Girl's Day & Cy

Laurie and Baba stayed through Sunday afternoon, before heading back to Ohio. We had a wonderful morning and took a long walk through Mooreland Landings, grabbed a bite to eat for lunch, and I dragged Laurie to Ulta to show me what kind of hair stuff I need to use to control this frizz. I really needed a sister to help with the whole beauty product/fashion thing, I am truly stunted when it comes to ideas and knowledge in this department!

Choo Choo shirt

The Big 3

Sour Puss! Let's try this again

Much Better

Loving on the ladies

And Mama

Magic

Crash, Boom, Bang!

I had to proctor the PSATs at school on Saturday (before Cy's party). As I was leaving school, and heading home, a woman and I literally backed our cars right into each other! I was so upset with myself. What are the odds that we BOTH would not see each other?! Grrr....Luckily, we were both going really slowly but I still have a big dent in the left rear panel, right above the bumper and behind the wheel-well. I need to get it appraised for the work done but I do know that we will be responsible for the first $500 as per our deductible with USAA. Makes me just not want to do it!

Choo Choo

I found the pattern for this adorable cake on Parents Magazine. I loved how it came out, and it was delicious;)

Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Butter Free...seriously?!

So I made these "vita muffin" chocolate muffins today and they are amazing. I found the recipe on Pinterest and gave it a shot. Typically, if I am going to bake, I am going to make something gooey and delicious but since I've been doing this 8 week challenge (and 4 weeks is already almost up) I figured I would try something less gooey but still delicious. After making the recipe and literally pouring it like water into the cupcake liners, I wasn't so sure. However, they are moist and delicious and I immediately had 1 1/2 of them:) Yum!

 

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffin Knock-Offs of Whole Food’s 6 Dollar per 4 Chocolate Chunk VitaTop Muffins
Ingredients:
1 3/4 c oats

•  3 egg whites
•  3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate or peanut butter chips!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.
Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
Place  the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top!Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!
Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin or 58 Calories Per Muffin

Friday Date with the Little Man

Friday was Cyrus's last day at KinderCare and to celebrate, we went to Sweet Frogs after school. What a wonderfully special afternoon we had together. I love our special time together. He is growing up so fast and getting so big and on the one hand, it totally breaks my heart. On the other hand, I am in awe of him. He is so smart and so well spoken and has the most amazing manners. He is my joy in my life and I am grateful everyday for his precious spirit. My heart overflows.

Boys in Beanies

Fall is in the air!! Doc & Jill came by unexpectedly on Friday evening to take us to dinner at Chianti. The dinner was delicious. I had not been to Chianti previously and have heard wonderful things about it. It might be the most delicious Italian food I have ever had. Jill and I shared a wonderful grilled chicken white pizza with spinach and caramelized onions. Brad and Doc had these pasta dishes that were to die for. I already can't wait to go back:)

Pumpkin Painting Party:)

Cy and I had a pumpkin painting party today. It was really fun. I've been planning on doing this this year but wanted to wait a bit because last year our pumpkins that we set out were immediately eaten by squirrels...very frustrating. So, this year I wanted to wait until we got a little closer to Halloween so as to save our little pumpkins. However, today was a COLD (*54 high) and rainy day and after Cy got up from his nap we needed a project. It was fun. I love this age, he's totally understanding everything now and the symbolism behind it all which makes it all the more fun. I am really looking forward to the Holidays this year!!!