cookies & creme chocolate pudding pops

It seems I have secret blog readers that just might want a recipe for the pudding pops that Little A has been praying for, for well… months now.  It certainly has been a hiatus of sorts since the last post.  Yes, well having a baby and sustaining life to said baby is actually quite a lot of work.  Throw in some 3 year old preschooler attitude and the days are long and exhausting lately. 

Ms. Preschooler Teacher is my new found heroine and I really can’t wait till school starts again for Little A.  Three cheers for September and routine and structure and cooler days!  Until then, these delicious and oh-so-easy pudding pops will tide you over in the last hazy, lazy days of summer.  (and I can’t take recipe credit.  It’s all Kraft  people.  Kraft rocks).

 

cookies & creme chocolate pudding pops

prep time: 10 mins plus freezing

makes 9 servings, 1/3 cup each

1 pkg. (4 serving size) jello chocolate instant pudding

2 cups cold milk

6 oreos cookies

1/ 2  cup cool whip  topping

1. beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 minutes.

2. place cookies in resealable plastic bag; seal bag. use rolling pin to crush cookies.

3. add cookies and cool whip to pudding; stir just until blended.

4. spoon into 9 small paper or plastic cups. (or i use a plastic popsicle mold picked up from dept.store).

5. insert wooden pop stick or plastic spoon into each for handle.  freeze 5 hours or until firm.

**other variations:

butterscotch pudding with crushed teddy grahams crackers. 

banana cream pudding with actual frozen banana chunks.

vanilla pudding with oreo cookies and smartie bits.

pistachio pudding with skor bits.

enjoy!

to better things,

steph

a little girl’s prayer.

 

little A praying in earnest that the pudding popsicle’s (that we made that afternoon) will be ready to eat in time for dessert.

happy 3rd birthday!

happy third birthday to my beautiful little A!

portrait of a mommy.

once you start this fantastic journey of sending your kid to preschool, you are on the receiving end of daily art work.  yes- art. work. every. time.  that little pink backpack opens up and all of a sudden the fridge is covered in replications and representations of things that your little kid might find important.  this week’s drawings included:  her new teacher, an octopus (huh, random?!),  papa, daddy and mommy. 

yes- my own portraiture drawing.  i’m seriously thrilled.  it’s awesome.  green IS my favourite colour.  i have long(ish) hair in the drawing.  apparently i like to stand on one foot?  i may be doing a twirly pirouette or some such acrobatic thing.  notice that circle in my middle?  i asked little A about that… yup, “it’s the baby in your tummy,” she said.  i’ve never had a dandruff problem- so at least i like to think that all the “fluff” and dots on the far left hand side are confetti.  because,  you know…  i illicit confetti filled fun wherever i go!

to better things (more drawings?),

steph

post-it art.

i get a weekly newsletter from the Color Marketing Group  (a group that predicts and does color forecasting – which is useful for business, marketing, art, photography…  you name it!) 

expected to be a hot colour for 2009 is a yellow “mimosa” type colour.  yellow is refreshing and energetic and is hopeful (especially during the rebuilding of the economy).

this week’s newsletter included some very interesting links to art work using the medium of post-it notes.  the finished result has a very pop-art, andy warhol-esque type of feel.  i love the creativity! 

check out the links:

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/08/31/post-it-art-productivity-in-many-wonderful-colors/

http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/pastpresent/stories_art.html

http://weburbanist.com/2008/01/24/more-unusual-art-from-everyday-materials-16-post-it-note-pranks-sculptures-and-murals/

to better things,

steph

christmas wrap-up.

christmas involved:

pie baking.

crazy amounts of snow.

hair long enough for a first ponytail.  and all the flipping of said hair.

reading the christmas story. a magical christmas eve.

my childhood dollhouse- renovated and regifted to toddlergirl.  (who gasped and clutched her hands to her heart upon seeing it).

incrediblehusband’s 30 birthday. (aka: christmas day). a wireless remote for my camera.  testing it out- fun!

playdoh cookie making with grandpa.

wii fun.

and a wintery drive to visit our friends.

to better things,

steph

snow. snow. snow.

serious snowman building.

 snow angel. toddlergirl & daddy.

starting a snow fight.

 family photo… toddlergirl runs away and laughs!

Christmas 2008 House Tour.

My friend, Shawna  encouraged us to post a  photo tour of  how we decorate our home for the holidays- which is a great idea!  I’m a little late in getting it posted, but here it is…

front entry way

(with garland made from leftover bits from the bottom of our 9 foot tree and a bazillion strong staples).  cost: tree bits=free, ornaments=$1.97 at walmart.

the hallway. 

the nativity set (a gift from the emerge c&c group)

my candle houses (a gift brought back from my parents when they were in lithuania)

 

toddlergirl’s nativity set.  because i think it’s important to have some ornaments kids can play with.

cost:  about $6 at the dollar store.

dining room.  (i must admit, i’m somewhat minimalist).

advent candles in centre of table.  cost: about $2 ikea, glass candle holders (wedding gift), kid dancing in left hand side of photo with a headband… priceless.

my edible decor.  i love decorating with what i’m already buying and using.  this week it’s green apples, limes and avocados.  next week- who knows?  maybe pomegranates and mandarins.

i believe anything in volume (lots) and repetition (lots of the same) can look beautiful.  for example: take 5-6 unwrapped white ivory, soap, put them in a huge apothecary jar in the bathroom and you have usable decor!  i even use cheerios and fruit loops in large, old fashioned glass jars in the kitchen as part of my decor.

dining room refurbished now-sideboard.

glass vase with red & silver balls (about $10), bright red vase (gift), black pedestal candle ($3 on sale at superstore), silver twig wreath ($12 superstore), assortment of white dishes (about $20 total on sale at homesense), real fruit (about $8)

cabinet in living room/dining room (which makes a handsome and handy liquor cabinet/table linens storage).

twig tree ($12 on sale at a grower’s nursery), reusable advent calendar (gift), jar with tealights (about $6) – which is super handy when needing to replenish candles throughout the house.  glass vase with red & silver ornaments ($20)

stockings.  we have a total of 4 (in creams & chocolate colors) and i hope to have them monogrammed with our initials for next year, once all members of our family have arrived

cost= $12 each stocking from superstore.  and they are well-made, quilted material.  we bought the matching chocolate brown tree skirt from superstore as well for $29. (i love superstore’s product design & merchandising lately!)

 

the tree.  each year i have visions of changing colour schemes, but i just can’t seem to do it!  i have to have a bright, cheerful red and crisp white with bits of silver here and there in order for it to be christmas-y.  we have a collection of incrediblehusband’s decorations from growing up (although the garfield ornament gets hung near the back of the tree- orange and black don’t match the rest!)  now we’ve carried on this tradition with toddlergirl.  she gets a new ornament every year- something to signify that year and what about it was special. 

cost:  real tree, 9 feet tall, blue spruce, smells great ($50 at home depot)

thanks for coming on a tour of our home at christmas! 

to better things,

steph

waiting for the cookies.

toddlergirl and her stuffed bunny wait for the cookies to bake.

the tree.

 tree arrival.

tree. up.

breakfast at de dutch. our family tradition before decorating.

tree. decorate. 

tree. done!