I feel like I figured this out way too late in life, but I will now always use an ice cream scoop for making cupcakes or muffins. Made things so much quicker and cleaner. I know I'm way to excited about this, but trust me, it will totally change your life . . . or at least the way you make cupcakes. :-)

Question 1: Why do I follow ANY instruction in a recipe to place item on non-greased cooking surface?????

Question 2: Why do ANY recipes still have this instruction?????

Just made a fabulous cookie mix. Really fantastic . . . or at least the top halves are delicious that did not stick to my non-stick cookie sheet (seriously?).

Maggie and Dalton love to torment each other. From what I hear, that's what siblings do. On the way home tonight, it was the first time that Maggie Anne actually mastered the "Copy Me" game on Dalton and it was completely driving him nuts. She was copying his inflections and everything. My favorite was when he said, "I'm SOOOO going to get you when I get home!" She copied him and I thought his head was going to explode! It was hard not to laugh.

I LOVE IT! Dalton is at a stage where he doesn't like to be kissed (hoping that sticks around for a while). Anyway, Maggie Anne will chase him around the house threatening to kiss him. Tonight she outsmarted him. She would kiss her fingers, then touch each finger to the back of his head while he was playing. She's content to have her quiet victory, so he hasn't caught on yet.

You gotta look kind of close. Somehow my kids managed to get a relatively large duck-shaped sponge shoved down into an empty soft soap bottle. No one will fess up to it. I think that they think they will be in trouble when we are just admiring their work.

Jessie Anne does not want to be left behind when her brother and sister go for a ride.

Found another surprise Maggie Anne picture on my phone.

Last night we were watching a new Dora that Maggie Anne had been looking forward to for a couple of weeks (blasted commercials start months in advance just to torment parents). In true Dora fashion, there were some odd moments in this episode, particularly when a skateboard and scooter came out of a random log and cave in the middle of the woods.

Boyd was walking through right about that time. He looked at me and asked, "What are these people on?"

Not aware that the question was not directed at her, Maggie Anne answered, "Skates!"

Tonight at bedtime, Maggie Anne had a small glass of ice water. When we got to her bed, she told me that the ice will melt tonight. Thinking that I might have a teaching moment, I asked her what we froze to make ice.

Her response . . . the ice maker.

I did a segment on our local news morning show this morning promoting my coffee shop at work. When Dalton got home, he told me that he waved at me when he saw me on the news, but I must not have been looking at the camera because I did not see him.

Ben E. King's Stand by Me has been in Maggie Anne's goodnight song rotation for a couple of years now. Tonight, she sang along with me. So cute, but she really put some soul into it. My favorite good night song ever.

Maggie Anne and I were on one of her many trips to the bathroom this weekend during tailgating. We were alone and I was a couple of stalls over when I heard Maggie Anne starting to recite, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America . . ." She continued on and on. When she hesitated, I had no choice, but go help her out and get her back on track.

She was quite proud of herself!

I am in so much trouble. Maggie Anne just got mad at Dalton at the dinner table. She stood up in her chair and yelled, "Do you want me to take off my panties!?!"

This elicited the appropriate appalled reply from her brother not to, but my point stands. We are in so . . . much . . . trouble!

I am making cake balls for the Tech game this weekend (red velvet/cream cheese icing inside with blue coating), so Maggie, Jessie and I had to run into Michaels to get the candy chips and color for the coating. The kids have been very anxious to help with this project.

Well, the girls and I had loaded back into the car and were heading home when Maggie Anne asked me something. I didn't quite hear her, so I asked her to speak up. She loudly asked, "Mama, can I help you with your balls when we get home?" We were stopped at a red light and I just looked at her in the rearview mirror. It took about 30 seconds and her repeating the question twice more for it to dawn on me that she was talking about the cake balls. She totally lost me there for a minute. :-)

I'll post these if they turn out good.