And the winner is ...

Tarrah at The Pottery Shed

Just let me know where to send 'em and they'll be on their way this week, Tarrah!

Summertime Sweetness Bowl Fillers
{(2) large sunflowers, (2) crows, and (5) mini melons}

Star-Spangled Summertime Bowl Fillers
{(3) flags, (4) mini melons, and (2) mini stars}



A huge 'thank you' to everyone for your kind comments and enthusiasm. Let's do this again soon...

Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Welcome friends, newbies, followers, and readers! It's time for more weekly recipe swapping fun. Feel free to share any and all family favorites here until 11 PM Sunday evening (EST).

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If you'd like to participate, simply write up your post and leave the link here with MckLinky. Please remember to mention my name and link to my blog within your posts as well. And feel free to grab the Colleen's Kitchen button above for your posts and/or sidebar. Thanks for joining in! It's been such fun pouring over the weekly entries...

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:: Check out more recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge ::

Summertime means berries ... lots and lots of fresh, plump, and beautiful berries. We all have our own personal favorites, of course ... but the truth is they're all a huge hit here anytime. Todd, however, loves blackberries most of all ... and this is a dessert I make especially for him. It's simple, quick, and delightfully delicious. A real homemade, family-style favorite.

Cobblestone Blackberry Pudding
(based on a recipe from Cobblestone Farms)

1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups blackberries

2 cups boiling water
1 cup sugar

Cream the butter and one cup of the sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Add flour mixture and milk to the creamed sugar and butter. Pour into a lightly greased 3-quart baking pan. Arrange the blackberries over the top. Drizzle a mixture of two cups boiling water and the remaining one cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake at 350º for 50-60 minutes or until top is golden brown.

(click here for printable recipe)

Thanks, as always, for joining in the recipe-related fun. Have a safe, memorable, and festive weekend with your families and friends. Summer, it seems, is on its way...

{embrace the camera: day 4}

When I read about Emily's week-long photo challenge, I knew I needed to participate. At least once. I'm a little late to the party, but I'm here. Whew!

Like so many moms, I'm totally guilty of spending far too much time behind the camera instead of in front of it. I would much rather take pictures than be in them. And I've been known to destroy a photo or two (or dozens!) over the years.

Sound familiar? Are you a member of this terrible little club too?

But Emily explained this aversion away so beautifully. Yes ... as women we see all of our little flaws ... and we cringe. But our kids see us. They see the moms they love ... warm, comforting, beautiful, ever-present. They don't care about wrinkles, bad hair days, or a few extra pounds. And they deserve to have at least a few pictures of us kicking around, don't they? If only to have tangible proof that we weren't always scurrying around behind the scenes, desperately avoiding the camera.

So ... with one very sweet boy in hand, I grabbed my camera and captured this everyday moment tonight. And I am so glad I did. Thanks for the nudge, Emily!

Won't you join me?

Sweet Summertime Salt Dough Giveaway

That's right, friends ... it's time for yet another salt dough-themed giveaway here at And Baby Makes Five. Here's what I'm offering to one lucky winner in celebration of all the summertime sweetness that is but weeks away:

Summertime Sweetness Bowl Fillers
{(2) large sunflowers, (2) crows, and (5) mini melons}



... AND ...





Star-Spangled Summertime Bowl Fillers
{(3) flags, (4) mini melons, and (2) mini stars}

If you'd like to enter, simply leave me a comment for this post only and I'll have the kids choose a winner on Monday, May 31st.

Thanks, as always, for making this such a sweet and rewarding space. Good Luck!

Cheap Sheep Makeover

I thought this little guy had potential when I brought him home for $1.00 on Saturday:

A little paint, some light sanding, and a few minutes' time made all the difference:

Yep ... the perfect little makeover project for a crazy hot and humid day ... in May. I hope you're all staying cool and busy this week! Thanks, as always, for popping in.

Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Welcome friends, newbies, followers, and readers! It's time for more weekly recipe swapping fun. Feel free to share any and all family favorites here until 11 PM Sunday evening (EST).

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

If you'd like to participate, simply write up your post and leave the link here with MckLinky. Please remember to mention my name and link to my blog within your posts as well. And feel free to grab the Colleen's Kitchen button above for your posts and/or sidebar. Thanks for joining in! It's been such fun pouring over the weekly entries...

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

:: Check out more recipe swapping goodness at The Grocery Cart Challenge ::

Well, folks ... it doesn't get any easier (or more versatile) than this one. If you're a fan of cream cheese danish or toaster pastries, then this is the go-to breakfast treat for you. It was a huge hit here this week ... almost like having dessert for breakfast. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Breakfast Pastry

(adapted from a Recipezaar recipe)

2 (8 oz.) cans Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

1/2-3/4 cup jam

Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease 9 x 13 pan and unroll one sheet of crescents. Press into bottom of pan, sealing seams, and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until well-blended. Spread evenly over crescent rolls. Top with jam, spreading out evenly, and cover with remaining sheet of crescent rolls.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle over pastry and bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, slice, and serve.

Note: This is a good base recipe with many possible variations. Try sliced fruit or berries in place of jam or use a flavored cream cheese. Or drizzle with powdered sugar glaze in lieu of the cinnamon butter. Good served warm or cold from the fridge.

(click here for printable recipe)

Thanks, as always, for joining in the recipe swapping fun. Have a fabulous weekend!

Pretty in Pink ... and Green

... and the painting continues!

Like so many of you, Todd and I appreciate a good yard sale find. Especially when it's something that can be refreshed and personalized with a few coats of paint. This little beauty was originally a very dark brown, but the size, shape, and lines were perfect. (And so was the price!) It's been sitting in our basement for an embarrassingly long time now, but soon we'll be installing it upstairs in Michaela's bedroom ... where it will join two other very well-loved yard sale finds (that used to be electric blue!):

Hurray for paint ... and yard sale season! What's on your "must find" list this summer???

Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap

Welcome friends, newbies, followers, and readers! It's time for more weekly recipe swapping fun. Feel free to share any and all family favorites here until 11 PM Sunday evening (EST).

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

If you'd like to participate, simply write up your post and leave the link here with MckLinky. Please remember to mention my name and link to my blog within your posts as well. And feel free to grab the Colleen's Kitchen button above for your posts and/or sidebar. Thanks for joining in! It's been such fun pouring over the weekly entries...

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

:: Check out more recipe swapping goodness at The Grocery Cart Challenge ::

If you're a fan of this dip or this pizza, then you're probably going to love this week's recipe for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. It was a huge hit here at our house last week, leftovers and all ...

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese
(based on a recipe from Tasty Kitchen)

2 chicken breasts
12 oz. bottle buffalo sauce, divided
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 cup light sour cream
8 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese
8 oz. crumbled blue cheese
3 T butter
3 T flour
3 cups skim milk
1 cup plain breadcrumbs

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and drizzle with a few splashes of buffalo sauce. Stir to coat and let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour. When you're ready to begin cooking, pour chicken pieces and sauce into a medium-sized saucepan and heat until cooked through. Drain and set aside, sprinkling with a bit more buffalo sauce if desired.

In a large bowl, mix all three cheeses together. (Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture to use later for the topping.) Add sour cream to the remaining cheese mixture and stir well to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oven to 350º and begin cooking pasta per package directions. Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, stirring constantly until combined. Remove momentarily from heat and whisk in milk. Return to heat and whisk milk constantly until thickened. This step should be done about the time your pasta is finished cooking/draining.

When the sauce is thickened, pour over cheese mixture and stir well. Add cooked pasta and stir until well-combined. Stir in cooked chicken pieces and all but a few tablespoons of the buffalo sauce. Transfer everything into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

To make the topping, add bread crumbs to the reserved cheese mixture, sprinkling with the reserved buffalo sauce to bring everything together. Sprinkle topping over mac and cheese and bake for 30-35 minutes until nicely browned.

*** This recipes serves 8, but I've found that a half recipe is plenty for our family ***

(click here for printable recipe)

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for joining in the food-themed fun!

Whatcha Working on Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Does anyone else feel as though they're living in the land of half-completed tasks and many little (and big!) works-in-progress? It's like I have crafter's and home owner's ADD these days! So many projects ... so little time. But we're gaining --albeit slowly -- and that sure does keep the momentum going. In between spring cleaning, yard work, outside play time, and the usual list of to dos, of course. We're also expecting lots of company in early June for Todd's 15th Bowdoin Reunion. And, at least for me, that's always a huge incentive to get things crossed off the list.


We've gotten a bit more accomplished with our upstairs bathroom redo. It's nothing flashy just yet, but the first coat of wall paint and the new bowed shower curtain rod are feeling very promising. Along with all of the priming and the freshly painted ceiling. It's starting to take shape and I can see it's going to be lovely. The bead board, vanity, light fixture, and mirror are still waiting on their coats of cranberry red and antiquing glaze, but that's next on the list ... after one last coat of neutral wall paint. If only there were just a few more free hours in the day, right?







Another project-in-the-works is our kitchen table and chairs. We've owned these forever. The table was white and the chairs have been unfinished and waiting on paint for years. I've been wanting to get everything freshened up for quite some time, but something else always seems to take precedence. Last week, I decided that an hour here and an hour there would be enough to get the job done ... eventually. I was tired of just thinking about it and cursing myself every time I walked into the kitchen. So I set to work and after another couple of coats, some antique glaze, and sealing, these will be done too. They're looking world's better already! And the island will be next. Hopefully the cabinets (and the rest of the kitchen) won't be too far behind... Hey, a girl can dream!





And last, but certainly not least ... some fun little springtime goodies from Sarah. We decided rather last minute to do a swap and these sweet somethings arrived on Monday. What a way to start the week! There's still much tweaking and arranging to be done, but the faux geraniums have already found a home. Thanks again, sweet Sarah!







I hope all of you are feeling productive and getting those to dos done. Thanks, as always, for popping in. I appreciate your visits and I so enjoy your many sweet comments. And now I'm off to tackle just a bit more of that spring cleaning before lunchtime. It never ends, does it?!

If you'd like to check out more WWW projects, visit Leslie and enjoy.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

We just returned from a lovely (and windy!) afternoon spent strolling through the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. It's one of our favorite summertime destinations, but we've never explored the grounds there this time of year. Since moms were granted free admission for Mother's Day, we decided to check out the springtime beauty. And did we ever see some magnificent blooms! If you're close enough for a day trip or are planning a coastal Maine vacation, put this place on your list. You won't be disappointed:





























I hope each and every one of you has enjoyed your special day as much as I have thus far. And thanks to so many of you who have emailed and checked up on me this past week. Springtime cleaning, yard work, sick kids, house projects, and deadlines have kept me away from blogging. But I'm looking forward to jumping back in this week. It's time, don't you think? I've missed you all!

Thanks, as always, for making time to visit. It's such a humbling treat to have you here.