Countdown

No, this isn't a baby countdown (7 weeks if you want to count that down, though).  This is a countdown to going to the lake.  Or as Aubrie calls it, Granny and Gaga's lake.  Every 4th of July we go up to Northern Indiana to spend a week at the lake.  I look forward to it every time.  You never know if the weather is going to be cold, if it will rain the whole time, or if it will be blazing hot.  I can tell you right now it won't be raining and cold.  I might be spending some time inside with Grandpa Huhnke and sit next to the air conditioner.  I look forward to seeing Adam's side of the family at the annual BBQ and watching fireworks at the lake.  But my most favorite part about going to the lake is watching Petey run straight to the edge of the pier when we get there and jumping right in.  That puppy LOVES the lake.  Maybe even LIVES for the lake.  That and my affection.  :)

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  It's been crazy having the girls home all day, every day.  I sure do miss Mother's Day Out.  Luckily Adam's parents are here and watching the girls while I run around like a crazy person, getting ready to leave town, and oh yeah, getting ready for the baby.  They all went to Sesame Street Live last Saturday.  The girls had a blast and are still talking about it.  Aubrie watched with her mouth open and sat still while Emilie was dancing and all over the place.  Emilie has still been a fire breathing dragon lately.  She's got 4 teeth coming in, so you can't really blame her.  She's spent a fair amount of time in timeout due to poor dinner behavior and other issues.  She's still cute and makes us laugh every day. 

We were actually just laughing the other night because we read Aubrie's journal when she was 18 months, just to compare their behavior (even though Emilie is now 20 months).  We wrote in Aubrie's journal about how much she was talking.  She touched something and said, "Oh, that's hot."  We were so impressed because we don't remember teaching her that.  It was funny because if Emilie were to touch a hot plate, she would say, "Ouch!  Hot!  Blow on it!" and then shove it away and say, "Don't want it."  Hahaha.  To Aubrie's credit, Emilie is such a good talker so early because Aubrie talks to her all the time and she is just trying to keep up with her big sister.  

Innocently playing in the playroom

 Aubrie had a swim lesson on Monday at the Y.  It was her first one.  We have her wear a life jacket and she does pretty good getting around the pool by herself, but we wanted her to take a couple of lessons and learn what to do in the water without a life jacket.  She did a pretty good job and didn't mind when her head would go under.  We'll see how she does tomorrow at lesson number 2. 

Waiting for her swim teacher

Petey finally got his summer haircut!  He's sleek and ready to swim.  We always need to cut him short because he doesn't dry off good enough and gets hot spots if we don't cut his hair.  We just had him at the vet and they talked about how heavy he was getting but without all his hair, he's pretty tall and lanky and doesn't look over-weight at all!  Just wait till those ducks see him coming!

I get to do a lot of the cooking this year at the lake.  I will really enjoy it because I have a lot of people to play with my kids so I can peacefully cook in the kitchen without anyone swinging from my legs.  I've got a couple of new recipes to try out on the family, but nothing too wild.  I'll have to share if I have time.  In the meantime, I made dinner the other night and tried two new recipes.  One was for cheesecake shots.  I don't own shot glasses, so I put mine in martini glasses.  I like to use these glasses for deserts for parties or showers.  You're supposed to use puff pastry and make little stars to put on the top, but I didn't want to go to the trouble AND I didn't want to deal with the puff pastry!  I thought about doing some pie dough stars with sugar sprinkled on top, but I got lazy.  So when you look at the picture, imagine a star on them, will ya?

Stars and Stripes Cheesecake

by Carrie of Half Baked

Ingredients

– 4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

– 1/3 cup + 1T  sugar
– 1/2 tsp. vanilla
– 1 tub  (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
– 8 – 10 graham crackers
– Fresh Berries
– Finely crush graham crackers
Directions:
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until smooth. Gently stir in cool whip until well blended.
Fill individual glasses half way with cream cheese mixture, either using a spoon or a piping bag fitted with a large round tip for a more polished presentation.  Top with 1 tsp graham cracker crumbs.  Shake glass to level crumbs.  Fill to the top with more of the cream cheese mixture.  Lightly sprinkle with additional graham cracker crumbs and top with berries.  Add a star pastry for an extra fun little touch.
Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.  Serve chilled.  Makes roughly 16 mini servings, depending on the size of your shot glass.
Tips:
– Use a Ziploc bag to fill glasses if you don’t have a piping bag.  Just fill it partially, seal and snip off one corner.  Squeeze out!
– Set out cream cheese ahead of time so that it is room temperature.  This will help everything blend together and create a smooth consistency.
– Serve with a bowl of berries and additional Star Pastries for a patriotic display. 

I also made my mom's Baked Rotini and I'll share that with you tomorrow.  To pair with the pasta, I looked on Pinterest for an easy breadstick recipe and found this one posted several times on several different blogs.  It looked easy enough, so I gave it a try.  They were FABULOUS!  Definitely getting written on a recipe card and being tucked into my recipe box.  They are fast and easy so I highly recommend them!  Just a quick side note, make sure they rise and get puffy.  I always stick my dough outside to let it rise.  The heat from the sun helps it.  If you don't have a safe place (from children and dogs) outside, then stick them on the warm stove while it's heating up for baking.  That should help, too.

Easy Breadsticks

from fabulesslyfrugal.com

• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 1 1/2 c warm water
• 3 1/2 c flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 c butter
• Parmesan cheese
• garlic salt

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir together.
Knead for 3 minutes and let rest for 10 minutes.
Melt one cube of butter and pour onto a baking sheet.  Roll the dough out into a rectangle about the size of the baking sheet. Then use a pizza cutter to cut it into one-inch-wide strips. Double the long pieces of dough in half, and twist to form the bread stick. Roll each bread stick around in the pan of butter until completely covered and arrange the breadsticks on the pan.
Sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. Don’t be skimpy with the Parmesan. I often like to add some Italian seasoning and onion powder or onion salt too. (There are lots of seasoning combinations that would be great!)

Let rise for 10 minutes. (I did a little longer.  And I let them rise outside in the heat!)
Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Watch closely, remove when they start to brown.
These can be made earlier in the day: After seasoning them, cover with foil and refrigerate until about 1 hour before serving. Let come to room temperature and rise for 10 minutes, then bake.


I hope everybody is doing well!  I have more to share in my next post.  I just have to find the time to sit down and write.  The girls are napping and I should be ironing, but I thought I would rest my feet (my toes swell up like sausage links) and share with you all. 

Happy Belated Birthday to my Grandma! (Gigi)  My parents just left from visiting her in Nevada.  I'll share a little about their trip next time.  Love to all!!

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