Spring is HERE!

I see signs of Spring! Now I loved all the snow and the snow days. I didn't mind them at all, but if it's going to start warming up, I want some color!

I took these pictures two weeks ago while walking the girls home from school. Little buds, and some blossoms.

God's creation is so beautiful!

I took these pictures at the beginning of April.

2013 Bento 84-91

I am so sorry for all the pictures in this post. Taken in a rush, sometimes at night with nothing but my yucky dining room lights. Sigh.

Happy Take It Tuesday!

These are in our Planetboxes, although Piglet asked me last week if I'd pack her a "real" bento. So maybe I can muster up some energy for that.

(Above)

Roasted Chicken

Romaine

Carrots

Bell Peppers

Tomatoes

Sunsweet Prunes

Rice Pudding (with Cinnamon and Cardamom)

Pork Carnitas

Lettuce

Simple Cabbage Salad

Mango Salsa

Pixie and I shared the Planetbox it has- I just packed it because we tend to graze.

Simple Cabbage Salad

Watermelon - that's alll her because I don't really like watermelon

Mango

Diva and Piglet

Spaghetti

Mango
Watermelon

Piglet's Kai-Lan Party

Diva helped me set up.

Piglet is turning SIX. Oh goodness, it seems crazy. She's going to be a first grader next year. Time sure does fly. We had her party early, since she doesn't officially turn 6 until July. We were at Party City and Kai-Lan party goods were 2 for $1. She decided she wanted a Kai-Lan party, I didn't say no. Really, 2 for a $1? Awesome.
 I'm crazy, but we had her party in the middle of a move. So we had a partially empty house, which was awesome, but goodness. It was nuts. I decided not to make cupcakes, we just went out and bought them. To top it off, the night before I was making cupcake toppers and favor box decorations, because the seller I ordered from on Etsy never shipped. (Ugh, I even convo'd her before to make sure she could have items shipped to me on time.) Still, it was so much fun.

We had a water play party. The kids spent most of their time outside, all 20+ of them! We had a water bead table, bubble station, they played on the play set, had water guns, and a Pinata. I had wanted to bring out frozen water balloons with food coloring in them for races. Good thing I didn't bring them out! They stain. Can't wait to make them when it snows for decoration though!

So thankful that my friend Angel Murphy Photography was here to grab my camera and take pictures. So while they say Give Peas A Chance on them, she took most of them. I tried to post only pictures that didn't have so many children's faces in them. They are SOOC, with her using my Nikon for the first time, she's a Cannon girl!

Glow in the dark Easter egg hunt

A friend of mine did an egg hunt for her girls with glow sticks and plastic eggs. It sounded like such a cool idea, and cheap too! Glow sticks can be found at Target here for 15 for $1. I save our plastic eggs each year, but this year  I did buy a pack, for $1. We only did 45 eggs.

So when it go dark DH, filled and hid the eggs. The girls were so excited and had so much fun. The girls, especially Piglet, kept saying over and over. BEST. EGG. HUNT. EVER. lol, then BEST. DAY. EVER. She really reserves those "best. days. ever." for stuff that makes her giggle and laugh uncontrollably. This is a win. The funny thing is, I put Pet Shop Toys and Squinkies in the big eggs, so maybe 10 eggs? If even. When the girls were done and breaking the eggs open, they just wanted the glow sticks. So they could take a bath.
I got to practice taking low light pictures manually, so I'm sorry you get the brunt of that. But at least you get an idea of how much fun it was.
We have been doing our egg hunts and baskets a week or so after Easter, last year we did our egg hunt almost a month after we were so busy. But it's perfect because we get to focus on Jesus on Easter Sunday.

Here are some more ideas for celebrating Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Cookies

Empty Tomb Rolls

Tea Dyed Eggs (You can use food coloring or beet juice also)

Free Easter Printables

Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt

Don't forget the Bunny Rolls (Just search Bunny Rolls in the search box)

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

First of all let me apologize for these pictures. I'm using my point and shoot and well, it's a wonderful camera but for someone who has no talent anyway it's just frustrating. Bread Pudding however rocks. It's easy, versatile and what's not to love about custard and bread.  I have a standard recipe, but  I add eggs or cream, milk etc as needed.
Here are some ways to customize and make this your own

Bread- Italian, French, Hawaiian sweet bread, brioche, croissants, whole grain,  chocolate swirled bread, even store bought white bread.

Sweetener- I've used white sugar, brown sugar, cane juice, maple syrup, a little molasses.

Flavoring- this is obviously pumpkin, but any spices, green tea/matcha powder, sliced apples pan fried with cinnamon and butter, chocolate (cocoa powder), chocolate chips, cranberries, almonds and almond extract with cherries, rum, Irish cream, Nutella, crystallized ginger. Sky's the limit really. (raisins, for those of you who like raisins.)
Liquid- I use whole milk and cream. Sometimes I use half egg nog and half whole milk during the holidays. I have used 2% in a pinch.

Toppings- anything you want sugar, cinnamon sugar, caramel sauce, whipped cream, Bird's custard, ice cream.

Spreading crepe batter with a ladle

I know what you're thinking, crepes again? How many times do you all eat crepes?? In my defense I think I have only posted one Crepe post. Besides here, I mean. Anyway, I make them about twice a month, at least. They are so easy and so good. It's win/win. I am not going to post a recipe or anything this time just a little trick I use when I don't want to pull out my crepe batter spreader. I think these pictures are pretty self explanatory but here you go.
 Crepe recipes on GPAC

Cinnamon Crepes with Strawberries (for Pixie/baby/toddler recipe)

Crepe batter (Nutella, Banana, and Raspberry Crepes)

Spreading crepes (Method)

I unfortunately need a new camera

Really, this time I do... I love that little camera, so easy to use, small and convenient. I don't want some monstrosity of a camera. OH well... let's see what I am behind on, strawberry spinach salad YUM, Chocolate Texas Sheet cake, Lasagna, sauteed spinach, strawberry ice cream, chocolate wafers for ice cream sandwiches, garlic knot rolls... I think that's it. Perhaps I should stop cooking till I get a camera LOL then I wouldn't be behind on the girls albums too.

The Camera has been FOUND!!!!!!!

YEAH!!!!!! I have a bento to blog but it won't be until later this evening, but I did find the camera! I was worried I would have to buy another one. Not that I have a great one, but I know where al lthe functions and buttons are, I don't like change...
so anyway yeah for me...

I can't find my camera!!!

UGH! I am so frustrated. I can't find my camera at all... anywhere. The last time I took pictures was of Piglet helping DH put her big girl bed together. Now it's missing, so no pictures of bentos, banana bread pudding, ginger sauces... nothing... BLAH...
Rant over. (for now)