Our Fun Filled DMH Get-Together

Well yesterday we got together with our good friends, Dan, Angel and Katie and Roger, Deana, Ryan and Reid.  We all had a good time eating and visiting.  Nothing is better than awesome food and company to share it with.  We plan a get-together at least three times a year, but the last couple of years, it hasn't always worked out where we could actually all get together at the same time.  It seems like every time we plan a get-together of all three families, one of our kids gets sick or something else in life happens.  So I was thrilled we could all attend this time!

Each of us has a child that is around the same age, so it's fun to watch the children interact with one another.  Sometimes they play with each other, sometimes they play by themselves.  Other times, they just fight over toys or argue.  Whatever they do though, I love to watch them and take pictures.  Kids love the simplest things in life, such as jumping on the trampoline.  They all took their turn with jumping on it.  Here are some pictures:

Then Katie and Colton decided they would roll the ball to one another.  They had fun playing that for a little while at least.  I'm glad they are finally at an age where they can interact better with one another and actually play together and not just play by themselves. 

What was so cute is this next picture of Katie.  She was really telling Colton exactly how it was and how to do it , just like a woman does most of the time to a man.  I found it hilarious!  That picture to me is worth a thousand words.

Next, Katie and Ryan decided they wanted to draw and color.  They both did a wonderful job and most of all had fun doing it.  They had their mini M&M's to help give them the energy to complete their activity too!  All poor Colton wanted to do was take a sticker out of the Thomas the Train Activity book.  So I told him he could have just one, since this boy is a sticker-a-holic, you have to be sure and tell him........just one.

I think we all had a great time visiting and eating, I know I did.  This get-together was well worth the wait to me.  The food was wonderful, and what else can I say but I have more good friends that can cook good food!!!!!  Nothing is better than that.  As you can see below, we had an escape artist in the bunch.  I think Ryan was trying to tell us all..........GUYS, IT'S TIME TO GO HOME NOW!  How cute is that.  He was actually trying to get downstairs to retrieve a lost ball, but it sounds so much better with "escape artist" as the story line, doesn't it?  HA HA.

Overall, I just want to tell you, I consider this time that we get together good therapy for me.  It's nice to be able to chat with other moms that have children around the same age and find out we are all going through the same challenges.  We can offer each other some good advice or just provide a good listening ear.  It's also just nice to be able to sit back, relax and share our funny moments about our children growing up.  I just want to say, I'm thankful to have good friends.

Dessert Sharing Time

There is a dessert that I really like and thought I would share.  It's another Pampered Chef recipe from way back when I was a consultant and used to make this at my shows.  It was fun and easy.  This recipe is in the Pampered Chef Classics Cookbook that I have.  I don't believe that Pampered Chef offers this cookbook anymore, but I did find it available on Amazon.  This recipe is really good, so get ready to write it down.  Hope you enjoy!


Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake
from the Pampered Chef Classics Cookbook

Coffee Cake and Filling:
2 packages crescent rolls
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (20 oz) can of cherry pie filling

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Unroll crescent dough.  Separate 16 triangles, reserving 4 triangles for decoration.  Using a baking stone, arrange 12 triangles in a circle with wide ends toward the outside edge of the baking stone and points toward the center (the points will not meet).  Using a lightly floured roller, roll dough to 14 inch circle, pressing the seams together to seal and leaving a 3 inch hole in the center.
For the filling, place cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla in a batter bowl and mix with a blender until smooth.  Spread the mixture over the dough to within 1/2 inch of edges, top with pie filling.
Cut each remaining triangle into thirds starting at the wide end opposite the point and cutting lengthwise to the point.  Arrange dough strips even in spoke-like fashion over the filling.  Press ends to seal at center and outer edges.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, cool slightly.
For glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth, drizzle that over the coffee cake.  Cut into 12 pieces and serve warm.  Enjoy!

My Obsession With The Crock Pot

I can’t stand it any longer, I just have to share.  Lately I have been loving to cook different recipes in the crock pot.  I ABSOLUTELY love it!  I mean ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY LOVE IT!!!!  It’s easy, it’s not a hassle, it makes roasts super tender and the food just tastes great.  What isn’t to love about the crock pot?  I mean come on, right? 

Well now I just have to share another recipe I made over the weekend.  I found it on this website a while back when I was searching for Barbecue Chicken recipes.  For some reason, I never have good luck making any type of baked chicken in the oven, the chicken always turns out dry and I hate dry chicken!  I know I overcook it every time, but I don't want to eat undercooked chicken, so I always seem to go overboard when cooking it.  I just want to make sure the chicken is well done.  However, this is an easy chicken recipe I found that you can make in the crock pot and it turns out moist and cooked every time.  I believe it is a CROCK POT MUST KNOW RECIPE!!!!  So hold on tight, this will blow you away………it’s that good, in my opinion anyways. 

Zesty Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken
source from allrecipes.com

6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 (12oz) bottle barbeque sauce

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in the crock pot.  Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl, then pour it over the chicken. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on Low 6-8 hours.  Remove the chicken from the crock pot and place on a large plate, take two forks and shred the chicken before making your sandwiches.  We just eat them on hamburger buns, but you can eat them on any type of bread you like most.  Hope you enjoy!

Taking Advantage Of A Gorgeous Day Outside

Today, Colton wanted to go outside this afternoon and ride his gator.  It was so beautiful, so I agreed.  This weather has been unbelievable this winter.  I can only imagine though what this Spring and Summer has in store for us.  Since it really hasn't gotten cold enough to kill off the flies and mosquitoes and other pests, I know we will be eaten alive.  I'm afraid we're going to have a rough time this next season.  YUCK!  I'm just trying to take advantage of the weather we have right now and live in the moment. 

Overall, we had a fun day playing outside.  He had a blast riding on his gator and I just enjoyed sitting on the front porch swing watching him.  It's so relaxing to be outside in the sunshine and just watch your child laugh, scream and play because they enjoy being outside so much.  He makes some of the funniest faces and I love to catch it in a picture.  I know he'll get a kick out of it later on when he grows up and looks back on some of the silly faces he used to make.  Aren't kids just funny little people?  They are hilarious!

This is my silly boy making a funny face, I could just kiss this little onry face all over!!!!

Play-Doh Play-Time Extravaganza

Colton received Play-Doh as a Christmas gift from his Uncle Ben, Aunt Stephanie, Cousins Victoria, Patrick and Avery.  Let me tell you, he loves to play with this stuff.  For the past few days, he has asked me at least once a day to play with it.  To me, it makes a mess, but to him, it is awesome.  I get truly amazed with him in the way he gets so involved.  I mean he really gets serious with playing with this stuff.  Some of his facial expressions simply crack me up.  Just look below:

Oh how I love the simple things in life.  I love just sitting back watching him play with it, his love for Play-Doh is hilarious.  When he finally finishes making his hot dogs, burgers and french fries, he wants me to join in with eating it (pretend eating of course).  I'm just glad that he wants to share it with me.

I want to always be able to take advantage of this precious time in his young life.  I love watching him play and learn new things, the only part I hate to see is how fast he is growing up!

The Dotsons

My best friend, Angel, has started a new thought process this year of trying to eat healthier and lose weight at the same time.  She's calling the process a "lifelong journey" and I find that to be so true.  She has done an awesome job this year and I am so proud of her!!!!!!   She has such motivation.  You can visit her blog to find out what changes she is making in her life.  Check out her post called "A Healthier Year".    http://angeldotson.blogspot.com

Happy Valentine's Day

Just wanted to tell everyone HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY today!  I don't feel like Valentine's Day is just for couples.  To me, this is a special day set aside to tell ALL the special people in your life that you love them.  Sometimes we forget to tell our family and friends that we do in fact love and appreciate them.  It's just so easy to forget that sometimes, but if you share that with them, I know it will change their day.


So, let's tell EVERYONE we love and appreciate, that we do love and appreciate them!  Let them know that they are your Valentine!  I would like to tell my mom especially that I love and appreciate her.  I don't seem to do that very often, I tend to forget to tell her those special words, but she needs to know that.  She has always been there for me when I needed someone, no matter what I was going through, she was there.  Thank you for that mom, I LOVE YOU!  To all of you that are reading my blog, THANK YOU and I APPRECIATE your loyal reading support!!!!! 

For couples that can't afford roses, flowers, a big fancy dinner or a present of some kind.........I would like to recommend a few movies for you to watch tonight on this Valentine's Day evening.  One of my favorite movies to watch is The Notebook, another is The Wedding Date and the last one is My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  I believe those are all good love stories, so I hope you enjoy one of them tonight!  HAVE A GREAT HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!  Enjoy this time with your loved ones!

Easy Kid Pleasin Lasagna

Several years ago, I used to sell Pampered Chef products.  I purchased many cookbooks from them throughout the years, even when I wasn't selling their products.  I just love their products and especially their stoneware, it is so awesome to bake with.  Along the way, I've prepared many of their recipes that my family and I literally love.  I'm going to be sharing some of those recipes along my blogging adventure.  Today, I've decided to share their easy recipe for lasagna.  It comes from their "Kids In The Kitchen" cookbook and is called "The Easiest Kid-Pleasin' Lasagna Ever".  Trust me, it is easy to make and it is kid approved!  However, I have made a few changes to it.  To me, it was a little too runny for my fancy and I like meat in my lasagna too.  In other words, I've tweaked it just a little bit. 


EASY LASAGNA
adapted from Pampered Chef Kids In The Kitchen cookbook

1 lb ground beef
1 (24-28 oz) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (do not drain)
1 egg
1 15 oz carton of low fat cottage cheese
8 uncooked lasagna noodles
4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese or whatever cheese blend you like best

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook ground beef in a skillet.  Drain any excess grease.  In a 2 qt batter bowl, combine cooked ground beef, spaghetti sauce and the can of undrained diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (I like to blend the can of diced tomatoes in a blender before adding it to the spaghetti sauce, but you don't have to if you like your spaghetti sauce mixture chunky).

In a 1 qt batter bowl, mix egg with a whisk.  Add cottage cheese and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to the egg.  To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 the spaghetti sauce mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 stoneware baker.  Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles in a single layer lengthwise over the sauce and 1 noodle crosswise to cover the bottom of the baker(you might have to break the lasagna noodle to make it fit flat).  Press noodles in the sauce.  Now spread all the cottage cheese mixture evenly on top of the noodles in the sauce.  Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly.  Top with the remaining spaghetti sauce mixture and place the last 4 lasagna noodles like you did above make sure the noodles are pressed in the spaghetti sauce mixture.  Cover the baker with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and uncover carefully.  Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.  Cover loosely with foil and let it stand for 10-15 minutes.  Cut into squares and enjoy!


The best part of this recipe is NOT having to precook the lasagna noodles.......talk about an easy recipe.  Right?  Somehow baking the lasagna in stoneware cooks the lasagna noodles wonderfully.  I hope your whole family enjoys this truly simple recipe.  It's a family lovin', crowd pleasin' recipe.  Also another church pot luck dinner winning dish.

Look Ma Ma ........SNOW!

This morning we awoke to snow!  Colton was so excited, he kept begging me to go outside and play in the snow.  He kept saying, "Look ma ma, dares snow."  He was just looking at me like DUH, don't you see there is snow outside..........we have to go play in it!  Hello?

 Man was it ever cold.  I told him if we go outside, we have to bundle up really good because otherwise, we will freeze our rear ends off.  He kept insisting, "I not will fweeze my wer end off!"  I had to give in, when he says he "not will", that just cracks me up so much.  So yes, I caved, we got all bundled up and went outside to brave the COLD weather and I'm not exaggerating, it was COLD!

We stepped outside and the cold breeze about took my breath away.  I told Colton, you better hurry and play fast, because we aren't staying outside very long.  So run and play in the snow while you can.  He did.  He started running in the snow and screaming.  He was so excited to be outside in it, he didn't care how cold it was!  He didn't seem to care that I was freezing.  That's my boy!

As you can tell, he is all boy.  Just to be outside, no matter the temperature, he is thrilled to no end.  He would live outside if Barry and I would let him.......that I'm sure of.  Silly goose!

When I told him it was time to go in, he was NOT happy.  He didn't care that he was almost frozen, he just wanted to stay outside playing.  He said, " Just one more sang ma ma."  I said "What one more thing?"  He said, "I got to cwean up my side.  Ist got snow on it."  How funny is that?  Anything he can say, to keep me outside just a little bit longer is worth it to him.  When you think about it, kids are really so easy to please.  They just love the simple things in life and their parents attention.  That is all they care about.  As long as they get our attention, they are happy.  They have no worries and no complaints in life.  They just want to know they are loved and taken care of and I am SOOOOOO willing to do those things.  Oh what it would be like to just be a kid again!  How fun that would be.

Grandma Puddin's Beans and Cornbread

My grandma was a wonderful woman and now truly missed by all who loved her!  My name for her was Grandma Puddin.  I always called her that, she was Puddin to me as long as she lived.  She just passed away last year and is truly missed !  I don't even hardly know where to begin to tell you what she was like, but I'll try.  She was a one of a kind lady.  She knew how to pray.  She was a true prayer warrior; when she prayed you knew she was getting a hold of the Lord.  Cooking was one of her many niches.  She was one of the best down home cookin' cooks there was.  I loved her cherry pies, they were delicious.  My brother loved her lemon pies, that was his favorite.  She was also a wonderful seamstress.  She taught me how to crochet, I wasn't good at it, but it was just nice for her to teach me something.  She knew so much.

When she was alive and still lived on her own, my extended family used to get together and eat dinner at her house every Wednesday night.  The menu was the same every time.  She made us beans and cornbread, macaroni and tomatoes..........and there was always a pie, that however, was usually a surprise.  You didn't know if you were gonna have lemon pie, chocolate pie or cherry pie.  All of those were delicious though!  I have wonderful memories of her fixing that meal for us each week, she loved every minute of it.  Since my family so enjoyed those moments, I thought why not share her recipes with everyone?  So today, I'm going to share her beans and cornbread recipe with you and hopefully you can start making your own memories with your extended family.  This is a meal that bring family together.


PUDDIN'S PINTO BEANS

2 C dried pinto beans
1 ham hock (as big as your fist) or 1 hog's jowl
1/2 bay leaf
1-2 Tbsp salt (depends how salty you like your beans)

Place all of the ingredients into a crock pot.  Cover all the ingredients with water.  Turn the crock pot on low and cook for 10-12 hours.  You can stir about half way through the cooking process.  You can even cook it longer if you want, because the more you let it cook, the better it tastes!


PUDDIN'S CORNBREAD

1 C white self rising cornmeal mix
1 egg
3/4 C milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp bacon grease for your cast iron skillet

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl except for the 2 Tbsp of bacon grease that is for the cast iron skillet.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  While you are preheating the oven, spread 2 Tbsp of canola oil or vegetable oil in your cast iron skillet.  Place the cast iron skillet in the oven while it's preheating for about 4-5 minutes.  Once it is hot, take out the cast iron skillet.  Pour the cornbread mixture in the pan evenly.  Place it back in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  Take out of the oven and devour!!


I hope everyone enjoys these recipes as much as my family does.  Since my grandma has passed away, my mom now makes my extended family beans and cornbread sometimes.  This way, my grandma's beans and cornbread recipe lives on and always will.  She had a quote that she always said about life that I want to share with you now.  She used to say, "Honey, I love life with all of it's heartaches and sorrows."  Her outlook on life was wonderful.  She did love living, she loved every moment of life.  She was truly ONE OF A KIND! !  Nobody can compare.  I will continue to miss her until I see her again one day.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.  If you do, then you now have a piece of her legacy too.......her famous beans and cornbread!  Nobody could make them like my Puddin!!!!!

The Toddler Singing Boys

Colton’s younger cousin, Noah, who is two and a half years old, is the more quiet one of the two boys.  Since they attend the same church and go the same babysitter, they are together quite a bit.  One of the most precious things is they are able to sing together in church.  Nothing is more sweeter than watching a two and three year old sing a special together.  Everyone in our church enjoys that, we all love to watch them take part. 

Let me first start with Noah and give you some background on this little man.  He has had an awesome vocabulary since the age of two.  He started talking way before that, but by the age of two, he was singing a special in church by himself.  His special song is, “The Lighthouse”, which he knows word for word.  This boy can sing the entire song all the way through and be such a blessing to everyone.  It is the sweetest thing to watch.  He will walk up on the platform, stand by his mommy, hold the microphone and sing this song through to the very end without missing a word.  ADORABLE! 

Then there is Colton.  My little guy, on the other hand, is like a firecracker in church.  He gets up to sing a song and can’t hold still.  He has, what my mom calls, ants in his pants.  There was never a more truer saying than that. 

Let me begin with how Colton gets ready to sing a special in church.  He walks (runs some of the time) up on the platform, gets the microphone and stands in place when the music starts.  (This is always where I get excited each time he sings because I keep thinking that this will be the day that he sings the entire song all the way through).  He starts out singing the first few lines of the song pretty good, then something happens.  He starts swaying from side to side, his feet come alive, they start moving quite a bit, when all of a sudden, his feet are moving so fast that he’s doing something that resembles dancing.  Sometimes he even twirls once or twice.  At least through all of this, he's still singing some of the words to the song.  That is my precious little guy.  Unfortunately, he’s just like me as a child…………very, very hyperactive.  He can't hold still for any period of time, no matter what he's doing.

When the boys actually sing together, they do pretty good.  They both get their microphones and start singing loud.  The last few times they've sang in church together, they seem to be singing with all that is within them.  Too cute to watch two little toddler boys sing praises to the Lord.

As you can tell in my description above of the two boys, their singing manners are quite different when they sing solos.  They are both a blessing to our church though, we wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.  Me, being a mother to a boy that actively wants to participate in church, however the manner may be sometimes, loves every minute.  There is nothing more precious to me than knowing my son loves to sing in a church that encourages everyone, no matter the age, to participate.   I LOVE IT!

 

Potty Training - Take One

If you've had children, then you know what I'm getting ready to talk about.

When I first started out trying to potty train, it felt like Colton would never understand the concept.  I've heard I don't know how many moms say that they had their children trained by age two or even before age two.  Oh my goodness, are you serious?  If you are one of those mothers, then you are one of the LUCKY ones.  You should be thanking the good Lord above that your child was ready so early to be trained.  I have to say, I'm still working on that with Colton.  It's a work in progress for us.

I sometimes think, wouldn't it be awesome if there was just a magic button somewhere that I could push and viola............he would be trained?  I think I would even pay for that button, but it does NOT exist.  Trust me, it doesn't.

I've been on what seems like a roller coaster ride with huge hills and many twists and turns along the way.  I started trying about six months ago because I thought he seemed interested.  WRONG!  He wasn't, that didn't last very long.  I then thought I would wait until he was ready and showed more interest, because I have the philosophy of why push your kids before they are ready?  I feel like they will show you signs when they are ready to learn.  Colton was NOT ready to learn.

When he had started showing interest, I switched over to putting him in pull-ups.  Every time I would change his pull-up, we would talk about being a big boy and going in the potty is one of the things that big boys do.  He really seemed interested in our conversations.  He seemed like he understood what we were talking about.  I thought we were getting somewhere.  He would tell me over and over again, "Yes, ma ma, das what bi boys do.  I a bi boy."   I would then proceed to tell him, if you are a big boy, then show me that you are.  Next time you need to go "pee pee", tell me so I can take you to the bathroom and you can go "pee pee" on the big boy potty.  We were all set, I was pumped, he was pumped...........I knew the next time he had to go "pee pee" that it was going to be in front of the big boy potty.  It was gonna happen, we had talked about, we didn't shake hands on it, but trust me on this, it was a done deal.................I knew next time, it was gonna happen.

Oh good Lord...................WHAT WAS I THINKING?  You are right, "IT" didn't happen.

Several times that conversation happened, but no different outcome........still no "pee pee" in the big boy potty.  Well a few months went by and all of a sudden, he's showing more interest again, he's wanting to at least stand in front of the big boy potty.  OK, there is no "pee pee" but he is at least wanting to stand there and try!  This is it, this is great, I am once again pumped and on the band wagon to work more consistently with him.

He now starts wanting to stand in front of the big boy potty a couple times each evening, I keep thinking, this is a good sign.  One evening he tells me "Ma ma, I hat to go pee pee."  By now, this is just another ritual we do in the evenings.  NO BIG DEAL.  I tell myself, "Jen, you have to keep being consistent with him.  Keep taking him to the big boy potty.  This is the only way he's going to get it."  So this one night, this glorious night, in which he has said the exact same thing he has always said to me about having to go "pee pee".........we go to the bathroom, pull down his pants, stand there and wait..........when all of a sudden............... I actually see "PEE PEE".  Oh my goodness, it is really happening this time.............I start screaming for joy!  I'm dancing, rejoicing, praising him, giving him stickers, offering him chocolate.  It's whatever he wants..............THIS      IS     BIG! ! ! ! !

I feel like we've passed over a big hurdle.  It's a great feeling of being so proud of your little one.  We are now finally to the point of (knock on wood) where he is consistently going to the potty for "pee pee".  It's been a long haul to get here, but we are here and it is AWESOME!  I'm not saying he doesn't have an accident here or there, because he does.  I'm not saying that he wakes up with a dry pull up after every nap time or for that matter, that he wakes up with a dry pull up every morning.  I'm just saying that he has done a wonderful job in letting me know when he has to go "pee pee" in the potty when he's awake.  He's so big that he even goes all by himself sometimes.  Then here and there, he just wants me in the bathroom with him so he can show me how big he is.  I love that and I am so proud of him each and every time.

I better stop and take a breather now while I'm ahead.  I will continue next time in the gripping saga of my potty training extravaganza with Colton.  I didn't write anything about the "poo poo" stage..........well, let me tell you, it has not yet been conquered, for that matter, not even attempted very many times.  He doesn't seem to want to do that consistently yet.  Being honest about it, he doesn't seem to want to do it at all, it's still a work in progress.  So stay tuned for the next adventure of ............."Potty Training - Take Two".

Church Pot Luck Dinner

Today was an awesome church service, I really received a blessing that I needed.  God is so good to us.

I love it when we have our church pot luck dinners after the morning service.  I look forward to the fellowship and the food every time, oh my yes........the food, it's wonderful!  I know I'm partial, but I believe we have some of the best cooks in the entire Midwest, possible the entire United States.

One of the ladies in our church, Hazel, makes the best enchilada pie I have ever tasted.  I get so excited when she brings it, I could literally eat the entire 9x13 dish by myself with no regrets.  Since I love this dish so much, I decided today why not just share this recipe with everyone?  So, hold on to your seats, here it is.  Viola!

Hazel's Enchilada Pie

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion

Brown together ground beef and onion, then drain off any excess grease.

Mix the following and then add to the meat mixture:
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of mushroom soup
1 large can of mild red enchilada sauce
1/2 C milk
1 small can chopped chiles (leave out about 1 Tbsp unless you like it really hot then add the entire can)

Mix:
1-8 oz bag of shredded Cheddar cheese and
1-8 oz bag of Monterey Jack cheese

1 pkg soft corn tortilla shells

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Line it with 6 corn tortilla shells.  Top with 1/2 of the meat mixture, top with 1/2 cheese mixture.  Add 6 more corn tortilla shells and top with the remaining meat mixture, then top with the remaining cheese mixture.  Spray the cooking spray on top of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.  Let it set and cool for about 15 minutes.  Now cut it into squares and serve.

Delicious folks!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do on our pot luck Sunday dinners after church.  As my minister always teases us about having pot luck dinners...........you'll be lucky if you can get in the pot to have a taste.  Once you fix this for your family, you'll be lucky enough if there is any leftover for you to eat.  Good luck!

Optim Pwime

 

Last night, Colton (a.k.a. my little guy), asked me if he could watch the "wobots movie" when we got home.  OK, wait a minute.....................let me start over....................EVERY night for the past three and a half weeks, my little guy has asked if he could watch the "wobots movie" when we've gotten home.

So, now you ask................what is the "wobots movie"...............am I right?

The "wobots movie" is..........Transformers.  Yes, you heard me right the first time, Transformers.  He absolutely loves the Transformers movie.  I'm sure most everyone has seen the movie, it's been out for years now.  If you have children, have they seen it?  Are they as addicted to it as mine?

It all started when Stuart (a.k.a. bubba) and Sydney (a.k.a. sissy) first introduced him to the movie when they were down visiting around a month ago, he loved it.  He loved it so much, that now he's hooked!  That's all he wants to watch.  I'm not exaggerating either, he honestly wants to watch that movie ALL THE TIME.

I can't seem to keep his mind off that movie.  Barry takes him in the garage because he loves being in the "man cave" with his dad looking at tools.  That doesn't work.  I try to get him to build blocks with the Legos, that doesn't work.  Barry wrestles with him in the living room floor.  That doesn't work.  We play with the play-doh that his Aunt Stephanie bought him for Christmas.  That doesn't work.  Don't get me wrong, he goes to the garage with his dad, he plays building blocks with me, he wrestles with his daddy in the floor, he plays with his play-doh, but after all of the fun is over and he is done, he asks, "Weady to watch Optim Pwime now?"  Oh my goodness, the attention span of a three year old!

His favorite character that he talks about non-stop is "Optim Pwime" really known as Optimus Prime on the movie.  He is the leader of the Transformers.  I like him too because of that awesome deep, deep voice.  However, I'm still trying to figure out why"Optim Pwime" is my little guy's favorite and not Bumblebee.  I mean come on, wouldn't you think Bumblebee would be the coolest to a three year old boy?  He's yellow and black and a cool Camaro!  Well think again, the coolest to my little guy is "Optim Pwime".

I guess it has to be his favorite because he is so infatuated with semi trucks.  He loves that blue and red semi.  Anytime we see a semi as we're driving down the road, he says, "Look mama, it's a big twuck like Optim Pwime."  If I accidentally don't see it in passing, then he says so sweetly, "Sowwy, you missed it."  I love that little voice, I love this age, I could just squeeze his little face sometimes because I love him so much, I want to freeze time and live here in this moment for the rest of our lives.  Only if that were possible!!!!