Crockpot Wednesday

Once again, I based my crockpot dish on the veggies we've been blessed with by Eric's generous parents. With a bag of new potatoes to use up I chose Crockpot Garlic Smashed Potatoes.

I used a few shakes dried minced garlic and 1/2 an onion since that's what I had. I upped the water to a full cup but didn't bother measuring the salt, pepper or oil. I cooked on low for an hour and then high for 3 hours.


When they were good and soft and the liquid was gone, I mashed 'em up, added a couple tbsp butter and what was left of our sour cream. After tasting them, I decided they needed a little garlic salt. Because I know my husband oh so well, I served them with a little shredded cheese and crumbled bacon on top.
Super duper yummy!

In addition to rolling all over the place, Konnor has been enjoying the exersaucer and Johnny jumper!




Buggy loved the jumper when she was a young'n too!

We've also been practicing sitting, with the safety of the boppy, of course. I can tell that his neck and upper body are still a little weak, so we're trying to spend some time doing this every day.


While we were at Target today, shopping their Kashi sale again, we found some gluten free Nature Valley Bars! I'm not sure if Bugs will like them, but I love seeing different companies market towards the gluten free population!


Kelton and I noticed something pretty cool when picking up his school supplies....the markers are black now because they're made from recycled plastic and the crayons are made using solar power! Way to go, Crayola!


I can't believe Moosey starts back to school in just over 2wks! We're going to miss him so much during the day!

Another busy weekend!

My Godmother and her daughter, Maureen, came to visit over the weekend. My Aunt Denise is pretty much the best Godmother a girl could ask for. I love her to pieces and I can't believe it had been over 3 yrs since I'd seen her. My mom and I really enjoyed the visit and the kids had a great time playing!
Matching monkey shirts!

The kids had loads of fun playing in the water! Somehow I managed to get this video without getting wet, but Eric wasn't so lucky. He got soaked!!




One of Katie's little friends had a bday party over the weekend. Since Katie loves her tutus so much, I thought it'd be the perfect gift. I used shimmery tulle instead of matte and love how it came out! I can't wait to make some for my nieces for xmas!


Target is awesome this week! Kelton came with me shopping on Sunday and we bought his school supplies too! He's so excited to start first grade, but I'm not so sure Katie and I are ready to have him gone. We've really enjoyed having him home this summer!

SOBE is on sale for $1. Play the SOBE Instant Win Game and you're likely to win a Buy 1 Get 1 Free printable coupon. Combine that with (2) .50/1 Target SOBE Printables for 2 free bottles!

BEAR NAKED is on sale for $3.50. If you "like" Bear Naked on Facebook, you'll be able to print a B1G1 for this product also. Combine that with (2) .50/1 Target BEAR NAKED printables to get 2 bags for $2.50!

The Kashi is on sale for $2.85. I combined (3) $1/1 peelies and a B2G1 Target printable to get the cereal for .90 a box!

My total was $10.40 and I plan on going back for more.

Amidst loads and loads of laundry today, Buggy and I made some cookies. I've made chocolate chip zucchini cookies in the past, but not gluten free. I decided to use Bob's Red Mill GF Choc Chip Cookie Mix. I added 1/3 cup light olive oil, 1 egg, an extra 1/2 cup semi sweet mini choc chips, a dash of cinnamon, and a heaping cup of shredded zucchini. The batter was very dry, so I thinned it out with some vanilla soy milk. Instead of dropping cookies, I poured the batter into a 9x13 and baked until it pulled away from the edges and a toothpick came out clean.

The kids and I thought they were fantastic. E thought they had a bit of a funny aftertaste which is probably the bean flour in the mix. Next time, I think I'll reduce the oil a bit more, maybe add some applesauce and definitely add some oatmeal.

Rolling! Crockpot Wed! My Secret!

Konnor is on a Roll!!
Last Thurs evening he decided to start rolling back to front and hasn't slowed down since. He rolls here there and everywhere. Debbie said when she checked on him during nap time yesterday, he had rolled over to his tummy to get nice and comfortable. I'm hoping we'll be able to ditch the swaddle soon since we've still been doing that at night to get a longer stretch out of him.





Also late last week, his necklace from joyzjewels arrived! All of the kids have 2 necklaces with their names. These particular ones have bigger beads and are especially good for playtime.




For the crockpot today, I wanted to utilize some of our squash and zucchini. We're so blessed to have generous family and friends that have shared their produce with us since we didn't have a garden this year.

Here's what a threw in....

1 large cubed zucchini
1 large cubed yellow squash
1 chopped onion
some browned turkey/deer burger
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
california style garlic salt
season-all

I tossed it all together and set on low for 3.5 hrs and then turned it up to high for another hour since Kelton had swimming lessons tonight and I wanted it to be done to eat a little earlier than usual.


It produced a lot more liquid than I expected. The only liquid I added was from the can of diced tomatoes. Obviously next time I need to drain those. I served it with a slotted spoon, but I guess if you wanted to eat it like a stew you could serve with the juice.


I loved it! E and Moose weren't overly impressed and Katie wouldn't touch it. Shredded cheese would be a great addition!

And now for my little secret!! But first, seriously people? The text msgs asking if I'm pg? Do I really look like I'm completely crazy?

I just wanted to show off a few things.....
Like my microwave....spotless.

The coffee pot....sparkling.

The toaster oven...not a crumb in site.

The top of the dryer...organized and not a speck of lint.

And finally, my toothbrush holder....not a spot on it.

Yes, I'm that awesome.
No, not really.
We decided when I went back to work, we would have a cleaning lady come once a month and give the place an overhaul. Needless to say, they are AMAZING and worth every penny!! At first, I thought maybe I needed to keep it a secret, lest I paint myself as a giant lazy oaf. However, I have 3 kids (4 if you count the hubs) and I work 2-3 days a week.....I deserve this! We could not be more thrilled with the job they did! Even E in all his skepticism, was smiling ear to ear!

I think the day they come is probably going to be my favorite day of the month from now on!

Weekends Wear Me Out!

We started out with a trip to the city pool on Friday evening. Katie has no fear, Kelton swims like a rock and Kon fell asleep on the way, although we woke him up to swim a little before it was time to leave. We can't wait to go again!










Showering off when we got home.
Katie was not very happy about it!

After the kids were in bed I went to Dillons. I AM NOT super mom and usually work it out to do my grocery shopping without kids. I cannot imagine juggling my coupons and keeping three kids happy. Not to mention 2 of them need restrained in the cart, which leaves no room for all these groceries I got for only $78.66!! My savings was$124.19 plus I left with a coupon for free milk and $3 off my next visit!


Saturday morning, the boys went to Shady Creek Sporting Clays. The camera battery died when they got there, but thank goodness for camera phones!

Since they were having manly man time, they also stopped by Gander Mountain and they couldn't leave without picking up this cute outfit up for Buggy!


By the time they got home, it had become apparent that Koggle was not feeling well. He was vomiting and about as white as you can get. Poor little man. He took some solace in Mimi's shoulder. All my kids, even Katie, liked to sleep on Mimi's shoulder.


While the two littles napped, my mom and I braved the heat and ran into Wichita for a little shopping. I picked up Katie a super cute BabyGap outfit and found this perfect ornament for Konnor for Xmas. Faith is why he's here, after all. And yes, it's totally insane that Hobby Lobby has Xmas stuff out already!



After it cooled off slightly below 100, the kids had a great time playing in the sprinkler in the front yard.





Even Jasmine got in on the fun.



Don't forget the popsicles!

Sunday evening we BBQ'd with the neighbors. E decided he wanted a layered salad and was very proud of himself for making it.


We've got another hot week ahead of us and I've got a little secret I'm going to let out of the bag on my next blog.