Bad Baking- 9/25

I have to document one of my worst baking disasters. I had to remake the recipe FOUR, count them, 1, 2, 3, 4 times!!

Our stake made a cookbook and I submitted a recipe for Cake Cookies. I was asked to bring some samples to the RS Broadcast, Sept 25th. So Saturday well before the broadcast I started to make my cookies. They are so simple! I made the mistake of thinking I memorized the recipe.

Here is the recipe:

1 box cake mix (I prefer lemon)

2 eggs slightly beaten

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. flour

Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, and flour; mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet. Makes 24-30 cookies.

These are the mistakes I made-

Cake box#1 (chocolate)- Didn't look at the recipe and made it just like a cake but added the 1/2 cup flour called for in the recipe. I thought this was the only change from a cake but WAY too runny when I finished! -So I made cupcakes.

Cake box #2 (strawberry)- Didn't look at the recipe and made it like cake directs with only 2 eggs instead of 3 and added the 1/2 cup flour. STILL too runny so I scraped this cake.

Had to send Ed to the store to buy me a another box of cake, eggs that were smaller (i thought that might be the cause) and different oil (I was using oil I haven't used before. Thought that might be the cause)

Cake box #3 (lemon)- Glanced at the recipe just to notice the oil was reduced and one less egg than the cake calls for. Far too runny! Made a lemon cake with this one.

Had to send Ed BACK to the store! Seriously! This time he bought 3 cakes back with him. :)

Cake box #4 (lemon)- Finally looked at the recipe to notice YOU DO NOT ADD WATER like the cake box asks... and so I made it like the recipe above and I was late to the broadcast in order to let my last batch of cookies bake! I felt like a total nut job! The cookies turned out great!

^My Kitchen was a disaster!!! 3 bowls of batter left for Ed to bake and clean up. He was very accommodating. Thanks Ed! You married a crazy woman!

Randoms

^My boys!-9/12-10

^Sarah's 3 year check up! I haven't been as good about my updates about my kids on my blog, but I do have a calendar with the new things they are doing. :) I don't know where I put all of her measurements (%s) and everything from her appointment!?? She was 33 pounds and 3 ft 2 inches. A lot has happened in the 3's. They can be challenging at times, but overall Sarah is such a sweet girl. I like that she has a strong personality. She is so smart. Just before her birthday she conquered potty training! Finally! I probably tried to force it too soon. What else? Sarah speaks very clearly, can be timid in large groups, loves to sing princess songs, etc., Eats most anything, goes to bed around 7:30pm, wakes around 6:30am but doesn't come to us until 7am if we're lucky, has an hour of quiet time every day, will sometimes fall asleep in quiet time-2/7 days, tests her boundaries every day, loves Kai but also torments him, loves princesses, puzzles (40 piece) and coloring, prolongs bedtime, loves Little Einsteins, changes her clothes multiple times a day, loves dress-ups, tantrums decreasing, loves to be chased, loves riding her bike, the park and going on walks. I love watching her learn. She is still our punkin and snuggle bug.

We love you Sarah!- 9/14-10

^ A picture taken NOT after our 20 mile training run would probably be better looking :), but this is how we usually see each other. This is Kaylynn. Tribute to one of my best friends and we have spent so much time running to together this year. Everyone else has kind of dropped out of the running world due to pregnancy or other things. ;) I LOVE this girl! Talking with her is so therapeutic. I seriously feel like she is more like a sister than a friend. She is so open and real and honest with me. I am so comfortable around her. She has a way. When we run together, we share, and sharing makes us so close. I'm so happy and lucky to have such wonderful women to surround myself with that enrich my life in so many ways! I value great friends. Although there are not many pictures of us together, I see her more than a lot of my other friends. We trained together for a marathon and it was so wonderful to have such great support! Here's to many more years and memories! Thanks Kaylynn! OXOX-9/18/10

^Snuggle bugs and blankies- 9/22/10

9/10-11/2010: Camping with Busby's- Petaluma KOA

It was apparently a busy camp weekend and our Yosemite trip fell through so we booked a site at the Petaluma KOA. I obviously didn't know what I was getting myself into. You see, when I usually go camping- it's not on a 10x10 slab of concrete just feet away from other strangers, or just blocks away from a freeway. I should have done more research. I couldn't let myself camp that way!

So we upgraded to a small cabin that had a queen size bed mat and a bunk bed- not much else. It was actually a pretty awesome set up with the kids.

^His shirt says it all! The kids had a great time playing in the dirt. The cool thing was that after they got all dirty, we went to the community hot tub and they basically had a bath. Brilliant!

^Just before we put the kids down.

We slept on the queen and Busby's slept on the bunk beds. Sarah was on the floor in her camp bed and Kai was in the pack-n-play. We were crammed in our little cabin, but we were warm. Other than Kai waking and crying for an hour when the adults came to bed, we all slept great!

^Sarah will buddy up with anyone willing to play. She was Ryan's little buddy. She is so fond of males??

^Our family on the porch swing of our little cabin.

^Shannon and Ryan

^I learned that the KOA is a great option for families with young children. After breakfast we took Sarah to bounce on an inflatable tramp, then we all went to the pool (It was a super hot day) and then we went to the playground and petting zoo.

^ When I turned away one of these goats mistook Sarah's hair as straw and started chewing on it! Luckily I noticed quickly enough and gave Sarah more straw and told her to keep her distance.

Later when we got home, we put out a sprinkler toy and Sarah played in the fake rain with her umbrella.

Love this little boy!

We have a pre-Preschooler!

Pre-preschool is really common in California. Sarah is so eager to learn! Plus this way they get to deal with all the messy crafty stuff I usually don't do at home. :) She is loving it!

^9-6-10- Sarah making sure she gets good rest the day before school starts. :) She does this every once in the while. We'll be in the kitchen or somewhere and come out to find her in the hallway snuggled up and asleep.

^9/7/10- First Day of Preschool. What a cutie.

^A little apprehensive about the whole thing at first. :) Look at that glare! She's just making sure they know not to mess!

We love visitors

We love having visitors! Visitors mean fun things! Morghan and Duke came to visit for a weekend so we went to a San Jose Giants game with them. Very kid friendly and not as far away. :)- 9/4/10

Good kitty

^ 8/26/10- Auzi seriously takes A LOT of love/abuse from the kids. She is so patient. What a cute kitty in a baby's crib. Who needs dolls when you have a cat? :)

^8/30/10- Giants game with Cheneys. Glad they ended up delivering. :)

^8/31/10- This kids chillin' at Whitney's while I went for a run.