Easy No Chill Sugar Cookies

I made these last week and they turned out excellent! You don't have to chill the cookie dough.  They won't work well with cookie cutters but they spread out nicely on the pan and taste really good.


You will need:
2 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla


I sprinkled some colored sugar crystals in just for fun too but you don't have to.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl
In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla
Blend in dry ingredients
Bake 8-10 mins or until edges begin to brown 

Super Easy Apple Crisp

This is a pretty simple recipe for a delicious apple crisp.




You will need:

6 apples, peeled & cored
1 c. water
1 package white cake mix
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter (melted)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Arrange apples in single layer in pan
Pour in water
Mix cake mix, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter in a bowl
Sprinkle mixture over apples (will be crumbly)
Bake 50-55 minutes


Note: This apple crisp comes out very sweet - I sometimes cut the brown sugar down to 3/4 cup.

The Story Of Acrylic Teeth..

Before I get going on this true story - I have to stress that desperate things are done during desperate times.  What this means is - just because there were no adverse effects in this particular case doesn't mean there wouldn't be for someone else. 


It started in the late 60's or early 70's when my dads sister shoved him during a race to be the one who would sit in the front seat of the car.  BAM! My dads face hit the ground and it broke out both of his permanent top front teeth.


He had posts and caps put in and very rarely ever had any problems with them until this one particular day when they completely broke and there was no fixing them.  It happened on a weekend when his dentist was not available.  It was really bothering him and making him really self conscious so I brainstormed and told him to come on up to my house.


When he got here, I presented him with my DIY acrylic nail set. (They use acrylic in your mouth in dentistry - but I'm sure it usually isn't Kiss Nails brand.) At first I think he thought I was crazy but  I proceeded to trim down two fake nails and shape them with a sanding tool until they were "teeth shaped" and then the fun began.  We tried and tried to glue them with super glue to the next teeth over, on the posts, etc with no luck.  We were both tired and kept laughing - as it isn't every day you do this kind of thing.


Finally, when we didn't think it was going to work at all - he said, "okay, just glue them in right at the top."  There was a very very small part of the original teeth there I decided to try to glue to so he laid on my kitchen floor and I super-glued the "nails" into his mouth.  
They seemed to stick pretty well and I knew if I got a good coat of acrylic over them they would probably stay.  


Now, do me a favor...picture your dad, laying on your kitchen floor at 10pm, with paper towels stuffed in his mouth too keep the saliva away, holding his upper lip up off of his teeth as you paint on them and he waits for the acrylic to dry.  It was hysterical and we still laugh about it. 


Anyways, those "teeth" ended up working out great, and lasted over a month with only one touch up needed when he felt they were a little loose.  Nobody ever noticed, even his close friends didn't believe him when he told them! His dentist got a kick out of it and said he had had other patients make similar attempts but never had one have it actually work out.  I don't do my nails anymore, but I did keep what's left of the set and I have acrylic on hand..you know, just in case.  :)

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Ever...

I have the pickiest husband ever.  This means for the first several years of our marriage I didn't need to learn how to cook.  Now that our kids aren't babies anymore - I'm slowly learning a few things but I like finding recipes that are super simple sometimes.  I came across this recipe online - I'm not taking credit for it, just passing it along.  I have made them and they are great for how simple and quick they are!


Ready? Don't hurt yourself, now!


You will need
1 c. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 c. sugar
1 egg


Ya put 'em in a bowl and ya mix 'em all around - that's what it's all about (sing to Hokey Pokey tune - really...or the cookies won't come out right.)


Place by rounded teaspoon on a cookie sheet and flatten with the tines of a fork to make the famous peanut butter cookie crisscrosses.


Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  Voila!  
*UPDATE... These may not take quite 10 minutes - check them at 8 minutes to be sure they're not burning.*

(not my cookies my food never looks this perfect!)

"Singing with the Buttons." - A Family Story

I have lots of fond memories of my grandparents but one of my very very favorite treasured memories is spending many Christmas Eve's with them.


About a week or two before Christmas, for several years, I always spent a day with Grandma and we would make wintergreen candies from scratch.  These are mostly powdered sugar and water from what I recall - and you added some oil of wintergreen and red food coloring and rolled it out.  After that, we always used the tops to salt and pepper shakers to cut out perfect little circles.  They then went one by one onto big wax papered baking sheets and into Grandma's back room to cure.

Christmas Eve night my whole family and my grandparents and usually at least fifteen or more other family members (we're a huge family) would get together at their house.  There was always a big table of snacks and usually sandwich fixins' and candies and nuts.  We would all eat and then, every year my Grandpa and uncles would play their guitars and we'd all sing Christmas songs and hymns for probably a good hour or more.  As a little child I loved this.  As a pre-teen all that singing seemed a little corny, but you know as I grew up I looked so forward to "singing with the Buttons."


My Grandma Button passed away on December 11, 2008. The last time I saw her was a week or so before that.  She was in her home on her couch and a lot of family members had come into town because we knew she was not going to survive.  It was our evening to pretty much say our goodbyes to her.  She was conscious but quiet for the most part. At some point someone suggested we sing for Grandma and about twenty or so adults and many of our children were jam-packed into Grandma and Grandpa's living room.  We sang lots of hymns and some Christmas songs to try and comfort Grandma and she mouthed most of the words as she laid there listening.


My husband was ready to get our kids home and in their beds so we said our goodbyes and drove the 20 or so miles home.  The minute we got in the driveway I decided I needed to go back.  My husband took the kids inside and I headed back down to that house.  I needed comfort as well.  I needed to be there with my family and "sing with the Buttons."


After my Grandma passed away, my Grandpa took some time to really enjoy things.  He did a lot of traveling and visited various places doing what he loved the most - spreading the word of God and singing.


After a triple bypass surgery complication in May of this year, my Grandpa spent several months in the hospital.  He never got to go back home to his house, but he did go to be with his Lord and Savior on October 1, 2011.  He had planned most of his funeral during his hospital stay and of course - there was lots of singing.


As Christmas draws near, I find myself thinking about them a lot - wishing I could flash back in time to make one more batch of wintergreen candies with Grandma, give both Grandma and Grandpa a big hug, and spend one more Christmas Eve "singing with the Buttons". 


Click Here To View A Memory Slideshow - by Anna Yasharian

Precocious Puberty? What?

This may not be of any interest to you whatsoever... it wouldn't have been to me if someone had posted it a few years ago - but I think it is important for people to know that it does in fact exist. Some of you already know - but others may not and it could happen to your children or future children so I'm writing in in hopes to help someone out.

My daughter, at 3 years old was diagnosed with precocious puberty.
This means - early onset of pubertal development...
It can be caused by the pituitary gland simply working much before it should.
Other causes are brain tumor, ovarian cysts, or exposure to estrogen via topical ointments or if a child got hold of birth control pills, etc.

I have not divulged the details of her story to very many.. but here we go..

My little girl was chunky when she was a baby ... always off the charts for her height and weight (but proportionate)..

The summer I realized something was wrong I noticed that when she would play outside and come in - she had smelly underarms. Not like... sweaty kid smell - like adult smell. Worse than I would smell if I forgot deodorant for a day!
I didn't think this was normal. Soon after, I started noticing other developments which would be normal in a much older child - but certainly not a 3 year old, so I made her a doctor's appointment.

I first found out about precocious puberty at the appointment. I was told the possible causes - and told that if we did not find out what her particular cause was - she could start menstruation cycles as early as 4 years old. She was scheduled for an ultra-sound, an MRI, bloodwork, and an x-ray to determine her bone age due to her already starting her growth spurt.

She did great for the ultra-sound other than a little discomfort because she had to have a full bladder. The MRI she did really good - I was SO proud of her. For those who have not had an MRI - it involves laying inside a claustrophobic "tunnel" in a huge machine that makes SUPER loud noises and you have to lay completely still as it takes pictures of your brain. At one point she said - "Mommy, I'm getting a little afraid in here." But she did wonderful.

The xray was obviously no big deal either.

Waiting to find out if your 3 year old has a brain tumor isn't fun. Especially considering my mom and grandmother both had one. It was normal, as was the ultrasound.

Her bone age, according to her x-rays, was 7 years, 10 months. This means her bones at the age of 3, were the size of and formed as those of a girl 7 years and 10 months old should be.

We were sent to an endocrinologist in February 2009 at the Joslin Center in Syracuse - who then referred us to a Pediatric Surgeon. There are 2 types of treatment for CPP (Central Precocious Puberty - meaning that there is no other explanation besides her brain is telling her much to early to develop)

Treatment option #1 involves a monthly injection which is very painful. This injects medicine which counteracts the hormones being secreted by the brain to slow or suppress the development.

Treatment option #2 is an implant. This works much the same way but is time released and full of enough counteracting hormone to last for approximately 12 months.

After discussing and researching both options, we decided to opt for the Supprelin Implant.It is about 1 centimeter long and slightly smaller than the diameter of one of those small glow sticks you get at the fair.

On May 4th, 2009 we went to Syracuse for her procedure. She was put under (was really hard for me to watch!) and the procedure took about 15 - 20 minutes. She came out grumpy and said her arm hurt - but by the time we were part way home she wanted McDonald's and didn't say anything more.

That following Tuesday, we went back for follow-up with Dr. Sills. We went over the results from her bloodwork in February. The luteinizing hormone, which is a pubertal hormone, was detected as 2.3. This hormone should be undetectable in a 3 year old. I asked the doctor at what age 2.3 would be a normal level and she said it would be normal in a 10-11 year old female. They drew some more blood so that we can be sure that the implant is functioning correctly. Lena had no problem with them drawing blood she said "ouch!" and that was it.

This will be an annual thing until she is old enough to continue developing where she left off. She is now 6 and is on her 3rd one. Each time it has gone smoothly with no issues and the implant has done it's job. We are anticipating that this will be her last implant.

I am handling it all okay. I am thankful for the Upstate Medical Team. Sometimes it is hard to explain to people and seems almost a little embarrassing to talk about - but in reality - it could happen to any one of your children and I am hoping that my blog will help someone else and let them know they aren't alone, or maybe you have a friend with a child who has some of these issues. They need to be taken care of. Not only would it be a serious social issue to be the the only Kindergartner wearing a bra - it can have health consequences as well as children who are left untreated can end up being of extremely short stature due to growing so quickly as a young child.

I thank God she is as sociable and outgoing as she is. She won't tolerate being picked on as the kid who is 6 inches taller than the average kid her age... (she is now 6 and is 70lbs and 48in tall)...she also has lost many of her baby teeth already and recently got braces because her front teeth came in very crooked! She is not shy or embarrassed about her implant - she will happily show you the scar. (At one point she thought it was going to make her stay 3 forever. :-))

If someone you know has any type of similar issues going on with their child - feel free to share this. It's nice to find someone who's in the same boat.