Sweet Rides

Look out drivers: Jake & Mal are on the road! Okay, really it's mostly the driveway. I've been wanting to get cozy coupe cars for the kids for a while, & my mom gave me a coupon she had a few weeks ago, so I decided to go ahead & get them. I love that the updated versions of this old classic now have a removable floor. With the floor in place, you can push them down the street without having to worry about little feet getting caught under the car.

Taking a cruise with Daddy
Mallory loves to remove her shoes any time she gets in her car while the floor is in. What a tidy little lady!
Beep! Beep!
Ahhh, Dallas traffic!
So far, they can only "peddle" themselves backward, but we'll get to the forward stuff at some point.
Wait, this isn't my car!
Ha, ha, I stole Jake's ride!

Calling all Women of Faith!

The 2010 Women of Faith conference in Dallas will be held at the American Airlines Center on August 20th & 21st, which is a Friday night & Saturday. I have been to this annual event three times & have been blessed by it each time. I have a block of 25 tickets reserved & would love for you to join me! Tickets are $89 each, & I promise you that it's worth it. If you're interested please let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me. For more information on the event, please visit http://www.womenoffaith.com/dallas/. Thanks!

Whatever Works

I'm sure all of you parents out there will agree with me when I say that, most of the time, I try to be an involved parent. None of us want our kids growing up with more TV time than one-on-one time with Mommy & Daddy. Sometimes, though, you just need them to be occupied so you can clean up the dinner dishes & get ready for small group bible study. They're whining, time is running out & you need a solution fast. That's when stuff like this happens:
In my defense, their shirtlessness was due to the dinner menu involving spaghetti, so that wasn't just negligence on my part. In a pinch, sesamestreet.org is a lifesaver - and the gate keeps them from pushing all the buttons on the computer.
Sometimes, you've got to go with whatever works. Can I get an amen?

Yummy to My Tummy: Fanciful Fruit Pizza

I've been loving our warm spring weather lately (we missed the day of snow), so for small group a couple of weeks ago, I decided to make a fruit pizza. It just seems "summery" to me, plus it's easy & oh, so good. Enjoy!

Fanciful Fruit Pizza

1 recipe Favorite Sugar Cookie dough, or substitute 1 (20 oz) pkg refrigerated dough
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C orange marmalade
1 T water
assorted fruit

Heat oven to 350 degrees. With floured fingers, press cookie dough into a large circle on a cookie sheet or stone pan. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely.
Beat cream cheese, sugar & vanilla until fluffy; spread over cooled cookie crust.
Arrange fruit over cream cheese. In small bowl, combine orange marmalade & water; blend well. Spoon marmalade mixture over fruit. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cut into squares to serve.

The Proof is in the Picture

Here's the lovely picture we gained from the experience described in my last post. It wasn't funny that day, but it is now. When I showed this to Justin, he said, "It's not that bad." I assured him that this was snapped nearer to the beginning of Jake's meltdown. I'm sure any shots taken later in the drama would be even more humorous. There's always next year, right? Sweet Mallory looks like such a big girl to me in this picture. Where have my babies gone?
My brief blogging hiatus has been due to a fun-filled week in Georgia. More to share soon!