Aggies Do It Better

I bought some Silly Bandz. You know. They're the newest and coolest thing to put on your wrist since awareness bands. Which is funny, because they aren't really new at all. When I worked at the zoo about 5 years ago someone gave me a pink one in the shape of a hippo. Not sure where she got it. Really cute, but I remember thinking, what do you do with this? We used them as actual rubber bands, or just kept them in our pockets. gasp!! I think I still have it, but I have no idea where it is. I remember last year hearing about these things and I didn't know what they were for the longest time, and when I saw them , I was all, that's not new! Anyhow, I didn't get the craze, and I usually don't jump on "fad"wagons, unless it involves wrist thingies. I do like those. I've been looking at them wherever I see them and figured I'd get them when I saw some cool ones. And then, I did. I saw these at a sports store near here. Actually, I saw Univ Of Tenn o...

Our Neighborhood had a pool party this weekend, and each family had to sign up to bring a side or dessert. Guess which I chose?? These were super fun to make (drink umbrellas=FUN) and took me practically ZERO time, well, compared to the time it normally takes. They didn't turn out exactly as I wanted, but pretty close! I used some more of the afore-mentioned Buttercream for the frosting. Which, as it turns out, is not-so-good for an outdoor summer event. (think to yourself, what happens to butter when it gets warm???) Luckily, they didn't last long. We also had our long-awaited garage sale this weekend, finally. It went okay , I guess, considering prettymuch NO ONE in my town was having any babies at this exact moment. That's who we were looking for! We did luck out as we were closing up shop when a lady that lives down the street who just-so-happens-to-be keeping her out of town grandSON next week and needed some gear and clothes! JACKPOT! So, we pretty much made barely en...

Here are some mini cupcakes I made for a birthday last night. I used the afore-mentioned Buttercream I made shortly before for the icing. The marshmallow flowers are from "What's New, Cupcake?". I have been wanting to make these and I was graciously given the freedom to do whateverI want! (I love it when that happens!) These turned out soooooo pretty, if I do say so myself. Actually, these are the first things I've ever made that I thought, I wish I was recieving these!! Boo!!! Sigh. So Pretty.

Okay people. Consider this my last will and testiment. If I die, I want to be buried in Buttercream Icing.* To ensure that happens, here is detailed instructions on how to make it. Step 1: Whip one pound of softened unsalted butter in mixer on high speed until it begs for mercy. Step 2: add 4 pounds of powdered sugar. Mix slowly at first or you will develop PSEA .(Powdered Sugar Enduced Asthma). Don't worry, it's not fatal. Don't forget to add some milk and vanilla, also. Step 3: Turn mixer on high and crank up some baby-makin' music. (go ahead, get your nose in there. It's ok.) (that's scraped off enough for licking, isn't it?) Step 4: Bury sed blogger. Thank You In Advance. *If for some reason there is a world-wide shortage of any of the above ingredients, proceed immediately to Chuy's and purchase a gallon of Creamy Tomatillo sauce that they use on the Deluxe Chicken Enchiladas. That will be an acceptable substitution.

So, you may be wondering, how does one deal with the fact that they were supposed to be having a garage sale this past weekend but had to postpone because they were not ready? Well, I'll tell you. They get out of dodge! This weekend, we took a short day trip a couple hours from here to visit a really cool aquarium. Since we are not going to be able to take a "Family Vacation" this summer, we really wanted to get away and do something, anything . You know? The boys had a complete blast. #1 was really jazzed at times but anytime there was really big animals or touch tanks, he respectfully kept his distance. #2, on the other hand, Mr. No Fear, it was all we could do to keep him in his stroller and not jumping in the tanks. So funny how different their personalities are! I love this pic of Husband pointing out things to the boys. There was a really cool butterfly garden in one of the buildings. I really like butterflies, buuuuut.....if one of them lands on me, well, that'...

Well, we decided to postpone our garage sale to next weekend. Because who are we kidding, we are SOOOO not ready. And also, I have gotten several really bad sinus headaches this week, I'm not sure why, maybe is the storms we have had rolling through here. So I haven't gotten that much done. This morning I had a doozy. Normally, afternoons while #2 naps are spent with me trying to get things done around the house and trying to keep The One With The Short Attention Span entertained. So, this afternoon, I was going to attempt my twice-a-year afternoon nap, which also means having to persuade #1 to nap also. Husband promised some big "surprise" to him as we was leaving for work, so as soon as naptime arrived, #1 jumped into our bed and was ready for it. ( Why doesn't that EVER work when I do that???) #1 has to nap in my bed with me since the boys are sharing a room now and there's no way I'm letting him interfere with #2's nap! Here is the breakdown of ho...

MY KID SWAM TODAY! MY KID SWAM TODAY! :shouts from rooftops: A little peer pressure will go a long way with a 4 yr old, I guess! We were at our pool today with some new friends, and among them is another 4 year old boy. One who does NOT have the pool issues that mine does. So there he is, being quite the fishie, and there's #1, being not the fishie using his inflatable ring and other various non-life-saving devices. Not that I'm complaining about that, because one short month ago, he wouldn't go near the pool. So there I am, gabbing with the other moms, and all of the sudden I feel something tugging at my bathing suit top. And since Husband is at work, it can't be him. I look down, and there is my kid, face down in the water, flailing around his little arms and legs trying to pull himself up. I thought at first he fell in (off the steps he was playing on and I was standing next to) and had gotten over to me (in which case, yay for that!) And then I grab him and pull hi...

Hungry yet??? This weekend I dusted off the old baking case, and got to work. Thanks to a new mommy friend of mine, who sends me pictures of things I should be making (ha ha!) I figured it was time to get cracking. And, I do have a new cupcake book, the sequel to "Hello, Cupcake!" called "What's New, Cupcake?" that I've had for like, 2 months, and not made anything out of. Seriously! So, instead of doing ALL the cupcakes in ONE theme, and with there being so many in the book that are "picnic-y" themed, I thought I'd just do a few of each and do a whole spread! I even found this checked tablecloth, which honestly I can't believe I didn't have already! These pies are made with M&M's , but I also saw somewhere else similar cupcakes that had Actual fruit in them, so I thought I'd try that too. I probably should have glazed the blueberries or something, but I was kind of pressed for time because it was so hot in my kitchen I was...

Well, we didn't get into the County School System for pre-K. I was completely shocked to get the letter in the mail yesterday...I thought we wouldn't find out for another month anyway. But glad to get it early enough to not lose a spot in the other school. So off we went to sign #1 up for a twice a week program at a little school close to our neighborhood. He starts in about a month. I am excited and so is he. I'm sure I'll be sad when the day gets here, but this 2 day a week thing is good because it will ease both of us into him going everyday next year. And, I get to buy one of those cute "nap mat" things we saw at Walmart last year. And I get to dust off the sewing maching to sew a cover for it. Not that he will be napping on it, mind you. Otherwise, we've had a pretty busy week. Swim lessons every day, extra swimming at our pool (where #1 was quite the fishie, to my delight), taking the boys to a $1 movie at the theater. They both sat through it pret...