June: 10 on 10

Here are June's 10 on 10.

Project 52 - Water

The theme for last week's Project 52 was Water.  This is Margaret's "water break" after her bike riding practice.

Project 52 - Playtime

Playtime is the theme for this week's Project 52.  I am submitting a picture I took of Griffin at his baseball game this week.  Once we get moved and settled, I will post some other pictures from his baseball season!

Project 52 - Favorites (& A Recipe)

This week's Project 52 theme is Favorites.  I made these cookie bars for a cookout we went to this weekend.  They are one of our "favorite" desserts, so I thought I would share the recipe.  I especially love them because it is so much faster to make a bar cookie then making a several batches of cookies.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.


Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
(recipe source Cook's Illustrated)

2⅛ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (I use semisweet, but you can substitute milk chocolate, white, peanut butter or bittersweet chips)

Directions:
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.  Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges.

Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk melted butter and sugars in medium large bowl until combined. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in chips and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with spatula.

Bake until top is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 27 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil overhang and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Margaret's Ballet Recital & Griffin's 8th Birthday

Margaret had her ballet recital on Saturday afternoon, and I just wanted to share a few pictures from that.  The girls all danced to songs from other countries.  Margaret's class' country was Uganda.  It was such a sweet program, and we are so thankful for Margaret's precious ballet teachers.

We also celebrated Griffin's 8th birthday that night with burgers and this cake!

Project 52 - Mothers

This week's Project 52 theme was Mothers.  I am late posting as I am in the process of packing up to get ready for our move.  I probably won't post much over the next couple of weeks until we are settled.  I had big plans of taking a picture of the kids with me, but that didn't happen.  So on to plan B... I wanted to remember what these 3 made me for Mother's day this year, so I thought I would post pictures of their handmade gifts.


From Mamie:
From Griffin:
From Margaret:

Happy 8th Birthday, Griffin!

Here is Griffin's birthday interview. These were a few of his favorite things at age 8...



Griffin - Age 8

1. What is your favorite color? green
2. What is your favorite toy? controller Beyblade
3. What is your favorite fruit? a peach
4. What is your favorite tv show? I don’t watch much TV, but my favorite movie is Star Wars.
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? a BLT sandwich
6. What is your favorite outfit? my Albert Pujols Cardinals t-shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Lego Creationary
8. What is your favorite snack? popcorn
9. What is your favorite animal? dog
10.  What is your favorite song? I’m not that crazy about music
11.  What is your favorite book? Diary of a Wimpy Kid
12.  Who is your best friend? Lee Harris
13.  What is your favorite cereal? Cocoa Puffs
14.  What is your favorite thing to do outside? play baseball
15.  What is your favorite drink? Sprite
16.  What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17.  What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my bear, my tiger, and my dog stuffed animals
18.  What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? About everything! I love breakfast.  I guess muffins or breakfast bread.
19.  What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? ribs
20.  What do you want to be when you grow up? an oral surgeon