Heaven covered with cream cheese frosting!

Oh my goodness I have discovered a new weakness!!! I tried a new cupcake and frosting recipe and they are FANTASTIC! I mean the lime ones were good but these WoW! So here ya go readers! Enjoy!

Pineapple Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup pecans chopped (optional)

Makes: About 18 standard cupcakes. Each cupcake serves 1.

instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Stir in sugar, pineapple and, if desired, nuts. Add flour mixture; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating.

Creem cheese ginger frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

Method

1 With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add ground ginger .Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

3 Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cake or cupcake.

Fish & Pizza?!

Today has been an interesting day to say the least! We had our first dissection! Isaiah caught his first fish last week on a cub scout fishing trip. When he asked if we could keep them I just couldn't say no!! In true homeschooler fashion he told me that he wanted to eat two of them and DISSECT the other!Never mind that his father is much better suited to do dissections and is on the other side of the world, never mind that I don't know how to clean fish, never mind that I don't even eat fish!! These were his first and darn it all we were going to bring them home! Momma was a little unprepared..

So they had to come home  in his shirt!!!

Anyhow we got those fishy home and wrapped them up and went in search of someone,anyone who could clean them. No dice! No one I asked knew how to do it! I thought if we could have cooked and eaten two of them then I may just be able to get out of the other request,the dissection. But now I  HAD to make good on that promise since we didn't get to eat any of the little nemo’s!

Today was the day! Let me just say it was as gross as I feared it would be BUT the kids really enjoyed it!

Talking to my husband today(as he laughed maniacally no less!)  I told him that I had a new appreciation for the fact that Isaiah is much more into physics/technology than animal/earth science : )

After the trauma of the dissection(Hehehe) I wasn't up for anything fancy for dinner! So we made pizza’s.

Here is Isaiah spreading butter on his because he does not like pizza sauce!

and Justin spreading the pizza sauce on his

and Hannah going crazy with the cheese : )

 

All in all a pretty great day!

Easy Lime cupcakes with Mango frosting

I found this recipe online and just had to try it!!! Its easy and yummy! I think the only change I’ll make next time is trying a cream cheese mango frosting and that's just because cream cheese is my favorite! LoL :)

Here are a few pictures to go with the recipe :)

Our first batch Mangoes and lime :)Yum I think he likes it?!I only burned myself 1’s mixing the frosting Perfection!!

 

For the cake:
A basic vanilla cupcake recipe or boxed vanilla cake
1 large lime
For the Frosting:
2 sticks softened butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
6+ cups powdered sugar
1 ripe mango
1 lime
Prepare the cupcakes as directed for your basic vanilla cupcake recipe.  Add the zest and juice of a whole lime (if avaliable Key Limes can be used here) to the prepared batter and fold in until it is incorporated.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. 
While the cupcakes are cooling peel and dice one whole mango (about 1 cup).  Place the mango in a saucepan and add the juice of 1 lime.  On medium heat cook this down until the mango has become soft (stiring with a whisk helps this allong), about 7-10 minutes.  When the mango peices have all broken down in the pot, transfer to a food processer and blend until smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool.
In a large bowl beat the softened butter until smooth.  Add two cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Then add two more cups and beat until smooth.  Then add the milk and vanilla and two more cups of powdered sugar.  Once that is blended and smooth, add the cooled mango puree and blend.  Add more powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency.  Place frosting in a piping bag with a tip and frost the cooled cupcakes.  Decorate with a slice of lime

Our weekend,our week and everything in between

Life can be so crazy at times. Life in our household has been a little bit of crazy lately. We had a good weekend.We saw the new Shrek movie and made some homemade  lime cupcakes and   enjoyed life in general. Despite the nice day as a family I spent most of the evening grumpy and moody. I am sure it was just a number of things! Nothing major really. Hormones,stress that sort of thing.

Despite MY attitude issues God is good and He has made my Sunday and Monday much better. This is our last official week of school for the 2009/10 school year! We are continuing with our math and reading/spelling review. Other than that we have planned several patriotic/Mmorial day themed crafts and activities for the week. Being an Army family these things are a big deal for usThe older three kiddos made red white and blue star wreaths for the front door today. We talked about who and what we are honoring on Memorial day and the kids had a ball gluing away!Here are some pictures for you all to enjoy!

Hannah gluing awayIsaiah thinking about the colorsAlyssa hangin’ on momma’s lap

  Justin Three American Cuties!

Spiritually fed

There are different seasons in our lives.Some times are calm,slow and peaceful. Others are hectic, stressful and trying. Why is it that sometimes when life gets crazy we let the REALLY important things slip?

As  a wife and mom I HAVE to be sure to feed my family,to do the laundry and be sure no one goes naked, balance the checkbook and make sure the money stretches,change diapers,make bottles and many other things.

As a homeschooling parent I am completely responsible for educating my children.I HAVE to teach my kids to read,write,reason,to understand math and a ton of other things.

When I have all these  worldly and daily “Have to’s” weighing on me I can forget what really is important. My family needs to be spiritually fed. How can I teach and parent with the spirit if I don’t invite the spirit into my home and my heart through prayer and scripture study? How can my children learn to draw close to God during the trials of life, if they don’t see me doing that daily?

We have been making a special effort in our family to have daily devotional. To take time to read and pray and sing hymns. We are not just “fitting it in”. We are trying to make it a priority. Before math, before laundry.First thing in the morning after breakfast(cause you know that baby of mine has to have her bottle first =0)) we are sitting down together as a family and spending some time with God. I can tell you that I feel the difference in my home.I have more patience during my day.I feel more at peace and more grounded.No matter what else is going on in my day.

Fifteen or twenty years from now when my children are remembering there life at home with mom and dad I want them to remember starting there day with the Lord in their  hearts. 

I am trying to remember that the dishes can wait.The math lesson can be done later.I only have a short time with these children of mine.I want to be sure  to teach them the lessons that truly matter.

Weekly wrap up Math,Scouts and the Zoo!

Another wonderful week of life and school done. On the school front we got several things done. Math this week was pretty simple and fun for both the boys. We played games. Go fish with numbers,war and some fun online games too. Reading/writing/English was another nice relaxed week. My oldest Isaiah is into Harry Potter. So I had him write a paper telling me about his favorite Harry Potter book. He worked on that for a few days and he proof read,spell checked and made the final draft today.  Our younger son Justin is just beginning to read. We used the letter  tiles we have from All About Spelling to play a reading/spelling game with both boys. With Justin I would put a word up on the board. He would read the word and get  1 chocolate chip and 1 mini marshmallow. I would give Isaiah a word to spell on the board and if he got it right he got 1 chocolate chip and 1 mini marshmallow =0)

I have found that in our home sweets are a good motivator *grin* not to often though of course!

We have been working on Isaiah’s scout requirements for getting his wolf. We learned a lot about taking care of the environment. We read three interviews of different environmentalist and conservationist  from national geographic kids,picked up litter in our neighborhood and went recycling with Grandpa. In another one of the requirement area’s we went over the food guide pyramid, planned healthy meals for the family and fixed some healthy meals together.

The girls this week have been doing lots too. Hannah has become the sweetest little mommy.Wearing dresses like mom and wearing shoes like mom too. See!

Today we had to take Alyssa to the doctor and Hannah decided that her baby doll also needed to see the doctor so she came along with us.

Alyssa has decided that food is ok with her now. She loves sweet potatoes =0) She has also decided to try to be more mobile. She is rolling and pushing up and trying to sit.

 

Tomorrow will be an exciting day with a trip to the  zoo to see the new polar bear exhibit =0)

Oh and last and probably least important (HAHA) mommy (that's me) met her exercise and healthy eating goals this week and lost three pounds! I hope everyone has had a great week too!!

A new recipe I LOVE

Along with my goals to gain more culinary skills I have been searching for healthy recipes. I have four cutie pies and my youngest is just shy of six months old. I am in that phase I know all of us mommies go through and am working to get my body back in shape.

I am exercising regularly and I am a weight watchers girl. I have been able to lose the baby weight after each baby on weight watchers! One of my favorite websites to find new recipes is Dotti's weight loss zone. There are a TON of recipes! Appetizers,soups and stew,casseroles,even deserts!!  Dotti is an amazing women who lost 105lbs using weight watchers. Aside from the recipes on the site there are tips,tricks and encouragement for those of us trying to make a change and have a healthier lifestyle.

If you like your food a little spicy you will LOVE this recipe!!

King Ranch Chicken

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 can Healthy Request Condensed Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup
1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes
6 oz. cubed chicken, cooked
4 corn tortillas, torn in pieces
6 tbsp. or 1/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Sauté pepper and onion in skillet with Pam.  Add soup, Rotel tomatoes and
chicken.  Alternate layers of tortillas and soup mix.  Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  

POINTS:  5

 

ENJOY!

One of those “homeschool” concerns

I have never met a homeschooler that wasn't concerned about high school!

Will we send them to public school?Will they be able to get into college? Can I teach chemistry or calculus? What about a diploma? These are just some of the questions that come to mind.

That's why I was so excited to read about a webinar coming up on just this topic. Please please please run on over to Kris’ blog Weird,Socialized Homeschoolers to read all about it!

Mothers Day & Christina’s culinary school

Today was just a beautiful day! I blogged earlier about my culinary goals. Check that out HERE! The menu was set and the whole evening was fantastic!

My niece Makayla helped out in the kitchen chopping and mixing and it was really fun!

Here is a picture of the four generations of women at our dinner today. From left to right:Me and my oldest daughter Hannah,my niece Makayla,my sister Tristan, my Grandma Lulubell, my niece Emma and my mom holding my daughter Alyssa

And here are all the guys from left to right:My nephew Joseph,son Justin,brother in law Jason holding my nephew Daniel who is trying to escape,my son Isaiah, my grandpa Wickliff,my step dad Larry holding my nephew Oliver.

All in all a wonderful mothers day =0) The food all turned out great and four of the five things I made were new recipes I had never tried before! I also tried a new veggie I had never had, eggplant =0) and I must say I liked it!!

I hope all you mothers out there had a great day too!

I love being a momma

I love being a momma. I cant look at my four sweet children,watch them grow,get there hugs and not want to be right where I am. I am FULFILLED being their mother. I am doing important work being their mother.

Happy Momma’s Day to all you beautiful moms out there doing all the wonderful things you do!

Looking at Motherhood Together

I found this great questionnaire on Rebeccas blog The Blessings of Modern Domestication all about being a mom. I though it was the perfect thing for mothers day!

Looking at Motherhood Together:
1. What is one thing you wish someone had told you about being a mom?
That I was giving my life up but that through doing that I would find myself =0)

2. What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve experienced as a mother? I think the most embarrassing times are when kids are learning to notice other people and haven't learned that we shouldn't talk about other people. I know I have had my kids say things like “Is that a guy or a girl?” To a particularly manly women before. Or “Wow he is huge!” Ugh how embarrassing!!

3. What's been your lowest point?
When my husband was away for training(in the army) and I was 4 months pregnant with baby #4. My second child got pneumonia and was in the hospital. I had SO much guilt that I couldn't be home with my other kids but knew I needed to be with my poor sick guy! I felt SO overwhelmed.

4. What's been the most rewarding?
Being able to watch them grow into great little people and knowing I got to be part of it.

5. Describe a mommy moment that transformed you so much so, you will never forget it nor are you the same since?
Each time one of my babies has been born and I hold them for the first time its amazing.Feeling your heart overflow with joy. I will never forget that.

6. Are you more relaxed or paranoid since becoming a mother? LoL! With my first two I got more paranoid! But now that I have four I have learned how resilient kids are and I have relaxed a lot!

7. Did you plan on becoming a mother or were you taken by surprise?
It was a complete and utter shock! But one that I have never regretted!

8. Were [or are] you close with your mom?
I am super close with my mom!She is one of my favorite people.

9. What family tradition do you want to pass down?
Spending lots of family time. So often people are over scheduled and hardly spend any time together just playing and being a family. I want us to really know each other and spend lots of time together.

10. If you could start over, what would you do differently?
I wouldn't have started so young (I was 17) It took me a long time to learn to be a good mom.

Plans For The Coming Week

I am uber excited about our homeschool plans for this week. We school year round and have officially finished everything for this school year. For the month of May we are simply reviewing. June is our cross country move and there are no specific plans for that month! On top of our review this month we will be focusing on Isaiah’s cub scouts. There are so many neat things to learn in the scouting program and we are going to focus on doing his requirements and involving the whole family, especially little brother who is dying to do scouts and isn't quite old enough!It should be lots of fun!! This week is all about learning to use different tools and building something together. I know it is totally cliché to build something like a bird house or bird feeder BUT some of the other requirements are about studying birds(and hello its such great science) so I think we will be building a bird feeder =0)

We have plans to go to the hardware store, go talk with grandpa about the tools we will need to build our bird feeder and then getting the supplies.Should be a good week =0)

Too Cute!

Alyssa just fell asleep like this on the floor =0)