My First Mosaic

Wow, I have been so artsy lately! This Friday my friend Stacey set me up with her friend Shannon and we went on one of the most creative double dates ever. First, the girls prepared us a delicious Mexican feast, complete with deep fried jalapeno peppers! Then Stacey revealed the night's activity: mosaic-making! She and Shannon had purchased a bunch of different color plates from DI, and had broken them into pieces for our artwork. Isn't that great? A lot of glass breaking, hot glue gunning, and several hours later, wa la! Here's the picture I made--can you tell what it is?

The Wonderful World of Hogwarts

Again, the power of creativity. I am just such a believer that there is so much good to do in the world, so much fun to have, so much to explore and create, who needs television and video games? I don't practice this theory perfectly, but doing things like this remind me of it. This was such a great use of our no school Monday. Thank you, cousins!

Laughing Rejuvenation

Also yesterday, Joy introduced me to a pretty hilarious video that had us rolling around the kitchen. I hadn't laughed that hard in forever!

That felt so good I went a searching and came across this funny video. My stomach hurt after watching it I was laughing so hard, but gosh it feels good to laugh! I think everyone should make sure to have full-out belly-aching laughing sessions at least once a week--it does a body good!

Peanut Butter Bars and Lettuce Wraps

Lately I've been a bit more explorative in my baking--I'm ready for some new recipes. This week I made Peanut Butter Bars for the first time. Wow! Delicious! I took a big plate to work for everyone, and since a few people were out of town, I figured I could count on one or two left for my lunch when I came back in at noon. Nope! Nothing but crumbs left! They were an absolute hit.

Peanut Butter Bars
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter/margarine
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 eggs
2 TB milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Then for the frosting:

1/3 c. peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. milk

Mix and spread over peanut butter bars after they have cooled.

Yesterday, together with my friend Joy, I tried my hand at lettuce wraps. With Joy's water chestnut skills and my lettuce ripping technique, we created a scrumptious lunch. Another hit!