First Day

Today was our first day of school.....as always I was the only mom there with tears leaking out. The older two flew out the door at 6:39 a.m. and started their year together in the IHS building.....9th and 10th grades. Cubby is on to second grade. I just can't get over it!!!! It seems like yesterday I was carpooling him to pre-school. He was up and ready with no problem.



Our bus stop has a ton of kids......every year we always get a group picture ( Lots of mommy scrapbookers :) This was the first year I can ever remember that it was actually a bit chilly.....almost fall-like.



As always, I made a cake for the first day of school....I learned a few things....it looks a bit tall and top-heavy, but it's really yummy. I used a boxed Devils Food cake mix and wanted to make it an 8" triple layer cake. Well, 1 box wasn't quite enough, and 2 boxes was toooo much! The kids didn't seem to mind...Cub was wondering if it was a wedding cake because it was so high :)

Here's the recipe for the Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookie Cake:

1 pkg. (2 layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix
4 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/4 cup butter, cut up
1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping
12 Oreo's coarsely crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on the box in two nine inch round baking pans. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pans. Cool completely on racks.

Microwave chocolate and butter in a small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping and crushed oreos. Place 1 cake layer, top side down, on serving plate. Spread top of layer evenly with cream cheese mixture. Cover with remaining cake layer, topside up. Spoon chocolate glaze over top of cake. Let stand until set. Store in refriferator.

Favorite Friday

Wow.....these weeks just keep flying by faster and faster. I certainly hope when my kiddos go back to school next week I will have a little more time for some blogging fun. I just haven't had much time to hop around and check out all of my bloggy friends....so sorry :(

But here is my pick for my favorite thing this week...Trident Splash Peppermint gum. I have to start right off my saying that I am NOT a gum chewer. I very rarely chew gum and I can probably count on one hand how many times I have actually even bought gum....but I think I'm going to start!

A few nights ago at football practice our designated "Team Grandmom" ( who was actually Cindy Lou's first grade teacher....and after 36 years of teaching retired this year) offered me a piece of this gum. I took a piece and looooooooved it. It stays soft and holds it flavor FOR.EVER. She then proceded to tell me it's kind of hard to find...and when she does, she buys a bunch of it. Well....I may just have to start buying gum and chewing it. It's that good....so tell me....do you have a favorite??

Peach Pie

OK. If you read my post yesterday, I was attempting to make a peach pie from scratch. I have been stressing about this all week. seriously, I have. I have been all over bloggy-ville and back comparing recipes and techniques. I finally settled on my real-life friend Jennifer Juniper's crust recipe....and I found the filling recipe on allrecipes.com. Click HERE to get Jennifer's recipe.

For how worried and stressed I was it turned out A.MAZ.ING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am thrilled. My sister in law has been baking pies for years and I love this crust much better....and I'm sure it's because she uses Crisco in hers. I followed Jennifer Junipers recipe which calls for all butter, except I added an extra Tablespoon of sugar.

I got all crazy when all of these recipes were saying to use your food processor, which I don't have. I mean, how did Laura Ingalls Wilder make her pie crust???? So I got a pastry blender and it worked perfect! I saw exactly how to do it on a post over at smittenkitchen.

I certainly need a little help with crimping the edges...mine look like Cubby did them. And also making cute little decorations for the top...but for my first try I couldn't be happier. I just loooooove the taste of the crust, and it's FLAKY too! That's what really makes a pie great for me......kinda like the buttercream on a cupcake :)

Favorite Friday

Happy Friday peeps! These summer days seem to be flying by faster and faster.....I can't believe school starts soon. It seems I just can't get any busier...but with peach season starting to fade I just had to feature them on my little Favorite Friday post.

Peaches remind me of my mother in law. She loved them....in her last days that was all she ate. I've been wanting to try to make a homemade pie crust for years and today is the day. Forever I have been content with the refrigerator brand....but today I am attempting to make a peach pie. I have all of my ingredients and a pastry blender. I've been looking around at all of my friends blogs and studying hard. Cross your fingers for me....I'll let you know how it goes :)

Guppies

OK. Now please bear with me a little bit here...it was REALLY hard to get some pictures. But these are the guppies Cubby brought home from first grade back in March.

He actually brought home two guppies. I fed them yesterday morning, and there were two. Then last night I couldn't believe my eyes when there was a third one swimming around too! He is in the middle there....just the size of a little piece of rice.





I just couldn't get over that there was another one.....I really had NO IDEA how this came about! Here's a little bit better picture...there he is, that little speck in the middle.



Really....did you know guppies did this??? Like when??? Or how?????????!

Favorite Friday

It's Friday!!!!! Whoo HOooooooooooOOO! The day I feature something that has become a favorite of mine. Because the Treatgirl loves to pass along her tidbits on what I think you may like :) A friend at the gym was telling me about this Almond Soy milk and I couldn't wait to try it. I got it on my next trip to the store. IT.IS.GREAT!! For Reals. You will really like this! I use it for cereal, pour it over berries, and use it to make milkshakes.



I also love it to make iced coffee drinks. A bit of it over ice with coffee and a Splenda and you won't know what came over you! No more Starbucks :) And how about the really cute travel cup? I know, it was made just for me! A BOGO for Favorite Friday...because this is one of my favorites too.

Team Spirit

This team mom has been busy every night this week getting ready for our first game on Saturday. I got all of of our rosters printed out, laminated and hung on lanyards so we can easily cheer for our boys. Then I got the idea that it would be cute if all the moms had a little bracelet too.



I love our team colors of black and blue.....although the true "blue" of our school is what they call "Carolina Blue" and was impossible to find....so I settled for this one. On my hunt for blue beads, I was lucky to find these super great football charms. They turned out cute and I'm excited for Saturday to share them with everyone. Hoping they bring us good luck!!!!!