A Chocolatey Cheesecake

I love cheesecake - but chocolate chip cheesecake is my absolute most favorite! I'll just admit it - I love anything chocolate!



To make this yummy dessert you will need:
For the crust:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. sugar

For the cheesecake:
3 pkgs. cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can eagle brand milk
2 eggs
dash of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup mini chocolate chips

What to do: Directions for the crust
Melt butter in microwave
Mix together graham crackers, melted butter and sugar
Grease your cheesecake pan
Spread mixture into pan and press firmly down and around edges

What to do: Directions for the cheesecake
Soften cream cheese by sitting out for a few hours before you are ready to prepare
Using a mixer, blend cream cheese, eagle brand milk, vanilla, salt, and eggs
Mix until smooth.
With a spoon, stir in lemon juice and 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips
Pour mixture into crust
After the mixture is poured into the pan, drizzle remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of cheesecake
Bake at 325 degrees until slightly brown or firm for about 50-60 minutes

Enjoy!

Clean Sweep

What have we been up to???



This past weekend was full of sunny days and warm sunshine! - so what did Will and I spend our weekend doing? (before Big C came down with the stomach virus) Spring cleaning!
We first tackled our closet - bagging up old clothes that will never fit again or that have been in our closet for 5+ years! We now have at least 6 bags of clothes to donate.



The garage was our next chore! With the help of two big boys, we were able to clear the garage, clean, organize, and discard. I have to say - it looks pretty awesome!





Upcoming spring jobs include: painting back doors, planting/tending to our family garden, landscaping the rest of the backyard, and cleaning the van - just to name a few!
Let Spring-cleaning begin............

We Hate the Stomach Virus!

What should be a sweet day at home with our little family, has turned into a Lysol-spraying, bathroom-cleaning, clothes-washing, Mommy-tending day. Yes! - the dreaded stomach virus has hit our house! So far only Big C has fell victim, but we will soon see about our other little boys. Clayton woke up this morning with upset stomach and vomiting, and has yet to quit. The doctor prescribed the "gel" medicine - yes, it's super easy to administer, but it's not working! This is just NOT my boy!



We did take the two little boys out to play. Big C did want to go outside and just watch. How pitiful!



Here's to hoping and praying we can disinfect our house and save the rest of us from this awful virus!

It Makes Me Smile!

As I have mentioned before, I love that my mom (Grandma) and Aunt Shannie are able to watch my little boys at home each day! While I am teaching my own little kiddos at school, I am able to sneak a glimpse of what's going on at home - thanks to my sister who manages to capture sweet moments of my boys.

Sweet Gray......



My "ham" Hudson





My wild little man!






Our little Adalyn - Grandma and Poppy always make sure the grandkids are decked-out in Western gear!



Thank you Shannie, for these smiles in my day!

Friday's Fab 5 - Modern Conveniences

I sometimes wonder what it was like 100 years ago without modern-day conveniences. We have gotten so used to clicking and swiping - it comes second nature. There are five things I have found that make life so much easier for our little family!



1. Online Billing - I have always been the one to pay all of our family bills. Until about 2 months ago, when I accidentally mailed 4 of our monthly bills (car, house, jeep, cable) without the enclosed checks inside! Oops! Do that just one time, and it's amazing how quickly your husband will take over the bank account! I have to say, in the past couple of months, Will has turned our billing-paying around. He has set up accounts online, automatic bill pay, - you name it! I don't have to write 12-15 checks each month, and I just check in with my spending - so much easier!



2. DVR - Will and I are both a fan of murder mystery TV - Criminal Minds, Law&Order, Bones. However, these are shows that we can't obviously watch when little boys are running around. So,...thank you DVR. After the boys are snoozing away, we can enjoy some suspenseful drama.



3. Online Shopping - I have mentioned before that cute boy clothes are hard to come by. Thanks to the computer, I am able to purchase adorable outfits for the boys that I can't seem to find in stores. The Internet is also a great resource for finding unique toys for kids! http://www.toystogrowon.com is a great site for kid toys! For special occasions, I will shop online at http://www.bestdressedkids.com or http://www.chezami.com




4. Shutterfly! has been a lifesaver! It is a fast and easy way to purchase pictures in bulk (like 500+) and get them in 3 days! It is also a fun way to design and create Christmas cards, birthday invitations, family picture albums, birth announcements! - Whatever!




5. Organic baby food - Baby Must-Have of the Week! Thank you, Aunt Shannie and Grandma, for finding this adorable and easy baby food. Target now sells organic squeeze tubes of baby food. The flavors may sound a bit crazy - pumpkin and parsnips, pears and peas - but Gray loves it! It is designed for the baby to hold the tube and squeeze or suck the food into his/her own mouth! - we're not quite there yet, but we're working on it!

Family Pizza

Making homemade pizzas has become one of our family's favorites meals. It's easy, quick, and sooooo yummy! Plus, the big boys have a great time helping prepare the meal!

To make a homemade pizza, you will need:
1 can of pizza dough
1 jar of pizza sauce
1 pkg of pizza cheese
Toppings of choice (peppers, pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, - whatever)
***1 or 2 pizza chefs (we chose Big C and Little H)

What to do:
Roll out pizza dough onto a large cookie sheet.
Pre-bake pizza dough at 425 degrees for about 7 minutes.
Take pizza dough from oven and start to prepare.



Pour sauce on and spread on dough.





Cover with cheese, then toppings.








Cook for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees.
Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday - My Biggest Man & My Littlest Man