Monkey Bread

This was the last piece left of the Monkey Bread!! I was going to get a picture of the whole thing after I pulled it out of the oven, but my camera battery died!! I made this for breakfast the other day, and I had more rolls left in the freezer, so I made it again for dessert on Sunday.

Ingredients:

~16 to 18 unbaked frozen dinner rolls
~1 (3 oz) package regular butterscotch pudding mix, not instant
~ 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
~1/2 cup pecans chopped
~1 stick butter, melted

Directions:

The night before place frozen rolls in well greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over rolls. Sprinkle brown sugar over pudding mix. Sprinkle chopped pecans over brown sugar. Pour melted butter over all. To prevent te dough from forming a hard crust while it is rising overnight, cover with a camp towel or tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Let rise overnight at room temp. about 8 to 10 hours.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Turn pan over into a serving platterto remove. Serve by pulling apart chunks with forks.

my dream kitchen

First off, I have to apologize for all the 'technical difficulties' I've been having. I will figure out this blog arrangement soon. If anyone can help me, I'd appreciate it very much!

As I was surfing Home Depot's web page, I saw this picture of a kitchen, and immediately I could picture myself fixing breakfast, or cooking dinner, or baking something in it. I love the open, clean feeling it gives. The spanish/country style is so me. I already have roosters going on in my kitchen, (I know, not ver original, but its so me). Besides the color scheme, I love the big garden sink, and the accents on it; the leg posts on either side, making it pop out a little. And the vegitable sink in the island...double coolness! I love the finish of the cabinets and the hardware. I never thought I'd like cream/white colored cabinets, especially with kids helping me all the time in the kitchen, but they are gorgeous and it works here. I love the backsplash tile design, the chandelier and the exposed beams in the ceiling...beautiful! I don't mind the tile flooring, but I could see wood floors working just as nicely.


If I could afford anything at this point, I have lots of remodel projects in mind. A few of them (besides the entire kitchen) would be hard wood floors, and new, thick/soft carpet upstairs and adding a loft upstairs to replace my vaulted ceilings. I like having the balcony on the 2nd floor, and as I'm cleaning up, I like to toss things up there so I don't have to make a dozen trips upstairs through my cleaning frenzie. I will miss that once the loft is done, but it would be nice adding a tad more sq. footage to the house and giving us a second family room where the toys would go.


We are do it yourself folks. So it's nice to know that there are TONS of resources out there to aid in the process! Thanks Home Depot!

200th post!!

WOW, I really can't believe its been 200 posts! When I think about it, I'm so glad I started this blog and that I keep it going. I know I will look back an be so grateful to have an account of the Perry Happenings. Life can get so darn busy, that if I didn't have this blog and updated it regularly, I would miss out on some of our fun and great moments that we do as a family or just the everyday cute things that my kids do. They have grown up so much just in the past year, I'm glad I have pictures and journal notes to go along with our life!

Some of the funny things that Bryanna has been saying lately, that I have been wanting to write down, because I know I will forget them are:

**Riding home from Disneyland last week Bryanna busts out, "When I grow up, I'm going to be like my mom and do lots of dishes!!" I want to know how does Bryanna view me? Apparently, all I'm good for is keeping up on the dishes!

**Just the other day, Bryanna was sitting on Mark's lap and tapped his chest, she exclaimed, "Daddy, you have strong boobies!" We died laughly at that instant!

**Some funny words she has been incorperating into her sentences: Possibly, Actually, Totally, Awesome, Cool, [that's so] Crazy! I really wonder how much I say these words? Possibly a little too much!

**Bryanna is my clone, whether I like it or not. If I want to look in the mirror, all I have to do is look down at Bryanna and I see myself very clearly (although she is more perfect, more innocent, and smarter!) She likes to give me orders, and so that's where I need a little improvement for sure. Soften the orders I could definitely and should do. She is my helper in the kitchen...she likes to bake just as much as I do...or maybe its getting to lick the cake batter or scrape off the cookie dough from the bowl? Regardless of how much we are alike, I love her and I am very happy that she is like me and does want to be like me. That's not so bad, I really am flattered! I mean, its not a coincidence I get to raise my own biggest fans. I just know Bryanna and I were best friends in the life before.

**Maddox has the sweetest little voice. I LOVE to hear him talk and repeat words. His soft cheeks are my absolute favorite thing in the world, and I love even more that he doesn't mind so much that I kiss them about 20 times a day! He is my snuggle bug, my bug-a-boo, and my squeezable, tickly little baby boy! He's constantly playing with his tennis raquet (and when I protest he cries a very sad and disappointed sob, tears and all!) He loves to play with whatever Bryanna is playing with. He sees her attachment to her blanket, and naturally he has the same attachment to his. They go upstairs together, grab their blankies, drag them down the stairs, all through the house and occasionally I catch them in the backyard on the trampoline rolling around in them!

So here's to 200 posts!

st. patty's day

Happy St. Patty's day!! Today has been very fun! I played lots of tennis this morning in prep for a tough match tomorrow, always a good day in vegas for tennis! Then I came home and spontaneously, Bryanna and I made sugar cookes together while Maddox was napping. I usually like to plan and prepare for fun days like this in the kitchen, but it just kind of happened, and it was fun. I love it when I look at a recipe for all the ingredients, and I already have everything! Its a pain to pull out my recipe collection, find something to make and then be missing one ingredient. I am a planner, so you can see the inconvenience there!

I have SEVERAL different sugar cookie recipes, and usually my girlfriends all love and use their mother's recipes, its just the one they were used to growing up, but I like to try and find the best tasting one that also bakes well. Here is one of the best sugar cookie recipes I've come across in a while:

Cookies

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 tsp. flavor (vanilla, lemon, strawberry, today I used raspberry, and it was delicious!)

2 tsps. vanilla

2 tsps. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 1/2 c. flour

MIX TOGETHER WELL

Bake @ 425 for 7 minutes (will be white)

Frosting

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. butter

3 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs. milk

1 tsp. flavor (vanilla, lemon, strawberry, raspberry, ect)

STIR WELL

I hope you enjoy this one as much as my family and I do. It's a keeper, and my favorite part to this is adding more flavor besides regular vanilla!

More birthday celebration

We found this awesome tractor/back hoe at sam's club for 70% off! He Loves it, and so does his big sister!
the infamous chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake!

I can't believe he is two!!

blog issues

k, I need someone's know how...how did my 'third column' disappear, then reappeared below all the posts????????????????????????????????????????????

HELP!!

2 at disneyland!

The birthday boy at Robinson's Family Treehouse

Hollywood Tower of Terror (don't worry, he didn't go on the ride! Bryanna and mommy did! :)

Sully was walking by on our way to the tower of terror!

the jellyfish ride at california adventure!

We love both parks!

a very tired 2 year old!

daddy and bry waiting in line for splash mountain!

Mommy and the kids

the merry-go-round...it was very merry!

those blue eyes!

on its a small world, he wouldn't let go of daddy's hand!

in toon town...waiting for the roller coaster!

daddy and birthday boy in toon town

this was maddox's and bryanna's favorite ride, short and sweet!

its a small world

couldn't have said it better myself!

first ride of the day!

loving it!

it was a fantastic, fun disney filled day! Happy Birthday Maddox!!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Today I made this cake for our Relief Society Birthday Dinner, and it turned out just like I imagined (which usually does not happen). For those of you who have been priviledged enough to eat a "Nothing Bundt Cake", this recipe I came up with is identical to their ever so popular choc. choc. chip bundt cake!

Inspire

At the beginnng, my heart broke, and at the end it rejoiced!

Lost Generation

Interesting the way you phrase things and the meaning it gives.

Pineapple Cake

I love this cake, anytime of the year! It's really a summer dessert, but I was looking through my pantry, and had all the stuff to make it, which was really convenient to my craving for it last week.

The thing that makes this cake wonderful is the icing/frosting. Normally, I don't like alot of icing and all the sugar in it, so this is a great compliment to the moist cake with bits of crushed pineapple between the cake and frosting. It's a perfect balance of sweet and tart!

Pineapple Cake:

~1 yellow cake mix (bake and follow directions)

~2 cans crushed pineapple, and the juice of 1 can

~3/4 c. milk

~1 large container cool whip, thawed

~1 small vanilla pudding mix

Use and follow the directions to bake a 9x13 yellow cake mix that calls for three eggs. I like the Duncan Hines Super Moist yellow cake mix, (it calls for three eggs). Bake accordingly, and cool.

Poke holes with a fork all over the cake, then pour the juice of one can over entire cake. Spread the cake with both cans of crushed pineapple evenly.

Mix together cool whip, pudding mix and milk. Whisk til fluffy. Spread frosting over the pineapple. Keep refrigerated.

Hope

After reading this article, "5 Ways to Get the Job You Want -- in Any Economy", I found myself feeling more hopeful. Knowing that the national economy is bleak and unemployment keeps rising, it is easy to feel hopeless for the future, the unexpected, the unknown. Here's what some of the article said:

"With all the bleak economic news and reports of massive layoffs, it's easy to lose sight of an exciting fact of work: There have never been more opportunities and possibilities for talented people than exist today. The rate of new business formation in the United States has passed more than 1 million new companies per year. Employers everywhere are looking for bright, resourceful and committed people to help their businesses grow. The best way to help the best companies find you is to become a self-directed job searcher.
Regardless of your employment experience, your target industry or the economic climate, you can get a job -- a great job -- if you are willing to work hard and know how to work smart. Here are some of the very best ideas, strategies and methods for putting your career back on the fast track."

1. Take control of your career The average person starting work today will have 11 full-time jobs and as many as five different careers over the course of his or her lifetime. To weather the storms of lifelong career change, you must be proactive, not reactive.

2. Take stock of yourself Before you go out and look for a job, do some self-reflection. Make a list of all the things you can do for which someone would be willing to pay.

3. Understand the job market All labor, including your own, is subject to the economic law of supply and demand. The only way to ensure you get a rewarding job is by doing something important for which there is a demand in the marketplace and in which you are difficult to replace.

4. Don't mistake unemployment for a vacation Look at your job search as a full-time job, taking 40 to 50 hours a week. Get up and get dressed each weekday morning as if you were going to work, eat a light, high-energy breakfast and then get going.

5. Sow seeds everywhere Most of the jobs available are not advertised. They are hidden and waiting for you to discover them. Along with regularly surfing Internet job sites, be sure to list your qualifications and interests on every site that might attract employers seeking someone like you."

It is ridiculous for anyone to think unemployment could not happen to them. Just like thinking you are the unsinkable ship. But just like the article said, it is even more important to put your best foot forward, and try all possibilities if you happen to lose your job.

I have seen a few families in my neighborhood who have lost their jobs, and see the struggles first hand. It is not pretty, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that some of these trying times happen for a reason. If anything, it is a time of humility that goes with the Pride Cycle.
I hope and pray unemployment will not plague my family, I would like to say it won't or couldn't happen. Hope is like an unseen medicine. It can get anybody through anything. I love the saying, "Work like it is all up to you, and pray like it is all up to the Lord." I know when I pray, the Lord is listening. My prayers aren't always answered immediately, but with the pure intent of my heart and a desire to do good, the Lord does bless me and He hears me.

the artist

Just about everyday, Bryanna asks to pull out the water color and get her imagination going. I would frett over getting it out and having yet another mess to clean up after, but she has gotten so into it lately, how could I resist? I remember when I 'liked' to paint. It only lasted through childhood. I am, by far, the least talented person with any artistic ability when it comes to drawing or painting, and I'm totally OK with that. It just isn't there, and to be honest, I don't have any patience for what is there. Interestingly enough, my other three sisters are very creative and artistic in many different ways. And some of Mark's siblings are very artistic as well. I anticipate what her artistic energy holds for her in the future. As for now, I love that she has the desire to paint every day. It's a great activity for her growing brain and it gives her something to do while Maddox is napping. Usually they are side by side, playing the day away, and sometimes she protests his necessary nap. (I will not give into that one! I love nap/paint time!)

"Z Artiste"

This one she painted for Maddox, very thoughtful!

This one is for me, thanks sweet Bryanna!

This one belongs to Mark (lucky daddy!)

Little Pastry Chefs

It all started off with decorating your cake box! Bryanna & Birthday Girl, Abby!

Next they rolled out their very own pizza dough...

Topped it with sauce, cheese and pepperoni!

Dad and Jamie

While the pizza was baking, they got to have a little creative fun with all different colors of the icing!

Lexy's masterpiece

Abby's artwork

Now here comes the fun!!

Dallyn frosts like a pro!

They aren't having any fun!

A three year old's dream come true!
Finished cake to match the real thang!
Happy Birthday Abby!!