Fall Looks

Saw these beautiful yellow mums at Kroger last week and I couldn't resist the temptation to buy them. They just say Fall to me and I'm looking forward to some cooler weather.

Here is another Fall preview. We bought Bailey's and Jack's Halloween costumes this past weekend. Bailey selected a cute witch costume. Jack picked the Transformer Bumblebee. They both are excited about Halloween this year.

Happy Fall Ya'll ;~)

Crowd Pleasers

Friday, I was the host for my monthly Pokeno group. This month was double great for me. I won the money! I have been playing for five years and have never won the money. I love to cook and got to fix all the yummy food. On the menu was glazed ham sandwiches, apricot jello salad, potato salad, bourbon slush, banana cake and brownies. Here are some pictures of the food and the recipes.
Glazed Sandwiches
1 package of rolls
1 pack of turkey/ham
1pack of Swiss cheese
Put your meat and 1 slice of cheese in the roll and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then mix the following together and pour over sandwiches:
4 T of brown sugar
2 T of mustard (I use honey mustard)
2 sticks of butter
2T of Worcester sauce
2T of poppy seeds
Bake your sandwiches again for another 10 minutes and they are done!! Super easy! Enjoy!

Apricot Jello Salad
2 3-oz. Pkgs. Apricot Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
2 8 1/4-oz. Cans crushed pineapple, well drained (reserve juice)
1 8-oz. Pkg. Cream cheese
1/2 cup shopped pecans or walnuts
8 oz. Cool Whip
Mix Jell-O, boiling water and sugar; stir well and allow to thicken slightly. Add drained pineapple. Place in refrigerator to thicken to consistency of egg white. Meanwhile, cream well together the cream cheese and reserve pineapple juice with a mixer. Add to Jell-O mixture; beat until blended. Fold in chopped nuts and Cool Whip. Pour into prepared mold or dish and chill for several hours.

Bourbon Slush
9 cups water
2-3 cups bourbon
1 12 oz frozen orange juice thawed undiluted
1 12 oz frozen lemonade, thawed, undiluted
1 3/4/ cup sugar
1 tbspn instant tea
3 16 oz lemon lime carbonated beverage
Combine first 6 ingredients. Stir well. Pour mixture into several containers & freeze overnight. Remove from freezer 30 minutes before serving (mixture should be slushy)
Combine with lemon lime beverage stirring well. Yield 1 ½ gallons

These are three crowd pleasing recipes and all can be made ahead of time.

Party Time

Yesterday, I took the kids to Logan's 4th birthday party at Life Time Fitness.

Bailey and Jack had a great time with the punch balls.They also played human bowling.

They shot some hoops and everyone loved the parachute. What a great party!

1st Spelling Test for Bailey

Bailey just finished up the second week of 1st grade with a bang! She got a 100 on her first spelling test. Way to go Bailey!

Stuffed Shells and Meatballs

I am working five days this school year. So, I've been on the hunt for some great easy meals for dinner and I think we have found a winner! I got a bag of frozen stuffed shells and a bag of Italian meat balls at Sam's Club. Just put a dozen of the shells and meatballs into a pan, pour a jar of spaghetti sauce over the top, cover with foil and bake for about an hour frozen at 375 degrees (30 minutes if thawed). Top with mozzarella cheese and bake for ten more minutes. These are great because you can make as much or as little as you'd like. I like to make more so we have some yummy leftovers.

September '09 Picture of the Month

Another month has flown by and we are all back at school. Christian is teaching Geography at Kingwood High School, Bailey is in the 1st grade at Hidden Hollow Elementary, Jack is in Kindergarten at HHE and I'm teaching the 2s at the Weekday Learning Center.

Here are the past September Pictures of the Month.

Look how big my kids are getting!