One Received and a New Do?

Well on Friday we checked the mail and found one of our passports:) It was mine actually, I had sent in a renewal by regular snail mail and no special rush notes. But the surprising thing was how quickly we received it back.... exactly 7 days!! SO here's hoping for the kids' passport cards to be finished soon, too!!!

One thing I was a little hesitant about was the passport pictures. On the instructions they recommend getting them professionally taken at a place that specializes in passport photos. But it's like $10 a person and we needed pictures for four of us.... like $40 (versus $1.60 doing it ourselves)!!! Anyway, I took them at the house, then took more at Walmart because the first batch didn't fit the requirements:) Yes, I was printing out pictures and then measuring them with rulers at Wally World... I'm sure the photo-people hadn't see this before:) But now that I received mine back without problems the kids' pictures should be fine, too!!!

Ok, here's the other thing on my mind:) I've been growing my hair forever wanting to participate in Locks of Love. This summer, I'm just soo ready for a change:) I just don't give myself any time in the morning to actually "do" my hair.... and with it being the texture it is and this long, it does take some effort to "do" it and not just throw it in a ponytail.... which I do too often:) Anyway, I've been on the hunt for a cute, short, easy haircut. I found this one and have checked with a hair-dresser friend who thinks I actually have enough hair to go ahead and CUT IT..... whoa...

I asked Brian again about it this morning.... and his response was, "I think you should just go ahead and do it." SO the plain Jane girl who usually just gets a trim, might just get more than a trim soon.....

More Pics From Last Night

Maybe it was because we hadn't seen Caleb in over three weeks(?) and he looked taller to me, or maybe it's because Lydia was wearing ponytails..... but last night I was hit with how quickly my little ones are growing up. Sure, they're still little... but Anna learned how to buckle her seatbelt last night and Lydia put on her own shoes to go outside yesterday, they're just growing up so fast. And it's sweet and fun to watch, but a little "sad" at the same time:)





**Andrea took that middle picture of Christopher :) I just love the angle and you might actually think he is shivering in the picture.... which he totally was all evening while he was wet. Thanks girl:)

Dirty Face and Sweet Little Friends

We were finally able to meet up with Andrea and her crew..... We haven't seen them since Anna's birthday!!! Anyway, the kids were soo excited to see Caleb..... so we ate out and then tried to stay outside.... tried, so that Andrea wouldn't have a messy house to clean up:) Especially since she's still not 100%!!

We did feed them some of our brownies ...... yummmy!

It's fun for Lydia to have a friend that is soo close in age:)

Egg-Free Brownie Recipe & Possible Reason I'm a Math Major:)

Some may know that pre-marriage and kids, I did college and some seminary studies.... I knew I wanted kids, and had some desire to homeschool them, if possible, so having a degree in Math and Secondary Education made sense. Then I went to seminary, had babies and thought WHY in the WORLD do I have a MATH degree????

H ahaha... well baking with Anna today and changing recipes made me start to think.... maybe I got a Math degree to help me with baking for food allergy kids:) Not that it requires a math degree but I have to admit that I'm sure I would be having a lot of trouble if I wasn't good at math, especially fractions:)

Well for months now we've been enjoying some yummy egg-free, milk-free brownies.....which can not be accomplished with store bought brownie mix (I've tried many times). Friends have asked about the recipe so I'll just post it, with my changes (of course) and I'll link you to the normal recipe: HERE so you can make your own changes :)

So here is the recipe, with a few changes* :

Egg- Free Brownies

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
a little less than 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
optional 1/2 cup walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9 by 13 pan
2. In sauce pan combine the 1/3 cup flour and water. Cook over medium heat until tick then transfer to another bowl and let cool.
3. Put a stick of butter in microwave safe dish, melt it and then add the cocoa powder and mix until smooth.
4. When flour mixture cools, add sugar and vanilla. Then mix in the cocoa mixture until well blended.
5. Combine the rest of the flour and the whole wheat flour, the baking powder and the salt. Then add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until just blended. Finally fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
6. Bake for 20-25minutes. The clean toothpick trick works, as long as you don't stick it into a chocolate chip:) But nothing is raw, so under cooking isn't the end of the world. But over cooking, is!! Egg-free stuff dries out VERY quickly when over cooked- I've got plenty of experience:)
*Most of my changes were from following the advice of the other ladies who tried the recipe and offered suggestions:)

Anna helped with the butter and cocoa powder mixture... anyway, she melted the butter in the microwave and then started adding the cocoa powder. I think the color started to disturb her and she asked, "Mommy, why is this so brown?" And I answered back, "Sweetie, we're making Brownies." She just looked at me and smiled like, "oh, that's right"!

Potty Training Boys?????

*** Here he is GQ-ing in his swimmies :)****

Well we've already had a busy morning with potty training.... Christopher asked for "big boy" pants this morning....so I know he's wanting to be successful.

When I put on his BB pants he said he had to make a stinky so we sat in the bathroom and read books and then he hopped off saying he didn't have to go. We did our Morning Bible Time and then he went off to play.... he was too quiet and so I checked on him. There he was in his bedroom reading standing up making a stinky in his BB pants. What do I do???

I had him stay with me while I washed them out....saying that stinkies go in the potty. I was disappointed but not angry.... I just wish he could have had this success....

And being wet or stinky doesn't really bother him, in diapers or BB pants. I have been bring ing him to the potty every 30 minutes or so and having him "try"..... he will fuss some but when I ask it becomes an "obedience issue".