christmas kisses and a baby

Super quick post to share two layouts.

I'm so happy to be scrapbooking again.  Ordered some ink for my little photo printer, filling in organizers for Project Life, going through and editing photos to send to the printer.  It all feels so good.

Here's a page I completed last week while creating with a friend:

The green ink splatters went a little awry so I had to cover them up with a snowflake (oops!)

a close up of a snowflake cut with my fabulous Silhouette Cameo:

Then last night, I searched online for some scrapbooking challenges to get me inspired and came across this simple one:

from My Scraps and More

So after cooking up some delicious crepes for the boys and I this morning:

recipe here

I set straight to work on this page:

Every time I use the Silhouette, I am amazed at how intricately it can cut.  Tell me you're not amazed.

That's all I've got for now.  

Need to go get lunch for the boys who have been rotting their brains on Minecraft and various other absurdities for the past 2 hours.

yummy food

We just began a new tradition in our house last week.  

Hmm, can you call it a tradition after only a week?

Well, whatever it is, I wish I had started it sooner.

Each of the boys helps me cook dinner once a week.

I married a man who does not cook (boxed mac and cheese sends this man into a panic).

He is a wonderful man, with many talents and abilities.  Cooking is just not one of them.

We have been blessed with three boys.  Three smart and eager-to-learn boys.

I refuse to send them out into the world without a working knowledge of the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, I am no Julia Child.  I can get by in the kitchen enough to scrape together home cooked meals 5 or 6 times a week, and I admittedly live for take-out night.

I get a lot of help, and one of my favorite cooking partners is The Pioneer Woman.  This girl can cook! I have never tried a recipe of hers that I did not like, and often my sometimes-picky eaters will ask for seconds.

Well, last night's dinner was no exception.

Seriously the best beef stew known to man.  And the mashed potatoes?  Out of this galaxy!

I have to admit, I did not follow the recipe for the stew exactly.  Tuesday was my middle son's turn in the kitchen.  We were cooking along: him pulsing the mini chopper on the onions and garlic, me handling all the raw meat parts.  Happily cooking along, the two of us, when I came to this line: "simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours."  Uh-oh.  Um, yeah, it was already pushing 6:00 and feeding my children at 8:30 is just not an option.  He sprang into action and threw together a pizza on a pre-baked crust, and I set the stew to simmer.

Later that night, I followed the rest of the directions on the stew (omitting the turnips--remember those "sometimes-picky eaters"), let it cool and refrigerated the whole pot until about an hour before dinner the next night.  I set the pot on the stove to simmer and whipped up TPW's to-die-for mashed potatoes (also included with the stew recipe link above), and had a delicious, stress-free dinner on the table in no time.

And oh, what a dinner it was.  Today's lunch leftovers were equally yummy.  I highly recommend this one!

Oh, and if you're looking for a yummy banana bread recipe, this one is the best I've ever tasted (and that's coming from a girl who doesn't even like banana bread).

The cinnamon-sugar swirl makes it divine!

How about you: try any yummy recipes lately?