Getting back into the groove

Hello, world! We had a great break with my family in CA, and the vacation flew by. The kids did much better on this trip, huge sigh of relief. We stopped once in Barstow, and made our way down to Orange County. I guess it is true that the older the kids get, the better they handle road trips. Ethan was much better. Kevin was fussy at times, but he’s a baby, of course! The TVs were a great help. After watching Aladdin for a bit, Ethan enjoyed some Finding Nemo. Shaun and I had fun trying to hear Captain Barbossa’s voice in the main pelican. (One actor, two VERY different roles:)

I will post pics and do more details next time. Oh, one crazy highlight; we ran out of gas on the heavy freeway outside of Los Angeles! Insane!! Apparently, our car doesn’t have a light that comes on or lets you know when its REALLY empty. It just died, so Shaun parked the car on the off ramp. We strapped the boys into the stroller, (thank goodness we had that!) and made our way up to a gas station just off the freeway. I almost saw a golden halo around it, so grateful that it was right there.  I was scared that we would have to walk in the street and get hit, but there was a slab of sidewalk to walk on. The kids ate snacks and happily watched all the cars whiz by as Shaun pushed them. Got a overpriced gas can, made the trek back, and were on the road again. I just laughed that it happened, and we will be more careful with the gas next time:)

I’m just finding that its a little hard to get back into the swing of things after a fun break. Yesterday, I felt so sluggish. I have wedding pics to finish editing, meal planning to do, and I’m just slowly getting there. Do you find that happens to you after a trip? Man!

Lastly, here is a great recipe for some yummy treats. The ingredients are so simple, and the result is heaven. The first time I didn’t do it right. I only put the sugar coating on top of the muffins. Last night, I rolled the entire muffin in butter, then rolled it all over in the coating. I almost died, they were so wonderful. Just a fun treat:)

Muffins that taste like doughnuts from Tasty Kitchen

• 1-¾ cup Flour
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ⅓ cups Oil
• ¾ cups White Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• ¾ cups Milk
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• ¼ cups Butter
• ⅓ cups White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.