Movin' on up...

So -- I have lived in Hawaii for 7 years. And in that 7 years I have moved TEN times (yes TEN)... TEN TIMES ( I feel like Ed Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off....niiiine times, except of course, it's ten and Jeffrey Jones is a much better Rooney than I'll ever be...) Anyhow, I digress....

After moving around so much, I have learned a few things. First and foremost - the act of packing sucks more than anything. Moving to a new home with central air and tons of space, however, is WELL worth it.

Second of all -- no matter how much time I give myself to pack up all the crap, I still wait til the last minute EVERY time. And no, all that organization BEFORE HAND never happened. Everything is still a mess, and we still have too much stuff.

Three - moving with two kids under two is a bad, BAD idea. Trying to explain where the toys are and not to play with the industrial sized tape roller is SO exhausting. I highly recommend daycare or a kennel.

Four -- I hope to all that is greater than I that this is my last move (at least for as long as I live in Hawaii)...

Next time -- I am paying someone to do this grunt work. I'm retiring. NOW.

Most of all though, I finally feel like I am "home". I love my new house and I damn sure love my central air.


BEFORE


AFTER

Momma's Fishie

So, the kids are sleeping (or are they?) and I should be packing (but am not)... what to do, what to do? Ah yes, gloat about how cool my kids are on the blog that no one reads. Sounds good to me.

Riley is a true fish at heart. She LOVES, LOVES (and emphasis on LOVES) the water. Too bad she is part Albino and it take a thousand and one sun-tan lotion applications to keep her from getting severe sunburn (and no matter how many layers, and re-applications, we still end up a little pink around the edges... but.. well, what can you do?).




And since Riley has been spending time with her older cousins, she is gaining more and more confidence in the water. It is great to be able to put on her water-wings and just let her go.



And her jumping skills are greatly improving. It is now impossible to go to the pool with Riley without her asking to jump in... a thousand times...over and OVER....and over. She IS a good kid.

And now about the food....

HOLY DELICIOUSNESS BATMAN!!!

The Sunday BBQ we had with the DJs was OFF THE HOOK!!!!

The Menu:

Ribs
Chicken thighs (cooked two ways)
Baked Beans (in all their gloriousness)
Potato Salad
Watermelon
Cherries

And then my PB stuffed choco cupcakes for dessert.




















I gobbled up tons of food -- and now it's time for me to go back on my health kick.

COUSINS

Ever since I can remember, "family comes first" was a motto we lived by. So, as we grew up, our family spent lots of time together... and sometimes, us kids, preferred the company of our parent's friends over being with kids our own age. We were just raised that way. We were taught the value of being with the people you love, and who loved us back - without boundaries, and unconditionally. Family was the one thing that would ALWAYS be there, when everything else fell by the wayside.
It is amazing after all these years of moving and grooving, that even though, not all of our family still resides on the island... they are still the most important people in our lives.
This is something I will do my best to instill in my children. Family comes before any and everything. It's all that matters.
Over the weekend, my children had the opportunity to see their three DeJournett (DJs from here on out...) cousins. Riley was on cloud 9. She could not have been more excited about her new found friends and play mates extraordinaire. And holy smokes, did the cousins eat it UP. It was such a precious moment for any parent to witness her child being loved and adored by other children -- that just so happen to be family. We are absolutely blessed. And to top it off... Rich and Lisa can BBQ like WHOA. Best damn food I have ever had in my life -- and yes, that is including any 5 star meal in any fancy restaurant that I've ever had.
When Riley woke up on Monday morning -- the first thing out of her mouth was "see cousins??"... this needs to happen more often.

Riley, Tori and Maddie -- all goggled up.



Tori teaching Riley to play a game on the DS.



The Girls



Maddie and G-boy

This boy's life....

My son is unbelievably bursting at the seams... He is always ready for the next thing. When he was out of the womb, he was literally lifting his head minutes after being born. Before he could sit up, he wanted to crawl around. Before he could crawl, he was trying to pull himself up to standing (which he did on several occasions). Now he is crawling and he is literally DYING to walk. He gets so irritated just sitting around. Yep. Hes my boy.

Here he is concocting his escape from the pack and plan....

And here he is crawling away....far, far away...... He just wants to goooooooooo!





And of course, he never goes to bed when he's told....

More Cupcake Debauchery

Peanut Butter Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

(I am sure this lacks hyphens,commas and a spell check, but I am not concerned)....

To make...

Prepare one package of chocolate cake mix, pour into muffin tins, bake as directed (yes, I cheat....the sooner the cake is made, the sooner I devour.... simple as that...)

Makes 24 cupcakes....



Then hollow out 1 inch holes in center of cupcake, make peanut butter cream and fill. (I find it best to use a squeeze bottle to fill in the centers of the cupcakes...)

Peanut Butter Cream:

1/2 c butter, softened
1 c creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp milk, or as needed
2 c confectioner's sugar

1. Place butter and peanut butter in bowl, and mix til creamy
2. Gradually add sugar, and as it get thick, add milk 1 tbsp at a time until it reaches desired consistency
3. Put cream into squeeze bottle and fill cupcake centers



Chocolate Butter Cream frosting:

Half of an 8oz block of Cream Cheese
1 stick butter, softened
2 c confectioner's sugar
1/3 c cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy
2. Reduce mixer speed and gradually add sugar and cocoa powder, mix until incorporated and fluffy
3. Add vanilla, beat til smooth

Frost cupcakes, garnish with half of a mini Reese's peanut butter cup, if desired. Resist the temptation to eat them ALL. Enjoy!!

Cupcakery

Well, well, lookie here... more procrastinating and less blogging. Shocker? I think not.

I promise, promise, promise myself I am working on being better at this.

I've decided this blog needs direction... or does it? I think it's taking shape of a crafty endeavors/baking&cooking showcase... with some random family ramblings in between... OK! That's it. That's the new "direction"... suuuure.

So here's a concoction from a few weeks back that was blog worthy....

STRAWBERRY FILLED LEMON CUPCAKES
(With Cream Cheese deliciousness, errr,um, I mean frosting...)

(Makes 24 Cupcakes)

Prepare 1 box of lemon cake mix (you can make the cake homemade but this is SO much easier!!) Pour batter into greased or paper lined muffin tins.



Directions:

1. Once cupcakes are cooled completely, use a knife to hollow out a 1-inch hole in each cupcake
2.. Fill cupcakes with strawberry filling
3. Frost with cream cheese frosting
4. If desired, top with fresh sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of nutmeg. ENJOY!



Strawberry Filling:

1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced in 1/2
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Puree half of the strawberries in a food processor with the honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla until it is a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries and pulse until chopped, but not liquefied.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2-3 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla with electric mixer on low until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.



Last and most important step -- let the munchkins eat the center of the cupcakes.... YUMMMY!!