Brownie Pillow cookies by Bakerella

Okay these things are heavenly!!! The whole batch ONLY makes 10 cookies, and each cookie is a 1/4 of a cookie sheet (my picture doesn't really show how big this sucker is) You can only eat one, if that, since you get such a sugar rush! Make them! Your stomach will thank you! Bakerella you are my hero! These cookies are a dream come true.
Here is the recipe:

Brownie Pillow Cookies
1 package brownie mix
1 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 oz. bag miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Make brownies according to package and let cool. Cut about ten 1 inch squares. Enjoy the remaining brownies. (I used a pan about 8 X 8)
For the chocolate chip cookie dough, beat butter with a mixer until creamy.
Add brown sugar and beat until smooth.
Add eggs, yolk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl and stir together with a wire whisk.
Add flour to butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in mini chips.
Let dough chill covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use a measuring cup to scoop batter by the 1/2 cup. Since it’s chilled, you may need to pack it with a spoon. Then use the spoon to remove the dough from the cup and place it on parchment paper. Work quickly so the dough remains chilled or either prepare one cookie at a time so the rest of the dough remains cold.
After the dough is on the parchment paper, make an indention and place a 1 inch square brownie in the center. Press the brownie down gently and work the remaining dough around the brownie. You can use your hands to shape the dough into a ball.
During this step, I found it easier to use a piece of parchment paper as a work surface since the dough can get sticky and then I used another piece of parchment paper for the baking sheet. If your dough gets too soft, you can chill the rolled dough balls for a few minutes right before baking.
Prepare six cookies at a time using a large baking sheet (15 X 20) and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator until time to bake the second batch.
Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
Makes about ten cookies using a little less than a 1/2 cup of dough for each cookie.
If your cookies start to get too brown before they are done baking, you can place a sheet of aluminum foil over top for the last few minutes.

Another fun stART Project!!!

Today we did another fun stART project. This lady is amazing. She has come up with super easy crafts for toddlers to do that correspond to different children's books. We have been using her projects in my Nursery class, and the kids go wild about them. The book we used today was, "Polar Bear Polar Bear what do you Hear?" All kids like this book, and the kids go wild for all the different animals in the story. Today we made peacock in a zoo cage.

What you need:

Styrofoam tray
yellow and blue construction paper
colored dot stickers
scissors
tape
ribbon or string
The book, "Polar Bear Polar Bear What do you Hear?

How to make it:

You need to cut the yellow construction paper to fit onto the Styrofoam tray, Then cut the peacock's body out of the blue construction paper. Glue the yellow construction paper to the tray, and then glue the blue peacock body onto the paper. Draw the peacock's legs, and lines coming away from the body of the peacock's body. Then have the child stick the colored sticker dots on the lines you drew for the feathers. After they are finished use string or ribbon to make your peacock in a zoo cage. ENJOY!!!

Today's Science/Art Lesson

Today as I was making my bed I noticed that the butterfly between our screen door and slider had broke out of its cocoon and was drying its wings. This was a PERFECT teaching moment for Lizzie. We talked about the life cycle of the butterfly, and the color on its wings, the different shape spots, ect. Then I had Lizzie get out her observation journal and draw was she saw. I think her butterfly was so good. It had orange wings and a black outline.

Then I did a mental notation of all the other things she saw and was drawing from the window. I think the colors she used to represent the things she drew matched pretty well. I'm excited to use her observation notebook again soon. I loved that she kept asking me to draw different things for her, but I would remind her that this was her observational journal, and that she had to draw the different objects. After a couple times asking me to help her, and getting the same response she just got to work, and this is what she created.

Art Project + Craft

This is what you need: The Book, "It Looked Like Split Milk", Blue construction paper, clothes pin, tray for paint, white paint, cotton balls, and the quote from the book, "Sometimes it looked like _____________. But it wasn't ___________. It was just a cloud in the sky."

1st: hook cotton ball onto clothes pin.

2nd: squirt white pain in tray

3rd: dip cotton ball into paint

4th: let the child design their cloud

Then ask your child what they think their design looks like, and fill in the blanks with their response. Lizzie thought her cloud looked like corn. This is one of Lizzie's favorite books.

Enjoy!

Someone is a Sunbeam!

Today is a HUGE day for Lizzie!!! She is FINALLY a SUNBEAM!!! This means no more Nursery, and Lizzie singing with all the other Primary kids for every Holiday! I have been waiting for this moment to happen, and I can't believe she is so grown up. I remember the day when she was born, and just how little she was, but now she is growing into a beautiful girl. Krislynn wanted in on the picture time too. At the end of this month Krislynn is FINALLY in Nursery!!

*Funny Story: Look at the picture with Lizzie holding up the paper with all the letters on it. The class was just suppose to write out Sunbeam in the letters, but Lizzie wanted to show her teacher that she knew all her letters. She had to tell Molly every letter, and then of course stick it on her paper. What a smart girl I have. Then I guess they were making bows out of pipe cleaners to stick on their papers, but they weren't sticking so my creative girl told Molly she wanted it to be a bracelet. She was so proud of all her creations. I just love this girl!

2011 is FINALLY Here!!!

So 2011 you have A LOT to live up to since 2010 was a great year! I started thinking about what my goals would be for 2011. Last year was such an intense year, and I become a 10 in 2010 what could I do this year to make it even more amazing? A longer run? become more fit? eat better? Nothing seemed to stick out and the year was coming to end fast. What are my goals going to be? I need to have something to work on, but what would it be? I would lay in bed at night and just think, but each night I would get restless and my mind would drift off into the abyss of sleep. So FINALLY one night sitting on the couch at my BFF, Andrea, house everyone was talking about their BMI's and what a healthy weight would be. In 2010 I lost 53 pounds which is a great accomplishment, plus I ran a 5k, 10k, and a half marathon on top of a million miles of running throughout the week. Last year I didn't really focus on how much I weighted, it was more mental, and if I could run and how far I could push myself. This year, 2011, is going to be focused on are you ready....

#1 become a better me
(focusing on being a better wife, mother, and friend)
#2 getting to a healthier weight and staying in my BMI range
(I started this goal last week. I weighted in at 171 and I want to get to 147. I weighted in yesterday and I'm down to 164 only 17 pounds to go!)
#3 get pregnant again
(I'm ready to try again, and hopefully nothing will go wrong this time)

#4 Attend the Temple

(at least once a month without fail)

#5 Start Preschool Program

(with Lizzie and Krislynn daily)

This is all I have so far, but I know I will add more as the year progresses. I just need to get this written down somewhere so I will NOT forget my goals, and I know the blogging world is always excited to see if I'm living up to what I set out for myself!

2011 here I come!

2010 has come and is about to go!!!

2010 you have been an AMAZING year! You have brought so much joy and heatache to our small little family, but I wouldn't change a thing! I'm grateful for all the fun times and the hard times. For all the happy times and the depressing times. For all the belly laughs and the tears that have been shed. You have shown me that I can do ANYTHING that I put my mind to. I'm a better person,wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Here is to another AMAZING year... 2011 I hope you can live up to all my expectations since 2010 rocked my world!

Highlights from 2010:

*I powered though all my 2010 resoutions! HOORAY!!!!!

#1 No more soda (did it!)

#2 Run the Disneyland Half Marathon (did it!-pregnant)

#2a Run the Del Mar 10 K (did it! with the greatest of friends)

#2b Do the Riverside Tin Man (did the swim part!- it was cancelled after that)

Ham and Potato Casserole

*Do you have lots of ham left over, and you don't know what to do with it? I was in this predicament today and so I decided to search the Internet for a NEW yummy recipe, and this is what I found! IT IS AMAZING!!!!

Leftover ham, chopped

3-4 med. potatoes, sliced thin

1 onion, chopped

1 recipe white sauce (to follow)

1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese

1 tsp. parsley

Salt & pepper to taste

Butter a baking dish and line bottom with a layer of potatoes, top with onions, on top of onions put a layer of ham, then repeat layers. On last layer, place ham around edges, leaving a space in the center. Pour white sauce in the center and shake gently so sauce will run down into the other layers or take a knife and make holes for the sauce to run down. Place cheese in the center, sprinkle with parsley. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then uncover and bake for 30 more minutes.

WHITE SAUCE:
3 tbsp. flour

3 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 c. milk

Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter. Add the flour until mixed well. Add milk, salt and pepper. Stir until thick on medium heat.

Our Girls

As you can tell our girls LOVE being best friends! Lizzie loves being the mother hen, and telling on her little sister. I think it is quite funny! Lizzie has become my drama queen, and Krislynn has become the tough one, and wrestles Lizzie to the ground. It usually ends with Krislynn pulling Lizzie's hair or biting her. I think she is finally getting her back for all the fun stuff Lizzie has put her though. All in all they are the greatest of friends. Krislynn loves to mimic Lizzie, and they love to get into trouble together. When you find my house quiet you know they are into something since they love to use their LOUD voices 24/7. I'm grateful for these girls, and the smiles they bring to my face daily, hourly, minutely, and secondly. They love to cuddle one second and the next they are wrestling each other to the ground. Thank goodness they are so cute!!! Guys are going to need to be super tough to date these girls to even last in our household.

Christmas

This year we had a great Christmas. Santa came and delivered all our presents on time. Lizzie was a little worried since she saw presents under everyone else trees and not ours. I kept reminding her she was on naughty watch with Santa, and that no presents would be delivered unless she tried harder to be good. Well she tired extra hard to be good... thank goodness or we would have a bare tree. The girls loved opening all their presents, and Lizzie got a little present happy. Every time she saw a present she would start unwrapping it even if it wasn't hers. We had to remind her all presents were not for her, and everyone needed a chance to open something. Lizzie LOVES her Leapster, and Krislynn loves her Tangled quad. Lizzie loves to drive her around on it. We hope your Christmas was as magical as ours.

Another Christmas Craft

This is a super easy Snowflake craft!

What you need:
*A snowflake coloring page
*white glue
* salt or sugar
*a paintbrush
*9x13 pan

How to do it:
Step 1: get all your supplies together
Step 2:squirt glue all over snowflake
step3: have the child use the paintbrush and cover the entire snowflake in glue
Step 4: pour in either salt or sugar (depending what you have on hand)
Step 5: have the child move the pan around so the salt or sugar will spread over all of the snowflake
Step 6: let the snowflake dry. (You could cut it out and make it an ornament)

Enjoy!!!

Another Christmas Craft

This is everything you will need for this craft (picture,2 eyes,pom pom, 1 brown pipe cleaner, 3 craft sticks, a red ribbon, and a glue gun)
glue all 3 sticks together in a triangle shapeTrace triangle shape on back of picture

Cut out triangle shape and make sure it fits within the triangle

This is how to make the reindeer antlers

Cut one brown pipe cleaner in half, and follow pictures on how to do the rest.Them glue antlers to the back of the triangle frame. glue picture over the backside of the antlers

this is what it should look like after gluing the picture on the triangle
Then glue on two eyes

glue a pom pom for a nose
Take the ribbon and glue the ends together, and then glue to the back of the picture
Reindeer picture art!!!

ENJOY!!!

SHHH... Christmas Presents

So I saw these and had to make some for my girls as Christmas gifts. The girls love purses and stuffing a zillion odd and end toys in them. So these will be perfect! They are SUPER easy to make too.
What you need:
*Canvas bag (I got mine at Walmart 3 for $5.00)
*Fabric
*Felt
*Button
*Heat n Bond (got it at Walmart a yard for $2.00)
*piece of wax paper
*Napkin
*pencil
*Scissors
*Word document program

What to do:
Open a word document program and type the child's name you want to make the bag for. Enlarge the print till you get the size you want, and print it out. Cut out the letters, and then you will trace the letters onto the back side of your fabric. (REMEMBER to flip your letters over so your letter won't be backwards after cutting them out) Cut each of the letters out. The you will place the letter on the heat and bond adhesive and cut out a large enough square to have your letter fit on it with a little room surrounding the letter. Turn on your iron (Make sure there is NO steam) Place your wax piece of paper down on your work station to iron on. Place letter on top of wax paper with print facing down. Iron over letter for a couple seconds. Then peel the letter off the wax paper (Make sure the letter is completely stuck to the Heat n Bond paper) Continue with this step till all letters are done.Wipe off your iron with a napkin to get any wax off before continuing. Grab your bag and position the letter how you would like them to look when finished. Peel off backing of each letter and place on canvas back. Iron over letter for a couple seconds till it is bonded to the canvas. Continue this step till all letters are bonded. If you want to add the felt flower cut out 4 flower shapes of different felt pieces. Put a little glue on the on each flower piece to hook them together. Then sew on the flower button. Cut out two felt leaves and glue them to the back of the flower. Then glue the flower to the bag. ENJOY!!!

Lizzie's Weather Chart

So Lizzie is really into the weather, and I have been dying to make her a weather chart. I saw this on Little Gene Green Bean and thought Lizzie would love it! Every morning we sing our Day of the Week song, and then we check out what the weather is like. Now we have a way to chart it, and everyone is a happy camper!!!

Merry Chrismtas