Birthday Boy

David had his first friend birthday party yesterday and it was a total blast. It was gorgeous out and the boys had a great time.

Falling into Color (and Feeling Crafty)

Corking it Up

Collector Corks

Leftover Acrylics - Yellow Paint Is Better Than None, Right?

Added a Lovely Spot of Color to the Unlovely Porch

Weekending

Oh what a lovely weekend it was!

Friday couldn't get here quick enough and we decided to use David's Papa Murphy coupon for some free cookie dough and we also took away some pizza too...

Cowboy Pizza....yum!

After dinner we got busy working on David's birthday party pinata. It's a little amorphous right now but it will shape up soon enough (we hope).

Sweet Craving Remix (or maybe just Rename)

Last week someone posted a recipe on FaceBook for Pecan Cake Bars. I was immediately intrigued because while I am a huge fan of pecan pie, I am not a great maker of pecan pie.  And also, the pie can be too sweet and not nearly as portable as it could be.

Enter, the Pecan Cake BarCrack



The crust reminds me of the Scotch Shortbread I used to pester my mom to let me bake while she was at work. It was so simple and so good!  After the crust is baked partially, you dump the buttery, caramelly, pecan mixture on top and bake for a little longer. It reminds me of the dessert that we saw Trisha Yearwood make recently - she called it "Crack".

I didn't get a lot of good pictures of the Pecan Crack but I did manage to get a bunch of tastes, so you'll have to take my word on this or create some yourself. I left about a dozen bites for the family and took the rest in to the office. I had to as this 8x11 pan contained 3 sticks of butter!!! My office mates seemed happy, happy, happy that I shared this treat with them.

So tonight after dinner I was craving something sweet (Braum's Brownie Fudge Sundae) but I was wanting to make use of the ripe bananas before they were too far gone and I did not want to use 3 sticks of butter. I also wanted something blueberry but not bread or pancakes so I could make this breakfast snack in advance.  So I searched for a banana blueberry cookie recipe.

I got a good one that even called for oats (bonus! fiber!) and only 1 stick of butter.



These were so moist and yummy! I would not describe them as cookies so much as muffin tops. And these are some muffin tops that I can appreciate!



Hope your Harvest Moon Hump Day has been as sweet as mine!

What's Been Up

So David lost his first tooth recently!

We were at the Norman High vs. Norman North game on the 5th when we noticed that David had an adult tooth coming in on the bottom.  He was yelling for the Tigers when I saw it. 2 days later and that baby (tooth) was outta there. I thought he was a bit young to be losing teeth but he is almost 6 so I guess he's right on time.  So we had a visit from the Tooth Fairy.

It came out while he was eating that crunchy peanut butter covered bagel...glad he didn't swallow it!

And there's been a lot of homework and football and soccer and basketball around these parts lately. Even Aubri has homework (and she's in PreK).

Isn't she just the Cutest Thing Ever?

Emi got a new do this past weekend. She wanted longer hair so Ketiesha gave her longer twists. My arms are aching just thinking about the effort it took to weave that hair into Emi's hair for so many hours... but she looks great and she loves her hair swinging when she runs...

She whips her hair back and forth...

And I got my cool t-shirt from the NHS band. I made us girls some tutus to wear to support the Tigers.

Don't mess with my tu-tu!

It was an easy enough no-sew project. I bought a bunch of tulle from the fabric store nearby (so cheap it was!).  I used a head band for Aubri's tutu and some elastic with snaps (used my grommet tool) for mine and Emi's. I just tied the strips of tulle onto the elastic et voila! We are so ready to represent the NHS Tigers now!

P.S. I got some crimson and cream tulle also and will be making us some OU tutus to support our SOONERS!!!

Napa Recap

I didn't have any solid plans outside of getting my work done while in Napa.  I wanted to be able to spend some time with my friend Gail, and I looked up a few yummy spots, but other than that, I was going with the flow.

I landed in Sacramento Monday afternoon and drove an hour to Napa. I was too excited to be hungry before I got to my hotel, but after I unloaded, my stomach started growling so I went in search of food. I was tired and in need of a black top and some decongestant and a bath soak too, so I hit Target and then Whole Foods. This was my first time in WF because the closest one to me is not really conveniently located. I was overwhelmed because I only really needed water, snacks and lunch and my mind wanted to buy 1 of everything.

I showed restraint and looked over every fresh offering at the store. I ended up getting a BBQ tofu salad and some garlic hummus along with a watermelon aqua fresca. Very yummy and satisfying combination.

Yummy Late Lunch

The next day for lunch we went to a place I scoped out online as a must for breakfast. It was a toss up between Grace's Table and Tarla Grill. We checked the menu at both places and Grace's Table was more enticing for us.

We had Fried Squash Blossoms (my first time to have!) and Argentine Empanada for appetizers. So good! I had the special - quiche and soup (tomato bisque) for lunch - and I didn't get any pictures!

That evening my friend Gail cooked us some salmon that her man caught in Alaska. It was as yummy as was the wine she served (yummers!). I don't recall what the first glass was but the 2nd glass was a nice petit-syrah that was just my taste.

It was fun to talk and hang out and meet her man.