they're back!!!!!!

They're back!!!!!!!!! I drove by McDonald's yesterday and this is the sign I saw!!! Well....just to let my dear readers know, they don't have to put a sign out for me...every year about mid-February my body starts to twitch...I know they're coming!!...if you remember my post from last fall about the pumpkin shakes...this is where it all started....soooo....for the next six weeks or so it will be a big struggle for me....knowing they are just a gift card and a drive-thru away!

a pretty good substitute!!

Well........daddy promised Cubby donuts this morning and that didn't happen!!!!....he was very, very sad....so what did the treat girl do???.....she made him Mickey Mouse pancakes!!...Mickey Mouse clubhouse is his favorite show ...he asks all morning when is it going to be 9 o'clock???....he already knows he wants a Mickey Mouse birthday party in October!!....this pancake made him happy!!

tons of snacks!!

Whenever my dad comes down for a visit he always calls to check and see if I need anything from favorite grocery store...Wegmans. If you haven't been to one...you haven't lived yet. He popped down yesterday afternoon for a surprise visit...and look at the treats he brought my kiddos!!......tons of snacks!!! He knows I hate buying lunchables and all of those little bags of snacks.....especially the "100 calorie" packs....they drive me crazy......I usually just buy a big bag of something and make my own....same little bag, same snack...but my kids want the "real" ones!!......anyway, he was their hero...AGAIN....when he surprised them with three suitcases of sunchips, fritos, doritos, chips and cheetos....plus slim jims, raisins with "frosting"...another halfway heathy thing covered in sugar!! and umpteen sleeves and boxes of little bag snacks...........we're good in the snack department for quite a while over here! Thanks again Dad!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!.....I just wanted to share a few of my favorite things from the day today......


A new tea towel....cupcakes!! :)



A favorite decoration....



I made Cubby a Valentine lunchable....thanks for the idea ms. jennifer juniper!...He LOVED it!!!! He thanked me for making it and is already "ordering" one for his field trip with preschool and for all of his friends at his birthday party in October!!




....and here is the cake I make every year. A lovely day!!! Hope yours was happy!

Friday the 13th

Today is my 16th wedding anniversary....and look what my husband brought me!....I love Sarris peanut butter meltaways... the last time I had a whole box to myself is when I was in the hospital when Cubby was born.... white roses are my favorite!... and I love that my daughter texted my loving husband once or twice to drop a few hints :)


Today was also the Valentine's Day ball at Cubby's preschool. He was sooooooo excited for it!! He has really taken to dancing and practices a lot! If he has an audience he's even happier. He had a little routine made up for us too.....just like Dancing with the Stars.....we went to dinner before the dance and when we entered the school he was amazed at how the school was transformed........there were little white lights everywhere, punch and cookies and the disco ball was spinning. The photographer took our picture and we hit the dance floor......the chicken dance, hokie pokie and YMCA were big hits......what a wonderful night!!

hearts and more hearts........

I have to start by saying that I have loved hearts since I was a little girl.....which then turned into my love of Valentine's Day....and when my husband and I were choosing a date for our wedding , Valentine's Day was on a Sunday so the logical choice was the 13th so we could make it into a big, blowout weekend!!!!.....I was so happy to blend the two days into one big holiday! I decorate my house, send valentine's, give treats, wear my socks with the hearts on them and wear all of my favorite heart jewelry, I eat more chocolates and conversation hearts than I should, use cookie cutters to cut my kids sandwiches into hearts...I guess I am a hopeless romantic deep down inside...after all of these years I still like to believe in the fairy tale. So here a few pictures of my favorite hearts from 2009. The cut out cookies pictured above aren't the greatest...they aren't from scratch and they don't look pretty....but Cubby had sooooo much fun making them! They were more of glorified play-doh project....but to see him dig his apron out and climb up on the stool ready to go....I knew right then it didn't really matter what they looked like or tasted like, I knew he would love them.



These were THE BEST cupcakes I have ever had in my whole life!!!!!!!!!!! Marzipan mom treated all of us soul sisters with them this morning. I am dreaming that some day will be able to make them all by myself!! :)


Here is the box Cubby made for his party at preschool....



and these treat bags for Cubbys class will surely make all of his friends happy.

croutons

I know I am probably the last person on earth to make homemade croutons...marzipan mom has probably done them a zillion times....but my daughter just happened to have the foodnetwork on after school yesterday...and I have to admit I VERY RARELY watch it because I can't control myself and want everything!!!...then I would be living at the YMCA!!!.....anyway, Giada, who I would like to die and come back as....was making her own croutons and I couldn't believe how easy they were!! I didn't even write it down......and I wasn't even planning on making them today until I came across the other half of the loaf of french bread that I had left from making hoagies over the weekend....it wasn't too fresh anymore and I was going to toss it until I remembered the segment on croutons!! I know a lot of people are watching their carbs......but I CANNOT have a salad without something crunchy in it!!! .....and croutons are my "crunch of choice"!!....so.......all you do is cut the not-so-fresh bread up into pieces (I now see why a lot of restaurants make their own with all of the leftover bread they must have!) toss it with olive oil until it is coated and spread it out on your cookie sheet.......I then sprinkled it with garlic powder, basil and oregano.....bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes...or until they are golden and crispy.


I am sure I could have had a cheeseburger and fries for the amount of croutons I just had on my salad for lunch ......but I couldn't resist they were such a treat!! I don't think I will ever buy them again!!!!