Aspen's sick today. Sick like a walking health hazard sick. So sick I've stuck her upstairs and forced her to watch movies all day (truthfully there wasn't much force involved). So this has left me quite bored between Oakley's meals. Finally I decided to crank up some music from my good ol' college days at BYU (we're talking Moby and Goo Goo Dolls, plus a little Enrique), and bake.

When Demri was in Chile I asked her to send me some dulce de membrillo, which is a type of fruit jam and something I used to enjoy when I was on my mission in Argentina. It's used to make a pie-like dessert called pasta frola. I've been waiting for the right time to make it, and decided today was the day.

It's crazy: the moment I opened the package and smelled the membrillo all these memories of my mission and Argentina came flooding. It's amazing how a smell can do that. Yummmm! I can't wait to try it again.
Oakley was crying off and on during this whole scenario, but I kept saying, "Just wait 5 more minutes, Oaks! Just 'till it's in the oven....." Finally he went to sleep, poor guy!
I just pulled the frola out of the oven; time to interrupt my little movie-goer upstairs........

Nothing makes me smile like this little grin.....

I haven't always been the best at letting Aspen get messy. I know it's an important part of childhood, but it's a hard part of motherhood as far as I'm concerned. And since there's so little I can control in my life right now, having a clean house is very important to me.
One day I realized that if I just put in a little bit of effort, Aspen would play for a long time and it would pay off in the long run. That's when I discovered the sheet method. I just throw a sheet on the kitchen floor and let Aspen be as creative as she wants. Then I just pick up the sheet and throw it in the washer. I'm sure many of you have discovered this strategy already, but to me it came a little late :) The other day I gave Aspen some flour, oats, water, salt and sugar and let her make her own muffins. We even cooked them and she ate a couple (I however never mustered up the courage to try one).
p.s. Oakley's eyebrow muscles are shaped like perfect semi-circles. His actual eyebrows aren't, but whenever he raises them he looks like this. Haha.
Another day I warmed up some cream cheese and used food coloring to make different shades of "paint" which Aspen then used to beautify her mid-day toast. She loves this! By the way, this was not my idea but I found it on a brilliant website, which unfortunately I'm not able to source. Anyway it's been fun trying new activities to keep Aspen busy, and seeing her creative mind work.

Eric and I don't get out much anyomore. There was a time in our lives when we prided on the fact that we never watched television because we were too busy reading, going out, exploring the city where we lived, hiking, etc. Well friends those days are gone. We still don't own a t.v, but we do have a Mac with 24" monitor to fulfill all of our entertainment needs. Just about every night after Aspen's in bed we plop down on the couch, exhausted, ready for a little online tube. What else can we do? Oakley's still awake and wants us to hold him, so reading's out of the question. And we can't leave........

Sunday night Aspen left her room after bedtime and grabbed a shampoo bottle. Downstairs Eric and I were trying to schedule flights for a summer visit to Jacksonville, North Carolina. It was stressful (scheduling flights always are, am I right?). Oakley was crying nonstop, and soon we heard Aspen making noise upstairs so Eric ran up to check on her. She had spilled the contents of the shampoo bottle all over her carpet! And the more we tried to rub it out, the more it lathered up. Anyway, I continued to book our flights while Eric was upstairs, and as soon as I purchased them I saw that they were to Jacksonville, FLORIDA. I just about passed out! These tickets were not cheap, folks! I drug myself up the stairs, baby in hand, wailing to Eric.

Okay so to make a long story short we got our money back (by the way the website messed up, not us), and used a dry towel to mop up the shampoo mess. Eventually Oakers went to sleep (about 11:00) and Eric and I had an hour to ourselves. Sooo......

The point of this whole story is that the day before this we were able to get out, just the two of us, and go on a hike. It was so great! Every time we hike it brings back memories of when we met, and all the fun outdoorsy things we used to do. And it gets my rear in gear for another crazy night with the kids. Love you honey!

I have been eating these cookies like crazy lately. I've had this recipe for a while now, but have just perfected it with my secret ingredient. These cookies are healthy and so delicious!! Okay they are as healthy as you make them (I put in lots of chocolate so that takes them down a notch, but they're still better than normal chocolate chip cookies). They're made from whole wheat flour, oats, nuts (if you want them), and pumpkin (my secret ingredient), and the only sweetener is a bit o honey, and however many chocolate chips you want to put in them. I use dark chocolate because it makes me feel less guilt :)

Healthy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C flour (whole wheat)

1 1/2 C oats

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 T cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

1/2 C honey

1/2 C oil

1 T molasses

1 egg, beaten w/1 T water

1 t vanilla

1 C canned pumpkin (or more if desired)

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet in another. Mix together and cool in the fridge for 20 minutes. Spoon onto cookie sheet and press down the top of each cookie for even baking. Cook 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

I bought myself a steam juicer with my birthday money this year. I can't wait to make fresh apple juice! When I was growing up my dad made grape juice with the grapes from our garden, and it was always something special to share with guests when they came over. Last Fall I really wanted to make apple juice for Christmas presents, but couldn't figure out how to do it without a juicer; so...I bought one. I'm counting down the days until berry picking season!

I just had to throw in this photo of Oakley because he's grown so much! He's almost doubled his weight in three months. Yes, he's heavy. Yes, my back hurts. And yes, those legs make it all worth it!

If you asked me what my top 3 favorite desserts are (and my mother-in-law did the other day) I would say cake, cake and cake. Any kind, any way, as long as it's dense, moist, and topped with a lot of thick frosting.
One of my favorite things about birthdays in my family is making the cake. For Aspen's birthday I decided to make my grandmother's white cake with buttercream frosting. I had never made it before and boy was it tasty! It had a sort of shortbread-y flavor. When I want a white cake, this is the recipe I'll be using every time.
Aspen wanted a blue cake this year, and I was more than happy to deliver. Blue cake, nice and easy! I'm not that great with presentation; I care more about taste.
I also threw Aspen a birthday party for her friends, and decided to make Bakerella's cake pops. They were so fun to make, and the girls loved them! Besides, how much cake do little kids really eat anyway? And these were a lot less messy.
Next up is carrot cake.......

Grandmother’s White Cake

4 egg whites 1/2 C butter or shortening, softened

2 C all-purpose flour 1 3/4 C sugar

1 t baking powder 1 t vanilla

1/2 t baking soda 1 1/3 C buttermilk or sour milk

1/2 t salt

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grease and lightly flour 2 9x1 1/2-inch round cake pans. In medium bowl stir flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl beat butter with mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat. Add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Spread batter into pans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes for 9-inch pans, 25-30 minutes for 8-inch pans, 30-35 minutes for 13x9-inch pans. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans; cool thoroughly on wire racks.