Nutella Cookies

 

 

Pre-heat oven to 375*

1 Cup Butter (not margarine)
1 Cup Nutella
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2&1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

Spoon on to baking stone. Bake at 375* for 14 Minutes.

Makes 3+ dozen

These Cookies are delish! I realized one day that I could just substitute Nutella for Peanut Butter on my Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. They turned out great! I've been making them since. The boys love them! I like to put white chocolate chips in them, it makes them extra yummy!

DIY: "White Washed" Storage Cup

I like DIYs...and I like to come up with my own from time to time. Here's one I did this evening for my beach-themed bathroom.

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I used mine to store cotton balls, but you could use this for candles, toothbrushes, whatever you want really.

What You'll Need:

• A pack of regular sized popsicle sticks. ( I got mine from Hobby Lobby)
• Hot glue gun & hot glue sticks
•  Paint ( or stain, depending on what color you want it to be)
• An old tin can, (mine was from green beans) opened, washed and dried
• Twine
• Embellishments

What to do:

• Run 2 strips of glue about an inch long, one about a 1/2 inch from the top, and one about a 1/2 inch from the bottom.
• Place sticks side by side, as close as you can get them.
• Do this all around the can until you are done.

At this point you either paint or stain your sticks, depending on what you want it to look like. ( I did one VERY THIN coat of white paint to make it look white-washed.)

• Let it dry, then tie your twine around it and hot glue any embellishments you may want.

Happy Crafting!

Tips & Tricks for Toddlers with Colds

I hate when my boys are sick. They tend to uproot the whole house in a single weekend! We are dealing with the Snot Wars now. While it's fresh on my mind, Here are a few tips for the next time your little one starts sniffling.

1. Invest in an Otoscope. It's a scope Doctors use to look in ears. With a little practice, you can become seasoned at looking for ear infections. I found ours at Walmart for $15.00!

 

 

 

2. Invest in a little nose suctioning device we like to call, "The Snogger." It's actually called The Nose Frida, and believe me, It works!

 Basically, it's a snot sucker with a filter, and then a tube attatched. These are NOT for the faint of heart, because the other end of the tube has a mouthpiece. (You know where this is going.) To put it bluntly, you manually suck out the boogies. BEFORE YOU GO VOMIT, only know YOU WILL NOT GET ANYTHING IN YOUR MOUTH! It actually won't even come close to your mouth...because of the filter and the tube.

 It DOES however, make a rather nasty slurping sound. As if you were drinking the last of a smoothie. (Hee hee! No more Smoothies for you!) I don't know what I'd do without mine. If you can clear the nasal passages, ear infections are lowered and they recover faster.

The cool thing about this is, that it's so FAT that you can't jam it up into their nose.

 

3. Vick's VapoRub. Awesome stuff!

 

4. Saline Spray. It helps to dry up the snot. They actually have a grape flavored kind with a button sprayer.

 

5. Humidifier. We actually don't use one here, because the humidity in South Louisiana is high, but in a dry climate, you might need one.

 

5. Thermometer. I use a regular digital thermometer.

 

I usually suction the nose, then use saline spray, and at night Vick's VapoRub.

 

If you find that you need something to ease a cough, Hylands makes a COUGH & COLD syrup. They also have COUGH & COLD Nighttime

 

                         Beach tips for Beach Trips

                         Tips for a weekend visit to the sea-shore with kids.

 

We Love going to the beach! We try to do it at least a couple of times a year. This year we've been several times. I love to collect shells and Boogie board when the waves are right!

The boys were scared at first...The sights and sounds were so overwhelming to them.  After trying several things, what worked best was to tell Blade, "Look at that Ocean! It says PSHHHH! (Ocean Sound) Why are you so LOUD, Ocean?!" :) He Really seemed to enjoy it after that.

 

 

 

Here are a few more tips and a packing list for a weekend trip to the sea-side.

 

 

 Sunscreen:
I'm sure you've been there too...hanging out at the beach while on vacation and after only being there a few hours, someone is burning. Usually that someone is me. Our Seaside Vacays were normally spent applying sunscreen all over sandy legs every 30 minutes or so...talk about exfoliation! I tried the spray sunscreen, in hopes of it working...but alas the pink tint of my sunburn reared it's ugly face that evening. :( So until last week I was determined that this was just a beach way of life. My friend R. clued me in.

"Before you get on the sand, rub all exposed parts with a high SPF of "waterproof" sunscreen. Then when you need to re-apply, use the spray on kind."

NOTE...do not let the spray sunscreen get sand in the sprayer. (duh)
This last time, we were at the beach for hours and no-one got burned!

Protective Wear:
 I can't stress this enough...Take:

• SPF suits for your little guys, especially if they are going to be in the water.
• Hats and Sunglasses are always beach appropriate, unless you like looking like a raccoon!
• Footwear for little guys is a good idea as well, sometimes there are sharp shells...sometimes you have to take both of your 30-something pound boys back to the car, and BELIEVE ME! You don't want to carry them both all the way there because the sand is "TOO HOT" for them to walk on!

Equipment:  

• Umbrella
• Water (In sippy cup or baby bottle for easy drinking for the little ones.)
• Camera
• A blanket or sheet (to get off of the sand if you need to)
• Beach Towels
• Sand Off Mit These things are awesome!
• Beach Chairs
• Swim goggles
• Beach Bag
• Cash/Change (for parking, snacks ect.)
• After-Sun spray or gel (just in case)
• Stroller (preferably one that will roll on sand, check out the Jeep Jogging stroller)
• Sand toys
• Pacifiers
• Swim diapers 
• Food for the kiddos
• Cooler with drinks, bottles, ect.
• Something to keep the kids occupied in the car
• Boogie Boards
• Toy Bag

Overnight bag:

• Changes of Clothes for everyone
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Hotel/Condo Reservations
• Shoes
• Cosmetics
• Toiletries, see Toiletries Packing List
• Kids' special Blankets, Stuffed animals, Whatever
• Pack-N-Play
• Credit Cards, Driver's License, Cash,
• Blankets, Pillows

It's been just about a week since we made a trip down to the beach, but I'm already planning the next one. 

"LIVE IN THE SUNSHINE, SWIM THE SEA, DRINK THE WILD AIR." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

               Meringues with Lemon Curd

I love Meringues...and I love lemon curd, and until a few weeks ago I was seriously intimidated by the thought of making meringues. I had no idea how easy it was! I finally took the plunge and tried it. I was amazed at how good the meringue is raw! (Yes, I did eat some) The thought of it being raw egg kind of turned me off about it, but that's never stopped me with Brownie batter or cookie dough. (Aunt Betsy, I hope you're not reading this...) Needless to say, I'm hooked! In case you were wondering, they're even better baked! The boys loved this little treat. I will be making these again!




Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours, 20 Minutes

Preheat oven to 200*

Ingredients:
4 Large Egg Whites, room temperature
Pinch Salt
1 Cup Sugar
Baking Parchment, or Baking cups sprayed lightly with Pam

With an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl until they reach the soft peak stage. It is important not to over beat the eggs at this stage.

Check out How to whip egg whites

Add pinch of salt and continue to beat. Add sugar a little at a time until it's gone. Beat to stiff peak stage.

Dip Meringue into pastry bag and swirl onto the parchment. Bake meringues at 200* for about 2 hours. Meringues should be dry and crispy, not brown.

Add lemon curd. Enjoy!