Are you a Super Duper Pooper?

I found a bear at the goodwill today that sings "I'm a super duper pooper"

I was umm giggling my big head off.

Here is a video of a same bear on youtube.. go ahead watch it but make sure you don't have any liquids in your mouth or do not have to use the restroom lol. My bear doesn't have the diaper.

I'm sure the bear was inspired by this clip which is just wrong on so many levels. (the parents sing the song at the 1:20 mark)

Yummy Tummy Thursday ; Pumpkin Bars

Pumpkin Bars
(from Laura, linked above at her new wordpress site)

I LOVED these! I cannot even begin to tell you how much! I have made them twice in the last 2 weeks once taking some to work and am making them again tonight to take to mom's night out bunco tomorrow night! I am also taking them to thanksgiving dinner with the fam. The best part is they are cheap to make, make a large amount and easy to make and you have most the ingredients in your pantry already. I have used 2 tubs store bought cream cheese frosting but if you want to use a cream cheese frosting recipe Laura has one in the link above. Well I want to fatten myself up some more so I did chocolate chips over the entire thing and also cream cheese frosting over that. If chocolate is not your thing nuts would be a great addition.

I also do not have a jelly roll pan so what I ended up doing was a small layer in a 13 x 9 baking metal sheet/pan I got from pillsbury a little bigger layer in a 13 x 9 glass cake pan and same size layer in a 9 x 9 glass pan. Seriously it makes that much lol. I'm sure you could modify this recipe in half and use a 13 x 9 pan if you do not want that many bars. Also if you do a smaller layer or a metal pan I'd advise only 20 minutes in the oven. I set the timer for 20minutes and took the metal pan out and then left the 2 glass ones in for 10-15 additonal minutes.

Ingredients~

6 eggs
1 1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin (or 2 15oz cans)
3 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. salt
(chocolate chips or cream cheese frosting or both in my case)

Directions~

Mix together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin. Fold in dry ingredients and pour into jelly roll pan (13 x 18 pan) . At this point sprinkle the pan with chocolate chips and/or nuts if desired. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over bake. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Yummy Tummy Thursday ; Pastry Cream Filled Fillo Shells

Pastry Cream Filled Fillo ShellsFrom Laura linked above (her's are much prettier, I really need some more kitchen stuff.. hint hint)

These are the other fillo desserts I took to a picnic back in June. I just want to say I much preferred the reeses one :-D.

Ingredients~

1 large box instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
fruit for garnish (such as mandarin oranges cut in half, raspberries, strawberry slices, banana slices, etc)

Directions~

In a large bowl combine pudding, milk, and whipping cream. Mix together by hand using a wire whisk. Mix well to ensure a smooth mix. When the pudding starts to set, it is finished and needs to be used immediately. Place filling into a large zip lock bag or pastry bag. Squeeze out extra air and seal the top. If using zip lock bag, cut a hole, to fit into the hole in the pastry, in one corner of the bag. Pipe filling into each fillo shell. (This filling with thicken as you chill the pastries)

Trick Or Treat ; Halloween 2009

TRICK OR TREAT!!


These first few pictures are actually the day before Halloween we got dressed up for a dinner function with the Snohomish County ARC.

My Garden Fairy, Surfer and my Spongebob!

Alana has a sneaky grin here lol and look she's blinding poor spongebob!

I loved his grin in this picture

Okay now these are from Halloween

Kaila's lovely fairy makeup!

At the Boo Bash in Mukilteo.. which we got dumped on by this crappy seattle weather shortly after arriving.

She wanted the mouse that was shown on the cover of the face painting book lol. Then proceeded to rip one of the makeup things off the table to open it so she could look in the tiny mirror at her face painting :-P.

Kaila got a flower to match her costume

Painting pumpkins but it was pouring so we left them there and forgot to go get them before the bash ended.. oh well life goes on right they are just pumpkins that will rot yes? lol

Trick or Treat!!!!

It stopped raining for about an hour for the most part and started up again when we decided we were done! At one house the lady asked if she could take their picture lol.

Anybody there???? I WANT SOME CANDY!!! TRICK OR TREAT!!

Ahhhhhh SWEET SUCCESS!

Gorgonzola Cheese is DISGUSTING!

So I made a salad that used gorgonzola out of the Pillsbury Thanksgiving recipe booklet. Can I just say how GROSS this cheese is?? I am not a wine drinker because apparently it's an acquired taste that I just dont have or want after trying a few red wines. Same goes for this cheese if it's an acquired taste its one I do not want to acquire thank you very much!

BARFFFFFF

Yummy Tummy Thursday ; Jello Gelatin Milk Shake

Jello Gelatin Milk Shake

I found this interesting way to make a milkshake many years ago in one of the parenting magazines while waiting in a doctor's office lobby. You simply add whatever flavor of dry jello mix you want to milk and vanilla icecream to make a delicious shake. My personal favorite is the lime but this one shown here is orange. How much depends on how many people I just eyeball it, you don't need alot of the mix at all one box of mix can make tons of shakes. I just put in a tablespoon or so to start and then mix and taste it and add more depending on how much flavor I want. Usually a tablespoon is just right for the amount of flavor I want though for a full blender.

Costumes ~ Surfer, Garden Fairy & Spongebob ; Halloween 2009

I've always tried getting costumes the prior year cheap but it never happens. I don't know what they will be in to the next year I dont want to get a costume they will hate.. plus most of the good costumes are taken after halloween. And I am forgetful and lose things I always save leftover xmas cards from the prior season and never find them next season and end buying new anyway.. I would lose the costumes in the garage somewhere and forget I ever even bought them.. Although I do think the after halloween costumes if you get the right deals would be great for just dress up pretend play. Alana still likes to wear her dorothy dinosaur wiggles costume from 3 years ago.

So Alana is in to spongebob at the moment and I got her this costume off craigslist (photo is a stock photo of the costume from amazon.com)

Kaila wanted to be a fairy of some sort.. our first choice butterfly fairy we couldnt find in her size and then she seen this one at walmart and had to have it.. it's a Garden Fairy and it lights up! (again stock photo from amazon.com)

People are always saying Donni looks like a little surfer including myself (hair mostly :-P) so I had a crazy idea and he is a surfer for halloween. Did you know they don't make a surfer costume?? Did you know I couldn't find a mini surfboard online?? So I made one to be used as his bag because really you can't expect an almost 2 year old to carry a bag AND a surfboard... Shoot he probably wont even carry the combo I made.. or any bag for the matter. I got the design idea for the surfboard from this because he is wearing nemo trunks..

Little fin side

The middle is his treatbag I used 2 halloween them treat/lunch bags and took the bottom out of one and connected them to make on big long bag.

Letting big fin side dry

Finished Costume (little fin side)

(big fin side)

Added some halloween ribbon for straps to hold it.

Pumpkin Carving and Painting ; Halloween 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The kids are still too little to participate much in carving but Kaila did help gut a little lol.. Love the faces! Kaila and Alana had a small pumpkin each from school field trips to the same farm we went on a family trip to which were too small to really carve much so we decided to just paint those. We didnt paint faces.. I just gave them paint and let them do whatever the wanted.. I think Kaila's did have a face at one point but then she went crazy. Daddy carved the skull looking one and I carved the boo ghost and the trick or treat pumpkin.

Looking at the stencils

He was being a butthead and didn't want his picture taken.

Paint plus shirts equals no good lol

The girls finished pumpkins :-D

Rewind Day 5 ; Swimming With and Feeding the Ducks and Ducklings

Now this is the oldest of the rewinds, this was from late May :-X. We only went down to feed the ducks once this season/summer versus last year when we went multiple times. Alana was there too but she was off somewhere throwing rocks in the water as usual.

Rewind Day 4 ; Parade & Carnival Days

First off we have the Strawberry Festival Parade and Carnival back in June.. yeah I know talk about procrastinator! The girls love carnivals and Donni is still too small for the rides.. they wont even let him on the carousel.. sheesh! I took Kaila on a carousel when she was like 1 1/2months old.. but that was in Arizona lol. We went here after Alana's Top Soccer wrap up day then went to the parade later that evening. Some of these might be familiar, I was racking my brain trying to figure out where I had posted these before.. making sure it wasn't here etc.. I finally remembered that I posted a couple of Alana on her Walk Video :-D. Check out the rides I went on at the end of this post!

Waiting for the parade to start!

Kaila petting a dog with wings lol

These next photos are from the Evergreen State Fair in late August.

This swing was from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and it played his music too.

It was really hot that day Alana looks like shes on the verge of heat stroke in alot of the pictures lol.. it was HOT in this bear!

yes.. that was a cat.

Alana couldn't do the net climbing by feet so she pulled herself up it on the side lol. When she got to the top bridge we were just laughing because she was taking her sweet time and holding up about 10 kids behind her haha.

It's the Easter Bunny!

I have no words..

This was the only ride Alana didn't like I took her on it and quickly learned she didnt like heights at least not heights on this ride lol.. she loves kiddie rollercoasters so its not speed or dipping.. it had to of been the height while moving she was freaked about.. she is fine with the big slide height but you arent moving in a little seat on the slide and stopping and going.. good thing it was the last ride for the kids!

I also went on 2 rides by myself...

The Turbo Force

(these videos are not when I went on them, just videos of the rides so you get an idea of how nuts I am

:-P. )

And the Super Shot

Let me just tell you I MUCH preferred the Turbo Force over the Super shot.. I can deal with the spinning and heights of the turbo force.. but I didnt care much for my stomach dropping to the ground before I got there lol.

Rewind Day 3 ; Seattle Pacific Science Center

So the same day we went on the Duck Ride we also went to the Pacific Science Center across the street. I love the science center but it's so big you need an entire day or a little time each day for a few days to actually see everything. I went to the laser show there one time in my preteen/teen years and it was cool so we did that with the kids. Alana plugged her ears nearly the whole time because they did the show to very very loud Queen music lol but she loved it.. but dont dare take her hands from her ears haha! I tried to take a few pics but you can't have flash in there and you can't show the camera screens because that stuff messes with the lasers and viewing experience lol so I was taking pictures with the screen against my jeans lol.

This is the best I got.. sad isn't it?

Big rotating water ball

The Hamster wheel! lol this was fun.

Water guns

Music room in the kiddie play area

The big table and chairs

Butterfly exhibit.. Alana grabbed at least 3 butterflies. On the way out she grabbed one when we were being inspected to be butterfly free.. and the woman behind us (I was told, I didnt see) apparently dropped her jaw like Alana just grabbed the pope by the neck. Sheesh it's just a butterfly! and she didn't stomp on it she just grabbed it lol.

Butterflies look like grasshoppers with wings.. did u know that?

I so thought this one was dead but it was alive.. is it supposed to look like this? doubt it and it didnt fly away or get spooked so I assume something was wrong with it?

Huge guitar, they also had a piano and other musical stuff

We were too beat for the space needle but had to walk by it back to the car..maybe another day.

Yummy Tummy Thursday ; Fillo Peanut Butter Cups

Fillo Peanut Butter Cups

From Laura.. I promise I do cook other food lol.

I made these for a bbq with the ARC of Snohomish County and with the last name starting with a P I was to bring a dessert.. I brought these and another fillo dessert also from Laura that I will post here next Thursday. I made multiple of each recipe because it was for a large group!

Ingredients ~

1 box (1.9 oz) mini– fillo shells (15 in box)
15 miniature peanut butter cups
1 can (7 oz) whipped light cream (or you could pipe on homemade whipped cream)
chopped peanuts

Directions ~

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place fillo shells on baking sheet.
2. Place a peanut butter cup in each shell. Bake 5 minutes until chocolate softens. With small metal spatula or knife, flatten and even out chocolate in fillo cup. You just want the peanut butter cup to sit on the bottom of the fillo shell. Let stand at room temperature until cooled.
3. Top each filled cup with whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped salted peanuts, if desired.

Rewind Day 2 ; Seattle Aquarium

We also went to the Seattle Aquarium in August. I went alone. I am crazy. Donni was being extra cranky so we weren't there long and truth be told I was kind of disappointed with the aquarium really. I was expecting cool sharks or something and I got.. NEMO. Not only that but it was packed and I could barely maneuver a stroller around all the people. People would walk in front of us to look in the tanks when we had been waiting and they can see just fine from behind us or wait their damn turns.. I have little kids who cannot see over 6 foot tall people hell I can't even see over most adults needless to say I was a bit cranky because Donni was cranky.. and the other people just made it that much worse!

Just reminded me why at the moment I tend to leave him out when it comes to stuff like this.. he's in that stage where he hates the stroller, he hates being held.. sure he can walk but he also hates holding your hand and walking the direction you want him to. He thinks it's hilarious to collapse every 2 seconds dragging you down with him.. and when you are trying to hold Alana's hand as well she gets dragged down too..and trying to make sure Kaila is paying attention to where she is going it is too much. And it's just a blast when Donni pulls one arm one way and Alana is pulling your other arm another way or trying to pry your hand from hers so she can run away.

The Jellyfish were my favorite part.

There was a light that changed colors and lit up the jellyfish it was pretty cool

some kind of water bird

This was the ceiling in one area lol.

The huge dome tank area

feeding time!

Rewind Day 1 ; Duck Ride Tour of Seattle

Sunday... Tuesday.. Same Thing OK.

We did the Duck Ride of Seattle (a tour that is both land and water in one vehicle from WWII) in August and it was really neat, even as a resident of the Puget Sound I still enjoyed it!

I already have shown 2 videos from the duck ride here and here

"The Dock" Huge duck on top of the building.

One of the duck mobiles :-) and See that big oh hunk of metal behind it?? that is the EMP

(useless fact 1; it was designed to look like a smashed guitar from an airial view)

All aboard!

Kaila blowing her quacker


Useless fact 2 ; We have an aluminum tree in Seattle

The Captain.. I only snapped 2 of his little "getups" he had many.

Heading towards the water.. we were on a bridge.. which is shown on another photo below.

Moving from land to water

the 2nd "getup" for water safety lol.

Another duck leaving the water

Useless fact 3 ; These 2 boats were are used on the show The Deadliest Catch..

This a park named Gas Works Park

Useless Fact 4 ; Gas Works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US. The plant operated from 1906 to 1956, and was bought by the City of Seattle for park purposes in 1962. The park opened to the public in 1975.

Useless Fact 5 ; Gas Works Park has been a setting for films, such as Singles and 10 Things I Hate About You. It has been featured twice on the travel-based television reality show The Amazing Race: once as the finish line for Season 3 and another time as the starting line for Season 10.

Only in Seattle would we think an old gas plant could one day be a park. We call it "art" lol. As we do with the aluminum tree and the fremont troll (which we drove by but not enough for photos)

Uhoh they're coming for me!

Kaila looking out over the water

Kaila's turn to go sit by the captain and spray the water gun

bridge I mentioned earlier

Seattle's famous floating homes..

Useless Fact 6 ; there is a limit to how many homes can be on the water which is already met so people have gotten creative and made some of them boats because as long as they can once a year prove it's a boat by moving the house out to the middle of lake Union it does not constitute a floating home but a boat. There is even on HUGE building that is actually a boat.

Useless Fact 7 ; see that light blue house with the teal accents and the flags on the left.. that is the house from the movie Sleepless in Seattle.

Space Needle

Just Seattle :-)

Kaila was sitting with this guy because she wanted a window seat and her and our friend were fighting for the window seat so he told her she could come sit by him. She sat with him most of the tour actually and she got chilly so he let her wear his sweater for a bit lol.

Floating homes galore

Quack Quack!

Another work of "art". People dress these statue people for fun.

Useless Fact 8 ; The dog that you cannot see in my photo well has a man's face with a beard. here's the back story (taken from above link) and a photo here...

Waiting for the Interurban was created by artist Richard Beyer, who also sculpted the well-endowed bull and the book-nerd coyote in Ellensburg, Washington. Beyer was on the Fremont Arts Council committee when a sculptor was chosen for the work (since no one applied, he chose himself). Committee member (and honorary mayor) Armen Stepanian disagreed, and the two squabbled. Beyer ultimately got his revenge by making the dog's face resemble Stepanian.

REWIND ; Week of pictures and updates from summer activities

Since I obviously neglected my blog over the summer (anyone notice that I only had 3 posts in August :-X)..

I have pictures and other things to show from the summer that are just relaxing in files in my picture folder..

So this coming week (starting tomorrow, Sunday) will be a week of rewind posts.

STAY TUNED!