Maverick - 2nd Week of January

January 10-12, 2023

Tuesday, January 10

This week we only babysat Mav two days - (Tuesday and Thursday).  The weather was pretty and so we were able to play outside on this afternoon and I took a lot of photos!!  

First though, he found this while playing downstairs and was showing me how he was building his muscles.  :D  Jackson says he has abs already - I don't doubt it!  Kid is stout!  :D 

Oh my goodness.. he is just too cute.  I have this on video, thankfully.  He was playing his guitar and singing a song - something about his Dad breaking his toy but I can’t remember... ha!  

But the cutest thing was at the end... he went to put the guitar away by leaning it up against the wall/door there.  

It kept falling down (in slow motion) and he would reach out quickly to grab it and put it back.  It happened over and over and he began shouting ‘No!’ at it.  (I feel that)  :D 

Finally, he got it to stay and extricated his arm from around it and then slowly backed up, rather stealthily and quietly.  :D  When he was finally clear he sort of slunk off sighing loudly over the whole ordeal.  Adorable little guy and too darn funny!

Mav had loved Susanna’s little Bat guy so much that I went online and found one for him.  They really are so cute.  From the old beanie baby company and super cheap.  I gave him his very own ‘Mr. Bat’ today and he was thrilled!  He kept hugging it and kissing it and stroking it and showing everyone.  Love this sweet, big-hearted kid so much! 

He showed GranGran then explained that now there are two!  One is Susanna’s and one is HIS!  :) 

Mr. Puppy watching TV and holding Mr. Bat and looking like he is ready for his nap.  :D

After his nap we went outside.  It was truly lovely out there!  I am so happy about this milder winter.

Mav still likes to get in this swing but he is about too big to fit in it.  Wonder how he will feel about giving it up to Carlile?  :D  Always nice to have your Dad come visit on a horse while you are at ‘the playground’.  (what Mav calls it)   :) 

That monster vest is adorable!  We gave that to him for Christmas and I’m so glad he really likes it!

He was really slinking away here - he is soooo dramatic!  ha!  I think this was after a tractor went by the gravel road and I had mistakenly suggested it might be a combine (before we saw it) and then he really wanted to see a combine.  :D  ha!

Mav picking up the heavy brick and bringing it to GranGran.

Kid is strong and I can’t believe he has never dropped anything heavy on his toes!  He picks up barbells, bricks, big rocks, anything!  Barefoot or with shoes on!

ha! 

Mav really wanted to ride with his Daddy.  :)

GranGran monster chasing Mav up to the house.  :D  ha!  (GranGran wishing he was faster like Mav!)

Thursday, January 12

Mav and I took this selfie as he was going down for his nap.  I love this special time with him - reading books and snuggling in.  Here he is holding one of the 'little books' he found in the basement.  :D  It is a good old Baptist New Testament.  ha!  We used to have a lot of these laying around.  He loves that it is just his size and has been carrying it everywhere with him. 

A showdown between Mav and Dad over wearing a coat - Jackson has met his match, for sure!  :D 

Maverick - 1st Week of January

January 2-5, 2023

Monday, January 2, 2023

This was our first full week back to babysitting for the spring semester.  Routine is okay!  :)  We spent some time playing in the basement.  

Ha!  I thought this looked familiar then remembered it was something Blippi did on one of his videos.  Oh my....

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Tuesday was such a beautiful weather day.  January 3!!  We will take it. Was glad it was so nice that Maverick could enjoy getting outside.

It was so pretty I kept taking photos.  These were taken about 9:15 am and it was nearly 60 degrees!  Granted, the temps were going to go down later in the day as a cold front came through, but good grief!  Especially incredible after the 35 below 0 windchill (and 11 below zero actual temp) less than two weeks ago... Wow!

Mav was sure glad to be back out in his sandbox!

Doing some patty cake... rolling and mixing and marking.  :) 

Mav was like “WHERE did the cushion go??”  Hard to explain about winter when it is nearly 60 degrees!  :D

He invited me to sit down with him.  :)  Sweetie pie.

Hello Goose!

We even were able to get bubbles out!  Not too cold!  Come on spring... we are ready.  :D

Mav took off across the yard and wanted to play on the wagon.  He is a climber and scales to the top quickly!

Sadly, the wagon isn’t faring too well out in the weather.  We knew that would happen but did it anyway.  We won’t use it again (no pulling horses anymore) and hated it just being hidden away in the barn.  But this is certainly hastening its demise.  However, I’ll stick with the decision.  I would rather ‘use the good china and it break than hide it away forever.’  So there we are.  

We decided to walk down and see Grandpa Jack.  Mav kept saying ‘go see Pa Jack!’.  But we stopped to say hi to the horses along the way.  :) 

Mav spotted Susanna's little bat.  He is so sweet with it, too... holding it and petting it and ‘awwwing’ over it.  :) 

He had gone to pet a cat but they immediately ran away.  :)  And this was the last photo I took of Mav this day.  I think we went home and had lunch then it was nap time and then who knows.  The cold front came through.  :D

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Maverick cracks me up when he tucks his feet in the chair cover like this.  Seems like a perfectly reasonable reason for the cover to be there... right?  :D  

This was the day he arrived in his jammies and stayed in them all day.  It was cold and he was comfy and we just never changed out of them.  Sometimes you need a day like that.  He is getting so close to being able to pedal that tractor himself.  This spring for sure I’ll bet.  

He was working on the engine.  :D

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Mav and I went down to visit Grandpa Jack. 

This was at the end of our visit that day and I wanted a photo of them.  Mav’s face is so cute!  Ha!

Nothing like a sleeping baby (or toddler).  Sweetness. 

Chocolate Oh Bars

December 2022

This is another 'blast from the past'.  I used to make these many years ago when the boys were little but had not for quite awhile.  I pulled out the recipe to make for New Years Eve.  

Chocolate Oh Bars

¾ cup butter, melted

2 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers

1 small bag almond brickle/toffee chips (about 1½ cups)

1 small bag Heath toffee & Chocolate chips (about 1½ cups)

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup chopped English walnuts

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper (if you want to be able to remove them to serve on a platter - I just served from the pan so didn't need the parchment paper insert.)  Mix melted butter with the crushed chocolate graham cracker crumbs and press into the bottom of the pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 5 minutes.  

Layer the almond brickle/toffee chips along the bottom and then repeat with each successive ingredient - building layers.  After the nuts layer, press the layers firmly down with your hands.  Then pour the whole can of sweetened condensed milk over the top evenly - covering every bit of the surface. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until it is bubbly and lightly browned on top.  Cool completely then cut into small bars. 

Caleb's Tortilla Appetizer

Caleb brought this yummy appetizer to our New Years Eve gathering and they were addictive!!  I was thrilled to find out they were also quick and easy to make!  :)  Thanks so much, Caleb!

Caleb's Tortilla Appetizer
flour tortillas
cream cheese

taco seasoning

Mix taco seasoning with a softened block of cream cheese until smooth.  Spread a layer evenly on a flour tortilla then top with 2nd four tortilla.  Chill, then cut into wedges to serve.  May serve with salsa.  So easy and so tasty!! 

Crostini

Crostini

crusty baguette bread

sea salt

extra virgin olive oil (depends on how many crostini you are making)

garlic cloves, halved or minced  (you can use garlic powder if you need to)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the baguette bread into ¼ to ⅓ inch thick slices.  Brush olive oil lightly on bread then sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.  Flip and repeat.  You may rub one side of the bread with the cut face of garlic clove.  Bake on sheet pan for 8-10 minutes, until browned and crispy.  You may turn the slices over halfway through cooking time. 

Will need to get a good photo of the crostini - this photo shows the basket of crostini next to the baked brie - from NYE. 

Baked Brie

Delicious!! A new favorite and it is soooo quick and easy!

Baked Brie

1 wheel of Brie cheese

4 Tbsp. honey

Optional: ½ tsp. fresh thyme, chopped, ½ tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped, sea salt

Remove all paper wrapping from the Brie. Make very shallow slits across the top of the Brie, just through the rind layer, every ½ inch to 1 inch, in a criss cross pattern.  Let cheese rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the Brie on a small sheet tray (or in a small casserole dish).  Drizzle with honey and any of the other optional ingredients you may like.  Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is very soft and starts to ooze, but not melt. 

Serve warm alongside crostini, apple slices, and/or grapes. Also note - if cheese cools before all is eaten, you can refresh it by microwaving for 15-30 seconds in the microwave.  Doesn't take much, but just to soften it up again. 

Need to get a better photo - this is from NYE