Christmas Baking 2014

I'm positive that if you googled the word "disaster" right now a picture of our kitchen would appear. Both sides of the sink are full of dirty baking pans and bowls. My feet crunch as I walk across the kitchen floor---I have one word for that... SPRINKLES. The counter has chunks of dried on cookie dough and more SPRINKLES and how the entertainment center in the living room is covered with flour... I DON'T KNOW. So what better time to just sit down for a minute and post few of my favorites from cookie baking this morning? No time like the present, right?

October 2013

This is post from a little of everything over the past few weeks... It's been busy that is for sure! I decided to pull out the camera a little more after spending more than an hour uninterrupted looking through baby photos of Harrison with him. He is really into wanting to know things we did with him, where we went  and what we did. Doug printed me the first year of this blog and quite often I'll find him sitting on the couch looking through it by himself. Now if I could only get him to understand, that Miles wasn't born yet, so that I why he isn't in any of the pictures.

First up Halloween costumes... and bonus points for me getting then up even before the BIG DAY (which is tomorrow). Both costume were Harrison's ideas. This kid has an amazing imagination. I can only wonder what he will be next year.


Harrison--Halloween 2013: Easter Bunny.

This costume was ridiculously hard to find. Apparently most bunnies are pink in the world for Halloween. But yeah, I finally tackled down white costume. I'm so glad he choose something so creative. I was talking with a friend the other day and said, "Harrison isn't even close to coloring in the lines." Her response? "That just means he is creative, he doesn't need lines to stay in between." I totally get that now...and by all means kid, keep coloring out of the lines.

 Miles---Halloween 2013: Snowman

Oh goodness, the creativity juices must have been flowing for Harrison the evening during dinner he chose to be the Easter Bunny because immediately following we asked, "What should Miles be?" His response? "A snowman.

Miles costume was easier to find by far. I ordered both costumes on our road trip back from Texas (which I know...I haven't blogged yet).

Oh goodness, this snowman could melt anyone.

Next up? The pumpkin patch. And not just any pumpkin patch...Bronk's pumpkin patch. I've been going to this same pumpkin patch since I was probably Harrison's age. It only makes sense the tradition lives on. A part of me is really happy we chose to live near the town I grew up. Lots of memories here.

We planned to do the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago when it was warmer, but as soon as we got in the car, it down poured. Awesome. Well we spent that afternoon looking at toys at play land. I'd say it's a WIN/WIN. I even like to look at new toys, heck they are new toys for me too.

So we mad our way to pumpkin patch last weekend. It was a bit cold. I should have dressed us all a little warmer since the patch is on the hill, always breezier up there.

Harrison and Miles were an epic fail and a sibling shot... Maybe next year? I won't hold my breath.

 Muscle Man.

Kelley Family Pumpkin Carving 2013---

You won't see Miles in the mix, he preferred to sleep.

This was Harrison's first time choosing what was on his pumpkin and actually cutting the pumpkin. He did awesome. I am loving the attention span of having a 3 year old after now having two children in the home. Miles has the absolute shortest attention span, ever. Seriously (even for a 1 year old). He keep us VERY busy.

 

Our finished pumpkins!

 

 

Mommy's



Daddy's

 

Harrison's

 

Miles

 

 

Fall Baking---Cut  out pumpkin, ghost and bat cookies. And thanks to Doug for snapping the last glamerous shots of me looking my best in flannel pajamas and slippers... I totally am rocking the "MOM" look.

 



 

And now...just a bunch cute fallish photos of Miles. Harrison and I have a date next week to take his official 4 year portraits.

 

 

And more :) (I haven't even finished these yet).

 

 

Oops...I forgot to add we went camping in the living room too...

 

 

 

 



Blueberries!

I am much more of a baker than a cooker. I can't say that I can't cook, I am just more motivated to make it if it consists of sugar or chocolate, or even better yet? The two combined.

The pantry was kind of empty last night, so we opted to make blueberry muffins from the box rather than from scratch....we have Betty Crocker to thank for our mini muffins.

Look who cracked his first egg tonight!

I have to admit, he did better than I thought...the first egg was a flop so I had little hope for his second attempt, but look at the bowl below...one tiny shell!

I love his excitement of helping me. The whole time he was mixing the muffins he was saying, "I hungry." The word, "hungry" has become a favorite of his as of lately. I am pretty sure he could out eat a teenage boy with all seriousness.



Pinterest Post: Sugar Cookie Bars

Another pin from Pinterest.

Between cookies, pasta, birthday cake and sugar cookie bars---there isn't a whole lot of room in our tummys for all of this food at our house, so we made treats daddy could take to work.

The cookie bars ended up being a 5 out of 10. The problem with my bars is the thickness. I didn't have the right dimension pan that the recipe called for....If I recall correctly it wanted something like a 16 X 22 inch. I ended up using a 10 X 15 pan. The only other size I had that came close was 18 X 24 and I was afraid the bars would come out too flat using the bigger pan. So either thick or flat, these bars were doomed from the very beginning.

Harrison and I busily baked while daddy was out enjoying the Super Bowl game on Sunday. Way to go GIANTS!

Yep...totally in love with the shot on the left.

 Helping with clean-up.

 Guess clean up didn't last long....on to cuteness.

 We missed a lot of in between with this Pinterest post....but check out this ABC post and you will totally know why.

Want to know a big fat secret?
I cut these bars with a pizza cutter. The recipe called for it and it worked perfectly...I am trying this with brownies next!

Want the recipe? Click here.