for a full 2.5 hours of flying time. He napped for a little bit on the drive from Kansas City to Springfield but not long. He must have been pretty excited.


Once we got to Springfield we got ready to go to dinner at Bass Pro Shop. I believe the restauranat was Hemmingway's and they had all you can eat crab legs! We also celebrated Ann's birthday after dinner. Duke was getting tired at this point but after dinner we took a stroll through Bass Pro to look at the animals and such. Duke LOVED the "tractors" and the boats.


Here I am with my smooshly little nephew, Evan. He is too sweet and cuddly but you certainly don't get to hold him long before someone comes and wisks him away for their turn to snuggle.

My sister, Megan, had shirts made for all the great grandbabies of my grandfather, "Pappy Wood". He has been gone for many years now but he is making sure there is no shortage of little boys in our family. He only had grand daughters and now we are all having boys. The shirts say "Pappy's Dream Team" with the boys name and birth number on the back. Very cute.

We did so much more. This was only the first 24 hours we were there. More to come.

Toddlers and Tiaras

Avah had her first "real" dance recital tonight. The last two years it was at the dance studio in front of the parents. This year was in an auditorium, on a stage with a crowd!! She was amazing and a natural. The crowd didn't phase (faze??) her at all. She is a performer and looked as though she LOVED every second of it.

Getting her ready was fun. I wish I had more time. I shoved my sister aside and took over doing her hair and slapping some "real" lipstick on. My sister was trying to put tinted chapstick on. I got out the liner and everything. Little girls were screaming in the background as mothers, dads and aunts were brushing hair back as tight as they could get it. It was an episode of toddlers and tiaras! This made me realize that I may become a crazy woman if I ever had a girl. I am scared that Duke might be embarrassed of me when he starts playing sports OR DANCING, whatever.

I can't wait to see her next year! She is always amazing me. I can't wait to see all the wonderful things she does as she gets older.

Duke is finally riding with Daddy on the "track-tor" He is obsessed with it until you turn it on. But he is coming around.

My FIL celebrated a birthday at the end of May! Now Duke sings "Happy Birthday Pop-Pop"all the time. I thought we would have to hear "E-I-O" forever but now it's "Happy Birthday Pop-Pop". Just something else he is obsessed with - his pop-pop.

Memorial Day 2011

Had another great weekend at "home" visiting the family! Would have stayed longer if I didn't have to work ;-(. I need to play the lottery.

A week to clean and get the house in gear and then off to MO to visit!!!!

Beginnings of a Busy Summer

Apples for a teacher who got her masters's

Brian's birthday cake.

Birthday cookies.

I would have to say that all of May has been very busy so far. It's coming up on Memorial Day already. I hope the summer goes a little slower. I haven't done much spring cleaning but I have been baking like a champ and trying to keep up with the parties and pictures. We soon start traveling to visit family and hopefully slowing down.

I've been making some more cookies. Some for my Brother-in-law, Brian's, 30th birthday and some just for fun.

Drinking some milk before bed. This is the night we found him nude from the waist down in the morning. A onesie is now necessary for bedtime.

Someone doesn't like his picture being taken.

Someone else does.

Making horse and baby shower cookies this week then heading to western, PA to visit. All the sudden it's going to be August.

I don't know why blogger has these spaces in my posts but I can't seem to edit them out no matter how many times I try.

Cookies anyone?

Last week was the week of ballet slippers for a 3 year olds birthday party (Happy Birthday Lily) and graduation cookies for a highschool grad in MO (Congrats Jacinda).

This week is beer mugs and horses. Lots of baking and decorating going on lately. Best part is watching the kids devour them.

Evan Visits Gramma Beth

Wedding in CT and Mother's Day!

What a busy week last week! Made 58 tropical bird cookies to ship to Pittsburgh, had a wedding in Connecticut and celebrated my second Mother's day! Update on the bird cookies - they made it to Pittsburgh with only a few casualties. Two flamingos were goners and a few broken flamingo legs. It is so disappointing but most made it just fine. I made 10 extra to allow for breaking but I was hoping for a perfect delivery. At least I know what adjustments to make for shipping.

The wedding in CT was Jack's cousin Jimmy. He was married to Jen in San Diego prior to being deployed to Afghanistan and after his safe return, they celebrated with a traditional ceremony and reception in Jen's hometown of Branford, CT. It seems like just last year we went to Jimmy's Naval Academy graduation. Since then he went to flight school and spent a year oversees. He is quite impressive and has accomplished so much for not even being 30.

The trip to CT Saturday morning was slightly stressful once we got past NYC. 95 was closed due to an accident and we ended up taking a few wrong turns but took the scenic route through West Chester, NY and Greenwich, CT. It could have been worse. Oh - we hadn't had anything to eat all morning and I had to go to the bathroom for the last 3 hours. Five hours later, we made it!! CT never disappoints. Every place we have visited is nice.

I love wedding flowers!

The very happy bride and groom.

The view of the Long Island Sound from the reception. This is a house on a tiny island. All I kept thinking is how do they go grocery shopping? Any pizza place deliver?

We left Connecticut at 6 am to get home to our little boy. The ride home was great - hardly any traffic. We took Duke to the park and then went to a Mother's Day picnic! It was nice to see the little kids playing and all the dads waiting on the moms.

MIL with her boys.

Mom-mom with her girls.

My little guy at the park on Mother's Day. I love this guy and being his mommy.

Tropical Birds

I had a request for some tropical bird cookies for a mother/daughter dinner in Pittsburgh. My Aunt Vonda requested so, of course, I said yes. I decided to do toucans, parrots and flamingos to make them colorful.

I think they turned out pretty good for all the different colors. I am new to royal icing decorating so I was nervous because with all the different colors and detail, fondant would have been really hard.

Hopefully they make it to pittsburgh in one piece (literally) and they like them.

I could not have completed them without help from my sister, B. She stayed for almost 4 hours with me yesterday to help with the kid and decorate.