Chex Muddy Buddies

I LOVE this treat! I haven't made it in awhile but it makes a great snack! It is super easy to make. In a large bowl, measure 9 cups of Rice Chex, set aside.
In a microwavable bowl, add 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup butter or margarine and heat for 1 minute on high. Stir and micro. 30 more seconds if needed, until it is smooth.

Add 1 tsp. vanilla and stir.

Drizzle onto cereal and stir well, until all of the cereal is coated.

Put half of the cereal into a gallon ziploc bag and add 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Seal and shake until coated.

Dump out onto a large sheet of wax paper and spread it out. Repeat for remaining cereal, adding the same amount of powdered sugar. Allow it to cool and dry, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. (Oops, I guess I never read that part!)haha

DIY cloth napkins

I should probably warn you that I had to mail my camera away for repair today so I am using my OLD one and the pictures are not that great, but they will have to do for about two weeks till I get my camera back. I saw a tutorial on how to make your own cloth napkins and decided to give it a try. The instructions call for flour sack towels, cut into 4 pieces. I priced them online and they could certainly add up quickly so I experimented with come muslin I have, which is basically the same thinig. Here is what I have so far!You have to wash the cut muslin or cut flour sacks and dry them then trim the fray really short. It looks neat, not messy. Then you use pinking shears to cut a 10x10 square of your fabric. Simply center it, pin it, and sew along the edges. Simple! I think they're pretty cute!

I was trying to use what fabric I already own to match the napkin rings I already made.

So obviously I cut this white piece too wide! Oh well, I actually like it better because it fits perfectly across your lap!

Strawberry Tart

Here is my sister in law's recipe for Strawberry Tart. I made it a little bit different this time because I was trying to copy the design of the french bakery in Morro Bay. Usually we make this in a rectangle pan and when we do the strawberries and glaze, we cut the strawberries up really small. Either way, it still tastes great! I will walk you through the steps and post the recipe at the bottom. =) This first picture is what it will look like when you cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture.
Keep cutting until it looks fine and crumbly like this...

After adding the egg, it will form a clump like this....

I forgot to take a picture of it before putting it in the oven so I hurried up and snapped a pic before it baked!

This is what the final product looks like if you use a tart pan and the half-strawberry method! Yum!

Pastry:

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup butter, cut into chunks

1 large egg

Mix flour and sugar together in a bowl. Add chunks of butter and cut with a pastry cutter until fine and crumbly, as shown in picture. Add egg and mix until it forms a clump. Spray a baking pan of your choice with cooking spray and press into pan and up edges if you want. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Filling:

1 package cream cheese

8 oz. cool whip

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature. Mix with cool whip and powdered sugar until combined.

Topping:

Marie's strawberry glaze (I'm PICKY about glazes and this brand I like!)

Strawberries, washed and halved or diced

After the crust completely cools, spread the filling on the crust evenly. Depending on your choice, arrange strawberry halves and drizzle with Marie's glaze OR mix your diced berries with the glaze in a bowl and add on top and smooth out.

Coast day #4

Today was our final day at the beach. After getting ready and doing some cleaning, we walked the girls down to the pier while Nana got ready after her morning walk. It was cold this morning and a little drizzly.The girls checking out some things from afar...

We always look like a three person family in pictures...I guess someone's got to snap the pics though..

We sat on a bench and watched the shark bait, aka: surfers.

Next, we went back to the house, ate lunch and finished cleaning and packing before heading out. By the way, if you go to Pismo and have never had pizza from Guiseppe's, DO IT! I I had the tomato basil pizza by the slice at the Express building and it was the best pizza I've ever had! I think next time we're gonna go to the big restaurant and eat dinner there. We headed out to a park right by a cliff, because if I heard my kids say "I want to buy something" one more time I could jump off it! Haha. Just kidding, we were looking for something fun for them and free for us.

This park had a lot of cool climbing stuff but it's more for toddler aged kids. There are no big kid swings, slides or anything like that.

We didn't last too long at this park, because there just wasn't much for my kids to do.

I have to admit, though this park would have been GREAT for them two or three years ago!

Silly daddy trying to sleep on the whale...

Thankfully I remembered that there is a park that the girls LOVE in Morro Bay and we were planning on going there for Bayside fish n chips anyway. I don't really like fish at all but I do love Bayside, I don't know what they do to their batter but...oh...man! Anyway, the following pictures are from the Morro Bay park at the San Jacinto exit.

When we arrived at the beach house there was a big bowl of candy, two princess kites, two bracelets, and brand new sand toys for the beach-with a note from Uncle Marty and Auntie Bliss. Bliss is what Uncle Marty calls his girlfriend Melissa. The girls were SO excited! We flew the kites today and they were awesome! They were the easiest kites we've ever flown too!

We had a WONDERFUL, relaxing, cozy extended weekend at the beach and we are so thankful! I always come home from the coast feeling like I have a bunch of energy to tackle the chores of life again!

Central Coast, Day 3

After we made breakfast today, we headed to Morro Bay. Thankfully I remembered that a friend recommended we take the girls to Avila Barn. We made a pit stop there, I can't believe we've never been there! They have great food, specialty items, and kitchen stuff, as well as animals that you can feed. The girls saw goats, burrows, chickens, ponies, emus, and one BIG jersey cow. Feeding some goats...

Checking out a baby chick...

Capturing a memory...

When we got to Morro Bay, we ate lunch at Hofbrau (YUM!) then did some window shopping. Outside one of the stores, there was a man doing a puppet show. He was really funny, it was his little version of Red Riding Hood. The kids sat on the sidewalk and watched the show.

Look at those smiles.

I even got some new project ideas! Yes, I am the shameless frugal schmoogal who takes pictures of something I like so that I can make it at home. Paying this boutique's prices would be insanity! I don't know how they are still open!

How cute are these dresses though?!

Before heading out we went to the swings near Morro Rock. Silly daddy, he's trying to see the street upside down...

Two happy swingers..

Sisters by the sea...

I scored a super cute bowl at an antique store that was half off so it was only $6! Before leaving, we stopped at La Parisienne Bakery and Brandon and I shared a killer strawberry tart on the drive back to Pismo. What's left for tonight? Nana's babysitting and we have reservations at McClintock's! Yay! I don't wanna go home tomorrow!

Pismo Beach, day 2

The morning of day two finds Cami and Nana out on the patio, overlooking the ocean. Nana LOVES to be outside with her coffee when she's at the coast. After this, she went on about a 2 hour walk by herself on the beach.Old West cinnamon rolls...the real deal.

When Nana got back, we headed to the beach.

Let the building begin!

This guy was there building a beautiful, huge castle with tons of details.

Brandon and the girls walking in the water...

This was as far as Emma got with her sandcastle. She wanted a flag to put at the top of it, so she found a feather and improvised.

In the afternoon the girls took a nap while Brandon watched tv and Margaret and I went to thrift stores. When we got home, Emma wanted to go on a walk with Nana "BY OURSELVES", she said. So since Cami also wanted to take a walk, I went with her. When we were walking down the street, look who shouted out at us from the frozen yogurt store.