Finally Four

Today  is Daisy's birthday.  I still love telling the story of how she came about.  I was indexing one day right after moving to Memphis and came across the name Daisy.  I stopped, thought 'what a cute name for a little girl' and right then I saw her with her blond hair, blue eyes, cute pigtails, and she was just toddling around the house.  I just saw her and knew we were supposed to have a baby, that it would be a girl, and we were to name her Daisy.  Needless to say, Ben thought I was CRAZY but that isn't the first time (or the last) that he has thought that.  We had decided to NOT have another kid until after his first year of school.  I told him we were supposed to, he said I was crazy.  Two weeks later it was General Conference weekend and Sister Beck got up to deliver her talk 'Mothers Who Know'.  She specifically said "Mothers who know have children."  Ben was in the other room trying to nap with Kaylee and I yelled for him to come in.  He yelled for me to turn it off :)  Then we came to an agreement that if it was really, really meant to be he would give me one shot.  ONE shot.  I agreed because I knew we were supposed to have this little girl.  Sure enough we knew by Thanksgiving that we were pregnant.  No one else knew about it but we did!  And that is how Daisy came to be and how by fulfilling your church callings you can be blessed in ways that seem totally unrelated to your calling but yet change your life.  Daisy was the perfect name, too.  She really is a social, happy girl just like a daisy flower.  Neither of her grandparents had a birthday gift picked out for her yesterday and I spent all day finding a new bed set for her (she has spent the last year without any sheets or comforter).  After searching all the stores and debating over which would be best I finally just got her a comforter covered in pink and yellow daisies.  I bought her the matching sheets and so from her grandparents she got a cute new bed covered in daisies.  I love it, I love that her name is Daisy so anything daisy-related goes to her, and I love having her as my own Daisy.  Who needs flowers when you have her??  

Creative Kids

I've said before that I have a wonderful cookbook full of southern food.  I love it.  It has sentimental value to me (and there are not a lot of things that do) and whenever I make something from I am 1-so excited, 2-always love it, and 3-full and fat at the end.  Pretty much anything Southern is bad for a diet but I do love it.  This last week I made a Strawberry cobbler FROM SCRATCH that was so good.  I even got to use my new ramekins!!  I've been wanting to use them ever since I got them at Christmas and this was their maiden voyage.  So cute.  I love ramekins.  I'm going to start looking for more of them while yard selling.

Filling

1 C Sugar

1/4 C all-purpose flour

5 C fresh or 2 (14oz packages) frozen blackberries (I used strawberries), thawed and drained

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Combine sugar and flour; add berries and toss well. (If using frozen increase flour to 1/3 cup). Sprinkle with lemon juice then spoon into a greased 8 or 9-inch square dish.

Crust

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 C shortening

1/2 C whipping cream

1/2 C buttermilk (I used regular milk)

Combine first four ingredients; cut in shortening  until mixture is crumbly.  Stir in whipping cream and milk just until blended.  Spoon over filling in 9 mounds.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar.  Bake uncovered at 425 for 30 mins or until brown and bubbly.  It will not take that long if you are using ramekins though.  I topped it off with homemade whipped cream! 

The other day Heidi brought home a napkin from school and quickly turned it into a dress for her barbie.  If that isn't the epitome of turning trash into treasure I don't know what is.  She was quite proud of herself and said, "Mom you should put this on pinterest.  This is a great idea."  I love Heidi.  How do you keep a straight face when she says that?  Being a supportive mother I promptly agreed, took pictures, and will be pinning this to me pinterest boards.  People may decide to stop following me but I will take that chance for Heidi. (PS-That scroll thing on Snow White is even the graduation decoration that came with the cupcakes...nothing goes to waste at our house!!)

The kids still have another whole week of school.  I'm excited for it to be over but then again we are still in our apartment complex which means I will be spending the rest of the month hauling bikes up and down the stairs, hauling the kids to parks because we have no yard to play, and pretty much refereeing between Kaylee and Heidi, Kaylee and Daisy and Kaylee and me for the next three months. Hopefully we will not spend much of summer in the apartments but will finally be able to move into a house again.  When that happens I plan to find a lawn chair at a yard sale and set up camp in the yard with a good book while the kids just play and explore.  I can't wait.