Long time, no see

This month last month has been especially hectic with the start of a new semester for me, tons of homework (including two visits to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts- so fun!), a lot of company at our house, hubby out of town for a few days, classes and doctor appointments for the little monkeys, visiting the Minnesota Children's Museum, taking care of sick kids, and helping my 2nd grader understand math homework that is challenging him for the first time ever. (Carrying numbers is a tricky concept!)
Today, I get to spend the day catching up on the cleaning that I didn't do this last week while my mom was here. I also finally made bread! After I got my awesome, amazing, life-saving Kitchenaid mixer and learned how to make bread in it, my family has not been able to go back to store-bought bread. Homemade is just too good! I usually have to make four loaves at least every other week, but I often give some away and we go through the rest pretty darn fast, so when I get too busy to make more we have to use pitas and waffles for our PB&J. Yesterday, my 4-year-old begged me to please make some soft bread. So I did! I also made Cranberry Bread in my Pampered Chef Mini Loaf Pan. YUM!
Last, I made the hummus I've been craving all week. If you've never had hummus, try it! It's delicious and versatile. We use it as a dip for vegetables and pita chips, and I spread it inside my pita sandwiches or on a tortilla for a wrap. Hummus is high in protein, fiber, amino acid, iron, vitamin C, folate, and vitamin B6. This recipe is my favorite and it's super easy. You can also add things like pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and spinach, or avocados.

As far as crafts go, it's just been too hard to pull the stuff out and get things made. However, I've made several stops at JoAnn's and have plans to whip out a few simple projects over the next couple weeks. My first is a cover for my beloved Kitchenaid. I'm so excited! As usual, I'll be winging it, but it should be pretty easy. With the weather FINALLY warming up, the 4 feet of snow will be melting so I'll be able to kick the kids outside and actually get stuff done!!! Come on, Spring!