blogging, blogging, blogging!

My daughter thinks that I have been neglecting my blog and that I have to blog this week.

So here I am blogging to make her happy!

I just wish that this was all it ever took to make her happy.

So today was the first day of school. I promised the kids that last night I would cook a real dinner. Most of the time I preppier some kind of dinner but I haven't been doing the "real" cooking. You know the kind that takes 1 or 2 hours to make. So I made them a real dinner.

We had a lot of food and it was fun to get home early enough to hang out and make dinner together. (to be honest I made dinner while Bri prepped green beans) but It was still fun.

We had orange chicken, mashed potatoes, artichokes, and fresh green beans. All favorite foods of the girls. The other day I made applesauce so I also made applesauce desert. We had been gifted 4 cases of green beans, so we have lots of green beans. They are Josie's favorite food, she is in heaven, or will be once they are all processed and in the freezer. Brianna's favorite food is artichokes, and we have been receiving alot of those recently, so actually both girls were very happy.

The applesauce desert I made last night was very yummy, but the kids were so full of dinner that they didn't eat any last night. So as a first day of school breakfast treat they got last nights dessert. I love eating dessert for breakfast! It just seems so bad for you, when in realty it is much healthier than anything from a bakery or many of the cereals.

This is how to make applesauce dessert...shhhh it is a family secret or so my Aunt says.

First you get out a casserole dish,

depending on how much you want decides the size.

I have even made it in little Tupperware dishes for lunches.

Next you cover the bottom with Cinnamon Graham crackers.

Trader Joe's are the best and piratically guilt free!

Then layer the applesauce.

I use homemade, I think the texture holds better and I like chunks in my applesauce.

Besides I know what is in it and I get to add what ever spice I want.

Then comes the most sin full part.

You layer a whip topping. If I am making it to last for more than one serving I use the lite cool whip. If I am making it for one night I use homemade whip cream, flavored with vanilla and some splenda. But you get to decide how sinful you want it.

Now just repeat until the dish is full, then chill to set.

So easy and so yummy!

That is what I fed my daughters on the first day back to school.

And they thought they were getting a very guilty treat.

As we loaded into the car I made them get back out to take a picture. They were both very sassy about it. Josie was sure me snapping a pit or two would make her late for school.

"You know it is already 6:45 mom"

See the sassy smarta** smile on Josie's face?

I told them that we would not get into the car until I had them smiling.

Now how do keep them smiling like this each morning?

It is over, so now it is back to reality

For the past few months Brianna has been consumed

(well as consumed as a teenager with a boyfriend can be)

with raising her pig for the fair.

She has been showing pigs for the past 7 or 8 years with no real success.

Most of the time she would do well but it just was not outstanding. This year was different.

She did her project at the high school. In the past she has had it at home with me or her father "supervising" her. She decided she wanted it at school with her so she would be supervised by a teacher.

This seems to work for her! She won Reserved Duroc FFA Champion.

This is a very good thing. For those of you who do not follow animal shows,

it is the second best hog in its breed for FFA

This is her showing in her market class.

She is so focused, I am glad I got the picture,

I very seldom see this amount of concentration!

Still in the ring and paying attention!


This is the Auction Ring. Never in my life have I seen her Smile here!
She is always tearing up or in full blown melt down.
She gets so attached that she normally makes herself sick.

Can you guess why she is smiling?





Try and read the top line of the board.
Do you see it?

$8.00 a pound.
She is still on cloud nine.
Normally she has a very big bill to pay her father back for.
So she doesn't get much of it, but this year she only has about $700 into the project, meaning she has a good amount left over.

Now the plans are a brewing!

What would your teen do with about $1300?

We shall wait and see what she decides.