Back to the grind

The big kids have started school (3rd and 1st grades) and Bankston Hays (3 yr old Preschool) starts tomorrow. We are excited about the new year - new teachers, new friends, new things to learn! To celebrate the first day of school we had a special treat as an afternoon snack.

I am kinda on a recipe kick, so I'll share one that caught my attention :) I first saw this recipe on a blog I can no longer find, but great old Google read between my search words and lead me right to an almost identical dessert (if not the same recipe)!

Frozen Caramel Toffee Ice Cream Dessert

1 box Ice Cream Sandwiches

1 jar Hot Fudge

1 jar Caramel

12 oz. Cool Whip

Toffee Bits

Unwrap ice cream sandwiches and layer bottom of casserole dish (1 sandwich thick). Top ice cream sandwiches with Cool Whip. Heat hot fudge in microwave until runny and drizzle on top of Cool Whip. Drizzle caramel on top of Cool Whip. Sprinkle Cool Whip with toffee bits. Then layer with ice cream sandwiches, Cool Whip, hot fudge and caramel. Top with toffee bits. Freeze until ready to serve.

This dessert was super easy and super yummy! Throwing in different nuts - peanuts, pecans, almonds - would be good, too :)

Celebrating Kris!

Yesterday was Kris' birthday! The kids and I were excited to celebrate such a great husband/daddy. Kris and I went to see Harry Potter the night before (for our anniversary), so his big day did not entail too many great or exciting plans. However, we kept with our tradition and celebrated lunch with a few friends at our our house. The tradition includes Kris choosing the lunch menu - I'll make whatever he wants ;) The kids love this - always putting in their suggestions.

Birthday Lunch Menu

Shrimp Lasagna (A dish my mom makes that we LOVE - rumors hace it that my brother requested the same meal for his birthday a few weeks ago! The link takes you to a similar recipe I found online.)

Spinach Salad

Sister Schubert Rolls

Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding

I did not take any pictures of his special day, but I thought I'd share two of the recipes with you. Both are DEE-LISH!

(photo credits)

Shrimp Lasagna

12 oz. Angel Hair Pasta

15 oz. jar Chunky Salsa

1 lb. bag Shrimp (frozen, tiny)

8 oz. Mozzarella

Mix:

2 large Eggs

1 cup Evaporated Milk

1 cup Yogurt (plain)

8 oz. Feta Cheese (crumbled)

8 oz. Swiss Cheese

1 tsp. Parsley

1 tsp. Basil

1 tsp. Oregano

2 tsp. Garlic (minced)

Spray 9x13 pan with Pam.

Layer from bottom to top:

1/2 of Pasta

Salsa

1/2 of Shrimp

Remaining Pasta

Yogurt Mixture

Remaining Shrimp

Mozzarella

(photo from Flickr)

Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding

2 bags Pepperidge Farms Chessman Cookies

6 to 8 Bananas (sliced)

2 cups Milk

5 oz. box Instant French Vanilla Pudding

8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)

14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk

12 oz. Cool Whip

Line the bottom of a 9x13 dish with Chessman Cookies. Layer bananas on top. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

13 Years

(these young faces were headed out to begin the journey of life together)

HAPPY 13th ANNIVERSARY, Kris!

So glad to be doing life with my best friend! It's been wonderful - marriage is a JOY :)

S-L-O-W-L-Y

We are s-l-o-w-l-y getting things back in order after returning from nearly two weeks in China. Kris and I are both dealing with jetlag, but our family routine still calls :) The big kids register/meet their teacher for 3rd and 1st grades tomorrow morning. All the school supplies are purchased and labeled. Their uniforms are washed, ironed, and hanging in the closet. I have been making notes on afternoon snack ideas. And I have a new routine/chore chart brewing in my head. Guess those last four sentences mean a new school year is upon us!

Once this week gets going I'll blog about our amazing trip and the experiences God granted. But before I get busy with that I'll be blogging about TWO very important days!