Goals

So I have decided that I needed to make goals for the end of the year. The holidays are full of family, fun, and food. I love sweets and recently I have been saying "yes" more and "no" less. With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, I have to decided to say "no" more. I want to enjoy a few sweets, but not eat the whole batch of cookies or pie.

1. Say yes to just a few special sweets and cook healthy
2. continue exercising
3. study more
4. give more
5. soak in family time

I have a lot of fun things coming up and I can't wait to enjoy them to the fullest. :)

Happy Fall Yall!

Busy Busy Busy

I can't blame all my lack of blogging on the fact that my iphoto is all messed up. So I am going to try and post more.

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I have found a new love for pumpkins. Pumpkin spiced lattes and all the yummy smelling candles are my favorite. I love seeing all the leaves changing colors. The cooler weather sure helps too.

Looking forward to:

-This weekend Kyle and I are going to a Saints game. I surprised him with the game for an early Christmas present. He has always said that he wanted to go to a game so I decided this year would be the perfect time. We are staying the night with some dear friends. :)

-Thanksgiving preparations and having my sister and brother in law in town for a few days.

-Decorating for Christmas and spending time with my family.

-Excited for New Years that will be spent celebrating a college friends wedding in TN! :)

I can't believe there is only 8 weeks left in 2011.

So I have so many things to blog about and they are all on hold because my photo thing on my computer is being dumb. I can't get my pictures to load and it won't let me open my photos either. So this is the reason I have not blogged.

Coming soon.
-Pics of my pinterest goodies
-photos of the past month
-update on life
-fall (hopefully I will get to carve a pumpkin next week)
-recipes that I have been making (Im loving me some pumpkin sweets)

Beach and what-not.

Tropical storm Lee did not stop us from going to the beach. We found other ways to have fun. Bethany and I enjoyed a relaxing Spa day while the boys watched football. Bethany and I layed out for a grand total of 45 minutes the whole time and we actually got burned. Lol. Here are some pics.


Sweet Bethany!


I bet you can't tell what football game was about to be on. ;) Eating at Cobalt. The boys FAVORITE restaurant.


Little kid smiles. Eating at Mikees. We look sunburned.


In other news:


This little man (Ryder) has my heart.


Ready or not.....I started boot camp this morning. I will be a new woman (hopefully) come December! :)

Pictures...

Birthday cinnamon roll from my sweet boys.


Dinner with my sweet Holly at the Cheesecake Factory! :)


Luke....my silly cousin.


Sammi...my sweet cousin.


Love me some kettle corn.

Day 20-28

So I am behind on my picture a day for a month thing. Its a lot harder than I thought. The past few days have been filled with fun and family. I had a surprise birthday party which was so much fun. :) I also went with my mom to Texas for some family fun. I also re-connected with my dear friend Holly. Here are pics from the last few days! :)

And now my picture uploader is being crazy. Pics will be posted soon. I promise.

Day 19

Day 19

Ryder Brooks Walpole was born on August 19th. He is perfect and we are so excited that he is finally here. Proud parents are Blair and J Walpole! :)

Days 16-18

Day 16

Homemade lip gloss with Miss Emily. You just mix vaseline and koolaid. Heat it up and then pour it into a container. It hardens when it cools. :)

Day 17

Painting with a Twist.

Day 18


Homemade bubble bath paint
-1 cup clear bubble bath
-4 TBS cornstarch
-food coloring
small containers with lids

1. In a mixing bowl combine bubble bath and cornstarch.
2. pour the mixture into 4 containers
3. put a few drops of food coloring in each container and stir.
4. let the children paint their bathtub.

12, 13, 14 and 15

Day 12

Fun day with my precious cousins. We painted, played "crack the egg" on the trampoline, and gave the barbie dolls a bath. :)

Day 13

I got my birthday present early! I love my new cricut. I have been making cards and scrapbooking like crazy! :)

Day 14

I love a good Dr. Pepper ICEE!!!

Day 15

I made a taco salad for lunch using a shell crust. It was yummy.

Day 9, 10, 11

Day 9

Sweet little hands playing with homemade play dough.

Day 10

What Kyle got yesterday. He is curious, but I am determined to keep it a secret. :)

Day 11

Dad brought this Bearcat savings card home today and we have already used it to get Buy one burger get one free at Sonic. :)

Day 6, 7, and 8

This updating once a day is getting a little harder than I thought. Ill do my best (no promises) to post daily. If not...you get to see a few pics in one post! :)

Day 6.

Precious visitor....Dolce. My sis, her hubby and their pooch came in for the weekend.

Day 7

Mom, Dad, Laura, Aaron, Kyle and I all played this game. Things got competitive fast.

Day 8

My grandparents (dad's parents) celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary yesterday. Children, Grandchildren and great-grandchildren met them at church and then ate lunch together. I love my family and am so thankful for my grandparents.

Other highlights of the weekend:
-Some of the 708 boys were re-united this weekend and it was such a fun time. Eric came in town and shared about his experience as a journeyman. He brought along his future wife, Ashley. We loved meeting her and sharing stories of our college years.
-My sweet friend Jessica passed her comps and so she can start her internships in the fall. She worked so hard and I am so proud of her. Hopefully this will be me in a few months. :)

Day 4 and 5-Celebration continued...

Day 4-Discovery
The celebrating of Kyle's new job has continued. Yesterday I got to see Kyle's very own office. Its a big deal, folks. While he was finishing up on some things I took a spin in his new comfy office chair. As I was leaning back (almost put my feet on the desk..ha but thought it was not appropriate) I noticed something odd......



Kyle's explanation "I needed to eat my breakfast....then i didn't know what to do with the bowl." So under the table it went. Mr. Professional (I have taught him well) :)

Day 5-Treat
Mom and I decided to make Kyle something for his office. We needed something woodsy and manly. This is what mom came up with. Hopefully he doesn't see this before we give it to him tomorrow. ;)

Day 3-Homemade yogurt parfait

I have been making a yogurt parfait for a while and thought I would share it with yall since I made one today.

-1 cup of yogurt (I used french vanilla, you can use any kind you want)
-a few strawberries and blueberries (can use any fruit)
-1/4 cup of granola (of however much you want) or honey bunches of oats cereal (what I used today)
-a drizzle of honey
Mix together and enjoy! :)
Basically you can make it however you want. I change it up and add different fruits. It is a nice treat for a hot summer day.

Day 2-Shark Week and Birthdays

The 2nd day of August called for 2 pictures.


Happy Birthday Kiley!


What is consuming me this week. LOVE LOVE LOVE

31 days of Pictures- Day 1

I have decided to do the picture a day for the month of August. I'm excited to document the exciting month of my birth! :)

August 1.

I got to hangout with this precious lil girl for a little while today! :)

Update!

Here are some things going on now and in August:

1. Kyle will be starting a new job tomorrow at a local university. :)

2. My birthday is next month!

3. I will finish up another quarter of grad school! :) Im looking forward to my classes in the fall.

4. August is one month closer to fall. (football, cooler weather, and of course decorating)

5. I have a lot of craft ideas that I can't wait to start working on! :) (Pinterest is the coolest website. Check it out when you have a few hours....you will need it)

6. My phone finally went ka-put. I sucked it up and went ahead and got a new phone. I'm now up to date with the I-Phone 4. :)

Recipe I used to make a friend's birthday cake:

Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Lemonade Cream Cheese Icing

Cake Ingredients:
-1 box classic white cake mix
-1 1/4 c water
-3/4 c egg beaters
-3 TBS all natural applesauce
-2-3 TBS lemon juice
-1/2 c sugar free strawberry preserves

Icing ingredients:
-1 (8 oz) container low fat strawberry cream cheese
-1 (8 oz) container sugar free fat free cool whip
-3/4-1 c splenda
-1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, water and egg beaters.
3. With mixer, beat at low to med speed until well incorporated.
4. Add applesauce, lemon juice, and preserves to mix and beat at med speed until smooth.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 34-38 min.
6. While cake is baking, make the icing by combining all icing ingredients at low-med speed until smooth and creamy.
7. Once cake has baked and cooled, pour icing on top of cake and refrigerate approximately 2-3 hours. Enjoy.

Breaded Chicken Parmesan and Cheesy Hamburger Casserole

Breaded Chicken Parmesan

4 pieces of chicken breast
1 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP onions, dried
Crushed red peppers (if desired)

1. Cut the chicken breast horizontally (filet it) so you will end up with 2 thin places.
2. Rub each piece with olive oil
3. Mix dry ingredients together and pat each piece with the crumb mixture until well covered
4. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

I served this on top of marinara sauce and noodles. It turned out great!

Cheesy Hamburger Casserole

1 pound of ground beef (I used deer meat)
2 cups elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP basil
1 TBSP ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook macaroni according to package and drain.
3. In a skillet, saute onions and peppers until soft. Remove and set aside
4. Brown hamburger meat and drain.
5. Add onions, peppers, meat, tomatoes, oregano, basil, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix together
6, Add mixture to macaroni and pour in a baking dish coated in cooking spray.
7. Heat in oven for 5 minutes.
8. Add cheese to the top and bake until cheese melts and dish is bubbly (around 5-10 min).

i added some shredded cheddar cheese to the top and it turned out pretty good. I really liked the different spices added.

Baked Potato Dip and new workout gear!

I had the most fabulous dip while serving at VBS with my church. I honestly have no clue who made it, but I ended up getting the recipe bc it was so delicious.

Baked Potato Dip

1 8 oz. sour cream
1 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 pkg. real bacon bits
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
jalapenos to taste

Mix all ingredients together and bake for 25-30 min @ 350

Serve with Ruffles Potato Chips

B. and I have been working out for a few months now at least once a week. I call her my trainer bc she always pushes me to go the extra mile. She shows me different techniques to use while I am working out the other days of the week. Earlier this week she decided that we should workout in the pool. I thought that we would be just treading water for 30 min. I was terrified bc I literally swim like a dog. I doggie paddle and still feel like Im drowning. I do best with a noodle or raft. I decided that I would give it a shot though and knew that she would save me if I started drowning. (She used to be a lifeguard). Thank goodness. Well I arrived at her house and she had these nifty workout things. She had weights, a kick board, and a water belt. We used all the gear and I really enjoyed it. She gave me different things to do and I really like doing the exercises. I couldn't wait to get these things to do at my pool. I asked her where they came from and she said Academy. Well Tuesday I made a trip to Academy and picked them up.



I worked out using the new water gear by myself yesterday and loved it. :)

I'm not as fearless as I once was....

Two years ago, (almost to the day) I moved to a city that I spread my wings in and were I learned to be fearless. i learned to keep up with the traffic or you would be run over. I learned to not get scared at every little "bump in the night" while living alone. I learned how to be comfortable eating at a restaurant by myself. I learned to be independent and rely totally on God. At some points in my life in the city....he was all I had. I was never scared or terrified. I can't say that I didn't feel alone at times. I was fearless...

This past weekend, I visited the fabulous city that I once lived in. I saw it through fresh eyes and I was speechless. I saw cars speeding around me and gripped the steering wheel and held on for dear life. I heard every noise while staying at a friend's house and didn't sleep a wink. Overall, I was terrified and I couldn't figure out why. I guess I'm so used to "small town living" that I forgot what it was like to be on my own.

I guess I'm not as fearless as I once was......maybe I'm just growing up.

Re-cap

I have been meaning to post on what has been going on in my life, but I haven't had a large enough chunk of time. Of course right now I should be studying for my test that is in 4 hours, but I would much rather be blogging.

Highlights of the past week:

1. Sis and her hubby came in for the 4th of July (don't think I took 1 pic..boo) oh and they brought Dolce (adorable pup)
2. Scrapbooked (long overdue) with my bestie
3. purged my closet and I can finally wear everything in my closet (plus I fit into my skinny girl clothes..wahoo)
4. cooked/assisted in cooking 1. ribs and veggies cooked on the grill 2. chocolate chip peanut butter squares 3. baked potato dip
5. got a manicure with a good friend of mine on Saturday (and the paint is still staying on :)
6. went to the lake and hung out with the whole family. I even bumper tubed and got some "major air"

I have a very close friend that lost her mother to cancer this week. She was a very Godly, amazing woman and my heart hurts for this precious family. They are finding joy in the fact that she is healed and dancing with Jesus right now. Please be with the Emerson family as they are grieving.

I am thrilled to be going to my home away from home tomorrow. I can't wait to get back to my old stomping grounds and visit my favorite places (Cupcakery, North Park Mall, Katy Trail) and see my precious friends that I miss a whole bunch.

That's all for now! :)

Pictures

A close friend of ours took some pics of Kyle and I the other day. We just wanted some pictures for us because we have never had pictures taken of us. We had a great time and the pictures turned out great! :) Here are my favorites!







And before you ask....no this isn't an engagement picture. You will know when the event happens. Lol. These pics are just for us and for fun! :)

Peach Cobbler

One thing I love about summer is peaches. My town is known for our fabulous peaches and so they always remind me of summer. My dad got some peaches from a customer and I was itching to make something with them. I decided to make peach cobbler. I like to try different recipes and so I tried a quick recipe.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

* *Peaches, fresh, 8 medium (2-1/2" dia) (approx 4 per l
* Corn Starch, 0.125 cup
* *Flour, white, 1 cup
* Baking Powder, 1 tsp
* Butter, salted, .5 cup
* Milk, 2%, .75 cup (I used low fat)
* *Lemon Juice, 1 fl oz
* Granulated Sugar, 1.5 cup


Directions

In a saucepan heat the peeled and sliced peaches and add 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice and corn starch and heat until boiling, keep warm. Pour melted butter into a 9x13 baking dish. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Stir in milk just until the batter is moistened, the batter will be slightly lumpy. Pour the flour mixture into the pan over the melted butter. Do Not Stir. Pour the hot fruit over the batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 servings.

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ADAMSMOM87.

It turned out great! I added a little bit of cinnamon to it because I love the flavor.

Sundried tomato and garlic hummus

I am not a big fan of hummus. I have tried a lot of different kinds and still didn't think I would ever like it. Well I decided to give it a try and found a recipe that I could make. I changed it a little bit, but it turned out fabulous. I used pita chips to dip into it and I have already made it again. :)

Sundried Tomato and Garlic Hummus

1 can of garbanzo beans (aka chick peas)
1/2 jar of sun dried tomatoes in oil in a jar (comes in an 8 oz jar so use 4 oz) (top of shelf most places)
1-4 cloves of garlic (I used 1-2 cloves) depends on what you like
lemon juice (to taste)
extra virgin olive oil (a few tablespoons)
basil (a few leaves) depends on what you like

In a food processor, add garbanzo beans, sun dried tomatoes, basil and garlic. Pulse while gradually adding olive oil and lemon juice. Blend until desired consistency.

Makes around 4 cups.

As you can see, this recipe can be changed according to what you like. Garlic is very strong so I didn't use as much. I also didn't add a lot of basil to the recipe. :)

Busy

May has been super busy and I have neglected my blog. Finals were my life for a good two weeks. I am proud to say that I successfully completed my 1st quarter in grad school. I took one of the "tough" classes that is a pre-requisite for almost every class. Here is a tid bit what I have been up to.....

Easter fun with sis!


All dressed up for Easter Sunday!


Mom and I are growing cherry tomatoes in a pot. They are so fun to pick and eat in a salad.


I have been cooking some, but not really anything new. I am working on a making a cookbook.

Crawfish fettucini and peanut butter cookies!

Crawfish Fettucini

Ingredients

1 pint half and half
1 16 oz. block velvetta cheese
1 bag egg noodles
1 can rotel tomatoes
1/2 onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 lb of crawfish tails (can be frozen or fresh)

Directions

Start cooking egg noodles. meanwhile saute onions and bell pepper until onion is clear. Add Half and Half. Cook for 3 mins. Add cream of mushroom soup. Cook for 5 mins. Add tails and rotel. Cook for 10 mins. Gradually add velvetta cheese in cubes. Cook until melted stirring constantly. Add cooked egg noodles.

Number of Servings: 10

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MOMY2JOSH.

Number of Servings: 10

Found at Spark Recipes.com. I made it with leftover crawfish from our crawfish boil. It was a little too cheesy for me, but it was still good.


Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla one at a time. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press each ball once with fork tines.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned.


Number of Servings: 36

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LACYLOU85.

Number of Servings: 36

Found at Spark Recipes.com. They were delicious! :)

Project-kitchen table

Mom and I found an amazing table at a local consignment store and we decided to buy it and add a little love to it. I was told that it was a designer table and a great find not to mention great deal. Mom convinced me that it was a great buy and that she would help me refinish it. Here is the process:

Before:


We sanded it and then we re-stained it:

And the finished product:
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I am thrilled about how it turned out. I can't wait to use my new kitchen table!

lately

Over the past few weeks:

-I have successfully gotten through my 1st grad school test and presentation (in the same night...welcome to grad school). Prayers needed for the 2nd test that will be on Tuesday. You know its gonna be hard when the study guide is.....read the entire book. Hm....that sounds like death (book is 300+ pages)

-I have snagged an awesome nanny job for the summer. The kids are great, the parents are great and the activities are already in the works. PS the little girl has an easy bake oven...SCORE!

-Kyle has started a new job (2nd job actually). He is the interim youth minister at a church nearby. (Sorry cant give more details...call for more details). We are both so excited for the opportunity and cant wait to see what God is up to. I always said Kyle needed to be a youth minister.

-Mom and I have been working on a project. Ill post pics and tell more when we are finished :)

-I have been contemplating running a 1/2 marathon next year. So prayers for me to be able to continue running and not die from my lungs exploding. EKKK!

-I have been cooking...but kinda the same old things. Tonight I made sugar free brownies. They were delicious and I was quite impressed. (PS they are in a box...so check them out) I have been trying to cook sugar free bc I swear everyone in my family is pre-diabetic. But then again who isn't a little pre-diabetic these days.

-I have become obsessed with Steve Madden shoes. Esp their sandals! Thank goodness they are affordable.

-I have the wedding bug. But then again who doesn't have it in the spring time. Please pray for me for patience bc I know Kyle knows what he is doing as far as time lines on getting married.

I think thats all for now. I promise when life slows down that I will post more recipes.

PS Mom and i are going to the beach next weekend and I am super thrilled. Too bad my reading will consist of a book about concentration camps and a crazy theorists. What can I say....I love extra credit books! :)

Love/Hate Relationship

Last Saturday was THE day. THE day that I have been training for since January. The KD Shamrock 5K was here and ready to be completed. My sweet trainer was gracious enough to stay with me the entire race. I was determined to try my best whether I walked some during the race. I had only ran the full 3.2 miles one time beforehand and I walked some of it. So I was SUPER nervous. My goal was 45 minutes. Here are some pics.....

Before:

Ladies ready to run!


Ready to run our 1st 5k!

After:

My AMAZING trainer/friend that stayed with me the entire time! We did it! :)

And my time was..........

38.55 minutes! Hooray!

When I was finished I said....."I never want to run again. " Now I am re-thinking the whole thing. This helped change my mind....

http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/princess-half-marathon/

I mean what girl wouldn't want to run a princess half-marathon! PS you even can get minnie ears! How stinking awesome is that. Oh and I would totally run it in a tutu....well maybe! :)

A few of my favorite things in Spring

A few of my favorite things in Spring:

1. Sandals -just arrived....some precious gold ones!
http://g.nordstromimage.com/imagegallery/store/product/Gigantic/18/_6263838.jpg

2. Girl Scout cookies- Samaos are my fav.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-02-24-2009_04_02Samoa.jpg

3. running outside- training for a 5k this weekend (wish me luck)

4. flowers blooming everywhere -especially the tulips on Tech's campus

5. spring colors- orange is my new fav

6. homemade smoothies- mango/pineapple is currently my fav

Have a great week! :)

Shrimp Fried Rice and Peanut Buter Cup Cookies

Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

Make sure to use leftover, day old rice when making fried rice. Freshly made rice will make a fried rice that's mushy.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
2 stalks green onion, minced
4 cups leftover rice, grains separated well
3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted
1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if you are making a gluten-free version)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

METHOD
1 In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper and cornstarch. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a bead of water to instantly sizzle and evaporate, add just 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan.

2 Add the shrimp, quickly spreading out around the cooking surface area so that they are not overlapping. Let fry, untouched for 30 seconds. Flip over and let the other side fry for 30 seconds, or until about 80% cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the pan onto a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

3 Turn the heat to medium, let the pan heat up again. Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the pan into the same plate as the cooked shrimp.

4 Use paper towels to wipe the same wok or sauté pan clean and return to high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is very hot, add the green onions and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add in the rice and stir well to mix in the green onions throughout. Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1-2 minutes. Use the spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok.

5 Drizzle the soy sauce all around the rice and toss. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked eggs, shrimp and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again, until the rice grains are so hot they practically dance! Taste and add an additional 1 teaspoon of soy sauce if needed.

Serves 4. Recipe from simplyrecipes.com

I have never made fried rice before and it turned out pretty great. I added more soy sauce and didn't use sesame oil.



Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Servings: 40 (1 cookie each)

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered
peanut butter cups, unwrapped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

I ended up using a cookie sheet instead of a mini muffin pan. They still turned out great. They are pretty rich too so be careful how big you make them.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Valentines Part II

Kyle and I decided to cook dinner in for Valentines. The day before we made chocolate covered strawberries and red velvet cake balls. They turned out great. Here is the awesome recipe from Bakerella! http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/

Red Velvet Cake Balls
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I forgot to take a picture.....go figure.
Mom and I spent the day decorating the dining room and table. It turned out great.....



Dad grilled steaks while mom and I did the twice baked potatoes and green beans wrapped in bacon. Kyle found a recipe for a crab sauce to put on top of the steaks. I don't have the recipe...but it turned out delicious. We had a great Valentines Day! :)

Valentines Day Part I

Mom, Jess, and I made Valentine cards last weekend....Here are a few of my favs: