Butter Cream frosting

I have had a few requests this week for my icing recipe. This is tried and true and has been altered from Wilton's recipe to be both delicious and appropriate for some decorating. I learned a lot of pastry chef add lemon extract as a hidden flavor to liven up icing, it sure makes a difference. Due to using all butter and real yummy vanilla this icing is not pure white but is so delicious no one will even care that it is a creamy white color. If pure white is desired replace butter with shortening (not nearly as yummy) Enjoy and if you have any questions let me know.

Summer's Best Ever Butter cream Frosting

2 cubes real butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract (my fav part very understated and refreshing)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar
5 tbs. water
( more or less water may be added depending on how dry/damp the weather is)

Cream butter, extracts, salt, and water (start with 4 tbs.)Gradually add powdered sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. At this point the icing should be medium/thin consistency. Add additional 1 tbs. water if needed to thin icing for ease in frosting.

Mountains and hurricanes?

Just finished the roller coaster that is American Idol. I was so so so totally expecting ADAM to Win. Don't get me wrong bedroom eyes are so much fun on Tv. So much so that I oober hated his sparkle eyes, woman heels and ode to the 80's sequined sholder pads/wings (whatever he made KISS look understated and normal yep!) SO I was totally hatin the outfit and so mad that he was gonna kill the competition. Turns out that america agreed and enjoys humble and talented just as much as I do. I jumped up and down and screamed (taking care to cover my mouth not worth wakin the kids) Starr you knew it all along. Chris all the way hooray.

5 MONTHS and a few weeks oops

Myles is officially 5 months and a few weeks old (who's counting.) K so I am not on the monthly update schedule. But something is better then nothin RIGHT! I sure love my MYLES OF SMILES! At 18 pounds and wearing 9-12 month clothing (yes that was painfull to type) he is one bundle of joy and love. His smile lights up a room. Rolling is old news and he is starting to crab crawl/push backwards. Having him be my 3rd kiddo I'm in no hurry to have the movin begin. Maybe I should just give him more formula that ought to slow him down right.

what matters most

Today I just held Myles. Sounds simple I know, but it rarely happens. There is always too much to do and not enough time. But today I stepped back and decided the house, laundry, cooking, errands, and everything else could wait. I held my little pork chop and he stared into my eyes. It was so precious and peaceful. We just looked at each other for 10 minutes and then he fell asleep. I guess this is just a little taste of heaven. I am trying to spend my time doing what matters the most these days.

friday night booty call

Last night we were driving through a neighborhood and a guy just happened to have high butt crack (which tends to run in the Hall family sorry mom and dad its not your fault REALLY) combined with saggy pants and was in that all to bent over bending down position (uh oh) = partial booty. I of course have never had my pants linger down below my bum crack and even if they did it would be enjoyable which gives me full ability to comment and judge this innocent bystander (HOW APPALLING!) Bryson of course commented which allowed the whole car to look (Super Yucky I could go w out that mental image forever) Taylor then said "How many cheeks does a person have? 4 of course" If any of you know Tay you know we have been laughing at NOT JOKES for like 6 years. Yeah she now has a good JOKE!

MAN

K so I do watch THE HILLS. I know insert laugh here. It's like my guilty pleasure. Anywho the lameo girls on the hills make me so embarrassed to call myself a woman. How stupid can soooo many girls be (NOT YOU LAUREN THANKS FOR HAVING A BRAIN REALLY THANKS)come on gals you are given us all a bad name. Bryson always tells me I am more like a guy then a girl, he does however mean this as a compliment. Levelheaded and "not a pain". Today at dinner he called me the hottest guy ever (whatever that means) I of course did not enjoy the comment and let him know. he then said I had the heart of a man (that must mean pretty darn loving and compassionate RIGHT!) Taylor intervened and said "You have the soul of a man." So apparently at my house being a MAN is the only way to roll.

growin up ah man

Taylor came home from school today and said "Mom could you never again write I LOVE YOU on my lunch bag? Seriously like the whole first grade laughed at me." Isn't it cool to be loved in first grade. Sorry but when I went to school like a bicentennial ago it was cool to have people love you. What is our world coming to?

Mothers day

Today i spent half the day without my loved babies. It was strange and difficult. My wonderful mom helped out with the kids this weekend so I could heal from surgery. Which was so nice I can not thank her enough tHanK YoU SerIouSlY tHanK yOu! I had a wonderful day starting with my husband asking the sacrament be brought to me at home (can u think of a better gift?) ThAnkS bAbE yOu aRe wOnDerFul! I was also blessed to talk to my brother colby on his mission and spend the second half of the day with my kids and many loved ones. To everyone who has helped me you are truly angels I can not thank you enough. I feel so blessed this mothers day to have so many amazing people in my life. And so many examples of charity.

did it done it good

soooooooooooooo... went into surgery to get a meniscus repair and got something else? I hear ya WHAT? My meniscus looked great but I had PLICA; Often called "synovial plica syndrome," this is a condition that is the result of a remnant of fetal tissue in the knee. The synovial plica are membranes that separate the knee into compartments during fetal development. These plica normally diminish in size during the second trimester of fetal development. So I am like a super freak and not in a good way. Plica syndrome has similar characteristics to meniscal tears and patellar tendonitis, and these may be confused (OBVIOUSLY.) Dr. Heiden said in the 12 years of practice this one ranks top 3 for impressiveness meaning big. I am super happy to have it taken care of and can not wait to play with the girls, bike with Bryson and play soccer. Hopefully my hallucinations will never come back crazy. Don't do drugs unless you need them at the hospital ie delivering a baby a then most definitely do them.

goin' under the knife

Today is the day it finally arrived (no kiddin there were moments when I thought the second coming might come sooner.) I go in for surgery at 1:00. I am excited might sound weird i know but I am looking forward to sooooo many thing that have seemed impossible.

-sleeping without pain
-going back to the gym to get super hot and skinny
-Independence (man i miss it)
-doing something on the weekends anything
-shopping (kids need everything and yes even a grocery store trip sounds exhilarating)

I am sure you can tell I miss my freedom and Independence and yes even all my mommy chore. "The pain is soon forgotten, but the victory lives on forever." BRING ON THE PAIN

K so I try not to brag (kind of). Skyler has mad natural soccer talent (yes it fills my soul with pure joy.) This past week she was all over the field up and down. She even delayed if you are not clear what it means to delay let me try to explain. As a defender you wait until the offensive player with the ball either makes a mistake or kicks the ball too far in front of herself and at the exact right moment you step in and kick/take the ball away. I was so proud beaming. This is a skill that is instinctual and is super hard to teach/learn.

Taylor is also playing this season. I didn't get any pics due to weather but will post some next week. She is on an amazing team. Girls do chest traps and direct free kicks with placement pretty unbelievable. She is working super hard and is no afraid to tell someone on the field when they have fouled her and that had the ref been looking he would have called it. Taylor joined a team that has been together for years and has had no problem making tons of friends.

I was just thinking about how wonderful it is that every human being comes to this earth with their very own talents. And it is up to us to grow and become the person we are destined to be.

Everyone comes into this world with talents and Myles specialty just happens to be eating. So glad I caught this on film. Myles loves prunes so much that I felt like I was giving him chocolate pudding. He was constipated and this sure did the trick. I swear he is polar opposite from my girls. Neither one of them ever enjoyed baby food it was a nightmare trying to spoon feed them. This kid can not get enough. Man I love my pork chop.

2 wild and crazy gals. Thanks to costco the girls decided to implement their green skills and turn a grocery box into a go cart. Yes I blame public education, I can not tell you how many times a day I hear REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE. Don't get me wrong we all need to do our part, but please let our kids think for themselves. My favs are the steering wheel, swim goggles, and the imaginary drive to Niagara Falls (? must have had a good trip 2 years ago?)

Give a girl a computer (it's my own) and a knee that will someday get surgery and you create a blogging addict.