more matt madness

really just a bunch of pictures from our few days of February fun celebrating Matt.... big brother's gifts always come with lots of layers....

and another...

last one...

well worth it!

somehow when the kids opt for no birthday party...

what was once thought to be a cost effective plan...

becomes kinda costly...

bring on the dragon sushi

add a little Sherlock Holmes...

a quick meet up with Mam and Pap....

for even more...

he loves golf balls...

especially when the box is loaded with some cash...

as always... - it was FUN celebrating YOU my boy!!

field trip...what is that?

Some of our best memories as a home school family are going on field trips. If we don't take advantage of getting out behind the desk (kitchen table) every now and then I think we miss out on great learning experiences, SEEING what we are reading about and just re-enforcing that learning is fun and is all over life!

Well, with one in highschool on a traditional schedule, offering me less flexibility, my 3rd and 5th grader have been a little cheated.

I am going to play some catch up with Matt and Bria over this last quarter and get out more. We plan a Legoland day, Balboa Park day, a visit to the Inland Valley symphony and Huntington Library...'cause those are just a few of my favorite places :)

A few weeks ago we took off to Forest Lawn in Glendale. My first visit and I never knew that the "builders creed" for this memorial includes the idea of bringing the beauty of our historic world to the lawn. The mosoleum has replications of several Michalangelo sculptures and Leonardo's Last Suppper on stained glass. Our visit included a show featuring the two artists in costume talking about their lives in Italy and what was going on when creating their most famous works of art. Well worth the trip. It is an excellent presentation they do throughout the year.

After meeting Da Vinci in real life, I gave Matt a little kit and he was able to build the artists version of the flying machine.

Since we were in the LA area we took the chance to eat at the German deli Schreiners in Montrose.

Over half of Bria's sausage went home to big brother!

I Heart Saturday....and then some more

....this is my friend Bria (totally ripped off her name to give to my girl)

We grew up together as she is the little sister to my best friend through jr high and beyond.

Now she is a loving mommy and has a much more grown up blog than me.

Her blog is called.....and then some more

Love what she says about HOPE ....and many other topics like motherhood, marriage and her walk with God.

Totally did not ask her permission to do this...so I will go do that right now...hee hee

great read aloud...

Vinegar Boy -



We are enjoying reading this aloud with Matt and Bria. Really takes them to the events surrounding Christ on the cross.

I Heart Saturday AND......mancala

I love it 'cause they get it out so often and play it in the early mornings or just before bed....

it's one of the few games they play where they are quiet and don't end up fighting!

I Heart Saturday AND.....avila beach

soon I will be running along this beach....

staying at this cute mex-boutique hotel....

sitting on this bed with my laptop...

watching this news channel...

and hopefully getting lots of work done so that I can enjoy these guys the rest of the week...

the big One Six

We surprised him! He loved it.
I dig my 16 year old....

Yes, this was back in January,
but never got to posting the
pictures.

Thought I better before I put more of Matt's birthday.

See, the kids have me running in circles in life AND on my blog

my middle guy is 11 today!

I have an awesome 11 year old boy. Can't we all be middle children?

I think I would have more friends.

Something extra sweet about his temperment.

We call him the "simple man"

Most birthdays he chooses a day at Knott's that always ends in Boysenberry Pie.

This year...

he simply asked to see the snow.

We got nervous about the wind and possible need for chains.

We owe him a day.


Last week we took a pre-birthday trip - just the two of us.

I took him to Fresno with me for work.

Not quite Disneyland with mom but we sure had a great time.

He got a new DS game, a great lunch and Starbucks 2 times!

We had lots and lots of laughs and listened to Hobbit on CD and some great music.



12 hours alone with one of your kids is a wonderful gift.

Happy Birthday Matt!

I.O.U. a SNOW DAY!!

highway 99

sure signs....

that you are...

on...

highway 99

I Heart Saturday AND....ratatouille

We love the movie Ratatouille!

Matt has been bugging me to make it for months!

We found the real recipe used in the movie, a Thomas Keller recipe, and went for it! It was so yummy. Crazy good flavors.

I think the kids were all disappointed that it was literally ALL vegies.

but fun to assemble and they ate it anyway ;)

I Heart Saturday AND......bria's cooking club

This girl loves to work in the kitchen. But, more than that, she really loves being with friends.

She has been reading a book series from the library about a 3rd grade girl that has a cooking club. We had our first club meeting today and since it was Valentine weekend, we made lovely cake balls.

The recipe we used was from Bakerella

We made them with white chocolate and added pink and red heart sprinkles.

It was fun and the girls cannot wait until the next one!

oil temps

How did other generations of mothers know things without Yahoo?

The higher an oil’s smoke point, the higher the temperature the oil can withstand. As a result, each type of oil should be used for the cooking method that is most appropriate to its individual smoke point and heat tolerance. Here is a quick guide for the next time you reach for your favorite oil.

Heat During Cooking	Oil	Best Use
No-Heat	Flaxseed	Salads
Low to Moderate	Coconut	Baking (low heat) Light Sautéing Pressure Cooking Salads
	Corn
	Olive
	Peanut
	Sesame
	Walnut
Medium Heat	Macadamia Nut	Baking (medium heat) Sautéing Stir-Fry
	Safflower
	Canola
High Heat	Avocado	Deep Browning Deep-Frying Searing
	Grapeseed
	Sunflower
	Soybean / Soy

Note that the above table represents oils that are refined. Most oils we buy are refined. Refined oils tend to have much higher smoke points than their unrefined counterparts. They also differ in nutrition and flavor. Unrefined oils are more nutritious (some of oils’ nutrients are removed during the refining process) and they tend to be much richer in flavor. For instance, unrefined peanut oil will smell and taste just like peanuts, while refined peanut oil will have a lighter smell and taste.

When it comes to extremely high heat cooking, always choose oils which are refined. If, however, you are anxious to have a salad with a rich taste, splurge on the unrefined variety if your palate so desires!

I Heart Saturday AND....ready to brew

Just for fun: How many milligrams of caffeine in an 8 ounce cup

Starbucks Coffee Grande - straight up black - 300

McDonald's Coffee - small - last resort - 100

My Starbucks Verona drip coffee - from home- 135

VIA Instant - about 80

hello buttercup

When I was a student a Westmont College in Santa Barbara I had two great jobs. WAYyy back in 1987 when you went to chapel you had to handWRITE your student ID number on a blue card. My job was to input the student ID numbers into a computer. I got maybe $25 per week. Money for Penguins Frozen Yogurt.

I also worked at a little church. The First Christian Church in Santa Barbara. A historic little church in the center of downtown. Cool old pews and stained-glass windows.

The ad asked for a student at the college to teach the children's church every Sunday. The church consisted of mostly older folks but of course there were a few young families with kids. They would pay $250 per month.

I took on the job. They said that one of the couples from the church would pick me up at Westmont early Sunday morning to bring me to the church. I remember waiting outside the front of Clark dorm area until this ADORABLE elderly couple pulled up.

When they pulled up, I got in the car and they were very lovely and friendly. When we got to the church they really took me under their wing. They began to introduce me to the other families in the church.

My maiden name is Butterfield.

Somehow they thought my last name was Buttercup.

They started telling everyone that was my name. I did not correct them.

It all happened so fast.

All the way back to campus they talked all about what an unusual last name I had. How they had never met a Buttercup before, and on and on.

I said not a word.

So, for the rest of the year I was Paula Buttercup.

I was driving around downtown Santa Barbara this past month and I drove past this cafe.




Paradise Cafe is where a sweet elderly couple and Princess Buttercup ate after church on Sundays during the school year of 1987-1988.
They always treated. It still makes me smile.