Daily Something September 14: Delicious Mistakes

Daily Something
Sometimes the best things in life come when we mess up...an unplanned pregnancy for example...or in my case these cookie bars.
I wanted the whole family to get together and bake something delicious as a group. I thought it would be a fun and bonding experience.
It didn't work out that way and it ended up just being me and Porter trying to follow a simple cookie recipe from the web on my nook. The screen kept going dark and I would have to turn it on again, or Porter would change the page-so I had a hard time following the recipe, I added too much salt and had to take some out and then I totally messed up the peanut butter and added nearly 2 cups of peanut butter rather than 6 tablespoons. I thought for sure they had been ruined. I decided to make them into cookie bars since it was like brownie batter instead of a cookie dough. I had some left over and made some cookies too. They both turned out equally delicious. I am sure they are even better than the originals, because these are so darn scrumptious, there is no way that the other way could be better. Here is my new and improved recipe, (at least in my family's eyes and tummies).


White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars.
(adapted from howsweeteats.com)
makes 1 large pan of cookie bars with enough left over for a dozen cookies...perfect to bring to a party and still have some left for you at home! :)

• 2 1/2 cups bread flour (I'm sure any all-purpose flour would do, but I had bread flour...and yum)
• 2 cups of Quaker old fashioned oats (or store brand whatever you have)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 1/2 cups of creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks at room temp
• 4 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325. Spray a 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray. Put peanut butter and butter into a bowl and melt at 30 second intervals until all creamy and melted. Leave on counter to cool.

Meanwhile mix flour, oats, baking soda & salt in a bowl and set aside.

You don't want the peanut butter, butter mixture to be hot, but mine wasn't completely cooled either...I was working with a 3 year old here. So when I couldn't wait any longer I added the sugars and stirred until combined.  Then I added the vanilla, egg and egg yolk and stirred that all in (no mixer required-these things are gooey). Then I just dumped in all the dry ingredients and mixed that in real good. Finally, stir in chocolate chips.

Put a thin layer (a little less than an inch) of the dough in the pan and spread evenly.
Cook for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden.
Or you can scoop them with your cookie scoop and bake them as cookies for 10-12 minutes.

Delicious Mistake.

Daily Something September 13: Naughty

Daily Something
I am upstairs helping Bekah and Christopher do their schoolwork. Oliver is taking his morning nap and the house is unusually quiet. Porter is nowhere to be heard. He went downstairs pouting about a half hour previous after I told him he couldn't have crayons anymore (he had colored on the TV the night before).
I sent Topher down to look for him and make sure he was alright. Topher came back a few minutes later saying he couldn't find him anywhere. Bekah and I jumped up to go look, and just as we got to the stairs, Porter came walking up.
I asked the mysteriously missing child where he had been and he replied "I don't know." I asked him what he meant. He said, "I can't remember where I was mom." Hmmmm. Either he got knocked out and developed amnesia...OR he was up to something naughty. I was leaning towards the latter. I couldn't get him to answer me though, so I went downstairs expecting the worst.
The kitchen was fine, no food out, nothing spilled. The bathrooms were clean, no water on the floors or counters. In fact everything seemed to be in order.
I really couldn't figure it out. What had he been doing, quietly I might add, for 30 minutes?
A little later I was in my room; and there on the side of the bed where no one could see, all of Bekah's hundreds of Littlest Pet Shop toys were spread all over the floor. Playing with toys in my room is a no no, playing with Bekah's toys without asking is a no no.
Porter looked as surprised as Bekah was to see all the toys there on the floor. He had no idea how they had gotten there.
Naughty.
Later tonight we are on our way home from Costco and he announces; "I don't want to listen to Jesus."
My husband who is much more calm in these kinds of situations luckily took the bait.
Chad; "Why not, don't you want to be good?"
Porter; "No."
Chad; "You want to be naughty? Because Jesus teaches us to be nice and good."
Porter; "Yeah, I just want to be naughty."
Chad; "Okay. But naughty boys don't get privileges. Naughty boys don't get treats, or toys. Naughty boys get punished and have to stay in their beds."
Porter thinks about this for a minute and then says, "Okay. I'll listen to Jesus then."
Naughty.
Just a few moments ago Porter comes in while I am writing this story and hands me a couple pieces of paper with some drawings on them and then walks out.
On his way up the stairs I hear it.
Twice.
I run up and see two fresh lines of pencil up the hall walls.
He heard me running.
The pencil gets thrown at me.
Naughty.

Daily Something September 12: Phone Call

Daily Something
We are all outside; Chad is cleaning the garage and I am spray painting my latest furniture makeover. Bekah and Porter are coloring on the porch while still wearing their bike helmets. Christopher is begging for yet another treat while Oliver sits in his stroller eating treats of his own. It is hot. Extremely hot for a mid September afternoon, but we are enjoying this extra little bit of summer that mother nature is treating us to.
Chad's phone rings. He looks at the caller ID and his face lights up and he says, "Hey there!" before he even answers. The way his eyes sparkle and the grin that spreads across his face tells me it must be Publishers Clearing House or at the very least Santa Claus.
I was way off.
It's Ryeleigh.
Ryeleigh his 12 year old daughter, whom he has desperately tried to get a hold of for months. They keep missing one another's calls. He didn't have anything particular he needed to tell her. I think he just needed to hear her voice. He needed to hear that she missed him and loved him even a little bit as much as he misses and loves her. He needed to hear that she still needs her daddy.
He listened proudly as she listed off her present achievements, intently as she told her story of the most recent dog escapade and nervously when he asked if she would want to spend time with him over Thanksgiving week.
I don't think even Santa Claus could have given him a better present than her saying that she would love to.
That little blue eyed girl that had him so very tightly wound around his little finger when I met them 10 years ago...hasn't unwound that string one bit.

Turn Around Bright Eyes...

My little Oliver is walking.

It's true.

It's sad.

It's cute.

But mostly it's hard to get him to look at me while I am trying to take a photo.
There we go, 1 second to see why mom is telling me no no for getting into the bookshelf...again. I do have other kids besides Oliver I promise. Someday I might let you know what they are up to too! :)

60 Seconds with the Oli Bug

While sorting through some school stuff in the boys room today and doing a rotation of toys I was taking pictures for my other blog.

My little Oliver decided he wanted my camera.

The following 6 pictures are a result of the immediate 60 seconds after he saw me with the camera.

"Oooh I want that thing mom!"
"You say no to me all the time...it stops me in my tracks...but just for a minute.""I will have it now!"
"Seriously...look at me...how could you not just hand it over? Look into my eyes, I am completely and wholly adorable."
"Not going to give it to me huh? Oh well I give up!"
"Psyche!"

This kid is a fast little stinker, but my camera got out safe and sound...barely! :)

I smell TROUBLE

She's getting older...and prettier...and sassier...

Gulp.

Because He's Totally Awesome...

...He goes out in the morning with a giant astro pop while still wearing his jammies and can totally pull it off.

We don't like Big Buns

One of the things both Bekah and I look forward to every year is the ballet recital mandatory dancers bun.

There are only smiles and laughs as I gently pull her long hair up into the little swirl and tenderly place pins holding it into place.

Or NOT.

Mostly just crying of big crocodile tears, wailing and gnashing of teeth, slapping and biting...maybe exaggerating a bit...but nonetheless...

Bekah HATES getting her hair pulled back into a bun, and I am not a fan of seeing my little girl cry.

So every year the last day of recital we cut her hair off, it's celebratory.

She has the summer with the hair off her neck, no chance of a ponytail or any other abomination pulling the little hairs at the back of her head.

Then come ballet in the fall, it's just starting to get long enough again to pull back, and by recital time it's full on ready for her favorite bun.

This years cut while especially short, frames her adorable little freckled nose face quite nicely. :)

Tiny Dancer

Last recital here in Klamath Falls!

I have to admit, I am a little bit...a lot a bit in love with having a little ballerina for a daughter. It's kind of a dream come true. Chad can have his little wrestlers, soccer players, football players, little sluggers, dirt bike enthusiasts whatever...I gave him plenty of boys to live vicariously through...just let me have my tiny dancer...

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