Gooey, yummy, chocolate and peanut butter

It's been a little while since I posted and I've tried two more recipes since then, I thought I'd share them with you.  I found them on pinterest.  Both recipes are from the same blog.  I have links to her blog on this post so you can check it out.

This first one is a taco dip I tried for our super bowl party and it turned out to be easy and delicious.  Here is a pic.



As you can see she made hers in little cups.  I took the same recipe and put it in a 9x13 pan.  Worked perfect!  Here is a link to the recipe.

The second one is more up my alley.  Peanut butter chocolate bars made with yellow cake mix!  Same blog but I used my own pics this time.  I just made them today and they are sooo gooey!  Then again, Justin and I are huge fans of baking things just a few minutes less than the recipe calls for.  Anyone else?  Here's the recipe with my own pics thrown in.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Barsby Greta White

1 (18.25) package plain yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup coconut (optional...my sister did not like the texture of it in there)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Combine cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter, and eggs in a large bowl using a mixer or spoon. Press this into a 9X13 pan reserving 1 1/2 cup of the mixture to crumble on top.

 

 

3) In a small pot, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and coconut.
4) Spread chocolate mixture over the mixture pressed in the pan and then crumble the 1 1/2 cups of reserved cake mixture on top evenly.

 

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

 

Anyone wanna bite!?  I really think the peanut butter part of the recipe would make for excellent cookies.  I'm gonna try that next time I make this.

 

 

Let me know your reaction or comment below my post just so I have an idea of how many people are reading my blog.  I'm curious to see how many friends and family are reading and trying out these recipes.  My next post should have pics of a craft table that Justin just finished making for Micah!  Enjoy the deliciousness.

It got better

Today was not a good day.  In retrospect, neither was yesterday.  I was super crabby both days, which we all know means crabby kids.  I'll admit I lost my cool a few times with Micah over silly things.  This led to guilt, more stress piled on top of sleepiness, crying boy cuz mommy is upset, J not sleeping right, etc.  Anyway I just want those of you who keep telling me I'm such a good mom to know that sometimes I'm not.  Sometimes I yell, sometimes I have to go to another room and flail my arms because there's no other way to get out the frustration, and sometimes I cry in front of my kids. 

On days when I'm not sleepy and my blood sugar is balanced nicely then I can handle two kids.  I can patiently explain why it's bad manners to stick your finger in your nose or stay calm when for the 31st time in a month Micah has cried because I had to turn off his video to put him down for his nap.  If those two things are not at the right levels I'm a different person.  I can't handle the load, guilt for all the things I believe I'm doing wrong rises to the surface, my to do list suddenly is overwhelming. 

Example, my darling husband comes home almost every day for lunch.  Well today as I mentioned I was in a very bad mood.  I then felt guilty for being in a bad mood while he was home which led to tears because I didn't have any homemade purees in the house for Jacob.  Justin in his ever patient way told me that it's ok to use store bought baby food on bad days.  That I don't need to stress about that, of all things.  Then he went back to work.

I took his advice, (as I always should) and fed Jacob a jar of baby food.  I then put Micah to bed, soon after put Jacob to bed.  Was blessed by God for a 20 minute nap before J woke up and suddenly everything was better.  The whole rest of the day was changed.

Thank you God for my patient, caring, genious of a husband.  Without him I truly would not be able to function.  Thank you that I have been allowed to be married to him for 6 years.  Please please please let us be married for 50 more.  I don't want to be with anyone else but him.  Thank you for getting us all through the day and please give me wisdom to do it better tomorrow.  I love you, Amen.

David and Goliath

Well, last week went so well with studying a Bible story that we are going to try it every week.  Pray I don't forget :)  This week we are doing David and Goliath.  We started off today by simply reading the story in his children's Bible and then praying together.  Later, while I was taking a shower he watched David and the Giant Pickle, a Veggie Tales story.  After my shower I asked if he liked the video.  Micah said something to the effect of, "that story wasn't about David and Goliath."  I tried to explain to him that it's just a funny version of his Bible story to help him remember.  Ah well.  I also quizzed him on what we studied last week and he remembered Jonah, the big fish and Ninevah. 

While at the library today I checked out some books about this Bible story.  They actually had more than I expected.  I recommend checking out the juvenile non-fiction section of your local library.  I found some other fun things there too.  Potty training books, books on manners, tantrums, obeying, etc.  All geared towards reading to your child!  I also checked out a video called, the Happiest Toddler on the Block.  I've skimmed the book but being a visual learner I thought it might be interesting to see how they turned that into a video.  I've wished recently that I could take a parenting class or watch another mother of toddlers in action.  One who does it right, never loses her cool and is able to hold her giant baby for more than 2 minutes at a time.  I need to know how to do these things.  Hopefully this video will clue me in a bit.

I checked out a non-fiction book for myself in that section as well, called the Toddler's Busy Book.  It has "365 creative learning games and activities to keep your 11/2 to 3 yr old busy."  Score!  I've only read the first 9 pages and already it has so many things I want to implement here at home.  The author is Trish Kuffner.  Check it out!  But if you live in Mtown you'll have to wait 3 weeks...sorry.

To end this post I'll tell you that right before I started typing I had to use a tweezers to get a penny out of a closed vent, I was successful and now my room is starting to get warm again.  Oh and I'm waiting for Micah to decide to take a nap.  Probably won't happen.  Even though I would love to close my eyes for awhile.  Last night was rough. 
12:16am J wakes up I go in he starts screaming bLOODY MURDER while I change him and lay him back down.
12:30am I cave and nurse him to sleep.
1:30am I lay him down, he wakes back up screaming.  Falls asleep in about 2 min
2:00am J wakes up crying and puts himself back to sleep in a few minutes.
3 or 4 or so Micah wakes up crying for me.  Justin goes in and M kicks and screams for me...aargh I get up, we both lay him down and i think it was quiet the rest of the night til 6:50am when J was up for the day.

I miss sleeping.  Hope all of you are getting enough sleep.  Those of you who are first time moms, please take a nap when your babies do and pity me  :)