Confetti zucchini bread

I altered a recipe that my cool big sis recommended from Paula Deen

Ingredients:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 t salt
2 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
2 1/3 c sugar
1/2 c veg oil
1/2 c applesauce
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 c. drained zucchini juice (from zucchini below, or just use water)
1 c. grated zucchini
1 c. grated yellow summer squash
1/2 c. grated carrot
1 t. vanilla
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine oil, applesauce, eggs, zucchini juice/water, vanilla, zucchini, squash, and carrot. Mix wet ingredients into dry. Add 1 c chopped nuts if desired (i didn't). Bake in 3 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 30-40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean (my oven bakes fast, so the time may vary).

Everyone loved it, although the kids wanted to know what the orange stuff was. I avoided the question. I doubled the recipe with no problem, and froze a bunch of it sliced for school lunches.

Introducing...

Gentry Belle
born April 22, 2009
7 lbs. 5 oz.
20 inches

A Sunday game

Since it is not always easy to come up with something for my kids to do on a Sunday afternoon, I decided to make them a memory game using artwork by Greg Olson. I bought 2 packs of his "Beautiful Savior" pictures so I could have matching images. Then a cut pieces of chipboard (from the scrapbooking section of our craft store) into 4"x4" squares. I painted both sides a nice blue acrylic paint and let it dry. I then modge-podged the pictures (which were 3"x4") on one side, after that dried I modge-podged 3 1/2"x 3 1/2" squares of this cute "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" print my mom drew for me on the other side. I think I will still do an additional layer of modge-podge, and also paint the sides of the chipboard so that they look a little cleaner. Very easy project, but now my basement smells of modge podge!

What we've been up to

Well, it has been pretty busy around here lately. We have
-made 2 cars for the pinewood derby (Ethan won his division, and Mason was able to race well in the open division)
-(almost) finished the last room in our basement- the kids were happy to help paint
-made many art projects over this spring break
- continue to wait for baby, who should come any day now

Baby legs

I found a super-easy tutorial to follow on Flikr for making these cute "baby legs". Very fast and easy. I sewed them from a fun 3-pk of socks I saw at Target.

Littlest pet shop birthday

Riley requested a Littlest pet shop birthday, and so I complied. After her dad greeted her after school with a bouquet of 7 helium balloons, which she loved, we headed home for her party. We had a homemade LPS board game, with necessary mini-games (such as: pin the belly on the Panda, Find the "hamster" in the shredded paper, stomp the cat tail, and find the hidden dog bones), mini cake, mini dinner (very small sandwiches, mandarin oranges, goldfish crackers, teddy grahams, baby carrot sticks, and mini apple juice boxes and mini cans of soda. We finished up by each "adopting" a littlest pet (although the boys opted for the more manly Bakugan toys I found) and decorating a home for it.

Baby shoes

I found this super-cute baby shoe pattern online and had to try my hand at them. I'll donate the broncos (which still needs a football button sew on) and the pink pair to a local fundraiser my husband is in charge of, but I'm keeping the orange for my soon-to-arrive little one (if it's a girl, I don't think a little boy would like them as well).