The Cotton Candy Pictures

Here they are. He was like a drug addict when it came to this cotton candy. Between his dirty feet and his sticky hands you knew he had a good day at the zoo.

Pictures from the Zoo

Here's some more pictures we took while at the hogle zoo.

The Zoo

Last weekend we all went to the zoo. Gavin loved it. He was so amazed by the giraffes. He especially loved the treats. I felt like such a bad mother giving him cotton candy! We all had a lot of fun watching him eat it though. The weather was really nice and warm. Most of the animals were of coarse not out, but all in all it was a fun day. We also got another great family photo of T.j. myself and Gavin haha.

The Carter Men

T.J's dad really wanted a photo of Gavin and his dad Marv. Unfortunately he passed away a few months before he was born so I photoshopped this picture for Jim. Gavin is the first great grandson to pass on the Carter name. That picture I have of Gavin in the giant pumpkin was one of last pumpkins he planted before he died. 

Happy Birthday Anthony

Happy 18th. I hope you have a fun day!

Lisa Carter 5th grade

Here is a photo I found of T.j's mom. The photo was in pretty bad shape. The restored version looks amazing. I am so glad I  was able to do this. It's such a cute picture! 

Mississippi Mud Cake

I made this today. Yeah its really good. I don't recommend making it unless your wanting to gain 10 lbs. 

2 cups sugar  1/2 teaspoon salt  2 cups all-purpose flour  1 stick unsalted butter  1/2 cup vegetable oil  1/2 cup cocoa  1/4 cup water  2 eggs  1 teaspoon baking soda  1/2 cup buttermilk  2 teaspoons vanilla extract  1 bag miniature marshmallows Icing:  1 stick unsalted butter, softened  3 tablespoons cocoa  6 tablespoons milk  1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar  1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts  1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Combine the sugar, salt, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Bring the butter, oil, cocoa, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add to the flour mixture.  Beat together the eggs, baking soda, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to thechocolate mixture, mix well, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes.  While the cake is baking, make the icing by melting the butter in the cocoa and milk over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the confectioners' sugar. Slowly mix in the nuts and the vanilla. Take the cake from the oven, and when it cools a bit cover it with miniature marshmallows. Pour the warm icing over the cake and the marshmallows. Cool the cake before serving.

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day! I hope all of you had a nice relaxing day.  I was able to sleep in! T.J. was so nice, he brought me breakfast in bed with roses, made me dinner and Gavin went over to T.j.'s parents house for a few hours. It was a really nice day. I am really lucky. I took this picture today of Gavin. It is my favorite of him so far. He is such a little poser.

Gavin

Here's a bunch I found of Gavin when he was about 7 to 8 months. He has a huge mouth.

Even bigger toys he can fit in it. I have to be so careful about the toys I give him. He's really good at turning his head right as the spoon hits his mouth.

The Aquarium

Jake, Myself and our friends James and Bre went to the sandy aquarium. It was pretty dumb but Gavin loved it. He tried diving out of James's arms to get the stingrays. It was cute. We did have a lot of fun though. You can tell how interested Gavin was he didn't look at the camera in any of the pictures we got. He was just to busy.

Clobber Feet

This is a picture I took in Arizona. Max and Gavin have a lot in common. Block feet. I love this picture!

Bluberry-Yogurt Muffins

I made these yesterday they are pretty good for a mid-day snack. Plus they are healthy!

This recipe is from "The Sugar Solution"

1 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons Wheat Germ (I have used ground flax seed instead)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

1 Cup low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 Cup packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Canola oil

1 1/2 Cups Blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees. Coat muffin pan with cooking spray

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients

In a small bowl combine wet ingredients

Mix wet in to dry just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in blueberries

Divide the batter into muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool slightly.

Freezes for up to one month

Makes 12 muffins

Per muffin: 125 calories, 4g protein, 20g carbohydrates, 4g fat, 2g dietary fiber.