What is it?? Wednesday

This week dear peeps...it's sugary sweet sprinkles and jimmies. And you may be thinking...When did the treatgirl set up an espresso bar in her house???? ....I actually took this picture of my identical canister at the Sweet House last week when I was there with the Soul Sisters....check out our fied trip here .... I looooovved that the girls at the Sweet House have a pretty jar too!!



Here is the full view of the bakery at the Sweet House. It was sooooo cute!!! And I just loooovvved all of the cupcake stuff. I can't wait to visit again.

A HUUUUGGGE suprise from Daddy

Cindylou turns 14 on Thursday, October 1st. I can't believe it!!! That is also the night Taylor Swift is coming to town. All of her friends have been conniving for weeks on how they will or will not be able to get to the show. If you remember, her big present was to be her bedroom makeover. Well of course I got her a few extra treats for her to open on her big day....but last week Chip was hunting around on ebay for Taylor Swift tickets for her....well, I put the kabosh on that when he said tickets on the floor were going for $250!! Bruce Springsteen...maybe. Taylor Swift...NO!!

Today Chip stopped in our local Verizon store to get his Blackberry serviced and there were a bunch of Verizon office people and a local radio station DJ. I guess Verzion sponsors the big concerts that come to our town. Chip was approached by the D.J. who was giving away tickets to the concert. She thought he was his brother!! I have to say there are soooooo many times when people confuse the two of them. They usually go along with it and pretend they are the other one....and then tell one another of the mistake. Well, today the mix-up was insane!!!!! Chip told the DJ he was really a brother of who she was confusing him with...are you following me??? Anyway, she gave Chip two Taylor Swift tickets!!!!!! And then he told her it was Cindylou's birthday the night of the concert and she gave him TWO MORE.....so she could take some friends. HOW CRAZY IS THAT???!!!!! Needless to say....she is estatic to be going....and it was the buzz all day trying to decide who to ask and what to wear. I'm sure it will be a birthday to remember always!!

I'm a Grandmother!!!!!!!!!!!

Weeeeellll....just for the weekend!! It was Cindylou's turn to bring home "Baby, Think It Over" from school. In one of her classes this fall they are teaching students what it would be like to have a baby. It was crazy to see her getting off the bus with an infant car seat with a baby in it.




The baby's name is Joeseph...but Cindylou really wanted a girl so we re-named her Josephina. She has a diaper bag and she picked out all girl clothes for her visit. We live in Steeler country and we all thought the baby looked like one of our players that was traded to Miami....Joey Porter.



She was able to feed little Josephina while watching iCarly. She even had to take her to her hair appointment. While we were crossing the street to go in, the baby started crying...the baby is programmed by the teacher to start crying at all times of the day and night. Josephina apparently wailed for her entire hair appointment. When I picked her up she complained how annoying it had been!! I tried to explain to her how I would take her to lunch with a friend when she was a baby and the same thing would happen. It was a loooooongg two nights.....Josephina cried and cried several times during the night. Cindylou did her best by rocking her, changing her diaper and feeding her. At one point, at 3 a.m. she was in tears and cried, "I hate this!!" .....just what I wanted to hear :)

The Soul Sisters Have a Sweet Time

I can't even remember the last time we all got together.........it has been waaaaaay too long. But this morning we all fanagled a morning get together at the Sweet House...an adorable little bakery not far from where we all live. It is sooooo cute!! Right up my alley with really super sweet cupcake accessories everywhere.



Cubby is in afternoon kindergarten, so he came along. He picked out a cupcake for breakfast (trust me...Cindylou and T. wouldn't have been having cupcakes for breakfast!) Then Ms. Joy settled him onto the sofa with her itouch equipped with a Star Wars game to play. Thank you, Miss :)



When you walk in the front door of the Sweet House if you go to the right there is a living room with leather sofas and chairs....and these TOO.CUTE cupcake pillows....if I had a big enough purse I would have tried to smuggle one home! Perfect to settle in to and chat the morning away...and we had a LOT to chat about...Jennifer Juniper had us rolling with laughter about the details of her recent trip to Paris.



Then when you go in the house and go to the left, there is the bakery part. I have a weakness for aprons...and look at all of them hanging there on that rack. I wanted to try them all on...



There were frosting shots in a little cup with a tiny taster spoon and sprinkles...see them on that cake stand? Scones, cupcakes, cookies, sweets of all kinds!!!! My head was spinning! Trying to soak it all in....what a lovely place to come to work to every day....it wouldn't even be work...it would be like playing house when you were little.



OH! ...and look at that giant cupcake cookie jar! I wanted to sneak that home too!!



Here is a picture of us Soul Sisters....we were cracking up because this is actually the second picture...Cubby was so kind to take it for us and the first one we had to delete because he cut off all of our heads and only got our boobs...which tied in with the story Jennifer was telling us about her experience seeing the Lido show in Paris with all of the topless girls right in her face.




But there was more fun to be had....a second part to our field trip....The Monkey's Trunk across the street. My sister in laws sister in law....get that??? ...told me about it over the summer....a super cool designer consignment shop. We had been wanting to check it out. So we made our way over there....and this is tooooo freaky!! The girl who told me about this shop a few months ago was actually in there with HER girlfriends!! WWWEEIIRRD!!!! Anyway.....what a fun morning.....and as always the time FLEW by with soooo much more to be said and shared!! Sisters...what about our weekend away????? We need to get something on the books!!! Thanks again girlies...I love our gatherings....they are just always toooo short and tooo far in between.

Happy Birthday Bruuuuucceee!!

Happy Birthday Bruce!!! I just had to send you a big birthday hello!!!



And when you ask, "Is anybody alive out there????" in Buffalo, New York...November 22,2009 I'll be ready to rock!!!! My 21st time.....Every concert is as thrilling as the the first. Thanks, Bruce and have a happy, happy birthday!!!

What is it?? Wednesday

How perfect my canister is for bow tie pasta...or any of my favorite pasta for that matter. I made a lovely pasta dish with the bow ties yesterday....sauteed onions in olive oil, peas, pancetta, white wine, half and half, heavy whipping cream...not something you can have very much of, or very often......but the kiddos loved it!!!

Feeling Overwhelmed

Every year right about now, I get extremely overwhelmed and stressed. I get the kids settled into school and get into a groove for a week or two and then what I call my "Christmas in October" is here...Two of my three children, my husband and father in law all have birthdays in the same week. It's party planning and shopping for the kids... right in the middle of my very hectic life of karate three days a week, football season for T. and soccer season for Cubby....Let alone all of the day to day stuff....I also am feeling overwhelmed with all of the usual fall projects.....cleaning the windows, fall yardwork, putting away the patio furniture and planting mums. Getting my pretty wreath on the door and putting out my fall decorations. I also want to bake!! Pumpkin stuff.....lots of it! I had all intentions of making a lot of things from my new Kitchen Aid cookbook a friend gave me...but that hasn't happened in the last few weeks either :( I'm feeling the need to cook a roast and mashed potatoes, shepards pie, a turkey breast and stuffing....comfort food now that the weather is turning. It will all get done...it always does....but then just as I come up for air it's the Halloween frenzy....Halloween just isn't the party at school and one night of trick or treating. It's pumpkin carving parties, hayrides, putting together fabulous costumes for the kids, costume parties and crafts. Again all fun stuff....but just when you come up for air it's Thanksgiving and Christmas. Wheh!!!!!! I think if I just had a couple of Grey Goose and tonics I'll feel much better tomorrow. Thanks for letting me vent for a bit....I'm almost feeling a little bit better.

We've Got the Snack Covered

I was in charge of the snack for Cubby's soccer game today. I personally have a hard time with it....their game ends at 11:30 and I truly think they can manage without it....but oh well...If I'm gonna do it.....I might as well make it look CUTE!! I wrapped up Rice Krispie treats and a little bag of fruit snacks with ribbon in their team colors...and attatched a little team tag I made, as well. In the spring I made cupcakes with black and blue sprinkles with these same little tags attatched to toothpicks stuck in....they really loved them. It doesn't really take all that much effort...why not make their snack great???




It was a beautiful morning for soccer....bright, clear and pretty warm.



They just all run around smiling....and we have so much fun cheering them on...Go Team, Go!!!

I was picked.........

....to be a room mom in Cubby's class!!! I am really super, duper excited. I've never been a room mom...I am one of those types that just likes to come up with the craft idea and help out a bit...I don't like to do all of the coordinating stuff and be in charge. My older two are in 7th and 8th grade...so I'm a bit out of touch of what goes on the in the younger grades these days. Well, the other day I found out there is a new policy at the school...AB.SO.LUTELY NOOOOOO sugar!!!!!!!!! That's right....no cupcakes. no cookies. no ice cream sundae bar. no candy. no treats. What kind of fun can that be???? I walked around feeling dejected for a day or two. My first big gig is the Halloween party, and how do you do that with no fun junk food???? I'm researching things and brainstorming...so if any of you out there have any SUPER HEALTHY party snack ideas, please let me know. In the meantime look what I picked up at my Goodwill yesterday!!!!! 21 pumpkins!!! There were 5 shelves of them sitting there, brand new from Target. I've found out my local Target donates tons of clearance stuff that doesn't sell. So of course the treatgirl grabbed enough for the class...I'm not quite sure what to do with them yet....seeing as though there won't be any treats to bring home :( I'm thinking we can do some type of toss game...and then as a small craft they can decorate the handles with ribbons and make a name tag to dangle....oh...and if you have any fun party ideas let me know...there is to be four stations the kiddos rotate through. Wish me luck!!!

What is it?? Wednesday

Alrighty then, peeps......THAT would be a Brownie Trifle!!! I do have a lovely trifle bowl and I had gotten it out to use... and then I thought how much fun it would be to make in my canister and have it be featured today!! I'm tellin' you what....this treatgirl is always thinking :)

I made this on Sunday for a dinner with my husbands family....oh yeah, I forgot to confess this to my dear friend TF at the gym on Monday morning...I fessed up about the beer, wings, pizza, walking tacos, and big, fat turkey dinner....how could I forget this yummy little trifle???? BAD, BAD weekend!!!

Anyway...if you'd like to try it, it's really easy and everyone loved it!! Here's what you need:

1 box brownies...make them according to the package
1 large package chocolate pudding....make it according to the package as well
6 Heath bars, crushed...or Skor bars work great too!
1 large container of Cool Whip

When the brownies have cooled cut them into 1 inch pieces. Use this as your first layer. Then put half of the chocolate pudding on top of the brownies. Put on half of the crushed candy bars, then a layer of Cool Whip. Repeat this for the second layer.

It couldn't be any easier!!!!! Yuuuuuuuuummmmmm!

Priority Mail from Alaska

What a lucky girl I was this past weekend....Friday my hubby Chip, treated me to a beautiful bracelet...then Saturday I got a Priority Mail envelope from a new friend...a "bleader"...that's blogger/reader....she lives in Ketcikan, Alaska! I've never gotten anything from Alaska, except for the coffee mug my Dad brought me from a little town called Chicken, Alaska.....



Well, she is a fabulous knitter and has shared many of her creative projects...I have just recently finished a fun bow tie scarf she featured....and was wanting to also try another beautiful ruffled scarf she made for herself.....check it out here....and be sure to wander around her lovely blog...there are such terrific pictures of her world up there in Alaska....well she was sooo sweet and shared the pattern with me....I can't WAIT to get started. It is amazing how wonderful all of my blogging buddies are out there....I just wish I could gather everyone up and have a big party!!!! Thanks again for the treat A Little Bit of Scrap :) P.S. Be sure to check your mailbox too.......

I got a treat!!!

A little treat just for me :) Chip and I took Cubby to school Friday afternoon and he agreed to go "look" a this super cute Pandora bracelet with me...a dear friend has one and I admired it from the moment I saw it. I have seen them before, but never really had anyone explain them to me. You can add or change beads whenever you want...to celebrate your life's moments and memories. We stopped at the jewelry store in our town...they were having a "trunk sale"...how wonderul....perfect timing. When you purchased four beads, you recieve the bracelet for free! Yeah!!! Chip browsed with me for a minute or two....then he made himself comfortable and got busy on his Blackberry...he could see this would take a little while....It's often a challenge for me to order from a menu in a restaurant, let alone pick shiny, pretty beads from a case to start me a beautiful new bracelet. Well, I needed to get two clips, to hold the beads in place....so that was pretty easy.....I decided I would pick a bead, and Chip could pick a bead for me....can you tell whick one I picked???? Yep, it's the cutest cupcake you've ever seen. I'm excited to see my bracelet evolve....and I really think Chip should thank me....I just made his life so much easier. It will be a no-brainer now when it comes to holidays and birthdays!!! Your welcome, Chip :)

Let's Get Kickin'

Socceer season has arrived and Cubby is ready to play!!! Chip is helping coach the team, and today was their first game.




Cub got six goals!! I think the $1.00 per goal incentive may have helped a bit...We're going to go broke if he keeps this up all season!




And in this age group there really are no plays or team work......the whole pack just runs after the ball...up and down the field with huge smiles on their faces. They don't keep score and everyone "wins"....and I think that's great...but my in-laws always have to make a comment about it. "Oh yeah, EVERYONE wins...what does that teach them???"....come on, they're just having fun! They'll learn it all soon enough.



Taking a break. I surprised him with his first Gatorade....he was soooo excited. I don't ever buy it....so it was a big treat. Let's go CT United!!!!

I just want him to stay little!!!!!!!

These are Cubbys school shoes from last year...he picked them out himself at Stride Rite. I looooved them....he would wear them with his brown and blue corduroys...when he wanted to look "handsome"....he's out grown them...but I just haven't been able to part with them :( It makes me sad that he doesn't fit in any of the toddler clothes...no more 5T's.......he's in the "big boy" section now. No more baby clothes as he says!!




When we went back to school shopping a few weeks ago...these are the shoes he picked out. He wanted "skateboard" shoes....and then we scored on these black Adidas (...and yes, I knew how to spell that by saying in my head...All Day I Dream About Sex!!) at Famous Footwear for $7.99!!! The box said $49.99!!!!!!!! He was soooooo happy!! I just hugged him.....and thought in my head...."I just want him to stay little".

What is it?? Wednesday

First of all.....I just have to mention that today is 09/09/09...isn't that really cool???? And now, back to business.......50/50 ticket stubs fill up my pretty little canister. For those of you who aren't familiar with what they are.....at all of the local sporting events, as a fundraiser, moms and dads sell tickets to all of the fans during the event. Then a ticket is drawn. The winning number is announced and they split the money. Sometimes it can be quite a hefty amount...especially at the high school football games. Well, these are the tickets they sell at T's football games every weekend. Cubby has loved them since he was really little. He always collected them after the number was drawn....putting them in his pockets, playing with them in his play cash register and having his own 50/50 raffles at our house. I even won once a few years ago!! Last Saturday I asked the mom in charge of the raffle if I could have all of the tickets at the end of the night.....not just for my post here....but I have an idea that's brewing in my crafty little brain on how to re-purpose them on a big project I have up my sleeve. More on that in the coming months.....

Reuben Casserole

This is not a picture of the Reuben casserole I made......that didn't turn out so great....this is what my SIL and I had to drink on a gray, rainy Labor Day. It really helped to brighten our day!! Even though it was rainy it didn't stop the boys from jumping on the tramp and wakeboarding.....they crave each other when they don't see each other every week and they didn't care what the weather was doing!

But I still did want to share the recipe I made.....I've had it for about 10 years and it always goes over quite well. I don't care for corned beef...so I use turkey...and technically it's called a Rachel when you do that....but here goes....

Ingredients:
6 slices pumpernickel or rye bread, toasted and cubed...about 5 1/2 cups
1 (14 oz.) can sauerkraut, drained
1 lb. thinly sliced corned beef or turkey, from the deli, cut into strips
3/4 cup Russian dressing....I use it straight from the bottle
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Swiss cheese

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12x8 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place bread cubes evenly in bottom of sprayed dish. Spread sauerkraut evenly over bread. Layer corned beef or turkey over sauerkraut. Pour dressing over the top. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; place, sprayed side down, over baking dish.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, and additional 5 to 10 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Chocolate Cake

I just can't say enough about how much I looooove this cake!! For one thing it is soooo easy and you can have all of the ingredients on hand. I made it last weekend for a family dinner and decided I hadn't had enough so I made it again...that's right twice in one week!!!!! You don't need an occaision.....just get the stuff and whip it up.......here we go....

1 box of Devils Food cake mix
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Jar Caramel topping
1 12 oz. bowl of Cool Whip
3 or 4 crushed Heath bars.....I actually used 6!!

Bake cake as directed in a 13x9 pan. While cake is still hot, poke holes with the handle of a spoon all the way to the bottom. Mix about a 1/4 cup of condensed milk with the jar of caramel......I thought the whole can made it too "wet" ...let it soak in....and cool completely. Frost with the Cool Whip and sprinkle with crushed Heath Bars.

This will truly become a family favorite!! And be sure to think of the Treatgirl every time you make it :)

First Day

Today was my kiddos first day of school...Every year I go through this...the heartache and worry, missing them, and wondering if they'll remember all of the fun times we had and not me yelling for the umpteenth time to turn off the t.v. and video games and go outside!!...only this year was the HARDEST yet......Cubby went to kindergarten. I started crying when he graduated from pre-school in May and the tears have been leaking ever since. The big kids got on the bus at 6:43 a.m. and of course there are no more "off to school" pictures for them....so I had Chip run out to the sidwalk and sneak this one of them getting on the bus.

Cubby goes to afternoon kindergarten so we spent the beautiful morning playing frisbee and riding his bike. We had lunch and then headed up to his school. We got there an HOUR early!!!! I knew I wanted to take some pictures.....of course, the scrapbooker in me coming out :) And he did notice there were no other kids there! So we played at the playground for a bit.




We waited on the sidewalk for the teachers to come open the doors.....and I could feel the knot in my throat welling up, the tears were almost about to spill over...



And then this is where I lost it!!!!!!!!!!! I drove home blubbering and sniffling...I don't know.....I'm hoping tomorrow goes better for me...HE totally had a great day and that's the most important thing.....I just have to get a grip!! Maybe I can help in the classroom every day?????




I have a tradition of baking a cake for the first day of school every year....this year it was this lovely, scrumptious chocolate number.....with lots of caramel, Cool Whip, and crushed Heath Bars....let's just say, if they don't have this in heaven, I'm not going!!!!..stop back tomorrow and I will share the recipe :)

What?! "Mock Apple Pie"...yep, kids! It's zucchini!

I have done EVERYthing to zucchini.....baked it, stuffed it, fried it, sauteed it, made it into soup......but make it into a pie that tastes like apple??? Nope!!! not until today, that is. I've heard of it, and quite honestly I wasn't interested.....like, how could it??? And why not just use apples?!!!! Well Ms. Bragarmar brought a piece to football practice the other night and I was blown away!! It was scrumptious and TRULY did taste like apple!!!!!!! Well, her crust was amazing as well....and I do need a lesson on that....but I got busy this afternoon. And look, I don't even have a pie pan.....I used a Corning French White baking dish...But that didn't slow me down...I also used pie crusts that you get in the refrigerator section...shhh....my kiddos don't know the difference. Hopefully someday soon I be cranking out "real" ones. I do need to get a rolling pin though:)



If you'd like to try it for yourself and pull it over on your family here's the recipe:
6 cups zucchini
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 T. flour
1 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of salt and nutmeg

Dough for a double pie crust

Pare zucchini, wash and slice lengthwise. Remove seeds. Slice like apples. Add a little water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add zucchini and simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender. Cool and drain well. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix, and place into an unbaked 9 inch pie crust. Cover with top pie crust and flute to seal edges. Cut slits into the top of crust for steam to escape. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.

What is it?? Wednesday

With the chilly evenings we've had around here a nice cup of tea really hits the spot....so we've filled our canister with a selection of our favorites.....green tea, orange spice, herbal mint, ginger, cranberry, mango passion fruit tea and of course...sleepy time!!! Cindylou is the one who always gets the process going....she looooooves her tea! As a matter of fact....let me go brew a bit myself! That would be a nice treat after a very looooong day!