Happy Bullets, oh and some recipes

• I feel oddly happy today. I'm not exactly sure why. I know I seem to be ruled by my hormones and right now is a good time. But as I was just setting DD up with a cartoon and her Little People Airport, I walked out of the playroom thinking "I'm pretty happy today!"
• Again, I'm ruled by my hormones so that's the only reason I can come up with as to why I woke up on FG's side of the bed, wiggling against him and trying to wake him up - in the middle of the night. We are not snugglers so I think him wrapping his arms around me is what actually woke me up. Then I realized I was ASLEEP and trying to get some. I blame it all on hormones! FG didn't wake up enough to realize what the heck I was doing (hell, I wasn't even awake enough to realize what the heck I was doing!) or he would have been stripped instantly. What the hell is wrong with me?! Ah, hormones! That's it!!
• It's a very pretty day here today! The sky is an amazing blue and the trees and grass are so green! (oh yeah, and the weeds too!)
• It's going to be HOT this week and weekend. I'm talking needing to run the A/C, the kids are counting down the days to get out the slip & slide and run in the sprinklers HOT. NINETY-FREAKING-TWO degrees in May?!
• The kids are going to spend the night with FIL and his wife this Saturday. As many differences and issues FIL's wife and we have, she does love my kids. I need to remember that and try harder to put aside things that bother FG and I when it comes to her. I'm not always happy with the choices she makes with them or the influences she has on them but I try to remember that the more people in their lives that love them, the better. Right?
• This makes 3 weekend in a row that my kids have spent time with a grandparent and FG and I have been able to be alone. We are so damn lucky.
• I'm making FG take me out for sushi Sat. I can't make sushi at home but I can make pasta or a chicken Caesar salad. I know, it isn't the same as going out and having it but with all this trying to cut back and save some $, I figure we should go out and get something I can't cook at home.
• I'm going to put a roast in the crock pot and dinner will be DONE for tonight. :)
• I have to either pat myself on the back or laugh at myself because the school sent home registration packets for next school year yesterday. DS took his completed one with him back to school along with a copy of his immunization records. That's me! Super organized!
• I finally got the letter I needed from the Dr's office regarding the meeting with the school district to get DS some OT. I have all the pieces I need, as far as I know, and am anxious to see what hoops we have to jump through in order to get it done. Again, I'll mention how thankful I am for DS's teacher who is really spearheading this whole thing and very much on his side to get him what he needs through the school district.

Ok, now those recipes I promised!

These all are Pampered Chef recipes. Some of you know I used to be a consultant. I liked it but I'm not a very aggressive salesperson. I just enjoy their products and many of their recipes. So for this weekend's Mother's Day festivities I decided to pull out some of the cookbooks and see what I could find. The results were good and I got rave reviews!

Italian Artichoke Crostini

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 lemon

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix, divided

1 garlic clove

1/4" thick french bread slices

1 roma tomato, sliced

1 small zucchini, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In bowl mix chopped artichokes, diced bell pepper, 1 tsp. of zest from the lemon, 1 cup of cheese, mayo, pressed garlic clove and 1 tsp. of the Italian seasoning mix. Mix well.

Arrange bread slices on rectangle stone. Divide filling evenly among bread slices. Top with sliced tomato and/or zucchini and press down lightly. Combine remaining cheese and remaining Italian seasoning mix and sprinkle over the top of the tomato and zucchini slices. Bake 15 - 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve hot.

Creamy Cucumber Canapes

1 package (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 small cucumber

1 (8 oz) container flavored or plain spreadable cream cheese

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 small clove garlic, pressed

1/2 cup basil leaves or parsley, finely chopped

Finely chopped Garnishes: broccoli, red bell pepper, pea pods, cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly sprinkle stoneware bar pan with flour, unroll crescent roll dough and roll out in pan to evenly cover the bottom. Prick dough. Bake 12 - 15 min or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. On cutting board, cut dough into 24 squares.

Peel or score cucumber. Cut in half crosswise, remove seeds and slice. Place one cucumber slice onto each pastry square. Combine cream cheese, mayo, garlic and basil or parsley. Place into Easy Accent Decorator or pastry bag with star tip. Pipe a rosette in center of each cucumber slice. Top with garnish of choice and serve immediately.