How we spent our weekend

*This weekend we ate our weight in marshmellows, we made smores Saturday night, and Sunday Dave and his friend attempted to either 1. send smoke signals, or 2. make me pass out from smoke inhalation as he couldn't get the fire to keep going.

* I watched my daughter play with my childhood best friends niece, and it was like a time warp as it seriously looked like myself and her playing together.  It still cracks me up, that they found each other at school and hit it off with being in different grades, and not knowing the background that they share =)
*We had a halloween costume crisis solved, and my older two want to both be mermaids, and my Costco only had one costume.  I tried to talk Laura into being something else, and she pretty much told me where I could take my suggestions.... Thankfully, a wonderful girlfriend in Richmond found the costume at her Costco, and mailed it to me. Emily at least could care less, and is happy to either be a lady bug or butterfly that I saved from years past.
*I'm nervous as Emily is seeing an eye specialist tomorrow, she has a "lazy eye".  Hoping it goes well.....Makes me nervous though.
*Fall ball tball started finally after being rained out the previous weekend.  I was all excited to have my camera out there and my huge zoom lens, and as luck would have it I forgot my memory card lol.

Yummy Apple Cake....

This morning I went to the gym after getting all the girls to school, I ran a 5k on the treadmill.  I was actually able to get the stupid thing to turn on this time.... Anyways, after my workout, I came home and baked something, because it all evens out that way right???? I ended up making Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce.  This is from the cookbook Lone Star to Five Star, The Junior League of Plano Texas, which I have to say, looks like an incredible cookbook and I am eager to make many more things from here soon!  I was eager to make something with apples as I had found a great deal on apples this week.
It was a hit with everyone.  The kids loved it, the husband was excited, and my parents gave it two thumbs up too.  It was easy to make as well which makes me happy.
Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce
Cake:
3 eggs
1/2 cup veg oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 cups of chopped apples

Combine the eggs, oil, and applesauce in a mixing bowl and beat lightly.  Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix well.  Fold in the apples.  Spoon in a greased 9x13 inch cake pan, and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until the cake is done.

To prepare the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sugars, flour, cream, and vanilla and mix well, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.  Serve warm over the cake.  You can also reserve the sauce and reheat it if your serving it later.


Side note: This smells amazing cooking! 
If you want to purchase this cookbook for 40% off see the ad on my sidebar and enter the code NAP40 at checkout!!!

Thoughts in my head...

* My legs still hurt from the 5k.  I am planning to run another 5k in November, and they also have a 10k that day, my friend asked if we could do the 10k instead of the 5. No way jose, I will just wave from the sidelines at her. Or maybe I can convince her to push me in a jogging stroller the whole way?

*I am going back to the gym tonight, and I might attempt to see if I am able to turn the treadmill on today. 

* Finding a perfect balance in life between all of persons roles is impossible.  I beat myself up on a almost daily basis with attempting to do my best with all of my different roles that I have.  I think in the last couple of months I have learned that you can't make everyone happy and do everything perfectly, so just do your best and look out for your self and family first.  Hopefully your friends, coworkers, and others will understand when things are tough from time to time.   

*For the love of sweet tea, do not ever buy a magazine subscription from someone knocking on your front door.  Your not going to change their life, or help an organization, or ever get your magazines.

* I really could use a pedicure right about now.

* I am getting feather extensions for my older two daughters Friday.  They think I am the coolest mom ever.  I will remind them of this when they get upset with me about forcing them to clean their rooms.

Running just as fast as I can...

Saturday I ran in my 4th ever 5k race.  I am not a runner...I was curious how I would do after the weight loss, and with being good about working out at the gym with lots of cardio,  and hey it was a fundraiser for my baby's school.  Friday when I was at the gym, I attempted to get on the treadmill to see how running would go, and I couldn't even figure out how to turn the stupid thing on!   Seriously, I followed the directions and sat there for a good 5 minutes trying to get it on.  Yes I pushed the quickstart and nothing happened...  I finally gave up and just go on the ARC machine....
So anyways, I went to this race with two girlfriends, and my main goal was to do at least 1 mile of the race without stopping...Yeah sadly, I always end up walking some before I hit 1 mile in every race before...I am excited to report I didn't stop to walk at all through the entire freaking thing!!! Of course I wanted to, and came close to near the end, but I didn't, and even attempted to spring the last little bit...  My final time was about 31 minutes, the official times have not been posted yet, but I am still excited!  So am I an offical runner now?  No way, but I am so freaking proud you would have thought I did a marathon!
 

Iced Blondies

My girlfriend bought me a junior league cookbook off ebay called The Charlotte Cookbook, from the junior league of Charlotte North Carolina.  She knows me too well lol. It's an older one published in 1969.  I was trying to think up something sweet to make, and while flipping through this little gem, I saw Iced Blondies.  I have always wanted to make blondies and iced ones sounded even better!  I had everything on hand, and it looked pretty easy and it was.

2/3 cup of butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (I left these out as I didn't have any, and I am not a nut person in sweets)

Melt butter, and brown sugar over low heat until all melted.  Mix remaining ingredients together.  Combine both mixtures together and pour into a greased  9x12 pan and bake at 350 for 25-30 min.  Ice while warm and cut into squares

Icing
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of milk
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Boil butter, milk, and brown sugar for 2 minutes, beat the powderd sugar in after removing from heat.  Ice the blondies as soon as they are taken from the oven .

My husband woke up to these this evening, and said he had to test them out, and kids happily assisted.  They gave this one two thumbs up!

You too can but this cookbook brand new from this website: HERE  and get 40% of with code NAP40

Needs....

*I need fall clothes really, really, really, bad.
*I need a magic fairy to fund these.
* I need it to quit raining.  My kids are going bonkers, and after a couple days of it it gets old quick, rain is nice but after a couple of days it makes me feel all doom and gloom.
* I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow
* I need to do a practice run before the 5k Saturday.  Or maybe not.
* I need to get to the gym to get in at least two more workouts this week
* I need to take a library book back
* I need Emily to be more interested in potty training
*I need some midol or everyone is going to catch it today.

I am late making this, but I wanted to see how Rachel has changed over the last few years...these are pictures taken on her on her first day of school every year while at her preschool from ages 2-4.....Time needs to slow down!!!