Box Tops

We have been collecting Box Tops 4 Education. Last school year Alayna's school earned $380 thru the program. With the collection in November they earned $553 so far this school year. This week is her school's final box top collection for the 2009-10 school year.

Here are Alayna's box tops counted up.

For every 20 boxtops Alayna brings in her name is entered in a drawing for a prize. This collection, the prize is a $50 gift card to Toys 'R Us. Alayna has five entries here.

We can't use a lot of the convenience food products that have box tops on them. Alayna is happy that there are box tops on the Chex cereal we can eat, and buy regularly. Not to mention the gluten free Betty Crocker mixes. Alayna asked her grandparents and great-grandparents to look for boxtops on any of the products they used, (i.e. Pillsbury, Nature Valley, Ziplock, Hefty, etc.). They found some and sent them to her. She was very excited to receive the mail.

"Thank you to my Grandmas and Great-Grandma!"

Please check out Box Tops 4 Education. There are nearby schools that have earned over $6,000! The top box top school in the nation is in TX and earned over $12,000!! Alayna would be very excited if you sent your box tops to her.

Boys

This is how our boys look when I am trying to get us out the door to pick Alayna up from school.

It will be nice when school is out for the summer and I won't have to interrupt their naps to pick up Alayna.

Baby Lex

I know that there are many of you that want to see more pictures of Lex. The thing is, we don't have many pictures of him. Babies just don't do much. Right now we are most excited when he does the least possible.

So here is a picture of Lex doing what we love the most:

Sleeping - without being held!
Priceless.

Cinco de Mayo

Being in the dual language program in Texas it would surprise none of our readers that Alayna took part in a Cinco de Mayo program. What would surprise you is that it took place on the 4th.

She told us all about her big skirt that is the colors of la bandera Méxicana, and that she had to hold it out, like this . . .


She demonstrated how she would turn, with her arm up in the air, and her partner holding her hand.

Many of the boys and girls dropped their arms the moment they were done with the presentation part of the dance.

Alayna's partner was a young gentleman and gave her his arm the entire time they were on stage, but not dancing.

It really was an enjoyable program. Cavell, Lex and I were able to see the morning performance and went with Paul to see the evening show.

AB Does Gluten Free?

We have a gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe that we have been using for years and enjoy (no nuts, extra chips). But, what if there is another recipe out there that is better?

This weekend I tried out Alton Brown's recipe for Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. It is his "Chewy" take* on the Toll House Cookie recipe, using gluten free flours.

They are BIG! Twice the size of our regular cookies.

Except, I don't think he knows much about gluten free flours. Anyone who has watched an episode of Good Eats that involves baking knows that AB LOVES gluten and all its properties.

Yep, they look good, and taste alright. But, Alton's GF substitution was a lot of brown rice flour with a little bit of corn starch and tapioca flour. Anyone that bakes with gf flours regularly knows what will happen if you just use brown rice flour; a GrItTy texture.


Should we now try to adapt this recipe? Use a different flour mixture, adjust the brown to white sugar ratio, use some shortening instead of all butter? Or, do we move on to the next Gluten Free Chocolate Chip recipe? Should the next recipe be Ginger Lemon Girl's BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies or should we try her Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Of course, next week we might make a different kind of cookie, or an entirely different type of treat altogether.

* Transcript of episode