Cooking with Ella!!!

 Ella and I decided to do a little COOKING last night. So we picked out a recipe from our favorite "Quick and Easy" cook book and went to town.  We decided to make Broiled Chicken with Pesto Toasts!!! YUM!!!

 When we cook I pull a chair in from the dining room and we go to work!
Here is Ella in a pre-kitchen mess pose!!!

 

First thing we did was smear extra virgin olive oil on the chicken...

 This may be my favorite picture from the evening. LOOK how happy she is...

 But we didn't use just REGULAR olive oil...we used GARLIC flavored...EXTRA YUMMY

 While the chicken broiled for 15 minutes we put a can of diced tomatoes (drained) and 1/2 a jar of green pesto sauce in a saucepan to heat to put on the toasts!!!

 

While the pesto and tomatoes were heating we cut up the french bread. This is Ella's "bread castle" as she called it...

Ella with her bread castle...

 After a few minutes of simmering the pesto sauce was ready for the toasts.  You pour half of the pesto and tomato sauce over the chicken...and place back under the broiler for about 15 more minutes.  Then Ella and I smeared the pesto sauce on her toasts and then it was time to sprinkle on the CHEESE!!!!

 This was one of her favorite parts!!!

 We placed the toasts under the broiler for about 2 or 3 minutes when the chicken was just about done!!! It was QUICK and EASY!!! So easy a 3 year old could do it!!!

 Ella's plate also had some fun sides...watermelon and chicken and cheese tortellinis!! She did have some of my chicken too :)

 We also have to thank Tyler for sitting so nicely in his chair in the kitchen so we could cook and have fun!!! YAY for Tyler!!!

I LOVE to cook with Ella. I hope she enjoys it as much as I do!!

Spooktacular Tree

This is my FIRST attempt at a semi-tutorial. So brace yourself!!! Since I did this project TWO years ago I did NOT have a blog then or take pictures...so I am going to describe the project with the images that I took today...So enjoy

I would also like to say that I do NOT take credit for this project.  Because I did it two years ago I truly can NOT remember where I found it!! Obviously...I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so it doesn't surprise me that I don't remember!

Here is the final product...A spooky Halloween ornament tree!! 

What you need:

Decorative Canister

Sticks/Twigs from yard

Foam

Black Spray paint (optional)

Ornaments

Halloween stickers

Halloween ribbon

Straw

• I started out by collecting the sticks for my "tree."  I tried to pick out some SPOOKY ones, and then spray painted them black!!!

• I then assembled my ornaments.  I used Halloween stickers to decorate them and tied the ribbon on the ornaments

• Inside my canister I placed a foam rectangle and shoved the sticks in. 

• I then covered up the foam with some straw!!!

 

•  Time to hang your ornaments on the TREE!!!

 Have your kiddos help!! A very FUN and easy Halloween project!!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

BONFIRE!!!

Welcome to our WEEKEND!!!! The 2nd weekend in October may be my favorite weekend of the ENTIRE year.  Yes I said it...more than any Holiday or other time of year. It is MY absolute favorite.  During this weekend we go to Augusta, MO and enjoy a fantastic meal (The Sausage Supper) and enjoy the wineries that Augusta has to offer!!

But this weekend was made EVEN better with a BONFIRE at my parent's house to find out the sex of the newest addition to our family...Baby Smith.

Here is Momma Smith and lil Meade hanging out down by the pond...

 Our family likes to have what is called a "Guess the Sex" Party. We guess the baby's sex and weight and whoever is closest WINS!!  Here is Ella and my mom putting their guesses in!!

 Tyler enjoying a quick snack while we make our guesses and chat...

 Maggie and Austin pose for a quick picture...Notice Maggie's pink streak in her hair??? All of us girls went Saturday morning for a breast cancer fundraiser.  We all got a pink streak put in our hair...even some of the little ones got them too :)

 Here is momma Adie getting ready to hand out "the gifts" which reveal the sex of the baby!!!

 Nana and Mimo opening up the gifts...if you can see those are BLUE presents in their hands.  Baby Smith is gonna be a little boy. That makes TWO for the Smith family!!! We are so happy to have MORE boys in the family. SOOOOOO exciting. Congrats to Adie and Meade!!

 Little...actually HUGE Tyler strolling around the yard...

 Three of the sisters...Marta, Maggie and Adie...

 Here we are getting a sisters picture...please watch how the pictures progress.  They ALWAYS start off sweet and cute...

 Then some chatting usually begins MID picture...

 Then some LAUGHING...

 

 Then RANDOMNESS...

  

 WOW is all there is to say about some of those pictures!!!! ha ha ha

Here are some shots of the kiddos enjoying the evening...

 Gracie, Riley, Mia, Meade, Sophie and Ella

The BONFIRE!!!

 Kids enjoying hot dogs and Smores!!!

 

And a little DUCK DUCK GOOSE!!! (Mia, Sophie and Ella)

 Austin and Maggie enjoying some smores :)

Those are some HUGE bites!!! ha ha

The Smith family...with another cutie on the way!!! Conrats to you!

 So glad Adie and Meade started the weekend off GREAT!!!! Happy Fall!

TINKERBELL AND FAIRIES

Who doesn't love Tinkerbell?? And all of her movies? Well our little Ella is OBSESSED!! The newest Tinkerbell movie, Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue came out not too long ago and we have had some fun with all the action.

We bought the movie as soon as it got to stores and watched it THAT evening.  Ella was instantly hooked on all things fairies again.

In the movie, Tinkerbell gets trapped in a "fairy house" and it's up to her friends to come rescue her. Well while I was at work the next day our nanny, Melanie, and Ella recreated their own fairy house.

Here is what the fairy house looks like in the movie:

Another view of Tinkerbell standing in front of the bridge that leads to the fairy house:

Here is Ella and Melanie's version:
 

 I love the flowers on top of the magnolia leaves.  SO ADORABLE!!!

Is that not the cutest?? They made a bridge and little mini fairies.  I thought it was the CUTEST thing EVER!! I am so glad there are creative people out there to come up with cute projects for kids.  That is why I stick to P.E.  I had already watched the movie with Ella before Melanie and NEVER in a million years would have thought to create our own fairy house!! LOVE it!

And since this is a TINKERBELL themed post I figured I would add in my pictures from our trip to Disneyland this Summer.  Pixie Hollow...

                         

 And me and my friend, Molly, with the ONE and only Tinkerbell...

 

How real does that Tinkerbell look?? I was STUNNED!!