Summer is Here

It has finally warmed up over here. It has been in the low 80’s the past couple of days. We pulled out our little tiny pool for the kids to play in but it had a few holes in it so we grabbed the next best thing. The sprinkler.

Are you enjoying the warm weather?

-Angie

Carmel Pecan Brownies

Albertsons had brownies for $.49 a box when you buy 10, so of course I had to buy them. Then on Monday night I had to take a dessert to Bible study and this is what I took. They were really yummy! I made them again yesterday for Jacob to take to work for a meeting. Both times they were a big hit. I think they taste better the next day.

Want to make some?  Here is how I did it.

Ingredients

1 box (9x13 pan size) brownie mix prepared according to package directions but not baked

30 caramels

1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper slightly over lapping the sides so the brownies can be easily lifted out. Pour half of your prepared brownie mix into lined pan. Bake for 20 min. While the brownies are baking place unwrapped caramels in to small sauce pan and add whipping cream. Cook on medium-low heat stirring frequently until caramels are completely melted. Add half the pecans to the caramel sauce. When the brownies are done cooking spread the caramel sauce over the top. Then cover with the other half of the brownie mix. Sprinkle remaining pecans and the chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 min.  When brownies are cool gently lift out of pan and slice with a chefs knife that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Enjoy!

-Angie

Our Anniversary Trip

Our 14th wedding anniversary is coming up on June 14. Jacob was unsure if he could get the weekend before or after off so we decided to celebrate the first weekend in June. Originally the kids were going to go to Jacob's parents house for a couple of nights, but Jacob's mom fell and hurt her knee really bad at work a few weeks ago and the doctor confined her to bed for a couple of weeks for her knee to heal. Poor Sue! :( 

My mom had to work this weekend so we had decided that we weren't going to celebrate this weekend and maybe we could do something later in the summer. Then on Memorial Day our good friends Quentin and Andrea and their kids came over to hang out for the day. Andrea asked me what we had planned for the summer and I told her we didn't really have any plans, that we had been planning on doing something for our anniversary but we weren't going to be able to. She said we should bring the kids over to her house and she would watch them for us. Then they also suggested that we could take their new car because it gets way better gas mileage then our Suburban and go to the beach. So that is what we decided to do. 

We got up early Friday morning and headed off to Quentin and Andrea's house where we watched their kids while she went to school and then when she came home we took off. On the front seat of the car Andrea had left a picnic basket for us with dinner and a card from them. Along the way we stopped at the river to enjoy our yummy picnic dinner. We found a great spot that was totally secluded and peaceful.

The picnic basket came with a cute heart blanket, plates, forks, knives, spoons, cloth napkins, chicken salad sandwiches on croissants, fruit salad with almonds, deviled eggs, salami, cheese sticks, little baguette bread slices with garlic butter, a jar of pickled veggies and olives, sparkling cider, and for dessert chocolate covered strawberries and little brownies, some were stuffed with caramel and walnuts and others with a coconut pecan filling.

What an amazing friend I have!!! Thank you so much Andrea!!! It was so delicious!!! 

We both ate way to much and had to save the desserts for later that night.

We stayed at a motel in Coos Bay. On Saturday the weather was awesome. It was sunny and warm and there wasn't any wind which was so nice!!! We went to Shore Acres and walked around the gardens, and used our picnic basket and had another picnic for lunch on the beach.

At the pond at Shore Acres

The beach at Shore Acres where we had our picnic lunch.

 
I love this picture!

Lots of mussels on the rocks.

 We had such a wonderful time! Thank you again Andrea!!!  You are a wonderful friend!!!

-Angie

Brendan’s Birthday!

Our son Brendan turned 5 last week. Yep, three kids with birthdays in May. That’s a lot of cake. He wanted to go to Jack in the Box for breakfast too, so that is where he, Jacob, and I headed first thing in the morning.

And yes, like someone asked me on Facebook, he got a bike too.

He was able to ride it a little outside but then it started raining so I let him bring it inside and ride around in the living room and office.

For lunch he wanted to have crunch wraps so Karissa helped me make them for him. After lunch he played the Wii and watched the first Curious George. He chose barbeque pizza for dinner, and a carrot cake shaped like a dinosaur for dessert.

It is hard to believe he could be 5 and going into kindergarten next year!

-Angie

Pantry Raid

Have you ever seen the show Pantry Raid? If not it is a show where a chef goes to someone's house who can’t cook and shows them how they can make gourmet meals with the food they already have in their pantry. The chef totally unloads the person’s pantry and fridge to see what they have to work with. We have watched a few shows on Netflix with the kids. They, like me, love cooking shows.

The other day I was in the kitchen with Aleigha and said “What should I make for dinner?” I then left and walked over to the computer to look up a recipe. When I returned this is what I found.

She was removing everything from my cupboards.

I asked her what she was doing and she said, “Playing Pantry Raid.”

I cracked up and told her she needed to put everything back. Then quickly grabbed my camera to snap a few photos. I am glad I found her before she had finished with the first one.

(On a side note I do not normally stock up on pasta salad, but it was 10 boxes for $10. How can you beat that?)

-Angie