Weekend Goodness

Shamrock shakes are back!!!!

Chrysanthemum might have been having sympathy pain in her feet and wanted to soak hers like I was soaking mine :)

Valentine's day pancakes with my brunch-enthusiast counterpart :)

Dan and I spent Valentine's day afternoon shopping for a rocker or glider recliner. . . it is hard to find something that isn't huge and/or ugly! We didn't have any luck in stores but found some online that might work! Dan made delicious steaks and salad for Valentine's dinner!

I wish I would have gotten a video of them play- they ran back and forth under the coffee table  for so long! It was hilarious! 

Skype session with Elizabeth!

Bangers and eggs for dinner while watching SNL's 40th anniversary show- what a good way to end the weekend! 

Weekend Goodness

Homemade granola!
It made our house smell so cozy. 

Blackberry pancakes  for dinner
Mmmmm! 

Snuggly kitten on a snuggly blanket 

Curtain fabric for the baby's room :)
I want to paint the dresser/changing table a dark reddish-orange. 

Custard on a 15 degree day! 

Nella thinks she's a tiny puppy still. 

And the Packers won today! Dan was very happy.

Weekend Goodness

My cousin is having a baby girl pretty soon! She has 2 boys already, so she didn't need a complete baby shower. Instead, she had a 'sprinkle' to get a few girl things :) 

Snuggly little kitten

Sometimes you can't pass up dessert :) 

It felt a little like fall in our house today- hot chocolate was in order. 

I made crepes for dinner. I spread a little lemon curd on mine and sprinkled them with powdered sugar.
Dan put nutella and banana slices in his. 

One of the best smells is warm banana bread (with chocolate chips sprinkled on top). 

I love that we're having a few fall-ish days! On to week 2 of school tomorrow!

French Toast

I'm a huge fan of breakfast foods. I could (and sometimes do) eat them for every meal. 

Today I made french toast for dinner. 

I think my recipe is delicious. I start by not preheating the oven. Did you know cooking bacon in the oven makes it oh-so-crispy? It's my favorite way to cook bacon. So, I put the bacon on a piece of foil on a pan, fold up the 4 edges of the foil a little (it makes clean up easier), and put the pan into my non-preheated oven. Then I turn the oven on to 350. As the bacon starts to get perfectly crispy, I start my french toast. 

For 2-3 people: I mix 5 eggs and slightly less than 1/4 C. of milk or, if I have it, whipping cream. 

I add 1 or 2 tsp of vanilla, depending on how vanilla-y I want it to taste. 

I mix in a little less than a 1/4 C. of sugar. 

Then I slice up the french bread into 1 inch thick slices. I think I used 9 slices this time. 

Soak the slices in the mixture and flip occasionally so that the egg mixture soaks all the way through. 

As the slices soak, heat up pan to slightly cook the french toast. Cook the toast just enough to seal in the egg mixture- they should barely brown it on each side. Put these slightly cooked french toasts on a pan and put it in the oven to finish cooking. 

Usually when I make bacon and french toast this way, it ends up that the bacon and french toast are done at the same time -perfect! 

Here's how I topped my toast tonight :) 

Coconut whipped cream with crushed banana chips

Whipped cream with cherries

Butter, crumbled bacon, and maple syrup (my favorite)

Random Tuesday Things

1. I was sitting at my desk, getting a smartboard lesson ready before the bell rang, when on of my 4kers walked in. I said hi to her and she said, "Ms McElwee. . .  something happened." She sounded concerned, so I said, "Oh no- what happened?" She pulled out this plastic, see through, hello kitty purse from her backpack and said, "This." and walked out of the room. There was a banana in the purse. 

2. During math time, one of my 4kers turned around, looked out the window, and blurted out, "Does the sky look greenish-blue to you, or is it just me?" 

3. A girl in the afternoon class told me she was coming to a Valentine's day party at my house and she was going to bring me a Thanksgiving card. 

4. I overheard a girl tell a boy that he can only be Buzz Lightyear if they can get married when they are grown ups. He responded by saying, "To infinity and beyond!" 

5. One of my kids brought be a chocolate rose because she saw it at the store and thought I would like it. She was right. It was dark chocolate and tasty. 

6. I had a formal observation today. I picked a lesson that is usually really engaging and I chose for my observation to happen during my afternoon class, which is usually pretty mellow. They were super wiggly, talkative, and defiant- the only mellow kid was the one who was practically falling asleep on the floor. I had to stop what was planned and talk about how their day is effected and how we can't get to "choice time" (where they get to pick centers to play in) if they talk and interrupt so much. I feel like it went horribly. I have my post-observation meeting scheduled for tomorrow, so we'll see. 

7. I made eggs benedict for dinner. I have only had it two other time- once when Dan ordered it at a restaurant and I tasted it and another time when I ordered it at a restaurant. I've never poached an egg before. It didn't look as pretty as restaurant poached eggs, but I think it turned out pretty good for my first try! Hollandaise sauce isn't that hard to make either.