Colorful Cupcakes

On St. Patricks Day I wanted to do something fun for the kids. I decided to try something I saw on Pintrest, but tweak it to something that would be easier and something my kids would love! I decided to try cupcakes. I can't believe how easy they were to make and they turned out so pretty!

We did each cupcake a little different.

They taste as good as they look!

Karate Demo

The Karate team did a demo for the Awanas group at church last night. Lynley did fantastic!

Lynley did Form 1 with a group.

Uncle Chad was also there.

Picture Day!

Today is picture day for Lynley at school.  Going through her closet this morning was such a challenge!  I found out the hard way that Lynley has 5 short sleeve shirts that are not t-shirts and only 1 was good enough for Spring pictures.  When Kendall heard that it was picture day she got all excited and wanted to take pictures as well.  Looking through her closet to find her something Springy to wear was also a challenge.  She has so many cute Spring clothes I could not decide what to put her in. I finally just got a couple of things out and let her pick what she wanted to wear.

The grass was still wet so the bench is all we got to do. The sun was in her eyes so she could not open her eyes all the way. We only got these 3 pictures before she went in total melt down mode.


After a long and much needed nap and after picking Lynley up from school we were able to go back outside and play for a while.

"I wished for 2 more babies." Well mommy wishes for Kendall's wish to not come true!

Shrimp and Grits

I was asked for my Shrimp and Grits recipe.  I used bits and pieces from different recipes to kind of make it my own.

  
8 slices Regular Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces 
1 whole Yellow Onion, Chopped 
2 cups Grits 
4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth 
2 cups Water 
2 cups Heavy Cream 
1-1/2 cup Grated Cheese (Monterey Jack, Etc.) 
1 dash Cayenne, For Heat 
Salt As Needed 
Black Pepper To Taste

In a heavy pot, cook bacon over medium heat for a couple of minutes to render fat. Add onions and cook with bacon for a few minutes, or until bacon is chewy and onions are golden brown.
Add grits, chicken broth, and water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover pot, and cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure the liquid level is okay. If grits begin to get dry, add a little more warm broth.
After 30-40 minutes of cooking time, pour in cream. Cover pot and continue to simmer on very low heat for another 30 minutes, or until grits are done. Taste and add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese.

1lb raw Shrimp (I get mine already peeled with the tails off)

3 bacon slices
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
2. Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.
3. Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.
4. Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon.