Catching Up

I see it has been months since updated.  We've been busy with lots of home improvement projects, and we are still have lots more to work on. I started a separate DIY blog House of Carr's that will cover the adventures and mis-adventures we are having DIY'ing and decorating our home plus some crafty and other domestic things. While I was building that website, I also decided to move my original blog over to a self-hosted website and rename it Life Of Carr's here I will be talking about life in our little corner of the world.

So how about a speed catch up of 2012, before I resume a more regular posting schedule.

JANUARY

Nicholas turned 5 and had a Super Mario themed birthday party where he invited his pre-school friends and they made pizza's at a local bakery.  The kids all loved it!

Jackson was star of the week at school and Nicholas helped him with his poster.

Mike and I took advantage of parent's night out and left the kids at the pre-school while we enjoyed an evening out.

FEBRUARY

We had an awesome Superbowl celebration with friends and lots of yummy food.

Nicholas loves to watch Super Mario videos on YouTube and then he teaches Mike how to play. Sometimes it doesn't go so well.

We started our home improvement projects by ripping out the baseboards in the rooms that were getting new flooring.

The boys jumped for joy over their Valentine's gift...a trampoline.

Before the new flooring went in we started painting the family room and kitchen.  Our one coat paint took a coat of primer and 2 coats of paint. And there are still a few areas, I think that could use another.

MARCH

And finally it was flooring week.

Since all the main areas were a mess with the flooring, everything was moved out and the boys spent most of the days crammed in our bedroom.

We took a break from projects to enjoy an Angel's spring training game. It was a perfect day for a game.

I painted the office and Mike took the boys to the Ostrich Festival with some friends. It was a super hot March day.

We celebrated Mike's birthday, the day after.  His birthday we worked all day and late into the night to put the office back together after the flooring and painting was done.

Mike learned how to paint (yippee for me).  My hand was hurting from onset of carpal tunnel and it was definitely nice to get some help.

We still found time for some fun and silliness.

Hurricane Jackson swept through Nicholas's room.

APRIL

We colored Easter eggs, Nicholas decided he didn't want to smell vinegar, so he opted out...more for Jackson.

We spent Easter in California with Grandpa & Grandma Johnson

The boys like to destroy our bed on a regular basis.

I was able to spend a fun girls weekend with good friends at the Scrapbook Convention in Mesa

MAY

The past few weekends have been spent sewing drapery panels.

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with watermelon margaritas (YUM) and a great night with friends.

We went to a wedding.

We made a gifts for teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week (how I made these is posted here).

Sometimes we take naps and watch TV.

And today we read lots of books.

That's plenty for today.  We'll see if I can get back to a regular posting schedule. Have a good week!

Superbowl Party Food….

Our Superbowl Sunday tradition for years has been to make  some treats to enjoy during the game…honestly the yummy food is the best part for me. I get bored with the game and usually go scrap with the game on, just to watch the commercials and half time.

Last year the boys participated in the festivities, and we kept the food simple so they would like it.

Nicholas even cheered on the teams…..

This year we decided to up our “game” menu.  We haven’t settled in on the final menu, but I thought I would share a few ideas for more upscale appetizers for your Superbowl Party.

For New Year’s Eve we made several appetizers for our evening at home. We will  be doing something along the lines of these on Sunday, but they will definitely be of this caliber…

Grilled Stuffed Jalapeno Chiles with Grilled Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce(Bobby Flay Food Network)

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (myrecipes.com)

Next a few of my recipes....

Parmesan Crusted Shrimp Bruschetta (recipe below)

and our favorite….

Filet Parmesan Crostini (recipe below)

Then of course we had to have dessert….

Coconut Cake (bakeat350.blogspot.com) 

Recipes…

Parmesan Toasts

• Long thin sourdough baguette
• olive oil
• cooking spray
• garlic powder
• fresh grated parmesan

Slice bread into 24ish  1/2 inch thick slices.  Spray cookie sheet covered in foil with cooking spray. Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder and parmesan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes until lightly toasted.

Parmesan Crusted Shrimp Bruschetta (makes 12 servings)

• 12 Parmesan Toasts (see recipe above)
• 12 large deveined cooked shrimp
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 12 parmesan cheese slivers
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp fresh grated parmesan
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 12 torn fresh basil leaves

1. Heat up shrimp in skillet with olive oil.
2. Toss cooked shrimp in bread crumbs, grated parmesan and garlic powder
3. Finely chop tomato and garlic clove, toss with olive oil
4. Layer each parmesan toast with one basil leaf, a  spoonful of tomato mixture, a sliver of parmesan cheese and 1 large shrimp.

Filet Parmesan Crostini

(this was our favorite and is on the menu for Superbowl Sunday)

• 12 Parmesan Toasts (see recipe above)
• 12-16 oz thinly sliced filet mingon medallions (Whole Foods sliced it for me)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp butter
• 12 parmesan cheese slivers
• Horseradish Sauce Recipe
• 12 fresh parsley leaves

1. In a skillet melt butter and add olive oil. When butter is melted and oil is hot, add filet and sauté until desired doneness. Cut to 12 slices.
2. Layer each toast with sliver of parmesan cheese, slice of filet, drizzle with horseradish sauce, and top with parsley leaf.

Hope you have a tasty Superbowl Sunday!