Peanut Butter Brownie Squares

Brownies:

1 package of Brownie mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1/4 cup water

Frosting:

1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup Peanut Butter

2 tsp milk

2 tsp butter, softened

Drizzle:

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp shortening

Preheat oven to 350. Spray only the bottom of a 13x9 pan with cooking spray.

Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Cool 5 to 10 minutes.

For frosting, combine confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, milk and butter in small bowl. Beat medium speed with electric mixer until blended. Spread over warm brownies.

For drizzle, place chocolate chips and shorting in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 1 minute or until melted. Drizzle over frosting. Allow chocolate drizzle to set before cutting into bars.

T is for Tooth Fairy Bag

This week I taught preschool and the letter was the Letter T.

One of the things we read / sang about was teeth.

I made these Tooth Fairy Bags for the kids.

I copied the idea from HERE. 

I loved it because I got to use felt.

Valentine Dinner

I have been kind of bummed that all my party stiff is back in Oregon in a storage unit. Knowing that party season is about to click in high swing, and wishing that I had my stuff. Because if I don't have it I can't use it or I have to go buy it. With it being Valentine's Day I wanted to do our fun family dinner like previous years. I hadn't really planned anything, but I had some ideas. After I picked the kids up from school I asked them what they wanted to do for dinner; breakfast in bed, pink and red dinner, or a dress up dinner. Kallie wanted a dress up dinner and the other kids wanted a pink and red breakfast. We stopped at the store and I found some things I can turn red and pink and a heart shape cookie cutter. 

 Got home and Kyle help me make the pink pancakes, pink muffins, heart shape sausage, strawberry yogurt w/ strawberries and pink milk. We had the kids stay upstairs until it was time for dinner so that they would be surprised. I also had them find anything red or pink to wear to dinner.

 We had one little one, Karlee, who really didn't want to wait out the surprise with the other kids. She kept yelling up to the others what were doing downstairs. Wanting them to come down too. 

 Finally the time came when we had everything was ready to go. The kids came down dressed in their pink and red clothes. And we enjoyed a fun family dinner and the kids loved it, they talked for the rest of the week and wondering what are going to do for Valentine dinner next year. Kallie wants to do a formal dinner, maybe we just will have to do that. I hope that you all had a Happy Valentine's Day with your love ones.

Jaron's Class Valentine Box

 Jaron was given the assignment to make a Valentine box for his class Valentines. We thought about what he liked right now - Star Wars and Transformers. So we looked on the internet for ideas. And we came across this cute little Transformer cartoon at Art by Stowe. We gather boxes, constructions paper and tape. And this is what we came up. He won for most creative box in his class.

Class Valentine Cards

This year for the kids class valentine, I made them all the same. We took their pictures a couple weeks before valentine day, of them holding out their hand in a fist. Then I found these cute templates at Walmart.com where I could put the picture in and get three to a sheet. Then I punched two holes, one above and below their fist. And put a sucker in the card. 

Happy Valentine's Day

From, The Kenner's

Snow Pictures

For the kids valentines this year I wanted to use pictures of each kid acting to hold a suckers. So on four different days I took each of the kids out to take some pictures. Less stressful for all of us. Here are some the pictures that  

Family Sledding

 At the kids school there is this huge hill. I think they built it there so when it snows people can go sledding on it. Kyle had this weekend off and it had warmed up. We went to Fred Meyers and bought a sled for each of the kids and headed to the hill. There was some other people that there that had the same idea. We all had a lot of fun sledding down the hill, not so much the hike back up. But the ride down was a blast.

Moose at Play

 The other day, the kids didn't have school and it had just snowed a ton. They wanted to see if the could build a snow fort out front of the house. And maybe a snowman or two. The snow is very dry here, but this last session seemed to have more moisture in it, that it might stick.

We have a large area in front of the house that the kids can play. I really don't like them playing in the back, because a few feet off the back deck is a pretty good drop off to the river. Kelsie and Karlee had come in from playing to warm up. Kelsie decided that she wanted to got back outside and play, but I didn't want her to because her gloves and snow pants were all wet from the last time she was out. She was crying and begging to go back out. She carried out this scene while watching the other two outside from the upstairs window. She was quite for a minute, then started yelling that there was a moose in the driveway.

 It dawn on me that Kallie and Jaron were still out front. I ran to the front door and literally the moose was right next to the porch. It was a pretty large one about six feet high and looked pretty husky to me. I spotted Kallie and Jaron , (who were backed up against the garage) I whispered loudly to them to move to the side of the house that the moose was not going and once he or she which ever it was on the side to come inside quickly. To say the least they were a little freaked to come that close to one in their own yard.

The moose made it's way to the backyard, trying and almost falling down to the river. It changed it mind. Moved up to the windows and back porch of the house and then went into the trees next to our house. It was the talk of the dinner table that night and Kyle was sad that he was not home to see it.

Picking Out Glasses...

...For Kallie.

Kallie had said that she was having a hard time seeing the board and that she needed glasses. I told her to ask her teacher if she could be move closer to the board to see if that would help. It did a little but it was still blurry. I was hoping that she would not have to get glasses. I know how much of a pain they are to rely on, and always needing them to see. I was hoping that none of my kids would not have to wear glasses 24/7 like Kyle and I. I took Kallie to the eye doctor right before we left Oregon and they gave her a small prescription that would make things clearerI told when we got to Alaska we would order her glasses there. Once Kyle had a day off Kallie and I had to the eye glass store. She tried on many pairs of glasses. At first I sent her to the children section thinking that she would be able to fit into those, they were to small. She had to look in the Women sizes-that shock me, she is growing up to fast and they fit..

We narrowed it down to four pairs to choose from. I wanted her to make the final choice and her to be happy with the one she chose. She went through and tried on each one many times, eliminating one each round. 

 These were the four she decided to pick from.

This was her final choice.

Two weeks later her she is with her new glasses.So cute!! (Sorry about the red eye my camera and computer are being special.)

Ice Sculptures Around Town

Another fun thing that they do during the Peninsula Winter Games is local businesses have ice sculptures carved in front of their place of business. There is 24 in all. After we went to the activities at the hockey arena we went around town trying to find them all. We only got pictures of about 10 of them. After awhile we decided to go use the kids coupon for free ice cream cones, I opted for hot chocolate to cold for ice cream for me.

The kids loved getting out and getting their pictures taken with them.

 This last one was Kallie favorite one of sled dog team.