Oh the LIST!!

check check check check check check.  We've been crossing so many things off that I am having trouble keeping track.  I will list the things we've crossed off and that we have gotten pictures of.  We have done a few other things on the list but there are no pics....so I'll wait and post them when we do them again.  :) 
In the last week, we can cross off.....

#14- go to VBS (I don't have pics of this one since I am working VBS and don't have time to take them.  Maybe I can get some of the official pics from the VBS photographer) :)



#17- visit the zoo

The boys were SO well behaved at the zoo.  We saw all the animals we had hoped to see except the tigers and spent a while checking out the penguins.  Great family day!

 
#39 - watch a baseball game

Daddy and the 2 little guys watching big guy play some little league

Up to bat.  So far he hasn't gotten on base cause he gets so nervous when it's his turn at the plate....but he'll get there. 

#52 - visit a different church

The King spoke at this church near STL last weekend and we all went with him.  It was a big church.  It was a lot of fun!

#62 - have a picnic

We had a picnic at a rest area on the way to STL.  The kids thought it was great fun. 

It is so much easier (not to mention cheaper) to do this on a long(ish) drive.  When the kids are done eating we let them run around for a while before strapping them back in the car.  Thankfully, we did this since shortly after this we got stuck in traffic and it took twice as long to get to the zoo as it should have

 
#78 - sleep at a hotel

We stayed at this hotel that was booked by the church the King spoke at.  When they booked it, he was going over alone....they couldn't get us a room with 2 beds.  So the kids all slept in sleeping bags on the floor  (1 on a love seat).  We had to sneak in a side door because we had too many in the room....but our other choice was for us to sleep in the van.  LOL!  The kids thought it was great!

 

 

 

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb ground beef
1 sm onion, chopped
1 lg carrot, julienned (I cut it in disks cause I HATE julienne-ing veggies)
3 stalks celery, cut in "rings"
2 cloves garlic
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 can v8 (I used a little one but I think I should have used more)
1 T vinegar
1 1/2 t salt
1 t basil
1/2 t thyme
1/2 lb ditalini pasta (or other small pasta)

brown beef in stock large stock pot.  Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.  Saute for 10 minutes. 

Add remaining ingredients except pasta.  DO NOT DRAIN ANY CANS just dump them in!  Simmer 1 hour.

Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling, salted water for 8-10 minutes.  Drain.  Add to soup and simmer 5-10 more minutes.

This time that I made it I used more carrots and skipped the pasta.  I think that adding pasta makes it hard to reheat the soup later.  Eat with bread or the garlic sticks I posted last week!  YUM!

Eat your Heart out Olive Garden!

Are those not heavenly looking garlic breadsticks?  I certainly think so.  And since I snuck a "taste-test" breadstick from the other pan of them, I know that they not only look fabulous but taste fabulous as well.  If only my arm was long enough to pat myself on the back I would.....cause after baking these I deserve it.  :)

So I started with the recipe here.  But as much as I love (and I do mean LOVE) foodie with family and all her recipes (I've made several), I didn't follow it exactly.  For one, I don't keep semolina flour or kosher salt in the house.  And for another....I am just not good at following recipes.  I have done the braids and they are adorable but I wanted smaller sized breadsticks and more quantity and not braiding gave me that.  The braids were adorable though and I would make them again that way if I weren't trying to increase the quantity.  

So you can see her recipe there and following are my (minor) changes.  Make them however you want....but make them you must.  :)

I followed her recipe in my kitchenaide mixer.  I substituted 6 cups all purpose flour instead of the 2 different kinds of flour.  And I use 2 t regular salt.  Her directions also say to put everything in your mixer except the olive oil, garlic and seasonings.....but the 4 T of oil does go into the bread.  To make the sticks and not braids just follow her directions up to the braiding point and stop.  Instead of using olive oil to brush on mine I melted a stick of butter in a jar with a lid (lid OFF in the micro) added pressed garlic (3 cloves not 1) and the seasonings.  Then put the lid on it and shook it up....then I brushed it on.  and baked it!  My house smelled so so so so good!!!  :)
 

#24 - CHECK

Making homemade popsicles (or in this case fudgesicles) was a HUGE HUGE success.  I made these last weekend using a recipe I found on pinterest.  It was easy peasy. 

1/3 cup Nutella
1 cup milk

whisk it together and put it in freezer pop molds and freeze...then eat.  And try not to make yummy sounds as you do!  They were GREAT!!!  Here are some photos to document the chocolatey yumminess!  

I'm mixing up the nutella and milk....please disregard my lack of make-up and the fact that my hair is barely combed or that I didn't clean up the supper waffle iron....I was focused on more important things.  Namely, NUTELLA FUDGESICLES!  It's all about priorities folks!

The middle kid is liking his.

Big Boy is doing a good job avoiding brain freeze -  not an easy thing to do with such yummy chocolatey frozen goodness.

Can his mouth BE any bigger?  I guess he takes after his momma. 

You'd think that by opening his mouth as big as he was that there would be less on his face.  But you would be wrong.  At least he gives them a thumbs up!

Look at that smile!  He is HAPPY!

He is happy!  I also wish he would wear pants....This one apparently takes after his Grandpa on his dad's side! 

Today I also made more popsicles (no pictures though)....they were even easier.  I just poured some orange juice in the molds and stuck them in the freezer.  I can definitely see popsicles being a standard part of our summer this year! 

..........Only 99 more to go!!!