I am thankful for...

1. I am thankful I have no chocolate in the house..... only power jelly beans!

2. I am thankful that this is the busy week that I've been preparing for not only physically, but emotionally. Lots of "to dos" to do and finish up.

3. I am thankful this is teacher appreciation week and feel so blessed that we can send our daughter to a school that loves each kid like their own.

4. I'm thankful for a great 2 year old today and how he worked so hard to help me with a appreciation luncheon.

5. I'm thankful that Lindsey is feeling better and so is Chad.

6. I'm thankful I got to spend Friday afternoon with my friend Jill for lunch, then with my friend Donna the rest of the afternoon. What a fun filled friend afternoon. I like chad being home sick!

7. I'm thankful that the things I keep reading in my quiet time are being constant reminders throughout my day that God is at work.

8. For this half-marathon on Saturday morning......... looking forward to it and for completing that goal. I am so thankful, and feel blessed to have working legs and stuff that allows me to do that.

9. I am thankful for all my birds that are back... for the morning doves, cardinals, goldfinches, and the little grey finches and yes even those black birds.... because Drew gets so excited to see them.

10. I thankful for my flower friend Dawn and that she outspends me!

11. I'm thankful it's May, the grass is green, no dandelions in the yard and all my flowers are planted, and bushes are trimmed.

Taste and see Thursday...

Taste and see Thursday is back. I made a sweet little treat for my husband's homeroom class this week and thought that would be perfect for my recipe for Thursday. I made this divine brownie recipe that I received back in 1994. I was a Senior in high school, in Sunday school class when my friend Rebekah Renard brought a treat for us to eat. Oh boy, this is the first time I asked for a recipe I believe. I had never even thought as a young person to ask for a recipe. This was so worth it. Now I laugh when my 8 year old neighbor always ask if I'll give her mom one of my recipes, partly because I never thought like that till my senior year in high school.



My friend Rebekah is a wonderful patient mom of 5. I am glad we've stayed in touch over the years and look forward to seeing her one of these days. While in college, Rebekah invited me and some other Keokuk people to attend a float trip with her campus house. She was going to be near Joplin so i thought I could canoe, (even though I never had done it). Well my two younger people almost drowned on the trip and I survived and fell in love with float trips. I'm thinking I'd like to do that again with couples sometime.



Here's my famous brownies:



Cookie dough brownies

By Rebekah Renard Whitaker



1 pkg Fudge brownie mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 egg

1/2 choco chips

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 Cup flour

Glaze: 1 (6oz) choco chips (1 cup), 1 Tablespoon shortening (or oil).



Heat oven to 350*. Grease bottom of 13 x 9 pan. In a large bowl,combine brownie mix, water, oil, and egg. Beat. Stir in 1/2 cup choco chips. Spread in greased pan. Bake at 350* for 33-35 minutes. (Do not overbake) Cool Completely.



In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup margarine, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla; blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup;level off. Add flour; mix well. Spread over cooled brownies. In small microwave safe bowl, melt 1 cup choco chips and one tablespoon of marg. on med high. 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Carefully glaze over filling; spread to cover. Store in refrigerator. Makes 36 bars

I am thankful for....

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My Thankful List

What a wonderful week it has been. I am thankful, for so much. Here's my list:

1. The sound my kids make when they kiss me. " Mmmmmm then the smacking of lips". I love it.

2. Okay for Laundry, because at least I have little people to fill those clothes and that we have clothes. My heart aches for a friend who doesn't have little ones and wants them. I am thankful to be blessed with 2 healthy ones.

3. I am thankful that I have the world's greatest friends.

4. For lots of good laughs with friends, at myself, at my kids. My sensors are full again!

5. For a great long 11 mile run. I did it and feel proud and humbled at the same time. Boy I'm thankful for a able body to take me that far. I'm not too sore either.

6. For early morning get ups lots this week. Even the days I didn't have to be at the gym at 5:30, I was waking up at 5ish. I like that in a weird sorta way.

7. For great spring like weather.

8. For my 2 year old letting me get some shopping in at the mall Thursday and for Chick-fil-a!

9. My wonderful husband taking the kids for a overnight trip out of town and letting me relax on Friday and even encouraged me not to do stuff around the house. He even wants to do that again!

10. For answered prayer to important things, for some fun surprises, that I know i can run this half-marathon, my weekly menu groceries all bought last week.

I am so blessed, so thankful, and feel privileged to be the mom to Lindsey and Drew, the wife to Mr. Chad and a friend to you all!

Hugs,
Tara

Taste and see that the Lord is good....Thursday

Today's recipe is one of my new little bars that people just rave over. I suppose it is because it's kinda a comfort type food, rice crispies with a twist to it. I first had this tasty recipe at the Ivy Bakeshope. If you love all girlie food and divine desserts you would love that place. Little did I know they had a cookbook of all their famous recipes. My friend Heather copied this recipe for me, but that did not do it justice.. I had to have the entire cookbook. I love cookbooks, I have lots of them, rarely use all of them. You know how that goes, you have your favorites in one particular book and you kinda just stay with it. The Ivy Bakeshop cookbook is going to be one of my favorites, I just know it, as everything I have tried is simply divine. Okay so I like that word today! Divine, Divine, Divine.


Caramel Rice Krispies Bar

Carmel

1 (14 oz) bag caramels, unwrapped

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 stick butter

Rice Krispies

1/2 sticks butter, divided

10 cups mini marshmallows, divided

10 cups Rice Krispies, divided

Place caramels, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a bowl and microwave for 3 minuts. Stir until smooth, returning to microwave if not yet melted; set aside to cool.

In another bowl, melt 6 tablespoons of butter with 4 cups of marshmallows for 70 seconds. Stir until smooth and then pour over 5 cups of the cereal; stir until cereal is coated. Place in a greased 9 x 13 inch glass dish.

Sprinkle 2 cups of marshmallows on the top of the cereal mixture. Carefully pour caramel mixture over the marshmallows; refrigerate to set up. Repeat second layer of cereal mixture, using the rest of the butter, marshmallows, and cereal. Place second layer of Rice Krispies mixture on top of caramel layer; chill until firm. Makes lots.

Things I miss

I miss.....

1. The sound of crickets on a cool summer evening, windows open of course

2. Clothes that don't have stains on them or clothes that are in style

3. Riding my bicycle downhill

4. Friends who have moved away

5. Alone time in the bathroom (w/o toddlers)

6. Family members that have passed on to heaven

7. Nursing a baby ( crazy I know)

8. feeling like I have it together

9. Swimming laps

10. Time to sit around and watch movies/ shows and not feel guilty that I'm not doing something.

11. Real pictures, not just on my digital camera

12. watering my flowers enjoying them

I think all my things I miss have to do with summer. I love spring and look forward to summer and enjoying all the things I miss.

Egg Hunt

Drew and Daddy finding eggs

Lindsey on the go to find eggs

Lindsey and Hayden enjoying the egg hunt

Drew was all about the eggs this year. He has been practicing lots at home with our own empty egg hunt, pick up all mommies pine cones hunt and church egg hunt. Now he is game for grandpa's 100's of eggs hunt.

She is pausing for me to take the picture.

Lots of pine cones with all the eggs

Ahem Drew is so happy and he's got some jumping skills