Balsamic Vinegar Asparagus

So I found a recipe for asparagus and modified it a little to be slightly healthier.
We love asparagus, but really love it this new way we found of cooking it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
Line a baking sheet with tinfoil to make for super easy cleanup.
Lay the washed asparagus flat on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle the asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
Bake for about 10 minutes until the oil and vinegar is bubbling and the asparagus looks tender.
Serve hot and enjoy!

We served our balsamic asparagus with BBQ salmon and rice

Easy Cupcake Decorating with Kids

So, the other night we hosted a play date.  We had pizza and then decorated cupcakes that I had made earlier that day.  To make sure this did not end up a sugar overloaded mess, I modified. 
I put a cupcake on a small saucer for each child for easy clean up.  I also put white icing in small cocktail sauce containers. (these were a wedding gift that came with a shrimp platter for parties).  This way I was able to divide out the amount of icing each child was going to use.  They each got to ice their cupcake in their own fashion.  I always have sprinkles on hand, so I brought them to the table for their decorating delight.  They had a blast, however, I was not able to get a picture of the finished products since they were devoured so quickly. 

You Know You Have Kids When...

You know you have kids when:

~You open up your pantry and find vehicles next to the snacks:



~Your refrigerator looks like this:

(notice the 'no fatboy' written out in the magnetic
alphabet that my husband placed on the fridge to
remind him not to snack:)

~You reach for a pan when beginning to cook dinner and you find a 'snake' in the cabinet:

~A shelf in your stockpile looks similar to this:

~You have 2 toilets AND a stool in every bathroom in the house

~You clean your back patio door about 2X's a week and it still looks like this:

 A grandmother once told me that her back door had handprints all over it from when her grandchildren came to visit.  Her daughter asked, in dismay, why they were still there on the door looking filthy.  The gradmother responded that it was a beautiful, constant reminder of her precious grandchildren and all the memories the visit had left behind. 

Kids bring such joy:  even if it is the form of a messy window, or a bathroom not looking as soafisticated as we desire. 

It's the little things that should remind us of what a blessing they truly are and the love they enable our hearts to feel is when we" know we have kids"....