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This year is particularly exciting: Rhett is starting with a new bunch of kids, but at the same building he's been for the past 1.5 years. Ollie is starting with the same bunch of kids, but at the newly-renovated school. And for me, I don't care where they go: JUST GO! Kidding.
Here's the picture from Monday, the day before school. This is our new local school and it is HUGE!
Our Monday morning power breakfast: cinnamon rolls and sausage. Oh, and don't forget to wear striped polo shirts, boys. I mean, who knows what would happen if you didn't.
Pretending to love each other in their school year shirts. Crazy how Rhett is starting to grow into that "dress." Obviously not really, but he's definitely closer than Ollie.
FINALLY! Walking to school again. (Well, for Rhett, we're walking to his bus stop which is at Ollie's school's bus loop.)
One last picture at the school! Good luck kiddos! Hurry up and go so I can skip on home.
And how did it go? Great! Rhett may have missed getting on the bus headed for home on the first day of school. But we figured that out and it hasn't happened again. Rhett's program does seem more intense than anything he's done before, but if the homework is always done on the computer, he may survive. Ollie has had all great days! Phew. And how have I coped with them out of the house? Um, do you really need to ask?!
So you know it's a bad day when the only highlights were (1) your husband coming home from work, (2) your boys going down for bed, and (3) a Pinterest success story.
I really love rice krispie treats.
Another episode of Pinterest Hits and Misses.
First the misses.
1. This monster door. I was so excited about it, but the tape didn't stick to my door and the humidity killed its bangs anyway. It lasted a day. So disappointed.
2. These popsicles. Ugh. The worst part about it was that they were served when he had people over for dinner. They just tasted like frozen cool whip. On the plus side, they brought Magic Shell into our house.
3. Pumpkin snickerdoodles. Meh. These were okay, but I prefer other pumpkin goods and regular snickerdoodles. Sadly, these, too, were given away. Maybe I should keep my experimentation to when the missionaries are being hosted.
Second, the in-betweens.
1. These pumpkin pie croissants. They were good. I won't admit to how many I ate, but let's just say it was more than I probably should have. However, I'm not sure I'd make them again. But certainly not a waste of materials.
2. While I liked this baked pumpkin French toast, Chuck was not a fan. As a side note, I have since banned the word "texture" being used in my presence, by Chuck, when referring to anything food-related.
And finally the hits.
1. This pancake cake. Yum! It tasted like stacked pancakes but I didn't have to stand over the griddle.
2. Yummy broccoli dip. I like the broccoli soft, but not overly squishy and the dip was awesome. Rhett didn't eat it (even though he ate the broccoli), but I did and so did Chuck.
3. Pumpkin Donut Muffins. YUM. I got two dozen mini muffins and six regular-sized muffins.
4. Rice Krispie pumpkins. (It does bother me that she spells "krispie" incorrectly. I'll get over it.) Although rice krispie treats NEVER make it beyond the bowl in our house, I wanted to try these for a Family Home Evening treat. Since I'm way rusty on my skills of taking the warm, sticky mess to shaped things, I forgot how to wrap them, so I didn't. They got a touch hard, but after a 12-second microwave zap, they were great.
Anyone want to share their own hits or misses with me?
Totally unrelated, but look what came in the mail yesterday!
Even though my boys would be happy with the same seven meals every week, I am not. And since I'm the one doing all of the the planning and most of the shopping and cooking, I get to choose. So even though we do the same things most of the time, I like to switch it up a bit. Here are some of the things I've been pinning and then eating:
Fruit Salsa. So good. Especially when served with those tortilla cinnamon chips.
Bacon chicken. Awesome. Even Chuck's dad, who is not the biggest fan of chicken, enjoyed it. And really, you're only using a slice or so of bacon per serving, so it's not that bad for you. We're doing it again tonight AND serving it to people, so you know it must be good (or it might be that we really dislike our guests).
Jalapeno Turkey Burgers. We always eat turkey burgers, and I feel (for some unknown reason) that they should be given some extra oomph in flavor. (It should be noted that Chuck does not share this feeling. Next time we do burgers, they will be left as is; I promise Charlie.) These were okay. I didn't feel like I could taste anything but the jalapenos and I wanted more flavor. I believe, however, that my sister really enjoyed these. So final rating: one thumb up and one sideways thumb.
Thai Chicken Enchiladas. Seriously so good. I think I'm the only one who really liked them, but man, I really really liked them. It just means leftovers for lunches for me.
Sweet and Sour Chicken. Again, another winner. I was doubtful that the sauce would thicken even with all that cornstarch, but thicken it did. We didn't bother with chicken fried rice, but did regular rice instead. This is totally fine with me since I like to pour the sweet and sour sauce on my rice. Chuck, Ollie, and I liked this very much. Rhett...well, take a guess. ("Mom, I only kinda like it. Can I have something else for dinner? Something sweet?" ARGH.)
Overnight Oatmeal. I love oatmeal and love the idea of having it ready as soon as I wake up. But I definitely did NOT love this oatmeal. I didn't even like this oatmeal. Chuck had to choke it down. Not good.
White Wheat Rolls. I'm trying these for the first time tonight. Because they're endorsed by King Arthur, I have high hopes.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Yes I'm promoting this again. If you haven't tried it, I beg you. If you're in Maryland I'll even let you borrow my ice cream maker just so you can try this. It'll change your evening. I promise.
What am I missing that you've tried and recommend?
Let's talk about Pinterest for a minute, shall we? I am a big fan of the site and often find great ideas for crafting, decorating, organizing, and eating. I see all these yummy-looking dishes, but I don't know if they're yummy tasting. I'll tell you what we've tried from my Pinterest food board and then you can tell me what you've done that's good. Is it a deal? Good.
Strawberry bruscetta: Totally good. I think I ate 2/3 of what I made. Try it.
Chicken gyro: Good. Flavor wasn't too strong (maybe not strong enough?), but it was an easy tzatziki sauce and yummy chicken. I should have remembered the feta that was in my fridge, because it would have been that much better.
Quinoa Fruit Salad: So good. If you have leftover quinoa in the fridge and berries are on sale, do it.
Saucy Asian Meatballs: Good. An alternative to our regular meatballs that we add to spaghetti.
Fruit and Yogurt Burrito: I had super high hopes, but mine just didn't look that full. But still pretty good.
Cauliflower Poppers: Just what we need...a totally successful vegetable side (no sarcasm). Nothing other than spices were added, so that's great. Will definitely do again.
Chicken Alfredo Pizza: This has become a staple in our house (the night after we have alfredo pasta). We make the full sauce recipe, reserving 3/4 cup for the next night's pizza sauce.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites: Awesome, of course. Mine didn't look nearly as pretty, but does it matter?
Zucchini Boats: Also a really good vegetable dish. Just don't try to finish the broiling at your mother-in-law's house where her broiler is much stronger than yours and you nearly burn it. But if you do, try to save it just in time so it's not a total loss.
Lime and Coconut Chicken: Can't say yet as this is tonight's dinner!
And if it seems like I'm overly generous with my "yums," well I am. But of course I only pin things I think I'll like. Turns out I'm pretty easy.
