Seriously yummy dessert time. Super easy, too.

Sliced banana
Grapes (mine were large, so I cut in half)
Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Drizzle of Honey
Chopped Dry Roasted Peanuts

Awesome textures and tastes working together!

I felt like making some red beans and rice. Remembering that mom told me not long ago that she made some tasty ones in her crock pot, I decided to give it a shot. Here's what went in.

1/2 onion, diced
chopped garlic to taste (I like garlic, so I went with 2 cloves)
1/2 bag of dried red beans
Tony Chacere's Seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 beef bouillon cube
1 cup sliced kielbasa sausage
water to cover

Set it on low and let it go.

Mine went for about 7 hours. Now I was home that day so I started them on high because I did not know how fast they were going to rehydrate. I will feel totally comfortable setting them on low and heading out to work from here on out.

Totally amazed that this actually worked. I had seen it several times in various places. Slice several bananas and freeze them. Once frozen, throw them in the food processor and process the fire out of them. Eventually, you will get this incredibly smooth "ice cream." 

I warn you, about a minute into it, I had to stop and look it up online to make sure I didn't mess it up. I thought for sure at that point that I was suppose to add some cream or something, but when I returned to it and started processing again, it started to come together. 

Really, really tasty! 

Maggie Anne just asked me to pause the book I was reading her so she could run to the bathroom.

If you happen to be around Jessie Anne soon, her new word is shirt. You have to listen very closely for the "r," but it is there. She will also be patting her belly when she says it. Shirt . . . she is saying shirt.

We have this kiddy tent out in the living room right now for the kids to play with. It is shaped like a puppy and the kids love it. An extremely special treat is if the big kids are allowed to sleep in it, either for a nap or overnight.

Dalton just asked me if they could sleep in it tonight. I told him maybe and this is the conversation I heard from inside the tent:

Maggie Anne: YES!
Dalton: She said maybe, that's not a yes.
Maggie Anne: It's not a no, and with mama, that's a yes.
Dalton: Well, if you nag her, it will definitely be a no.

Jessie Anne decided to help out with the mowing this morning. Yep, we are starting her early!

Tovolo Mixing Spoons

Growing up as a wooden spoon devotee, I was very slow to change. But I do like silicone cooking utensils. A while back I came across the Tovolo mixing spoons on Zulily.com. I ordered 3 of them. Stainless steel handles with silicone spoons. I LOVE these things! I stalked Zulily until I found some more. My collection grew by 6 when I found them on the Zulily 4th of July sale. I branched out and got the longer red spoon and the two spatulas on the end (fabulous spatulas that are nice and flexible).

Missing from this picture is the hot pink one I am using to cook dinner tonight. I ventured onto their website - www.tovolo.com - and they have all sorts of cool kitchen gadgets. Check them out!

The kids LOVE the hot tub at their grandparents' house. Unfortunately, they LOVE to get into it naked!

I never know how it is going to go with Jessie around babies (especially those that are getting her mama's attention). She wanted to get up close to her cousin Gabe and pat him on the back just like she had seen all the grownups doing. They were checking each other out pretty good.

While he wouldn't admit it aloud, Dalton knew that he was going to miss his sister so he snuggled with her while she napped. 

On the ride home from Louisiana last night, Maggie Anne asked if she could turn on her light in the back seat. We asked her not to because it made it hard for her daddy to see. Here is the conversation that followed:

Boyd: What if a bear runs out in the road?
Maggie: It's night time! All the bears are sleeping!
Boyd: Well, what if a chicken runs out in the road?
Maggie: Ahhhh . . . just hit it!

Maggie Anne just proudly showed her daddy her new "Cracks." We have to keep reminding her that they are crocks, not cracks.