What's been going on at our House+ recipe!

So it's been a couple of weeks since I posted.  We are in school mode.  Derek is continuing to adjust to his new schedule and it's been going well...except for today of course when he's already told me he wants to go to Lana's tomorrow and not school:(  He hasn't been up to par since Friday night when he spiked a temp so I am sure that's got something to do with it.  Keeping my fingers crossed that he starts to feel better soon.  That's one thing about going to school. You get exposed to every kind of germ out there!

Eryn got her flute and is practicing away.  Both she and Nolan are doing well in school.  I have gotten some progress reports from teachers and we are very happy that they do so well.  They are loving the warm fall weather and have been busy playing basketball and football outside until dark many nights.

Randy and I have been busy with the last steps to completion of our house remodeling project.  The laundry room is functional, minus a countertop and sink.  The upstairs railing is complete and we have carpet on order.  Yeah!!!  Pics to come soon, I promise:)

We enjoyed the warm weather yesterday and ventured to Fort to the Rendezvous.  The kids enjoyed seeing all of the reenactments as well as the yummy homemade caramel corn and root beer!  The boys and I returned home while Eryn went off to grandma's to help her with some projects.  I found a new recipe on Pinterest I wanted to try and it did not disappoint, so I thought I'd share.  It's a quick bar recipe if you need something fast with ingredients you most likely have in your pantry.


http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2014/04/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-blondies-recipe.html

Now onto these blondies!
Was it the name of them that brought you here?!
If I hear peanut butter and chocolate in the same sentence, I am all over it. My mouth starts salivating instantly. 
I also love blondies- they are like a thick, chewy cookie- so why not put all these things together and make the perfect dessert?
Between peanut butter in the batter and peanut butter chips, there is a little bit of a peanut butter overload - which makes them amazing. You could totally do without the peanut butter chips and double up on chocolate chips if you like. There is definitely no wrong way to make these!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
Ingredients:
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

(Optional: additional chocolate chips and peanut butter to drizzle on top of blondies - about 3 tablespoons of each)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, and peanut together until creamy and smooth. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in chips and spread into baking dish (blondie dough can sometimes be thick and sticky, so I like to spray my hands with non-stick cooking spray then use my fingers to push the dough to the edges of the pan).
Bake for about 28-32 minutes (I like my blondies to be a little under-done, so I bake them less. However, if you prefer them chewy, cook them longer. It's totally a preference thing). Remove from oven and let cool.
Optional drizzle instructions:
While the blondies cool, melt additional chocolate chips in the microwave (I put them in a microwave safe bowl, heated for 45 seconds, stirred, heated for 45 more seconds, and stirred until smooth and completely melted). Do the same with the peanut butter. Using a cereal spoon, scoop up some melted chocolate and drizzle over the entire pan of blondies (I just went back and forth until it was covered). Repeat with the melted peanut butter and let cool.
Cut into bars and serve.
Makes about 24 bars.

I'm gearing up to have a garage sale this next week and the kids are pumped to be selling some homemade cookies!  They have visions of $$$ and saving for a Disney vacation!

With the days getting shorter it sure makes it harder to get out for a run.  For a couple of weekends I was on the treadmill but yesterday was able to get 10 miles in in the morning.  Felt good to run outside, as I know those days are dwindling down.  Trying to soak up all of the outdoor time I can before it gets too cold!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!

12 Years

12 years ago I married a wonderful guy! Happy Anniversary, looking forward to many more years!!!

10.5

Miss Eryn turned 10 1/2 this week.  WOW. My little girl is growing up.  She's spunky, but yet so kind and caring.  Love her!  She chose her favorite food (steak) for supper along with hash browns and corn.  She didn't want a cake, but another favorite of hers, pumpkin bars!  Below are pics from when she was about 6 months old. Such a cutie!!

Manic Monday

We are a week (or two) into the new school year. We are all getting used to new routines, new teachers, new friends, etc.  It's been a pretty smooth transition for the older kids.  Eryn is now into middle school so she is going with the flow moving from class to class, etc. Nolan also is adjusting quite well and by the looks of his papers coming home, is doing a great job with his schoolwork.

Derek on the other hand has had some bumps in the road as far as transitioning to school.  He is by far the most routine oriented child of the three and with preschool taking up a good part of his week this boy is a bit lost.  Last week went fairly well with some tears at school but for the most part I was proud of his adjusting.  This week however has proven to be a bit of a challenge.  No body likes Mondays (including myself) so I should not have been so niave to think Monday was going to go off without a hitch.  More like lots of tears and resistence.  I didn't cry much last week when my baby went off on that schoolbus, but it was a different story on Monday morning.  He didn't want to go. At.all.  Mom almost gave in. Let him stay home.  But I didn't.  It.was.tough.  For me and him both I am sure.  I cried the entire drive to work.  Lots of thoughts and emotions going through my head.  All in all I know I made the right decision, but I still felt guilty. 

After alot of discussion about the new schedule, a new visual to help him understand, an overnight stay planned for grandma's this weekend and a new toy at the end of a great week, we are getting there.  Baby steps for sure, but we will get there.  This morning he tried his best to be strong and brave, but those tears still came.  He wiped them away quickly, lower lip trembling.  But he got on that bus....and had a terrific day!  YEAH!!! 

Here's to staying positive and continuing to make strides on that adjustment of preschool!

Preschool is Finally Here!

Derek has wanted to go to school for about a year now. He's asked repeatedly when he gets to ride the bus. Well,that day was today!  He was ready to be like his brother and sister and hop right up those bus steps.  He wasn't too concerned with giving mom a hug before he left! I was able to keep my composure and not cry (in front of him anyway)!

 I couldn't wait to hear how his day was this afternoon. He jumped off that bus and ran straight into my arms! It's hard to see your baby grow up but I'm also so proud of him for being a big boy!  I love hearing him talk about his new friends and adventures at school!