Recipe Wednesday - Cinnamon Bites

My Mom made numerous breakfast options for us when we celebrated Christmas morning with them and one of the things that she made were these wonderful mini cinnamon rolls.  They are made with crescent roll dough and are wonderful!  I especially love that they can be made ahead of time and just rewarmed or you can serve them right after adding the icing.  Either way, they're great and easy!

Bite Sized Cinnamon Rolls


1 can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
4 T Brown Sugar
1 t Cinnamon
1 T Butter
1 T Flour
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
2 t Milk

1. In a small bowl mix together a tablespoon of slightly melted butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour.
2. Open crescent rolls, taking half of dough, and separate at the vertical seams.  Press the diagonal seams of dough together so that the dough is smooth. (keep other half of dough in the fridge)
3. Spoon half of the cinnamon mixture onto dough.  Roll short side up then continue with the remaining dough.
4. Cut 2 inch slices and place all the rolls on a cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
6. When rolls have cooled, mix powdered sugar and milk.  Add more sugar/milk to get frosting to the consistency of your liking.  Drizzle the sugar over the rolls and then serve or let dry.

From Life's Too Short to Skip Dessert via Pinterest

James at Five Months

Jamesy-boy,

I can't believe how old you're getting!  This has been a BIG month for you!  We were on the go and you were knocking out milestones left and right!

We still don't have any teeth but we're guessing they're coming SOON because you will only take your hands out of your mouth if you have something else to go in it.  We think we can feel your top left tooth but nothing has shown up yet.  The amount of drool that you're producing though and your recent fussiness has told us that teeth are on their way.  Sophie the Giraffe has made her appearance this month and you love her!

You started rice cereal a few weeks ago but even after repeated feedings you still aren't a fan.  We even tried oatmeal too since Sissy liked that much better than rice cereal but you didn't like it either.  We'll keep trying and I guess try baby food in another month if you don't warm up to the cereal!

Your jumper came out this month and you love it.  You are great at bouncing and love spinning yourself around to look at things on all sides of it.

We went to Tuscaloosa for the National Championship celebration.  Since you are awake much longer these days you enjoyed yourself more than the football games.

You have developed quite a personality this month.  You are all smiles most of the time unless your teeth hurt (and even then, it's a very mild fussiness).  We love interacting with you and watching you respond to us.  Some of your favorite songs are "Pop goes the Weasel", "Soft Kitty", and "Jesus Loves James".  Most times when we change your diaper we have to sing so you don't get upset.  Singing can calm you down quicker than almost anything.

You have definitely found your toes this month and it's very common to see you in this position when we get you up from bed or when you're on the floor!

The winter weather has been so mild that we've been able to take walks and you have really enjoyed seeing the world.  You aren't a fan when it gets windy but love watching the trees go by.

It was a big movement month for you.  You started rolling over from your front to your back, but you prefer to not do it most of the time.  You have rolled over a handful of times without our help at all (Daddy was watching you and Sissy one night and he was helping her and heard a thump and turned around and you had rolled over!) but you just don't really like doing it.  This picture might show why.  You started sitting up!  This is very recent (only last weekend) and you need help getting into position but once you find your balance you are able to sit for a minute or two by yourself.  It will be very nice when you can master this totally by yourself but we are so proud that you're already trying!

As far as schedule goes, there have only been slight modifications.  As of last night, we dropped your late evening nap.  So right now you are eating at 7:30, 10:30, 2:30, 6, and 8.  You sleep from 9:15 - 10:30, 12:15 - 2:30, and 4:15 - 6.  You definitely decreased your eating amounts to 10-15 minutes total instead of twice that long.  I guess your four month growth spurt ended and you realized you didn't need to eat so much.  You are a growing boy who is wearing 6 month clothes.  There are a few 3-6 month things that still fit but not very many of them.  And there are a few 6-9 month outfits (like the elephant outfit from your monthly picture) but, again, not many of them.  You're still in size 2 diapers and I don't think we'll change soon, but we might!

I also updated this on the 8th after I took you to the doctor for a possible ear infection.  You weighed 13 lbs and 12 ounces!  You are a growing boy!

James, you are a joy in our lives and we are so thankful that you are here.  We can't imagine our life without you!  You are so happy and full of energy.  You make us smile every time we see you.  You are ticklish and quick to smile.  You are somehow all boy already and we can't wait to see what you're doing in a month, a year, and many years from now.  We love you sweet boy! Happy 5 month birthday!

Love, Mommy

*James at months one, two, three, four, five

*Charlotte at months one, two, three, four, five, six

Picture Perfect

Our little man is growing and growing and sometimes I just can't get over it.  I had a few extra minutes without Charlotte one day and decided to set up an impromptu photo shoot.  I love this little boy!

Valentine's Craft - Heart Stained Glass Window

Charlotte came home from school last year with a "stained glass" art project made from construction paper, tissue paper, and contact paper.  I knew that I could recreate it very simply but it's taken me almost a year to get around to doing it!  You can modify this for any holiday or shape, I just chose to do our first one with hearts for Valentine's Day.

Heart Stained Glass Window

Materials:

Construction Paper

Contact Paper

Glue

Tissue paper

Scissors

1. Freehand a heart on a piece of construction paper.  Cut it out.

2. Freehand a smaller heart inside the first and cut out the middle.

3. If you want a second layer, using the larger heart's opening as a guide, draw a heart that will cover the edge of the larger heart's inside heart.  Cut it out.

This is what both of the hearts on top of each other should look like.  The smaller heart overlaps onto the larger heart.

4. Trace the heart pattern that you want on contact paper.  

Notes about this step:

- You can find contact paper with the drawer liners at the store

- Make sure you cut it with the sticky side to go ON TOP of the larger heart so that the sticky side is facing the back.

- Be careful to avoid guide lines that you've drawn on the final piece of contact paper because if you don't have a smaller piece to cover the edges of the contact paper you'll be able to see them

5. Cut tissue paper into small shapes.  You can use as many or as few colors and pieces as you want.

6. Peel the backing off of the contact paper and stick the paper to the large heart, covering the opening.

7. If you cut a smaller heart for the front, use glue to glue it on top of the contact paper.

8. Once the glue has dried, set it out for your child with the sticky side up and let them go!

It's not required, but much more fun if you have a cheering section!

9. Once it's finished press it onto the window to let it stick!  If you don't want it on the window you could cut two pieces of contact paper and seal the tissue paper in so that there is no sticky part.

Recipe Wednesday - Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight

I needed to bring a dessert to Thanksgiving and so the weekend before when we were in Tuscaloosa I gave Jason, Charlie, and Dad a choice of three desserts.  They chose the one that included 'Chocolate Chip Cookie' in the title and now having had the dessert I'm glad that they did!  This was so good but wasn't overly sweet with all of the Cool Whip mixed in that it made it the perfect Thanksgiving (or anytime!) dessert.  If you go to Taste of Home's website their picture shows it much higher than this.  I'm thinking to achieve that look they probably put it in a smaller pan or something to cook.  If you make it in a 9x13 pan it has much thinner layers but it is still so good!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight


1 tube refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Confectioners' Sugar
12 oz (1 carton) Cool Whip, thawed, divided
3 cups cold 2% Milk
1 package (3.9 oz) Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
1 package (3.4 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

1. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften.  Press into an ungreased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Fold in 1 3/4 cups Cool Whip.  Spread over crust.
3. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.  Spread over cream cheese layer.
4. Top with remaining Cool Whip.
5. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight until firm.

From Taste of Home via Pinterest

A slice of life

Since I like to do the 356 projects (what I call One Tale a Day) I often have a lot of extra pictures that don't make up their own blog post.  So that I can share them with y'all I'll thinking I'll do a post near the end of the month with some miscellaneous pictures from the month.  Here are January's!

New Years Day 2012

Charlotte loves snapping an animal into her coat to take to school, church, etc.  Thankfully she loves them enough that telling her that she can't take them out of the car because they might get lost or might get dirty and need a bath helps us keep them contained to private places!

Memma and Papa got Charlotte furniture for her dollhouse and she loves sneaking up to play with it when she can.  This dollhouse was mine when I was little and was given to me by Gramme and MyPapa.  It's so special to see her playing with it.

It's definitely a different time nowadays.  Charlotte is fluent in face time and likes to relax on the couch now while chatting with her peeps.

Fancy Charlotte showing off her purple reindeer that she painted almost 100% by herself at the paint your own pottery place.  She loves that reindeer and checks on him almost daily.  He lives in the bookshelves in her room.

Jamesy has been teething this month.  While most babies get bottom teeth first the one that we could feel first was his top left one.  He drooled for a while but once we were able to feel it he started biting on anything he could get!

James is growing so fast we're having a hard time keeping him in pi's that fit.  So he's still wearing Christmas jambes in January but I don't think he minds!

This girl still loves watching her birds.  And one day a really big bird came to the feeder.  We tried to stake it out and get a picture of it but ended up just having some fun Mommy/Daughter time.

James is already over our constant pictures.  Oh well, he'll get used to it!

Charlotte loves pockets!

One night after dinner Charlotte pulled a chair over to James' pack and play and started playing with him.  She was showing him what all was on his activity gym and talking with him.  She is a great big sister!

Dogs are Charlotte's favorite animals and this puppy dress makes her so happy!

The Copy

It's funny the things kids can get attached to.  When Charlotte was born I tried to make sure she had multiple little pink elephant headed blankets because I just knew she was going to get attached and I didn't want to have to find one in a hurry if we lost one or one got dirty.  Alas, she was never very interested in anything until she got an Elmo doll around her first birthday.

That plush Elmo that I bought randomly for a little happy turned in to something that Charlotte loved and I ended up buying a second in case of loss or grossly dirty.  She loved on that Elmo for months but eventually moved on.  

I always thought that Charlotte would turn to dolls but so far, while she has dolls and occasionally plays with them, she isn't really attached to any.  What she is attached to are her animals.  She calls them her babies and even though her favorite is a different one every week, she loves them so much.  She sleeps with maybe 20 animals and that's only after we've pulled a lot out of her bed without telling her and before she adds more in.  

Recently something else has garnered her love.  The Copy.

What's "The Copy" you ask?  Well, it is literally a copy of a card that goes with a Dog Bingo game that Mom bought.  Charlotte didn't want to give up her favorite card...the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel...and so Mom got creative and stuck it on our copier and made Charlotte numerous copies of him.  Now she loves The Copy and he sleeps on top of Big Barkley when she sleeps.

Since she got the original copy she has conned my parents into making additional copies of other cards but it remains that The Copy is her favorite copy.

I look forward to seeing what her favorite is next week and whether her brother follows her penchant for a new favorite every week or sticks with one favorite for his entire toddlerhood!